Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

Our next book is Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time by Greg Mortensen.  Because of the busy holiday season, we are pushing our December meeting into January--we'll meet on January 4th at 7:30pm at Liz's house to discuss this book.

Here's a brief summary of the book from GoodReads.com:

"One day in 1993, high up in the world's most inhospitable mountains, Greg Mortenson wandered lost and alone, broken in body and spirit, after a failed attempt to climb K2, the world's deadliest peak. When the people of an impoverished village in Pakistan's Karakoram Himalaya took him in and nursed him back to health, Mortenson made an impulsive promise: He would return one day and build them a school. Although he was a homeless "climbing bum" living out of his aging Buick in Berkeley, California, Mortenson sold what few possessions he had to launch one of the most remarkable humanitarian campaigns of our time." "Three Cups of Tea traces Mortenson's decade-long odyssey to build schools, especially for girls, throughout the region that gave birth to the Taliban and sanctuary to Al Qaeda.

While he wages war with the root causes of terrorism - poverty and ignorance - by providing both girls and boys with a balanced, nonextremist education. Mortenson must survive a kidnapping, fatwas issued by enraged mullahs, death threats from Americans who consider him a traitor, and wrenching separations from his family." Today, as the director of the Central Asia Institute, Mortenson has built fifty-five schools serving Pakistan and Afghanistan's poorest communities. And as this real-life Indiana Jones from Montana crisscrosses the Himalaya and the Hindu Kush fighting to keep these schools functioning, he provides not only hope to tens of thousands of children, but living proof that one passionately dedicated person truly can change the world.

Location Change

Due to illness in Lauren's family, book group tomorrow (Nov. 30th) will be moved to Barb's house at 7:30pm.  Hope to see you then!

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Our book for November is The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.  This is an incredible story of living your dreams and experiencing life to its fullest.  We will be meeting on Tuesday, November 30th at 7:30pm at Lauren's house.

Here's a summary of the book from Amazon:

"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."


There are several copies of this fabulous book at the library, including book-on-CD versions.  Used copies are also available online very cheaply.  But if you are still unable to read this book (or even if you do read it), here is the video of the actual "last lecture" as given at Carnegie Mellon.  It is a wonderful video, which only helps to further show Randy's personality and great attitude.

Our New Schedule and List of Other Recommended Books

Thanks to everyone who came to book group last night and for all your book suggestions!  Here is our new schedule for the next several months:

• November 30: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, at Lauren's house

• January 4: Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace... One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson at Liz's house

• January 25: The Wednesday Wars  by Gary D. Schmidt at Lauren's house

• February 22: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot at Heather's house

• March 22: Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale at Cara's house

• April 26: The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara at Nancy's house

• May 24: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card, and voting on new books, at Barbara's house

• June 28: Her Mother's Hope by Francine River, location TBA

And here's the list of the other books that were suggested last night since there were so many good recommendations.

Charms for the Easy Life  by Kaye Gibbons
When the Heart Cries by Cindy Woodsmall
The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
The Kitchen Boy: A Novel of the Last Tsar by Robert Alexander
Sense and Senseibility  by Jane Austen
Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
Mrs. Mike by Benedict and Nancy Freedman
Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley

Location Change

Please take note that we are changing the location of book group for next Tuesday, October 26th.  Instead of coming to my house, book group will be held at Carolyn Conover's home in the Shadow Lake subdivision. Don't forget to bring your book suggestions for us to vote on.  (Please see the guidelines below for recommending books.)  I hope to see everyone there!

