October Book Club - Sat., Oct 15th at noon

Remember, book club meets at my (Doneine's) house on Saturday, October 15th, 2011 at noon. Please bring something to share. Coffee/Tea will be served. We will be discussing the book of Malachi and ideas about meeting up during the holidays.

October Choice - the Book of Malachi

The votes are in and we will be reading the book of Malachi for our October meeting. Remember we meet the 3rd Saturday of the month which will be October 15th at noon. My yard may be under construction, but I plan on having book club at my home on that Saturday.

HOLIDAYS: The consensus was that we meet for lunch or dinner during the holidays. Maybe the 1st week of December? Is anyone out of town then? Maybe we could meet some night for dinner. Let me know your thoughts.

As far as our January book, we will be reading "Between Sundays" by Karen Kingsbury. We will meet January 21st at noon.

October Vote and Summer Reading Favorites

First of all, we want to welcome a new attendee to the book club, Margie Zandra. Margie has been coming to Grace since the Spring. Welcome, Margie!

As you all know, we try to read a book of the Bible every year. Our book club has already read Acts, 1st & 2nd Kings and Esther. We decided that we were going to take a vote to see which book of the Bible we are going to read this time. Please take time today or tomorrow to let me know 3 suggestions for books of the Bible you would like to read. I will put all the votes together and we will choose the one that gets the most votes. The sooner you give your input, the sooner I can get the word out. I want to be able to have all votes in by Wednesday evening, 9/21. Put your thinking caps on and send me THREE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE you would like to suggest.

SUMMER READING ASSIGNMENT:

Everyone who had a chance to read Valley of the Vision: Puritan Prayers & Devotions thoroughly enjoyed it. We read several of them out loud. It is a book to digest slowly. I keep mine on my night stand. Some of you have had this book for a long time. I didn't even know about it until Linda Peterson (previous Book Club leader) suggested it to me. So actually, this was her recommendation. Thanks, Linda! By the way, Linda, I went ahead and said those famous five words in your place: "So, what did you think?"

The other summer assignment was for you ladies to share your favorite read over the summer. These are the ones that were mentioned:

• Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay (Historical Fiction: about the 1942 Paris roundup and deportation of Jewish families)
  
• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (Biography: the story behind the HeLa cells)
• One Hundred Names for Love: A Stroke, a Marriage, and the Language of Healing by Diane Ackerman (Non-Ficiton: how two wordsmith's dealt with a massive stroke)
  
• The Sweetest Thing by Elizabeth Musser (Fiction: Two young women from opposite social lives friendship during the depression)
  
• A Girl Named Zippy: Growing up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel (Autobiography: about a girl who grew up in a very small town--full of wit & humor)
  
• Julia's Hope - The Wortham Family Series: Bk 1 by Leisha Kelly (Fiction: About the Depression)
  
• All Karen Kingsbury Books (we've never read one in book club)
• Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand (Biography: story of Louie Zamperini)
• Ruby Holler by Sharon Creech (Junior Fiction)
  
• Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear (Fiction: Mystery)
• Skipping Christmas by John Grisham (Fiction)
• Called to Die: The Story of American Linguist Chet Bitterman, Slain by Terrorists by Steve Estes (Biography)
• Heaven is for Real: A Little Boy's Astounding Story of His Trip to Heaven and Back by Todd Burpo (Biography)
  
• The Gates of Zion - Zion Chronicles Series: Bk 1 by Bodie & Brock Thoene (Historical Fiction about Israel's Statehood in 1948)

So, what is your vote for the book after we read a book of the Bible? Do any of these favorites sound appealing?

One other housekeeping item: We discussed taking the holidays off including Nov-Dec. That means we would read a book of the Bible for Oct and then have a reading assignment for January. Is this still the consensus? I would like to see us get together in November or December for a lunch, dinner, potluck, etc. We could do a reading like we've done in the past. What are your thoughts about this?

So 3 THINGS: Vote for a Book of the Bible by Wednesday, 9/21; Pick the next month's read; What do we want to do during the holidays?

Summer 2011 Book Club Reading

For the summer, we decided to read two books:

1) A book recommended by our precious Linda Peterson. It's called "Valley of Vision: A collection of Puritan Prayers & Devotions" edited by Arthur G. Bennett. I challenge you to read at least one page per day. If you need a copy of the book, please let me know.

