Peace on Earth

Let there be peace on earth.

We are grateful for our dear friends.

Do your best to read and spread good tidings!

A Pause for Holidays

And a special shout out to Danny!

Gone Girl Recap

So did we like it? Pretty much. We agreed it was captivating. Hard to put down. Full of twists and turns. Pretty disgusting people. Creepy smart too! Well written, we agreed. 

 Noreen said...

What a fun day at Lisa's! Her specialty drinks were a big hit and sitting outside on her lovely patio was delightful! Oh, and the book discussion... we all loved the book and were taken aback by several twists. An unusual take on human relations or maybe, sadly, not so unusual.

How about the ending? Resolved? Mostly no. But how else to end the story? And actually Amy and Nick deserved each other for sure. It's hard to say what would be a perfect ending.

 

It was a heck of a read!

First the Important Stuff

Today's Y-Read Group presents a quiz.....not so much about the book, that comes later.

#1 At who's house did we meet?

#2 (Clue)....who would wear these shoes?

#3 Can you name our guru for the afternoon?

More information to follow......soon!

Way Behind!

Uh, oh...here we are meeting tomorrow at Lisa's house and no new post! Profound apologies from your blogster.

So, we announce the book right now and very soon thereafter we post our review!  Tah Dah....the book selection is (and we know everyone has read it!)

"Marriage can be a real killer. 
   One of the most critically acclaimed suspense writers of our time, New York Times bestseller Gillian Flynn takes that statement to its darkest place in this unputdownable masterpiece about a marriage gone terribly, terribly wrong. The Chicago Tribune proclaimed that her work “draws you in and keeps you reading with the force of a pure but nasty addiction.” Gone Girl’s toxic mix of sharp-edged wit and deliciously chilling prose creates a nerve-fraying thriller that confounds you at every turn." 


 Happy Thanksgiving!      



And the next book selection is a classic.......(selected by Sylvia)

Book Description

Publication Date: July 29, 2008

Availabe  Amazon Kindle price $10.99; paperback $10.20 and  check your library as well

“I can’t remember the last time I discovered a novel as smart and delightful as this one, a world so vivid that I kept forgetting this was a work of fiction populated with characters so utterly wonderful that I kept forgetting they weren’t my actual friends and neighbors. Treat yourself to this book please—I can’t recommend it highly enough.”—Elizabeth Gilbert, author of Eat, Pray, Love

“Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows have written a wondrous, delightful, poignant book— part Jane Austen, part history lesson.  The letters in The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society aren't addressed to you, but they are meant for you.  It's a book everyone should read.  An absolute treasure.”—Sarah Addison Allen, author of Garden Spells 

Live with Laurie

The Dark Before Dawn was a good read but even better was our FaceTime with the author, Laurie. a first for all of us. What a special event!

We grilled this smart, sophisticated author about everything!






We all felt like we got into Laurie's head. Her process is so interesting. The amount of research she does is amazing. http://www.lauriestevensbooks.com/Events.html


Ladies of the book club - please send me your comments. I'm a a loss to explain how fun our chat was. (Many thanks to Noreen, our host and the author's aunt.)

Oh yes...the food was awesome as usual.









We had a guest, who obviously didn't read the book.


Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Count Down

 This month's book club is so exciting....we are going to be joined by the author, Laurie Stevens (or Laurie Price to us insiders!)

 Don't be late....Noreen is the hostess on Oct 14th.  BE THERE!

Did anyone miss the fact that our Kathy had a significant birthday?

Dark Before Dawn

Guest blogger - Noreen

Book Description

Publication Date: June 24, 2011

High in the Santa Monica Mountains near Los Angeles, grisly murders are taking place. On each of the victim's bodies a note is left for L.A. Sheriff's detective, Gabriel McRay. The killer's identity is locked in the suppressed memory of a horrifying trauma from Gabriel's own childhood. Teamed with his forensic pathologist girlfriend and his pyschiatrist, Gabriel runs two parallel investigations. The first: a dark journey into the terrifying recollections of his past and the second, the hunt for a serial killer who seems to know more about Gabriel... then he knows himself.

Editorial Reviews

"Memorable characters, macabre scenes and a dazzling portrayal of reality will leave readers anxious for book two in the Gabriel McCray series." - Kirkus Review

"Readers will relate to the San Francisco and Los Angeles settings, and Stevens' allusions to "Cask of Amontillado" (an Edgar Allen Poe short story) and Frankenstein craft a story immersed in theater, disguise and secrecy." - Kirkus Review

"Stevens sets the stage for graphic sensory details and a fast-paced, tantalizing mystery that utilizes her passion and research in forensics and psychology." - Kirkus Review

"A great twisting plot. Crisp, true dialogue. Bravo!" - Beverly Ovelin, author "The Good Side of Bad"

About the Author

Laurie Stevens has written numerous stories and articles for local and national publications. She has written for television and co-wrote and produced the stage play, "Follow Your Dreams." "The Dark Before Dawn" is the first novel in the Gabriel McRay detective series and has earned the Kirkus Star of Merit and was named to Kirkus Review's "Best of 2011".  Laurie is really Laurie Price.  She is married to Steven Price, my cousin's son.

