Somewhere Over the Rainbow

For the month of July, SRPL book discussion members read the memoir The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt. The book covers correspondence between the mother-and-son authors, in which they discuss important events that affected their lives and careers over the years.

Members had a lively discussion and enjoyed a rainbow-layered cake. Below are resources for those wishing to learn more about the book.

Author Interviews

• https://www.nytimes.com/2016/04/03/fashion/anderson-cooper-gloria-vanderbilt.html
• http://people.com/books/why-anderson-cooper-and-gloria-vanderbilt-wrote-the-rainbow-comes-and-goes/ [includes video]
• https://dianerehm.org/shows/2016-03-31/anderson-cooper-and-gloria-vanderbilt-the-rainbow-comes-and-goes [includes audio]
• http://www.stltoday.com/entertainment/television/gail-pennington/gloria-vanderbilt-anderson-cooper-talk-loss-joy-in-hbo-documentary/article_d726db7d-3447-56df-ae61-fc0de15b9ef7.html
• http://www.vogue.com/article/anderson-cooper-gloria-vanderbilt-documentary-nothing-left-unsaid-hbo
• http://www.cbc.ca/radio/thecurrent/the-current-for-april-14-2016-1.3535150/anderson-cooper-reflects-on-love-loss-and-his-relationship-with-mom-gloria-vanderbilt-1.3535191

Book Reviews

• http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2016/apr/25/book-review-the-rainbow-comes-and-goes-a-mother-an/
• https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/anderson-cooper/the-rainbow-comes-and-goes/
• https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-0-06-245494-2
• http://www.aarp.org/entertainment/books/info-2016/gloria-vanderbilt-anderson-cooper-book-review.html#slide1

Discussion Questions

• http://www.readinggroupguides.com/reviews/the-rainbow-comes-and-goes-a-mother-and-son-on-life-love-and-loss/guide

Gloria Vanderbilt: Oh hell, please don’t label me a hopeless optimist. We all have moments when we die a little, or a lot. But stay calm. Take a look at yourself in the mirror. No crying, please. These moments can be the beginning of a rebirth, another chance to reinvent yourself. “The rainbow comes and goes,” Wordsworth wrote, and boy, was he right.

Miscellany

• HBO documentary: http://www.hbo.com/documentaries/nothing-left-unsaid-gloria-vanderbilt-and-anderson-cooper/synopsis/about.html 
• Brief article about Gloria Vanderbilt's 2001 art exhibit: http://observer.com/2012/09/gloria-vanderbilt-paints-the-town-exhibits-60-years-of-artworks-at-1stdibs/
• Photos of Vanderbilt and her homes over the years: http://www.vogue.com/slideshow/gloria-vanderbilt-homes-photography
• Wordsworth poem containing the title line: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/45536/ode-intimations-of-immortality-from-recollections-of-early-childhood

Lakeside Reading

Summer is here and the South River Book Discussion Group met to discuss the "beach read" The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman. Members enjoyed some maple and sea salt caramel fudges in honor of the book's character Lolly, who works in a fudge shop. Also, thanks to one group member's generosity, we were able to make and take our own charm bracelets!

Additional resources about the book can be found below.

Author Bios & Interviews

• http://mybookthemovie.blogspot.com/2016/03/viola-shipmans-charm-bracelet.html
• http://dailycatch.coastalliving.com/2016/04/08/8-questions-with-the-author-of-the-charm-bracelet/
• https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/69311-lucky-charms-wade-rouse.html
• http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/scene/arts/memoirist-wade-rouse-finds-charm-in-fiction/article_92e86166-3817-5598-a5f9-5dc45aee22f2.html
• http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/wade-rouse
• http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/open-author-interview-wade-rouse-author-of-im-not-the-biggest-b-in-this-relationship

Book Reviews

• https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-250-07132-3
• https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/viola-shipman/the-charm-bracelet-shipman/
• http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/the-charm-bracelet

Discussion Questions

• http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/10958-charm-bracelet-shipman?start=3

Miscellany

• Book two in the series coming soon: http://violashipman.com/violas-books/the-hope-chest/
• Essay by the author about his father's fatal illness: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a43239/my-fathers-caregiver-family/

Summer Reading

The results of our survey are in and here are the books we'll be reading this summer!

