Alright already! We get it, we get it... You wanna read So Long, See You Tomorrow.

Well, your wish is happily granted. And I am equally excited to give the novel a go.

I'm going to make an executive decision on the spot and say that we'll be back to discuss the book on Monday, August 31st. I'd consult my partner in crime, Kelly, but she gave birth to a 9 lb. baby boy this afternoon... so she's been just a wee bit busy.

As for the rest of you bookish girls (and boys, although we never give you the credit you deserve)... Go, read, enjoy, come back and report. We can't wait to hear from you...

-Melissa

Well, fellow readers, it's time to choose a new book!

This time around we've decided to put out three choices for your consideration. You can review the books outlined below and vote on the sidebar. (Of course, feel free to comment in the comment section as well, if you wish.)

For this reading, we will not break the book up into sections for review. Instead we will open a discussion once at the end of August. (It is possible, however, that the discussion at that time will have multiple threads to facilitate conversation on different aspects of the book.)

One thing we have really appreciated so far is book suggestions. If we haven't used your suggestion, it's most likely being considered for future use in the club. So, please take heart and keep making suggestions!

Also, even though three different people wrote the book summaries... please don't feel like you're voting for a person rather than a book. We're not taking book votes personally. (I don't even know if that needed to be said... but I said it.)

Alright then, go vote! I can't wait to see what the masses crave!

(What? Three people can't be considered a "mass"?... Oh, stop it. Just let me dream.)

Book Choice 1: Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

Vonnegut’s writing, along with ogres, is like an onion. Layers! It is strange, quirky, funny, sarcastic, accessible, and deep. Cat’s Cradle is about the father of the atomic bomb, his midget son, a fictional non-religion that exists only on a fictional island with its own fictional lexicon – all of which can be read in a only few afternoons. And while on the surface it’s a strangely entertaining story, what lies beneath is a poignant exploration about life, relationships, and humanity complex enough to keep you thinking for several more afternoons.

--Book summary written by Brett

Book Choice 2: So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell

I had just finished reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewki when I read about the author’s five favorite books. Wroblewski said, “There's a special society of readers who know what a perfect novel So Long, See You Tomorrow is, and I'm proud to be among them. The story opens with a murder, suicide, and mutilation near the small Illinois town of Lincoln, but quickly turns to the emotional journey of Maxwell himself, who, in 1918, at the age of ten, lost his mother to the Great Influenza. The result is a braid of memoir, fact, and fiction, rendered in gorgeously spare prose.” A special society of readers? I wanted in. And well, now I am. Do you want in, too? As another enticement, you should know this novel clocks in at only 135 pages. Don’t let the mutilation reference scare you. It’s not gory. This book has adult themes, but no graphic sexual or violent content. There are maybe two uses of expletives.

--Book summary written by Kelly

Book Choice 3: Summer by Edith Wharton

Wharton, famous for creating characters civilized, restrained and repressed, lets it all out in Charity Royall, the protagonist of her novel Summer. The novel follows our heroine through a summer in which she faces life outside of her rural village and upbringing. In the city, she finds love, sexual awakening and, inevitably, the consequences of both of these discoveries, for better or for worse. Lest you fear overly explicit content, you should know two things. One: This book was published in 1917... scandalous "then" means something entirely different than scandalous "now." Two: I originally read this book in a literature course at BYU. Although, upon mental review, I'm suddenly seeing its intended purpose through the mind of my beloved alma mater. Perhaps... cautionary tale? You be the judge.

--Book summary written by Melissa

Book 9: Death Comes for the Archbishop

After Father Vaillant dies, Father Latour knows that his time is drawing near also. His life’s work is complete, along with his beloved cathedral. The finished cathedral seems to reflect the Bishop himself. He touts, “How it was of the South, that church, how it sounded the note of the South!” His architect goes on to explain, “Setting is accident. Either a building is part of a place, or it is not. Once that kinship is there, time will only make it stronger.” So it was with the Bishop. He didn’t choose where he would serve his mission, but the kinship was there and the bond grew strong enough that even returning to his homeland of France left him homesick for New Mexico.