Guidelines for Suggesting Books to Vote On

We will be choosing new titles at our meeting on Tuesday, October 26th, so please come with some book suggestions.  Here are some guidelines to follow as you think about which books you'd like to recommend, as well as some info about how the book voting will work:

• Each person will have the opportunity to briefly describe each of their 2-3 suggestions, then the group will vote on which one book from each person will be chosen.  If we have a large enough group, we will then put all those "winning" books into a pile to then vote on which 6-7 books will be chosen (or however many months out we want to plan).  The people who suggested the winning books will then be the discussion leaders for their books and be responsible for bringing a refreshment for that meeting. (Links to book discussion guides can be found in the right side bar.)
• If you'd like to suggest a book, please bring at least 2 or 3 suggestions so the group has options to vote on.
• All genres of literature are welcome (i.e. adult fiction, YA fiction, non-fiction, historical, biographies, religious, etc.)
• Please only suggest books that you have previously read so you can verify that they are appropriate for our group (books should not contain an inappropriate amount of bad language, violence, or sex).
• If possible, please bring an actual copy of each book you are suggesting to our book group voting.  This helps others get an idea of how long the book is, size of print, etc. although we all know not to judge a book by its cover!
• If you'd like to recommend some books, but are unable to attend that night, please contact Jodi, by email, Facebook, or this blog with your book suggestions and we'll make sure they get presented and voted on.

So be thinking now about what 2-3 books you'd like to recommend.  If you're struggling with ideas, you can always find popular books that got good reviews at GoodReads or Reading For Sanity (an excellent book review blog by a group of Mormon moms).  Find a book you think sounds interesting to discuss and pre-read it NOW to make sure it's appropriate for our group.  I'm so excited to see everyone's suggestions and find out what we'll be reading for the next several months!

The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood

Our book for October is The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood.  We will be meeting on Tuesday, October 26th at 7:30pm at Jodi's house.  Just a note: please take extra care in finding this book because there is a novel by the same title that is NOT our book group book!  So make sure you check that the author is Ben Sherwood.  The full title of the book we're reading is actually The Survivors Club: The Secrets and Science that Could Save Your Life.  It is a fascinating book you won't want to miss!  There is also a neat website about this book where you can watch video interviews of some of the people whose stories are told in the book: The Survivors Club Website


"Sherwood, a writer for the L.A. Times, travels worldwide to gain insight from people who have survived a slew of near fatal phenomena ranging from a mountain lion attack to a Holocaust concentration camp, and interviewing an array of experts to understand the psychology, genetics and jumble of other little things that determines whether we live or die. Readers curious about their own survivor profile can take an Internet test, which is explained in the books later pages. Sherwood's assertion that survival is a way of perceiving the world around you is enlightening, as are some of the facts he uncovers: you have 90 seconds to leave a plane crash before the cabin temperature becomes unbearable; luck has more to do with personal perspective than chance. But Sherwood's balance of self-help, scientific theories and first-rate reporting is diminished by occasionally overwrought prose as well as the countless survivors stories, which can run together in a touchy-feely stream of faith and optimism."  (From Amazon.com)

"We are a nation battered every day by stories about horrific calamities, tragic events, frightening statistics. Inevitably our thoughts turn personal and we wonder if we have what it takes to get through the worst thrown our way. While there are plenty of books about coping with adversity, it isn't until now, with WHO SURVIVES, that we discover the human factors that determine survival. It's a combination instruction audiobook and security blanket that blends compelling true stories with cutting-edge science to deliver some of the most important lessons we'll ever need to learn.

"The book will:
--list the most important traits necessary for survival (Fear is #1.)
--identify the 5 types of survivors
--debunk myths (like only the strong survive), explore the frontiers of survival science (How much strain and punishment can a human body endure?), and introduce readers to counter-intuitive thinking (Ever heard of post-traumatic growth?)
--provide a Survivors Tool Kit, including an online test that measures one's Survivor's Quotient

"Each one of us eventually joins the club of millions who face life's inescapable tribulations and tragedies. WHO SURVIVES is the companion we need to prepare us for and guide us through the worst."  (From GoodReads.com)

Join Our Facebook Group

I thought a Facebook page for our group would be an easy way to share news and updates without having to always check this blog.  So go to the Cottonwood Book Group Facebook page and click "Like" to receive updates and info in your news feed.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Book group this month will be on Tuesday, September 28th at 7:30pm at Heather's house.  We'll be discussing The Help by Kathryn Stockett.  This should be a fun night, not only because of this fantastic book but this will also be the first night that ladies from the Papillion ward will be joining us!  We are now combining our book group which will mean new friends and more discussion!  At our September meeting we'll take a few minutes to get to know each other and spend some time talking about how we want to continue running book group (from how to choose books, how to rotate locations, etc.) so come with ideas of how you'd like book group to be improved!  As always, you don't need to have read the book to attend.  Everyone is always welcome.  And a HUGE welcome to the Papillion ladies!  We're excited to have you join us!


