Friday, November 7, 2008

The Little Heathens Discussion

Post here for discussion on The Little Heathens.

The Five People You Meet in Heaven Discussion

You can post comments here about The Five People You Meet in Heaven...

November Selections

Hi Guys!

Ok, I know this is really late in coming. I'm sorry about that. I've been really busy with various assorted things...This month is Tiana's choice. I suggest a short book:)

Here are Tiana's suggestions:


Rebecca
by Daphne Du Maurier
"Last night I dreamt I went to Manderley again."

So begins the classic Rebecca, the unsurpassed modern masterpiece of romantic suspense -- one of the bestselling novels of all time! And so begins the remembrances of the second Mrs. Maxim de Winter, as she recalls the events that led her to the isolated gray stone manse on the windswept Cornish coast.

With a husband she barely knew, the young bride arrived at this immense estate, only to be inexorably drawn into the life of the first Mrs. de Winter, the beautiful Rebecca -- dead, but never forgotten; her suite of rooms never touched; her clothes still ready to be worn; and her servant, the sinister Mrs. Danvers, still royal.

And as an eerie presentiment of evil tightened around her heart, the second Mrs. de Winter began her search for the real fate of Rebecca -- and for the secrets of Manderley.


The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows




“ I wonder how the book got to Guernsey? Perhaps there is some sort of secret homing instinct in books that brings them to their perfect readers.” January 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of the Second World War, and writer Juliet Ashton is looking for her next book subject. Who could imagine that she would find it in a letter from a man she’s never met, a native of the island of Guernsey, who has come across her name written inside a book by Charles Lamb….

As Juliet and her new correspondent exchange letters, Juliet is drawn into the world of this man and his friends—and what a wonderfully eccentric world it is. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society—born as a spur-of-the-moment alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island—boasts a charming, funny, deeply human cast of characters, from pig farmers to phrenologists, literature lovers all.

Juliet begins a remarkable correspondence with the society’s members, learning about their island, their taste in books, and the impact the recent German occupation has had on their lives. Captivated by their stories, she sets sail for Guernsey, and what she finds will change her forever.

Written with warmth and humor as a series of letters, this novel is a celebration of the written word in all its guises, and of finding connection in the most surprising ways.




The Last Lecture
by Randy Pausch




We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."
—Randy Pausch

A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"—wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come

Tuesday, September 30, 2008

October Book Selections for Voting

Hello All,

Welcome Back to October's edition. Ron has been added to our book club. We'd like to welcome him to our circle of the web. To give him a warm welcome, he is selecting our books to vote on for this month. They are:

Well-behaved Women Seldom Make History, by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich; made famous the title phrase; stories of 3 notable women with some other anecdotes thrown in. Should be a fun read.

Little Heathens: Hard Times and High Spirits on an Iowa Farm During the Great Depression by Mildred Armstrong Kalish; story of Pa, told from a girl's perspective.

The Regency Underworld, by Donald A. Low; a description of the London criminal milieu in the early 1800s; supposed to be really good; informative, and a ready contrast to today and other times.

Ron Titus
Adjunct Director of Scholarly Reading
Wiley College
711 Wiley Ave.
Marshall, TX 75670
(903) 923-2462
rtitus@wileyc.edu


Thanks Ron! Everyone just put in your votes by posting a comment...Stay tuned for our discussion on The 5 People You Meet in Heaven!

Wednesday, August 27, 2008

Monthly Book Assignments

Hi All,

I'm posting this to inform you of our rotation. This way, when it's your turn to pick the book choices for the month, you won't be caught unaware.

September--JuliAnne
October--Ron
November--Tiana
December--Sharon
January--Coral
February--JuliAnne
March--Ron
April--Tiana
May--Sharon
June--Coral
July--JuliAnne
August--Ron

And So on. I've posted it for the year, but if you'd like to switch with someone, let us know by posting a comment on the most recent posting so we'll all see it. Also, I'll email everyone each other's email addresses if you'd like to keep in touch that way. Let me know if this style of book club is working for you, and if it isn't, what you'd like to see changed or improved.

Thanks!
Sharon

September Selections

Hello Again!

Back to school, Fall, the nights are getting longer and the days shorter. Boo...I hate to see the end of Summer, but with it comes a new season and that's exciting too. JulieAnne is in charge of September's picks and here they are:

Choice 1: Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Synopsis
An epic on an intimate scale, Memoirs of a Geisha takes the reader behind the rice-paper screens of the geisha house to a vanished floating world of beauty and cruelty, from a poor fishing village in 1929 to the decadence of 1940s Kyoto, through the chaos of World War II to the towers of the Waldorf Astoria Hotel, where the gray-eyed geisha Sayuri unfolds the remarkable story of her life.

Choice 2: The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom

Synopsis

From the author of the phenomenal #1 New York Times bestseller Tuesdays with Morrie, a novel that explores the unexpected connections of our lives, and the idea that heaven is more than a place; it's an answer.

Eddie is a wounded war veteran, an old man who has lived, in his mind, an uninspired life. His job is fixing rides at a seaside amusement park. On his 83rd birthday, a tragic accident kills him as he tries to save a little girl from a falling cart. He awakes in the afterlife, where he learns that heaven is not a destination. It's a place where your life is explained to you by five people, some of whom you knew, others who may have been strangers. One by one, from childhood to soldier to old age, Eddie's five people revisit their connections to him on earth, illuminating the mysteries of his "meaningless" life, and revealing the haunting secret behind the eternal question: "Why was I here?"

Choice 3: Women and Money by Suze Orman

Synopsis

Why is it that women, who are so competent in all other areas of their lives, cannot find the same competence when it comes to matters of money?

Suze Orman investigates the complicated, dysfunctional relationship women have with money in this groundbreaking new book. With her signature mix of insight, compassion, and soul-deep recognition, she equips women with the financial knowledge and emotional awareness to overcome the blocks that have kept them from making more out of the money they make. At the center of the book is The Save Yourself Plan—a streamlined, five-month program that delivers genuine long-term financial security. But what’s at stake is far bigger than money itself: It’s about every woman’s sense of who she is and what she deserves, and why it all begins with the decision to save yourself.

These seem like the perfect studious-type books to get us into the swing of September. Please post your votes by making comments to this post. Thanks! Happy Reading...

Friday, August 1, 2008

Queen of Babble Discussion

I also must confess I am not done with this book. So far it's a comedy of errors that hopefully has a deeper meaning? Does anyone have any thoughts on this book?

August Break/Catch Up

Hello Ladies,

And how is everyone's summer? A bit warm here, thanks for asking. I've decided that since I've been a bit behind lately that we should have a break this month. That way we can catch up on all the books we've been suggesting to each other (even if they haven't been the monthly picks) and we'll be all geared up for September! Back to school, Fall-even though it still feels like summer is hanging on, newly sharpened pencils and all that jazz.

May I suggest Stephenie Myer's Breaking Dawn that comes out today at midnight? Or her other new one not of the Twilight series, The Host. That was a good one. I'm looking forward to trying to finish The Moonstone (June's pick). Truth be told, I haven't been able to get into that one. So maybe I'm not looking forward to it per se, but still...I'll have more time to read it. I'm also really looking forward to reading Personal Days that Tiana suggested in July as well. Currently I'm reading "If Disney Ran Your Hospital". It's a managerial/customer service book about perceptions and outcomes in the hospital experience. Pretty good, obviously dry, but I still like it.

If any of you have suggestions on catch up reading or would like to discuss your catch up reading, please post your comments here. Have a good month!

Sharon

Friday, June 27, 2008

July selections for voting

It's Coral's turn to select the book we read for July. Here are her selections. You can vote by posting a comment to this entry. Without further adieu...

This HAS been fun! Here are my suggestions for the July book choices:

Queen of Babble by Meg Cabot
Synopsis
What's an American girl with a big mouth, but an equally big heart, to do?
Lizzie Nichols has a problem, and it isn't that she doesn't have the slightest idea what she's going to do with her life, or that she's blowing what should be her down payment on a cute little Manhattan apartment on a trip to London to visit her long-distance boyfriend, Andrew. What's the point of planning for the future when she's done it again? See, Lizzie can't keep her mouth shut. And it's not just that she can't keep her own secrets, she can't keep anything to herself.
This time when she opens her big mouth, her good intentions get Andrew in major hot water. Now Lizzie's stuck in London with no boyfriend and no place to stay until the departure date written on her non-changeable airline ticket.
Fortunately, Lizzie's best friend and college roommate is spending her summer in the south of France, catering weddings in a chateau. One call and Lizzie's on a train to Paris. Who cares if she speaks only rudimentary French? One glimpse of gorgeous Chateau Mirac -- not to mention gorgeous Luke, Chateau Mirac's owner -- and she's smitten.
But while most caterers can be trusted to keep a secret, Lizzie's the exception. And no sooner has the first cork been popped than Luke hates her, the bride is in tears, and it looks like Chateau Mirac is in danger of becoming a lipo-recovery spa. As if things aren't bad enough, ex-boyfriend Andy shows up looking for "closure" (or at least a loan), threatening to ruin everything, especially Lizzie's chance at ever finding real love -- unless she can figure out a way to use that big mouth of hers to save the day.


Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie (a classic mystery)
Synopsis: Sent by her husband to find a suitable house, a young bride finds what she thinks is the perfect choice--a charming Victorian villa called Hillside. But strange events soon lead her to believe that the house is haunted. Miss Marple however has a more sinister explanation.

The Prince and the Pauper by Mark Twain
Synopsis Two young look-alikes in 16th-century England decide to trade clothes and roles, a situation that drastically alters the lives of both. This timeless tale of transposed identities remains one of Twain’s best-loved novels.

Thursday, June 12, 2008

The Moonstone discussion

Ok, so Tiana's taking the floor with some questions, comments and discussion topics...Let's give this a whirl, shall we? Tiana is going to post and we'll post back. Thanks!

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

June Selections for Voting!

Hi All,

This month, for June, it is Tiana's turn to select the book. Without further adieu...

Here are my suggestions:

Personal Days
by Ed Park
In an unnamed New York-based company, the employees are getting restless as everything around them unravels. There’s Pru, the former grad student turned spreadsheet drone; Laars, the hysteric whose work anxiety stalks him in his tooth-grinding dreams; and Jack II, who distributes unwanted backrubs–aka “jackrubs”–to his co-workers.

On a Sunday, one of them is called at home. And the Firings begin.
Rich with Orwellian doublespeak, filled with sabotage and romance, this astonishing literary debut is at once a comic delight and a narrative tour de force. It’s a novel for anyone who has ever worked in an office and wondered: “Where does the time go? Where does the life go? And whose banana is in the fridge?”

Child 44
by Tom Rob Smith
A gripping novel about one man's dogged pursuit of a serial killer against the opposition of Stalinist state security forces, Child 44 is at once suspenseful and provocative. Tom Rob Smith's remarkable debut thriller powerfully dramatizes the human cost of loyalty, integrity, and love in the face of totalitarian terror.

A decorated war hero driven by dedication to his country and faith in the superiority of Communist ideals, Leo Demidov has built a successful career in the Soviet security network, suppressing ideological crimes and threats against the state with unquestioning efficiency. When a fellow officer's son is killed, Leo is ordered to stop the family from spreading the notion that their child was murdered. For in the official version of Stalin's worker's paradise, such a senseless crime is impossible — an affront to the Revolution. But Leo knows better: a murderer is at large, cruelly targeting children, and the collective power of the Soviet government is denying his existence.

Leo's doubt sets in motion a chain of events that changes his understanding of everything he had previously believed. Smith's deftly crafted plot delivers twist after chilling twist, as it lays bare the deceit of the regime that enveloped an impoverished people in paranoia. In a shocking effort to test Leo's loyalty, his wife, Raisa, is accused of being a spy. Leo's refusal to denounce her costs him his rank, and the couple is banished from Moscow. Humiliated, renounced by his enemies, and deserted by everyone save Raisa, Leo realizes that his redemption rests on finding the vicious serial killer who is eviscerating innocent children and leaving them to die in the bleak Russian woods.

The Moonstone
By Wilkie Collins
Alongside Edgar Allan Poe in America, Britain’s Wilkie Collins stands as the inventor of the modern detective story. The Moonstone introduces all the ingredients: a homey, English country setting, and a colorfully exotic background in colonial India; the theft of a fabulous diamond from the lovely heroine; a bloody murder and a tragic suicide; a poor hero in love with the heroine but suspected of the crime, who can’t remember anything about the night the jewel was stolen; assorted friends, relatives, servants, a lawyer, a doctor, a sea captain—suspects, all; and, most essentially, a bumbling local policeman and a brilliant if eccentric London detective. Adding spice to the recipe are unexpected twists, a bit of dark satire, a dash of social comment, and an unusual but effective narrative structure—eleven different voices relate parts of the tale, each revealing as much about himself (and, in one case, herself) as about the mystery of the missing Moonstone.

**Remember to have your votes in by this weekend!**

Tuesday, May 20, 2008

The Other Boleyn Girl Discussion

Ok, so who's read this yet? I know JuliAnne and I have. I thought it was great. She really gets you involved. The whole book it seemed to me was an interesting look at sibling rivalry. I couldn't believe some of the outrageous things that happened all in the name of family and ambition. It seemed like that was all they had. And if you think about it, in modern society, that's all we live for anymore: just to protect what is ours at all costs. And we're told that "anyone can be President", the sky's the limit to your ambition. I have lots of friends that are like that and you see that they aren't happy by just living for their monetary gain, but they don't know anything else. They don't have anything else to ground them...like values. They'll sacrifice anything and everything for some goal that they don't see the forest for the trees--just like Anne. It's interesting to see the vast contrast in happiness between the two sisters based on their personalities. They come from the same family, same background and circumstances, and the things they want that make them happy are so different.

