Spring Reading

Thank you for everyone who joined us for a wonderful bookclub discussing "Orphan Train" by Christina Baker Kline.  If you would like to read a real-life story of an orphan train rider, check out the book "Orphan Train Rider:one boy's true story" by Andrea Warren.

We have chosen the next two books for May and June with some wonderful other selections to fill your spring reading with.

May Book Club

May 21

Host: Monika Moss

Reviewer: Connie Barton

 

"The Peacegiver" 

by James R. Ferrell

How is Christ the answer to a strained relationship with child, parent or sibling? What if I am being mistreated — what does the atonement say about that? How can I discover the desire to repent when I don't feel the need to repent? These are the challenging questions of daily life, the questions to which the gospel must provide an answer if it is to have living, cleansing, redeeming power.
The Peacegiver is a book about the answers to these questions. In both content and form it is unlike other books about the atonement, for it unfolds as compelling story in which the characters learn about the Atonement as they struggle over the problems in their lives — problems we each share. The book therefore allows us not only to “learn about” the Atonement but also to have an experience with it.

“My peace I give unto you,” the Savior declared. The Peacegiver explores in a deeply personal way what we must do to receive the peace he stands willing to give.

June Book Club

June 18

Host: Linda Montgomery

Reviewer: Monika Moss

"Wonder"

by RJ Palacio

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

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

Other Recommended Books:
Song of the Silent Harp by BJ Hoff 
Matched by Ally Condie
Fearless by Eric Blehm
The House at Tyneford by Natasha Solomons
Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

Happy Reading!

Winter books

We enjoyed a good discussion last night on the book "An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny" by Laura Schroff.  One idea that came out of the discussion was to create blessing bags (some ideas found here) to keep on hand in the car or on hand if walking downtown to help a homeless individual.

Need some more great books to read?  We have a list for you including those that were selected for the next three months and the runners up so enjoy!

February Book Club

February 19th

Host: Kristie Chadwick

Reviewer: Devony Wilson

Tales of a Female Nomad: Living at Large in the World 

by Rita Golden Gelman

Tales of a Female Nomad is the story of Rita Golden Gelman, an ordinary woman who is living an extraordinary existence. At the age of forty-eight, on the verge of a divorce, Rita left an elegant life in L.A. to follow her dream of connecting with people in cultures all over the world. In 1986 she sold her possessions and became a nomad, living in a Zapotec village in Mexico, sleeping with sea lions on the Galapagos Islands, and residing everywhere from thatched huts to regal palaces. She has observed orangutans in the rain forest of Borneo, visited trance healers and dens of black magic, and cooked with women on fires all over the world. Rita’s example encourages us all to dust off our dreams and rediscover the joy, the exuberance, and the hidden spirit that so many of us bury when we become adults.

March Book Club

March 19

Host: Jessica Price

Reviewer: Alicia Carlsen

Strength in What Remains: A Journey of Remembrance and Forgiveness 

by Tracy Kidder

In Strength in What Remains, Tracy Kidder gives us the story of one man’s inspiring American journey and of the ordinary people who helped him, providing brilliant testament to the power of second chances. Deo arrives in the United States from Burundi in search of a new life. Having survived a civil war and genocide, he lands at JFK airport with two hundred dollars, no English, and no contacts. He ekes out a precarious existence delivering groceries, living in Central Park, and learning English by reading dictionaries in bookstores. Then Deo begins to meet the strangers who will change his life, pointing him eventually in the direction of Columbia University, medical school, and a life devoted to healing. Kidder breaks new ground in telling this unforgettable story as he travels with Deo back over a turbulent life and shows us what it means to be fully human.

April Book Club

April 16

Host: TBA

Reviewer:  Kristie Chadwick 

Orphan Train 

by Christina Baker Kline

Orphan Train is a gripping story of friendship and second chances from Christina Baker Kline, author of Bird in Hand and The Way Life Should Be.  Penobscot Indian Molly Ayer is close to “aging out” out of the foster care system. A community service position helping an elderly woman clean out her home is the only thing keeping Molly out of juvie and worse...

As she helps Vivian sort through her possessions and memories, Molly learns that she and Vivian aren’t as different as they seem to be. A young Irish immigrant orphaned in New York City, Vivian was put on a train to the Midwest with hundreds of other children whose destinies would be determined by luck and chance.
Molly discovers that she has the power to help Vivian find answers to mysteries that have haunted her for her entire life – answers that will ultimately free them both. 

Rich in detail and epic in scope, Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a powerful novel of upheaval and resilience, of unexpected friendship, and of the secrets we carry that keep us from finding out who we are.