This is a rather popular book, so I believe every library would have at least one copy.  I think the Papillion library has 3 copies, but there might be a wait on the hold list.  You can also check out the links in the right side bar to find a cheap used copy online.


From GoodReads.com:

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step. Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger.

Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women — mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends — view one another.

A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don’t.

Additional Books at Sump Library

Hello everyone! I have two books from the Papillion Library that tell the story of the Endurance that are worthwhile for anyone who does not think they will have time to read the entire "Endurance" book this month. The titles are "Sea of Ice: The Wreck of the Endurance" and "Ernest Shackleton: Gripped by the Antarctic." They are both from the Jr. Nonfiction section (J 919), and would be much shorter to read than the Alfred Lansing version. I read the longer book as well as these, and I think you would still easily be able to participate in the discussion with only reading these shorter books. I will be returning them to the library tomorrow (Tuesday) so that anyone who would like to check them out can do so. Hope to see everyone at the discussion this month!

Endurance by Alfred Lansing

Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing is our next book for August.  We will be meeting on Thursday, August 26th at 7:30pm at Jodi's house. 

I have one copy of this book that can be passed around, so let me know if you're interested in getting in the rotation.  There is also one copy at the LaVista Library.  The Papillion and Bellevue libraries don't have this exact book in their systems, but they both do have another book by Caroline Alexander called The Endurance: Shackleton's Legendary Antarctic Expedition that chronicles the same events and even has several photographs from their expedition.  I also have a copy of this book by Caroline Alexander if you'd like to borrow it. Or you can also check out the links in the right sidebar to find a cheap used copy of either book.  Either book (by Lansing OR Alexander) will be an interesting read to learn more about this fascinating true story of survival.

Even if you're not able to read the book, please come and enjoy the discussion.  Here's a summary of Endurance, in case you're unable to read the book.

"The book recounts the story of Sir Ernest Shackleton’s ill-fated attempt to cross the last uncharted continent on dogsleds, an odyssey that some have called the greatest Antarctic adventure of all time. In 1914, just as World War I began, Shackleton and his crew of 27 set out from England for Antarctica on a ship called the Endurance. They never even reached the continent. For more than a month, they fought through thousands of miles of pack ice in the Weddell Sea. Then the pack froze around their ship, locking them into a huge floe. For 10 months, the ship drifted northwest until the pressure of ice floes finally crushed it.

"In the following months, Shackleton and his crew subsisted on seal blubber, penguins, and dog meat, moving from ice floe to ever-shrinking ice floe. Ultimately they set out in open 22-foot boats across some of the most frigid, treacherous waters on earth. Crew members’ diaries provide a fascinating, detail-laden account of the expedition. To get his men through it, Shackleton was “intensely watchful for potential troublemakers who might nibble away at the unity of the group.” He complimented those who needed flattery and even went so far as to assign potential malcontents, as well as the most irritating and self-centered individuals, to his own tent so their negativity would not rub off on others.

"Through it all, Shackleton insisted that everyone be treated the same, and he endured the same privations as his men. He went out of his way to participate in menial chores, including spending hours teaching them to play bridge. Shackleton considered reticence and delay as threats to survival and continually pushed his crew to persevere. He braved the feared Drake Passage—the roughest patch of sea in the world—and in the end, every member of the crew survived."

The City of Ember

Our book for July is The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau.  We will meet on July 22nd at Jodi's house.  We'll start the discussion at 7:30pm, then watch the movie at 8:30pm.

Just FYI: The movie is rated PG for "mild peril and thematic elements".  It was released in early 2009 with Tom Hanks as the executive producer. It stars Bill Murray and Saoirse Ronan (from The Lovely Bones).  It's about 90 minutes long, so we should have it finished by 10pm.  To learn more about the movie, or watch a preview, visit http://www.cityofember.com.