2) A book of your choice (biography, fiction, non-fiction, book of the Bible). Come and share your favorite reading of the summer.

We will meet the 3rd Saturday of September which will be September 17th at 12:00 pm (noon). WE WILL MEET IN THE GCC LIBRARY!!!!!!!!!!!!

PLEASE BRING A SNACK TO SHARE -- Coffee and Tea will be served.

May Book Club Discussion

We had a wonderful time on our last Book Club meeting for the year. It was a sweet time of fellowship and sharing our thoughts on the book "Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish" by Sue Bender. Almost everyone loved the book and the simple life of the Amish. We found it interesting how much the Amish affected Sue including the rearrangement of her kitchen to what ended up being just like an Amish kitchen--plain and simple!!!

Several of us have had exposure to the Amish in one way or another -- either by living near a family, visiting the area or having relatives that were Mennonites -- a more Religious led colony. My mother was Mennonite and her distant relatives came over on ships (we have copies of the ships logs) and lived in colonies in South Dakota.

Several of us long for the simple life. We were intrigued by the fact that some Amish where drab colors (browns, grays) on the outside, but brightly colored petticoats. I personally found that hilarious.

Thank you, JoAnn Steinmetz, for recommending the book and leading the discussion.

May 16th Book Club @ 12:30pm @ GCC Library

For our May 21st book club, we will be reading a non-fiction book called Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish by Sue Bender.

From Publishers Weekly

Modern-day career woman and homemaker Bender tells of the compulsion--for Amish dolls and quilts that seemed to evoke a simpler life--that took her from New York State to Iowa and Ohio, where she lived with sympathetic Amish families and began the journey of self-discovery here described. The unvarying rhythm of "plain" lives, the importance placed on every day's manual labor and the absence of contemporary distractions such as telephones and microwaves proved revelatory; the one-time Californian was awed by "an aesthetic leanness, a paring down that I have come to appreciate." In her graceful tribute to a community of people who value the ordinary as an end in itself, Bender allows us to sojourn vicariously miles away from the frenzy of contemporary urban life.

IF YOU ARE GOING TO THE COUPONING CLASS, YOU CAN STILL ATTEND. PLEASE BRING SOMETHING TO SHARE. COFFEE/TEA WILL BE PROVIDED.

April Book Club discussion

We had a wonderful time discussing the book "Prayers for Sale" by Sandra Dallas. Everyone who read the book really enjoyed it -- have you finished it yet, Sharon? We were a little bit limited on what we could say because we didn't want to spoil the ending for those who hadn't read it. We like Sandra's writings as she has the ability to get you into the characters she writes about. Most of her books are based around the same era and a lot of them are located in Colorado. The author lived in Colorado which might be why.

Thank you, Alison, for opening up your home to us. It was a nice, quaint group with some wonderful food and fellowship. We rec'd some input from those of you who could not attend and from one of our out-of-towners. Thank you for your input. We want to hear MORE from you.

April Book Club - April 16th at noon

Next month's book club will be on April 16th at noon. It will be held at the home of Alison Ellison. We will be discussing Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas. Please bring something to share and enjoy a wonderful time of fellowship and discussion.

From Publishers Weekly

In her charming new novel, Dallas (The Persian Pickle Club; Tallgrass; etc.) offers up the unconventional friendship between Hennie Comfort, a natural storyteller entering the twilight of her life, and Nit Spindle, a naïve young newlywed, forged in the isolated mining town of Middle Swan, Colo., in 1936. When the two meet, Hennie recognizes her younger self in Nit, and she's immediately struck with a desire to nurture and guide Nit, who is lonely and adrift in her new hometown and her brand-new marriage. As Hennie regales Nit with stories and advice, the two become inseparable and pass several seasons huddled around their quilting with the other women of Middle Swan. Even though Hennie maintains an air of c'est la vie as she unravels her life story, Nit and the reader soon realize there are tragedies and secrets hidden behind Hennie's tranquil demeanor. This satisfying novel will immediately draw readers into Hennie and Nit's lives, and the unexpected twists will keep them hooked through to the bittersweet denouement.

For our May 21st club, we will be reading a non-fiction book called Plain and Simple: A Woman's Journey to the Amish by Sue Bender.

From Publishers Weekly

Modern-day career woman and homemaker Bender tells of the compulsion--for Amish dolls and quilts that seemed to evoke a simpler life--that took her from New York State to Iowa and Ohio, where she lived with sympathetic Amish families and began the journey of self-discovery here described. The unvarying rhythm of "plain" lives, the importance placed on every day's manual labor and the absence of contemporary distractions such as telephones and microwaves proved revelatory; the one-time Californian was awed by "an aesthetic leanness, a paring down that I have come to appreciate." In her graceful tribute to a community of people who value the ordinary as an end in itself, Bender allows us to sojourn vicariously miles away from the frenzy of contemporary urban life.

March Book Club is Saturday, March 19th at 12:00pm

Kay Toon has graciously offered up her home to host March's book club meeting. We will all meet at noon on March 19th to discuss "Winterflight" by Joseph Bayly. Please bring something to share -- Kay will provide Coffee, Tea and Water.

Product Description

Imagine an America not too many years distant. An America that seems perfect on the surface, but whose ethical underpinnings have totally collapsed. An America where abortion is the rule for imperfect fetuses and euthanasia is mandatory at age 75.

Jon and Grace Stanton's allegiance to God is about to be put to the ultimate test in this future society. As they struggle to protect two members of their family from the law of the land, they must rely on each other and their faith as never before.

This novel, first published in 1981, seems increasingly predictive in its description of a world where morality is dictated by technology rather than the Word of God.

"Way ahead of his time...a masterpiece." Jerry B. Jenkins

For the April 16th Book Club, we will be reading "Prayers for Sale" by Sandra Dallas.

February Book Club - "The Help" Summary

We had an awesome time discussing the book "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett. Everyone really enjoyed the book, even though it did have some minor language in it. We pray that this did not offend anyone and we do not purposefully choose books that contain those words, but it was discussed that if we screen out all books with any kind of language, we would be missing out on a lot of great literature. We WILL try to warn the club if we choose books that contain some questionable material so you can choose whether or not you wish to read them.

A lot of the discussion revolved around each of our backgrounds and viewpoints of civil rights. Most of us grew up on the either the West Coast, Up North, or abroad and did not deal with the prejudice that others were exposed to in the South. Linda Shoultz (previously Clemments) has joined our club as a welcome addition and shared how when she moved to the South, she did not understand the racism and said that the way she was treated was as if they were trying to make her a racist. Others, like Alison, was exposed to people who were raised with racist parents and had a difficult time overcoming their prejudices, despite their desire to change. On Kathryn Stockett's website she has a list of Reader Groups questions. One of them was:

"Do you think that had Aibileen stayed working for Miss Elizabeth, that Mae Mobley would have grown up to be racist like her mother? Do you think racism is inherent, or taught?"

What do you think?

We loved each of the three main characters in the book and felt that out of all of them, Aibileen showed the most grace and appeared to be a believer. We loved how she wrote down her prayers. We thought that Skeeter changed the most and wondered what might have caused her to change. Minny was a spirited woman who had been through a lot.

There were many things that were brought up and I can't remember or include them all. It was a very emotional book and definitely worth reading.

One of the things that was brought up in the group was that they are making a movie out of the book to come out this Summer. Check out the IMDb website for details: "The Help" (Movie). Dallas Bryce Howard (Ron Howard's daughter) will be playing Hilly and will also star Sissy Spacek as Missus Walters and Cicely Tyson as Constantine.

For those of you who have not read the book, here a summary:

Storyline

Set in Mississippi during the 1960s, Skeeter (Stone) is a southern society girl who returns from college determined to become a writer, but turns her friends' lives -- and a small Mississippi town -- upside down when she decides to interview the black women who have spent their lives taking care of prominent southern families. Aibileen (Davis), Skeeter's best friend's housekeeper, is the first to open up -- to the dismay of her friends in the tight-knit black community. Despite Skeeter's life-long friendships hanging in the balance, she and Aibileen continue their collaboration and soon more women come forward to tell their stories -- and as it turns out, they have a lot to say. Along the way, unlikely friendships are forged and a new sisterhood emerges, but not before everyone in town has a thing or two to say themselves when they become unwittingly -- and unwillingly -- caught up in the changing times.

