Not so "Goodie-Two-Shoes" ?

Lisa selects our next read  - November 10

Shirley Jones a Memoir

Simon and Schuster, Jul 23, 2013 - Biography & Autobiography  - 304 pages

“In this memoir you are going to meet the real flesh-and-blood Shirley Jones, not just the movie star or Mrs. Partridge.” —SHIRLEY JONES 

She sang her way into America’s heart in classic films like Oklahoma!, Carousel, and The Music Man. She won the Academy Award for Best Supporting Actress in Elmer Gantry. And she played one of television’s most beloved moms in the iconic 1970s sitcom, The Partridge Family. From golden-voiced ingénue to bus-driving mother of a pop band, Shirley Jones has always seemed as pure and wholesome as her squeaky-clean image. But now she’s ready to set the record straight—in a memoir as shockingly candid, deliciously juicy, and delightfully frank as the star herself.

This is the real Shirley Jones: a small-town girl from Pennsylvania with a rebellious nature, radiant smile, and rare talent that grabbed the attention of Broadway legends Rodgers and Hammerstein—on her very first audition. Shirley’s meteoric rise put her in the company of major movie stars like Frank Sinatra, Marlon Brando, and Burt Lancaster. But it was the dashing, charismatic, and deeply troubled actor Jack Cassidy who stole Shirley’s heart—and unlocked her highly charged sexuality. For the first time, she reveals the stunning details of their rocky marriage and adventurous life: the infidelities, the costar crushes, the sexual experimentation. She talks openly about her relationship with stepson David Cassidy, her cult status with The Partridge Family, and her second marriage to wacky TV comedian and producer Marty Ingels. Most of all, she reveals a side of Shirley Jones we’ve never seen before. . . .

The First Family

David Baldacci wrote this compelling political thriller. 

We all enjoyed the read. What a BIG discussion!

We picked up a couple historical facts along the way.

  Eisenhower named Camp David after his grandson and Warren Harding's wife was suspected in his untimely death?  

(I think we forgot to discuss the secondary plot about Michelle's family. Interesting because that made her character even more complex.)

 Kathy comments: "The book kept me guessing on how everyone fit into Sam Quarry's timeline.   It was interesting the different feelings we had about the first lady and Sam Quarry."

Our host, Noreen had prepared several questions which really made us think and TALK!  Noreen likes the author, followed the TV series and is now reading Absolute Power - another of Baldacci's thrillers!

 Sylvia says, "I love page burners and legal/political connections. I've read all of Baldacci's books. The Camel Club series is my favorite!"

Send your comments to the blog host or just post  your comments here. That includes our virtual members  Jan, Robynne and Earleen as well. Thanks for reading along with us.

 

September Lunch and Discussion

Ladies, start reading now for

 

September 22!

Y-Dine @ Flemings

It has been said before, but again .....lovely and literary!

September Selection

First Family

by David Baldacci

(click for his website)

Following the instant #1 New York Times bestsellers Split Second, Hour Game, and Simple Genius, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell return in David Baldacci's most heart-pounding thriller to date...

 A daring kidnapping turns a children’s birthday party at Camp David, the presidential retreat, into a national security nightmare.

Former Secret Service agents turned private investigators Sean King and Michelle Maxwell don’t want to get involved. But years ago Sean saved the First Lady’s husband, then a senator, from political disaster. Now the president’s wife presses Sean and Michelle into a desperate search to rescue a kidnapped child. With Michelle still battling her own demons, the two are pushed to the limit, with forces aligned on all sides against them – and the line between friend and foe impossible to define…or defend.

 Baldacci's first novel, Absolute Power, tells the story of a fictional American President and his Secret Service agents who are willing to commit murder in order to cover up the accidental death of a woman with whom the President was having an affair. It was made into a film, Absolute Power (1997), starring Clint Eastwood and Gene Hackman.

In addition to writing novels, Baldacci wrote the screenplay for the film adaptation of his novel Wish You Well; the movie was shot on location in southwest Virginia in the fall of 2012 with Academy Award winner Ellen Burstyn, Josh Lucas, and Mackenzie Foy in the lead roles. Baldacci is a consulting producer on King & Maxwell, a TNT television series based on his characters Sean King and Michelle Maxwell.

(Two book club members highly recommend his Camel Club series! Spell binding read!)

BBC News Flash 7 August 2013

Henrietta Lacks: Family win recognition for immortal cells

Her story was made famous by 2010 best-seller The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

The family of a US woman whose cells revolutionised medical research have been granted a say over how they are used, six decades after her death.

Go to the site for the full story:
 http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-23611189

Good catch Kelly P - thanks!

The coolest, smartest book clubbers in town!

(Show this to your friend who thinks we are old gray-haired ladies!) 

Comments from our host Roz:

 "Man's inhumanity to man...around  forever, sadly.  Casual antisemitism of the German middle class in the 1930's is transformed into state-sponsored persecution.   What would you do? Would you be complacent?  Show humaneness?  Have moral commitment to become actively engaged and try to save some of those who are being persecuted?  Sigrid Schroder made a choice.    

(vocabulary to note)                                                                                

MISCHLING-less than 100 percent Aryan offspring. 

CATCHER-Jews working for the Gestapo. Who turned-in other Jews, for benefits and privileges. 

U-BOATS-Jews who have submerged beneath the surface of the city's daily life."                                  

            A good read about moral responsibility!  ROZ

Comments from Kelly P - always insightful:

"The beginning of the book was slow but I felt the plot picked up about halfway through. The story and setting were very interesting and I appreciatedseeing WWII through German citizens' eyes. We read that the author wanted to provoke conversation and the "what would I do?" question.

I believe he succeeded in that and I think our group would agree. It was interesting to hear our members' thoughts on that topic!

My biggest problem with the book was with the characters. My favorite books have well developed characters, but in this book, I had trouble connecting with any of them. I wanted to love Sigret and feel close to her, but I never did. Her actions were admirable and thought-provoking, but I would have liked to know more about what she was thinking that led her to make the very difficult decisions she made throughout the book. 

All in all, a good read and discussion."

Many thanks to our virtual book club member Robynne for her comments!

 "I thought of the "what would you do if" with a patient today, who had a Sigrid of sorts in her life. Basically, it was an angel father-figure neighbor, who took her out of an abusive situation as a teen and let her come live with him. Had he not "done the right" thing, her poor spirit might have been crushed. So we have examples of this in our lives, too."