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| Power Style Wellness Connections |
Book Club
What Are They Reading?
By Elaine Rooker Jack and Janet C. Blake
Photos by Ewa Wojtkowska
Who they are: The Book Club: Wanda Baker, Sandra Berry, Marilynn Cannon, Bunny
Hammer, Rachael Hammer, Gloria Hess, Gloria Johnson, Jeanne Lamm, Maryetta
Marguet, and Jane Rutherford.
First meeting: April 1981.
How they got together: Sandra, whose former husband had worked for a publishing
company, was “all about books,” she says, so she called her longtime friends Wanda
and Maryetta (they are all New Albany High School graduates) and asked them if
they wanted to start a book club. The following month, Gloria Johnson came aboard,
and the rest of the members — all friends and/or neighbors — joined through the
years. Bunny and Rachael Hammer are mother and daughter, and also the oldest
(Bunny, 87) and youngest (Rachael, 62) members of the club.
Their meetings: The first Wednesday of the month at 10 a.m., except July and
August. They meet in members’ homes. “This is a club with no rules, no order, no
president. We just wing it,” Sandra says.
Their rules: Although they claim not to have any rules, they do manage to come up
with a few after some prompting:
• They choose their books a month or two ahead of time, by recommendation. The
member who recommends the book has to have read it first.
• “If you read the book, you’re supposed to come and if you haven’t read the
book, you are supposed to come,” Sandra says with a sly smile.
• At their Christmas luncheon (always at Sandra’s house), they read a poem or
Truman Capote’s 1956 short story, A Christmas Memory.What they say about their
club: “We’ve never gotten down and had a fistfight, but we do disagree when we want
to.” — Sandra
“We all like to talk too much.”— Jeanne
“It’s a support group.” — Marilynn
“I do think it’s one of the things none of us really want to miss. You have to be on
your deathbed.” — Jeanne
“It’s my favorite thing.” — Bunny
What they are reading this month: The Winter of Our Discontent, by John Steinbeck
Why they picked it: It was a member’s suggestion (see their rules).
What it’s about: The story of Ethan Hawley, who is dissatisfied with his life. Part of a
once-wealthy family, Ethan works as a clerk in a local store he and his family once
owned. He decides it is time to bring fortune back to his wife and two children and
plots to rob the local bank. But Ethan then comes up with a bigger plan: a real-estate
scheme that involves deporting the elderly Italian immigrant who owns the store and
taking advantage of his alcoholic friend. Steinbeck is said to have written this 1961
book to address the moral degeneration of America.
What they thought of it: Sandra starts the discussion and they’re off. Maryetta has
done her homework: She has several pages of background information on both
Steinbeck and this book.
Some of their conversation about it: Several struggled with the dialogue, having
trouble following who was speaking. “I think he does that on purpose. I think he wants
you to have to think about it.” — Maryetta
“It’s like they say: ‘There’s no such thing as a good girl gone bad, just a bad girl
found out.’” — Rachael
The excerpt Wanda read aloud that made her exclaim, “Oh, it’s wonderful: “The
martinis came, not in little glasses but big as bird baths with twists of lemon peel. The
first taste bit like a vampire bat, made its little anesthesia, and after that the drink
mellowed and toward the bottom turned downright good.”
“There’s always a Margie. Everybody knows a Margie.” — Sandra, to laughter,
referring to a middle-aged seductress in the book. What they did for their 25th
anniversary: They celebrated with a party at a local hotel and invited Dale Moss,
Indiana columnist for The Courier-Journal, and Jeffersonville author Dana Olson (The
Legend of Prince Madoc and the White Indians; Prince Madoc, Founder of Clark
County, Indiana) to join them.
What they read in July and August: The club chooses one topic for the two months
they don’t meet and they discuss their picks in September. Topics have included
classics; the Shroud of Turin; the Black Death; the greatest moment in history; and
the person who has made the greatest contribution.
“I did Thomas Jefferson,” Wanda says, “and then changed my mind!”
One summer, when they read books about psychics and life after death, they invited
a psychic to the September meeting. “Our husbands decided to come to that
meeting,” Maryetta laughs. What they talk about besides the book: Sandra’s heart
operation; the importance of reading in their lives; how many books they own; how
book clubs keep a person young; Gloria’s trip to New York City with her husband; the
difficulties of airport security combined with hip replacements; high school angst;
husbands. THEY GATHER AT JANE’S HOUSE. LIKE SEVERAL OF THE MEMBERS
OF THIS SOUTHERN INDIANA group, Jane lives in the historic Silver Hills section of
New Albany. Her Civil War-era residence, a former farmhouse that has been in her
family since 1939, has a breathtaking, sweeping view of the Ohio River and
downtown Louisville.
The book club members have a scrumptious homemade buffet from which to choose:
deviled eggs, strawberries, cheese cubes, melon, pineapple, coffee cake, juice,
coffee, tea. The plates Jane uses are rarely seen “buffet plates” — small, oval, glass
plates that have cups and saucers built in (no juggling a plate in one hand and a cup
in other). Just-picked lilacs adorn the table and perfume the air.
Members have let themselves in through the back door. They greet Fred the cat and
then chat quietly to catch up on family news. They are into their 26th year together,
but they take the milestone in stride. Within a half-hour, they settle into the
comfortable couches and chairs Jane has arranged in the living room, eager to begin.
Several members clutch small, blue notebooks that read “Book Club 2006, 2007,
2008” on the cover. They received them at their 25th anniversary celebration the
previous year; inside, members keep track of book titles and authors. There’s also a
place to take notes.Elaine Jack at elainej@iamtodayswoman.com is a regular feature
writer for Today’s Woman magazine. Janet Blake is filling in for her as Elaine
recovers from an accident.