Next month we will be reading "Winterflight" by Joseph Bayly. We will meet on the 3rd Saturday at NOON which will be March 19th. It is not easy to find, but there are a few copies floating around. Here is a summary of that book:

In a frightening vision of the immediate future (and an anti-abortion parable originally published in 1981), Bayly introduces Jonathan and Grace Stanton, whose six-year-old son has mild hemophilia, a treatable condition. But the advent of gene testing some 20 years earlier prevents genetic abnormalities through U.S. government-sanctioned abortions. Conditions that manifest themselves after the birth of a child are a virtual death sentence; the child is taken to a body bank to be kept alive, for years if needed, until all usable parts have been harvested for others. There are no happy endings here, and Christians are willing participants in this brave new world. Highly emotional and barbarously realistic, given the potential of current medical advances, Bayly's future forces Christians to make a choice to follow the latest medical intervention blindly or open their eyes and fight for the moral choice.

For April, we will be reading "Prayers for Sale" by Sandra Dallas. Again, we will meet on the 3rd Saturday, which will be April 16th.

Happy Reading!

February Book Club is Saturday, 2/19 @ NOON

Please come join us in the GCC Library at noon (NEW TIME!!!) this Saturday, 2/19/11 to discuss the book "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett.

Please bring some food to share with the group. Coffee, Tea will be provided.

See you then!

NOTE: If you cannot make it, we would love to have your feedback.

January Meeting Results

We had an awesome turnout at our January meeting. It was nice to see some faces we hadn't seen in a while. We had a nice time of fellowship and eating (of course) and then discussed both Gods and Kings and A Chance to Die.

With Gods and Kings either the person really liked it or they really didn't. It's one of those books that really touches someone or the person thinks "What's the big deal?" Lynn Austin is a very good writer and regardless of whether or not you liked the book, you should read some of her other series or stand-alone books.

With Chance to Die people found it very hard to read. Not many of us read the book because of that but it was noted that there was very good information in the book. A lot of us never knew anything about Amy Carmichael and I, personally, found it quite intriguing! I purchased a DVD about Amy Carmichael and the Donovour Fellowship for the GCC Library if you are interested.

Next we discussed the book we would read for March. We had suggestions for Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas, Winterflight by Joseph Bailey, In the Company of Others by Jan Karon, Down Where My Love Lives and When the Crickets Cry both by Charles Martin and Christy by Catherine Marshall. The vote was for Winterflight by Joseph Bailey which will be discussed in our March meeting.

February Book Club Pick: We are reading "The Help" by Kathryn Stockett which will be discussed on Saturday, February 19th at Noon!

For those of you who are out-of-towners, please feel free to suggest books that you would like to or have read and tell us why. YOU have a voice!!!

Finally, we discussed the future of the book club. Everyone agreed that we do not want it to end. These are the answers to the questions:

Q: What day of the week do we want to meet?
A: Saturday was the only day available to everyone.

Q: Which week?
A: Everyone wanted to keep the 3rd week as they are used to that and can plan on that Saturday.

Q: What time?
A: Most everyone wanted to go back to the morning time like we used to be we found out that a couple people work with ESL and wouldn't be able to attend so we talked about moving the time up to 12:00pm. That way we'd be done an hour earlier and you would still have part of the day left.

Q: How do we want Book Club to be different? The Same?
A: There were no changes mentioned but the idea of having a Book Exchange came up where people could bring books that they are done reading and exchange them for another book.

Q: Where do we want to meet?
A: For convenience sake, we decided we will meet in the GCC Library.

Q: How often do we want to meet?
A: Monthly but they still want to take the summers off. Say June-July-August. One suggestion is that we do not meet in either November or December except for some kind of Christmas gathering.

Thank you for all of you who attended this important meeting and also for those of you who gave me input. You are all valued members of this club.

See you next month on February 19th at noon in the GCC Library!

IMPORTANT Book Club Meeting on Sat, Jan 15th!!!

Are you ready for Book Club in 2011? I hope so. We plan on meeting in the GCC library this Saturday, Jan 15th at 1:00pm to discuss the future of Mambo's Book Club.

We will discuss:

• What day of the week do we want to meet?
• Which week?
• What time?
• How do we want Book Club to be different? The Same?
• Where do we want to meet?
• How often do we want to meet?

As you can see, this is a very important meeting and we really want to hear your voice. Plan to come and share your thoughts.

Along with that, we plan on discussing the books "Gods & Kings" and "A Chance to Die". Even if you have been reading the books, come and hear what people thought. It may just encourage you to read them.

If you can bring something to share, that would be wonderful. We'll have coffee and hot water for tea available!

See you Saturday!