I have a copy of the book I'm willing to lend out, and there are also 2 copies at the Papillion Library, 2 at the Bellevue Library, and 1 at the La Vista Library.  I think each library also has at least 1 sound recording of it as well.  Here's a short synopsis of the book taken from Amazon.com. It's a really fast, quick, fun adventure story.  So plan now to attend!  And feel free to bring a friend!

"It is always night in the city of Ember. But there is no moon, no stars. The only light during the regular twelve hours of "day" comes from floodlamps that cast a yellowish glow over the streets of the city. Beyond are the pitch-black Unknown Regions, which no one has ever explored because an understanding of fire and electricity has been lost, and with it the idea of a Moveable Light. "Besides," they tell each other, "there is nowhere but here" Among the many other things the people of Ember have forgotten is their past and a direction for their future. For 250 years they have lived pleasantly, because there has been plenty of everything in the vast storerooms. But now there are more and more empty shelves--and more and more times when the lights flicker and go out, leaving them in terrifying blackness for long minutes. What will happen when the generator finally fails? Twelve-year-old Doon Harrow and Lina Mayfleet seem to be the only people who are worried. They have just been assigned their life jobs--Lina as a messenger, which leads her to knowledge of some unsettling secrets, and Doon as a Pipeworker, repairing the plumbing in the tunnels under the city where a river roars through the darkness. But when Lina finds a very old paper with enigmatic "Instructions for Egress," they use the advantages of their jobs to begin to puzzle out the frightening and dangerous way to the city of light of which Lina has dreamed. As they set out on their mission, the haunting setting and breathless action of this stunning first novel will have teens clamoring for a sequel."

The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

Our next book for June is The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis.  This is book one in The Chronicles of Narnia Series.  We will be meeting on June 24th at 7:30pm at Nadine's house.  This is a quick, little book to read, so go get it and read it tonight!  There are two copies at the Papillion Library, one at the La Vista Library, and one copy (and several sound recordings) at the Bellevue Library so it should be easy to find a copy.  I'm excited to see everyone for the discussion!

One Small Change to the Schedule

Due to some scheduling conflicts, please note that we are switching the books for June and July.  The dates and times will remain the same, but we will now be reading July's book in June and June's book in July.  I also found out that our new Relief Society Activity night will be switched to Tuesdays starting in September.  So here is the updated schedule:

• May 27: Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks, at Jodi's house
• June 24: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis, at Nadine's house
• July 22: The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, at Jodi's house
• August 26: Endurance by Alfred Lansing, at Therese's house
• September 28: The Help by Kathryn Stockett, at Heather's house
• October 26: The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood, at Jina's house
• November 30: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, at Jodi's house

Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks

Our next meeting will be on May 27th at 7:30pm at Jodi's house.  We'll be discussing Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks.  Hold on! Don't roll your eyes at the name Nicholas Sparks yet.  Yes, I really enjoy his fiction, but Three Weeks With My Brother is his nonfiction memoir, completely different from his "sappy" love stories.  Three Weeks With My Brother is the story of the three week trip around the world that Nicholas Sparks took with his brother Micah.  Between reading about exotic far-away places, you'll also get to read touching and humorous stories from the author's childhood.  The Papillion library has one copy and I own a copy as well that I'm willing to lend out.  So plan now to come on May 27th!

And the Winners Are...

Thanks to everyone who came to book group last night to give your recommendations and your votes!  It was a fun night with lots of great book suggestions.  With Lisa moving soon, we have decided that we will now start meeting at the person's house who recommended the book.  (Thank you, Lisa, for being such a gracious host for so many months!)  The person who recommended the book for that month will host, lead the discussion, and provide a refreshment. (If ever you find yourself unable to host in your home, please let me know and my house can be a backup.) We will continue to meet on the fourth Thursday of each month, except when holidays conflict, at 7:30pm.  So, all that being said, here is our new schedule with our list of winning books:  

• May 27: Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks, at Jodi's house
• June 24: The City of Ember by Jeanne DuPrau, at Jodi's house
• July 22: The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis, at Nadine's house
• August 26: Endurance by Alfred Lansing, at Therese's house
• September 23*: The Help by Kathryn Stockett, at Heather's house
• October 28*: The Survivors Club by Ben Sherwood, at Jina's house
• November 18*: The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch, at Jodi's house

 * Please note that these dates may change when mutual nights and Relief Society nights shift.


