Goodreads

Several of you have already signed up for Goodreads (www.goodreads.com), but it would be fun to get everyone on there. It is a great way to keep track and rate the books you read. Also, if you "friend" others, they can see what you are reading and what you think of books as you finish them.

The first annual (we hope) book club retreat at Sherry's lake cabin was delightful! Eight of our group attended and we talked much, ate too much, and didn't read as much as we thought we would. But we had a wonderful, relaxing, comfortable weekend in a beautiful setting, away from our usual responsibilities. Our wonderful hostess, Sherry, chose A Prayer For Owen Meaney as our next book selection. Thanks, Sherry, for sharing your cabin with us.

Movies: Same Kind of Different as Me

Movies: Same Kind of Different as Me

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Where did everyone go?

Time Traveler's Wife review

http://movies.yahoo.com/news/movies.ap.org/time-traveler39s-wife39-skips-past-substance-ap

How Do You Like That?

As you know we discussed the upcoming Rep season at bookclub earlier this evening. I stated I had looked but couldn't remember the December show and thought I was disappointed. We then talked about Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat and how that would be good. Well, actually, the December play is Joseph and the ATD (sans Donny - sorry!), so I guess I will be looking forward to the December show after all!

http://http://www.therep.org/section.asp?secID=102

I would also be interested in Always!

Booking Mama Blogged about Susan

I found out about this great blog from Susan Gregg Gilmore: http://bookingmama.blogspot.com/ Booking Mama reviewed Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen a few days ago. Today she tells about meeting Susan and about how nice she is - but we already knew that, didn't we! I really like this blogger - even when she isn't talking about my favorite author!

The Bookseer

Just for fun go to http://bookseer.com/ and put in the last book you read and loved and see what The Bookseer thinks you should read next. I was excited because I put in The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie and The Bookseer told me I should read The Girl Who Played with Fire next. I read (and loved) The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo and have been waiting for the sequel to be released in the US - then I saw that the Bookseer is UK based and the sequel has been available in Europe since Jan. but won't be released here until the end of July. But still, it reminded me to get ready for it!

Oliver at the Weekend Theaterhttp://www.weekendtheater.org/current-show/

Anyone interested? Doug Kilgore has a part.

I Can Identify; or How the Library Keeps Me From a Life of Crime

China Daily reported that Surnamed Liu confessed to stealing 1,565 books during the past three years, but "said he felt his crime was just a bad habit." He told police he wasn't interested in reselling them: "I have no money but like reading very much, so I stole the books."
Guess he doesn't have a library in his neighborhood. Or town? Or country? What's a reader to do?

Book Club Meeting

Tuesday June 2nd. 7:00 p.m. Books A Million in Lakewood Village

Book: Copper Sun by Sharon Draper.

Our Trip.....June 25- 28

New Orleans?? St.Louis/Springfield,Ill ???

can you go??

see you Tuesday

Susan is up for a SIBA!

Susan Gregg Gilmore has been nominated for a SIBA award for Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen for best in Southern Literature for 2009! And we knew her when!
http://www.authorsroundthesouth.com/siba-book-awards

Scholastic Sale

I figured most of you knew, but Scholastic is having a warehouse clearance sale through tomorrow. I was able to pick up 3 A. LaFaye books; two of them were $2 and one was $3. I also go some other pretty interesting looking books - because I don't have enough already!

The Missionary

Does this look like a good book or what?

Wild Things!

Where the Wild Things Are has been made into a movie! Coming out in October. Can't wait to see it!

Couldn't you just die!

You have to see these incredible bookstores! Don't miss the entrance to the bookstore in Lyon, France - not the most beautiful, but the most fun! I can see me doing that in my house! And I thought I have too many books now! Whoa, these bookstores are gorgeous!!!! Be still my heart!

Try not to get freaked out by the scary cat! Ewwww! I don't care how much you love cats, this one's creepy!

http://www.miragebookmark.ch/most-interesting-bookstores.htm

Which store is your favorite? I think we all know which one Cindy will pick!

If we start saving now, how many years do you think it would be before we could take our summer trip and visit them? Or maybe one of them? Or one a year until we visit them all? Hey, a girl can dream, can't she?

PTC Art Exhibition

This is short notice; I did not realize it was happening so soon, but I have posted a link to the Art Exhibition hosted by PTC.

I am looking forward to seeing the illustrations from Florida Peppermint Goes to School. Both the author and illustrator are Little Rock residents.

http://www.pulaskitech.edu/current_news/default.asp?ID=630

By the way, if you click on the link you can see my office window! It is the last window you can see on the right of the rounded part of the building. I know you will all be thrilled!

Book on New Orleans

This is not our typical reading, but some of the group might be interested.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/reviews/2009-02-25-baum-review_N.htm

Am I the only one still checking this?

Just a Little Behind

I am happy to report that I finally read Secret Life of Bees. I don't remember what kept me from reading it when it was our book for the month, but I have said since then that I was going to read it. I'm really glad I did. I really enjoyed it. I just wish I had been able to discuss it when everyone else read it. It is a great book for discussion.

Hey,
Was "Manhunt" one of the missing book club books? It is the story of Lincoln's assassination. I know for sure that Karen and I both read it.

