Below are brief summaries/reviews of each book that we'll discuss for the next several months.
The Hobbit by J.R. Tolkien for April 2011
Amazon.com Review
"In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort."
The hobbit-hole in question belongs to one Bilbo Baggins, an upstanding member of a "little people, about half our height, and smaller than the bearded dwarves." He is, like most of his kind, well off, well fed, and best pleased when sitting by his own fire with a pipe, a glass of good beer, and a meal to look forward to. Certainly this particular hobbit is the last person one would expect to see set off on a hazardous journey; indeed, when Gandalf the Grey stops by one morning, "looking for someone to share in an adventure," Baggins fervently wishes the wizard elsewhere. No such luck, however; soon 13 fortune-seeking dwarves have arrived on the hobbit's doorstep in search of a burglar, and before he can even grab his hat or an umbrella, Bilbo Baggins is swept out his door and into a dangerous adventure.
The dwarves' goal is to return to their ancestral home in the Lonely Mountains and reclaim a stolen fortune from the dragon Smaug. Along the way, they and their reluctant companion meet giant spiders, hostile elves, ravening wolves--and, most perilous of all, a subterranean creature named Gollum from whom Bilbo wins a magical ring in a riddling contest. It is from this life-or-death game in the dark that J.R.R. Tolkien's masterwork, The Lord of the Rings, would eventually spring. Though The Hobbit is lighter in tone than the trilogy that follows, it has, like Bilbo Baggins himself, unexpected iron at its core. Don't be fooled by its fairy-tale demeanor; this is very much a story for adults, though older children will enjoy it, too. By the time Bilbo returns to his comfortable hobbit-hole, he is a different person altogether, well primed for the bigger adventures to come--and so is the reader. --Alix Wilber
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers for May 2011
From The New Yorker
Through the story of one man’s experience after Hurricane Katrina, Eggers draws an indelible picture of Bush-era crisis management. Abdulrahman Zeitoun, a successful Syrian-born painting contractor, decides to stay in New Orleans and protect his property while his family flees. After the levees break, he uses a small canoe to rescue people, before being arrested by an armed squad and swept powerlessly into a vortex of bureaucratic brutality. When a guard accuses him of being a member of Al Qaeda, he sees that race and culture may explain his predicament. Eggers, compiling his account from interviews, sensibly resists rhetorical grandstanding, letting injustices speak for themselves. His skill is most evident in how closely he involves the reader in Zeitoun’s thoughts. Thrown into one of a series of wire cages, Zeitoun speculates, with a contractor’s practicality, that construction of his prison must have begun within a day or so of the hurricane.
The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman, for June 2011
Amazon.com Review
In The Graveyard Book, Neil Gaiman has created a charming allegory of childhood. Although the book opens with a scary scene--a family is stabbed to death by "a man named Jack” --the story quickly moves into more child-friendly storytelling. The sole survivor of the attack--an 18-month-old baby--escapes his crib and his house, and toddles to a nearby graveyard. Quickly recognizing that the baby is orphaned, the graveyard's ghostly residents adopt him, name him Nobody ("Bod"), and allow him to live in their tomb. Taking inspiration from Kipling’s The Jungle Book, Gaiman describes how the toddler navigates among the headstones, asking a lot of questions and picking up the tricks of the living and the dead. In serial-like episodes, the story follows Bod's progress as he grows from baby to teen, learning life’s lessons amid a cadre of the long-dead, ghouls, witches, intermittent human interlopers. A pallid, nocturnal guardian named Silas ensures that Bod receives food, books, and anything else he might need from the human world. Whenever the boy strays from his usual play among the headstones, he finds new dangers, learns his limitations and strengths, and acquires the skills he needs to survive within the confines of the graveyard and in wider world beyond. (ages 10 and up) -–Heidi Broadhead
The parenting breakthrough by Merrilee Browne Boyack for July 2011
Amazon.com product description
Fun and practical, author Merrilee Boyack will have readers laughing out loud as well as feeling grateful for her parenting advice. She's a mom who's spent the last 22 years in the real-life work of parenting. “I have four sons, 13, 15, 17 and 22. You know what that means,” she writes. “I'm an absolute expert in raising children 23 and older.” Merrilee offers the “LDS parenting owner's manual they forgot to give you” for training kids — from toddlers to teens — to be independent. It includes ideas for how to teach kids about money, investing, debt, and the importance of earning their own money; how to help children with emotional and spiritual development; and much more.
