Double, double, toil and trouble

My fellow scholars and countrymen,

I propose a meeting of our happy few band of brothers, to be held on this 28th day of April.  Some outdoor location I think will serve our purposes.   The topics of discussion will be the fantastical romance of Twelfth Night, and that most harrowing of tragedies Antony and Cleopatra.  Any ideas for unquiet meals to make ill our digestion are appreciated.  Eight wild boars roasted whole at breakfast?  Some pigeons, a couple of short-legged hens, a joint of mutton, and any pretty little tiny kickshaws?  And of course, the beer of root is a good familiar creature, if it be well used.

Toad in the hole and everything

Although Jude may be one of the saddest stories around, we enjoyed ourselves.  I can't believe I forgot my camera.  Pictures of Toad in the Hole and Toad in the Bayou, baguettes with Havarti, M&M medley, and cinnamon rolls belong here, but are sadly missing!

Thanks to Scott for hosting and suggesting Jude!

Hey Jude, take a sad song and make it sadder

Hey Scott,

Any word on where and when to meet?  Is it this thursday or next?  And what's the most depressing food we can eat while we discuss?  Veal?

Quesadillas, Guacamole, and Tarts

We had an enjoyable discussion over fresh quesadillas.  No one was tempted by the jalapenos, but the poblanos were well received.

We also had the required drinks, chips and salsa, and some strawberry custard tarts.

I forgot to get pictures to document it all again!

I'm looking forward to next month's meeting for Jude the Obscure.

The Decision Point has been reached ...

And I'm only sure of the day and time.  Let's plan on my house at 7:30 this Thursday.

Sorry for the late notice.  I'll post more details soon.

Decision Points

Has anyone finished this already and still have their copy that I can borrow?

Repent Ye!

Brandon asked if my new calling as bishop means that I will vanish from Manly Manliness. I hope not, but I'm not off to a great start. I found out this week that on Thursday I have to attend something called welfare council with all the other bishops in the stake. It starts at 8:30. I'll head straight to Jon's place if there's still time when my meeting is through.

On a more positive note, I've lined up funds to purchase a fire bowl for the back yard.

Round 4 Results

Here's the winners according to my advanced mathematics:
Scott: Jude the Obscure by Thomas Hardy
Myles: Tie between Decision Points and In 50 Years We'll All Be Chicks
Jon: The Great Divorce and The Problem of Pain by C.S. Lewis
Brandon: Twelfth Night and Antony and Cleopatra by William Shakespeare
Joe: Under a Wild Sky by William Souder

Is everyone okay if we read and host them in that order (as long as we get a tiebreaker for myles by then?).
So, for January, we'll read Jude the Obscure and so on.  Seems like an appropriately depressing book for January.

Anyone planning on getting together for december?  I won't be here for the rest of them month, so what do I care?

Myles' Picks - Sorry it took so long

Innovators Prescription - Clayton M Christensen
I heard him speak in New Orleans, and he's one of my dad's favorite authors.

Decision Points - George W. Bush
My Brother-in-law is mentioned in the acknowledgments, since he helped with fact checking.

In Fifty Years We'll All Be Chicks - Adam Carolla
I think this one fits the club :)

Stupid History - Leland Gregory
It looks like you either love it or hate it.

Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God - Francis Chan
Something completely different from the rest.

Twain Location

While reading about Sam Clemens' days out West, I thought discussing the book at Porter's Place next Tuesday night might help us get into the period: http://porterrockwellutah.com/

A big burger and side is between $6 and $8. The "Cure-All" drinks would be on me as host. We could rendezvous at my place at 7:30, pile into the van and begin the proceedings in transit.

Jon's Picks

1. The Problem of Pain and The Great Divorce

http://www.amazon.com/Great-Divorce-C-S-Lewis/dp/0061774197/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290062014&sr=1-1

http://www.amazon.com/Problem-Pain-C-S-Lewis/dp/0060652969/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290062437&sr=1-1

2. The Myth of the Rational Market

http://www.amazon.com/Myth-Rational-Market-History-Delusion/dp/0060598999/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290062464&sr=1-1

3. Are the Devils are Here

http://www.amazon.com/All-Devils-Are-Here-Financial/dp/1591843634/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290062488&sr=1-1

4. Rough Stone Rolling

http://www.amazon.com/Joseph-Smith-Rough-Stone-Rolling/dp/1400077532/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1290062521&sr=1-1

5. Beyond the Hundredth Meridian—Wallace Stegnar

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_ss_i_0_29?url=search-alias%3Daps&field-keywords=beyond+the+hundredth+meridian&x=0&y=0&sprefix=beyond+the+hundredth+meridian

Scott's Nominations

I feel the need to get back to my roots in Victorian English literature, so here are a few to choose from.

Jude the Obscure (Oxford World's Classics)
My favourite Hardy novel. I'm nominating it again.


Middlemarch (Oxford World's Classics)
One I have not yet read, but have always meant to read by George Eliot.

The Pickwick Papers (Oxford World's Classics)
No Victorian list would be complete without a little Dickens (and one I have not read), and this is one of his comedic works.

The Warden (Oxford World's Classics)
The first of the Barchester novels by Anthony Trollope, one of the lesser known Victorian writers. Think Dickens lite.

Vanity Fair (Barnes & Noble Classics)

Thackery's masterpiece. A bit of a wild romp with a female lead (Becky Sharp) who is quite un-Victorian.

The Picture of Dorian Gray: (Penguin Classics Deluxe Edition)

Aside from a couple of his plays and a short story or two, I have never actually read anything by Oscar Wilde, but I have always meant to.

Round 4 - Joe's picks

Hopefully those who find history boring can find something interesting in this list.

Battle Cry of Freedom
Considered the best single-volume history of the Civil War. If you consider 924 pages just a single volume.

The Company Town
New book about America's "company towns." The author says they only come in two forms: utopian and satanic.

An Entirely Synthetic Fish
Did surprisingly well as a Round 3 nomination (losing out to Mark Twain bio).

Eden's Outcasts
The story of Louisa May Alcott and her father. Won a pulitzer in '08. I nominated because I'm about to have a daughter.

Truman
David McCullough won a pulitzer for this biography of Harry Truman.


Under a Wild Sky
A "highly readable" biography of John James Audobon.