Three Karens and a Dora

I was tootling around on the City of Pasadena's web site yesterday (Matthew wanted to know what concerts were scheduled at Memorial Park). While I didn't find my man any concerts, I DID find a literature discussion group at the Lamanda Branch Public Library scheduled for 11:00 today. To-DAY! Sorry Mr. Matt ...

So off I went, mostly unsure what to expect. I admit, my motivation was one-part: talk to someone other than the cashier at Target, and two-parts: find a contact that might lead to a job. Not only did I succeed in both goals, but I had a really nice time to boot.

I didn't know what book would be discussed, but I knew the odds were good I'd already read it (correct -- The Book Thief). Given the time of the meeting, I also thought perhaps the attendees might be retirees and young mothers (99% correct -- 12 retirees and one young mother). And I also hoped that people who discuss literature for fun might have some connection to education and teaching (correct -- one retired principal, one retired teacher, and one teacher's mama).

The meeting was just plain old fun. The group is 100 pages into the novel, which is a fantastically clever, highly readable work about a young girl in Nazi Germany. Although the setting is not new, Death as a sarcastic-yet-kind narrator is wholly original. The members' insights were super interesting and covered a wide range of issues I had not thought of in connection with this novel. Some seriously try to address literary issues; others don't give a crap. The second group was more fun.

Everyone was crazy nice to the new lady. They sought my opinion and warmly invited me out for coffee at Ralph's for the meeting after the meeting. Really great bunch of folks. While I'm in Africa, I'll miss all three Karens, Dora, Kathy, Jim, Joan, Paul, Mr. I-Don't-Have-A-Name-Card, the young mother who came late, Dennis, and the extremely sassy (and therefore terribly admirable) leader Fred.

Their advice about getting a teaching job was not encouraging ("You might find some substitute work in a wealthy school district ..."), but I had a fantastic time anyway.

One of the Karens almost backed into me in the parking lot. We waved. We smiled.

And we'll be reading The Book Thief ...