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens, for August 2011
From Amazon.com
A Tale of Two Cities" begins in 1775, with Mr. Lorry, a respectable London banker, meeting Lucie Manette in Paris, where they recover Lucie's father, a doctor, and mentally enfeebled by an unjust and prolonged imprisonment in the Bastille. This assemblage, on their journey back to England, meets Charles Darnay, an immigrant to England from France who makes frequent trips between London and Paris. Upon their return to England, Darnay finds himself on trial for spying for France and in league with American revolutionaries. His attorney, Stryver, and Stryver's obviously intelligent, if morally corrupt and debauched, assistant, Sydney Carton, manage to get Darnay exonerated of the charges against him. Darnay, a self-exiled former French aristocrat, finds himself compelled to return to France in the wake of the French Revolution, drawing all those around him into a dangerous scene.
(need a bestseller for September 2011)
Blink by Malcolm Gladwell for October 2011
By the author himself
What is Blink? It's a book about rapid cognition, about the kind of thinking that happens in a blink of an eye. When you meet someone for the first time, or walk into a house you are thinking of buying, or read the first few sentences of a book, your mind takes about two seconds to jump to a series of conclusions. Well, "Blink" is a book about those two seconds, because I think those instant conclusions that we reach are really powerful and really important and, occasionally, really good.
You could also say that it's a book about intuition, except that I don't like that word. In fact it never appears in "Blink." Intuition strikes me as a concept we use to describe emotional reactions, gut feelings--thoughts and impressions that don't seem entirely rational. But I think that what goes on in that first two seconds is perfectly rational. It's thinking--its just thinking that moves a little faster and operates a little more mysteriously than the kind of deliberate, conscious decision-making that we usually associate with "thinking." In "Blink" I'm trying to understand those two seconds. What is going on inside our heads when we engage in rapid cognition? When are snap judgments good and when are they not? What kinds of things can we do to make our powers of rapid cognition better?
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Thursday, May 20, 2010
revised summer book list, recipe
Due to the extreme lack of library availability for The Happiness project we've pushed it back to August. Ladies, make an effort to get this book- it was excellent (according to Melissa) and I envision it being a great discussion book for that meeting. It might be even better if you make 4-5 of your own resolutions now and try to implement them and come that night prepared to share if it helped make your life happier by doing/not doing those things....
Anyhow, here's the lineup for the next meetings. I put in some reviews/teasers of the books below to whet your reading appetite. I listed the recipe for Texas Caviar below to whet your stomach appetite (a lot of you asked for the recipe at tonight's meeting.)
June 17- Same kind of different as me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, 256 pages (9 holds on 3 copies at ABQ library, 2 holds on 1 copy at RR library, )
July 15- North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, 520 pages (1 at RR library, 2 holds on 4 copies available at ABQ library)
August 19- The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, 320 pages (74 holds on first copy returned of 9 copies at ABQ, 3 copies available for RR and it looks like there might be 0 holds on this one.....)
Book teasers
Same kind of different as me
A dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery.
An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel.
A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream.
A story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it.
It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana . . . and an East Texas honky-tonk . . . and, without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda . . . an upscale New York gallery . . . a downtown dumpster . . . a Texas ranch.
