Room by Emma Donoghue

You should have plenty of time to read our next book (or get caught up on some personal reading) because our next meeting isn't until January 25th.  That evening we'll be discussing Room by Emma Donoghue, at 7:30pm at Jodi's house.

"To five-year-old-Jack, Room is the world. . . . It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

"Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it's the prison where she has been held for seven years. Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven-foot space. But with Jack's curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer.

"Room is a tale at once shocking, riveting, exhilarating--a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child."

~ From GoodReads.com

Beauty by Robin McKinley

We've made some slight schedule changes so please make note that our next book group is on December 7th at 7:30pm at Nadine's house.  We'll be discussing Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast by Robin McKinley.

"A strange imprisonment...

"Beauty has never liked her nickname. She is thin and awkward; it is her two sisters who are the beautiful ones. But what she lacks in looks, she can perhaps make up for in courage.

"When her father comes home with the tale of an enchanted castle in the forest and the terrible promise he had to make to the Beast who lives there, Beauty knows she must go to the castle, a prisoner of her own free will. Her father protests that he will not let her go, but she answers, "Cannot a Beast be tamed?"

"Robin McKinley's beloved telling illuminates the unusual love story of a most unlikely couple, Beauty and the Beast."

-From GoodReads.com

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Our next book is Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.  We'll meet to discuss this book on Wednesday, October 26th at 7:30pm at Jodi's house. 

"In the opening pages of Jamie Ford's stunning debut novel, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle's Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families, left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.

"This simple act takes old Henry Lee back to the 1940s, at the height of the war, when young Henry's world is a jumble of confusion and excitement, and to his father, who is obsessed with the war in China and having Henry grow up American. While "scholarshipping" at the exclusive Rainier Elementary, where the white kids ignore him, Henry meets Keiko Okabe, a young Japanese American student. Amid the chaos of blackouts, curfews, and FBI raids, Henry and Keiko forge a bond of friendship - and innocent love - that transcends the long-standing prejudices of their Old World ancestors. And after Keiko and her family are swept up in the evacuations to the internment camps, she and Henry are left only with the hope that the war will end, and that their promise to each other will be kept.

"Forty years later, Henry Lee is certain that the parasol belonged to Keiko. In the hotel's dark dusty basement he begins looking for signs of the Okabe family's belongings and for a long-lost object whose value he cannot begin to measure. Now a widower, Henry is still trying to find his voice - words that might explain the actions of his nationalistic father; words that might bridge the gap between him and his modern, Chinese American son; words that might help him confront the choices he made many years ago.

"Set during one of the most conflicted and volatile times in American history, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet is an extraordinary story of commitment and enduring hope. In Henry and Keiko, Jamie Ford has created an unforgettable duo whose story teaches us of the power of forgiveness and the human heart."  -From GoodReads.com

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

We've got a classic coming up for September, and don't forget that our book group is now on the 4th WEDNESDAY of each month.  For September we'll be reading The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas.  We'll be meeting at Sharon's house on Wednesday, September 28th at 7:30pm.  Feel free to read whichever version you'd like.  I have 2 copies of the unabridged version for those of you feeling ambitious, and I have one copy of the abridged version.  So let me know if you'd like to borrow my books, although they are due back at the Creighton library at the end of September.  I hope to see everyone there--whether you get your hands on the book or not!

The Wonder of Girls (or Boys) by Michael Gurian

We have two book options for August that we will be discussing: The Wonder of Girls or The Wonder of Boys by Michael Gurian.  Feel free to read whichever one you prefer.  For those of you with only daughters like myself, that will be an easy choice!  We'll be meeting on Tuesday, August 23rd at 7:30pm at Liz's house.

Since I think most of us have at least a couple daughters, here's a summary of The Wonder of Girls from GoodReads.com:

"It's a wonder that Michael Gurian wrote his bestselling The Wonder of Boys before he penned this trustworthy guide. He is, after all, the father of two daughters. But whatever the cause for the delay, The Wonder of Girls is a fitting follow-up to its moderate, positive predecessor. The book addresses almost every imaginable situation, from first talks about sex to full-scale adolescent rebellion. Good-spirited and quick-witted, The Wonder of Girls will unwrinkle many parental brows."

Take Note of Some Changes...

I just got confirmation that mutual nights won't be changing until the very last week of August (the week of August 28th), so we will need to keep book group on Tuesday in August.  We originally planned August's book group for the 4th Wednesday, so please take note that it will actually be the 4th Tuesday (August 23rd). 