There were so many great books suggested it was hard to decide which ones to pick.  Here are the other titles that were presented but that didn't get on our schedule.

• All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot
• Northanger Abbey by Jane Austen
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
• Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
• The Scarlett Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy

Our April 29th Meeting

PLEASE NOTE: We're moving the location of book group on April 29th to Jodi's house--still at 7:30pm.  If you need an address or directions, just let me know.

We'll be discussing two short books that night: Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh, and Jonathan Livingston Seagull by Richard Bach.  I have one copy of each of them, so please let me know if you want to borrow them since neither is available at the Papillion library.  Lisa also has a copy of Gift From the Sea she is willing to lend out.

Also, please don't forget that we will be voting on new books that night, so if you'd like to make some suggestions of books for us to read, please bring 2-3 recommendations.  Please bring the actual books if possible.  Click here for a complete list of book suggestion guidelines, but most importantly, please only suggest books that you have previously read.

I hope everyone can come--it should be a great night!  (And don't forget it's at my house!)

Used Book Stores

I always love a great deal, so I've been searching some more for ways to get cheap books that might be in limited supply at the library.  I've always been a fan of Half Price Books in Texas and just found today that there is one Half Price Books location in Omaha.  It's in the Westwood Plaza shopping center at 123rd and Center.  They sell new and used books, and they will also give you cash on the spot for books you bring in to sell to them. 

Here are some other used book stores that I found just from searching online, but I haven't been to any of them myself.  If you check any of them out (or any others that aren't listed), please share with the group what you thought about the store and their pricing. 

Pageturners Used Books
5004 Dodge Street, Omaha

Jackson Street Booksellers
1119 Jackson Street, Omaha

Polly's Books
8542 Granville Parkway, LaVista

Judy's Books
1004 Lincoln Road, Bellevue

Backshelf Books
6059 Maple Street, Omaha

Friendly Used Books
6001 Maple Street, Omaha

GoodReads Bookswap and Thrift Books

Although I've never actually used GoodReads Bookswap personally, I thought I'd mention it as one option for finding copies of our books for book group.  (I've added it to the sidebar list of other websites where you can find cheap used copies of books.)  GoodReads Bookswap is a part of GoodReads.com where users can list what books they own and offer to give them away.  You can browse or search for books you want, find someone who has a copy they no longer want, request it from them, and only pay for shipping.  Again, I haven't ever done this, but it looks like GoodReads calculates the estimated shipping cost based on the weight of the book, plus adds a small handling fee to run the bookswap.  So I'm not sure how prices compare to used books elsewhere on the web, but feel free to check out GoodReads Bookswap if you're trying to find a cheap copy of a book. As a side note, for every 10 books you give away on bookswap, you earn any one free book from anyone on bookswap. 

We can also coordinate our own swaps among us in the group.  If you own a copy or plan to purchase one and have extra time to loan it out, please comment on the blog to let everyone know that you have a copy available.  And if you do try GoodReads Bookswap, let me know how it worked for you and what the cost really ended up being.

I also added a new link for Thrift Books in the sidebar.  I have purchased a few books from them through Amazon, but found that if you shop at their own website, the prices can be just slightly cheaper, especially if you buy more than one book from the same warehouse.  They have free shipping and most books are less than $4.00, with a 50 cent discount for each additional book coming from the same warehouse.  They also carry several LDS titles, so this is a cheap way to read some good LDS books without spending a lot at Deseret Book or Seagull Book and Tape.