North and South
Margaret Hale, a young woman from rural southern England [Austen’s Hampshire to be exact], daughter of a clergyman, proud of her roots and her class, must adjust to the changes in her life when her father resigns from his clerical post and moves the family to the northern industrial town of Milton [Gaskell's fictitonalized Manchester]. Margaret gradually discovers her own strengths in taking on the many domestic duties of her now ill mother and those of their former servants. But Margaret carries with her the prejudices of the gentrified South with her “queenly” snobbish views of the industrial North and the manufacturers and tradesmen who run the mills. She is soon introduced to John Thornton, a self-made “Master” of one of the cotton mills and a local magistrate, well respected by his peers and his employees, yet aware of his shortcomings in the social and intellectual worlds outside of Milton. He comes to Reverend Hale for tutoring and intellectual stimulation – but it is Margaret who soon captures his heart, his passions aroused in spite of himself, all too sure of his own unworthiness in her eyes…Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, this true story also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.
The Happiness Project
What if you could change your life without really changing your life? On the outside, Gretchen Rubin had it all—a good marriage, healthy children and a successful career— but she knew something was missing. Determined to end that nagging feeling, she set out on a year-long quest to learn how to better enjoy the life she already had.
Each month, Gretchen pursued a different set of resolutions—go to sleep earlier, tackle a nagging task, bring people together, take time to be silly—along with dozens of other goals. She read everything from classical philosophy to cutting-edge scientific studies, from Winston Churchill to Oprah, developing her own definition of happiness and a plan for how to achieve it. She kept track of which resolutions worked and which didn’t, sharing her stories and collecting those of others through her blog (created to fulfill one of March’s resolutions). Bit by bit, she began to appreciate and amplify the happiness in her life.
The Happiness Project is the engaging, relatable and inspiring result of the author’s twelve-month adventure in becoming a happier person. Written with a wicked sense of humour and sharp insight, Gretchen Rubin’s story will inspire readers to embrace the pleasure in their lives and remind them how to have fun.
Texas Caviar
1 can each of the following: Garbanzo beans (chick peas), black beans, dark red kidney beans, corn, olives
cilantro, chopped
tomatoes, diced
Green onions, chopped
Green pepper, chopped (optional)
avocados, diced (optional)
Zesty Italian dressing
Salt
Drain and rinse and then combine all canned ingredients in a large bowl. (A word to the wise- if you don’t want to be eating this for days freeze ½ of these for another time- it makes A LOT). Then add in the rest of the ingredients, to taste. Serve with tortilla chips or just eat it plain- it’s that good.
From the kitchen of Connie Peters, Melissa Spencer’s aunt
Anyhow, here's the lineup for the next meetings. I put in some reviews/teasers of the books below to whet your reading appetite. I listed the recipe for Texas Caviar below to whet your stomach appetite (a lot of you asked for the recipe at tonight's meeting.)
June 17- Same kind of different as me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore, 256 pages (9 holds on 3 copies at ABQ library, 2 holds on 1 copy at RR library, )
July 15- North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell, 520 pages (1 at RR library, 2 holds on 4 copies available at ABQ library)
August 19- The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin, 320 pages (74 holds on first copy returned of 9 copies at ABQ, 3 copies available for RR and it looks like there might be 0 holds on this one.....)
Book teasers
Same kind of different as me
A dangerous, homeless drifter who grew up picking cotton in virtual slavery.
An upscale art dealer accustomed to the world of Armani and Chanel.
A gutsy woman with a stubborn dream.
A story so incredible no novelist would dare dream it.
It begins outside a burning plantation hut in Louisiana . . . and an East Texas honky-tonk . . . and, without a doubt, in the heart of God. It unfolds in a Hollywood hacienda . . . an upscale New York gallery . . . a downtown dumpster . . . a Texas ranch.
North and South
Margaret Hale, a young woman from rural southern England [Austen’s Hampshire to be exact], daughter of a clergyman, proud of her roots and her class, must adjust to the changes in her life when her father resigns from his clerical post and moves the family to the northern industrial town of Milton [Gaskell's fictitonalized Manchester]. Margaret gradually discovers her own strengths in taking on the many domestic duties of her now ill mother and those of their former servants. But Margaret carries with her the prejudices of the gentrified South with her “queenly” snobbish views of the industrial North and the manufacturers and tradesmen who run the mills. She is soon introduced to John Thornton, a self-made “Master” of one of the cotton mills and a local magistrate, well respected by his peers and his employees, yet aware of his shortcomings in the social and intellectual worlds outside of Milton. He comes to Reverend Hale for tutoring and intellectual stimulation – but it is Margaret who soon captures his heart, his passions aroused in spite of himself, all too sure of his own unworthiness in her eyes…Gritty with pain and betrayal and brutality, this true story also shines with an unexpected, life-changing love.
