Sunday afternoon brought a meeting of the Powerful Women Readers book group to Rae’s for white chili and a lovely afternoon. Eleven women were present, and the book discussion was perhaps the best we have had so far. Nancy was the only one who had read Fannie Flagg’s The Whole Town is Talking which became a lot more appealing when she informed us the townspeople were talking in the town’s cemetery, reminiscent of Thornton Wilder’s Our Town. Several Women were interested in ordering the book from the library. Rae discussed Leon Hale’s Paper Hero with Janet’s help. Both had read the book as a selection for the library’s Third Tuesday Book Club. Ann finished the discussion with a lecture on Aldous Huxley’s Brave New World, including general comments on 1984 by George Orwell and other books that warned what could happen in the future–which is now! Several women had read the book and agreed that the story was basically a tragedy, one which we, as the “future” inhabitants of this planet had better heed. Ann and several of us, however, who have grandchildren or are around young people, pointed out that today’s youth transmit a ray of hope for the future, for they are entering today’s Brave New World with confidence and compassion.
Finished this past week: One Damned Thing After Another and Just Like Jesus, which I’ll review soon.
Continuing to Read: Racing in the Rain (I’ve laid this aside for a while and want to get back to it.)
Started: Small Admissions which is a light, very amusing read.
Today will be clean up and catch up day. Later this afternoon, I’ll post Monday Musings instead of Monday Morning Musings. That first cup of coffee is calling me.
powerfulwomenreaders 
Wow – 11 people all discussing the book! That’s more like a full class than a reading group… what a fabulous evening – I take it you have plenty of room! I can seat up to 9 around my table but after that it gets awfully cosy. I’m dying to know what you made of ‘One Damned Thing…’ and the interesting thing about 1984 is that it is all about Orwell’s fears for 1948 and the steady rise of communism. The ideas behind speech and that if you rob people of the vocabulary and ability to put into words ideas like freedom and equality, then they cannot aspire to it is an interesting one, though I have always thought it flawed. People will make up/add words as they need them, it seems to me. Have a great reading week, Rae:)
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I bought a card table and chairs, used the dining room table, and used the breakfast table. There were a few empty places.
LOVED One Damned Thing and am going to order the second book…something Symphony (have it written down) from the library soon. I am hoping my husband will read One Damed Thing, but he rarely reads a book where the protagonist is a woman.
Your thoughts on 1984 are “spot-on.”
The chili was delicious; I stretched it with chili beans, and not only did husband have it for lunch, but I have enough to send to an elderly couple for their lunch tomorrow. Love that crockpot. It holds 7 quarts!
Our meeting was Sunday afternoon and some guests left before 4 o’clock to attend Super Bowl parties. They had two parties in one day. Did I mention the guests brought desserts and what was left was put on paper plates in baggies and everyone (INCLUDING ME) “helped” the cake and cookie donors go home with empty pans/dishes.
A good time was had by all–cliched but true. Thanks for visiting us today.
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I’m happy the discussion turned out so well.
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It DID go well, and several left with books from my LFL for themselves and a couple of grandkids. So, you made a contribution even though you couldn’t physically attend. TY! Thanks for stopping by.
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