June 22 at 7pm: The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman

Summary: Through an heirloom charm bracelet three women will rediscover the importance of family, love, faith, friends, fun and a passion for living as the magic of each charm changes their lives.

Year Published: 2016

Length: 298 pages

July 20 at 7pm: The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt

Summary: Though Anderson Cooper has always considered himself close to his mother, his intensely busy career as a journalist for CNN and CBS affords him little time to spend with her. After she suffers a brief but serious illness at the age of ninety-one, they resolve to change their relationship by beginning a year-long conversation unlike any they had ever had before. The result is a correspondence of surprising honesty and depth in which they discuss their lives, the things that matter to them, and what they still want to learn about each other. [NONFICTION]

Year Published: 2016

Length: 290 pages


August 17 at 7pm: The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg

Summary: Spanning decades, generations, and America in the 1940s and today, this novel is a fun-loving mystery about an Alabama woman today, and five women who in 1943 worked in a Phillips 66 gas station, during the WWII years.

Year Published: 2013

Length: 347 pages



September 21 at 7pm: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Summary: Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells--taken without her knowledge in 1951--became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more. Henrietta's cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can't afford health insurance. This bestseller tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew. [NONFICTION]

Year Published: 2010

Length: 381 pages

What Are Your "Beach Reads"?

It's that time again! We have yet to decide on books for the rest of the summer. Please take the survey here to let your choices be known for our upcoming titles: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LD6NMTN

The top three books voted on will be our reads for July, August, and September.The survey will close on June 1st, so make sure to respond by then if you want a say in our next reads!

Searching for a Lost City

In April, the South River Book Discussion Group members met to talk about the nonfiction book The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston and to partake in a traditional Honduran treat of baked bananas (with coconut). Below are resources for those wishing to learn more about the intriguing expedition and discovery detailed in the book.

"One might say that modern  Honduran history began in 1873, when Jules Verne introduced Americans to the banana in his novel Around the World in 80 Days, where he praised it as being 'as healthy as bread and as succulent as cream.'" - The Lost City of the Monkey God

Author Bios & Interviews

• https://www.bookreporter.com/authors/douglas-preston
• https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/lost-city-monkey-god-close-enough/#!
• https://www.theverge.com/2017/2/4/14502606/the-lost-city-of-the-monkey-god-interview-honduras-civilization
• https://www.csicop.org/specialarticles/show/csi_interviews_douglas_preston_on_the_lost_city_of_the_monkey_god
• https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xbGbkromI4 [VIDEO]

Book Reviews

• https://www.nytimes.com/2017/01/18/books/review/lost-city-of-monkey-god-douglas-preston.html
• https://lareviewofbooks.org/article/lost-city-monkey-god/#!
• https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781455540006
• https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/douglas-preston/the-lost-city-of-the-monkey-god/
• http://www.chicagotribune.com/lifestyles/books/sc-lost-city-of-the-monkey-god-douglas-preston-books-0124-20170123-story.html
• http://www.santafenewmexican.com/pasatiempo/books/book_reviews/the-lost-city-of-the-monkey-god-by-douglas-preston/article_10f18380-3381-5e5e-9064-ee7f32a101f5.html

Discussion Questions

• http://sites.psu.edu/markbonta/2017/01/17/24/
• http://www.litlovers.com/run-a-book-club/questions-for-nonfiction

Miscellany

• Trailer for the National Geographic documentary: http://channel.nationalgeographic.com/explorer/episodes/legend-of-the-monkey-god/
• National Geographic article (with photographs) by the author: https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2015/03/150302-honduras-lost-city-monkey-god-maya-ancient-archaeology/
• The New York Times article by another journalist who visited the expedition: https://www.nytimes.com/2015/03/20/opinion/finding-this-lost-city-in-honduras-was-the-easy-part.html

Further Reading

These are books mentioned by Preston throughout the text, containing additional historical context.

• Annals of the Cakchiquels by Francisco Hernandez Arana Xajila
• The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel (http://www.mayaweb.nl/mayaweb/chilam.pdf)
• The Cost of Conquest: Indian Decline in Honduras Under Spanish Rule by Linda Newson
• The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King by Rich Cohen
• Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
• The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
• Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan by John Lloyd Stephens
• Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City, a WWII Spy, and a True Story of Deadly Adventure by Christopher S. Stewart
• Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice by Mark Plotkin

The (Un)Luck of the Irish

For the month of March, book club members gathered to discuss the book Angela's Ashes. Beforehand, we watched the movie of the same name together. At the meeting, we were able to compare and contrast the two. Members also enjoyed an Irish bread pudding and tea as we discussed the book and movie as well as an "Irish potatoes" confection. Below are further resources for those interested in learning more about this book and the world depicted in it.

