The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom

With the upcoming new year, don't forget that book group will be moving nights.  We'll now start meeting on the first Thursday of each month.  However, to avoid the New Year holiday, our next book group will be held on January 8th at 7:30pm at Lauren's house.  We'll be discussing The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom.

"At one time Corrie ten Boom would have laughed at the Idea that there would ever be a story to tell. For the first fifty years of her life nothing at all out of the ordinary had ever happened to her. She was an old-maid watchmaker living contentedly with her spinster sister and their elderly father in the tiny Dutch house over their shop. Their uneventful days, as regulated as their own watches, revolved around their abiding love for one another. However, with the Nazi invasion and occupation of Holland, a story did ensue.

"Corrie ten Boom and her family became leaders in the Dutch Underground, hiding Jewish people in their home in a specially built room and aiding their escape from the Nazis. For their help, all but Corrie found death in a concentration camp. The Hiding Place is their story."

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

We'll be meeting on Tuesday, December 2nd at 7:30pm at Barb's house to discuss Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson. 

You are about to travel to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family. Among them is Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson's wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, Major Pettigrew is one of the most indelible characters in contemporary fiction, and from the very first page of this remarkable novel he will steal your heart.


The Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson

Our next book group will meet on Tuesday, November 4th at 7:30pm at Erica's house.  We'll be discussing The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson.

In this harrowing tale of good and evil, the mild-mannered Dr. Jekyll develops a potion that unleashes his secret, inner persona—the loathsome, twisted Mr. Hyde.

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein

Our next book is Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein.  We'll be meeting on Tuesday, October 7th at 7:30pm at Heather's house to discuss this book.

"Oct. 11th, 1943-A British spy plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France. Its pilot and passenger are best friends. One of the girls has a chance at survival. The other has lost the game before it's barely begun.

"When "Verity" is arrested by the Gestapo, she's sure she doesn't stand a chance. As a secret agent captured in enemy territory, she's living a spy's worst nightmare. Her Nazi interrogators give her a simple choice: reveal her mission or face a grisly execution.

"As she intricately weaves her confession, Verity uncovers her past, how she became friends with the pilot Maddie, and why she left Maddie in the wrecked fuselage of their plane. On each new scrap of paper, Verity battles for her life, confronting her views on courage, failure and her desperate hope to make it home. But will trading her secrets be enough to save her from the enemy?

"A Michael L. Printz Award Honor book that was called "a fiendishly-plotted mind game of a novel" in The New York Times, Code Name Verity is a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other."  --From GoodReads.com

Book Group Rescheduled

I really hate to do this, but I need to reschedule tonight's book group for next Tuesday, September 9th at 7:30pm at my house.  I really hope this doesn't inconvenience anyone.  I am sick and just not able to host or lead a discussion tonight.  I also know that tonight is the HAL parent night for those with students in the HAL program, so hopefully by moving book group to next week we eliminate an extra conflict for some of you tonight too. 

The good news is that this gives you one extra week to read Wonder.  I know some people have still been looking for a copy.  As of the posting of this message, I saw online that there is a copy available at the Sump Library.  If you've already finished Wonder, our next book is Code Name Verity.

Again, apologies for the inconvenience.  I hope you're all able to make it next week instead.

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Our next book is Wonder by R.J. Palacio.  We'll meet to discuss it on Tuesday, September 2nd at 7:30pm at Jodi's house.

"August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

"R.J. Palacio has written a spare, warm, uplifting story that will have readers laughing one minute and wiping away tears the next. With wonderfully realistic family interactions (flawed, but loving), lively school scenes, and short chapters, Wonder is accessible to readers of all levels."  --From GoodReads.com

Winterdance by Gary Paulsen

Our next book is Winterdance by Gary Paulsen.  We'll meet on Tuesday, August 5th at 7:30pm at Barb's house.


Fueled by a passion for running dogs, Gary Paulsen entered the Iditarod--the 1150-mile winter sled-dog race between Anchorage and Nome--in dangerous ignorance and with a fierce determination. Winterdance is his account of this seventeen-day battle against Nature's worst elements and his own frailty.

