Reality Raincheck

On the plots surface, Bel Canto details a hostage situation that takes place at an embassy in Peru. But when one delves deeper, it is a meditation on the healing and uniting power of art, specifically that of opera to bring people of completely different cultures and languages together to appreciate music at its finest. This is Ann Patchett's 4th novel and was awarded the Orange prize for fiction and the PEN/Faulkner award. Later the book was made into a film that uses the masterful vocal stylings of soprano Renee Fleming. Stay tuned to the end of this book club chat to hear fellow book-clubber, Mary Ann Claros sing the aria from Rusalka called "Song to the Moon," which is the song that launches the book Bel Canto. Hearing it live is magical!

Join us for this book club chat as we interview author Dr. Charles Inouye about his beautiful memoir, Zion Earth Zen Sky. He details the experiences from his life as a child growing up in rural Sigurd, Utah. As Japanese-Americans, his family eventually settled there after his parents met at an internment camp following Pearl Harbor. His religious backgrounds include a family culture of Buddhism, and then a conversion to the Church of Jesus Christ Latter Day Saints. Though he began working along side his dad as a farmer, Dr. Inouye eventually left the farm to serve as a missionary in Japan and discovered the many beauties of the Japanese traditions. He went on to pursue his education, completing a doctorate at Harvard. He now teaches at Tufts University in Boston. His memoir is replete with Haiku and stories that warm your heart to their teller. His ideas on faith are simple and profound: serving others is similar to the Buddhist tradition of maintaining a zen garden. The constant raking is what refines us, and allows us the connections that come from loving others, and being loved. https://www.amazon.com/Zion-Earth-Charles-Shirō-Inouye/dp/1950304116#customerReviews https://www.amazon.com/Hymns-Silence-Stories-Charles-Inouye/dp/1948218976/ref=sr_1_1?crid=1I9NCGKAA8UC9&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.91HYIhIlWWSJ73IJ4s03YbacoDXZI4OkDCEPox1o9EYF8wLbPUkeX0ztidyFg-CKyO92CBIoVgxyPAzthvARQTQbgLbTSC85B2AsbsUkPGjgNu7BMJwm5Nkx7jlh1gJRJFowCzlgMjAm96KsaPaVT5SmN5TtWuKyLOzMQij5wnn2LXrYLqZXFH4vowSwYgsahDCvMt9Be75Bks8eW57rlswHaqbt_VR_S7Oc0IPNSf8.fsPVslObfCz34JOYvewhqNU2L76d5gU8p3ur-BO3DIE&dib_tag=se&keywords=books+by+charles+inouye&qid=1711822544&s=books&sprefix=books+by+charles+inouye%2Cstripbooks%2C62&sr=1-1  

George Eliot, who's actual name is Mary Ann Evans, was one of the best Victorian authors to have emerged from England. Join us in this book club chat with author John Bennion, and former BYU professor of the British novel. While this novel has slow beginnings, the pace quickens and provides such a complicated love triangle, one is left wondering how things will possibly conclude. As with many victorian novels, the answer to that question is “tragically”. We try to rewrite the ending and come to the conclusion that though tragic, Eliot knew exactly what she was doing. To have an alternate ending would have required the heroine, Maggie Tulliver, to have been untrue to herself. This book is in part autobiographical, as it has echoes of Eliot's upbringing, and her later estrangement from her brother.

If you want a glimpse into beautiful nature poetry, look no further than the poems of Mary Oliver. She was considered to be one of America's finest poets, winning the Pulitzer Prize and the National Book Award. Her poems, and the reading of them, connect you more closely to the natural world and simultaneously the spiritual world. Join us as we read some of our favorite poems with our friend Jessie Scoville, who for a time shared Mary Oliver's poetry online in an effort to spread hope in an time when it was desperately needed. We read many of her poems aloud, discovering anew the awakening to life that such beautiful poetry can invoke. Her poems read like prayers, though she will be the first to say that she doesn't know what it means to pray. But she was a master at sitting idly and observing the outdoors with a feeling of gratitude.

 Eowyn Ivey’s debut novel The Snow Child is a beautiful journey into the imagination and the wilds of Alaska. Incorporating the Russian fairytale, the Snow Maiden, Ivey breaths new life into an old tale, and lets live the idea that hope (along with a child) can spring from even the most harsh and hopeless of circumstances. This book gives a very real glimpse into the struggles of infertility and feeling the loss of a child. It was a finalist for a pulitzer in 2013. There are spoilers in this bookclub chat, so read the book before you give it a listen. You’ll be glad you did!

If you're curious about the origin story of the haunted house, look no further than Shirley Jackson's classic horror novel, The Haunting of Hill House. We are joined for this book club chat by horror professor, Dr. Carl Sederholm, who recently published a chapter in a work about Shirley Jackson. While his focus was on Steven King (who is an ardent lover of the works of Jackson) he is an expert on this book, which he regularly teaches his students at BYU. Read the book before listening to the podcast as we talk in depth about the ending! It is hauntingly spooky and a perfect book for fall weather days. Enjoy!

Barbara Kingsolver's best selling novel The Poisonwood Bible is a masterful historical fiction about the Price family. While their story is fictional, the backdrop and historical events of the narrative are an accurate depiction of life in the Congo. It's an eye-opening tale told from the perspective of the women in the story. Join us as we retell our favorite moments and relive our initial reactions to this deeply moving and beautifully written book.

Join us for this book club chat about Austen's first novel Sense and Sensibility. Former BYU professor and author, John Bennion, will discuss the merits of the book and Austen's growth as a novelist as she improved upon her craft in subsequent books. The film adaptation of the book as written by Emma Thompson helped to give the novel new life. We compare the book and film, and come to the rare conclusion that the movie did great service to the book in rounding out the characters. But Austen will forever remain the queen of dialogue and masterful observer of people.

