ANA Discussion Forum

AN Community => AN Community => Topic started by: OMG16 on March 01, 2008, 07:46:22 pm

Title: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on March 01, 2008, 07:46:22 pm
So I was thinking about Oprah's book club and was wondering if anyone would like to start an ANA book club?  Maybe like 2 books a month we could all read and reflect upon.  I was thinking maybe 1 book for fun and 1 book for brain tumor issues.  This would of course be alot of fun with the group of people we have here.  Tell me what your thoughts are and what books you recommend and we can vote for our first one shortly.

Can we also create a list of books that have been helpful to others.  4 you have some great ideas on books that you have posted and there was one you recommended to me about my son before I had to have that horrible surgery the end of Jan and I can not find the name of it so if you could add this I would be most grateful.

Don I have looked for the book I saw you post on another thread and I can only find one named The brain that changes itself.  Is this the one you speak of?

I can't wait to see what all of you come up with.   ;D 16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Don on March 01, 2008, 07:57:17 pm
 Yes it was a brain moment but it is a great book and will change the way you think about things I have always felt this as since a kid I would see cats get dinged by cars an hole up under a house for a few weeks and emerge good as new? And for those of you with vision problems rob a liquor store to get enough money to buy a Kindle reading device from Amazon as after over 7 years I am able to enjoy reading again as you can adjust the font size an amazing device and if I had my way insurance would buy them for us!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 01, 2008, 08:10:44 pm
16~
I am DEFINITELY in for the "fun" book if it is fiction, but I can not finish a non-fiction book if my life depended on it!  I have tried  and tried and tried.  I have wasted so much money on books that people say are SSOOOOO good, & they are!, but I just can't get motivated to finish them.  On the other hand, give me a story (even a bad one!) and I will plow right thru that!!  i even read at stop lights!!

Let me know...
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on March 01, 2008, 08:21:44 pm
I'm in.  I love to read.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Don on March 01, 2008, 08:33:46 pm
Well Kay its not too technical, as I know what you mean I like a fun read but the subject is dear to us and it is in plain language, I actually had to get up and go to the living room to get my copy as this group is sharp so I gotta double check and the New York times review on the cover as is follows, "The power of positive thinking finally gains scientific credibility. Mind- bending, miracle making,reality busting stuff........straddles the gap between science and self help" "The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge M.D." its a keeper if your serious about trying to get better I feel and if your the type who finds doctors annoying it will inspire you as they can only guess and as I have come to learn the end product is all up to you
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: matti on March 01, 2008, 10:14:24 pm
I am currently reading Oprah's latest pick "A New Earth" and have signed up for her online class, should be interesting.

Last year Gennysmom recommended "I had brain surgery, what's your excuse" written by Suzy Becker.  Suzy by profession is an illustrator and was diagnosed with a brain tumor (not AN) and tells a humorous, but moving account of her journey. Her illustrations are hilarious and oh so relatable.

I'd love to join in  :)

Cheryl
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: shoegirl on March 01, 2008, 10:20:59 pm
Hi Cheryl!   How are you!

I signed up for the "A New Earth" online class too.  I just got the book today and I am hoping to start reading it this evening.  The class should be interesting.  I also just finished a book called "Welcome to your crisis" by Laura Day.  Loved it! Great read.  Highly recommend it.  Read some of her other books too -she is incredible.

I am up for a book club.   :)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: matti on March 01, 2008, 10:26:43 pm
Shoegirl - so good to see you back, I've missed you. Hope all is well with you and your family.

It took me several chapters before I could get into "A New Earth", I am very glad I stuck with it, it is very powerful. See you in class on Monday  ;D

Big hugs,
Cheryl
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jan D on March 02, 2008, 04:54:39 pm
I'm with you, Kaybo - fiction is the way to go.  We need a chance to escape from reality once in awhile.

Count me in on the book club if the topics don't get too "heavy".

Jan D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 02, 2008, 06:51:34 pm
I am game also...

Here is the top 10 from the NY Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/09/books/bestseller/0309bestpapertradefiction.html?_r=1&oref=slogin

THE PILLARS OF THE EARTH, by Ken Follett. (New American Library, $24.95 and $20.) Murder, arson and lust surround the building of a cathedral. 15
2  THE OTHER BOLEYN GIRL, by Philippa Gregory. (Touchstone, $16.) A tale of courtly intrigue starring Henry VIII and Mary and Anne Boleyn. 5
3  NINETEEN MINUTES, by Jodi Picoult. (Washington Square, $15.) The aftermath of a high-school shooting reveals the fault lines in a small New Hampshire town. 3
4  WATER FOR ELEPHANTS, by Sara Gruen. (Algonquin, $13.95.) A young man — and an elephant — save a Depression-era circus. 25
5  THE KITE RUNNER, by Khaled Hosseini. (Riverhead, $15.95 and $14.) An Afghan-American returns to Kabul to learn how a childhood friend has fared. 25
6  ATONEMENT, by Ian McEwan. (Anchor, $14.95.) A chronicle of the disintegration of an English family’s idyllic life. 15
7  * THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUB, by Kate Jacobs. (Berkley, $14.) A group of women meet weekly at a New York City yarn shop. 8
8  THE 6TH TARGET, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro. (Grand Central, $14.99.) Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women’s Murder Club investigate the disappearance of several children in San Francisco. 7
9  THE MEMORY KEEPER’S DAUGHTER, by Kim Edwards. (Penguin, $14.) A doctor’s decision to secretly send his newborn daughter, who has Down syndrome, to an institution haunts everyone involved. 25
10  THE DOUBLE BIND, by Chris Bohjalian. (Vintage, $14.95.) A young woman who works at a homeless shelter struggles to understand the mysterious photographs taken by a recently deceased resident.

31. MY SISTER'S KEEPER, by Jodi Picoult (Washington Square) Note: It is still on the list at #31.  It is really good and has an unpredictable twist.

Hardcover Fiction NY Times List

HARDCOVER FICTION
Top 5 at a Glance
1. THE APPEAL, by John Grisham
2. STRANGERS IN DEATH, by J. D. Robb
3. 7TH HEAVEN, by James Patterson and Maxine Paetro
4. LADY KILLER, by Lisa Scottoline
5. DUMA KEY, by Stephen King

Complete Hardcover Fiction List »

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/bestseller/index.html

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Don on March 02, 2008, 08:49:03 pm
 I loved water for Elephants great fun to read a little before my time but my Mother who will be 80 this year , said it was very accurate I still remember the carnivals and el cheapo circuses in So Cal in the 50's and 60's kids today dont know what they are missing! Moth eaten lions ratty rides perverts you name it and the FOOD there will never be food like that on the planet again I remember my friend and I poisoned the Carp at the Los Angeles county fair feeding em greasy buttered popcorn? It actually left a rainbow colored slick on the surface of the pond!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on March 02, 2008, 10:35:59 pm
Water for Elephants sounds like a good pick. I can tell you that The Kite Runner is good, but a bit grim. I have also read Atonement, a good literary novel if you like that sort of thing.

I am quite amused to see #7: The Friday Night Knitting Club - a group of women meet weekly at a New Your City yarn shop. Yawn. Am I missing something? Actually I bet it is really good, like that movie about a barber shop, with lots of interesting stories being told...

Don, I think back in the 60's kids at school could live an entire year eating nothing but Twinkies. People's nutritional needs were lower back then.  ;)


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Don on March 03, 2008, 03:22:14 am
 Man I had forgotten about them things they were gross to me I liked the cup cakes better with the little white squiggle on top and mystery frosting like those Moon pies that could bask in 100 degree plus temps in vending machines and not melt? No wonder we grew tumors we were eating Hazmat?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 03, 2008, 07:55:49 am
Steve~I am definitely NOT a knitter, but that one looked good to me -- probably just interested me in what they could write a WHOLE book about?  I'll go for anything - just not non-fiction!!   ;D
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Omaschwannoma on March 03, 2008, 08:33:59 am
My one-year follow-up MR fell apart at the seams.  It was taking so long for my neurosurgeon to get back to me (3 months) regarding my one-year MR follow-up post surgery!  Starting with the facility where the MR was done by not sending the films to my doctor, to my doctor not alerting me to this fact, eventhough he had the report that said my tumor has returned (I had the report too and was scared silly).  After numerous phone calls to his very non-caring, unhelpful assistant I emailed my surgeon one evening out of frustration (I was curt and to the point) and finally received, within one hour, a very angry response with no diagnosis yet telling me he's passing this on to my neurotologist and he would not respond if I emailed him again!  Seems he was "picking up his toys and going home" boo hoo.  Another Day In The Frontal Lobe, Dr. Katrina Firlik, is an interesting look into neurosurgery, neurosurgeons and their "quirkyness".  I read to educate myself on what these people are all about.  Thought it would give me some insight as to why my neurosurgeon became so distant and beligerant.  Of course my neurotologist was extremely apologetic and had "words" with this doctor afterwards.  Hope he doesn't do that again to anyone else!  This book spoke volumes about his attitude!  Funny how I was thinking it was all my fault and I should've been more patient and courteous?! 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: ppearl214 on March 03, 2008, 09:25:25 am
Karen,

I am sending every bit of white light I can send your way. I'm sorry to hear you have had it so dang rough! I wish I could do more.... huggles for wellness... white light, cuz you know why! :)

Please hang tough!
Phyl
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on March 03, 2008, 12:46:14 pm
Wow, that doctor gets an "F" for bedside manner.  That's rude and highly unethical, I think!  But, then I guess Doctors have bad days too.  Maybe his wife just left him, his son left town to join the circus, his daughter is 15 and preggers, and he went off his lithium!  But...still.  He shouldn't oughta treat you like that.

Sue in Vancouver
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Omaschwannoma on March 03, 2008, 12:56:41 pm
Thanks Pearl.  As you know I am over three years post surgery and the initial dx of tumor return was not so--or so they are telling me even today.  I am in recovery/rehab now from labyrinthectomy procedure done this February.  Most recent MR showed inflammation/hemohrrage in cochlea and surrounding area.  I was experiencing oscillopsia, headaches, nausea, "tiltawhirl-type" vertigo, seizure-like episodes (feeling I was 10-feet tall) and walking with cane so I wouldn't fall backwards.  This procedure is successful for me.  I feel much better, yesterday the oscillopsia has almost gone away.  No more seizure-type feelings and headaches are gone!  WOW!  This only took three years to correct!  Can't really blame my neurotologist as what I described to him sounded as if I should be seeking out neurologist for dx.  Thus came the problems as the neurologist in town insisted my tumor was there and to drive the five hours back to my surgeons office and tell him so!  Also mumbled to me as he turned his back, "This is the problem when you go out of town for surgery."  Make a long story short with him, he ordered another MR only to be proven wrong, then came the EEG's, blood tests, all negative, only to tell me to seek psych counsel!  Frustration, humiliation set in for months.  Then sought ENT in town for his dx where he listened, talked to neurotologist about possibly Menier's Disease/Hydrops and to see this guy for tx.  I drove one hour to see him fully thinking he's going to help with the MD.  Within five minutes this guy was yelling at me to keep quiet, it's his "show" and if I didn't like it, go to someone else!  All because I brought paper on treating MD and herpes virus.  He was fuming at this.  He needs anger mgmt. classes.  My husband couldn't believe this guy either.  In the end after ABR, EECOG, ENG, he dx me with nystagmus, stop taking ibuprofen as this is causing my headaches, tinnitus and to see neurologist!  Major frustration set in until I saw my surgeon at the July Symposium and posed some questions to him.  I sent him all workups and WHALLAH, my recent dx and the tx.  He was very apologetic and said he learned alot from me.  According to him I'm his third patient out of multiple hundreds he's treated that has not adjusted well after surgery.  I am now on the road to feeling like most surgery AN patients--very little problems!  
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Gennysmom on March 03, 2008, 05:19:29 pm
I tried to start a book club before, but no real takers....would still love to do it.  Matti and I are reading "A New Earth" and sharing comments about it, and although I'm signed up for the class too, I have Yoga for most of it but am trying to do it kind of vicariously. 

"I had Brain Surgery, what's your excuse"  is the best so far of the brain books.  I have "Another day in the frontal lobe" too, but haven't finished it.  Also "The brain that heals itself" is fascinating!  Would reccomend that highly!

As for non-brain related books, "The Kite Runner" is excellent!  I haven't read "A Thousand Splendid Suns" yet, but am planning to.  Shall we do a sign up?  The way we did the one here at work, everyone was assigned a book for the month, but we could do 2 or 3 months per book????  And if you guys have Skype downloaded, we can do a group chat on it!!!  Whaddya think?

Would also like to read Atonement (movie was good) and Water for Elephants sounds good too.   
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on March 03, 2008, 10:18:49 pm
Karen I am so sorry to hear about your treatment.  3 months waiting for results is just wrong.  Not to mention the other Drs their behavior is just abusive and should not have to be tolerated.  I have found to take multiple people with you to Drs appt and this keeps them in line.  My infectious disease Dr said that this is how Drs act when they are unsure of themselves and that it is their problem and should not make it yours.  He also said to never let anyone treat you this way period.  I'm very glad you are doing better.  Keep us posted.

As far as the book club goes I believe the decision has been made for non-fiction.  Now all we need to do is vote on which book and what time frame.

I'm easy so just let me know what you all decide.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 04, 2008, 06:45:27 am

Now all we need to do is vote on which book and what time frame.

I'm easy so just let me know what you all decide.

I am easy too...My three suggestions: Two are on the NY Times List..Elephants is #2 and My Sister's Keeper is #31 cause it is several years old; however it remains on the list....My third choice is Loving Frank (about Frank Lloyd Wright's personal life) This book is beginning to circulate as a book club choice  by people in Suburban Chicagoland.

Water For Elephants or My Sister's Keeper

From Publishers Weekly: Water For Elephants
With its spotlight on elephants, Gruen's romantic page-turner hinges on the human-animal bonds that drove her debut and its sequel (Riding Lessons and Flying Changes)—but without the mass appeal that horses hold. The novel, told in flashback by nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski, recounts the wild and wonderful period he spent with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a traveling circus he joined during the Great Depression. When 23-year-old Jankowski learns that his parents have been killed in a car crash, leaving him penniless, he drops out of Cornell veterinary school and parlays his expertise with animals into a job with the circus, where he cares for a menagerie of exotic creatures[...] He also falls in love with Marlena, one of the show's star performers—a romance complicated by Marlena's husband, the unbalanced, sadistic circus boss who beats both his wife and the animals Jankowski cares for. Despite her often clichéd prose and the predictability of the story's ending, Gruen skillfully humanizes the midgets, drunks, rubes and freaks who populate her book. (May 26)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


From Publishers Weekly re My Sister's KeeperThe difficult choices a family must make when a child is diagnosed with a serious disease are explored with pathos and understanding in this 11th novel by Picoult (Second Glance, etc.). The author, who has taken on such controversial subjects as euthanasia (Mercy), teen suicide (The Pact) and sterilization laws (Second Glance), turns her gaze on genetic planning, the prospect of creating babies for health purposes and the ethical and moral fallout that results. Kate Fitzgerald has a rare form of leukemia. Her sister, Anna, was conceived to provide a donor match for procedures that become increasingly invasive. At 13, Anna hires a lawyer so that she can sue her parents for the right to make her own decisions about how her body is used when a kidney transplant is planned. Meanwhile, Jesse, the neglected oldest child of the family, is out setting fires, which his firefighter father, Brian, inevitably puts out. Picoult uses multiple viewpoints to reveal each character's intentions and observations, but she doesn't manage her transitions as gracefully as usual; a series of flashbacks are abrupt. Nor is Sara, the children's mother, as well developed and three-dimensional as previous Picoult protagonists. Her devotion to Kate is understandable, but her complete lack of sympathy for Anna's predicament until the trial does not ring true, nor can we buy that Sara would dust off her law degree and represent herself in such a complicated case. Nevertheless, Picoult ably explores a complex subject with bravado and clarity, and comes up with a heart-wrenching, unexpected plot twist at the book's conclusion.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Publishers Weekly re Loving FrankHoran's ambitious first novel is a fictionalization of the life of Mamah Borthwick Cheney, best known as the woman who wrecked Frank Lloyd Wright's first marriage. Despite the title, this is not a romance, but a portrayal of an independent, educated woman at odds with the restrictions of the early 20th century. Frank and Mamah, both married and with children, met when Mamah's husband, Edwin, commissioned Frank to design a house. Their affair became the stuff of headlines when they left their families to live and travel together, going first to Germany, where Mamah found rewarding work doing scholarly translations of Swedish feminist Ellen Key's books. Frank and Mamah eventually settled in Wisconsin, where they were hounded by a scandal-hungry press, with tragic repercussions. Horan puts considerable effort into recreating Frank's vibrant, overwhelming personality, but her primary interest is in Mamah, who pursued her intellectual interests and love for Frank at great personal cost. As is often the case when a life story is novelized, historical fact inconveniently intrudes: Mamah's life is cut short in the most unexpected and violent of ways, leaving the narrative to crawl toward a startlingly quiet conclusion. Nevertheless, this spirited novel brings Mamah the attention she deserves as an intellectual and feminist. (Aug.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.



Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Omaschwannoma on March 04, 2008, 08:25:56 am
My recent book I am reading and find very interesting is Survival of the Sickest, Dr. Sharon Moalem with Jonathan Prince.  A medical maverick discovers why we need disease.  This was given to me by my neighbor who suffers from and in the process of a cure for lyme disease.  I recommend this one IMHO. 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Lorenzo on March 04, 2008, 11:29:49 am
all sounds like a great idea, but not for me. I can't read much anymore. Would take me a year to read a book. Last one took me three months. And I used to read one every couple of weeks! Darn. Sigh...  lol  My preferences for the last few books: 'In praise of Slow' by Carl Honore; 'Complications' by Atul Gawande; the Suzy Brecker one mentioned earlier; 'What should I do with my life' by Po Bronson; 'Stiff' by Mary Roach (not to everybody's taste); and a couple of others I can't remember.
Ciao, Lorenzo
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: lori67 on March 04, 2008, 12:11:00 pm
Ok, first, K - you should not be reading at stop lights.  Especially if I happen to be behind you when the light turns green.

i'm not much of a reader anymore (who has time?), but i just finished Mitch Albom's "The Five People You Meet In Heaven" and "For Just One More Day" (or is it "another" day...).  They were both great and easy, quick reads.

Other than that, if it doesn't involve Cookie Monster, Ernie and Bert or Sam I am, I probably haven't read it yet.

Lori
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: matti on March 04, 2008, 01:42:58 pm
Lorenzo - Since my surgery nearly 10 years ago, I find it very difficult to read a book. I get very fatigued from the sensory overload and must stop and close my eyes for 10 minutes (thank youTony for that tip).  The same issue occurs while on the computer.

Suzanne/Shoegirl - did you have problems getting the video stream on Oprah's book club last night. I was only able to see 10 seconds of it. I hope they correct the problem for next week.

Cheryl
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Lorenzo on March 04, 2008, 01:48:09 pm
Cheryl, I used to read for an hour or more every night before sleep, as way of winding down from the day. Now, I open a page, read half of it, and I'm more likely to sleep with the book on my face than reading. I don't even remember what i read. I tend to get stuck on the same page, never mind the same chapter! During the day I just can't concentrate much on reading either. Just very frustrating, and one of the things I miss the most post treatment! Sigh.
Ciao, Lorenzo
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: ppearl214 on March 04, 2008, 02:01:41 pm
I'm in the same boat Cheryl and Lorenzo. Focus/concentration is difficult, esp. when reading... although (kbonner and I have spoken about it here in the past) doing puzzles like Sudoku and such does help me with focus.....I did read a book last week (easy read, finished in 3 days, over 200 pgs) and it was a struggle, but was able to complete it (CB was so proud of me!  I think he bought me a fattening treat as a congrats on my focus present....as he knew it was a tough struggle for me).

Phyl
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Lorenzo on March 04, 2008, 02:04:32 pm
i just went to read a food magazine and I just gave up on that too. Not my reaing day obviously!!  LOL
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: ppearl214 on March 04, 2008, 02:12:22 pm
i just went to read a food magazine and I just gave up on that too. Not my reaing day obviously!!  LOL

It was the wrong kind of food you were reading about, hence, lack of focus... go for a more exotic choice of food style... you know, like how to cook 80 meals using octopus... that'll help! ;)

Phyl
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on March 04, 2008, 02:38:52 pm
Lorenzo and Phyl my son to has to work so hard at reading that he does not retain the info.  He has been doing visual rehab exercises that help.  Have you seen a good neuro-opthamologist that can see how your eyes are working together for tracking and what not.  There are also books on tape, not really the same though.  I will sometimes read outloud to my son.  It could be fun for you guys and your lovely significant others to try this.  Just some of my thoughts.  Wishing both of you well and kisses to your forehead of course.  :-*  :-* 16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on March 04, 2008, 04:24:02 pm
Kate,

I just finished "My Sister's Keeper"  a well written book.  An emotional roller coaster ride.  I also read "The Kite Runner" another amazing book. 

Lorenzo,

You and my hubby have the same reading habits.....is it a male thing.....you know I love you both ::)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 04, 2008, 07:02:47 pm
Kate,

I just finished "My Sister's Keeper"  a well written book.  An emotional roller coaster ride.  I also read "The Kite Runner" another amazing book. 


I was surprised by the twist in My Sister's Keeper. It would definately generate conversation as it includes moral dilemmas. It was my first introduction to Jodi Piccoult books. 

I have not read the other two suggested: Water for Elephants nor Loving Frank.

It seems we are all over the board, so 16 it will be your call...I will follow your lead.  I suggest two to three weeks to finish a book as not all will have time to read it at one time. 

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 04, 2008, 07:49:10 pm
The Kite Runner is a great book, but as Steve points out, it's a little grim.

I liked My Sister's Keeper, but found the ending disappointing.  I thought Nineteen Minutes was much better written.

Has anyone heard of "The Short Bus" by Jonathan Mooney?  I bought it a few months ago, but haven't started it yet.  I'm currently reading Gone with the Wind; haven't read it in years.  It's my favorite movie, but the book is even better.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on March 04, 2008, 09:15:26 pm
Jan tell us more about the short bus.  We have quite a decision to make as I am unsure also, it may take us a month to decide on a book.  They all sound like good choices.  I am so confused.  ???
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on March 04, 2008, 10:38:50 pm
Well I'm going to reply to my own post.  Jan congradulations on your successful Baha surgery!  In honor of you and your strength I crown you our first ANA book club Queen.  The book will be your choice and you may state the time frame to finish the book and can lead the discussion.  Then after your turn at being Queen you may choose your replacement.  This will be such fun.

Everyone welcome Queen Jan and let the fun begin.  ;D 16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 04, 2008, 10:50:51 pm
16 -

I've never even been in a book club before, much less been nominated Queen of one, so I have no idea where to begin ???  I'm thinking I should defer my nomination to Queen-Elect and let someone who has a clue be first.

Here is a review of The Short Bus that I copied from Amazon.com:

From School Library Journal
Adult/High School–Many kids with physical, mental, and learning disabilities have ridden the short bus to special-education classes, signaling that they were different, singled out, not normal. Mooney was one of those short bus children who hated school because he was dyslexic and couldn't read until he was 12. In 2003, a few years after he graduated from Brown University, he cowrote a book on learning disabilities and began a career of public speaking on the subject. Then he set out on a journey. He bought an old short bus and traveled from Los Angeles to Maine to Washington and back to L.A., stopping to visit with various people who were also not normal. Along the way, he confronted his own preconceptions and assumptions about people with autism, Down syndrome, deafness and blindness, ADHD, and other so-called disabilities. In this book, he deals with the question of What is normal? This is a story about a young man coming to accept himself, but also a cautionary tale about what happens in schools, in the workplace, and in society when people fail to recognize that everyone is normal, just in different ways. Mooney is an engaging writer with a sense of humor about his own failings, and his story is an entertaining and enlightening one.–Sarah Flowers, Santa Clara County Library, CA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

I'm not sure this is a book that will appeal to everyone.  Maybe we should go with Kite Runner or My Sister's Keeper?  As Kate said, My Sister's Keeper is bound to bring lots of discussion due to the moral dilemmas.  Plus it has a "medical theme" which kind of ties in nicely with the fact that as a group we are kind of tied into a medical theme.

Jan


 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on March 04, 2008, 10:59:35 pm
OK Jan that is fine you can be a Co Queen perhaps.

My Sisters Keeper sounds like a good first book.  What do all of you think? 

Kate you are a born leader and have such a way with words and seem to think of everything so would you mind leading the discussion?  This is not one of my strengths.  So I would be forever grateful to you.  Then you would be our first ANA book club Queen.   ;D 16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on March 05, 2008, 01:32:45 am
So, you don't want to read Marley and Me by John Grogan?  I've been recommending that book for months! :D   

I just finished Death by Black Hole by Neil DeGrasse Tyson.  I love astronomy. 

Yeah, if you guys want to do a book club, maybe you should just decide what "list" you want to follow and just go down a list, because you might never agree on a book!  Or pick a "host" every month and let that person decide what book to read - Like Oprah! 

Hope you have fun!

Sue in Vancouver
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 05, 2008, 05:00:20 am
OK Jan that is fine you can be a Co Queen perhaps.

My Sisters Keeper sounds like a good first book.  What do all of you think? 

Kate you are a born leader and have such a way with words and seem to think of everything so would you mind leading the discussion?  This is not one of my strengths.  So I would be forever grateful to you.  Then you would be our first ANA book club Queen.   ;D 16

16 and Jan,
Oh my, how can I turn down the role of Book Club Discussion Leader Queen with those kind words?  My only dilemma is that I will be out of the country between March 13-22 without access to internet.   However, people do need time to read the book.

My Sister's Keeper will be a good book...a reader get's into the plot right away and there are many avenues for discussion.

Let me ponder and suggest some guidelines later today. 

Off to library this morning  to get the book....

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 05, 2008, 07:05:34 am
Yeah, Kate.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on March 05, 2008, 11:41:59 pm
So do I have this right? Our assignment is to read My Sister's Keeper, and we better get it done by March 22, 'cause Queen Kate is giving us a quiz when she gets back from her international tour? 

Anybody got the Cliff Notes?  :D

Alright, enough wise cracks, time to get reading.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Raydean on March 06, 2008, 05:30:43 am
I've been following this thread with interest.  I have a small suggestion, especially now that we have co
book club queens.  Would it be possible to have 2  different books going at the same time with members choosing which one to read and  discuss.  (one or both)  This way we could easily share the books that we've all ready read with others.  I know in small towns libraries have limited supply of books and the possibility of going on the waiting list, discussion may be over and done with before the book arrives.  Some on the list may find it difficult to purchase a book a month due to financial reasons.  Those that choose could share (mail) the book to other members.  At the given times books discussion could be switched.  It would be one way to include more readers and not leave anyone out.   

Just a thought

Hugs and Love
Raydean
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 06, 2008, 06:28:15 pm
I've been following this thread with interest.  I have a small suggestion, especially now that we have co
book club queens.  Would it be possible to have 2  different books going at the same time with members choosing which one to read and  discuss.  (one or both)  This way we could easily share the books that we've all ready read with others.  I know in small towns libraries have limited supply of books and the possibility of going on the waiting list, discussion may be over and done with before the book arrives.  Some on the list may find it difficult to purchase a book a month due to financial reasons.  Those that choose could share (mail) the book to other members.  At the given times books discussion could be switched.  It would be one way to include more readers and not leave anyone out.   

Just a thought

Hugs and Love
Raydean

Raydean,
Were you able to get the book?

You raise a really good point about gaining access to the book in small towns.   My initial thought is that we may need to extend the reading time as the group thus far numbers around ten people. This way people can have a longer period to access and read the book.  Also, if we keep away from #1 best sellers it may be easier to get the book.

Let me know if you or anyone else has trouble locating the book, My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Piccoult.

If we have two clubs, I'd want to be in both:)

Will post guidelines soon...

Kate

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on March 06, 2008, 07:28:24 pm
Raydean I will go out and see if I can buy the book if I can I will read it as quickly as possible and can forward it on to you.  Just send me a PM with your address.  I think we could do 2 at a time we can do anything we want it is our club.  It is very hard to figure out what book so this may  be a good thing.  We can just have 2 different discussion threads so we do not find out what happens in each others books.

Sue I think your choice is a good one and maybe that can be #2 in line.  Just do not tell my son as he wants to see the movie with me when it comes out.  Boy would he be mad so I will have to read in the closet so he doesn't know.  I think the Queen/Host is a good idea and then we can all have a turn at choosing.  Good ideas Vancouver Sue!

Now all we have to do is find a couple of crowns to pass around.  We are starting the fun now.  Boy everyone watch out it could get interesting with the moral issues.  16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Raydean on March 06, 2008, 09:49:44 pm
Hi Kate and OMG

I'll have a chance this weekend to pick up the book.  But thank you both.  I was just looking at  it from a little different perspective coming from a small town where the nearest book store is a 45 to 60 minute drive. A couple of years ago or so, our only book store which was 10 miles away was closed.  It'll give me a good excuse to go to Olympia.  Borders build a large new store in West Olympia and it's one of my favorite places to go.  Party City is just down the road, I think I could find some crowns too!!!!!!  Do count me in and I'll be glad to share the book if a second discussion group is formed.

Hugs
raydean 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 06, 2008, 10:06:35 pm
So do I have this right? Our assignment is to read My Sister's Keeper,and we better get it done by March 22, 'cause Queen Kate is giving us a quiz when she gets back from her international tour?   
Steve

You've got the assignment ;) Let's extend the due date until March 30 which gives people 3 1/2 weeks to read.

These are my thoughts relative to our internet book club.
1. The book is selected and a due date is assigned.
2. The discussion leader posts a question .Then individuals post their thoughts.
3.  Others ask questions that are of interest too and we continue until we exhaust what we want to say.
4.  Discussion leader brings popcorn and trail mix to pass around.We can meet at my castle ;D
5. We need a clever name.....Suggestions anyone?

We can work this two ways...one would be to read, post and respond as we read or wait until we are finished reading to respond.  Your thoughts?

All are invited to read.

Let the reading begin!!!!!

Kate

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on March 07, 2008, 03:07:07 am
Raydean are you from Washington also?  I'm up I-5 to the north and we drive right through Olympia on our way to Westport and then on to Tokeland over the 4th of July.  We just bought property in Concrete/Rockport on Highway 20 on the way to Winthrope so we will probably be up there over the 4th this year.  We have a 5th wheel that we all love to camp in.  If you are ever in the area you will have to let me know and we can go for a hike or go to Baker Lake in our boat.  My son is determined to wake board and is sure he will succeed this year.  He is doing so much better each day that he may do it.  We have been playing trivia games and his memory and cognitive functions are increasing.  Now if we could just get rid of the left sided paralysis we would have it made.  I love party city that is a great place for a crown and we can have a prince and princess theme to go with our first book party.

Kate I am easy and since you are the Queen I will listen to what you say.  Do you have enough room in your castle for all of us to stay and have a PJ party.  I think I will wear my frog jammies and my tiger slippers to the party.  We do not need to wear matching stylish jammies do we?  We can put on Jimmy Buffet and the Bee Gees and dance the night away.

If someone does not have access to the book PM me and I will send one to you.  I have some extra allowance money since I have been stuck in the house during my infection and surgery.  It will do us all some good to get away from everything even if it is just in our minds.  I'm very excited about our new adventures and just can't wait to see what everyone has to stay.

As far as the name of the group I'm drawing a blank but I do know that someone will come up with a good one. 16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 07, 2008, 07:29:32 am
I think I will wear my frog jammies and my tiger slippers to the party.  We do not need to wear matching stylish jammies do we?  We can put on Jimmy Buffet and the Bee Gees and dance the night away.

Yes, stylish jammies would be great - and very comfy too.  I have a wonderful pair of flannel ones with sock monkeys on them.  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 07, 2008, 08:31:13 am
All sounds great to me!!  I will get the book today!
OMG - LOVE the slumber party idea - I always try to get big girls slumber parties together but it never seems to happen since everyone has to take care of their own kiddies!
Jan~are your sock monkey jammies light blue and from Target??  I think I have the same ones -- I also have the maroon ones w/ groovy Matriska dolls on them!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 07, 2008, 11:46:16 am
Yes, Kaybo, my jammies are light blue and came from Target.  They were a Christmas gift from my sister last year.  She has the ones with the pink flamingos in the trailer park ;D

See, "big kids" can have fun too LOL
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 07, 2008, 01:53:55 pm
OK -- I just got my book at WalMart (I get everything there -- I could make a commercial!!)
Ready to start reading!
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club Begins with My Sister's Keeper
Post by: Kate B on March 07, 2008, 07:38:40 pm
Way to go..the Club is underway...

For those of you who don't like to read, many books are available on tape!  Just something to consider.

I am going to post a question to ponder as you read the story. 

My Sister's Keeper

What is your opinion of Sara, the mom? With her life focused on saving Kate, she sometimes neglects her other children. What would you have done in her shoes?  Did you find yourself criticizing Sara, empathizing with her, or both?

Popping the popcorn....All are invited...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on March 07, 2008, 08:48:08 pm
Being the mother of 4 sons I was very, very upset with her thru out the book.  Sara neglected all of her children.  Its hard to say what I would do in her position.  The thoughts of loosing one of my sons would be the death of me.  As a reader I think I tend to criticize more, but reflecting back on the story and in discussion I empathize more.  I know I sound wisher-washie.  I guess I'm a sitting on the fence here.  A snow covered fence!!!  Lots of snow.  50cm of snow!! 

Here's a question.....why was the father so passive?  I wonder if its because a woman carries the child for nine months and than gives birth.  It has to be the in-uterine bonding.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 07, 2008, 09:12:03 pm
Wait...wait...wait...give us a little time to read before you start discussing or revealing about characters, please!!   :D
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 07, 2008, 09:15:49 pm
Wait...wait...wait...give us a little time to read before you start discussing or revealing about characters, please!!   :D
K

Okay, let me see if I've gotten this right - never done a book club thing before, so bear with me.

We are all supposed to read the book and think about Kate's first question, but not start giving opinions or responses until 3/30?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 07, 2008, 09:18:45 pm
Jan~
I kind of agree w/ you -- I thought that Kate's 1st question was just to "ponder as we read..."

Can anyone explain the Skype thing to me?  I just got a webcam for my b-day (still need to hook up) and it says "chat for skype" and I knew it had been mentioned on here too.
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 07, 2008, 09:59:53 pm
K -

thanks for saying you agree with me; I love it when I'm right LOL

Actually I was just asking if I understand things correctly.  I'm not sure that what I said is right.  We may have to wait for Kate or OMG to clarify this.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 07, 2008, 11:29:18 pm
The question is just for pondering right now:-)

Book Club Discussion opens on 3/30....



Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 08, 2008, 12:10:17 am
Thanks for clarifying that Queen Kate  :)

Looks like we'll have some good discussion; as you can see, we are eager to start.

I haven't read the book in a few years and I gave my copy to my mom who loved it so much she decided she wanted to keep it.  Guess I'll be visiting my local library this weekend. 

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 10, 2008, 07:28:20 am
Hey Guys!
Happy Monday!!  ;D
I have been reading away (not as much as I would like) and LOVE IT!!  Can't wait to start discussing on the 30th!!
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 10, 2008, 08:46:43 am
Well, K, you're better than I am.

Despite saying I'd check the book out of the library this weekend, I never made it there.  I'm hoping to get there sometime this week in between volleyball games for my son, the start of braces for my daughter, and my appt. with the neurotologist.  Some times there just aren't enough hours in the week  :)

Even though I'm a slower starter in this case, I've read the book before so hopefully I can bring myself up to speed fast enough to join the discussion on the 30th.

I think this is going to be fun   ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 10, 2008, 03:55:08 pm
K,

Surprisingly, it is an easy book to get into! 

Jan,
No worry..There is plenty of time.  How did your appt go on Saturday?

Happy Reading :)

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 10, 2008, 04:22:03 pm
Do  I have our Book Club Member list correct?   

16
Jan
Raydean
Yardtick
Kaybo
Cheryl (Matti)
Genny's Mom
Lori 67 ??
Shoegirl
Steve
Don???
Karen???
Kate

Any other readers wanting to join?
The book is My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Piccoult

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: lori67 on March 10, 2008, 06:41:13 pm
Ok, well, I was on the fence, but since I'm just about done with the other book I've been reading, I suppose I could make myself read another one.  At first it sounded too much like the homework the nuns used to give us in school, but as long as no one whacks me with a ruler, I guess I won't be too traumatized.  And I'll actually read the book this time - not just the Cliff's notes....gee, I wonder why the nuns got angry...   ???

Lori
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jan D on March 10, 2008, 07:25:45 pm
Do  I have our Book Club Member list correct?   

Count me in please.

Thanks,
Jan D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 10, 2008, 07:26:13 pm
Lori -

you'll like the book - it's quite good - I would have picked a different ending, but that's just me and I'm sure we'll be discussing what others think when we get started - so I'd better not give the plot away  ;D

Kate -

appt. on Friday morning went well.  Doc said everything looked like it was healing well despite me pulling off my bandage  :o and then he put it and the cap back on again.  I'm going in Wednesday morning to have it taken off for good and will go from there.  Yeah!!! Thanks for asking.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 10, 2008, 07:29:31 pm
Do  I have our Book Club Member list correct?   

Count me in please.

Thanks,
Jan D

Okay, Kate, I think I was the original "Jan" on your list, but now that there are two of us "Jan's" I can be either Jan B or leapyrtwins.  Or maybe I should be "BAHA Jan" - sounds kind of exotic (oh my)  ;D

Hope this isn't too confusing.

The 2nd Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on March 10, 2008, 10:10:22 pm
Do  I have our Book Club Member list correct?   

Uh, oh, she's taking attendance...do we need a hall pass to visit the restroom?  ;D

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on March 10, 2008, 10:35:54 pm
I'm here and raising my hand I need to use the restroom every 10 minutes or so.

Jan (leapyrtwins) you are Co Queen Jan.  ;)

I got the book late due to my flu symptoms.  I'm making great progress and can't wait to discuss it.  This should be very interesting and maybe we should assign an unbiased peace keeper or maybe the nuns with the big rulers.  That will make Lori feel right at home.  LOL 16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: matti on March 11, 2008, 08:20:21 pm
I don't think I will be able to be a part of this current read, but would love to join in on the next. Oprah's got me busy reading "A New Earth".  Quite the read, lots to process and digest  ???

Cheryl

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 11, 2008, 08:40:16 pm
I haven't been able to read as much in the last 2 days since I am running around like crazy trying to get us all ready to leave Friday for a ski trip.  When we return, my hubby & I leave the next day for Johns Hopkins for my consultation.  I figure I will get to read a LOT in the car going skiing & on the plane (no kids!!)!!

I guess I can be the one to keep everyone in line -- I still tell kids not to run in the halls at my kids' school!!  Don't even go there on public playgrounds and rocks...aaahh!!  Once a teacher, always a teacher!!   ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 11, 2008, 09:00:26 pm
Baha Jan....That'll work.... :)

Steve:  Attendance duly noted ;)

Cheryl:  Let us know how that book turns out..maybe it can be our next read.

Kaybo you have adventures ahead of you this week ;D

I leave tomorrow and am not sure of my internet access. So if I am quiet until the 22nd, you'll understand why.   I have a one night stay in Seattle tomorrow before my 10.5 hour flight on Thursday followed by another 5.5 hour flight. 

I've already put one question out to ponder. Here is another..My Sister's Keeper explores the moral, practical and emotional complications of putting one human being in pain or in danger for the well being of another. Discuss the different kinds of ethical problems that Anna, as the "designer baby," presents in this story? Did your view change as the story progressed? Why or why not?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 11, 2008, 09:37:33 pm
Bon Voyage, Kate.

Have a safe trip,

Baha Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 19, 2008, 04:15:06 pm
Okay, since Kate is still on her international tour for the next few days, I just wanted to check in with you guys and see how many of you have actually started reading.

I haven't yet, but I did purchase the book - great price at Target and I got there before I could get to the library (still haven't been there in fact).

I hope to start reading this weekend. 

Don't forget, discussion starts on the 30th.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 19, 2008, 04:56:23 pm
I am almost through!!  Since we had travel nightmare trying to get to Baltimore yesterday and then waiting for the Dr. today, I had a lot of time to read!!  I am having the T3 on the 28th so I hope I can "discuss" on the 30th.  How are we going to do that??
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on March 19, 2008, 07:10:48 pm
I'm about half way through now and it is quite a good book.  I just saw that Kate was in Seattle overnight darn it we could have hooked up for dinner.  I hope her flights are better than K's.  At least from the news reports it looked like a very dangerous day to fly.

K we will excuse you and you can jump in anytime when you feel up to it.  Congradulations I read your blog and I am very excited for you!  Celebration kisses to your forehead and a big huge hug.  :-*  :-*  :-*

Co Queen Jan you remind me of the type of person that starts and finishes a book in record time.  Good to know that Target has good prices.  My husband got the book from a big chain store and I was surprised at the price.  I went to costco and saw alot of the books mentioned on this post and bought them for $7 a piece.

Steve I got the knitting club book so I will send it to you when I am done.  You can hide away to read it so that no one will know.  LOL   ;) 16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 19, 2008, 08:29:55 pm
16~
I want te knitting book!!   ;D ;D  Hopefully I can read -- I'll have it done in a jiffy that week I am stuck in Baltimore!!  What iin the world will I do for a whole week with no kids to drive around & no exotic vacation?????????????????
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Glenda on March 19, 2008, 08:52:55 pm
K

I'm so excited for you!  I can't believe your surgery has been scheduled so quick!  I think the Lord has His hand in this   :)
I was quite concerned for you with the weather last night and wasn't sure you would make it to your appointment.  I'm so glad everything worked out for you. Enjoy your anniversary alone time  ;)

Glenda
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on March 19, 2008, 10:07:08 pm
K just PM me or call me and I will get it out to you right away.  Sorry Steve you will have to wait for it until K is done.  ;) 16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on March 19, 2008, 10:18:34 pm
Sorry Steve you will have to wait for it until K is done.  ;) 16

Darn! I will just have to read a book on darning instead...

I have started reading My Sister's Keeper, I am hoping to get a chance to finish it before the queen gets back and makes us write essays on it. So far I don't like Sara very much...

K, I think it so great that you are having that T3 procedure, it must be very exciting. You have been truly patient!

Steve

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 19, 2008, 11:33:48 pm
Steve?  Knitting?  Where does he find the time??? 

Hey, Steve, can you knit me a hat - something to cover my BAHA in the cold Chicago winters LOL  Any shade of green will do  ;D

Kaybo, incredible news about your surgery.  I must admit I had no idea what "T3" was, but I just got done reading your blog and now I understand.  It's amazing the things I learn on this forum.  The 28th will be here before you know it; best wishes for a successful procedure.  BTW, your girls are just beautiful.

OMG, I love to spend the day with a good book; just don't get many opportunities.  Spring break starts for the kids tomorrow though, so they're off to my parents for a few days without me - I'm knee deep in budget development at work and can't take time off right now.  I'm hoping to sneak some reading time in while my house is nice and peaceful; something that only occurs once in a blue moon.  Can't wait to re-read the book.  As I recall, it's quite good and I remember not liking Sara either.

Co Queen Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 22, 2008, 11:00:59 pm
I'm about half way through now and it is quite a good book.  I just saw that Kate was in Seattle overnight darn it we could have hooked up for dinner. 

OMG,
My flight to Seattle from Chicago was a breeze (4 hours) compared to the one to China (10.5 to Tokyo and then another 5.5 to Guangzhou)).  I was in Seattle briefly this morning on my way home.  Next time, I'll give you more warning and we can meet up.  Raydean too!

I reread most of the book on the flight....

Steve: The Queen is back:-)  No essays required<grins>  Just comments and good ol' fashion brain cells...ergh...thinking... Hmmm...and BTW, no grades assigned either....

K: Gone a few days and look at all the exciting news:-)

Co Queen Jan:  What's next for your Baha? 

Safely back in Chicago although my days and nights are confused right now...What an experience and difference it is in China.

Kate
       



Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 23, 2008, 04:55:54 am
I am almost through!!  Since we had travel nightmare trying to get to Baltimore yesterday and then waiting for the Dr. today, I had a lot of time to read!!  I am having the T3 on the 28th so I hope I can "discuss" on the 30th.  How are we going to do that??
K

Good question. We are charting new waters. Because we all live in different time zones, I will offer the suggestion of posting a question and then just like all of the other threads, people respond to it and trek down any path it takes us until it fizzles. Then on to the next book.

Other ideas?

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 23, 2008, 09:43:12 am
Because we all live in different time zones, I will offer the suggestion of posting a question and then just like all of the other threads, people respond to it and trek down any path it takes us until it fizzles. Then on to the next book.

Kate

Kate -

this sounds like a good idea to me; I don't know any other logical way to discuss.

The BAHA is doing good - skin is itching like crazy, but it's healing quite nicely.  I have 4 more days of neosporin to go - UGH; hate the goop in my hair - and then I'm not sure what the next step is.  Lori mentioned something about using a steroid cream to keep scar tissue from getting thick, but I'm not sure if that's protocol or just what her doctor had her do.  I have an appt. with Dr. Battista a week from Wednesday, so guess I'll find out then.  Thanks for asking,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 23, 2008, 04:52:09 pm
Kate~
Welcome back!! 
I think that sounds like a good idea too!
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 23, 2008, 10:35:25 pm
Started re-reading this morning; will definitely meet the discussion deadline; am looking forward to it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Melissa778 on March 24, 2008, 11:16:44 am
Count me in for the next book you'll be reading.  I have already read My Sister's Keeper......great book.  I am currently reading another of Jodi Picoult's.....19 Minutes, so far...a good read as well.  Count me in next time around :)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: lori67 on March 24, 2008, 12:26:24 pm
Well, surprise, surprise!  I finished My Sister's Keeper in record time (for me).  I couldn't put it down!  Usually I can't sit still for more than 5 minutes, so I don't bother trying to read anything more than a magazine article, but this was a good book.

I picked up 19 Minutes also and started that one.  My husband said he's seen me read more books this year alone than in the entire time he's known me!  I guess I needed brain surgery to slow me down enough to be able to sit still!

Lori
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 24, 2008, 06:41:50 pm
I can just tell that this is going to be a great discussion group:-)

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 24, 2008, 07:13:53 pm
19 Minutes is very good.  I liked it even better than My Sister's Keeper.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 27, 2008, 09:14:15 pm
I have finished the book.

And can't wait to discuss  :)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 28, 2008, 04:52:46 am
Jan~
I finished it last week & am anxiously awaiting discussion!!  I almost brought it in case I needed to refer to it, but I put in other books in hopes that I can read!!

Running to the hospital!!
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 28, 2008, 07:09:30 am
Good luck, Kaybo.

You're in our thoughts and prayers,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 28, 2008, 09:29:01 am
Here goes...the anticpation has built and there is lots to say. 

All opinions are welcome and as with any good book, there will be varying ones. One simple rule: Know that at times, there may be opposite viewpoints expressed. Although we don't have to agree, Book Club members welcome and respect all participant comments. There is no time limit to our discussion.

The role of the "queen" is to start the discussion with a question. Then it is up to the rest of the group to take the baton and go.  Jan as co-queen, after this question runs it course, please post the next one.

My Sister's Keeper presents so many avenues we can take with this discussion. Each character adds to the story in a rich way. Let's first start down the path with the question I first posted for pondering and we'll keep "talking" until we talk ourselves out. 

What is your opinion of Sara, the mom? With her life focused on saving Kate, she sometimes neglects her other children. What would you have done in her shoes?  Did you find yourself criticizing Sara, empathizing with her, or both?

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on March 28, 2008, 01:52:09 pm
Queen Kate are we still pondering or is the game on?

I have been thinking alot about these issues and am more unsure of my position as each minute goes by.  This should be very interesting to hear each others views.  I myself believe there is no one right answer.  I think it will have alot to do with each of our life experiences and what we have learned so far from those experiences.  I to believe Kate is right that we all need to respect others views and maybe look long and hard about why we feel the way we do.  Keep and open mind and we could all learn and grow from this books moral questions.   :) 16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 29, 2008, 02:54:57 pm
Queen Kate are we still pondering or is the game on?

I have been thinking alot about these issues and am more unsure of my position as each minute goes by.  This should be very interesting to hear each others views.  I myself believe there is no one right answer.  I think it will have alot to do with each of our life experiences and what we have learned so far from those experiences.  I to believe Kate is right that we all need to respect others views and maybe look long and hard about why we feel the way we do.  Keep and open mind and we could all learn and grow from this books moral questions.   :) 16

This is it!!! It is the 30th.  Let the discussion begin:-)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 29, 2008, 06:54:12 pm

Okay, I'll jump in  :D

It's hard to figure out what my opinion of Sara is.  In the beginning of the book, I thought she favored Kate too much and overlooked Anna and her feelings, but by the end of the book - especially reading what she had to say in court - I found myself changing my mind.

I think Sara actually did her best in a difficult situation.  Being a parent isn't easy and from my own experience, I know that even though I try to treat both my children the same, it's difficult to do because each child is different and has different needs.  In my case it's sometimes especially frustrating because my children are both the same age.  I can't even imagine having to deal with a child who is on the verge of death not just once, but numerous times.  Sara must have felt an enormous responsibility for Kate and her illness, and her way of coping was to try to find any way possible to keep Kate alive.  Being the "control freak" I am, I can totally relate to that.   

Sara should have made more of an effort to not neglect both Jesse and Anna, but she was too focused on Kate.  It's easy for me, as an outsider, to see this.  But oftentimes when it's your situation it's easier to overlook what you are doing wrong.  There are many parenting situations that I would have handled differently after the fact; but hindsight is 20/20.  You do the best you can do at the time, with the resources that are available to you.  I'm certain that Sara would have moved heaven and earth if it would mean that Kate would live, so she tended to conveniently overlook what being Kate's donor was doing to Anna.

Jan 

 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on March 29, 2008, 07:23:38 pm
Isn't this a leap year? I thought it was still the 29th...

I stopped not liking Sara after a while. I think I came to see how she could be so obsessed with trying to keep Kate alive at any cost. I thought the ending really drove home the point, though, that missing out on the lives of her other children didn't make any sense.

I'm stealing a good quote from a post by Robyn:

"People say, 'Oh, it's too bad they died so young,' " Ms. Tullis, then working as a psychic counselor and living in a trailer park outside Los Angeles, told People in 2001. "I say, you don't understand. My kids lived every day of their lives. Every moment." 
The late Rusty Tullis, mother of Rocky Dennis from the movie "Mask" who died at 16, and her other son who died of AIDS at 32.

Anna lived every day of her life, every moment. Sara never got to see that. Maybe it is something about our culture, that we can completely ignore today, and spend all our energy trying to control the future.

Steve

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 30, 2008, 04:47:30 am
Isn't this a leap year? I thought it was still the 29th...


Oops...must have been international time or anticipation to start the conversation:-) 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 30, 2008, 09:53:22 am
i am not up to much except i cried my eyes out at the end...i startrd not"disliking" sara as much, but thought she gave up on jesse WAY too easy--couldn't she see he was reaching out?
k
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 30, 2008, 09:59:18 am
Sorry to interupt the discussion, but I have to say welcome back Kaybo!  This is the first post op post (sounds a little funny) that I've read from you.

I'm so glad you feel up to posting,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 30, 2008, 10:05:33 am
thanks...now that i can wear my glasses again and see...i think that was part of the worst--i am legally blind w/o them so i was just in my own world!!
k
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on March 30, 2008, 02:40:18 pm
Welcome back Kaybo!

I remember reading the part when Sara was served papers and the awkward tension in the whole room.  Of course that was right after Brian (Dad) had shared the constellation story about orpheus. Of course it was just as telling that immediately after reading the court papers, Sara had to choose between anger at Anna or tending to Kate, she did run to Kate.


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 30, 2008, 03:52:18 pm
I also thought that there was some "unhealthy" (not bad) closeness between Kate & Sara  - Only b/c they had lost all their other friends but each other - does that makes sense??
 k
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 30, 2008, 05:05:59 pm
K -

Do you mean unhealthy closeness between Kate & Anna? the two girls? 

I could see this being a problem for both of them.  In a way, they were more alike than Julia and her twin sister which seemed a little odd to me.  Not to say that all twins are alike, but the author seemed to make a point of showing how different Julia and her sister (can't recall her name right now) were.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Raydean on March 30, 2008, 05:12:00 pm
OK, I'll jump in. Sorry all, I found Sara's indifference to Anna and Jesse unsettling at best and probable neglectful.   There is also  the issue of what could be consider "conditional love".  As an example, after the suit is filed and underway, Sara is still bargaining with Anna for the kidney (page 273, 74 and 75).  Somewhere along the way Brian got it, but Sara never did, until it was to late.

What started out with good intentions  "cord blood" quickly escalated and lines were crossed.  Perhaps in part due to  viewing a child as a possession, rather then a separate individual.

Raydean



Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 30, 2008, 05:21:13 pm
Raydean -

very interesting point; something I didn't really consider before, but I agree with what you're saying. 

I guess when it comes to Sara, I have mixed emotions.  Sometimes she showed her bad side, but sometimes you could see her good side.  She certainly was a different character than Brian, who always seemed to have a good side.  Like you said, he "got it".

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on March 30, 2008, 05:35:07 pm
Okay now I'm stepping in.  Brian's character is different than Sara's, but he wasn't a strong fatherly type.  He too let Jessie and Anna down.  They needed him to defend them, protect them and to take the bull by the horns.  Sara overruled every aspect of their lives.  When Brian finally did step up to the plate it was too late for Jesse and Anna. 

I guess being married to a very strong man who steps up to the plate and is a strong father has clouded my judgement.  Let's hear from the men on this issue.

Anne Marie

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on March 30, 2008, 09:28:12 pm
Let's hear from the men on this issue.

Does that mean me?  ;)

Brian is a classic work-aholic, who heads off to the fire house whenever things get rough, and jumps at the chance to go fight a fire or be a paramedic. He ducks out on most of the issues at home. He did get it eventually with both Anna and Jesse, but not before a lot of damage was done. It is no coincidence that it is Brian who is paged once more at the end to leave the family and go help out with a car crash, only to find that this time the victim is Anna.

As for Sara, I wonder if maybe the sinister Dr. Chance is to blame for pushing her along that path? When he said he would do a kidney transplant "only if it was from Anna", it seemed creepy to me...

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 30, 2008, 09:54:08 pm
Wow!  I'm really surprised on the comments about Brian.  And here I thought he was a pretty decent father.

Maybe my perspective is a little warped because when I was married my ex wasn't a strong man who stepped up to the plate and he sure as heck wasn't a strong father.  He was more like a third child in my household.  At this point in time, he hasn't seen our kids in almost 2 years  >:(

Okay, enough about my personal life, what do the rest of you think about Brian? 

And Steve, I never gave a second thought to Dr. Chance.  Do you really think he was sinister & creepy?  That's very interesting.

Where is Kate?  I know she is officially Queen, but I'd love to hear her thoughts on both Sara & Brian.  She is allowed to participate, isn't she  ???

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on March 30, 2008, 11:30:29 pm
Don't get me wrong, I think Brian would be a great guy to hang out with. It is just common with men (mea culpa) to get a lot of satisfaction out of work, and neglect all that stressful family stuff. When things get too intense in the house, we often just want to go out to the garage and hammer some nails, so to speak. Or put out some fires. Or start one...

I guess I don't think Dr. Chance was really sinister or creepy, but he was somewhat of an "enabler", if that is the right term. As a medical professional, he had an opportunity to use a little judgment, but I think he was also too focused on Kate to see what the whole arrangement had turned into.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 30, 2008, 11:44:37 pm
I think you hit the NAIL ON THE HEAD, Steve...OK, somebody had to sayit!!
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 31, 2008, 08:15:01 pm
Today while I was in the orthodontist's office with my kids, I read in one of the entertainment magazines that My Sister's Keeper is being made into a movie.  The only detail they gave was that Cameron Diaz will be starring in the role of Sara.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 31, 2008, 09:00:15 pm
that is cool,but isn't she a little old for that??
so what is going on here??  what happened to our fearless leader?
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 01, 2008, 07:50:12 pm
K -

I guess we could move on, and I could pose a new question, but I thought I'd give OMG a chance to join in the discussion about Sara. 

I know she's been "away" for a few days, but I think I saw a couple of posts from her in other areas of the forum today. 

I also thought that Kate might weigh in on this topic a little more, but if she doesn't do so soon, I think we can move forward.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on April 01, 2008, 10:01:56 pm
I'll ask a related question. That way we are still on topic, but have something more to talk about.  ;)

So we have discussed Sara, and Brian, and found them somewhat lacking as parents. The question I have is this: what would you have done differently? In particular, would you have arranged for Anna to be a bone marrow donor at age seven? And of course, how would you have handled the kidney question?

There, that should get it going again. I'm not sure myself...

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 01, 2008, 10:40:31 pm
Good idea, Steve.

Very difficult questions. 
 
Off the top of my head, I'd say that I probably would have had a "designer" baby like Anna and used her cord blood in the hopes that it would save Kate.  That's almost a no-brainer IMO because it wasn't something that was invasive to Anna and it could have been a permanent life-saver for Kate.  Beyond that, I'm not really sure  :-\

I'll have to think about the rest of the questions and get back to you.

What do others think?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 02, 2008, 07:38:56 am
Well, I had kind of thought about that while reading...I think (no, KNOW - just b/c that is how we are) that Dave & I would have ASK our girls if they wanted to help their sister - age appropriate, of course.  Such a simple thing and something that I don't remember them EVER doing.  Yes, you are the parent and you have to make the final decisions (& maybe "steer" them), but would Anna have felt different towards the end/lawsuit if she had felt that she had an OPINION or INCLUDED.  As my favorite line from Suessical the Musical & now Horton Hears a Who and what I explain to my kids over & over is, "A person's a person, no matter how small."  I think that can be applied to SO many areas in our lives...I agree w/ Jan in that I would have had another (of course, you are talking to the lady who would just keep on having babies (LOL)) especially when I think that most women (& men too) when after they have what they have thought they would, deep down, wonder what it would be like to have another...the intial cord blood would have been so inavasive (is that a word?) but certainly nothing to lose!
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 02, 2008, 01:36:31 pm
The group is doing quite well...I have been at a conference until today and have had little access to the computer.

Sara's motivations were to have the all of her children alive...I don't believe her motives were sinister relative to Kate nor Anna. From the time a mom finds out she is pregnant, she is protective of that baby. She found a solution that  she believed would be a double blessing:  another child and a donor for Kate. As the book progressed and insight was given about Sara through her eyes, I found myself emphathizing with her and also as Steve has written, thought to myself: what would I do in that situation?   I honestly don't know. I believe I would try to do everything in my power to save a child. The key difference here is that she was needing her other daughter to accomplish this.

I think about us with our AN's and how differently we all handle them.I think about other families I know where there is one child with an illness that strikes a family. There is an inordinate amount of time and energy devoted to doctor visits and the like because that is their "Life". I loved the one comment in the book that we really don't own our children, we receive them for a short while (or something like that).  Brian and Sara were dealt a set of cards in which there are no parent manuals.    I believe Sara saw it as a "family" decision. As stated by Jesse in the book, they all played different roles in the family. I don't believe they knew how far out of range Jesse was and they had no clue relative to Anna's changing feelings as she got older. Quiite honestly, the surprise to me was that I do think Anna would have kept going, it was Kate that asked her not to. It was Kate that made her stop and consider the whole situation.   Anna found her own way to help her sister out by suing for medical emancipation. As a reader, we begin in chapter 1 after all of this has been thought through and only find out much later (toward the end) that Kate was the catalyst. 

 Interestingly at the conference this weekend, I saw Sidney Poitier as one of our keynote speakers.  He made an interesting comment:  Life brings everyone traumas. It is what you do with your time after you pick yourself up.  Unfortunately, the book ended with a new trauma and at the same time brought resolution to the original one.

I cried the first time I read the book and again as the book ended. Life has unanticipated consequences....
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on April 02, 2008, 07:51:45 pm
First let me say I am sorry I have been missing in action as most of you now know I've been very ill.  I want to thank you for all of your prayers and kisses to my forehead.  They mean the world to me!  Please keep up all of the prayers and hopefully we can cure this soon.

Now as far as the book club goes I will do my best in attempting to give you my opinion.  Please be patient as I am on allot of medication and get myself confused so let me know if I do not make sense to you.  As far as Sara is concerned I believe she did the best she could while in the emotional state she was in.  At first I thought she was an absolute shelfish and immature Mother that needed a good slap to her face to wake her up.  Then as the book went on I started to think about the journey we have taken with our son and then started to have more compassion for her and Brian.  We were lucky enough to only have 1 child in our family so we did not have to deal with that aspect and I have often wondered how we would have handled it if we did.  We like the Family in the book were devasted when my son was diagnosed and it was hard to get through the feelings alone and not allot of help was offered for us emotionally and we did try to seek it out and found nothing other than the online support groups that were offered to us from some of his Drs.  We did not join due to the negative comments that were being left for some reaching out for help and even the administration people were very abusive in their posts and angry that people were not giving their money to further their research and online support forum.  I did not find this group until after my son had the tumor for 1.5 years and then did not know if I should join due to his tumor not being an AN.  We were also not supposed to talk about any of it due to his lawsuit which kept us in a very bad place for way to long.  What I am trying to get to is that if my son had not had the stroke and been admitted to the inpatient rehad dept at our local Childrens Hospital we could still be in an unhealty emotional state just like Sara, Brian and their children.  While he was an inpatient we were offered counseling with a very good Psychiatrist who helped our family work through all the negative emotions and how to live with a chronic medical condition with an unknown prognosis due to the tumor still being there.  I personally think that all families that have a sick child should be given this type of counseling for the entire family so that you can move through those very tough emotions and not get stuck like so many of us do in the diagnosis.  Parenting is the hardest job even "under normal conditions" and these sort of problems make it almost more than anyone can handle on their own.  I just keep thinking about how we would have handled this as a family and I can honestly say that I can not judge Sara as I may have made some of her same mistakes.  I do not think that I would have but I do not know for sure.  I also think this was a perfect book for our family situation and has made me even more aware of the mistakes I would like to avoid making with my son.  I made a mental note that Sara and her family never really communicated among themselves or with the Drs about their lives as they were with all of this and it had a devastating effect on all of them.  I am very grateful that our family has always had a very open way of communicating our thoughts and fears.  My son just about 6 weeks ago talked about if the tumor does start growing again that he may not want to treat it at all.  I have to accept this and support him in whatever he chooses and I think that Sara should have been more in tune with all of her family and understood just how much she was not meeting any of their needs including her own.  I believe as parents it is our job to help our children grow up to be well adjusted healthy adults and able to handle all that comes their ways.  Sara as a Mother lost sight of this and failed to do exactly what she held most valuable in her life that of being a Mother to her children.  She lost so many chances to just live and teach her children to enjoy everday that they had together.  I also think that she kept Kate in a "sick child state" all of the time due to her reactions when there was a pain or a bruise, thus robbing her of the time she had when she was not sick.  I also think that it was not a good choice to keep the death of her boyfriend from her.  Once again she missed a perfect life lesson that could have helped Kate to grow as a person.

Brian was a typical man turning to work to get away.  I think once again there should have been allot of communicating going on in this family.  I was very glad to see that he finally got it even if it was very late in the game.

Jesse I think just needed to feel as he was a part of the family and it broke my heart to see how he was over looked and even given up on. 

Dr Chance's job was to take care of Kate and I think he did the best he could under the circumstances as I say this I am not completely convinced IMO.  I do not believe that his choices were morally right after thinking about this a little longer.  Part of his oath is to do no harm and I believe that was exactly what he was doing to Anna and probably Kate also.  I think the Hospital had a huge responsibility to both girls and failed them in not taking this to the board to determine what the right thing was.  I do think that the laws have not caught up with the advances that have been made in medicine however you know that they were aware of the reason for Anna's conception and that should have thrown up red flags.

I'm afraid that Sara will continue to live in the past and not do what is right to help her family grow and become emotionally whole.  What are all of your opinions on this?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Raydean on April 02, 2008, 08:57:18 pm
As an adult there isn't anything I wouldn't do for my children, or grandson.  Being an adult (as least most of the time <g>) I am able to make an informed decision, understand the pro and cons of the procedure.  From the time of Chet's first surgery I held Durable Power of Attorney.  I know how hard it is to make medical decisions for someone else.  You are always aware that the choices you make directly affect someone you love.  Those of you that know me well, know that for myself I'll take risks, but for Chet, I'd go the extra mile and researched everything, there was no way that I would let him down. I took more care with him, then i did for myself. It would be so much more difficult to be making these choices for a child.

A child as young as Anna would not be able to fully understand the depth of the procedures in order to give informed consent. A parent may not be able to separate her/himself emotionally and may not  be in the best position to give consent.    My questions to all is, at what point was medical lines crossed and who was looking out for Anna. 

I've appreciated all of the replies to this thread.  It has given me  a different viewpoints, raised questions.  I guess for personal reasons i identify with Anna the most, both of us in different ways were invisible children.

Hugs and Love
Raydean
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on April 02, 2008, 10:46:04 pm
I think medical lines were crossed when the first discussion about a designer baby took place and it just continued until her death.  Anna felt she was just spare parts for Kate and had no true value other than that as far as her Mother was concerned anyways.  I do not believe anyone was looking out for Anna not even Brian as he did not say much when they crossed yet another line.  I have a problem with this morally as I see it as wrong.  With that being said I am not sure I wouldn't have done the same thing in that situation.  That is why it is so important to have a board at the hospital who is not emotionally attached to either patient to help determine what the right thing to do is.

Raydean if you do not mind me asking you, who is Chet?  I am just getting to know everyone and have not heard your story yet.  If you are willing I would love to understand what you have been through.  You can PM me and if I do not return your PM right away it is because the Drs have decided to put me in the hospital which I am fighting tooth and nail.  I can do IV antibiotics from home and they can send a traveling nurse to draw my blood if need be.  I just really need to be home for my son.  I also noticed on your other posts you are from Washington to.  Do you live in Alma?  I read you were about 12 or so miles from West Olympia so I am just guessing.  I hope I will get to talk to you soon.  16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 02, 2008, 11:20:42 pm
Some very good points here.  Lots of things I haven't thought about up til now.

While I don't think that Anna was old enough to decide entirely if she would be a donor for Kate, I do think that she should have had some input, at least on some level.  As OMG said, she felt like she was just spare parts for Kate and I think a lot of this was her parents' fault.  She wasn't really valued and it seemed like her needs or her feelings never came before Kate's; a good example was when she couldn't go to summer camp to train with the hockey pro.

I'm not sure when medical lines were crossed, but I do feel that no one was looking out for Anna's best interests.  Not Dr. Chance, not Brian, and certainly not Sara.  The hospital failed her too.  I thought it was very interesting that the ethics committee had never stepped in on Anna's behalf.  Just because she was a donor sibling, shouldn't have excluded her from this process.  In anything, it probably should have made them examine the situation more closely.

Like Kate, I don't believe that Sara was sinister, but I didn't get the idea that Sara saw the birth of Anna as a double blessing - another child and a donor for Kate.  I got the impression that if Kate didn't need a donor, Sara and Brian would have had no more children; that prior to Kate's illness, Sara felt she had the perfect family.  She spent a lot of time reminiscing (sp?) about Kate's childhood and sometimes included Jesse in her thoughts, but didn't really mention Anna and what kind of child she was.  It may have just been the way the book was written, but IMO Anna was strictly an afterthought and unfortunately, Jesse also became one.



Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on April 02, 2008, 11:40:07 pm
Sara and her family got it together pretty well after the loss of Anna, which shows that they were capable of being good parents, and have a mentally healthy family. If they could have been that kind of family from the beginning, things would have gone much better for all.

Hindsight is 20/20, so it easy to say afterwards, but I think the scene of the bone marrow transplant could have been handled much better. Did anyone tell Anna that it was going to hurt? She didn't need to understand the full medical details, but she was old enough to be informed about what it was going to be like for her. It may have taken a few more days, but I think her love for her sister would have brought her around in the end - voluntarily, which would have made a huge difference. And it would not have hurt any to treat Anna, Kate, and Jesse to a trip to Disneyland afterwards, to celebrate as a family. That's what Mastercard is for.

The sense of doing things together is what seems to have gotten lost in this family, and it took the death of Anna to snap them out of it. Being determined to save Kate is well and good, as long as it does not lead you down the path of ends justifying means. You still have to do things the right way, while having the determination to stick with it until you get what you need. I think if Sara had shown more respect and love to Anna, Anna would have been looking for more ways to help out, not trying get out of it.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 03, 2008, 04:33:02 am
I think medical lines were crossed when the first discussion about a designer baby took place and it just continued until her death.  \

That is the moral dilemma in this book. 

What about the justice system?  Most people are feeling the parents and the medical system failed Anna on some level.  Do you feel that failed Anna too?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 03, 2008, 04:40:55 am
.I think if Sara had shown more respect and love to Anna, Anna would have been looking for more ways to help out, not trying get out of it.

You still have to do things the right way, while having the determination to stick with it until you get what you need.

Hindsight is 20/20, so it easy to say afterwards

I am not so sure Anna was really trying to get out of it.   It seemed to be her sister's urging that caused her to come up with a solution that "stopped" the medical madness, but we as readers didn't get to know that part until the end.That was the twist in the story that surprised me when she announced it in court.  All along I had been reading it from the vantage point and stance Anna had in the beginning of the book: the voice that said she was tired of it.  On my second read of the book, knowing what I knew relative to Kate's request, I read things a bit differently. It is kind of like watching the movie, The Sixth Sense the second time.  Things jump out at you. For example, reread the conversation between Anna and Kate toward the beginning after the papers are served knowing Kate initiated the request.

I guess that I am not so certain she was trying to get out of it..I think Anna in her 13 year old way thought she was helping out Kate based on her request.

I couldn't agree more Steve...a person still has to do things the right way, while having the determination to stick with it until it concludes. You summed it up nicely:  Hindsight is 20/20.

Kate
 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 03, 2008, 07:05:54 am
I don't feel that the judicial system failed Anna, but maybe I'm overlooking something  ???

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: ppearl214 on April 03, 2008, 11:20:56 am
(possible suggestion for another group read:  "Living Well With a Hidden Disability: Transcending Doubt and Shame and Reclaiming Your Life (Paperback)" by Stacy Taylor (Author), Robert Epstein (Author) on Amazon.com http://www.amazon.com/Living-Well-Hidden-Disability-Transcending/dp/1572241322/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1207230942&sr=8-1.  Noted in another thread and after I thought more about it.... may be a good read for you all and definately worth discussing, IMO.... happy reading all! Phyl)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 03, 2008, 06:18:40 pm
Great suggestion, Phyl.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 03, 2008, 07:24:41 pm
I don't know, phyl, do I hear non-fiction??
k
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on April 03, 2008, 09:14:43 pm
I don't know, phyl, do I hear non-fiction??

It has a colon in the title: what more do you need to know?  :D

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 04, 2008, 03:45:27 pm
So, back to one of Kate's questions.

Does anyone think that the judicial system failed Anna  ???

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 04, 2008, 09:19:18 pm
The use of experts drove me crazy in the book during court.

The ultimate result which put Anna semi-in charge through her "medical guardian" was a good decision by the judge. But even that decision was made after Anna blurted out that she was influenced by Kate.

Other thoughts?  Other questions of interest for the group?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on April 04, 2008, 11:07:44 pm
I guess I didn't see the judicial system falling down; it seems right to me that it rightly comes into play late, stepping in when it has to, but not before. The use of experts is bound to happen: it has to be a presentation of the best case from each side, with a wise judge in the middle to rule.

I agree that Anna's motivation for getting out of the kidney donation was Kate; in fact, that illustrates how deep her attachment to Kate really was. I think both girls would have had a different attitude to the situation, if their parents had been more open and communicated better. Brian basically dropped the ball and hid at the fire station, and Sara developed tunnel vision, with only one goal in sight, and no awareness of what else was happening.

There is still a good question left about the whole designer baby issue, and whether it was morally right for Brian and Sara to pick their next child based on genetic suitability as a donor for Kate. That isn't about parenting skills; it is a more fundamental question about how to react to the development of the technology. Is it okay to do that?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 04, 2008, 11:19:39 pm
I'm open to discussing the designer baby issue, if others are; but there are definitely a lot of moral and ethical issues attached to that discussion.  I actually have two children that I wouldn't have had without the miracles of medical technology - although they aren't "designer babies" - so I may have a different attitude on that topic than others.

I'd also be interested in knowing:

a) if anyone suspected, before the author revealed it, that it was Kate who put Anna up to filing for medical emancipation.  I was shocked when I found out :o  I never saw it coming.

b) what others thought about the ending.  Were you surprised? disappointed? did you have any idea that Anna would be the one to die, not Kate?  When I read the book the first time I was very disappointed by the ending.

c) any thoughts on Campbell  ??? we haven't discussed his character at all.



Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on April 05, 2008, 10:19:30 pm
A. Nope, never saw it coming. I did pick up that Kate was weary of the ordeal, but that is about it. It did change my view of Anna pretty quickly.

B. Surprised, yes, disappointed, no. I thought it was a good ending to the story (not for Anna, obviously). As story telling, it worked. That was the event that could bring the family back together, dodge the transplant question, and produce a good result for everyone else but Anna. A sacrificial lamb, in a manner of speaking.

C. Campbell? Liked him. Slick on the outside, but with a good heart, and a lot of trouble admitting it. Nice little romantic interest story to have running on the side.

I'm fine with using modern medical methods to facilitate having children; I am uncomfortable with the idea of people screening embryos for anything other than genetic diseases. I think it was a mistake for Brian and Sara to screen for a suitable donor, for instance.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 06, 2008, 01:29:46 pm
I think that I can say "DITTO" to all of Steve's responses -- Is that considered cheating???  I don't want to get in trouble for that...   ;D
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on April 06, 2008, 02:11:56 pm
Double ditto!!!  Poor Anna really got the short end of the stick.  She was amazing using her piggy bank savings and polishing the door knobs to pay for legal fees.  I believe she was just as weary of Kate, but living in Kate shadow all the time she needed Kate to push her along.

Loved the lawyer and all of excuses for the dog.  You need the humour to break up the seriousness of the story.  The story also shows we all have battles in this life and at times nothing is truly fair. 

Steve, your are one heck of a guy!  My father use to read all the time.  My husband reads a third of a page and he's fast asleep.  A cookbook with pictures will keep his interest.  Two out of my four sons will read for pleasure when they are not in school. 

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 06, 2008, 02:30:08 pm
Hi,

The Curious Incident of the Dog, by Hadden is MOST intriguing. I loved it!!!!!!!!! Be an interesting brain story and fiction/mystery.

I recently read Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth,
The Kite Runner, both terrific!!!!

I also like The Secret Life of the Bees by Sue Monk

I love the book club idea!!! Ebay is a source to get the book or Amazon. A lot of times they are used and sent via media mail the postage isn't bad, but it takes longer. I am going to pick up My Sister's Keeper.

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 06, 2008, 09:54:06 pm
Anne Marie -

I loved Campbell's excuses too - very clever and amusing   ;D

K -   

you are not cheating, and no, you are not in trouble  ;D

Mary -

I loved The Secret Life of Bees.  I also thought The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk was quite good, but not as good as "Bees".  I read The Curious Incident of the Dog, but can't really recall if I liked it or not.  The Kite Runner was excellent.  I'll have to try Pillars of the Earth - thanks for the suggestion.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 07, 2008, 06:08:01 am
OK...y'all read much more "with it' or "in depth" stuff than me...I guess I just read a lot of fluff!!  I am reading Remember Me? by Sophie Kinsella (she wote all the Shopaholic books) and it is very funny.  My favorite book of hers is" Can You Keep a Secret?"  They are set in England and she is English so they have a bit of that humor style, but if you want to laugh, try one.  Let me know what you think!

Glad I don't have detention after school -- I am supposed to meet dave under the bleachers... :-*   :-*   :-*
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 07, 2008, 06:31:41 am

Glad I don't have detention after school -- I am supposed to meet dave under the bleachers... :-*   :-*   :-*
K

Have fun with that  ;)

BTW, I also read my share of "fluff".

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on April 07, 2008, 05:14:47 pm
Kay,

I love Sophie Kinsella.  Have you read Tilly Cooper?  Oh, I have to rack my brain for a some other names.  There's some really good Irish talent too.

By the way how are you feeling?  I was showing my cousin your blog Saturday night.  She said you look great and I agree, and your curly girlies are adorable!

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 07, 2008, 06:10:05 pm
Sounds like we have exhausted the "Keeper" story....

On to the next book? 

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 07, 2008, 06:11:26 pm
YEAH!  Another fluff head reader!!  No, I didn't know about Tilly (but I love that name!) Cooper.  I'll have to check her (?) out.

I feel pretty good -- everyday is better.  I was pretty tired yesterday, but I did a lot.  I guess I did about the same today and feel better than yesterday!  It'll just take some time...My leg hurts the worst!  I'm just glad I have no feeling on the side where they did the most work!!   ;D

We think the girlies are pretty cute too!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 07, 2008, 08:32:32 pm
I'm ready for the next book, unless there are still some who want to keep discussing the current one.

K, sounds like you're doing well - keep up the good work  :)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 07, 2008, 09:42:12 pm
I'm ready for the next book, unless there are still some who want to keep discussing the current one.


Co-queen,
Your turn to choose the book...The baton passes:-)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 07, 2008, 09:46:51 pm
My turn already  :o

Okay, I'm open to any and all suggestions for the next book.

Advice, please?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 08, 2008, 05:53:32 am
My turn already  :o

Okay, I'm open to any and all suggestions for the next book.

Advice, please?

Jan

Great...This time I think OMG should be co-queen...preparing her for her role as the next queen:-)

Thinking about book titles...  One that has some previous interest was Water for Elephants...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 08, 2008, 06:17:53 am
Kate -

that would be great if OMG is up for it.  I know she's currently battling some medical issues.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on April 08, 2008, 04:07:15 pm
Here's my suggestion.............Kite Runner
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 08, 2008, 08:38:13 pm
Both of these were suggested before and I'm not opposed to either.

I've read the Kite Runner and loved it - don't mind reading it again. 

Anyone else want to put in their two cents worth? 



Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 08, 2008, 08:46:24 pm
I don't care -- I am up for anything!!  You know you guys are raising my standard of reading!!   ;D
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on April 08, 2008, 10:29:59 pm
You could pick both Kite Runner and The Secret Life of Bees. Since several of us have already read them, including me, we can skip the reading part, and just start discussing them.  :D

I haven't read Water For Elephants. I think the NY Times Paperback Bestseller list is a good bet, they should be available and hopefully good.
http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/bestseller/index.html

I'm glad I can't be queen.  ;D

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 09, 2008, 05:27:20 am
I have read both Kite Runner and Secret Life of Bees and both are excellent reads.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 09, 2008, 08:51:08 pm
I'm leaning towards Water for Elephants for the following reasons:

Although I've read both Kite Runner and The Secret Life of Bees, I can't remember either well enough to discuss without re-reading.

Steve and Kate have also already read Kite Runner and The Secret Life of Bees. 

I have absolutely no idea what Water for Elephants is about and I am curious.

Any objections?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 09, 2008, 09:03:45 pm
Water for Elephants is still number 2 on the Paper Trade Fiction NY Times Book List.

Like you, I read the other two a couple of years back and would need to reread to discuss.

How about Yardtick? 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 10, 2008, 11:37:40 am
You know, I've been reading some posts by "4" - who is going my Daisy Head Mazie now - and I'm thinking maybe we should read "You're Only Old Once" by Dr. Seuss LOL

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on April 10, 2008, 09:25:55 pm
Let's do Water for Elephants, and while we are all reading, we can discuss what we remember about Kite Runner and The Secret Life of Bees, and Jan can feed us quotes from You're Only Old Once. Covers all the bases.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 10, 2008, 10:02:04 pm
Okay, Steve, but will you have time for all that in between knitting those hats  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 11, 2008, 12:38:22 pm
so I'm I suppose to buy the elephant book (NOT Horton)...seriously...is that what was decided??
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 11, 2008, 03:16:03 pm
I think so.  I'll have to get it also.  Will look at Sam's Club this weekend.

In addition, we need to come up with a date to start the discussion.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 11, 2008, 06:17:21 pm
Hi,

I just purchased Water for Elephants at Costco - for all you Costco fans.

Like the cover  ;)

Take care everyone and Happy Reading!!!!!

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 11, 2008, 10:48:28 pm
I now have the book too. My book is on my nightstand and I'm ready to read.

Jan, what date are you thinking about for the discussion?

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 11, 2008, 10:57:39 pm
Jan, what date are you thinking about for the discussion?


I'm currently trying to prepare my house for sale, so I don't have a lot of free time, plus I still have to purchase the book. 

Today is the 11th, does 5/1 sound good?  I have no idea how long the book is.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 12, 2008, 07:52:37 am
Hi,

Just wanna say I am into the elephant book and enjoying it!

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 12, 2008, 08:52:34 am
Just wanna say I am into the elephant book and enjoying it!

Mary

Excellent.  Are you going to join our discussion?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 12, 2008, 09:52:48 am
Hi Jan,

Yes, I would VERY much like to be added to the book group! :)

Good luck with your MRI Monday.

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 12, 2008, 10:31:20 am
Yeah!! Consider yourself added.

Thanks for the luck  :)

Good luck with your appt. later today; let us know how it goes.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 12, 2008, 05:16:40 pm
Okay, I am not giving anything away in the plot...but the beginning does grab the reader's interest. At the end of Chapter 1 there is some sort of secret being kept for a lifetime and it is dangled out there!  I am only on Chapter 3:-)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 12, 2008, 05:35:05 pm
Oh ya!!!!!!!!!!!! :) Love it.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 12, 2008, 05:36:10 pm
I have a gift card to B & N so Dave is about to go out & get it for me!  Can't wait -- I have absolutely no idea what it is even about!
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 12, 2008, 06:09:55 pm
I have a gift card to B & N so Dave is about to go out & get it for me!  Can't wait -- I have absolutely no idea what it is even about!
K

K,
Here is part of the synopsis from Publisher's Weekly:
With its spotlight on elephants, Gruen's romantic page-turner hinges on the human-animal bonds that drove her debut and its sequel (Riding Lessons and Flying Changes)—but without the mass appeal that horses hold. The novel, told in flashback by nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski, recounts the wild and wonderful period he spent with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, a traveling circus he joined during the Great Depression.

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 12, 2008, 07:07:59 pm
So Dave went to B&N to get the book and then when he got back in the car, it wouldn't start!!  So now he is stranded at B&N waiting for our friend (who is borrowing our other car) to go help him!!  CRAZY!!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 12, 2008, 09:27:56 pm
Just picked up the book this evening from Books a Million - Sam's Club didn't have it.

Also bought You're Only Old Once by Dr. Seuss and The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.

Hope to start the book soon - am currently in the middle of another book and I can't read two at once and keep them straight.  No, it's not an AN thing - I couldn't do this pre-surgery either.  My mother generally reads three books at one time and has no issues keeping all the plots straight - guess I didn't get that gene  ::)

K - sorry to hear about the car; hope Dave gets home all right.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 13, 2008, 08:06:28 am
Jan~
Dave got home OK and I read for just a few minutes...sounds good so far, I was just really tired!

OK, so does Dave look younger or me older???   ;D  You don't have to answer that!  I am 38 and he is 48.5 (almost 50).  The night before my T3, I got carded for a glass of wine w/ dinner!  Can you believe that?  I think it was b/c our friend, Melynn, was with us and he didn't think she was old enough (she is 29) and so he carded us both -- not Dave!!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 13, 2008, 08:13:49 am
Actually I would have guessed that you and Dave are about the same age.

Not saying that you look older; saying he looks younger than his age.

I haven't been carded in ages; that must have felt good  ;)

Glad he got home all right and glad you've got the book.

Happy reading,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 18, 2008, 01:52:06 pm
When are we supposed to be finished with the Elephant book?? May 1st? I am half way through. Interesting.

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 18, 2008, 03:20:05 pm
I'm thinking 5/1 would be best of all of us - unless anyone objects.

I'm trying to get my house ready to put on the market, plus work is hectic.
I have the book, but haven't even opened it  :(

Also, OMG and K are dealing with medical stuff so I don't know if they are reading yet.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 18, 2008, 03:30:23 pm
I am fine if you want to wait awhile longer.  :)

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 18, 2008, 05:35:52 pm
I'm reading - just not my usual pace.  I think I am on about page 100...maybe i'll have time when i am sitting doing IV's...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 18, 2008, 05:44:40 pm
How are you doing Kay?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 18, 2008, 07:09:52 pm
Yes, K, how are things?  I've been thinking about you.

Also, have you heard anything from OMG lately?  I've been thinking about her also.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 19, 2008, 07:16:33 am
I may go get this one and join in... I have read the last one right after surgery and would
have had to re-read it , because I found this thread as you all were discussing it

I read alot... too much some say...

happy reading
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 19, 2008, 10:43:59 am
Soundy -

it would be great if you decided to join us  :)

We're off to a slow start, so you have plenty of time to read before the discussion begins.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on April 20, 2008, 08:42:15 pm
Jan, in answer to your question in another thread, I got my copy of Elephants a few days ago. I will be starting it any day now. :)

Too many people are getting ping-ponged around in the medical system, it seems. :(  I hope K and OMG16 can recover soon and join us again.

So no filler discussion on Bees or Kite Runner? Oh well... May 1st it is, better get crackin'.

Steve
 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 20, 2008, 09:25:34 pm
I finished the book today...you get a lot of reading done when you stay at home instead of running around all the time!!   ;D

All I have to say is to look at the pictures at the beginning of each chapter -- I had to go back & do that after reading quite a bit...

Enjoy!
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 20, 2008, 10:18:43 pm
K -

you're ahead of schedule; I'm behind :)

Thanks for the tip on the pictures; I'll have to pay attention,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 23, 2008, 08:39:43 am
Hi,

I finished the book also.....I wish all books had pictures.  :)

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 23, 2008, 11:18:41 am
.....I wish all books had pictures.  :)


They do, if the audience is young enough LOL

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 23, 2008, 12:28:55 pm
 :D :D :D :D :D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 23, 2008, 06:12:02 pm
Mary -

glad you didn't think I was a smart a** after reading my comment.

It just brought me back to the years of reading to my kids and all the pictures in their books  :)

Nowadays, I don't get to read to them very often - they are too big - and I definitely miss those days  :(

Jan
(mom to two 12 year olds)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 23, 2008, 06:20:07 pm
That is why I didn't hardly look at the pictures b/c I am so used to just reading the text!  I guess we need to slow down and enjoy the things that we used to love!!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 23, 2008, 07:50:31 pm
I guess we need to slow down and enjoy the things that we used to love!!!

K

Very good idea, K.

I think I'll start with sleep - I used to love it and I don't get nearly enough these days  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 24, 2008, 09:32:49 pm
I got a copy last night and when friend insomnia showed up around 3 this morning
read til I feel back to sleep...

Got in from school around noon and have been reading it off and on between dishes ,
homework ,dinner , kids baths ,bedtime etc etc... three more chapters...



Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 26, 2008, 01:32:43 pm
I'm a little more than 1/2 way through the book.

Will everyone be ready to start discussing on 5/1  ??? 

Does anyone think they'll need more time  ???

BTW, I'm really enjoying the book - very interesting.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 26, 2008, 02:30:37 pm
It was interesting book. I am fine with whatever date people want to start discussion.

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on April 26, 2008, 11:03:45 pm
I'm on page 105. Thursday is coming up sooner than you think, but so what? We can start discussing it anyway. Jan and I can always ignore the thread until we're done, which might not be for a week or more. It is a good read, though, when you can find the time.

So what is up with this August dude? Don't answer, I haven't finished yet...

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 26, 2008, 11:22:52 pm
I'm on page 113.  Hoping to read a little tonight - insomnia again  ::)

Is Thursday really May 1st?  Hard to believe!  I'll do my best to finish by then.



Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on April 27, 2008, 05:54:06 pm
Hi everyone I wanted you all to know that I will be sitting this one out.  You have probably figured that out by now.  I'm sorry I started the thread and then just disappeared.  It looks like everyone is doing well though.  I'm hoping that when I start oxygen therapy that I will be able to stay awake and maybe read some of the next one.  The Drs said that I am very anemic due to the infection and this could be why I am so very tired.  The oxygen therapy should help that very quickly and they have me taking prenatal vitamins also.  Hopefully I can stay updated with the book club posts.  Talk to everyone hopefully soon.  :-* 16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 27, 2008, 06:02:11 pm
Hi 16,

It is good to see you posting! You have good reason to be tired and sit this one out. Sitting this one out is secondary to recuperating.  Take care of yourself,

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: OMG16 on April 27, 2008, 06:13:32 pm
Thank you Kate it means alot to me for all of your kind words through this ordeal.   :) 16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 27, 2008, 09:27:15 pm
OMG -

don't worry about having to sit this one out.  You obviously have more important things to take care of.  Get some rest and when you're feeling better you can have the honor of picking out the next book  :)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 30, 2008, 08:18:19 pm
Okay, tomorrow is the 1st, but I am only on page 172 - a little more than halfway through the book.

Sorry!  Between cleaning my house for the realtor and budget development at my paying job, I'm behind in my leisure activities. 

Should we give it a few more days before we start discussing?

And, who is discussing this time?  I kind of lost track  :-[

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 30, 2008, 08:59:55 pm
Jan~
I'm in...have read but will probably not have too much time to comment until after I get back and then it will be the weekend so putting it off a few days would work for me!  Whatever is fine...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on May 01, 2008, 04:31:43 am
Works for me to give it more time..
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 01, 2008, 10:25:23 am
Works for me, too ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 01, 2008, 10:34:26 am
So, can we go with Monday, May 5th  ???

Any objections, just yell  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 01, 2008, 02:23:55 pm
Sounds good to me ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 01, 2008, 03:09:56 pm
Okay, so we currently have me, Kate B, Kaybo, and MaryBK, starting discussion on Monday.  I'll be finished with the book by then - if I have to stay up all night on Sunday  :P

OMG is sitting this one out, but plans to return for the next book.

Who am I missing?  Steve?  Soundy?  Yardtick?  Anyone else?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on May 01, 2008, 06:49:51 pm
Yeah I'm sitting this one out.  I couldn't get it at Costco.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 01, 2008, 07:01:27 pm
I finished it last night. Monday works for me, if I can still remember it by then.

If it is any help, it was the butler in the pantry with the candlestick... ::)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 01, 2008, 07:53:05 pm
If it is any help, it was the butler in the pantry with the candlestick... ::)


Oh man, you just ruined the ending  :o  LOL
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 01, 2008, 09:15:45 pm
I finally have my appointment with the GK/CK Dr. Monday morning in Phoenix....so I will probably check in after I get back. I can't believe you gave away the ending, Steve. (I used to love that game).

Take care,

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 02, 2008, 08:39:46 am
Monday it is ... I finished it last Friday night and so another day or two won't
make any difference

You know what sucks though??? I took my mom to Goodwill to drop off some bags of books she
had read (Harlequins which barely qualify as  books) and she got some more to read... I was looking
to see if I saw anything ... I did... Water For Elephants ...$1.29   >:( ... Think I gave eleven
something at Walmart
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 02, 2008, 11:48:28 am
Soundy -

glad you'll be joining us.  I read some more last night - actually it was very early this morning due to my insomnia - so I'm on track for Monday.

Wish I had found the book for $1.29.  I looked at Sam's Club but they didn't have it.  I ended up buying it at Books-a-Million.  The price wasn't too bad, but it was nowhere near $1.29  :o

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 04, 2008, 05:23:59 pm
I finished the book last night and am ready to discuss.  But since I said Monday, I'll post the first question tomorrow.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on May 04, 2008, 05:32:27 pm
Or you could post a "preview" question...one to ponder...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 04, 2008, 05:57:07 pm
Okay, I confess I borrowed this one from the list of questions the author suggests for book clubs, but I wondered about it myself.  I'm rewording it, so I hope it makes sense to everybody.

When you read the prologue before chapter one, did you know how it would eventually be tied into the book? or were you surprised who was responsible for August's demise?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on May 04, 2008, 06:08:57 pm
Jan,

Why reinvent the wheel?  Good idea to use a question starter from the publisher.

  I did the same with the last book.

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 04, 2008, 06:38:16 pm
Cool  8)  Then I'm not goofing up my responsibilties as "Queen"

Thanks for the tip, Kate  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 04, 2008, 08:27:53 pm
Okay, I figure it is Monday somewhere in the world by now, so I'm answering the question. :)

When I read the prologue, I assumed it was the chick, Marlena, that did the deed. She was the apparent antecedent to the she in the descriptions, and there was no reason to think otherwise. I did assume that I would learn more about it later.

As the story unfolded, there were a few occasions where Rosie had the stink-eye for August, and seemed to have both motive and opportunity. I found myself thinking "why didn't she just stomp him then and there?"

Oddly enough, it still didn't occur to me that she would turn out to be the one. When I got to the chapter where the full story of the stampede is told, It took me a minute to realize "hey, wait a minute, I've read some of this before" and then flip back to the prologue and say "ah, sure enough." I even checked for any discrepencies between the two versions, but I think Sara Gruen, the author, must have just done a copy, paste, and edit. ;)

I will say that although August is not mentioned by name in the prologue, it did not take long to work out who "that son of a *****" was. What a psycho!

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 04, 2008, 08:34:10 pm
I, too, figured it was "the chick" Marlena.  I never even entertained the thought that it might be Rosie, despite the way August treated her.

And I concur, I thought August was a psycho also.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 05, 2008, 03:01:08 pm
I assumed it was Marlena and was upset the end of the story was divulged at the beginning.  :)  August made me just sick. He was almost too much of a villian to me. When you don't know whether he will lose it at any minute or it you will see the good side and he will do kind things, too insidious! I had such a hard time reading about his abuses of Rosie! I loved that elephant.

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 05, 2008, 05:55:05 pm
Yeah, August was a real head case  ::)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 05, 2008, 09:57:12 pm
I thought that it was Marlena also -- I pride myself on ususally "figuring things out" early on but I had no idea that it was Rosie.  I think we limited animals' "thoughts," feelings and abilities most of the time...

The saddest thing to me is that there are husbands (men) out there that are truly like August and what the poor women suffer -- usually in silence!  I am so thankful EVERY day for my sweet hubby...warts and all!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 06, 2008, 03:15:24 pm
I also figured it was Marlena ... in second telling when he says Marlena hasn't seen him yet but
Rosie has I had to flip back to front and re-read...

I didn't suspect Rosie but when the deed was done thought about a local woman who about 10 years ago
met her husband at the door with a double barreled shot gun and took him out of the world...sometimes
an abused person or animal gets to a point that the only way they see relief is elimination of tormenter... glad
in my first marriage it didn't come to that ...never thought of killing ex and never wished him dead ... but
sometimes wished he would just vanish... I have been told was the same thing

It make me sad that something like a circus that is suppose to be fun and wonderful is so horrible
behind the scenes... it is better now but still not good ...

We took Scouts to Nashville to see Ringling's last year... they had a floor show before it started
where you could meet the performers and be a clown ... a child made a comment about wanting to
join the circus and one of the I guess you would call him a roustabout told him no he didn't because if
you weren't a star you were nothing ...

As for August ... there are too many like him ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 06, 2008, 07:33:57 pm
So, from what I'm reading here, none of us figured out it was Rosie, not Marlena - not a very perceptive group, are we  LOL

Are we ready for a new question?  and does anyone have one? or should I "steal" another from the back of the book  ::)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 06, 2008, 07:44:49 pm
"Stealing" is fine with me! ;)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 06, 2008, 08:59:18 pm
Let's talk about the old guy; he cracked me up.  ;D

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 06, 2008, 09:19:35 pm
Yea, he was quite a character - a feisty old guy.  And very resourceful, too.

I thought it was interesting to read his personal account of the nursing home and his take on the other patients.  His interaction with the lawyer amused me a lot  :)

But it also saddened me to think of him as one of the few elderly people there who still had his "faculties" yet no one, outside of Rosemary, had the good sense to recognize it.  Yes, he realized he was "slipping" towards the end of the book, but at his age, who wouldn't be  ???

It must be hard to outlive - or be forgotten by - most of the people who were (or are) important in your life.  I was glad that in the end he found a way out of his depressing situation, especially once I found out that Rosemary, who seemed his only salvation, was leaving.

Jan


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 06, 2008, 09:36:23 pm
I loved him as old. My mom is 87 and moved from an fabulous apartment in beautiful place that she would graduate to assisted living the to full time care, if needed. She was slipping fast. I finally convinced her to move in with us and she looks 15 years younger. She is of very sound mind and yet her life and zest for life was disappearing. I saw conveyed very well this in the book. Really in the long run it might even be my favorite parts in the book. I loved that Rosemarie took the time to see a person who deserves respect is captured in the old body. I hope when I get old, I have "Rosemarys" around me!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 06, 2008, 09:54:48 pm
We should all have a Rosie, and then a Rosemary, somewhere along the way.   :-*

I found myself constantly surprised that the elderly Jacob had so much trouble walking. He seemed mentally alive enough that I pictured him at least puttering around, not stuck with a wheel chair or a walker. My dad is going ahead with hip replacement at the age of 87; I hope it keeps him up and mobile for a while at least.

Mary, I think it is great that you took your mother in. I'm sure it has made a big difference to her, and the brownie points you get for that are worth whatever trouble it may be. ;)

Okay, Jan, how about stealing question #12?

Steve

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 06, 2008, 11:23:25 pm
I would like a Rosie, too! That would surprise my dogs! :D

Really my mom gets the kuddos for joining our family with such grace. It was a difficult decision for her and I respect her greatly for doing that. I imagine you see that with your dad. He decided on hip replacement. That takes guts. I wish him well and hope he quickly feels good enough to chase the nurses at the hospital! I am so glad he has a son who appreciates his decision. I also hope this book brings more respect for the elderly.

