Aunt Michelle, Mom, Jenna, Aunt Lisa, Nikki and I started a “Crazy Corbin Girls Book Club” this year, and after leaving the Ozobot book club I had while in California, I could not be happier to have a book club to belong to again!
The first book we read was Little Fires Everywhere in February, then Where the Crawdads Sing was March, and most recently we discussed April’s book – Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons – on the first Wednesday in May.
The first two books I ended up finishing within 10 minutes until our Zoom video conference call start time (Crawdads I literally finished at 6:59pm for the 7pm call!). So, I vowed that AHEB would be different, and actually started reading it shortly after the first Wednesday in April, and finished it two weeks before the discussion!
It’s also different in that it’s now the first book I’ll do a post on, because I was very intentional with highlighting quotes using the Kindle “Notes” feature as I read, and I found it super quotable.
Without giving any spoilers, it’s pretty much my fave style of book to read in that it’s about numerous different characters where each chapter of the book is written from the perspective of the woman hosting their book club that month. Mom and I both liked it a lot, however, the rest of the Crazy Corbins didn’t care for it so much. I thought I’d share my collection of quotes here so I can also share with them, along with my note on the quote, and enjoy the little nuggets collected even if the overall book wasn’t as much to everyone’s liking.
AHEB Quotes
Audrey… was the type of person who got away with a lot simply because she refused to ask permission for the privilege of being herself.
How I strive to be: authentic and real
“I mean, I love my kids, but that doesn’t mean I want to baby-sit them.”
– a husband at a party. Oooooooh makes me mad. It’s not called baby-sitting if they’re your own kids, FYI!
She waited for the condescending reaction with which these Yankee women would surely greet this confession [Faith naming her kids after her fave book, Gone with the Wind], but there was none; instead, Slip surprised her, saying, “Oh, I loved that book too. I read it in the eighth grade, and I made a hoop skirt out of chicken wire.”
Love how books spark connection, uniting people across outward differences
“libation station” [what Faith’s mom called a bar]
I like this name for it, whether talking about home bar or establishment
“E-a-s-y.” My dear, precocious daughter thinks her strong feelings are emphasized when she spells them out.
What if we all did this? “I feel so… F-L-O-O-P-Y!”
“How many times do I have to tell you, Slip?” said Faith. “I’m Texan. Texan doesn’t mean southern.”
“Sure it does.” I rearranged my legs under me. “There’s the classic, belle-of-the ball southern–you know, South Carolina, Virginia, Georgia, Alabama. Then there’s Mississippi and Arkansas, the hardscrabble South. Then there’s Louisiana, which is kind of a Gothic South onto itself. And finally we amble over to Oklahoma and Texas–the cowboy South.”
I like the categories, except for the fact she lumped Texas in with Oklahoma… a TRAVESTY! xD
“She probably needs to get some more suntan lotion,” I said. “I imagine she goes through quite a lot.”
“What would you say?” said Faith, laughing. “A bottle a breast?”
“No… a jug.” I smiled. “A jug a jug.”
“A tube a boob.”
We laughed harder than the humor deserved, which goes to show you no matter your age, you’re closer to adolescence than you think.
🙂 child at heart
What I had come to love about book club (besides the fabulous desserts and free liquor) was how in hearing so many opinions about the same book, your own opinion expanded, as if you’d read the book several times instead of just once.
Empathy and mind-/perspective-expanding. Love book club!
That’s the beauty of a book–through its characters, you can imagine your life outside your life.
Empathy
She didn’t realize how tense she usually held her body until it was relaxed, and the sensation always surprised her; she felt like a prison guard who had successfully completed her watch and, at least for the time being, no convict had escaped.
I feel that, when I mindfully relax with meditation or yoga.
Image: Photo by Joanna Kosinska on Unsplash
1 Comment
I love that you included quotes and captions !