What Are They Reading?
By Elaine Rooker Jack and Janet C. Blake
Photos by Ewa Wojtkowska
Who they are: The Book Club: Wanda Baker, Sandra Berry, Marilynn Cannon, Bunny
Hammer, Rachael Hammer, Gloria Hess, Gloria Johnson, Jeanne Lamm, Maryetta
Marguet, and Jane Rutherford.
First meeting: April 1981.
How they got together: Sandra, whose former husband had worked for a publishing
company, was “all about books,” she says, so she called her longtime friends Wanda
and Maryetta (they are all New Albany High School graduates) and asked them if
they wanted to start a book club. The following month, Gloria Johnson came aboard,
and the rest of the members — all friends and/or neighbors — joined through the
years. Bunny and Rachael Hammer are mother and daughter, and also the oldest
(Bunny, 87) and youngest (Rachael, 62) members of the club.
Their meetings: The first Wednesday of the month at 10 a.m., except July and
August. They meet in members’ homes. “This is a club with no rules, no order, no
president. We just wing it,” Sandra says.
Their rules: Although they claim not to have any rules, they do manage to come up
with a few after some prompting:
• They choose their books a month or two ahead of time, by recommendation. The
member who recommends the book has to have read it first.
• “If you read the book, you’re supposed to come and if you haven’t read the
book, you are supposed to come,” Sandra says with a sly smile.
• At their Christmas luncheon (always at Sandra’s house), they read a poem or
Truman Capote’s 1956 short story, A Christmas Memory.What they say about their
club: “We’ve never gotten down and had a fistfight, but we do disagree when we want
to.” — Sandra
“We all like to talk too much.”— Jeanne
“It’s a support group.” — Marilynn
“I do think it’s one of the things none of us really want to miss. You have to be on
your deathbed.” — Jeanne
“It’s my favorite thing.” — Bunny
What they are reading this month: The Winter of Our Discontent, by John Steinbeck
Why they picked it: It was a member’s suggestion (see their rules).
What it’s about: The story of Ethan Hawley, who is dissatisfied with his life. Part of a
once-wealthy family, Ethan works as a clerk in a local store he and his family once
owned. He decides it is time to bring fortune back to his wife and two children and
plots to rob the local bank. But Ethan then comes up with a bigger plan: a real-estate
scheme that involves deporting the elderly Italian immigrant who owns the store and
taking advantage of his alcoholic friend. Steinbeck is said to have written this 1961
book to address the moral degeneration of America.
What they thought of it: Sandra starts the discussion and they’re off. Maryetta has
done her homework: She has several pages of background information on both
Steinbeck and this book.
Some of their conversation about it: Several struggled with the dialogue, having
trouble following who was speaking. “I think he does that on purpose. I think he wants
you to have to think about it.” — Maryetta
“It’s like they say: ‘There’s no such thing as a good girl gone bad, just a bad girl
found out.’” — Rachael
The excerpt Wanda read aloud that made her exclaim, “Oh, it’s wonderful: “The
martinis came, not in little glasses but big as bird baths with twists of lemon peel. The
first taste bit like a vampire bat, made its little anesthesia, and after that the drink
mellowed and toward the bottom turned downright good.”
“There’s always a Margie. Everybody knows a Margie.” — Sandra, to laughter,
referring to a middle-aged seductress in the book. What they did for their 25th
anniversary: They celebrated with a party at a local hotel and invited Dale Moss,
Indiana columnist for The Courier-Journal, and Jeffersonville author Dana Olson (The
Legend of Prince Madoc and the White Indians; Prince Madoc, Founder of Clark
County, Indiana) to join them.
What they read in July and August: The club chooses one topic for the two months
they don’t meet and they discuss their picks in September. Topics have included
classics; the Shroud of Turin; the Black Death; the greatest moment in history; and
the person who has made the greatest contribution.
“I did Thomas Jefferson,” Wanda says, “and then changed my mind!”
One summer, when they read books about psychics and life after death, they invited
a psychic to the September meeting. “Our husbands decided to come to that
meeting,” Maryetta laughs. What they talk about besides the book: Sandra’s heart
operation; the importance of reading in their lives; how many books they own; how
book clubs keep a person young; Gloria’s trip to New York City with her husband; the
difficulties of airport security combined with hip replacements; high school angst;
husbands. THEY GATHER AT JANE’S HOUSE. LIKE SEVERAL OF THE MEMBERS
OF THIS SOUTHERN INDIANA group, Jane lives in the historic Silver Hills section of
New Albany. Her Civil War-era residence, a former farmhouse that has been in her
family since 1939, has a breathtaking, sweeping view of the Ohio River and
downtown Louisville.
The book club members have a scrumptious homemade buffet from which to choose:
deviled eggs, strawberries, cheese cubes, melon, pineapple, coffee cake, juice,
coffee, tea. The plates Jane uses are rarely seen “buffet plates” — small, oval, glass
plates that have cups and saucers built in (no juggling a plate in one hand and a cup
in other). Just-picked lilacs adorn the table and perfume the air.
Members have let themselves in through the back door. They greet Fred the cat and
then chat quietly to catch up on family news. They are into their 26th year together,
but they take the milestone in stride. Within a half-hour, they settle into the
comfortable couches and chairs Jane has arranged in the living room, eager to begin.
Several members clutch small, blue notebooks that read “Book Club 2006, 2007,
2008” on the cover. They received them at their 25th anniversary celebration the
previous year; inside, members keep track of book titles and authors. There’s also a
place to take notes.Elaine Jack at elainej@iamtodayswoman.com is a regular feature
writer for Today’s Woman magazine. Janet Blake is filling in for her as Elaine
recovers from an accident.