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 07, 2008, 06:36:49 am
A Rosie would certainly be different, but currently I'm cleaning up after 3 litter-trained cats.  I can't imagine cleaning up after a "Rosie"  ::)

Searched for my book last night, but seem to have misplaced it among all the boxes of stuff I'm packing.

Steve, can you post question #12 ?

Thanks,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 07, 2008, 11:52:34 am
I just wanted the "older" Jacob to let them all know his history - especially the lawyer...and did the other guy ever take water to the elephants like he said -- kind of seemed like a strange thing to claim if you hadn't really done it...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 07, 2008, 12:04:42 pm
I assumed the lawyer never took water to the elephants because Jacob had said that you can't carry enough water to give to an elephant or something to that effect??? I did want him to tell his story to the others, too.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 07, 2008, 05:07:03 pm
K & Mary -

I'm with you.  I kept waiting for Jacob to tell his story to the others, but it never happened.  I thought if anything he'd definitely tell it to Rosemary since he seemed to make such a connection with her.  I'm glad he told it to the circus guy in the end - and I was also glad that the circus guy appreciated Jacob for who he was and what he did.

Okay, now where is Steve with question #12  ???

Jan

PS - I think the lawyer was just lying.  There's a lawyer joke in there somewhere, but I'm not going to tell it  ;)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on May 07, 2008, 08:24:48 pm
Do you want me to copy Question 12 from the book?  I have it in front of me.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 07, 2008, 08:31:00 pm
Kate~
I think that you should go for it!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 07, 2008, 09:48:03 pm
#12:

After Jacob successfully coaches August in Polish commands for Rosie, he observes, "It's only when I catch Rosie actually purring under August's loving ministrations that my conviction starts to crumble. And what I'm left looking at in its place is a terrible thing" (page 229).

What is Jacob left "looking at," how does it pertain to August's personality and Jacob's relationship with August, and what makes it a "terrible thing"?

It's a bonus point question. :)

Steve

Hint: the conviction that is crumbling is "I don't believe for a second that this is the real August"
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 07, 2008, 10:00:53 pm
Thanks for the question, Steve.  Now if I only knew the answer - despite the clue, I'm just not coming up with anything.  Must be what I call  "a bad brain day"  ::)

Kate -

thanks for offering to post the question.  By the time I logged back on tonight and saw your response, Steve had already posted it.

BTW, did you figure out who "did August in" between the time you read the prologue and the time you read the chapter about the stampede?  And what did you think of Jacob?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 07, 2008, 10:10:38 pm
Hint #2: I think Jacob kind of answers the question himself on the next page.  ;)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 08, 2008, 06:00:12 am
I always wondered why Jacob (or the guy who was speakingPolish to begin with) didn't just go with it and convince August it was TOO hard for him to learn so that they get Rosie out of his care (& horrible ways w/ her)...

I thought that he was realizing that now not just one (Marlena) person he cared about, but TWO (Rosie also)  "could at times" fall under August's spell and Jacob didn't like how that made him think or feel...

K

I haven't had my coffee yet, I may answer better later!!   ;)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 08, 2008, 06:23:33 am
Hint #2: I think Jacob kind of answers the question himself on the next page.  ;)

I was hoping for the easy way out here, Steve - as in you just telling me the answer  ;)

Guess I'll have to dig around for that book afterall - unless someone else is kind enough to enlighten me.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 08, 2008, 09:07:05 am
Jacob's next words are "Maybe it was me. Maybe I wanted to hate him because I'm in love with his wife, and if that's the case, what kind of a man does that make me?"

I think the "terrible thing" he is seeing is envy - that he is after Marlena, and that could be distorting his view of things. It raises the question of whether it is okay for Marlena and Jacob to be flirting and carrying on as they do, given that Marlena is married to August. Is there a standard by which you can judge August, and if he is a bad enough guy, then it is okay for Jacob and Marlena to have an affair?

Although I like K's plan. Having Jacob become Rosie's handler would have been better for both of them...

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 08, 2008, 10:32:04 am
Thanks for bailing me out, Steve.  Guess I don't get the bonus points  :(

In my opinion because Marlena is married to August - whether he's a bad man or not - she and Jacob should not be flirting and carrying on.  Well, flirting may actually be okay, if it is nothing more than harmless flirting.  But I think that carrying on, is definitely taking things too far.  Call me old school, but I firmly believe if you want to cheat, you need to end your current relationship first.  If, for no other reason, than out of respect for the person you have a commitment with.   

I was married for almost 22 years, and although cheating was not an issue between my ex and me, I always knew that if he cheated, there was no question our relationship would be over.  I also knew that if I wanted to cheat, I would be ending my marriage first.  I'm sure others have different feelings, and I respect that, but I don't believe in second chances when it comes to cheating.  Kind of harsh, I know, but it's what I believe. 

August is a pretty bad guy - but should he be cheated on because of that?  I vote no.

What do the rest of you guys think?

Jan

 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 08, 2008, 10:51:11 am
I agree, Jan.  I know that I am old school, but I have a strong faith and try to live my life based on what the Bible (God) wants us to do.  A vow is just that & should not be taken lightly...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on May 08, 2008, 06:02:05 pm
DITTO, even though I didn't read the book!  A vow is a vow made in front of God and the eyes of our loved ones.

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 08, 2008, 08:40:22 pm
Anne Marie -

it's a good book.  I liked it a lot; I think you would too  :)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 08, 2008, 08:57:10 pm
I don't know the order that we are going in and I know that we are not thru discussing this book yet, but I actually may have one to suggest next.  My SIL was telling me about it when I was in Houston so I know it is not just FLUFF if she was reading it.  She was actually reading it again when I was there (she had just finished it the 1st time) b/c she thought it was so good and she wanted to make sure that she hadn't missed anything.  Apparently she is usually not fooled and was this time.  She is a very smart woman and so I am very curious to read it!  Sounded interesting to me.  Let me know what you think...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 08, 2008, 09:42:16 pm
Okay, so if you think they should not have been carrying on, what does that mean you think of Jacob at that time? When he asked himself "what kind of man does that make me?" What kind did it make him?

I would also like to toss out that I think August pretty clearly suffered from schizophrenia. His normal Dr. Jekyll self was pretty nice; it was only his insane Mr. Hyde self that was so violent and angry. I think that if he were living today, he might be on a suitable medication for controlling schizophrenia, and might well be a positive person in society - and in his marriage. Was he really a bad man, or just a very mentally ill man?

Why am I just asking questions, instead of answering some?  ???  I guess I wonder whether Jacob and Marlena were triggering episodes in August by interacting with each other as they did. I think they are not entirely blameless for all that took place. I still like them, though, and am glad they wound up together, along with the elephant, the chimp, and the horses.

So K, what is the title of the book? Sounds interesting...

Steve

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 08, 2008, 10:36:33 pm
Very good point, Steve! I thought he was mentally ill, too. How terrifying for those around August. Probably even MORE terrifying to HIM!! Not to excuse what he did, but what would happen to him today, if treated? You could also see what Marlena was attracted to in August when he was his charming self. Would she have even have noticed Jacob?

You could tell Jacob had such angst over his affair. In those times it would be even more taboo than now. Jacob was a good man and I felt this showed he was also a sinner. While I definitely think he and Marlena reacted the wrong way to their attraction, the story would have been less interesting without their misdeeds. One of my favorite movies is Schindler's List because it was a true story of a very flawed person who also did absolutely off the chart amazingly good things, also. This wa sort of the same idea to me. Even flawed people can do profoundly good things in our world. It could be an inspiration to us all.

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 09, 2008, 08:41:49 am
I think Jacob got wrapped up in his feelings for Marlena and I don't fault him for that.  I just think he should have insisted that Marlena end her relationship with August before starting one with him.  Easier said than done, but if you "belong" to someone, you shouldn't be "interacting" that way with another.  I think you know what I mean  ;)

I don't think I would call Jacob weak, or a cheater, but I would say he had bad judgment - IMO, Marlena did also.

Good point, Steve, about August.  We've been saying he was "bad", but I think he was mentally ill - and it's not the same thing.  As Mary suggested, if August could have gotten help and been his charming self the majority of the time, I don't think Marlena would have been attracted to Jacob the way she was.

Without medication to control his illness, Jacob & Marlena's relationship definitely triggered August's episodes, but I think that even without that, he would have been triggered by something.

Steve, I'm turning the tables here.  What kind of man do you think Jacob is - in light of his relationship with Marlena? 

And K, yes, please tell us the title of the book.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 09, 2008, 09:51:31 am
The Thirteenth Tale ~  anyone heard of or read this?  I don't know much about it really, but am intrigued!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 09, 2008, 11:26:04 am
Thanks, K.

I haven't heard of it, but I'll try to check it out later on Amazon.com or something.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on May 09, 2008, 05:14:39 pm
My first time that I am able to join in the discussion...

If my recollection is correct, Marlena initiated things. She was acting like Tarzan:  holding on to two vines at the same time.   Jacob couldn't resist. Some might answer that it makes him human.  Love is an overpowering emotion and makes normally rational people irrational at points.   

Marlena's "friendship" with Jacob had to influence her interactions with her husband.  There were three people in the relationship...at some points unbenownst to August.  How she viewed him, responded to him, reacted to him, had to be colored by her "euphoria" with Jacob. In an environment that closed, their lunches and interactions surely had to be the talk of the circus. It makes me wonder if they were as "unnoticed" as they thought they were. Gosh they snuck around in different places in the circus.   August's reaction upon returning home and finding them ready to "celebrate" triggered his ugly side.  What was Marlena thinking to invite just Jacob to a surprise party for August?
Cheating would be emotionally painful for anyone. It breaks the trust in a relationship.

Kate

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 09, 2008, 05:50:20 pm
The invite was DUMB! I think he knew consciously or subconsciously there was an attraction.

It does take 2 to have the affair. I believe they were both responsible, or should I say irresponsible?  On one side they married in sickness and health but in that period would she have considered his behavior a sickness? Perhaps, she knew on a subconscious level that her dangerous shenanigans would eventually free her of her burden one way or another? Also, I believe the heart can lead some to do things they never would have otherwise.

Mary


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 09, 2008, 06:09:57 pm
Very good points, Kate & Mary.

I had forgotten that Marlena initiated the relationship and yes, it was dumb to invite Jacob to the surprise dinner for August.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 09, 2008, 07:53:08 pm
But don't you think that in a way August kind of "pushed" them together?  I kind of figured that was part of his sick mind -- to see how far he could push them together before they would succumb (?) and then blow it...some work like that...Who would invite someone to a dinner and provide them w/ a tux??
Just a thought...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 09, 2008, 09:33:17 pm
A pretty tangled relationship, certainly. :)

First, to answer Jan, I have to say I liked Jacob. Perhaps he was a man of impulse, but that doesn't seem so bad to me. Marlena knocked him over, and all thoughts of what was right or wrong were quickly put aside. He was head over heels in love with her - who thinks straight in that situation?

Besides being mentally ill, so that when he got mad, he went crazy, August could be a charming man, but he was also an egotistical man. I think he had Jacob over for the first dinner just to show off how good he had it, including being married to Marlena. I'm sure he thought he could keep control of the situation.

I guess Marlena was just very unhappy with her situation, and saw Jacob as a way out of it. I don't understand why she invited Jacob to the celebration either. Maybe she wanted to celebrate with someone she liked for a change. She was the one person who could predict that things were going to get ugly sooner or later, but I think she was so tired of life with August, she wanted something to happen.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on May 10, 2008, 05:31:45 am
What do you think of the title, Water for Elephants?  Did you like it?  Why or Why not?

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 10, 2008, 08:43:58 am
Good question!

I liked the title because it got your attention right away. Jacob got so upset with the lawyer dude when he said he watered the elephants. I thought 2 things, since he was lying and Jacob was at his core a good guy and the lawyer was getting the ladies attention by false claims. Jacob was jealous because he could have gotten that attention instead.

I also had a fleeting thought that possibly, just possibly this story was all in his head. Jacob took care of Rosie but if it weren't true, the title was telling us that.

I more believe the first reason.

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 13, 2008, 07:07:09 am
Question.

Does anyone know why Camel felt he couldn't return home? 

I know he mentioned it several times, but I don't recall him giving any particular reason.  Was it because he had abandoned his family? or something else?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 13, 2008, 10:15:42 am
Jan~
I wondered that too and thought that it would be revealed, but if it was...I missed it...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 13, 2008, 11:59:55 am
I also do not remember why......hmmmmm?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 16, 2008, 11:46:53 pm
So I'm thinking that possibly this book club idea is losing steam  ???

Should we continue this discussion, read another book, or call it a day  ???

I can go in any of these directions. 

Thoughts, please  :)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 17, 2008, 06:40:21 am
I was wondering about that too...or least wondering last night about a new question...I like reading the same book and discussing.  I think this is a good group and there could be a LOT of discussion on the right book.  What do you think?  Maybe we should try a couple of other books and see.  It seems like, for the most part, that the ones of us doing it really LIKE to read and DO read a LOT (Jan, I know you are super busy).  The end of  May is always REALLY crazy for me trying to wrap up the school year and also I have had company for a week now so I think things would be different for me in a couple of days...

Just things to think about...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 17, 2008, 11:53:05 am
I'm with K. I doesn't matter if we take little breaks now and then, this is for fun, not a grade. Some books can be good reading, but just not have much to discuss. That's okay, and if we keep going, we might stumble onto a book that generates a lot of interesting discussion. If not, well we just read some more good books. We can't lose.

So lets take a week or so to hunt around for some likely candidates, and then try another one. As with most things AN related, we just have to be patient!

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 17, 2008, 01:18:16 pm
Hi all,

I am with Steve and Kay. I enjoy this even though this is a crazy time of year for many, we are doing it for fun and those of us not able to participate here and there can catch us with the next one.

I know I have CK at the beginning of next month but that shouldn't keep me from reading. BUT in July and August the grandkids come for 2 months and after that we have a long RV trip to Nevada California Oregon and a bit of Washington. So after first of July time frame I will probably not participate until fall, but that doesn't mean I don't think things should continue. ;D I just started John Adams and I have The Thirteenth Tale. I liked Pillars of the Earth, Kite Runner, Secret Lives of Bees....hmmm all I can think of today but I am sure we can find something.

Jan, you are getting your processor soon, are you getting excited? I have been wondwering about you.

Hugs to all, ;D

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 17, 2008, 01:50:39 pm
Sounds to me like we should continue.  Hopefully at some point OMG will be joining us - and perhaps Kate and Soundy again.  Maybe we could "recruit" some others.

I am busy getting the house ready for sale, but I also need a stress reliever and since I haven't found the motivation to start running yet, reading it is  :D  You guys are all busy too, but since most of us read on a regular basis anyway, it should work.

I'm open to any book suggestions.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 19, 2008, 07:00:45 am
Benn MIA do to life in general...

some thoughts on questions raised ...

Cheating is wrong no matter what is going on in your marriage ... but when you are being beat down mentally
or emotionally by the person who should love you more than anyone else on earth , it can sway you to do things
you wouldn't if the relationship was normal ... my head was turned but didn't follow through with anything by
someone who knew I was in an abusive relationship and thought he could swoop in and rescue me ... he is still a
good Friend and now married with 4 kids but I did have the sense about me not to be "rescued" only causing
myself and boys (now grown but then pre-teens) more problems...glad I didn't let my self be rescued this way , but
can see it happening

I think Marlena was looking for a rescue...I ended up walking off alone after a 20 year marriage ...divorce and walking
away were harder in the time period this was set ... still happened but harder ...

My older sister who is schizophrenic has been married 4 time and pretty much destroyed or damage the lives of
those men... she was on and off medications and has only in last 5 years or so stabilized to a point she has a good
normal relationship that I see lasting the rest of her life...too late for 4 men and the 5 kids she had but didn't raise
any beyond 3 years old

Jacob may have acted differently had he not just lost his family ,his home and walked away from school ... I think he
was in shock and in need of someone and this made it easier for him to fall for Marlena ...

I think had he or the other Polish speaking man had took over Rosie's care and training it would have been better
for her and she would not have become a killer ... but then we wouldn't have a story...

I have a copy of Thirteenth Tale by Dianne Setterfield ... haven't read it yet... it is in my basket of books to read...
going by back cover it looks like it will be a good one ...

I have been reading Mary Kay Andrews books the last few weeks ... all set in the south and kinda woman against man
with some meeting in the middle going on ... all scorned women ... a teacher at school gave them to me to read and I
find them funny but put them in the mindless reading catagory... I can read one in about 2 sleepless nights and don't
remember them in detail after a week is up... not something I think would interest many here... I like to read books
I remember longer than a week

I will try to stop by more ... been having headaches and tying up loose ends at school  ,organizing Day Camp and try to have a
life on the side... guitar and violin recitals were yesterday... oldest girl went state with a Poster titled Where Do We Get Our Food
put on by Farm Bureau insurance ...she won county and won third state wide ... only one poster from each county was sent ...
so 3rd out of 95 was exciting ... not to mention total of $175 in prize money , youngest got Outstanding Musician award at
school ...so we have been busy going to "Thangs" as my husband calls them ... and in all this the fast reading
kinda mindless Mary Kay Andrew books are about all I can handle ...after Day Camp I hope things slow down
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 19, 2008, 07:09:59 am
Soundy -

sounds like your life has been hectic lately, I'm glad you found time to post your thoughts on the book  :)

You make some wonderful points; things that I never considered before. 

The time period of the book definitely has some bearing on Marlena's williness to get a divorce.  As you point out, divorce would have been hard for her to obtain plus there was a stigma attached to divorce back then that doesn't exist today.

Also Jacob's life up until the circus would have had some influence in his attraction to Marlena.  He was alone in the world, young and naive, and Marlena was the first woman who really took an interest in him.

Congratulations on your "prize-winner" - you must be SO proud of her!

Jan   
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 19, 2008, 07:30:14 am
Soundy~
GREAT to hear from you!  So glad you chimed in as you had some excellent points!  It has been busy around here too...congratulations on all your kids' successes!!  I may have to check into Mary Kay Andrews books since we all know I like the mindless fluff!!   ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 19, 2008, 08:06:52 am
The Mary Kay Andrew Books are funny ... not sure the men would think so ... a teacher going through
a nasty divorce brought them in to the book exchange shelf in teacher workroom and a bunch of us
have been passing them around ...

Going to Nashville to see two maybe three doctors today and stopping at big bookstore (if not too tired) on my
way back to check what they have ...only place here to get books is Walmart and they are limited...

Have a good day and wish me luck ... BAHA fight continues ...CHARGE!!!!!!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 19, 2008, 08:44:47 am
Soundy~
Good Luck & drive safe!!   8)

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 19, 2008, 10:21:55 am
Soundy -

good luck with the BAHA fight.  From what I've been told by the ANA, a lot of times insurance companies turn down BAHA requests the first time, but the second time is a charm.  If you run into problems, please contact the ANA for some advice.

My BAHA request took about 5 months to get approved.  The insurance company kept losing the paperwork, etc.

Be persistent!

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 19, 2008, 09:55:31 pm
Didn't get to book store and BAHA still turned down ...

tomorrow's another day ,  right?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on May 20, 2008, 05:25:52 am
I am fine either postponing or moving into another book.

We could take a totally different direction and try something nonfiction...something we could discuss as we are reading because it wouldn't  ruin the plot line.

Take for example the book by Daniel Pink, called A Whole New Mind--Why Right Brainers will Rule the world.

From Publishers Weekly
Just as information workers surpassed physical laborers in economic importance, Pink claims, the workplace terrain is changing yet again, and power will inevitably shift to people who possess strong right brain qualities. His advocacy of "R-directed thinking" begins with a bit of neuroscience tourism to a brain lab that will be extremely familiar to those who read Steven Johnson's Mind Wide Open last year, but while Johnson was fascinated by the brain's internal processes, Pink is more concerned with how certain skill sets can be harnessed effectively in the dawning "Conceptual Age." The second half of the book details the six "senses" Pink identifies as crucial to success in the new economy-design, story, symphony, empathy, play and meaning-while "portfolio" sections offer practical (and sometimes whimsical) advice on how to cultivate these skills within oneself. Thought-provoking moments abound-from the results of an intensive drawing workshop to the claim that "bad design" created the chaos of the 2000 presidential election-but the basic premise may still strike some as unproven. Furthermore, the warning that people who don't nurture their right brains "may miss out, or worse, suffer" in the economy of tomorrow comes off as alarmist. But since Pink's last big idea (Free Agent Nation) has become a cornerstone of employee-management relations, expect just as much buzz around his latest theory.
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.


Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on May 20, 2008, 05:32:24 am
Didn't get to book store and BAHA still turned down ...

tomorrow's another day ,  right?

Yes, tomorrow is here and it is another day! 

Where and what grade do you teach?  I am a teacher too!

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 20, 2008, 06:11:29 am
Kate~
What do you teach?  I used to teach...I went to college to teach PE but then I was interested in classroom and had the AN/stroke.  I taught 1st grade and then 3rd, now I stay home & run after 3 girlies of my own!!

Soundy~
Sorry for the discouraging news...keep trying!  ???

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 20, 2008, 08:10:22 am
Hi Kate,

I lasted two whole years as a high school teacher. That old saying is backwards, and should be: those who cannot teach, do. I was hopeless at it.

I like reading non-fiction my self. However, Daniel Pink's book doesn't sound that appealing to me. It sounds like a lot of new age hot air, suitable for the corporate human resources training tour, but not very practical. A new version of "think outside the box", or something like that. I guess a title that includes "Rule the World" tends to bring out the sarcasm and cynic in me.

Soundy, if you want a big bookstore that is easy to get to, try www.Amazon.com.  :D

Steve



Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 20, 2008, 08:56:47 am
I commend all you teachers.  I could never be one - I simply don't have the patience   :P

Interestingly enough, my best friend who is named Kate used to be a teacher.  Different Kate, same profession  :)

I'm not a fan of non-fiction, but if you guys want to pick a non-fiction book, I'll just sit out until the next fiction book comes along.

Soundy, what's the deal with the BAHA?  Please give us some details.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 20, 2008, 10:52:59 am
As I have said before, I am FICTION only (I'm not wasting any more $$ on NF), but I can sit this one out too.  My new theory is one Steve gave me...no books with colons in the title!!   ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 20, 2008, 02:50:22 pm
Didn't get to book store and BAHA still turned down ...

tomorrow's another day ,  right?

Yes, tomorrow is here and it is another day! 

Where and what grade do you teach?  I am a teacher too!

Kate


I didn't finish school to teach...life interrupted in form of my four now grown boys...

about the time I could have finished schooling I had my  girls  , now 8 and 10... I had been subbing for
K-3  but haven't since  surgey...   

now I work as teacher aide on a volunteer basis... we lost funding and so lost aides... frees full fledged teachers
to do the teaching  when I go in... several of us are doing it ...I am tutoring at risk kids ,copying , filing grading ...
what ever...

I can't commit to sub all day in a class because I still get knock me on my butt headaches and have to go take
something and lay down... as a volunteer I can leave ... but it would be frowned on if I got up and left a
room full of kindergärtners to their own devises

the last month or so I have been helping with a CP child D... he is as sweet as can be ...love him to bits... he has been
wanting to take pictures and no one would let him... I put the strap of my $400 camera around his neck the
other day and let him snap away... freaked the teachers out ... made for big smiles ... I printed off his pictures today
( mostly feet and butts with a few of whole people)... he is bright but can barely speak .... last year had no
problem because I could hear him well ... now we struggle but get on fine ... I explained to him I had surgery
and the loss of hearing ... he will ask from time to time if my broke ear is better ... he is only 8 ...
I love working with him...

I was talking to a teacher at breakfast about something and said my husband need whacked over the head... D
was eating oatmeal and with out the hint of a smile said "a hammer will work " continued eating ... then winked
at us and burst out laughing and told me to not really use a hammer it would hurt too much use a base ball bat the
almost fell out of chair laughing ...later told me I shouldn't hit my husband with anything that it was just a joke...
he is funny and makes me smile... he is moving over summer ...I have worked with him off and on for past two
years and I am going to miss him not being there next year

People say I am nuts to give so much time to the school unpaid ,  but I enjoy it and it keeps me from sitting here
thinking about what I can no longer do and what I have lost ... it is good for me

sorry about the book
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on May 20, 2008, 07:58:12 pm
Kate~
What do you teach?  I used to teach...I went to college to teach PE but then I was interested in classroom and had the AN/stroke.  I taught 1st grade and then 3rd, now I stay home & run after 3 girlies of my own!!

Soundy~
Sorry for the discouraging news...keep trying!  ???

K

K-
I started as a second grade teacher...took some time off when I first had my kids...then went to middle school for a few years, then got my masters to become a reading specialist who  then worked with all teachers  in grades kindergarten through five to help them become better teachers of reading..Now I am a curriculum director for grades K-8.  So I am in the throws of social studies and science curriculum renewals. I also work with the PE teachers as one of my teacher groups.  I work for a large suburban school district west of Chicago.

Running after those three girls is the most important job you will ever do:-)

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on May 20, 2008, 08:06:39 pm
Hi Kate,

I lasted two whole years as a high school teacher. That old saying is backwards, and should be: those who cannot teach, do. I was hopeless at it.

I like reading non-fiction my self. However, Daniel Pink's book doesn't sound that appealing to me.
Steve


Steve,

It would be interesting to have a conversation about teaching high school. Maybe at the Chicago Symposium.  High School is a different animal. Gosh when you graduate from college, you are almost as old as the kids!

Name another nonfiction title the group should consider. I suggested Pink because everyone raved that the guy was an excellent speaker at a recent conference.  Is it true that Portland reached high temps while Chicago is still in the fifties/sixties? 

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on May 20, 2008, 08:44:09 pm
 now I work as teacher aide on a volunteer basis...

the last month or so I have been helping with a CP child D... he is as sweet as can be ...love him to bits... he has been
wanting to take pictures and no one would let him... I put the strap of my $400 camera around his neck the
other day and let him snap away... freaked the teachers out ... made for big smiles ... I printed off his pictures today
( mostly feet and butts with a few of whole people)... he is bright but can barely speak .... last year had no
problem because I could hear him well ... now we struggle but get on fine ... I explained to him I had surgery
and the loss of hearing ... he will ask from time to time if my broke ear is better ... he is only 8 ...
I love working with him...

.. he is moving over summer ...I have worked with him off and on for past two
years and I am going to miss him not being there next year

People say I am nuts to give so much time to the school unpaid ,  but I enjoy it and it keeps me from sitting here
thinking about what I can no longer do and what I have lost ... it is good for me

sorry about the book

Oh my gosh, I understand why you do it! Volunteers change lives. Look at the difference you have made in that child's life. What a heartwarming story. You can tell that you have really established a bond with that student. I love how he asks you about your broke ear.  He will miss you too!

Kate

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 20, 2008, 08:54:44 pm
Okay, Kate, Chicago it is. Does that mean you will want a knitted hat too?  ::)

I would suggest something like "The Brain That Changes Itself", which I'm pretty sure someone else already suggested. A book about some things that really happen, with lots of examples and discussion, and not a lot of slogans.

I expect Pink is a good speaker; in the end, though, I suspect he is saying "creativity will be important in the future," and then finding lots of creative ways to restate that message. Maybe I'm just not right-brained enough...

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 20, 2008, 10:56:08 pm
Tomorrow is last full day of school then get report cards Friday... I miss him already...
someday I would like to finish up and work with special needs kids but at my age probably won't...
assisting works for me ... a little money would be nice but have learned along time ago that money isn't
everything and I get back more than I give...

I am not ready for summer ...gonna miss the hustle and bustle of school ... and going to miss most
of the kids ...  :)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on May 21, 2008, 06:22:08 am
Okay, Kate, Chicago it is. Does that mean you will want a knitted hat too?  ::)

I would suggest something like "The Brain That Changes Itself", which I'm pretty sure someone else already suggested. A book about some things that really happen, with lots of examples and discussion, and not a lot of slogans.

Steve

Did I read knit hat?  Thinking about the color:-)

Regarding the book, I am open.  Here is the Amazon Review for the book you've suggested.

From Publishers Weekly
For years the doctrine of neuroscientists has been that the brain is a machine: break a part and you lose that function permanently. But more and more evidence is turning up to show that the brain can rewire itself, even in the face of catastrophic trauma: essentially, the functions of the brain can be strengthened just like a weak muscle. Scientists have taught a woman with damaged inner ears, who for five years had had "a sense of perpetual falling," to regain her sense of balance with a sensor on her tongue, and a stroke victim to recover the ability to walk although 97% of the nerves from the cerebral cortex to the spine were destroyed. With detailed case studies reminiscent of Oliver Sachs, combined with extensive interviews with lead researchers, Doidge, a research psychiatrist and psychoanalyst at Columbia and the University of Toronto, slowly turns everything we thought we knew about the brain upside down. He is, perhaps, overenthusiastic about the possibilities, believing that this new science can fix every neurological problem, from learning disabilities to blindness. But Doidge writes interestingly and engagingly about some of the least understood marvels of the brain. (Mar. 19)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 21, 2008, 07:03:25 am

Did I read knit hat?  Thinking about the color:-)


Don't believe a word he says, Kate  ;D

He promised Lori and me knit hats months ago - to keep our BAHAs warm - and still hasn't found time to knit them.  And then he took that moderator job that leaves him very little time  ;)

Promises, promises  ::)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 21, 2008, 08:36:12 am
Hi,

If we are going non-fiction "The Brain That Changes Itself" interests me. I haven't read it, but have read reviews. I have the book, too.

As an artist, the right brain book sounds interesting also, but I am concerned it might be a lot of what we right brainers innately know, but it is ALWAYS fun to talk about ;D....and left brainers aren't interested in. However, I know I would enjoy either book. I also love fiction so am I a help or WHAT!!!???

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 21, 2008, 02:35:31 pm
Steve needs a Nifty Knitter... I can make a hat while watching TV in about 30 minutes ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 21, 2008, 09:17:42 pm
A Nifty Knitter - now why didn't I think of that? I will Google it... ;)

If you want to do the Pink book, I will go along, I think Mary is right, though, it is something that we basically already know - creativity will be important because, you know, then you can create stuff.  ;D Like Mary, I already have an unread copy of "The Brain That Changes Itself", so I am partial to that one.  :)  Is there some fiction we could read? We could always talk about Kite Runner, it seems like quite a few have already read it.

I'm not much help, I find most books worth reading for some reason or other...

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 22, 2008, 06:15:31 am
Steve~
I saw the one about the Women's Knitting Group the other day on the shelf and thought of you...with you new found hobby, you may want to reconsider that one.......... 

K ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 22, 2008, 10:21:17 am
 ;DI just got amused with us. We are having one terrific discussion about what to read!  This may be the best discussion we have had. Maybe we can have the world's first "What we would read if we were to read a book book club"! ;D ;D ;D Sometimes my sense of "humor" gets the best (worst) of me. I know I have said it before but I appreciate everyone here.

I like almost any book so I am no help.

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 22, 2008, 11:00:36 am
Mary!
I think you may be onto something here!!   ::)

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 22, 2008, 08:22:57 pm
I am taking a greater interest in the knitting book. I went to Amazon to find the title, and found too many. There is a special category set up for "knitting fiction", which includes "The Friday Night Knitting Club." It also includes such titles as "Died in the Wool," "A Deadly Yarn," "Death by Cashmere," and "Needled to Death." Apparently murder mysteries are a popular sub-category. There is also a novel with the deceptively simple title "Knitting."

To top it off, there is a title very appropriate for my predicament regarding the symposium in Chicago in 2009. It is a children's book called "Shall I Knit You a Hat?"

I just don't know what to say.  ;)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 22, 2008, 10:11:30 pm
 :D :D :D :D :D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 22, 2008, 10:41:15 pm
I vote for "Shall I Knit You a Hat?"

Sounds like something that would help Steve get his project started.  Afterall, the symposium is only about 14 months away and he has lots of hats to knit - he's been promising one to everybody.  And here I thought I was just special  :D

I'll read anything that isn't non-fiction.  If you guys want to pick a non-fiction book, that's fine with me; I'll just join in on the next book.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 22, 2008, 11:34:33 pm
I just packed the 13th one - I just want to read that one.  If you want to do non-fiction, please do...I can just sit this one out!!   ;)

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 23, 2008, 07:16:03 am
Kay,

LOL....Thank you ;) I have the Thirteenth Tale and will start reading it. When do we wanna finish it by?

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 23, 2008, 08:36:58 am
I have Thirteenth Tale ... will start reading it when I get a chance ... school is out
and trying to get everything finalized for Day Camp... we were looking for around 45 girls and have
77 registered...  :o ... gonna be extra busy next week trying to rearrange groups and schedules and
the next week running it ... may not read much til it is all over
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 23, 2008, 04:39:51 pm
So it soumnds like the 13th Tale it is...any input on a date?  We all seem preety busy right now, plus it is a few more pages then "Water..."  Let me know...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 23, 2008, 07:37:05 pm
I can go with the 13th Tale.  Just let me know when the deadline is and I'll be there   8)

I'm currently reading something called The Kindness of Strangers which is very interesting.  I'm about halfway through it.  It was an Amazon pick for me the last time I ordered books and I'm really enjoying it.  I won't elaborate on what it's about.  I don't want to ruin it for others who might decide to read it. 

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 23, 2008, 08:10:20 pm
June 13th is three weeks from now. Plus it is Friday, the 13th. Seems fitting.  :o

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 23, 2008, 08:32:22 pm
Hello All~
I will be taking Addi to camp on the 13th - Steve, can you start the discussion then I will chime in?

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on May 24, 2008, 09:15:18 am
Hey Guys,

I haven't been on this thread before, just too much else to read here, but finally took a minute to read the last few entries...I LOVE to read and am in between books, so would love to jump in here and participate.  Is there anything I need to know (don't have time to go back and read all 21 pages of this thread) besides start reading the book?  Is the book The 13th Tale for sure?

Thanks,

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 24, 2008, 10:35:19 am
Hi Cindy,

You are welcome to join in. Yes, it is the Thirteenth Tale.

Nothing else to know, we are not that well organized.   ;)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 24, 2008, 11:26:51 am
Cindy,

Welcome aboard! So glad to have you here! Just for fun for us...no formal rules. We just talk about it after everyone's finished. Author is Diane Setterfield. Anyone have a finish date?

Happy reading!

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 24, 2008, 01:35:59 pm
Mary -

it looks like we'll be starting on the 13th and that Steve will begin the discussion.

I looked for the book today at Target, but didn't find it.  Guess I'll have to check Sam's Club or Books a Million.  I did see one of the knitting books that Steve mentioned - I think it's called Friday Night Knitting Club or something similar.  It looked pretty good.  It might be a possibility for next time.

Hi, Cindy and welcome.  All you have to do is read and then join the discussion on the 13th.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 25, 2008, 06:15:34 pm
Bought the 13th Tale this afternoon and started reading it.  It seems like it will be very interesting.

I also bought The Friday Night Knitting Club (in honor of Steve  ;) ) and two other books that were recommended by a friend of mine - The Last Time I Was Me and Skeletons at the Feast.  She particularly recommended Skeletons which is a romance based on a true-life World War II diary.  Maybe somewhere down the line we could read it.  It might satisfy those who like to read non-fiction as well as those who prefer fiction.

Just a thought,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on May 25, 2008, 07:12:11 pm
I bought it today also - hope to start it tomorrow.  Does look interesting...

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 26, 2008, 09:22:19 am
I have had The Thirteenth Tale here for almost a year... was in box of books that was given me to
keep myself occupied after surgery... was going to start reading it next but picked up Friday Night Knitting Club
at Target yesterday and I am a third of the way through... was going to read it after Thirteenth tale but
accidentally opened it last night and the words popped into my eyes and on to brain... I hate when that happens  :)

I will still have Thirteenth Tale read by the thirteenth
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 26, 2008, 02:10:56 pm
Soundy -

once you're done with Friday Night Knitting Club, please tell us how you like it.

I have a number of books I can't wait to read and am not sure which one to go with after Thirteenth Tale.  If Friday Night Knitting Club is good, maybe I'll read it next.

Thanks,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 27, 2008, 05:21:30 pm
I am like Friday Night Knitting Club...


I went to used book store in Huntsville today and picked up the Secret Lives of Bees and Mermaid Chair...
both by same author... anyone know about these... they had been recommended by a friend and at $1.25 a
piece figured I would give them a shot... also picked up Kite Runner for $2... I would be in trouble if I lived
closer to Huntsville...I would go to the used  bookstore too much ...  :-\
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 27, 2008, 05:58:25 pm
I LOVE Secret Life of Bees, one of my very favorites......my recommendation is to read that one first. The Mermaid Chair was readable but not as engaging to me. The first is with younger characters the other with 30 something...which has nothing to do with the interest, but the reason I like Bees first.

Enjoy!

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 27, 2008, 07:59:56 pm
I am liking the idea of this topic becoming a "good books to read" topic, with everyone's opinions on various books. I liked Secret Lives of Bees a lot, too bad that Mermaid Chair isn't as good. I also found Kite Runner to well worth reading. I would like to find out whether Friday Night Knitting Club is good.

I better get cracking on the Thirteenth Tale, especially if I have to come up with one of those probing questions...

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 27, 2008, 08:08:01 pm
Hi,

That is just my opinion of Mermaid Chair. Some may like as well if not more, and yes, I think Kite runner is very good, too.

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 27, 2008, 10:39:56 pm
Soundy -

I have read both Secret Life of Bees and Mermaid Chair - as have several of my friends and family members.  We all agree that Bees is much better than Mermaid.  Not that Mermaid is bad or anything - it's just not as good as Bees.

Kite Runner IMO is excellent. 

I think you'll enjoy all these books - and the prices are incredible!

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on May 27, 2008, 11:19:28 pm
I LOVE Secret Life of Bees, one of my very favorites..
Enjoy!

Mary

Me Too!
Also enjoyed Kite Runner.
Like others, most books have merit.

Off to buy the 13th tale.

Wondering how far along Steve is with those caps :-)

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 28, 2008, 06:21:12 am

Wondering how far along Steve is with those caps :-)


Steve doesn't mention the caps much.  I think he's hoping that all of us with "AN memory" will just forget about them  ;)

I'm on page 75 of Thirteenth Tale and finding it very enjoyable.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on May 28, 2008, 10:18:09 am
I loved Secret Life of Bees, but thought Mermaid was weak in comparison.  Also loved Kite Runner - getting ready to read his latest (somethign about a Thousand Veils?"  Has anyone read it?

BTW, Soundy, I see you are in Huntsville - my beloved BIL and SIL live there, along with our niece and her new baby!  Small world.

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 28, 2008, 04:11:17 pm
I am actually up in Tennessee north of Athens...north west of Huntsville... went shopping at Sam's for
Day Camp snacks and dropped by other places... including the book store...  :) ...

I liked Friday Night Knitting club but won't comment on it yet in case it becomes one up for reading and
discussion... one insomniac night this next week I will start Thirteenth Tale... with Day Camp from 8-3
each day and VBs from 6-8:30 every night  I may actually sleep through the nights next week ... start reading
 it on the 9th
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 30, 2008, 11:39:13 am
Hope to get a little reading done today.  I'm only on page 80 - have been falling alseep the past few nights when I attempted to read more.

Kids have no school so I took off work and the plan was to camp at the Indiana State Dunes for the next 2 nights.  However, the weather here currently stinks - rain and high winds - and it's the same at the dunes  :( 

So, in lieu of sleeping in puddles in our "waterproof" tent, we are spending the night at home and will venture to the dunes early tomorrow morning.  They are predicting sun and warm temps - plus no high winds to blow the tent away  :D  Hope they are right!

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: shygirl on May 31, 2008, 12:11:20 am
Hi all,

May I jump in on this club you've got going? I love to read. Fiction--nonfiction. It's all good to me!!!

I see you all are reading "Thirteenth Tale". Who is the author? I would go back and find out, but I've been doing tons of reading on this forum. Alittle tired, I guess. Ya'll are a great group and so supportive. I'm glad I found you!!! It only took 9 months ::)

Thanks,

shygirl
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on May 31, 2008, 06:16:58 am
Welcome Shygirl! :)

I am so glad you found this forum. It has made such a difference for me.

We are reading Thirteenth Tale is written by Diane Setterfield. I think we are to read it by te 13th. I just joined during the last book and it is informal fun group here.
Reading is such a great way to escape for awhile into another world. It is a mini vacation to me.

Take care,

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 31, 2008, 07:40:29 am
Shygirl~
Glad you are joining us!  We are VERY easygoing here and just usually read & discuss a little and maybe talk about other things that the discussion triggers in our happy, little brains!!  We are supposed to have the 13th Tale read by the 13th but I will be taking my daughter to camp then so I will join late...so what I am saying is you don't get graded on whether you are finished at the exact time or not!

Happy Reading!   ;)
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on May 31, 2008, 11:05:42 am
Hi Shygirl,

Welcome to the forum and the bookclub!  I've just "joined" the bookclub myself and have just started the Thirteenth Tale...I just got into the meat of it last night and I'm hooked!

Talk w/ you soon,

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: shygirl on June 01, 2008, 07:42:30 am
I can't find the book!! I guess I'll have to venture out to the mall. I have nothing better to do anyway!!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 01, 2008, 02:23:26 pm
I finished the book last evening. 

Thanks K for suggesting it.  I had never heard of this book before and I have to say, it was very, very interesting.  I enjoyed it a lot!

Can't wait for all of you guys to finish, so we can start our discussion.

Shygirl, glad you are joining us  :)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 01, 2008, 03:45:30 pm
I am right in the "think" of it & would REALLY like to just READ...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 02, 2008, 04:40:07 pm
I'm with you, I'm about 1/2 way through and would love a solid few hours just to read!  Guess I could go do some reading right now...

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 02, 2008, 07:25:15 pm
Actually I was really fortunate to be able to finish the book this soon. 

It's hard to find time with kids, work, etc, etc.

But you guys have plenty of time before the discussion starts. 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 03, 2008, 08:18:55 pm
Jan,

I may have to PM you to talk about the book - I haven't finished yet, but I'm having to bite my tongue to keep from saying anything about it...I read for about an hour earlier tonight and...

Ok, I'll try to be patient

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 03, 2008, 09:41:50 pm
Cindy -

feel free to PM me, but please don't give away any key parts of the book on the open forum.

I'm dying to start the discussion, but I don't want to spoil the ending for anyone else  :)

Patience is a virtue - which I have never possessed  :D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 04, 2008, 07:22:49 am
Hey Girlies!

I had dreams about the book all night last night - I read before bed!  I keep trying to figure out what the twist will be since I know there will be one -- from my SIL (who actually went back and reread it the minute she finished it to see if the author stayed true to her store line???).  I don't think I lack too much and hopefully will get some reading in today while I am waiting for Emee at the dentist today!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 04, 2008, 02:48:50 pm
Promise not to give anything away, Jan...

K, I have also thought about starting the book again once I do finish it.

Happy Reading, everyone!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 04, 2008, 03:19:53 pm
Have you finished it too, Cindy?  I am SOOOO close - if I could just read for a few uninterrrupted minutes -- I have been reading at stoplights!!   ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 04, 2008, 03:30:14 pm
No, I'm not finished yet - getting close, though.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 07, 2008, 05:08:23 pm
Hey All~
I finally finished the book one night this week and can't wait to discuss it.  Jan, you can PM me if you want to chat about it.  Also, I am good to go on the 13th as out plans for getting Addi to Kamp have changed.  She is now riding the bus from Oklahoma City (7:30 Friday morning) so I'll get back here about noon...
talk to you all later!
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 07, 2008, 05:37:02 pm
K -

glad you finished the book.  Didn't you love it?

I'll try to find time to PM you, but between posting on this forum and checking out realtor listings on realtor.com I'm having computer overload  :D

The ex signed a contract on Thursday and today the sign arrived and our realtor came to the house to take pictures.  I have to say, I'm already exhausted trying to keep the house clean and no one has viewed it yet, except realtors!  I'm not very hopeful that it will sell fast, but I'm trying to come up with Plan B in case it does.  Plan B involves trying to decide how much I can afford to pay for a new house and where I can afford to buy   ::)

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 07, 2008, 07:47:31 pm
I finished day camp and survived ...tired as all get out and legs hurt... ate two weeks worth of Tylenol and
hydorcodone  to get through it but did ...

was going to start the book this morning but when I looked at the words I discovered what brain cells I have
functioning were busy keeping me breathing and stuff so going back to my plan of starting on Monday and
getting it done by Friday... my brain is actually tired and can't think straight...totoal exhaustion

Once I get reading I will probably get it done in about 2 or 3 days ... Am I the only one that wakes in the night
with nothing to do??? I still rarely sleep through the night ... get up about 3 most mornings ...wash clothes ...
straighten house up... move furniture (which can be dangerous if some unsuspecting person heads to bathroom
during the night and trips over something that was moved  :D ) but more often than not I read... maybe 3
hours at a time ... no one else is up at 3 to interrupt me ...doctor says I need sleeping pills but I rather just
take a nap later in day as needed... if I was working it would be different but for now I read...

 but not til Monday night  :)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 07, 2008, 09:37:36 pm
Soundy -

although the book is kind of long, once you start reading, it goes fairly fast.  Especially near the end when you just can't wait to find out how it ends  :)

I don't wake up during the night - my big problem is falling asleep in the first place.  This means I stay up way too late and don't get enough sleep most nights  :(

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 07, 2008, 09:40:57 pm
jan~
Yeah, I was just thinking that if you were staying up until 3, you must be pushing for one of those high paying moderator jobs!!!!   ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 07, 2008, 10:04:14 pm
Good point, K.

If I play my cards right, I might be next in line.  I could use one of those fancy cars and the private jet  ;)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 07, 2008, 10:11:07 pm
to  come see me & Lori, of course and then we can all fly away to the island!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 07, 2008, 10:20:11 pm
Ahhhh.  If life only worked out the way we planned  ::)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 08, 2008, 09:09:47 pm
I go to sleep fairly easily ...around 11:30 or 12 only to get up between 2:30 and 3 and usually am drifting back
off about the time to get rid of husband for the day... at least with the girls out for the summer I can go
back and sleep til they get up... when school was in session I had to stay up... with no school I get to sleep again
from about 7 til 9 and then an afternoon nap if we are home and with price of gas we will be home more than
usual for the summer...

Ahhhh.  If life only worked out the way we planned   ::) ... I second that  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 08, 2008, 11:29:46 pm
Less than a week til discussion starts.  Will everyone be ready?  I know some of us have finished the book and some of us are still reading, but I don't know about everybody.

Steve?  Kate?  Mary BK? 

I am anxious to discuss.  Can we stick with the 13th, or does anyone need more time?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 09, 2008, 08:20:46 pm
I am on page 255 (The Ladder). Should make it by Friday no problem; maybe sooner, I seem to have some reading time this week. Good book, by the way.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 09, 2008, 09:06:07 pm
Steve -

glad you're going to make it  :)  It is a good book.  I've started reading another good book called The Story of a Marriage.  It's kind of a short book - less than 200 pages - and I'm really enjoying it. 

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 12, 2008, 06:48:01 am
Steve~
Are you going to start us out with the 1st discussion question?  I will be back around noonish (Central time) tomorrow - plans have changed & now Addi is riding the camp bus from Oklahoma City so I don't have to drive all the way to Branson!  YEA!  Did I alrady tell y'all that??   ???  Anyway, I'll be in tomorrow - can't wait to discuss!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 12, 2008, 08:37:07 am
I think Steve is going to ask the first question tomorrow.  At least that was the original plan.

Can't wait to discuss!  I thought this was a great book.  Thanks again for suggesting it, K.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 12, 2008, 11:08:51 am
I got to reading it Monday and Finished up Tuesday evening ... and to keep my mouth shut started
reading Secret Lives of Bee about 3 Wednesday Morning and finished it up around 4 this morning

My husband says if I would quit buying books I would sleep at night...he says they are sitting around
wanting to be read and that is what keeps me up... but I bought alot of books and was given some
because I couldn't sleep , I am not buying into his theory ...

I started school reading with no apparent person having taught me to read... I have an osmosis theory of
watching and listening to older sister doing home work... didn't do kindergarten and my first grade teacher
was fascinated by a student already reading well above grade level and gave me books ... I have always read
as far as I can remember and don't plan on stopping be cause my husband thinks the books are waking me up

Have to be gone most of the day tomorrow but will check in ASAP
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 12, 2008, 10:26:27 pm
Okay, it is Friday the Thirteenth somewhere in the world by now, I am officially opening the discussion of The Thirteenth Tale.

Where to begin? No matter, much like the book itself, we will no doubt wander through all the possible topics and detours and byways anyway.

I have two questions on my mind.

The first one is about Emmeline. In the chapter called Snow, near the end of the book, after all is revealed, Margaret refers to her like this: "Miss Winter had escaped; so had the woman Judith referred to as Emmeline, and whom I avoided naming." A few pages later, she is describing three funerals in three days, and says "There were only Judith, Maurice, the doctor and me to mourn the woman referred to throughout the service as Emmeline." What is the meaning of this? Is Margaret (or the author) being coy? Is there something not settled about which one is Emmeline?

The second question is about Adeline. Is such a person possible? She was apparently a young girl with an astonishing appetite for violence, and a willingness to kill the gardener and to try killing her sister's baby, burning the house down in the attempt. Can such things be?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 13, 2008, 06:40:23 am




The second question is about Adeline. Is such a person possible? She was apparently a young girl with an astonishing appetite for violence, and a willingness to kill the gardener and to try killing her sister's baby, burning the house down in the attempt. Can such things be?

Steve

Unfortunately yes there are children like that ... I have a scar on my forehead put there when I was about 6 month old by
my nearly 3 year old sister... held me by ankles and whacked me against edge of table because she didn't want a sister...
and things went down hill from there... have a knife scar in the back of the hand because when I was 14 I refused to give
her a pair of underwear that had frogs on the front kissing and the back showed their hands which they were holding ...
dumb thing to get stabbed over ... and she got them in the end ... not that her 200 pound behind  could fit in them since at time
I weighed in at a whopping 80 lbs ... but she got them ... she spent much of her growing up years in and out of mental
hospitals and group homes mostly to keep us other kids safe... after she had hurt me several times I don't think I would
have had anymore kids ... but my dad had to have sons and so have three younger brothers that also got to suffer at
her hands...

she was not right since birth and never got past it ... she is more stable now than she has ever been in her life ... living with a
man and helping him raise his grand kids ... she has 5 kids of her own that she never raised past 2 before they were taken away ...
three ads between them ... one dad has three of them ...one child not his biologically but the only dad he has ever known


This confused me and I did some re-reading for something I missed... Was  Emmaline the one to parish in the fire ??? Did Adeline
survive  it and live out her life hidden by Miss Winters??? what exactly was Emmaline digging for in the garden...

Margaret give Aurelius the casket of ashes and he says Is that what you have for me ... is that the rest of my story? ...leading
us to believe that the ashes are those of Emmaline ... Did Miss Winter keep the burned twin to care for her if she was Emmaline
or for some other reason if it was Adeline ... no one but her would have known since the twin had lost communication skills ... and
the burnt twin had to be known as Emmaline since Miss Winters had been impersonating Adeline to the lawyer

With a set of twins of my own I had other interests ... the good twin bad twin thing... one of mine is impulsive and likely to do
things before thinking getting in trouble and was labeled at school as the bad twin... they can still be inseparable at times and at
28 this bugs the good twins wife to no end ...
she can't except that they have to have eachother... they will get time off and spend a 3 or 4 days together ...
playing computer games ,fishing ,sitting around reading and no one else exists... they introduce them selves as the good twin and
the bad twin... never bad to the extent Adaline was , but a big difference and people can't get over the personality differences
since their faces match... the odd thing is the one labeled the bad is tenderhearted and easily hurt...when younger he was quick to
anger and go into fist mode to settle ant differences .... the good one lets stuff roll off his back and not much bothers him...he
would talk his way out of jams... if together though they would both go to fists to settle something between them and anyone ...
the bad one would prevail in his methods and the good would follow ... they have been like that since about 5 or 6 month old ...
this made me think of the theory in the book that a whole person was split in two and each got only a set of certain traits ... my
boys are like this ... one darker and gets depressed the other happy go lucky ... when this was raised when they were little doctors
told me I worried to much and they would out grow it ... still waiting ...

Something else that struck me was Emmaline's tolerance of Adeline hitting her ... my twins could get mad and beat each other to
the ground if they wanted to ...but no one else could lay a hand on either without having to deal with the other twin...protective
of each other but would still fight among themselves ... but didn't tolerate anyone hurting their twin

I have to go but couldn't not stop in
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 13, 2008, 07:31:41 am
My two cents worth.

Yes, kids can be rotten - happens all the time.  I remember some kids from my childhood who fit the Adeline description.  Thankfully none of them were in my immediate family or circle of friends, but we definitely knew who to stay away from  ;)

As for Emmeline.  I don't think we can ever be sure that she was the one who survived the fire.  I'm not even sure that Miss Winters knew.  Perhaps she was just hoping it was the "kinder, gentler" twin.  I will say though that I thought it was one of the great twists in the story.  It had me paging backwards to reread parts of the beginning of the book to see if I could figure out this mystery.

Incredible stories, Soundy.  Thanks for sharing.  I'm sorry your sister was such a menace and I can only imagine what affect that had on you and your siblings.  As for your twins, I often jokingly refer to mine as the good twin and the evil twin since it seems like on any given day one of them is acting up.  They are two very distinct personalities - have been since the day they were born - but there are times they "flip-flop" and seem to trade places.  I have also found that what one doesn't think of, the other one does.  When they were toddlers I used to use the phrase "monkey see, monkey do" to describe their actions.  They turned this into "monkey do see" and we still use that expression today  :D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 13, 2008, 12:51:58 pm
Hi all,

The "feeling" of this book is still w/ me - do you know what I mean?  This is one that I would eventually like to reread to see the hints that the author reveals along the way.

Remember at the end of the book that Maraget said that she knew people hated to be left hanging, not knowing what happened in the end to certain characters, etc and, therefore, she told us about the housekeeper, the doctor, herself, etc.  Yet, the author deliberately leaves us "hanging" with the question of which twin died in the fire...I really think it was Emmaline who perished and Adeline that was still living w/ Miss Winter.  But either way, what great twists this author had.  I thought it was enough of a twist when we found out about the third sister - did you guys suspect something like that?

I really liked all the references to Jane Eyre, Wuthering Heights, etc as I, like Margaret, read and re-read those books growing up.  I probably suffered from the same "romantic" illness that the doctor said Margaret had at some point in my teens...perhaps I still do at times...

Wow, Soundy, this book must really have hit home for you in several ways.  Sibling rivalry was, apparently, taken to a whole different level in your house.  I always hate to hear about children suffering, but particularly in their own homes where they should feel safe.  What a lot for you to deal with...

Cindy


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 13, 2008, 01:40:06 pm
Cindy -

I was shocked by the third sister twist :o  but once I knew about her a lot of things in the book started to make more sense to me.

It's interesting you'd say that you thought it was Adeline who had survived the fire, because I thought it was Emmeline.

I've thought of re-reading the book also, and just might do so one of these days.

Jan 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 13, 2008, 02:03:35 pm
OK - this is what I think...

                Miss Winters is definitely the "mist girl" but took Adeline's identity because she didn't have one.  I think that Adeline perished in the fire       and "mist girl" was glad because she (the real A) was so mean and things were great with her(Mist)  & Emmeline when she wasn't around.  Emmeline obviously missed Adeline and felt the loss & that is what she was always digging for.  Adeline was buried under the rubble at the house in the fire.  When Emmeline saw Aurelius, it threw her over the edge b/c somehow she knew that was her child...

OK, what do you think about that??

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 13, 2008, 03:20:27 pm
Yes, I agree that Miss Winters was the "mist girl" - so interesting when you think back to the references and clues about her.

Ok, how about this...remember when Miss Winters was first telling Margaret her story and she cried out in anguish, "Emmeline!"?  I think in her heart of hearts she knew Emmeline was the one who died in the fire - I think it just adds to the tragedy of the story that Miss Winters ended up taking care of the "bad" twin and not her beloved Emmeline...what do you think? 

Now, what was Emmeline/Adeline digging for that night when Margaret saw her?  I thought it was Emmeline looking for Aurelius...but, if I don't think that Emmeline survived, then that theory doesn't work.   So I agree that it could be one twin looking for the other twin...but which one?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 13, 2008, 04:00:15 pm
Good Point about her crying out!  I think that whether it was E or A, they were still digging for the other...it was that twin connectedness thing...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 13, 2008, 07:24:30 pm
I agree with K's first post.  I too think that Miss Winters was the girl in the mist and that Adeline, not Emmeline, died in the fire - although I'll be darned if I know why Margaret cried out in anguish for Emmeline.  Just to throw us off track? 

I think that Emmeline realized that Adeline had died in the fire and was therefore buried.  Since Emmeline wasn't "all there" I believe she was attempting to reach Adeline by digging in the ground for her.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 13, 2008, 08:56:10 pm
OK - where is everyone else chiming in on this??    ???   I couldn't wait to start discussing and thought that everyone else was the same too!! 

I was glad that my SIL told me about this book and that we decided to read it.  I was glad I could mention something that wasn't just "fluff" -- my SIL & I usually have VERY different genres that we read!!!  I was a little unsure about the fact that I had mentioned it after all the incest (OOOOWWW!) stuff!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 13, 2008, 08:57:25 pm

Why would Vida Winters cry out Emmeline? Because that was the twin who she loved, and who was so damaged by the fire, losing both her face and her baby. Vida Winters didn't mind a bit that Adeline died in the fire; I'm not sure I would have either, given her nastiness.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 13, 2008, 09:02:06 pm
Just an aside - do know my girlies names?  Addi and Emee - just thought that was kind of weird...   :o

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 13, 2008, 11:08:34 pm
Steve -

for some reason I knew you'd have a good answer for Margaret crying out "Emmeline" - and you certainly do.

From your post it sounds like you are pretty confident that Adeline was the one who perished in the fire.  Why is that?  Did you pick up something that we didn't? or is that just your feeling?  I think it was Adeline, but I don't have any concrete evidence to base my opinion on; just my gut reaction.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 14, 2008, 12:02:13 am
In that last post I sounded confident, I guess. But in the first post, I said I was puzzled by Margaret's phrase "referred to as Emmeline" during the very last part of the book. For some reason, the discovery of the bones seemed to have changed her tune. Up till then, it seemed to me that she thought of the other woman in the Winter house as Emmeline, and called her that without hesitation. To me, that resolution of who was who made sense, and I wasn't feeling puzzled by it until that "referred to as" phrase started cropping up.

I just re-read the part where Miss Winter is describing how she pulled someone out of the fire, and looked at her, and tried both names, and said "is it possible..." She meant to get Emmeline out, but in fact, she doesn't know who she pulled out. I don't think Vida herself ever knew which twin she saved. She just hoped it was Emmeline.

Oh my.  :o

Steve


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 14, 2008, 03:50:39 pm
Yes, I think she had only hoped all those years that it was Emmeline that she saved.  As Steve points out, the passage where Miss Winters is trying to save Emmeline leaves us and her in doubt as to which one it is.  Of course we do so want it to be Emmeline, but I think I'm going to stick with my gut that it was Adeline that was saved :o  Or, is the whole tragedy the fact that Miss Winters never did know which one it was and yet she had to care for and love the person she pulled out of the fire regardless of who it was???  Or is that the point we've all been making...I'm confusing myself now.

The more I've thought about it today, the more I want to go back and reread it now rather than later.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 14, 2008, 03:58:15 pm
Or, is the whole tragedy the fact that Miss Winters never did know which one it was and yet she had to care for and love the person she pulled out of the fire regardless of who it was???

That's what I think now, and that we can't ever say which one it was - no one in the story knew either. And I would not have got that without this discussion. :)

What do you all make of the subject of twins? There are two pairs going, Margaret and her deceased twin, and the Adeline/Emmeline duo. I have a cousin who has two sets of twins, and Jan has a pair. Are they always like this?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on June 14, 2008, 04:29:24 pm
Hi,

My 2 cents....I thought she saved Adeline. However, I do feel it could also mean to be ambiguous so we never know. I read this pre-ck and post ck and I don't know if I got the full benefit of the book and it's nuances. I do know as I read, I did go back to re-read. It was good to hear what happened to all the characters, but we are left wondering about the most integral ones. hmmmmmm

I do believe there are some kids that have serious issues. I never have had any one close to me that is a twin so I do not understand the draw when one twin is so horrible. I can understand Vida's stepping in to fill the void of the dead twin, what's her name. Vida is a half sis so she was an outsider in the 3 girls until the one is gone. Then she slips right into being fully accaepted as one of the twins.

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 14, 2008, 05:04:09 pm
I think it's a toss up as to which twin survived the fire.  While, as some mentioned, we are hoping it was Emmeline - and so was Miss Winters, I think - it very well might have been Adeline.  I think the author intentionally left us hanging. 

As for twins, I will be very interested to see how close mine are as their lives go on.  They entered this world totally inseparable - no they weren't conjoined twins  :D - but they were best friends and relied on each other for everything.  In preschool they were put into the same classroom but were soon separated because they were like one body with two heads.  They didn't socialize with others and when the teacher asked them to do something they would consult with each other and decide if they wanted to follow her request.  As they have grown older they argue more, but I recall doing the same with my siblings.  I think only time will tell whether they will regain their closeness.  I think they will because they have no other siblings, plus twins are generally close.  My brother has twins girls who are a year older than my children and they have followed a similar pattern of being close and then being not so close.

I don't recall from the book, but when Miss Winters picked Margaret to write her story, did she have any way of knowing that Margaret was once a twin  ???  I'm thinking she didn't, but I find it a little hard to believe that employing Margaret was simply a coincidence.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on June 14, 2008, 05:29:12 pm
But it worked for the story :D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 14, 2008, 07:01:52 pm
I think at the very end Miss Winters said she suspected Margaret might be a twin because of her biography about those brothers (forgot their name).  Another thing I need to go back and check on...

Jan, how old are your twins? 

Mary, how are you feeling?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 14, 2008, 10:21:46 pm
Cindy -

you could be right.  Speaking of Margaret, I was very surprised to hear that she was actually a conjoined twin - I thought that was very interesting.

My twins turned 12 this year (well technically 3  ;)) on Leap Day - February 29th.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 14, 2008, 10:39:13 pm
I guess I missed that they were conjoined - I kind of wondered that once, but was just kind of thinking - not a serious thought.  I have always wondered that about conjoined twins that were not successfully separated - how does the mom deal with that?  Obviously in this case, not very well...and if you had to pick which one would live...glad I didn't have to choose...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 15, 2008, 01:18:49 am
Just reading those posts, I realized that besides Margaret being a twin, like Adeline and Emmeline were, she also had a mother who was out of it, just like they did. Margaret's mother became distant after the death of her twin, and they never really connected after that. And Adeline and Emmeline grew up without their mother as well, once she was sent off to the asylum. I am thinking they might have been better off with a mother. :)

Do you remember when Margaret first went to see Miss Winter, and was going to leave? Miss Winter called out "once upon time..", and again "once upon a time...", and then the last one: "once upon a time there were twins..." That one stopped Margaret. I have a hard time believing that Miss Winter didn't know she was one.

Steve

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 15, 2008, 07:30:06 am
I wondered too if somehow Miss Winters knew that Margaret was a twin ...


Twins can be a stranger breed... mine are close even now at almost 28 ... and though not really bad as he
calls himself is moody... always has been ... they had to be separated at school because they were too
dependent on each other and would decide among themselves if they want to comply with a request as Jan
said hers would do... but still even up into junior high if one wanted(needed ) to see the other he would get
up , leave class and find his brother...

I have always treated them as two people ...rarely dressed  them alike ... had them in different scout groups
stuff like that ...small seperations that were to help them grow ...felt it was important for them to be
known as T and S  not the twins... but regardless of that they are the twins ... and have to see each other from
time to time and I guess always will ...

My sons have  twin second cousins ... girls a month younger than they are ...always dressed alike ,always kept in
same classes together , they wouldn't take a job unless they both could get a job same shift and work together...
they bought a house together and one started dating but would only go if the other tagged along... she married
the guy and they all three lived together in the twins house ... he thought he could adjust and be OK but says it was
nothing to wake up and find the other twin in the bed with them...the girls shared the master bedroom before the
marriage ... the unmarried one moved out a couple month ago to live with the grandmother at the request of
the husband ...now the married couple are fighting because the sisters miss each other... they are a strange pair ...
but they were never treated by the parents as individuals ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 15, 2008, 09:42:22 am
Yes, twins are fascinating.  None in my family, but I've known several sets...I always wished I had been a twin when I was growing up - thought it was the coolest thing.

Steve, good point about both sets of twins being essentially without a mother.  Especially tragic that Emmeline and Adeline's mother was put away for an act done by Adeline.  Of course, the brother is the one that really should have been put away from the very beginning.  So many dark, sad events in this book - yet, it was so good!

...did it bother anyone else that there was never a definite date given for the setting?  I thought at first it was maybe the 1920 or 1930's, but then later it seemed to indicate that it was set later than that...how early did anyone even attempt separating conjoined twins? 

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 15, 2008, 12:06:59 pm
Refresh my memory...what did Adeline do that that Mom got put in the asylum for??   ???  It's been a while & I have slept and done MANY things since then...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 15, 2008, 02:03:34 pm
I think she hit the doctor's wife, right...Maybe with a violin??? 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 15, 2008, 03:04:47 pm
I am going go back & read that - at the end of the book, it referred to the violin incident and I didn't know what she was talking about...I must have fallen asleep or something!   ::)

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 15, 2008, 09:37:08 pm
Do you remember when Margaret first went to see Miss Winter, and was going to leave? Miss Winter called out "once upon time..", and again "once upon a time...", and then the last one: "once upon a time there were twins..." That one stopped Margaret. I have a hard time believing that Miss Winter didn't know she was one.

Great point, Steve.  I had forgotten about that.  It certainly sounds like Miss Winter knew about Margaret's twin, but how?  Margaret didn't even know herself until she found the papers in her mother's room.

I, too, forgot why Adeline & Emmeline's mother was institutionalized.  She seemed like a strange character from the very beginning, but was it the violin incident that got her "put away"? or was it something else?

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 15, 2008, 11:59:45 pm
Yes, the doctor's wife was poking around, and got hit in the head with a violin by somebody thin dressed in white. She was not badly hurt, and later, they were asking the Missus about, and Isabelle walked in. The doctor's wife decided that Isabelle was the person who hit her. The doctor asked some questions, and then told Charlie he was going to put Isabelle in an asylum.

Maybe Miss Winter didn't actually know Margaret was a twin, but suspected it, based on her book on the brothers?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 16, 2008, 05:58:57 am


...did it bother anyone else that there was never a definite date given for the setting?  I thought at first it was maybe the 1920 or 1930's, but then later it seemed to indicate that it was set later than that...how early did anyone even attempt separating conjoined twins? 



Out of curiosity I looked up conjoined twin separation and found the account of first successful operation
being carried out in 1689  :o ... but didn't become popular until the early 1950s ...many sets before then  were
just left to live out whatever time they had joined together

You still hear about these operations now , but I remember hearing about  more of them when I was a kid... I
am thinking maybe with time even though still rare it is not as much of an oddity ... but I know in the late 60s
ever time a set was born you heard it on the national news... remembering this I kinda thought maybe the birth and
separation was publicized when Margaret was born and Miss Winters remembered since both she and Margaret's
father were both in the business of books... but this leaves the question could the mother and father hide this
from Margaret and no one say anything about it to her before she found out on her own

So figured that Margaret was born maybe in the 50s or 60s ... did it say how old she was on her birthday???
gonna have to do a little re-read ... When reading it through first time I figured that Emmaline , Adeline 
and Miss Winters were born in the 20s or 30s ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 16, 2008, 06:56:46 am
I knew all along that there was a "big twist" b/c my SIL had said as much (but of course didn't reveal that to me).  I, too, thought that Miss Winters knew that Margaret had a twin so you want to hear what I had figured out?  It is kind of crazy, but would explain a lot...I thought that it was going to turn out that somehow "Hester" was Margaret's mom.  That that was just what they called her and it was really her surname - I don't know, something, & that Miss Winters had found her and found that out.  I thought that "Hester" couldn't handle losing a twin especially because she felt so much guilt for what she had been involved in with E & A.  I know...very strange!   ::)

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 16, 2008, 09:21:21 am
K -

that's not as strange as it sounds.  It would have made another great twist to the story.

At one point, I thought that Aurelius was going to end up being someone he wasn't.  Maybe like another sibling of Adeline & Emmeline.  I don't know why I figured that because his age was all wrong.  But for reason I did  ::)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 16, 2008, 09:27:34 am
Jan~
I had that thought twitter thru my mind too...

Arew we ready for another question?  Who are we missing that hasn't chimed in yet??

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on June 16, 2008, 09:56:11 am
I'll chime in, again. For me the twin thing was overdone. Perhaps because I don't know any twins, yet THIS many twins in one story? I also know my frame of mind was odd since I was reading it pre, during, post CK......As I think of it that may have been the only way to develop the story?  I would have liked to had a very solid resolution to why Vida chose Margaret. I get the feeling we are supposed to understand it. For instance, Vida just "knew" to ask her because of the other work she had read of hers. Why didn't Vida just write the book when younger to be revealed after her death?

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 16, 2008, 10:38:42 am
Mary~
That is a very good point, but it seemed to me that it was so painful for her to tell that maybe she couldn't write it.  Maybe she had planned to - thus, the name the 13th Tale originally, and then could never do it...   ???

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 16, 2008, 01:50:37 pm
it seemed to me that it was so painful for her to tell that maybe she couldn't write it.  Maybe she had planned to - thus, the name the 13th Tale originally, and then could never do it...   ???


That's what I thought. 

We haven't heard from Kate, but I'm not sure if she's discussing or not.  It's been a while since she's posted.

Steve, do you have another question?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on June 16, 2008, 08:27:08 pm




We haven't heard from Kate, but I'm not sure if she's discussing or not.  It's been a while since she's posted.

[/quote]

I had to sit this one out...too much going on at work.  I'll catch up next time around.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 16, 2008, 08:33:49 pm
Good to hear from you Kate.

Sorry you won't be discussing with us this time around.

Don't work too hard  :)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 16, 2008, 08:53:29 pm

Steve, do you have another question?


Um, compare and contrast the principle characters of Moby Dic.k and The Old Man and the Sea - oh wait, that's from some English class...

How about: So why did you like this book so much? What was it about the story, or the story-telling, that made it a good book to read?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 16, 2008, 11:25:24 pm
I don't think I ever actually read Moby d***, although I know what it's about and I recall the line "call me Ishmael" (or however you spell it).  As for the Old Man and the Sea, I didn't read it either - but I saw the movie.  Spencer Tracy wasn't it?

Anyway, I liked the book because there were lots of mysteries like - what was Ms. Winter's real story, why did she pick Margaret to write it, who was Aurelius, what happened to Margaret's twin, etc., - and there were lots of plot twists and surprises.  It was one of those books I wanted to keep reading because I was dying to find out what happened.  It was definitely not boring  ;)

I also liked the book because IMO it was kind of a "challenging" read - not just "fluff".  I had to pay close attention to what was going on and even then, I'm sure I missed something.  While I like to read fluff every now and then, overall I like books with substance  :)

Jan

Okay - just for the record, I didn't put the *** in the title of "that whale book" - when I posted my reply it was done for me.  Didn't realize the sensors on this forum where that sensitive  :D  Note to moderators - this could be a problem for someone who's formal name is Richard LOL
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 17, 2008, 07:32:06 am
Jan~
I was wondering if you put in the astericks!!

I, too, thought a lot of the same things Jan did - I read this question last night but was too tired to post so I was thinking about it this morning before I got up.  I knew that there was a "twist" so that definitely kept me going.  But, it was just a good read that really kept your interest.  You really had to pay attention because there were so many people and sub-plots to keep up with.  I do read a lot of fluff...& don't remember it a month later, but this was not that way!!  I liked it too because we are still REALLY thinking about it and even going back to reread different things - I know for me, that doesn't happen a lot!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 17, 2008, 08:30:49 am
I agree that this book is one that I will remember - like I mentioned earlier, I still "feel" the darkness, mystery, tragedy of that book.  I have recommended it to several people that are also book lovers.  I find it hard to describe when they ask me what type of book it is.  I actually don't know that I would have read it had it not been for this book club, so thanks for suggesting it (forgot who that was). 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 17, 2008, 10:39:39 am
I think the book was suggested by K whose sister-in-law recommended it.

I don't think I would have read this book either if it wasn't for the book club - but I'm glad I did.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 17, 2008, 11:23:27 am
It was me (& I am still am proud since it was a book of "substance") - Kathy, my SIL, did tell me about it when I went to Houston for one of my many Dr. appointments!!

Glad it turned out to be a good one that everyone liked!!   ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 18, 2008, 09:00:59 pm
So, Steve, you never answered your own question.

Why did you like the book so much?  What was it about the story, or the story-telling, that made it a good book to read?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 18, 2008, 09:19:47 pm
Um, I thought if I asked the question I wouldn't have to answer it.  :-\

I think I liked all the detail about the various settings and characters. The Missus and John "Dig" could have been two generic people, but we learn a lot about them, and they were anything but generic. All the characters were characters, so to speak. I also liked the parallel stories of "what happened back then," along side of "Margaret and Miss Winter today." The story-telling was well done.

The "what happened back then" part of the story was pretty elaborate. That was one seriously messed up family they had going. It seemed a little unbelievable to me, but it did make for a good mystery. I think that style of "gothic novel" was quite popular at one time, and it fit well with the story of Margaret and Miss Winter.

As some of us might say after recovering from our AN treatment, Margaret must be sitting around now saying "Okay then, that was interesting. Now what shall I do?"

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 18, 2008, 09:48:06 pm
Steve -

I hadn't really thought about The Missus and John "Dig" being such developed characters, but you are right.  It would have been very easy for the author to just keep them generic.  She was actually very good about giving details on every character - Margaret's father, the woman who took Aurelius in (I forget her name), etc.

I know others have debated what time period the story was set in, but I have no opinion on this.

Do you?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 19, 2008, 12:25:35 am
Jan,

Since you ask, I have an opinion now. :)

I think Miss Winter was about 15 at the time of the house burning. Let's say she was 75 when telling her story to Margaret. (Did her age come up anywhere?) That's about 60 years difference.

Back when she was the girl in the mist, the doctor was coming around in a horse drawn brougham. (Nice word, brougham. Let's use it on Jim sometime.) In the Margaret and Miss Winter time, they have cars and telephones and such. So you have to pick two years that differ by 60 and that span horse-drawn buggies and modern cars and phones (no email or internet forums, though). How about 1915 for the house burning down, and 1975 for the interview with Miss Winter? If Margaret was 30 something, that would put her twin separation surgery in 1945 or so, which seems feasible. Could easily go 10 years either way.

Are there some other clues or facts that make it earlier or later? I'm sure I missed something in there...

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 19, 2008, 11:11:24 am
(Nice word, brougham. Let's use it on Jim sometime.)

It's a plan  :D

You are MUCH more perceptive than I am, which is kind of why I asked your opinion - I figured that you would know.

I think you are right!  (And I don't say that to people very often) LOL

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 19, 2008, 11:32:13 am
Sounds like a good time line to me...


OK, the whole incest thing really bothered me...why do you think that she (I forget her name - twins Mom) let her brother do, & continue, to do that to her??  AND if John Dig and the Missus knew about it - why did they let it continue...especially if he wasn't all there??

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 19, 2008, 10:33:15 pm
Isabelle was her name. The whole family was left over 19th century aristocracy, living the old way to  the very end. I think there were some bad genes floating around among the aristocracy, probably due to a few too many uncles marrying their nieces, and other such inbreeding practices. Do you remember it started when Charlie led her out to some abandoned hut, and she watched him cut himself, and took the wire and cut her own arm? She was into it, I think, for some twisted reason. Thinking about that made me realize that Charlie was Adeline's uncle, which partly explains why Adeline was such a terror. As Hester would say, Missus and John Dig were "staff," and not in a position to stop Charlie, who was the master of the house.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 19, 2008, 10:45:42 pm
Ah, but was Charlie Adeline's uncle? or was he her father? 

Wasn't a part of the whole mystery trying to figure out if Charlie and Isabelle were Adeline & Emmeline's parents or if Isabelle and her husband were?

The incest thing was a little disturbing, but to give the author credit, she didn't really get into too many specific details - which I for one am thankful for  ;)

I think the Missus and John Dig just denied what was going on.  It reminds me of that recent story in the news about the father who kept his daughter locked in the basement and had children with her.  How could his wife (the girl's mother) have no idea what was going on?  IMO it was a pure & simple case of denial.  She didn't want to deal with the situation, therefore she chose to delude herself.

Jan 

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 20, 2008, 07:26:50 am
I thought that in the end, it pretty much implied that Charlie was the father of all three -- remember that they looked EXACTLY alike AND it talked about that poor farmers didn't have the means to "take care" or such things as that.  I think it was talking about how Charlie would run wild over the countryside and take advantage of whatever girl he wanted...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 20, 2008, 10:34:13 pm
K -

thanks for reminding me of that.  After I said that I figured Charlie was Adeline & Emmeline's father, I thought that maybe I had read something into the story that wasn't there  :o  There was just so much to pick up on in this book; I feel like I missed a few things.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 21, 2008, 07:37:50 am
Know what you mean, Jan.  Still feel like I want to read it again just to try to catch everything and put all the 2 and 2's together...if that's possible.

Good point earlier about the details given for the relatively minor characters of John Dig and the Missus (that relationship was strange also...).

Steve, you're right about the whole aristocracy inbreeding thing - seen historically many times.  I'm reading a book right now about Cleopatra - her mother and father were 1/2 brother and sister and that had been the "policy" for centuries for that branch of rulers...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on June 21, 2008, 08:42:16 pm
Steve,

I think your point about the inbreeding of the aristocracy was insightful. That would explain a lot of their failings.

I am really enjoying reading everyone's perspective. So many things to ponder.

Mary  8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 21, 2008, 10:52:44 pm
Steve -

got any more questions?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 21, 2008, 11:45:28 pm
Nope. Are we done? Got another book lined up?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 22, 2008, 10:05:17 am
I have no more questions either and could suggest a million books - big sale at Books a Million yesterday  :D

I'll save my suggestions until we hear from the others.

Anyone else have questions or comments?  Or should we move on?

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 22, 2008, 12:15:58 pm
I'm good w/ whatever everyone else wants to do...always ready to read!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 22, 2008, 02:53:44 pm
How about we read "Friday Night Knitting Club", and continue discussing 13th Tale in the meantime?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on June 22, 2008, 05:39:09 pm
I am fine with moving on....I will look forward to reading whatever is chosen.

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 22, 2008, 09:14:21 pm
How about we read "Friday Night Knitting Club", and continue discussing 13th Tale in the meantime?

Works for me, if it works for the others.  I think we still need to hear from Kaybo (I think she's still in Branson) and Soundy.  Anyone else I'm missing?  Do you know if Kate's in or out this time around?  And any word on OMG?

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 23, 2008, 08:57:16 am
Friday Night Knitting Club is good for me ...

Been lurking here last few days...when I hit post and losing anything I have typed... bad phone
connection and computer running slow... faster this morning maybe it will work...crossing eyes

The possibility that Charlie was the twins father was always in the back of my mind and
I think maybe Isabelle made an effort to break free of him by marrying and when her husband
died was drawn back to him because the husband's (forgot his name ) family rejected her and she
had no other place to go ...

I wonder how much of Charlie's mental illness he was born with  and how much a result of
parental neglect? ...or a combination of both...He may have been  ill and it was multiplied  by the lack
of attention from his father and the loss of his mother ... it seems like little hints were given he was not
just right even before his mother's death ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 23, 2008, 09:28:33 am
I am stiill in Branson - I am fine with whatever...did anyone look at the discussion questions at the back of the book?  I was going to look at that & see if there was something good we left out, but don't have it here.  I like Steve's suggestion of starting the other and still be open to discuss this if we want...I'll be home Thursday...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 23, 2008, 02:31:08 pm
I looked at the questions at the back of the book last night.  Some of them we discussed, some of them we didn't.

Sounds like The Friday Night Knitting Club it is.  Any ideas on what date we should start discussing?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 23, 2008, 05:22:44 pm
So, The Friday Night Knitting Club really is a book??  Who's the author?  I'll try to get it in the next few days...

Cindy J (not to be confused w/ the new Cindy)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 23, 2008, 06:15:59 pm
Hi "old" Cindy  :D  LOL

yes, it is a book.  The author is Kate Jacobs - got that off the book cover; I've never heard of her before.

I purchased my book at Sam's Club, but I've also seen it at Target, Walmart, and Books a Million.  It's a paperback and it's been out for a little while, so it shouldn't be too expensive.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: shygirl on June 24, 2008, 09:37:15 am
Hey everyone,

I didn't get to read Thirteenth Tale because I was too busy--and I couldn't find it. Summer vacation with 3 kiddies. :P I'm worn out!!!

I am going to Walmart today and will look for "Friday night knitting club".

I just finished reading a book by James Patterson called "Sundays at Tiffany's". Beautiful story. Not his normal stuff, but his love stories are just as good.


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 24, 2008, 10:30:55 am
Shy -

3 kiddies and summer!  I'm tired just imagining this  ;D

I just finished The Story of Marriage and I really, really liked it.  I highly recommend it to everyone.  I've read a few James Patterson's but not a lot; I'll have to check out Sundays at Tiffany's.

It would be great if you join us for Friday Night Knitting Club.  Happy shopping - and a word of advice, try to shop without the kiddies - you'll be able to spend less!

I took my son to Sam's Club on Sunday and my bill was twice what it normally is!  Guess I'll have to start leaving him at home  ;)

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: shygirl on June 24, 2008, 06:56:44 pm
Jan-

Took your advice and left the two older ones at home. Took the youngest because he doesn't ask for stuff. Found the book rather quickly and it looks very interesting. Can't wait to start reading it. Of course, I'll have to wait until the hethens(sp?)go to sleep!!!

James Patterson has a new one out titled "Sail". I was so tempted to buy it.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on June 25, 2008, 12:47:09 pm
I received the book from Amazon yesterday! Do we have a finish date?

Take care all!

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 25, 2008, 05:14:08 pm
Mary -

glad you have the book.

No one has set a finish date yet.  Any suggestions from anyone?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 25, 2008, 07:42:48 pm
Bought the book tonight, but know I can't start it til next week - got to finish my Cleopatra book.  Heading to Little Rock tomorrow and won't be back til Sun night.  So I'll "see" you guys Monday.

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 25, 2008, 10:28:14 pm
Should we shoot for discussion to start on July 14th?  or is that too early?

I'll be in NJ, but will have my laptop so I'll be able to participate.

What do you guys say?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 26, 2008, 08:39:49 pm
I'M BACK!!!!!!!

I am reading another book right now, but the 14th should be OK for me.  I will be getting ready to go back to Baltimore, but will have access to a computer even while I am gone!   ;)

K

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 26, 2008, 11:28:20 pm
K -

what other book are you reading now?

Just curious,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 27, 2008, 07:49:02 am
Jan~
You know me, just the fluff.  I just finished the new Janet Evanovich (14) and it was so funny.  I just laugh at those books - it is about a Jersey girl so I can see that Lori gets her humor & ways honestly by being raised there!  Now I am reading a Christian fiction book - I just picked up one that was cheap at WalMart on our trip.  It made me think of you, b/c it is about a girl in Chicage and the World's Fair...it is pretty good!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on June 27, 2008, 08:19:03 pm
How about we read "Friday Night Knitting Club", and continue discussing 13th Tale in the meantime?

Works for me, if it works for the others.  Do you know if Kate's in or out this time around?  And any word on OMG?an



I am in on this one! Is Friday Night Knitting Club the book? 

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 27, 2008, 08:32:13 pm
July 14th works for me, and Friday Night Knitting Club it is.

Being a seasoned knitting professional, I feel that I have an unfair advantage, so I will try to read the book slowly, as if I knew nothing at all about knitting.  ;)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on June 27, 2008, 08:38:43 pm
July 14th works for me, and Friday Night Knitting Club it is.

Being a seasoned knitting professional, I feel that I have an unfair advantage, so I will try to read the book slowly, as if I knew nothing at all about knitting.  ;)

Steve

Smiling about the unfair advantage!  How is the cap making going?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 27, 2008, 09:04:52 pm
I have e-mailed 16 and I called her today and just got the machine -- I must say I am getting a bit worried...However, I know that they have land in the forest and a trailer and spend most weekends there when everything is OK so maybe they had just already left for the weekend (of course witht the time change, that probably isn't the case...)  I'll let you know if I hear something...

Kate-
Glad you are back with us - you missed out on a good one, though!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 27, 2008, 11:08:51 pm
Kate -

like K said, I'm glad your "in" and if you get a chance, you should read the 13th Tale - very  good book  ;D


K -

I was wondering about OMG myself.  The AN Calendar says she was having surgery on the 18th.  Hope she's doing okay and will update us soon.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 30, 2008, 02:38:41 pm
had to take my son to Huntsville Alabama last Thursday... Barnes and Nobles is moving ... big sale going on
with all books discounted ... they had  tons of books at 50% off already reduced price and many as much as
75% off.. the man said they can restock cheaper than moving what they have ... got a couple books but plan
on going back this week when I have more mad money to spend ... I am going through this thread and making
a list of books mentioned to check out ...

One book I got to  is Jane Eyre... $2.49 for a nicely bound  hard covered copy ... I wanted to read it because it
was mentioned more than once in Thirteenth Tale ... I have read bits of it through the years but not the
whole thing...

Happy Reading
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 30, 2008, 02:44:51 pm
Soundy,

I read Jane Eyre 2 or 3 times years ago - so good - hope you enjoy it! 

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 30, 2008, 04:13:11 pm
I have never read Jane Eyre - will have to one day.

I have a copy of Anna Karenina that's been on my shelf for about a year now.  It looks SO long that I haven't had the courage to start it.

Anyone read it?  Is it worth the read?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on June 30, 2008, 04:36:17 pm

I have never read Jane Eyre - will have to one day.

I have a copy of Anna Karenina that's been on my shelf for about a year now.  It looks SO long that I haven't had the courage to start it.

Anyone read it?  Is it worth the read?

Jan

Yes.  Leo Tolstoy's novel is long and somewhat dated (written in 1877) and it is in some ways distinctly Russian, the Russia of the late 19th century, not the communist Russia we all grew up with, in a sense, but the core story is very romantic, tragic and yet realistic, which was Tolstoy's genius.  There is a reason this big, dated novel survives.  It is definitely worth reading, in my opinion (  but what do I know?)  :)

Jim
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 30, 2008, 05:02:02 pm
Yes, I agree w/ Jim on Anna Karenina - it's worth the effort.  Never did get through War and Peace, though...perhaps I'll give it another go some time :-\...Jim, do I assume correctly that you have read it?

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 30, 2008, 05:06:20 pm
Thanks Cindy & Jim.

Perhaps I'll take the book on vacation with me and hope the kids are occupied enough to let me get some reading time in  ;)

I haven't read War & Peace either, but I'm betting that Jim has.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 04, 2008, 10:59:28 am
I will finish The Friday Night Knitting Club today.  I only have the last 3 chapters to go and they are fairly short.

How's everyone else doing?  Are we on target for discussion on the 14th?

Once I finish this book, I'm moving to Jimmy Buffett's latest "Swine Not".  Sound like kind of a silly book, but I enjoy reading Jimmy's stuff almost as much as I enjoy listening to his music.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: lori67 on July 04, 2008, 11:16:39 am
Hey, since I missed all the book club stuff on the last books, maybe I can join in on this one.  I just finished reading the Friday Night Knitting Club.  Yes, I can read!!   ;)

Lori
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 04, 2008, 11:53:57 am
WOW!  I am so excited that you are joining us Lori!  I will probably finish today or tomorrow...We got "Swine Not" for Dave for Father's Day - I noticed this morning that he had started it since he finished his other book.  He is really trying to read more & not watch so much TV (a wifey suggestion???).

K

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 04, 2008, 07:41:29 pm
Lori -

it would be great if you joined us  ;D  I had a feeling you could read  ;D

K -

maybe when Dave's done with Swine Not he and I can discuss it  ;)  LOL

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 04, 2008, 10:09:36 pm
Jan~
I just finished the book this afternoon - I liked it!  I'll tell Dave!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 05, 2008, 09:29:15 am
K -

I liked the book too, but not as much as Thirteenth Tale.  I'll tell you why once we start discussion.

I was only teasing about discussing with Dave, but if wants to we'll work something out  :)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 05, 2008, 09:33:45 am
Jan~
I was joking too!  Plus, he is a VERY slow reader - you will have finished 36 books before he finishes one!  But at least he is making an effort!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on July 05, 2008, 10:50:31 am
Count me in on a book club, but as far as recommendations, I have too many to list.  Besides - I want to read something new!   ;)
Julie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 05, 2008, 10:17:01 pm
Julie -

glad you're joining us  8)

I assume you saw that we are currently reading The Friday Night Knitting Club and discussion starts on July 14th.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on July 06, 2008, 09:04:55 am
i'll try and pick it up; just as long as I don't have to knit on friday's I'm good.
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 06, 2008, 04:20:12 pm
Julie -

no knitting required.  We leave that to Steve  ;)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on July 07, 2008, 05:03:23 pm
Crazy weekend, but I FINALLY started the book today!  Didn't think I'd get into it at first, but it has picked up and think I'll like it.  Will try to have it finished by the 14th!  Welcome, Julie.

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on July 07, 2008, 07:00:54 pm
Hi,

I just got back from a short RV trip and haven't started the book, but while I was gone, Mom read it and said I will like it.  :)

I will try to get it read by the 14th.

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 07, 2008, 10:27:54 pm
Mary -

glad you are going to join us.  The book is quite good; I think you'll like it  :)

I've got about 4 chapters left of Swine Not and then I'm moving on to "Sail" by James Patterson - mentioned a few posts back by shygirl.

Sounds like a good book - thanks shygirl  ;D

Steve -

haven't heard from you on this thread for a while.  Are you going to be ready for discussion on the 14th  ???

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 07, 2008, 11:27:50 pm
Steve -
haven't heard from you on this thread for a while.  Are you going to be ready for discussion on the 14th  ???

You mean for "Sex in the City" with Knitting? Yeah, I'll be ready, I think... ::)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: shygirl on July 08, 2008, 01:20:27 am
You're welcome, Jan.

I have finally gotten to the "meat" of "Friday Night Knitting Club". It's not my usual style, but I like it!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 08, 2008, 06:35:56 am
Steve -

Believe it or not, I'm one of the minority who has never seen Sex in the City - I'm not much of a TV watcher - but I just assumed it would be largely about sex.

Surely this book doesn't fit into that category.  It's pretty tame compared to some stuff I've read.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 08, 2008, 10:52:22 am
Jan~
I never saw S & C on TV either, but went with a group of girls to see the movie.  I really enjoyed it, but I was sitting open-mouthed at times.  I lead a sheltered life!  I was even more astounded about certain things because my friend's teenage daughter & her friend were there!!   :o

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 08, 2008, 07:25:39 pm
K -

haven't seen the movie either - so guess I lead a more sheltered life than you do  :D

Maybe if Lori hasn't seen it, we can leave the kids with her hubby and my brother and we can go see the movie.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 08, 2008, 07:56:15 pm
I've only seen SITC a few times, and not the movie, which is probably more R. It seemed like an ordinary soap opera to me, with a little more sauce thrown in here and there.

I guess my comment was meant to say that the plot so far seems along the same lines. I'm not finding the story all that engaging, though I like the knitting part. :)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on July 08, 2008, 09:00:40 pm
The movie is fantastic!!!!  I loved Dante hubba, hubba ::) 

Hey ladies what about the shoe closet Mr Big built for Carrie.....I can only wish! 

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 08, 2008, 10:57:26 pm
I'm not finding the story all that engaging, though I like the knitting part. :)

Steve -

I don't want to dissuade anyone from reading the book since I know there are those who have just started, and it's a good book in it's own right, but as I said earlier, I found The Thirteenth Tale to be much more to my liking.  Sounds like maybe we're both on the same path  ;)  I'll elaborate more once discussion starts.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: lori67 on July 09, 2008, 01:12:11 pm
I have to say I had a hard time getting into the Knitting one.  But once I did, I couldn't put it down.  So for those of you struggling to get through the beginning, keep going - it'll be worth it!  I stilll can't knit though.   :(

Jan, I think the last movie I saw in a theater....hmmmmm...let's see.....without cartoon characters.......Maybe Pirates of the Caribbean?  I REALLY don't get out much - but if getting out involves Johhny Depp - then I can make a real effort!   ;)

Lori
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 09, 2008, 02:16:45 pm
I just passed the Knitting book on to my friend with the instructions, "It is a little hard to get into but stick with it because it gets a LOT better!"  I totally agree with you Lori...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 09, 2008, 05:03:05 pm
Lori -

last movie I saw in the theater was Blades of Glory with Will Ferrell.  The one before that was Talladega Nights (Will Ferrell also).

But I'm with you, Johnny is definitely worth watching  ;)

Glad I wasn't the only one who found The Knitting book hard to get into.  I found the story picked up as I went along, but I also found it a little too much like other books I've read in the past.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on July 09, 2008, 05:53:47 pm
I also have found Knitting hard to get into, but will stick w/ it since some of you say it gets better...

Haven't seen Sex in City...HAVE seen Johnny Depp...love Captain Jack - I have been very, very tempted to get a poster of him to put in my basement ::)

I'm off to read...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 09, 2008, 11:21:19 pm
My niece has a few posters of Johnny in her bedroom - VERY nice  ;)

I'm also told that he was here in Chicago very recently filming a gangster movie - maybe about Dillinger? - and he was spotted at a local bar  8)

Someone I work with ran into him there and said he's an incredibly nice guy.   Wish I would have run into him  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 10, 2008, 11:10:50 am
Knitting was hard to get into but was good once I did

We went to see Kung Foo Panda a couple weeks ago... I leaned on my husband and went to sleep... but
the kids said it was good ...

I watched all the Pirate movies about a month ago during a sleepless week and not in a mood for a book...
Christmas is suppose to bring a big TV in the living room ... I plan on watching them again on the bigger
screen... bigger can be better  :o and the 20 inch little TV in the living room doesn't do the movies any justice ...
swiped it from the girls when our old 30 inch console went to TV heaven

My 27 year old sister has Johny posters galore and a pirates skull ring with ruby eyes ....she had my girls
convinced that she was engaged to a pirate and was going to live on a ship robbing people ... she had them
saying they were plundering for ill gotten booty til I made her knock it off...just didn't sound right coming
from then 6 and 8 year olds
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 13, 2008, 07:15:06 pm
Better bump this up. Discussion starts tomorrow, with the first topic coming from Jan. :)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on July 14, 2008, 07:32:15 am
I will skip most of the discussion since I only got 100 pages into it so far.

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 14, 2008, 08:52:10 pm
Gee, Steve, didn't realize I was starting the discussion.  Just tuned in after a few days off.  Still in NJ - wasn't able to connect with Lori unfortunately - headed to NYC tomorrow.  Haven't had computer access until about an hour ago and might not again until tomorrow night or so.  Therefore, I'll start discussion a few hours early.

Did anyone "see" the end of the book coming?  I guess what I mean is, I was reading along and at some point I figured I knew exactly where the author was going with Georgia's life, but I was wrong.

Did anyone else think Georgia's life would turn out the way it did?

Jan


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: shygirl on July 15, 2008, 12:39:57 am
I didn't "see" it coming, either. But when it did, I actually hollered out "NOoooooo".  I did know something would be "wrong" with her because of the conversation with the Dr's office when Georgia was making an appt for Anita. I just didn't think it would be that bad. A very REAL novel. From chapter 10 on, couldn't put it down!!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 15, 2008, 06:41:23 am
I, too, knew something would be "wrong" when she made Anita's appointment- I really thought that she would turn out to be pregnant!!  Even when it turned out she was so sick, I thought that she would kick it because she had been so tough through out the whole book.  I couldn't believe the ending - I think I groaned out loud too!  I was just bawling!!  Jan, when you said you had 3 chepters left-wasn't that it?  Did you know??

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on July 15, 2008, 02:07:45 pm
Finally finished the book a few minutes ago!  I knew something bad was going to happen because of the comparison on the cover to Steel Magnolias, but I kept thinking it would be Dakota, not Georgia.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on July 15, 2008, 08:41:33 pm
I will finish The Friday Night Knitting Club today. 
How's everyone else doing?  Are we on target for discussion on the 14th?

Jan

Today is the 15th....
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 15, 2008, 09:27:20 pm
Today is the 15th....

Yes, it is - and I asked the first question on the 13th.  Sorry I was a day early, but I'm out of town and was unsure of internet access  :)

K -

I didn't realize what would happen to Georgia when I only had a few chapters of the book left.  Actually I had kind of lost interest in the story line at that point and was seriously contemplating not reading the ending because I wrongly assumed it would be a "Happily Ever After" ending.

Not that I'm opposed to such endings, but I just thought I had everything figured out.  I assumed that Georgia would recover, move on to marriage, have a couple more kids, etc.  The ending very much surprised me at least as far as what happened to Georgia.  I pretty much figured out what would happen in the other character's lives though.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 15, 2008, 10:09:37 pm
Like others, I spotted the dark cloud coming when Georgia was making the appointment for Anita, and got asked to come in too.

The odd thing about the ending is that it didn't really seem necessary for the story. It would have ended up almost the same anyway, if Georgia had still been there; she had already had such an effect on everyone else.

Can we talk about Gran and James?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 16, 2008, 10:37:06 am
Like Cindy I figured something bad was coming due to the Steel Magnolia reference but also
thought Dakota ...