Other Recommended Books:
Dancing on Broken Glass by Ka Hancock
Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
The Rent Collector by Camron Wright
Longbourn by Jo Baker
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquevel
Juliet by Anne Fortier
The Selection by Kiera Cass
A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

Happy Reading!

Follow-up to "Quiet" and January's Book Choice

We had a great discussion last night about "Quiet:The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking."  If you weren't able to read the book, Susan Cain did a Ted-cast that's worth the 19 minutes.

Also, if you would like to take the introvert/extrovert quiz, the link is here.  Where do you fall on the scale?

There will be no bookclub in December but in January we will be reading "An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny" by Laura Schroff.  

 

We will also be choosing the next quarter of books so if you would like to host or review, please contact Devony.

Happy Reading!

Audiobooks

Some people ask me how I read so many books.  I have never considered myself an avid reader but I do average finishing 1-2 books/week and usually have three books going at one time so not too crazy and I'm not ignoring my kids all the time but I'll let you in on my secret--multi-tasking, that wonderful invention made by women :)  Over half the books I "read" I listen to while running/exercising, cleaning the house, or in the car driving the kids around.  I have learned that I can only listen to certain kind of books and save the thick nonfiction or heavier content ones for the old-fashioned paper and spine type.  For the car, I do books on CD (you can do mp3 too, just easier with the CD for me) and they have to be relatively short, easy to follow since I listen in 10-20 minute increments, and appropriate for little ears to hear as they actually like to listen in. 

Going on a road trip? Get a book to listen to as a family.  We have listened to Harry Potter and many other great books together in the car.  Where do you get these audiobooks?  I don't think I've purchased a single one as the Arapahoe County library system has a great variety but check your local library for selection.  A lot of audiobook websites have also sprung up that might be worth looking at like audiobooks.com or audible.com.  How do you get ideas for books? Check out Goodreads to connect with your reader friends and see what others have to say.  The rating system is pretty accurate and very helpful.

Our next book for bookclub is Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley and both Aurora and Arapahoe library systems have audiobook options but you may have to get on a waiting list but check it out.  My husband and I listened to some of the other books in the series during roadtrips and they were a pleasant way to pass through boring Wyoming.

Happy reading or listening, whatever your preference!

(posted by Alicia)

Summer/Fall Books

We're back with a new list of great books chosen and recommended for August through November of this year.  The official list:

August 21: Host - Rebecca Forsgren

Reviewer: Kim Gomez

Book: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Genre: Historical Fiction

 

 September 18: Host & Reviewer - Emily Weight

Book: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

Genre: Mystery

 

 

October 16: Host - none yet

Reviewer - Emily McAllister

Book: Edenbrooke by Julianne Donaldson

Genre: Historical Fiction/Romance

 

 

November 27: Host - Jessica Price

Reviewer - Alicia Carlsen

Book: Quiet:The Power of Introverts in a World that Can't Stop Talking by Susan Cain

Genre: Nonfiction

 

Other Recommended Books:

 

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

Nothing to Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick

And the Mountains Echoed by Khaled Hosseini

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer

The Return of Cassandra Todd by Darrel Nelson

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

 

Happy Reading!

 

Spring Books

Last month we chose the next three books that we'll be reading.  I'm posting those books as well as the other books that were recommended just in case you want to check them out!  Here they are!

April 17, 2013 8 pm
Host: Lindsay Lewis
Book: Tiger's Curse by Colleen Houck
Reviewer: Devony Wilson

May 15, 2013 8pm
Host: Connie Barton
Book: Psion Beta by Jacob Gowans
Reviewer: Jessica Price

June 19, 2013 8pm
Host: Monkia Moss
Book: The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis
Reviewer: Lindsay Lewis









Also included in the voting selections were:

The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa

Matched by Allie Condie

Night Ride Home by Vicki Covington

The Selection by Kiera Cass

She Walks in Beauty by Siri Mitchell

These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prime, 1881-1901 by Nancy Turner

First Quarter 2013

Welcome to 2013 at Book Club!  We're excited about the new changes we're making, and I'm going to try to keep this blog up to date with our upcoming meetings, so check back often!  In December we met to vote on the books for January, February, and March 2013.  Here's the lineup:

January 16, 2013
Host: Brooke Favero
Reviewer: Alicia Carlsen
Book: Still Alice by Lisa Genova

February 20, 2013
Host: Kristie Chadwick
Reviewer: Lara Olsen
Book: The Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon

March 20, 2013
Host:
Reviewer: Kristie Chadwick
Book: The End of Your Life Bookclub by Will Schwalbe

April 17, 2013
Host:
Reviewer: Stacey Fiala
Book:

May 15, 2013
Host:
Reviewer: Jessica Price
Book:

June 19, 2013
Host:
Reviewer: Devony Wilson
Book: