Garden Spells

The pick for January is Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.

Here is part of a synopsis from the B&N website:

"The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures."

I hope you enjoy it!

What I Learned at Book Club November Edition

DO NOT TOUCH ANNE'S TELEVISON SET.

That was all, but it was important.

If anyone else has a list of things Candy should/should not do at their houses, please post them immediately. Except for you, Susan. I shudder to think what you might come up with.

Hugs and kisses,
Candy

Book O'The Month

I guess that title should have been reserved for March.

Since our host o'the month, Dalyn hasn't posted yet, I thought I would. Hope no one minds.

This month, we are reading "The Undomestic Goddess," by Sophie Kinsella.

Here's a picture:



Read it. You'll instantly feel better about your domestic abilities. Even your inabilities. 'Cause you are SO better than Samantha Sweeting!

What I Learned at Book Club This Month: vol.3

When Mitch and i got married, he brought with him a very extensive library. A very extensive, boring library comprised entirely of non-fiction, improve-your-mind drivel. Needless to say, I didn't read any of it (we lived three blocks from the library that was filled to the brim with important books that had "they lived happily ever after" at the end).

There was however, one book in his library that caught my eye; How to Win Friends and Influence People. When I found out that it was a very important Business Major book and not a book about how to be the most popular girl in my apartment complex, I decided not to read it. Sadly, this was evidenced at monday night's book club where I learned...

Politics do not make friends.

I should say, re-learned, because 8 years ago I made a vow to myself that I would stop thinking, caring or discussing politics. Seriously, I can't be trusted. In fact, a past discussion of politics with my husband caused a marital battle so severe it is only overshadowed by the Great Garden Dirt Fight of '99--but that's a story for another day.

So I have tried to stay politically neutral. I've tried to be blase. Heck, I haven't even voted since George W's first run. I can't. Because if I do, I get too involved. And then I speak my mind. And I'm not well-spoken, so it comes out more like "Blah, blah, blah...You're wrong!" Which is, historically, not a very good argument. So then my frustration with myself spills out and washes over everyone around me sounding a lot like, "Blah, blah, blah....I'm right!" And then I have no friends or marital bliss.

So, I'm back on the wagon. No more political views for myself. I'm going to switch off of CNN and turn the channel back to TLC. Then I can learn how to decorate my home beautifully, throw a killer party, and maybe win a few friends.

Sincerely,

Jen

Blast from the Past

In an effort to make our blog a useful, book-choosing tool for all the land (read: an outrageously popular, lucrative endeavor), we've decided to post and comment about past books we've read. I'm starting with a book I chose a few months ago. Fantastic sorta-naughty title don't you think?

This non-fiction book tells the story of J. Maarten Troost, who at age 26 moved with his girlfriend to the far-off South Pacific island of Tarawa. He leaves the states expecting an idyllic tropical paradise and instead finds an rocky atoll (don't worry, he'll tell you what that word means) that could really use more frequent beer shipments and an island-wide sewer system. I think it will make you laugh.

Book Lover

O,kay, I can see myself in some of the observations made by my fellow lover of books, Jen. First of all, I don't consider it cheating to peek at the ending, I'm pragmatic, (hold on a sec, I've got to look that word up and make sure I'm using it correctly; okay, I am) I just want to make sure I am going to like the ending, or maybe not, and I don't do it on all the books I read. Also, I admit to reading several books at a time, and it can be quite confusing. Last month, in my quest to pick a GREAT book for this month, even though sometimes I wonder why I worry about it so much since sometimes we spend about 3 seconds discussing the book, and 4 hours discussing and fixing the world's/ ward's problems, I was reading several books that had the same situations going on in them. Two of them were centered around World War 2, and 2 of them talked about phrenology, and I started them getting all mixed up. But I still kind of like to have a couple of books going at once, just in case I start to lose interest in one of them, I can take a peek at the ending, see if it is worth my time, and if not, on to the next book. There are just too many books out there to waste time on a so-so book.
I'm starting to wonder if I have ADD! No, when I find a book I really like, I can give it my complete attention, sometimes too much. It is amazing how I can ignore the world around me when I am engrossed in a good book. Celia was talking about her kids tattling on her, and that has certainly happened to me too. I would hurry up and get all my work around the house done so I could sit down and read that book that was screaming my name. Books can be so compelling, I really don't understand when people say they don't like to read. What is wrong with them! And I'm talking about some of my own kids. I really believe that once they find the genre that interests them, everyone would love to read. So, get a good book, this month that would be The Lace Reader, forget about your troubles and ENJOY!

What Book or Books are on your Night Stand?

In other words...

I want to know what everyone is reading. Would you recommend it to your fellow book readers?  I know we went over this in book club last week, but I didn't write anything down!

Also, what books do you absolutely love and why?

What I Learned at Book Club This Month: vol.2

First, a story.