Also pregnancy crossed my mind before real problem was revealed

If Georgia had opened James letters when she got them do you think their relationship would have
rekindled sooner or do you think it had to wait til she was ready and really her own person?

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on July 16, 2008, 12:33:25 pm
Can we talk about Gran and James?

Steve


Jan--My error, I don't know why I didn't see that whole page of posts....

Steve: Yes, I'd like to discuss them. Can we discuss James first?.... He was a transformed man.... But I am curious as to what you were thinking when you asked about discussing him?

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 16, 2008, 07:03:35 pm
I found James interesting, and that there was not enough about him. He started out as a stereotype playboy of some sort. I guess not revealing the letters for so long kept him in that status for much of the book, though he changed pretty soon after leaving Georgia. That makes her not reading the letters in the first place kind of mean, don't you think? This will get me in trouble, no doubt, but it seemed like Georgia falling for James in the first place was kind of typical "bad boy love," if that means anything. She had no basis for thinking he was all set to settle down and raise a family - she just sort of assumed that. Not that I am a fan of playboy types, but if that is what they are, the whole "I can change him when we get married" idea seems lame to me. I didn't see any evidence that James misrepresented his intentions to her.

Okay, I think I've dug the whole deep enough for now...

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on July 16, 2008, 10:17:31 pm
Hi,

I know I have only read 100 pages or so....but am reading about the book and I did feel that Georgia was too hard on James when she seemed to know what she was getting into.

Mary 8)


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on July 17, 2008, 08:23:36 am
Just a quick stop in to say that I agree w/ you, Steve ;)

James was really one of my favorite characters in the book...

Got to run, but hope to be back later to further discuss...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 17, 2008, 07:50:51 pm
Steve -

IMO you are absolutely correct.  I think that Georgia saw James as a "bad boy" relationship also. 

I think his character would have been better if it was developed more, but the way I see it this "lack of development" kind of went along with the whole "this is a women's book" theme of the book.

For those of you who read this book and Thirteenth Tale, which one did you like better, and why?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 18, 2008, 06:40:07 am
I agree with you too Steve...

thoughts ... you can't go into a relationship and think you can completely make a person be who
you want them to be ... they will evolve and so will you but trying to force it or read into it what you want
to see is waiting for disaster...

my step dad was a bad boy ... mom was gonna fix him and he was gonna be great ... didn't happen and they
divorced when my little sister was about a year old and mom kept him at a distance and away from my sister...
he started growing up and was getting his act together , had a good job , a new wife and baby on the way and
was killed in a car wreck... my sister now 28 is still mad at mom for keeping them apart ... I saw Cory(sister) in Dakota
with  the feelings she had toward her mom when James came back in the picture

I think she was unfair to not read the letter ... he changed for the best but she never gave him , herself
or Dakota a chance to know that...

I liked Thirteenth tale better
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on July 18, 2008, 12:02:37 pm
I liked Elephant book best of the three and it was good to me from the get go.  I really didn't care for 13th tale that much. This book (Friday Knitting) I never finished but it was a little more engaging from the beginning to me. Knowing how it ends wouldn't stop me from reading it, but for some reason it isn't my kind of story, either, I guess. Or maybe it is my health right now. Just a dizzy dame!

Take care all,

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on July 18, 2008, 02:03:11 pm
Definitely liked Thirteenth Tale better...thought the writing was better, the characters were much better developed and the story was much more interesting.  For me, this one was too much like ordinary real life...if that makes sense...

I'm off to the beach this weekend, so I won't be back to the Club for a week!  Ya'll have fun w/ the rest of the discussion and have a good week.

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 19, 2008, 01:59:32 am
I definitely liked The Thirteenth Tale better - IMO it was more interesting and I found it a lot less predictable than Knitting Club.  It was the kind of book I couldn't put down - especially near the end when the author was putting all the pieces of the puzzle together for us.

Although with Knitting Club I didn't see Georgia's medical issue coming and I certainly didn't think the book would end up the way it did, I pretty much figured out most of the other stuff.  I found it somewhat boring.  I liked the challenge of Thirteenth Tale much more.

I'd have to rate the Elephant book 2nd, because although I liked My Sister's Keeper, it was a repeat read for me.

No one has commented on Gran yet.  I'm not sure what I thought of her.  Anyone?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 19, 2008, 04:15:52 pm
The visit to Gran in Scotland was the point in the book where it finally got interesting to me. Up till then it seemed like a lot of typical contemporary life, with dialog that did not make me feel like I was reading about real people.

Gran changed that, with her rural Scottish village that has cell phones and organic biscuits on the tea shop menus, and her sharper than a tack perceptions about people and life. She picked up pretty quickly that Georgia was bearing her grudges far too long, with both James and Catherine (Cat), and seemed to be the turning point for getting Georgia to take another look.

Did anyone think the knitting was a useful element in the story?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 19, 2008, 05:21:08 pm
THE Scotland chapters did seem more real to me ... and Gran wizened Georgia up cause grans
are often wise people if you listen to them...

mine was odd and gave me advise like when you take a bath make sure you don't leave any stray
hairs on the soap... told me this when I was maybe 6 and I still remember it 40 years later...

Gran did open up Georgia's eyes to the fact that people can and do change and what a teen ager
did to you umpteen years before couldn't be held against their adult self...

The knitting was the common thread that brought them togethere... it could have been any number of
things ...quilting ,painting or even a reading group ... the story just needed something to bring the
group of people together and knitting was it
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 19, 2008, 10:10:46 pm
Hey All~
Just returned from Baltimore yesterday and found out that I have no internet access (turned DSL off) - AT&T's fault - supposed to fix it Monday so I have been kind of quiet lately.  I liked Knitting Club but definitely liked the others better with 13th being my favorite.  Has anyone else heard anything about The Shack?  I think that is what it is called...I heard that was a good one

Hope everyone is doing well!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 19, 2008, 11:37:33 pm
The knitting was the common thread that brought them togethere... it could have been any number of
things ...quilting ,painting or even a reading group ... the story just needed something to bring the
group of people together and knitting was it

I'm still on the fence about Gran, though you guys have very valid points about her.

I do, however, totally agree with Soundy's quote (above) about the knitting.  I also liked the little analogies about knitting and life at the beginning of each chapter - I thought they were very clever.

Sorry about your internet problems, K.  I haven't heard of The Shack; will have to check it out on Amazon or something.  I just finished Sail by James Patterson in the wee hours of this morning.  I'm going to start A Thousand Splendid Suns by the author of The Kite Runner next.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 21, 2008, 05:43:14 pm
A friend lent  me The Shack today... William P.Young is the author... she picked it up at Walmart



From the back cover

Mackenzie Allen Philips', youngest daughter ,Missy ,has been abducted during a family holiday and evidence that she may have been brutally murdered is found in an abandon shack deep in the Oregon wilderness. Four years later in the midst of his Great Sadness , Mack receives a suspicious note  , apparently from God,inviting him back to the shack for a weekend.

Against his better judgment he arrives at the shack on a wintry afternoon and walks back into his darkest nightmare. What he finds there will change Mack's world forever.

In a world where religion seems to grow increasingly irrelevant The Shack wrestles with the timeless question , "Where is God in a world so filled with unspeakable pain?" The answers Mack gets will astound you and perhaps transform you as much as it did him.You'll want everyone you know to read this book .


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 21, 2008, 05:45:37 pm
Soundy -

thanks for the info.  I never did get a chance to look for The Shack on Amazon or elsewhere.  You just saved me the trouble  ;)

Sounds very interesting, but also very creepy.  I'll have to think about this one.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on July 22, 2008, 10:30:08 am

Did anyone think the knitting was a useful element in the story?

Steve


The knitting club was the venue, the thread <pun intended> that brought that group of people together. Not unlike the ANA support group..in a way. ...we just don't meet on Friday nights....

Gran was the "sage" in the book who had all the wisdom..other than Anita who shared a great deal herself.  I found her conversation with Dakota most revealing. And I loved how she handled the staring by others with Dakota..."you are beautiful and if they are staring for any other reason...."

Relative to James and Georgia...Do you think she knew he was a "playboy" at the onset?  I got the impression that she was blindsighted by his departure from their apartment.  I must admit her not reading the letters seemed unrealistic in light of the fact that she knew about the bank account James set up for Dakota.  Also, being female, no female I know would let letters go unread for that many years....

What did you like about Georgia? What didn't you like?

My two cents from Victoria B.C.
Kate

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 22, 2008, 10:46:02 pm
I must admit her not reading the letters seemed unrealistic in light of the fact that she knew about the bank account James set up for Dakota.  Also, being female, no female I know would let letters go unread for that many years....

Excellent point, Kate.  I'm with you on this one.  I'm almost ashamed that I never thought of this  :-[

Hope you're in BC for pleasure; not work.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on July 23, 2008, 11:38:15 am
It occured to me knitting might have been the perfect venue. I  think the title could have been more engaging. However when analyzing what other theme they could have I went through many options. Like any music related club, they wouldn't be able to visit. If it were some art club, it requires a lot of concentration. If it was a book club, same thing. I guess crochete (sp?) would work, too. But you need something where people don't need to concentrate too hard and can visit. My "read" on it.

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 25, 2008, 08:38:11 am
Jan~
I just saw Shack in the window at Barnes & Noble the other day (HUGE display) and then I read a little review about it in People on the plane.  I think the thing that kind of intrigued me is that in People it said that it was a Christian work (which People NEVER has & usually doesn't rate up there w/ B&N either), but that ALL people would like it & I think "come away" with something...just curious if anyone had heard anything else or read it.  Thanks Soundy for putting up the review...

K *back from the coputer black hole*

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 25, 2008, 06:06:23 pm
Hey, I was wondering just this morning if we're done with discussion on the Knitting Club?

Not much "chatter" here.  Are we ready to move on to something new? or am I being premature here?

Thoughts would be appreciated.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on July 25, 2008, 06:48:22 pm
We can move on (in my opinion)

Should we add a twist to the discussion forum...something like discussing it as we read?  With the internet venue, it might work well.
Just a thought.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 26, 2008, 10:12:06 am
I say move on - I really liked the Knitting book (you know I like easy fluff) but it just didn't seem like there was much discussion...maybe it was the book and maybe it was the time of year & everyone's travel plans.

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on July 26, 2008, 01:09:10 pm
Hi wonderful people, ;D

I vote move on.

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 26, 2008, 04:00:35 pm
What we  need is another book title...

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 26, 2008, 08:59:18 pm
I agree, time to move on.

I think discussion was slow because of the book, but that's just my opinion.

I like Kate's idea of chatting mid-book, but I'm not sure it will work since we all seem to read at different paces.  Some books I've finished early, some I've barely met the "deadline" - it all depends on what else is going on in my life.  I think that's the same for most of us.

I'm open to anything fiction.  Who hasn't picked a book yet?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 26, 2008, 09:06:48 pm
I'm game for anything as long as it is fiction, or I can sit this one out if y'all want to shake it up & do a non-fiction...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 26, 2008, 11:11:52 pm
How about  A Thousand Splendid Suns, even though Jan has probably already finished it. I just read up on it, and it sounds good. It is by Khaled Hosseini, the author of Kite Runner.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on July 27, 2008, 08:16:07 am
Hi Steve,

I would LIKE that. I LOVED Kite Runner!!!! I would vote for that.

Mary
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Dana on July 27, 2008, 10:02:51 am
Hi - I'm new to the Book Club.  My usual diversion is logic puzzles that end up as pictures, and other "coloring book" type things - coloring mandalas, kalaidiscope (sp?) images, etc.  I love math, drawing and color.  Calms my brain.

But I've decided to return to reading.  And I have a great book to recommend.  I was told about the book because I'm good friends with the brother of the author -- don't go "UGH" yet!!!  It's a quick read, can't-put-it-down type and very inspiring.  Black Wave by John and Jean Silverwood.  I guess I don't have too much "say", being new the the Club, but I'd really recommend it get chosen as the next book.  It really is a page-turner.

Here's Publisher's Weekly description:  From Publishers Weekly
In 2003, after two years at sea, the 55-foot catamaran sailed by the Silverwoods, a suburban California family that chucked it all to sail around the world, hit a reef off the South Pacific island of Scilly (now known as Manuae), putting the life of Jean and John and their four children (ages five to 16) in peril. The first part of the book is written from Jean's perspective as she opens with the wreck and then moves smoothly between the family's fight for survival and the story of their journey. By juxtaposing the two tales, Jean illustrates how the children's maturity and cohesiveness were not only a byproduct of the trip but also the keys to all the Silverwoods surviving their ordeal, especially John, who was critically injured by the falling mast. Jean wears her heart on her sleeve, and her writing about her marital problems or John's alcoholic relapses is honest. John's narrative is half as long as Jean's, underscoring his straight-to-the point personality and writing style. The saga from John's perspective lacks emotion, but his ability to interweave the story of the Julia Anne (a sailing ship that hit the same reef in 1855) gives an eye-opening account of how much and how little sea travel has changed in 150 years and accentuates the heroism of this family that overcame an extraordinary ordeal.

Here's the review I wrote on Amazon.com:
A magnificently written tale. I got it in the mail after work, and had finished reading it by bedtime. You know that all the family members survived, so it's not any mystery that keeps you turning the pages. It's lots of things. A very accurate description of each moment that engage all your senses. Insightful descriptions of each "character", mostly done by describing their actions. Adventuresome little "marine biologist" Jack is my favorite. All the different ways each of them enjoy living on Earth, as well as how they deal with life. Straightforward and honest. Exciting - besides the final crash, there's storms and pirates and lots of sea creatures. Along the way it was humorous: "If we were going to die, we were going to die with our flip-flops on." (Not meant as a humorous statement, given the coral and the will to DO something, but humorous in spite of all that.) And educational, learning about what it's actually like to 'sail around the world' and learning about another ship that crashed on the same coral reef in the 1800's. It not only got my adrenaline going, but restored my spirits and my faith in human nature.

Here are all 20 reviews written on Amazon:
 http://www.amazon.com/review/product/1400066557/ref=cm_cr_pr_link_1?%5Fencoding=UTF8&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescending

As I said in my review,  "It not only got my adrenaline going, but restored my spirits and my faith in human nature."  Although our AN experiences have mostly not been "emergency" situations, I know you'd all find similarities to the way the different family members reacted to the situation, and find comfort.

PS I'm also a big Tony Hillerman "Navajo cop and mystery" story buff, so one of his is another option I'd recommend sometime.
Ciao,
Dana
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on July 27, 2008, 02:38:48 pm
[
Quote
quote author=Dana link=topic=5989.msg71885#msg71885 date=1217174571]
Along the way it was humorous: "If we were going to die, we were going to die with our flip-flops on."

I think I see their problem:  if you look in the "Sailing Handbook" I think it says you must die in deck shoes and a Rolex!
Just my warped sense of humor - I would love to sail again, but I can only afford to aspire to a canoe right now...

Regarding the book selection, I'm sorry I didn't have patience to look at the previous 35 Pages, so I'm not sure of book selection methodology - but in previous book clubs we made a suggestion list and after we'ld finish one we would put the nextt one in order up against any newer best seller and take a vote.
 
I'm all for 1K Splendid Suns though...
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on July 27, 2008, 04:28:02 pm
Well, I haven't been reading along with you guys, but I've got 1K Splendid Suns sitting unread on my bookshelf - this would be a perfect reason for me to read it.  Mind if I join in?

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on July 27, 2008, 04:45:03 pm
Hey guys,

Just back from the beach...guess we finished discussing Knitting...A Thousand Splendid Suns sounds good to me, especially as I just watched The Kite Runner this week while at the beach - really liked it and will read that book at some point also.

Welcome to you new book clubbers!  Debbi, hope you're doing ok, I have a ton of forum posts to read, so will check on your progress over on your thread at some point tonight...this was my first stop.

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 27, 2008, 06:37:09 pm
Actually, Steve, I got a little side-tracked with a book my mom lent me so I never started Splendid Suns - it's been sitting on my bookshelf  ::)

So if that's the general concensus, I vote for it also.  I've heard it's a very good book. 

BTW, I did pick up the book K mentioned (The Shack) at Walmart today.  Figured I'd give it a try at some point.

Anyone want to suggsest a date to start discussion on Splendid Suns?
 
Jan

Also - great to see more forumites interested in joining the book club  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 27, 2008, 07:00:03 pm
I say we go for "Suns" since it was mentioned 1st and then maybe do the other one next??  I'll try to pick it up this week...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on July 27, 2008, 07:28:38 pm
I will get Suns then if that is what we are reading. I am excited about it!

Welcome new readers...really a nice group here, too!

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 27, 2008, 07:36:23 pm
Anyone want to suggest a date to start discussion on Splendid Suns?

August 16th is a full moon. Does that work?

It is a little over two weeks, so we will have to discuss something in the mean time, to keep Kate happy ( ;)).  Maybe we can work up a list of books in the meantime, like Jules was suggesting. We can start the list with

1. Black Wave, by John and Jean Silverwood, as suggested by Dana.

Steve

PS: Dana, I have also enjoyed some of the Tony Hillerman books.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 27, 2008, 10:43:38 pm
A full moon, huh  ???

Been watching werewolf movies lately, Steve?  :D

The 16th works fine for me - and Suns it is.

The book I'm currently reading is a mystery by Harlan Coben.  It's called Just One Look and it's a few years old.  I've never read Harlan Coben before, but the book cover says he's a New York Times Bestselling Author and that he wrote No Second Chance and Tell No One.

Just One Look is very captivating and I'm finding it hard to put it down.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 28, 2008, 06:17:26 am
Jan~
Sounds like something I would like.  I just finished Tailspin by Catherine Coulter - I love her FBI Series.  How old is 1K Suns?  I thought I might try the library and see if they have it...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on July 28, 2008, 08:20:51 am
Jan, I read that book last year - my introduction to Coben.  I've picked up a couple of his other books, too, and really enjoyed them.  Do you read anything by Iris Johannsen?

I'm going to start Suns tonight.  Just finished my last book last night, so ready for the next one. 

Debbi, nose in a book, as usual
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 28, 2008, 12:48:40 pm
Debbi -

I haven't heard of Iris Johannsen, but I'll look into her books.  My mom also mentioned that Tess Garrettson (sp?) is similar to Coben and writes very well.

K -

Splendid Suns has been out for a while.  I've noticed it's on a lot of college book lists, so it should be fairly easy to find.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on July 28, 2008, 01:11:16 pm
Jan, yes, love Tess Garritson, too.  Sounds like we have similar tastes in reading...

I am getting an early start on Suns because one of my clients cancelled for this afternoon and I decided to take off early.  As it turns out, I'm a great boss... ;D

Debbi, getting ready to start Suns...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 28, 2008, 10:49:29 pm
As it turns out, I'm a great boss... ;D

Let us know when you're hiring  :D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 29, 2008, 07:11:29 am
OK, is 1,000 only available in hardback??  I went to buy it at WalMart and that is all they had...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on July 29, 2008, 07:19:16 am
I only saw hardback...ended up getting a copy at the library...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on July 29, 2008, 09:06:00 am
I don't think it is out in paper yet, but you can get it fairly cheap at Sam's or one of the other big box clubs.

I started it last night and ended up reading the first 150 pages - what a great read!  I am enjoying it just as much as Kite Runner, which I thought was excellent.

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on July 29, 2008, 07:13:19 pm
We are sure a well read group:-)
I am looking forward to this book as I really liked The Kite Runner.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on July 29, 2008, 07:15:30 pm

The book I'm currently reading is a mystery by Harlan Coben.  It's called Just One Look and it's a few years old.  I've never read Harlan Coben before, but the book cover says he's a New York Times Bestselling Author and that he wrote No Second Chance and Tell No One.

Just One Look is very captivating and I'm finding it hard to put it down.

Jan

Should we add that to the list?

Also, K suggested Tailspin..We have quite a list going.  Steve do you want to keep track of these in the list you began?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 29, 2008, 07:49:38 pm
Kate~
Tailspin was a good book, but there are a whole lot in this series - you don't HAVE to have read one to enjoy the others, but it sure does help!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 29, 2008, 08:14:10 pm
Current suggested reading list:

1. Black Wave, John and Jean Silverwood (Dana).
2. Just One Look, Harlan Coben (Jan).
3. Tailspin, Catherine Coulter (Kaybo).

Other authors: Tess Gerritsen, Iris Johannsen, ...

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 29, 2008, 09:39:45 pm
Debbi tells me it's "Tess Garritson" - to quote Jim Scott "my bad"  ;)

Should be add The Shack (suggested by K) to the list?

Are you taking notes, Steve?  :D

K -

Now that you mention it, I've only seen Splendid Suns in hardback.  I bought mine at Books a Million at a fairly good price.  It's probably not in paperback yet since they just recently released Kite Runner in paperback and (I could be wrong here) I think it was written before Splendid Suns.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 30, 2008, 12:15:07 am
Actually Amazon, and the covers of all her books, have it as Tess Gerritsen. Duly noted. :)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 30, 2008, 07:04:13 am
Stupid me stayed up until 4:30 a.m. reading the Coben book  ::) 

Just couldn't put it down and wanted to see how it ended.

Guess I'll be spending the day trying not to nod off at my desk  :P

It was worth it though.

Great read.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 30, 2008, 07:07:49 am
Jan~
WOW!  If it kept you up until then, I may have to get it.  If you can stay up that late, you can get up at 5:15 and come to the gym!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on July 30, 2008, 02:47:09 pm
Thanks for the correct spelling on Tess Gerritsen - I have eternal Happy Fingers when I am on here, so never use me as the barometer of good spelling...   ;D

I'll throw out one for consideration and that's a book called "First Person Plural" by Dr. Cameron West.  It is actuall a memoir, but it is such a riveting story that I found it impossible to put down once I picked it up.  As a reference point, I am usually a fiction reader, so this was a departure for me.  It is the story of Dr. West who has DID (multiple personality disorder) - it is s testimony to the human spirit and to the love of family. Very uplifting.

BTW, I finished Suns last night - it was wonderful and I must have been keeping Jan company in the dark hours of the night as I was finishing it!

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 30, 2008, 06:48:03 pm
If you can stay up that late, you can get up at 5:15 and come to the gym!!


Yea, right, K   :D

Debbi - you're done already!   :o  I haven't even started!

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on July 30, 2008, 07:58:20 pm
[
Debbi - you're done already!   :o  I haven't even started!

Jan



Oh Oh...I have to still get the book:-)  BTW, I passed around the Water For Elephant Book at work and people are liking it!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 02, 2008, 12:30:28 pm
Just finished the book...ohhhh...ohhhh...

Talk to you on the 16th, I guess,

Cindy

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on August 02, 2008, 05:39:55 pm
Hi Cindy - it was hard to put down, wasn't it?  Really a great read! 

I'm now reading a relatively new Grisham book called "Playing for Pizza  It's a light read, but lots of fun and detailed descriptions of the food that Parma is know for, which makes my mouth water... :)

Buona notte!

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 02, 2008, 10:36:13 pm
I wonder if ?I can pay for books with my HSA and call it therapy ?  :)

I could only find hardback and due to issues involving insurance can't justify spending $18 for it at
Walmart...had to give them $86 as it was for paper ,pencils ,Clorox wipes ,Kleenex ,paper towels ,
folders , dry erase markers and Lord only know what else for the kids to start school Monday ... our
library doesn't have it and being small town won't get it for several months if at all ... they don't
even have Kite Runner  >:( ...

gonna do some on line looking around and check with teachers Monday
to see if anyone has it ... we pass around books and mostly have simular tastes ... and the little varied
differences means we get a taste of books we normally wouldn't pick up ourselves
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on August 03, 2008, 08:12:43 am
I purchased it on Amazon and it was priced reasonably.

Good luck.

Mary  8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 03, 2008, 08:23:49 am
gonna do some on line looking around and check with teachers Monday
to see if anyone has it ...

Soundy--Good idea to check around at school. We do that too!

Hi Cindy - it was hard to put down, wasn't it?  Really a great read! 

Debbi-I am still near the beginning of the book but as you start reading it, you want to keep reading.  I must admit, the entire beginning of the book has been dramatic and tragic.  I find myself thinking how truly different it is across the pond..
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 03, 2008, 08:24:54 am
Soundy -

if you can't find someone to borrow a copy from, please let me know.  I might know someone who would be willing to lend hers and I could mail it to you.

BTW, Kite Runner is an excellent book and it is in paperback now.

Debbi & Cindy - done already?  I'm going to wait a while to start it as I'm reading another Harlan Coben book  :)

BTW, is discussion on the 14th or the 16th?  Want to make sure I read the book by then.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 03, 2008, 08:31:22 am

BTW, is discussion on the 14th or the 16th?  Want to make sure I read the book by then.

16th...it is the full moon  :) It also gives you two more days to finish the Coben book :)

Be prepared as this book is hard to digest being a female who has lived her life in a "free" country. I am only 70 pages into the book and there have been events that made me truly sad and mad.  It portrays the cultural differences in attitude between our culture and in Afghanistan.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 03, 2008, 08:48:15 am
You're right, Kate, it definitely brings out strong emotions.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 03, 2008, 08:51:31 am
Thanks for clarifying the date for me, Kate.  Guess I just have to start being conscious of that full moon and I'll remember just fine  ;)

The book sounds like it will bring a lot of discussion when the time comes.  I'm looking forward to reading it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 03, 2008, 09:36:09 am
Cindy--Yes, it does evoke strong emotion. There is not much we can do... I guess it is the acknowledgement of the cultural divide.

There is plenty of time for others to begin reading A Thousand Splendid Suns should they decide that they want to "join" our online book club. 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on August 03, 2008, 12:19:50 pm
Debbi,

I'm reading Playing for Pizza also.  I love the description of the food.....I can literally taste it!  What an oaf Rick is in the beginning.  I'd love to see the opera.

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on August 03, 2008, 01:56:48 pm
Current suggested reading list:

1. Black Wave, John and Jean Silverwood (Dana).
2. Just One Look, Harlan Coben (Jan).
3. Tailspin, Catherine Coulter (Kaybo).
4. The Shack, William P.Young (Kaybo/Soundy)
5. First Person Plural, Dr. Cameron West (Debbi)
6. Playing for Pizza, John Grisham (Debbi/Yardtick)

If we picked another one before the 16th, we could start overlapping, and always have one to read, and one to talk about. And become literary giants in the process. :)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 03, 2008, 02:18:54 pm
Debbi,

 I'd love to see the opera.

Anne Marie

Anne Marie,
Not having read the book, I don't know if you are referencing a specific opera.  This year I attended my first:La Bohème at the Lyric in Chicago.  (sis has season tickets).  I was amazed by it. Also they have those telemprompters that run across the stage so that you get the dialogue.  The actions and tone of the music speak volumes.  As an audience member, I kept one eye on the words and the other on the stage:-)

If we picked another one before the 16th, we could start overlapping, and always have one to read, and one to talk about. And become literary giants in the process. :)

Steve

Not a bad idea...If time is not an issue for others, it could work.

Because this is an "internet" club, we could try discussing it as we work through each book and make the time frame shorter... It would change the reading and it could make it more thought provoking because of the way others challenge my thinking through their opinions.

I also find that when we discuss the book at large, some important parts of the plot are overlooked.



Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on August 03, 2008, 03:59:51 pm
Hi all,

I would like to add this book. It is so unique! I have never read a story like this before. I picked it up because I was captivated by the bright red cover with a cut out of an upside down poodle. The page behind the cover is black - and one of my dogs is a black standard poodle. STUPID reason to buy a book, I know, but such is the decision processes of an artist. Luckily, I really enjoyed it!

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Hadden
he story is written in the first-person narrative of Christopher John Francis Boone, a 15-year-old autistic boy living in Swindon, Wiltshire. Although Christopher's condition within the autism spectrum is not stated explicitly within the novel, the summary on the book's inside cover describes it as Asperger syndrome. However, his personality traits suggest similarities to high-functioning autism.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 03, 2008, 04:54:18 pm
Mary -

I read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time a few years ago.  I don't recall much about it, but I do clearly remember I liked it alot.
It's a wonderful book.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on August 06, 2008, 01:29:34 pm
Mary- I have been meaning to pick up a copy of The Curious Incident... for awhile now, so am glad to hear it is a good read.  I'll pick it up next trip to B & N.

Anne Marie - isn't Playing for Pizza great?  You'll love how it ends.  And, you'll want to eat all the way through the book - his descriptoins of the food are just spot on!

Kate B - if you are enjoying Suns, then you would probalby also really enjoy The Bookseller of Kabul.  It is actually a true story of a woman journalist who lived with an Afghan family for the better part of a year. She really explores the lives of the women in the multi-generational family - it is eye opening, maddening, heart breaking and riveting.  It awakened in me a desire to learn a lot more about the middle easter cultures.  It also made me realize, yet again, how very fortunate I am to be a woman living in the western world!

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 06, 2008, 05:58:28 pm
Debbi -

thanks for the "review" of the Bookseller from Kabul.  I've purchased this book, but haven't had a chance to read it yet.

Just finished another Harlan Coben book titled "The Woods" - another one that kept me up to all hours reading  ;D

I'm hoping to start "Suns" within the next few days.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 07, 2008, 07:46:18 pm
Debbi,

I couldn't agree more about living in the western world as a woman.
I finished the book Suns yesterday evening and felt sad just thinking about how many Mariams and Lailas are living under similar circumstances right now.

I may pick up Kabul. 

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 08, 2008, 07:04:12 am
Hello All~
The library called last night so I FINALLY can get a copy of "Suns" (I didn't want to shell out $18 for the hardback).  Hopefully I can get it read soon enough - usually that would not be a problem, but today is Emee's b-day and the OLYMPICS start today.  Poor Dave is an Olympic widower - I LOVE the Olympics!!!  We are going out of town next weekend so that should give me time to read, BUT I'll have to join the discussion late as we won't get in until the 18th!

K *excited to get to join the group*
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 08, 2008, 07:08:55 am
K -

glad you found the book.

Happy reading  :D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 08, 2008, 08:08:21 am
At first, when Steve proposed the 16th I saw that as too far away...but now, with the moon seemingly waxing quickly, I find I have yet to get the book.  I have tried, but living rural, we don't make it out much.  I had gone to ebay in an attempt to pick it up and got side tracked (I am easily sidetracked) by Mario Batali and "Molto Italiano", a good read for you cooks out there!  ;)  So I will pick up Suns when I get my figs later today...
Speaking of literary giants: seems like some of you can eat a book for lunch (or a midnight snack, as it were)! Look for the Perseids on the 12th, and I'll join you on the 16th with my plate of antipasto!
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 08, 2008, 10:33:27 am
A teacher at school does have the book , but she gave it to someone who gave it to someone
and I am suppose to get it Tuesday  or Wednesday...I read fast if I get into a book so may make
it by 16th  ... if not I will just look on as you all discuss it ...I will  nod and say hmmmmmmmmm very interesting
from time to time ... did snag a couple other books off the shelf in teacher workroom... trying not to
read any of them yet in anticipation of getting hands on Suns...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on August 08, 2008, 11:32:16 am
So, Jules - let's have the "low down" of the Molto Mario book!  I love anything about food...  I think you are going to like Playing for Pizza when we get to that one - it's got so many completely mouth-watering descriptions of food... 

Debbi, going to fix myself a plate of pasta with fresh parmigiano...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on August 08, 2008, 12:39:39 pm
WOW!!!

That man can cook ;D

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 09, 2008, 07:05:09 am
I had gone to ebay in an attempt to pick it up and got side tracked (I am easily sidetracked) by Mario Batali and "Molto Italiano", a good read for you cooks out there!  ;)  Jules

Jules,
He was here locally and I went after work one day in May to get his book! As you know he wears orange Crocs..He even signs with an orange pen. 
http://picasaweb.google.com/KMBphotos/MarioBataliAtWilliamSonoma/photo?authkey=Dg8nEF1Jz4A#5232501495957467602
(before the MRI making my hair curly ;D)

I love watching iron chef...

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 11, 2008, 06:32:29 am
Kate,
Yeah, I saw on his book that that orange was his sig, but I was not familiar with him prior to getting the book.  Odd: my brther-in-law is a chef, so I had seen Iron Chef - too cool, but I don't watch much TV, so didn't know of Mario's show.  Will look for it now though...
Debbi,
The low down: I picked up the book for a single recipe - a Cherry tart, which I had seen positive feedback from another group.  I tried it Sat. night, taking great liberty at cutting some butter, and used a Muscat Blanc, in lieu of the vin santo he had in the crust, because it lends itself more to light fruits ( we had just come from a lazy weekend on the Guadalupe river and stopped for Fredericksburg peaches at a stand), then used peaches and a Mango jelly and I will tell you - it was much easier then a pie or traditional tart, and we ate it warm Saturday for dessert, then for breakfast yesterday!  Mmmmmm...Can't wait to try some other recipes!

I did get Suns - though, I have been to busy in the kitchen to open it.  Funny: the kitchen is for me a big independance indicator; and as I can't blow much glass yet (right arm not quite cooperating, and who wants to blow glass in August in Texas!), it is also a great creative outlet...Will start book today though!
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 13, 2008, 05:06:23 pm
Finally got a hold of Suns and also Kite Runner ... hoping tomorrow will be quiet and I can start
reading ... last few days have been a blur ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 15, 2008, 02:51:39 pm
Are we still on for tomorrow to discuss Suns?  I am going to be gone all day tomorrow, but will check in on things tomorrow night.  Can't wait to see what everyone thought of the book!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 15, 2008, 02:58:23 pm
Haven't even cracked open the book - just didn't have time.

Since the full moon is tomorrow and you guys are starting the discussion, I guess I'll just sit this one out.

I'll be back for the next book though, since I really enjoy this thread.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 15, 2008, 03:58:31 pm
Since the full moon is tomorrow and you guys are starting the discussion, I guess I'll just sit this one out.

I'll be back for the next book though, since I really enjoy this thread.
Jan

Debbi, Soundy, Ann Marie, Cindy,....

Why don't one of you post the first discussion question....or write your reaction...

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on August 15, 2008, 06:36:08 pm
Hi,

Just wanted to say I thought the book was very good. It REALLY makes me appreciate living in this country. I found it amazing the author was able to portray the emotons of the women so well. What did others think about the story going between the 2 women. At the beginning I was wondering but I thought they laced together so well and believably.

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 15, 2008, 08:04:03 pm
Haven't even cracked open the book - just didn't have time.

Since the full moon is tomorrow and you guys are starting the discussion, I guess I'll just sit this one out.

I'll be back for the next book though, since I really enjoy this thread.

Jan


You can sit with me nodding head and saying hmmmmmmmmmmmm very interesting  :)... I didn't get
the book til Wednesday and planned on starting it yesterday and reading like crazy... but after a lousy week of
headaches and just feeling bad , I only stumbled through about about 2 dozen pages...
still gonna finish it but not by morning
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 15, 2008, 08:56:04 pm
I am into it - but unless the stars align with the full moon...I'm not going to finish it by tomorrow.  I'll wait it out to and discuss with Soundy and Jan:  Sorry to here you guys are having a tough time of it but keep reading and PM me when your finished!
L- J
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 16, 2008, 08:48:16 am
Any possibility of holding off on discussion for another week?

I know a lot of you have finished long ago, but I think I could read the book in a week.

If you don't want to wait, I totally understand.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 16, 2008, 12:56:39 pm
I actually got if from the library & got it finished but since I am out of town & using my iPhone to write this, I am ALL for waiting for the others...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 16, 2008, 06:31:37 pm
Fine with me to wait til you guys finish - it is SO good I hate for you to miss out...Steve, are you reading it?  Haven't heard from you here lately...

And, Mary, how ARE YOU DOING?  How's the dizziness?  Been thinking of you.

Soundy, sorry to hear of your headaches - hope you're feeling better.

Ok, back to Book Club business...

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 17, 2008, 05:53:36 am
I took the day off yesterday to read , only getting up to feed hungry people and to switch clothes from
washer to dryer... only about 50 pages to go ... my eyeballs got tired :o
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on August 17, 2008, 03:06:46 pm
I'm totally okay holding off until everyone is finished.  It is too good of a book to give it short shrift! 

And, can I just say that I continue to be so very glad to have born in the Western world!  I don't think I'm a burka kind of gal.... (although there are times when I wouldn't mind hiding my face behind one...)   :)

So, next Sunday?

Debbi - dissing the burka...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on August 17, 2008, 09:55:26 pm
Steve, are you reading it?  Haven't heard from you here lately...

I'm not finished either, I've been Olympic-ing (go Dara Torre) :-[

Here is an updated list of suggested books, including the cook book:

1. Black Wave, John and Jean Silverwood (Dana).
2. Just One Look, Harlan Coben (Jan).
3. Tailspin, Catherine Coulter (Kaybo).
4. The Shack, William P.Young (Kaybo/Soundy)
5. First Person Plural, Dr. Cameron West (Debbi)
6. Playing for Pizza, John Grisham (Debbi/Yardtick)
7. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Hadden (MaryBKAriz)
8. The Bookseller of Kabul, Asne Seierstad (Debbi)
9. Molto Italiano, Mario Batali (JulieE)

Maybe we can discuss what to read next, while we finish Suns?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 17, 2008, 10:20:26 pm
So, Steve, it sounds like we've been given special dispensation (ala the Catholic church) to start discussion on Suns next Sunday? 

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on August 18, 2008, 01:32:56 pm
In terms of next book - I'd vote for the Black Wave.  It sounds really interesting (and I already picked up a copy through Amazon).

And, I'll tune in Sunday for the discussion on Suns.

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 18, 2008, 02:02:14 pm
Any of the books will be fine w/ me...welll, now I say that, but are they all fiction?  If not, I'd vote for any of the fiction ones :)  If you guys want non-fiction, that's ok, I have plenty I can read and would just catch you for the next one!  (I'm deep into another book about Cleopatra right now...)

See you Sunday for Suns.

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 18, 2008, 03:50:04 pm
Hello All~
As I was on the plane a few hours ago, I was thinking about posting to see if we could pick the next book as I have a coupon and need to use it before it expires!  As long as it is fiction, I'm in!  Is it Black Wave??

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on August 18, 2008, 04:06:52 pm
Black Wave is non-fiction.  I think Dana recommended it and it sounded interesting.  But, I'm up for whatever everyone decides - I'm an avid reader and will devour just about anything...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 18, 2008, 07:28:06 pm
Sunday is good for me ... anything for the next read is good too...

I have several books I am pre-reading for 8th grade that I am trying to get through... been
doing that since shortly before surgery and it is OK...pays with free copies of books my girls can read
in a couple years ...a few they can read now ... but it is nice to read adult books and discuss them
with adults...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 18, 2008, 08:15:13 pm
I am off to take my son to school in AZ this week, so Sunday is perfect.

I am open to any type of reading.  So anything off of the list is okay by me.

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on August 18, 2008, 09:00:34 pm
I think Black Wave is an adventure survival story involving a boating accident, so it should be basically be just like fiction, only true. :)  I'd go for that.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 18, 2008, 10:07:42 pm
Here is the Editor's Review from Amazon:
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In 2003, after two years at sea, the 55-foot catamaran sailed by the Silverwoods, a suburban California family that chucked it all to sail around the world, hit a reef off the South Pacific island of Scilly (now known as Manuae), putting the life of Jean and John and their four children (ages five to 16) in peril. The first part of the book is written from Jean's perspective as she opens with the wreck and then moves smoothly between the family's fight for survival and the story of their journey. By juxtaposing the two tales, Jean illustrates how the children's maturity and cohesiveness were not only a byproduct of the trip but also the keys to all the Silverwoods surviving their ordeal, especially John, who was critically injured by the falling mast. Jean wears her heart on her sleeve, and her writing about her marital problems or John's alcoholic relapses is honest. John's narrative is half as long as Jean's, underscoring his straight-to-the point personality and writing style. The saga from John's perspective lacks emotion, but his ability to interweave the story of the Julia Anne (a sailing ship that hit the same reef in 1855) gives an eye-opening account of how much and how little sea travel has changed in 150 years and accentuates the heroism of this family that overcame an extraordinary ordeal. (July)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 19, 2008, 05:23:56 am
Oh, I have read their story - don't think it was the book, though???  It does sound good...suppose I could wave my "no non-fiction" rule :)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 19, 2008, 07:59:48 am
I bet I could do that too - just as long as there is some sort of story!!   ;)

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 19, 2008, 11:32:15 am
I just placed my amazon order for two books:  I ordered Black Wave; and I ordered a book that I would like on the list as opposed to MarioBatali's Molto Italiano - which is just a recommendation to foodies:  Steve, if you'll put "Blindness" on the list instead I would be greatful.  The book was released in 1999, but has been rereleased pending a major motion picture coming out soon.  It is the story of the bad (and ultimately, the good) in human nature because of a disasterous phenomenon, and I'm curious about this nobel author.   
BTW Jan- I don't think you need a special dispensation to discuss as it is not work, and we are spending it with a "family" of sorts! 
Thank you, everyone, for waiting on us till then...I am more than halfway done.
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Dana on August 19, 2008, 12:09:09 pm
I recommended Black Wave because I've read it - it's a well written story, albeit non-fiction.  It's exciting, has funny moments, portrays what it's really like to be living on a boat fulltime (with FOUR kids!!), both the good and the bad.  Has some history too, since a larger ship crashed on the same coral reef a hundred years earlier.

Truth in advertising...I truly think my assessment of the book is honest (I couldn't put it down), but I will tell you that I am good friends with John's brother Mark Silverwood, which is why I HAD to buy it hot off the press and read it!  I knew some of what was going on as it was happening, even before they were found and rescued.  There are lots of interesting 'angles' to it.  Mark's wife Rozanne tells me that the Silverwoods are going to be on 48 Hours sometime late in August.

Despite my connection to the book, I honestly think everyone would enjoy reading it.

Dana
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on August 19, 2008, 01:08:00 pm
Well, I'm sold!  And, I've already got a copy so will read it anyway.  I'm just finishing up a Tess Gerritsen book right now (a very "edge of the seat" thriller.)

I'll pick up the Molto Mario book too, just because I am a fan.  I used to go to his first restaurant in NYC, Po, when I lived there and would often see him there if we ate late.  He would just come out of the kitchen and hang out and talk to the customers.  Ah, back in the day...

Who's the author of Blindess?

Debbi, happiness is a great husband, two cats, a dog and a good book....
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 19, 2008, 03:36:32 pm
Well, I might have to take one of my left over anti-anxiety pills just to make it through the remainder of Suns... :-\
Hey Deb, Blindness is by Jose Saramago. I haven't read it yet, but it comes highly recommended.
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on August 20, 2008, 01:11:22 pm
I just had a little shopping spree on Amazon - what fun!  Got the Molto Mario book and Blindess.  I love to cook, so Mario will never go to waste in my house...

Mangiamo!

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 20, 2008, 08:32:14 pm
I planned on saving toward a trip to Italy to study with Emilio Santini or Lucio Bubacco (glassblowers), and hoped to go around the time of the Grand Prix at Monza (now, just 18 days away), so I could do both on one visit...Then the AN reared it's ugly head!
(Thank you Anne Marie - but this posted incomplete when I walked away from the computer?!)
My point is the AN was an expensive buugger, and I won't be going anytime soon.  So I will have to settle with Mario's book in my kitchen, and Monza on TV!  Maybe next year will be the year, or 2010.   It would have been nice to see him (Mario) in his own element and I think you are pretty lucky, Debbi.  I like to cook too, and I was going to respond on the corn dog thread, but I make a wicked Smoked chicken and goat cheese Calzone that I would be happy to bring to the bottling! ;)  A combined effort would be fun, too...
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on August 20, 2008, 09:38:19 pm
Oh Julie,

Enjoy your trip.  An here or AN in Italy.....I'd choose Italy!

Stay well , have funny and post a picture or two.

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 21, 2008, 08:22:03 am
Just started "Suns" late last night; hope to read it fast to start discussion on Sunday.

As for next pick, I don't "do" non-fiction but feel free to go with it and I'll just jump in on the following book.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on August 21, 2008, 11:16:43 am
Jules, the calzone sounds fabulous!  Anything with goat cheese scores a big WIN with me.  And, I am sure it would go spendidly with the Malbec ...    8)

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on August 22, 2008, 11:09:18 am
Oh, I'm so excited!  Molto Mario just arrived in the mail (the book, not the Chef) and it looks FABULOUS!  Also got a copy of Blindess.  I'm going run off now and drool over the cookbook....

Debbi, planning pasta....
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on August 23, 2008, 11:03:36 pm
I can't wait any longer, I have to post, and it must be Sunday on the East coast, anyway.

A Thousand Splendid Suns is the best book we have read so far. I also think it is better than Kite Runner. The writing is outstanding, and the story is truly moving. It is the first book I have read in a long time that actually welled up some emotion in me - not actual weeping, but definitely welling up. I was cruising along to the finish, and the letter from Jahil to Mariam got me. Then the last line of the book did it again. Hosseini's writing is such a pleasure to read, I just want more and more.

Okay, enough gushing, let the discussion begin.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: ppearl214 on August 24, 2008, 07:19:27 am
I can't wait any longer, I have to post, and it must be Sunday on the East coast, anyway.

I do confirm that it is now, indeed, Sunday on the "Best Coast".... prooceed! :)
*giggles*
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 24, 2008, 08:21:51 am
Steve -

glad to hear this book was the greatest.  I'm still reading - and haven't gotten too far - I'm on about page 45 - so needless to say I won't be joining the discussion any time soon.  I'm hoping to spend many hours today reading, but I think my kids will have other plans for me  ;)

I really like the book so far and if nothing else, I'll read the discussion comments after I'm finished.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 24, 2008, 08:47:57 am
The book was good and an eye opener... for me it brought up some strong feelings of a way of life
in parts of the south that goes on in a similar way , but to a lesser degree ...

I have tried to think of an opening question for discussion but letting personal experiences and observations
get in the way... so will wait for someone to toss out one first
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 24, 2008, 09:16:01 am
Well, I think Mary tossed out the first question last week:
Quote
Just wanted to say I thought the book was very good. It REALLY makes me appreciate living in this country. I found it amazing the author was able to portray the emotons of the women so well. What did others think about the story going between the 2 women. At the beginning I was wondering but I thought they laced together so well and believably.
I have to agree on how fortunate we are born into a different culture, although the authors point is that there has/is/will be beauty in that culture, and I would be wrong to generalize because arranged marriages happen in many cultures, but the right to choose among many things (especially a mate) should not be taken for granted - and it is.
I have to say I teared up when Steve did, and the point about Jalil's letter is one of the few points you could see the man's (author's) perspective come out as opposed to a women's. 
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 24, 2008, 09:43:21 am
I don't have much time right now, will try to get back later, but what a GREAT book.  Yes, the author's writing was superb and the story line did bring out so many emotions.  I really liked the eventual weaving of the stories of the two main characters - it was all so tragic and touching and beautifully told.  It was great to see things from the perspective of people who were not the fanatics that we so often read about, but were people with views and dreams and desires quite similar to our own that were forced into lives that we can not fathom. 

(And, yes, Debbi, I can see where the burka could come in handy on a bad hair day, etc ;)) Though, seriously, it was interesting how both of them thought the burka was somewhat of a comfort...

So glad this book was chosen - thanks to this club, I am reading books that I would normally not pick up to read...expanding my horizons...hope to be back later.

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on August 24, 2008, 09:54:54 am
Steve - couldn't agree MORE with you!  Definitely better than Kite Runner (which, BTW, I thought was marvelous).  The despair and hope that these women endured was so touching.  It made me realize, again, how much the women in Afghanistand have endured. 

I thought Miriam's character was so complex and loved following her from a child craving her father's approval to a woman totally in love with her co-wife's baby.  The bond that she and Laila formed speaks volumes about friendship and survival.  I also loved the way the author interwove the lives of these two women before and after they were forced into a communal mariage.

what an amazing story.  I can't wait for his next book!

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 24, 2008, 09:23:01 pm
Well, I suspect that many of you were watching the olympics finale, but Jimmy and some 20 year old British pop star?!  Sent me over the top, so I came up to see if anyone else saw a little Gone With the Wind in the book?  I'm wary of setting that (women as the weaker, but more emotional sex) as an archetype.  Despite that Harlequin moment, I loved the book.  I haven't read Kite Runner, but plan to get it.
Goodnight,
Julie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 25, 2008, 08:41:44 pm
One of the more revealing parts to me was the part when Miriam was at trial and the older of the three inquired what would he say when addressed by God that (the crime) wasn't for him to forgive.  I find it interesting that if I were sitting in that seat, approaching The End, I would be afraid he'ld say it wasn't for me to judge.  Is that one of the differences from East to West and Christianity, or is it because I am the weaker more emotional sex?  Hello.  Anyone out there?   :P
Actually, here in Texas we have the "Yearning for Zion" calamity, which is a travesty on two levels: 1st we have the communal marriage thing, which everyone was able to ignore until you hear about 14 year olds being forced into marriage and sexual relationships.  Whoa!  Here in the US?  But then Texas went and took all the kids (even infants) away from the mothers.  Whoa!  Here in the US?  kinda makes you go hmmm...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on August 25, 2008, 09:12:27 pm
I don't know enough about the theology of Islam to say whether "judge not, lest ye be judged" would apply, so I will go back to the first question raised by Julie. At first I didn't even remember Laila slapping Tariq; then I found it, in the early scene where Tariq tells her he is leaving the next day. It didn't strike me at the time as anything unusual, just an expression of frustration. If I were to take it as representing a culture, I would think it spoke more about Afghan culture than American culture. They seem to be less inhibited about expressing themselves physically, you might say.

It does seem that in Texas, and in Afghanistan, the "cure" is as bad as the disease. Far better not to arrange marriages for 14 year olds in the first place - or at any age, for that matter.

I do agree that Jimmy and the pop star was not a success. :)

Steve

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 25, 2008, 09:33:10 pm
Thank you Steve for the reply. 
Quote
It does seem that in Texas, and in Afghanistan, the "cure" is as bad as the disease. Far better not to arrange marriages for 14 year olds in the first place - or at any age, for that matter.
  True.
Goodnight,
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 25, 2008, 09:39:43 pm
I found an interview with the author and found it interesting his best hope for readers.

What kind of response do you hope readers have to A Thousand Splendid Suns?

KH: Purely as a writer, I hope that readers discover in this novel the same things that I look for when I read fiction: a story that transports, characters who engage, and a sense of illumination, of having been transformed somehow by the experiences of the characters. I hope that readers respond to the emotions of this story, that despite vast cultural differences, they identify with Mariam and Laila and their dreams and ordinary hopes and day-to-day struggle to survive. As an Afghan, I would like readers to walk away with a sense of empathy for Afghans, and more specifically for Afghan women, on whom the effects of war and extremism have been devastating. I hope this novel brings depth, nuance, and emotional subtext to the familiar image of the burqa-clad woman walking down a dusty street.

http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/thousand_splendid_suns2.asp

Kate

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 25, 2008, 09:45:10 pm
Okay, I think I'm lost here.  Can someone explain Jimmy and the pop star  ???

I understand it has something to with the the closing ceremonies of the Olympics, and not the book, but having missed it I need to be clued in.

As far as the book goes, I finished it about 30 minutes ago.

The biggest impression it left on me was the differences between how women and girls are treated here in the US as opposed to the way they were treated in the book.  As the parent of a 12 1/2 year old girl, I can't even imagine her being married and having a child at the young age of 14  :o  Guess the best way I can sum it up is to say "God Bless America" - despite the recent happenings in Texas.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 25, 2008, 09:58:23 pm
Jalil (Miriam's father) was interesting in a way ---
In a time, where he could have just as easily walked away from Mariam, he made weekly visits.  What do you think his motivation was to maintain a relationship with Mariam?  Only then to turn his back on her...

One of the saddest moments in the book was when Mariam tested his love by attempting to visit him at home in Herat and then only to return home to find her mother committed suicide.  Then, making her marry Rasheed.

I, too, found the letter from Jalil at the end sad, but somewhat unbelievable that she never read the letter for all of those years.

Other thoughts?

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on August 25, 2008, 10:16:27 pm
Mariam never got the letter from Jahil. She refused to go out when he waited for her outside her house in Kabul; he went back to Herat to die, and left the box with Mullah Faizullah, who in turn left it with his son Hamza. It remained unopened until Hamza gave it to Laila at the end.

The sadness comes from realizing how a small change in events - Mariam going out to see her father by his car, or Jahil letting Mariam into his house in the first place when she tried to see him - might have changed so much for her. I think Jahil was torn between feeling love for Mariam, and feeling the pressure of his culture and status, and was not strong enough to do the right thing, until it was much too late.

Jan, try to picture an aged Jimmy Page from Led Zeppelin, and a young female pop star in a zany outfit, in the middle of a giant stadium, doing a high pitched rendition of "Whole Lotta Love", a song known more for its driving rhythm than the poetry of its lyrics. It did not work well.

Steve

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 26, 2008, 07:23:43 am
I could be way off here, but I think of their culture as one that doesn't value women nor the relationships with them.  I think that he kept visiting her -off in the woods by himself - because he could be more himself with her than he could as the big businessman with his other kids.  Because of all the time spent with JUST her, I think that he really had more of a soft spot for her - he didn't enforce it when the "wives" insisted on her marriage, but I don't think he wanted that for her.  OK, that brings up another point - I thought that his wives had a LOT more power over him than I thought that the women over there had...any thoughts?

I agree with Jan (as usual) that I am just glad I live in the US, especially having 3 girlies!!   ;)

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 26, 2008, 08:06:06 am
Jalil's letter made me tear up because it reminded me of my own fathers passing: too many things remained unspoken.  Not so much by him (although he was a man of few words: Have you ever heard the joke about the Norwegian who loved his wife so much he almost told her!?) but by me (not that absolution was mine to give), as I have come to acknowledge all the good and not just harbor bad feelings about some perceived failure.  Given circumstances/upbringing - we're all just doing the best we can.  Steve had it with the words torn & status, and Jalil made a choice which he died regretting.  Miriam held the grudge that prevented them both from being freed, but ultimately Laila got to forgive him.  She also got the reward, not only conciously, but monitarily.  Which is just as well 'cause Rasheed would have spent it badly!
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 26, 2008, 08:35:15 am
Kay - It was 3 against 1!  Poor guy!  Actually that is a stereotype I am uncomfortable with: Women as catty and conniving;  the opposite is demur and victimized.  Kate's post about the interview with Mr. Hosseini is telling:
Quote
despite vast cultural differences, they identify with Mariam and Laila and their dreams and ordinary hopes
. The men that were likeable in the story did not want either extreme for the women in their lives.  Everyone is happy in the middle...extremity being the enemy.
Actually, I have a friend who, on a particularily exhausting day of being a wife, admitted she would like a "wife" too!
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on August 26, 2008, 09:25:34 am
I did think that there was much about Mariam and Laila that anyone could relate to, whether man or woman. Their "dreams and ordinary hopes" are fundamentally the same ones shared by people every where - a chance at a normal decent life, with some companionship and something to live for.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 26, 2008, 11:34:18 am
...was internetless yesterday...ugh, how did we used to get along without it?

I did think that there was much about Mariam and Laila that anyone could relate to, whether man or woman. Their "dreams and ordinary hopes" are fundamentally the same ones shared by people every where - a chance at a normal decent life, with some companionship and something to live for.

Steve

I agree with you Steve and that's what I meant in my earlier post, I just didn't manage to say it as well as you...(Just figured out how ya'll have been doing the quote thing!)

I think the book points out how vulnerable all people really are to the winds of change - one moment those women (and men also) led fairly similar lives to our own and the next they did not.  History has shown us time and time again that there is no guarantee of a status quo in life.  We must not take our freedoms for granted.  Does that make sense?  Steve, can you put it better for me, please?

Besides all this deep stuff, I just thought the book was great.  Did someone say he has another one coming out soon? 

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on August 26, 2008, 11:50:39 am
It occurs to me that many Afghan men are also victims of their cultural doctrines.  When you look at Jalil - he obviously held deep affection, if not love, for Mariam, but when the "chips were down" he bowed to cultural expectations and married her off even though it probaby broke his heart.  He was, in my opinion, one of the most tragic figures in the book. 

On the other hand, Mariam turned out to be such a heroine in my mind.  She survived a hellish marriage and then found enough love in her heart for Laila and her child.  In the end, although she died tragically, she died having loved well and truly and having been loved. 

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 26, 2008, 07:31:46 pm

On the other hand, Mariam turned out to be such a heroine in my mind.  She survived a hellish marriage and then found enough love in her heart for Laila and her child.  In the end, although she died tragically, she died having loved well and truly and having been loved. 


Agreed....As I stop and think about it, Mariam spent much of her life being loved(often by people who didn't know how to express it properly)...her mother (who I think was the most tragic character in this book and was so fearful of losing Mariam), Jalil, Laila and her daughter, Aziza. It was almost as if Aziza gave Mariam the purpose she needed. Interestingly, Laila was also surrounded by those who loved her almost seamlessly except for the years when shunned by Rasheed and prior to the friendship established with Mariam.  The message: friendship, love and being surrounded by those who care keeps those in the bleakest of situations able to survive.  It is the human connection that is the common thread throughout all cultures. Oftentimes we look for the "differences" when in reality at the core is really a lot of "samenesses".

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: beancounter on August 26, 2008, 07:42:16 pm
Steve I chortled at your description of that "special" segment of the closing ceremonies.  It was especially meaningful to see David Beckham enter waving as though he was on a float in Christmas parade.  I'm glad I'm not alone in thinking it a bit bizarre, and I'm still trying to figure out the two guys dancing mid-air who appeared to be dredged in flour.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on August 26, 2008, 08:05:36 pm
Beancounter! Once a month or so, rain or shine, you show up with another cheerful message. Nice to hear from you again, how is your wrist? Any closer to getting finished with that? Hope your doing okay, at least.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 26, 2008, 10:08:25 pm
The book was good and an eye opener... for me it brought up some strong feelings of a way of life
in parts of the south that goes on in a similar way , but to a lesser degree ...

I have tried to think of an opening question for discussion but letting personal experiences and observations
get in the way... so will wait for someone to toss out one first

quoting myself and borrowing from Kate's post too

I hope that readers respond to the emotions of this story, that despite vast cultural differences, they identify
with Mariam and Laila and their dreams and ordinary hopes and day-to-day struggle to survive.



In my earlier post I said I didn't want to toss out a question because the book up too many strong feelings...
my dad told me at the age of 8 that he had not wanted me and my sister we just happened before he got
his sons ... the only son of an only son of an only son he had it drummed into him that he had to have sons
to carry on the bloodline and name... girls were an inconveniance...

I married at 16 to get away from a home where my mom was cowed down and my dad was king and my
brothers who were at the time 13 , 11 and 9 were princes... out of the frying pan into the fire ...

first year was OK... then came first son ... ex was thrilled ...he had told me that a girl child would not be
tolerated ... abuse started when son was maybe 9 month old... food was not just right... even if there were
5 pair of pants in the closet and one on his rear end and one in the hamper he wanted the one pair that had
not been washed...

I began to wear long sleeve shirts year round to hide bruises and never wore shorts if anyone was around... he
was careful with bruise placement ...I said I was afraid of skin cancer and was protecting my arms from the sun
when asked about my woredrobe... the shirts were my burqua...I stayed home with myself and children as
they came along having little contact with other people for many years... went to the minister who married us and
he told me that I had married for better or worse and had to find what in me made my husband have to
hurt me ... then the man told my husband I had complained about him and his abuse double ... it was his right and
duty given by God to rule over his house which included training his wife... when the boys got into school things
were a bit better... he was scared that someone would see something or the boys would say something ...

I finally went to the police and then DHS when things hit a biling point and was told that he had to hurt one of
the boys bad enough to cause alarm that they could not help me if it was just me he hurt... but they could have a talk
with him as a courtesy to me ... a WTF moment... I told them forget it ... he was verbally abusive to the boys but
that was not enough and them talking to him would have cause me more trouble... so I lived with it...

I lived like this for 17 years ... a bit before I finally left I stopped wearing long sleeves... I told him hit me all he liked ...
the world would see cause I would not cover up... and when it wormed up I wore shorts and tank tops... not short
shorts and no string strapped tanks ... I was covered enough for public ... and when I gained enough confidence I left...

through all this I had tried to get him to go to counseling and he said he had no problem ... this was life like it or
lump it ... so I lumped it ... my youngest son then 15 told me it was about time ...

I am now stronger than I ever was ... my new husband is almost too considerate of me and my feelings... he is who
my sons now all grown go to for advice or to help work on a car and other guy stuff...

I see this type of behavior going on to this day... and unless you are caught in it you can't understand how hard it is to
get out ... I was conditioned from age 8 on to believe that I was a second class citizen as a female , with the
obligation to serve the men in my life on a near slave like basis and that that was just the way things were... and local
law enforcement rarely steps in until someone is in the hospital or it spills over into the public eye... there is a good old boy
attitude in my area that stinks... those I went to for help shot me down and I just gave up for a while and survived
the best I could and protect my sons and try to keep them from becoming their dad

my dad remarried when my mom finally escaped him... his wife was a stronger female and didn't let him bully her
her daughter the way he did us ... he raise my step sister from age three on (she is now 27) as a person... he tried
to apologize for his ways and I took the apology but I am not sure I embraced it ... found out last week a chest cold
he has not been able to swing is lung cancer and he has been given 3-6 month ... one lung is 85% invaded and
the most they say they can do is keep him comfortable...

I am sad about his illness but sadder that a whole life passed by without him knowing me... the child he rejected
who in many way is the most like him... I look like him , we both do wood work , we read similar books and listen to
the same music ... I like myself and the things I do ... but wonder if I picked up woodworking when I got to the point
I could afford the tools just because he wouldn't let me touch his as a child and adolescence even though my brothers
could ... not a one of them has the least bit of interest in it now ... he is nicer to my two daughters than he was to
me and I am glad and I have no intention of them knowing about the other Papa ... but will make sure they know
they are people first and girls next and no one has the right to deny them rights based on what is between
their legs

dang ... I better stop... and may never read another book again ... told y'all it stirred up too much ... I think it
is time to go to my corner ...

all this said , I did enjoy the book
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 27, 2008, 05:28:00 am
Soundy your story shows the person of strength and character you are. It is like the author wrote this story for you just that the setting was a culture on the other side of the world. I can see why it dredged up so much emotion.    Despite your upbringing, look at the amazing person you've become and the caring man you found You broke the cycle (especiallly for your sons) by finding a way out of a traumatic marriage despite an equally difficult childhood. Wow...you are amazing.  I hope you had at least one trustworthy girlfriend or another family member during those 17 years to confide your fears, feelings and best hopes.

Kindest regards,
Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on August 27, 2008, 09:25:57 am
Wow Soundy,

Its astounding that in this day and age and in North America females are still considered 2nd class citizens.  I applaud your candor and thank you for sharing the events that have occurred in your life.  As Kate said "you are amazing!"  I admire your strength. 

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 27, 2008, 10:50:09 am
Soundy,  Don't shrink away to a corner now - you have just gotten this confidence!  Reading fictional books are mostly supposed to transport you away, not bring you closer to home.  I am sorry that this one did, and I hope you go through these emotions and stick it out.  The timing might be in a grand plan to help you with your father...
Anyway, it also highlights Kate's observation
Quote
Oftentimes we look for the "differences" when in reality at the core is really a lot of "samenesses".
She was refering to their "hopes and dreams", but as Anne Marie pointed out, the sameness could be in the attitudes toward women everywhere.  Luckily, most people are basically good, and with awareness I think the occurance is rarer (although it is sad that there is a spike in economic downturns) - I know that is of little consilation to those suffering domestic violence in their homes.  I also think Law Enforcement has had a change in attitude toward this topic as of late (barring a bad egg or two which sullies all their names, and the pockets of - hmm I can't come up with the word for localized stupidity) and I think they are working hard at educating the public about/and reducing domestic violence.   
I am glad you have moved on to a healthier relationship, which it's clear you did not take lightly trying for couseling,etc. first.  In the end we are responsible for forming future generations of men.  Debbie's point
Quote
men are also victims of their cultural doctrines
is true and I don't think it applies only to Afganistan.  You have done your children and their future spouses a favor.
Best, and KEEP Reading!
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 27, 2008, 01:17:12 pm
Kate...unfortunately my families attitude was you made your bed , lay in it ...and hid most of what
was going on for years from friends... now I look back and am amazed that I am basically in one piece

Julie... I could no more quit reading than I could quit breathing... it was one thing I had as an escape from
what was going on...I could get lost in books ... I traded in Suns at teacher work room this morning for
Tailspin and a couple not on the list

I like that term localized stupidity... I have dubbed it the good old boys club... we had at one time several
officers who would go give warnings to men accused of abuse and go home to beat their wives... they are
gone and things are improving ... one who was a Tennessee State Trooper shot his wife maybe 15 years
ago... he had been reported scolded and wrists slapped... she is now in a wheel chair for life and he did 3 years
for armed assult... but still there is a feeling by many around here that men are #1 and not enough is done
til things get to a point it could not be hidden...

Yardstick ... I used to not be as candid about it and hid it ... then woke up and said I did nothing to
hide from... talking about it brings up emotions I wish were not there but they are a big part of what
has made me me ...a stronger person ...

I knew early on that Mariam would not survive...gut feeling ... and part of me didn't
want to continue on because if I didn't read it then she could still be alive and trying to find a way out ...a way to
remain living with and for those she loved...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on August 27, 2008, 09:22:01 pm
Soundy,

I can certainly see why you the book might hit too close to home for you. You are now our modern day Mariam, heroically overcoming a bad situation and finding something better. I am struck by the similarity of your current relation to your father and Jahil in the story - the same tragic poignancy as his time draws nearer, as Debbi pointed out.

Cindy, I think you said it perfectly well, we can't take things for granted. I also agree that the book is a joy to read - the writing is truly excellent. I am going out on a limb and forecasting that Hosseini will be getting a Pulitzer prize soon.

I enjoyed reading the interview at the link Kate posted. I don't know if a third book is in the works yet, but I'm sure there will be one. It is already "anticipated" by me.

A note on the side: I read in the paper today of a US air strike in Herat, Afghanistan - 90 civilians killed, 60 of them children. The saga continues...

And one of my favorite sentences in the book, when Laila is sitting in the little hut picturing Mariam as a little girl, and seeing in the girl the woman she will become: "A woman who will be like a rock in a riverbed, enduring without complaint, her grace not sullied but shaped by the turbulence that washes over her."

Steve

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 29, 2008, 05:37:59 pm
So, any final decision on the next book?

I just started another Harlan Coben, but it's going to be a long weekend, so I'll probably have it finished by Monday and will be looking for another book to start.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on August 30, 2008, 06:00:59 am
I was under the impression we were going for Black Wave next.
Are we moving on?  Seems the obvious question hasn't been asked, and Steve had kind of brushed on it reporting the Herat air strike:
Does war ever really improve peoples situation?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 30, 2008, 09:02:07 am
I checked the library & it does not have Black Wave - does anyone know if it is at Barnes & Noble or can I only get it on-line?  Also, is it hardback or paper?

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 30, 2008, 09:20:59 am
Sorry, didn't mean to rush things or make the discussion end.

For some reason I just can't get into this discussion - perhaps because I read the book late  ???

Anyway, just wanted to confirm you are going with Black Wave so I can sit out until the next book comes along.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on August 30, 2008, 11:23:02 am
I thought I read somewhere that the next book was Black Wave, which I finished a couple of days ago.  I found it on Amazon, and could only find it as a hardback, but didn't spend a lot of time looking.

Interestinglyl enough, there is an excerpt from The Black Wave in this week's "The Week", a newsmagazine that Willie and I get.

Julie, you raised such a good question.  Does war ever really solve anything?  it surely hasn't in Afghanistan if current news reports can be relied upon.  Why is it so very hard, if not impossible, for some people to respect, or at least accept,  the differences in others?  What a concept...

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Dana on August 30, 2008, 12:43:36 pm
Yes, Debbi, one wonders if mankind will ever find peace with itself.  I was hesitant to read Suns because I knew it would be about war and horrible prejudice, and that kind of novel (especially if it's well written!) just stays with me for months.  But, ironically, I'd lent Black Wave to a friend, and when she returned it, she lent me Suns!  So... I thought that was a sign!  I thought Suns was very well written and compelling.  I really learned alot about Afghanistan - makes one take those news reports that Steve mentioned alot more personally.  I'm so glad it had some kind of happiness at the end, and I'm proud to say I was able to read it but haven't been haunted by it since.  That may sound weird, but it's a big accomplishment for me.  I love learning about different cultures, and I appreciate having a better understanding of the political phases Afghanistan has been through and to learn how life goes on (or not) during them.  But, as Debbi points out, the main issue is why we can't get along.  I personally joke that we on Earth will only get along when the Martians attack..!
Dana
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 31, 2008, 07:19:56 am


Julie, you raised such a good question.  Does war ever really solve anything?  it surely hasn't in Afghanistan if current news reports can be relied upon.  Why is it so very hard, if not impossible, for some people to respect, or at least accept,  the differences in others?  What a concept...

Debbi


For some reason this made me think of  a Pop Quiz my 5th grader brought in... one question and 5 minutes to answer
and hand paper to front...

Question or rather request was  ... Summarize the Revolutionary War ...

my daughters answer ...

It was war. It was bloody . People died . Too many .Wars are senseless and solve little.


So according to one fifth grader in Tennessee wars do not solve much .... she got 100 and a note to write in complete
sentences ... I kinda liked her no frills to the point answer ... she does not do well on surprise assignments like pop quizzes and
gets written version of tongue tied

This will sound odd but I think that wars solve less now than they did say in Revolutionary War time or Civil War or other
older wars... not a complete thought  as I am having an incomplete thought day myself  :)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 31, 2008, 10:01:18 am
Yes, Debbi, one wonders if mankind will ever find peace with itself.  That may sound weird, but it's a big accomplishment for me.  I love learning about different cultures, and I appreciate having a better understanding of the political phases Afghanistan has been through and to learn how life goes on (or not) during them.  Dana

Dana,
That doesn't sound weird at all..Some books hit deep nerves.

FYI...The Smithsonian has a display on Afghanistan. This summer I had the opportunity to attend a workshop hosted by National Geographic and a Reading Group out of Michigan.  One of the evening speakers was the archeologist who catalouged the Afghan treasures thought to be lost decades ago.  It was fascinating. 

http://www.nga.gov/exhibitions/afghanistaninfo.shtm

 BTW, did everyone else know beside me that the Smithsonian is a collection of museums in different buidlings across several blocks?  I thought it was one large building...Oops.

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 31, 2008, 10:16:33 am
From pages 247-249

I found this part tragically ironic.  The citizenry thought that once the Russians left Afghanistan that life would be easier...Only to get the laws passed down from the Taliban that put such restrictions on women.  I think when we react to this (as we all have) it is the lack of choice that is hard to put our hands around. 
Think of the important roles women have taken on in just the past few months. Laila of course was raised to be an independent thinker and questioned it.  It was also interesting then at the end of the book that Laila chose to return to Kabul and teach.

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 31, 2008, 09:54:36 pm
What I went through although on a smaller scale was horrible and the lack of choices I had was
what almost got me... I was emotionally beat down as the Afghan women are ...

And yes I knew the Smithsonian was in multiple buildings ... my dad was stationed at For Meade Maryland in
1972-1973 and we went several times ...

the best trip was when my 6th grade teacher took us and turned
us loose with orders to be back in front of the Natural History building at 2:00  :o ... we all turned up but
he was brave and or stupid to let us roam ... a few of us chicken wondered a little bit then found and
stayed close to him
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on September 01, 2008, 07:56:56 am
I thought I read somewhere that the next book was Black Wave, which I finished a couple of days ago.  I found it on Amazon, and could only find it as a hardback, but didn't spend a lot of time looking.

Interestinglyl enough, there is an excerpt from The Black Wave in this week's "The Week", a newsmagazine that Willie and I get.

Debbi

Debbi,

What should be the "Read by date"? 

Is there a link to the excerpt on line?



Also can we try something new like discussing during the reading...It seems like it would make for lively discussion and cause people to think about others points of view. At the end and after waiting to discuss, the reader loses the conversation bug...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 01, 2008, 08:29:07 am
Kate~
I am going to sit this one out because the library system  here does not have it and I don't need to spend the money right now, BUT I would be all for having a discussion as we read in the future!!  I do think there is something lost at the end...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 01, 2008, 10:17:37 am
I'm sitting this one out, too, but I agree discussion at the end seems to be slow.

I'm anxious to see how the discussion while reading works out.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on September 01, 2008, 02:43:23 pm
With Jan and Kaybo sitting this one out, we need to pass the baton for BookDiscussion Queen or King...(My turn was earlier)  Any takers?  The "job" requires the person to set the date and begin with the first question....

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Dana on September 02, 2008, 11:09:09 pm
Since I suggested Black Wave and if that's the next book, I'll offer to be "Queen" (oh, my....!). 

Why don't we start talking about it next Wednesday, Sept 10th?  I think it'd be fine to talk about it as we read it.  A week should give me enough time to come up with an opening question !!!

:-) Dana

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on September 03, 2008, 06:30:48 am
Sold!
jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on September 03, 2008, 09:22:59 pm
Dana,

Thanks for taking the baton.

I am going to get the book tomorrow. 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on September 04, 2008, 08:54:11 am
Thanks for taking the baton, Dana!  I've been out of the loop for a few days, so sorry I didn't respond to questions sooner - oops! 

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on September 04, 2008, 10:58:32 am
I've also been remiss about checking this thread...thanks, Dana!  I am going to try to find the book today!

See you next Wednesday, right?  Good idea to discuss along the way...

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Dana on September 08, 2008, 07:59:03 pm
Beginning of Black Wave discussion:

I don't work on Mondays, so I started re-reading Black Wave today, and thought I'd post some questions even though it's not Wednesday yet.

Would you ever dream of or consider taking on such an adventure in the first place?

As I started rereading it, other questions arose:

Did this book help you see and feel whole other ways of perceiving life (as it did for me) -- John's love of floating through life, Jack's delight in all sea creatures....?

Doesn't it seem to you that Jean shows amazingly perception about her family, and that she can put that perception into words?

Dana
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on September 08, 2008, 08:40:57 pm
Dana,

I haven't been able to read the book yet...but I like your questions:-)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on September 10, 2008, 07:25:26 am
Dana-

Great questions. 

I found myself vascillating between admiration and anger during the book. Admiration because I admire anyone who can take such a big step to achieve a dream.  Anger because I thought it was a little selfish of John to take his children away from their friends for such a long period of time - not to mention exposing them to such extreme danger.  Then, on the other hand, it was a life-defining experience for the children...

I thought Jean was the real hero in the book. 

Debbi

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Dana on September 10, 2008, 04:26:08 pm
Debbi,
I agree it was emotionally risky to take the kids away from their regular life, but I think the probability that it would change their lives forever, positively, was high enough that it's a risk I would take, if I were John and Jean.

It's funny, because my emotional reaction reading the book naturally focuses on what a wonderful appreciation for life and Earth each of them has, each in their own way.  Not on the heroism of it.  As you might know, I've fought depression since a teen, and I'd say recently I'm moving into a "place" (in consciousness) where I can be happy just enjoying being on Earth everyday.  (I hope I STAY in this new "place" -- please, please, God!!)  I don't read too many books, and I certainly don't read abstract ones about "enjoying life everyday", so this one has helped me, by the example of the 'characters', experience what it might be like.

Dana
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on September 10, 2008, 05:43:56 pm
This is definitely a book that makes you see things from different angles, which is one of the things I like about it.  For me, Jean's character came through the clearest, maybe because she resonated with me on some levels.  Anyway, I finished the book a month ago and am still thinking about it, which tells you something!

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 10, 2008, 09:37:49 pm
I haven't read it ...my dog ate it when he ate my daughters homework  :o ...or maybe it is just lost in the house  :-\
...but I plan too when it turns up ...so I can't comment on book specifics

but in regards to the question
Would you ever dream of or consider taking on such an adventure in the first place?

I dream of it all the time ... would like to take off on land not sea and roam around the country avoiding
people for the most part and seeing the land...

as an army brat we moved constantly and I have been from coast to coast across Canada and in northern Mexico ...
we didn't stay in motels along the way but a camp trailer or tents... we didn't do things along the way like Disney Land ...

we have been to Yosemite , the Grand Canyon , saw the redwoods and glaciers , the painted desert , rocky coast
of Maine and sandy beaches on the Gulf Coast and california...we have been to numerous caverns from Carlsbad to
Lauray Caverns in Virgina ...

my kids want to go on a walk about (only in the truck) ...we do short day trips to state parks ,caves etc as  that is
about all I can afford or handle...a big trip  is only a dream at this point ... coast and my endurance keeps it that way...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on September 11, 2008, 05:30:39 am
My dog ate mine also  ;) or something along those lines.  At any rate, I haven't read it either...doesn't look like I'll get to it in time for this discussion.  So, I'll catch you on the next book...

Sounds like it is a good story, though. 

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on September 13, 2008, 02:30:20 pm
Well, I am guilty of doing other things - thus, have just cracked the book (went right to pictures).  Regarding the danger aspect however:
In my experience, besides my family, I have two loves:  the first is glassblowing and the second is motorcycling.
I gave up the later when we decided to start a family, planning to retire on Honda Goldwings after the kids were gone.
I even became concerned about the glassblowing:  there is a higher incidence of lung cancer among women who blow glass than men, and I was thinking I should move to a "safer" medium, to ensure my presence for my children's sake.  Then, after attending the American Grand Prix (car racing) at Indy, I was jazzed, and wanted to get back into motorcycle racing.  I was torn by the selfishness of this concept and as I wandered the airport at Indianapolis, I was trying to come to terms with this, and found myself staring at a magazine which had a cover article on mothers with dangerous occupations (firefighters, etc.).  I purchased this in-flight reading material and in a few hours I had a new outlook:  All these mothers questioned their choices, but the premise of the article was that they would ultimately be denying their children if they denied themselves.  I became determined to get a motorcycle, but only for the track, under controlled circumstanes.  2years passed, and no motorcycle - I could not justify the capital investment.  Then I had the AN diagnosis: not lung cancer; not being smeared on asphault; how could I protect myself? 
I couldn't.  I realized I had to live.  I bought the bike: first one I looked at on craigslist.  Trust the guy selling? Turns out his mother had a tumor removed 20 years earlier.  Devine intervention.  They had just finished building a 1.7 mile road track nearby that my husband had joined the year prior, and upon learning of my DX the owners said free track time whenever.  I would still need leathers, and I hovered on ebay (new leathers can cost more than I paid for the used bike).  None small enough.  Then, turns out a woman runs the motorcycle track days heard of my desire and loaned me some (I call every one along the way my personal "Make a Riders Wish Foundation").  I found child care and went motorcycling as fast as I could!  This was the picture on my blog where I was smiling as big as Dallas!  I had surgery 3weeks later.  Now, when I see people who know of my interest, they never ask if I'm going to ride again, they ask when I will ride again.  I recently watched my daughter, who exercises exteme caution in everything she does, go bonzai down our drive on her bike (with a helmet/pads) and held my breath, hoping she wouldn't bite it as the terrain is extremeley rough and rocky.  She made it, and circled around with a smile from ear to ear and to my surprise did it again!  It was then I knew she has way to much dopamine just like me...
It is for this reason I can't judge the Silverwoods; and I see their smiles.
Julie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Dana on September 13, 2008, 05:54:45 pm
Great story, Julie!  I love driving, and have driven a BMW F>>A>>S>>T in my life once.  But that's the extent of my physical risk-taking.  I consider myself a 'risk taker' in LIFE... I've often changed the direction of my life in one day -- decision and action same day.  I've been active in  groups that I believed in, but were unpopular with the public.  In that sense I feel somewhat fearless.

But, don't ever ask me to bungee jump, ride of roller coaster, etc etc!!

Although Silverwood's ended up being a daredevil trip (in the sense that they crashed), I think the main 'daredevil' aspect of it was the commitment of the lives of everyone in the family to several years away from the lives they were used to.
Dana
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on September 13, 2008, 08:43:02 pm
After getting a job at a business machine company, I got a BMW (It was the beginning of a life with acronyms) Then I went to get insurance and it completely blew me away it was so high.  I asked my agent why and he tod me it was because BMW owners tend to drive with "reckless abandon".  To this day I joke about "RA" drivers!
BTW - I totally respect risk taking in manners not physical: fuuny - I am probably more conservative in that manner.  None the less, you won't ever see me bungee jump either!
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 13, 2008, 10:48:52 pm
Bungee jumping  ...no

I have repelled off the training tower at Fort Campbell Kentucky years ago , when they used to open it up
for a weekend each year  to 4th and 5th grade Webelos scouts and repelled off cliffs on the Elk and Duck Rivers ,
also with Scouts ...can't let the boys out do me ...  :)

my now ex husband was telling me there was no good reason to jump off a perfectly good cliff unless being
chased by a bear... but it was fun and I liked the feeling when I was in free air and had to control the drop by
hand tension on rope and  no wall to bounce off of ...

I may be too old and out of shape for that now...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on September 14, 2008, 04:46:05 pm
Jules - great story!  My hubby is a speed enthusiast, too, and races cars as a hobby.  As for me, I like to have both feet on the ground.  And, I like to live vicariously through the extreme activities of friends - so thanks for letting me hitch a ride!

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Dana on September 19, 2008, 01:07:50 pm
End of discussion of Black Wave? --- Seems like our discussion of Black Wave is done, so, to keep things going .... shall we go to #2: Just One Look, Harlan Coben (suggested by Jan)?

Someone want to moderate?

Here's the Amazon link: http://www.amazon.com/Just-One-Look-Harlan-Coben/dp/0451213203/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1221851128&sr=8-1

Dana
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on September 20, 2008, 12:51:43 pm
Things are kind of crazy here in Texas - but I am well into book and thought others planned to discuss more?  Julie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Dana on September 20, 2008, 04:14:19 pm
I was going to add to my last post that maybe it WASN'T time to end our discussion.  Fine with me.   Let's keep talking.

 I love the book; just finished reading it for second time.   I guess for me most important quality that both Jean and John express is always keeping a positive outlook, even if you have to meditate and/or think yourself into it.  I'm beginning to practice this outlook, and to read about others doing it is very helpful to me.  I've been around people who are like this -- including John's brother Mark who's been a friend for 30+ years -- but before now just couldn't see myself being positive.  Recently my psych and I have stumbled upon what seems to be a good combination of meds to alleviate my depression, so I can begin practicing "seeing the good outcome."

What about one of my other questions -- Do those of you who are parents see -- and are able to express -- the personalities of your children as clearly as Jean?  I'm not idolizing her and I suspect many of you do, but I find it sort of amazing (I'm not a parent.).

Dana
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 21, 2008, 07:00:54 am
I have yet to find my copy in the mess I call home so haven't read it yet...

Warning ...do not try to remodel rooms and live in house at same time ...almost done but it has been
a time for losing stuff , as what is suppose to be in living room is boxed and piled in dining room and the
computer desk in here too and the boxes eat stuff...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Dana on September 21, 2008, 11:55:17 am
Oops -- I didn't mean to imply (by my misplaced clause!!) that many of you idolize Jean.... What I meant is that maybe many of you parents ARE able to clearly see and enunciate your kids' personalities.
Dana
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on September 21, 2008, 12:15:49 pm
Hi Dana,

I don't know about dads, but I think moms do know their children's personalities quite well. I have several times been surprised to hear my mother speaking about my sisters, or my sister speaking about her children, and making observations about their personality that seem far more objective than you would expect from their own mother.

I have always wondered what my mother says about me to my sisters.  ???

Steve

PS: I must confess I have not read Black Wave.  :-[
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: 4cm in Pacific Northwest on September 23, 2008, 01:57:35 pm

Hey there!  ;D

 I am popping into the book club totally out-of-the-blue here.  :-\  ;) Sorry to interrupt you- with a morning coffee in hand. I see, to date, that there are 42 pages to this thread… and I am not sure I want to read back that far…


I just finished reading, while sipping a latte in a privately owned small town coffee shop- a book titled How Starbucks Saved My Life -by Michael Gates Gill… I did this based on this on-line discussion forum’s fellow postie's recommendation -made in another thread. However I will not deny that yesterday I read two chapters while sipping a pumpkin spice latte while I was in an actual Starbuck’s store (gasp!  ;) ) as I witnessed, in “real lifeâ€?, what Gill describes. My perspective has been changed by Gill… He is a gifted writer… and truly agree with how his young boss describes him- a “funny guyâ€?.  :D

I found these two posts by my dear ole buddy “Satman Super 8�-
http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=5312.0
&
http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=5337.0


But I am wondering do we have an ANA forum actual book discussion thread on THIS particular book going already?

“How does this book tie in to Acoustic Neuromas?â€?    :-\ you might ask?

…Well…  ;D the author has an acoustic neuroma but had no health insurance. (He is in  Watch & Wait) He lost his corporate executive position in his close-to-retirement age- and was left with no health coverage resources - thus his job undertaking at Starbucks - as a barista.  For Gill it was a racial diversity education program and personal experience opportunity he wished he had had in his younger days. He addressed everything from midlife crises, health insurance crises to family crisis ...all in a funny and well packaged upbeat  :) story.

Personally I cannot wait until the film comes out and I do think Tom Hanks is THE perfect cast for the role. I could not think of a more perfect person to play the part in this autobiographical story…

Do we have a thread on this book going? If yes can any of you point me that direction?

I SOOH want to discuss the book with others- specifically those who also have had their lives changed since the discovery of the AN tumors. I will admit that I prefer Peet’s lattes to Starbucks lattes -but I did so enjoy this book. Trust me the story is not really about coffee so much- it is about people.


Cheers (with latte in hand)

DHM


P.S. Here is a link so you can see the book cover (and NO I am not promoting Amazon I just want to give you a "visual" to see) I actually borrowed the copy I read from the local library ...after a long hold wait.
http://www.amazon.com/How-Starbucks-Saved-Life-Privilege/dp/1592402860

Upcoming movie
http://www.themovieinsider.com/m3440/how-starbucks-saved-my-life/


Video Interview with the author
(this looks as though it was a tv news interview and someone just filmed their TV set 8 + minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vjn-fd-Sz-c&feature=related

This one comes across as a promo- I am not sure if for his book or for Starbucks- it is a bit too polished and comes across as a commercial (You can take it or leave it  :-\ )
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBvW2Uuph9g


* My favorite of the 3 videos- a “book talk� he gave at Google (30 minutes)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E6bhkNJOsrs

Now if I personally wrote a book it would be How Google Saved My Life! Through that search engine I found the ANA, my surgeon, physical therapists… It empowered me to seek knowledge that, in previous generations, was only available to the privileged few.

I wonder if the up and coming film will bring awareness of acoustic nueroma tumors- to the public?

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 23, 2008, 10:19:10 pm
I read How Starbucks Saved My Life last year, and while I found it very interesting, the author never does say what he did about treatment.

I wonder if the movie will give us this "conclusion".

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: 4cm in Pacific Northwest on September 24, 2008, 01:59:12 pm
I read How Starbucks Saved My Life last year, and while I found it very interesting, the author never does say what he did about treatment.

I wonder if the movie will give us this "conclusion".

Jan

Jan,

In his talk he says he is in "wait and watch".

Dear sweet "Mike" could be waiting, lurking here - and reading our dilalogue.  ;)  :D ... as he tries to figure out the plan of action for his tumor.

If he is- I hope that the film will put some focus on the AN and bring some light to the viewers about it. We need more awareness not just to the public but to PCP's.

Cheers (with a pumpkin spice ...mmmm....autumn latte),

DHM
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 30, 2008, 08:07:32 pm
I have yet to find my copy of Black Wave and I am beginning to think my dog
really did eat it ... >:(

I started Just One Look last night ... had to restart it again today as what I read last
night didn't stick...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on October 09, 2008, 11:00:08 am
Hi Dana & All,
Sorry I have been out of the loop after implying I needed a "little" more time to finish it...It turns out my poor husband broke his ankle playing soccer with our daughter.  Funny, (well, not excactly funny - but rather fortuitous in timing), his injury came at a point where I can now resume the animal routine, although if I wait till after dark I have that "drunk sailor" stagger some folks on this forum have described (a funny and acurate visual) as I pitch hay around for the horses!
Speaking of drunk sailors, (hows that for a segway?!) I risked not looking favorably upon the book midway through, but John S. redeemed himself with his family and with me as a reader, because the move did take gumption; and they now have a different outlook on life.  They will probably survive whatever is thrown at them.  It is a story about survival that I could parallel with the AN journey, and I especially was touched by their gratitude and thanking the various entities.
Speaking of which - I need to get back to my Thank Yous!
All for Now,
Jules
P.S.  I, too, fell playing soccer and scrapped up my leg last week, but it was a good injury because I was playing soccer!  Woo-hoo!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 10, 2008, 12:14:54 am
So, has anyone decided on a new book  ???

Or, has the club disbanded  ???

Who's in charge here  ???

Steve, care to make an executive decision  ???

I want to read  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on October 10, 2008, 07:37:47 am
Sorry if I held things up - I'll bow out of this group!
Julie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Dana on October 10, 2008, 02:02:55 pm
Seems like we didn't have many participants on Black Wave -- As Jan said, anyone want to pick the next book...or....what are folks' thoughts? 
Dana
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 10, 2008, 02:37:28 pm
I thought that someone said that we were reading Just One Look  (Harlan Coben) next and I was looking it up on the on-line card catelog and planning to get it yesterday and then we got the call about my grandmother - I was there until late last night until she passed away.  I still plan on getting it whether we read it or not b/c I have reading his stuff (at Jan's suggestion).  Jules, PLEASE don't leave us - I think we all kind of sloweddown/boed out on the last book. 
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on October 10, 2008, 07:48:55 pm
I've certainly been absent a while too, so Jules, no reason to bail. Why don't we decide on Just One Look again, only read it this time? :)

It may take us a while to get going, Jules can entertain us with comments on Black Wave in the mean time.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on October 10, 2008, 08:05:30 pm
Sorry to hear about your grandmother Kaybo


I second the vote for Just One Look ...

Got a Books A Million gift card and went shopping last weekend... picked up several books from list
and The Brain That Changed It's self... been wheezy and puny all week... went to doctor today thinking
just asthma but have mild pneumonia and an ear infection in deaf ear ...have  orders to go to bed for the
weekend through Tuesday and then back to see him ... good timing ...got books to read in between
sleeping through movies   :)


anyone gets ear infections in deaf ear with no pain??? he said it should be killing me with pain by the way
it looked ...but it isn't ...have had some drainage but almost always have some drainage since surgery and didn't
give it much thought ... clean out with stuff  ENT told me to use and go on...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on October 10, 2008, 10:49:15 pm
K -I'm sorry that you have had this loss at this already cosmically stressful time.  Prayers are with you and your family.
I'm not going anywhere - especially knowing that my guilt was self perpetuated (usually is) One Look it is then?. I'll be happy to entertain till my book comes in - God knows my ship isn't! 
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 12, 2008, 12:25:20 am
Well, I haven't been over to this thread in quite awhile...K, so sorry about your grandmother.

I'm going to try to get this book and get going on it, but don't know that I'll be able to participate in the discussion - got that little procedure coming up very soon  :-\ but, I do need a good book to read before, during and after my trip to LA.

Thanks!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on October 12, 2008, 10:25:00 am
When is our due date?  I have yet to begin....
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 12, 2008, 12:35:16 pm
I haven't started it either, but I've read a couple of his other books and once you start, you can't put them down!!  I don't think you will have a problem!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 12, 2008, 11:06:58 pm
K -

you are so right.  I've read about 4 Harlan Coben books now and I've found him to be a very good writer. 

As you say, it's hard to put down one of his books once you get started.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on October 13, 2008, 06:25:08 pm
Got my book today...He gets you hooked with a quick intro on the first page....
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 13, 2008, 10:06:53 pm
When someone gets a chance, can you please tell me what the book is about?  Not in detail, just the blurb from the book jacket.

I've read a few of his books now, and it's been a few weeks, so I'd like to know what I'm discussing when the time comes.

The books I read came on loan from my mom and I've given them back to her.

Thanks,

Jan  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on October 14, 2008, 05:45:28 am
OMG, this is a suspenseful story that the reader gets hooked into right away. To those considering the read, it is one where everything is something when solving this mystery. The author has a gift related to intertwining the characters and the plot.

When someone gets a chance, can you please tell me what the book is about? 
I've read a few of his books now, and it's been a few weeks, so I'd like to know what I'm discussing when the time comes.

The books I read came on loan from my mom and I've given them back to her.

Jan,


Here is an excerpt from audiofile off of Amazon:
Here is yet another example of Corben's gifted storytelling. ....Grace Lawson ..attempts to figure out how and why a twenty-year-old picture turns up in her recently developed photos, and why her husband has disappeared after recognizing himself in the old photograph.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 14, 2008, 09:09:42 am
Thanks, Kate.

It's all coming back to me now  8)

Enjoy the book - it's a good one.

Anyone set a discussion date yet?

Who's in charge here?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 14, 2008, 01:15:34 pm
Jan~ 
I think you would be good since you have already read it but you may be at a disadvantage since you don't have the book in front of you!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on October 14, 2008, 07:13:20 pm
Who is reading this round?  The other suggestion would be to rotate Queens:-)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 14, 2008, 08:44:39 pm
I'm in - I got the book from the library today.  I am finishing my other one and will probably start tomorrow!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on October 14, 2008, 09:15:40 pm
I'm in... about half way through and stopped to make sure it was the book we were
reading ... when I used up my gift card I picked up also got his book The Woods...

who's running for queen...or king???

I think I need to stick to jester
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 15, 2008, 05:56:49 pm
I don't think K's been Queen yet  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 15, 2008, 08:04:38 pm
Jan~
Oh...but I am the "Queen" of many things...doesn't parallel parking count??   ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on October 15, 2008, 09:46:06 pm
I don't think K's been Queen yet  ;D

I don't think she's been book queen yet either..Let's see.. I remember Myself, Jan, Dana to name a few...
What do you think? Does Parallel Parking Queen translate into not only parking between the lines, but reading between the lines which then qualifies her for the next discussion queen?
Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on October 15, 2008, 11:06:36 pm
I third the motion for K to be crowned Parallel Parking Between The Lines Queen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 16, 2008, 10:22:37 am
I think Steve was king once.

Sounds like it's your turn, Kay  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 16, 2008, 10:26:20 am
I got it!!  How much time does everyone need?  I have found that once you start his books, it is hard to put them down so it only takes me a couple of days to read.  However, I haven't had a LOT of time to read the last week!  I have just read a few pages, but depending on how long I have to wait at the Dr. today...Anyway, let me know what you think!!

The New Queen,
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 16, 2008, 10:28:04 am
Of course, I do think it is funny that we are reading a book called Just One Look when I KNOW I get 2nd looks ALL the time because of my face!!   ;D   ;D   ;D

K  
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on October 18, 2008, 07:02:14 am
You decide the timing.  Once people get the book, they won't be able to stop reading it. and meet the timeline. It is a fast moving mystery that makes the reader want to devour the words until they find out all the answers to the questions at the end. 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on October 18, 2008, 10:42:24 am
Hi,

I want to get back in to the reading. Looking back I figured the new choice is Just One Look by Harlan Coben? I skimmed the posts but did not pick up when we will start discussing it.

Thanks,

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 18, 2008, 11:36:20 am
We need to decide if we want to discuss it at the end or as we go along.  Believe it or not, I already have a question...  :o

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 20, 2008, 10:29:07 am
OK - don't tell Dave, but I have been reading this morning - I just had to finish this book!  I have been taking breaks long enough to go switch the laundry from the washer to dryer - now that the book's finished, I have a LOT of folding to do!  LOL!!  (I got interrupted writing this post by the phone & folded the whole time - yea!) What a good book!  OK, who all is participating?  Just off the top of my head: Soundy, Jan, Kate, Mary, me...who else??
Let me know...

The Queen   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on October 21, 2008, 08:57:48 pm
OK -...- I just had to finish this book!  I have been taking breaks long enough to go switch the laundry from the washer to dryer - now that the book's finished, \What a good book!  OK, who all is participating?  Just off the top of my head: Soundy, Jan, Kate, Mary, me...who else??
Let me know...

The Queen   ;D

That is the amazing thing...once you read the first two chapters you have to read more. 
So it sounds like at least five of us from your list...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 21, 2008, 09:08:09 pm
Kate~
It may just be you & me at the rate I am getting responses...  ???

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on October 21, 2008, 09:25:04 pm
Kate~
It may just be you & me at the rate I am getting responses...  ???

K

K,
If they only read the first chapter to wonder why the jailbird would request a meeting with the DA only to confess a long time secret and then read chapter 2 when the character, Grace, finds a photo in her packet of pictures that doesn't belong....they would get hooked...just like you and I did.

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on October 21, 2008, 09:27:56 pm
I swear it is on my to do list, it really is, I just don't seem to get to it...

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 21, 2008, 09:38:50 pm
Kate & Kay -

I'm definitely "in" on the discussion, although at this point I've read a few more books by this author; and I read this particular book a few months ago.

Bottomline, I might have to remember the plot of this book as you discuss it, but I'm fairly sure it will all come back to me and I'll be able to participate somewhat intelligently  ;)

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 22, 2008, 06:13:15 am
Steve~
I nwas wondering about you - start the book - you won't be sorry!!   ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on October 22, 2008, 01:02:32 pm
Hi K,
I'm in, but my book is not.  I'll join in the previously scheduled programming already in progress when it does though!
Julie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jan D on October 22, 2008, 05:42:22 pm
I reserved the book at the library and I'm a slow reader, so you may be done by the time I get started!

I'll check the posts periodically to get in on the discussion.

Jan D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on October 23, 2008, 07:56:10 am
I read the book about a year ago, so I'll be like Jan - joining in as the discussion goes on, and hoping I can remember the plot ...

BTW, I'm reading the newest Robin Cook paperback.  Very glad I didn't read it BEFORE I got the post surgical infection!

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 23, 2008, 07:35:35 pm
OK - so here is the deal!  I wanted to start the discussion next Friday (Halloween), but we are having company from out of town so that would be kind of rude...SSSOOOO, we can either start now or wait until the 5th (Dave is having a little surgery on another skin cancer place on the 4th)...anyone have input??

K  -the Queen of Cluelessness-   ???
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on October 23, 2008, 07:52:37 pm
Please wait!!!! I just got the book yesterday and was not able to start it until today. Then I have company until Wednesday. That is my 2 cents! ;D

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 23, 2008, 07:54:44 pm
Mary!
Thank you for replying - that settles it!!  I will post the first question on the 5th and then everyone else can chime in with opinions and other questions!!  OK??  STEVE~your friend Mary bought more time for you!!

Kay
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on October 23, 2008, 08:34:08 pm
I vote for wait too...I am about half way through ...been busy with school carnival prep and not finished
it ... tomorrow night is carnival then plan to be unconscious Saturday ... nine year old has a drama team
performance Sunday morning at church and then Sunday evening at another church... unconscious again
Monday and then I may get back to book Tuesday if skip house cleaning and feeding of family

My DIL has put together a drama team at church ... my youngest joined them... they are doing songs with
modern dance and signing ...kinda neat watching them... and I have learned to read the signs so that if someone
came along and signed Shout to The Lord or Precious Lamb of God to me , I could  understand them...
don't know how useful that will be but it is a start to learning sign language...  :) ..

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 23, 2008, 08:55:23 pm
The 5th works for me, too  :)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on October 23, 2008, 09:39:11 pm
STEVE~your friend Mary bought more time for you!!

Noted. I'm sure it will cost me something eventually.  :D

The 5th it is.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on October 24, 2008, 10:32:22 pm
I'll Join in the conversation most likely after the 10th. Friends coming to visit Chicago at that time.

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on October 25, 2008, 09:06:01 am
Hi,

I was very wonkyheaded yesterday afternoon so I got about half of the book read instead of doing work around the house. I will be ready by the 5th. THANK you, Kay! I am fine with waiting further, if decided that way.

Take care all!

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on October 25, 2008, 09:13:59 am
Hi,

I was very wonkyheaded yesterday afternoon so I got about half of the book read instead of doing work around the house.
Mary 8)

It is just one of those that you can't put down...your mind keeps wanting to put the pieces together.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jan D on October 26, 2008, 07:37:40 pm
Today, after church, I decided to start reading.  I couldn't put it down - but, that's all I got done today.

Great read - can't wait to get his other books!

Jan D

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on October 26, 2008, 08:09:54 pm
I decided to start reading.  I couldn't put it down - but, that's all I got done today.

Great read - can't wait to get his other books!
Jan D

 I am glad you are joining our group.  You're right, it is a real mystery thriller and once you start, it is impossible to stop. Quite a twist to the plot though!

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 26, 2008, 08:47:38 pm
Just started another...

I doubt my question will be profound, but it will get the ball rolling...
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on October 27, 2008, 04:53:22 am
K,
Your question doesn't have to be deep.  It will just need to get things in motion:-)  It's one of Newton's Laws: action---reaction.

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 05, 2008, 09:44:32 am
SO......today is the 5th - good thing I looked at my calendar and saw that I was going to start this today!!  LOL!!

OK - this is not the best question nor does it cover the feeling of the whole book, but I was really struck when I first read about Eric Wu & the things that he did to human beings to "incapacitate" them...do you think that when things are described in books, it gives people ideas?  I know that I NEVER knew about anything like that...not that I am going to study up on it and put it into practice!  But I guess the reason I really thought about this was because I read one of his other books and it had a "disclaimer" at the beginning that everything talked about in the book was available to anyone...just to get us rolling...what do you think??

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jan D on November 05, 2008, 11:12:21 am
The graphic descriptions of what Eric Wu did to his victims bothered me a lot.  My mother started reading the book and said that she was worried that it would give her nightmares.  I told her to keep reading and that the book didn't dwell on that throughout. 

We both were glad we stuck with it, but I thought the graphic details could have been minimized a bit.  I've read one of his other books and he stuck some very violent stuff in that too.

A good writer, but I think he could tone it down a bit and still have a great, suspenseful story.

Jan D

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on November 05, 2008, 12:27:15 pm
Hi,

Good question! I did not like the descriptions of Wu's tortuous ways. However, if they weren't there, would would the book have such suspense? I don't know. I am bothered by violence in all our entertainment and art forms, yet I know this is the reality of our world. I sure wouldn't want children reading this. I have to say, too,  I could hardly put the book down - so there you go. Like I said, "Good question!"

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 05, 2008, 02:07:19 pm
Mary~
I think that if it weren't there, it might not have so much of the "grab you in appeal" - it is things like that that really go thru people's minds that do those kinds of things.  HOPEFULLY, that is what separates us from them!!   ;)

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 05, 2008, 08:04:04 pm
Actually K, this is a great question, and something I never considered when I was reading the book.

I remember the descriptions being quite graphic, but I didn't really view them as violent for some reason.  Maybe because I knew what "type" of book this was and I felt it was appropriate and in context.   Plus I'm a "consenting adult" - in other words, it wasn't a book I'd recommend to my kids or a young audience.

As for others getting ideas, I guess it's possible and a good point.  But if someone really wanted violent ideas, all they'd have to do is access the internet or their local library.  From what I understand - I've never looked myself - it's possible to find all kinds of information on the web or in printed material.  For example, how to commit suicide, how to poison someone, how to make a homemade bomb, etc.  I'm not saying people should be searching for this kind of information, but I'm certain it's quite prevalent in today's society.

BTW, a little off topic here, for those of you who read Anita Shreve, I just finished her book "Testimony".  It was a little shocking in the first couple of chapters, but I really enjoyed it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 05, 2008, 08:22:26 pm
jan~
I haven't heard of Anita Shreve, but you didn't steer me wrong with Harlan so i should check her out - what kind of story is it?

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 05, 2008, 08:35:38 pm
K -

I've read a few books by Anita Shreve.  The most famous one that comes to mind (it was on Oprah's book list) is The Pilot's Wife, which I found to be very good.

She also wrote a few others I've read - Body Surfing, Fortune's Rocks, The Weight of Water, Sea Glass, A Wedding in December, Light on Snow. I especially liked Sea Glass and Light on Snow.  I wasn't too thrilled with Fortune's Rocks because it's somewhat historical and not my style - my mom loved it though.   I don't know how I'd describe her writing - it's not romance, not chick lit, etc.   Your library should have some of these books; you should check her out (no pun intended)  ;)

IMO another really good writer is Wally Lamb (She's Come Undone, I Know This Much is True).  He's got a new book coming out next week that I've already pre-ordered from Amazon.com called The Hour I First Believed.  You can read an excerpt from the book on Amazon's website.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 05, 2008, 09:48:38 pm
Cheri~
I had not responded to this earlier because I thought that someone else would - I don't remember if we have decided on the next book.   ???
We just all read it and have a date to start discussing it...
What book do we want next?  I know that Cheri, along with some of the rest of us, want to go ahead & work on getting it either from a bookseller or the library.

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 05, 2008, 09:49:19 pm
Jan~
I did read the Pilot's Wife - a LONG time ago!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on November 06, 2008, 12:02:33 am


1. Black Wave, John and Jean Silverwood (Dana).
2. Just One Look, Harlan Coben (Jan).
3. Tailspin, Catherine Coulter (Kaybo).
4. The Shack, William P.Young (Kaybo/Soundy)
5. First Person Plural, Dr. Cameron West (Debbi)
6. Playing for Pizza, John Grisham (Debbi/Yardtick)
7. The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time, Mark Hadden (MaryBKAriz)
8. The Bookseller of Kabul, Asne Seierstad (Debbi)
9. Molto Italiano, Mario Batali (JulieE)
10.The Woods by Harlan Coben

This is the list I have that I copied and saved to a file from a post somewhere in this thread... by this
Tailspin would be next


As to the question on the violence... first description turned my stomach but then later the incidents
didn't bother me as much ... I knew they were coming and just accepted them ... but as  Jan said we
are consenting adults ... not a thing that I want my kids reading yet

I believe to some extent media both in news form or entertainment form may give some ideas to someone
already leaning toward a tendency to be violent , but doesn't necessarily cause the violence in that person


How would you react to learning that someone you have known for years , loved and trusted was not really who they
were suppose to be ?

 
It was a big secret to keep but do you feel that the family was hurt by Jack keeping this from them?

I guess I would feel some betrayal... but would it change who I was or who may children were if I discovered my husband
was really his best friend who was killed when they were jumping off the bridge at the river and the other drowned and
for what ever reason there was a cover up and Bo had assumed Joe's identity? ... it would just mean that technically I
was married to Joe and his family was my children's family ...( and my crazy mother in law wasn't related to my kids  :D )

I think other than them not knowing there relatives for the first part of their lives the kids were not really hurt... I think
the grandmother was more hurt than the kids because she knew but could do nothing about the situation without
betraying her son ... the hurt to the kids and Grace came on his death and learning the trurth


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on November 06, 2008, 09:02:06 am
Very interesting question. I really didn't expect Jack to be anyone other than the description at the beginning. I would think it would be surreal to find someone you love, and had children with, had not confided the past. The story really was a page turner.

I think you also described well the violence and the part it played in the plot.

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 06, 2008, 09:23:18 am
Tailspin was a really good book - but it is the latest in the FBI Series by Catherine Coulter.  I really encourage others to read books in order (even though these can still be enjoyed out of order) - I was just saying what I was reading at the time - we don't have to read it!!  ;)  Mary, why don't you pick a book - have you picked one yet??  Is that OK with everybody??

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on November 06, 2008, 09:29:48 am
Hey, just curious as to whether any of you use www.paperbackswap.com (http://www.paperbackswap.com) to trade books?  I just started using it and LOVE it.  I've already posted about 40 books and have several on their way to me.  Since there isn't a used paperback store near me, this is a great alternative.

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on November 06, 2008, 10:13:59 pm
Hi,

I'd be happy to, Kay. How about #6. Playing for Pizza, by John Grisham (Debbi/Yardtick recommended)? I just looked at the list and the name is interesting and the author well known. I know nothing else about it. I am feeling adventuresome.  ;D

Take care,

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 06, 2008, 10:16:38 pm
Debbi -

thanks for the tip.  I've never heard of paperback swap.

I generally purchase books new and then pass them on to several friends and family members.  When my books are eventually returned to me, I either donate them to the library or sell them to a secondhand bookstore.  If I sell them I don't get much, but it is a little something I can add to the family vacation fund, and believe it or not, it does add up to a decent sum.

The friends and family members that I pass books along to also pass their books on to me once they've read them, but I don't know what they do with them after I return them so I'll pass this link on to them.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 07, 2008, 06:57:55 am
Next book:

Playing for Pizza by John Grisham and Mary will be the Queen!  Of course, we are not thru discussing this one, but that one is now picked so we can all start getting a copy!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on November 08, 2008, 10:19:46 am
Great book!  Fair warning, though - it will have you scouring the market for a beautiful wedge of parmigniano and a hunk of prosciutto ...

Buon appetito!
Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 09, 2008, 08:01:17 am
OK...now that we have decided on the next book, I still think that there is a LOT to discuss about Just One Look - I don't have time to write a lot now but does anyone have any thoughts on what Soundy asked??  I'll get back to this after church!!   ;)

K

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 09, 2008, 10:30:21 am
As Soundy said, I'd definitely feel a huge betrayal.

But would it really have a made a difference in my day to day life, IMO probably not since I didn't know the difference.

Hope you prayed for me today, Kaybo  ;)

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on November 09, 2008, 10:11:38 pm
Kay is trying diligently to get us back on subject B4 moving on with "Pizza" in hand, so I will share my thoughts on One Look:  Regarding Kay's question about the violence - I think if someone wanted to hurt someone, there are a million ways, so copycatting isn't too much a concern.  I'm hopeful there are few Wu personalities in the world, but I think there are more Ms. Kovals, which is bad enough.  Greed is a strange motivator.  I got to the first violent episode and considered (as a consenting adult) not to go any farther - not enjoying confrontation like I used to; and feeling the fear of violence can be perverse - but the author already had me hooked: my favorite character was Cora ( I can see the color of her house, as well as the picture).  I am wondering about the heroine aspect of his writing:  Does he have this theme in all his books?  Is he writing to certain women? All the heroines in this book had flaws, and in the end even The "Angel" was complicit.  Granted, we may be flawed and complicit, but having been witness to the vastly good nature of people since diagnosis, I kinda wanna stick with feel goody stuff.  ***** Cat, I know, but one word of advice:  Don't buy into shooting does not require practice:  If you must have a gun, get the training class with it!  Oh - and especially for those trying to protect remaining hearing - wear ear protection...
LOL,
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 10, 2008, 07:18:18 am
I was thinking about finding out that you've been living with someone who isn't EXACTLY who you thought that it was.  YES, I would feel betrayed, but I have to agree with Jan that after much thought & DISCUSSION, I would hope that I would come to realize that aside from the whole "major lie" thing that my day to day life wouldn't change much.  It was that "person" (not the name) and the lifestyle you have built with them that mattered.  I think that what would upset me the most is that my children have been denied a Grandmother.  My mom (& father when he was alive) & in-laws play such a HUGE role in the shaping of our kids lives (& I realize that many do not have this) that I couldn't even imagine not having anyone.  I wonder, though, why he didn't introduce her to the family as an Auntie or have her move even closer as a neighbor to be their beloved "granny" next door...just a thought...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on November 11, 2008, 06:29:56 am
  My mom (& father when he was alive) & in-laws play such a HUGE role in the shaping of our kids lives (& I realize that many do not have this) that I couldn't even imagine not having anyone.  I wonder, though, why he didn't introduce her to the family as an Auntie or have her move even closer as a neighbor to be their beloved "granny" next door...just a thought...

K

First ...if your kids have good grandparents they are lucky... my mom is OK with the kids ... my dad is a pig of sorts and was
great with my boys but barely acknowledges the girls simply because they are girls... my FIL is a good guy and my MIL is nuts...
she give the girls too much and at same time goes on and on about how they should have been boys to help their
daddy around the farm... the 11 year old drives a tractor for small moving jobs... and the 9 year old loves going to the
barn and feeding... (my boys are grown and from first marriage and do help my husband with hay and other jobs that crop up )


Second... I had thought of her being an aunt or something and being closer.... but he was probably worried about a slip of
tongue ,,and there would be pictures of him ...and any other family members that ever showed up to see her could blow
his cover...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 14, 2008, 07:41:16 am
Well, I have been wondering exactly what to do here.  I think there is still some to talk about w/ JOL but no one is really responding.  I think everyone's propbably just busy , like me....

Anyone...anyone...???

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on November 14, 2008, 07:45:25 am
Hi Kay,

I guess people are busy...like us. I got the book but haven't started reading it. Do you think we should give it a little time? I know once Thanksgiving hits it will just get crazier. Maybe have it read by the 1st?  I don't know.

Take care,

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on November 14, 2008, 08:34:25 am
You're very understanding, Kay, because it is bz!  But what caught me about the discussion was how indignant we all got about the denial of the relationship between the grandmother and kiddos!  It is interesting because we all cherish family relationships - maybe even more than people who have not had a health crisis (those people tend to think there's always tomorrow to heal a wound, whereas we recognize the importance of the moment).  I envy you Kay, and other friends who have the third generation so close and influential!  I was always a big believer in multigenerational homes, but mine are hours away.  Even Soundy, who has a less than ideal situation still seems to take the learning opportunity: someone has said that "if your parents can't be a shining example, let them be a blaring warning."!  I loved Soundy's
Quote
( and my crazy mother in law wasn't related to my kids   :D )
.
You know what a friend told me was the diffence between the South and the North?  That "up there we put our crazy women in an institution, and down here we put 'em in the parlor to entertain arriving guests!"  I hope my kids have the guts to stick me in the parlor when that time comes...maybe sooner than later ;)
LOL,
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 14, 2008, 03:34:26 pm
Mary~
Did you mean Just One Look or the Pizza one?  I was wondering if we are thru with Just One Look??????

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on November 14, 2008, 06:55:40 pm
The Pizza pne.  Is that too sopn? I just threw out that day.

Mary 8)


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 14, 2008, 08:49:33 pm
K -

would love to keep discussing Just One Look, but I've read several other books since I read it so I guess I'm just not into discussing much.

Am sitting out the "pizza" book.  I'm almost done with a book called "Time of My Life" and will be moving onto Wally Lamb's "The Hour I First Believed" since Amazon just shipped it to me today.

I'll try to get in on the book after "pizza".  Hope you all enjoy reading it.

Jan

BTW - I think K needs another turn as "queen" since this discussion was rather short.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on November 14, 2008, 10:00:32 pm
The Pizza pne.  Is that too sopn? I just threw out that day.

I don't think it is too sopn for reading the Pizza pne.   ;D

Sorry, Mary, I couldn't resist, I had to read your post about five times to figure out what you meant. My eyes refused to make words out of it.  :)  It also took me a while to figure out that you were referring to the day we should read it by; I thought maybe you had a bad day and decided to throw out the whole day, which seems like it would be a nice option to have sometimes. :)

I must confess that I never did read Just One Look, but I will try to read Playing for Pizza by Dec 1st.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on November 15, 2008, 06:52:08 am
I have been busy and about half sick and not really discussing things ... I have already read Pizza and will
skim through it again before discussion

The Pizza pne.  Is that too sopn? I just threw out that day.

Mary 8)




I was reading that and trying to figure where a spoon figured in it all... had to do a re-read to get it right...I
thank spell check before each post I make... my fingers don't seem to know where the letters on my
keyboard are anymore  and they can't remember how to spell remeber  :D ..always leave out that second M

I grew up an ARMY brat and my grandparents were kinda strangers I wrote to religiously and and saw
occasionally... my MIL lives about 1000 feet from my door and I have seen her twice in last 5 years to speak
to her although my girls see her almost daily... when some of her bad points begin to rub off on them I limit
time they spend there... my 9 year old tells me she can't help being like she is... ( that makes me giggle) ... I took
her son away (yep 1000 feet  away) ... I am too old for him ( 4 years older ) and heaven forbid I birthed two
girls for him ( he donated the sperm that made them female) ...

when the girls came home crying 5 years ago because she had said if I was gone Bo could have the sons he needs
to help on the farm I lost it and told her where to get off and haven't looked back... for me she largely doesn't exist
the girls thought I was gonna die or leave or we would trade them for boys ... So near by relatives are not always
a plus... my husband told her to keep her opinions to herself or she would not be seeing the girls except when he
could sit there and monitor the visit which with the farm work he has to do would be a rare occasion
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on November 15, 2008, 08:47:14 am
LOL Steve - "I don't think it is too sopn for reading the Pizza pne.   ;D"

I have to laugh..... that should teach me to REREAD what I wrote. I could see if the red line was there. Sorry about that, just have to keep you guys on your toes! ;D

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on November 15, 2008, 06:30:15 pm
Cheryl, I hope you like it.....I haven't started it but have it ready when I finish my current book.

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on November 16, 2008, 12:27:43 pm
Cheri,

Can you taste the food?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on November 16, 2008, 12:40:08 pm
I just love his descriptions of the food - maybe because I've been there, maybe because I love food, maybe because I'm easily influenced - who cares.  I could literally taste and smell the foods he wrote about.  Oh, and the story was good too...  ;)

Mangiamo!
Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on November 16, 2008, 09:51:38 pm
It was hungry reading ... I like making lasagna with ricotta cheese stuffed in there and small chunks
of tomato,pepper and onion in the sauce ... but my kids and husband prefer it ricotta and chunk
free  :( ... no accounting for their taste...

I have also forged ahead and read The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime , The Woods and I
am currently reading Marley and Me with a bit of the Brain that Changes It's self thrown in ...what
can I say ...I have been on edge the past week and books sooth me ...  :)

Cheri...... I remember my Grandmother and two aunts having similar competitions with desserts and fancy
cassaroles... a few of us almost made ourselves sick each holiday trying to take equal amounts of each specialty
to help keep the peace ... and they weren't even of Italian bloodline ...just enjoyed their food ...both
making and eating it ...

and in the case of one aunt , making beautiful art cakes ... bunt cakes with a doll poking out the top with  a hoop skirt
dress of super fine icing that looked like lace ... bunny rabbits in a nest of coconut grass ...  a tree once that looked
right out of Swiss Family Robinson with vines ,ropes and walkways all made of frosting and marsipan... only problem
was no one wanted to cut into them ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on November 30, 2008, 07:08:01 pm
Ready to review Playing for Pizza?????? ;D

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on November 30, 2008, 07:43:36 pm
Are you hungry for some good Italian food and a nice glass of vino?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on November 30, 2008, 07:52:33 pm
YES! ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 30, 2008, 09:23:15 pm
I guess I will sit this one out - I never seemed to get the book... ???
Enjoy!
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 30, 2008, 10:20:11 pm
K -

I'm sitting out right along with you; didn't get the book either.

Maybe we'll both join in on the next one  :)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Tisha on December 01, 2008, 08:06:45 am
Well, I couldn't resist pushing my very favorite book of all times.  I've pushed it on several people who have since called me and THANKED ME profusely, along with being mad at me because they can't get anything done reading this book

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon.

It's basically a historical fiction set in 18th century Scotland.   It has everything in it, and defies description.  It has a romantic element, a little stretch of the imagination, etc.  It's wonderful.  It's BIG----640 pages.  The first 60 pages didn't grab me, I could set it down easily and wondered why my friend insisted I read it.  Well, after the heroine gets to where she's going, I couldn't put it down and read the remainder in 3 days.  It's a series.  So, if you love it like me...there are 5 more books.  If it's just OK to you, it has a ending that you can live with on it's own.

Another suggestion...a series that I loved that I think Men will love.

The Camulod Chronicle written by Jack Whyte.   The first book is The Skystone.   

Tisha
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on December 01, 2008, 10:40:41 am
I will start discussion with a couple of questions. Do you feel Rick and Livvy stay (long term) together in Italy with Rick Playing football? If so, why or why not?

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on December 01, 2008, 10:42:35 am
Tish,

I've read the ENTIRE series.  Diana Gabaldon is an amazing writer.  I would love to reread the Outlander.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Tisha on December 01, 2008, 12:20:56 pm
Yardtick!

Hey, did you know her next novel is out in the fall 2009 "Echo in the Bones".  Plus, she has a graphic novel out at the end of the summer, I think.   It cuts thru the first 1/3 of Outlander and is from Murtagh's POV.  I can't wait!  Plus, there's a movie that is being discussed, too, of OUtlander.

Tisha
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on December 01, 2008, 02:10:04 pm
Hey All,

Just popped in here for the frst time in awhile and just have to comment on the Outlander series and Diana Gabaldon!  Oh, my gosh, what a GREAT series!!!  I've read most of them twice (would read them again, though).  I am currently reading the 2nd in her Lord John series - it's very good as well - I think I'm reading it just for the rare times she mentions Jamie's name in the book!  So glad to hear she has a new book coming out - will be first in line here in Atlanta for it!

Well, just had to pop in for a minute - I do hope to rejoin you guys soon, but right now, my eye is still too dry to allow reading more than a few pages at the time.  But, I'll be back!  (Jan, before I left for surgery, I finally bought one of the Harlan Coben books - look forward to reading it.)

Happy reading to you all,

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on December 01, 2008, 02:18:04 pm
Hi,

Anyone want to discuss Playing for Pizza? Today is the day! ;D I have the questions posted below.

Thanks,

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on December 01, 2008, 02:54:05 pm
Do Rick and Livvy stay in Italy long term?

Well, I would like to think so.  It seems like Rick found a famiily with his fellow team-mates, and he and Livvy, for all their differences,  seem so well suited to each other.  Of course, I love happy endings, so maybe I'm just be eternally optimistic.  

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on December 01, 2008, 03:14:54 pm
Debbi,
 ;) You and I are of the same thought! What do they have to return to anyway?

Mary

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on December 01, 2008, 04:19:30 pm
Tisha,

I've heard about the movie and I hope they do her book justice.  Can't wait for the new book!


Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Tisha on December 01, 2008, 05:38:04 pm
Cindy,

I've also read the series twice (I have NEVER done that), and have read Brotherhood of the Blade.  Really enjoyed it, I didn't like Private Matter and couldn't finish it.  I have a bit of a crush on Lord John anyway.  I'm going to start another reread in the spring, to start getting ready for the new book.  I allow myself about a month for each book...I want to immerse myself in the world of J&C before it comes out.

Whenever you are looking for another great read, try The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons.  Next to Outlander, it's my favorite series (it's a trilogy).  Hope your eye starts feeling better soon.

Tisha
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on December 01, 2008, 06:20:13 pm
I am hungry for Pizza and a trip to Italy! :D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on December 01, 2008, 08:59:56 pm
I think they would have stayed on in Italy ... like Mary said , what was there fro them to return to...

Rick found a place he fit and did some growing up
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on December 01, 2008, 09:11:09 pm
I picked up a copy of Dragonfly in Amber at Dollar Tree several years ago... read it and then had to go
track down and but the other parts of the Outlander series that were in print and had to wait for
Breath of Snow and Ashes to come out ...great books that I have re-read and will hold onto... I set a
goal to replace the paper back copies with hardback and have done so when budget allows and only
have two to go...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on December 02, 2008, 10:38:29 am
For readers of Playing for Pizza - how did the book strike you? For me I had a vacation vicariously! It was a refreshing get-a-way from all the hub-bub of real life and what we all are dealing with. The book was fast reading and engaging. In one word I found it "delightful"! It is unusual to read an upbeat book that holds my interest too many turn sacrine.

Besides the comment on the book does anyone else have a question to ask us all about the book?

Take care.

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on December 02, 2008, 11:04:02 am
I was amazed at how "DUMB" Rick was in the beginning of the book.  He knew nothing about the world in general except football.  I loved the description of the food.  I laughed out loud several times.  Being married to a Southern Italian, where food is life, I could taste the written food.  I read some of the pages out loud to Louie and he just smiled from ear to ear. 

VIVA ITALIA!!!  One day I am going to get there!
Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on December 02, 2008, 01:47:34 pm
Good comment, Anne Marie, about how "dumb" Rick was initially - and how much he grew up in Italy.  When you think about it that way, it is almost a "coming of age" book, isn't it?

On a deeper level, one of the messages I got from this book was that "success" isn't always defined in ssimple terms, nor in the ways we expect.  Rick turned out to be very successful on multiple levels, just not how he pictured it at the start.

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on December 02, 2008, 07:35:02 pm
Y'all peaked my curiousity - I checked out Outlander today from the library!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Tisha on December 03, 2008, 04:08:40 am
That's great Kay!  Just remember, the first 60 pages or so it seemed slow to me, and I couldn't figure out what the hubbub was about....stick with it until she "travels", then it gets really good!  Hope you enjoy it!  Let us know.

Tisha
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Tisha on December 04, 2008, 04:25:25 am
Hi!

I don't think Outlander is on the next list, I didn't know the rules of this thread when I popped in to plug Outlander (my VERY favority book of all time).  The author is Diana Gabaldon and it SHOULD be on the list.  LOL!

Tisha
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on December 04, 2008, 08:12:24 am

I love this series of books!  They have everything...a little romance, adventure, history...  I have really liked the way she pulls you into her stories.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on December 07, 2008, 09:04:42 am

I love this series of books!  They have everything...a little romance, adventure, history...  I have really liked the
way she pulls you into her stories.

Priscilla

When I read the first one it sucked me in and I had to finish it and the n go track down the others...

another book that sucked me in and made me finish it was The Thorn Birds ... I read it in 1980 when pregnant
with my twins and have read it about every 16-18 months since then...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on December 23, 2008, 06:20:42 pm
Hey all!

Looks like it's been awhile since anyone has visited the Book Club...busy, busy time, but I just finished this book that I wanted to let you know about in case any of you are looking for a good read for the new year - ya'll may have mentioned it previously, sorry if so.  It's 1000 White Women by Jim Fergus.  It takes place in the frontier days, not normally an era I enjoy reading about, but this was really very well written and a great story - one of those that I hated to see come to an end.  Some very thought-provoking issues as well. 

(Soundy, Thorn Birds is one of my favorites as well - I've read it several times!)

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on December 23, 2008, 07:18:05 pm
I am in the middle of Outlander right now & got the 2nd book yesterday so I could go right to it but 1000 White Women sounds like something I would like!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on December 24, 2008, 01:38:38 am
I just finished PS I Love You.  Nothing like the movie.  I enjoyed the movie, but it was a real hatchet job.  I'm hoping to get The Stone Cutter's Wife from Santa ;)

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on December 24, 2008, 09:35:05 am
I just started reading the last Christmas Ride , A book my 9 year old bought at the school Santa Shop
before school let out ...she bought it because the cover was nice ...eerily one character has a
brain tumor ...

It is about the lives of 5 children growing up in Northern Alabama not far from where I sit ... they have an
ideal life and taking frequent  horse back rides and have great imaginary adventures as children ...but grow up
and go on to their own lives... two brothers are killed in car  accidents and the third brother develops a brain tumor..
the two sisters take care of him in his last days and at his request give him a last Christmas ride on his beloved
horse... a throw back to when they were kids and would go on the Christmas Ride to the furthest edge of
property to find the perfect tree

Sad but good story so far... a learning experience for the sisters... based on the true story of Edie Hands life growing
up and the last days of her brothers life


I like this quote from her Grandma Alice...

While our ride through life has it'd rough places , we can do much good
along the way if we live by faith and rely on our families


applies to many of us here...


http://www.ediehand.com/books/books_lastchristmas.html
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jan D on December 24, 2008, 12:51:48 pm
I just started "1000 White Women".  It was in my step-daughter's book club and she got it for me to read.

Looks like a good one - written in a diary format, which I like.

Jan D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on December 24, 2008, 02:34:13 pm
It is a busy time, isn't it?  I wish all a very Merry Christmas and a really good 2009!

Thank you for the lead, Cindy. I, too was not one for that time period but I am learning I like more things than I thought. In the last year I have read "John Adams", "1776" and now "Team of Rivals". All of these I thought I would have to be tortured before I read them, but after having one recommended and reading it, I am hooked. I also felt that about the novel, "Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett - back in the 1100's.....and I loved it. I am going to get "1000....Women", next.

Mary 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on January 05, 2009, 06:30:12 pm
Hello All!

Just finished Twighlight - can't decide how I feel about it...so wondering if any of you have read it and what your thoughts are.  I was encouraged by many teenage girls to read it, so finally did.  It was a very quick read, despite being quite a long book, and the premise was interesting...you really have to "buy into it" though.  I'm hooked and will read the 2nd in the series as soon as my friend finishes it.  I did eventually find someone about 20 years older than me who had read the whole series and said she loved it, so I don't feel quite so odd about reading it.  Anyway, was just curious to see if any of you have read it/them. 

In the meantime, I've started another Harlan Coben book - thanks again, Jan, for letting us know about him! 

Anyone get finished with 1000 White Women yet?  I'm still thinking about that one!

Mary, I loved Pillars of the Earth - that really is my favorite time period to read about!

Do we have a new book to start for the "Club" yet or are ya'll in the middle of one and I missed the memo about it?

Happy New Year!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on January 05, 2009, 07:53:40 pm
Cindy~
I kind of think we are on a hiatus - not from reading, just as a group.  What Harlan Coben book are you reading?  I've read several of his (thanks Jan).  I also have Twighlight but haven't read it - same thing, I don't know how I feel.  However, my SIL that recommended The 13th Tale (which everyone seemed to LOVE on here) says she loves the Twighlight books too...we'll see.  I finished Outlander and loved it and have the 2nd to read of that but am trying REALLY hard to read a companion book about my new camera.  As I have said MANY times I HATE non-fiction, but I am proud to say that I am on page 123 in this book - snaps for me!  I have cheated & started Firefly though...Maybe I'll get to Twighlight... (it was a bit strange when I had it in the car one day to start in the pick-up line & when Addi got in she said, "Why do you have this?"  I replied to read and she told me that one of her friends read it!  That was a 1st!)  We'll get going on here again when things even out again...I think...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on January 05, 2009, 08:58:12 pm
Hey Kay,

I know what you mean about the Twilight book.  I teach 5th grade reading, and one of my former 5th graders, now a 7th grader, came by to see me. She asked if I had read the Twilight series and when I said that I hadn't, she brought the entire series to me so I could read them!  That's a first for me-I'm usually the one pushing books on kids! :D :D  I'm only on book 2, but it is an easy read.  Went to see the movie with my daughter today.  Don't think it would have made much sense to me if I hadn't read the book.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on January 05, 2009, 11:13:21 pm
I bought my daughter (7th grade; soon to be 13) the Twilight series - 4 books - about 3 months ago.  They are really big with girls her age, but I have no desire to read them - not really something I'm interested in.

I haven't read anything great lately.  I finished Wally Lamb's book The Hour I First Believed and was extremely disappointed in it.  It was long and drawn out; I was sorry I spent $30 on it  :(  I really liked his other books (She's Come Undone and I Know This Much is True) and this book was long awaited so I was really excited when it finally came out.

I'm almost done with Society's Child, Janis Ian's autobiography, which I'm finding interesting in spots. 

A good friend of mine sent me The Lace Reader and I'll probably read it next.  She really liked it and we usually like the same kinds of books - although she likes historical stuff and I don't.  I'll let you know how it goes.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on January 05, 2009, 11:42:45 pm
I've been re-reading a 600+ page book on fossils of invertebrates and other fun botany and zoology stuff. I'm pretty sure it would put most people fast asleep - it puts me out some evenings. (insert sleepy face here).

As the snow thaws, maybe we can revive the book club. Let's find another Thirteenth Tale.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on January 06, 2009, 08:25:23 am
I will have to ask Kathy (my SIL who recommended that) if she knows of another "great"...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on January 06, 2009, 01:06:12 pm
Kay, I'm reading Promise Me right now.  I read Tell No One and Hold Tight right before Twighlight.  They have all been very entertaining.  He has, thankfully, written enough books to keep me busy until I can get the next Twighlight book.  Wasn't Outlander great?  I just loved all the details Diana Gabaldon gave about that period...and, of course, I loved Jamie and Claire!  I read all six books back to back - my husband was not too happy with me during that time :D

Steve, does that book at least have some pictures? 

Happy Reading All!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JudyT on January 06, 2009, 07:25:20 pm
What a great idea! I love to read.....bought a Kindle last year for my birthday present to me.....the ability to increase the font is wonderful......A New Earth and Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle are wonderful.......just suggestions.
Judy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: joebloggs on January 12, 2009, 09:12:52 pm
Hi Kay,

Don't know if anyone has suggested it - I've got pretty slow internet here at the moment and didn't really fancy going through the page and pages of replies for this thread! - The Time Traveller's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger is a really good book.  Everyone I know who's read it has loved it.  I think they've just finished making a movie of it and it will be released this year, so you should try and read it before the movie comes out!

Also, The Bride Stripped Bare is a good book...bit naughty though - not one for the kids!  It was originally released as by Anonymous, but then the author's identity got out and now they market it as by her, Nikki Gemmell.  I think originally she wanted to write it anonymously so that she could try and write it with quite 'out there' honesty.  I think if I'd written it, I wouldn't want anyone to know I had!  Anyway, it's a good book, different, and think you can get it in the US through Amazon for super cheap second hand as it's a couple of years old now.

Hope that helps!

JB
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on January 18, 2009, 07:39:46 pm
Thanks for the suggestion, JB -  I got The Time Traveler's Wife today and started it - think it's going to be very interesting!  I read about four Harlan Coben books in a row and needed a different type of book before getting back to the rest of his....yes, they've all been very good!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: joebloggs on January 19, 2009, 02:50:56 am
Good luck Cindy, hope you enjoy it!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on January 27, 2009, 08:48:25 am
Finished The Time Traveler's Wife - great book, JB!  Thanks for recommending it.  This is one that the Book Club should read - you have to buy into the time travel theory, but it's so different and so well told.  Think you all would like it.

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Tisha on January 27, 2009, 09:33:16 am
Cindy,

Sounds like you and I have the same opinions about books.  I LOVE OUtlander and have started my reread in anticipation of the new one coming out this fall.  It will probably take me about 7 months to finish all 6 of them because I'm not in a hurry.  I also love TTW and am looking forward to the movie.  Have you read The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons?  It's a trilogy and my second favorite next to Outlander.  I also enjoyed the trilogy These is My Words by Nancy something or other (can't recall her last name).  Just some recommendations.  I'm totally enjoying the world of J&C again!

Tisha
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: joebloggs on January 27, 2009, 04:46:02 pm
Glad you enjoyed it Cindy!!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on January 28, 2009, 11:47:55 am
Since I am still at home and very bored, I have read everything I can get my hands on.  I just finished People of the Book, by Geraldine Brooks and loved it!  My book club assigned Sarah's Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay, and that was very sweet and poignant. Made me a little teary at times.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on January 28, 2009, 11:15:14 pm
Priscilla -

I purchased Sarah's Key a few months ago because I heard it was fabulous.  I haven't had time to read it, but based on your comments, I'm going to make it my next book.

I'm currently reading The Beach House by Jane Green.  I'm only on chapter 8, but so far it's a nice, light read.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on February 03, 2009, 07:10:59 pm
I finished Beach House a few days ago and just started Sarah's Key last night.  It's a fascinating book - very hard to put down.  I highly recommend it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JulieE on February 04, 2009, 08:40:03 am
I hate to come and be demanding - but do we have a concensus on a new book?  :)  I know we have Valentines coming up, but seems we could set a date for the end of Feb/early March to start a new review!  I know everyone has been busy ;)
Jules
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: anissa on March 19, 2009, 10:30:10 pm
Just wanted to give this thread a gentle little *bump* in case someone suggests a book that I might find on tape/CD or be able to finish before surgery!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: EJTampa on March 20, 2009, 07:04:58 am
I just finished a book by Terry Brooks, The Gypsy Morph.  It was ok, but not on the top of my books read list.  I think a book club is a great idea, but it's probably hard to please everyone.  I pretty much stick to sci-fi/fantasy books.  If we had enough people in the club, we could split it up into interests and mail books back and forth :)
 
Ernie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on March 20, 2009, 08:11:14 am
The Book Club was going quite strong last year until right before the holidays...perhaps we can start it back up again soon.  In the meantime, Anissa, here's a list of suggestions for you, some we read here, others not.  Not sure what type of book you like, but maybe something here will spark your interest:

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini, he also wrote Kite Runner, but several here agree that Suns was even better.

1000 White Women by Jim Fergus - the Book Club hasn't read this one, but I read it right after my surgery - really very good

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - unanimously loved by the Book Club!  Great read.

The Outlander Series by Dianna Gabaldon (they'll keep you busy for a while!)

Anything by Harlen Coben...and there are a bunch of them!

Know there are others from earlier days of the Book Club and I certainly have many, many more that I could recommend if you need more suggestions.

Enjoy and let us know what you read and what you think!

Ernie, glad to see you here also!  I'm not much of a science fiction reader, but I'm sure there would be some interest from others.   Feel free to suggest a book and we'll see what happens. 

Cindy

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 20, 2009, 08:14:20 am
Hello All~
I am not going to say that I am taking this over, but since I was one of the "Members" from the first, I'll take the bait & try to get it going again. OMG16 was the one that had this great idea, but I am sad to say that in all my efforts to reach her, I have received no correspondance back.  WE MISS YOU 16 and hope things are going OK.  Last night, Dave & I went to Barnes & Noble after our dinner date (15 year anniversary!) and were walking around and I thought about the book club.  I always thought and have told people that it really helped me to expand my reading horizons!  I got out of my rut of reading the same old books and branched out - & found some new books & authors that I really liked!  It is tough because everyone is so busy.  I do like Ernie's idea of swapping and recommending REALLY good books (that I might not read otherwise).  We might try reading together again and then if it starts to fizzle again, we could try the other.  Also, why doesn't everyone write what they like to read the BEST (& maybe someone more organized can keep a list of this for us) and then you could hook up with others that have that same interests - maybe even swap books??  Just a thought!

Feedback...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 26, 2009, 01:12:38 pm
Kay -

I miss the book club too and think we should start it up again.

If nothing else, it makes me take time to read - which is something I enjoy immensely but tend to stop doing when the rest of my life gets hectic.  I've been reading White Oleander by Janet Fitch for what seems like forever.  Although it's on the Oprah list, I just haven't been able to get into it.  But I about 3/4 done and I hate to just give up  ::)

Anyway, I could use a good book.  I'm for the group read with the discussion, but I'm open to the book swap idea also.

Okay, a little off topic here, but whatever happened to OMG?  Haven't "seen" her on the forum in ages.  Anyone know??

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 26, 2009, 01:31:47 pm
Jan~
I read that book when it was first on Oprah's list thingy and I DID NOT like it - I mean, I remember REALLY not liking it!!

I am going to try to e-mail 16 again - I have called and written a couple of times with no luck...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 26, 2009, 02:09:51 pm
K -

glad I'm not the only one who disagreed with Oprah  :D

If you do contact 16, please give her my best.

Oh - and don't forget to tell her Steve's knitting hats now.  She'll be amazed!

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on March 26, 2009, 02:57:40 pm
I hardly ever like Oprah books.  They usually depress me!  U'm looking for a good book too.  I will be checking in to see if someone has a suggestion.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kathy M on March 26, 2009, 03:51:34 pm
I would be very interested in a trying a book club so count me in if it is revived!  I love to read, and like Jan, it takes a back seat to a hectic life sometimes.  BUT....  maybe this would help me prioritize a bit better!!!!!  (...and I kinda liked White Oleander...a bit dark and dysfunctional, but interesting!!...wonder what that says about me?)

Kathy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on March 26, 2009, 08:19:58 pm
I don't know about this. The last round got me knee deep in yarn...

It seems to me that some books are good to read but not so great for discussion - the murder mysteries and such. Fun to swap around, but not that much to talk about. The ones that got the most discussion were the more unusual ones - an interesting place or time, some controversy, something different going on.

So we need some of each. If something like The Thirteenth Tale or A Thousand Splendid Suns comes along, lets do the group read and discuss. For the good old pulp fiction, lets just do a book swap.

No more knitting books, either.  ;D

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 26, 2009, 09:25:25 pm
I heard there was a sequel to the knitting one...seriously!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on March 27, 2009, 12:02:21 pm
How can there be a sequel?  Didn't she die in the end?  I would be up for A Thousand Splendid Suns.  I love his first book.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 27, 2009, 12:26:01 pm
I haven't read it but i thought that maybe it was about how the store goes on or about the daughter??

I'll read whatever...didn't we read 1,000 Suns??  Any other suggestions, if we HAVE read that one??  I thought that the Jodi Poccolti (sp?) one was good...what about another of hers?  I think Steve's right, we seem to do better discussing those like that!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: lori67 on March 27, 2009, 03:53:44 pm
Are there any books about an extremely generous man who gives millions of dollars to his forum friends?   ;)  We talked Steve into knitting, maybe we can talk him into that too!

I never have time to actually participate in the book club, but I've read a lot of the things that were suggested here.  I just have to do it on my own time so that may be before or after the discussion is going on.    Anyway, I think I've read most of the Jodi Picoult books and I've liked them all - wasn't completely crazy about Vanishing Acts, but Keeping Faith and Change of Heart were really good.

I just got The Time Travelers Wife in the mail today through swaptree.com and the lady I swapped books with put a little note in the envelope that she absolutely loved the book, so I'm hoping it turns out to be a good one.

Ok, just my 2 cents.  Carry on book clubbers.

Lori
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on March 27, 2009, 05:35:51 pm
I read Time Traveler's Wife and enjoyed it, but admit to gettiing mixed up sometimes in his travels.  I still recommend Sarah's Key and The People of the Book as my current good books to share w/people.  I do like the Outlander books too.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 27, 2009, 05:48:57 pm
Priscilla~
Are those 2 different books or one? ???

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kathy M on March 27, 2009, 06:32:57 pm
Yes, there is a sequel to the knitting book, but I can't remember the name of it.  I loved the first one, but can't imagine enough good reading with Georgia!  (and my husband wouldn't have picked it up to read on a bet, so Steve's words of wisdom on book selection are probably very good!).

Jodi Piccoult is my favorite author!!!  Couldn't find the book of hers that was mentioned previously but there's a bunch to choose from.   Although, I"m not sure if Jodi has a large male audience for her novels.....   I've not read any others that were mentioned, so I'm good withever we decide.

Kathy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on March 27, 2009, 06:55:39 pm
Quote
I've been re-reading a 600+ page book on fossils of invertebrates

Steve,
What's the book on fossils?  My daughter's a paleontologist, and her birthday's coming up.
Thanks.
Nancy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on March 27, 2009, 08:21:13 pm
Nancy,

I had to go find that post to be sure I really said that. I did actually say "fossils of invertebrates and other fun botany and zoology stuff," which is a little closer to the mark.

The book I mentioned is The Ancestor's Tale, by Richard Dawkins. If you don't know of him, he is a famous/infamous professor at Oxford who is aghast at the idea of teaching Creationism in science classes - and a sharp critic of religion in general. Hence my being coy about the title of the book in the earlier post.

Fortunately the book contains only a few of his barbs, and is mostly an enjoyable scholarly tale of the history of living things, told in reverse order as he traces back through 40 evolutionary branches from humans to bacteria. There are lots of interesting tidbits of biology, and probably at least a few new things for every reader - Trichoplax adhaerens, the only known species of the phylum Placozoa, for instance. I could go on. I liked it, anyway.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on March 27, 2009, 09:48:47 pm
Hey Kay,

They are two books, both excellent.  And by the way, I will be in OK visiting my daughter during Easter.  Are you coming to Houston then?  We just keep missing each other. Boo hoo!
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 27, 2009, 09:55:23 pm
Priscilla~
Say the best of the two and let's get started on one to get this going again.  Is that OK with everyone??

Yes, we are flying in on Thrusday night & out on Monday.  The kids were SUPPOSED (until today) have a "built-in" snow day that Monday (we were just going to take them out that Friday since Dave has that day off).  We already have our tickets so now they will just miss 2 days.  I was raised in a family where we NEVER missed school and then couldn't understand it when I taught.  However, NOW I think that time spent with Grandparents that aren't always going to be here is an OK reason to miss (w/in reason)!  Plus, our family from SA will be there and we will all be together!  Sorry to miss you again!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on March 28, 2009, 06:30:50 am
I just started The Story of Edgar Sawtelle at the recommendation of my sister-in-law.
Nancy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on March 28, 2009, 08:54:22 am
Kay,

Hm-m-m-m....which one did I like the best?  Sarah's Key is a pretty quick read because you get caught up in the story quickly.  People of the Book is based on a true story and has a lot of history in it, but the main characters are strong, too.  Maybe Sarah's Key?

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 28, 2009, 11:25:41 am
I read "Sarah's Key" not too long ago and highly recommend it.  It was sad, but well written and very interesting; easy to read too.

I've also heard that "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle" is very good.

I'm supposing to be reading "The Lace Reader" which was sent to me by a friend with a very good recommendation.

As for Oprah's book recommendations, I generally like them - especially the ones by Anita Sheve (or that Shreve?) and Wally Lamb. 
I have to say though that although I was anxiously waiting for Wally Lamb's latest book "The Hour I First Believed" I thought it totally sucked.  As soon as I finished it - which I found to be a chore - I resold it in an attempt to recoup some of the $30 I paid for it.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on March 28, 2009, 02:07:57 pm
The sequel to Friday Night Knitting Club is called Knit Two. It is set 5 years after the first book, and follows all the other characters in their lives. "Warm and fuzzy" is the general description. There is talk that there will be a movie based on Friday Night Knitting Club. :)

I think Sarah's Key sounds like a good choice for discussion, though some have already read it. I just ordered a copy.

Other titles mentioned so far:
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
People of the Book
Time Traveler's Wife
1000 White Women

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 28, 2009, 04:48:37 pm
Thank you Steve for making a list for us!  Have you read Knit Two??  Warm & fuzzy - such a great description for a knitting book!

I am off to find Sarah's Key - when do we want to have it read by??  Let's start the engines on this Book Club again!! ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on March 29, 2009, 08:44:16 am
Wait, wait!  Do they allow books in the OR and ICU?

Jan - Shreve, I do believe.

Nancy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: lori67 on March 30, 2009, 09:51:54 am
Nancy -

ICU - probably, but you won't feel like reading.  OR - no - unless you can read in your sleep.  And I don't think you want your doctor reading while he's supposed to be working!   :D

Lori
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 30, 2009, 12:06:17 pm
I was allowed books in the ICU, but didn't have any inclination to read them.  In addition to double-vision, I just didn't feel like it.

As far as in the OR - I'm with Lori  ;)  :D  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on March 31, 2009, 07:03:41 am
Yeah, I was just kidding.
Nancy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 01, 2009, 10:44:59 pm
Yeah, we know  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JudyT on April 08, 2009, 10:47:11 am
I had forgotten about the book club until this morning......I read a lot of heavier stuff like....Eckhart Tolle/ The Power of Now....A New Earth. Once in a while I need a "mind break" and junk read for fun. I have always enjoyed reading Danielle Steel....I am just finishing A Good Woman, it's about a young woman set in the early 1900's and her trials, stengths and her committment to making a difference in the lives of others. Worth a try I think....

Judy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 13, 2009, 06:31:09 pm
So, have you guys started reading Sarah's Key yet? and when does the discussion start?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 13, 2009, 07:51:13 pm
I read it about a month ago ao I'm ready to discuss at any time. So much to say, but I will wait so that I do not give anything away to those who have not yet read it.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 13, 2009, 07:53:31 pm
I read it too - a couple of months ago - and really liked it.

I'm anxious to see what others think of it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 13, 2009, 09:19:14 pm
I checked it out from the library & am about to start it - who else is in??

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on April 13, 2009, 10:06:01 pm
I have a copy, I haven't started it yet, but I will now.

Steve

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 14, 2009, 06:41:11 am
Well, I'm in the middle of the third book in the Twilight series...all caught up in the teenage vampires and werewolves :o but, I'd like to join in; so I'll go to the library to see if they have it...will get back with you later...

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 14, 2009, 06:55:59 am
Cindy~
I have read the 1st two but I didn't get too caught up & am a cheapie so I refuse to buy the hardback version!! ;)  I'll just wait!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 14, 2009, 09:52:04 am
I'm in for Sarah's Key.  I'll keep an eye out for when people are ready to talk!
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 14, 2009, 12:50:02 pm
Ok, got Sarah's Key!  Had to buy it, as the library had a waiting list with 13 people on it!  Must be a good book!

K, I don't normally buy books either, especially hardbacks, but I have borrowed all of the Twilight books from a friend :)   It really has been light reading, but I'm hooked and want to know how it ends! 

Talk to you all later,

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: EJTampa on April 14, 2009, 11:26:36 pm
Isabel has been reading all the twilight books too, as has my 14 year old daughter.  Is it Stephanie Myers?? or something like that? 
 
Ernie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: kate on April 15, 2009, 01:21:16 am
A really fun series I am reading right now is the No.1 Ladies Detective Agency. Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 15, 2009, 06:14:46 am
Kate~
Who wrote that?  I think I saw that & thought I might like it! :D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 15, 2009, 06:57:46 am
Yes, Ernie, it's Stephanie Meyer that wrote the Twilight Series...I'm sure your 14 year old is really enjoying it - I know I would have at 14...I'm really enjoying it right now, too, I have to admit! 

In stark contrast to the vampire story...I started Scarlet's Key last night...I'm sad already...I know, I won't say anything else yet...

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 15, 2009, 07:02:10 am
Cindy -

Sarah's Key is a very heartbreaking book, but it's a great read if you can get past the sad stuff.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 15, 2009, 12:58:25 pm
The No. 1 Ladies Detective series is written by Alexander McCall.  It is a cute series and the main character is really likable.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 21, 2009, 11:07:45 am
Finished Sarah's Key over the weekend...I'll watch for the discussion to start...

Now, back to my vampires!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 21, 2009, 12:49:46 pm
I finished it Sunday night so when do we want to start it??

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 23, 2009, 12:18:11 pm
HELLO...is anyone still reading or are we ready to CHAT??  I think (w/o going back and rereading this thread) that a lot of people had already read this book.  I know that Cindy & I are both finished...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 23, 2009, 08:08:27 pm
I'm game.

I thought that Sarah's Key was very well written. Even though I was pretty sure I knew what was going to happen to the little boy, I kept hoping against hope that I was wrong. I thought the author did a wonderful job of portraying the emotions of a young girl in a horrifying situation. Books where I can vividly see in my mind's eye what the author is describing are few and far between, but this is one.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 23, 2009, 08:10:39 pm
This is so awesome that the book club lives on.  I plan to join the next round.

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 23, 2009, 08:18:51 pm
Kate~
Glad you are back!  We missed you!!

Sara~
I just didn't see any other thing that would happen to Michel either - #1, no one knew he was there #2, the apartment was empty (I would have liked to know EXACTLY how soon it was before the Tezac's moved in - people didn't ahve near the stuff or take near as long to move back then, I don't think) #3, he couldn't get out, even if he wanted but he probably trusted his sister explictly at 4 since she was so much older...

I also knew that the grandma was going to be the tie - at 1st , I thought that maybe SHE was going to turn out to be Sarah...

Everyone else's thoughts??

Sara, thanks for getting us going! ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 23, 2009, 08:58:44 pm
I also knew that the grandma was going to be the tie - at 1st , I thought that maybe SHE was going to turn out to be Sarah...


Kay -

I thought the very same thing.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 24, 2009, 12:22:36 pm
Well, I thought it was a great story, but was disappointed a bit - I was left always wanting more somehow.  I felt like I was reading a Reader's Digest Condensed version or something.  I liked the idea of the author moving from the past to the present, but...I suppose I am comparing it to the writing in A Thousand Splendid Suns...both such heart-wrenching stories, but completely different levels/types of writing.  Again, I loved the story, just wanted more...hope that makes sense.  I am still haunted by the thought of Sarah's brother, so it definitely made an impact on me...

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 25, 2009, 04:02:10 am
been out of touch and lost here ...looked for Sarah's Key today when I went to town with no luck ...maybe
I will catch the next book ...

speaking of which ...is there a next one pick out so I can start looking for a copy ??? I may have missed it in
my scanning of past few pages of Book Club post ...


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 25, 2009, 07:18:16 am
Hey, Soundy - sorry you couldn't find Sarah's Key.  Our library had it, but it was checked out with a long list of folks waiting for it.  I ended up having to get it at Barnes & Noble.

No, I don't think we've picked out the next book to read...I know there's a suggested list in here somewhere, but don't think it's in any particular order...guess we'll pick one out after we finish discussing Sarah...

Hope to see you for the next one!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 25, 2009, 08:53:46 am
I couldn't believe it, it was just on the shelf and not even the "new" book shelf!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on April 26, 2009, 11:32:40 pm
I finally got a chance to finish reading Sarah's Key. I know what you mean, Cindy, about the slightly Reader's Digest version. Many characters seemed to get stock part descriptions. I thought the second half was better, at least. It is interesting that you mention A Thousand Splendid Suns - in that story, there is a child at the end who is named after the main character Miriam. I was reminded of that at the end of this book. I liked the narrative about Sarah, but I didn't like switching back and forth between that story and the present day story so often.

So here is a question for you. Before you read this book, if anyone had asked you about the French participation in the holocaust, would you have known about it? I had no idea myself. It is pretty amazing and disturbing what civilized people will do if the circumstances are right...

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 27, 2009, 05:33:41 am

So here is a question for you. Before you read this book, if anyone had asked you about the French participation in the holocaust, would you have known about it? I had no idea myself. It is pretty amazing and disturbing what civilized people will do if the circumstances are right...

Steve

That was probably the most important thing I got out of the book, Steve...no, I wasn't aware of the French involvement.  Yes, it is unbelievable what "civilized" people will do - that was also one of the many things I took away from A Thousand Splendid Suns.

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 27, 2009, 05:50:00 am
I wasn't aware of the French involvement either.  I found that part very interesting.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 27, 2009, 06:39:54 am
I wasn't aware of that either - it made me realize how ignorant I am in yet another subject.  I almost felt ashamed - I knew horrible things happened, but i just buried my head in the sand over that part of history! :-\
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 27, 2009, 09:53:19 am
I loved the book and it made me realize that there are times and places in people's lives that make it impossible for them to "move on." The Holocaust was one of those times.  I was not aware of this event in France's history and was a little appalled by the apathy of some of the French citizens. Sarah was very fortunate to run into a couple of sympathetic people. Then again, I have done enough reading on the subject to realize that many ordinary citizens had no real knowledge of what Hitler was doing in that regard, even German citizens.

There's a good book about Italy's response to Hitler's round-up of Jews that kind of balances things out, although it doesn't necessarily have a really happy ending.  It is called A Thread of Grace.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on April 27, 2009, 08:02:53 pm
France's highest court just recognized the deportation this past winter.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7893127.stm




Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: tenai98 on April 28, 2009, 11:58:28 am
ok i wanna join this club...someone plz let me know the next book
JO ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 28, 2009, 01:17:34 pm
Hey, Jo!  So glad you're going to join us...we'll, hopefully, pick a new book before too long...is there anyone still reading Sarah's Key?  Any further comments/questions about the book?

Kate, thanks for the link for the article - very interesting....
Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 28, 2009, 01:22:12 pm
I never knew about it either, and I mentioned it to my husband who knows a LOT about military history and he didn't either.

I have often wondered how I would have reacted in situations such as the holocaust. I like to think that I would have been brave and tried to stop something so wrong, but realistically I think that I would have been too worried about the safety of my own family to take that chance. I might have taken in a child such as Sarah, but to speak out against the government . . . probably not. It pains me to admit it, but there it is.

I did not think that the grandma was going to turn out to be Sarah because of the awful memories of the apartment. But I also knew that Sarah was not going to be alive for Julia to find. Also that Julia was going to have a girl and name it Sarah. Many parts of the novel were predictable, but there were enough surprises, plus the fact that I could not believe the events had actually occurred, to keep me reading.

I don't know exactly how to describe how I feel about this book. I can't say I enjoyed it, although I am glad to have read it. I appreciate learning about history in an engaging manner.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 28, 2009, 04:06:25 pm
Thanks for the link, Kate.

Kay, don't feel ignorant.  I don't think this was something very many of us - if anyone at all - learned in school.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JudyT on May 29, 2009, 11:47:06 am
Hi "book clubbers" I just finished a good book about the adversities a young woman faced throughout her life and how her wisdom and tenacity and passion driven course held her up. Set in the early 1900's, A Good Woman by Danielle Steel.......I call this "junk reading" as I am prone to deep subject matters and educationally informative books. Most of her work does not appeal to me however I happened upon this book and opted to read it.....very worthwhile.......at least for me a much needed rest for my brain. I truly enjoyed this read.
Judy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on May 29, 2009, 01:56:02 pm
Hi, Judy!  Thanks so much for the recommendation - always looking for good ones to read.  She's not an author I would normally pick up to read, so I appreciate your input about it.  I'm in between books, so I just might try to get that one!

For you lovers of The Outlander series, I just finished a series that rates up there with that one.  The first one is The Bronze Horseman by Paullina Simons.  This series was recommended to me by Tisha from here on the forum.  It's set in Russia during WWII, so it's certainly not the same setting as Outlander, but the richness of the story and the strength of the characters make it such a good read....Thanks, again, Tisha, for letting me know about them!

Cindy



Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 29, 2009, 10:33:47 pm
Did anyone see that My Sister's Keeper has been made into a movie?  It should be released soon.

I think Cameron Diaz plays the role of the mother, but I can't recall the rest of the cast.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on May 29, 2009, 10:53:18 pm
Did anyone see that My Sister's Keeper has been made into a movie?  It should be released soon.

I think Cameron Diaz plays the role of the mother, but I can't recall the rest of the cast.

Jan

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1078588/
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 18, 2009, 11:36:50 am
Just finished My Sister's Keeper last night...still crying...

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on June 18, 2009, 11:47:22 am
Just thinking about that book makes me cry.  I read it about 2 years ago and passed it around the office.  I really do not want to see the movie.  It will be hatchet job.  I do not think the movie will pull at your heart strings like the book.  Jodi is an amazing author, I have read several of her books.

Sniffling with you Cindy,
Anne Marie  :'(
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: tenai98 on June 19, 2009, 07:19:31 am
I just picked up MY sister's keeper...now going to dive into it...
JO ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 19, 2009, 07:59:04 am
Let us know what you think about it, Jo! 

Are all of her books sad?    I know she usually writes about topics with some controversy...

I agree with you, Anne Marie, the movie will not be able to do the book justice.  The way she tells the story from so many different perspectives will be very tough, if not impossible to portray on screen.  Still, I'll probably watch it eventually.

Have a great weekend everyone - very hot here in GA!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 19, 2009, 09:11:15 am
When Dave & I went to the movies Monday, the previews for that came on...it made think about when i was finishing it last year - I was on a plane back from somewhere (probably during all that face mess) and I remember just SOBBING my eyes out!  I was totally turned to the window so no one could see me!!
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on June 19, 2009, 09:34:11 am
Hi Bookies,
Just reading about the books  that have been read recently.

I LOVE to read and may join in. Problem is with the tinnitus at the end of the day it is so intolerable, I can't concentrate and just end up going to sleep. Not a lot of reading time during the day, unless I'm a passenger in a car/plane, etc, ya know?

Cindy and K-I'm on my 3rd twilight series book.  My 21 y/o dtr read all 4 and enjoyed them, so we are sharing. Trying to keep that mother/dtr bond. So I'm not totally into them, but still want to get through this third one.
Did you see the first Twilight movie?
Very slow starting and almost boring, but it picked up  the pace. I'm looking forward to movie no.2.

And the other bummer is my memory. I have to write down what the book is about and the characters, etc, because it does not stay in the brain cells!  :-\

But I love reading anyway and getting "lost" in the book.

Maureen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: followingHim on June 19, 2009, 09:41:19 am
I would be interested to know what book is being chosen next too.  Most of my reading of late has been to do with my studies, so it might be good to be reading something different for a change.

Blessings

Ley
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 19, 2009, 09:42:17 am
Maureen~
We need to resurrect this Book Club!  It was really fun and really opened me up to other books that I wouldn't have normally read.  It just seems like we are all so busy...sigh...

I have read the 1st two Twilight books - I liked them OK but wasn't into them enough to pay for the 3rd which was still only hardback! Has it gone to paper yet??  I did watch the movie with Addi (all her friends had seen it) and thought that it was OK but if I hadn't read the books, I think I would've been lost!

I read so much that I can't keep straight other books/characters I have read.  I pass books on to my mom all the time & then it will take her awhile before she reads that one & then she'll talk all about it - she is usually 1/2 way thru her speech before I can figure out exactly what book she is talking about!!  LOL!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on June 19, 2009, 11:05:54 am
ok, someone just pick something and let the rest of us know!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 19, 2009, 11:06:44 am
Yes, read all 4 of the Twighlight books (all paperback now,K) - really could have been just one big book...admit I got hooked on them despite myself...and the fact that they were written for a younger crowd.  Just love the concept of vampires still being around.  Saw the movie with a group of girlfriends a couple of weeks ago.  I agree, if I hadn't read the books, it would not have made as much sense.  And, I did like "my" Edward better than the actor one ;)  I just bought the Twighlight Score (not soundtrack) - have played it over and over again as I'm driving around town! 

But, back to books...yes, we need a new book to start together.  I've just started one, but can put it aside to join the group on a book if we want to try to get it going again.  Any thoughts?  Know there's a list somewhere back a few pages - don't think we ever got all the way through it???  Suggestions?

Cindy

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on June 19, 2009, 02:16:04 pm
I just read an interesting novel, Man Walks Into a Room, by Nicole Krauss. It is about a man who is found wandering aimlessly in Las Vegas. By the time his wife is located and notified, he has been diagnosed with a brain tumor. Its removal causes him to lose all of his personal memories after the age of 12, so obviously he does not remember his wife. The novel deals with their struggle to deal with the repercussions of not only his loss of memory, but also his lack of interest in getting it back.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: tenai98 on June 20, 2009, 11:10:50 am
Just finished My Sister's Keeper. I guess the author was trying to convey the irony of  life. As well as parental love and the choice of making the right or wrong decisions for our children.  I read another book by Fern Micheals with somewhat of the same storyline, but in Micheals novel, the mother chose not to love the daughter that was conceived and birthed to help her dying sister.  As a parent whose son at the age of 18 months was dx with a melonama I had the choice of keeping him out of the sun, keep him in long pants and shirts as doc recommended  and watch him be miserable while his 3 brothers played in the yard or lather on sunscreen while in shorts and t shirt and let him be a boy. I chose the latter deciding that if he was going to die (sorry for the harshness) at least he would die being a happy and not have him live in misery just to prolong his life for my benifit. He is now cancer free and is 24 yrs old
Jo ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 20, 2009, 11:42:13 am
at least he would die being happy and not have him live in misery just to prolong his life

That conundrum doesn't just affect the young; my brother in law now has much the same dilemma at 63 with a diagnosis of myeloma. Should he try and have a long life, or try and have a good life? Not an easy call...

Back when we were reading Sarah's Key, I also picked up three other books, which I think were mentioned by others in this topic as possible candidates for reading.

They are:
   The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger
   The Zookeeper's Wife, Diane Ackerman
   People of the Book, Geraldine Brooks

I haven't read any of them, so if anyone wants to pick one of those as the next book, I will join in.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 22, 2009, 07:34:08 am
I read The Time Traveler's Wife - was thinking we had discussed this one, but guess I just saw it on our list and read it on my own...it would probably be a good one for discussion.  Or, I'll read either of the other ones...Somebody else pick :-\

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 22, 2009, 08:02:14 am
Anything is good with me - let's pick it fast as we are going on a road trip to get the girlies from camp & I will have LOTS of time to read!

K ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on June 22, 2009, 09:00:01 am
i vote for something not depressing.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on June 22, 2009, 10:35:20 am
Steve and Cindy both mentioned The Time Traveler's Wife. How about that?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 22, 2009, 04:08:31 pm
that sounds good to me - I am with Keri - not depressing!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 22, 2009, 05:36:28 pm
I am off to the library - I'm going to check on The Time Traveler's Wife!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on June 22, 2009, 07:08:42 pm
So I'll join in here. The Time Traveler's Wife.
Is that OK that Cindy already read it?
Maureen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on June 22, 2009, 07:14:25 pm
Hope not . . . I read Sarah's Key well before the discussion.

Speaking of which, when does the discussion begin? Do we just start checking in as we've read it? I have it on hold at the library, and it should be in within a week or ten days.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 22, 2009, 08:47:25 pm
The Time Traveler's Wife it is, then. I will get started on it.

I think you will find this is not a very well organized club, we just kind of muddle along through it. We can start discussing when enough people want to. I think we even tried discussing a book while still reading it one time. Not sure it worked too well, but it doesn't always work anyway. The main thing is to get in some good reading.

We did have a book club queen at one time, though. :)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on June 23, 2009, 09:33:36 am
OK I'm gonna try REAL hard to do this!!!!!
I'm going to put the vampire series aside and  come back to it later.
Maureen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on June 23, 2009, 03:02:23 pm
OK, I just picked up a copy of The Time Traveler's Wife and I am going to try very hard to keep up with all of you .....  :-[

One of the things that has been slow to return is reading comfort.  Initially I had double vision following surgery (only a few days), but then I continued to have difficulty following a line of text in a book.  Only recently do I feel like I am back to my previous reading comfort and speed.

The blurp on the jacket of The Time Traveler's Wife looks to be an interesting read.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 23, 2009, 04:14:55 pm
Enjoy your reading, guys!  I'll try to skim back over it to refresh my memory on some of the details.  I won't say anything about what I thought about it until y'all are finished with it...well, I'll try, anyway ;)

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 23, 2009, 05:41:22 pm
They didn't have it at the branch I was at last night at the library & I thought I'd go to another today to get it but was waiting on the AC repairman. Long & short, left town w/o getting it. If i see anyplace to get it, I will. Is it hard or paperback & how recently released is it? When I told my friend the author's name, I realized that her initials are AN - I thought that was kind of ironic!  The AN Book Club is reading a book by AN!! ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on June 23, 2009, 06:51:32 pm
I got mine in paperback.  Copyright date is 2003.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 23, 2009, 07:20:17 pm
Tuesday, June 23, 2009 (Steve is 55)

I have read about the first 100 pages. I am enjoying the time traveler aspect quite a bit, it is a very interesting and fun twist, and it is handled nicely, not like science fiction but as just another fact of life. I wonder how a time traveler would handle an AN. :)

I have a paperback too, it is about 500 pages, so it is the bigger kind of paperback, with 14.95 printed on the back, although I think I got it for less than that.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on June 23, 2009, 08:06:15 pm
We did have a book club queen at one time, though.

When I am queen I will wear a pink crown.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 23, 2009, 08:11:21 pm
Sara-
u can b queen this time  if I get to vote!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 23, 2009, 09:26:53 pm
When I am queen I will wear a pink crown.

Subtle. I like that.  ;)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on June 23, 2009, 09:54:07 pm
i'm in; i just haven't gotten the book yet. hope to have it before you all finish it.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on June 24, 2009, 06:34:51 pm
When I am queen I will wear a pink crown.

Subtle. I like that.  ;)

Steve

I knew you would pick up on that, Steve. Glad you enjoyed it.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on June 24, 2009, 06:40:28 pm
I couldn't find  the Time Traveler's Wife at the library either. I'll check the used book store, and also the library said it won't be long....
Maureen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on June 24, 2009, 07:17:17 pm
Woo hoo! I just received word from the library that my hold is next. I'm going to St. Louis to pick up my eldest from her Israel study abroad trip (an even bigger WOO HOO! she's in the air even as I type this) so I'll head to the library on Friday to pick it up.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on June 24, 2009, 09:57:14 pm
Sara,
She's already coming back - wow, I was going to ask you how her trip was going! Well, now I can ask you about it after you've heard about it. I went to Israel 3 years ago. I loved it, but it was kind of intense too.

I think I found the book online; need to order it tomorrow. Looks interesting!

Keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on June 28, 2009, 08:03:31 pm
I finished The Time Traveler's Wife this weekend. Two thumbs up. :)

It is over 500 pages, yet I wanted it to keep going, which is a sure sign of a good book. I won't say more, except that I hope you all enjoy it too.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on June 28, 2009, 09:29:54 pm
well, i hope you don't mind waiting around a bit for us.
we should figure out - who's in? and what time frame (or after how many pages, etc) do we start discussing it? or, what is the protocol here? i'm acting like i know what it is and i don't!
keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on June 29, 2009, 07:52:47 am
Keri .....

I had the same questions .......  I am about halfway through it ..... absolutely fascinating book ..... had to make myself stop reading and go to bed at midnight last night.  Who's in charge of the discussion??   :-[ :-*

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 29, 2009, 03:59:06 pm
Clarice ~ Whomever wants to be - you want to throw out the first question?  Not yet, of course...we need to set a date too.  I haven't even started yet, but sounds like one I will read pretty fast.  Cindy is sending me hers...I just returned home from getting all my girlies (YEA!) and it should come today or tomorrow! (Thanks Cindy!)

K ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on June 30, 2009, 08:27:42 pm
Finished Part I in the surgery center waiting room this afternoon. It's a very interesting book and I'm looking forward to seeing how the story unfolds, but I do have a bone to pick about plot development. Will hold that thought until the discussion starts, however.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on July 01, 2009, 04:45:25 am
Went to the show this weekend and saw My Sister's Keeper! (one of the first reads of this group) Yikes they changed the movie a lot!

Aye yi yi.....

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 01, 2009, 05:49:44 am
Yikes they changed the movie a lot!


So were the changes good or bad?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on July 01, 2009, 08:07:25 am
Sara .....

I had the same concerns on plot development ...... keep reading ..... it eventually begins to make sense!   :-\  Someone who is experienced in "book club format" needs to start the questions ..... that, I am not!  I'm not quite finished with it ..... hard to put down and get other things accomplished (like sleep???).

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on July 01, 2009, 12:34:19 pm
Very cleverly written book, right?  I'll be watching for the discussion...

Kay, did you get the book yet?  If not, let me know and I'll track it down - it really should have been there by yesterday...

Enjoy!

Kate, the previews I saw for My Sister's Keeper definitely looked like a departure from the book.  I've been afraid that I'd be irritated at the movie version, but I would like to see it, I suppose???

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 01, 2009, 03:05:03 pm
Cindy!  I am so sorry - I thought I came in & wrote you - guess I did it in my mind (I do that a LOT).  YES, I got it Monday or Tuesday...thank you so much.  Going to start on it tonight!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 01, 2009, 05:04:53 pm
Yikes they changed the movie a lot!


So were the changes good or bad?

Jan


me and a friend are planning on seeing the movie  ... I gave her the book to read first ...

so were the changes good or bad ???  I usually dislike movies of books I read first

haven't got the book yet because can't find it in our little town ... but going to the big city in next day
or two and will find it somewhere... used book store or Books a Million ... I need a read I can focus on
and digest with people afterward
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on July 02, 2009, 08:39:21 pm
Yikes they changed the movie a lot!


So were the changes good or bad?

Jan

There is a lot of license.  I typically like the books better, but they've taken away the subplots (such as the relationship between Anna's lawyer and her guardian) and they've made it a linear story line.  The depth of the characters are gone...but most of all they change a very significant part of the plot...which I shall not leak until you see it.  (It reminds me of the time I walked into a fifth grade room and they were reading the book Bridge to Terabithia. I commented on how sad it was when Leslie died.  24 faces looked at me in disbelief and questioned, "Leslie dies?"  OMG... So none of that here....
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 03, 2009, 06:29:18 am
Thanks for the feedback on the movie, Kate.

I think I'll stick with the book, since I liked it so much.

Don't really have time to see the movie anyway  ::)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 03, 2009, 05:20:33 pm
I just ordered the Time Traveler's Wife after a futile search of book stores ...  >:(

has anyone read the Dead in Dallas , From Dead to Worse and the rest of this dead series
of books ??? was told they were good light reading ...looked at a few but didn't buy any...can't remember
who wrote them ... if anyone has mentioned them here I missed the mention due to lack of
back reading ...

If you liked James Harriot books ( I love them ) you will like An Irish Doctor and An Irish Country Village ...they
were mentioned here or on another site some friends and I have a long time ago ...don't remember where. ...
I went by the school a couple weeks ago to sign something  and the principal had put them on the share shelf
where we swap books around ...I read them both in three days before tackling Day Camp and like I said if you
like Harriot you will like these ...they're  written by Patrick Taylor
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on July 03, 2009, 06:53:12 pm
The Time Traveler's Wife was a great read, even if I did get mixed up about the different trips and time periods!  I also loved People of the Book.  Soundy, I will look for the Irish books because I laughed out loud while reading the James Herriot books!

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on July 03, 2009, 07:02:11 pm
Finished "The Time Traveler's Wife" but will refrain from any comments until everyone has finished ...... other than to say I thoroughly enjoyed it and it was good therapy for my gaze stabilization and a good brain exercise!   ::)

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 03, 2009, 07:15:29 pm
Friday, July 3, 2009 (Steve is 15)

How did I end up here in the 21st century, discussing a book with a bunch of grown ups?  And could anyone spare a pair of pants? ;D

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 03, 2009, 08:12:46 pm
Oh, Steve, you're the funny one - I have read jut enough to know that clothes were a problem for Henry...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on July 03, 2009, 09:06:10 pm
 ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ..... the clothes issue had many curious twists throughout the book.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 09, 2009, 08:46:02 pm
I read People of the Book too. I think a few here have read it now. Maybe we can discuss that while waiting for the rest to finish The Time Traveler's Wife?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on July 10, 2009, 06:55:38 am
I did finally find The Time Traveler's Wife and have started reading it (pg 100 something or other). I go on vacation tomorrow, so the real reading begins!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 10, 2009, 07:05:34 am
I have been slow to get into it - I find myself having to go back and look at each date/age a lot because I just get to read a little at a time and then hear, "MOM..."

I'll pick up on the reading though!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on July 10, 2009, 07:25:44 am
I don't have little kids around any more and I still did a lot of looking back at dates ...... ::)  It was one of those books where at first I wished I had kept a notepad handy to keep track of dates and/or characters (not an issue in this book .... except for ages).

Have fun, those of you still reading.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on July 12, 2009, 12:34:06 pm
i'm about halfway through now. i didn't / don't / hope it's not necessary to really keep track of the dates because i haven't been. i tend to try to really pay attention when he's in 'real time.' i am a bit confused about one thing that happens in relation to all this, but i hope it won't be a problem, and i don't want to bring it up because i don't want to spoil anything for anyone!
interesting read!
keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 12, 2009, 02:39:50 pm
What's this about Steve and no pants  ???

Am too late for the Time Traveler's Wife, but when you get around to the next pick, count me in.

I've read a lot of mediocre books lately, and am looking for something good.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 12, 2009, 02:50:48 pm
Steve has a lot of trouble staying dressed...I think he is pretending he is in Texas with the record breaking heat... ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 12, 2009, 02:59:12 pm
Steve has a lot of trouble staying dressed...

This could prove to be quite an issue at the symposium, as I think the staff at The Drake will frown on this - unless of course, he plans to stay in his room ;)

Okay, Phyl, hijack over  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 12, 2009, 04:06:11 pm
i didn't / don't / hope it's not necessary to really keep track of the dates because i haven't been.

I don't think it is. Time travel has lots of problems that many science fiction books have never quite solved. It is full of contradictions and paradoxes. I promise that if time travel is possible in the future, I will come back to right now and report it right here. I'm waiting.... Nope, I didn't show up, so I guess it ain't going to happen. :)

I just accepted the time travel as an interesting wrinkle on the story, allowing whatever odd things it creates to just be there. It seemed to me the author did so as well, not dwelling at length on how it was supposed to work. The emphasis is on the interesting perspective it gives you on a relationship between two quite interesting people.

Steve (wearing pants again)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on July 12, 2009, 06:57:12 pm
Jan .....

I think you probably could read The Time Traveler's Wife in time to participate in this.  If you do not knock yourself out trying to keep track of dates/ages, it really is a rather quick read.  You need to read it just to know about the no pants thing ......   ;D

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 12, 2009, 07:01:58 pm
I am not even 1/2 way done yet - not usual for me...getting more into it!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 12, 2009, 10:14:28 pm
I read a few reviews of The Time Travelers Wife on Amazon when I ordered my kids' summer reading books, and although they were very positive, it just didn't sound like my kind of story.

Recently I've been reading a lot of "fluff" - mainly to take my mind off my work and to relax me.   I've been working many long hours both at the office and again in the evenings at home, plus I just repainted my son's bedroom in my "spare" time.  I usually read a chapter or two late at night, but lately, it's been very counterproductive.  Kind of like two pages forward and ten pages back, because I keep dosing off and forgetting what I've just read   ::)  :P 

I did purchase a new Harlan Coben book through Amazon called Hold Tight.  It says it's #1 on the NY Times bestseller list, but I don't know how long ago that was.

I'm a big Coben fan though, so I'm hoping to start it tomorrow night. 

Jan

 

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 12, 2009, 10:35:22 pm
I love Coben - thanks to you, Jan!  i am going back & reading all the Myron stuff from the 1st - love it.  I think I have read Hold Tight...have to look that one up!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 14, 2009, 07:36:22 pm
Well, I'm ready any time.

I just saw that the release date for the film version of The Time Traveler's Wife is August 14 - might be a hoot to attend in Chicago.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on July 15, 2009, 07:15:09 am
Sara ....

I saw that notice about the movie opening date, as well ...... thought about Chicago, but couldn't see how we could work it in with high tea, Howling at the Moon, pizza, etc. etc.    ;D  Actually I have not ventured into a movie theatre since my AN surgery ..... too afraid I would be wasting my money if the sound became unbearable and I had to leave.   :(

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on July 16, 2009, 08:36:43 am
am done with the book too.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 16, 2009, 08:42:46 am
I'm still reading but more into it now - if I am the only one you are waiting on, I don't want to hold you up...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 16, 2009, 08:56:38 am
No, we'll wait for you, Kay. I'm sure there are others still reading. I was forced to finish as someone has it on hold at the library so I could not renew. Just let us know when you are ready.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 18, 2009, 01:23:14 pm
OK...I am finished...are we waiting on anyone else or just me?

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 18, 2009, 01:37:46 pm
Let's start. I think we can discuss the time line questions, anyway, if anyone is confused by them. Once you get past those, it is your basic boy meets girl story. :)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 18, 2009, 03:31:55 pm
OK, I'm game. But first, if you have not yet finished the book, this is going to contain MAJOR SPOILERS, so proceed at your own risk.

As I first started reading the book, I was going along fine until the point at which Henry first met himself. I can't quite wrap my mind around one person being in two places at the same time. But then, I figured out that there could possibly be two, the chronologically aged Henry traveling either forward or back and either a future or past Henry. This works out until the fateful hunting accident. Future 43-year-old Henry travels back and since he has no feet is thrashing around and mistaken for an animal and either Clare's father or her brother shoots him, and before they find him, he time travels back to the present to die. But back in 1986, Clare sees Henry STANDING near her father and brother and signaling her to keep quiet. How can this be if he has lost his feet?

I thought for a minute that maybe a pre-frostbite 43-year-old Henry time traveled back to 1986 just after the slightly older amputee Henry was shot and disappeared, and that could have worked except that he clearly heard the other Henry cry out "Clare, Clare!" so it appears to me that at that point there are three Henrys, two aged 43 and somewhere else, the chronological Henry, who is 21 at this time, and has not yet met Clare. (The reason that I say both Henrys have to be 43 is that the chapter heading states that Henry is 43, and not 43 and some other age, to be consistent with other chapter headings.)

The other plot point that bothered me was Henry repeatedly telling Clare that nothing can be done to alter the future, yet he looked up and memorized winning lottery numbers and bought a ticket so that they could buy a house and Clare would have a bigger studio.

I have some other minor comments that I may or may not make as the discussion progresses, but I'll throw those out to start.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 18, 2009, 03:41:37 pm
OK...I will preface this by saying I am just a dumb blonde (& I know that) but I was VERY confused by many things in the book.   More than anything (& know that sci-fi is NOT my thing so I know NOTHING about "time travel") it bothered me that he knew all this stuff from his travels, but remembered NOTHING about his times with Clare - wasn't he time traveling BACK then??

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 18, 2009, 03:44:16 pm
Kay, it all depends on how old he was in his time travels. He had to be over 28 to have met Clare. Any time he met Clare as a child, he was older than that, usually in his 40s. And until he chronologically aged to that time, it had not yet happened for him either -- well their adult history had, but not seeing her as a child.

If that makes sense.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on July 18, 2009, 04:58:32 pm
Well, I am not a blonde (never was, actually  :o) but I, as well, was very confused when Henry did the three-person thing that Sara describes.  Somewhere in the course of reading I quit trying to figure out the time changes (is it possible to figure out???) and just tried to go with the flow back and forth.  I would love to hear more about how the rest of you reconciled the time travel seeming discrepancies!

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on July 18, 2009, 05:27:12 pm
I said early on that the time lines confused me greatly.  I tried to just concentrate on the people and their relationships.  Guess I'm as blonde as some of the others!  It was well written and I got wrapped up in the story, but gave up sometimes on where he was at any given time or how old he was at those times.  Give me a good murder mystery and I can hold my own. :D

Anyone else read People of the Book?

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 18, 2009, 06:44:32 pm
I thought for a minute that maybe a pre-frostbite 43-year-old Henry time traveled back to 1986 just after the slightly older amputee Henry was shot and disappeared

I think you have it correct. Henry from before Sep 25, 2006, but still 43, travels back to Oct 27, 1984, the same point in time that Frostbitten Henry from Dec 31, 2006 travels back to. Frostbitten Henry gets shot and calls out "Clare, Clare" just before he disappears. Pre-frostbite Henry sees Clare and signals her to stay quiet about hearing her name. He is also seen by Mark and Philip, who later wonder why Clare's new beau looks familiar.

It is unusual to have two time-traveling Henrys visit the same spot at the same time, but no more impossible than having one. Although it is not explicitly stated, It is about mid July 2006 that Henry decides to have Kendrick help Alba, since "he is done," suggesting this is when he goes back as pre-frostbite Henry and sees how he will end.

Clare, of course, was there in real life in 1984 when it happened. I think Henry somehow willed himself to travel back from 2006 to the event, so that Clare would see him there, and not later realize that she had witnessed the death of her future husband at the age of 13.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 18, 2009, 06:56:03 pm
OK...here's another thing that I didn't get...Henry says that he never knows when he is going to time travel - maybe brought on by stress or visual stimulation...how then is able to give Clare exact dates when he will appear??

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 18, 2009, 07:10:46 pm
Clare kept a diary of dates when he appeared, which he then memorized. Same with the lotto numbers. He has to memorize because he can't take anything with him.

I found it strange that he was steadfast in not telling a younger Henry what takes place in the future, but had no compunction about telling Clare that she would marry him someday.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 18, 2009, 07:17:32 pm
OK inbetween writing that and posting, I realized that memorizing and going back to the past would not work. He does not take memories back in time that he has not experienced yet. Unless he went further back and told a younger Henry who could carry the memories forward. Which he refuses to do. Hmmm.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 18, 2009, 07:38:49 pm
I thought Clare had the dates so that she knew when to come to the meadow...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 18, 2009, 08:07:12 pm
Right. It's kind of a circle. He had her keep a diary of the dates, then he memorized it in the future and told her when the dates would be. I think one reason was that he wanted her to be prepared with clothes and food and such.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 18, 2009, 08:19:19 pm
I think Henry somehow willed himself to travel back from 2006 to the event, so that Clare would see him there, and not later realize that she had witnessed the death of her future husband at the age of 13.

Steve


Henry tells Clare at one point that he cannot control time travel. Later on he wonders whether Alba can, though.

Speaking of which, we never hear about Alba after she is ten or eleven or so. She is not even mentioned at the end when Clare is 82. Maybe the author is planning a sequel.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 18, 2009, 09:02:29 pm
Sara, I agree that Henry couldn't control his time travel. I guess I meant that it seemed like maybe sub-consciously he made it happen, or by really wanting it to happen. It isn't essential to the story, though. I just like the idea that maybe for really important things he could influence it a little bit.

The list of dates is actually the classic example of a time travel paradox, and the author wisely avoids discussing it, other than Clare saying "it seems like a Mobius strip." In chronological time, she writes down the dates in a book at the age of six as Henry recites them, meets Henry on all those occasions, then hands the list to Henry when she meets him in real time. He memorizes it, and later travels back in time and tells them to Clare at the age of six. Once it is in place, it works, but there is no good way to get that circle started.

I think he felt he needed to tell Clare about getting married one day, since he was going to be visiting her a lot between the ages of six and eighteen. She needed to know what was going on.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on July 20, 2009, 03:20:14 pm
I see that this is a movie coming out in August.  I hope it's good.  If anyone is interested, please read Kindred by Octavia E. Butler.  I only read it a few years ago, but it is a sci-fi classic.  It is easy to understand, not complicated in the time travel sequences and very touching and moving as a modern African American woman is transported back to a time when she is considered property in the old south. 

Sue in Vancouver, USA
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 20, 2009, 03:37:53 pm
Sara, I agree that Henry couldn't control his time travel. I guess I meant that it seemed like maybe sub-consciously he made it happen, or by really wanting it to happen. It isn't essential to the story, though. I just like the idea that maybe for really important things he could influence it a little bit.

I thought it seemed that way as well when a future Henry showed up on his wedding day to preclude a fiasco when present-day Henry disappeared. But he explicitly said, and more than once, that he absolutely could not control it. So it seems as though serendipity is as critical as determinism.

Sue, I think the potential is there for a good movie, but I think it's going to need to be streamlined from the novel.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on July 20, 2009, 04:57:04 pm
Just like the Harry Potter movies.  They take out 3/4 of the book and pare it down to it's core story line.  Which is okay, but the richness of JK Rowling's details are missing.  I'd like to see the new movie, but I always go in knowing it's another version of the real thing. 

I'll have to get this book, because it sounds interesting.  The one you guys are reading.

Sue in Vancouver, USA
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on July 20, 2009, 06:43:30 pm
You guys are having a great discussion about Henry and Clare.  It's been a number of books back for me, so I can't remember all the details, but have enjoyed seeing all of your thoughts about it.  I did enjoy it - love the idea of time travel (do y'all remember Somewhere In Time...ahhhh).

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on July 20, 2009, 07:52:52 pm
Yes, after reading some of the things Sara and Steve and others have said, more makes sense.
I enjoyed the book; it was entertaining, not boring or anything. However, it gave me a vague uneasy feeling. I'm not sure why; can't figure it out. It doesn't have to do with the fact that it's kind of sad, it's just... I don't know.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 20, 2009, 08:03:35 pm
I would like to know what you think of the rest of the book - that is, setting aside the time travel. Do you buy that a six year old girl might accept that a 43 year old man is her future husband, and go along with it? What do you make of the relationship between Clare and Henry, and why did she fall in love with him? Was it just because he was a cool time traveler? Is Henry a good guy?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 20, 2009, 08:24:38 pm
I liked the story, but I am with Keri...something just didn't sit right with me.  i think it may be because I just don't get into all that time travel stuff and I didn't understand it - I hate things that make me feel stupid when i know I am not!

Steve~
I almost think that Clare could buy into that she would marry him - I think that we all have "older" people that are in our lives that we kind of have crushes on = in her case, he kept coming back and as she got older and understood more - she did get that he could realistically could be hers and within an age range that she could attain.  i wonder about her continued feelings though when so many people warned her that he was bad news...
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 20, 2009, 09:15:34 pm
I had some thoughts about this that I originally wasn't sure I was going to share, but since the question has come up . . .

Sure Henry was a cool time-traveling guy. However, as a mom I have to say that I found it somewhat creepy that a 40-year old man, naked no less, was initiating a relationship with a 6-year-old girl and telling her everything was OK because they were going to be married in the future. I know that Henry did not consummate their relationship until Clare was 18, but it almost seemed like he was grooming her for that. (It's "our little secret," more or less.) It seemed to me that all of Henry's talk about determinism robbed Clare of her self-will. I mean, if she is going to be his wife and there is nothing that can change that, it easily follows that she must be in love with him. And yes, Clare did seduce Henry, but Henry could have continued to be the adult and resisted until they met in real time.

Now on the other hand, I also could not understand why Clare was so obsessed with having Henry's baby. She saw how badly time travel could turn out for Henry. Why would she risk that happening to her child? I also did not understand why Henry bothered having a vasectomy. He already knew that Alba was going to be born, so how could he think that a vasectomy would stop that?

Kay, I also found it interesting that Clare disregarded multiple warnings about Henry. But since she "knew" him from a little girl, it was easier to dismiss them.

Sara

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on July 20, 2009, 09:43:09 pm
Maybe this is a matter of the reader's gender ......  I, also, had the initial reaction of dismay over the female child vs. male adult start to the whole thing.  However, when the relationship was not sexual (during Clare's young ages), I was able to put that aside and became intrigued with the many different ways the two of them interacted in the course of Henry's time traveling ...... sort of like a big maze of time and ages.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 22, 2009, 07:46:35 pm
So I was just wondering, did anyone else catch the foreshadowing when Clare remarked on how thick the skin on Henry's feet was, and he said "You might as well shoot me if anything happens to my feet."?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 22, 2009, 08:00:14 pm
oHHHH...I didn't think about that...I just figured that they had toughened up b/c he said that shoes were the hardest things to find...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 23, 2009, 07:14:18 pm
I think that's exactly why his feet were so thick, Kay.

When he made the comment about shooting him if anything ever happens to his feet, I figured that he would be shot someday. I almost figured out that Mark and Phil had shot him in 1984 except that Henry was standing there motioning Clare to be quiet. I didn't think there would have been two time-traveling Henrys because that did not happen any other time in the novel.

I can't figure out why Mark and Phil didn't shoot the other naked Henry who suddenly appeared in their field. I don't have the book so that I can look back. Did that Henry disappear suddenly as well?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 23, 2009, 09:09:28 pm
As Henry describes it, he is wearing a black wool overcoat and boots and gloves (and it is a date that is not on the List). So Mark and Philip are puzzled by him, or at least Mark is, but not inclined to shoot him. I don't think they shot frostbite-Henry thinking he was a naked human, but rather thinking he was a wolf or deer or some other such animal. He was around long enough to wave to Clare as they went back in the house afterwards, and then to sit and contemplate the blood stain on the ground, realizing that somewhere sometime he is dying.

I did not put two and two together at the time that Henry made the remark about his feet, however. I just understood that his feet were important to him.

Now on to Henry and Clare. From Henry's point of view, he never visits Clare in the past until after they have met in the library! Some woman in a library takes an interest in him, and hands him a book saying "you are going to visit me in my past." He realizes that he must end up visiting her in the past, so he goes along with it. His first time with Clare is their first date in real time; the visit with her when she is 18 comes later. And although he has memorized the dates so he can tell Clare what to write down, he doesn't arrange to visit her, he just ends up there from time to time. All of it happens to him after they meet in the library,and he is just visiting his girlfriend/wife in her past.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 23, 2009, 09:38:05 pm
I'm at a disadvantage not being able to look back. I did not remember that Henry had an overcoat but that would make sense or Mark and Philip really would have been freaked out at the Christmas dinner.

I agree that frostbite Henry (what a name we have come up with!) was mistaken for an animal as he thrashed about in the grass. It seemed to me that Mark and Philip could not figure out where the animal could have gone. The bloodstain was there, but no animal and no track marks. Still, Mark and Philip must have wondered where the other Henry came from as well.

You are also right that for Henry, the episode with an 18-year-old Clare comes later in his life, but for her it was still before she met Henry in real time. And by the time he visited 18-year-old Clare he already had a daughter of his own. The story still would have worked if he had resisted the seduction. Just one less sex scene.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on July 24, 2009, 09:25:32 am
Sara,
For someone who doesn't have the book any more you have a great memory! I've gotten a lot out of what you and Steve have shared. I didn't even think of that stuff when I read it (the feet thing, etc).
I think some of my 'creepiness' with the book was when I realized the details of the shooting (that made more sense after Steve posted on it). Also, the way his mom died. That was just too sad. And I get queasy when there's a lot of blood (maybe I shouldn't see the movie)!
I'd say I'd send you the book because I probably won't read it or refer to it again. But the way I procrastinate,I probably wouldn't get it in the mail until we've started the next book!
Keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 24, 2009, 11:17:33 am
I just didn't "get" a lot of it and didn't have the time or energy to have to think about it!  It is hard to read something like that - a subject that you just don't get - when you only get to read for little snippets - like waiting outside gymnastics and at stoplights or at the pool between looking up & finding that 3-4 kiddos are safe!!  ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on July 24, 2009, 11:24:50 am
Well, I do not have any good excuses like Keri or K, but I still did not get all of the fine nuances that Sara and Steve did.  I still struggle with eye strain when reading for long periods so by necessity I had to break up my reading of the book ...... which may account for some of my inability to completely follow where Henry was (in relation to Clare's age) at any given time.

I did enjoy reading the book but more from fascination with how the author wove it all together than to analyze all of the time aspects and how they fit together.

I, too, am enjoying reading Sara's and Steve's comments ..... a lot more of the story line (if you can call it that!) is coming together with their explanations!  Thanks!!

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 24, 2009, 12:00:45 pm
I realize that a lot of my comments have been negative, so I'm going to make a post on what I found most interesting -- time travel as a genetic condition rather than use of a sci-fi device. That is a fascinating concept and overall I think the author did a good job of making it seem random and uncontrollable, and of coordinating all of the events.

The only time I thought "well, isn't that convenient?" was when a future Henry dropped in on his wedding day just in time to stand in for himself, and even more convenient that current Henry had decided to cut his hair so that it wasn't so obvious a change in look between current and future Henrys.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 28, 2009, 06:10:32 pm
We're about to drop off the first page. Does anyone have any more comments or questions?

I have a question on characters . . . who did you most like or dislike? I liked Kimy most (although it really bugged me the way it was spelled) and Gomez the least. I thought he was just a sleazy character and I did not understand what Charisse saw in him.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 28, 2009, 09:02:44 pm
I liked Henry - scrappy and resourceful, and a good heart.  He reminded me of an old friend in college named Frank, who he now resembles in my mind. :)

Clare too, although I picture her sitting at her window for 40 years with a wistful gaze, until Henry finally makes his last visit. Mrs. Kim, yes; Gomez, not so much; Ingrid I thought was both weird and tragic.

I liked it; how about you?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 28, 2009, 09:06:45 pm
Loved Kimy, didn't like Gomez, felt sorry for Henry's dad and then glad he rebounded after he was needed as a "Grandfather"...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 28, 2009, 09:35:39 pm
I liked it; how about you?

Steve

Overall, I would have to say I enjoyed the book. I think most of its weaknesses can be forgiven because it is, after all, a first novel. I'm pretty sure that Audrey Niffenegger has a new novel coming out this fall. I understand that she has drawn and written a couple of illustrated stories -- for adults, not children -- but I have not seen them. I read somewhere that she is doing some kind of event relating to The Time Traveler's Wife at the Newberry Library, but not until a couple of weeks after the ANA symposium. Too bad it did not coincide with the symposium and the opening of the movie. I'd go if it were possible.

I think a lot of time and energy went into plot development, but at the expense of character development. Mrs. Kim had the best-developed personality, and she was really just a bit part. (If you look at the movie page at www.imdb.com, it does not look like she is even in the movie. Ingrid either, if you can believe that!) I would have liked knowing more about the people and a little less about the intricacies of paper making. Although since the author is an artist, that is also understandable.

At one point Henry mentions that more people are diagnosed with the chrono-displacement impairment in the future, so I kept thinking another traveler would pop up at some point or another, but except for Alba, nobody ever did.

I also thought of another time circle -- when Henry goes back at 24 or so, meeting his 5-year-old self at the Field Museum and teaching himself to pick locks and pockets and such. At some point he had to learn to those skills on his own, so wouldn't he be changing the future to teach himself?

I didn't like Henry as much as you did. I found him to be self-centered, but then he would have to be to survive with his impairment. Clare seemed content to drift along in Henry's wake and I can't understand why she was so determined to have Henry's child knowing the consequences that his genetic mutation wreaks on Henry. I would have liked to know what happened to Alba after the age of 10 or so. Doesn't it seem a little strange that she was not even mentioned when Clare was 82?

Sara

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on July 29, 2009, 12:17:54 am
I'm not sure I would have liked Henry as much if he had not been a time traveler. That gave him a good excuse for a lot of otherwise questionable behavior. In a way he is the beast in a "beauty and the beast" sense, with Clare the beauty who falls in love with him even so. It turns out that time traveling is one way to keep a relationship interesting.

It is odd that Alba doesn't come up in the future. By that time, Henry and Clare might well be grandparents, with a nice brood of time traveling grandchildren popping in on them at inconvenient moments. Maybe Niffenegger will write "The Time Traveler's Daughter" sometime. I think Clare wanted to have a child because she didn't want the stupid time traveling thing to rob her of that, since she loved Henry, and he her.

There is no getting around the fact that Henry never learned lock picking from anyone but himself, a circular situation with no way to get it started. It is one of the things that makes time travel so very difficult to do in the real world.

Anyone read People of the Book or The Zookeeper's Wife?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on July 29, 2009, 07:33:40 am
I was planning to start People of the Book as soon as I finish the book I'm in the middle of...do you want to discuss it/them, or are these suggestions for the next book for the "club" to read?

Great discussions you all had about Henry and Clare.  It had been so long since I read it, that I couldn't add any deep insight...well, I never really add any deep insight, do I :D

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on July 29, 2009, 08:17:35 am
I've read People of the Book....thought it was really good, but then again I've liked everything she has written...and just recently bought Zookeepers Wife.  Haven't had a chance to get into it yet.  I spend a lot of my summer reading time catching up on "kiddie lit" to stay current with what is out there for my classroom literature circles.  Anyone want a good read for young adults?  Try  Book Thief.    It is too old for my 5th graders, but a wonderful book for middle and high school.  My ladies book group all read it and loved it.  I can also recommend the Ranger's Apprentice series for upper elementary and middle school  boys.  The series has been optioned to make into a movie.  I just hope they don't ruin it by adding stuff that Hollywood thinks it needs in order to make it sell.  My kids always get highly offended by the extra things in the movie.  Why can't the movie makers appreciate the fact that kids don't like it when they screw up what was already a great story before they got their hands on it?  They seriously underestimate the intelligence of kids. I always tell my classes to read the book before the movie comes out or they will never know the real story.  It's hilarious to watch them storm the libraries to get a copy of whatever book is coming out soon in a movie!

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 29, 2009, 08:55:19 am
If we are about to put The Time Traveler's Wife to rest, I have just a couple more comments to throw in.

Steve, I had to laugh when I read your comment that you would not like Henry so much if he were not a time traveler. It certainly does allow us to give Henry some leniency. Henry seemed to me a completely different person after he meets Clare in chronological time. It confused me for a bit for multiple people to warn Clare about the jerk Henry is when we (and she) already knew a far different Henry. After thinking about it for a while I determined that Clare was the steadying influence that Henry needed to come to terms with his existence. I would have liked for the author's character development to lead me to the natural conclusion that Clare and Henry were soulmates, and I think a more experienced author would have done that.

I also think that with more experience Ms. Niffenegger would have been able to differentiate more between Henry and Clare's viewpoints so that the chapters would not have needed to be prefaced by HENRY: and CLARE:. At times I had to go back and check who was telling the story. If I were the editor I would have picked different fonts for Henry and Clare. Something artistic and feminine for Clare and a simple, speedy-looking non serif for Henry. I suppose that would increase publication costs, though.

I would not be surprised to see The Time Traveler's Daughter in the future, although usually there is at least a teaser in a novel that hints at the possibility. If Alba can control her time travel, that would make for some new and interesting twists.

Priscilla, I agree with your points about changing novels for adaptation to film. I am also annoyed when they leave out important bits of books, and especially when the ending is altogether different. I was appalled at the film version of The Firm. And of all the adaptations of Pride and Prejudice out there, the 1995 mini-series is by far my favorite adaptation because it sticks so closely to the book, includes everything and doesn't add much (other than Colin Firth in a soaking wet shirt, which I didn't mind so very much). There were a few things changed, such as changing description to dialog or having Mr. Collins pay a condolence visit rather than write a letter, but they didn't change the substance of the story at all.

OK, I'm off to do something productive with my day.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on July 29, 2009, 09:02:54 am
I've been away for a couple of days so I just now enjoyed reading the character assessments by you readers of The Time Traveler's Wife.  Clare was my favorite because she seemed to be the only stabilizing factor in the book.  I was fascinated by the many seeming changes in Henry's character, depending upon whether he was traveling or in the present.

Priscilla, I have always been one of those people who never likes to see the movie before reading the book (missed many good movies that way!   ;D).  I like to do my own visualization of the images/scenes/characters.  Very often the movie ruins my perceptions.  I have been watching the previews on TV of The Time Traveler's Wife and I'm almost afraid to go see the movie, for fear they have depicted things in a different way than I would have.

My nightstand is piled high with books I want to read ...... oh my, not enough time/wakefulness???

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on July 29, 2009, 09:34:44 am
Sara, You are so right about the Pride and Prejudice mini-series!  That is my favorite of all.  Colin Firth ;) and the other characters leap off the screen w/personality.
 And Clarice, I do occasionally give in and see the movie version (all of the Harry Potters!)  but there are certain beloved books I refuse to see on the big screen because I want to keep my own personal version in my head.  Like you, my nightstand is heaped w/books,, partly because I have so many kid books to read.

Priscilla
 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on July 29, 2009, 10:56:09 am
Oh my gosh, Priscilla, the scene containing those smoldering looks that Colin Firth and Jennifer Ehle cast at each other over the piano in Lady Catherine's parlor is a cinematic masterpiece. I'm sorry to say that my husband, fine man that he is, has never mastered "the look." Fortunately he has other redeeming qualities, such as not disappearing in a time travel episode on our wedding day. Good thing too, because his future counterpart is a lot balder and wouldn't fit into his wedding clothes.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 29, 2009, 01:03:27 pm
That was a good one, Sara!!

Priscilla~
I need good series for GIRLIES - especially for a little girl that is only going into 2nd grade but reads & COMPREHENDS (I know the difference/importance since I used to teach) on about 4-5th grade level (or higher)...she reads Addi's books if we let her!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on July 29, 2009, 03:19:52 pm
Hey Kaybo,
Your little sweetie might enjoy Meet the Penderwicks.  I think that's the title, although I could have it wrong.  It has Penderwick in the title.  There are a couple of books in the series so far. She might also like the Charlie Bone series.  It is fantasy, like Harry Potter, but gentler and easier to read.  She would also like The Far Away Mountain if you could find it in your library.  I know it is out of print.  The author is Lynne Reid Banks. All my fourth graders, boys included, love it.  I will do some research to see if I can find some more treasures!  I'm not necessarily current on third grade and below, but I can identify with her because my sister is four years older than me, and I read everything she brought home!

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 29, 2009, 04:08:00 pm
Thanks Priscilla - I wrote them down!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Cheryl R on July 29, 2009, 05:04:46 pm
Kay, Can you also ask at the library?           Both of my daughters worked in the childrens dept of the library at one time and know that dept can be of big help.             One even went on to library school but works in archives now.     
                                             Cheryl R
                                                 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 29, 2009, 07:48:07 pm
I have asked, but am always looking for something else, especially from people with experience with kids and what they like to read!!   ;D  The man at the downtown library is REALLY good & helpful but we don't get down there very often!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 30, 2009, 08:43:59 am
I would join the discussion but never got my book when I ordered it ...got an email that it  was on back order...
so canceled it and they said it would be two weeks before money would be credited back to my account ...funny
it only took them a few hours  to take it out ... I know because I called automated bank line to make sure it
went through  >:( ... when in Huntsville last week went to 3 bookstores and everyone is out of it ... said it
is on high school summer reading list and the movie ads have made sells pick up ... so gonna talk to Kay instead


Kay ... having a child that reads on a higher grade level and comprehends it is a mixed blessing ... mainly if
they read too high above chronological age it is sometimes hard to find suitable reading for them at the
reading age instead of real age

both my girls read above level ... we have accelerated reading program at school ... the kids are required to read
books that are at or a few points above grade they are reading at but can't go too much above grade level
they are in...each book is assigned a point value and the kids have got to earn so many points a year ...teachers
opted for this and the kids don't do book reports anymore ...evidently took up too much of the teachers time to
grade them

so they  run into problems finding books they want to read that are  not out of the point range
or the computer would kick them out when they went to test .... Sarah read The Giver in late part of
second grade ( not something I would recommend for a second grader) and then tested on it last year in
the 4th grade because as a second and third grader the computer wouldn't let her test on it ... sometimes
she can get the librarian to over ride the system but it has made reading for her frustrating ... more about
getting the points awarded for passing the 10 question tests than reading to enjoy and the older they get
the harder it is to get those points and make a passing grade

Hannah on the other hand doesn't like reading much and will read anything on her grade level even though
she can read at higher level just to get her required points to make her grade ... she got tired of fighting the AR
reading system and picked the lazy way out ...

what type books does your daughter like to read ???... also when in second grade Sarah read a three book series to do
with Aurthur ... the first book is The Seeing Stone I think ...last year her teacher gave a list of children's classics
and she read Alice and Wonderland ,The Wizard of Oz and Where the Red Fern Grows which are way different
than the  film versions  and abbreviated versions most kids know.... if she was awake I would ask her about
what the kids were reading in the fourth grade last year ...


some others she read last year as a 4th grader and liked are

What the Moon Saw ...Laura Resau ...14 girl goes to Mexico for the summer to live with her dad's family ...up
til then she knew little about them or her dad as a child

Peter and The Starcatchers ...Peter and The Secret of Rundoon ... Peter and The Shadow Thieves 
all by Dave Berry and Ridley Pearson ...based on Peter Pan

Elijah of Buxton by Christopher Paul Curtis ... about a slave boy that has made it to Canada and when
a thief steals money from a friend has to risk his freedom to help gain the freedom of others the money
was intended to get out of slavery ...




 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 30, 2009, 09:22:57 am
Thanks, Soundy.  She is actually reading Peter & the Star Catchers right now...addi read those last winter & that is wheat finally spurred her to be a reader - she whizzed thru them all 3 and hasn't looked back since - she finally found something she liked and found the joy that reading can bring.  She loves ANYTHING to do with FAIRIES - she 1st started on the Rainbow Magic books at the 1st of 1st grade, but she would read a whole book in an hour or two - none or the libraries have those and they are VERY thin & $4.99 each - that got very expensive, very fast!!

Thanks for taking time for the suggestions!
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on July 30, 2009, 09:49:50 am
Hey Kaybo,

I thought of another author my kids like.  They will read anything by Eva Ibbotson.  Some of her books are fantasy, with some very unusual ghosties and creatures.  They loved Secret of Platform 13 and the girls especially liked Journey to the River Sea.  There was a little bit of romance in that one-very little bit. Great Ghost Rescue was another fave.  I just read her newest, The Dragonfly Pool and can't wait to recommend it to my classes.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 06, 2009, 02:10:27 pm
Just FYI, I started People of the Book today...that's not the next chosen book, don't think there is a next chosen book, I only mention it as Steve brought it up the other day...If we choose a next book, I'll gladly switch to it :)

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on August 21, 2009, 06:44:55 pm
I'd like to recommend a book I just finished: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

Like Sarah's Key, it is about something that happened during World War II that I knew little about, the German occupation of the Channel Islands. It's written in a series of letters and other correspondence among a number of delightful characters.

I could tell exactly whose viewpoint I was reading (which happens to be what I found most lacking in The Time Traveler's Wife).

I had to finish it up rather quickly because it is due back at the library today and there is an extensive waiting list. I would have liked to savor it a bit longer.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on August 22, 2009, 09:09:06 am
OK, I know we are finished with The Time Traveler's Wife but I just saw the movie yesterday and wondered if anyone else has.  I thoroughly enjoyed it.  They stayed very true to the story, although they left out many of the details, of course.  Interestingly they left out much of the sex ...... how did that happen?????  So often movies of books twist the interpretations I have made, but this one did not.  Well done and worth the time and money.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 22, 2009, 10:15:06 am
I'd like to recommend a book I just finished: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

Thanks for the recommendation, Sara.  A friend of mine has read this book and highly recommends it also.  She and I have similar tastes in books, but sometimes she recommendations something that isn't really my style.

But now that I've had two recommendations, I think it's a good sign that I need to read this book  :)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on August 22, 2009, 11:24:43 am
Yes, let's do the Potato book. I think NancyMc has read it too, perhaps she will join in the discussion.

It is interesting to hear a positive review of the TTW movie from Clarice, after all the comments on how that usually doesn't work out well. I may go see it after all.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on August 22, 2009, 11:49:40 am
I haven't seen the movie yet, and don't know when I am going to find the time! Probably not until it is out on DVD.

Audrey Niffenegger is doing a promotional appearance for TTTW at the Newberry Library this afternoon. I would have gone if it were last week. It would be great to be able to ask her a couple of questions as it might have cleared up some of my lingering questions. Of course, it might just have annoyed her.

I'd love to discuss the Guernsey book. I'm afraid, though, that I had to rush through it too quickly to remember much more than impressions.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 22, 2009, 01:16:12 pm
Seriously.  You guys wants to do the "potato book"?
 
I'm in if that's the plan - just have to buy the book.

Who's game??
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 22, 2009, 03:11:46 pm
Just let me know if I need to get it!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on August 22, 2009, 03:28:44 pm
Go for it.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on August 22, 2009, 05:00:41 pm
Sara,

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

Sounds very interesting....
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 22, 2009, 06:51:57 pm
I just ordered it from Amazon a few hours ago; price reduced since it's been out a while. 

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 22, 2009, 07:13:32 pm
hmmm, Potato Peel???  Doesn't sound like one I'd normally try, but that's the beauty of our "club" I suppose...makes me go outside of my literary box :)  I'll see if I can find it! 

I'm currently in the middle of The Eight  Has anyone read it?  I'm not loving it, but am ingtrigued enough to get through it...I think, anyway...

I did finish People of the Book - Steve, I know you mentioned it here awhile back.  Did you read it?  Anyone else?  I thought it was very well done. 

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on August 22, 2009, 07:14:38 pm
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society is scheduled for release as a movie in 2011.

I looked for Sarah's Key as well, but did not see anything in production. That would make an interesting film, switching back and forth between the time frames.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on August 22, 2009, 07:16:14 pm
Cindy, the potato peel pie will make sense once you get into the story.

I have not read People of the Book. I have a stack of three or four books on my nightstand that I want to get through, but I will put it on my pending list.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on August 22, 2009, 07:43:25 pm
I read The Eight many years ago and loved it.  Have re-read it since then.  I thought it had a little bit of everything in it-a little intrigue, romance, action, adventure...
I'm currently reading The Family for my local book group.  It is down right scary to see how people can get some pretty twisted ideas about WWJD.
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on August 22, 2009, 08:01:31 pm
I am in for TGLAPPS, aka the Potato book. I also read and liked People of the Book and think it would make a good one to discuss.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 23, 2009, 09:16:42 am
I just finished reading The Last Time I was Me by Cathy Lamb and loved it so much I ordered a couple more of her books on Amazon yesterday when I ordered the potato book.

I think we should give everyone a few days to get the potato book then decide on a discussion date.  Sara, are you going to be the discussion leader?  aka the Queen?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on August 23, 2009, 09:53:20 am
Sure. If everyone would please check in when you get the book and when you finish. Fortunately it is not as long as TTTW and an easier read as well. I hope you enjoy it.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on August 23, 2009, 12:28:39 pm
My sister is in two different book clubs and she read the ".....Potato....." book last year and said it was excellent.  So with Sara's recommendation  :-* I'm in ...... as soon as I either find it in the library or purchase it.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on August 23, 2009, 09:50:58 pm
OK, I haven't been around in a while. I'll go get the Potato book too. But if y'all are all ready to get started - don't wait on me. I'm heading to TX and I'm not sure what kind of time I'll have (my son's graduating from USAF basic). We have to be on base at 6:00am THursday and Friday, so I doubt I'll stay up until 2:00, 3:00 or 4:00am like I sometimes do when I get obsessive about a book! I look forward to reading something about WWII.

Clarice - how graphic (bloody) is the TTW? I know the accident.... ooh, I'm a wimp when it comes to a lot of blood. I don't think I want to see it if it's too much like that.

Now, I'll probably stop in a bookstore and forget the name of this book! (the potato one)!

Keri

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on August 23, 2009, 10:12:11 pm
Now, I'll probably stop in a bookstore and forget the name of this book! (the potato one)!

I'm not sure, Keri, but I bet if you just ask for "The Potato Book", they will probably know which one you mean. :)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on August 24, 2009, 08:52:13 am
Keri .....

"The Time Traveler's Wife" was only mildly bloody (showing a small amount after the shooting from far away) ..... tastefully done with nothing offensive at all (at least to me, and I'm a wimp on bloody, violent movies, as well).

The potato book is:  The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows (what a mouthful!!).

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on August 24, 2009, 08:59:20 am
The full title is The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, but I'm sure either a bookseller or a librarian will know exactly what you mean, even if you shorten it to "that potato book," as Steve suggested.

Glad to hear that the movie was not overly gory, Clarice. Still don't know when I will find the time to see it! I haven't managed to see My Sister's Keeper, either. I don't even know if it is still playing here.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on August 24, 2009, 09:08:16 am
Thanks, Clarice! I had heard somewhere that it started with the accident. I didn't really want to see mom decapitated and blood everywhere like they talked about in the book.

How have you been? Did you enjoy the forum? Looks like y'all had a lot of fun. I haven't been on here as much lately and feel like I don't know as much about what's going on! But I'm now trying to catch up.

OK, looking forward to the potato book!

Keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on August 24, 2009, 09:11:42 am
Sara,
I probably won't get around to seeing it either until it's been on video (OOPS DVD) a couple of years!
Keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on August 24, 2009, 11:52:18 am
Keri .....

Yes, TTTW does start with the accident but it is not gory/graphic.  It has sort of a surreal affect to it.

I am slowly recovering from the Chicago trip ..... taking longer partly because we had just returned from a trip to North Carolina before the Illinois trip.  Now we are home for two weeks before driving to South/North Dakota.  Yikes!  I'm getting too old for this.   :o

I really enjoyed the symposium (I think that's what you meant .....).  The speakers were outstanding and it was so much fun to meet many of the currently active forum members.  So sorry you were not there, but you will be next time, won't you?  Or the "between symposiums" gathering if that materializes?  My biggest issue with the symposium was deciphering conversation with my loud tinnitus and hearing deficit.  It was very frustrating but I know there is really not anything that can make that any different.

Sara .....

Thanks for clarifying the title of the "potato" book  ..... I copied it down wrong to take to the library or bookstore.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on August 24, 2009, 12:50:55 pm
Sara, thanks for the title. I wrote it down this time.

Clarice - yes, glad you enjoyed the symposium, not the forum! I think i had read a thread about having a get together with forum people (which would be great!) and so that's what i was thinking.  I understand about the noise in the background. WHen i went to that Maxwell's NE luncheon, I couldn't understand much of anything, but then many of us are in the same boat!

You have done a lot of travelling. Those sound like some long car trips! Enjoy the Dakotas!

Keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 24, 2009, 02:32:16 pm
Got the Potato Peel Pie book today!  Hope to start it tomorrow...

Priscilla, glad to hear you liked The Eight...I'm definitely intrigued by it.  A friend who read it said she can't wait for the sequel to come out, so I'm anxious to get further along in it.  But, I'll set it aside til I finish the Potato book...

Steve, I agree.  I think People of the Book would make for a great discussion here.  I would love to have the excuse to read it again.  Thought the author did a great job...no, no, I shouldn't  discuss it now :) Let's keep it on the list...

Cindy

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 26, 2009, 07:27:29 pm
Just popping in to say that I'm enjoying the Potato book...thanks, Sara, for the recommendation.  Like I said, this book club is great for expanding my book horizons!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on August 26, 2009, 07:58:22 pm
OK, I have the Potato Pie book but have not started it yet ..... hope to tomorrow.

I've been working on answering questions in a book called "To Our Children's Children."  There is so much I wish I knew about my grandparents and great grandparents ...... what life was like for them in the Dust Bowl years, the Great Depression, etc.  Since I have never written journals or diaries, I thought this guided book might allow me to tell a little bit about my parents' lives (as I remember it) and my life ..... to leave for our grandchildren.  Kind of helps the old brain in the process ..... recalling events, places I had not thought about in years ...... like a little fishing lake in northeast South Dakota that my dad would take us to fish.

...... ah, back to "...... Potato Pie ......."

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 26, 2009, 08:06:15 pm
I am picking it up from the library tomorrow...they called AFTER I got home last night to tell me had arrived at the library I had been at.  You have to get this...the SW branch of the library is literally less than a mile straight down the street from my house but the NW library is by where I take Kendie for gymnastics 3 days a week so I was at NW yesterday and requested (it was on the way back there anyway) - if it was coming to SW, I could've picked it up on the way home - it must have come RIGHT after I left (was probably there when I was, they just hadn't processed it yet!!)

Anyway, I will have it tomorrow afternoon!  :o)

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 26, 2009, 09:32:17 pm
My potato book is currently in transit - compliments of Amazon.com and my credit card of course  ;D

Can't wait to start reading.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on August 28, 2009, 03:20:15 pm
What a great, engaging book!  I can hardly put it down.  Ever since the AN surgery, I have had trouble with vision fatigue when I read for too long ..... words start to jump around for me and I have to quit for awhile.  But, I'm sure frustrated having to put this book down.  Sara, thanks so much for suggesting it!

Happy reading, everyone!

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 28, 2009, 03:38:35 pm
Was supposed to get it yesterday, but Kendie is sick so didn't go to gymnastics over there - picked it up today after taking her to Dr.  Will start tonight or tomorrow...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 28, 2009, 06:42:50 pm
Probably won't start til Monday.  Amazon is delivering to my work address.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on August 28, 2009, 10:52:34 pm
I started it the day I flew to Texas; found it at the airport. I like it! It's different - delightful. I haven't read it the last few days because we've been on base with all the AF ceremonies. Willl probably get back into it Monday.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 29, 2009, 09:29:17 am
started it last night - really like it so far!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on August 29, 2009, 10:29:42 am
I'm enjoying reading about your reading and have decided that there is no way I can be part of this  club!
I will be the cool onlooker, receiving vicarious pleasure on your posts and wishing I could participate.
Maybe in a couple of years ???
I'm currently reading "My Sister's Keeper" so I'm about 5 books behind :D
Maureen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 29, 2009, 10:32:14 am
Maureen~
Why can't you join us?  We are VERY laid back and don't ever start discussing until we know that everyone has finished (or if they tell us to start w/o them - I have done that before)...it has really BROADENED my reading horizons!  I know Lori doesn't read with us but has also read a lot of the books that we read later!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on August 29, 2009, 10:55:11 am
Hi K,
Can't join because I can't keep up with y'all! I guess I CAN join, but can't really participate much.
Still struggling with juggling part time work, home, and the tinnitus is so bad, that I can't read at night before bed >:(
So OK I guess I will join and like Lori, will just read the books that you guys recommend at my slow pace.......
Happy reading :)
Maureen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on August 29, 2009, 12:47:51 pm
I enjoy the thread, too.  I'm a very fast reader with eclectic tastes but my reading interests usually don't encompass the chosen books (or anything close to them).  I'm more of a non-fiction guy and my reading tastes would likely bore the life out the club members.  So, I'll simply use the comments as ad hoc reviews of books that I'm not likely to read, unless the 'reviews' are so compelling as to motivate me to sample one of the chosen tomes for light reading, which I do indulge in, often in the science fiction genre, which can get somewhat arcane.   So, just know that the 'Book Club' thread has readers that may not participate - but do follow the thread.  It's all a part of the appealing diversity of views and tastes of the forums on this website. 

Jim
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on August 30, 2009, 10:07:51 pm
Jim,
Your last post about books could be in the potato book. Make sense? Probably not. I'm loving this book.

My hubby's now starting Time Travelers Wife.

Keri

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on August 30, 2009, 10:12:42 pm
Keri, you write charming little notes. :)

I have started in on this one, and also am quite enjoying it. The letter writing is an interesting way to unravel the story that lies underneath.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on August 31, 2009, 06:19:16 am
Jim .....

Although The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society book is fiction, it is based on facts from the German Occupation of the Channel Islands during WWII.  See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Occupation_of_the_Channel_Islands  I am enjoying the book not only for its unique letter-writing style, but for the historical description of what life was like during the occupation.  Quite different from other fictional novels I have read.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 31, 2009, 12:02:16 pm
Finished it this weekend - hated to have it end.  Look forward to talking about it when all are good and ready!  :)

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 31, 2009, 12:37:09 pm
am really into it now and LOVE it!   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on August 31, 2009, 01:26:00 pm
Kaybo, I have a suggestion for your girls: The Magic Half by Annie Barrows. She is the co-author of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society; I understand that she took over writing when her aunt became ill. (I have heard that Mary Ann Shaffer has since passed away.)

Interestingly enough, The Magic Half involves time travel, and the main character has to think through a time circle dilemma in order to solve her problem, and actions do have an impact on the future.

I would guess it is written at a grade 4-5 reading level.

Sara

Edited to add: Oh, yes, fairies figure into the story as well, in a small way.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 31, 2009, 03:19:17 pm
OOOHHH...thanks, I will check into it!!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on September 01, 2009, 06:23:51 am
Oh!  I just popped on here out of curiosity and discovered you are reading a book that I read last winter and adored.  Didn't I mention it to you recently, Steve?  What a coincidence!
I have started Outlander but at the same time Ireland by Frank Delaney in preparation for our trip in October.  Finished Four Letters of Love set in Ireland as well but not terribly informative, but still interesting and a quick read.
Enjoy The Society!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 01, 2009, 06:28:30 am
Finished last night  & ready WHENEVER everybody else is to discuss - no hurries - take you time!! LOVED IT!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 01, 2009, 06:41:42 am
Just got the book yesterday afternoon - hope to start reading tonight.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Tisha on September 04, 2009, 07:21:09 am
NancyMC,

Outlander is my favorite book of all times.  I did find the first 40 pages took me a week to get thru the first time I read it...but one of my best friends said it was HER favorite book, so I stuck with it.   After that, it really picked up and then eventually, I devoured the remainder of that mammoth book in 3 days.  I'm totally immersed in this series.  Hope you enjoy it.  It's the only book that when I finished, I immediately turned the page and started again...then the first 40 pages weren't boring at all!  Many clues/foreshadowing that you don't see as a new reader.

Tisha
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 04, 2009, 07:34:30 am
OK...what do you think...I have a very dear friend who just retired (& we live in different cities) and I am always telling her she should do this book club with me...would anyone strongly object?  She is not an ANer (thankfully) but just a GREAT person!  SHe is the one that remembered that she called me the night before surgery and I was decorating shoes...she still can't believe that!  Anyway, let me know what you think!

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 04, 2009, 09:07:33 am
Technically, I'm not an ANer either, so I certainly have no objection.

sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 04, 2009, 05:19:10 pm
Kaybo -

IMO, the more the merrier!  No AN needed.

Jan (still reading)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 04, 2009, 05:28:27 pm
I agree ..... anyone is welcome.

(...... still reading!!)

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on September 04, 2009, 07:28:15 pm
I'm presently reading "The Book Of Negroes" by Lawrence Hill.  What a powerful, emotional and memorable book.  I'm so proud of the author.  He is Canadian and lives in Burlington Ont.  Roughly 20 minutes from where I live. 

Anne Marie

PS Read the entire Outlander series.  Waiting for the next book.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on September 04, 2009, 07:45:17 pm
Finished Guernsey Literary today - half day off from work. 8)

Kay, can your friend kind of pretend to have an AN? Maybe claim she hears non-existent crickets, or says"what" a lot, or stumbles on the steps now and then? Just so she feels like she fits in. :)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 05, 2009, 12:11:03 pm
Am on page 89 and I'm loving this book.  Although I'm taking a reading break shortly to clean my house (desperately needs it!!!) I hope to finish the book this weekend.

I don't want to start discussion prematurely, or ruin the book for those who haven't gotten as far as I have, but I just have to say that the letter from Eben to Juliet about his grandson and the other children made me cry  :'(  I can't even imagine living through something like that.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on September 05, 2009, 10:23:19 pm
Jan, it is we who might spoil it for you if we start discussing it. It is a great read, though.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 06, 2009, 09:44:43 am
Okay, okay, I'll keep reading.

On target to end on Monday.  Is everyone else finished already???
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 06, 2009, 07:15:05 pm
I think Clarice is still reading, and I'm not sure of who else.

Don't rush, the queen may be holding out for her
pink crown
before discussion commences.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 06, 2009, 07:44:23 pm
Yes, I am still reading.  I was sidetracked with grandchildren here this week-end.  If you all want to go on with the discussion, it is fine with me ...... I just won't look at this thread until I am ready to contribute ....... or, my curiosity gets the best of me!   :o

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keeping Up on September 06, 2009, 09:04:52 pm
I check in here every now and again ...

The Potato book - on the waiting list at the library (very long wait - but that is OK) as is the The Book of Negros (have been on the list for months).  I will hold off for awhile checking in again here.

Oddly enough - I just finished the first and second of the Outlander series.  I enjoyed the first one - but found the second one a bit tiring. I find it funny that the first book was first published in 1994 (ish) and is still so popular. 

I am struggling through 'Three Cups of Tea' as well as one of the books in the 'Mistress in the Art of Death' series - well, actually, just really struggling.  [I read books simulataneously - one in bed, and one on the subway when not on the blackberry]

I have numerous other books on the waiting queue at the library so maybe one of the inbound books will coincide with the book club read one day.

I need some inspiration - maybe I should spend the money and buy the Potato book.

Ann
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on September 07, 2009, 08:40:49 am
Hey, Ann!  I tried to get into Three Cups of Tea also, but never could.  It was highly recommended to me, but I gave up on it.  The Outlander series can be exhausting with all the struggles they go through, but do hang in there with them - it's so worth it!  The next/last in the series comes out this month.  Those of us who are Outlander "junkies" (Anne Marie, Tisha, etc) are VERY excited.

The Potato book is definitely a great read - our library had a huge waiting list as well.  So, I just ended up buying, though I try not to buy too many books (Outlander being one exception ;) ).

Will be watching for the discussion when the "queen" says it's time!

Cindy

PS.  Kaybo, hope your friend will join us!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 07, 2009, 11:13:33 am
Now that  was a very good book indeed!   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on September 07, 2009, 11:56:06 am
To Ann (and Cindy too),

I think it is a book worth buying, since it is very likely you can find some friends or family who would enjoy reading it as well. It is that kind of book.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on September 07, 2009, 07:23:55 pm
Cindy,

Sept 22 is just around the corner.   Can't wait to read what's new with Jamie and Claire, in An Echo of the Bone.  Such a great date, my 25th wedding anniversary  ;D

Also on Sept 15 Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol hits the stands.  Lots and lots of good reading and great gifts for the holidays.

If this is a hijack, opps  :o  :o  so sorry but I really do enjoying reading and theses are just suggestions  ;)

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on September 07, 2009, 10:36:57 pm
Anne Marie,

If you mention a book title, it is automatically not a hijack. We often discuss book titles to read, as well as occasionally an actual book.  :)

Does anyone else feel like we should be forming The Guernsey Literary, Potato Peel Pie, and Acoustic Neuroma Society?

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 08, 2009, 06:07:02 am
Does anyone else feel like we should be forming The Guernsey Literary, Potato Peel Pie, and Acoustic Neuroma Society?

Steve

Works for me.  But would we all have to move to Guernsey?

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 08, 2009, 06:39:47 am


Works for me.  But would we all have to move to Guernsey?

[/quote]

Works for me!   :o

Clarice

P.S.  Still reading ......
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 08, 2009, 08:38:03 am
I like that!  Maybe we do need to all move to our own island where everyone can empathize with everyone else!  I, for one, would not object AT ALL to island life - neither would Dave!! ;D

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on September 08, 2009, 10:25:48 am
Maybe we do need to all move to our own island

The Bahama Literary, Potato Peel Pie, and Acoustic Neuroma Society. I think I like that.  ;D

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 08, 2009, 11:03:35 am
We are DEFINITELY in Dave would LOVE that!!  ;D ;D ;D

K ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on September 08, 2009, 12:44:57 pm
I'm in...for ANYTHING in the Bahama's ;D  Book club, AN club, knitting club, etc

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 08, 2009, 01:29:09 pm
I would even learn a new skill if I could do it in a tropical environment!!  ;D

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 08, 2009, 03:36:40 pm
Would you even read a non-fiction book, Kay?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 08, 2009, 03:41:49 pm
OnLy for an island!!!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 08, 2009, 06:11:12 pm
I'd like to place my vote for Tahiti  ;D

Can we start discussion once Clarice is finished with the book?  Is there anyone else still reading?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 08, 2009, 06:34:18 pm
Barbados.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 08, 2009, 09:06:57 pm
Alas, I do not want to hold everyone up on this.  Please go ahead and begin the discussion.  We are leaving for my high school reunion in North Dakota (OK, yes, it was cold up there!   ::)) and I may or may not finish reading this great book in time to chime in here.  I will have Internet access all the way but not much time.  So, please start discussing when everyone else is finished reading.

Clarice

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 10, 2009, 04:14:40 pm
I took the kids to the library after school, and there was a big special display of books with a sign that read: "Get hooked on non-fiction knitting novels."

It made me laugh out loud because 1) it made me think of Steve and his hats, 2) it gave me a warm fuzzy about our reading club and 3) novels are by definition non-fiction. Fortunately I was not disruptive enough to be "shushed" by the librarians.

Just thought I would share.

Did you know that there is a sequel to The Friday Night Knitting Club? I picked it up, but it's been so long since I read the first that I am afraid I will not remember the plot.

Sara

P.S. Clarice, when will you be back from North Dakota? Can you take the book along and finish there? I'm thinking up some discussion questions.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 10, 2009, 09:15:29 pm
Sara .....

We are in Des Moines, IA tonight.  We will be back home on the 22nd ..... and yes, I brought the book along and hope to finish reading it before we get home.  I will catch up with all of you then.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on September 10, 2009, 09:25:17 pm
Gee, I always thought novels by definition were fiction.  ;D

I did see that there was a sequel to F.N.K.C., but I think it has less knitting in it - it sounded okay but not great.

Ready for Potato questions when you are.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 10, 2009, 09:27:49 pm
I did see that there was a sequel to F.N.K.C., but I think it has less knitting in it - it sounded okay but not great.

Ready for Potato questions when you are.


I agree.  I saw the FNKC sequel, read the back of it, flipped through it - didn't really interest me.  I think I'll skip it.

I'm ready for the Potato discussion to start, too - and it sounds like Clarice gives us her blessing.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 10, 2009, 10:04:30 pm
Oops. I meant "fictional knitting novels," so now the joke is on me. That's ok though, I was/am in need of a good laugh.

So here's are a couple of obvious starting questions: Did you find the epistolary format to be more or less effective than straight story-telling? If so, why and if not, why not?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on September 11, 2009, 12:45:31 am
Oops. I meant "fictional knitting novels," so now the joke is on me. That's ok though, I was/am in need of a good laugh.

I suppose "fictional knitting novels" could be misread as novels about fictional knitting, e.g. the alleged knitting of a pink hat that has yet to appear.  ::)

I quite liked the epistolary format - as well as all the letter writing that went on. It seemed a graceful way to switch between narrators, and allowed the sort of lengthly monologues that people otherwise only speak in plays, not in real life. Unlike merely switching narrators, it also provided a switch in the intended recipient. You learn more about both the writer and the recipient when you see what one had to say to the other. There is something democratic about it as well. While they were a few things said by others about Adelaide Addison, for instance, most of the damage occurs when she is given the opportunity to speak for herself.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 11, 2009, 06:37:12 am
I was a bit hesitant about the letters after just reading the Time Traveler's Wife - it wasn't necessarily letters but seemed a bit the same in switching people and dates...I found the Potato book to be MUCH more enjoyable and easier to read.  In recommending to my friend, Marilyn, it was a hard sell trying explain the way it was written - I finally just told her that it worked really well for that book!  I think what Steve said really kind of sums it up.  Also, I loved what he pointed out about AA and how she made herself to look bad through her own ramblings - what a good lesson!  I think we all know people who are like that & I know I have been guilty...what is the saying "If you are given enough rope you will hang yourself!" (?)

K

PS - Did anyone else find it funny that Adelaide Addison's name can both be (& are) shortened to "Addi" - of course, I noticed that since I have a sweet Addi-girl!!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 11, 2009, 08:18:50 am
Kay, I'm sure your sweet Addi-girl would never act the way Adelaide Addison did. (More on Adelaide in a moment.)

I've read some books where the letter-writing style crashes and burns, even some presented as e-mails (of which I can't think of a single example that I enjoyed). I think the real advantage in this novel is the many and varied personalities and points of view, each of whose characters was well-defined and showed through in his or her correspondence. I could almost hear each person talking as I read. Even the vocabulary level changed from person to person. It was handy having the date and to/from info at the top of each letter, but I think I could have figured it out without that.

Another strength is that it seemed much more natural for the characters to reminisce about past events in letters. I think it would have seemed much more forced in conversations.

Now back to Adelaide Addison for just a moment . . . I have read a couple of criticisms that the book is anti-Christian because Adelaide was portrayed as a narrow-minded unforgiving Bible thumper. I am a Christian and that did not strike me at all. I found her to be a crotchety old lady, and I thought that her character would be redeemed at the end (but sadly wasn't), but I did not think the whole novel was anti-Christian because of one character. I know of at least a couple of people like that in my home congregation.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 11, 2009, 08:29:59 am
A couple of people in the church where I attend came to mind too!!  I would never think that about a WHOLE book based on one snippet of one character!!  I thought that it just made the story seem more real...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on September 11, 2009, 08:48:22 am
I also was a bit skeptical at first about the way the book was written.  However, I agree with you guys.  I thought it worked and was very well done.  I thought the characters were so well developed despite the brevity of the "chapters".  I think of Sarah's Key, which had no where near the number of "main" characters as this book, and there is no comparison to the connection I felt to the characters in the Potato book.  Don't know if that's due to much better writing or ??

Cindy

P.S.  I definitely would not want to read the next Knitting book - didn't like the first all that well ;)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 11, 2009, 03:05:56 pm
I think Steve should write a knitting novel. Non-fiction if possible. He's got a way with words, don't you think?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on September 11, 2009, 06:57:11 pm
I am not really in your club, but wanted to tell you that because of what I saw on here, I am finally readingThe Time Traveler's Wife.  Just started it.  I did read a very good book and practically read it in one sitting, it kept my attention so.  Anyway it's called Before I Forget by Leonard Pitts Jr.  It's about a man trying to reach out to his 19 year old son after he(the man) learns that he has early onset Alzheimer's.  Also it's about the man's relationship to his own father.  It's an easy read, but delves into African-American father/son relationships.  Adult situations, ghetto language, but I thought it was well done and told a powerful story.  Just throwing that one out there if it's anything that you guys want to read. :D

Sue in Vancouver USA

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: nancyann on September 11, 2009, 06:59:37 pm
Sue:  sounds like a powerful book - I'm always looking for more books.  Thanks for the info.
Always good thoughts,  Nancy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 11, 2009, 07:17:43 pm
I am not really in your club . . .

Sue in Vancouver USA


Sue, now that you have posted, you are in! Welcome.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on September 11, 2009, 09:22:02 pm

I loved the style of writing in the potato book. It took a little getting used to - sometimes I got characters mixed up if their names began with the same letter (just at the beginning). What I thought was interesting was this: when I read a book and it's written in the narrative format, there's usually a description of the character presented. In the PB, there was some of that, but it was more subtle, done in a roundabout way. It's hard to get a mental picture in your mind of what they look like, how old they are, etc. That's ok - that adds to the enjoyment of it. But it makes it much more difficult to predict, which is nice too - things aren't so obvious. If you sense it's going to be a love story, or at least have some of that in the plot, it's harder to 'see' the character so I found it harder to think of who the main character might end up with (sorry... i finished reading it a week ago and I can't think of the main character's name!) For example, I wondered at first if she might like / love Sidney at first (or whatever the boss's name was). The rich, controlling jerk boyfriend was described in much detail, but I didn't think they would stay together. I wondered about Dawson, or Darcy or whatever his name was, but I had pictured him so much older until later in the book, when you did get a little bit of a description of him. When he sent her that first letter, I thought maybe they would fall in love, then I changed my mind when I envisioned him older.

So - sorry I've forgotten everyone's name, but I think the 'letter' style of writing makes the book hard to predict but fun to try to predict.

It could also be quite funny, in a British sort of way (which is always very funny), but when the details of the war were described, it was very emotional and poignant.

I loved the book; hated for it to end. I was so disappointed when I realized that it was the author's first and last novel.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on September 11, 2009, 10:05:25 pm
I agree, Keri, it was not really predictable, and I liked it that way. By the way it was Dawson and Sidney, together with Juliet making up the main triangle. I have to admit that I didn't anticipate romance being a big part of the story until well into the second half. I did figure out that Mark and Juliet would probably not end up together, but I was mainly expecting more about Guernsey during the war and afterwards.

It is too bad that we will never see another by Mary Ann Shaffer; maybe her niece Annie Burrows, who did the final writing on this one, will write a sequel, or something like it.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 12, 2009, 07:50:29 pm
I found it fascinating, given the number of characters, that there are no letters from Sophie (Juliet's best friend and Sydney's sister). Instead, we get to know her through what others write to her. Even though we never hear her voice directly, I found her character to be as well defined as the others.

Sara

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 12, 2009, 08:14:12 pm
I noticed that she never wrote also - plus there was no mention of being able to fit in a trip to see her on the tour but obviously, she did...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 12, 2009, 09:59:54 pm
I liked the letter writing.  I generally don't, but in this case it worked quite well.

I'm not much for history, so I wasn't aware of a lot of what went on during the war and I found it fascinating to read about it. 

As far as the book being unpredictable, for some reason I knew from the very beginning that Dawsey and Juliet would end up together.  I don't know how I knew this; I just did.

I could have sworn that Sophie wrote at least one letter; will have to go back and check that out.

Adelaide was a hoot; there always seems to be one naysayer in the bunch.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kate B on September 13, 2009, 12:21:49 pm
Two books come to mind for the next book..

Dan Brown's (author of DaVinci Code) new book, The Lost Symbol (about our founding fathers) is coming out. (Fiction)

The Outliers (Malcom Gladwell's new book)  He wrote Tipping Point  and Blink.  They are interesting books about human nature.
Outliers studies successful people and track's their path to success: hockey players to Bill Gates to best decades to be born etc...

Kate
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 16, 2009, 02:32:08 pm
Any more comments about the potato book? I was a little skeptical at the beginning of the Guernsey letters, because it would be next to impossible to hide roasting a pig from the German army. You can't hide aroma.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 16, 2009, 03:04:54 pm
I think that it was when they were talking about the girl that was in the concentration camp and they brought to the island...someone else had pointed out that it would be good for her to be with others that had experienced what she had.  The comment was made by one of the people - Juliet, maybe - that they all thought that they could make everything better by bringing her to the island and it would all go away.  Sometimes I think that this is exactly how we feel.  People don't truly know what we are going thru unless they have been thru the same thing or something pretty darn close.  Some think that they might understand, but only the people on here TRULY understand.  Even though I have adjusted REALLY well (IMO), no one - not even Dave - REALLY know what it is like for me.

Anyways...I just thought about that as I was reading...
K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 16, 2009, 07:21:01 pm
I see that this is a movie coming out in August.  I hope it's good.  If anyone is interested, please read Kindred by Octavia E. Butler.  I only read it a few years ago, but it is a sci-fi classic.  It is easy to understand, not complicated in the time travel sequences and very touching and moving as a modern African American woman is transported back to a time when she is considered property in the old south. 

Sue in Vancouver, USA

Sue, I read Kindred on your recommendation. It is similar to TTTW in that the main character, Dana, has no control over her time travel. However, she always travels to the same place and can take along anything she is touching, including on one occasion her husband, who happens to be a white man. She is gone from the present day for just minutes or hours, yet spends weeks, months or years in the past. It is a linear story in that time has passed in the past every time she travels. The only explanation we have about Dana's time travel is that one of her ancestors, heir to a plantation, is in peril and she must save him to ensure her own existence.

I'm a middle aged WASP woman so what do I know, but the descriptions of slavery seem chillingly authentic, sometimes very difficult to read. The book is written solely from Dana's point of view, and the simpler time configurations make it a faster and easier read than TTTW. I did not understand what happened to Dana during her last travel home, but I don't want to spoil the story for those of you who may be interested in reading it.

Thanks, Sue!
Sara

P.S. The books I currently have waiting on my nightstand are:
          I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (I don't remember who recommended it to me, or why, but I finally worked my way to the top of the hold list)
          The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
          Jane Austen Ruined My Life by Beth Pattillo
and two that were cited in the slave ship section of the pirate exhibit at the Field Museum:
          Thoughts and Sentiments on the Evil of Slavery by Quobna Ottobah Cugoano
          American Captivity Narratives by Olaudah Equiano

The waiting list on the new Dan Brown book is way long, and I truthfully don't have much interest in it. Who picks next?

Sara
         
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on September 16, 2009, 10:01:40 pm
we're done with the potato book?  i don't want to be done yet! of course, at the moment, i'm at a loss for what to say.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 16, 2009, 11:17:03 pm
I am more than happy to discuss the potato book some more. I enjoyed it more than any of the books I have read for this group thus far. It's late now, but I will try to come up with a discussion-provoking question tomorrow.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on September 17, 2009, 12:53:07 am
If we get in the spirit of the Society, we will simply keep re-reading the potato book and discussing it over and over again. :)

I liked Kay's observation of the parallel between bringing Remy to the island, and then realizing that she needed the company of fellow survivors, and our need for each other here on the AN forum. That didn't occur to me, but it is a good fit.

If you want a discussion topic, explain to me why Juliet, who was clearly a cosmopolitan woman, suddenly became so interested in rural Guernsey and the salt of  the earth Dawsey. Why was it so appealing to her? What was she missing that she found in Guernsey?

I just read The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, by Junot Diaz. It is pretty spicy, and has some sickening violence, but it was good reading. The craziness of the Dominican Republic under a dictator, plus the odd life of a nerd in New Jersey. It won a Pulitzer.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 17, 2009, 09:48:50 pm
I liked Kay's observation of the parallel between bringing Remy to the island, and then realizing that she needed the company of fellow survivors, and our need for each other here on the AN forum. That didn't occur to me, but it is a good fit.

If you want a discussion topic, explain to me why Juliet, who was clearly a cosmopolitan woman, suddenly became so interested in rural Guernsey and the salt of  the earth Dawsey. Why was it so appealing to her? What was she missing that she found in Guernsey?


Excellent point by Kaybo.

As for Juliet, I think she was attracted to Guernsey because the people there let her be who she wanted to be - they didn't try to change her or mold her into something she wasn't.   They took her for who and what she was - and the feeling was mutual.  I also think this is why she found Dawsey so appealing.  He was so different from what's his name (sorry I'm drawing a blank) and he didn't try to tell her what to do or try to change her.  He loved her for who she was - not who he could make her into.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 25, 2009, 09:59:30 am
Just back from a 3300 mile driving trip ...... whew!  The main reason for the trip was to my high school reunion in North Dakota.  While there, I mentioned to a classmate about reading the "potato" book. She was most interested in it.  Then she told me about reading The Outliers, that Kate mentioned in an earlier post here.  She said that was an excellent book.

I know you have long ago finished posting about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, but I did want to add that I finally finished it while on our trip.  I know I have read many other books that I thought were the best ever at the time, but this book really struck me on many levels.  I was skeptical at first about the letter writing style, but the plot and characters were wonderfully developed by the author through this way.  It gave me a renewed insight into the awful things that happened during WWII.  Not until I read Kaybo's post did I realize why I empathized with Remy so much.  I was so concerned at first that Dawsey was trying to get Remy to forget her past, when it was so very much part of her.  I, as well, am sorry we will not have more books by Mary Ann Shaffer.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: followingHim on September 25, 2009, 11:17:15 am
I can't keep up... ???   Is the book club about to start a new book?  How do you decide on a book?  Have you chosen one yet ... :D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 25, 2009, 09:47:23 pm
I think we should still discuss the Potato book some more - we really didn't do it justice.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 25, 2009, 10:10:16 pm
I agree, Jan. Did you ever have a chance to check and see if Sophie wrote anything? I'm almost certain that she did not, but I am at a disadvantage without the book in front of me.

Anyway, I think Isola said something about how reading a good book spoils you for enjoying bad books. Or maybe it was well written books spoil you for poorly written ones. At any rate, do you agree?

I do and I don't . . . sometimes I like to read a fluff book just as I sometimes like to watch a mindless movie. However, I don't like to read really poorly written (or edited) books because I am distracted by thinking "I would have written it this way."

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 26, 2009, 08:58:43 am
I thought I must have missed all of your discussion on the Potato book, so I am delighted that apparently it can be still ongoing ......

On a quick perusal of the book, I could find no communication from Sophie.  The author(s?) was so clever that I felt like Sophie had written to Juliet many times.  For instance, when Sidney broke his leg in Australia, Juliet writes to Sophie "I only got a cable, so you know more than I do.  But whatever the circumstances, it's absolutely ridiculous for you to consider flying off to Australia." and again when she wrote to Sophie from Guernsey "Yes, I'm here."  In most of her letters to Sophie, I felt like she was answering a letter from Sophie, but it isn't there.

Isola's quote was "reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones."  I do not totally agree with that, although if I start into a poorly written book, I often do not ever finish it (my reading time/energy is too short).

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 26, 2009, 04:47:26 pm
Isola's quote was "reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones."  I do not totally agree with that, although if I start into a poorly written book, I often do not ever finish it (my reading time/energy is too short).

Good point, Clarice.  I've often struggled briefly through a boring book, then just gave up completely or skimmed the remaining pages to see how it ended.  I wish I could do the same with a movie, but no matter how bad it is I'm the kind who has to continue watching to see the final result  :P

Thanks for checking the book for letters from Sophie - I haven't had time.  I'm a little surprised to hear that she didn't write any letters - I could have sworn she did - but I guess like you say, the authors did such a great job of letting us know Sophie through Juliet's letters that I never noticed she didn't write any herself.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 26, 2009, 05:19:08 pm
I didn't think that Sophie wrote anything but I couldn't check as I finally turned the book in (& paid the late fees) because as sad as I was about it, I was afraid that we were thru discussing this book.  I REALLY liked it & thought that it had a LOT of things to talk about, but unfortunately I didn't mark them as I read & then couldn't find them when I went back - lesson learned!

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 26, 2009, 08:09:01 pm
Here is a question that does not require looking back at the book.

If you had lived in Guernsey at the time of the German occupation, would you have sent your children to England without you?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 26, 2009, 08:26:15 pm
WOW, that is a tough question.  My first reaction is, why didn't one of the parents or a relative go with them?  But then, the Germans would have taken over and possibly destroyed more property and homes in Guernsey.  I have to believe that the mothers did not feel they had any choice in the matter.  I do not think I could have sent them off alone.  It had to have been terrifying for mothers and children especially.

Clarice 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on September 26, 2009, 08:34:41 pm
If you had lived in Guernsey at the time of the German occupation, would you have sent your children to England without you?

I would have to say yes, because my mother was shipped over to the USA from England during the war, at the age of 15. I wonder if any children from Guernsey that got shipped off to England in turn got shipped over to the USA?

My mother stayed with the Butterworths at Squam Lake, which is where NancyMc lives, and she knows the Butterworths, and she now knows of me because of our acoustic neuromas. We are practically related. :)

The author was so clever that I felt like Sophie had written to Juliet many times.

I think that is what made the letter writing work so well. There is a very light touch at work, never saying too much or belaboring anything, but giving just enough information to form a vivid impression of many of the characters, including Sophie, who isn't even a character in the narrative of the story. Like a portrait artist who can capture a face in a few brushstrokes.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on September 27, 2009, 08:50:29 am
Yes, I believe I would have sent my children to England...I can hardly even stand to try to imagine it, but know it would have been the right thing to do.  Steve, that's fascinating (and awful) that your mother was one who was evacuated from England!  And, NancyMc is connected in all of it!  What a small and strange world!

This author really did do an amazing job of bringing all of those many characters to life through only the means of letter writing.  I found it very thought provoking, and it brought out many emotions, both good and bad.

It's going on my list of books I recommend to others!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 27, 2009, 09:58:13 am
I would have also. Of course if possible I would have gone with them, but if I weren't able to go I would have sent them.

My husband and I have had similar discussions about what we would have done if our family was sailing on the Titanic. He would have put the kids and me into a lifeboat and stayed behind, and I would have gotten into the lifeboat with the kids. It would be the hardest thing to do because I love my husband very much and can't imagine life without him, but taking care of our children is our primary consideration.

We've also discussed whether, if we were living in Germany during WWII, whether we would have tried to do something to help the Jews who were being sent to concentration camps. I like to think I would have, and if it only involved me I think (but cannot say for sure) that I might have. BUT if I were afraid that there would be ramifications against my family, I just don't think I would have the courage to go up against the authorities. For that reason I can't look harshly on those German citizens who surely knew what was going on, but did not do anything.

I think that one of the strengths of this book and the way it was written is that it makes us feel as if we are right there experiencing the same things as the characters and makes us think about how we might react in those circumstances.
Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 27, 2009, 12:42:43 pm
I thought the part about sending the kids away was heart-breaking.  I actually cried while reading about it - and I very rarely cry when reading books.

I can't even imagine having to make such a decision.  On one hand, you'd want to do everything in your power to keep them safe; on the other, how could you bear not having them with you or even knowing where they were?

Steve - very interesting story about your mom and very interesting connection btw you and Nancy Mc - I had no idea.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: followingHim on September 27, 2009, 10:20:07 pm
Does anyone here read any of the classics like Austen, Bronte or d***ens?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Nani on September 27, 2009, 10:55:10 pm
Book club?  What books are you on?  What's next?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on September 28, 2009, 07:26:25 am
Hi, followingHim and Nani!  Glad to see you here at the ANA Book Club! 

Yes, followingHim, I read the classics (over and over), but we haven't read any here.  Suppose we could, though :)

Nani, we have just finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.  Still having a bit of discussion about it.  We haven't chosen the next book yet...there is a list of suggestions somewhere on this thread that has been building up over the months.  Not sure which one will be next.  Someone will spearhead it at some point in the next week or so, I'm sure.  Hope you both will join us!

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 28, 2009, 12:46:21 pm
New Question: If Elizabeth had come back, do you think she and Juliet would have been friends? Or do you think that Juliet stepped into the void left by Elizabeth and the island wouldn't have been big enough for both of them? Or do you have another opinion altogether?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 28, 2009, 02:33:59 pm
I'm not sure Juliet would even have gone to Guernsey if Elizabeth had been there.  I think she went because she was curious how Elizabeth's influence was still very much present in Guernsey.  The dynamics would have been different if Elizabeth had been physically still there.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 28, 2009, 04:27:01 pm
You know me - rainbows & happy endings...I wanted her to come back & they all became famous friends!  :o)

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 28, 2009, 09:53:15 pm
I was very disappointed - and sad - that Elizabeth didn't come back.  I thought she and Juliet would have been great friends. 

They seemed similar in a lot of ways - lots of spunk, not doing what others expected of them, etc. 

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on September 29, 2009, 12:34:36 am
I agree with Clarice that Juliet might never have gone to Guernsey if Elizabeth were already there. Elizabeth and Dawsey would already be married and raising Kit. 

It would have turned out quite different if Elizabeth had made it home after Juliet was already there. They would have become friends, but also perhaps have been in competition with each other a little bit. That would have made it an edgier story. I'm not sure what the ending would have been.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 29, 2009, 05:54:42 am
WAIT!  I totally missed out on the Elizabeth & Dawsey thing...Clarice - reference, please?

K   ???
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 29, 2009, 08:59:48 am
Correct me if my memory is off, but Elizabeth & Dawsey were not an item before Elizabeth was captured. However, Dawsey had a very soft spot in his heart for her.  It is entirely possible if the war had not happened the two of them might have married or if Elizabeth had not been captured, as Steve said, she and Dawsey might have been together raising Kit.

Not until I finished reading did I realize that all of the letters were written within just over an 8-month period in 1946 ..... and yet I felt like I had lived through an entire WWII.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on September 30, 2009, 06:37:38 pm
Hey, Everybody!
Joebloggs made me join Facebook last night, and I was looking through her photo albums and saw one of her standing on a cliff on Guernsey!
How about that?!
I asked her to share it with y'all.
Nancy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: joebloggs on October 01, 2009, 04:25:47 pm
(http://i206.photobucket.com/albums/bb203/moinamac/Guernsey.jpg)

There you go troops!  Me standing on a cliff on Guernsey... beautiful place - if you get a chance definitely visit - also Sark and Herm if you get a chance!

xx
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on October 01, 2009, 04:35:51 pm
Oh, WOW, that picture tells much!!  ..... and Joebloggs, you are beautiful!

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 01, 2009, 09:32:39 pm
Oh, WOW, that picture tells much!!  ..... and Joebloggs, you are beautiful!

I couldn't have said it any better myself  ;D

Joe - you should read the potato book.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on October 01, 2009, 10:59:39 pm
I think she photo shopped it!
Jus kidn, looks incredible :)
Maureen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 02, 2009, 08:32:09 am
Wait, is JB actually in the photo?  I don't see her on my computer...just the gorgeous cliffs???

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on October 02, 2009, 09:08:40 am
I agree with Clarice!!!  JB you are so full of life. 

I'm wondering if anyone has heard from OMG 16 who started this thread.

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: joebloggs on October 02, 2009, 12:02:34 pm
I'm definitely in the picture Cindy!  I don't know where I disappeared off to on your computer!  I think I do need to read the potato book, sounds like a winner!  While I'm here can I just tell everyone I just ate an enormous pile of swedish meatballs on mashed potato with a creamy gravy?  So full but so satisfied!  mmm.  Cheerio!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 02, 2009, 12:06:21 pm
Symposium 2013 in Guernsey.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: ppearl214 on October 02, 2009, 12:33:14 pm
I'm wondering if anyone has heard from OMG 16 who started this thread.

She has logged on recently although not posted recently.... I miss her "kisses to my forehead"  :'(
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 02, 2009, 01:34:53 pm
I call her &/or email occasionally - not often enough.  I was just thinking about her the other day and wondering how they were doing.

JB~ GREAT pic - you are such a cutie and you are so funny to mention your food!!


K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on October 02, 2009, 02:14:15 pm
JB

Thanks for the striking photo of the cliffs at Guernsey.  You look marvelous, too.  ;)  Your bonhomie, indomitable spirit and healthy sense of adventure remind me of the character Julie Christie played in the 1963 British film "Billy Liar'.  Her character was free-spirited, peripatetic and adventurous - but probably never had an acoustic neuroma, so you're one up on her. Odd, but all this chat about Guernsey makes me want a glass of milk.  :D

Jim 

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 02, 2009, 09:02:11 pm
JB

Your bonhomie, indomitable spirit and healthy sense of adventure remind me of the character Julie Christie played in the 1963 British film "Billy Liar'.  Her character was free-spirited, peripatetic and adventurous

JB -

Jim called me peripatetic once - and if memory serves me, I think it's a good thing  ;)

I'm with Saralynn 2013 in Guernsey.  Gas up the moderator's jet, Dr. Phyl  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 08, 2009, 06:48:21 pm
Ready for a cooking lesson?

Potato Peel Pie

Beat 2 egg whites until soft peaks form.
(http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/qq118/saralynn143/eggwhites.jpg)

Fold in 2 cups grated and well drained potato peel(about 3 large potatoes). Add 1 teaspoon of dill weed.
(http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/qq118/saralynn143/ppdill.jpg)

Press into greased pie plate leaving a deep impression in the middle. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes.
(http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/qq118/saralynn143/crust2.jpg)

Meanwhile boil the potatoes and one or two carrots or beets until soft in a small amount (1 cup or less) of salted water.
Mash well without draining, adding 3 tablespoons sour cream and more dill and garlic if you have it.
Mound in baked pie shell. 
(http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/qq118/saralynn143/filling.jpg)

Bake an additional 10 minutes. Top with a small handful of grated cheese. May be served hot or cold.
(http://i439.photobucket.com/albums/qq118/saralynn143/hatandppp.jpg)

We had potato peel pie for dinner tonight along with a pork loin stew. It was really quite tasty. I followed the recipe as closely as I could, although I used canned beets since I couldn't find any fresh ones at the grocery store. I was not sure exactly how to come up with grated potato peels, so instead of peeling the potatoes, I grated the skin directly into a colander, left them to drain and patted them dry with a paper towel. I confess that I used an electric mixer to beat the egg whites and to mash the potatoes and beets. I added chives because I like sour cream and chives on my potatoes. The grated potato peel crust looks gross when dished up, and I used a wee bit too much garlic, but all of us liked it. I would even take it to a potluck.

So there you have it, an authentic potato peel pie. And now I have a picture, complete with new hat, to post whenever someone has a virtual birthday party.

Life is good!
Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on October 08, 2009, 08:01:41 pm
Oh Sara, you are so ambitious!  What a good-looking dish, making a very tasty looking dish ...... complete with beautiful pictures.  Thanks so much for the careful instructions ...... definitely a "must try" recipe.

Clarice

P.S.  The hat is a nice touch.   :-*  :-*
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 08, 2009, 09:18:25 pm
Wow!  Not only a recipe, but visuals too.  I'm impressed  ;D  My idea of baking is buying a box of brownie mix from the grocery store  ::)

Interesting to hear that the pie actually tasted good - I didn't expect that at all.

So now we have read two books that have inspired two forumites.  Steve and his knit hats and Sara with her potato peel pie.  Wonder what the next inspiration will be?

Can the next book be about how to win millions?  I'll volunteer to be the inspired one  ;)  :D

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 09, 2009, 06:11:08 am
I was surprised that potato peel pie tasted good as well, although I did pick the recipe that sounded most promising.

Here is the recipe from the author's web site:

Potato Peel Pie Recipe

Here’s a recipe for a potato peel pie, but I warn you, it tastes like paste. The more authentic it is, the nastier.
These ingredients will make a very small pie (expand at will):
  1 potato

  1 beet
  
1 Tablespoon milk

Peel the potato and put the peelings in a pie pan. Don’t cook the peels, because you’re in the middle of an Occupation and you don’t have any fuel. Boil the potato and the beet together in salty water, but not for very long, due to the fuel problem. Just until you can stick a fork in the potato. Take them out and mash them up with the milk. Pour the glop in the pie pan. Bake at 375 for as short a time as is consonant with digestion (fuel again), say, fifteen minutes.

The finished product will look quite attractive and pink. If you squint, you can almost imagine raspberries. Don’t be fooled. It looks a lot better than it is. However, if you forgot that you were in the middle of WWII and added a bunch of butter and milk and salt, it could be quite tasty.


There is a lengthy discussion at http://www.recipezaar.com/bb/viewtopic.zsp?t=288655 including one participant's adaptation that involved filo dough, vanilla pudding and strawberry jello powder. Interesting and I'm sure relatively tasty, but not exactly in the spirit of potato peel pie. There are other recipes that sound good, but include ingredients or cooking techniques that would not have been readily available in occupied Guernsey.

The recipe that I used was from a book discussion group at http://www.bookmovement.com/app/readingguide/view.php?readingGuideID=7336 - wanted to be sure to get the proper credit to that group.

And Jan, I thought that you had already gotten your book club inspiration from TTTW - isn't that why you kept dropping stark naked into various locations in Chicago?

Sara

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 09, 2009, 11:13:50 pm
And Jan, I thought that you had already gotten your book club inspiration from TTTW - isn't that why you kept dropping stark naked into various locations in Chicago?

I don't think that was me  ??? unless I happened to be sleep walking. 

What is TTTW? 

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 09, 2009, 11:25:45 pm
Sorry, shorthand for The Time Traveler's Wife. Time travel . . . symposium in Chicago . . . but the joke doesn't work if you don't recognize the acronym. Sorry, Jan.

Although now that I think about it a bit more, time travel (at least as explained in TTTW) would wreak havoc on a BAHA abutment, wouldn't it? Sleepwalking would be better.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 10, 2009, 10:49:48 am
Sorry, didn't read the Time Traveler's Wife, so maybe that's why I didn't get it.

When I saw TTTW all I could think of was GWTW (Gone with the Wind) and couldn't think of any passages where clothing was an issue.

Thanks for clearing up the mystery!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 10, 2009, 04:40:56 pm
Jan, I was sure you had participated in The Time Traveler's Wife discussion. When Henry time-traveled, he arrived without anything he wasn't born with. Dropping stark naked into an unknown place at an unknown time could result in interesting ramifications, to say the least. At one point he had a tooth extracted because he kept losing a filling when he traveled. So obviously, a BAHA would be out of the question. The novel was set in Chicago, in fact Henry worked at the Newberry Library and the Field Museum was featured on several occasions.

Does anyone have any more questions or comments about the potato book? Perhaps someone would like to roast a pig and post pictures?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 10, 2009, 07:19:52 pm

Does anyone have any more questions or comments about the potato book? Perhaps someone would like to roast a pig and post pictures?

Sara

Does a hotdog in the microwave count ::) 

I'm with you, Sara.  I would have bet that you were in on the Henry time travelling naked book with us, Jan.

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on October 10, 2009, 09:00:58 pm
What would have happened if Henry had dropped in naked at a meeting of the G.L.A.P.P.P.S.?   ::)

We should probably pick another book and get reading again. There will be time enough for any remaining questions before we are ready to discuss the next one.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 10, 2009, 09:34:44 pm
To whom do I hand over the royal scepter? I'm keeping the pink crown.

Sara
aka Current Book Club Queen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 10, 2009, 09:37:47 pm
Oh, and what would have happened if Henry dropped in naked on The Friday Night Knitting Club?

Maybe our opening question for every book should be "What if Henry dropped in naked?"

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on October 11, 2009, 11:16:10 am
Very nice pink pie, and looks good with your other pink stuff, Sara!
I'm also glad it tasted good.
I'll have to pass on the recipe though. Sorry :-[
Maybe a sweet potato pie instead.
Keep up the creative culinary skills!
Maureen
I saw the movie Julie and Julia (or Julia and Julie) and proceeded to make the Boef Buorgeone or whatever it's called.
Too much effort. I added salt like the recipe said, so tooooo salty.
I prefer the crock pot throw it all in and come back in 8 hours. ;)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on October 11, 2009, 12:19:25 pm

I prefer the crock pot throw it all in and come back in 8 hours. ;)
[/quote]

Funny you should say that, Moe!  My sister had been itching to try that recipe after seeing the movie.  Last Friday she and my son spent all day in the kitchen, and after sitting down to finally enjoy the meal, decided that yes, it was good, but the crockpot kind works just as well!

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 11, 2009, 05:47:05 pm
It's getting cold enough to drag out the crockpot for chili, chicken noodle soup, ham and beans, beans and rice, stew . . .

My husband also likes to make apple butter in the crock pot.

BTW potato peel pie heats up pretty well too.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 11, 2009, 06:39:34 pm
Okay, I'm all for a new book - need something interesting to read.  Plus I have a gift certificate from Barnes & Noble just burning a hole in my pocket  ;D

Any suggestions?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 12, 2009, 08:00:16 am
Don't we have a list somewhere on here?  I'll go look after awhile...though I've read it, I think People of the Book might be a good one for the club...Steve, didn't you say you read it?  What do you think? 

I'm just finishing up Shantaram...has anyone read that?  If so, what did you think?  I'm torn about it...I don't think it is one that I will recommend to my friends to read???  However, it would provide many, many good discussion points for a book club, but I think it's way too long for a club...

Cindy

...it is POURING again in Atl!!!  Feel like I've moved to Seattle!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on October 12, 2009, 08:09:03 am
Whoever was responsible for TTTW and TGLAPPPS books, you did a good job choosing!  They were both interesting and thought-provoking reads without a lot of violence in them.  Speaking only for myself, I hope we stay in similar modes.  Cindy, tell us more about "Shantaram."  Has anyone read "The Outliers?"  A friend of mine read it and said it was excellent but the reviews I read have not been all that great.  Steve mentioned one he had finished reading (about 100 pages back in this thread  ::) ::)) but I did not go back to check the title.  All I remember is he said it had some violence in it.  Any thoughts?

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on October 12, 2009, 09:04:16 am
People of the Book would be a good one, Cindy, though it has its share of Inquisition nastiness. The book I mentioned, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao, definitely contains unpleasant violence, and some strong language, so probably a no on that one.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 12, 2009, 10:59:54 am
People of the Book then? I've put it on hold at the library. Looks like one copy is on the shelf.

sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on October 12, 2009, 11:42:25 am
People of the Book sounds very interesting from the reviews, although at 672 pages in paperback, it may take me awhile to wade through it!  I'll join in, but do not wait for me to finish reading to begin the discussion.   ;D

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on October 12, 2009, 05:05:23 pm
I read that and loved it, but I like all of that author's books.  March was probably my least favorite, though.
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 12, 2009, 06:45:57 pm
Priscilla, glad to hear you liked the other books by Geraldine Brooks (author of People of the Book)...I will put them on my list.  I didn't know she had written other books. 

For those of you getting ready to start the book, I did not care for the first chapter...really almost put it down...but hang in there, it changes...enjoy!

Cindy

For you Outlander fans, have you read the new one yet?  I have it, but am just savoring it before I start...I've actually just started re-reading the last one to get me in the proper mood for J & C :D Tisha, did you finish yet?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on October 12, 2009, 07:17:39 pm
People of the Book sounds very interesting from the reviews, although at 672 pages in paperback, it may take me awhile to wade through it! 

My copy (Penguin) is 368 pages. Did I get the Cliff Notes version? :) It didn't seem like a long book to me. Maybe because it is several stories connected together by a book.

I think Henry would have been very bummed if he had dropped in on a session of the Spanish Inquisition.  :P

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on October 12, 2009, 07:50:04 pm
I read the same one you did, Steve, and it wasn't that long.  And you are right...Henry would have had a hard time explaining his presence to the Inquisition!

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 12, 2009, 08:20:27 pm
Maybe the 672-page version is large print?

I'll have to withhold comments about Henry until I have read the book, but I believe he did know some Spanish, didn't he?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on October 12, 2009, 08:30:56 pm
OK, I was afraid I had really lost it!  Check out:  http://www.bookbrowse.com/reviews/index.cfm/book_number/2073/People-of-the-Book  Obviously there must be a discrepancy on the number of pages ..... could not be a 288 page difference between the hardback version and the paperback version.  Either that or the print must be twice as big on the 672 page version.   ???  At any rate, I am relieved that it is less than 400 pages in some version.

Since I read so slowly, I hope I can find a short, paperback version to purchase .....  :-[

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on October 12, 2009, 10:17:49 pm
Hello ...dropping in after being MIA...did read TTW but too late for discussion ... read last two pages and looks like The People of the Book is on the tale next ...will try to get it ...and join in or at least follow along ...

I did read Where THe Wild Things Are today to my 10 and nearly 12 year old against their will ...told them we are going to see the movie if the college brings it to our little theater... they rolled their eyes at me and moaned ... may have to see it alone ... my now grown boys loved that book and spent hours on a pile of boulders that were dug up when our house was built chasing Wild THings ... the girls liked it too ... but seems the kids grew up when I wasn't looking ...

so much for memory lane .. hope to jump in
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Tisha on October 13, 2009, 10:59:20 am
Cindy,

JUst popped in today after a long while...i left you a PM.  I did finish Echo and was so hopping mad for DAYS.  Does that intrigue you enough to start?? LOL!  I've calmed down now, and am glad for the Lallybroch board to vent!  Can't wait to read your thoughts of the book.  Tisha
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 14, 2009, 08:56:40 pm
People of the Book ??  Haven't heard of it.  Will have to read about it on Amazon or B&N and see what it's all about.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 15, 2009, 07:03:02 am
I have it on hold at the library...hopefully I will go get it today!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 15, 2009, 11:55:43 am
As you guys start to read People of the Book, pay close attention to the details...they come in to play throughout the book :)

(Tisha, what?  Hopping mad?  Don't say another word about it...I'm trying to just skim through Breath of S & A to get through it quickly again, but I keep getting caught up and looks like I'll just re-read the whole thing...what is the Lallybroch board?  A forum to discuss the series?  I got your PM...)

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 15, 2009, 08:14:52 pm
Think I'll sit this one out - sounds a little too historical to me.

I need to read "fluff" for a few weeks.  Will jump back in again on the next book.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 15, 2009, 08:18:37 pm
I got it today...but I am wondering what Jan said - did y'all try to slip some non-fiction in on me??  I'll let you know what I think...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on October 15, 2009, 11:04:51 pm
I need to read something serious for a change ...in my down time I have been pre-reading for 6-8 grade teachers ... had a stack of maybe a dozen books ... most all deal with ghosts or hauntings ... last years bunch had alot of death or family illnesses in their theme... one is Chasing Lincons Killer ... it is suppose to be documentary but is written choppy jumping back and forth between who did what when and is confusing ...I keep haveing to flip back and forth to figure out who was where and what part they played ...

Two are Roald Dahl books ...Witches and Fantastic Mr Fox...not new but not in the library and they were in the last book order form for a buck a piece ... so copies were bought so I could say yay or nay... would let my kids read any of the books I have read ...they just aren't for me ...

an adult book would be welcome change
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 16, 2009, 09:26:53 am
No, Kaybo, it is not non-fiction - I never read non-fiction :P  But, as Jan points out, it does have quite a bit of history to it.  It goes back and forth between modern times and previous time periods - WWII all the way back to 1400's or so, I think.  As Steve mentioned, it's rather like many small stories all tied together by "The Book" - has a bit of love to it also.  The writing is very good - characters in it are varied and great, I thought...

See what you think,

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JerseyGirl2 on October 16, 2009, 09:59:45 am
I think that People of the Book is an excellent read! Probably the best of Geraldine Brooks' writings, although Year of Wonders and March are really good, too. Brooks covers a variety of historical settings in her works, does extensive research, and has a real knack for capturing the appropriate sense of time -- the dialogue, environment, etc. all seem to fit well. Year of Wonders is about the 17th century plague in Great Britain and March speculates on the Civil War experiences of the father of Alcott's Little Women. I believe her next book is going to be about the early years on Martha's Vineyard. I don't think anyone will be disappointed with People of the Book!

Catherine (JerseyGirl2)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on October 20, 2009, 05:40:01 pm
I saw what book you guys had chosen and so I got it from the library.  I'm enjoying it very much.  Thanks for the tip!!

Sue in Vancouver USA
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 20, 2009, 05:42:28 pm
OK - I still haven't gotten past the 1st few pages so if everybody is ready to discuss, go ahead.  It is not that it doesn't seem interesting, it just hasn't grabbed my attention yet and so I do other stuff instead of read...

K ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 20, 2009, 05:44:49 pm
I picked it up from the library but haven't started yet. Spent most of today gathering health care receipts to send in for cafeteria plan reimbursement. I thought we might have some extra this year to pre-pay some of my son's orthodontic bill, but no such luck.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on October 20, 2009, 08:14:31 pm
Not to worry, Kay ......  I'm still in the second chapter.  I am finding it very fascinating.

We just returned from a week at the beach with my sister and husband.  It was so cold at the beach, we watched several DVDs instead of walking as much on the beach.  We watched "The DaVinci Code," which reminds me of the intrigue in "People of the Book."  We also watched "The Red Violin," which in many ways is like the "book" by the way it traveled throughout its history.

It sounds like several others are still reading so I will do my best to get it read in the next few days.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on October 21, 2009, 01:28:08 pm
I'm in the middle of the book, and I hope I get through this part fast.  Spanish Inquisition gives me the chills.  I thank the Heaven's Above that I wasn't born in that time and place. 

Sue in Vancouver, USA
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on October 21, 2009, 04:43:07 pm
Actually, I've finished the book.  ;D  I learned some things and I hope that I can remember them!  It was interesting and I enjoyed the book, except for the Inquisition part (ick). 

Sue in Vancouver USA
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 21, 2009, 05:58:40 pm
I must have blocked the Inquisition part out of my mind...I don't remember it...will have to review it.  While I agree the Inquisition was horrible, I do love that whole time in history - yes, I'm strange ::)

Kaybo, hang in there, the beginning was torture for me - I came very close to giving it back to the friend who let me borrow it.

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on October 21, 2009, 06:21:26 pm
Interesting how we react to a book.  I was immediately interested and thought: Oh boy, this might be fun!   Hence, the quick read for me.  My aunt gave me back a book I'd given her, because she is interested in WWII era books.  I'd given her Philip Roth's book, The Plot Against America.  I read the first page.  Not interested. 

You forgot that poor man being tortured?  Egad.  I was headed to bed soon after reading that, and I wondered if I would be able to erase that from my memory so I could get to sleep.   That's that whole, what horrendous things people do in the name of religion  thing.  :'(    Brrrrrr, chilling.   

Then I googled the book and saw the real book's illustrations.  Fascinating.

Sue in Vancouver, USA
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: another NY postie on October 27, 2009, 05:37:41 am
This is my first read with ANA group..so am curious...was it just coincidence or just ironic that the mother was chair of neurosurgery and was a skull based neurosurgeon?  Don't think I ever read mengioma and 8th cranial nerve in a book before - at least I understood what they were! :D  Wonder if author had an AN or knows someone or knows a neurosurgeon...curious...
Cheryl
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on October 27, 2009, 07:44:35 am
Just checked it out by phone and will pick it up and start it today!  Can't wait!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 27, 2009, 08:15:36 am
Am finally into it a bit more...really like it once it got into the "stories" (lola)...Cheryl, I had noticed that the mom was a neurosurgeon too!!  No, we don't pick books based on that - just ones that we have heard or that someone has read that might be good!

K    ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 27, 2009, 01:30:11 pm
This is my first read with ANA group..so am curious...was it just coincidence or just ironic that the mother was chair of neurosurgery and was a skull based neurosurgeon?  Don't think I ever read mengioma and 8th cranial nerve in a book before - at least I understood what they were! :D  Wonder if author had an AN or knows someone or knows a neurosurgeon...curious...
Cheryl

Hey, Cheryl, glad you've joined us...wasn't that interesting about the mother being a neurosurgeon and picking a tumor on the 8th nerve as her challeging surgery?  I had forgotten about that.  And, interesting description she gave for it.  Yes, it was purely coincidence, though!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on October 27, 2009, 01:49:49 pm
Don't give away too many secrets.  I've got the book, a glass of wine and some California rolls.  Time to escape!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: another NY postie on October 27, 2009, 01:53:30 pm
No secrets given ;)...it isn't even really a part of the book - you wouldn't even notice these incidental references if you didn't know ANs and skull base tumors...just was weird to me ;D  Happy reading!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on October 28, 2009, 01:06:20 pm
Yes!  I thought - well, THIS is interesting!  The first book club book I read and the author references that. 

Sue in Vancouver
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 28, 2009, 09:22:01 pm
I've just picked up reading again. Do we need to set a date for discussion or just keep checking in with where we are?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on October 29, 2009, 07:58:18 pm
I was so proud of myself for getting going on "People of the Book" rather quickly after it was chosen ..... then my world kind of turned upside down for a week.  I had read about a third of it before my husband went into the hospital.  I just could not concentrate on it while sitting with him.  Hopefully by tomorrow I can resume ..... but, as before, do not wait on me to begin discussing, if everyone else is finished and ready.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 29, 2009, 08:14:22 pm
still reading - going nowhere fast...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 29, 2009, 08:24:30 pm
I've only just started part 2. Slow going, and much else to take my time and attention, unfortunately.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 30, 2009, 05:26:08 pm
I had plenty of time to read today at the ophthalmologist office (he was an hour and forty minutes late) and getting my oil changed at the car dealership since I was in the area. Unfortunately I found out there is a recall for my car that even more unfortunately could not be taken care of while I was in town.

I am finding the history fascinating. I am very impressed by the extent of research the author did. Jan, you might want to reconsider.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 01, 2009, 10:55:34 pm
Sorry, I just can't get into non-fiction or too much historical information.  It doesn't hold my interest.

While I found the Potato book very interesting, it was about as much history as I can tolerate. 

Lately I've been just reading mindless, fluffy stuff - I'm under too much pressure and stress with deadlines at work, meetings and out-of-town travel to read anything that really requires my concentration.

Once things slow down and my new boss gets up to speed, I hope to get back to a normal life - which will include not bringing work home, getting to sleep before midnight, feeding my children something other than fast food almost every night (much to their dismay  :D) and being able to read things with a little more substance.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on November 02, 2009, 01:44:44 am
If you like mysteries, try Craig Johnson's stories about Walt Longmire, a modern day Sheriff in Wyoming who has interesting happenings in his out of the way county. The Cold Dish, I am sure is the first one.  I was recommended to these books and I have enjoyed them very much.  They satisfy my requirement for mysteries: interesting characters, well written and the use of some humor.  If you like thrillers which I thought were well written, but can be a bit blood thristy, then you might like Lee Child's  Jack Reacher series.  Find number one, and get going.  I had a hard time putting them down.  But there is the occasional "ick" factor.  Another thriller book writer is John Case, and I enjoyed his books.  Young man gets caught up in mystery that  spans the globe kind of thing.  So, if you want fun thrills and fast reads, these were good for me. 

Sue in Vancouver, USA
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on November 02, 2009, 06:34:05 am
Another writer of good mysteries is Elizabeth George.  Though they can be read out of order, she does use the same two detectives (and support cast) throughout her books.  Start with A Great Deliverance and go from there.  I have read them all and really enjoyed her skillful writing and the interesting story thread of the main characters (Detectives Lynley and Havers - no they don't fall in love and get married to each other ::) ) that weaves in and out of each of her books.

But, Jan, one day when you're in the mood for something different, give People of the Book a try  :)

Sue, I'm going to put the ones you recommended on my, ever growing, list of books to read.  Thanks!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 03, 2009, 06:42:37 am
Thanks for the suggestions.  I love mysteries, as a kid I used to read Agatha Christie.

A colleague recently recommended a book called The Emperor of Ocean Park.  It's on my list of things to read next.

I won't write off People of the Book, but I can't see myself reading it anytime soon.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on November 03, 2009, 10:00:30 pm
I feel so out of the loop ... been reading kid books on a 5-8th grade level and have not started People yet...need to ...kid books are OK but feeling some brain cells shrinking and can't have that ... but reading them gets me free books that my kids can read now and since they are in 5th and 6th grade some that can be read as they grow...all AR books so they can get points as they go...too bad I can't take tests...I have earned about 200 points this year...youngest needs 80 and oldest 100... they have 5 and 3 respectively  :-\ ...they didn't inherit my reading bug... but they will still listen to someone read to them...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 04, 2009, 10:10:51 am
How is everyone doing with the book? I have finished, good thing because it is due back to the library on Friday and I can't renew it because someone has it on hold.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on November 04, 2009, 10:57:26 am
Half-way through ..... I'm trying, I'm trying!   :-[

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 04, 2009, 12:00:00 pm
Just finished about Ruti...closer to the end than the beginning!  :)

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on November 04, 2009, 09:49:45 pm
I'm still done. :)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 05, 2009, 07:25:24 am
whew!  that is good to know, Steve....I was afraid you had regressed with the amount of time it is taking ME to finish this book!  ;)  I am on the hair...

K   ;D *reading in between INSANE schedule*
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: another NY postie on November 05, 2009, 08:32:08 am
I'm done and book returned to the library so my memory will probably be faulty but I will just blame that on my recovery! ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on November 06, 2009, 05:02:32 pm
Page 100 but go ahead without me.  I have to haul firewood, change the oil in the tractor, clean the furnace heat exchanger and try to fix the humidifier all weekend.  Back on Monday.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on November 07, 2009, 12:15:51 am
Monday? That's enough chores to last me to spring.  ::)

I'm asking Hanna to do a restoration job on my copy of People of the Book, it has been lying around collecting dust for ages.  ;D

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 07, 2009, 12:44:59 am
I had to take the copy I was reading back to the library as somebody else had it on hold. I hope I will remember all of the names . . . so many characters.

Who starts the discussion this time?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 07, 2009, 09:58:47 am
Wasn't Steve the original "suggestor" of this book?  I should finish by tonight....what about Clarice?

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on November 07, 2009, 01:18:48 pm
Still not finished ..... kids here this week-end ..... go on without me ..... I won't look at the discussion until I finish, hopefully by tomorrow night.  Sorry Steve!   :'(

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on November 07, 2009, 01:22:25 pm
So the ONE time I read one of the books, I'm done like a flash and now I won't remember anything!! 

I was waiting for the book girl to eventually be related to the original maker of the book.  Or was she?  I forget! ha 

Sue in Vancouver
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on November 07, 2009, 07:01:35 pm
Okay, I'll pose a question, in the manner of a high school English teacher. Which historical segment was your favorite, and why?

I'm going with al-Mora, the girl/woman who started it all by painting the images. I'm not sure I believe that anyone could paint a polo match on a grain of rice, but I found this story somehow enchanting, despite all the violence that occurs along the way. I think I liked the fact that the setting was an era I know little about, and that somehow makes the violence seem less troubling. I certainly did not know much about what Seville might have been like in 1480. Emirs and Persian eunuchs and a room full of slaves making paintings all sounds exotic and mystical, a part of Islamic history in Spain that could just as well been classical antiquity, for all I know about it.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 07, 2009, 08:54:50 pm
I think that was my 2nd favorite - i liked about the Jewish girl and the family that took her in & tried to help her...for me, that was the story that really drew me in & started me really liking and wanting to read the book...

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on November 08, 2009, 02:11:16 am
I think I agree with Steve.  The further back it got, the better I liked it.  Was happy to get through the Spanish Inquisition part though. eeeeeeeeeeeek   Totally delighted me to find out the artist was a girl.  I thought the author did such a great job of taking the known facts of the real book and putting it into a novel.  Of course, I'd never heard of the real book before, and now I'm totally fascinated with the whole mystery of the it.  I think this book appealed to me because I like genealogy and I've done our family history and every generation back is a victory, so that's what I felt with this story.  Each story back was more interesting to me than the previous one.

Good choice!!

Sue in Vancouver
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on November 08, 2009, 04:15:07 pm
I'm still not done, Steve, but the chores are, and we even threw in a hike.  Back to the book now while Dave cleans up the trilobites he got in Ireland.  Just love the diversity of the characters and contexts.  Can't tell you my favorite yet; I'm in Vienna at the moment.  Carry on without me.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: another NY postie on November 09, 2009, 08:47:42 am
I liked the young jewish character that I think was called Lola.  (I don't have book anymore-back at library and finished it a couple of weeks ago so detalis are a bit fuzzy).  The one whose family was rounded up and she climbed out the window with the younger girl who was a sister of one of the rebels.  She was a survivor and I particularly liked when she went and lived with the Muslim family who protected her and that is when she saw the book - the man's character was so good and noble and I liked the way he treated his wife and her as intellectual beings- a far cry from most of the rest of the book in terms of women's treatment/positions.  I also liked the al-Mora part when she was disguised as a boy but that section and the inquisition were a bit brutal for me to stomach.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on November 09, 2009, 12:23:05 pm
Yep, I'm with you, Sue!  Every story that went further and further back in the history of the book was better and better for me.  My favorite was indeed al-Mora.  Although, I really did like all the characters who had anything to do with saving the book.  Loved how the author blended, if you will, the three religions...

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 09, 2009, 01:08:29 pm
Well, if I were Henry, I don't think I would want to drop in on any of these time periods. I have a feeling that as horrific as it seemed to us, the violence in each of these eras was likely far worse in reality than it was portrayed in the novel.

I think the story that I found most touching was the WWII chapter. I was so sad when Isak, on frost-bitten feet, carried his little sister out on the ice and they fell through. I thought that Isak and Lola would have made a good couple a few years later on. I was horrified when she ended up with the other jerk!

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 09, 2009, 08:18:26 pm
Sara~ 
I couldn't believe that either!  On the other hand, they say that when you have experienced something terrible, you tend to lean towards those that have traveled that road with you...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 09, 2009, 09:34:19 pm
Wait just a minute: frost-bitten feet?!? Maybe it was Henry . . .

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on November 11, 2009, 12:41:46 pm
I thought the author did such a good job at capturing the "tone" and "language" of each of the periods of which she wrote.  Think that's a tough thing to do.  So many people can only write and "sell" in one time period or another.  I know what I'm trying to say, but does it make sense to you guys?  (This is why I'm NOT a writer!)  I can appreciate the well-written word, but I can't do it myself :D

Cindy

PS - pssst, you Outlander fans, anyone read Echo yet?  Just finished it...I won't say anything ;)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on November 11, 2009, 01:41:56 pm
Of course I know what you mean Cindy.  Makes sense to me!!   
 :D

Sue in Vancouver USA

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on November 11, 2009, 03:31:19 pm
Yes, absolutely, Cindy.  I was thinking exactly the same thing while I was reading it.
I love the duality of the characters.  Many, if not all, of them have a hidden life.
I'm just at the part where they discovered the dyed cat hair.  Should be done soon.
But boy, do I feel like I need to go back and read it again!  I need an outline and timeline of movement of the haggadah.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JerseyGirl2 on November 11, 2009, 07:14:26 pm
I thought the author did such a good job at capturing the "tone" and "language" of each of the periods of which she wrote.  Think that's a tough thing to do.


Brooks really excels at this -- she does an equally great job of capturing period tone and language in March and Year of Wonders; hope she'll do the same in her next book (which is probably a few years away) about the early days on Martha's Vineyard. She takes her research very seriously.

Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on November 11, 2009, 08:11:31 pm
Know what you mean, Nancy.  I felt like I should re-read it also...especially since I did not pay a great deal of attention to the very first part of it.  I really almost quit reading it as I was so uninterested in all those details about how to make paper, etc.  Very glad I stuck with it, though!

Catherine, I just picked up March at the library earlier today - glad to know you thought it was good as well. 

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on November 12, 2009, 04:48:49 am
Hmm, didn't Clare, Henry's wife, make paper? Paper making and frost bitten feet...

I am curious whether everyone thinks that the contemporary story about Hanna herself contributed much to the book. I suppose it was necessary to tie it together, but it didn't do much for me.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 12, 2009, 05:50:03 am
I noticed that too, Steve, and let's not forget that Ozren was a librarian and the book jumps back and forth between present and past. The plot thickens . . .

I agree that the contemporary story was needed to bind the story together, but I think the author attempted to pack too much into Hanna's story. Many of the criticisms I have read about the book complain that Hanna is a self-centered, immature character who does not grow over the course of the novel. I would counter that many of the people that I know who practice rare specialties (including doctors!) also -- perhaps necessarily -- think very highly of themselves and their skills. (That's one trait Hanna can definitely attribute to her mom.) Also I think that Hanna did grow through her period of self-doubt though many of her actions still seemed immature.

I found the ending to be a little less than satisfying. I did not think that the whole codex switch mission was in Hanna's nature, nor was her ability to forgive Ozren. But I liked the book. Thanks for the recommendation, Steve.

Sara

P.S. I'd like to keep discussing People of the Book for a while, but what does everyone think about deferring a new book until after the holidays?

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on November 12, 2009, 06:14:58 am
I'm up for a new book, but I can just get March or Time Traveler's Wife (is that the correct title?) or another recommended book.

Oh, has everyone read The Distant Land of My Father ?  Excellent writing.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 12, 2009, 07:22:16 am
Well, I definitely have a question (b/c I am a dumb blond, not a thought provoking discussion ?) but i want to wait until Nancy finishes it to ask...

I didn't love Hanna - I figured it was just me - she was OK, but the other stories really grabbed me more!


K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on November 12, 2009, 07:57:45 am
Hanna didn't bother me too much - I definitely liked the other stories better (I do love my history, you know), but I sort of liked her attitude...didn't like her mother, though.  Didn't "buy" that she would not have discussed something about the father with Hanna.

Probably a good idea, Sara, to wait for our next book til after the holidays...I'll be reading, but it is a busy time.  What else do we have on our list?  I've not read it yet, but I've heard The Help is a good one.  We need to pick one that's not too historical, though, so Jan can join us again  ;D

Cindy

P.S.  Yes, Nancy, it's The Time Traveler's Wife...good one for you to read so you'll understand all the "Henry" references around here :)  Or, have you read The Thirteenth Tale?  Let us know if you read it so we can ask you about one incident in the book in particular...don't go back to look at our discussion here about it, though.  It will give something away ;)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on November 12, 2009, 08:55:32 am
No, I haven't read The Thirteenth Tale.  The list is growing.  I just read the first page of The Time Traveler's Wife and can't wait to get it!
Okay, I'm headed for the reading chair.  I won't look up until I'm finished, so go ahead.
Oh, I totally relate to Hanna because my mother is exactly like her mother, a pioneer medicine woman who grew up in India with her medical missionary father.  One can only disappoint a woman like that. 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on November 14, 2009, 08:47:49 am
Where'd everybody go?
I'm finished!  Headed to the library to get MarchWife is on reserve.
Now I know who "the other jerk" was.  Yuck.
Very cool . . . Lola finding the haggadah.
Especially liked the characters of the illustrator and Ruti. 
I would love to go back through and see if there were any connections I missed, like who was the Venetian priest actually and the wealthy Venetian woman in the gondola. 
When Ruti baptized her nephew and then got on the ship to Italy, what happened to her and him?  I'll have to read it again some day.
Enjoyed it thoroughly . . . although parts were tough to take.
MOVIE!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 14, 2009, 11:45:15 am
I just finished a book called "The Lost Hours" and really liked it.

It reminded me a lot of "The Thirteenth Tale". 

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on November 14, 2009, 08:30:07 pm
Well, I definitely have a question (b/c I am a dumb blond, not a thought provoking discussion ?) but i want to wait until Nancy finishes it to ask...

Okay, I think we are ready for it.  ;D

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 14, 2009, 09:13:17 pm
OK...so I know WHO took the Haggadah and kind of WHY...but what do you think?  WHY did he take it if he was just going to hide it again?  Was it /c he wanted it in his country or something...but wasn't that Vienna??
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on November 14, 2009, 10:52:22 pm
Hey, no fair, that is a thought provoking discussion question, you were supposed to ask a ditzy blond question. Now I have to reread that last chapter. :)

I think Werner Heinrich felt guilty about his role burning Jewish books during WWII, since he was Mr. Book Restorer. So he became obsessed with preserving the Haggadah, even if it meant stashing it away where no one could see it.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 14, 2009, 11:04:55 pm
I thought it was because he considered Sarajevo to be unstable still, and there would be a chance that the Haggadah would be destroyed. That is also the only reason I can think of why Ozren would collaborate with him.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on November 15, 2009, 06:45:08 am
Well, perhaps a combination.  Each man had his own reason.  Ozren was distraught over his son's death and blamed recent events for his pain.  Did he seem to give up on the ideal of religious and cultural coexistence in Sarajevo because of his son's death?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 15, 2009, 07:40:25 am
so no one is super clear or sure about this besides me?  I feel so much less ignorant!!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on November 15, 2009, 08:04:59 am
Okay, so what about all my ditzy brunette questions bottom of page 84 of this thread?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 15, 2009, 08:45:25 am
Sorry, Nancy...I only saw one question & I thought that you said you were going to reread...I don't think it ever tells what becomes of anyone...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on November 15, 2009, 10:10:26 am
Too deep for my, Kaybo!  One of those thought provoking things we'll never really have an answer to, I guess...

Nancy, I also wanted to know what happended to Ruti and the baby...was the same for several of the stories.  She (the author) did such great job of pulling us into each storyline...I wanted more...but I suppose the rest of the individual stories had nothing to do w/ the Book, so she couldn't keep going with those stories...but, I would have found them interesting!

This is one I will go back and read again one day,

Cindy, the ditzy grey...I mean, blondish from a bottle one
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 15, 2009, 02:00:47 pm
Lola is the only character from the past that we meet again, so we can feel free to speculate about the rest.

As far as Ruti and the baby go, it's not too hard to figure out what happens to the baby since she is taking him on an ocean voyage without a means of feeding him. But who knows . . . perhaps there is a lactating mother on board willing to help her out. See? Speculation can be fun.

Sara, who has not been blond since about third grade
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on November 15, 2009, 02:25:47 pm
Okay, well I was sort of hoping Ruti was the patron lady in the gondola since she said she received it as a gift.  But then, we could never imagine she would convert to Christianity after her brother's ordeal and her response to the expulsion of Jews by Ferdinand and Isabella.
I was hoping that the baby was the priest who had flashbacks about being an orphan of Jewish descent, but I didn't have time to go back to read the name he was recalling in his nightmares.

Also, not blond since the third grade and who knows if there's any brunette left?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 15, 2009, 03:40:39 pm
Good thoughts, Nancy...see, I would have never thought about that....I have already turned the book in or I would look it up...maybe I'll go to B&N...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 15, 2009, 03:55:27 pm
I think that too many tie-ins and coincidences would erode the believability of the story. It was enough that Lola found the real Haggadah.

And to throw in a completely random thought, I was glad that the second pair of earrings did not surface.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: ppearl214 on November 15, 2009, 08:06:01 pm
Hi Just jumping in here.. BTW what book are we talking about regarding the Haggadah?
It sounds very interesting to me......

will follow this one! :)
Phyl
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on November 15, 2009, 08:15:06 pm
Well, hello, Donnalynn and Phyl!  Glad to see you here!  The book we're discussing is People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.  Was very interesting and well written.

