Book Club meets Jan. 16 Please join us in January for a discussion of the Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood. This book, a winner of the Booker Prize, was suggested by Sally Jacobsen, who will lead us in our discussion on Tuesday, Jan. 16, at 1:30 p.m. Sally will host us in her home at 2184 NW Kearney St. (accessible by the Portland Streetcar at NW Lovejoy). Contact her at Jacobsen_sally@msn.comor by phone at 971-570-2922 to RSVP and for directions. Blind Assassin is described on the back cover: The Booker Prize-winning sensation from the incomparable Margaret Atwood—a novel that combines elements of gothic drama, romantic suspense, and science fantasy in a spellbinding narrative. The Blind Assassinopens with these simple, resonant words: “Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge.” They are spoken by Iris Chase Griffen, sole surviving descendant of a once rich and influential Ontario family, whose terse account of her sister’s death in 1945 is followed by an inquest report proclaiming the death accidental. But just as the reader expects to settle into Laura’s story, Atwood introduces a novel-within-a-novel. Entitled The Blind Assassin, it is a science fiction story improvised by two unnamed lovers who meet in dingy backstreet rooms. When we return to Iris, it is through a 1947 newspaper article announcing the discovery of a sailboat carrying the dead body of her husband, a distinguished industrialist. What makes this novel Margaret Atwood’s strongest and most profoundly entertaining is the way in which the three wonderfully rich stories weave together, gradually revealing through their interplay the secrets surrounding the entire Chase family—and most particularly the fascinating and tangled lives of the two sisters. The Blind Assassin is a brilliant and enthralling book by a writer at the top of her form. The February selection is Saturday, written by Ian McEwan, an award-winning author. Come join us in January and February! Because of the holidays, we did not meet in December. —Mary Brannan Bridge Group The RAPS Bridge Groupis open to any RAPS member. The group has met regularly every month since spring 2004—two-and-a-half years at this count. And believe it or not, there have been no fights, no ejections, and no suspensions—so far. So if you are thinking about joining—given the nature of this game—you might like to know a few things about how we manage to operate and remain on speaking terms. We usually meet from 1:30 to 5:00 p.m. the second Tuesday of each month. Members take turns hosting meetings in their homes. At the end of each meeting we plan the meeting place for the next session. We have grown from nine to 17 listed members. We expect to continue to grow but increased membership will cause a few changes. It is difficult to host more than three tables (i.e., 12 members at a time) in most homes. On two or three recent occasions the host has been able to invite the first 12 to call but regretfully tell subsequent callers that there are no more places. We are contemplating ways of getting around this. For the present we will let all the later callers know who has called and, if there are four of them, invite one of them to host this extra group. If this turns out to be a regular occurrence, we will plan ahead to meet in two locations—maybe on the same day or maybe on a different day. No matter what we do, because the game requires a table of four players, there is always a chance of someone who would like to play being left out. So far we have agreed that our suggestions are preferable to inviting extra people and having members take turns sitting out. If you have any questions please give me a call at 503-292-0838 or send an email to colipat@easystreet.com. If you would like to join, let us know. We will add your name to the list and you can help us grow. —Colin Dunkeld continued on page 4 RAPS club reports —2—
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