Paulsen begins a remarkable journey trying to acquire the appropriate dogs to pull his sled. He has to train himself for the hundreds of hours of running.  He has to prepare himself for the lack of sleep and a lack of food, and then face all of nature’s elements while on the race. While all this sounds miserable, Paulsen tells his tale in a hilarious and incredible voice.  One minute you're laughing hysterically, the next minute you're on the edge of your seat trying to read fast enough to know whether he's going to die.  This is an exciting book detailing Paulsen’s great dog-sled adventure.

Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling

Our next book group is on Tuesday, July 1st at 7:30pm at Lauren's house.  We'll be discussing Captains Courageous by Rudyard Kipling.  Here's a brief summary:

"A pampered millionaire's son tumbles overboard from a luxury liner and falls into good fortune, disguised in the form of a fishing boat. The gruff and hearty crew teach the young man to be worth his salt as they fish the waters off the Grand Banks of Newfoundland. Brimming with adventure and humor."   --From GoodReads.com

And the Winners Are...

Here are the results from the book voting.  They are in order from highest to lowest average rating, so the top 10 books on the list (above the line) are the books we'll be reading over the next year. (Click the chart to enlarge it.)

Since we were missing a few of these people at book group last night, we didn't choose months for the winning books as a group.  So I went ahead and made a tentative schedule of the winning books, as listed below. Please review this schedule and if your assigned month doesn't work for you, or if you'd prefer to not have it at your house, let me know and I can make adjustments. Also let me know if you'd like to volunteer to host in May 2015 for our book presenting night.

2014 (First Tuesday of each month):

• Sept. 2: Wonder at Jodi's house
• Oct.7: Code Name Verity at Heather's house
• Nov. 4: The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde at Erica's house
• Dec. 2: Major Pettigrew's Last Stand at Barb's house

2015 (First Thursday of each month):

• Jan. 8: The Hiding Place at Lauren's house
• Feb. 5: Secret Daughter at Nancy's house
• Mar. 5: The Future of Us at Jodi's house
• Apr. 2: The Curtain at Heather's house
• May 7: Presenting New Books, location TBA
• June 4: The Book Thief at Joy's house
• July 9: Being George Washington at Kathleen's house

June's Book Group Rescheduled

Due to the strong storms on June 3rd, we are rescheduling book group for Tuesday, June 10th at 7:30pm at Jodi's house.  I hope that change doesn't cause too many scheduling conflicts for everyone.  We'll discuss The Memory Keeper's Daughter on June 10th and also find out what books we'll read over the next year.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

Our next book is The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.  We'll meet at Jodi's house on Tuesday, June 3rd at 7:30pm to discuss it.  We will also have the results from out book voting to share that night.

"On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy. Yet when his daughter is born, he sees immediately that she has Down's Syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split-second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. But Caroline, the nurse, cannot leave the infant. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child herself. So begins this story that unfolds over a quarter of a century - in which these two families, ignorant of each other, are yet bound by the fateful decision made that long-ago winter night. Norah Henry, who knows only that her daughter died at birth, remains inconsolable; her grief weighs heavily on their marriage. And Paul, their son, raises himself as best he can, in a house grown cold with mourning. Meanwhile, Phoebe, the lost daughter, grows from a sunny child to a vibrant young woman whose mother loves her as fiercely as if she were her own."  --From GoodReads.com

And the Nominees Are...

We had a blast last night sharing book ideas for our group for the next year!  Here are the books that are in the running.  An email as been sent to you containing a link where you can go to cast your vote.  If you want to vote and did not receive an email with the link to the ballot, please contact me.

  

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Recommended by Barb

You are about to travel to Edgecombe St. Mary, a small village in the English countryside filled with rolling hills, thatched cottages, and a cast of characters both hilariously original and as familiar as the members of your own family. Among them is Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson's wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, Major Pettigrew is one of the most indelible characters in contemporary fiction, and from the very first page of this remarkable novel he will steal your heart.

The Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?  (358 pages)

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
Recommended by Barb

Flavia de Luce 11 is an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison. In the summer of 1950, inexplicable events strike Buckshaw, her decaying mansion home. A dead bird is on the doorstep, a postage stamp on its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man dying in the cucumber patch. His last words must save her father imprisoned for his murder.  (374 pages)




Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein
Recommended by Heather

I have two weeks. You’ll shoot me at the end no matter what I do.  That’s what you do to enemy agents. It’s what we do to enemy agents. But I look at all the dark and twisted roads ahead and cooperation is the easy way out. Possibly the only way out for a girl caught red-handed doing dirty work like mine — and I will do anything, anything, to avoid SS-Hauptsturmführer von Linden interrogating me again.

He has said that I can have as much paper as I need. All I have to do is cough up everything I can remember about the British War Effort. And I’m going to. But the story of how I came to be here starts with my friend Maddie. She is the pilot who flew me into France — an Allied Invasion of Two.  We are a sensational team.  (447 pages)

The Curtain by Patrick Ord
Recommended by Heather

THE CURTAIN explores the effect that increasingly sophisticated marketing techniques have on communities, families, and individuals. In an age of digital distractions, who remembers the transcendent morality that has allowed past civilizations to prosper? When corporations have the influence and motive to define people by what they consume, are we as individuals losing the substance of who we really are?

THE CURTAIN is entertaining, fun, thought provoking, educational, and frightening. Ord’s storytelling is brilliant and his research extraordinary. THE CURTAIN is a must read for anyone that watches television or movies, listens to the radio, accesses the internet, logs into social media, has a smart phone, participates in loyalty card programs, or uses GPS technology. In short, THE CURTAIN is for everyone.  (314 pages)

Being George Washington by Glenn Beck
Recommended by Kathleen

This is the amazing true story of a real-life superhero who wore no cape and possessed no special powers—yet changed the world forever. It’s a story about a man whose life reads as if it were torn from the pages of an action novel: Bullet holes through his clothing. Horses shot out from under him. Unimaginable hardship. Disease. Heroism. Spies and double-agents. And, of course, the unmistakable hand of Divine Providence that guided it all.

Being George Washington is a whole new way to look at history. You won’t simply read about the awful winter spent at Valley Forge—you’ll live it right alongside Washington. You’ll be on the boat with him crossing the Delaware, in the trenches with him at Yorktown, and standing next to him at the Constitutional Convention as a new republic is finally born.  (287 pages)

Persuasion by Jane Austen
Recommended by Lauren

Twenty-seven-year old Anne Elliot is Austen's most adult heroine. Eight years before the story proper begins, she is happily betrothed to a naval officer, Frederick Wentworth, but she precipitously breaks off the engagement when persuaded by her friend Lady Russell that such a match is unworthy. The breakup produces in Anne a deep and long-lasting regret. When later Wentworth returns from sea a rich and successful captain, he finds Anne's family on the brink of financial ruin and his own sister a tenant in Kellynch Hall, the Elliot estate. All the tension of the novel revolves around one question: Will Anne and Wentworth be reunited in their love?  (249 pages)

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom
Recommended by Lauren

At one time Corrie ten Boom would have laughed at the Idea that there would ever be a story to tell. For the first fifty years of her life nothing at all out of the ordinary had ever happened to her. She was an old-maid watchmaker living contentedly with her spinster sister and their elderly father in the tiny Dutch house over their shop. Their uneventful days, as regulated as their own watches, revolved around their abiding love for one another. However, with the Nazi invasion and occupation of Holland, a story did ensue.

Corrie ten Boom and her family became leaders in the Dutch Underground, hiding Jewish people in their home in a specially built room and aiding their escape from the Nazis. For their help, all but Corrie found death in a concentration camp. The Hiding Place is their story. (241 pages)

Goodbye, Mr. Chips by James Hilton
Recommended by Lauren

Hilton's inspiring short novel about a beloved teacher's remarkable role in his students' lives, through decades of triumph and tragedy in Britain For three generations, through war and peace, prosperity and misfortune, Arthur Chipping's students at the Brookfield School have called him Mr. Chips. Beginning in his unpolished first years as a new teacher, through the end of the nineteenth century and well into radical changes of the twentieth, Mr. Chips has shaped the lives of the young men in his class. And when Britain is threatened by the outbreak of the First World War, it is Mr. Chips who must lead the school that has already counted on him for so much. Made into two remarkable films and other retellings on stage and television, "Goodbye, Mr. Chips" has endured as a revelation of the difference one good teacher can make in countless lives.  (74 pages)

Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Recommended by Jodi

August (Auggie) Pullman was born with a facial deformity that prevented him from going to a mainstream school—until now. He's about to start 5th grade at Beecher Prep, and if you've ever been the new kid then you know how hard that can be. The thing is Auggie's just an ordinary kid, with an extraordinary face. But can he convince his new classmates that he's just like them, despite appearances?