Monday, April 21, 2008

May Selections for Voting...

Hello Ladies of Lit!

Here are my (Sharon's) selections for our May reading:

Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky--novel set in WWII France, written by a French/Jewish woman who died in Aushwitctz. Recently translated into the English.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory--novel about a 14 year old girl competing for the love of Henry the VIII.

Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley--classic novel that's actually a bit of a love story and a study of character.

All of these books can be found at the library and at Barnes and Noble. If you want more complete descriptions, go to bn.com. Remember, you may vote by posting comments.

Sharon

April discussion

So have any of you finished The Gift of Fear yet?? I haven't quite finished it, but am close. I really liked the chapters on dating violence and how to spot it and on assasins. I found it useful and fascinating. I know I'm never going to come face to face with an assasin or anything, but it's just interesting to know the psychology behind crime. Any thoughts?

Tuesday, April 1, 2008

New Selections and Processes

Hi All,

The non-fiction seems to be an unpopular choice with some people who shall remain nameless (ahem!)...So it seems to me that we need to come up with a book selection process. We could come up with a selection pool of books and then vote on some. We could assign a person to choose and alternate each month on who chooses. We could select both a fiction and non-fiction book to read each month...but then that makes it pressing on those of us who have little time to sit down and read. Let me know your ideas for choosing books each month and which ones you'd like to read and what you'd like to discuss. Happy Reading!

Sharon

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

April Selection

Hi All!

JuliAnne and I were at Barnes and Noble on Saturday on settled on the April selection for our book club. The title is The Gift of Fear by Gavin De Becker. It's an incredible book. It's been on Jewelz's list to read for a few months. You may recall that this book was featured on Oprah, but not as a book club selection. Oprah calls him the nation's leading expert on violent behavior. The book is a national bestseller and tells you how to save your own life, that of your spouse and children from violence through survival instincts. "True fear is a gift. Unwarranted fear is a curse. Learn how to tell the difference."

As some of you know, I was recently involved with a boyfriend that took a turn for the crazy. This book tells how to spot that kind of behavior. And spot even subtle signs of danger. So far I'm on chapter 3 and it's really riveting. Even if you've never felt threatened before and that idea is totally foreign to you, this book is STILL worth the read and I highly encourage you to read it. It's already very empowering. And everyone needs to be informed on this subject.

Love,
Sharon

Finished!

So I meant to write this quite a while ago, but didn't...I finished Silent in the Grave. A few weeks ago. I really liked it. Kept my attention. There were a couple of times I was afraid it would be a bodice-ripper and was about to be disappointed, but I wasn't. I hate it when books do that. This wasn't the type of book that would make sex pertinent to it. But the themes were very modern to the time period. I was surprised to find out that I could actually relate a bit to the heroine. At least at the beginning of the book. She talks about how she sort of lost herself in her relationship with her husband. Like she didn't know who she was anymore. I think I've done that a time or two with various relationships. And then it's nice to come out of the cocoon and transform yourself and rediscover yourself and your talents. You discover and fall in love with yourself all over again and that can be really thrilling and exciting. I guess that's one of the perks and fun things about living the life of the single girl!

Friday, February 1, 2008

Intro and March Selection

Hi All!

Coral and I have decided to do an online bookclub. We're both avid readers and figured we weren't the only ones. Since we all live so far apart from each other, we thought this would be the best way to host a bookclub. Don't worry if you don't feel that intellectual--we don't have to discuss exact themes or anything--just why you like it, what points stuck out to you, what's applicable, what's not, that sort of thing. I mean it's not like we've all done graduate studies at Oxford or anything! Also, we thought we would read books that were interesting to us...not necessarily books that were interesting to Oprah...although those ones aren't bad either(...sometime of the time!).

We will be starting our reading in March. February will be about generating interest and getting a bit of a headstart on our reading. I know that the name of our group may be seem a little inclusive, but believe me, it's not meant to be! (I just couldn't think of anything super cool while I was at work.) We're trying to get as many people as possible in on this. We'd love to hear your feedback and comments about the books we read and votes on future selections. This is a public forum type of blog so you should be able to write all your comments on it. I will be the Coral and I will act as the moderators. Coral has made the first selection. The book is entitled Silent in the Grave by Deanna Raybourn. Coral said they had several paperback copies available at WalMart in Texas, so it should be widely available. It's a murder mystery with quite a few plot twists set in the late 1880's. Since it's a period piece, it should be an interesting read: kind of like the CSI of old, if you will. And we will. I'm excited about it. It's a bit long, but the sooner you get started on it the better, and since it's the March read, we have February to cheat on it. Happy reading everyone!