Learn more about Laurie at www.lauriestevensbooks.com  She is an accomplished writer and a lovely woman!

Grey or is it RED?

50 Shades of Grey

Barnes & Noble posed a $41 million net loss in the quarter ending in July. However - America's demand for the steamy 50 Shades of Grey trilogy helped B&N post quarterly numbers which exceeded the company's expectations.

  Oh yeah everyone is talking about it.

Pop culture.....and fantasy? Yep! We had a lively chat and lots of giggles. Some members not only finished the book but read on to #2 and #3.  

(need I mention we had about 50 shades of blush at the table?)

Instead of trying to recall all our comments....why not watch a professional read from the book?

We had a great time! wonderful food too!

Read, every day, something no one else is reading. Think, every day, something no one else is thinking. Do, every day, something no one else would be silly enough to do. It is bad for the mind to continually be part of unanimity. 

Christopher Morley, writer (1890-1957)

 

August Thought

July Report

Ann Patchette has come and gone, pretty much in a State of Wonder. Those who finished the book were in a minority. There were no rave reviews....a few gave it an  OK.    

Next up, (no pun intended) Aug 25th,  Roz has selected our next read, Fifty Shades of Grey by E L James.  This is the first book of a trilogy which is  "The book being read by every woman in America",  as reported on TV talk shows! The trilogy is commonly referred to as "Mommie Porn"  to which James takes exception.

British Author EL James

Interesting choice for a book club (we are not alone in selecting this book) because we spend a lot of time   reading  about liberated,  independent women!

You might ask is it porn?  Read this review 

A  few more  reviews you may enjoy:

The semi-famous Three Grandmothers review the book:
http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/entertainment/2012/06/three-grandmothers-review-50-shades-of-grey/

Newsweek published an article:
http://www.heroesandheartbreakers.com/blogs/2012/04/newsweek-says-fifty-shades-of-grey-is-working-womans-fantasy-of-submission

Interesting quote:

"I’'ve never read “50 Shades of Grey,” but trust a co-worker, who says she wanted to “stab her eyes out” while reading it with her book club.

A reader of this blog has a higher opinion of the book, saying “The 3-book series begins with Anastasia Steele, a young woman, meeting and falling for millionaire Christian Grey, a gorgeous man with a dark past who draws her into his world of BDSM.”

Whatever you think of the novel, it’s certainly getting people’s attention. “50 Shades” has sold 20 million copies and surpassed “Harry Potter & The Chamber Pot of Smelly Secrets” as the fastest-selling paperback of all time." check this link

Ann Patchett

Deb has selected State of Wonder by Ann Patchette for our next read. Not our first book by Patchette we all read Bel Canto. 




Read the partial reviews below. Click on links for the entire review.  Warning, the links may have spoilers.

The following is an excerpt from the NY Times Book Review June 2011

"Dr. Marina Singh, the 42-year-old research scientist who is the heroine of “State of Wonder,” Ann Patchett’s most far-flung yet somehow least exotic book, is in her office at a large pharmaceutical company in Minnesota when the bad news arrives. Marina does unremarkable research on cholesterol. She is having an unremarkable affair with Mr. Fox, the company’s C.E.O. The bland, far-from-fantastic Mr. Fox arrives to tell her that her research partner, Dr. Anders Eckman, has died of a fever in a remote part of Brazil."


Evidently this all happens on the second page of the novel.


Taken from The Guardian, UK 2011: 


In the disenchanted millennial world, the American search for wonder centres on the very large and the unimaginably small. At one pole, there's the globe as playground, the hunt through the shrinking wildernesses for whatever magic may somehow lie hidden beyond the totalising reach of GPS. At the other extreme, there's the seething world below eye level, the microscopic life of cells and bacteria. Ann Patchett's sixth novel, State of Wonder, merges the two kingdoms in the story of a pharmacologist, Marina Singh, who travels into the Amazonian jungle to spend time with the mysterious Lakashi tribe.

May Gathering

We had a lovely meeting today. Thank you Kelly and a special thanks to Kelly's Mom, Jenny for inviting us to meet in her lovely home. Perfect food and fantastic discussion - what could be better?

Our selection this month was The Knitting Circle which provided some lively discussion. The book was mostly enjoyed, but not entirely a winner! A quick read and it certainly gave a spring board for us to discuss processing loss and grief.     .

It's blurry..sorry..someone please send me a better group pix.

Kelly P took the picture...but here she is, sorry Kelly...I have to document this!)

Ouch!