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on November 18, 2009, 03:56:33 pm
Well, the tables are turned.  Some of you may remember my caregiver Dave who posted during my surgery and recovery.  He was admitted to the hospital this afternoon.  A blood clot was found in his leg.  They're putting him on heparin and monitoring.  He asked his son to bring him his laptop so he can work himself to death.  His doctor told him he was working too much.  I'm picking up a copy of Guernsey Potato and heading down to the hospital so he can relax himself to health!  Just had to let you know.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 18, 2009, 04:15:07 pm
Hope Dave is feeling better soon, and that he enjoys the book. Maybe you should bake him a potato peel pie.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on November 18, 2009, 04:25:12 pm
Hey, Nancy!  Sorry to hear that, but thank goodness it was found!  Good luck getting him to rest and relax!  Tell him we all said he must!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on November 18, 2009, 04:26:19 pm
Nancy ~

I'm sorry to learn about Dave's blood clot problem and subsequent hospitalization.  I trust that the clot can be successfully treated with heparin and that Dave will be up and around again, soon, with or without the laptop. 

Jim
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on November 18, 2009, 08:08:05 pm
Thank you, All.  I'm just home from the hospital.  He's a little scared that he might not make it through the night should the clot decide to travel.  I'm hoping otherwise, of course.  Can't imagine life without him.  He's very pleased about the book and decided not to worry about the laptop tonight.  Victory! 
I will seek out the illustrated recipe tomorrow to see if I have the proper list of ingredients for a PPPie.  Was it edible?  I can't remember.  But I will swing through the library again to gather up some good movies for him to watch on his laptop when it eventually arrives.  Looks like it could be five days of heparin therapy gradually switching to coumadin for the long term.  I'll keep you posted.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on November 18, 2009, 11:19:56 pm
Wow, Nancy... i was surprised about your news regarding Dave. I wasn't even going to look at this thread because I haven't read the latest book, but decided to read anyway. What a shock. I hope and pray he's much better soon.
Hope he can forget the work and stress and just do music... much more relaxing!
Take care,
Keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on November 18, 2009, 11:36:41 pm
Just goes to show the lengths some men will go to in order to be able sit around in bed reading and playing with a computer while other people wait on them hand and foot. :)

Tell Dave to please get well soon, so he can get home and help you with tractor repairs and other important stuff.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on November 19, 2009, 10:59:27 am
Thanks again.  Turns out one of his silly habits (to sit on the floor like an East Indian musician with his right ankle up on his left thigh to play his sarod) may be one of the causes of his problem.  They are doing a head to toe CAT scan on him this afternoon to try to ferret out the cause.  I left him slurping barium somethingorother in preparation.  Yuck!  It's categorized as a "weird, I mean, uncommon" location for a clot.  The left iliac is being compressed by the right iliac against the spine perhaps?  Stay tuned.
I walked into his hospital room  with breakfast and coffee at 6:30 am just as he was pushing send to call me.  Don't you just love to exceed expectations?
I'm not sure how helpful he'll be once this is over.  He'll probably have a zillion restrictions if he's on blood thinners.  Bummer.   Our plans to snorkel in St Croix have me wondering.  He cut himself on the coral in Roatan last winter, and I can just see the sharks swarming when he can't clot.
Amazing how your life can change in an instant.  "You have a clot."   :'(
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 19, 2009, 10:53:13 pm
At the risk of sounding like Phyl here...back on topic....anymore discussion on the book??

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on November 20, 2009, 01:34:09 pm
No, but I would like to go off topic just one more time! Nancy I hope your sig. other  is getting that clot dissolved! It will be OK. Many people are on coumadin for life- just gotta monitor your blood levels diligently.
Maureen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on November 20, 2009, 02:20:48 pm
ON TOPIC -
i missed this whole book / discussion. i'm travelling next week. should i buy it? did y'all like it? i don't want to read too much on the comments in case i do get it; i don't want to read what happens.

OFF TOPIC -
nancy, did you post about dave anywhere else besides on the bookclub thread? i know i just found your post accidently. since a bunch of us met dave at the brunch last year, i'm sure others would want to know - we all got to know dave a bit when you were recovering because you shared about his music, his almost appearance on TV, etc. please keep us posted.

keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on November 20, 2009, 06:47:49 pm
moe and Keri,
I PMed you with the update.
And yes, it is a book that is worth reading.  
I recommended it to my SIL who is an avid reader and is always recommending books to me.  Well, wouldn't ya know it, she's already reading it.
I hope they make it into a movie.  Cast of thousands, sets, costumes, WOW!
Nancy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on November 21, 2009, 12:29:58 pm
Keri, I also recommend the book. Our discussion here has not really given away much. It has a collection of great stories in various historical periods, and is good reading.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on December 03, 2009, 01:55:54 pm
We were about to drop off the first page, so . . . any more comments or questions?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on December 03, 2009, 03:03:23 pm
I'm deep into March, and Cindy has finished it and read or started two other books since People, so it's a little foggy from here.
If anyone has not read The Distant Land of My Father by Bo Caldwell, you're in for a treat.  I'm just saying . . .
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on December 03, 2009, 10:18:29 pm
I checked March out of the library, but I have been too busy to read much lately. I could take it with me to Elbee's basketball tourney this weekend, but it would probably just end up weighing down my bag.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on December 04, 2009, 06:35:33 am
Yes, I really enjoyed March...was very different from People - all set in one time (Civil War).  I look forward to reading all of her books eventually...have heard Year of Wonders is one of her best.  Couldn't get it at the library, though...

For you historical fiction folks (Jan, don't even read on ;) ), I'm now reading a VERY historical one.  It's the first in the Lymond Chronicle series by Dorothy Dunnett...set in Scotland during mid 1500's.  Very cleverly written, in fact, so clever that I find myself needing to reread sentences over again quite frequently.  Heard rave reveiws about it, so I'm hoping it's going to be a good series.

Nancy, I'm going to check out The Distant Land of My Father that you suggested...thanks! (Thinking of you and Dave today.)

Cindy

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on December 04, 2009, 10:37:20 am
Scotland?!  Well, then, must order it up post March.  My son will be very impressed with my growing knowledge of his field.
Guess where I am.  Ho hum.  Sitting in the surgical waiting room all by myself.  Seems Dave will proceed to ICU tonight and stay through the weekend.  We thought he'd be outa here tonight!  Ugh.  So for his silly little aneurysm and clot, he's been in this hospital twice as long as I was for my brain tumor removal.
Trying to feel sure nothing can go wrong . . .
Dave keeps hi-jacking this thread.  I'll have to have a word with him.
Sorry.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Cheryl R on December 04, 2009, 11:04:09 am
Nancy,  I only remember you talking of the clot in the illiac and then some mention of tests but never heard what exactly Dave had wrong.     Is it Ok that I am asking where he has an aneurysm?             I hope all goes well for him and good luck to you too as that waiting is so hard on people.                    I do think of people here even with not many posts of that nature.
                                                        Cheryl R
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on December 04, 2009, 11:52:06 am
Thank you, Cheryl.  He has a rare condition known as iliac compression syndrome.  It's a venous aneurysm and with a lemon-sized clot.  The docs are very excited to be able to say they saw one.  I'm glad it's venous as arterial are perhaps more difficult to repair.  So, the vein is being compressed against the spine by the artery, resulting in an aneurysm upstream and subsequent filling with clot material.  Four, count 'em, four pulmonary emboli were discovered in CT scan but not large enough to cause symptoms.  He's a lucky fellow.  I am, too.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Cheryl R on December 04, 2009, 12:05:32 pm
We all know too well about rare and this one certainly is too.    I had never heard of it.  How scary for you both.      Good thing too that the PE's were small as do know about that.            Let us know how it goes and will be thinking of you both!       Thanks for letting us know this.                        Cheryl R
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on December 04, 2009, 01:34:42 pm
All went well.  Stent is in place and doing its job.  Phew!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on December 04, 2009, 02:53:50 pm
Thank you, Nancy ;) 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Tisha on December 11, 2009, 11:13:19 am
Cindy,

I read the first one and did enjoy Lymond.  However, I only understood about 40% of whatever was being said!  LOL!  I heard it gets easier as the books progress.

I'm currently reading The Help.  It's wonderful.  It's set in 1962 Mississippi and the basic storyline is about the black maids and their white lady employers.  I'm not finished yet, but I can't put it down.

Tisha
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on December 11, 2009, 01:10:23 pm
Cindy,

I read the first one and did enjoy Lymond.  However, I only understood about 40% of whatever was being said!  LOL!  I heard it gets easier as the books progress.

I'm currently reading The Help.  It's wonderful.  It's set in 1962 Mississippi and the basic storyline is about the black maids and their white lady employers.  I'm not finished yet, but I can't put it down.

Tisha

Hey!  I figured you would have read the Lymond book!  It is very complex, but now that I finally have most of the many main characters figured out, I'm really enjoying it.  She (the author) definitely keeps you on your toes!

I have my sis-n-law's copy of The Help and will be reading it next.  Her book club read it and all said it was great.  May be a good one to put on our list here...

Finish March, Nancy?

Anyone else reading anything of interest?  Or mainly shopping and baking maybe :D 

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on December 11, 2009, 01:26:32 pm

I love Dorothy Dunnett.  I have read her mystery books and they are witty and clever.  I'm hoping to start the others after I retire from teaching in another 6 months.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on December 11, 2009, 03:31:29 pm
I picked up the first of the Lymond Chronicles, and my jaw dropped.  It's huge!  So, today I was in the library, and someone had donated Sarah's Key, so they got it all cataloged into the system and sent me home with it.  Anyone?
I'm being caregiver to the invalid and barely have time for anything!  My son arrived yesterday with three loads of laundry.  His friend just arrived, so I have to put on my hostess hat.  At least my son is very helpful.
My back is killing me from shoveling snow two days in a row.
Oh, and of course, I hardly sleep at all.
I'm a basket case, aren't I?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on December 11, 2009, 04:30:28 pm
I think you will enjoy Sarah's Key, Nancy. I still have March on my nightstand, but haven't done much reading since the basketball season started. And now that the holidays are fast upon us, I will have even less time. I can't believe Christmas is only two weeks away!

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on December 11, 2009, 04:45:22 pm
It is?!   :D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on December 25, 2009, 08:13:30 pm
Merry CHRISTmas!

Wanted to share about the books I am reading...they were recommended by the same SIL that told me about The Thirteenth Tale.  She actually was telling me about them because I was asking her for books for Addi.  When I went to get it, it was in the "Adult" section of Barnes & Noble instead of the "Teen" so I decided to read it first and see what I thought.  I whipped right thru the first and went straight away to the library to get the next one!  I couldn't believe it when I found them in the Science Fiction section (I usually don't go there!); however, if I really think about it, some of the books we have read and others (Harry Potter comes to mind) would probably fall into that category.  Anyway, it is the STUDY series by Maria V. Snyder - Poison Study, Magic Study and Fire Study.

Like I said, not my usual read but I really like it...yes, Jan, you have to try it!

K   ;D

PS - I decided to wait a little while for Addi to read it...it's not that bad but some language and "adult" implications that she doesn't need yet - she is only 12!  Priscilla, let me know what you think if you read or have read it!  Anyone else, for that matter...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on January 03, 2010, 03:14:41 pm
Just read The Help - set in the South in the 1960's.  Very good book.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on January 03, 2010, 06:44:05 pm
Half way through Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol.  An excellent read so far.

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on January 04, 2010, 10:38:44 am
Just started Thirteenth Tale, but I know you've all read it.
Finished Wife, good stuff.
Nancy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on January 04, 2010, 11:15:20 am
It's funny you should mention Thirteenth Tale because my partner teacher came in this morning and asked if I had read it!  Guess I had better go get the book and read it so I can give my opinion.  I'm ready for a good read, so I will pick that one up next.
Sleepy day at school today.  Kids are being really good because most are still half asleep!  I can deal with that because I almost had a heart attack when my alarm went off at 5:15 this morning. :'(  Really miss those lazy mornings!

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on January 04, 2010, 11:55:59 am
You guys (Nancy and Priscilla) are going to enjoy Thirteenth Tale - once you've finished, be sure to let us know what you thought - we had good discussion/debate about it when the Book Club read it awhile back.  Don't go peek at our comments, though!

Anne Marie, I read DaVinci Code - loved it!  Then read Angels & Demons - was a bit perturbed that it was so similar to DaVinci Code, but finished it and was satisfied, be still not happy with its similarities to DaVinci Code.  My question is this, Lost Symbol looks very much like the others...is it?  I'm assuming you've read the other two?  Know many have said it's very good, but...

Jan, The Help is about two down on my current reading list - have heard it's very good - think I mentioned here that my sis-n-law's book club read it and they thought it was one of the best they had read as a "club."

Is it time to pick a new book for the club?  Know we were waiting for the holidays to be over...has anyone been keeping up with our suggestion list :)

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cyrmom2 on January 04, 2010, 01:01:29 pm
Hi guys.  I loved The Help and Wife.  Looking forward to the Thirteenth Tale.  My local book club selection fro January is Sarah's Key.  Once of the best books I've read since A Tree Grows in Brooklyn. February's selection is Wolf Hall.

Cyndi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: lholl36233 on January 10, 2010, 02:58:22 pm
I read the entire Regan Reily series by Carol Higgins Clark.  Started with "Decked" down to "Cursed".    I enjoyed them very much on my travels to and from my proton treatments.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on January 27, 2010, 04:52:10 pm
Just picked up The Help and Luncheon at the Boating Party for the trip.  Now I don't have to worry about getting stuck in airports.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on January 27, 2010, 07:32:44 pm
I am currently reading The Shack, which I am pretty sure someone here recommended, and I just checked Love and Other Impossible Pursuits from the library. However with our current mile-a-minute schedule it's anyone's guess how long it will take me to get through them.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 06, 2010, 05:51:15 pm
I am ready to read again!!  I miss CHALLENGING books that I wouldn't otherwise read...

Anybody with me??   ???

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on March 06, 2010, 06:41:17 pm
I am reading The Gift of Rain for my book club and it is a beautiful book!  It is a hefty one, and is not a quick read, but I am loving every page.  I think it is going to make me sad in the end, if I were to make a prediction.

Read The Thirteenth Tale and really enjoyed it.  Right now I am totally bogged down in kid books.  I have 10 book groups starting at school on Monday/Tuesday.  Gulp!
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on March 06, 2010, 07:08:33 pm
I am ready to read again!!  I miss CHALLENGING books that I wouldn't otherwise read...

Anybody with me??   ???


I am. I was thinking the same thing. It has been a while since I have read a book. Let's get this thing going again.

Maybe we can Keri to join and inspire us as she does with running and walking. Maybe we can JILL to come too, and yell at us to TURN THE PAGE.  ;D

I would like a recap of books people have read since the last one we read together - was that the Potato book? I am up for anything.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on March 07, 2010, 11:09:22 am
I need some motivation to get reading ... I have read several books for 7th and 8th grade teachers ... good but not challenging enough ... had a miricle or maybe a tradgedy the other night ... went into Books a Million and didn't find a single book I wanted to buy  :o ... usually leave with at least one and more likely three or four ...

we have the book fair going on at school this week and I am working two days ... get paid in books so at least the girls will have something new to read ...

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 07, 2010, 11:31:24 am
I'm with you Soundy.  I haven't read anything decent in weeks.

It's time to resurrect this thread.  Anyone with me??

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 07, 2010, 01:41:08 pm
sounds like Jan, Steve, and me for sure...Soundy, are you in?  Priscilla sounds kind of busy right now...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 07, 2010, 02:28:09 pm
I am currently reading The Shack, which I am pretty sure someone here recommended,

I attempted to read this book, but gave up in the middle of the second chapter and donated it to my local library.

Hope you like it better than I did, Sara.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 07, 2010, 02:36:49 pm
Jan, I finished it but do not consider it a keeper nor would I recommend it.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 07, 2010, 03:51:51 pm
I am so glad that y'all didn't give The Shack a thumbs up.  I MADE myself finish it but I DID NOT like it...you know how I feel about non-fiction, and even though I know it is not NON, that's what it felt like.  So many have just raved over it but I DID NOT like it!!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on March 07, 2010, 04:18:06 pm
I'm going to take the liberty of chiming in here, even though I 'm not a member of the ANA Book Club (my tastes run to non-fiction, often historical or political).

I read 'The Shack' on the recommendation of my wife's friend - who wanted my opinion.  For background: we're Christians, active in our church (I'm a Deacon) and take spiritual matters seriously.  The lady who asked for my opinion is a high school English teacher and was considering using the book in her Advanced reading class.  I advised her not to (she didn't).

I found the book too pointedly 'religious' to use in a secular public school class as well as having some problems with the narrative and lastly, taking issue with some of the premises used in the story.  I won't bore anyone with all of my bible-based reservations but one of the biggest objections I had was that the author seems to ignore the existence of Satan in the lives of mankind, which the bible and specifically, Jesus Christ, did not ignore.  Aside from my 'religious' reservations, I felt the story was confusing in many respects (sort of like the storyline of the TV series 'Lost' - you're never sure 'who is who') and because of the overtly 'religious' theme of the book, I would not recommend it for teenagers.   

It was an easy read in many respects but I didn't feel edified or even entertained when I finished 'The Shack'.  Lacking either attribute, I cannot recommend the book.

I apologize if my commentary is presumptuous and I won't barge into this thread again.  I just thought I could add something about this specific book.  I hope I have.

Jim
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 07, 2010, 04:56:03 pm
Barge in any time, Jim. That's what this whole thread is about.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on March 07, 2010, 05:26:13 pm
Just checking back in here to see what you all have been reading .....  Interesting comments regarding "The Shack."  I read it a long time ago, when many were raving about it.  The only value in the book that I remember, IMHO, was it did make me think about my own spiritual insight/views.  My husband, Truman, did not like it at all.  So, there you go .....

Has anyone read "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett?  I have not.  Maybe you have posted about it already and dismissed it ..... I apologize for not checking back through this thread.  My sister said it is a good read, but then she lived in Jackson, MI for a couple of years in the mid-60s.

I never did finish "People of the Book" last fall, when our lives sort of turned upside down for a couple of months with health issues.  I am ready to read again, but I will not promise to keep up with you, even though I will try with whatever is chosen.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 07, 2010, 06:50:22 pm
I've read The Help - it was recommended by a good friend of mine - and I really liked it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on March 07, 2010, 08:23:51 pm
Yep, we need to get a book going again - I'm in, but don't have any recommendations.  I started The Help, but got sidetracked with something else and haven't gotten back to it yet.  I know it's a good "book club" read, but Jan's already read it, so how about something else...don't we have a list on this thread somewhere? 

Clarice, try to finish The People of the Book some day - it really is a good story.

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 07, 2010, 09:26:38 pm
Oh, goodness, there is a wait list of 36 for The Help at the library.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Wwoodian on March 08, 2010, 01:37:34 am
I've been doing a lot of reading.  I actually got a Nook for Christmas, and am enjoying it a lot!  "The Help" is excellent.  I enjoyed "Water for Elephants", and would also recommend "Hunger Games".  Sorry if they are ones that have already been discussed!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 08, 2010, 07:34:51 am
Jim~ I loved your thoughts (& were glad to read them) - jump in anytime!

I will read whatever - y'all pick.  Kendie has her tonsils out next week & I figure that there will be some down time where we just kind of lay around so I'd like to have something ready to read.  What about The Gift of Rain that Priscilla said they are reading - she doesn't ever steer us wrong!  Anybody know anything about it?

K   :D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 08, 2010, 07:40:24 am
I know absolutely nothing about The Gift of Rain, but I like the title.

I'll go with it if everyone else wants to.

Jim,  I agree with Kaybo.  I enjoyed your thoughts also.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 08, 2010, 08:12:18 am
We haven't read Hunger Games - Addi read that (her whole school is reading it) and LOVED it!!  We had to run out & get the 2nd...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 08, 2010, 12:08:41 pm
Just ordered The Gift of Rain and the Hunger Games from Amazon.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 08, 2010, 12:23:12 pm
I have The Gift of Rain coming from the library.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on March 08, 2010, 01:19:44 pm
Both sound great - will see if I can get my hands on them.  My son is very in to Aikido and all things Japanese, so I will have him read The Gift of Rain also. 

Will watch to see which one we read first...doesn't matter to me.

Cindy - enjoying 70+ degrees here in Atlanta today 8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on March 08, 2010, 02:49:44 pm
The Help was so amazing that I had trouble getting into Luncheon of the Boating Party, but I'm into it now.  I wouldn't recommend it to anyone who isn't passionate about art history and Paris, though.
Let me know what you decide.  We watched The Girl with the Pearl Earring because Dave hadn't seen it, so I looked up other books by Tracy Chevalier and may try to get her latest which is something about two English ladies looking for fossils on beaches.  Sounds like fun to me!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on March 08, 2010, 07:45:32 pm
I am up for about anything ... I feel brain cells stagnating

Never finished People of The Book ... it seems to have vanished ... I packed some boxes of stuff out of bedroom ... and then moved furniture and got rid of some stuff and hope I didn't inadvertantly get rid of the book ... but may have ... :(

I just got a call to wok the Book Fair tomorrow ...girl that was going to is sick so I get another day which equal 2-3 free books for the girls ...wesometimes get good adult fiction and historical novels but this morning I looked around ajd  I didn't see any books for adults that I wanted except some cook books ... one dish meals and a dessert one ... want books to feed my brain not my belly and expanding waistline ...

As for The Shack ... I read it and it was one of those books that went in one side and out the other ... didn't do a thing for me ... went to Goodwill in a load of things we could live without ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 08, 2010, 08:27:28 pm
Gift of Rain being sent to the library by me...should have tomorrow or the next day...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on March 08, 2010, 08:39:15 pm
To summarize:

The Shack is out.   :D

The Help has been read by several people and sounds good. Sara, you should get a dozen of the other people on the wait list to chip in and buy a copy together. You can donate it to the library when everyone is done.  :)

The Gift of Rain sounds promising. Hunger Games less so for me.

I think I'm reading the middle two. I'm not sure if we ever get closer to a decision than that.  ;)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 08, 2010, 09:16:40 pm
Which "middle two" Steve?

I'm thinking it's The Gift of Rain for now - and Hunger Games later?

Nancy Mc -  I thought The Girl with the Pearl Earring was great.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on March 08, 2010, 10:48:41 pm
In the order I named them, The Help and The Gift of Rain. :)

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 09, 2010, 06:26:10 am
Can we do The Gift of Rain next? Jan has ordered it and Kaybo and I both have it on the way from the library.

Steve, your suggestion about The Help is intriguing, but there is no way of finding out who is on the wait list.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on March 09, 2010, 07:45:57 am
hmmm, so has a decision been made?  I have The Help, am looking for The Gift of Rain and Hunger Games.  In the meantime, I'm reading something else altogether, but will stop once a decision is made...who's the boss here  ::)

Yes, Nancy and Jan, The Girl w/ the Pearl Earring was very good...the book, as usual, better than the movie, in my opinion :)

Cindy
 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 09, 2010, 07:55:19 am
OK...I know that I am just a dumb blond, but when I put in The Help (title) in the card catalogue at the library yesterday, it just gave me a bunch of Christian and self HELP books!  Who is it by??  I just went ahead & got the RAIN book b/c I thought that was one of the ones we talked about - I have NO idea what it is even about!!   ;D  I'm telling you, I use this to broaden my reading horizons!!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 09, 2010, 09:29:40 am
Kay, it is by Kathryn Stockett.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on March 09, 2010, 12:59:20 pm
One of my former students made me read Hunger Games and I loved it!  I also read the second one, too. I love it when they come back to me and tell ME what to read next :D. The Gift of Rain is a long one, but so beautifully written!  I enjoyed it so much.  It is a powerful tale of forgiveness and redemption.  Hope you guys like it.  Everyone I know...except me...has read The Help and recommends it.  I will read that one next.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JerseyGirl2 on March 09, 2010, 01:47:02 pm
I hope that those of you who read, or who have already read, The Help will find it to be a very thought-provoking book. It's a "first novel" so please bear that in mind; a few of the characters, particularly Celia, are somewhat caricature-like and a bit over the top, but that's just about my only complaint.

I am a Southerner -- my ancestors are from Mississippi, Alabama, and Tennessee; and my family lived in New Orleans from the time I was in third grade until I went away to college.  I grew up in the South of the 1960s and this book does a wonderful job of conveying that very difficult and complicated era. I have yet to meet a southerner who was not incredibly moved and touched by this book -- probably as much because of the memories it evokes and the new insights it reveals as the story itself.

There's been some criticism over the author's use of African-American dialect in the book, but I think that's an incredibly important element and it wouldn't be the same if she hadn't included it. She has used it skillfully and I can honestly say that it's very authentic -- it brings back memories of people and voices I haven't heard in years.

A good companion book to this one, by the way, is another first novel, Mudbound, by Hillary Jordan, about racial relations in post-World War II rural Mississippi. It's also quite thought-provoking.

Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on March 09, 2010, 03:17:23 pm
OK, I'm armed and ready with either The Help or The Gift of Rain ..... whatever is chosen.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 10, 2010, 06:40:50 pm
I just picked up The Gift of Rain and checked on The Help - I am 20th in line for it.  I am going do a shout out on FB to see if anyone here has it & will let me borrow it.  In the meantime, I will start the Rain book...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 10, 2010, 08:04:30 pm
The Gift of Rain is in transit to my library. I am second in the hold line for The Hunger Games (9 copies) and thirty-fourth for The Help (5 copies). I wonder how the circulation department decides how many copies of a title to buy.

I am also in the hold lines for the movie versions of The Time Traveler's Wife and My Sister's Keeper. Those items move faster though because they can only be checked out for a week instead of three weeks like a book.

Sara

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on March 11, 2010, 08:20:20 am
Ah, one of the advantages of living out in the middle of nowhere.  You can always find any book you want, because no one reads!  And if they don't have it, they get it the next week through inter-library loan!  The disadvantage is you are too busy shoveling snow, hauling firewood, cutting back the encroaching wilderness and chasing off varmints to read.  Just kidding about the last one (I only chase them with my camera as many of you know, oops, OT.).
I'm off for a three-week caregiving gig (89-year old aunt who fell and broke her hip and is being sprung from rehab in her wheelchair on Monday).  Plenty of time to read over in Vermont.  I'll see if I can pick up The Gift of Rain before I head out.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on March 11, 2010, 12:26:14 pm
Got The Gift of Rain today - just ended up buying it as didn't look like I'd be able to get it from the library any time soon.  Read a bit of it and liked it immediately...

I can also get started back on The Help if that's what we decide on, but since so many have already read it, should we choose The Gift of Rain?  Either way, know we need to wait til some of the rest of you can get one of them...and/or Hunger Games, if that's still a contender? 

Cindy

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on March 11, 2010, 02:33:30 pm
have to go to Nashville tomorrow and will be stopping at a bookstore to grab The Help and the Gift of Rain if I can find them ...if not have the other titles listed to get in place of either if I can't find them  ...

It takes 3 -4 weeks to get a book here ...the book van that rotates around several counties only comes here 1 or 2 times a month with newer books and Top Sellers ... I give up and buy most of the time and then trade back and forth with teachers and staff at school who gave up on  what they were waiting for and went out and bought it too
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 11, 2010, 09:46:57 pm
Okay, somebody make a decision here, please.

Who's in charge?

We need to decide on the book and the date we'll start discussion.

Who hasn't been a "leader" yet?

Jan 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 11, 2010, 09:55:21 pm
OK - I don't want to be the leader but I say the RAIN book because I am selfish and that is the one I have & it seems more people have or can get...is that OK??


K   ;D
*I'm 40 now and taking charge!!*
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 11, 2010, 10:09:18 pm
Works for me.  If there are no objections, we'll go with the Rain book.

Mine is on it's way from Amazon.com even as we speak, so I probably won't have it until Monday or Tuesday.

Sounds like some others need a little time to get the book also.

Any suggestions on a date to start discussion?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on March 12, 2010, 07:32:39 am
Got it yesterday even though I am not even half way through my other book.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 12, 2010, 10:25:38 am
I voted for Rain a page back, and I'm still in favor My library account still says "In Transit" so maybe by Monday.

As far as discussion, it seems to work well to check in when we're done and start once everyone is ready.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 15, 2010, 01:07:40 pm
The Gift of Rain and The Hunger Games are both ready for pickup at the library, and I have moved up to 33 from 36 on the hold list for The Help.

Don't know if I will have time to swing by today, but tomorrow for sure.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 15, 2010, 06:59:19 pm
Just got Rain and Hunger today.

Am in the middle of another book though, so won't start reading Rain for a couple of days.

I like Sara's suggestion of everyone just starting to read and checking in when they are finished. 

Who's with me?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 15, 2010, 07:18:29 pm
I'm in, at least I will be tomorrow.

What are you finishing up, Jan?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 15, 2010, 08:58:23 pm
I have started Rain but am going no where too fast - I think I am on chapter 2.  Kendie's surgery is tomorrow so I should be able to read some while we are waiting...I like the idea of everyone just starting...I guess that is what I kind of thought that we would do anyway...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 17, 2010, 10:56:21 am
Picked up my books at the library today.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on March 17, 2010, 04:32:18 pm
Just got Rain and Hunger today.

Am in the middle of another book though, so won't start reading Rain for a couple of days.

I like Sara's suggestion of everyone just starting to read and checking in when they are finished. 

Who's with me?

Jan


Sounds like a plan to me ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on March 17, 2010, 09:00:58 pm
OK ..... finally finished "People of the Book" ..... thanks, Sara, for pushing me to go ahead and finish it.  It was a terrific book.  Just wish I could have read it more quickly to follow everything more easily.  Interesting twist at the end.  Loved the way she went back and forth between past and present so seamlessly.

Now, on to "The Gift of Rain," starting tomorrow!

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 17, 2010, 09:11:52 pm
Sara -

I'm currently reading "A Girl Could Stand Up" by Leslie Marshall.

I read a review of it a long time ago, added it to my book pile, and just finally got around to reading it.  It's a little quirky, but I'm enjoying it.

I'm only on page 66 (my new exercise routine has been cutting into my reading time) but I hope to finish it sometime this weekend.   Then I'll start Rain.

I'm off of work a few days next week with my kids - Spring Break already - so I hope to get in many hours of reading; after I sleep late, that is  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on March 18, 2010, 05:31:49 am
I'm only on page 66 (my new exercise routine has been cutting into my reading time) but I hope to finish it sometime this weekend.   

Jan

Jill, will be proud to see that, Jan :)  See you over on the "fitness" thread!

Clarice, glad you finished People of the Book - is one of my favorites that we've read here!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on March 18, 2010, 06:43:54 am
OK, I'm going to try to jump in on this too. I missed doing the last book.
So, we're doing "The Gift of Rain?"  I should be able to pick it up tomorrow. Who is the author?
And what is the 'people' book - sounds like a lot of y'all like that one? I'll try to find that too. I think I can have bookstore time build into my schedule tomorrow.
Looking forward to it!

Keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 18, 2010, 06:49:02 am
Keri -

the author is Tan Twan Eng. 

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on March 18, 2010, 08:12:28 pm
Did ever have a day that made you wonder about people in charge of stuff ???

When I went to bookstore they didn't have Gift of Rain and said they would order it ...

got package today and inside was Hunger Game ...  :-\  ... I bought and took it home with me when I ordered Rain ...
so I call and when told them the problem the woman I spoke to said oops ... very professional ... she
said to bring HG to store and they would trade it for Rain which is now back in the store ... I told her since I am about an
hour away I wanted them to ship it to me ...

I was told that if I had HG more than a week they couldn't trade as I could read it and just want to swap the book ... I told
her to look back on order form and attached copy of receipt and note that I had purchased HG the day I ordered Rain ... she
says Oh ... again very professional ...

conversation went on forever and gave me a headache  >:(... I think that was because toward end of conversation I was beating
my head on my desk ... :o

Long story short they are shipping me Rain and a prepaid shipping envelope with their address already filled out on it and I am to
return HG to them as soon as I get Rain ...I think I will send them The Shack   ;D

PS...ended up going to Huntsville Alabama and got books at Books For Less ...cheaper than Books A Million and have never had a
problem with them before ...and they give 20% off anything they have to order for you that they are out of ...only gave $8.99 for
hardback of HG and it was 9.95 for Rain ... maybe I will get it in a day or 2 ...but not holding my breath
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on March 19, 2010, 07:42:51 am
Oh my ..... what a story.  Fortunately we have a Books a Million nearby and they usually have everything I want at a reduced price (with membership, of course).  Often I order from Amazon because they always have it (if it's still in print) and they ship quickly.  We have a really nice local book store/coffee shop but their selection is much more limited and full price.  However, I still try to support the local economy whenever possible.

"Rain" is a fascinating read in the first chapter, already.  Anxious to keep going ..... so get off the Forum (to myself, that is .....  ::)) and read!

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on March 19, 2010, 07:52:24 pm
Brought three thick novels to my caregiving gig and haven't turned a page yet.  I have a new respect for the nursing profession.  My knees and hip are so painful I can't sleep at night.  Ugh.  I think they sent her home too early.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on March 20, 2010, 08:33:06 pm
only place in town to get books is Walmart and they have reduced the size of shelf area and don't have much ...

When I go to Huntsville or Nashville I try to get 3 or 4 or more ...and on occasion order from Amazon ... but I am a funny buyer who likes to touch what I buy ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 24, 2010, 05:43:45 am
Have packed The Gift of Rain to take along this weekend.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on March 24, 2010, 07:35:36 am
nancy - i empathize with the caregiving 'gig.' i hope that works out alright without taking too much out of you...

i didn't buy the books as planned. hope to soon.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 24, 2010, 09:11:31 am
I'm not getting thru this as fast as usual but enjoy it so far - probably close to 1/2 way...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on March 24, 2010, 09:21:23 am
I haven't even started it yet...

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on March 24, 2010, 04:51:25 pm
I have yet to receive Gift of Rain ... and refuse to start Hunger Games until I read Rain ...

while waiting patiently ,  I am reading Poe ... as part of The Big Read I received a free copy of Poe Tales and Poetry ...
so far they have all ended just like they did in middle and high school ...

also read Rebel Hart that my 10 year old brought home from school ...
fictionalized life of Nancy Hart ...teenage , female spy of the Civil War ...

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 24, 2010, 05:17:39 pm
Haven't even cracked either book and I'm back to work tomorrow.

So much for my dreams of reading  ::)   But, I did work out daily, slept late a few times, chauffered kids around, cleaned the bathrooms, did the laundry, etc., so at least I feel I've accomplished something.

Will try to get to the book by the weekend.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 24, 2010, 11:09:51 pm
Oh shoot, I brought the wrong book, didn't I? Oh well, little time to read anyway.

S
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 25, 2010, 06:47:09 am
Sara~
I thought it was Rain - that is what I am reading - isn't that what you packed?

K   ???
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on March 25, 2010, 06:55:22 am
I thought we were reading "The Gift of Rain" ..... am I reading the wrong one, as well??   ???

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on March 25, 2010, 12:21:03 pm
Yes, it is Gift of Rain, isn't it???  That's what I've been thinking...

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on March 25, 2010, 06:54:09 pm
I think it is The Gift of Rain ... I hope it is since I finally got my copy ... it waiting for me on my porch when I got home ...mail
lady drove the several hundred feet up to house and braved the attack goose to put it where it wouldn't be hanging in a bag
from mail box getting rained on ...

gonna start reading it tomorrow ... I have no grand baby to keep me company tomorrow , house mostly in order , don't have to be at
school except first thing to get rid of my kids ... could put rest of house in order ...

but ....
I have waited and been frustrated and want to read something over the 8th grade level ... I did get a $10 store credit for their mix up , so
that kinda made up for them sending wrong book ... made Rain cost 5 cents plus tax ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 25, 2010, 08:01:21 pm
Gift of Rain it is.

Don't know when discussion will start, as some of us haven't opened the book yet.

Jan (guilty as charged)  :-[
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 26, 2010, 06:48:16 am
I had both Rain and Hunger stacked on the table, grabbed Hunger by mistake. Oh well, no time to read anyway.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 28, 2010, 10:19:40 am
Finally started Rain last night.  Finished the first two chapters.

I really like the way the author writes. 

Looking foward to reading some more today.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on March 28, 2010, 03:11:51 pm
I didn't start reading Friday as planned but started reading it last night ... made it to page 98 before getting groggy and blurry eyed I wanted to get 100 pages in but 98 was last page of chapter 9 so stopped there ... I will be glad to get new glasses next week and hopefully can read easier ...

I got right into it ...and so far I am pleased ... different that what I would probably just go pick on my own , but that for me is the fun part of this group reading ... expanding our reading base according to recommendations of others ...

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 31, 2010, 06:46:23 am
Am really enjoying this book - and ironically I wouldn't have even picked it up, if it wasn't for this Forum.

I've been reading into the wee hours of the morning and am on Chapter 18.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on March 31, 2010, 06:57:04 am
That's the beauty of a book group, isn't it?  I loved this book, but would not have found it on my own if it hadn't been assigned by my book club.  Lots to talk about when all of you finish!
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 31, 2010, 07:03:43 am
That's is why I wanted us to start reading again.  I have a tendancy toward easy reading (fluff) - I do think that has to do with where I am in my life & how I have to read in little spurts at pickup and stuff!  I am REALLY enjoying it (& of course, wouldn't have checked it out!) but am really struggling with time!!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on March 31, 2010, 08:12:32 am
I'm a bit over half way through it...

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on March 31, 2010, 08:32:53 am
we are all in agreement then ... the group expands our reading horizons ...

I alternate between fluff , books that have a message  , text books or kiddy books with pictures ...

I try to keep my mind well rounded ...matches my expanding figure  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on March 31, 2010, 08:45:18 am
Picked up a nasty cold from the grandkids so didn't feel like reading for several days.  Better now, but with all of the activities of Holy Week, I may not read much until Sunday afternoon.  Actually I may read Saturday evening when I am a basketball widow.   :D  OK, don't come down too hard on me for not being a huge sports fan like my husband!

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Cheryl R on March 31, 2010, 11:05:06 am
Soundy, Do you have a blog?            I bet you would have a well read one if did as I enjoy reading your posts about life in Tenn.   The country aspect would be very interesting to many.       I am in the country too so know about what you talk about but many city people may not as much.          We are only acreage so not farmers but many of our friends are and my husband is chore person for several.  That is not at the moment with the mending broken hip but bet will be back to it in time.   He goes back to dr next Mon and we will see if can be allowed to walk on his own again.              He is now back to work this week but only in office of small grain elevator and says he is taking it easy.    I just hope so!                           Just wish the health issues weren't what you also have to talk about!                                             Cheryl R
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 31, 2010, 03:54:41 pm
I read too much fluff, too.

At times it's great - and mindless - however, I love reading the books suggested by the "club" when I need something with substance.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on March 31, 2010, 10:10:13 pm
well, i still haven't bought the book yet. and like clarice, sooo busy with all the church services for Holy Week.
but end of next week i'll be supervising/chaperoning a group of high school kids on a band trip to new york city. i hope to be reading it on the bus by then.

keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 01, 2010, 08:07:35 am
Keri~
I think we're all a little slow on the up take!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 01, 2010, 08:11:13 am
I haven't even finished the first chapter yet and it is due April 7 . . . hope I can renew it.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 01, 2010, 10:43:35 am
Soundy, Do you have a blog?                           


short answer No ... I have thought about and have written out some experience for self and friends ... when I am typing here or at other group places I belong it is easy ... stuff just falls out of my head and through my fingers to key board ... but if I am trying to write something purposely to be read it is harder ...

as I have said before , said we live on a funny farm ...with Waldo the trans gender  , interspecies goose that is a very confused animal but makes a great guard dog , Maggie the donkey that Bo gave me for Christmas to get me out in the world more and to keep me company when home alone ( has the man ever heard of a cat ?)  , the Brahma cow we had , Dave , that died a few years ago ...many adventures and misadventures with her that I have shared elsewhere ...she tried to smash everyone here but had the best calf out of herd every year , so was allowed to stay (she was another Christmas present from dear husband ...could have used a blender or toaster that year )   and lord only know what else that I have forgot ... I observe my world ...here on the farm and when I am out and about ...and my kids who are hilarious at times without trying ...and share things that I find humor in and think others might ...  have a doozy from school from an incident Monday morning ... a bunch of us found it  funny but not sure it would be appreciated here ... may try it out and if moderators want to pitch it that would be fine ... I think best I have shared here was the Gnome that visited me in recovery from AN surgery ...

people tell me that stuff like I share doesn't happen in their world ... I think it does but some people have tunnel vision and see what they have to and don't pay as much attention to there peripheral world around them ...

I am not big on Malls ...not a big shopper ... but have found a good use for Malls ... I like to buy a drink and maybe a snack ...donut holes , chips etc ... find a bench and just sit and watch people ... people do alot of funny things all the time .. I like catching them in the act and they don't know it ... then I journal for myself what I see ....I have done this since a teenager about 100 years ago

I had a point but lost it ... :-\

Read on ... I have a little bit to go on the book ... could have finished it last night but a little voice came drifting through the house ... it said Mom I need stick puppets tomorrow of Tom Sawyer , Aunt Polly , Becky Thatcher and a cat named Peter that is orange ... not word that I want to hear at 9:00pm  >:(... thank goodness for Making Friends dot com and their printable paper dolls ....last night was a story in it's self , but won't bore y'all with it ...it spilled over into this morning ..


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 01, 2010, 11:22:06 am
You do write well and I have always enjoyed reading your take on things.  I admire the underlying humor that comes through when you are describing family situations!

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Cheryl R on April 01, 2010, 11:36:20 am
Still think you would do a super blog!       Have you ever been sent the emails of people of Walmart and the very interesting attire they wear there?           I have kept several as just amazes me what people can look like and let themselves be seen in public.   
I think the same thing of the Iowa State fair as I love to watch people there too.               
                                                                      Cheryl R
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 02, 2010, 07:51:41 am
Am stalled on Chapter 18.  Spending lots of time at the gym  :) and at work  :(

Three hour conference call last evening!  UGH!!!

Hope to start reading again this weekend.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 03, 2010, 10:26:41 pm
between baby sitting and trying to finish minor kitchen remodeling so I can feed a hoard of hungry people tomorrow I have not made it  to the end ... will probably go back a chapter or two to pick up thread of story where I left off ... maybe Monday or Tuesday ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 04, 2010, 06:17:46 pm
The Amazing Race on CBS has the teams in Penang right now - they just went to the Snake Temple as visited by Phillip early in the book...snakes were every where alright :-\

I finished the book...will refrain from any comments :)

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 04, 2010, 06:27:40 pm
OHHHH...I am waiting to watch it later but I have read enough to know about the Snake Temple and the fortune teller!!  How exciting...I love it when stuff like that happens!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 08, 2010, 05:29:38 pm
I have yet to return to book and finish it ... gonna have to go back a bit and re-read and git 'er done ... no baby today but had to take 12 year old to get boosters and a slushy and get groceries due to family looking sickly from lack of nourishment (junk food ran out ) ... should finish it tonight if nothing comes up between now and bedtime

a question and shouldn't ask with one book not done (Gift of Rain)  and another waiting in wings (Hunger Games) but will anyway ...has anyone read Blind Side ? ... my 10 year old bought it for me because she wants to see the movie ...I always say that I don't like the movie as much if I have read the book first ... so she bought the book  in hopes I read it and then go pick up the movie and watch it and give her the approval to watch it ...

I think her logic is back wards ... shouldn't she want me to see the movie first since in theory I am not going to like the movie if I have read the book ?  ???...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 08, 2010, 07:18:56 pm
I had wondered about that book - I loved the movie!

K ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 08, 2010, 11:03:17 pm
Almost done with Rain; only a couple of chapters to go.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 09, 2010, 06:58:33 am
I'm in the "2nd book" which isn't nearly as long...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 09, 2010, 07:34:45 am
I'm in  Chapter 9, about a quarter of the way in. I knocked off a couple of chapters at the airport yesterday waiting for my eldest to return from study abroad in Panama. She had a great trip and I am looking forward to hearing more about it. Her sister is very jealous of her tan.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 10, 2010, 04:24:24 pm
Her sister is very jealous of her tan.

Sounds like me and my daughter.  I'm paler than pale and she's blessed with her father's skin; as is her brother.  One day in the sun and she's bronze for the entire summer.

I just burn, fade, and peel  :'(

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on April 11, 2010, 09:35:04 pm
i chaperoned a high school band trip to new york city this past thursday until late saturday night. as soon as i got of the bus in NYC, i found a borders and bought the book. between waiting in lines and riding the bus for the next several days, i had the book almost finished by the time i got back home late last night. i finished it today.
good book! it gave me something to do when we stood in line for 2+ hours to get on the boat to head to the Statue of Liberty.
i had never read anything before on this aspect of WW II.


keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 12, 2010, 05:07:57 am
I finished Book 1 last night. Between taxes, school play, field trips and getting my eldest back to college, it may be the end of the week before I pick it up again.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 12, 2010, 06:59:06 am
I will really push to get it finished in the next couple of days...I am close to the end...I don't think I have ever taken so long to finish a book.  I like it, just a busy time, I guess...

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 12, 2010, 12:25:13 pm
I will really push to get it finished in the next couple of days...I am close to the end...I don't think I have ever taken so long to finish a book.  I like it, just a busy time, I guess...

K  ;D

I have not gotten back to it and finished  :-\ ... after the good start and getting almost through it I am disappointed in my lack of a strong finish ...

with the kids home all week and going ninety to nothing with them , I just haven't had time ... did get my new glasses with bifocals Friday and I can read with my glasses on and both eyes open ... should speed reading up and make it more pleasant ...I have been putting house back in order today and tonight hope to clock out and finish the book
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 12, 2010, 02:20:41 pm
Don't get stressed about finishing the book quickly, y'all...reading is all about enjoyment and relaxing, well it is for me!  So don't feel like you need to rush - enjoy it and take your time :) 

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 13, 2010, 08:11:42 pm
I finished The Gift of Rain last night.

Thanks to whoever suggested we read it.  It's not a book I had heard of - or would have picked myself - and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Truly a great story.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 14, 2010, 09:19:07 am
Finished this morning at the orthodontist. I was puzzled about something so I went back and re-read the first chapter, which was rich in foreshadowing.

It occurred to me that there is a theme among several of our recent selections: Sarah's Key, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and now The Gift of Rain all deal with lesser-known (at least to me) aspects of WWII.

I enjoyed the book and am looking forward to our discussion.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on April 15, 2010, 03:03:21 pm
I missed Sarah's Key. If I can remember to get it, I think I would like to read it.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 16, 2010, 05:40:55 am
Keri, I think you would enjoy. Like Gift, it alternates between past and present, although not from the same viewpoint.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 18, 2010, 09:19:03 am
Kids had science fair this week and 4-H demonstrations and project board along with baking and photo contest for 4-H ... crazy week which ended yesterday with booth at TSC collecting donations for 4-H and a Scout bike rodeo ... I am wiped out

but was a good week ...Sarah got 1st place with her science fair project ... she told out dogs (and had me and her sister tell them too ) how dumb and stupid they were but did it in a nice voice ... then told them in a mean voice how smart and good they were ... she was trying to prove if when you talked to your dog if the responded more to tone of voice or words used ... and this was not to test obedience commands but conversational words we have all had with our animals ... 2 dogs took off to their house and third rolled over and peed ...so he hypothesis was correct that they understood tone of voice not words ... and she gave each a treat and big hug after watch session ... she was happy

she also won demonstration and biscuit and 2 first places in photo a second and third place

Hannah compared paper towels to see if buying cheaper ones was really cheaper ... turns out that the mid priced towel (bounty) was cheaper to use because it absorbed better in 3 tests and was more durable in the three tests she ran than other two tested towels ... she loved pouring syrup , ketchup and mustard in a puddle on the island and letting it dry all day while at school and coming back to clean it up ... hubby was not to happy to walk in from work and see the mess ... I also let her squirt mustard on the floor ...daddy not to happy ... she won 1st place for 6th grade ...both go on to county science fair ...

Hannah also won first place for her project board and had 2 second place photos , and a first place ...both girls advance to regional 4-H competition ... all that said means I have still not finished the book  >:( ... this week is T-CAP tests at school and I am proctoring which means I have to sit in classes and make sure that teachers don't assist kids or slip them any answers ... will have a hour break each day so hoping to take the book , go back to middle and start there and finish it off ...did I tell you all I love my new glasses with invisible bifocal ???... I can read with both eyes open and guess what ???... I don't get a head ache reading ...wooo hooo ...well I don't get a head ache reading school books and to little kids at library ...have not really tested it enough on reading my book


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 18, 2010, 04:14:52 pm
You gotta love science fair projects.  I have been on both sides, as an educator and as a parent.  They are a pain in the you-know-what no matter which side you are on, but there really isn't a better way to teach the scientific method.  My daughter and son both have fond memories of them.  As a parent, I remember lots of late nights and cajoling!  I live in the Johnson Space Center (NASA) employment pool, so the science fair takes on a whole new meaning in our neck of the woods.  You know how people say "Well, it's not exactly rocket science."  That doesn't fly in this neighborhood!  It IS rocket science, and it is very likely that your neighbor has been in space or sent someone up into space.  Science fair in my school district is very serious business!  God bless all those faithful parents who have shepherded their kids through the process. Way to go, Soundy!  The projects sounded great.

I hope people liked the book.  I loved the writing and the theme of forgiveness and redemption.
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on April 18, 2010, 04:16:39 pm
Soundy ~

I'm not really part of the ANA Book Club but I wanted to thank you for your update on your children's activities this weekend.  Some of your post really jogged my memory, back to when I was about 10 years old.

My family owned a purebred brindle Boxer that won over 50 ribbons in his brief 'career' (he died of cancer at age 7).  My dad used to hold free dog obedience classes on Saturdays at the local elementary school for kids and grownups.  I used to help.  One of the first lessons was showing the students that, as my dad used to put it: "dogs don't speak English" and that issuing commands in the 'right' tone of voice was far more important than what you said.  I would do exactly what your daughter (Sarah) did and talk to our Boxer (a very intelligent, well-trained dog) in pleasant tones but saying mean things like "You're an ugly, flea-bitten mutt" and nice things in mean tones, i.e. "Nice dog, what a good dog".  Predictably, our Boxer ('Luke') would cringe at the 'nice' words spoken in harsh tones and wag his tail at the mean things spoken in a pleasant tone of voice.  The kids always got a big laugh out of it and the adults learned something - I think.  Apparently, most people are not aware of the 'tone' issue in training a dog to voice commands, so Sarah did a service for her classmates.  

Hannah's paper towel demonstration was creative and practical so your other daughter deserved her award.  That she had some fun doing her project is a bonus.  Children seeing that learning can be fun is always a blessing.  Enjoy your new glasses!.

Jim
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 18, 2010, 04:18:13 pm
Oh, and one more thing....we are doing Stanford Achievement Tests this coming week so I am looking forward to a fairly chill week. No homework or papers to grade. Woo hoo! Soundy, we seem to be on the same track for the coming week  ;). Enjoy your enforced reading time!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 18, 2010, 06:58:23 pm
Jim ... what was funny with Sarah was catching her share with Scruffy her win and talking to him as if he understood each word ... I asked her if she was not going against her findings and she said that was for the science fair and rolled her eyes  ::) ... and she also learned tone of voice you use when talking to people who do understand the words makes a difference too...

Ms Maggie ... we live just north of Huntsville and have a strong " Rocket Science " influence here ... many parents work in the space programs there for a long time many projects involved space ...but most of our science fair projects the past year or two have ran most to agricultural themes ... last year Hannah won with a comparison of Garden Tea and Miracle Gro plant food ... Garden Tea being tea made from steeping composted cow poo and diluting it to the color of ice tea  :) ... not rocket science but a winner ...by the way ...Garden Tea beat Miracle Gro in germination and growth rate for fescue , rye grass and  marigolds  :D ...

I went back to middle of the book and started reading again this afternoon ... I am enjoying it and the refresh is good for my lagging memory ... something I won't mention hit me early on in the book and gave me a sad gut feeling ... I almost hate having aha moments early in a book or movie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 18, 2010, 07:56:35 pm
Me too, Soundy, wonder if it is the same aha?

sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 19, 2010, 05:53:48 am
Since no one seemed ready to discuss The Gift of Rain and I needed to read something, I started the Hunger Games this weekend. 

Very interesting, so far.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 19, 2010, 07:56:52 am
Does everyone think they can finish up and begin discussing next week? Haven't heard from Steve in a while, is he reading this one?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 19, 2010, 08:24:45 am
I figured everyone is waiting on me...I don't have far but seems like I just have SOOOO much to do now that we found out we are moving...I did read some last night when I couldn't sleep...I'll try to finish it in the next day or so...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 19, 2010, 09:49:09 am
I had an AHA! moment too.  I bet we all thought the same thing!

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 19, 2010, 11:17:35 am
I don't know if I had an AHA moment or not?  Will be curious to know what y'all are talking about once we start the discussion...

I read The Help while waiting...know some of you read it - any comments on it while we wait to start Gift discussions?  I found it just ok - entertaining to read, but not a page-turner...

Cindy (Very glad my Science Project helping days are OVER :D )
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 19, 2010, 11:31:54 am
I'm still on the library hold list for The Help. Thought we were doing Gift, then The Hunger Games, then The Help?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 19, 2010, 02:47:47 pm
Oh, I didn't know The Help was on our list...oops, sorry.  Yes, it's The Gift and then Hunger Games for sure. I just read The Help because I'd heard so much about it.  If it's on the list, then don't talk about it yet...I retract my previous statement ;)

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 19, 2010, 07:48:21 pm
My 'aha' was correct ...

I finished the book this afternoon after going on household duty strike ... just tired and needed time down so read ...nice being boss  :D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on April 19, 2010, 08:53:21 pm
Better not wait for me, I don't seem to be getting this done. I will do what I can this weekend.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 20, 2010, 06:36:10 am
FINALLY,,,I finished!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 20, 2010, 09:46:03 am
Shall we plan on starting discussion next Monday, then? I'm betting Steve will knock out the rest of the book this weekend.

I just got a note that The Hunger Games is ready for pickup at the library. I had to turn it back in before reading it because of the hold list. Good timing. I'm still #23 on the hold list for The Help, though.

Sara

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 20, 2010, 05:27:16 pm
I read Hunger Games last year and enjoyed it.  Someone in my book group recently gave me a copy of The Help to read, but I found it to be a very painful reminder of living in tobacco country in N.C. during the early 60's.  I was in high school when it was integrated for the first time, and I remember only too well the designated drinking fountains and segregated restaurants in town.  I also remember being labeled a n*****-lover because I refused to agree with their racist policies.  Not a fun time in my young life, as I recall.  Reading the book was difficult.
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 21, 2010, 07:13:12 pm
Monday works for me.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 21, 2010, 09:45:18 pm
after the struggle to get Rain finished I am about 2/3 through Hunger Games  :o ... what can I say ... nothing good on TV at 3 this morning when I woke up and had no good reason to run to Walmart  :D ... I am not sure there is a good reason to visit Walmart at 3 ... but I do it quite often

Monday is good for me

My dad was raised in Mobile and had some bad experiences , which in his mind made all people of color the enemy ...he would have been in trouble had he not been in the army and away from the area at the worst of the 60s ... we were in Alaska from 62-68 and then in Los Angeles from 68-73 and watched things from a far  ... he told me once that if I had lived in Mobile I would have been dead in a ditch ...Oh well better dead in a ditch than a racist ... I try to raise my kids that way which is sometimes a challenge living in Pulaski , known as the birth place of the KKK ... some things die hard in the south and racism is one of them ... it is alive and well here ... we need a vaccine ...

Have the Help here somewhere and  need to re-read it ... have another book that is similar to it ... these topics may be painful but I think need revisiting ...grrrrrrrrr trying to make a point that I have lost ... I have a thought rattling around in my head but it isn't typing well ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 25, 2010, 06:38:06 pm
I, too, am 2/3 of the way through the Hunger Games.

I'm finding it very good reading.

Thanks to whomever suggested it  ;D

And did someone say there was a sequel?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 25, 2010, 07:08:22 pm
YES - the sequel is already out and the 3rd one is due (I think) in August...Addi will know.  So great to not have to look for the book...well, except for in Addi's room!!  ::)

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 26, 2010, 10:16:16 am
Do we have a king/queen to begin the discussion?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 26, 2010, 11:14:25 am
You can put the crown on, Sara :)

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 26, 2010, 11:27:28 am
agree
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 26, 2010, 11:36:13 am
I'm game. I'll start with asking about the AHA moment that several of us mentioned. I'm wondering whether it is the same one or perhaps there were more because I thought there was a LOT of foreshadowing in the book. Mine was that Philip would kill Endo-san, specifically with the sword that Endo-san presented him.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 26, 2010, 11:43:57 am
I was wondering what the AHA was for everyone too.  I didn't really have an AHA - I have had a few other things on my mind lately!   :o

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 26, 2010, 12:25:39 pm
I felt early on , as in the first 20 pages or so , that Phillip would be somehow a traitor through association with Endo-san ... I felt he was being a spy of sorts or rather accessory to a spy ...what made me think this was the pictures in Endo-san's house on the island ... the feel they gave Phillip ...the way he described them made me think they were observation photos not for pleasure

I also thought that eventually Phillip would have to kill Endo-san and the sword would be the way he would do so

I also thought Endo-san played on Phillips issolation(emotional) from his family along with the fact he was physically alone aside from a few servants ... he filled a void in Phillips life




Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 26, 2010, 01:31:14 pm
I could tell early on that Endo-san was using Philip.  I guessed that he was a spy because he took too many pictures and asked too many questions.  Like you , Soundy, I felt that he was "grooming" Philip by forging a very close relationship that served to isolate him from his family.
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 26, 2010, 04:02:08 pm
So here's my question.

If you were in Philip's shoes, would you have turned traitor also in order to save your family?

Or would you have followed his sister's thinking that nothing was worth betraying your country?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 26, 2010, 06:11:20 pm
I will jump in.  I think that Philip did what he did for possibly a couple of reasons.  He never felt like he was a part of the family because he was the only Eurasian child, and then his father started paying attention to him.  He may have been discovering what it felt like to be a contributing member of the family instead of just an onlooker.. He may have felt a new connection that he wanted to preserve, no matter the cost.  On the other hand, he may have done it out of guilt that he had not previously made that much of an effort to be an active part of the family.  I think he discovered, too late, how much he really loved his family and made the only choice he could.  I am not totally sure what choice I would have made, but since I am a mother, I probably would have done whatever it took to protect my loved ones.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 26, 2010, 06:12:49 pm
I know I had a more coherent answer in my head at some point, but this is the end of a 12 hour day and coherent thoughts are in short supply!
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 26, 2010, 06:28:45 pm
Even though I think that Endo-san used Phillip, I DO think that he helped him realize the importance of family...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 26, 2010, 07:03:08 pm
I think I would have chosen the route Phillip did ...sometimes I found myself whispering to him to just tell someone what was going on and why he was doing what he was  doing ...

I think Endo-san was a victim also of the time ... he was doing what he had to do to help his family ... he had to have Phillip to accomplish this ... and even though his association with Endo-san hurt Philip , Phillip loved him and respected him the rest of his life ... he taught him that family though not always perfect was family and helped Phillip gain a relationship with his dad that wasn't there before ...

also , not my most coherent post but has been a long day
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 27, 2010, 03:56:28 pm
To answer my own question, I'm not sure what I would have done.

I debated that while I was reading the book and never really did make up my mind.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 28, 2010, 05:57:10 am
Finished Hunger Games last night - excellent book.  I'm going to order the sequel within the next few days.  The third - and last - book in the series isn't coming out until August 24th.

Another question about The Gift of Rain.

What do you think of the idea that we are all somehow linked to each other from previous lives?  And that it is our destiny to "complete" what has happened in those lives?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 28, 2010, 11:54:20 am
hmmm, the AHA moment...when did y'all have it?  In the very first part before it goes back in time?  I didn't pick up on it then, but later when Endo-san was training him, it became pretty obvious.

Good questions, Jan...As far as the connection to our past lives...I have always been fascinated with the subject - not a believer, but always enjoying reading about it.

Regarding whether to turn "traitor" or not, I don't know what I would have done in that situation - being born in this country with safety we so often take for granted, I think it's hard for any of us to imagine having to make such a decision.  I think Phillip did the right thing in his situation, but I don't like the way he handled it with his family.   It just drove me nuts that none of them hardly discussed it at all - they were just all mad at Phillip, and Phillip never tried to justify or explain his decision to them...I blame the author for this, however, not Phillip ;)

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 28, 2010, 03:29:20 pm
My "aha" moments were on page 34 ch.3 when Phillip asked Endo-san if he had been to England and after Phillip said that people said the warnings of war were just talk ... Endo-san replied War will break out .... he knew there would be war ...so positive ...it made me think he was there for a reason... the island seemed too much like a hideout instead of a place of retreat

then on page 41 & 42 when Phillip was looking at the photographs , they seemed like surveillance or the pin pointing of places ... the lack of people in them just seemed out of place


as for being linked to someone or something in the past ... I am not sure I believe , but have had a few strong deja vu moments when I feel like someone I just met , I have known before and they feel the same ... and have had experiences where something was going on and seems familiar and I have told people that something was going to happen and it has or something very similar ...sometimes I feel like we are in a giant play that is played out over and over as kinks are trying to be worked out ...dress rehearsal if you will ...

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 30, 2010, 07:58:52 pm
I finished Book 2 ( Catching Fire ) of Hunger Games Trilogy and hate the last line telling me that it was the end of book 2... grrrrrrrrr ...I've  pre-ordered book 3 ( Mockingjay) from scholastic and it will be delivered in August along with a mockingjay pin ...yipee ...I am the worlds worst waiter  >:(
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: 4cm in Pacific Northwest on May 04, 2010, 12:33:13 pm
If this book was already brought up -excuse my being repetitive. I did not want to read back 98 pages (popular thread! )

Has anyone read this book?
Brain: The Complete Mind by Michael S Sweeny © 2009 National Geographic Books
An amazon sneak peek
http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Complete-Michael-S-Sweeney/dp/1426205473


The book has many wonderful illustrations and will explain neuroscience in layman (or laywoman’s) terms.  (GAWD I wish I had this book available to me in 2007 when I was trying o figure out what to do for AN TUMA treatment and was clueless about the physiology of the brain -as I tried to interpret the MRI radiology report!!) It relates neuroscience - its development education, research and application to our EVERYDAY world. It mentions people like Michael J Fox, Ronald Reagan and their health issues… If it had been published later it probably would have mentioned Ted Kennedy and his brain tumor. It sits on my coffee table and appears to grab the attention of visitors to my living room, young and old a like, like no other.

DHM
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on May 04, 2010, 01:51:13 pm
i finished THe Gift of Rain a few weeks ago then read another quick read suspense novel over the weekend while travelling... so let's see if i can remember to answer somewhat coherently.

I think "as a proud American" it's hard to see why Phillip would betray his country, family etc. But, i realized, he wasn't an American.. he felt disconnected from family and maybe from his country. Plus he was young, and there is such a strong tie between mentor and mentee (probably not even a word) ; teacher and student.

I'd like to look over the book some more before commenting. My husband is reading it now. I liked the book, although i'm not into the 'prior life' thing; that's part of the religious views they held. I found it entertaining and informative, as all the reading I've done with WWII is mostly on the European front.

I do feel Endo-san was taking the track he did to help his father who was captured/punished; or to try to make that situation right in some way. I can't remember enough of the details though at the moment.

I did enjoy reading the development of the charater of Phillip, his father (who seemed to be more human/caring near the end), Endo-san's 'girlfriend' (hate to put it so tritely; can't remember her name). Also, i thought it was great how Endo-san and his father did reconnect in a deep manner.

I did find it amusing that you could be sitting around with your friend and all of a sudden you attack each other to test each other, challenge each other, etc. !!

Keri
I

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 04, 2010, 05:25:31 pm
If this book was already brought up -excuse my being repetitive. I did not want to read back 98 pages (popular thread! )

Has anyone read this book?
Brain: The Complete Mind by Michael S Sweeny © 2009 National Geographic Books
An amazon sneak peek
http://www.amazon.com/Brain-Complete-Michael-S-Sweeney/dp/1426205473



I don't remeber if it has been brought up but sounds interesting and something to check on ... I was lucky to have a doctor (PCP ) that didn't mind translating anything I had questions on into english from the doctorese it was written in ...

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>


Back to Phillip and his betrayal of country ....it almost seems he was betraying business life instead of his country ... he seems a child with no country… he was half Chinese half English living on Malayan soil living off the sweat and toil of others employed by his father … and I get the idea that the Europeans were tolerated not welcome there with open arms

Endo-san was in many respects his family and who he related to on a personal and emotional level … he loved his family… but I am not sure if it was love for a  family he grew up loving or love because they shared blood if not their personal lives …

he seemed an outsider and Endo-san accepted him and he lapped it up … too late he learned that the acceptance was to gather information through the trust he had for Endo-san … then he betrays his country or the business life of his fathers and others with business there … if you stop and think  the Europeans were there to pull what they could from the land … they were after tin and rubber and whatever they could get … I felt that they were just an early invasion of the area … they just didn’t come in shooting and killing to get what they wanted …

I think he just wanted to save his family which he had learned almost too late that he really loved … didn’t work out that way but he had to try …



This post is disjointed but maybe you can get what I am trying to convey …

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on May 04, 2010, 07:13:13 pm
Soundy,
My attempt to say just about exactly the same thing was equally disjointed, so I 'll just say "What she said!"  My thoughts echo yours. I loved the writing and thought it was an amazing first book for this author. 
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 04, 2010, 09:00:17 pm
Good point, Priscilla.  I forgot that this was a first book by the author and I, too, thought it was very well written.

Soundy, disjointed or not, I totally understand what you are saying - and I agree with you.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 04, 2010, 09:51:13 pm
If I knew you all could read disjointed so well I wouldn't have retyped that 6 times  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on May 12, 2010, 03:02:17 pm
We're about to drop off of page 1. Any more comments on Gift?

I have also finished The Hunger Games. Will withhold comments until we are ready to discuss it.

I watched the film version of The Time Traveler's Wife earlier this week.  I don't want to reveal too much in case some of you are still wanting to see it, but several major characters and scenes were left out and a major plot point was changed. My teenage daughter liked it a lot, but my grown up daughter and I (who had both read the novel) did not.

Happy reading.

Sara

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 12, 2010, 03:20:26 pm
I agree about the movie Time Travelers Wife ... it would have been fine if I had not read the book ... but having read the book , the movie disappointed me a bit

same goes for My Sisters Keeper ... the major differences between book and movie made look like this  >:( ... I was geared for one thing and when things went differently it threw me

As for Hunger Games ... no comment until permission to give one
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on May 12, 2010, 03:46:09 pm
I am next in line for My Sister's Keeper movie. Have moved up to 17 on the list for The Help.

On another line of thought altogether: I know that Steve was inspired to start knitting hats after reading The Friday Night Knitting Club. I have read a couple of other knitting club novels recently which turned out to be interesting. One is The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood. It is the story of a woman mourning the sudden death of her young daughter. I was not surprised to find out that the author had also lost a daughter to sudden illness because the characters and emotions rang so true. The second is The Beach Street Knitting Society and Yarn Club by Gil McNeil. This book is about a woman who was widowed when her husband was killed in an auto accident right after telling her he was leaving her for another woman, leaving her with two young sons. She then moves from London to a small village where her grandmother runs a yarn shop. Now that I've written it down the premise sounds terrible, but it is chock full of dry British humor (or is that humour?), crazy characters and preposterous situations.

Sara

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 12, 2010, 10:09:43 pm
Beach Street sound familiar ...I think my 12 year old is British ... she has that type sense of humor /humour and I get comments from teachers on it ... my little odd ball ...not sure where she came from ... not that the British are odd ... but a little hick girl from the sticks with British sense of humor /humour is a bit odd

I bought Sisters Keeper at Movie Gallery for $2.00 ... when they were in their final week I went in and bought 10 or 12 movies ... and it was in the lot ...  I loaned it to a friend who loaned it to a teacher who loaned it to her sister and lord only knows where it is now ... I may never see it again ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on May 14, 2010, 11:11:44 am
I heard about the change in the movie version of My Sister's Keeper (wasn't told the exact part, though)...that will definitely irritate me, but I'd still like to see it...loved the book!  While I liked Time Traveler's Wife, I don't have a desire to see the movie...didn't like the previews and I haven't heard any rave reviews about it...

Just started Hunger Games - hooked so far!  I was hooked with Gift of Rain at first also, but it didn't hold up for me.  It had all the makings of a great read - I liked the setting and the subject matter, but it fell a bit short for me...not sure exactly what it was...

Cindy 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on May 17, 2010, 03:14:27 pm
Finished Hunger Games...willtry not to comment on it...

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 17, 2010, 06:58:05 pm
Finished HG now on the next one, Catching Fire? Love them...

Glad I wasn't the only one that didn't LOVE Rain - liked it but didn't love - I think that's why it took me so long to read...

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 17, 2010, 08:20:47 pm
Still need to order Hunger Games book #2.

Looking forward to reading it,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on May 17, 2010, 09:26:24 pm
I am waiting for Catching Rain from the library. Should be here quite soon.

I watched the film version of My Sister's Keeper with my daughters tonight. The ending was different, but in some ways I liked it better. I also liked that they left out the lawyer's love interest. I did not think that relationship was plausible in the novel. And they downplayed the son's emotional and behavioral problems. I thought it was overall well-done.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: NancyMc on May 18, 2010, 12:20:34 pm
Anyone needing a light, funny read (so far, but I'm only about one-fourth of the way through it) could try Tracy Chevalier's Falling Angels.  I read her latest Remarkable Creatures and enjoyed it as well, based on the true story of Mary Anning.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on May 18, 2010, 04:21:11 pm
OK ...... I am really way behind on this.  Just wanted to say that I had an extremely difficult time getting through "The Gift of Rain" ..... especially the middle of it.  I just now finished it ..... glad I purchased it and not checked it out from the library ..... never would have made it.  The first few chapters were very fascinating, then I began to get bogged down.  It is one of those books where one should read it within a short period of time.  I kept forgetting what had happened earlier and when Phillip had first met each of the characters.  Anyway, the last part of it was well worth the read ..... when it was all resolved.  I will have to agree with a couple of the rest of you that I think Phillip spent his entire life feeling like an outsider, except when he was with Endo-san.

I am not going to try to keep up with the reading enthusiasts on this thread.  I am thoroughly enjoying all of the suggestions for good reads, I just cannot seem to keep up with the pace.  What are you going to read after the Hunger Games series?  Maybe I can catch up if I have a head start.   :D

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on May 18, 2010, 04:36:05 pm
Clarice, I think The Help is next on the list.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 18, 2010, 04:50:33 pm
I have come up on the list twice at the library for The Help - they called again today but i told them to take me off since we are moving.  I went ahead & read The Hunger Games because Addi already had those two books!!  Sure is easier to walk to her "library" than have to go out & find them!   ::)  AND I actually could find them in her room!!  REALLY enjoying them!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on May 18, 2010, 05:16:56 pm
Oops, sorry Kay, I wasn't specific enough . . . The Help is after The Hunger Games. I should be able to pick up Catching Fire in the next couple of days.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on May 18, 2010, 05:37:36 pm
OK, maybe I can make it since I already have The Help and have been wanting to read it anyway.   :-X

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 18, 2010, 08:12:22 pm
the movie Sisters Keeper was good ... just way different ...

I have read a book that is a dogs eye view of his life in a family from time he was picked from a litter until his death... and my foggy brain remembers the story but not the title ... I had how it selects what to remember  >:( ... a friend has it now or I would go look ...

now reading Black Duck because my 5th grader brought it home and has to write a scene from it in play form ... she is allowed assistance and I can't assist without reading it so I read on ... year 1929 ...kids find a dead body and it ties in with prohibition and eventually back to the Black Duck ... a rum running boat that worked the east coast ... based on true story ...I need to go googling because it has opened my curiosity and would like to know more ... here in Tennessee we know about fast cars and running shine and you see it in movies and on specials about NASCAR as it has it's origins planted  in shine running ... but you don't hear much about boats running rum or how other areas of the country got their alcohol fixes ...

I will hold my thoughts on Hunger Game until someone opens discussion

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 18, 2010, 08:32:38 pm
The Art Of Racing In The Rain ... was washing dishes and the title popped into my noggin   ;D

the dog book that is ... good but sad ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 19, 2010, 05:40:06 am
Soundy -

Lori was just telling Kaybo and me that The Art of Racing in the Rain is a great book.

Added it to my wish list at Amazon.com

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 19, 2010, 06:14:08 am
Lori was looking for her RUM - guess that is where it went!!  :D

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 19, 2010, 03:38:53 pm
I hear the song Way Hey and Up she Rises playing threw my head ...

mostly the line What do you do with a drunken sailor  ;D


The Art Of Racing in The Rain was good ... sad too but good ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on May 20, 2010, 09:05:42 pm
Ha! I just figured out a way around the long wait list for The Help at our library (I am currently #16). We belong to a consortium of lending libraries, and one of them has a copy available, so I requested it, and should have it within a week.

I am picking up Catching Fire tomorrow.

Sara

P.S. Any more comments on The Gift of Rain? If not, should we go ahead and set a discussion date for The Hunger Games?

P.P.S. Where is Steve?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on May 21, 2010, 06:38:50 am

P.S. Any more comments on The Gift of Rain? If not, should we go ahead and set a discussion date for The Hunger Games?

P.P.S. Where is Steve?

Do miss you and your great insight, and ability to put that insight into words for us, Steve!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on May 21, 2010, 07:52:52 am
i'm way behind on here too.
ok, so what's next? Help or Hunger? and if it's hunger, that's in a series of 3....are we doing all 3?
i'll try to catch up too. it's helps when i'm traveling. last time i read so much of 'rain' while standing in line in NYC and sitting on a bus with a bunch of high school kids.
thanks!
keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 21, 2010, 08:16:32 am
Hunger Games is a series of 3 but I don't think that the 3rd comes out until August...someone help me out here. I immediately went to the 2nd after b/c 1) Addi already had it 2) I LOVED the 1st!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on May 21, 2010, 09:18:23 am
i'm way behind on here too.
ok, so what's next? Help or Hunger? and if it's hunger, that's in a series of 3....are we doing all 3?
i'll try to catch up too. it's helps when i'm traveling. last time i read so much of 'rain' while standing in line in NYC and sitting on a bus with a bunch of high school kids.
thanks!
keri

It's Hunger (just the 1st one), then Help.  Hunger is a pretty quick read...

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on May 21, 2010, 09:59:22 am
My recollection is also The Hunger Games followed by The Help.

Although if we all enjoy the sequels in the Hunger Games series, it might be nice to go ahead and discuss them later.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on May 21, 2010, 11:13:41 am
I do plan to read the follow up books to Hunger, let's do plan to put them on our to-discuss-one-day-list.  I was describing it to my son and he said it sounds very much like Battle Royale.  Anyone read that one?

I'm back to my beloved historical fiction for a while...The Lymond Series and The Camulod Chronicles - very, very good reading for those of you who can stand historical stuff.  Not the "light reading" type like Phillipa Gregory's Tudor novels (though I do enjoy hers also) ;)

Forgot to mention a book I read a couple of weeks ago that was quite well done - Whistling in the Dark.  Written from the perspective of a 10 year old girl, but deals with very grown-up topics.  Not historical and not one I would have read if it had not been recommended to me, but I really enjoyed it.  Might actually be a good one to put on our list also...where is our list any way :D

Cindy

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sgerrard on May 21, 2010, 07:29:05 pm
P.P.S. Where is Steve?

Do miss you and your great insight, and ability to put that insight into words for us, Steve!

Cindy

I'm still here, but I haven't read The Gift of Rain. Thanks for thinking of me.

Steve
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 22, 2010, 12:46:02 pm
Am at the hospital - Emee (middle) had emergency appendectomy (is there any other kind really?)ast night. Had my book then but forgot it today in car!!  I went home about 3:15 to be there for our company this morning - we kind of rannout on them last night!! Dave stayed until I got back after Addi's 1st fame this morning!

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on May 22, 2010, 03:04:54 pm
Oh Kay ......

Life is never dull, is it??  I presume Emee is doing OK now.  What a night for you!

Many thoughts, love, and prayers.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on May 23, 2010, 07:43:01 pm
Goodness, Kaybo. Prayers for Emee. I've had my appendix out, so I know she is feeling better even if she is not up and about much yet.

I finished Catching Fire over the weekend, and The Help is in transit from the library.

Any last comments on The Gift of Rain?

Who's in for The Hunger Games discussion?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 23, 2010, 09:41:55 pm
She is better - thanks everyone.  I think that they are taking the "we are not taking anything to Houston that we don't need" a little too seriously!!  I didn't mean body parts...tonsils, appendix, etc!! ::)

I will finish Catching Fire tonight or tomorrow on the plane - I am definitely in on the Hunger Games!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on May 24, 2010, 08:46:17 am
She is better - thanks everyone.  I think that they are taking the "we are not taking anything to Houston that we don't need" a little too seriously!!  I didn't mean body parts...tonsils, appendix, etc!! ::)

K   ;D

Too, funny, Kaybo!  Glad she's doing ok now...hope everything else goes smoothly for you for awhile now!

Cindy

PS - ready for Hunger discusson whenever...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on May 27, 2010, 10:45:13 am
Looks like a number of people are ready for The Hunger Games. How about setting a discussion date for next Tuesday, June 1?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on June 01, 2010, 08:00:13 am
I'm hoping that by now Emee is back to 100%.

Looking back, Wwoodian recommended The Hunger Games followed by a second from Kaybo.

Would either of you like to kick off the discussion?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 01, 2010, 07:25:34 pm
Emee is great - we go to the surgeon tomorrow.  Yesterday she came in & said that she was feeling "all better now"...

I have really kind of got a LOT going on right now so I don't want y'all to depend on me - I will try to chime in on the discussion but we are listing the house this week so all of my procrastination has had to come to an end and I HAVE TO GET THIS HOUSE READY TO GO ON THE MARKET!!!  :o   :o 

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 08, 2010, 06:47:12 pm
HIJACK ALERT!!!  (well, really just a small hijack)

Still have to order the 2nd Hunger Games book.

Just finished The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.  Never read it before but purchased it a few years ago when it was on Oprah's book club list.

Was sorely disappointed in it.  Was it just me?  Anyone else read it?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on June 08, 2010, 08:02:40 pm
HIJACK ALERT!!!  (well, really just a small hijack)

Still have to order the 2nd Hunger Games book.

Just finished The Heart is a Lonely Hunter.  Never read it before but purchased it a few years ago when it was on Oprah's book club list.

Was sorely disappointed in it.  Was it just me?  Anyone else read it?

Jan

How is this a hijack? It's about a book, isn't it?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 08, 2010, 10:14:49 pm
Saralynn -

it is about a book, but it isn't about the book you are currently discussing. 

Therefore I labeled it a "small hijack".  Maybe it's really a detour  ???

Anyway, back to my question.  Did you read the book?  And if so, what did you think of it?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on June 09, 2010, 05:34:03 am
No, but I love a good suggestion! Hijack or detour at will.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 09, 2010, 09:03:22 am
If that was a hijack, small or otherwise, then I've been guilty of it here many times as I'm always mentioning books other than the current one being read ::)  I'm with Sara, always open to good suggestions for books.  In fact, just heard about a good author this morning at Curves - Lee Child, specifically was told about his latest one, 61 Hours, but was told all of his books are great.

But, to answer your question  :), Jan, no I haven't read The Heart is Lonely Hunter.  Guess I won't since you don't sound like you're recommending it...

How about Hunger Games, do we have any discussion questions?  I'm not good with coming up with the thought provoking ones you guys are good at coming up with.  But, how did you guys like it?  I'm feeling "guilty" about enjoying a book with such a horrible subject matter, but I really did like it.  I described the gist of it to my sis-n-law the other day and she was horrified...said she would not have read it...but, it was done so well, that it worked for me.  Definitely don't think I would want to see it on the big screen in a movie form, however.  That would, no doubt, be too much.  I don't have the 2nd one yet, but do plan to read it at some point.

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 09, 2010, 11:40:35 am
I have read both Hunger Games and the 2nd one and LOVED them both!  I agree with Cindy, though, I would have never picked it on my own.  I passed it on to my Mom - can't wait to see what she says - definitely not what I usually give her.  The thing I kept thinking was that they made this a SCHOOL WIDE book at Addi's school (sold it for $5) & encouraged every child to read it.  Addi LOVED it (she was in 6th grade), but what does that say about our kids?  Is it just gruesome and out there enough that it seems unreachable??  I don't know if I would have let her read it if I had read it 1st; however, my SIL recommended it for her...

K   ???
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on June 09, 2010, 12:12:29 pm
I thought Hunger Games was great...and a thought provoking book for tweens and teens. In fact, we are discussing it at my book club tonight. One of my moms at school, the mom of the student who gave me the Twilight and Hunger Games books, asked me about her daughter reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.  I hope she could tell from my horrified expression what I thought about it!  I loved the book, but it is NOT a YA book!
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on June 10, 2010, 03:35:48 pm
Had an unexpected chance to do a great deal of reading this week while my husband has been in the hospital. Brought along "The Hunger Games" and finished it today.   Very interesting comparisons between the lives of the "haves" and the "have nots," "controllers" and "controlled," "adults" and "young people," etc.   I don't think I could go so far to say I loved it, but it was worth the read. Not sure all of the violence was necessary for the overall effect. What did the rest of you think?

I already read "The Help." It was excellent!  Now to try to finish reading "Three Cups of Tea."

Clarice
(This is hard to do on my phone! :-))
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 11, 2010, 10:12:24 am
can't say I loved Hunger Games ...I was not far into it when I was reminded of a movie that I saw at school in 3rd or 4th grade ...We were in Los Angeles ... would have been 70 or 71 ...times were weird there to say the least ...especially to a child fresh out of the woods of Alaska where bears were less scary than some of the people we ran into

the movie was The Lottery from a short story by Shirley Jackson and I don‘t think it was more than an half hour long …it was only one reel of film and not a real big reel (remember the good old days of school movies on reels and the flip flip noise of the projector) ... can't remember all the details as it has been a few (many  ;D ) years ago but for whatever reason a lottery is held to insure good crops ..it is a small town and a family is picked in the first draw as “the family” and then in the family draw a person is chosen as the winner or rather loser …this person is stoned to death and in the movie it is a woman ...last scene shows her crying saying it isn’t fair and then her son’s back and someone putting a rock in his hand ...leading up to the stoning the kids are the ones that have to gather the stones for the actual stoning

I cannot tell you how long I had nightmares from this movie ... it was shown to us after talks about birth control and drugs and right after we had a city wide vote allowing girls to wear pants to school ... up until then we were required to wear dresses or skirts ... not sure how it came about that we would be shown the movie but to me it was an inappropriate film for 3rd and 4th graders …one teacher told us that it was to show us what could happen if we were “Bad Girls” and had babies … I was a naïve child and didn‘t  know what she was talking about …and even though it was a very crazy time in the area I bet most of my classmates didn‘t know what she was talking about either …I think it was too young to be talking birth control to us at school but the birth control pill was new and big news … and why were us girls singled out??? …why didn‘t she say this is what could be in our future if we were bad girls and boys ??? ... I was at Limerick Elementary in Canoga Park ...

Hunger Games left me with the same feeling …is this appropriate for young readers where there is already so much violence in our society ???…my sons were at Richland School in Lynnville TN when Jamie Rouse came in one morning killing a student and a teacher and wounding another teacher …last fall we had two boys in this county that went in and killed a mom and her 2 sons over the woman’s oldest son dating one of the killers ex girl friends … I know a book , or song or movie is not going to be the total cause of a child going out and carrying out an act of murder but feel it can contribute … after we were shown The Lottery we had a few weeks of more playground fights …many involving rock throwing …

The tone of the book through the main character is that she thinks that the Games are wrong but she does what she has to do to survive … then you have the Gamers (my renaming ) or those in control who seem to think that this is good recreation and that they have the right to continuing punishing those who they want to keep down so they don’t move down on the social totem pole … they are above most people and use the games like a big board game … but the game pieces are living beings who feel pain and die … and then in comes the question of government control …

The hunger Game series are not books I would normally read and not sure I want my kids reading them … another that falls into this category is one my girls have read at school and scared my youngest who will be a 6th grader this fall is Lois Lowery’s The Giver … as they were reading it (assigned) and I read along , I was remembering The Lottery  and the fear it instilled in my little brain …The Giver was read in 4th grade and is being re-read in 7th grade now since the language arts teacher for 7th and 8th grade , read and loved the book …

I am not for censorship in school reading , but maybe caution would be the best word … and I think that on controversial books that parents should be able to say I don’t want my child reading this … but I also realize that little Johnny who can’t read it because Mom said NO  will borrow Fred’s copy and read it anyway … not all kids but most would go this route …this according to county wide survey of 6th through 12 graders in the county … and I am sure that nation wide similar results would prevail

as someone said … the books are thought provoking … I want to read the 3rd to see how it all ends or if things are turned around … will government be over thrown and a kinder gentler time period follow ?? We will have to wait until August to find out
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on June 12, 2010, 11:48:41 am
Soundy .....

I had the same reaction when I started reading "The Hunger Games" ..... it had so many of the same futuristic (impossible by today's standards) twists and turns as both The Giver and The Lottery.  Also, the same flavor as "Harrison Bergeron," the short story from Kurt Vonnegut's "Welcome to the Monkey House."  I cannot say this style is a favorite of mine ..... rather difficult reading for me because I feel too much sorrow (stress, maybe??) for the victims, even though I knew it was fiction.  Too much of a softy, maybe ..... or maybe do not enjoy thinking about the adverse things in life.

Did anyone else have this same reaction?  I know several of you said you really liked the book.

Really anxious for you to read "The Help," which deals with a real life atrocious period in some of our lives.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on June 12, 2010, 01:32:31 pm
It's funny how books can affect the reader.  Some were saddened by the violence and tone of Hunger Games, and I was, in turn, made furious by the injustice in The Help.  I had to read it in short sections because it brought back so many unhappy memories of the small tobacco town I lived in during the 60's. I want to read something light and funny now!

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 14, 2010, 06:56:42 am
I'm not big on violent books, but in the case of The Hunger Games, I felt it wasn't just gratuitous violence - it was necessary for the plot.

When I first started reading the book my son mentioned that his LA/LIT teacher this year (8th grade) had read it to the class.  He offered to tell me what happened in the end - but I didn't take him up on his offer.

I'm thinking that when I get the 2nd book I'll ask my son if he wants to read it with me since he enjoyed the first one so much.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 14, 2010, 12:21:04 pm
I can read a book and say it is a good book in my opinion without liking it and this is the case with this set of books ... and like a cat I am curious to see how it ends in the third book which according to the scholastic order I put in is the "final chapter in the saga" ...

I think that it and The Giver are a little bit too much for 4th and 5th grade students , but they are on the list

I have read books that were historical in nature and had a lot of truth in them along with the author's personal input and interpretations of the time ... some I had to stop and come back to because of the violent nature of things ... when it is something I know really happened a book can really make me sad or maybe a better word is sorrowful ...and it is usually at the meanness of human beings and what we are capable of doing to each other ...

and these books though fiction bring on that same feelings ... only instead of the knowing that what is taking place is horrible as you do in a historical novel causing the feeling , it is that there is the possibility or rather the reality that people will continue to hurt and destroy each other because we are a stubborn hard headed and hard hearted species as a whole and don't always learn from our mistakes ...and maybe we are not as a whole hard headed stubborn and hard hearted species , but those are often the ones that bully their way through and create chaos and cause heartache and suffering for all 


In Tennessee waitng for a more cheerful book
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 14, 2010, 01:18:18 pm
I liked The Giver - read it to my boys when I was homeschooling them - definitely did some sensoring as I went along.  I would not consider it appropriate for young ones, but it was on the recommended list I had. 

I will, no doubt, read the other books in the Hunger series, but I'm not in any rush to do so.  I've heard/read that the 2nd one is not as good as the first - more just an interlude to the final one.  My interest is peeked, but not overwhelmingly so. 

Currently reading The Lost Hours by Karen White...had heard it was very good, but I'm finding it a bit predictable and shallow.  Am just enduring it to find out if I'm right about the "mystery."  I'm disappointed that I haven't liked it as I was initially excited to have found an author with numerous books that I could read.  Has anyone read any of her books?  Maybe her other ones are better???  (See, Jan, this is one of my little "hijacks" we were talking about ;) )

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on June 14, 2010, 06:49:57 pm
I just finished reading The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig and loved it.  It was a feel good book written by an excellent author.  He writes a lot about Montana and the early days of the state.  This was one of my favorites by him.  This one left me with a full heart and a smile on my face. No horror stories here!
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on June 14, 2010, 07:22:55 pm
I noticed right off that The Hunger Games was written in the first person, so I was sure that Katniss would survive. Not so sure about Peeta though.

I was skeptical when the rules were changed to allow both tributes from a territory to survive if they were the last two, and sure enough, that was rescinded at the end. I'm surprised the gamekeepers did not think of the potential for double suicide, seems like they could have airlifted both out and allowed only one to survive. But they did not anticipate how popular the "romance" would be, either.

The initial choosing of tributes did also remind me of The Lottery. Also does anyone remember the movie Dragonslayer? There was a similar drawing among young virgins for sacrifice to the local dragon. One girl's father had his daughter (the eventual heroine) dress and act like a boy to avoid the lottery. The princess, who finds out that she had been kept out of the lottery, substitutes her name for every other tile in the pot, and is unfortunately char-broiled before she can be rescued. It's an interesting film with cheesy early '80s special effects. See it if you get a chance.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 14, 2010, 08:11:09 pm
Priscilla~

I hope you are saving these books for me!!   ;)

We should be arriving at the in-laws the 2nd...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on June 14, 2010, 08:45:42 pm
Sounds like things are moving right along, Kay. Praying that the girlies stay healthy from here on out.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on June 14, 2010, 09:27:39 pm
Amen to that!  Your house looks terrific and we will pray for a quick sale!


And now....back to books :)  Having read Suzanne Collins other books for kids (younger audience), I can appreciate the way she creates a world, however strange it may be, and populates it with characters you really like or really dislike.  All of her characters have spunk,  personality, and some measure of a sense of humor. Sometimes you find that one character you thought you did not like, ala Katniss's mentor, turns out to be someone with some saving graces.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 15, 2010, 01:52:20 pm
Yes, Prescilla, I found all of the characters interesting, whether good or bad.  Thought the author did a great job of keeping the book light at points, despite the heavy/morbid topic.  I was unsure if I would like the book once I saw that it was written for teen readers...however, I was pleasantly surprised by it!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 26, 2010, 05:16:16 pm
I broke down and bought "The Help" last night - obviously I can't check one out from the library...

Don't know how much I'll get read...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 27, 2010, 04:23:14 pm
Read The Help when it first came out ...had to look through my books and find it so I could re-read it ...was my plan to read on it at night last week to unwind each day after camp but it didn't happen ... only 46 pages in ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 27, 2010, 07:43:06 pm
Haven't read anything decent in weeks, but this week I'm placing an order with Amazon.

I'm going to order the Hunger Games #2, The Art of Racing in the Rain (recommended by my partner in crime, Lori) and Skinny Chicks Don't Eat Salad.

I'm curious to see what those skinny chicks do eat  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 28, 2010, 05:21:40 am
tell me about skinny chicks ... someone at school said it was a good read ... Art of Racing was good ..passed it on to a dog loving friend

I read another chapter of The Help last night and getting back into it , but I think I need some light comedic intervention in my reading after or during it's reading ...drives a friend nuts that I can read and comprehend two or more books at a time ...kids in school take more than one subject at a time and manage to soak up all their subjects  ... I try to explain to her that just because it is reading and reading to learn that it is possible to do ... she is not a reader and manages about 2 books a year and can't comprehend my thirst for a book .....
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on June 28, 2010, 05:45:38 am
I read multiple books at the same time too, Soundy. I know people who can follow half a dozen soap operas and keep the plots and characters straight, why not books?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on June 28, 2010, 10:32:28 am
Me too.  I had to read so many books for school and also try to keep up w/my book group, so reading multiple books at one time has been the only way to go.  In the summer I give myself a break and try to read for just pure pleasure, which for me means a murder mystery or two, some chick lit, maybe a suspense or historical fiction of some sort.  My book group calls them beach reads, or airplane reads....something you can put down and pick up as needed. 

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 28, 2010, 12:01:03 pm
I call them MOM reads - b/c the only time I get to read is quick pick up here and there...like in the car pool line... ;)

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 28, 2010, 10:42:20 pm
Reading multiple books is a talent.  I don't possess it, but my mother does. 

I don't know a lot about Skinny Chicks - just read an article about it in a magazine that someone left @ the gym.  Supposedly it's full of eating suggestions - which sound fairly logical from what I read - and recipes that sound pretty easy to make.  Thought I'd buy it and see what it's all about.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on July 02, 2010, 01:08:17 pm
i'm waaaay behind on the book club stuff. i'll be traveling a bit next month, wow, i mean later this month. i'll go through and look and see what y'all like and try to get some of the books to read.
keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 04, 2010, 09:39:05 am
I just finished The Bookseller of Kabul.  Definitely some interesting stuff in it, but nothing to write home about.

Still haven't ordered those books from Amazon.  Just not enough hours in the day  ::)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on July 04, 2010, 10:51:55 am
I have been reading more since I got my NOOK last December  (that is Barnes and Noble's answer to the Kindle).  I love it and the best part is, I can hear about a great book and go look it up on the NOOK and download a "sample".  It gives me a free chunk of the book to decide if I like it and if I want to purchase it.  If I want to purchase it, all I have to do is push a button.  The books are inexpensive.  If someone else has a NOOK that I know, we can lend books back and forth like a library.  This is all especially terrific when I travel, as I no longer have to carry heavy books with me.  So any books all of you suggest, I will definitely go check them out with an overview or a sample. I am just finishing Stieg Larsson's third and final book, The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest.  It's really great, but I liked the first two better.

~Dale~
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 05, 2010, 09:13:28 am
I finshed The Help Saturday ... just got into it an ignored the world as best I could and got it done ... it was hard to read about things that went on ... the way te privaliged treated others even their own when they stpped out of line ... won't say anymore until discussion is opened


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 09, 2010, 12:08:20 am
Just finished The Help - who all is reading/discussing this one??

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on July 09, 2010, 06:21:39 am
I'm in, though it's been awhile since I read it...

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 09, 2010, 07:54:20 am
My 1st question (which won't give anything away) is: how did YOU pronounce Aibileen?

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 09, 2010, 08:16:19 am
I was rereading a book of Christmas stories a man compiled that influenced his life ... kinda a spiritual journey of his ... the book is Follow That Star by T.D. Jakes ...

I came across this that he wrote at the end of the first story and wanted to share it's message

When in doubt look up ; when in trouble look within; when in darkness, always , always follow the Star .

In his book he refers to Jesus  as the Star ... I am not super religious and have been described by friends as "spiritual" and a few say I have Pagan tendencies ... I have a special tree that offers me comfort when I sit under it and think about things that are bothering me ...it grounds me and connects me to something ...I don't talk to my tree although he does have a name  :D ... and evidently having a pet tree makes me pagan in some peoples eyes ... I believe in a higher power and think someone put us here ...I believe in God ...  just have falling away from organized church ...

this quote talks to me ... it focus me on a path like my tree does ... I get down but who doesn't ... I haven't read the book in a year or two and had forgot the quote ...used to have it stuck to my fridge ... gonna retype it ans stick it up

OK...so much for that ...just wanted to share ...ready to discuss The Help when others are ...have forgotten who was reading
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 09, 2010, 08:38:21 am
My 1st question (which won't give anything away) is: how did YOU pronounce Aibileen?

K

I just renamed her Abby all the time ... I do that sometime when I get a name of a person or place in a book  that I trip over saying outloud ... when I got to her name my eyes saw Aibileen but my brain just read Abby ...

I am looking and thinking Ay ble een ...rhyming with Maybelline from Chuck Berry fame ...or maybe it was a misspelling of Abeline and just became Aibileen ..

now can you  tell me how to pronounce my great grandmothers name ... Abinnaletha  ;D ...
she became Abby to some and Letha to others ... I preferred Abby ...Letha always made me think of the  word lethal


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on July 09, 2010, 11:53:26 am
I'm in for discussion on The Help, although I read it a while back and have since loaned my copy to my daughter-in-law.

I, also, pronounced Aibileen, Ay ble een.  ..... and I will not even venture a guess on Abinnaletha ..... :-\ , although I presume the primary accent would be on bin, secondary on le  :-\ :-\ .

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on July 11, 2010, 01:50:53 pm
I finished reading The Girl With The Red Dragon Tattoo last week.  The very beginning was difficult for me to get into, but once I passed what I considered to be very dry, boring and a tad hard to follow the story really came to life.  All in all it was a great read.  I bought the second book in the trilogy series The Girl Who Plays With Fire at Costco the other day.  I also bought The Echo In The Bones which I have started and I'm savouring it.  It is the last of the Outlander series.

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 11, 2010, 02:34:40 pm
I pulled out the Outlanders series with intentions of re-reading them and never started ... need to get the last one ordered and then start them ... I have read them a couple times and can enjoy them over and over ...

been trying to read The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton ...came out of Big Lots bargain bin of 4 for $1 books  ... it bounces through different time periods starting with a little girl about 4 years old  left on a dock in Australia in 1913 ... the dock master and his wife decide to just keep her when she isn't claimed right off and  they even move to keep her kind of hidden and raise as their own ...on her 21st b'day her dad tells her and her world kinda falls apart  ... and then skips to her passing away and her granddaughters search to find her grand mothers roots ...and all that and only about 100 pages in ... was trying to read last night to chase headache but didn't work ...

some one told me to read The Girls With The Red Dragon Tattoo ...I got  it but never could get into it ...since you had same problem I guess I will dust it off and have another go ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on July 11, 2010, 05:17:28 pm
You have to get past all the Swedish financial stuff in the beginning.  It does get better, especially once you meet "the girl." I have the third one on my MP3 player to listen to when we are traveling.
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on July 15, 2010, 03:31:45 pm
Soundy and Anne Marie (fellow Outlander fans!), let me know what you think of Echo in the Bones once you've read it! 

I, too, tried to read Girl w/ Tattoo book, couldn't get into it, though...

I've been on vacation since last week, but see no further discussion on The Help so far...Kaybo, her name drove me nuts - don't think I ever settled on how to pronounce it!

I'm back in one of my historic series right now - it's a great one.  I did read another Jodi Picoult a couple of weeks ago - Vanishing Acts - not as good as My Sister's Keeper in my opinion, but pretty good.

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 15, 2010, 05:19:49 pm
I was thinking about reading and went and gotThe Girl with The Dragon Tattoo off the shelf ...and then got to thinking that I type Red Dragon ...and I did ... but on back reading see that Anne Marie did first ... I am easily influenced and type what she did but the book is really just The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo ..unless there is another book with a girl and dragon in the title  ;D

my 12 year old says there is a movie of it and there probably is since she is a frequent visitor to the electronics department to look at movies and games

need to get the Highlander book ...and read it ...

my husband said I need another book like I need another hole in my head and then realized what he had said and apologized ... I just laughed at him ... he didn't find the humor in it ...

I have been told we are leaving in 5 minutes and I need clothes on  >:(
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 23, 2010, 10:48:38 pm
Finally bought - and just finished - Catching Fire (the 2nd book in the Hunger Games series).  Although I'd read some mediocre reviews, I really liked it.

I'm looking forward to book #3, which I think is supposed to be available in August.

Now I'm reading The Art of Racing in the Rain - which I planned to purchase, but was pleased to find on my brother's bookshelf.  I'm only in the early chapters, but I'm already liking it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 24, 2010, 08:07:11 am
I have the third Hunger book ordered ... not sure when it will be delivered other than it will be in August

I liked The Art of Racing In The Rain ...sad but a good feeling sad ...

I struggled for 3 days to get past first 60 or so pages of Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and then stayed up reading last night until I was on page 250 ...that first part was just so blahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh and boring ...Also have Girl Who Plays With Fire on stand by

I pulled out the last Outlander book (Breath of Snow And Ashes)  to read after I get through the girl books ... was going to start over at beginning with Outlander , but that will take for ever ... going try to track down Echo In The Bones when we are shopping for school clothes ...

Please ignore when I type Highlander instead of Outlander ... I keep doing it and it bugs me ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 26, 2010, 09:07:54 pm
Checked Amazon today.  The third Hunger Games book is scheduled to be released the end of August - 8/24, I think.

The Art of Racing in the Rain (first recommended to me by Lori) was sad, but it was very good and written from a dog's perspective which I found very clever.  Great reading.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 01, 2010, 08:11:30 pm
Well...finally watched My Sister's Keeper tonight...know some of you talked about it awhile back on here and mentioned that they changed a significant part in the movie.  That was QUITE a difference!  I couldn't believe it! 

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sterry on August 15, 2010, 10:33:57 pm
If you like mysteries, try Craig Johnson's stories about Walt Longmire, a modern day Sheriff in Wyoming who has interesting happenings in his out of the way county. The Cold Dish, I am sure is the first one.  I was recommended to these books and I have enjoyed them very much.  They satisfy my requirement for mysteries: interesting characters, well written and the use of some humor.  If you like thrillers which I thought were well written, but can be a bit blood thristy, then you might like Lee Child's  Jack Reacher series.  Find number one, and get going.  I had a hard time putting them down.  But there is the occasional "ick" factor.  Another thriller book writer is John Case, and I enjoyed his books.  Young man gets caught up in mystery that  spans the globe kind of thing.  So, if you want fun thrills and fast reads, these were good for me. 

Sue in Vancouver, USA
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sterry on August 16, 2010, 09:57:04 pm
Read them all!  He is a friend of mine :). Junkyard Dogs is the latest.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 18, 2010, 07:26:57 am
Hi, sterry!  Don't think I've "met" you...nice to see a new face over here in the book club.  Thanks for seconding Sue's recommendation - I am going to put the Craig Johnson book on my ever-growing list of books to read. 

Looks like we're all reading our own things right now...but, I think The Help was next for discussion, right?  Know some of us had read it awhile back, but some others were starting it, I think?  Anybody?

Soundy, did you get Echo in the Bones?  Start it yet?

I read another Jodi Picoult a couple of weeks ago in between my historical stuff - Changes of Heart.  Pretty good, though not as good as My Sister's Keeper, I don't think.  Hope to read the next Hunger Games book soon...

cindy

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on August 18, 2010, 08:45:02 am
I have a few suggestions from my recent reading.  I have a NOOK (Barnes and Noble) and I love it.  I read all three of the Stieg Larsson books (the latest is The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest).  I really enjoyed them.  I read The Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick, The House at Riverton by Kate Morton, and also another one by Kate Morton, The Forgotten Garden.  I found them all to have twists and turns, easy reading and enjoyable.  Those are the most recent.  But I can also recommend The Book Thief by Markus Zusak.  I have a lot more downloaded and will give a report as I finish them.
~Dale~
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on August 18, 2010, 12:01:18 pm
Cindy,

I'm almost finished An Echo in the Bone.  I found unfortunately, the first half of the book boring and rather dry.  I like history but I just found some of it overwhelming, maybe because I only have grade 13 American History from good old 1979 when Ontario had grade 13.  The story has moving along nicely for awhile now, they are all back in Scotland.......to be continued.....

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 18, 2010, 12:21:10 pm
I forgot to pick up Echos when we were in Huntsville  >:( ... did start re-reading Breath of Snow and Ashes ... waiting on a teacher to finish Hornets Nest so I can borrow it ...I have Forgotten Garden and read it a couple weeks or maybe a month or so ago ... it was one I had to just get in and read ...if I ever laid it down I had to go back  bit to keep track of where I was ...just had to dig and and read
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on August 18, 2010, 05:17:43 pm
I highly recommend The Book Thief.  Everyone I know who has read it was moved by it. If you want something totally charming that will make you feel good at the end, read The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig. Every once in a while you just need to read something about good people that ends well. Right now I am finishing listening to the third installment  in The Girl Who...series.  I have it on my MP3 player and listen to it while I am on the treadmill, so I am only 3/4 of the way through it.  I am only on the treadmill about 45 minutes at a time, so it is taking more than a few sessions to get through 19 hours of book! :D I also listened to it when I was driving to NE and back.  Made the miles go by faster.
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 18, 2010, 11:45:42 pm
Priscilla -

thanks for the suggestions.  I'm anxiously awaiting the 3rd and final book in the Hunger Games series, but after that comes out and I read it, I definitely need suggestions.

Question about The Girl Who . . . series - do you have to read them in order?  I've seen one or two, but didn't know if they were sequels or "stand-alone" books. 

If they are sequels, can you tell me which ones came first, second, etc.?

Appreciate it,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on August 19, 2010, 12:02:05 am
Jan, it is better to read them in sequence.  I think they would make more sense.
1.  The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo
2.  The Girl Who Played With Fire
3.  The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

I just read that the 4th manuscript may be released.  After Larsson died, there was so much fighting over his estate.  Evidently his live in girlfriend has the manuscript and there are negotiations in process.  Can't wait!
~Dale
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on August 19, 2010, 06:51:23 am
I agree w/Dale about reading the books in sequence.  The story is sequential in the way you understand the characters and their motives. I read somewhere that the family of Steig decided the 4th book would NOT be finished by another writer.  Did his girlfriend get the rights to it, I wonder?  I know he originally planned to write 10 books in the series and delivered the first three to the publisher as finished manuscripts. He died before they were published. I kinda got hooked on Salander (the Girl), I have to admit!
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 19, 2010, 07:16:33 am
Thanks for the advice.  I hear this is a great series and plan to read it.

I was going to purchase one of the books to read on my flight home from Seattle last week, but didn't know which one came first.

Mystery solved  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 19, 2010, 07:35:45 am
I have been on the fence about The Girl With...series - had heard mixed reviews, but you guys have convinced me I should give them a try.  So, adding more books to my long list - thanks!

Priscilla, you (and anyone else who'd like to join us) should come over to the "fitness" thread with us http://anausa.org/forum/index.php?topic=11646.465  - always nice to have new inspiration to keep exercising.  If I could read while on a treadmill, I'd have no problem burning tons of calories!  I really hadn't thought of listening to books while on it - I prefer to read them, of course, but listening to a good book would do the trick I'm sure.  The laundry would really get behind then :D

Anne Marie, I will admit that I did not find Echo as good as the rest of the series - for various reasons.  Will not comment further til you and Soundy have finished it, but I'd like to know what you both think once you're done. 

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 19, 2010, 07:40:13 am
Never mind, Priscilla...I see you have been over on the "fitness" thread...I suppose I have not had enough caffeine yet this morning, I guess...or old age...or  ???

So, any of you here who haven't visited that thread, come on over  ;D

I'm leaving now...to have some more Coke...

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 19, 2010, 08:34:55 am
Jan~
Just finished 1st GIRL book last night - I will drop it in the mail to you today if you want...It is a bit water crinkley - Addi splashed me - but fine to read...I have to get the 2nd...

LMK

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Lizard on August 19, 2010, 11:56:45 am
I LOVE THIS SERIES!!!!  Just saw the first movie the other day, all in subtitles but they did a great job.  Also heard that they're going to do English versions of them.....I'm so happy these books became so popular, because I've read them multiple times and can't get enough.  That Lisbeth...don't know what it is  :D
Liz
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 19, 2010, 03:15:47 pm
Kay -

I actually got the 1st book today from a colleague; hope to start reading it soon.

But if you do get the 2nd book, please send it my way when you're done with it.

Thanks!

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on August 19, 2010, 08:03:58 pm
Priscilla,
I read that the 4th manuscript is printed, but the rest are only partially complete.  It will be interesting to see if they allow another writer to complete them.  I am hoping what I read about the 4th getting the green light is accurate!
~Dale
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on August 22, 2010, 08:12:30 pm
Cindy,

I finished the book this afternoon...........ugh :'(

Soundy,

How far along are you?  I'm frustrated and I need to rant.........ugh :'(

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 24, 2010, 08:17:36 pm
Today was the day the third & final book in The Hunger Game series was released.

I forgot to pre-order it from Amazon, so I'm hoping to pick it up somewhere (perhaps Walmart) this weekend if I have time.

Haven't had time to start the first "Girl" book yet, but hope to get to that too very soon.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 25, 2010, 05:51:27 am
my third Hunger Game book should show up in next weeks book shipment at school ...pre-ordered it several months ago ...

Anne Marie ... I still haven't got Echos

and still haven't got Girl Who kicked a Hornets Nest form teacher who is a slow reader  :(

did read 2 books over weekend for  teachers ...

Who Ran My Underwear UP The Flag Pole ...Jerry Spinelli ....if you are a 4th grader it's OK ...

The Tiger Rising ...Kate DiCamilo ...sad tale of a boy who lost his mom to cancer and his dad because he is too busy grieving to know his sons needs him  , a girl who has lost her dad through divorce and thinks he will come back for her and fights and gets in trouble to prove her toughness and a tiger they find caged in the woods ... the tiger's death towards heals alot of wounds ...  6th or 7th grade reading

those are my reviews ... not that I expect anyone to read them ... just a hobby to pick up extra books for the girls ... the underwear one will be giving back to the 4th grade teacher who had me read it ... will keep Tiger Rising for the girls to read ... hey a free book is a free book  ;D

I need another book for me ... Echo is not at or little library yet so not even a list to get on ... and for now books are not in my budget
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Lizard on August 25, 2010, 07:18:42 am
I was just recommended a book, haven't purchased it yet, but its called The art of Racing in The Rain (not sure of the author) and from what I've heard its told from the dog's perspective.  I LOVE all books about dogs and also heard it was very cute.  I'll let you know when I read it...perfect for the animal lovers out there  ;)
Liz
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Cheryl R on August 25, 2010, 08:04:10 am
There is a column today in the Des Moines register about the popularity of the The Hunger Games series and now Mockingjay being out.   Adults are a large part of the readers and now with long lists of holds on it at libraries.                     Not my style but have a daughter who it is.               I just am done with The Girls from Ames  and liked it.            Cheryl R
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 25, 2010, 08:38:33 am
Anne Marie, my reaction to Echo was very similar to yours...have read some on-line reviews and they were also in the same vein...

My sis-n-law's book club just read Pope Joan...she said it was very good and it sparked quite a bit of conversation/debate in their club...

I hope to get the 2nd in Hunger Games series from a friend this week.  May start the Girl series first, though?  Or...so many to choose from!  Thanks for all the recommendations you guys continue to make!

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on August 25, 2010, 08:51:20 am
I thought the library would have started checking Mockingjay out yesterday. I am third on the hold list and they have ordered five copies, so once the books are processed I should get one right away.

My family and I visited the Holocaust Museum in Washington, DC this summer and I have been reading some recommended books. The subject material is difficult, but a couple that are well written are Boy in the Striped Pajamas and The True Story of Hansel and Gretel. I read another entitled Tzili: The Story of a Life, but it was just a bit too bizarre.

Is anyone else reading the Graceling series by Kristin Cashore? I just finished Fire, which is sort of a related prequel. A third novel, Bitterblue, is due out next year.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 25, 2010, 12:54:54 pm
Liz ... Art of Racing In The Rain was good but sad ... worth the read

Boy in the Striped Pajamas is a hard one to read and movie real hard to watch ... the year before last , they had 6th graders read the book and  they showed the movie to the 5th graders ... so many got upset and had alot of parent complaints , that they have moved it up to 7th and 8th grade ... it is good for what it is and kids need to know the horrors of past wars ... just need the teachers to do more pre reading / viewing  to get a feel for age appropriateness of material they present ... this is why me and a few others read for teachers ... to give parent prospective and we can try out books on our kids
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Lizard on August 25, 2010, 02:13:46 pm
Liz ... Art of Racing In The Rain was good but sad ... worth the read


yes I know the dog reflects on his life during his last days, but I like emotional books and supposedly this one is supposed to make you laugh and cry.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 25, 2010, 03:45:23 pm
Jan~
I have found that books are cheaper at B & N than Walmart or Target IF you have a B & N card so I went to B & N...HOWEVER, when they are 1st released they are usually on sale at those two stores.  Learned my lesson, a couple of dollars cheaper this week at Target...
Just a helpful tip...

K    ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 25, 2010, 06:40:53 pm
Thanks for the tip, Kay.

Looked at Walmart this afternoon, but they didn't have the book - probably too new for them.

I don't have a B&N card, but I'lll check Target this weekend.  If Target doesn't have it, I'll order from Amazon.com

I can usually find a lot of books there so I get free shipping on my orders - and it saves me from running all over town shopping.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on August 26, 2010, 12:01:26 pm
Cindy,

I would venture to say there is going to be another book, so many lose ends.  At least all of her other stories tied things up a bit.  In my opinion the ending was too rushed considering how she detailed so much prior.  I feel like I've hit a brick wall, there is no sense of any completion.  I'm not happy about it.

Soundy,
 
I can mail the book to you.


I'm reading The Poisonwood Bible.  Has anyone read it?  It has been around for awhile.

Anne Marie   
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on August 27, 2010, 04:15:17 pm
After changing my mind several times, I did finally check out The Hunger Games and Catching Fire from the library and read both of them.  The Hunger Games definitely had more details of scenes than Catching Fire did.  Guess I will probably check out Mockingjay and read it to complete the trilogy.  They are actually a fairly quick read.

I read The Poisonwood Bible many years ago and was very upset after reading it ..... embarrassed and disappointed that it was too true.

Trying to find the time to finish Three Cups of Tea (a very fascinating book).

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 27, 2010, 08:36:41 pm
Found Mockingjay this evening at Walmart - the same one that didn't have it earlier in the week.  Paid $12.59, which I thought was a very good price.  Supposedly it retails for $17.99

Since I'm only a few pages into the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, I'm going to put it on hold for now and start Mockingjay.   Like Clarice, I find the Hunger Games books to be fairly quick reads.

Clarice -

I found Three Cups of Tea fascinating too.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 28, 2010, 08:28:55 am
Liz ... Art of Racing In The Rain was good but sad ... worth the read


yes I know the dog reflects on his life during his last days, but I like emotional books and supposedly this one is supposed to make you laugh and cry.

have you you read Marly and Me ???
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 28, 2010, 08:49:08 am
my pre-ordered Mocking jay is suppose to be here Wednesday , Teacher finished Hornets Nest and I got it yesterday

Thanks for offer Anne Marie but husband won $50 on lottery and gave it to me for "the heck of it money" ... have an eye appointment for Hannah next week and will pick up Echo then ... called Books A Million that is on the way to Huntsville and had them put back a paper back copy

Our school secretary assistant quit her half day job with us and went full time at another school ... she was always in charge or organizing the book fair and ran it , hiring some of us for workers to run it and we get paid in books ... Librarian asked if myself and the PTO treasurer could get it together ... we will get paid in books for days decorating and every day book fair runs ... this may seem trivial but I was worried about Book fair due to financial woes and the girls love books ... now that worry has been taken away ...

we are also collecting used books to sell to the kids who don't have money to buy books ... they come in with 50c to a dollar and leave with a book marker and pencil ... and sad faces ... I have about 50 books here to donate and we have about 20 people that are collecting good used books ... going to set up a table and mark them 25c -$1 and put books in these kids hands ... this is a new thing but a needed thing ... would just give them to the kids but that sets up a give me attitude and we have to many that just expect stuff handed to them ... this way they kind of learn that they need to pay their way and at same time get a book ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on August 28, 2010, 12:46:00 pm
My daughter went to the library to pick up Mockingjay for me. Hopefully she will be home soon and is not holed up in a corner reading it herself.

Soundy, I read Marley and Me. I ended up upset with the author at several times during the story. I think they treated that dog carelessly, and then ended up profiting from it.

I like what you are doing at book fair. Great idea.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on August 29, 2010, 05:20:28 pm
I read Mockingjay yesterday and my eldest daughter read it today. Middle daughter and son are both in line to read it before it goes back to the library. I don't want to say much since I know many haven't yet read it, just that I predicted two things correctly but was very much surprised by something else. The plot moves quickly and kept my interest, that's for sure.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on August 29, 2010, 05:28:53 pm
Sara .....

Even though the Hunger Games books are quick reads, I am awed that you completed it in one day.  I simply could not sit for that long and keep my eyes focused to read like that.  I have a good bit of nystagmus still (or again) and that makes focusing my eyes more tiring.

..... must get to the library tomorrow and see if Mockingjay is available.  The reviews on its release date were not encouraging.  Now I am curious as to what surprised you.  Hmmmmmmm.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 29, 2010, 07:36:01 pm
At the very end of Mockingjay (seems like my time is very compromised these days - mainly driving) - hopefully will finish tomorrow...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 29, 2010, 09:07:32 pm
Am 3/4 of the way done with Mockingjay myself.

I'm hopeful I'll finish it tonight, but have a very early morning tomorrow, so we'll see.

Am anxious to see how it all ends.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 30, 2010, 05:59:27 am
I should finish Catching Fire today and will try to get Mockingjay tomorrow...yes, they are very quick reads.  I'll try not to come back and look in here til I finish it in case you guys talk about it :)  I'm actually sort of surprised it keeps holding my interest, but it does!  Now I will have to finish the series just to see how it ends.

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 30, 2010, 09:06:45 am
Finished the book in the wee hours of the morning.

Not sure what I expected the ending to be, but I was kind of disappointed.

I'll hold my comments though - don't want to give anything away to those who haven't finished it yet.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 09, 2010, 08:01:20 pm
So where are we? Anyone up for discussing Catching Fire or Mockingjay? One at a time or together?

Or maybe I am ahead of myself. Are these even the next two on our list?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 09, 2010, 08:29:02 pm
Tried only one library (closest to me) and put a hold on "Mockingjay" as their only copy was checked out.  The person who had it was late returning it so I went ahead and ordered it on Amazon, but do not have it yet.  I also ordered "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo."  I realize I am way behind everyone else so feel free to go on with your discussion.

I read "Hunger Games" and "Catching Fire" earlier this summer ...... hope I remember them well enough to be coherent in any comments.  (I did not purchase those two so no longer have them available to re-scan.)

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 10, 2010, 06:16:25 am
Let's have a couple of more people weigh in but discuss soon...I think the longer we wait & do nothing, the more chance we have of this bookclub going by the wayside. I think we will still recommend but not really discuss or go anywhere!  I've read all Hunger books & 1st "Girl" book (in 2nd)...
Just my 2 cents!

K ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on September 10, 2010, 07:47:57 am
I am finishing the third "Girl Who..." and will have to buy Mockingjay.  I am wa-a-a-aay down on the reserve list on that one!  Maybe I can borrow it from the same student who gave me the other two in the series :).

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on September 10, 2010, 09:25:01 am
I ended up buying Mockingjay and should finish it today...has everyone at least finished Catching Fire?  Maybe we could at least discuss that a bit?  Although, they are all starting to run together in my mind - may not be able to remember which was Catching Fire and which was Mockingjay ???

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 10, 2010, 11:47:46 am
Priscilla-
I can give you MJ next week - I actually know where it is!

K ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 10, 2010, 11:48:03 am
I'm finished with all 3 of the Hunger Games books - and could discuss at any time.

Let's be aware though that not everyone has finished them - we don't want to give anything away  ::)

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on September 10, 2010, 05:24:01 pm
Thanks Kaybo...I was just thinking about asking you if you had it.  I will get it when we unpack your house.  Can't wait for the grand tour!  And I am bringing a meal for you guys, too.  All kid friendly.
OXOXXO
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 24, 2010, 07:47:29 pm
with everything going on with my dad I have not thought of reading or exercising ...

plan on a slow weekend after doing heart walk tomorrow then settling in with Mockingjay...

worked Book Fair past 2 days and have days next week plus days on decorating committee ... will amount to around $100 in book bucks ... I love the smell of the book fair room when we unpack those thousands of new books ... some people like the new car smell ...new books do it for me  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on September 29, 2010, 02:31:14 pm
Trying to get into The Girl w/ Dragon Tattoo, but it's not grabbing me...I'm sure it must pick up as so many people have raved about it.  If you guys here hadn't said you liked it, I would probably go ahead and give up on it, but I'll hang in there for a bit longer :-\

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on September 29, 2010, 04:35:17 pm
You have to get past all the Swedish financial stuff!  The author tends to be a bit too thorough when he wants the reader to understand the background. :) Hang in there.  Lisbeth Salander kicks some serious booty.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 29, 2010, 04:44:36 pm
I have finished all three of the "Hunger Games" books.  Have to say I will probably not have much to say about them ...... :-\

I have "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" but have not started it yet.  My sister read it and liked it but said it was very slow going in the beginning.  She encouraged me to wait to start it until I have time to get past the beginning.

She talked me in to re-reading "To Kill a Mockingbird."  (Is there a theme here?!?)  May do that before starting "The Girl ...."

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on September 30, 2010, 06:52:04 pm
Cindy,

Hang in there, I'm a banker and I even found the beginning very dry and boring.  I'm half way through "The Girl Who Plays With Fire" and it is pretty good.  I love Lisbeth Salander, she is quite the character.

Clarice,

I read "To Kill A Mockingbird" 5 years ago when I was nursing a badly broken ankle and healing from an open reduction.  My 2nd son was in grade 10, and part of the English curriculum was to read the book.  Nicholas read it first and said he thought I would enjoy it.  He was right!!  I loved the book.

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 30, 2010, 07:15:51 pm
Who all is ready to discuss the Hunger Games trilogy? Anyone still needing a little time?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 30, 2010, 07:50:07 pm
I'm almost done with The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - and I too found the beginning very tough reading.  I almost put it aside and didn't continue reading, but I'm glad I did.  Eventually the plot picks up and it gets much more interesting.  I'm anxious to start The Girl Who Plays with Fire.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 30, 2010, 09:29:32 pm
I'm in the 2nd one (Girl books) but have been a little way-layed because of the move!  After all I had read here, I found that the slow, "hard to get into part" was MUCH shorter than what I thought it would be!!  I am not TOO terribly far along in the 2nd book, but like it even better than the 1st - I think it is because I like Salamander (that's what I call her!) so much!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on September 30, 2010, 09:52:23 pm
I have another book to recommend.  This is especially good if you have any interest in science or medicine.  It's a true story, a biography of sorts, though written like a novel.  It's called "The Immortal Life of Hentrietta Lacks".  It is about a woman who died many years ago and was treated for cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins.  In those days, no such thing as informed consent.  They took her cells to use for science research without her knowledge or her family's knowledge.  Cells were named by using the first to letters of the first name and the first two letters of the last name.  They were called HeLa cells.  Unlike other cells in the past that would die out after a period of time, Henrietta's cells kept reproducing and became instrumental in the discovery of medications and treatments of many dreaded diseases.  The polio vaccine development used Hela Cells, as well as many other well known discoveries.  The family did not find out about this for many years, and the story goes on.  Great reading and such interesting information.
~Dale
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 01, 2010, 04:49:16 am
Dale, I read a lengthy article about that case. The woman's story was heartbreaking.

Is Girl with the Dragon Tattoo next on our list?

And back to my question: are we ready to discuss the Hunger Games trilogy?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 01, 2010, 04:54:35 am
Dale -  thanks for the suggestion; sounds like a good book.

Kaybo - glad you've liking the second Girl book.  Still working on the first, as uch as I wanted to finish it last night.  Had to get some sleep  :P

Saralynn - I can discuss the trilogy at any time.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 01, 2010, 08:32:01 am
Ok, I'm hanging in there...it is getting better and I can see where the next books would be better as we will already "know" Lisbeth.  Just not sure I even like the writing style or quality?  Anyway, I'll keep going...yes, my interested is peeked - I do need to find out what has happened to that girl :D

Anne Marie, I was a banker (of sorts) in my career days.  Didn't know you were.  I was in Trust mainly, but also did some mortgage stuff along the way and years ago was a teller (never could get my drawer to balance, though!).  What about you?

Saralynn, I think we are supposed to be doing Hunger Games next, but not sure who was in on it, or who still needs to finish it?  I'm in and done.

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Lizard on October 01, 2010, 10:34:04 am
Love those "Girl with..." books too, but yes slow going.  Even the third one is slow in the beginning, but they have a lot of characters to work in so I get it...have to admit I only skimmed that part  ;)
What's the next series?  I really want to read the True Blood books, but not sure if I'd like them. 

I'm reading a good book now about Augusten Burrough's brother (Running with Scissors) about his life with Aspergers (look me in the Eye, by John Robison).  Its pretty interesting and if you've read any of the Augusten Burrough's books you can appreciate a lot of the dark humor .  It cracks me up!

Not sure what to next?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on October 01, 2010, 02:54:11 pm
maybe i'm wrong, but it looks as though y'all are working on about 7 books! two trilogies?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 01, 2010, 03:37:42 pm
in & ready!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on October 05, 2010, 05:13:40 am
Ready , Willing and able to discuss Hunger Game series or Girl series ...
have kinda lost tract of where we are  ???
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on October 05, 2010, 07:32:58 am
OK, I'll bite .....

I have read all three of the Hunger Games books, but my reading was spread over such a long period of time that I may not be able to add much to the discussion.

Just curious:  what was the attraction for everyone to keep reading to the end of the trilogy?

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 05, 2010, 08:26:19 am
I was intrigued by Katniss (?) and the whole thing of how a society could do that to children - I wanted to see how the author would end it!!

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on October 05, 2010, 05:22:41 pm
my thoughts run similar to Kaybo ... we are to protect our children not put them in danger purposely ... had to see where author would take us

these were not among my favorite books I have read but something grabbed me and said read on ...  seeing a 3 year old from Africa  today that a friend  just adopted made me think of these books ... his mom had him at 12 and brought shame on her family so was put out on the streets with her baby to survive as best she could with him ... she was stealing and fighting to beat and take from others on the street , and who knows what else ... we know she turned violent to keep her baby and herself alive ...

it made me think of Katniss ... her struggle to survive along with her trying to protect the young girl from the other district ... this baby was lucky when he was removed from the streets at about 6 months and put in a group home ... his mom was also put in a group home where she goes to school and is learning work  skills to live as an adult ....then she will be released when she is somewhere between 16 and 18 ...this also made me think of the people from different districts in the books ... taught a skill that is needed in society and that is what they will do for life ... this girl will likely land in a factory , marry and have 6-8 kids and wear herself out while still young struggling to just survive ... part of me was saying why did they not take both the baby and his child mother and put them both up for adoption

the book was scary in how the children were treated ... this adoption and the similarities that came to mind for me were scarier
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on October 05, 2010, 06:03:54 pm
I had kind of the same reaction as Soundy.  I did not like the first book but something compelled me to read the other two.  Like Kay, I guess I just needed to see where the author was taking us with Katniss.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on October 06, 2010, 05:54:44 am
Me thinks a case of curiosity killing the cat ... I felt I had to continue reading even though over all I didn't much like the books
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 07, 2010, 04:55:00 pm
Not sure why I kept reading them, but think primarily to see how she would wrap it all up - thought it was very well written, and because I do like a love story - I really wanted to find out which boy she would end up with.  I think I was able to "enjoy" it despite the horrible theme because it was SO absurd that it was beyond realistic to me.  I do find it difficult to read books which have any sort of child abuse/murders if it is more realistic in nature...Whistling in the Dark, for example, or even The Giver (which I did love).  I will say that I don't think I would have wanted my boys to read them when they were young teens...isn't that the target audience of these books? Then again, as it was like pulling teeth to get my older son to read, I suppose I would have been glad if he would have shown ANY interest at all in a book!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 07, 2010, 07:21:55 pm
I think the pace of the first book pulled me in. The second not so much. My daughters and I had an ongoing discussion of who Katniss would end up with. I was right. Although I had some doubts during Mockingjay. I know a lot of people were disturbed by the ending of the trilogy, but I am glad that it was not a happy-ever-after. I don't think anyone would have been able to get over what happened in the arena, much less the war against the Capitol.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 07, 2010, 08:14:02 pm
I think that I have said this before, but Addi read it last year (6th grade) - they were promoting it as a school wide read and selling it for $5.  I noticed that it will be a book for NEXT's years (8th) pre-AP classes...really do wonder about our "youth" reading books like that...What do you say Ms. Maggie?  You have more of a pulse for what that age should be reading!!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on October 09, 2010, 06:17:40 pm
I'm thinking that 8th grade would be about the right age to "require" the reading, esp. if it would be for an advanced class.  I'm not sure the majority of kids at a younger age would be able to properly process what takes place in the book.  Then again, I tend to be a bit conservative about these things! I REALLY hate violence, and there were some violent things going on.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 09, 2010, 09:57:55 pm
I liked all 3 of the books - even the 2nd one which didn't get great reviews. 

I was disappointed by the ending of Mockingjay - I was hopeful that Katniss would end up with Gayle.  I liked him better than I liked Peeta.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on October 10, 2010, 08:11:36 am
Jan .....

I had the same reaction.  Gayle was with her from the very beginning, through all of the things she endured ..... but I also figured she would end up with Peeta.  I cannot say I liked the books, but after reading the first one, I was sort of hooked to find out where the author was going with all of the events.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 13, 2010, 07:14:03 am
I was hoping she'd end up with Peeta; though, I usually pull for the Gayle-type of guy...

But, I did vote for Team Edward in that other teen series  ::)

Cindy

P.S.  I did finish Girl w/ Tattoo...you guys were right, it did finally pick up and was pretty good.  Not going on my favorite list, but was ok and I'll probably read at least one more of them just to see more of Lisbeth for a bit.  I can see this turning into a movie...maybe already in the works...would be interesting to see who would play her :)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on October 13, 2010, 07:22:52 am
I have not seen it, but Sweden produced a movie of TGWTDT ..... opened in March.  It is available here with English subtitles.  See http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=124738531

I always like to read the book first, before seeing the movie.  So, I have it but have not started it yet. So shhhhhh.   ;D

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on October 13, 2010, 08:40:41 am
Following this thread, though can't keep up with any of the reading! ::)

Did recently buy TGWDT and will try to muddle through the beginning. My daughter actually saw the movie in Dallas over the summer , some sort of special preview.

.She said it was good, a little graphic.

Did finish the newest Anna Quindlen book-"Every Last One."
A tear jerker so beware. I liked it though. First half of the book is  kind of dull, second half throws you for a loop......

Oh and finally would love to read "The Immortal Life of Hentrietta Lacks


Okay that's my entry for a year!
Maureen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on October 14, 2010, 08:48:03 am
Having just ran a book fair for 7 days at school I will add ... We had all three books available ... the books come in rolling cases with info of target ages... they have these books targeted 5th grade and up ... The Giver is in same group of books ... we sold alot of them , but mostly to 7th and 8th grade since their teacher is pushing them ... I don't know what is up ... a trend or whatever , but we had alot of books that were of what I would call questionable subject matter ... teens murdering for "the right reason" in their minds  ... one book was about a boy who killed a classmate after years of emotional abuse as a way to end the bullying ...in another a kid killed an abusive father ...and in another a boy killed the boyfriend of his ex girl friend because he wanted her back ...

we have had a school shooting in our small community leaving a student and a teacher dead ... that was in 1995 ... The shooter had been harassed all through school for his small size and quietness …in high school a teacher/coach joined in the bullying and that set him off , targeting teachers who he thought should be there to help and protect him … he snapped  … then 2 years ago we had a pair of teens go in and kill a mom and her 2 sons … the older son was dating one of the killers ex girlfriend …the books we pulled were just too close to home ...

the principal , book fair workers and librarian do a walk through before the fair opens and any questionable books are read through ...read the description on back cover and if the book is iffy we spot read 5 or 6 pages in about 10 places in book ... if it fails we pull it ...I know this is censorship which I am against on the whole , but  depending on the book we do it ... I know that is hypocritical but we pulled them anyway along with some that had a lot of sexual content in them … I think they are pushing some things at younger audiences too soon … some of the books we were sent are more on target for high school age students … and some books that were left on shelves are not books I want my girls reading …

My now 6th grader read The Giver in 4th grade and it disturbed her ... we don't have an AR (accelerated reading ) test at school on Mockingjay but do on the first 2 books ...each is 10 points ... Sarah asked about how easy they were to read and I told her they were fast reads but I would rather her leave them be for at least another year ... I know they would upset her like The Giver did so they sit on my shelf and wait ... she is thinking of the 90 AR points she has to get and thinking that reading them would get her alot points fast ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 14, 2010, 11:25:41 am
I second you on book content, Soundy. Here in mid-Missouri we had a 15-year-old girl kill a 9-year-old neighbor girl last fall just because she wanted to see what it felt like. Now she is awaiting trial and her lawyer is filing all kinds of motions demanding regular dress and that the state pay for distance learning until she graduates from high school. I think the focus should remain on what she did to the other little girl. I don't think it is cruel and unusual for her to wear an orange jumpsuit while studying for the GRE. Now this girl obviously had problems to begin with, but why plant the seed through popular literature?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 14, 2010, 12:09:52 pm
WOW!  I think I need to check Addi's books...even though she is a good girl and I don't think that particular stuff would interest her, you can never be too watchful!

K   ;)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 14, 2010, 04:52:14 pm
Soundy, your daughter could read Gone With the Wind. It's worth 75 points, but do not let her watch the movie. It might confuse her on the AR test questions, which are designed for the book version.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 14, 2010, 04:59:26 pm
A few last comments about Mockingjay:

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 14, 2010, 06:16:33 pm
Soundy, your daughter could read Gone With the Wind. It's worth 75 points, but do not let her watch the movie. It might confuse her on the AR test questions, which are designed for the book version.

Ah, Gone With the Wind!  That was required reading at my southern school ;)  But, seriously, that was the first time I experienced the "book is always better than the movie!" phenomenon.  I had read many, many books by the time I saw GWTW, but had never seen any of them as movies.  Thankfully, I saw the movie first, then read the book.  Now I try to always see the movie first, then read the book.  Otherwise, I'm inevitabley disappointed in the movie.  There are a few exceptions, though, I know...but not many ::)

Cindy

P.S.  Have I ever mentioned what my sons names are?  Stewart & Brent...must have been my subconscious, wasn't done intentionally, I assure you...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JerseyGirl2 on October 14, 2010, 06:59:59 pm
P.S.  Have I ever mentioned what my sons names are?  Stewart & Brent...must have been my subconscious, wasn't done intentionally, I assure you...


Cindy,

The Tarleton Twins!!!  :) Those are great names. My daughter, a Jersey girl with a southern heritage, named her first car "Vivian Volvo," in honor of Vivian Leigh, when she was an undergrad at Emory in Atlanta, and her next car "Scarlett."

Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 14, 2010, 07:24:57 pm
and her next car "Scarlett."

Was it a red car?

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JerseyGirl2 on October 14, 2010, 07:45:44 pm
Was it a red car?


No, it was gray ... so the derivation of the name required some explaining!

Catherine (JerseyGirl 2)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 14, 2010, 08:33:33 pm
Isn't it funny that we name cars? I had a white Toyota Tercel named "Pearl," and now I drive a green Subaru Forester LLBean model named "Sprout" since it is a Green Bean.

Sara

Oops, I just realized we are straying off topic here. Did I mention that I drive my car to the library every week to pick up some new books to read?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on October 23, 2010, 07:31:43 am
funny, sara!!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 23, 2010, 04:46:18 pm
Well, as long as we're reporting on our GWTW "connections" I just had to chime in and tell you all that my new boss's name is Ashley.

Actually Ashley is his middle name - his first is James - but he goes by Ashley. 

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 07, 2010, 10:57:49 am
Finished the second "Girl" book Friday night and just had to run out yesterday to buy the next one.

Unfortunately it's not available in paperback yet - at least not around here - so I had to pay a little more than I would have liked for the hardcover.  Walmart had it for $19.34 and Target had it for $18 - I was hoping to find it for under $10 but no luck  :(  Thought about waiting a while for the paperback version, but I loved book #2 so much that I decided I just couldn't wait.

Also purchased a book called "A Reliable Wife" which was on the NY Times Bestseller list at some point.  It sounds very interesting to me.  Will let you know what I think.  I plan to read it after the final "Girl" book.

Anyone else read anything good lately?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on November 07, 2010, 12:41:14 pm
Jan, my book club read A Reliable Wife last year.  There are some very strong-willed characters in it, but it has a great ending. Most people really liked it.  I had a harder time liking the characters, but that is a quirk of mine.  If I can't identify in some way w/them, I have a hard time w/the book.  I just saw the movie Mao's Last Dancer and loved it, so I am thinking about reading the book.  Have anyone read any of the Louise Penny mysteries?  If you like mysteries, these are great! They mostly take place in a tiny little village called Three Pines, near Quebec.  Great plots and memorable characters.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 07, 2010, 04:53:00 pm
No time to read these days . . . redoing kitchen and bath, both of which have turned into tremendous domino projects. Also bb is underway, LB is on one of the two freshman teams but does not know which one yet. Her second home game is on her birthday, so i am going to invite everyone we know to sing Happy Birthday from the bleachers and generally embarrass her as much as humanly possible.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Lizard on November 07, 2010, 05:45:00 pm
Finished the second "Girl" book Friday night and just had to run out yesterday to buy the next one.

Unfortunately it's not available in paperback yet - at least not around here - so I had to pay a little more than I would have liked for the hardcover.  Walmart had it for $19.34 and Target had it for $18 - I was hoping to find it for under $10 but no luck  :(  Thought about waiting a while for the paperback version, but I loved book #2 so much that I decided I just couldn't wait.

Also purchased a book called "A Reliable Wife" which was on the NY Times Bestseller list at some point.  It sounds very interesting to me.  Will let you know what I think.  I plan to read it after the final "Girl" book.

Anyone else read anything good lately?

Jan

Jan,
The third book only came out a few months ago so I'm figuring it won't be out on paperback for a while.  Again the beginning is a little slow, but I LOVE how everything comes together!!!!  Can't wait to see what you think.
Liz
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on November 09, 2010, 02:08:50 pm
I have been reading books for school ... one is a collection of stories Escape: Children of th Holocaust ... it is about kids who survived the Holocaust and is a bit depressing ... aimed at 5th through 7th grade ...I guess should be uplifting as they survived to become productive citizens of the world ... but the cruelty that people can visit on other people is just unbelievable

now reading Elephant Run a historical fiction set in world war 2 , about a privileged boy that is sent to the relative safety of his fathers teak plantation in Burma only to have the Japanese over run it taking his father hostage and leaving him to become a servant of the new powers ... just starting it so not sure what I think about it

next is the novel Flipped which the movie of same name is based on ... haven't seen the movie which is a good thing as I never find the movie as good as the book

many of the books that we got in Book Fair are to do with ghosts or supernatural beings ...werewolves , monsters , vampire , zombies etc etc ... some told to be scary and  others just seem silly scary ...and some a bit dark ...one is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice with zombies titled Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Dawn of the Dreadfuls   ... it just seemed a bit odd to me ... a trend I guess ...

have finished A Dog's Purpose which is a story told through the eyes  of a dog who is reincarnated  ... first life he is a stray , second a loved companion to a boy and third as a police dog his last life as a lab that is bought as a gift that is passed to the mother of the girls he was given to ...this turns out to be a bad situation  ... each life teaches the dog something new ... how to survive , how to love unconditionally , how to care about others  etc ...each life he carried something he learned to the next ... his last life is as a lab and he is born confused at being born again ... he can't imagine another life without the owners he has known and lands with a family that is dysfunctional and he is neglected then dumped on the side of a road  when the man decides he has had enough of a dog he didn't want to start with ... but a surprise ending brings the story full circle and he is loved again and where he should be ...

kinda answers the question why are we here ? just from a dogs perspective ... so far of the 10 or so books I have to read it has been the best ...

I figure I have about 2 weeks of reading for school before I get back to reading for myself ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 09, 2010, 04:33:57 pm
...one is a retelling of Pride and Prejudice with zombies titled Pride and Prejudice and Zombies Dawn of the Dreadfuls   ... it just seemed a bit odd to me ... a trend I guess ...

I read those books. I am a Jane Austen fan and our family has many running jokes about zombies as my son is very interested in them. The books are very clever but the initial charm wears off after a while and I began to look forward to the book ending. I couldn't get into Sense and Sensibility and Sea Monsters at all, though.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 14, 2010, 10:02:18 pm
Loved the 3rd "girl" book - finished it very late last night.  I highly recommend it and will willing lend my copy to anyone who wants to read it.  IMO it was well worth the cost of the hardcover version.

I heard somewhere that although the author, Steig Larssen, passed away he had completed a 4th book that will eventually be published.  I wonder if this is true as I'd love to see what happens to Salander and Blomkvist.

Slept in and then spent a few hours reading another book called "Promise Me" cover to cover. 

Not my usual type of book - kind of an unbelievable story - but it was interesting reading.  And a nice alternative to the kind of things I normally read.

Plan to start A Reliable Wife tonight.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on November 14, 2010, 10:10:14 pm

He didn't complete the fourth book, and first reports were that it would not be completed.  Then I heard that the family and longtime girlfriend have different ideas about that  I think the girlfriend has the book...family wants it.  I was happy with the way the third one ended, weren't you?  I was afraid things would be very unfinished, but it was actually quite tidy.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on November 15, 2010, 12:48:50 pm
Its on my Christmas wish list.  I can't wait to read the third book.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sterry on November 15, 2010, 09:27:15 pm
I just finished the third girl yesterday, I liked them all.  Picked up my copy of Symbols that I have been carrying around for year now, today seems ok, so far.  May have to change book types after this one the last 5 have been mysteries.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 16, 2010, 08:00:55 am
Even though I liked the first two books a lot, I guess I'll wait for the 3rd to go to paperback...I am just cheap like that!!    ::)

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 16, 2010, 10:48:50 am
Frugal, Kay, frugal.

Sara
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Lizard on November 16, 2010, 10:55:21 am
About the 4th Girl book, I guess when he died his long time partner did not get anything from his estate and the family has completely screwed her over.  Its very sad, but I really do hope that the book will be finished!  The movie for the Swedish version of the 2nd book is now available.  I have a hard time keeping up with subtitles and usually end up with a headache, but the first movie was really good...I'm going to have to rent it...even the hubby liked the first!

Liz
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on November 24, 2010, 02:31:27 pm
Kaybo, put in a request at the library. 

I feel like I'm the last one on the planet to read it, but a few weeks ago I read Eat Pray Love.  Really enjoyed her writing.  I'd like to read some of her other books. 

Sue in Vancouver, USA
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on November 24, 2010, 06:02:10 pm
Better yet, put a Kindle or a Nook on your Christmas list.  All the ebooks are much cheaper.  I love my Nook!
~Dale
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on November 25, 2010, 06:55:27 pm
Hey Donnalynn,
I am getting a Nook for Christmas.  I chose the Nook simply because I will be able to download free audiobooks from the library.  Kindle does not support ePub, which is necessary for the downloads from the library.  I know people who like the Kindle better because it is a little larger and supposedly easier to read, but free downloads is a perk as far as I am concerned! I have already downloaded the software needed from the local library because I  download  books to my mp3 player  to listen to when I walk in the afternoons.  There are websites you can go to that will compare the audiobook devices so you can make an informed decision.  I think that the Sony eReader also supports ePub.  Just type in "comparing Nook and Kindle and Sony" in a Google search.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on November 25, 2010, 07:35:37 pm
So many choices ......  For what it is worth, I bought my husband an IPad for his birthday about six weeks ago and he loves it.  He has already read several books on it, including "Pillars of the Earth."  He likes it because he can change the lighting settings on it, it turns pages like a regular book, and he can read in bed with the bedside lights off so it does not keep me awake at all.  It has a larger screen than the Kindle or the Nook, plus it is has WiFi so he can access email, the web, etc. ..... to say nothing of the games.   ::)

Among my many idiosyncrasies, I do not like to read the newspaper or books electronically ...... something about curling up in the chair with a good book that just does not fit with an e-book for me.

Cheers.  Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on November 26, 2010, 09:01:47 am
Got my husband a Sony Reader last year...he's not a reader, but he did actually like it and read a few books on it.  He liked that he could change the print size and was able to look up the meaning of words right there on the screen.  It didn't change him into a reader, unfortunately, though.  I did read one book on it, but I'm w/ Clarice, I like feeling the book as I'm reading :)

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on November 26, 2010, 01:26:04 pm
I totally agree w/the rest of you about feeling the heft of a book and having it smell like a book!  I requested the Nook because I usually take at least 5 books with me when we travel, and I am trying to streamline things a bit!  The size of an eReader is the appeal, not the concept :).  Wish I could afford the iPad, Clarice! 
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on November 26, 2010, 01:58:06 pm
Priscilla ....

Yes, the IPad is still a bit pricey but we kind of looked at it as a mini-computer because it has features for both a computer and a reader.  With Kindles, Nooks, Sony Readers, now making a marketing push, I'll bet Apple reduces the price of IPads in the near future.

Just glad everyone is reading, no matter how!!

When our children were small, we lived about a 20 minute drive from church and shopping, as well as the closest decent-sized library.  I made book bags for each child and whenever we went "to town" they grabbed their bags and read on the ride to and from town.  Every two weeks we went to the library and exchanged their books for new ones.  To this day, they are all avid readers.  Now the grandchildren are "book worms" as well.  Our oldest granddaughter will be 6 years old in a couple of weeks and she basically can read anything she sees, including many chapter books already ..... strictly the result of environmental influence.  It makes me sad to hear children say "I don't like to read."  When I was still teaching (junior high), I was constantly amazed at the number of children who balked at reading assignments.  But, I digress .......

Happy reading, everyone!  It is going to be harder to do in the next month.   :(

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 26, 2010, 08:12:51 pm
I just bought 3 Kindles for my MIL to give to my eldest daughter and two nieces. My daughter is going to Vietnam on a service trip next year and she wanted to be able to download books while there. We looked at the Nook, but it does not have international access. I have asked for an iPad for Christmas, don't know if I will get it or not, but there is a Kindle application for it. I have it on my iPod, but its screen is way too small for reading.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on November 26, 2010, 08:37:38 pm
Sara .....  Yes, the IPad has the Kindle App and it works just as well as the Ibooks, although there do not seem to be nearly as many "free" books for the Kindle as there are Ibooks.  Many of the classics are available free for the IPad.

Well, we'll just see who has been naughty or nice this Christmas .....   :-*  Hope, hope, hope .....

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 26, 2010, 08:53:15 pm
Sometimes I wish I were NAUGHTY but I think I am probably NICE!!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on November 26, 2010, 08:58:24 pm
our CARBO Reading Teacher is trying to get me hooked on a kindle or nook... ... but I am among those who like the touch and smell of a book ...

read Call of The Wild today so I can help 11 year old with making shadow boxes for 3 scenes from the book ... due Tuesday ... had been several years since I read it and had to refresh memory ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on November 28, 2010, 11:21:57 am

GREAT idea about the Kindle for all you bookies. It's on my list. I love my books, when I can get to them, but the print is so tiny, and with that vision problem, it just takes too much energy.
Large font books are hard to come by.
I read the posts just to see what everyone is reading. I'm on the first "Girl with the Tattoo series." It just takes me forever to get through them, but once again, slow and steady wins the race ;D
or finishes it at least. ::)
Moe
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on November 28, 2010, 11:34:09 am
I have the NOOK by Barnes and Noble.  There are MANY free books and many books under $5.00.  They have a library of over 2 million books, which is far more than Amazon (Kindle) and far more than iBooks.  I do travel a lot, so I love being able to download books and just carry my Nook.  Yes, you can adjust the font, both type of font and size.  Highly recommended.  I have gotten used to not holding a real book. :D
~Dale
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on November 28, 2010, 11:46:55 am
Thanks Dale, I'll keep that NOOK in mind :)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on November 28, 2010, 12:06:12 pm
maybe one day when I am at school with nothing to do I will go borrow a Kindle from the teacher and sit in her reading room , which is set up with big comfy chairs and couches ...,low light from ceiling and tons of lams around chairs and couches ...like a huge living room ...kids that are slow readers come to her daily during reading and just he atmosphere gets them reading with very little remedial work ... I could give the Kindle a test drive  :D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on November 28, 2010, 09:44:24 pm
I love a good book to snuggle with, I think I will pass on an e-reader. 

I just bought a book called A Classic Christmas "Spiritual Reflections, Timeless Literature, and Treasured Verse & Scripture"  I plan on starting it tomorrow night.

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on November 28, 2010, 10:04:46 pm
I have to admit that I am considering one for my daughter & I to share...we both love to go right to the next book.  Addi is especially impatient and her time schedule and mine for "running to B & N or the library" usually don't match.  Now that we are farther from both - or the libraries are closed more here (believe it or not) - I think it might be nice to be able to just download the "next" book...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on November 28, 2010, 10:13:35 pm
Hi Kay .....

If you get an IPad, it comes with IBooks and then you can also download the Kindle and Nook Apps (both free) so in my mind you get the best of all three worlds.  The initial cost is more, but it is also a mini-computer.

Just my opinion .....   :o

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: EJTampa on November 29, 2010, 12:27:28 am
Wanted to chime in.  I got the kindle 3G.  Wow!  Free 3G and I can even check the weather on the national weather service webpage at weather.gov!  I'm in Kindle heaven! :)
 
I read scifi/fantasy and am currently catching up on Terry Brooks series of Shannara
 
Anyone got any good suggestions for other scifi/fantasy books?
 
Ernie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on November 29, 2010, 08:02:50 am
Hi Ernie,
I read a lot of scifi/fantasy and am currently reading the George R. Martin "Song of Fire and Ice" books.  HBO is coming out with the series this spring and I can't wait.  I think the first book is A Game of Thrones.  I had it wrong the first time around.  Sorry!

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 29, 2010, 11:00:04 pm
No Kindles or Nooks for me.  I'm old school, I guess.  Love to turn "real" pages.

Finished a Harlan Coben book over the weekend called "Play Dead".  Liked it a lot.  Thought I had it all figured out by the end, but there was a plot twist that I didn't see coming  ;D

Am now reading The Story of Edgar Sawtelle and am really enjoying it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on November 30, 2010, 05:01:12 pm
I am reading Lee Child's "Jack Reacher" book, 61 Hours.  He is an excellent thriller writer.  I'm glad others read Sci Fi too.  I discovered that when I was in Jr. High.  Just finished a Ben Bova "classic" book, Voyagers.  Different sort of Sci Fi....kind of fun in a dated sort of way.    Anybody read Alan Dean Foster books?  I also have read most of Harlan Corben's books, too.  I usually enjoy them. 

happy reading,

Sue in Vancouver USA 

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jackie on November 30, 2010, 05:57:11 pm
Hello Sue,

My husband and I have read ALL of Lee Childs books, and love the character Jack Reacher. We also really like Michael Connelly and his Harry Bosch character, Nelson DeMille is a very good writer, T. Jefferson Parker, John Lescroat, and David Baldacci are all good in our opinion! Hubby is a retired Police officer, so we are really into that kind of literature! We can highly reccomend all of these writers!
Jackie, from Beaverton
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on December 27, 2010, 02:00:29 am
Well, guess what Santa brought me?  An iPad!  I still in shock.  So downloaded Apple's reader, and Kindle and another free book thingie, and saw that Nook but the reviews on the application for the iPad weren't very good.  Bummer

Hope you all had a great Christmas!

Sue in Vancouver, USA
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Migoi on December 27, 2010, 08:19:47 am
These are not books, lumps of lifeless paper, but minds alive on the shelves.--Gilbert Highet

I would think would apply doubly to any of the various ereaders... whole generations of minds alive at your finger tips and easily portable.  In the end though...format is simply a personal choice, the key is to be reading.

..thanks for being.. migoi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on December 27, 2010, 09:40:26 am
Saralynn,
I just saw your post and want you to know that the NOOK DOES have international access.  I used it in Africa and was able to download from there as well.  I'm certain it would be the same in Vietnam.  I know you already got the Kindle, and that is fine.  The NOOK also has 3G now, so I am just posting this for information. I used the WiFi on my Nook all over the world and was pleased with the whole process.  I know you can do the same with the Kindle, and certainly the iPad.
~Dale
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on December 27, 2010, 09:46:42 am
I got the Kindle so I'm ready to start reading more in my large font (that darn eye thing!), and can't wait to "catch" up on some books and reading.
Looked at the Nook which looked nice, but decided to go with the cheaper Kindle. I just got myself a Sprint 4G phone, so didn't want to appear tooo greedy!
Happy reading everyone!
Moe
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on December 27, 2010, 10:03:24 am
"Santa" brought Addi a Kindle with the understanding that we would share it (wonder how long that will last?)...even though she is a bit young for such expensive things (IMO), she is a voracious reader - something I want to foster!! We will continue to check out books from the library, but books we would buy anyway (new releases), we will try to get on there. She is like me in that when she is in a series & finishes one book, she wants the next one IMMEDIATELY! I understand this but since we aren't 5 minutes from b&n now, I can't just run out & get it. Hopefully this will help. My decision was based on the fact that I know NOTHING about any of the "e-readers" & my SIL is a Kindle fanatic & can guide us! Also, that she shares her collection with us - on Christmas morning, Addi's Kindle had 45 books that she'd put on it!!
K  ;D

PS The series Addi is in now that I carefully timed so that I only bought enough books to get her up til Christmas...not on Kindle!!  :P
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on December 27, 2010, 10:16:20 am
K,
You are sooooo lucky to have an avid reader child, and I am envious! I have always had to prod my kids to read, even after library days and reading every night and all that.
They are older now, and the middle one likes to read, so they do change.

Anyway, looks like you are going to have a difficult time "sharing" the Kindle!!!!!!!! Good luck with that. When's your birthday????!
Moe
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on December 27, 2010, 10:31:55 am
I have 3!!! While I LOVE that, they are going to read us out of house & home! The youngest hasn't found her "series" or genre yet so at least she's content to read what lying around left over!  Funny thing, Addi didn't start really reading until a couple of years ago. She is dyslexic & couldn't ever get thru a book.  She finally found something that kept her interest & so she found the joy of losing yourself in a book! No stopping her since!

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on December 27, 2010, 03:25:15 pm
Ms Kaybo, your girls are my kind of girls!  Both my son and daughter gave each other books for Christmas, and when we get together, one of the first things we talk about is what we are reading.  It took Drew until 4th grade to discover his genre (fantasy) but there is no holding either one of them back now! 
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on December 27, 2010, 08:28:21 pm
Yaaaaaayyyyy for all of the young book worms!!  In this day and age of technological wonder, so many kids are balking at reading.  It is a joy to hear that we still have many readers coming along!  I think every one of the members of our extended family had put books on their wish lists so everyone received at least one book.  Our son gave his wife a Kindle for Christmas.  The new ones are much smaller and thinner so easy to prop up on the treadmill, or wherever.

It is really a good thing when we can incorporate the good things from the past ..... book reading ..... with the technology of the present.  Wonder what our grandchildren will be using in 25 years?!?

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on December 29, 2010, 03:17:49 pm
25 years from now ??? chip implanted in head ... sensor in eye ... you scan a list of titles ...blink on it twice and it is stored in your chip ... to access you twist your ear , click heels together to pull up list ... scan down the list and blink on the title you wish to read ... close you eyes and think your way through it  ;D ... or not

was playing with a friends Nook Color ... could be persuaded to like it ... it would be nice to carry when not at home ... doctor offices , school , etc .... and I could flip pages of real books at home ... I feel like a traitor to paper books  :'(

my girls read more and better before changes in AR program at school told them what to read ... their teaches have a list of have to read books and then a list of suggested reading based on who knows what that the kids are suppose to pick books from ... some books although supported by AR and we have tests on them in the school computers , will not be accepted ... so if Hannah wants to read a certain book she can't do it until grading period points for grading period are met ... and if close to end of a period she may not have time to finish a book before having to start on points to meet requirements  for next grading period … this has sucked the joy of reading out of her and many others ...

you know who it hasn't hurt ??? the kids who read because they have to ... they just read what they are told to read ... the ones that used to like reading and had begun to develop a preferred genre and are now being told what they have to read are the ones having issues with the whole thing ...sad really … I figure when she goes to high school and no longer has AR to deal with she will either start reading more or stop other that what is required …
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on December 29, 2010, 05:59:02 pm

I know what you mean, Soundy.  My daughter dives into books and hardly comes up for air.  When she was in third grade, I found a little mystery story I knew she would like, but when I gave it to her, she burst into tears.  It seems she "had" to read a certain number of books from different genres which meant she didn't have time to read the ones she really wanted to read.  Then when she was in fourth grade, she was in advanced classes and was expected to do a book report on every book she read, and she was supposed to read one book right after another. There were 28 in all, I think, by the end of the year. It is a wonder she is still in love with the printed word!  I had just gone back to teaching full time at that time, so I took notes on what public school was doing to actually discourage free reading and designed my reading program to lure kids into books instead of making them a chore to be dreaded.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on January 10, 2011, 09:04:04 am

I posted the below response before seeing "don't post warning " ... don't remember who had posted about the girls and their problems with reading becoming a chore to be dreaded ... that is where the quote came from ... Hannah read a required book without prodding over the weekend and has started another ... I went to the school library and picked some books  out and made her check them out ... and she has liked them ...old books I read at her age and younger ... some of the newer books with all the magic , vampires , sci-fi and  fantasy ( more fanatical that what was around when I was a kid ) are just not her cup of tea ...now that she has several books behind her that she liked and has  the points  she needs , she has read the require Lois Lowry book " Gathering Blue" ... one I have not read ... she finished it without griping

below is earlier post
" chore to be dreaded " ...I am  going to steal that phrase ...

what is even worse to her is that she has already read some of the required books ... The Giver for example ... she read it in 5th grade ...it is already on her record as read and the system kicks you out if you try to test on a book for second time ... so she has to read it with class and do a report on it and additional assignments ... but she can't test on it again .... so aside from assignments and report she will lose points since she can't read multiple books at same time ... I can read several and follow all ... she can't ... so there goes a couple reading weeks for her ... she already did the book report so when it comes up (it is one they are reading out loud in class ) she will just have to do question sheets as they come up... she has managed to read two books on Christmas break and if she passes the AR tests will get 18 points ... she has to have 20 for grading period so has 5 weeks to get those last 2 ... she is ahead for a change

I just ( between 4 and 7 this morning )  read the book Oogy about a pit bull pup that was used as a bait dog ... it was not the best written book I have ever read  but the story was touching and touched parts of me ...

as the owner of all rescued dogs and cat , and owner of one cat who had his tail chopped off because someone dumped him at my son's ex in-laws and my sons former BIL who didn't like cats thought chopping off his tail would make him leave , and did so ... Oscar didn't leave but kept hanging around begging food ... I went over to pick up my son and his then wife ...when I saw Oscar , now mutilated where a few days before he was whole , I opened the door to my truck and asked if he wanted to come home with me ... he hopped in my truck and rode home sitting at my shoulder watching the world go by ... he is the most loving cat I have ever had ... and I honestly didn't pick him up ... I invited him to come with me and he understood and came away with me  ...

I wonder if he was always a sweet loving cat or being rescued after being hurt if he was grateful ... now nearly 10 years later I wonder what would have happened to him had I not opened that door ... I wonder this at 2AM when he has to go out … he refuse a litter box which is fine except when he gets me up at 2 to go out … if no one is home and he is inside ,  he goes in the shower and we have a bottle of Lysol cleaner to spray it and then rinse … this is only about 3 times a month and I know not the thing many would tolerate but it works and I wish I could tell Oscar it is OK to pee in the shower at night … but he insists that if someone is home he is to go outside … when it is raining , snowing or just cold it is no big deal … he is in and out in 5 minutes … if the weather is good he likes to let you drift off to sleep and then wake you back up 30 minutes later to come back in

I told you mind is in drift mode … anyway … Dog lovers , Oogy is one for you …
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: keithk on January 11, 2011, 12:31:08 pm
I have had my Nook for almost a year and love it. It goes everywhere with me. The best thing are the free books on Fridays. I haven't bought a book since June. I bought the nook because my wife kept after me about all the books that were piled up after I read them. So I bought the nook and donated them to a Vets center that works with brain damaged vets. I just started reading again since my AN surgery back in August. I just didn't have the desire to read. Now it is back.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Sue on January 16, 2011, 01:16:35 am
I am reading a nice little book now.  Dewey the library cat.  True story, and interesting.  If you like cats, libraries, or animal stories, you will enjoy this book. 

Sue in Vancouver USA
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on January 19, 2011, 08:41:20 am
I am reading The Passage by Justin Cronin right now...any one here read it?  I will wait til I'm finished to give my overall opinion, but I'm very curious what you think, if you've read it.  It's very well written and it's nice and long with great details, but my final vote for or against is going to depend on how it all wraps up in the end...could be a great book or a disappointment?  It is a page turner, though, for sure!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on January 19, 2011, 12:59:33 pm


Cindy, I started that book but didn't get far enough in to get engaged with any of the characters.  In fact, there wasn't a single one I liked.  My daughter wanted to read it so I gave it to her.  When she brought it back at Christmas, she told me I hadn't read far enough because I hadn't met the "good guys' yet.  So, I will try again when I finish my current  Houston book group book, Unbroken, by the woman who wrote Seabiscuit.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on January 20, 2011, 08:19:36 am
Hey, Priscilla...yes, there are definitely some good guys in the book...we get to know the characters quite well as the author is constantly changing the speaker in the book.  I am really wondering how in the world it's going to end - it has some bazarre concepts which I can't imagine how will be played out.  Will come back w/ a report once I've finished it...let us know what you think after you've read it!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on January 21, 2011, 04:24:02 pm
Currently reading Bad Dogs Have More Fun ... a collection of articles John Grogan wrote for the news paper ... not all about
animals ... section on family  , life in general and animals

need a good long book to get into ... been reading too many quick teen targeted books
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on March 09, 2011, 01:46:12 pm
Hello, out there!  Awful quiet here...what's everyone reading?  I've been back deep in my historical stuff (reading about Alexander the Great at the moment) since I finished The Passage...odd, but good - well written, but I was not satisfied with the ending...

I see that Water for Elephants, the movie, is coming out.  Did anyone read the book?  I have not, but think I may read it after I finish my current book.  But, maybe I'll see the movie first?  I had judged it "by its cover" and the title and didn't think I wanted to read it...

Did you find a good non-teen book to read, Soundy?

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jeanbean on March 09, 2011, 08:07:39 pm
Hi,  I read "Water for Elephants" a few years back and thought it was powerful and moving.  I prefer to read the book before I see the movie.  My imagination is usually better than what they can do in the limited time a movie has to work with.  Read "Scorpions:  The Battles and Triumphs of FDR's Great Supreme Court Justices"  Very interesting and learned a lot of history.  Also, just read "An Object of Beauty" by Steve Martin.  A quick read and a whole other world from mine.  Jean
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 09, 2011, 09:02:03 pm
We read "Water" a while back...Thought that it was OK but not great...

K  :o)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keeping Up on March 09, 2011, 10:17:33 pm
I check out this thread every now and again to get new ideas of books to read.

A few I have read recently - none are hot off the press, some are rather old.

1) Sweetness of the Belly by Camilla Gibb - probably best to read the Amazon reviews because it has a bit of an odd plot to get the main character Lily into Ethiopia as a white Muslim.  Probably one of my favourite books of recent.
2) The Outlander series by Diane Galbadon - I am on book 3 after a bit of a hiatus.  The first book was awesome.  It too as older (mid-90s) but I was surprised once I started reading it how many people were also reading it on the subway.  I suggested it to one of the university students who was a book hound, and she covered off the entire series in a matter of weeks.  She loved the books.

Water for Elephants - I read it a few years ago.  I liked it - didn't love it, but is a quick read.

I know we have some teacher and parents of older kidlets - what would you recommend for an almost 9 year old girl.  We have read the Spiderwick series (both of them), not quite ready for Harry Potter or the Lightning Thief series.  Any other good series to read?

I too will be an old school girl for a long time to come.  The Kindles (and other products) but I just not into them quite yet.  However, with the thickness of the Outlander series books, it might come in handy on public transit.

Ann
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 10, 2011, 06:28:59 am
Ann-
My girls LOVED the "Peter & the Star Catcher" series - it is the prequel to Peter Pan. They are co-authored by Dave Barry & ? And the other guy (that I can't think of his name rt now) wrote the Kingdom Keeeper series about Disneyland. My 9 year old is reading them right now & loves them. She's really into fairies so we've read LOTS of fairy books - LMK if you are interested in any of those. Also, both my younger (8,9) younger girls are reading Nancy Drew - good ole ND!!

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 10, 2011, 07:02:47 am
I read Water for Elephants but do not remember a thing about it. I will probably not see the movie until it comes out on DVD so plenty of time to reread.

I have recently read the memoirs of the three girls who starred in Little House on the Prairie. It is no wonder that child stars grow up into troubled adults. The three books are quite different in style, but unfortunately I would not really recommend any of them.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on March 10, 2011, 07:42:11 am
Hi Ann,
For your daughter I would recommend Dragon Rider by Cornelia Funke.  The characters really come alive.  Kaybo's suggestion for the Peter and the Starcatchers series was a good one, too.  The Penderwick series is another one that is totally charming. The Charlie Bone series is similar to Harry Potter, but kinder and simpler.  My kids at school loved it. Lots of good books out there for kids!
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on March 11, 2011, 06:19:54 am
I spent last week setting up and prepping for school book fair and have worked every day this week at the book fair and don't really want to see anything that resembles a book for a while ... maybe next week  ;D

"Peter & the Star Catcher" series is some that my girls enjoyed ... I have started at thousands of books all week and I think my brain is numb to books ... dragons and vampires seem to be the big rage right now from about 3rd grade up ... and we had books on those topics for all grades ... one that does stick out that we sold several of is Igraine the Brave also by Cornelia Funke

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on March 11, 2011, 08:58:02 am
hmmm, not rave reviews of Water from you guys...maybe I'll keep it on my list, but move it way down.



2) The Outlander series by Diane Galbadon - I am on book 3 after a bit of a hiatus.  The first book was awesome.  It too as older (mid-90s) but I was surprised once I started reading it how many people were also reading it on the subway.  I suggested it to one of the university students who was a book hound, and she covered off the entire series in a matter of weeks.  She loved the books.


Ann

Ahhhh, Jaimie...I read them all!  Read the first one a couple of times!  There are several of us here who are Outlander fans - some brief discussion about it quite a few pages back, so don't go look ;)  Check back in once you finish and let us know your thoughts.  I won't say anything til you've let us know you've finished :D 

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on March 11, 2011, 04:17:02 pm
Well, I REALLY liked Water for Elephants!  I thought it was great and very meaningful.  Perhaps because I am older than many of you, but I thought the topic and the messages were powerful.
~Dale
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 11, 2011, 04:31:37 pm
Water for Elephants was great; so was the Guernsey/Potato Pie book.

I just finished Tara Road by Maeve Binchy and am on to 2 Harlan Coben books that I've been dying to start.

I love Harlan Coben  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 11, 2011, 06:06:43 pm
I love Maeve Binchy!!  I've read almost all of her stuff - has she had any new in a while, though?  I liked WfE - but anything dealing with dementia or Alzheimer's is kind of a tough subject for me...
I read a book titled "Roses" that I really liked - it has been compared to Gone with the Wind as far as it follows a family thru the generations.  I really liked it!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: G_Man on March 11, 2011, 10:00:55 pm
Don't know how relevant it is to this thread but I've just finished reading "Too Big to Fail: The Inside Story of How Wall Street and Washington Fought to Save the Financial System---and Themselves" by Andrew Ross Sorkin.  I read it as an audio book.  It's over 22 hours long.  I only read audio books now and it's by far the longest book I've ever read.  Talk about a brain book.  It goes through every one of the key people in the financial melt down and explains who they are and what part they played.  So my take on it was, the answer to the question "Who's guilty?" is EVERYONE.  I have about 5 books on this subject on my book player for a year or more and I finally got the stomach up to read this one.  Don't know if I'll read the others.  Another book that's on the machine and yet-to-be read is "100 questions and answers about brain injuries".  It is the closest thing I could find from NLS on the subject of brain issues.  It's gonna' take me a while to get up the strength to read it.  I think I'll read something with more "fun" in it next like "American on purpose.  The improbable adventures of an unlikely patriot".
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 12, 2011, 07:43:38 am
G-man -

your response is very relevant and the book sounds very interesting.

I'm currently in a reading mode of "fluff" - my life can't handle any other mode right now - but once I get over a few "issues" I'll have to pick up "Too Big to Fail". 

I've also heard that Rudy Guliani has a new book that is worth the read.  I might check it out at some point.

Thanks for the input and the suggestion.

Best,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Lynn Mc on March 22, 2011, 09:23:07 am
Just finished a "serious" book.  Not sure if anyone has read it as I don't get here often.  It is "Over My Head" by Dr. Claudia Osborn.  It is her story coping with her own head injury.  I usually read a lighter book but someone suggested I read this.  I found it very good but a little depressing also ( I could see the new me in a little of it).  Not sure how to describe it.
Happy Reading
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on March 22, 2011, 12:39:33 pm
I'm reading a wonderful book that I can't put down.  The Invisible Bridge by Julie Orringer.  It's a novel that follows a family through Europe and to the US pre WWII and during and after.  Fascinating.  I love books that are novels based on true historical facts.  Heart warming, heart wrenching, and well written. 
~Dale
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 22, 2011, 06:22:00 pm
Dale -

did you ever read the book we refer to in this thread as the "Potato book"?  Something to do with Guernsey and Potato Pie Society - or something like that.

It's fiction, but has lots of history incorporated into the story.  I didn't think I'd like it, but I loved it.

If you haven't read it you should.  I think you'd like it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on March 22, 2011, 06:55:00 pm
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows ..... absolutely wonderful book, like none other I have ever read.  You will enjoy it.  You can get it for Kindle, as well as in paperback.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 22, 2011, 10:12:14 pm
Thanks Clarice for the official title of the book - glad you knew what I was talking about.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on March 22, 2011, 10:43:45 pm
I'm going to download than into my Nook right now!  Thanks Jan and Clarice!
~Dale
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on March 23, 2011, 11:08:57 am
The "Potato" book was a good one!  It's one I never would have picked up on my own due to the name of it.  But, thanks to the ANA Book club, I did read it.  Think that was one of the last ones we read and discussed as a group here?

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on March 23, 2011, 09:12:32 pm
i loved the potato book too! dale, i may try the one you just read. i love historical books, especially based around WWII.

cindy, i think there were discussions on a group of books after the potato one; i never bought those and kind of checked out of this discussion for a time. but i'd like to do something again; this summer may be better.

keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 24, 2011, 06:39:36 am
I LOVED the potato book too!!  Dale, I am going to try the one you said also!  I am ready to do a book on here - it always "stretches" my reading selection!

K    ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on March 24, 2011, 09:06:19 am
kay, remind me to read the book dale read! i'm sure i'll forget where i saw it, and what the name is....
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on March 31, 2011, 05:46:15 pm
Just got Invisible Bridge!!  I have to finish The Dressmaker first, but we are just hanging out at the beach and reading all weekend so I will probably start it soon!   :)

Jan~
Have you read the new HC books?  Looks like he has 2 now that I haven't read!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 01, 2011, 06:41:13 am
Kay -

just finished Back Spin by HC and am currently reading Caught.

I just got an email today from Amazon about his latest book - the title escapes me.

Tell me more about The Dressmaker. 

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: lori67 on April 01, 2011, 12:09:26 pm
I haven't kept up on here since I can't read on anyone else's schedule, but I do like to read about your suggestions!

I just finished "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister" - very good.  Also recently finished "Still Alice" - about a woman with early onset Alzheimer's, "Saving Fish from Drowning", "The Art of Racing in the Rain" (LOVED that one!), "Letters to God" and I'm working on 2 Jodi Piccoult books now - "Salem Falls" and "Songs of the Humpback Whale"  Both good so far.  I keep one in the car to read while waiting on the pick-up line at school and one in the house.

I think I'm going to have to read the Potato book, since it's getting rave reviews here.  I also liked "Water for Elephants", but I have a feeling the movie won't be as good as the book.

I've been reading a whole lotta kids books lately - my second grader has to read a book every night and take a test on it at school  Good program and it has done wonders for her comprehension, but I'm getting a little tired of reading books about talking animals and elementary school super-sleuths.   ::)

Lori
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 01, 2011, 03:20:04 pm
. . . I have a feeling the movie won't be as good as the book.

Yeah, that's usually the case, unfortunately.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 02, 2011, 10:54:42 am
I have the same thoughts about the Water for Elephants movie.  Loved the book; think I'll skip the movie although I really like Reese Witherspoon.

Art of Racing in the Rain was very good.

Will have to check out Ugly Stepsister and Savings Fish from Drowning.  Not sure I can take a "heavy" topic like that addressed in Still Alice.

Lori, I still have the Potato book.  If you want me to, I can mail you mine.  Just let me know.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 11, 2011, 03:03:03 pm
I have read a bunch of books for school ... books for 7th and 8th grade ready for some adult type reading ...

was giving a book Blindness by Jose Saramago to read for 8th and 9th grade ... a sudden outbreak of unexplained blindness in an unnamed city ... a hundred pages in and so far there are alot of people that have come in contact with each other ... from first man who was at stop light and went blind , to the man who took him home and then stole his car , to the policeman who found the thief and took him home ... the government rounds all the blind people up and put them in an abandon mental hospital and it doesn't take long for people to either decide to help those around them or to go into attack mode ... breakdown of society on a small scale ...not sure where it is going ...I guess I will have to finish reading to find out

don't really like the style ...kind of narrative but no real conversations ... everyone is talking over each other ...alot of commas and no quotation marks .... no character names ...just people .. ( the doctor , the doctors wife , the girl with dark glasses , the boy with squinted eyes )  ... I was told today that it was made into a movie but I don't remember seeing it advertised ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on April 11, 2011, 03:23:10 pm
I have read a bunch of books for school ... books for 7th and 8th grade ready for some adult type reading ...

was giving a book Blindness by Jose Saramago to read for 8th and 9th grade ... a sudden outbreak of unexplained blindness in an unnamed city ... a hundred pages in and so far there are alot of people that have come in contact with each other ... from first man who was at stop light and went blind , to the man who took him home and then stole his car , to the policeman who found the thief and took him home ... the government rounds all the blind people up and put them in an abandon mental hospital and it doesn't take long for people to either decide to help those around them or to go into attack mode ... breakdown of society on a small scale ...not sure where it is going ...I guess I will have to finish reading to find out

don't really like the style ...kind of narrative but no real conversations ... everyone is talking over each other ...alot of commas and no quotation marks .... no character names ...just people .. ( the doctor , the doctors wife , the girl with dark glasses , the boy with squinted eyes )  ... I was told today that it was made into a movie but I don't remember seeing it advertised ...

Soundy ~

Although I'm not a member of the ANA book club (my reading tastes are too dissimilar) as a moderator, it's my obligation to look at all new posts.  I saw yours about the book 'Blindness' being incoherent but subsequently made into a movie, a concept that intrigued me, so I checked it out.  Here is a link to Roger Ebert's review:  http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081002/REVIEWS/810020302/1023 (http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20081002/REVIEWS/810020302/1023)  Hint: Ebert gave it 1½ stars.

Jim

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 11, 2011, 04:21:33 pm
I looked up the book and read a bit on it ... seems like my take that what was happening in the mental hospital (social breakdown) also takes place on the outside as most of the city goes blind and crazy ... I rarely read reviews on books before reading them ... but from what I read I don't think this will be a keeper for the 8th and 9th grade ...I need to go on a search for books that are about real life situations and less fantasy based that would interest the kids without getting to graphic or violent ... and the books they are sending for approval are all over the place lately and most have either a death theme like the Hunger Games books or goofy like the wimpy kid books that are reading from 4th through 8th grade ...Blindness seems like a book for older audiences ...

I checked out that review and he describes what the book is doing to a T ... even though the book in my hands is not making noise , the way it is written is mentally noisy and distracting ... I know what I mean and that is the best I can put it ... I feel like I should finish it before reporting to the teacher my feelings but don't really want to finish it

I did notice that fellow ANer Mark Ruffalo played the doctor


Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 11, 2011, 07:20:30 pm
Too funny about the casting!!

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 12, 2011, 01:31:45 pm
Never heard of Blindness (the book or the movie), but I actually think it sounds a bit intriguing.  Will put it on my ever-growing list!  Currently reading a novel outside of my usual genre, but it's quite interesting so far - Island in the Sea of Time - anyone read it?  It's about the whole island of Nantucket and inhabitants being "thrown" back in time to 1250 BC...yes, a stretch ;)

Priscilla, was it you who was talking about The Passage?  I think I came back and mentioned that I was disappointed in the ending...well, I've since learned that this is going to be a series and the next book is due out in 2012.  That explains the "left you hanging" ending ::) 

Lori, come back more often, we haven't read anything as a group in quite some time.  Just informal talk about books we recommend (and don't recommend) these days.  Jim, feel free to chime in again also, we're always looking to expand our book horizons!

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: ddaybrat on April 15, 2011, 01:24:25 pm
Just discovered this topic.  Wow!  Books!  I'm addicted to them and have been since I learned to read as a very small child.  My parents and older sister taught me to read when I was about 3, going on 4.  Today, I hit the library weekly and put away about 10 books a week.  Most are light mysteries...The Elm Creek Quilt Series, The Tea Shop Mysteries, and my favorite author, d*** Francis. I'm on disability and it's just me, so I have nothing else to fill my time...so I read.

Since my surgery, my brain doesn't seem to want to process anything very involved.  I lose my way and my interest in so many really good books.  I did notice some of the books on the brain that all of you have mentioned.  I need to pick up one or more of them and see if I can actually stick with one long enough to complete the book.  Maybe if I intersperse reading it with a book I really enjoy, I can make it through it.  I appreciate anything that helps me understand why my brain is reacting the way it is to the surgery I had.

I did just finish a very interesting book.  It's call 'Sing Me Home' by Jodi Pecault.  It brings up some very political and emotional issues that are faced in today's world.  Be aware that it deals with homosexuality, same-sex marriage, etc.  I wasn't when I started reading it and almost put it aside, but am glad I finished it.  The author doesn't try to force her views on the reader, but tends to offer several different views...both Christian and non-Christian, both radical and non-radical.  It's very well written.  The biggest complaint that I would have is that it's written in first person...by all the major players.  Thus, it jumps from one person to another and you have to adjust to who is actually doing the talking.  On the other hand, I think it is important for the book to be written in that manner so the reader is able to enter the mind and understand the emotions of each of the players.

Keep the suggestions coming for good books to read...Pat

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: rayden1 on April 15, 2011, 01:57:51 pm
Hi

OMG16

Love reading currently about 200 unread book in my room and friends keep telling me about other good ones. So think it is great idea. Will post my favourites soon.

Ann x

i OMG16
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 15, 2011, 05:15:15 pm
 
For those of you w/upper elementary to middle school kids-particularly girls-I am reading an advance copy of a book called The Emerald Atlas, by Joseph Stephens.  The librarian at my school is a buddy of mine and she passed it on to me. I love it!  It is sort of a mix of The Dark Is Rising series, maybe some Narnia, and a lot of fantasy, obviously.   I don't know when it will be released, but I am really enjoying it.  It will most certainly be a series. Keep an eye out for it.

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 16, 2011, 10:01:04 am
Hi Pat & welcome to our little reading nook of the Forum. I've read some of the Tea Shop Mysteries & like them for really light, fun reading. Have you read any of her others?

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 17, 2011, 07:33:21 am
I did finish Blindness ... didn't like the way it was written but it did hold a message about human nature and how different people
would react in time of crisis ... some help others while some are all about taking care of themselves ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: lori67 on April 18, 2011, 07:06:12 pm
Pat,

Jodi Piccoult's books are like that - in the beginning of them, I have a hard time keeping the characters straight, but eventually it gets easier.  I just finished Salem Falls by her and it was really good.  I've read most of her books and I really like them.

I also just swapped some books on swap.com and have The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry coming later this week.  It's gotten good reviews and I've read her other book - The Map of True Places - and loved it.

Lori
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: G_Man on April 18, 2011, 08:43:17 pm
I did finish Blindness ... didn't like the way it was written but it did hold a message about human nature and how different people
would react in time of crisis ... some help others while some are all about taking care of themselves ...

Soundy
When the movie "Blindness" came out the National Federation of the Blind, an organization which I am a member of, protested the movie.  I was part of a protest here in New York.  Basically we felt that it was supporting stereotypes of what it's like to be blind that were just ridiculous.  The movie actually turned out to be a bomb in theaters.  That's the funny thing about protesting a movie.  Sometimes you can have the opposite effect.  I think more people actually went to see it because they wanted to know what all the controversy was about.  As a person affected by blindness, I see how people are repelled by those of us who are blind.  The NFB strives to show blindness for what it is and that's not what was portrayed in that film.  I've found a sort of parallel in my disability and the AN in my head.  People don't seem to get either concept too well.  I have low vision.  I am a blind person.  Yes I have some vision.  I have vision that is so low that I AM A BLIND PERSON!  Being blind isn't just "no sight at all" and that's the definition that most people think about. 
I would be very upset to know that some teacher is using this book in a school to teach 7th and 8th graders unless it was a leasson on disabilities and part of the class consisted of various blind people visiting the class and to teach what blindness really is about.  By the way if any teachers in the US are reading this and would like to have a school visit from blind people I may be able to put you in touch with people who can make that happen.
Glen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 19, 2011, 11:05:23 am
Hey, Glen, curious about your post...I haven't read the book or seen the movie (Blindness), so don't know any particulars about it.  What about the movie was offensive to you and the NFB?  I ask so that I can understand what you mean and then, hopefully, not offend anyone I may meet in the future.  Actually, I have a couple of relatives who are legally blind due to macular degeneration...I certainly don't want to offend them either!  One of these relatives (my husband's aunt) and I went to an "exhibit" in Atl called Dialog in the Dark - have you heard of it?  It was one of the most incredible experiences I've ever had.  It was a tour in which blindness is simulated by total and complete darkness.  Our "tour guide" was a blind person.  We were taken through a series of rooms w/ miniature parks, grocery stores, street settings, a boat ride, etc.  I have a thread out here about it somewhere.  Anyway, I just want to be sure I am not inadvertently offending any one!

Thanks :)

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: G_Man on April 19, 2011, 09:53:02 pm
Hey Cindy
Actually I never saw the movie either but the trailer really put a lot of people off.  Blindness is portrayed in the movie as a plague.  You know, the most awful thing that could happen to you, a disease, etc.  Every day of a blind person's life, if they are living life, is to prove that wrong.  It's a job we have whether we like it or not.  Movies like "Blindness" really don't help how we are perceived.  I just went to Netflix and pulled up the listing for "Blindness".  Here is how the description of the movie begins:
"After a plague of blindness overtakes the residents of a city, all sense of order breaks loose in the hospital where the victims are being quarantined."  Does that sound like a positive view of what it is to be blind?  When a blind person reads this description it doesn't make them feel really good, you know.
Anyway, I wasn't one of the people who really went nuts about this.  I know one blind woman wrote a book about the book "Blindness". 
I never heard of the event you went to in Atlanta.  The NFB has a convention every July.  It's been in Atlanta many times.  Actually my favorite place for the convention.  Sometimes at the conventions they have a setup where sighted people can put on a blindfold and be lead around for a few hours by a blind person through the hotel.  Just like it is with having an acoustic neuroma, blindness is different for everyone.  Some people take to it well and some don't.  Some people have loving and supporting families and other don't.  A very few of us have decent paying jobs that we can do and almost all of us don't.  The unemployment rate for blind Americans is over 70%.  That's a social security statistic and not something I just cooked up.  I'm always amazed how the simplest thing is lost on most folks in our society.  All people with disabilities really want is the opportunity to live a normal life like everyone w/o disabilities.  Sometimes the reactions I get from people is just absurd.  But schools don't spend any time educating kids on disabilities and I don't think parents even give much thought to it either.
I am glad to hear that some other folks are doing positive work like the NFB.  Do you remember who the group was doing the event you attended?

Anyway, hope to meet you one day. 
Best wishes
Glen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on April 20, 2011, 07:23:37 am
Glen .....

I am so glad you posted this explanation.  I have not read "Blindness" nor seen the movie.  I also looked up the Netflix description and the premise of it turned me off immediately.  But your post described exactly what I was feeling.  Our society is woefully lacking in tolerance of anyone who is not like we want them to be.  And I agree that our school systems could be doing a whole lot more to educating people in understanding all kinds of life situations.

...... and now I consider myself even further educated on what it is like to be blind and our need to provide avenues for feeling "normal."

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 20, 2011, 01:42:19 pm
Ok, thanks, Glen, that makes sense...I must admit that I probably would not have thought of the premise being offensive, but I do see your point and am so glad you pointed it out to me/us.

Here's the link to the website about the Dialog in the Dark exhibit:

http://www.dialogtickets.com/exhibition.html

It's an experience I wish everyone could have! 

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: G_Man on April 21, 2011, 09:37:58 pm
Ok, thanks, Glen, that makes sense...I must admit that I probably would not have thought of the premise being offensive, but I do see your point and am so glad you pointed it out to me/us.

Here's the link to the website about the Dialog in the Dark exhibit:

http://www.dialogtickets.com/exhibition.html

Cindy
I'm unfamiliar with this but it looks interesting.  There was something else called "Dinner in the dark".  It was a concept some blind people were ok with and others weren't.  It was just eating in the dark to pretend you are blind.  There were no blind guides.  The waitresses wore night vision goggles.  I didn't like the idea.
I wish the dialog in the dark had an affliation with a blind organization here in the states.  I'm going to ask some of my blind friends if they are familiar with it.
Thanks
Glen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: G_Man on April 21, 2011, 09:45:19 pm
There is really great book.  It's probably 10 years old.  It was made into a movie.  It's the finest example I know of an incredible book being made into an awful movie.  The book is called "The Perfect Storm".  The author is Sebastian Junger.  This book brought me back to reading books after about 10 years. 
Even if you haven't read the book, the author may be familar to you.  He's a reporter for ABC and he's been on the news very recently because his friend Tim Hetherington was just killed in Libya.
Sebastian Junger wrote another book called "War".  I'll be reading it soon. 
Glen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on May 09, 2011, 10:25:27 am
i agree about The Perfect Storm... what a depressing movie.

Glen, i have a couple of friends (married, both completely blind) who live on their own, work full time, are both members of NFB. THey are always  heading to the annual to the conventions. In face, Judy may work for them?? not sure. They are amazing. They go to our church, she's the head of the deacon board and really gets things done. He (Lloyd) sings in the choir, plays congas in the band (just took it up a few years ago) and does a ton of other things. In face, they as a couple, probably do more service that the rest of our church combined (well, maybe that's a slight exaggeration but they are incredible). I think they are in their late 50's early 60's. They know almost everyone at church by their voice and Judy makes sure she meets everyone new. When they are trying to find each other at church, they tap on the floor with their canes. I wonder if you know them. They are not DIS abled at all. I'll have to ask them their thoughts on the movie. Thanks for sharing.

Keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: ppearl214 on May 09, 2011, 11:16:25 am
Glen

Not only had I read the book (quite challenging/interesting to follow) and saw the movie (the ending is a pleasant thought as to how we hope things happened, although we will never know).... but I was living here, in the midst of it, when it hit.  In my hometown (just south of Gloucester), we had all kinds of sail/power boats wash up, torn from their moorings, up on roadways.  The winds/rains were relentless and I've never seen anything quite like it.  To sit up in Gloucester now, along Stacy Blvd (where the infamous "Gloucester fisherman" statue resides overlooking the "hah-bah"), it's amazing to look out over the waters, looking just ENE to know that Mother Nature tooks her wrath out on the crew of the Andrea Gail and other boats that were out there.  As one raised (literally) on the waters of New England (house on the coastline and have done all of my boating from Boston up to Gloucester), we have learned around here to say "if you want to see the weather change in New England, just wait one minute" and it does.... and the book/movie truly do demonstrate what happened around these parts during the "Perfect Storm". Definately a good read.

Phyl

There is really great book.  It's probably 10 years old.  It was made into a movie.  It's the finest example I know of an incredible book being made into an awful movie.  The book is called "The Perfect Storm".  The author is Sebastian Junger.  This book brought me back to reading books after about 10 years. 
Even if you haven't read the book, the author may be familar to you.  He's a reporter for ABC and he's been on the news very recently because his friend Tim Hetherington was just killed in Libya.
Sebastian Junger wrote another book called "War".  I'll be reading it soon. 
Glen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: G_Man on May 10, 2011, 09:27:16 pm
Keri
I'm going to guess that your friends live in or new Baltimore and work at the NFB national center.  At conventions the attendance can be anywhere from about 2,000 to 3,000.  Normally we get about 2,700.  I think about 600 of those come from the national center.  They bring 2 tractor trailer trucks full of materials.  I probably have run across your friends but I can't say I know them.  I will be going to this year's convention in Orlando.  It's just a few weeks after the ANA symposium.

For all:
Ok, so I read another book.  Chelsea Handler's "Chelsea, Chelsea, Bang Bang!"  I had previously read her book "Are you there Vodka?  It's Chelsea".  She's really an acquired taste.  You have to be able to tolorate a pretty sizable dose of crass.  Parts of it are pretty funny.  Her books basically consist of her telling about practical jokes she plays on the people close to her and stories about her awful relatives and weird friends.  It's totally mindless.  Her writing can be very uneaven.  Some chapters are very well thought out and concise while others just wonder around with no real focus.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 21, 2011, 06:52:56 pm
I did finish Blindness ... didn't like the way it was written but it did hold a message about human nature and how different people
would react in time of crisis ... some help others while some are all about taking care of themselves ...

Soundy
When the movie "Blindness" came out the National Federation of the Blind, an organization which I am a member of, protested the movie.  I was part of a protest here in New York.  Basically we felt that it was supporting stereotypes of what it's like to be blind that were just ridiculous.  The movie actually turned out to be a bomb in theaters.  That's the funny thing about protesting a movie.  Sometimes you can have the opposite effect.  I think more people actually went to see it because they wanted to know what all the controversy was about.  As a person affected by blindness, I see how people are repelled by those of us who are blind.  The NFB strives to show blindness for what it is and that's not what was portrayed in that film.  I've found a sort of parallel in my disability and the AN in my head.  People don't seem to get either concept too well.  I have low vision.  I am a blind person.  Yes I have some vision.  I have vision that is so low that I AM A BLIND PERSON!  Being blind isn't just "no sight at all" and that's the definition that most people think about. 
I would be very upset to know that some teacher is using this book in a school to teach 7th and 8th graders unless it was a leasson on disabilities and part of the class consisted of various blind people visiting the class and to teach what blindness really is about.  By the way if any teachers in the US are reading this and would like to have a school visit from blind people I may be able to put you in touch with people who can make that happen.
Glen


Our teachers after several of us read it and reported our opinions rejected it for the reading list …

The story could have used any disability or major crisis to put these people at a disadvantage and still shown the message that in a crisis some people will rise to the top as people who care and others will take advantage of others and make sure that their needs are met no matter what …we are seeing this locally right now with all the tornado victims and the way people have reacted …

one gas station owner that still had power letting people with proof of living in the area to get 10 gallons and he paying for it until his tanks were dry while others were charge with gouging when they upped the price on the then limited supply they had to $5 - $6 a gallon , well over the $3.60 or so it was running …

The best thing about the small school my girls attend is that we are very accepting and conscientious to people with any kind of disability … right now we have one boys that was born with an incomplete brain … his parents live out of district but bring him to our school because he gets a lot of love and attention from teachers , students and volunteers … anything he learns is a celebration … when he came to us he was anti social and at 6 not walking even though doctors thought he should be able to … he grunted and cried most of the time …he now walks after wearing most of us out as it took two people to hold his hands and walk with him … now he is is a walking machine and loves walking the halls … he will never talk but now signs to us or communicates using pictures we have taking of different places and people at school … he can’t swallow and has a tube in his chest that goes to his stomach … he can tell us he is hungry and can now get a snack of liquid nourishment between his regular feedings … and now at 9 he is beginning potty training … I am so glad we have him … not only for the good he has received but for the good he has done for our kids from Kindergarten through 8th grade …. It is hard to explain it but he belongs to all of us …

We also have a boy who is autisitc … he is an 8th grader and will move to the high school which scares me …he is also from out of our district … we have another 8th grader who as a 6th grader begin his self appointed job of helpmate to his boy and his aide … he came to our school in the 5th grade … he was not toilet trained  at school even though he was at home …and he would read but wouldn’t write … he screamed a lot and his aide had a hard time with him … at the school he had been at , when he acted out he was restrained … at the start of the 6th grade the other boy saw the aide crying and just started helping … he potty trained him … I know his sounds odd , but he would take him in the bathroom and show him how to pee in the toilet …he would drop a square of TP in it and sink it … he thought this was funny and had to try …result is he was trained at school in about 6 months … his friend didn’t even have to try to work on BM training …once he got down the peeing in the school bathrooms he decided on his own that the other could be done there too … the old school had him since kindergarten and didn’t figure out how to work with him and just strapped him to a Gerry chair and let him sit looking out windows for a big part o the day …

he hates math and refuses to do anything other than adding … but makes straight As in history … we set up a lab to teach life skills (shopping , folding clothes , simple cooking etc) …he will spot any of the  items that are out of place in the store area and puts things in order all lined up neatly… at the talent show with his helping shadow standing beside him he sang in front of a crowd of about 600 people … a long way from the boy who was scared if more that a dozen people were near him …I hope that the boy that shadows him and has become a very important part of his life can be with him part of the time at the high school … I fear he ill once again become lost in the shuffle … his aide applied for and was given the job of continuing on with him …at least he will have her and not be passed off on someone else

Sorry to go on … I am just proud that our school has a reputation as where to take your child if they need something extra … we have some parents that complain about what they term the added trouble and distraction … but the kids at school get such a valuable lesson from these special needs kids …it makes them better people to have the exposure … I have thought at times that they are angels sent to teach along with being children there to learn …

The book aside from not being written very well ( in my opinion) just didn’t have much to offer to 7th and 8th grade readers ( again my opinion) …
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 21, 2011, 09:59:11 pm
I recently picked up some new books - well, actually I got them at the used bookstore, so technically they aren't new.

Now I have a huge stack to read; just have to find the time.

Some of them are ones recommended by Lori.

I still want to buy Steven Tyler's new book though.  I think Steven Tyler is a hoot  :D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: G_Man on May 23, 2011, 08:51:05 pm
Soundy
It sounds like great things are happening at that school.  I know a lot of blind people and I could get into a pretty long conversation with you about a lot of aspects of blindness.  Way too much for this forum.  I will say in short that a lot of what a disabled person achieves depends on the support system.  I see this all the time in people I know and even myself.  I feel the important thing is to make a differerence by setting an example. I am as independent as a visually impaired person gets.  I know many totally blind people who are also independent and just as many who are scared to leave their homes.  It all depends on the situation.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: G_Man on May 23, 2011, 09:01:34 pm
I still want to buy Steven Tyler's new book though.  I think Steven Tyler is a hoot  :D


Jan One of the books I recently downloaded is the Aerosmith autobiography. 
 This weekend I read Craig Furgeson's Autobiography which was light and enjoyable.  He's the host of the late show.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 25, 2011, 10:32:43 pm
G-Man, let me know what you think of the Aerosmith autobiography.  I've watched Craig Furgeson (or is it Ferguson?) on occasion, but don't share his humor - I'm more the David Letterman type when it comes to late night.  One of my sisters thinks Craig is a riot, though.

I'm also adding another book to my wish list @ Amazon; a colleague at work recommended it.  It's called The Devil in the White City.  Anyone here read it?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on May 26, 2011, 05:34:48 pm
I read The Devil in the White City. As a resident of Chicago, you will really enjoy it.  I learned a lot about the movers and shakers during the World's Fair. Good read...but really creepy bad guy!