Joanna Quinn's debut novel, The Whalebone Theatre, is historical fiction at its finest. We are transported to southern England off the coast of Dorset, where we meet three unlikely heroes--Cristabel, Flossie, and Digby. They are siblings who grow up against the backdrop of the second world war. Their childhood consists of little supervision, and jaunts to the seaside where they discover a washed up whale, and turn its carcass into a local theatre. The theme of overcoming trial, heartache, and loss through the escape of art is prominent. Two of the heroes become spies for England during the war, and discover their true grit. The writing is mesmerizingly beautiful. Join us for this book club chat as we discuss the merits and memorable moments of this wonderfully weaved tale.

This conversation with author, mother, grandmother, scholar, and kind soul Fiona Givens, was healing. If you have not read the books she co-authored with her husband, Terryl Givens, you are missing out on some beautiful and poetic explorations of theology within the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. Their most recent work, All Things New: Rethinking Sin and Salvation and Everything in Between, explores early christian history to see where some truths became hidden or distorted over time, and how some truths continue to emerge in the restoration of the gospel as we give renewed breath to words that merit new definitions. We will talk of God, both Heavenly Father and Heavenly Mother, who in drafting the plan of salvation, provided us with a healer, Jesus Christ. In our woundedness, often caused by inherited trauma or conditions, he is the Christ who heals infermities--be they mental, physical, spiritual, or emotional.

Join us in our book club chat as we discuss Jonathan Haidt's work of social psychology, The Righteous Mind: Why Good People Are Divided By Religion and Politics. Whether you find yourself politically on the left, right, or in-between, we could all benefit from a little application of empathy for others in understanding the moral matrices that make us think the way we do.

Join us as we discuss Shusaku Endo's novel of historical fiction Silence, where he confronts the age old question of "Where is God during human suffering?" Van Gessel, our guest and translator of many of Endo's novels, joins us to clarify some of the discrepancies in the original translation, as well as the difficulty in general of teaching faith to an audience that doesn't share your language. If you're looking for an introduction to Japanese literature, Silence is a wonderful place to start. You will hear the faith of early Christians in Silence.

Sarah Cole joins me in this interview about the great escape of creating adventures. Find and follow her on instagram at hatgirladventures for some refreshing ways of getting out of the daily grind, and seeing the things around you that you never knew were always there. Dust off your favorite hat, and go snap a picture of yourself in one of your favorite places to visit. Or, try looking up atlasobscura.com for some random new ideas of the fun stuff to visit and document near you. You'll be well on your way to adventuring. And who wouldn't benefit from exploring the great outdoors a bit more? Your future memories might just depend upon it.

I can't sufficiently sum up what this book accomplishes, but sufficeth to say that Dame Antonia Byatt won the Booker prize (England's most prestigious award for literature) because her book is masterfull in its telling. It is at once a romance and a mystery, modern and victorian, and a book that one can read again and again just for the shear enjoyment of her ingenious symbolism, color usage, and for the pleasure of the discovery of some dead poets that she has seemingly brought to life. They seem to me as real as poets that actually lived. Did I mention it's a romance? A pair of modern scholars discover a hidden affair  between two Victorian poets. And as the reader, you will fall in love too. I hope you enjoy our book club chat, and stay for the end as we reference Dame Antonia's essay in which she discusses her choices in writing Possession.

If you find yourself in a quaundry over how to best appreciate music, join me as I discuss some creative ideas for playlists, and how to surround yourself with the music that you had forgotten you always loved. We have such amazing access to mood-enhancing music in so many genres. When was the last time you got away through music and felt reconciled to life? It's time for another get away. 

Join us for this book club chat about Alexandre Dumas classic adventure tale of revenge, The Count of Monte Cristo. It is clear why this book has withstood the test of time, and is so widely recogized as great french literature. But if you don't have time to give it a read, give this podcast a listen. You may be compelled to pick up this great tome after all! 

We loved reading and discussing this Christmas classic, The Box of Delights. Author, John Masefield transports us to the wintery british world of the 1930's, where Kay and his young friends have many fanciful and sometimes dangerous adventures together. If you've ever wanted to enter the world of childhood and relive some of its magic, this book does a great job taking you there. Enjoy! And have a merry Christmas!

Join us as we discuss Ray Bradbury's coming of age story Something Wicked This Way Comes. Bradbury uses the backdrop of a small town in Illinois with a traveling carnival that entices two teenagers with all of its attractions and curiosities. The carnival will ultimately imprison you in your own fears, and these boys must use their cunning, and ultimately the power of friendship, love, and laughter to vanquish the evil. One main theme is age, and ones desire to be older and more mature, or younger and more able-bodied depending on which side of the age pendulum you swing. If you're looking for a creepy autumnal read, this book is right up your alley.

Join us for this book club chat as we discuss the guilded age of New York, and the american author who shed so much light on the time, Edith Wharton. The Age of Innocence illuminates the rigid societal norms of pre-WWI New York, and the contraints that we make on our hearts, for better or worse, when it comes to love and marriage. 

We thoroughly loved reading and discussing this exciting travel narrative, The Salt Path. Raynor Winn has captured a beautiful and harrowing memoir about homelessness and surival. She redefines home as the relationships that mean the most, and the walking paths that keep you moving forward. It inspires one to get walking, particulary through southern England. If you need an extra boost of hope, and would like to be the cheering section for a couple with true grit, give The Salt Path a read, and then give this podcast a listen.