We are SO sad to have to see Carolyn moving this fall, so she won't be available to host book group in December as previously planned.  So be thinking about what we might want to do for December--we can still read her book and I can happily plan to host it at my house, or if someone has a different book they'd like to recommend that might be more readily available, we could consider that too.

Also be thinking about what weeks in November and December would work best for book group.  We have to do some shuffling with Thanksgiving and Christmas, so we didn't decide dates for those months when we made the schedule.  So be thinking about what would work best for you and we can get dates for those months scheduled and on our calendars!

I hope to see everyone Tuesday night at Joy's!

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Our book for July is Inkheart by Cornelia Funke.  We'll be meeting on July 26th at 7:30pm at Joy's house.  Here's a summary of the book from GoodReads.com:

"Twelve-year-old Meggie learns that her father, who repairs and binds books for a living, can "read" fictional characters to life when one of those characters abducts them and tries to force him into service.

"Characters from books literally leap off the page in this engrossing fantasy. Meggie has had her father to herself since her mother went away when she was young. Mo taught her to read when she was five, and the two share a mutual love of books. He can "read" characters out of books. When she was three, he read aloud from a book called Inkheart and released characters into the real world. At the same time, Meggie's mother disappeared into the story. This "story within a story" will delight not just fantasy fans, but all readers who like an exciting plot with larger-than-life characters."

Book Recommendations That Match Your Liking

I found this great article today that has some great ideas for finding some good books.  There's links to other websites that will help recommend books you'd like based on what books you've liked in the past.  Enjoy!

How to Create an Awesome Summer Reading List

Cannery Row by John Steinbeck

Our next book group will be on June 28th at 7:30pm at Kathleen's house.  We'll be discussing Cannery Row by John Steinbeck.  Here's a summary from GoodReads.com:

"Cannery Row is a book without much of a plot. Rather, it is an attempt to capture the feeling and people of a place, the cannery district of Monterey, California, which is populated by a mix of those down on their luck and those who choose for other reasons not to live "up the hill" in the more respectable area of town. The flow of the main plot is frequently interrupted by short vignettes that introduce us to various denizens of the Row, most of whom are not directly connected with the central story. These vignettes are often characterized by direct or indirect reference to extreme violence: suicides, corpses, and the cruelty of the natural world.

"The 'story' of Cannery Row follows the adventures of Mack and the boys, a group of unemployed yet resourceful men who inhabit a converted fish-meal shack on the edge of a vacant lot down on the Row."

Great Books Coming Up!

We had a great turnout last night for our book voting, so we now have a nice, full schedule!  Here's the line-up...

• June 28: Cannery Row by John Steinbeck at Kathleen's house
• July 26: Inkheart by Cornelia Funke at Joy's house
• August 23: The Wonder of Girls or The Wonder of Boys by Michael Gurian at Liz's house
• September 28: The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas at Sharon's house
• October 26: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford at Heather's house
• November (TBA): Beauty by Robin McKinley at Nadine's house
• December (TBA): A Stranger for Christmas by Carol Lynn Pearson at Carolyn's house
• January 25: Room by Emma Donoghue at Jodi's house
• February 22: Still Alice by Lisa Genova at Barb's house
• March 28: Daddy-Long-Legs by Jean Webster at Rosanne's house
• April 25: Escape  by Carolyn Jessop at Melissa's house

 And the runners-up...

• Anne of Green Gables by  L.M. Montgomery
• Life of Pi by Yann Martel
• To Destroy You Is No Loss by Joan D. Criddle
• Ivanhoe by Sir Walter Scott
• Friendship Cake by Lynne Hinton
• Les Miserables by Victor Hugo
• The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
• Summer at Tiffany's by Marjorie Hart
• Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
• The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
• The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Our next book group is on Tuesday, May 24th, at 7:30pm at Barb's house.  We'll be discussing Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card and voting on new books for the next several months.  So please don't forget to bring 2-3 book suggestions that you'd like us to vote on.  Please remember to only suggest books that you have previously read and don't contain large amounts of inappropriate "stuff".  Click here to read the complete guidelines to consider as you think of what books you want to suggest to the group.  And if possible, please bring actual copies of your book suggestions.

Now, about Ender's Game, don't be turned off by the science-fiction genre!  Many non-science-fiction readers can attest to thoroughly enjoying this book.  Here's a summary from GoodReads.com:

"In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

"Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

"Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives."