There are few combinations of words that cause more dread in my soul than these 10 evil words: "Mom, do you have an idea for a science project?" My first reaction is to want to roll my eyes and exclaim, "What! Do I look like Madame Curie?" But because I'm nothing if not the epitome of saintly motherhood, I pull out everything I've got. "Wanna make a white carnation turn blue? Wanna make a battery out of a potato?" And because my children can, on occasion, be a bit less saintly than myself, they will usually roll their eyes and mutter something about how potatoes don't fit in a gameboy.

A couple of years back, though, while lying in bed nursing a cold and reading a library book, I got a great idea. "How about you swab some library books and see what kind of germs turn up in a petri dish?" My own budding Marie Curie thought the idea was AWESOME!, presented it to her 8th grade science teacher, and was promptly shut down. The reason? "We umm...don't necessarily... umm...are actually afraid to find out what's growing on our library books." Why did I feel the need to tell you this slightly, distasteful story? It's that I realized at book club this month that I can put this fear of nasty library books to rest, because if there were frightening diseases lurking on the pages of those books, everyone in my book club would be dead. This is a group of sorta-naughty, really-voracious readers.

Book club this month was a lollapalooza of literary love. "What are you reading? What should I read? Have you read this author? When is the 17th book in the series coming out? How dare that author die before he finished his series?" On and on it went, notes were taken, books were exchanged.

But even more interesting is how I noticed that you can learn a lot about a person by how they read books. Do they stick with one book from beginning to end (loyal), or do they juggle three books at one time (playas)? Do they have to finish every book they start--no matter if they like it (unconditionally committed), or can they close the cover permanently after only one boring chapter (realistic breaker-uppers)? Do they hunger for a good horror story (brave), or do they plug their ears when someone discusses the frightening plot (big chicken)? Can they remember the plot and author of every book they've ever read (Susan), or do they struggle to differentiate between fictional book life and their actual real life (you know who you are). And the big dividing line...Do they peek at the ending of the book when only half-way through, or are they philosophically opposed to such a thing. (I'll refrain from categorizing these two groups but just to let you know, I'm in the latter group--cause I'm not a big cheater that's why).

So what did I learn at bookclub this month? I learned that while you can't judge a book by its cover you can judge a reader by their book.

And, lest we forget the most riveting info of the night; count your blessings that you can't catch MRSA from a book. Apparently contracting that particular virus is just asking for some serious rivers of unpleasantness.

Sincerely,

Jen

October Book

The Lace Reader By Brunonia Barry

The setting for this book is Salem, Massachusetts, so this should be a perfect time of the year to learn about that city's history of witchcraft. Secrets abound, and spirits are watching, so get cozy and comfy when reading this thought provoking book.

I miss one book club and the next thing I know I have entered Blog Land!

What I Learned at Book Club This Month: vol.1

I'm in a sorta naughty book club. And people ask me occasionally "Why bookclub?" I'm sure they're picturing an assemblage of intellectual women in straight-backed chairs "peeling back the layers of the onion" so-to-speak, of Toni Morrison's latest novel. I'm also sure they'd be surprised by the gang of off-color, pajama wearing, (but still intellectual, mind you) broads that hang out at my book club. And while I have enjoyed making a fashion statement once a month in my blue, plaid, pajama bottoms, that's not why I go. I go to learn. Because I feel it's important to never stop expanding your mind with new-found knowledge.

I've decided that I would like to share my aquired knowledge with all of blogland. (Because I'm a philanthropist OK?) That's why I decided to create a new feature on this blog called, "What I Learned at Book Club This Month." I'll post after each meeting, or maybe I won't (cause I'm fun and unpredictable like that), . So for August...drumroll please....

What I Learned at Book Club This Month

I learned from Anell-
that it is possible-
if you have enough patience-
and just the right, gentle touch-
to make a cat drool.

I also learned that once a cat drools, no one ever wants to touch it again.

And isn't that an important lesson? If you do something nasty, you're gonna get shunned.

Words to live by.

Sincerely,
Jen

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society

Okay ladies, here is the name of the book for our September 29th meeting:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

By: Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows

Here's what it looks like just in case you get it mixed up with another book by the same name:

I just ordered myself a copy.  As soon as it comes in, I'd be happy to let anyone borrow it.  Just let me know.  Happy Reading!

Book Club 101

Welcome to our sorta naughty book club! We meet once a month and discuss the book that we have read. Or at least most of us have read. Ok, some months, only a couple of us have read the book. And we discuss for just a few minutes. But we are a club. And a rather sorta naughty one.
Don't get us wrong, we don't do anything TOO naughty. But I'm sure there are those who think we are outrageously naughty.
Some of us have been in the club for years and others just a few months. Some are grandmas, some are young moms and some are selfish and don't have any children. (See, we are even naughty to each other!). Some work from home, some work at home and some work away from home. But we all work. Hard.
So, there's a brief introduction to our naughty little club. We will post soon about our past readings, this month's book (Celia chose "Uglies"), and next month's book (Annell chose a book with a long name, and no one seems to remember it.).
So until then, read on, sisters, read on!