“We race around the playground and the twins laugh and make goo-goo sounds till they get hungry and start to cry. There are two bottles in the pram filled with water and sugar and that keeps them quiet for a while till they’re hungry again and they cry so hard I don’t know what to do because they’re so small and I wish I could give them all kinds of food so that they’d laugh and make the baby sounds. They love the mushy food Mam makes in a pot, bread mashed up in milk and water and sugar. Mam calls it bread and goody.” - Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Author Bios & Interviews

• http://www.biography.com/people/frank-mccourt-9391286
• https://www.democracynow.org/2009/7/21/frank_mccourt_1930_2009_late_authors
• http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1045022 [audio]
• http://www.pbs.org/newshour/bb/entertainment-jan-june97-mccourt_3-17/
• http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/20/books/20mccourt.html
• http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/culture-obituaries/books-obituaries/5867097/Frank-McCourt.html
• http://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/frank-mccourt-late-flowering-writer-whose-book-angelas-ashes-set-in-train-the-genre-of-misery-1755609.html

Book Reviews

• http://ew.com/article/1996/09/20/angelas-ashes-4/
• https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/frank-mccourt/angelas-ashes/
• http://www.nytimes.com/1996/09/17/books/generous-memories-of-a-poor-painful-childhood.html
• https://dianerehm.org/shows/2012-03-21/readers-review-angelas-ashes-frank-mccourt
• http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/07/19/AR2009071901768.html

Discussion Questions

• https://www.bookbrowse.com/reading_guides/detail/index.cfm/book_number/202/angelas-ashes#reading_guide
• http://www.shmoop.com/angelas-ashes/questions.html
• http://www.sparknotes.com/lit/angelasashes/study.html
• http://www.novelguide.com/angelas-ashes/essay-questions
• http://www.gradesaver.com/angelas-ashes/study-guide/essay-questions

Movie Tie-In

• http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0145653/
• http://www.nytimes.com/movie/review?res=9B04E0D71539F937A15751C1A96F958260
• https://culturevulture.net/film/angelas-ashes/
• http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/angelas-ashes-2000
• Explanation of why water was thrown in front of the funeral carriage - http://articles.latimes.com/2000/mar/04/local/me-5253

Irish History
Bits of Irish history are discussed throughout the book, especially by Malachy Sr. Below are links to some more information about names, groups, events, etc. mentioned.

• The Red Branch Knights - http://www.libraryireland.com/SocialHistoryAncientIreland/I-III-3.php
• The Fenian Men - https://cedarlounge.wordpress.com/2008/12/20/the-bold-fenian-men-history-ireland/
• The IRA - https://www.britannica.com/topic/Irish-Republican-Army
• Michael Collins - http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/historic_figures/collins_michael.shtml
• Eamon De Valera - http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/people/eamon.htm
• Oliver Cromwell - http://www.historytoday.com/tom-reilly/cromwell-irish-question
• General O'Duffy/the Irish Blueshirts - http://www.theirishstory.com/2012/05/18/the-blueshirts-fascism-in-ireland/#.WM1gs9LysdU
• The Angelus - https://www.osv.com/TheChurch/Article/TabId/563/ArtMID/13751/ArticleID/10353/What-Is-the-Angelus.aspx & http://www.rte.ie/archives/exhibitions/681-history-of-rte/685-rte-1950s/321918-pro-cathedral-dublin/
• The Battle of Kinsale - http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~irlmun2/History/kinsalebatt.htm & http://www.historyireland.com/early-modern-history-1500-1700/the-battle-of-kinsale-1601/
• Cuchulain legend - http://www.bbc.co.uk/legacies/myths_legends/northern_ireland/ni_7/article_1.shtml
• Dublin's G.P.O & the statute of Cuchulain - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/General_Post_Office,_Dublin & http://www.irishtimes.com/culture/books/modern-ireland-in-100-artworks-1935-the-death-of-c%C3%BAchulainn-by-oliver-sheppard-1.2154483
• Gaelic football - https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaelic_football

