November 23, 2019 OH WHAT NIGHT

We have a motto in my bookclub that has worked well over the years. It goes something like this--WHAT HAPPENS AT BOOKCLUB STAYS AT BOOKCLUB. And while I agree 100%--I just want to give a shout out to a great  group of women.  Last night we had our annual Bookclub Thanksgiving. Trying to remember how it came about but I think it goes something like this-- we were probably WHINING about all the-- cooking--cleaning--(some) annoying family--that goes along with Thanksgiving.  So we decided to have a ladies ONLY Thanksgiving. It's evolved and changed through the years but remains a DAMN GOOD TIME.  It's seriously one of the  highlights of the bookclub. This year we even had a playlist so we could do a little dancing in the kitchen. Good Times. Thanks again ladies for the camaraderie and the memories--just one question--WHERE ARE MY GLASSES??? Maybe--I had a little too much fun. 
Spent the last week reading Shirley Hazzard's National Book Critics' Circle Award winner and finalist for the National Book Award from 1980 The Transit of Venus. Caro and Grace Bell are two orphaned sisters who leave Australia for a better life in England in the 1950s.  Grace is the more conventional of the sisters. She marries right away and lives a traditional life while Caro finds love in all the wrong places. Instead of dating Ted Tice, an astronomer new to England, she opts to have an affair with a ruthless playwright who treats her poorly. While Tice pines away for Caro, she later marries an American and moves to America. Believe it or not, this book is actually a love story of sorts between Ted Tice and Caro Bell reminiscent of Pip's love for Estella in Great Expectations.  I don't want to say too much  more so you'll have to read it yourself to find out what happens.  I have to admit that I had a hard time getting into this book but I stuck with it and I'm glad I did. At times it was "overwritten" and a little "high brow" but it was worth the read. I will also say  that it was not a quick read. I found myself re-reading quite a bit but with that being said, I would re-read this book again in the future. It's about 350 pages or a 6 mile run worth the commitment.