Thank you Erica Bauermeister and final thoughts on the novel

[dhaupt]

Wow, how is it the last week of January already, the month flew by.

Please use this thread to give us your last thoughts if any and to say thank you to Erica for her generous participation.

Erica, for me personally your comments and replies to our thoughts are priceless, as a group we get to really dig into the heart of a read and it makes it so much more pleasurable for me to have you give us your thoughts as well and it always surprises me just a little how sometimes we get to see an author be surprised by our comments and responses too.

Thank you so much for spending time with us.

[whiteginger]

Erica, thank you so much for sharing your work and joining our disucssions. I thoroughly enjoyed meeting the the women in Joy for Beginners.  Your book made me think about my own wonderful group of friends, my support group.  I have invited them to a "girls afternoon" at my home later this week even though I already know I will not have the time to make my house absolutely spotless before they arrive. Thank you for reminding me, again, how precious friends are and for encourageing me to enjoy their company (and my own life) each chance I get.

[Mountain_Muse]

Dear Erica,

Thank you so much for being here to share with us as we read Joy For Beginners.  It touched many of us, and me for certain, in ways you will never know.  Most of all it helped me to realize that the little (and sometimes selfless) things we do for others have life effects and instigate Joy beyond anything we ever hoped for.

Thank you also for reminding me of how beautiful and precious a circle of friends can be.  I have added your book to my "to be  read and re-read again" shelf, one that is definitely not over crowded.  

I look forward to delving into more of your works and finding what treasures lie within the covers and hidden within the lines.

Mountain Muse

[EricaBauermeis…]

Dear book club members,

What fun it has been to be an extra member at your discussion table this month.  I've loved hearing your insights and seeing the comaraderie among you.  Other the months since JOY was published, people have said "do you know any groups like this?"  And I always reply -- "almost every book club I talk to."  And it's true -- book clubs are such a great place for people from different walks of life to get together and talk about what's important to them.  The books are just the starting place, and I am happy to provide them!

[Fozzie]

Erica, thank you for a wonderful book to begin the new year.  I felt the book was about beginnings and endings, and made me think about what to begin and what to end this year.  As always, thank you to my fellow readers for your insightful comments.

[Peppermill]

I've disappeared into the ether for awhile, with both behind in reading and submerged in it at the same time.  Mea culpa.  I finished Joy for Beginners  this morning and must say that I have very much enjoyed the read.  I hope to go back and review the various comments here in the days ahead.  While I probably won't respond to Debbie's questions (I suspect the bases are probably pretty well covered by now), I do hope to get through the book again and pull some of my favorite quotations.  I do know there were more of them that I shall probably find the time to transcribe.  But, I shall try to share some of them -- may bring back memories for those of you who have been reading Joy even as you more on to other books.

I will comment here that for various reasons (but basically, on the suggestion of another reader), I got pulled into reading Jennifer Egan's Pulitzer/National Book Circle A Visit from the Goon Squad  in parallel with Joy.  I have found the two books a delight to contrast in their very modern look at the U.S. societies in which we live and move.  In some ways, they seemed so different from each other; in others, the similarities are equally fascinating.  Egan's book is more cynical, but both touch very modern perceptions of human vulnerabilities and zest for life.

[dhaupt]

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Peppermill wrote:

I've disappeared into the ether for awhile, with both behind in reading and submerged in it at the same time.  Mea culpa.  I finished Joy for Beginners  this morning and must say that I have very much enjoyed the read.  I hope to go back and review the various comments here in the days ahead.  While I probably won't respond to Debbie's questions (I suspect the bases are probably pretty well covered by now), I do hope to get through the book again and pull some of my favorite quotations.  I do know there were more of them that I shall probably find the time to transcribe.  But, I shall try to share some of them -- may bring back memories for those of you who have been reading Joy even as you more on to other books.

I will comment here that for various reasons (but basically, on the suggestion of another reader), I got pulled into reading Jennifer Egan's Pulitzer/National Book Circle A Visit from the Goon Squad  in parallel with Joy.  I have found the two books a delight to contrast in their very modern look at the U.S. societies in which we live and move.  In some ways, they seemed so different from each other; in others, the similarities are equally fascinating.  Egan's book is more cynical, but both touch very modern perceptions of human vulnerabilities and zest for life.

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Hi Pepper, the ether is a good place to disappear into, thanks for your comments, I'm glad you finished and enjoyed Joy For Beginners.

I only have one question for you - Would you have jumped?