“Dad is out looking for a job again and sometimes he comes home with the smell of whiskey, singing all the songs about suffering Ireland. Mam gets angry and says Ireland can kiss her arse. He says that’s nice language to be using in front of the children and she says never mind the language, food on the table is what she wants, not suffering Ireland. She says it was a sad day Prohibition ended because Dad gets the drink going around to saloons offering to sweep out the bars and lift barrels for a whiskey or a beer.”  - Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Irish Geography
McCourt vividly describes many places in his neighborhood growing up. More details on some of these locales can be found in the links below.

Limerick:

• 'Walking tour' of Angela's Ashes - http://homepages.iol.ie/~avondoyl/angelas1.htm, https://toirelandwego.wordpress.com/2014/04/12/limerick-angelas-ashes-walking-tour-and-king-johns-castle/, & http://www.ireland.com/en-us/what-is-available/literary-ireland/destinations/republic-of-ireland/limerick/limerick-city/articles/angelas-ashes/
• Carrigogunnell Castle - http://www.megalithicireland.com/Carrigogunnell%20Castle.html & http://www.aboutireland.ie/carrigogunnell-castle.htm
• Mungret Abbey - http://www.culturalheritageireland.ie/index.php/heritage-sites-and-centres/87-mungret-abbey-near-limerick-city-co-limerick
• Shannon River - http://www.mydiscoverireland.com/blog/2016/04/19/irelands-longest-river-shannon/; https://www.theceltictimes.com/index.php/shannon-region/the-shannon-river; & http://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/ireland-the-river-shannon/2339/
• O'Connell Monument - http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=LI&regno=21517118
• People's Park - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/People's_Park,_Limerick
• St. Joseph's Church - http://archiseek.com/2013/st-josephs-church-limerick/
• Franciscan Church - http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=LI&regno=21512005
• Redemptorist Church - http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=LI&regno=21521011
• Sarsfield Bridge - http://www.buildingsofireland.ie/niah/search.jsp?type=record&county=LI&regno=21512010
• Sarsfield Barracks - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sarsfield_Barracks

Outside of Limerick:

• Killaloe - http://www.clarelibrary.ie/eolas/coclare/places/killaloe_history.htm
• Banagher - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Banagher
• Glens of Antrim - http://www.visitcausewaycoastandglens.com/The-Glens-Of-Antrim--P3075 & http://www.discovernorthernireland.com/causeway/The-Glens-of-Antrim-A38
• Lough Neagh - http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/topics/land/lough_neagh.shtml

Irish Vocabulary & Expressions

• boreen - narrow country road
• brawn - meat from a pig's or calf's head that is cooked and pressed in a pot with jelly
• cock o' the walk - someone who acts more important than others in a group
• gansey - a seaman's knitted woollen sweater
• omadhaun - fool, someone who is out of their senses, simpleton
• poltroon - an utter coward
• quiff - a piece of hair, especially on a man, brushed upward and backward from the forehead
• wigs on the green - a fight, brawl or fracas, or to a difference of opinion that could lead to fisticuffs

“The master, Mr. Benson, said the government was going to give us the free lunch so we wouldn’t have to be going home in the freezing weather. He led us down to a cold room in the dungeons of Leamy’s School where the charwoman, Nellie Ahearn, was handing out the half pint of milk and the raisin bun. The milk was frozen in the bottles and we had to melt it between our thighs. The boys joked and said the bottles would freeze our things off and the master roared, Any more of that talk and I’ll warm the bottles on the back of yeer heads. We all searched our raisin buns for a raisin but Nellie said they must have forgotten to put them in and she’d inquire from the man who delivered. We searched again every day till at last I found a raisin in my bun and held it up.” - Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Literature & Poetry

In many respects, Frank is an autodidact who learns by the bits of reading he manages to snatch here and there. Listed below are some of the authors, books, and poems he notes in his memoir.

