The ELLS Book List for 2014

   
 Our year of books is coming to a close.  We have officially been together 1 whole year!  When we first started we really didn't think we could read 1 book a month and come together every month but we did it!  Sometimes meeting up twice a month!  Great job ladies!  Here is to another round of reads.

Heidi

Eastside Ladies Literary Society 2014 Book List: 1st 6 months.

Jan:  Orphan Train

Feb: The Kitchen House

Mar: Secret Daughter

Apr: The Boys in The Boat

May: The Last Runaway

Jun: Hild

The Aviator's Wife

     Another winner on the favorite's list!  The Aviator's Wife is a wonderfully written story in the voice of Anne Morrow Lindbergh the wife of Lucky Lindy, Charles Lindbergh.  This novel takes the reader into the private lives of Charles and Anne.  It is interesting and uncomfortable and allows the reader to have their curiosities fulfilled about what this couple was like without the paparazzi.  Anne's character is relatable to all wives and mother's but shows the strength and loyalty of one who is married to a successfully public figure.  You will not be disappointed with this one!

The club ladies met this October at Cactus in Bellevue Square.  This was a yummy mexican fusion place in the old Z tejas spot.  The tacos of all kinds were delicious and although we didn't get to eat our usual family style we did admire each other's dish presentation.  Cocktails, mexican, books, and good conversation.  Just what a good group of ladies need!

The next book on our list is a n oldie that everyone has had on their lists for years but never cracked it open.  Roots by Alex Haley.  This selection will be stretched over 2 months since the holidays are on their way and the book is a bit larger than the others.  The dinner club will be near the end of the month and we may skip our meet up in December but double up in January.

Happy reading! Cheers!

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

     Our Sept book selection was Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.  This has got to be one of the Eastside Ladies top favorites.  Set in Seattle during WWII, this is about a Chinese boy and a Japanese girl and their secret friendship during a time when anyone looking "oriental" was just lumped into the "enemy" category.  A quieter and blemished part of Seattle history is portrayed within this beautiful story of friendship.  This novel definitely gives you the sweet with the bitter and brings you a feeling of nostalgia even if you weren't born to experience it.  You don't have to be from Seattle to love this touching story.
     This club night we met for Dim Sum.  It seemed appropriate to have either Chinese or Japanese food and one our our ladies showed us this wonderful gem of a restaurant.  In Gilman Village in Issaquah is Macky's.  Oh Macky's how I love you!  If you love dim sum or have thought about trying it out, please, please, please go here!  It's tucked away behind the other eateries and used to be a sweet shop before Macky's took over. We ladies love to eat family style and this was perfect!  The owner picked out several dishes and everything was delicious! I personally recommend the little dumplings with the soup inside.  These are Heavenly!

Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power

     Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power by Jon Meacham is a biography that really taps in to Thomas Jefferson as a person.  It highlights his insecurities and relationships and shines a light on Thomas Jefferson as a scholar who is discussed by politics and yet can pull himself away from the rights he feels the new America deserves.  Although several of us didn't get to the end it is highly recommended.  If you feel like testing out the biographical waters, this is a good one to try.  Don't let the size fool you.  Jon Meacham takes his research and citations seriously and a quarter of what you see is a collection of that.

I'm pretty sure I was out of town for this book cub dinner but I'm sure it was tasty!

Odd Mom Out

The first summer read this year was Odd Mom Out by Jane Porter.  A fun, easy read especially if you live in the Seattle area and especially if you now Bellevue.  This book is about a single mom who moves from New York to Bellevue, WA with her daughter and how they manage the dynamics of a city and school district of high powered, elite high society.  Does individualism really get accepted in this environment?
I have to admit that I'm a slacker and for the life of me can't remember where we met for dinner!  Did I miss this one?? That's what summer will do to you I guess!

The next book is a little heavier:  The Art of Power.

The Orchardist

Our May book was a lovely novel set in early Pacific Northwest history.  Taking place in Eastern Washington, (think Wenatchee and Chelan)  The Orchardist is about a solitary figure and a couple of girls that happen upon his property.  The author, Amanda Coplin, has a calm and easy way about her writing that is reminiscent of Steinbeck.  Simple, yet complex characters that allow you to be the fly on the cabin walls.  It was easy to get drawn into to the story the author created but still let her reader  create their own pictures and outcomes in their head.  It was also a lovely read for those in the PNW familiar with the names and places and imagining a time just as the railroad hit the area.   I think all the ladies of the club would recommend this.  oh and I can't forget the food!  We met at a japanese restaurant in kirkland called Izumi.  The fish was extremely fresh and the restaurant very traditional.  I recommend the sushi sampler.  They close early on Wednesdays so, of course, we closed the place down.

Six Months and Beyond: The E.L.L.S 2013 Book List

For those of you wanting to check out our archived collection and what the Eastside Ladies will be reading next, here is our 2013 list.  Please feel free to ask questions about previous posts or leave comments if you've read any of our books.  We'd love to know what you think!


Dec:  Unbroken: A WWII Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand

Jan:  The Secrets of Mary Bowser
by Lois Leveen

Feb:   Former People: The Final Days of the Russian Aristocracy
by Douglas Smith

Mar:  The Light Between Oceans
by M.L. Stedman

April:  The Elegance of The Hedgehog
by Muriel Barbery

May:  The Orchardist
by Amanda Coplin

June:  Odd Mom Out
by Jane Porter

July/Aug:  Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power
by Jon Meacham

Sept:   Hotel on The Corner of Bitter and Sweet
by Jamie Ford

Oct:   The Aviator's Wife
by Melanie Benjamin

Nov/Dec:   Roots
by Alex Haley   (yep we are going old school. A book many of us have had on our list for years!)

