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?