Biographies

Has anyone chosen her biography yet? I have several from which to pick but haven't decided on one yet...so many books, so little time!

We had another great meeting last night at Bridget's. Delicious salad, soup, bread and cake. Thanks Bridget and Kevin! The discussions were lively and I could not keep up with both ends of the table. We welcomed two more newcomers, Margaret and Alisa but we missed Kim and Julie. Our book for this month is a biography of choice. Our next meeting will be at my house. We discussed our annual summer trip and will probably travel to New Orleans in late June. Cindy can supply more info. She seems to be our travel agent/guide. Thanks for checking into that destination for us, Cindy.

Hey, book friends! I have a confession. I made a mistake. I started The Book Thief before I finished We Band of Angels and I can't put it (Book Thief) down. A look at war from the eyes of children and women on opposite sides of the globe, same horrific war, different terrors, unbelievable experiences, some true, some based on truth. . Both stories with a common character, Death, silent but present in one and acting as narrator in the other. Cindy, please excuse the grammar errors. Give me a creative break. I did at least use caps and punctuation.

Hey,
Hope you are enjoying We Band of Angels. I found an umbrella in my entryway after the last book club meeting. It is dark teal blue and retractable. I will bring it to the next meeting.
Debbie

St. Louis & Hannibal - June 2008

Just thinking...

I came across this article about New Orleans...

http://www.csmonitor.com/2003/1105/p17s02-trgn.html

Nice Interview with Story of Edgar Sawtelle Author

Book Lists for 2004 & 2005

Okay, I finally lumped the readings for 2004 & 2005 together since we didn't know the months. Look over it and see if you remember reading something else early on.

It is STILL DRIVING ME CRAZY that we don't have books for all of 2008. Perhaps we didn't read for those months!

March or April 08

Cindy,
I read The Road in Feb/March, are you sure it was the selection with a banned book in October? Are maybe just a banned book in October?
Debbie

I finally checked the blog! Cindy we went to the college bound reading list site. It seems to have some off the wall listings that John and I had never even heard of, much less read. Some seemed to advanced for college BOUND to us, like War and Peace. That is one long book for a high schooler to have made it through. (my 'O'pinion, as Kevin says...)
I am copying the 2 recipes that Cindy and Paula requested.
Lemon Blueberry Bread fr.Perfect Party Foods (free fr. Taste of Home bks)
1/3 C margarine, melted
1C sugar
3T lemon juice
2 eggs
1-1/2 C flour
1t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/2 C mild
2T grated lemon peel (I grated)
1/2C chopped nuts (walnuts)
1C blueberries, fresh or frozen (frozen)
GLAZE (I didn't glaze it)
2T lemon juice
1/4C sugar
In a a mixing bowl, beat margarine, sugar, juice and eggs. Combine flour, b powder and salt: stir into egg mixture alternately with milk. Fold in peel, nuts and blueberries. Pour into a greased loaf pan. Bake at 350 for 60-70 minutes or until done. Cool in pan for 10 minutes. Mix glaze. Remove bread from pan and drizzle with glaze. Cool on a wire rack. Yield 1 loaf.

Orange-Sugared Pecans fr.Taste of Home Holiday 2008
1-1/2C sugar
1/4C water
3T orange juice concentrate
2C pecan halves
1/2t grated orange peel
-In a large heavy saucepan, combine the sugar, water and juice concentrate. Cook over medium-high heat, w/o stirring, until a candy thermometer reads 238 ( soft-ball stage). Remove fr. the heat; stir in pecans and orange peel. (I stirred until the sugar granules were dissolved, then stopped.)
-Beat until mixture thickens and loses its gloss, about 2 minutes. Drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper to set. Store in air tight container or ziplock baggies. Yield 2-1/2 dozen.
Debbie

101 Books

I thought some of you might enjoy this link. This list was in an email I received directed toward high school sophomores (Hunter). It is a suggested reading list for college bound students. PLEASE NOTE that Shakespeare has more entries on the list than any other writer!


http://www.collegeboard.com/student/plan/boost-your-skills/23628.html?CampaignID=2484

Happy reading,
Cindy

January '09 meeting

What a great and lively meeting last night! Thanks, Debbie. I couldn't keep up with all the conversations from my end of the table. But we actually discussed the book selection this time! Good for us! Welcome to our two new members, Allison and Kim. Kim is our youngest member and unfortunately, I'm the oldest. Do I get any senior perks for that? Debbie's selection for the February meeting is another book set during WWII, We Band of Angels, by Elizabeth Norman. We will meet at Bridget's house. Also, bring any books that you would like to share or swap to the February meeting. Kim told us that the library would be happy to accept any books that we would care to donate. I hope that Kim will keep us informed (via this blog) of special events coming up at Amy Sanders and the whole CAL system . And in that same spirit, thanks for bringing the children's books for the PT children's book drive. I believe Cindy's suggestion is that we bring one children's book each month.

Hmmmm.....

This looks interesting:

http://www.tokillamockingbird.com/

Have we ever talked about going to New Orleans? I'm sure we could find a book.

CKB