• "The Deserted Village" by Oliver Goldsmith - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/44292
• Butler's Lives of the Saints - http://sacred-texts.com/chr/lots/index.htm & https://archive.org/stream/ButlersLivesOfTheSaintsCompleteEdition#page/n111/mode/2up
• Charlotte M. Brame - http://www.ulib.niu.edu/badndp/brame_charlotte.html
• Oedipus Rex - http://www.theatrehistory.com/ancient/oedipus001.html
• Sean O'Casey - http://www.nytimes.com/learning/general/onthisday/bday/0330.html
• Jonathan Swift's "A Modest Proposal" - http://art-bin.com/art/omodest.html
• "The Owl and the Pussy Cat" by Edward Lear - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/43188
• "They Went Forth to Battle, But They Always Fell" by Shaemas O'Sheel - http://www.ricorso.net/rx/az-data/authors/o/OSheel_S/life.htm
• The Little Messenger of the Sacred Heart - http://www.messenger.ie/
• John Mitchel's Jail Journal - http://www.irishhistorylinks.net/Historical_Documents/Jail_Journal.html
• P.G. Wodehouse - http://www.newyorker.com/books/page-turner/plenty-of-room-for-stupidity-on-p-g-wodehouse
• The Amazing Quest of Mr. Ernest Bliss by E. Phillips Oppenheim - http://gutenberg.net.au/ebooks12/1202641h.html
• Tom Brown's School-Days - https://www.theguardian.com/books/2008/sep/20/booksforchildrenandteenagers
• "The Highwayman" by Alfred Noyes - https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems-and-poets/poems/detail/43187#poem
• Henry VIII by William Shakespeare - http://shakespeare.mit.edu/henryviii/henryviii.2.4.html

Miscellany

• A playlist of various songs mentioned in the book - https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHKVnKnXrj9jblUHWGXHyTT_ge4-3lZOe
• Irish bread pudding recipe - http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/irish-bread-pudding-with-whiskey-caramel-sauce/

Further Reading

Books by Frank McCourt:

• Angela's Ashes: A Memoir
• 'Tis: A Memoir
• chapter in Yeats Is Dead! A Mystery by 15 Irish Writers
• Teacher Man: A Memoir
• Angela and the Baby Jesus (adult & children's editions)
• A Couple of Blaguards (with Malachy McCourt)

Books by Malachy McCourt (Jr.):

• Voices of Ireland: Classic Writings of a Rich and Rare Land
• Singing My Him Song 
• A Monk Swimming: A Memoir 
• Danny Boy: The Legend of the Beloved Irish Ballad 
• The Claddagh Ring: Ireland's Cherished Symbol Of Friendship, Loyalty And Love 
• Bush Lies in State 
• Harold Be Thy Name: Lighthearted Daily Reflections for People in Recovery
• Through Irish Eyes: A Visual Companion to Angela McCourt's Ireland 
• History of Ireland 
• Essay in The Face in the Mirror: Writers Reflect on Their Dreams of Youth and the Reality of Age

To Be Read...

UPDATED WITH NEW DATES (as of 4/3/17)

Your survey answers are in and thus our next few months' worth of reading is ready!

March 20 & 21: We will be comparing and contrasting a book and its movie adaptation. [NONFICTION]

On Monday, we'll be showing the movie version of Angela's Ashes at 6pm.

Then on Tuesday, we will gather together at 7pm to discuss both the book and its movie adaptation. Join us on either day or for both!

April 20 at 7pm: Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story by Douglas J. Preston

Summary: A five-hundred-year-old legend. An ancient curse. A stunning medical mystery. And a pioneering journey into the unknown heart of the world's densest jungle. Suspenseful and shocking, filled with colorful history, hair-raising adventure, and dramatic twists of fortune, "The Lost City of the Monkey God" is the absolutely true, eyewitness account of one of the great discoveries of the twenty-first century. [NONFICTION]

Year Published: 2017

Length: 326 pages

May 18 at 7pm: Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik

Summary: In 1995, Adam Gopnik and his family left their familiar home in New York City and headed to the glamorous, historically rich, and romantic city of Paris, France. Here, Gopnik presents a personal memoir about his time in the City of Light and what it was like to be an American family in Paris. [NONFICTION]

Year Published: 2000

Length: 338 pages

June 22 at 7pm: The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman

Summary: Through an heirloom charm bracelet three women will rediscover the importance of family, love, faith, friends, fun and a passion for living as the magic of each charm changes their lives.

Year Published: 2016

Length: 298 pages

Can't wait to hear your thoughts on these books at an upcoming meeting!