The Happiness Project
What if you could change your life without really changing your life? On the outside, Gretchen Rubin had it all—a good marriage, healthy children and a successful career— but she knew something was missing. Determined to end that nagging feeling, she set out on a year-long quest to learn how to better enjoy the life she already had.
Each month, Gretchen pursued a different set of resolutions—go to sleep earlier, tackle a nagging task, bring people together, take time to be silly—along with dozens of other goals. She read everything from classical philosophy to cutting-edge scientific studies, from Winston Churchill to Oprah, developing her own definition of happiness and a plan for how to achieve it. She kept track of which resolutions worked and which didn’t, sharing her stories and collecting those of others through her blog (created to fulfill one of March’s resolutions). Bit by bit, she began to appreciate and amplify the happiness in her life.
The Happiness Project is the engaging, relatable and inspiring result of the author’s twelve-month adventure in becoming a happier person. Written with a wicked sense of humour and sharp insight, Gretchen Rubin’s story will inspire readers to embrace the pleasure in their lives and remind them how to have fun.
Texas Caviar
1 can each of the following: Garbanzo beans (chick peas), black beans, dark red kidney beans, corn, olives
cilantro, chopped
tomatoes, diced
Green onions, chopped
Green pepper, chopped (optional)
avocados, diced (optional)
Zesty Italian dressing
Salt
Drain and rinse and then combine all canned ingredients in a large bowl. (A word to the wise- if you don’t want to be eating this for days freeze ½ of these for another time- it makes A LOT). Then add in the rest of the ingredients, to taste. Serve with tortilla chips or just eat it plain- it’s that good.
From the kitchen of Connie Peters, Melissa Spencer’s aunt
Wednesday, May 19, 2010
Book Club Meeting Thursday PM
Come to my backyard for our 1st outdoor bookclub meeting of the season. We'll discuss The Scarlet Pimpernel and have hot chocolate, treats and good conversation.
Monday, April 19, 2010
May book club book changed
FYI May's book for book club has now changed to The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy. The Power of One had some language that wasn't as clean as we'd like to see.
Wednesday, April 14, 2010
Book Club reminder
Just a reminder that book club is THIS THURSDAY, 7:30 pm, at Monique F's house. We've been reading Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. Feel free to email or call if you need directions to Monique's house. All are welcome, even if you haven't read the book! If you would like to bring a snack to share, it would be welcome, but is certainly not required or expected.
Plan ahead! We plan on meeting on the third Thursday of every month. This will not change unless absolutely necessary. So mark your calendars!
If you would like to start reading ahead, here are the books for the upcoming months:
May: The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay (held on May 20th, 7:30 at Melissa S's backyard in the gazebo, discussion leader needed!! Movie to be watched at Chelsey J's home- date TBD)
June: The Happiness Project or, why I spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, read Aristotle, and generally have more fun by Gretchen Rubin (held on June 17th, 7:30 PM, Melissa' backyard, any discussion leaders volunteering?)
If you have suggestions for any additional book club books, here's the schedule we've been following:
1) Classics
2) Self-help
3) Fiction/ Historical Fiction
4) Sci-fi/ Fantasy
5) Books made into movies
6) Academic/ Non-fiction/ Autobiography
We'll be needing a classic for July, so come and suggest your favorites!
Plan ahead! We plan on meeting on the third Thursday of every month. This will not change unless absolutely necessary. So mark your calendars!