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on May 26, 2011, 05:42:19 pm
Jan,
You will really love Devil in the White City and you'll be able to relate to a lot of it.  Great read.
~Dale
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jeanlea on May 26, 2011, 07:27:25 pm
I'm just jumping in the middle (or really the end) of this thread to see what people are currently reading. I read Devil in the White City and really enjoyed it. :-)

Jean
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 28, 2011, 01:30:28 pm
Thanks for the feedback on Devil in the White City - good to know it's worth the read.

I added it to my list, but I currently have a stack of books about 24 high that I need to get to before I can even justify purchasing another  ::)

Too many books, too little time,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on June 01, 2011, 07:04:54 am
I know what you mean, Jan.  My sister works in a library and is constantly recommending books, many of which I have read and enjoyed.  They DO pile up, though, and then I start to feel guilty. I have my Nook stocked with three or four books to read while I am on vacation this summer, but at the rate I am going, I will need to go on a trip around the world!  :D :D

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 02, 2011, 07:55:18 am
trying to read House of Sand and Fog between day camp prep and getting kids summer things lined up ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on June 02, 2011, 08:10:31 am
That's a good one!  Lots of food for thought.
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 16, 2011, 04:15:59 pm
Took a few suggestions from Lori.

Started to read Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, but didn't get past the first chapter  :(  Just couldn't get into it.

So I decided to try Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult - I'm almost finished - and I really like it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 17, 2011, 07:38:09 am
my son gave me Terry Goodkind's ...The Law Of Mines ... can't get into it

been re-reading James Harriot ... I have read them so many times that I have had multiple copies of the books ... they are like old friends and sooth me ... alot going on and the known comfortable books calm me down  ... my husband says I am weird he reads what he has too , the news paper and his farm books ... he just doesn't get reading for pleasure
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on June 17, 2011, 07:55:45 am
I love James Herriot!  His stories are so poignant, and some of them are laugh-out-loud funny. Definitely worth re-reading. I am reading, or trying to, Geraldine Brooks' new one, Caleb's Crossing.  It is a bit slow going for me, and I am surprised because I have loved all her other books.
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on June 17, 2011, 08:53:55 pm
Try Distant Hours by Kate Morton.  All her books are wonderful!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: yardtick on June 19, 2011, 03:51:17 pm
Anyone read Jilly Cooper?  I'm reading her latest in paperback Jump, very funny, pure British humour.

Anne Marie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: G_Man on June 26, 2011, 10:10:47 pm
For all you Rock and Roll fans out there I'm going to reccommend "Life" by Keith Richards.  It's everything you would expect it to be and more.  I'm only 1/4 the way through but it's pretty good.  Keith starts from his early days as a child and all the poverty that went along with it.  You begin to realize why the Stones are so cut throat now when you read how Keith had 0 in those days.  Fair Warning:  It's a pretty long book.  The audiobook is almost 24 hours.  One of the things he talks about is how they were working with the Beatles to try to each squeeze the most out of the charts back in the 60's.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: HeidiC on June 27, 2011, 06:31:22 am
Took a few suggestions from Lori.

Started to read Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister, but didn't get past the first chapter  :(  Just couldn't get into it.

So I decided to try Salem Falls by Jodi Picoult - I'm almost finished - and I really like it.

Jan

Jan,

I really like Jodi Picoults books.  My favorite by her is Nineteen Minutes.  Its very thought provoking, with the usual twist at the end that you find in Picoults novels.  I'm usually behond though since I rarely buy the books new and wait till I can find them used!

Are there any authors similar to her that you enjoy?

~Heidi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 27, 2011, 09:46:07 am
I really like Jodi Picoults books too ... have Nineteen Minutes but have yet to read it ...may start it next ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 02, 2011, 04:43:56 pm
I read Jodi Piccoult on occasion and really liked My Sister's Keeper and Salem Falls.  I've read a few others I liked - titles escape me at the moment.  Will have to add Nineteen Minutes to my wish list @ Amazon.

Have read a few good books lately. 

The Circus Fire by Stewart O'Nan a true story about one of the biggest, most devastating circus fires that happened in Ohio in 1944.   Usually not my type of book (non-fiction) but I found it very interesting; very sad, but very interesting. 

The Judgment by D.W. Buffa - a type of legal thriller.  I like the way the author writes and I thought the plot was very well thought out.

The Other Side of the Story by Marian Keyes, which I found hilarious and kind of wacky.  I've enjoyed other books by her; The Last Chance Saloon and Rachel's Holiday come to mind.

Today I finished The Beach Trees by Karen White.  Liked it alot.  I've read two other books by her - The Memory of Water and The Color of Light.

Since it's a lazy holiday weekend, it's hotter than hell outside, the mosquitoes are horrendous, and both my kids are out with friends, I'm going to take advantage of the air-conditioning (now that our power is back again - 2nd time it was out for a day or two in the past 2 weeks due to storms; UGH) and the peace and quiet and start a book by another author I enjoy.  Jennifer Weiner.  Book is called Little Earthquakes.

Hope everyone who loves to read finds some time to crack open a book or two this weekend.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Cheryl R on July 02, 2011, 05:14:15 pm
Little Earthquakes is good but took a bit to get into it.    I read  another by Jennifer Weiner that never could quite get into it and haven't finished.   Can't remember the name but have it here somewhere.    I love reading but am not a big book person like used to be as this dang computer keeps calling my name.                             Cheryl R
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on July 02, 2011, 05:30:09 pm
I admit to reading lighter, less brainworthy books in the lazy, crazy, hazy days of summer.  ;) I really like Sophie Kinsella for a fun read. She always entertains me.
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: HeidiC on July 02, 2011, 06:14:59 pm
I used to read several books a week, but then I had kids and reading kinda went to the wayside.  Now that they are 5 and 6 years old I am finding a little more time to get a chapter or two in.  I have to admit, I used to read mostly romance novels, but once I got married they didn't really interest me anymore for the most part.  Now I tend to enjoy more of the 'literary novel' genre, like Jodi Picoult.  Though I do enjoy a Dean Koontz now and then, as well as the Twilight series. Shhh, don't tell anybody I've read through the Twilight series a couple of times!  :-X   ;D

I will have to check out some of the ones mentioned above!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 02, 2011, 07:47:07 pm
OMGoodness, Ms Priscilla!! I didn't know you read Sophie Kinsella - have we talked about this?? My favorite book of hers is "Can You Keep a Secret?" H-I-L-A-R-I-O-U-S!!!!

And Jan, I love JW, but the last One I read of hers, I couldn't get into...I'll have to try again.

FINALLY, today, I finished "The Invisible Bridge." I can honestly say that I have NEVER spent so long reading a book. It was interesting & well written but just didn't "grip" me. Probably a little toouch history in there for me too. Of course, lots happened to me in there (& I just didn't read after my surgery -just didn't want to & prob texting too much too!) & I read several books at the same time!! Glad I read it, but even more glad to be finished - all 758 pages of it!!

Gonna check out some of these - have the JP 19 one now from library...

Happy reading!
K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 03, 2011, 06:36:30 am
trying to pick a book to carry to camp with me for the odd moment I can read ... have dozens I haven't read yet and nothing appeals to me ... may just look at trees and rocks ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: HeidiC on July 03, 2011, 10:51:46 am
trying to pick a book to carry to camp with me for the odd moment I can read ... have dozens I haven't read yet and nothing appeals to me ... may just look at trees and rocks ...


LOL I look out the window at the scenery from time to time and my kids always ask what I am looking at.  I guess they think I am odd for watching the wind blow through the trees and the birds fly by!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 04, 2011, 11:56:12 am
Heidi -

as your kids get older you'll find you have more time to read - and to do a whole lot of other stuff.  My twins are 15 1/2 and I call these the "taxi years" because it seems like I'm always driving someone somewhere; lots of times it's not even my own kids!

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on July 06, 2011, 10:07:11 am
@K- I'm also trying to get through The Invisible Bridge and haven't been gripped by it. I hope it has a good ending. A bit depressing but I'll finish it.
Thanks for the tidbit for easier reading, Priscilla. I'll try that author. Need something cheery and funny!
Maureen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on July 06, 2011, 12:31:36 pm
Though I do enjoy a Dean Koontz now and then, as well as the Twilight series. Shhh, don't tell anybody I've read through the Twilight series a couple of times!  :-X   ;D

I will have to check out some of the ones mentioned above!

Me, too ;)  Though, only read them once...but, have seen the movies too ::)

Am reading Ken Follet's Fall of Giants right now...while it's a pretty long book, it is rather light reading...it's just ok - nothing very original and just not a lot of substance to it, I don't think.  It seeems especially "light" after the book I finished right before it - Aztec - WOW, what a book...so well written and such a good story.  However, it had some very, very graphic and disturbing scenes in it - very much a historic novel also, which I love, but know many of you here don't care for...

Think I will get back to some Jodi Picoult next - have heard that Nineteen Minutes is very good.  Only read a few of hers, but My Sister's Keeper has been favorite so far...

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 10, 2011, 06:30:58 pm
Finished "Still Alice", which was recommended by Lori.

It was a sad story, but I'm glad I read it.  I wasn't aware that Alzheimers could effect people as early as their 50's.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 10, 2011, 07:14:40 pm
Oh, I'm glad you said it was about Alzheimer's - don't know if I can do it...lived it... :'(

K
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: dalern on July 11, 2011, 09:50:54 am
I have a wonderful book for all of you...don't know if it has been mentioned before.  A real page turner.  Sarah's Key.  It's difficult in parts...deals with the French Occupation during the war and the story of some wonderful people and some difficult struggles.  A wonderful book.
~Dale
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 11, 2011, 06:24:41 pm
I took a book with me to camp "Behind The Ocean of Time " by George Mackay Brown  ...it was an odd book ...this boys bounces through time in his dreams ...as he does he goes back through time and forward in time on the little island he lives on ...and real time goes by too and he grows up ... he is a prisoner of war during WWII and returns to the island to find it all but destroyed by landing strip built to land fighter planes  ...it mixed fact and fiction and was a quick read ...set on fictitious island of Norday in the Orkney Islands of Scotland ...

since I didn't have TV or radio to drown out tinnitus I was up and down off and on all night... I would read til I was able to fall back to sleep ... I had the book under my pillow and a flash light so I could pull it out without moving around alot ... made me feel like a kid hiding under the blanket with a book when lights were suppose to be out ... day time hours were spent making sure kids got to where they were suppose to be and accounted for ... free time I spent walking , canoing or in craft house ... so worked out ...read some and also got in my staring at tree time

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on July 24, 2011, 10:19:35 pm
I have a wonderful book for all of you...don't know if it has been mentioned before.  A real page turner.  Sarah's Key.  It's difficult in parts...deals with the French Occupation during the war and the story of some wonderful people and some difficult struggles.  A wonderful book.
~Dale

We talk about Sarah's Key somewhere in this thread - I think we even picked it back when we were using this thread like a book club (we all read the same book by a specific date and discussed it). 

It's a fabulous book.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 25, 2011, 09:05:37 am
we went to the library's simmer book carnival and the first stop each year is the books that you can get for one of the tickets you have earned ... both girls had about 60 tickets ... Sarah for a 1941 copy of Lassie Come Home that someone had donated ... I read it Saturday night ... it was a good simple book that was nothing like the Lassie TV series of my childhood (which I thought a bit much even as a kid  ... one kid could not run into as much trouble as Timmy did) ... that has been the extent of my reading ...distrated too much to read anything that requires much thought

or maybe I need something that I can get into and get distracted from life a bit ... I don't know ...still have yet to read Jodi Picoult's Nineteen Minutes ...  I have also put off Paula Sharp's , I Loved You All ... and then there is Tolstoy on the shelf collecting dust ... War and Peace already  read twice .... and the ever unread but pretty leather bound edition of Anna Karenina that I have been going to read for the past 35 years or so ...I have good intentions  ;D or I wouldn't have drug  it around all these years
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on July 25, 2011, 03:43:01 pm
We need to do the real book club thing again...

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on July 28, 2011, 04:24:27 pm
I second that ... I read just about all the time ... sometimes several books at a time ... I don't have many close touchable friends that read ... it is nice to read and compare thoughts on books with others here and get recommendations on new books to read ...

I did crack open Nineteen Minutes ... maybe I will finish it this time  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 07, 2011, 06:48:09 pm
I just read Miss Peregrines Home For Peculiar Children ... Jacob grows up ensnared in his grandfathers tales of an island home where he escape the Holocaust while the rest of his family dies ... there are children with all sorts of powers their with him  ... and the grandfather talks of killing his monsters which people take to mean the people he killed when he joined the service and went to war  ... when the grandfather dies , Jacob goes to the island and learns about his grandfather and that pretty much all his grandfather told him was true ... it was a quick easy read ... it is one that I was reading for school approval... and I give it

the author used a collection of old black and white pictures that illustrate the story and make it believable ... I am assuming he had the pictures first and developed his characters and story  around them. ..

sadly Nineteen Minutes is still collecting dust  :(
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: sterry on August 09, 2011, 10:41:20 pm
My friend Craig Johnson has a series of Mystery books, starts with the Cold Dish, this summer he released Hell is Empty, great characters set in Wyoming.  A&E did pilot they may release this year based on the books, we are keeping our fingers crossed.
Susie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on August 11, 2011, 08:43:18 pm
OK, I'm dying to see the movie The Help.  Several of us read the book about a year ago.  Has anyone seen it yet?  We are traveling on vacation so probably will not have a chance to see it until we get back home next week.  Hope it is still in the theater then.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 13, 2011, 10:30:03 pm
Waiting to see The Help too ... don't know if it will make it to the little theater our small college runs or not ... if it doesn't I guess I will be waiting for DVD ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on August 14, 2011, 12:37:14 pm
I saw the movie a couple of days ago.  I really enjoyed seeing the characters come to life on the screen.  The book was difficult for me to read because I knew too many women like those in the book who were so bigoted, but the movie took the angry edge off and replaced it with a healthy slug of humor. :) There are still moments that tug at your heart and bring tears to your eyes...at least MY eyes got teary!

Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Wwoodian on August 18, 2011, 08:03:05 pm
If you have not read the book "Unbroken" by Laura Hillenbrand, I highly recommend it!  It is kind of a slow start, but an amazing true story of survival.  Something most of us can relate to in some fashion!  An excellent read.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 19, 2011, 07:16:36 am
A friend of mine told me about Unbroken and she highly recommended it.

I haven't had a chance to read it yet, but it's on my list.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on August 19, 2011, 07:26:19 am
FINALLY, we are going to see The Help tomorrow!!  I am SO excited.  We are taking Addi with us - I figure it will get us into some good discussions!!

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on August 19, 2011, 10:31:48 am
I'm going to skip reading The Help and instead just see the movie. I couldn't get through the sample on my Kindle :o
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Anasazi42 on August 19, 2011, 04:14:37 pm
This is a cool idea! I am (or was) a voracious reader. I haven't done much reading since my AN removal in May, but I'm anxious to begin reading again. I'm definitely going to start with the book Unbroken. And I will post any other book recommendations here!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 19, 2011, 08:28:14 pm
reading an old book someone put on the book shelf at school in break room ... Jubilee Trail written in 1950 ... it is so funny the way they talk about things without saying them ... a woman who was orphaned at 13 and took care of herself by becoming an actress then later a showgirl in New York is accused of murder and flees to New Orleans to live ... she changes her name and works in dance hall ... prim and proper New Yorker falls in love with a man who can take her away from her dreary life and allow her to learn about the world where she is suppose to sit looking pretty and not showing a brain ... the show girls saves her from a group of rowdies when the husband steps out .... and later the prim and proper saves the show girl from bounty hunters sent to find her and take her to New York to take the wrap for murder their boss committed ...her husband helps her save the girl ...this is a fair as I have gotten  ... the proper lady and her husband are off to California before it was a state ... set in 1844 ... I kinda figure that the painted lady will join them instead of disappearing in to obscurity which is what they are currently arranging

they never give details ... there is alot of giggling about things and the show girls is called a strumpet and at one time the good girl asks her husband if the show girl did "those things" and leaves "those things" to your imagination ... it is so antiquated that it is a comedy instead of the risqué novel it was intended to be with all the naughty stuff that you have to imagine but is not written...

I needed light reading  ;D ... the spine is crumbling ... I hope it holds together long enough to finish ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Anasazi42 on August 19, 2011, 09:24:49 pm
The last books I ordered from amazon were sci-fi. Afraid I'm a sci-fi nut. Sci-fi and science. I've read all of Carl Sagan's books, like Pale Blue Dot. I recently read three sci-fi books by Jeffrey A. Carver before I went into the hospital (Dragons in the Stars, Panglor, and Seas of Ernathe). Then I ordered a non-fiction book called The Elegant Universe, which I didn't have a chance to finish. I don't know if I'm ready for such a serious book, so I might just read something light for now. If anybody else is interested in sci-fi, I'd love to swap book suggestions!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on August 19, 2011, 09:41:32 pm
I read Unbroken.  Laura Hildebrand did the same exhaustive research for this book that she did for Seabiscuit.  It was an incredible, horrific story, but one that shows the triumph of the human spirit.  Louie was and is an amazing person.
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on August 23, 2011, 05:24:46 am
my book had questionable lady leave and go off in pursuit of a safe place to hide ...the main characters continued on their journey to California and have endured all kinds of trail hardships to this point  ... they are only half way there ... I haven't read any of it in several days ... I guess I need to read them on their way so they aren't stuck in the middle of no where ...  :)

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 01, 2011, 11:25:47 am
OK...I typed this all out once already (on my phone) but guess it didn't post!! Try again...

So I have a request...I'd like to see if everyone (or someone) will read a book so we can discuss it like we used to...there's even book club questions at the back & I think it has some good ones. I will say up front, that it is very selfish of me to ask this. This is a book that has become very near & dear to my heart. The girl that I spoke to her neuro class at U of H was insistent that I read it.  Although I didn't have the exact condition of Sarah in the book, I can greatly identify with her.  She & I are so much alike it's scary - from what she went thru to attitude & even word choices. I think that this group would understand more than anyone...I also think it is a well written book - if I'm not too biased by material...It is called LEFT NEGLECT & I can't tell you the author right now because it's up in the room & I'm laying on the beach!!

So, who is in?


K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: HeidiC on September 01, 2011, 11:46:15 am
I looked it up for you since you are lucky enough to be on the beach!  Is it Left Neglected by Lisa Genova?

It sounds interesting, I am having my surgery in about a month but even if I can't participate in the book club I think I will add it to my list. :)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Brewers7 on September 01, 2011, 12:02:15 pm
Kaybo,
     I'm in.  How does this work?  I am new to this thread but an avid reader and former English teacher.
Susan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 01, 2011, 12:40:30 pm
I'm in.  Trying to decide if I want to wait on ordering a paperback, see if the library has it, or get the Kindle version.

Susan, in the past we have agreed on a book and after a "reasonable" length of time and hopefully after most have finished reading it, we simply have started making comments on our thoughts/impressions or ask questions.  If there are book club questions in the back of this one, it will be easier to use those as starting points, as well.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 01, 2011, 01:45:55 pm
Yes, Heidi, that is it!!  Thank you for looking it up. I finished it on the plane here...had I not been in a public place, I think I would've been a sobbing mess - however, I doubt it would have that affect on everyone!

Thanks, in advance, to all who want to join me on this journey...

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 01, 2011, 04:39:12 pm
I just read that book a couple of weeks ago, Kaybo.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 02, 2011, 06:25:52 am
Sara-
Whatd you think? Did you like it or is it just me because it is so much like my story??

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 02, 2011, 10:45:13 am
Kaybo, I think the author does a good job of describing emotional responses, but gets a bit clinical in descriptions. I liked Left Neglected better than her novel about early onset Alzheimer's, though. The brain is fascinating and I've been reading quite a bit lately about recovery from brain injury. I kept wondering why Sarah did not just scan her head to the left to get a whole picture, until I figured out that she could not even conceptualize left. That kind of deficit is beyond my imagination.

The author could have a field day writing about acoustic neuroma, don't you think?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 05, 2011, 06:03:10 pm
I'm in ... my last book was not fulfilling ... it got better but ehhh ...

Hannah is reading Pearl Bucks The Good Earth ... she isn't liking it but is slogging through ... I have been reading it too ... read it about 35 years ago as a freshman ... like it better now but still not doing much for me ... I think because I know it ... I need a book that touches and stimulates me
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on September 06, 2011, 11:54:31 am
I too have read Left Neglected and found it very eerie how you have to "retrain" your left side of your body.I'll have to skim through it again, though because my memory sucks :( 
Is similar to how some people have to accept the "new you" post trauma, but her condition just seems insurmountable and she persevered through it all
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Brewers7 on September 06, 2011, 12:44:41 pm
Kaybo,
     I got Left Neglected on my Kindle but I am trying to finish another book first.  Need a few days.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 06, 2011, 12:46:18 pm
No worries - I don't think we have even set a date yet...I just got back home from vacation and I need a couple of days anyway - I want to reread...

K    ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 06, 2011, 05:05:17 pm
I'm in  ;D

I read Still Alice by Lisa Genova and really liked it.  It was sad, but worth the read.

I'm also in the middle of another book, so give us a timeframe when you get a chance, Kay.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on September 07, 2011, 02:31:08 pm
Hey, all!  Glad to see you're going to try to start a book discussion like we used to do here...I can't join in on this one (in the middle of a book and way too much going on in my life right now for me to be able to join in), but I'll check in on things as I get a minute.  Miss the group discussions, so hope it will work out.

Enjoy!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 07, 2011, 03:49:40 pm
Kaybo -

stopped at Walmart today and purchased their last copy of Left Neglected for the whopping price of $10.50 (down from the $15 that was printed on the book). 

Don't ya just LOVE Walmart??

Anyway, I should be finishing the other book I've been reading in a day or two, so let's set a deadline for Left Neglected.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 07, 2011, 04:49:01 pm
Sounds good...I know a couple of other people are still trying to get the book...it is a quick read once you get going though.  Let me know who is still getting the book...

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 08, 2011, 06:06:28 pm
I ordered "Left Neglected" from Amazon, but it will not be here for at least another week.  Soooooooo, I have checked out a copy from the library so I do not hold anyone up, who wants to join in on this book.

Finally back home and more reading time.  Not promising ..... just saying ......

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 08, 2011, 06:54:37 pm
How long do we usually give for reading...anyone remember??  ???

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 09, 2011, 06:28:54 am
Kay .....

I think it has varied from book to book, because some people had already read whatever was chosen and others were later finishing reading.  It sounds like there might be only 4 or 5 of us in on this one so I'd vote for waiting a little bit for everyone to finish or agree for us to go on with the discussion.

I started reading it last night ..... finished the first three chapters.  It seems like it will be a fairly quick read so that should speed it up.

Just my thoughts .....

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 09, 2011, 04:13:01 pm
Left Neglected not at library or our Walmart

running to Huntsville tomorrow and will try to persuade driver to pull over at book store
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 10, 2011, 06:53:16 am
Could we go with end of the month?

I just started another book, but I think it's fast reading. 

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Brewers7 on September 10, 2011, 11:55:43 am
Jan,
     Sounds good to me.
Susan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: luvzmutt on September 11, 2011, 07:13:14 pm
I would like to join the book club for this book.  I will order it for my Nook.  I just started reading The Help, but I will try to finish this before the end of the month.

~Leslie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 11, 2011, 07:35:04 pm
Leslie .....

Great!!  Join in the fun!  "The Help" is a great read, as well.  I was almost afraid to see the movie for fear they would have ruined it, but they did a good job staying true to the essence of the book.

I still have not finished "Left Neglected" either.  It must be a book in big demand because there is an almost three week delay from Amazon.  I got the last copy available from a small library to start reading until mine comes.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Brewers7 on September 12, 2011, 08:20:19 am
Clarice,
     I loved "The Help."  Since I am a Mississippian old enough to remember those days, I thought that I might be biased.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Brewers7 on September 14, 2011, 12:59:34 pm
Started "Left Neglected" this week.  Chapter 5.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 14, 2011, 02:45:09 pm
I thought I had responded to this but my life has been a bit crazy the last few days & it's really not surprising I didn't - when I thought I did!!

YES! the end of the moth is fine. How about Friday the 30th?

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Brewers7 on September 14, 2011, 03:14:49 pm
Sure.  Seems like lots of interest.  Should we start a new thread?
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 14, 2011, 07:21:45 pm
Know the crazy part, Kaybo.

Was in the ER 'til 2 a.m. this morning with my son.  He was hit by a car while riding his bicycle.  No helmet naturally.

The way his friend tells it, he flipped about 4 times before hitting the pavement (OUCH!!!) 
Thankfully both the x-ray of his ankle and the CT scan of his head showed nothing to worry about, so other than a very sore body he's doing fine. 
Maybe being a football player primed him for this ?

30th works for me.

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 14, 2011, 07:50:24 pm
Oh. My. Goodness!! Jan, I am so thankful he is ok!!

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 14, 2011, 07:56:19 pm
Makes two of us - and I'm hopeful he's learned a lesson.

I'm always telling him he shouldn't ride on busy streets, but you know kids - they rarely listen.

I think this will stay with him for a while; he realizes how lucky he is.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 15, 2011, 05:47:18 am
Wow Jan. I am so glad he is all right. He was indeed fortunate, or a guardian angel was right there with him.

I recently read a book called "Over My Head" about a doctor who was hit by a car while riding a bike (no helmet). She landed on her head and suffered a traumatic brain injury. She recovered to the point where she can lecture medical students but no longer practices medicine, which is actually nothing short of a miracle considering the severity of her injury.

Not trying to be a scaremonger or anything - but helmets are important!

BTW you are probably right that football primed him - I'll bet the coaches train their players how to fall.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 15, 2011, 06:21:51 am
What a relief that the end result was a sore body and not serious injuries!  Kind of a painful way to learn a lesson.

..... and everyone can just stop with these kid-related emergencies ...... well, any ER trips, for that matter!!

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 15, 2011, 07:03:58 am
Susan~
We have always just used this thread to discuss the book also...

CHD~
I will be MORE THAN HAPPY to stop the ER trips, hosiptals and Dr visits!  Hopefully answers today!

For those that don't know, I spent the weekend in the ER/hospital with my 8 year old girly - they thought she had a STROKE!!  (She did an MRI for 45 minutes WITHOUT sedation - pretty good for a kid - according to the nurse) The official diagnosis was a TIA.  They have now detected a hole in her heart and we meet with the pediatric cardiologist today...Always excitement at our house...I think I prefer snakes and dancing to loud music though!!

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on September 15, 2011, 07:14:45 am
Snakes and dancing to music?????   Hmmmmmmmm.  (Couldn't resist!  ;D)

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 15, 2011, 08:01:41 am
we have religious acts here, didn't you know?   :o ::)

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 15, 2011, 04:02:22 pm
glad your son is OK ...

and will add your girly to my prayer list ...

still no book as the one store we passed was out may resort to online order
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: moe on September 15, 2011, 07:17:28 pm
A little highjack for the health of Kaybo's girlie and Jan's son. Yikes, never a dull moment!
Maureen
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Brewers7 on September 21, 2011, 10:40:42 am
Kaybo,
I have just about finished "Left Neglected."  I am pretty sure that it is about my life, not yours, except for the young children.  Right now, Sarah (Susan) is arguing with her husband about going back to work.  Hmmm.  Very interesting.  I am definitely ready to ski again.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 21, 2011, 02:35:53 pm
Susan~
I actually "skied" (for real not chasing any children or going SLOWLY down the hill) a year ago and it was WONDERFUL.  No problems going down the hill - just had to be a little careful of that "snow snake" in the lift line and tipping over!!

Sounds like we must have a LOT in common!!

Hope you enjoyed it!

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 27, 2011, 05:20:28 am
haven't got book yet but since I haven't had time to read lately I guess it doesn't matter ...working book fair all week at school ... they don't have any books in adult section that we haven't already read here ... I find it odd that they sent Water For Elephants , The Help , Hunger Game series , and 2 or 4 others we have read in this group ...

I found a pre-teen/teen version of The Art Of Racing In The Rain ... may get it for girls ... the one I read had a few scenes that were not kid friendly ... the kid version is just Racing In The Rain ....

found a teen read Out Of My Mind by Sharon M. Draper ... it is about a girl with CP that is very smart but until she is ten is trapped in a world where she can't walk or talk to tell people what is going on in her head ...a friend gets a laptop and with the help of her aide she gets a Medi Talker set up for her ... her class mates are amazed that she has anything to say since many thought she was retarded ... she types and it talks for her ... I read it last night ... now going to be draggy at school today

it makes me think of my late SIL who for last 5 years of her life was trapped by the inability to speak ... she also had CP ... she could use her hand enough to write out 1 -3 words to get a point across ... but she was so far from the girl that even with CP graduated near the top of her class ...

well that is all I have to say on books at the moment ... I figure that by the end of the week after straightening shelves and ringing up books and finding just the right book for a child that I will not want to see a book at all next week ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Debbi on September 28, 2011, 09:56:41 am
Thanks for telling me about this Kaybo!   ;)  I just ordered it from Amazon so it should be here by Friday and I will start it sometime over the weekend. 

Debbi
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 28, 2011, 07:16:08 pm
Finished Left Neglected this afternoon.  Had jury duty, so I had a lot of time on my hands  :P

Great book suggestion, Kaybo.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 02, 2011, 04:24:46 pm
How are we doing everyone - about ready to start discussing??

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on October 02, 2011, 05:22:57 pm
I finished reading it Friday so whenever everyone is ready.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on October 02, 2011, 06:31:39 pm
Kaybo, it was your suggestion, so I nominate you for first question.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 02, 2011, 09:13:45 pm
I second the motion.

Kaybo??

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 04, 2011, 10:05:57 am
OK - so here we go...I haven't been able to reread as much as I would like but I'm sure that I will think of more things as we go...I want to do a couple of the questions in the back of the book but really want to hear from you guys - feel free to pose questions.  Really, my first question is just what YOU thought of the book...part of my wanting everyone to read this was selfish - I KNOW that no one can fully understand having a stroke (or an injury) unless you have experienced it, but I thought that this was pretty close...therefore the secong reason...we will ALL encounter people that have strokes - probably people that are very close to us - so you think that since you have read this, you might deal with them a little differently?

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Brewers7 on October 04, 2011, 10:31:42 am
Kaybo,
I really enjoyed the book, perhaps because I identified with so much of it.  I laughed and cried.  As for your second question, I think my treatment of other handicapped individuals has changed, but probably more because of my experience than because of the book.  People often ask if I have had a stroke.  Also, some assume that I am mentally retarded, which drives me crazy.  My very best (and well-meaning)  friend still tells me to "step up" and step down" as though I am blind.  I hope that I will be more attentive to needs of others and not make erroneous assumptions.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on October 04, 2011, 12:57:33 pm
If I am being totally honest here, I enjoyed reading the book, but I had such a hard time with the type A personality ..... thinking to myself, "Girl, you were on a collision (no pun intended) course from the beginning."  She wore me out.  I consider myself as having been a type A person when I was working, but when my three children were small, I chose to be a stay-at-home mom.  I know not everyone has that choice ..... but I feel like Sarah in LN made the choice to try to have it all.

Now, that being said, her very drive of a type A personality is what ultimately led to the remarkable recovery she had.

The book certainly is valuable as a reordering of priorities in anyone's life.

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 04, 2011, 01:27:32 pm
I had a very dear friend in Amarillo that had an aneurysm & stroke when she was 55 - in my book, a very young person. I realized then that there are 2 basic types of people those that are intrinsically motivated & those that aren't. I tried over & over to help her but in the end, I had to cut bait & let her go...it was very sad (Dave reassured me over & over that I'd done all I could). We were just 2 very different people. I equate this often to athletes (& I can use examples from my family)...you  have the naturally talented (Addi) who does ok because it comes easily to her but really doesn't want to work at it and then you have the ones that aren't that great but work their butts off (me) - I was the kid out shooting free throws in the dark.  When you have BOTH those factors, you have your collegiate & pro athletes (hopefully Kendie - shows DEF signs). I realized that Donna & I were COMPLETELY different in what we were made of - she even uses a wheelchair at church, even though she can walk - my Gran didn't even do that after her stroke!!

I'm certainly not saying I'm some super woman - I know I'm about the laziest girl around BUT I come from a long line of "pull yourself up by your bootstraps" - I believe w/ 100% of my being that if Sarah would not have had that drive, she would not have gotten better.

Let's talk about the whole "mothering" issue later...

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on October 15, 2011, 06:43:30 pm
the book kind of scared me ... I run head long at the world and could see myself in her behavior in many ways ...the book was kinda a wake up call  for me

as far as the way I treat handicapped people , I have always tried to treat them as just people that were a bit different than I am , but the same as me too ... I am more aware of handicap convenience at public places ... on bad days when my legs hurt I am glad to see a ramp and if I have to use a public bathroom a handicap toilet that is higher than a standard one makes it alot easier for me ... and I have complained when a stall marked Handicap was just a stall with the sign on the door but no pull bar or raised toilet ... have also reported when the stall was not big enough to accommodate a walked or wheel chair

I guess the answer is that I have already started adjusting to my response to people with disabilities and the book will nudge me to do more in recognizing where I could help with a need someone has ...

I think I type that right ... have had a killer head ache and it has taken me about 15 minutes to get this response typed
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on November 15, 2011, 04:38:53 pm
I just put the book about Gabrielle Giffords on hold at the library. I watched the 20/20 special online today. I know she has to be frustrated with her limited speech, but wow, what a phenomenal recovery.

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on November 25, 2011, 10:18:27 am
Had two books given to me by a teacher and were told they are good reads ...

We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates and

The Coming Of Rain by Richard Marius

Probably read Coming of Rain first ...set in post Civil War Tennessee ...

it has been cold the past few weeks and cold evenings make me want to curl up and read ...
but then again so do the hot lazy days of summer ...  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on November 26, 2011, 10:39:08 am
I read the one about the Mulvaneys.  It was good, but her books are rarely the uplifting, feel-good kind of stories. Just saying.....
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on November 30, 2011, 07:04:21 am
can't get into The Coming Of Rain and plan on switching to Mulvanneys ... read a fluff book yesterday that I picked up at school Monday ... got ready to go and seeing that it was only 45 minutes til school got out I picked up a book from exchange shelf and started reading it ... may start Mulvanneys tonight ... I always read but sometimes ( like right now) it is almost like I don't have a choice ... I have to be reading something
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on December 27, 2011, 11:30:36 am
Santa wants me to read ... and to get rid of a bunch of books off my shelf  >:(

he brought me a Nook Color and now Bo thinks I need to get rid of the books I have on my shelf ... thank goodness he doesn't realize that in my storage building outback there are tubs of books ... I rotate what is on the shelf  ;D  ... I have books that I keep and won't get rid of ... and I get rid of other books as I read them ...either to goodwill or the trade shelf at school ...he thinks magically I can just empty my shelf ...

I started buying him books when Hannah was a baby because he would sit her in his lap and read the paper or farm magazines ... she would at a year old sit in his lap and stare at tractor manuals if that is what he was looking at ... he has a whole collection of books with the girls little hand prints in them that we have got him for Christmas , birthdays , easter ect... I told him they could go too and he said they were different ... I had no intention of him getting rid of any of them ... and we even added 5 to his collection for Christmas and his birthday which was the 14th ... it is cool to look back at baby hand prints and watch them grow ...the girls sat down around him and he read the Night Before Christmas(Jan Brett illustrated version) to them Christmas Eve and each night he has read another of the ones we got him to them... you would think they were toddlers instead of 12 and 14 ... he is gonna be sad when they outgrow this completely ... I see an ongoing battle over the book situation ... I can reduce but on my terms

we sat outside of the library after church Sunday and I downloaded a free book ... finished reading it last night ... I didn't intend to download it just look at description... but my fat fingers slipped ... it was The Keeping ...werewolf story with too much hanky panky in it for my taste ... girls have dentist visit Thursday and I plan on going to library and getting a couple books I do want ...

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Keri on December 27, 2011, 07:57:58 pm
Hi everyone,
I haven't been on here for a long while... just crazy busy with life.
I did read The Help!! Guess I'm a little late for that one!
I'd like to read the one Kay suggested. I have an autistic daughter. She talks a lot, but much is rote.. asking the same types of questions. It's like she can't really express what is going on with her. There is much more going on than we realize, I know that.

Just becoming sensitive to what others are going through and have gone through makes reading and talking about this worthwhile as well.

Keri
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on January 01, 2012, 08:57:25 pm
I saw the movie of The Help on the airplane. It seemed to be a fairly close adaptation.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Brewers7 on January 02, 2012, 09:24:20 am
Sara,
     I loved the book and the movie.  I am reading "Gabby" now.  I have been a little disappointed in it because it seems to be more about her astronaut husband,who is telling the story.  I guess that I am just more interested in her progress.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on January 09, 2012, 07:59:04 pm
Yes, I agree w/ Jim on Anna Karenina - it's worth the effort.  Never did get through War and Peace, though...perhaps I'll give it another go some time :-\...Jim, do I assume correctly that you have read it?

Cindy

Hey, all!  Was flipping through old posts trying to find the name of the author you like, Jan...the mystery/detective writer.  Never can remember his name - wanted to recommend him to a friend of mine.  Couldn't find a post with it, but did come across the one above that I wrote a few years ago...forgot that we had discussed Tolstoy here briefly.  I did actually open my copy of War and Peace recently and am now almost finished with it.  Very good read!  But, know it's not for everyone :)

Anyway, Jan, if you see this, can you let me/us know that author?  He's one of your favorites and he's written a bunch of books...Thanks!

What's everyone reading? 

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on January 09, 2012, 10:15:42 pm
Cindy~
Hey, I'm not Jan but is it Harlan Coben?  I just read the latest one of his Myron Bolitar books and loved it...I have read most of his other stuff too...

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on January 10, 2012, 03:05:04 pm
I have read several books on the Nook just getting the feel of it before going on a wild spending spree and buying books I just have to have ... a teacher at school said to read CL Bevill books that they were good and she had a bunch that were free ...I have read two and not sure I want to read a  third ... they just aren't my kind of books

did download 3 different Bible versions ... use my good old Bible in class but when following along in services I use th nook and can keep up better

wasn't sure I would like nook or kindle but do ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on January 11, 2012, 09:18:37 am
Cindy~
Hey, I'm not Jan but is it Harlan Coben?  I just read the latest one of his Myron Bolitar books and loved it...I have read most of his other stuff too...

K   ;D

Yes!  That's him!  I have the hardest time remembering that name - I will write it down now and then try to remember where the piece of paper is that I write it on the next time I need his name :D  I read a couple of his books and they were very good. 

Thanks!

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on January 16, 2012, 07:52:35 pm
It is Harlan Coben; I just orded his book Miracle Cure but haven't read it yet.

I also ordered Steven Tyler's autobiology - I love him and it's in paperback now.

Am currently reading "Get Out of My Life, but first could you drive me and Cheryl to the mall?" by Anthony E. Wolf, Ph.D. billed to be "a parent's guide to the new teenager".  Have just started it, but it's VERY enlightening.

He's got another book titled "It's not fair, Jeremy Spencer's parents let him stay up all night" A guide to the Tougher Parts of Parenting (in other words, the majority of the time) LOL

Jan

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: New girl on January 17, 2012, 03:55:24 pm
Hi Jan - Let me know if you like Steven Tyler's book.  I am also a fan and have been thinking of buying it.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on January 18, 2012, 03:41:44 pm
I need parent guides to my teens ...well technically Sarah won't be a teen until July 

my boys who are 30 , 31 year old twins and 33 were a breeze when they hit their teens  ... Hannah is 14 and has already about drove me nuts ... to be fair to her she is great 3 weeks out of 4 ... it is that 4th week that gets me ...

 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on January 24, 2012, 03:49:15 pm
Soundy -

I'm finding "Get out of my Life" to have some very good suggestions.  My twins - who will be 16 on 2/29 (YIKES!!!) - are in full "teen-hood" with the attitudes to match.  Not sure if being a single parent is making it more challenging or not, but at times I just want to SCREAM!!!  :o

New Girl -

have started reading the Steven Tyler book.  It's very interesting.  He's all over the place with his thoughts, but that seems to be par for the course in his case.  If you saw his interview with Oprah recently, you know what I mean.  Got to love him, though!

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on January 27, 2012, 11:34:37 pm
I do scream. We live in the sticks and I have been known to run ( well technically walk) out the door and just scream. It relieves stress and makes the girls be real good for a day or two  ;D  . They are affraid my head might start spinninb if they don't.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MDemisay on February 05, 2012, 11:09:26 pm
Hi everybody! Count me in! I would like to recommend a book it's called "Shatner Rules By William Shatner. I know it has nothing to do with our collective AN journey but it's a laugh a minute and it's a quick read. It got me out of my Blue Funk of thinking about treatment options for this ........ Growth! It's available on the Amazon Kindle. As is Medifocus Guidebook on Acoustic Neuroma by Elliot Jacob Phd.

Cheers it's a great idea to start a book club!

Mike
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on February 06, 2012, 06:25:29 am
Haha - William Shatner has sure been growing over the years.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MDemisay on February 06, 2012, 07:53:10 am
Haha! Yes he has Sarah and he won't go away! He is there ever present just as our tumors are! His presence seems to loom large for those of us who pay attention but being that he is 80 he may not be there for much longer.

Consider that he has been acting since he was very young (1937) he is an accomplished author who has written many books, and has appeared on many shows and in films. Yet we best know him for a failed 3 year show he did in the late 60's in which he starred as Captain Kirk. Worth a look in the Amazon Kindle library hit preview and you won't have to pay for it.

I gaurantee a free laugh! His outlook is refreshing, brash and in-your-face. A pleasant distraction!

Mike
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on February 06, 2012, 09:53:03 am
I know it has nothing to do with our collective AN journey...
Mike

Most of the books in here (the book club) have nothing whatsoever to do with AN's or anything medical!  So, your recommendation is perfect!  Glad you've joined us!  By the way, I loved Star Trek ;D  It is very interesting that that's what he's most well known for despite all the other work he's done...(he does have something in common with most of us here, though, as he suffers from tinnitus)

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MDemisay on February 06, 2012, 11:32:59 am
Very True, Cindy!

  He does suffer from that as well as an overdeveloped sense of ego! His inspiration to all of us is that, in spite of it all, he has considerable talent in making himself ever relevant across decades of his work.

Quite an interesting feat in and of itself!

 I have not finished his book yet on my Kindle. When I do, however, I will go out and buy it and add it to my collection of books that I have in my library! I have taken to not purchasing books but, instead have purchased them by Kindle saving myself storage space on my shelves.


Mike


Mike

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on February 09, 2012, 05:28:36 pm
I am currently re-reading James Herriot ... he is an old friend ...first read All Creatures Great and Small in 3rd grade and have read it many times since ... he calms me ...

also borrowed I Will Carry You by Angie Smith on my Nook ... it was recommended reading in the womans Bible Study group ... it is about a family who know their child will be born and die shortly after birth ... haven't got that far into it ... not sure I will finish it ... Sub titled The Sacred Dance of Grief and Joy  ...although vastly different that sub-title echos how I am feeling knowing that my dad will not be here much longer ...

may check into Shatner ... I need some comic relief ... I think of Star Trek and think of Tribbles  :D ... would have loved one as a pet
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MDemisay on February 15, 2012, 04:45:48 pm
 :o imagine an AN the size of a Tribble that is frightening! Shatner Rules rocks! He discusses how William Shatner the personality feels as if he is detached- I am still reading it, currently, I have it by my bedside I find that the more I read it the less I think of "Irv" and that's a good thing!

Mike
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MDemisay on February 16, 2012, 11:50:54 pm
Just saw the NY1 review they did William Shatner on Broadway. He still looks youthful for 80! He has a broad range of characters from TJ Hooker, Captain Kirk to Denny Crane. His career in show biz spans greater than 50 years. He still has time to run a ranch in California and one in Kentucky where he breeds and rides horses for the past 20 years.

What a career! He does fundraisers for handicapped kids as well! Talk about a life well lived! Takes me far away from my current concerns!

If you happen to be in NYC stop by broadway, you'll have a ball!

Mike
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MDemisay on February 19, 2012, 01:51:21 am
Hi all! By now you know that I am a Trekkie among other things! I want to announce that I have just finished the Kindle version of the book by William Shatner "Shatner Rules" and although you may have had your fill of him, pick up this book! You'll be amazed at how far it takes you off the dreaded AN topic, it did me! It's really an easy fast read perfect for the ANA book club. I give it 4 stars!

Mike
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MDemisay on March 04, 2012, 05:20:19 pm
Hi Everyone,

I have an old favorite of mine that I would like to recommend. It is called "The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. It is very inpirational.

Has anyone heard of it before? It is a must read!

Mike
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on March 05, 2012, 02:01:58 pm
Hi Everyone,

I have an old favorite of mine that I would like to recommend. It is called "The Power of Positive Thinking by Norman Vincent Peale. It is very inspirational.

Has anyone heard of it before? It is a must read!

'The Power of Positive Thinking' was a sensation when it was first published, way back in 1952.  I've certainly heard of it and may have skimmed through it at the bookstore a long time ago.  The author, Dr. Norman Vincent Peale, was an ordained Methodist minister who switched his ministry to the Calvinist Reformed Church of America (in 1932).  Dr. Peale was the pastor at Marble Collegiate Church (on Fifth Avenue) in Manhattan for over 50 years. He was praised by folks such as Billy Graham when he died in 1993 at age 95.

His famous book (available for under $10. most places, including Amazon) is not 'religious' but offers 'techniques' to instill and maintain a positive outlook in every situation.  Peale's theories were controversial and many mental health professionals scorned him as a fraud.  However, the book has sold over 7 million copies and many people have been helped by Peale's aphorisms, e.g. "Never talk defeat. Use words like hope, belief, faith, victory".  Over time, the praises for his advice from those who found it encouraging has outweighed the criticisms.

I cannot credibly critique the book because I haven't read it but I have definitely seen  - from personal experience - that a positive outlook in times of stress does help.     

Jim
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MDemisay on March 06, 2012, 07:40:17 am
Thank you, Jim!  :)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on March 16, 2012, 08:54:25 am
Haven't posted here in awhile, but I've definitely still been reading!  Based on a couple of recommendations from friends, I started the Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire)  series by George RR Martin - not my usual genre, but it is SO good!  Some of you may have seen the HBO series (I have not).  Not for you folks who like to mainly read nonfiction, probably, and it definitely has some very adult and controversial themes and has no social message or lesson, but I do like it ;D  A guilty pleasure...

Enjoy your books - whatever they may be,

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on March 16, 2012, 11:18:42 am
Sounds interesting, Cindy.  Have to check on it.

I am really bad about starting several books at the same time ..... too much rereading to figure them out sometimes.

Right now I am still working on "The Girl Who Played With Fire," "The Scalpel and the Soul," (almost finished with it) and "The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks." (just started it)

Maybe I'd better finish a couple of them before starting the "Game of Thrones" .....  ya think.   :o

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?,oi
Post by: Soundy on March 16, 2012, 01:46:01 pm
Finished all of James Herriot and now reading the biograghy his son wrote. I never read it because itwould be admitting a childhood hero was dead and gone. But with my dad in the shape he is in I thought now was as good a time as any to lay James Herriot aka. Alf Wight to rest in my mind. Probably doesn't make much sense. These days I don't always make sense

We had book fairlast week at school. Earned enough book bucks to by abot 20 books. Got a cup cake decorating/ cookbook and the girls used up the rest in books they plan to read. With the new AR system in place just about every book at the book fair has a test. The tests used to have to be purchased for each book butnow are built into the system and are available online. 


The readingteacher loaned me Island Of Lost Girls on the Nook. Figure on reading it as I read James Herriot bio.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on March 16, 2012, 08:32:51 pm
James Herriot is great. I have been a fan since junior high school. His language is so simple, yet you can see, smell, taste and feel everything he describes as if you were there yourself. And the characters are so great: Siegfried, Tristan, Mrs. Pumphrey and Tricki Woo . . . the BBC series is wonderfully done as well.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MDemisay on March 21, 2012, 06:35:53 am
Hi everybody,

I have just downloaded "The Better Brain Book" by Daniel Perlmutter MD in it he describes the use of herbals and advises against the use of cell phones!

It will prove to be a good read, for everybody I hope. The author is a neurologist there are some interesting things about environmental toxins, the book has a whole chapter devoted to it.

Mike
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on March 25, 2012, 02:55:18 pm
I remember reading the James Herriot books and laughing out loud! My husband always knew when I was reading one of the series because I was so entertained. Timeless books! We watched the series on the PBS station and loved it, too.
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on March 31, 2012, 09:10:20 pm
Am currently reading Miracle Cure by Harlan Coben.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Lynn Mc on April 05, 2012, 06:23:43 am
I do not come on here very much but I just finished The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo series.  I don't think I ever enjoyed a series more than this one.  What a let down to finish it.....  Just started "Live Wire" by Harlan Coben and it seems OK.  Any other good reads out there...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MDemisay on April 07, 2012, 06:59:27 pm
Hi Everybody,

A really quick and interesting and distracting read for me was the Kindle single "Lifeboat #8" about the Titanic Lifeboat and the survivors and the gallant lives that were lost onboard that fateful cruiseliner 100 years ago mostly fiction but with some pieces of fact laced in such as the selection process for passengers at that time.

Seemed an appropriate read 100 years later!

IMHO

Mike
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Captain Deb on April 09, 2012, 08:07:53 am
I just bought that for my kindle--99 cents--how bad could it be?

I got a Kindle for Christmas and have become a reader again and hardly ever watch TV anymore, especially since we haven't gotten around to turning on our cable here at the beach (yeah, hub and I bought a place on the NC coast--waterfront lot on Core Sound with a deserted bird sanctuary island just 2 miles east and a lil Carolina Skiff to take us out there--I know, I know yer all jealous but we have a spare room, y'all.) Which is fine because TV volume is a source of argument at the house with all the cable--"it's too loud!" he says.  "Well I can't hear the dialog at all so I'm going to the bedroom to read."  AAARRRRRRR!!!!!

I read the Hunger Games trilogy before I knew about the movie, another series by the same author, and now I'm reading the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich, which are hilarious, but not as hilarious as the Sweet Potato Queens books by Jill Conner Browne.  I sit on the beach and laugh out loud.  For some reason I am drawn to humor--Carl Hiaason is another favorite.  I enjoy books with recurring characters--the Sookie Stackhouse books by Charlaine Harris are more of my favorites.  I'm also waiting with baited breath for the next installment of A Song of Ice and Fire to be written.

That's what I've been up to--think I'll read back on this thread a lil to see what's up.

Hope y'all had a good Easter and didn't eat too many peeps.

Capt Deb(http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee60/Captdeb_photos/pirate-4.gif)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Captain Deb on April 09, 2012, 08:30:44 am
Haven't posted here in awhile, but I've definitely still been reading!  Based on a couple of recommendations from friends, I started the Game of Thrones (A Song of Ice and Fire)  series by George RR Martin - not my usual genre, but it is SO good!  Some of you may have seen the HBO series (I have not).  Not for you folks who like to mainly read nonfiction, probably, and it definitely has some very adult and controversial themes and has no social message or lesson, but I do like it ;D  A guilty pleasure...

Enjoy your books - whatever they may be,

cindy

Cindy, I've read all the Song books and am waiting with baited breath for the next one, but I have to disagree about them having social relevance.  The "quest for power" is a very relevant theme these days as is the battle for female equality in the political world.  Love the Danerys character! (sorry, I was a lit major my first go round in college!) Now maybe you won't feel so guilty reading them-hahahaha!
Besides, there's pirates in 'em!!!

Capt Deb(http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee60/Captdeb_photos/pirate-4.gif)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Captain Deb on April 09, 2012, 08:42:16 am
Hi everybody,

I have just downloaded "The Better Brain Book" by Daniel Perlmutter MD in it he describes the use of herbals and advises against the use of cell phones!

It will prove to be a good read, for everybody I hope. The author is a neurologist there are some interesting things about environmental toxins, the book has a whole chapter devoted to it.

Mike

Definitely gettin that one--I usually buy all my "medical self-help" books in realbookland (as opposed to the magic of Kindle) so I can reference them better.  I have a small library now, between menopause, migraines, Lipitor damage, back issues and fibromyalgia (jeesh!) I have several good headache books if anyone wants ta know!

Sounds like I'm held together with bailing wire and duct tape!!!

Chillin' at da beach,

Capt Deb(http://i235.photobucket.com/albums/ee60/Captdeb_photos/pirate-4.gif)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on April 09, 2012, 02:16:16 pm
Hey, Capt!  Good to "see" you!  Yes, I'm very jealous - grew up in Jax, FL and LOVE the beach, but now live 6 hours from any ocean :(

I enjoyed the first book in the Hunger Games, but didn't think the other two were as good...have not seen the movie yet.  Have heard that the director did a pretty good job, though...

Yes, I agree about the quest for power and strong women theme, guess I was thinking more that it wasn't as meaningful as perhaps a nonfiction read...I love it no matter what ;D  Love all the characters - know it will be awhile before the next book is out, so I'm pacing myself and reading other things in between the 5 which are already out (will start book 3 soon).  I love that George Martin is telling the story from the perspective of so many different characters...We will have to talk more after the next one comes out!

I am also awaiting the next book in the new Justin Cronin series - The Twelve.  The Passage was very good - not sure if I mentioned it here or not last year...it's a series with vampires, but not anything like the Twilight vampires - these are vampires of quite a different breed ;)  Yet, I would not call it a "vampire" story - it is much broader than that...

Lynn, I read the first Girl w/ tattoo, but never did read the others...keep forgetting to get back to them...will have to do so...

Still have most of the Harlan Coben books to read!  So many books, so little time :o


Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 11, 2012, 08:48:18 am
Hi All,
I read all of the George R.R. Martin books and LOVED the first 4. He does an amazing job with his characters. Number 5 was bloated and didn't seem to go anywhere, although I know the purpose was to bring everyone up to speed on all the main characters. I was beginning to think he had forgotten all about Arya!  Still, I got really tired of reading about what people were wearing or eating and was anxious for the story to move forward. Maybe his next book will take care of that complaint.
Priscilla
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 13, 2012, 09:13:12 am
Hey Capt~

DAMN SKIPPY!!!

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on April 22, 2012, 03:16:10 pm
I am addicted to Angry Birds and Cut The Rope that the kids put on my Nook...

Reading Front Porch Prophet right now ... it was recommended and is OK ... but subject matter is touchy for me right now ... one character is dying of cancer but he is writing letters to everyone he knows , making piece with some and stirring up stuff with others ... kinda too close to home and makes me wonder what the person who recommended it was thinking when they said I should read it ... I guess when I am done with it I will know

trying to get Sarah through her last 10 AR points she needs to pass reading ...she has 75 points over what she needs for whole year  ... but she has to have 20 for this grading period ...as of right now she has 4 ... TCAP testing all this week , then end of year field trips for BETA Club and STU- CO , scholastic bowl matches and then county tournament , a prom etc etc etc ...gonna be like pulling teeth to get it done...

 have been co-reading with her ... I read a chapter , she reads a chapter ...back and forth we go ... this is allowed ... wish it wasn't and she might just read on her own ... didn't read with her last 6 weeks until the night before points had to be in and she was 5 points short ... she had a 98 average in class... couldn't stand seeing a zero added to that making her A and F ...AR counts as half their reading grade ... so we were  up til midnight reading then back up at 5 to finish the book so she could take a test when she got to school... Hannah loves to  reads ... Sarah hates it ... drives me nuts
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 22, 2012, 03:17:21 pm
Just started Devil in the White City, which was recommended by someone on the Forum.

Only into the first pages, but am liking it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 23, 2012, 01:31:13 pm
"Devil in the White City" is an interesting read. I could hardly put it down. Enjoy!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 23, 2012, 05:33:24 pm
I got it at the library today...we'll see...y'all know I am the FICTION ONLY reader!!

K

Mary~
SO GREAT TO SEE YOU!!  hope you are doing well!  :-*
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 23, 2012, 08:09:23 pm
HEY KAY!!!!!!

It reads a lot like a fiction book, I think. Enjoy, I hope.

Hugs,

Mary  8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 25, 2012, 12:24:23 pm
I'm liking the book, but finding it's slow going in places (at least for me) because of the non-fiction parts.

Lots of history, which I sometimes find fascinating and sometimes find boring  ::)

My solution has been to skim the parts I'm not especially interested in and it's working well; still gives me the story but leaves out some of the boredom that I typically find in non-fiction.

Anyone interested in Chicago architecture will like the book; the author talks a lot about Daniel Burnham.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 25, 2012, 01:01:12 pm
I understand that, Jan, now that I think about it. I love architecture and also have a fascination with the 1893 world's fair. My grandma went there when she was ten and I have her souvenir curio box notebook - so I am also emotionally attached. I still don't know how they did such magic with the fair at that time. Then I thought the undercurrent and juxtaposition of the psychopathic physician so amazing. Now I want to re-read it. LOL!

Mary  8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 25, 2012, 05:01:10 pm
You're a step ahead of me, Mary.

Although I've lived in Illinois (Chicago suburbs) all my life I never even realized there was a World's Fair here in 1893.  I'm not much of a history buff.

The last World's Fair I recall was in the mid-60's in New York.  I only remember it because my grandparents lived in New Jersey at the time and my older sisters and brother got to go with my parents and grandfather while my younger brother and I had to stay behind with our grandmother.  Although I was only about 3 at the time, I've always felt I missed out on the fun.

I'm enjoying the parts of the book that talk about the buildings in Chicago and the numerous landmarks that still exist.  It's interesting to see where some of these places got their names - like Burnham Harbor.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: pjb on April 26, 2012, 08:30:32 am
You're a step ahead of me, Mary.

Although I've lived in Illinois (Chicago suburbs) all my life I never even realized there was a World's Fair here in 1893.  I'm not much of a history buff.

The last World's Fair I recall was in the mid-60's in New York.  I only remember it because my grandparents lived in New Jersey at the time and my older sisters and brother got to go with my parents and grandfather while my younger brother and I had to stay behind with our grandmother.  Although I was only about 3 at the time, I've always felt I missed out on the fun.

I'm enjoying the parts of the book that talk about the buildings in Chicago and the numerous landmarks that still exist.  It's interesting to see where some of these places got their names - like Burnham Harbor.

Jan

Wow dating myself I was at the NY World's Fair and I believe with my class (elementary school) sort of remember it at least I do have a few photos seems so long ago wait it was !...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: msmaggie on April 26, 2012, 10:30:37 am
I really liked this book, although it was a slow read because of all the history involved. I suggest that anyone who reads it follow it up with the architectural boat tour in Chicago. You will be amazed at how many names you will recognize from the book!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: CHD63 on April 26, 2012, 11:16:12 am
OK.  I guess I'm going to have to put this on my "must read" list.  ;)  We went on the architectural boat tour of Chicago when we were there for the ANA Symposium in 2009.  Wonderful tour and very interesting ..... plus it was a beautiful, sunny day when we went so I took many pictures.  Have to drag them out when I read the book!

Clarice
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MaryBKAriz on April 26, 2012, 12:02:38 pm
Hey PJB -

I went to the NY Worlds fair in HIGH SCHOOL - I really feel old admitting that. I really enjoyed it......sigh!

Mary  8)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: pjb on April 27, 2012, 07:53:19 am
Hey PJB -

I went to the NY Worlds fair in HIGH SCHOOL - I really feel old admitting that. I really enjoyed it......sigh!

Mary  8)
[/quote

Now we are really dating ourselves....How much of it do you remember with me not too much sad to say I forgot exactly want grade I was in maybe 3rd ???... Hope you took pictures..

Best Wishes,
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on April 27, 2012, 11:44:26 am
The architectural boat tour in Chicago is great; been on it at least 3 times.

Good idea, Priscilla.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MDemisay on May 01, 2012, 12:04:30 pm
Hello All,

Being a New York Knicks fan, in particular a Jeremy Lin fan, I recently downloaded on Kindle 2 books about God and Jeremy Lin. For those of you who don't know Jeremy was a graduate of Harvard they haven't had a basketball star there since 1950!
Anyway, is anyone interested in reading these vastly inspirational books? I have the names at home on my Kindle.

Mike
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 04, 2012, 09:39:42 pm
Finished Devil in the White City.  Definitely recommend it.  My new boss saw me reading it and raved about what a great book he thought it was.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 05, 2012, 10:15:24 am
I got it from the library...started the first 2 pages & put it down...reading a Harlan Coben now... ::)

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 09, 2012, 07:16:42 pm
I need to get the new Harlan Coben book.

Might be my Mother's Day gift to myself (one kid is unemployed and one is saving for a car  ::) )

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on May 10, 2012, 05:48:34 am
I think I stole it from my SIL's Kindle!

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 10, 2012, 10:18:08 pm
Went to the library this evening and am on the waiting list for 3 books  :(

Stephen King's - the one that is about JFK and the 60s (forget the name).

Harlan Coben's latest (Stay Close ? or something similar).

And Investing for Dummies.  My new boss is quite the investor and trades lot of options - which are Greek to me.  One of his "specialities" is something called covered calls which I am responsible for recording on the books.  He's explained covered calls to me, but I'm still kind of clueless.  In addition, he has opened a SEP IRA for me which means I'm in control of investing it.  Don't want to lose my retirement funds, so guess at the ripe old age of 50 I'm going to start playing the market  :P

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on May 26, 2012, 02:57:17 pm
well Hannah is out of junior high and will join the ranks of high schooler in the fall ...

Sarah will be going to 8th grade and for the first time was given a required summer reading list ... Catching Fire and Mockingjay... she hated Hunger Games ... Hannah liked them all ...gonna be a long summer ... the school library will be open oWednesdayay mornings to take AR tests that will count toward next years required points and to check out books ... this is a new thing too ... I foresee lost books and parents that can't get their kids to the library between 8 and 11:30 being mad at those who get ahead ...

need a good book/nook to read ... I think between what is unread on my Nook and hard copies I have , I have too many choices and just can't narrow it down ... book overload if you will... didn't help tThursdaysday a teacher handed me a bag of about a dozen books to read or pass along and all but two I plan on reading  :o
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on May 26, 2012, 10:27:05 pm
Just finished 11/22/63 by Stephen King this morning.

Long book (849 pages) but well worth the read.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: wcford on May 31, 2012, 07:18:06 am
WHo can read a book? I can't.  lucky to get  threw the sports page in The Washington Post.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 01, 2012, 08:38:35 pm
Reading is one of my guilty pleasures - I read wherever and whenever I can.

Haven't read a newspaper in years though; I read all my news online - usually CNN or MSN.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 12, 2012, 02:38:26 pm
Read Harlan Coben's Stay Close this weekend.  Started it on Saturday morning and finished it Sunday around noon.

Loved it and highly recommend it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 12, 2012, 08:42:28 pm
Think I'm in the middle of it on my Indle but having been reading other things & books from library that have due dates!  Reading the Jack Daniels series...
I'll get back to it...

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 17, 2012, 03:25:45 pm
Jack Daniels has a series  ???

Do the plots take place in a bar?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on June 17, 2012, 03:58:02 pm
Hi, all ~

I don't consider myself a part of the ANA Book Club because my reading tastes are quite different from what most members like to read.  Case in point: I'm currently reading Condoleezza Rice's account ('No Greater Honor') of her tenure as National Security Adviser and then Secretary of State in the Bush administration.  I find it interesting but others may well find it boring.  Oh well.  :) 

However, for Father's Day, my adorable wife, the lovely and gracious Tina, gave me a copy of the new Stephen King novel "11/22/63" which is very long (800+ pages) but offers an amalgamation of historical facts and settings with a time travel story that I find irresistible.  I also like Stephen King's writing style.

It may be some time before I can get to the King novel but I thought I would mention it on this thread (where else?) and I promise to post my observations on the book when I finish it, for anyone who may be interested.

Jim
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 18, 2012, 06:43:47 am
Jim - sounds interesting! Let us know...

Jan-
They are all named after drinks because they are about a female dectective named Jack (short for Jackqueline) Daniels. A little graphic at times but funny too...I think you might like them!

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on June 18, 2012, 08:56:23 am

which is very long (800+ pages) but offers an amalgamation of historical facts and settings with a time travel story that I find irresistible.  I also like Stephen King's writing style.

Jim

The longer, the better ;D well, if it's a good book...for all the reading I have done over the years, I have actually never read a Stephen King novel...but this one and another one I heard about the other day (but can't remember the title) sound interesting, so I'll have to give them a try, especially since Jan thought it was a good read.  Thanks for stopping in, Jim!

I just finished the 4th book in the Brotherhood of War series - they are good, but wouldn't put them on my all-time favorite list...am just reading them in between all the Song of Ice and Fire series (Game of Thrones), which is so good!

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 18, 2012, 07:09:36 pm
Jim -

11/22/63 is long, but well worth it.  Believe it or not, it's a pretty fast read; don't let the 800+ pages scare you.

I'm currently reading a book that my dad gave me - Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard.

The book isn't something I'd have chosen on my own, but I'm really enjoying it.  If you like historical books, you'd enjoy it; lots of facts about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln that I never knew.

Kay -

thanks for the Jack Daniels series suggestion.  Can you start with any book in the series? or is there a particular order I should follow?

Jan 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on June 18, 2012, 08:42:34 pm
Jan~
They definitely build on each other...but you "could" read them in any order (they are written where you don't HAVE to read them one after the other) - I just like to read series in order!  The first is Whiskey Sour then Bloody Mary, Rusty Nail, Dirty Martini, Fuzzy Navel, Cherry Bomb and one more that I know of but don't know the name...another reason why I thought of you was because they are set in Chicago...  ;)

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on June 19, 2012, 01:17:41 pm
Jim -

11/22/63 is long, but well worth it.  Believe it or not, it's a pretty fast read; don't let the 800+ pages scare you.

I'm currently reading a book that my dad gave me - Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard.

The book isn't something I'd have chosen on my own, but I'm really enjoying it.  If you like historical books, you'd enjoy it; lots of facts about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln that I never knew.

Hi, Jan ~

Thanks for the suggestion.  To be honest, I received 'Killing Lincoln' as a Christmas present last year and really enjoyed it.  Well written and a fast read.  As I commented to my wife (who gave me the book), even though you know how the story ends, the detail in the book makes the people involved and the events leading up to the assassination fascinating.  Dramatic devices were adroitly employed.  I'm paraphrasing but I liked the way one chapter ended with the observation  "Lincoln sat down to write what would be the last speech of his life" and the next chapter opened with "John Wilkes Booth loaded his gun".  Well done.  The author (Bill O'Reilly) has a new book about the 1963 Kennedy assassination ("Killing Kennedy") coming out in the fall.  I expect that will be one of my Christmas presents this year.  Because I was a young adult (20) at the time of the Kennedy assassination, I have vivid memories of the day, the shock that ensued and the national grief that was felt.  That kind of nationwide shock and mourning wasn't seen again until the horror of 9/11/01.  Still, I enjoy reading about history and the JFK assassination remains fascinating as a part of American history, replete with numerous (and unproven) 'conspiracy theories'.  I look forward to reading 'Killing Kennedy'. 

The length of the Stephen King novel doesn't bother me at all.  I'm a very fast reader.  However, finding the time to read for long periods is sometimes a hassle.  However, I intend to carve out 'reading time' when I get to the King book because, based on my past experiences reading Stephen King novels, it'll be a 'page-turner' and hard to put down. Frankly, I can't wait.  :)

Jim   
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: JW123 on June 19, 2012, 06:42:57 pm

I'm currently reading a book that my dad gave me - Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly and Martin Dugard.

The book isn't something I'd have chosen on my own, but I'm really enjoying it.  If you like historical books, you'd enjoy it; lots of facts about the Civil War and Abraham Lincoln that I never knew.


After seeing that, I would recommend Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard to you. It all about President Garfield and his assassination . Its full of interesting facts, but more importantly just a really good read. Was hard for me to put down.

Heres an interview with the writer on NPR, its what convinced my to read it.

http://www.npr.org/2011/10/15/141385086/james-garfield-and-the-destiny-of-the-republic (http://www.npr.org/2011/10/15/141385086/james-garfield-and-the-destiny-of-the-republic)
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on June 22, 2012, 09:28:26 am
someone gave me a book " My Nest Isn't Empty, It Just Has More Closet Space " by Lisa Scottoline... it is a mom / daughter project with their look back on their lives and experiences they have had ...  only read about 20 pages so far ... can't get into it but friend said it was great so gonna give it a go...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on June 22, 2012, 02:31:10 pm
JW -

thanks for the book suggestion.  Will have to check it out after I look into the Jack Daniels series. 

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on August 25, 2012, 06:45:58 pm
So, I have a recommendation for our next read: Hell in the Head by David Douglas Shannon. Available here: http://www.amazon.com/Hell-Head-Brain-Tumor-Things/dp/0615642012/ref=pd_rhf_gw_p_t_1
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 26, 2012, 04:57:37 pm
Just finished it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on August 26, 2012, 10:27:46 pm
Me too!
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on August 28, 2012, 07:05:20 am
Read mine last week - well done, David!  I never read non-fiction, but enjoyed this one (for obvious reasons ;))...

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on August 28, 2012, 02:18:22 pm
Am now reading The Next Best Thing by Jennifer Weiner.  Too soon to say if I like it or not; haven't gotten past the first couple of chapters.

Recently read Peace like a River by Leif Enger and really liked it.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 04, 2012, 12:19:02 pm
someone recommended Peace Like a River to me ...with your mention I might just check it out

been reading a Christian romance series that I was asked to read by a teacher who is trying to divert girls from reading trash ... they are set in hte late 1800s into early 1900s ...set in Colorado and follow a family through several generations focusing on the women ... the Brides of Culdee Creek series ... I honestly don't think many of the girls will switch to them ... they want the racy stuff and will tell you so ...

my youngest is still locked in battle with lit. teacher over Hunger Game series ... they had to read the first one last year and were to read Catching Fire over the summer ... Hunger Games gave Sarah nightmares and she refused to read it over the summer... she was given an ultimatum to read it over last weekend or face after school detention until it was read ...still didn't budge and teacher didn't keep her after... some other kids that didn't read it but said they did and are not being ridden ... some told Sarah to lie about reading it but she refuses to do that ... and when the test comes over the book they will be found out ... some say they are reading it now so they can pass the test ...Sarah says she will take a zero ...we have asked for an alternative book to read and teacher won't back down ...so I guess Sarah's 98% in lit is going to be reduced to a 49 ...

Sarah is not disrespectful to the teacher in her refusal ... she has stated why she will not read it and was told she was not a baby and get over it ... she said she doesn't want or need to read teen on teen violence and was told she didn't live in the real world because teen on teen violence was here to stay ... she told the teacher that she realized that it is a real thing and that putting it in a book was not the real world and didn't contribute anything good to the real world ...she also stated that she thinks it is un-Christian ... The teacher tossed some papers in the air and rolled her eyes and said "just read the damn book" ... Sarah told her that she was not going to and to please just give her a zero ... I sat quietly through this and left with my child ... she got to the truck and then  got the shakes and cried ,  but is not going to back off her beliefs or be bullied by this teacher into reading it

I try to teach my kids to respect and obey adults put into charge , but at same time not be taken advantage of or let an adult put them in a position to do anything they think is wrong ... the whole situation is keeping me tied in knots as much as it is Sarah ... principal asked the teacher to assign her a different book but she refused ... I honestly think she is pushing Sarah trying to break her ... when Hannah was reading The Good Earth in 7th grade and didn't like some of the subject matter the same teacher allowed her to change books

any suggestions???
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on September 04, 2012, 12:59:32 pm
Soundy ~

You should be very proud of your daughter, as I know you are.  You clearly raised a child that has solid values and is willing to do more than talk about them but will face the consequences and stand firm when challenged to abandon those values for expediency.  God bless Sarah, you and Bo for the fine young lady you've raised.

As for suggestions: the teacher is obviously in some sort of weird power struggle and while I'll manfully resist the urge to speculate on her motivations, I do question why the teacher did not have to submit to the principle's asking her to allow Sarah to read a different book.  My response would be to calmly request a meeting with the principle and ask him or her why this teacher apparently is not answerable to anyone.  The principle may respond that teachers have autonomy in how they run their classes and the subject matter i. e. required reading.  If so, politely inform him/her that you are dismayed that a good student like Sarah is going to be penalized for simply requesting being assigned a different book to read for her test because of moral issues.  Would the school pull this on, say, a Muslim student?  That is a rhetorical question because we both know the answer.  I would write a brief letter to the school board president challenging this action by the teacher and another, different letter to the local newspaper, succinctly explaining the situation and stating that this kind of inflexibility should not be permitted in the schools.  Be sure to inform the principle of your intentions but do not make it a threat, simply state it as a matter of fact.  This alone may motivate him/her to reassess the situation but whether it does or not it will let Sarah know that while she has to obey authority (the teacher) this is not a dictatorship and she has other avenues to pursue to resolve this vexing issue.

My parents did this for me and my sister a few times during our school years.  Suffice to say that my dad was very persuasive and the situation was usually resolved satisfactorily to all concerned.  My wife and I also had to fight for our son a few times while he was a student (and a good one with no discipline problems) and were successful in getting a few issues resolved.  This is what parents do.  We can't fight all our children's battles but sometimes, being children (even if they think they're miniature adults) they need some adult intervention because they simply have no real standing with adult authority figures. 

Soundy, no matter what you decide to do (I'm sure this thread will bring lots of suggestions) know that your daughter is right to hold to her perfectly reasonable resistance to reading this book and in this instance, the teacher is wrong and being intransigent out of some kind of motivation that none of us can fathom but, whether or not she is a good teacher, that does not speak well to her common sense.   I trust you and Sarah will find a way to get through this and that it won't result in her receiving a zero and a much lowered grade. I, for one, will pray for you both in this situation.

Jim
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: millie on September 05, 2012, 08:15:11 am
I was an English teacher. I sympathize with your dilemma. Regarding the required reading selections- had the entire English department worked on/approved the reading selections for each grade level  months before summer vacation?  What are the themes and values  and literary merits/qualities  of each book?  Does the literature promote the nobility of character  we want our children to aspire to?   Are the students given a choice  among appropriate works of literature for example-"Read any one of these three selections this summer."  Fiction and/or nonfiction might be included.
The way I tested  whether a child had read a bookwas to devise at least  two/three essay questions for each novel.  The multiparagraph essay answer was written before me  during class the end of the first week of school.  Everything was  done in class.  Rough copy, good copy.   (The teacher must really "know" the book on its different levels.)  This helped me assess students' grammar and writing skills early on. 
Some years we had multiple choice questions, but parents felt them unfair.  I liked the essay format myself -it was a great deal of reading and correcting/suggesting  and commenting-but then, that is the life of a good  English teacher.
I am dismayed by some of the literature and movies which mesmerize the young kids today. 
Hopefully you will successfully  dialogue with the principal and teacher(s) to solve this worrisome problem.
Millie
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 05, 2012, 12:29:21 pm
Soundy, I agree with Jim. You have already talked to the teacher, which is the proper first step. You were unable to come to terms, so the next step is to request an appointment with the principal.

Make sure that you keep a record of everything and if possible have a list of possible solutions to the problem. Is there another English class that Sarah can transfer into? What are a couple of equivalent-level books that Sarah could report on instead?

If you are not satisfied with the outcome of your meeting with the principal, then the school board is your next step.

I am a parent, a former substitute teacher, and a school board member for a parochial school. I do not think that Sarah should have to accept a 0 for this assignment. That said, did you contact the teacher about Sarah's objection to the book at the beginning of the summer when the title was assigned? If not, the delay might work against you. This was, after all, a summer reading assignment.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: millie on September 05, 2012, 05:25:24 pm
Saralynn's advice is excellent, Soundy.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 06, 2012, 06:31:17 pm
We talk to her before school let out and got no where. Have talked to principal and she had already talked to the teacher and asked her if she could give the kids a choice of a different book. Unless she is ordered to she won't.

The kids have to read the book and then take an AR test on it. If they don't make100% on the test they have to re-test until they do and then they are given a book report form  (wierd to say the least) that they fill out. They don't even write what I would call a real book report.

This teacher is always in some sort of power struggle with some student or parent. Or the occasional teacher. She taught Bo many moons ago and he says she has always been something else. He will be 47 in December, I think it time to retire.

She is as stubborn as Sarah. All AR points have to be in by the 14 th. The book is 16 points and those points are suppose
to be in the count toward the 20 she has to have. She needs 3 points to make 20 . I told her to have at least 21 and we will see what happens.

As for a different teacher , that's out. We have two 8th grade classes and three 7 th grades. They all have her.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 06, 2012, 06:47:34 pm
PS

I just looked up Peace Like A River on this Nook and saw the cover and realize I have it somewhere in one of many boxes of books at the house. 

Now just have to look in each one til I find it   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 07, 2012, 11:24:47 am
Tried to work it out with the teacher, check.

Talked to the principal, check.

You've gone through the proper chain of authority. Since the principal hasn't ordered the teacher to accept another book, it's now time to go to the school board.

Based on my own school board history:
  Be ready with your documentation, including all dates of contact, requests and responses with both teacher and principal.
  Be calm and objective.
  Stick to your case only.
  Have some acceptable solutions ready but be ready to listen if they have other alternatives.

I will be rooting for you and Sarah.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 08, 2012, 06:31:44 pm
Soundy -

I'm with Saralynn; take your issue to the school board.

Good luck,

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 09, 2012, 05:42:14 am
Soundy, depending on your relationship with the principal and whether you think it is worth the extra time to take this step, you could pay another visit to the principal and ask if she would order the teacher to accept an alternative book. She may do it once you explain that you feel you have no other alternative to going to the school board next. I would think that the principal would rather it not come to that.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 11, 2012, 02:20:53 pm
I think it was a draw on the battle but war not won ... have a feeling that there will be a round two since the teacher wants to finish up the series with Mocking Jay...

the teacher told Sarah she could read a 2 page summary of the book and try to take the test... but she had to pass the test... she already did a book report for this grading priod on another book so she didn't have to get 100% on the Catching Fire test ... she just had to pass

Sarah read the summary which didn't have the gory details ... yesterday she took the AR test and got a 70 earning 11.5 AR points out of a  possible
16 pts.... she had to get another 4.5 points by today to have the 20 required points and keep her grade up ... she got a Nancy Drew book from th library yesterday and read most of it last night ... she got up early and finished it this morning...

the principal has asked that in the future that the teacher to assign a choice of  more than one book when there is "questionable content" ... whether she does or not we will have to wait and see
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on September 11, 2012, 03:16:49 pm
I think it was a draw on the battle but war not won ... have a feeling that there will be a round two since the teacher wants to finish up the series with Mocking Jay...

the teacher told Sarah she could read a 2 page summary of the book and try to take the test... but she had to pass the test... she already did a book report for this grading priod on another book so she didn't have to get 100% on the Catching Fire test ... she just had to pass

Sarah read the summary which didn't have the gory details ... yesterday she took the AR test and got a 70 earning 11.5 AR points out of a  possible
16 pts.... she had to get another 4.5 points by today to have the 20 required points and keep her grade up ... she got a Nancy Drew book from th library yesterday and read most of it last night ... she got up early and finished it this morning...

the principal has asked that in the future that the teacher to assign a choice of  more than one book when there is "questionable content" ... whether she does or not we will have to wait and see.

Not a big 'win' but a compromise of sorts that is probably the best you're going to get.  Even so, writing a book report shouldn't have to be this hard for a good student such as your daughter.  That the principal 'asked' the recalcitrant teacher to assign more than one book when there is 'questionable content' sounds promising but this teacher's penchant for contrariness and intransigent opposition to any but her own opinions may not auger well for the future.  However, why buy trouble?  Let's hope for Sarah's sake that this incident is a singularity and future books assigned for reports will be acceptable to all concerned, without the drama this teacher apparently thrives on.

Jim
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: millie on September 11, 2012, 05:23:24 pm
I am perplexed that reading a two page summary of a book is equated to the experience of reading the whole novel.  What is the purpose of summer reading?  Is the goal of the assignment to get a quick grade or to deepen and continue the literary/reading experience?
If today's  teacher looks on line, he or she can find excellent suggestions from  various  national English teacher associations or  from the ALA-noteworthy, award-winning books at every level-and often, the materials to go with them if he/she doesn't want to spend hours writing his own multiple choice questions and essay questions. 
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on September 11, 2012, 09:26:29 pm
I think it was a draw on the battle but war not won ... have a feeling that there will be a round two since the teacher wants to finish up the series with Mocking Jay...

. . .

the principal has asked that in the future that the teacher to assign a choice of  more than one book when there is "questionable content" ... whether she does or not we will have to wait and see

Hold them to this for Mockingjay. It's the most intense in the series.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 12, 2012, 05:54:31 pm
If I had been the teacher I would rather Sarah had read a whole book rather than a summary. This teacher does The Giver every other year and meets with opposition. Almost all books she has multiple class copies of contain alot of violence. It is what she likes to read. I think if she wanted the kids to like reading and do well with it she would assign books they want instead of what she likes.

Sarah did deside to just read it to get out of the teachers cross hairs and read 70 before quitting and resigned herself to a zero before the teacher gave her the summary option.

Running book fair at school beginning next Thursday and runs during school hours til the 28th. Hoping to get Sarah books off this teacher wish list that Sarah will enjoy. Most books at the fair are more student oriented.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 13, 2012, 05:47:09 pm
Am reading Body by Harry Crews.

It's a quirky, but amusing, read  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on September 20, 2012, 01:30:33 pm
I'm reading Harry Potter - thought I should for some reason...about half way thru book 4...

I actually did read Hunger Games (think it was discussed here before many pages back) - I liked the first one, though I did feel very guilty about reading a book with such a disturbing topic - but it was really very well done.  However, I doubt I would have wanted my boys to read it when they were younger, so know it's a hard thing, Soundy.  I read The Giver also and must say I thought it was good also...that one I actually read to the boys when I was homeschooling them - I did leave out certain parts of it, however.

Someone recommended When She Woke by Hillary Jordan - not my usual genre.  Anyone read it or heard about it?

cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 20, 2012, 10:33:37 pm
Haven't heard of When She Woke.

Just finished When it Happens to You by Molly Ringwald.  Yes, the actress.

Just started The Keeper of Lost Causes, which is supposed to be similar to the Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Next in line is Divergent, recommended to me by Priscilla (msmaggie).

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 21, 2012, 09:40:01 pm
Saved this teacher for last at conferences yesterday and had a grrrrrrrrrrrr moment ... she was reading off Sarah's grades and all were good ... then she said she took off points from final grade because she didn't read the darn book and that the AR test had no bearing on grade and this held true for all students... evidently all they had to do is answer yes or no when asked at start of year whether they had read it or not ... a Yes got a check mark and a No got points off ... she gave them time to go on and read it ... she pushed Sarah and had her flipping out over reading it and passing the AR test and then didn't even use it for grading

 we have it in writing that Sarah will not have to reaMocking jayay and several other kids are now on the list ... makes me mad that Sarah ipenalizeded for being truthful when others lied about reading it and got that all important check ... they were bragging to me and my book fair partner about slipping under the teachers radar... whole thing is messed up but over  except for the fact we have to deal with her until May ...

I am reading Inside Out and Back Again for 6th grade teacher and also The 9th Ward ... I will get back to big kid books after the book fair ....
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 22, 2012, 11:27:38 am
we have it in writing that Sarah will not have to reaMocking jayay and several other kids are now on the list ... makes me mad that Sarah ipenalizeded for being truthful when others lied about reading it and got that all important check ... they were bragging to me and my book fair partner about slipping under the teachers radar... whole thing is messed up but over  except for the fact we have to deal with her until May ...

Soundy, it makes me mad too that your daughter was penalized for being honest.  But on the bright side, it's very refreshing that she's honest.  So many young people aren't these days, including my own son who drives me crazy with his lying (I catch him constantly)  ::)

It's also nice that others are now on the list; progress has been made!

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on September 22, 2012, 01:43:06 pm
Soundy ~

For what its worth, you have my sympathy for (you and your daughter) having to deal with this frustrating teacher.  Now I see why some parents home-school. 

When my son was in first grade we realized that the local city school system was not going to be a good fit for him.  Because we had planned to move, we pushed up the date and changed residences - and schools - within a month after the start of the new school year.  Best thing we could have done.  The new school system was in a relatively small town (22,000) and had enough affluent residents (we weren't among them) to ensure the public schools were of good quality. Our son thrived and graduated high school right on schedule with good grades.  He went on to obtain a B.A. degree at a small private college nearby (he commuted, worked 3 jobs to help pay for his education and is still paying off student loans).  Today, he has a secure job he likes and is earning a very good salary. 

I realize everyone can't move to another town because of their public school system and most parents can't home-school (it would have been very difficult for us).  I just wanted to make the point that as parents, we always do what's best for our child/children and in this instance with Sarah and this intransigent teacher, you certainly did the best you could with a difficult situation.  It's just too bad that some teachers, for whatever reason, make it difficult for good kids.  Still, as someone who is friends with a very dedicated (high school) English teacher who has to deal with unruly teenagers while attempting to teach honors classes, I sympathize with those who teach and realize that for all the good, encouraging teachers there are always a few misfits who would be better off pursuing another line of work.  I'm just sorry that you and Sarah had to deal with the latter this time around. 

Jim   
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on September 24, 2012, 09:49:04 am
I try to let the kids fix things themselves. In this instance I should have jumped in sooner.

Day three of book fair and all is well. Everytime a class comes in it turns to chaos then like now it is just the two of us sitting here , one one a Nook and the other on Kindle Fire. We have been using them to look up books and see if they are in the AR system.

Has anyone read The Best of Me by Nichoas Sparks? It is on clearance for $5.99 instead of the $14.99 regular price. Thinking of getting it with my Book Bucks at end of week. If I get all my hours in I will have around $150  to spend. We also have Where Men Win Glory by Jon Krakaur and Thanks for The Memories by Cecelia Ahern. The rest of the grown up books are cook books. Bo says I need a new book like I need another hole in my head. He just doesn't understand ;D

Eeeeeeeek!!!!!!!! A new class Please excuse typos. Fingers toobig for nook.



Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 27, 2012, 01:17:01 pm
Loved The Keeper of Lost Causes.  Found it similar to The Girl w/the Dragon Tattoo, but without all the violence and quirkness (not that I didn't enjoy "The Girl" cuz I did).  Figured out "who done it" before it was revealed, but still loved the book.

Am now about 100 pages into Divergent and am loving it, too.

Nothing like a great book  ;D

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 27, 2012, 07:16:16 pm
Addi LOVED Divergent and the 2nd one...she's waiing for the third one! I guess I need to put it on my Kindle and read it!  Need to check out the Keeper because I LOVED The Girl books but since I read a LOT of Christian fiction, all the sex & violence was a little more than what I usually read!!   ::)

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on September 29, 2012, 10:01:58 pm
Kay -

I had never even heard of Divergent (it's considered YA reading) until Priscilla recommended it to me when I met her a few months ago.

It's definitely a popular book; I was on the waiting list at my library for months before it was available.

Will have to look into the second book; didn't realize there was one.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on September 30, 2012, 04:01:26 pm
I'm pretty sure it is called Indulgent...

K  ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 01, 2012, 02:49:06 pm
Close, but actually it's called Insurgent.

I only know this because I added myself to the library's waiting list the other day.

Thankfully, this afternoon my number came up.

Perfect timing; I just finished Divergent today during lunch.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on October 01, 2012, 04:28:53 pm
I got the IN and gent right! 
 ::)
K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 02, 2012, 08:30:50 pm
LOL   :D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on October 12, 2012, 06:03:05 am
I am still reading some of the junior high level books to give a yay of nay to ... so far I have just read the historical fiction based on true events ... just finished an account of a girl who survived Katrina ...have about 20 to go ...

after what happened with Sarah I feel kinda funny reading the books and giving my opinion ... some of the books do have some violence in them but it true to life violence and is not the main theme of the book ...just part of the story ... I am going to read A Friendship For Today ... a fictional work about a black girl entering school as the only black , set in mid 50's ... it is based on the authors experience as the only black child in her 6th grade class ... I am sure there are going to be tense moments in the book but not saturated ...

does this make sense ??? I don't want to be seen as a judge and jury of what books will be picked to be ordered in multiples ... I want to be seen as a parent that cares what the kids read ... not just my child but those around her... I am at school enough to watch the kids change and act out what they see on TV , in movies or read in books ... and it seems that they prefer to act out bad parts more so than possitive ones .... the teachers polled parents at conferences and found that around 90% didn't know what their kids were reading and as long as they got their AR points they didn't care   ... most parents are not involves with their kids schooling enough ... maybe I am too involved ... I look at their numbers but I also look at my kids and watch how they get to those numbers ... one parent on survey said as long as her child maintained a 70 , C , average they didn't get involved .

I don't oppose books like the Hunger Games ... I read them ... they were engaging but at same time I didn't particularly like them ...again I will sat that I believe that my experience living through a school shooting where the shooter was at my house handing me a cupcake and 3 days later was  turning the corner to become a murderer colors my view on kid on kid violence … I oppose a child being forced to read a book that upsets them and I oppose kids that are too young reading material that is not age appropriate  ( case point my now 9 year old granddaughter who read the Twilight books at 7 )  … my granddaughter could read the words and knew what was being said but at 7 does she need to be reading books that are extremely violent or with strong sexual content ? … my DIL said if she could read the words she could read it …my son said she should wait … he lost … now we have a 9 year old that pops off with inappropriate subject matter at family gatherings describing things she shouldn’t know because she has been over exposed too soon …

OK … getting off my soap box … this is a subject that has been going since books were printed … at least I have never burned a book … or banned one … have marked some that were slated for younger readers as wait a year or 2 … dang it … still have one foot on the box   ;D :-X
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on October 12, 2012, 12:27:32 pm
Almost done w/Insurgent.  Not as good as Divergent, but definitely worth the read.

Not sure when book 3 will be out.  Anyone know?

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Jim Scott on October 12, 2012, 02:34:08 pm
does this make sense ??? I don't want to be seen as a judge and jury of what books will be picked to be ordered in multiples ... I want to be seen as a parent that cares what the kids read ... not just my child but those around her... I am at school enough to watch the kids change and act out what they see on TV , in movies or read in books ... and it seems that they prefer to act out bad parts more so than possitive ones .... the teachers polled parents at conferences and found that around 90% didn't know what their kids were reading and as long as they got their AR points they didn't care   ... most parents are not involves with their kids schooling enough ... maybe I am too involved ... I look at their numbers but I also look at my kids and watch how they get to those numbers ... one parent on survey said as long as her child maintained a 70 , C , average they didn't get involved .

I don't oppose books like the Hunger Games ... I read them ... they were engaging but at same time I didn't particularly like them ...again I will sat that I believe that my experience living through a school shooting where the shooter was at my house handing me a cupcake and 3 days later was  turning the corner to become a murderer colors my view on kid on kid violence … I oppose a child being forced to read a book that upsets them and I oppose kids that are too young reading material that is not age appropriate  ( case point my now 9 year old granddaughter who read the Twilight books at 7 )  … my granddaughter could read the words and knew what was being said but at 7 does she need to be reading books that are extremely violent or with strong sexual content ? … my DIL said if she could read the words she could read it …my son said she should wait … he lost … now we have a 9 year old that pops off with inappropriate subject matter at family gatherings describing things she shouldn’t know because she has been over exposed too soon …

OK … getting off my soap box … this is a subject that has been going since books were printed … at least I have never burned a book … or banned one … have marked some that were slated for younger readers as wait a year or 2 … dang it … still have one foot on the box   ;D :-X

Soundy ~

I admire your concern about approving books that are age-appropriate without feeling like a prude. 

The salient point here is that you are an adult - a parent - with good sense and traditional values dealing with books for children.  That being the case, careful consideration must be paid to content including theme, language and overall tone, especially when violence or sexual situations are involved in the book's story line.   Granted, each child will have a different maturity level but a child is still a child and simply being able to read about sex or violence, knowing all the words but not having the maturity to grasp the full meaning, is a factor that you must deal with when selecting books for children, be they six or twelve.  As parents, I believe we have a moral duty to select what we consider 'age-appropriate' reading material for our progeny, especially when they are quite young (under eight years old). 

Your account of your granddaughter reading the 'Twilight' books at age seven and not really being able to understand them is a good case in point.  Being precocious is great but most of the time, the precocious child is unable to understand the real-life consequences of some of the bad behavior they may read about in books.  Unfortunately, society doesn't support good parenting anymore and we see that in high school kids being promiscuous and doing drugs.  Some get through that stage unscathed but some do not and the 'cool' high school kid isn't so cool a decade later dealing with a nasty drug habit that keeps him in and out of jail and with no future or the girl that is stuck in a dead-end job or on welfare, has two babies with different fathers that have long since 'moved on'.   Do books cause this?  Of course not.  But cumulatively, the media (books, movies, music, TV) and sometimes (but not always) absentee or irresponsible parenting help to produce a child going the wrong direction in life. 

One of my wife's best friends is a high school English teacher who teaches honor classes in literature and she sees this every day.  Although her students read the classics, she also has to assign 'modern' books that sometimes contain a lot of sex and violence. This Christian lady told us that when they read aloud and come to a part of the story where a character uses a lot of curse words, she tells the student reading aloud to skip over those words.  Few students object - and they are far from all model teens.  Although she is dealing with teenagers, some of them seniors, she tries to guide them into realizing that despite what some books present (and society obliquely condones) violence and promiscuity are not desirable choices. 

I believe this is the best way for a parent - who has far more influence on their child than a teacher - to act on this issue.  Select age-appropriate books for their children but as those children grow (as they have a habit of doing) teach them, preferably by example as well as words, what is the best way to handle life's challenges and, especially as they near puberty, how to respond to and control their natural urges and not make a mess of their life.  Some books can actually reinforce good values.  For older children (10 and up) who are proficient readers, some books can help them realize that their 'romantic' feelings, fears and concerns are universal and that they are not necessarily 'weird' (kids favorite word).   

I don't consider that stating your opinions on this important subject as being on a soapbox (preaching) and I don't consider my response to your concerns anything more than stating a point of view that, I hope, encourages you a bit as you seriously attempt to do what is right for your children - or, you can just ignore it.  I won't be offended.  It's just an opinion and I'm sure some parents would disagree with it.  So be it.  At least we have the freedom to do what we believe is best for our children, as I did - and I know you will.

Jim

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: MDemisay on October 15, 2012, 09:37:05 am
Dear Soundy,

After reading all the issues that you are confronting and considering what Jim has said about being involved and being a parent myself and remembering both my wife's involvement and my own over what books to be read to my daughter, I would agree with your assessment that being involved is better than being not involved. Stay involved!

 Don't let society tell you what to do! Too many adults let our children "drift" in proper schooling, letting them grow up with little or no values.. Then we are suprised at the recidivism rate of prisons or crime?

 Parents teach your children, get involved don't disconnect at schooltime.


Stay involved! It reaps greater rewards down the road! Don't let the system squelch your opinion!!!

Mike

Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on October 18, 2012, 11:45:23 am
No issues today involving books

Working on our Wildcat Run here at school now.. it is to be held next Thursday ...kids will walk in shifts all day....we are taking dollar donations that get you  a chance for a Kindle Fire HD..... chicken stew dinner that night with awards to follow.... there are prizes for most money raised by the top three kids along with most laps , top money raising classes.....etc etc

as for books, someone gave me a book that is a Knitting Club book...Knit The Season....it is Christmas oriented ..... it is going to be my next read
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: cindyj on October 31, 2012, 01:49:45 pm
Just finished reading The Glass Castle by Jeanneatte Walls...not one I would ever have picked for myself, but a friend recommended it - very good quick read.  Many of you probably have heard of it and/or read it, but I had never heard of it...remember, I am just now getting to Harry Potter  ::) I am usually way behind the trend in books. 

Cindy
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on November 05, 2012, 01:21:19 pm
Cindy , I haven't made it to Harry Potter yet either... movies or books even though all the movies and half the books are here at my house

With band season over (except playing at state football playoff games) my life may slow down enough to read some ... lately I  just come home do minimum house work , feed the hoard of hungry people that live with me and conk out
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: leapyrtwins on November 05, 2012, 01:43:33 pm
Read the Glass Castle, enjoyed it.

Just discovered an author by the name of Claire Cook - a friend of mine sent me one of her books - so now I'm reading lots of her stuff.

Also just started Cell by Stephen King.

Jan
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: millie on November 05, 2012, 06:40:29 pm
Try Doc ....a work of historical fiction about Doc Holliday before the O.K. Corral.  You will fall in love with Doc, who was a Southern gentleman, a great dentist, and a brilliant, wonderful human being. 
I have a list of great books from my Book Club of thirteen years...sadly, it just dissolved.  When I have more stamina, (with my eyes) I will post my favorite reads....among them, Rebecca and A Prayer for Owen Meany.  Mil
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Soundy on November 07, 2012, 02:55:44 pm
Have a several times re-read copy of A Prayer For Owen Meany ... would have liked the movie adaptation " Simon Birch" had I not already read the bookRightht now co-reading The Abduction , a Theodore Boone  Kid Lawyer book ,  by John Grisham , with my reluctant reader ... iisia a fast read ...about halthete book in one sitting ...
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: saralynn143 on April 08, 2013, 01:24:43 pm
Several of us have recently read or are currently reading Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn. I thought it would be interesting to discuss in a couple of weeks or so.
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 09, 2013, 03:06:07 pm
I'm over 1/2 way done!!

k   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Kaybo on April 18, 2013, 03:30:29 pm
I am through with Gone Girl now...who wants to discuss it?  Is there anyone who is reading it that we need to wait on or was it just me??  ???

K   ;D
Title: Re: ANA Book Club?
Post by: Brewers7 on April 19, 2013, 08:52:54 am
I read it a couple of months ago.  Bizarre but very interesting.