LLC Christmas Party 2013 review

We do hope you all enjoyed the LLC Christmas Party 2013 as much as we did. 

It was lots of fun and a great end to the year’s lunches. For some pictures please see our facebook page here.

Christophe and his team at Cafe Zik in Marciac were great hosts and the food was excellent. 

The Gersabelles performed for us, led of course by Sue Treeby.  
A very professional and talented choir. They sang a number of carols and it was good to hear verses in some of our club members languages.
  

They were accompanied on the piano by Rien de Witt.  

Then we all joined in and sang too, not perhaps as tuneful but with enthusiasm! Pass the parcel followed, much to the amusement of the staff at Cafe Zik and it got quite riotous with parcels flying across the tables.  All in all a good end to the year.  

We take this opportunity to wish you all a healthy and prosperous New Year. 
Jane, Pippa, Sue S and Sue T.

LLC Bookclub January 2014 - Short stories by Alice Munro

What's the next book to read for January in the LLC Bookclub?
The January book is your choice of a short story by Alice Munro which we can tell each other about. 

We have decided to have our first meeting of the year on Thursday 23rd January 2014. (1 week later than normally)
Again Pam is hosting us and we’ll meet at 2.30h  

Alice Munro is the nobel prize winner for literature 2013

No idea? Read 18 Short Stories From Nobel Prize-Winning Writer Alice Munro Free Online here
and have an overview of her books and stories and 
some suggestions 

1) The View from Castle Rock

with a review


2) Dear Life

with a review


3) Runaway

with a review.
Now it's your choice.


For your calendar please note:

February bookclub meeting will be on February 20th, 2014 and the book chosen is

Momento Mori by Muriel Spark 

March bookclub meeting is on March 20th, 2014
and the book chosen is 
The 100-year-old who climbed out of the window and disappeared 
by Jonas Jonasson



The December choice of 
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham was a suitable short read for the busy month leading up to Christmas. Most people enjoyed the book but had different opinions of the Krank family who, by booking a cruise, had tried to get away from the madness of Christmas. Of course it didn’t quite work out the way they had planned but perhaps the rather irritating, baa-humbug Mr Krank redeemed himself in the end. Not a typical John Grisham at all, but a quick light read.

A diverse lot of books we have read this last year and it’s so good to be introduced to different authors and books, some of which one wouldn’t necessarily choose oneself.

Looking forward to another stimulating year of reading and wishing you all a Happy New Year and healthy 2014.

Any further information about the bookclub reading list and meeting please look at our LLC bookclub blog page.

Christmas 2013 Schedule of Concerts for the Marche de la Vie

Dear Friends’

We would like to remind you of our forthcoming Christmas Concerts:

• FOR LA MARCHE POUR LA VIE (IN SUPPORT OF  CANCER SUFFERERS IN THE GERS)

                                   

On Friday 13^th December  at 20h30

in TASQUE Church 

On Sunday 15^th December at 15h  

in PLAISANCE Church 

• WITH THE CHOIR VIVA VOCE

            On Friday 20^th December at 20h30 

in IZOTGES Church

We look forward to greeting you at one of those Christmas concerts and thank you for advertising them widely.

Nous vous rappellons que nous chantons Noël

A L’OCCASION DES 2 CONCERTS CARITATIFS DE 

LA MARCHE POUR LA VIE (SOUTIEN AUX MALADES DU CANCER DANS LE GERS)

Le vendredi 13 Décembre à 20h30 en l’Eglise de TASQUE

Le dimanche 15 Décembre à 15h en l’Eglise de PLAISANCE

• AVEC LE CHŒUR VIVA VOCE

            Le vendredi 20   Décembre à  20h30 en l’Eglise d’IZOTGES

Dans l’’attente de  vous saluer  à l’un de ces concerts, je vous remercie de les publier auprès du plus grand nombre.

Bookclub December 2013 - Skipping Christmas

What's the next book to read in the LLC Bookclub?

Our December 2013 read will fall on the 19^th so perhaps we should think of a little celebratory meeting!?

The book that was chosen is:

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Imagine a year without Christmas. 
No crowded malls, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents. That’s just what Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday altogether.

Theirs will be the only house on Hemlock Street without a rooftop Frosty; they won’t be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren’t even going to have a tree. They won’t need one, because come December 25 they’re setting sail on a Caribbean cruise. But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences–and isn’t half as easy as they’d imagined.

A classic tale for modern times, Skipping Christmas offers a hilarious look at the chaos and frenzy that have become part of our holiday tradition.

Review to the November book:

Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell 

is a historical novel set mostly in the middle East during the 1921 Cairo Peace Conference. It follows the fortunes of Agnes Shanklin, a spinster schoolteacher who, having led a very humdrum existance under the thumb of her dominating mother, survives the 1918 Influenza epidemic which kills her entire family & leaves her an heiress as a result. 

In the process of re-inventing herself she sets sail for Egypt where,  by a series of events that are at times perhaps a little overly contrived, she rubs shoulders with all the major players present in Cairo at the time including TE Lawrence, Gertrude Bell & Winston Churchill. 
She is accompanied at all times by her faithful Dachsund who, some of us felt, was perhaps a little over present throughout the book adding a slightly incongruous touch of whimsy.

We all agreed that the characterisation was well done with an interesting depiction of a rather grumpy Churchill, and that the heroine, Agnes,  was a likeable & sympathetic character. We all enjoyed the historical aspects of the novel and I think we also all agreed that we enjoyed the writing style which was evocative & almost poetic in parts  although some of us felt that, in places, it became a little overly 'chatty'. 


The general consencus was that this is an enjoyable book & a good read.
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For more information about the bookclub or 
any of the above or our next meeting and venue, please contact:
Ladieslunchclub secretary: 
lunchclubgascogne(at)gmail.com
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Gers Ladies Lunch Club