R. J. Palacio has written a spare, warm, uplifting story that will have readers laughing one minute and wiping away tears the next. With wonderfully realistic family interactions (flawed, but loving), lively school scenes, and short chapters, Wonder is accessible to readers of all levels.  (315 pages)

The Future of Us by Jay Asher
Recommended by Jodi

It's 1996, and Josh and Emma have been neighbors their whole lives. They've been best friends almost as long - at least, up until last November, when Josh did something that changed everything. Things have been weird between them ever since, but when Josh's family gets a free AOL CD in the mail,his mom makes him bring it over so that Emma can install it on her new computer. When they sign on, they're automatically logged onto their Facebook pages. But Facebook hasn't been invented yet. And they're looking at themselves fifteen years in the future.

By refreshing their pages, they learn that making different decisions now will affect the outcome of their lives later. And as they grapple with the ups and downs of what their futures hold, they're forced to confront what they're doing right - and wrong - in the present. (356 pages)

Secret Daughter by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Recommended by Nancy

 On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to a baby girl. But in a culture that favors sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter's life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son.

Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband, Krishnan, see a photo of the baby with the gold-flecked eyes from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion. Somer knows life will change with the adoption but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles.

Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and the child that binds both of their destinies, Secret Daughter poignantly explores the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love, as witnessed through the lives of two families—one Indian, one American—and the child that indelibly connects them.  (339 pages)

Push Not the River by James Conroyd Martin
Recommended by Erica

A panoramic and epic novel in the grand romantic style, PUSH NOT THE RIVER is the rich story of Poland in the late 1700s--a time of heartache and turmoil as the country's once peaceful people are being torn apart by neighboring countries and divided loyalties. It is then, at the young and vulnerable age of seventeen, when Lady Anna Maria Berezowska loses both of her parents and must leave the only home she has ever known. With Empress Catherine's Russian armies streaming in to take their spoils, Anna is quickly thrust into a world of love and hate, loyalty and deceit, patriotism and treason, life and death. Even kind Aunt Stella, Anna's new guardian who soon comes to personify Poland's courage and spirit, can't protect Anna from the uncertain future of the country. Anna, a child no longer, turns to love and comfort in the form of Jan, a brave patriot and architect of democracy, unaware that her beautiful and enigmatic cousin Zofia has already set her sights on the handsome young fighter. Thus Anna walks unwittingly into Zofia's jealous wrath and darkly sinister intentions. Forced to survive several tragic events, many of them orchestrated by the crafty Zofia, a strengthened Anna begins to learn to place herself in the way of destiny--for love and for country. Heeding the proud spirit of her late father, Anna becomes a major player in the fight against the countries who come to partition her beloved Poland. PUSH NOT THE RIVER is based on the true eighteenth century diary of Anna Maria Berezowska, a Polish countess who lived through the rise and fall of the historic Third of May Constitution. Vivid, romantic, and thrillingly paced, it paints the emotional and unforgettable story of the metamorphosis of a nation--and of a proud and resilient young woman. (556 pages)

The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Recommended by Erica

This intriguing combination of fantasy thriller and moral allegory depicts the gripping struggle of two opposing personalities — one essentially good, the other evil — for the soul of one man. Its tingling suspense and intelligent and sensitive portrayal of man's dual nature reveal Stevenson as a novelist of great skill and originality, whose power to terrify and move us remains, over a century later, undiminished.  (144 pages)

 

The Book Thief  by Markus Zusak
Recommended by Joy

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still. Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement. In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.  (552 pages)