The Elegance of The Hedgehog

The next book for the month of April was The Elegance of The Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.  This book does not fall into the historical category but we thought we would mix things up a bit.  Mix is certainly the right word not only for this novel but the reviews and conversation of the book club as well.  Half of the gals in our group loved it and gave it a 4 or 5 star GroupReads rating.  Others, like me, either did not finish or got through it.  The club met at and Indian restaurant in Bellevue called Chutneys.  I could not make it but I hear the food is amazing and the book club girls closed the place down.  (Which we tend to do anyway!)  For me the first half of the book was confusing and annoying and I really didn't care or attach myself to any of the characters.  The Concierge was intriguing enough so I kept reading.  The second half is certainly much improved and I am still slowly getting through it.  The book is set up to give you different perspectives of 2 main females characters.   Normally I enjoy this type of bird's eye view but in this case I just couldn't get interested in character's interests.  Set in a Paris apartment complex, it gives a dynamic view of dweller relationships from the older, single female concierge, to the young, highly gifted girl in angst to the new dweller from the outside.  If you want complex and sometimes philosophic, this might be the book for you!

Light Between Oceans

Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman was an emotional read on multiple levels.  The story takes place in Australia after WWII.  It is about a former soldier who takes a job as a light house keeper.  He marries and takes his wife with him.  The story evolves around a tragic night where decisions are made and the bad choices are layered on top of other bad choices.  Where the choices are right or wrong is what kept us in heavy conversation.  We met at Mediterranean Kitchen in Bellevue.  IT is a tiny whole in the wall place off Bellevue Way and specializes in Lebanese cuisine.  Everything is extremely flavorful and we have gotten in the habit of ordering family style so we can all share in trying several dishes.  The dipping sauce was divine and a starter soup is brought before ordering ever takes place! Be prepared to share a dish or take lots home since the potions are probably enough for 3 or 4.  You will not go home hungry!  Our discussion of this book centered around the decisions that were made by Isabel and put upon Tom, her husband.  We tried to understand what happens to right and wrong when isolated for months at a time on a light house island.  We wondered how that isolation changes a persons sense of reality and what it looks like , too, when they return to society.  As women trying to understand the main woman of the story, we wondered if our decisions would be similar or different to Isabel's.  It was a mixed consensus.  There were many moral questions and decisions made and even with a sense of God woven throughout, it was interesting how even that was manipulated by the isolation of the light house.  A great novel for a book group discussion.  A question to remember after reading this...can the antagonist be something other than a person?
Enjoy and grab your tissues!

Former People

Former People:The Final Days of The Russian Aristocracy by Douglas Smith was the next book on our list.  This one was unanimous in our choice of next book to read.  The synapsis sounded like a fascinating Downton Abbey of the russian revolution.  Sadly it did not live up to any of its expectations and only one of our group members actually read the whole thing!  So sad.  The amount of detail and research the author put into this was wasted on just that.  The detail was so detailed that the book was just bogged down in historical facts and hard to pronounce people and places.  we all agreed that the author, with all his information, could have easily created a profile of 2 or 3 families and created a story line on what we had all hoped.  Instead it was a dark russian history lesson with people we just couldn't care for.  We met this night in Klahanie at Hop Jack's.  A bar and grill style chain that has great fish tacos!  We did have some discussion on this latest book.  We tried to place ourselves, typical suburban well to do family women, in comparison with the social upperclass women and families of 1900's Russia.  Tragedies occurring around them but still staying together a persevering.  Would we do this?  How would we survive?  How did they survive?  Could we do the same?  We also discussed similarities to other tragic events in history.  The holocaust, the Irish famine, the Germans from Russia.  In closing we were interested in learning more about an unknown subject but were so highly disappointed in this book that we barely made it half way through.  It is now just a bitter memory....

The Secrets of Mary Bowser

The Secrets of Mary Bowser was another great read! Highly recommended!  This is a historical fiction novel based on a true character.  Mary Bowser was born into slavery.  When her owner let her and her mother go free she was sent off to school to be educated.  Her mother continued to stay on the farm to be near Mary's father, who was also a slave.  Mary was well educated and became a spy for the union by working as a slave in Jefferson Davis' home.  This is a lovely and unique story with a perspective that is not commonly seen, the voice of an educated slave.  HIstory, emotions, action and romance are all packed into this fascinating book.  The book club met at a tiny, little Thai restaurant in Issaquah where the book discussion was mainly revolved around Mary's white owner.  We questioned why she did what she did and why Mary felt the way she did about her.  The relationship between Mary and Bett was extremely complex and our feelings we mixed when it came to deciding how Mary and why Mary was so cool towards the owner who not only freed her but supported her education and finances to do so.
This is a book list MUST!

The Book Club Begins

The Eastside Ladies Literary Society was created by small group of moms who were serendipitously put together.  A sort of Six Degrees of Separation.  Moms of young children looking for a more scholarly and adventurous way to gather to discuss those topics other than what cute things the children have  accomplished on any given week.  Collectively finding similar likes of literature and food, we started this book club to find the adventurous outlets we can't always find while raising children.  Our first book was "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand.   The incredible story of Olympic runner Louis Zamperini who served in WWII and survived experiences that pushed his human frame and mind to its utmost limits.  The discussion was consistent all around.  We agreed that the author had an easy yet detailed style and has a knack for slipping in small foreshadowed ideas that come back around later to leave you even more emotional invested.  Her consistency and backstory allow you to trust her knowledge for the truth of the history.  From there we moved to the question of human perseverance.   There was the idea that a higher being must have some how played a part in the soldiers survival from the attack of bullets missing them on the raft to the brutality they endured in the slave camps.  This book  is highly recommended.  Our first meeting was a big hit.  We met at my home for light snacks and agreed on a new book every month and a new restaurant as well.

Let the adventures begin!