If you would like to start reading ahead, here are the books for the upcoming months:
May: The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay (held on May 20th, 7:30 at Melissa S's backyard in the gazebo, discussion leader needed!! Movie to be watched at Chelsey J's home- date TBD)
June: The Happiness Project or, why I spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, read Aristotle, and generally have more fun by Gretchen Rubin (held on June 17th, 7:30 PM, Melissa' backyard, any discussion leaders volunteering?)
If you have suggestions for any additional book club books, here's the schedule we've been following:
1) Classics
2) Self-help
3) Fiction/ Historical Fiction
4) Sci-fi/ Fantasy
5) Books made into movies
6) Academic/ Non-fiction/ Autobiography
We'll be needing a classic for July, so come and suggest your favorites!
Saturday, March 27, 2010
Edited copy of Ender's Game
I have another copy of Ender's Game up for grabs that I just finished. FYI I borrowed it from my sister, who was reading it out loud to her 7th graders. She has edited some of the rougher language and some paragraphs concerning religion (not key to the plot) with white-out. It's yours if you don't mind an edited copy. Email me back if you want it. It's a fairly quick read and very interesting. I recommend reading it.
Melissa
Melissa
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
Extra copy of Ender's Game
I have an extra copy of "Ender's Game" that is up for grabs. Just email me at melissa DOT lee DOT spencer AT gmail DOT com (can anyone explain to me why we're all so cryptic with our email addresses on the blogs?)
Thanks,
Melissa
Thanks,
Melissa
Monday, March 8, 2010
Melissa's Email
We'd like to stick to the 3rd Thursday of each month, so get your book on time and finish it before the meeting. We're onto genre #4, 5 and 6 and these are the books we selected:
April: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (held on April 15th, 7:30 at Monique F's home in the Trails, Chelsey to lead the discussion)
May: The power of one by Bryce Courtenay (held on May 20th, 7:30 at Melissa S's backyard in the gazebo, discussion leader needed!! Movie to be watched at Chelsey J's home- date TBD)
June: The Happiness Project or, why I spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, read Aristotle, and generally have more fun by Gretchen Rubin (held on June 17th, 7:30 PM, Melissa' backyard, any discussion leaders volunteering?)
April: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (held on April 15th, 7:30 at Monique F's home in the Trails, Chelsey to lead the discussion)
May: The power of one by Bryce Courtenay (held on May 20th, 7:30 at Melissa S's backyard in the gazebo, discussion leader needed!! Movie to be watched at Chelsey J's home- date TBD)
June: The Happiness Project or, why I spent a year trying to sing in the morning, clean my closets, fight right, read Aristotle, and generally have more fun by Gretchen Rubin (held on June 17th, 7:30 PM, Melissa' backyard, any discussion leaders volunteering?)
Read and Tell
It's been a busy day, full of bathing and cleaning kids, picking up toys, driving from one activity to another, washing and folding clothes, cooking, and anything else that needs to be done. Now the kids are in bed, and all you want to do is sit down with a good book and read. How do I know if this book REALLY is good or if it belongs in the crapper?
Here it is, ladies! A place to find some good books...ones that have been read and reviewed by people you know and trust. SO if you read a good book, tell us about it.
I would say include the name, the author, and a brief synopsis of what the book is about. Also include what you thought of the book: would you buy it, would you read it again, was it just okay...one you are glad you read but not a keeper...etc.
I, personally, am excited about this blog because there are so many of you who read so much are such a good resource to people like me, who can barely finish one or two books a month. But if I am going to read a book, I don't want to waste my time on poor quality books.
So, go ahead... Read and Tell!!
Here it is, ladies! A place to find some good books...ones that have been read and reviewed by people you know and trust. SO if you read a good book, tell us about it.
I would say include the name, the author, and a brief synopsis of what the book is about. Also include what you thought of the book: would you buy it, would you read it again, was it just okay...one you are glad you read but not a keeper...etc.
I, personally, am excited about this blog because there are so many of you who read so much are such a good resource to people like me, who can barely finish one or two books a month. But if I am going to read a book, I don't want to waste my time on poor quality books.
So, go ahead... Read and Tell!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)