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Recommended by Joy

Written for J.R.R. Tolkien’s own children, The Hobbit met with instant critical acclaim when it was first published in 1937. Now recognized as a timeless classic, this introduction to the hobbit Bilbo Baggins, the wizard Gandalf, Gollum, and the spectacular world of Middle-earth recounts of the adventures of a reluctant hero, a powerful and dangerous ring, and the cruel dragon Smaug the Magnificent.  (365 pages)

The Giver  by Lois Lowry
Recommended by Joy and Melissa

Jonas' world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back.  (179 pages)
 
  
 

 As I Have Loved You by Kitty de Ruyter-Bons
Recommended by Rosanne

Like Anne Frank, Corrie ten Boom, and Viktor Frankl, Kitty de Ruyter- Bons endured the terror of man's inhumanity to man during World War II. In this inspiring and powerful true story, Kitty testifies of the triumph of the human spirit. As both of Kitty's parents were devout Christians, her day started with a hymn and a scripture from the Bible. Kitty was only eight years old when her island paradise of Java, Indonesia, was invaded by Japanese soldiers during WWII.

Members of Kitty's family were taken to different prison camps. Kitty describes how her mother acted with courage in the face of hardship-even torture. Forbidden to pray at the camp, she nevertheless prayed and taught her children all she remembered of the scriptures. She courageously defied the Japanese officials and bravely took upon herself the consequences. These and countless other incidents, beautifully portrayed, prove that the grace of Christ gives one power in the presence of hatred, evil, pain, and suffering.  (192 pages)

Neighbor Rosicky by Willa Cather
Recommended by Rosanne

"Neighbour Rosicky" is a character study of Anton Rosicky, a man who, facing the approach of death, reflects on the meaning and value of his life. In tracing Rosicky's journey from Bohemia to Nebraska, Cather explores the intimate relationship between people and the places they inhabit. Though the story considers the pain of separations, "Neighbour Rosicky" also celebrates the small triumphs of life. Written not long after the death of her father, the story reflects a new maturity in Cather's treatment of loss. Critics often remark on the story's graceful acceptance of death's inevitability. Like many of the novels and stories that Cather wrote in the decades after World War I, "Neighbour Rosicky" also criticizes the unthinking materialism that marked the 1920s. Though some early critics found her approach sentimental, critics in later decades tended to applaud Cather's portrait of an immigrant farmer whose honesty, integrity, and emotional depth help him achieve a meaningful and happy life for himself and for his family.  (88 pages)



Other Suggested Books:

The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands  by Laura C. Schlessinger
Recommended by Melissa

In her most provocative book yet, Dr. Laura urgently reminds women that to take proper care of their husbands is to ensure themselves the happiness and satisfaction they yearn for in marriage. Women want to be in love, get married, and live happily ever after. Yet disrespect for men and disregard for the value, feelings, and needs of husbands has fast become the standard for male-female relations in America. Those two attitudes clash in unfortunate ways to create struggle and strife in what could be a beautiful relationship.

Countless women call Dr. Laura, unhappy in their marriages and seemingly at a loss to understand the incredible power they have over their men to create the kind of home life they yearn for. Now, in The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, Dr. Laura shows you—with real-life examples and real-life solutions—how to wield that power to attain all the sexual pleasure, intimacy, love, joy, and peace you want in your life. Dr. Laura's simple principles have changed the lives of millions. Now they can change yours.  (208 pages)

The Great Gathering  by Chad Daybell
Recommended by Sara

In the near future, Tad and Emma North and their children live in a United States that is growing increasingly wicked. The Norths and their extended family notice that many Latter-day Saints are being deceived by alluring temptations, and they wonder how much longer the Lord will allow American society to continue its downward spiral. 

Then comes an invitation from Church leaders for the Saints to gather together. This invitation isn’t well-accepted—and even openly mocked—but those faithful Church members who trust in the Lord soon find themselves accomplishing monumental tasks. Join these humble yet heroic Saints as they embark on an unprecedented journey to build New Jerusalem.

The Great Gathering, the first novel in the Standing in Holy Places series, paints a vivid picture of exciting prophesied events that still must occur before the Second Coming. If you have an interest in what awaits the members of the LDS Church, this series should definitely be on your reading list!  (200 pages)



(Book images and summaries from GoodReads.com)

 

Get Ready for Book Voting!