Here's a make up picture...such pretty girls!

Lisa and Kelly.

I got a surprise today!

Look at this darling sign..."Turtle Crossing'
Oh my gosh...too cute.

Thanks so much.
I love being your blog master!

We are truly fortunate to have such a great group.














June's book selection by Deb - State of Wonder by Anne Patchette.

7 Lovely Logics

Shared by Noreen

Make peace with your past so it doesn’t spoil your present.

What others think of you is none of your business.

Time heals almost everything; give the time, some time.

No one is the reason of your happiness except YOU yourself.

Don’t compare your life with others, you have no idea what their journey is all about.

Stop thinking too much; it’s alright not to know all the answers

Smile, you don’t own all the problems in the world.

Loving the Knitting Circle

Thank you Ms Kelly....The Knitting Circle  is an absorbing read. 

We can't wait for the discussion!

Our selection for April-May 2012

May book selection:

The Knitting Circle

Kelly selected this book through a personal recommendation.

A quote from the author, Ann Hood:

"This novel is very special to me. A few years ago I was afraid I would never be able to write again. For my entire life, reading and writing were ways to work out what I felt, what I worried about, what I feared, what I hoped for. Then on April 18, 2002, my five year old daughter Grace died suddenly from a virulent form of strep. As an added insult, when I lost Grace I also lost my ability to use words. I couldn't read and I couldn't write. Letters didn't come together to make words; sentences did not make sense. I couldn't concentrate. I couldn't focus.

 Once I began to write again, a novel about women in a knitting circle began to take shape. The old adage: Write what you know is true, but I like the writer Grace Paley's version even better: Write what you don't know about what you know. With that in mind, I began to read books about knitting history, knitting poetry, knitting everything! I gave my protagonist, Mary, the loss of her only child, and then surrounded her with women who, while teaching her to knit, also tell her their own stories of love and loss and recovery. 

The women in this fictitious knitting circle became as real to me as those strangers I sat knitting with after I lost Grace. Each of their stories is told in their own voice and each story moves Mary along in her grieving process. 

This novel is important to me as a writer, as a woman, as a mother, and as a knitter. I hope you find comfort and hope-and even knitting tips!-as you read THE KNITTING CIRCLE. "


See Ann on Facebook 


(click the link)

Bookies!

March Title

Our book selection next month is They Did It With Love

by Kate Morgenroth.

"Secrets lurk under the smooth surface of a wealthy 

Connecticut neighborhood, until a murder reveals all." 

Who in the world selected this mysterious read? 
No mystery -- our Kathy surprised us.

The surprise is...it's not her normal cup of  tea.
(But we are relishing a lighter read this month!)

Thanks Kathy!

What can we say about Kathy? The most fun girl ever! Nothing better than her infectious laugh. And that can burst-out anytime -  anywhere. 
(Think...yoga class, pilates class or Happy Hour!) 

Kathy is dedicated to fitness and may possibly be addicted to Zumba!

Kathy is a fantastic mom, wife, daughter, sister and girlfriend. 

She' s our Sunshine Girl.

The Goon Squad Didn't Get Us!

Hostess: Kelly P - great hostess as well as our fantastic teacher at the YMCA
                            (love the Cardio work outs but so miss the ball class!)

Book discussion: Outstanding, deep, thoughtful and very diverse!
                          NOTE: Pulitzer Prize winning book..... très chic

Food & Wine: Ditto!

Friendship: Read for yourself:

Just wanted to tell you all how lucky I feel to have such a great group of friends in book club. I really needed some girl time. Kelly was such a gracious hostess, the food was great and it was nice to get to hear everyone’s ideas about the book.  Kelly J

I feel the same. I love the time I spend with all my girlfriends! I enjoy all the eclectic books we get to read and discuss. I feel like a better version of myself when we are done with our discussions. I also so appreciate the input you all give me in my personal life - all the trials and tribulations. Thank you to my wonderful friends. Love to you all!   Lisa

Aww you girls are so sweet! I also love our fun times together, I am so glad my friendship circle has grown in such an awesome way. :-)  Kathy

Loved our time as always. And yes, my daughter was the perfect hostess and book club facilitator! Way to go Kelly for introducing us to a different writing style and leading a thoughtful discussion. Great job!

Aren’t we all lucky to have found one another! Another thank you to the Y that I know has its challenges (yikes!) but also does great things like bring us all together.  Noreen   xo

You are all too sweet and fun and pretty and smart.

Thanks so much for including me.....

It was my lucky day when you gave me an invite.

Having you each enriches my life...and gives my brain a real work out!

Love you!  Sylvia

Thanks, everyone!! We do have a wonderful group of awesome women. Again, I appreciate everyone's openness to something different and somewhat challenging. I REALLY enjoyed our discussion.

And thanks for all the delicious food, both yesterday and today as well. My family appreciates you all, too :-) Kelly P