When Bernard, one of his Seminarians, assures the sick Latour that one does not die of a cold, the Bishop answers with a smile, “I shall not die of a cold, my son. I shall die of having lived.” I want to one day be able to say the same! The inspiring Latour and Vaillant could both claim that they had truly lived – lived a life of service and sacrifice for their God.

Book 7: The Great Diocese
I admit that I have had a soft spot for Father Latour that I haven’t had for Father Vaillant. But catching a glimpse of how the Bishop views his Vicar really changed my opinion of Vaillant. His memory of when they met was sweet, but seriously, how ugly is this guy? I think all the references to Vaillant’s unfortunate looks are hilarious, including Latour’s observation that Father Joseph was “quite unconscious of his homeliness.” Apparently that level of homeliness usually requires some sort of acknowledgment from the offender. I appreciated Latour’s list of Vaillant’s admirable attributes, though, and I realized I hadn’t recognized them all before. How do you feel about Latour and Vaillant? Has your opinion about one or both of them changed as you’ve continued to read?

I don’t know if it’s an appreciation or just an observation, but I love Father Latour’s description of the Native American presence in the land. He points out, “It was the white man’s way to assert himself in any landscape, to change it…it was the Indian’s way to pass through the land without disturbing it…to vanish into the landscape, not to stand out against it.” Maybe then it was merely a cultural difference and Cather wasn’t necessarily admiring the Hopis and Navajos, but now leaving such a small carbon footprint is definitely impressive.

Book 8: Gold Under Pike’s Peak

Wow! Father Vaillant continues to impress in this book! His willingness to serve God and His people is unwavering. He will literally go anywhere to serve. Although he loves his work and the people in Arizona, he obediently returns to New Mexico only to pack up for the cold discomforts of Colorado. I thought one of his observations about the differences between the Americans and the Mexicans was interesting. He notices, “In his Denver congregation there were men who owned… flourishing businesses, but they needed all their money to push these enterprises. Down among the Mexicans, who owned nothing but a mud house and a burro, he could always raise money. If they had anything at all, they gave.” I think Cather’s cultural observations (I assume to some extent these are her observations and not just her characters’) are really insightful. I think she looks at other cultures and beliefs with real compassion. What do you think?

Oh, I was sad to hear that Frank McCourt passed away. I bought Angela's Ashes when it was new... and then let it sit on my bookshelf for eight years. Eight years! When I finally picked it up, for whatever reason it was by then, I couldn't put it down. And then there was 'Tis. I found myself so eager to get back to Frank's charming tale that I developed a habit of picking the book up while I waited at traffic lights. Because apparently when it comes to choosing between reading or making a Target run... I attempt to do both.

Mr. McCourt, you charmed me into developing a bookish girl crush on you. Thank you... because it was a lot of fun.

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I’m home from the hospital (for now) and feeling good (for now). Although I’m ready to have this baby, I’m not super excited about being back in the hospital in about two weeks. I usually like a little more time between my stays there. Before I head back though, I want to wrap up this book and put a plug in for the August pick. I would love to hear some more book suggestions, too.

Book 6: Dona Isabella

“Father Joseph said that, as for him, he would rather combat the superstitions of a whole Indian pueblo than the vanity of one white woman.”

Although I think Bishop Latour’s motives are as pure as possible, his desire to build a cathedral in Santa Fe might be his only vain ambition. He admits that “such a building might be a continuation of himself and his purpose, a physical body full of aspirations after he had passed from the scene.” Even Latour is susceptible to the sin of pride – he wants something worldy to show for all his sacrifice and work, some way not to be forgotten.