After reviewing the feedback about book voting last year, we've decided to improve the process this time around.  To summarize the feedback I've received, I've learned that...

- People missed being able to talk about their books in a group setting, and would prefer to be able to share their books with others at a book group night.

- Online voting worked well, especially for those people unable to attend a "book voting" night.

- People prefer to know who is suggesting each book.

- People prefer to have a smaller number of books selected at one time (12 books this past year were better than 18 the time before).



So taking all that into account, here's how we've decided the book voting will work this year...

- Our book group meeting on May 6th will be devoted to sharing our book suggestions with each other.  We will meet at Joy's house that night at 7:30pm.

- Our originally scheduled book for May will be moved to August. This will allow us to have a couple months notice before the new book schedule starts. (See the schedule in the right side bar.)

- After we have shared our book suggestions at our May book group night, an online survey will be available.  It will be the same type of survey as last year where you will rate every book on a weighted scale of 1-5 representing how interested you are in reading each book. Each book on the survey will include the name of the person who is suggesting it.

- The 10 books with the highest average ratings will be our book group selections for the next year. By limiting it to 10 books, we will get back on track so that we can plan to vote on new books again in May of every year and still have two months notice of what's coming up. (We already have books scheduled through August of this year.)

- If you would like to suggest books for the group to read, please make sure you have previously read them to ensure that they are appropriate for our group with minimal language, violence, sex, etc.  You may choose to suggest 1-3 books from any genre.  Please try to bring actual copies of your books, if possible, when you present them. (You can check the side bar to the right to see what books our group has already read.)

 - If you are unable to attend book group on May 6th but have books you'd like to suggest to the group, you can send me your book suggestions and I will be sure to mention them at our book group night and include them on the ballot.

So be thinking now of what books you'd like to suggest to the group and come ready to share on May 6th!!  It's always fun to talk about new books and get good book suggestions from friends.  It will be a fun night you won't want to miss!

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

Our next book is Bruiser by Neal Shusterman.  We'll meet to discuss it on Tuesday, April 1st at 7:30pm at Jodi's house.

"There’s a reason why Brewster can’t have friends – why he can’t care about too many people. Because when he cares about you, things start to happen. Impossible things that can’t be explained. I know, because they're happening to me."

When Brontë starts dating Brewster “Bruiser” Rawlins – the guy voted “Most Likely to Get the Death Penalty” her twin brother, Tennyson, isn’t surprised. But then strange things begin to occur. Tennyson and Brontë’s scrapes heal unnaturally fast, and cuts disappear before their eyes. What at first seems like their good fortune turns out to be more than they bargained for…much more.

--From GoodReads.com

Book Group for March

We had to cancel February's book group due to weather, so for March's book group, we're going to discuss two books.  We'll first discuss The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, and then discuss February's book, That Quail, Robert by Margaret A. Stanger. We'll be meeting at Lauren's house on Tuesday, March 4th at 7:30pm.  Here is a summary of The Fault in Our Stars. (A summary of That Quail, Robert can be found in the previous post.)

Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumors in her lungs... for now.

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumors tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault.

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.

 

That Quail, Robert by Margaret A. Stanger

Our next book is That Quail, Robert by Margaret A. Stanger.  We'll meet at Rosanne's house on Tuesday, February 4th at 7:30pm.

Who would have thought that from an abandoned quail's egg so much personality and affection would hatch out? Yet that is precisely what happened on Cape Cod back in 1962, as chronicled with love and honesty by the author. What happens when the human world becomes a substitute for Nature? Is the orphaned wild creature better off with its own kind, or with an adoptive family of a different species? Readers must judge for themselves in this charming tale about a delightful quail, named Robert.

Written with humor and pathos by an observant neighbor, who became Robert's Aunt and long term hostess, this slim volume is a gem about surprising family adjustments. Human emotions seem to have rubbed off on this impressionable birdling, who rapidly becomes a member of the family--even to requiring babysitters. You will chuckle and weep over her antics and trials. How human can a bird get? Once you spend some quality time with personable and endearing Robert, you will know the truth for yourself!