Tuesday, June 29, 2010

TEOTWAWKI night is July 27th

Meet at my house at 7:30 to carpool to an undisclosed location known to a few as "The Rock Castle."  It's not far enough away to completely avoid the Golden Horde, but it is fairly defensible.  I'm having trouble deciding which meat to roast.  Pigeons from an overpass, locally harvested vole, organically raised free range vermin of any kind...  Or hot dogs to get a combination of all three.

For those of you that are writers as well as readers, you could win Rawles' writing contest!

Sunday, June 20, 2010

Emancipators in South Fork Canyon

It sounds like Jordan had a pretty good excuse for not being there.  Congratulations to you and your wife!

We saw bighorn sheep on the way up.  And at least one raccoon and a mouse joined us, too.

Joe caught a couple of trout, Scott brought homemade cheesecake, Brandon brought buttermilk bars from the Provo Bakery, and everyone consented to be a guinea pig for my last minute brainstorm.

String cheese on a stick, wrapped in a couple of pieces of pepperoni and some crescent roll dough.  Cook over the fire until well browned on the outside and the cheese starts to run.

The name for this new delight?  Campfire Calzones?  Stick Pizza?

Brandon christened them emancipators.  I thought later emasculators since it contains the same root as masculine, but it's probably better not.

Sorry, there are no pics of the food, animals that joined us, or the stars...

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

This Thursday

Here's what I was thinking. We could meet at my place in Thursday (June 17th) and carpool up Provo Canyon to someplace we can get a fire going and enjoy the mountain air for the evening. I can carry three people comfortably, four a little less so, so a couple of us may need to drive depending on who comes. I will supply cheesecake; everyone else can bring whatever they feel moved to bring (perhaps something they picture having in paradise, or something decadent....cheesecake works both ways). I am going to go scout out locations tomorrow, but any suggestions of favourite spots would be most welcome.


Does this work for everyone?

It's this Thursday, right?

Believe it or not, but the third Thursday of the month is this week. Are we going to gather around a fire pit Scott?

Tuesday, June 1, 2010

The Votes are in -- Round 3

Here are the results, according to my calculations. Correct me if I'm wrong.

June: This Side of Paradise, Scott hosting
July: How to Survive the End of the World as We Know it, Myles hosting
August: A Short History of Nearly Everything, Jordan Hosting
September: Undaunted Courage, Jon Hosting
October: East of Eden, Brandon Hosting
November: Mark Twain, A Life, Joe Hosting

Sorry, Doug, you gots to put up more nominations next time. Manly men are democratic. Like Robin Hood.

If anyone needs to switch dates or has other recommendations, speak up.

Monday, May 24, 2010

Nominations

However, we can't read "War And Peace" because I just read that during the winter. It was great but come on! You want me to do that all over again?

I'm for "The Big Short," "A Brave New World," "Crime & Punishment" and if "Cakes & Ale" will give me an education in the production of ancient spirits, I'll read that one too.
"I only regret that I have but one nomination to give for my book club: The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court."

- Douglas Kleven

Sunday, May 23, 2010

Nominations

I know after missing the last two book club meetings my club credibility is low. So I come before you in great sheepishness to nominate the following books for your consideration:

People of Paradox: A History of Mormon Culture by Terry Givens

A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson

The Happiness Hypothesis: Finding Modern Truth in Ancient Wisdom by Jonathan Haidt

The Sparrow by Maria Doria Russell

A Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

Saturday, May 22, 2010

Scott's Nominations Part Deux

OK Brandon, you're on. Here's my latest round of picks.

I wasn't around for round 1, so this is really only my second set of nominations. This time I am focusing on books I have never read (unlike last time) by authors I enjoy. There is something for everyone here, I hope.

Cakes And Ale - W. Somerset Maugham - I enjoy Maugham, but have never read this one. He is mainly known for Of Human Bondage, a book I hear is widely regarded as one of the most depressing in the English language (though I really liked it). This one is supposed to be one from his lighter side.

Stranger In A Strange Land - Robert Heinlein - One of Heinlein's best known, but one I have never read.

Brideshead Revisited - Evelyn Waugh - This is one of Waugh's best known novels, and one I have not read. I have enjoyed Scoop, Black Mischief, and others, though.

This Side of Paradise - F. Scott Fitzgerald - Fitzgerald's first novel. I have always meant to get to this one, but never have.

Bone - Jeff Smith - And now for something completely different...a graphic novel. This is the complete series in one volume. Though I have it, I have never read the whole thing as I came to the comic toward it's conclusion. This is more light-hearted fare, but not something you can breeze through as it weighs in at about 1300 pages.

The Tolkien Reader - J.R.R. Tolkien - Believe it or not, I have never read this book by perhaps my single favourite writer...and I have slogged through The Silmarillion at least four time...so I thought maybe it's about time.

Myles' summer picks

Friday, May 21, 2010

Brandon's Nominations --- Round 3

My theme for this time around: books I've wanted to read for a long time but really won't ever get around to (or stick with it) if it's not for book club. Besides, nothing says Summer Reading like settling in with a monolithic classic novel, right?

Billy Budd, Sailor and Selected Tales (Oxford Worlds Classics)
Crime and Punishment (Norton Critical Editions)
FOUNTAINHEAD

Round 3

Jon posted his picks recently, but due to his messed up priorities, won't be able to read anything for the next two months. So we'll read his pick for August. In the meantime, let's get some more nominations from everyone. If Doug gets his up soon enough, we'll read it for June. Otherwise we'll go with someone else's picks. Can we have everything up and voted on by next friday? Sure we can. But let's kick it up a notch. How about by tomorrow? That would be manly.

The Manly Calendar