Latour’s one submission to vanity, however, is rivaled by that of another – Dona Isabella. How funny is it that she would rather give up her inheritance than admit in a court of law – “before everybody!” – her true age? The Bishop and the Vicar have a vested interest in whether or not she receives the money since she will undoubtedly take care of them and maybe throw a generous donation at the cathedral fund as well. The differences between Bishop Latour and Father Vaillant are evident in each of their approaches to convince her to testify of her real age. Vaillant is impatient and impetuous. Latour is gentle and understanding (who doesn’t love this guy by now?). His convincing counsel could be an Oil of Olay slogan: “A woman … is as old as she looks.” My thoughts exactly. Better to impress people with how good you look for your age rather than claim to be ten years younger and secretly shock people with how old you look.

Does anyone (okay, Melissa or Casey) have any ideas about Latour’s feelings that the people he has met (i.e. Carson and Chavez) “not only had a story, but seemed to have become his story?" How have these people contributed to who Latour is and “his story” in the mission field?

Book 5:

Although Cather continues to examine the relationship between the church and the existing culture on some level here, Book 5 seems to focus in on problems the church could face anywhere: men and power.... Or perhaps more accurately, what happens when certain men get some of it. Father Martinez and Father Lucero both have power. Father Martinez uses his power to overindulge his senses... too much food, too much sleep, too many women. (Which for a priest, would be, um, any at all?) Father Lucero uses his power to hoard riches. (Additionally, he is certainly an interesting contrast to Father Martinez. Father Lucero has too little of everything... to little food, too little of even common comforts.)

Father LaTour has power too, but he wields it with compassion and wisdom. There is so much Vaillant in me... Like him, I wanted to see Martinez ousted at once. LaTour has the wisdom to hold off. I also thought it was interesting that LaTour takes the time to find out Martinez's history... giving LaTour perspective on the man, although not using that perspective as justification for Martinez's choices or behavior.

I enjoyed the very end of Book 5, Chapter 2 for a couple of reasons. First, I liked that I was fooled a bit by Lucero's calling for the last rites. I anticipated the abundance of candles around his death bed to mean, perhaps, that Lucero was letting in or accepting light after denying it for so long... that his intentions were pure. Instead, he meant to use the light to stay aware of potential burglars. I also loved the part about the women and the ritual of gathering for a dying man's last words. I laughed that Lucero's words were a nose thumbing directed at Martinez. I really enjoy Cather's sense of humor.

Hello again--

Kelly is still in the hospital. It is really frustrating (and scary) to have her there. She has been in a lot of pain and has been unable to talk on the phone even. As such, I'm truly missing my book club buddy and beloved sister.

In her absence, I'm going to post something on Book 5 tonight... and hopefully Book 6 tomorrow. I know I promised to post before the end of the holiday weekend but I was really busy eating cake for breakfast as part of my patriotic duty.

For now, a couple of things:

1. Would anyone be interested in writing up your own little bio to be published here? It might be fun to get to know one another a little better... to put a face with a name, so to speak?

2. Kelly had a book lined up for August... but I don't know how the rest of the month is going to go for her. We may want to choose something else for August. I'd love to hear some suggestions. I know we've had Owen Wister's The Virginian and Graham Greene's The Power and The Glory suggested. These are both awesome recommendations... and I hope to work them in. But it's kind of funny: I want to put The Virginian off for a bit because it's about the untamed West. I want to put The Power and The Glory off because it's about a Catholic priest in Mexico. (The equation? The Virginian + The Power and The Glory = Death Comes for the Archbishop?) So, just in case... Does anyone have any additional suggestions for us to consider?

--Melissa

Hello, friends --

I'm sorry that we didn't post as promised today. Kelly, who is seven-and-a-half months pregnant, had to be admitted to the hospital. (She's being well taken care of there and hopefully she will be feeling better soon.)

I guess I could have picked up the slack, as a good sister should, but my 10-year-old has been very sick since last night... and, well, I'm a little behind.

I'm kind of banking on the idea that most of you are thinking more about BBQ than archbishops... but I'll still try to post something before the end of the weekend.

But in the meantime, please feel free to post your own thoughts. We'd love to hear them!

-Melissa