Book Suggestion Guidelines and Schedule Changes

It's never too soon to be thinking of which books you'd like to recommend for the group to read.  We will be choosing new titles at our meeting on Thursday, April 29th, so please be prepared to come with some suggestions.  Here are some guidelines to follow as you think about which books you'd like to recommend, as well as some info about how the book voting will work:

• Each person will have the opportunity to briefly describe each of their 2-3 suggestions, then the group will vote on which one book from each person will be chosen.  The person who suggested the book will then be the discussion leader for that book and be responsible for bringing a refreshment for that meeting. (Links to book discussion guides can be found in the right side bar.)
• If you'd like to suggest a book, please bring at least 2 or 3 suggestions so the group has options to vote on.
• All genres of literature are welcome (i.e. adult fiction, YA fiction, non-fiction, historical, biographies, religious, etc.)
• Please only suggest books that you have previously read so you can verify that they are appropriate for our group (books should not contain an inappropriate amount of bad language, violence, or sex).
• If possible, please bring an actual copy of each book you are suggesting to our book group voting.  This helps others get an idea of how long the book is, size of print, etc. although we all know not to judge a book by its cover!
• If you'd like to recommend some books, but are unable to attend that night, please contact Jodi, or comment to this post with your book suggestions and we'll make sure they get presented and voted on.

So be thinking now about what 2-3 books you'd like to recommend.  If you're struggling with ideas, you can always find popular books that got good reviews at GoodReads or Reading For Sanity (an excellent book review blog by a group of Mormon moms).  Find a book you think sounds interesting to discuss and pre-read it NOW to make sure it's appropriate for our group.  I'm so excited to see everyone's suggestions and find out what we'll be reading for the next several months!

Also, please notice the new schedule in the right side bar.  We are going to be transitioning our meetings to the fourth Thursday of each month, starting in May.  To avoid going 6 whole weeks without meeting, and to avoid having to read a book in only 2 weeks, we'll meet as regularly scheduled on April 8th, then we'll meet again 3 weeks later on April 29th when we'll vote on new books, then start meeting on the fourth Thursday starting in May.  All meetings through May will continue to be held at Lisa's home.

We're looking forward to some great book groups coming up, and remember that even if you haven't read the book for that month, we still want you to come and enjoy some good company, and bring a friend too!

Letters for Emily by Camron Wright

Our next book is Letters for Emily by Camron Wright.  Kim will be leading this discussion on Thursday, April 8th at 7:30pm at Lisa's house.  There is one copy at the Papillion Library (large print), one copy at the La Vista Library, and another large print copy at the Bellevue Library.  Used copies at Amazon.com cost $0.01 plus shipping.  It's a fun and sweet story that will leave you feeling uplifted, so please plan now to attend.

These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner

Our book for March is These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner.  I have heard absolutely wonderful things about this book.  It has gotten really great reviews and I'm so excited to start reading it.  The Papillion Library and LaVista Library each have one copy.  You can also find it at Half.com for $4 or Amazon.com for about $6.  So find your copy now and don't forget to join us on March 11th at 7:30pm!

The Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis

Our next book for February is The Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis. Lisa will be leading the discussion at our meeting on February 11th at 7:30. There are no copies at the Papillion Library, but you can buy a used copy at Amazon for $0.01 plus shipping. Happy reading!

A Few Schedule Changes

Due to some scheduling conflicts, starting in May our book group will be moved to the FIRST Thursday of each month.

In May we will also be voting on new books to plan out the rest of the year. So please be thinking of what 2 books you'd like to recommend for our group to read. Bring these suggestions to our May meeting and we will vote on what we read for future months. Please remember to only suggest books that you have previously read.

We have also switched our May and June book discussions, so now the schedule is as follows:

• February 11, 2010: The Ladies Auxiliary by Tova Mirvis; Discussion by Lisa
  
• March 11, 2010: These Is My Words by Nancy E. Turner; Discussion by Heather
  
• April 8, 2010: Letters for Emily by Camron Wright; Discussion by Kim
  
• May 6, 2010: BRING BOOK SUGGESTIONS--VOTING ON NEW BOOKS, then discussing Gift From the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh; Jonathan Livinston Seagull by Richard Bach; Discussion by Katrina
  
• June 3, 2010: Three Weeks With My Brother by Nicholas Sparks; Discussion by Jodi
  
• July 1, 2010: Coast Road by Barbara Delinsky; Discussion by Pam