The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara

Our book for April is The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara. We will be meeting on Tuesday, April 26th at 7:30pm at Nancy's house. Here is a summary from Amazon.com:

"This novel reveals more about the Battle of Gettysburg than any piece of learned nonfiction on the same subject. Michael Shaara's account of the three most important days of the Civil War features deft characterizations of all of the main actors, including Lee, Longstreet, Pickett, Buford, and Hancock. The most inspiring figure in the book, however, is Col. Joshua Lawrence Chamberlain, whose 20th Maine regiment of volunteers held the Union's left flank on the second day of the battle. This unit's bravery at Little Round Top helped turned the tide of the war against the rebels. There are also plenty of maps, which convey a complete sense of what happened July 1-3, 1863. Reading about the past is rarely so much fun as on these pages."

There is one copy at the Papillion library, I have a copy from the Creighton library I can lend out, and Nancy also has several copies of this book she's willing to lend out as well.

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale is our next book.  We will be meeting at Cara's house on March 22nd, at 7:30pm.  This is a really great book that's a quick, fun read. Here's a summary from Amazon:

"When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren’s refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.


"As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. But the arrival outside the tower of Saren’s two suitors—one welcome, and the other decidedly less so—brings both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.

"With Shannon Hale’s lyrical language, this forgotten but classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise."

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Our book for February is The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  We will be meeting on February 22nd at 7:30pm at Heather's house.

This book has become a best-seller and tells a fascinating true story. Click here to read an excellent article and summary about this book from the NY Times (thanks to Heather for sharing). The following summary is from GoodReads.com.

"Rebecca Skloot first learned about HeLa cells more than a decade ago, while enrolled at community college. Named after Henrietta Lacks, a poor African-American woman born in 1920, the famed cells were taken from a tumor removed during Lacks's treatment for cervical cancer. While she died from the disease, her cancer cells proved uncommonly hearty, reproducing at an unheard-of rate, and years later, billions of these cells are used in laboratories around the world.

"The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks is a story about science and so much more. Lacks died unaware that doctors would be using her cells to further advances in the scientific community and cashing in on such developments and never received a dime. In search of justice, Skloot seeks out Lacks's descendants to learn if they're aware of the famed cells and to see if they've derived any benefit from the important contribution to science their relative made. A fascinating discussion of the enduring legal and ethical questions that human-tissue research raises, Skloot's debut is a gem."

LDS Book Exchange

Do you ever wish you had access to more books by LDS authors?  I have always wished that there was some kind of Mormon library where I could read the LDS books I want to without having to purchase them.  (I know, I'm pretty cheap!) As Relief Society Secretary in a previous ward, I helped to organize an LDS Book Exchange.  It worked well enough that I've continued the idea in other wards and am now throwing the idea out to this group since I know you all love to read.

What I've done in the past is had people send me a list of what LDS books they own and I compile a master list of titles and authors followed by the owners' names (with a phone number and email address directory so you can get in touch with each other).  Then I would distribute the list to you all and you'll be able to find out who owns the books you're dying to read.  Then you just need to contact that person to ask to borrow their book.

Now I know some people are very protective of their books, so if you're not willing to lend out, that's fine.  Personally, I'm getting ready to order some more LDS books, and I figure if I'm spending the money, it'd be nice to have other people to share them with.  (Of course I also wouldn't want to buy any books that I know I can borrow from someone else!) ;)

So, if you'd like to participate, just email me a list of what LDS books you have that you are willing to lend out and I'll start compiling a list to share with everyone.  Feel free to add whatever types of LDS books you're willing to lend out--from inspirational favorites by Mary Ellen Edmunds, Emily Watts, Sheri Dew, etc., to more doctrinal books by apostles and prophets, or even LDS novels. So, if you want to participate, please get me your list of books (either by email or on paper) by February 1st, and we can all look forward to reading some great LDS books!

The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt

Our next book is The Wednesday Wars by Gary D. Schmidt.  We will be meeting on January 25th at 7:30pm at Lauren's house.  This is a fun, quick read--an excellent young adult novel that won a Newbery Honor medal in 2008.

Here's a summary from GoodReads.com:

"While all his classmates are enjoying (?) religious instruction, seventh-grader Holling Hoodhood shares Wednesday afternoons with Mrs. Baker, his Camillo Junior High teacher. Not surprisingly, Holling lacks enthusiasm for mid-week appointments with an instructor who assigns him Shakespeare as out-of-class reading. Holling has other things on his mind besides English Renaissance drama. For his dad's sake, he's trying hard to stay out of trouble, but with hovering bullies and other impinging crises, that seems to be a full-time job. Fortunately, help arrives from an unexpected source." 

A more detailed plot summary can be found here on Wikipedia for those of you who aren't able to read the book.  But BEWARE, this is a detailed summary and contains spoilers!