Book Pick for September

We had a great discussion last night about The Girl Who Wrote in Silk and Rough Stone Rolling.  Thanks Chelsea and Sarah for leading the discussions and the yummy treats.  

For September: 

Dari picked our book for September.  We will be reading My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie. 

Here is some information about the book: 

"Not since I read Erik Larson's Dead Wake have I had such an edge-of-my-seat immersion into historical events. [...] No study of Alexander Hamilton would be complete without reading this book."-Karen White, New York Times bestselling author

From the New York Times bestselling authors of America's First Daughter comes the epic story of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton--a revolutionary woman who, like her new nation, struggled to define herself in the wake of war, betrayal, and tragedy. In this haunting, moving, and beautifully written novel, Dray and Kamoie used thousands of letters and original sources to tell Eliza's story as it's never been told before--not just as the wronged wife at the center of a political sex scandal--but also as a founding mother who shaped an American legacy in her own right.

A general's daughter...

Coming of age on the perilous frontier of revolutionary New York, Elizabeth Schuyler champions the fight for independence. And when she meets Alexander Hamilton, Washington's penniless but passionate aide-de-camp, she's captivated by the young officer's charisma and brilliance. They fall in love, despite Hamilton's bastard birth and the uncertainties of war.

A Founding Father's wife...

But the union they create--in their marriage and the new nation--is far from perfect. From glittering inaugural balls to bloody street riots, the Hamiltons are at the center of it all--including the political treachery of America's first sex scandal, which forces Eliza to struggle through heartbreak and betrayal to find forgiveness.

The last surviving light of the Revolution...

When a duel destroys Eliza's hard-won peace, the grieving widow fights her husband's enemies to preserve Alexander's legacy. But long-buried secrets threaten everything Eliza believes about her marriage and her own legacy. Questioning her tireless devotion to the man and country that have broken her heart, she's left with one last battle--to understand the flawed man she married and imperfect union he could never have created without her...

We will meet on September 18 at 7pm at Chelsea Dorn's house.  Hope to see you then! 

Summer Reading

Due to crazy summer schedules, our July meeting was cancelled.  Chelsea has picked our new book, The Girl Who Wrote In Silk by Kelli Estes.

Here is a little bit about the book:

A USA Today Bestseller!

"The Girl Who Wrote in Silk is a beautiful story that brought me to tears more than once, and was a testament to the endurance of the human spirit and the human heart. A powerful debut that proves the threads that interweave our lives can withstand time and any tide, and bind our hearts forever."-Susanna Kearsley, New York Times bestselling author

Inspired by true events, Kelli Estes's brilliant and atmospheric debut serves as a poignant tale of two women determined to do the right thing, and the power of our own stories.

The smallest items can hold centuries of secrets...

Inara Erickson is exploring her deceased aunt's island estate when she finds an elaborately stitched piece of fabric hidden in the house. As she peels back layer upon layer of the secrets it holds, Inara's life becomes interwoven with that of Mei Lein, a young Chinese girl mysteriously driven from her home a century before. Through the stories Mei Lein tells in silk, Inara uncovers a tragic truth that will shake her family to its core ― and force her to make an impossible choice.

"A touching and tender story about discovering the past to bring peace to the present."―Duncan Jepson, author of All the Flowers in Shanghai

We will meet on Tuesday August 21 at 7pm at Debby's house to discuss both books. Remember to bring ideas for new books to read.

July Book Club

We had to cancel out book club discussion in June because Sarah had baby, EmmaLou, and she couldn't be with us to lead the discussion.  So we will be having book club on Tuesday July 17 at 7pm at Debby's house.  

Even if you haven't read the book, come and join our discussion.  Bring along your ideas for possible books we might want to read.  

See you on Tuesday!

June Book Pick

Sarah Gravelle has picked our book for the June book club meeting and will lead our discussion.  We will meet at 7pm at Debby's house on Tuesday June 19.

Even if you haven't read the book, come and join in the discussion and of course, we always have a yummy treat.  Suggestions for books to read are always welcome too.  

Here is a bit about the book: 

Founder of the largest indigenous Christian church in American history, Joseph Smith published the 584-page Book of Mormon when he was twenty-three and went on to organize a church, found cities, and attract thousands of followers before his violent death at age thirty-eight. Richard Bushman, an esteemed cultural historian and a practicing Mormon, moves beyond the popular stereotype of Smith as a colorful fraud to explore his personality, his relationships with others, and how he received revelations. An arresting narrative of the birth of the Mormon Church, Joseph Smith: Rough Stone Rolling also brilliantly evaluates the prophet’s bold contributions to Christian theology and his cultural place in the modern world.

See you on June 19. 

May

Michelle led our May discussion of the book That We May Be One A Gay Mormon's Perspective on Faith & Family by Tom Christofferson.  

We had a great discussion and yummy treats too!

Here is a blurb about the book: 

"A happy gay Mormon." That's the shorthand I often use to describe myself," writes Tom Christofferson. "Some of my gay friends--as well as some of my LDS friends--are a little surprised that I think it's possible to be a gay Mormon."

In That We May Be One, Tom Christofferson shares perspectives gained from his life's journey as a gay man who left The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and then returned to it. After having asked to be excommunicated from the faith he was raised in, Tom spent two decades in a loving relationship with a committed partner. But gradually, the love of family, friends, and strangers and the Spirit of the Lord worked on him until he found himself one night sitting in his car in front of the bishop's house....

This book is about the lessons Tom, his family, and his fellow Saints learned while trying to love as God loves. It is about the scope and strength of this circle of love and about how learning the truth of our relationship with God draws us to Him For anyone who has wondered how to keep moving forward in the face of difficult decisions and feelings of ambiguity; for anyone who needs to better understand the redeeming power of our Savior, Jesus Christ; for anyone who seeks to love more fully; this book offers reassurance and testimony of God's love for all of His children.

April Book Pick

Debby has picked our April book pick.  We will be reading Dad is Fat by Jim Gaffigan.  Here is a short blurb about the book:

Jim Gaffigan never imagined that he would have his own kids. Though he grew up in a large Irish-Catholic family, Jim was satisfied with the nomadic, nocturnal life of a standup comedian, and was content to be "that weird uncle who lives in an apartment by himself in New York that everyone in the family speculates about." But all that changed when he married and found out his wife, Jeannie "is someone who gets pregnant looking at babies." 

Five kids later, the comedian whose riffs on everything from Hot Pockets to Jesus have scored millions of hits on YouTube, started to tweet about the mistakes and victories of his life as a dad. Those tweets struck such a chord that he soon passed the million followers mark. But it turns out 140 characters are not enough to express all the joys and horrors of life with five kids, so hes' now sharing it all in Dad Is Fat.

From new parents to empty nesters to Jim's twenty-something fans, everyone will recognize their own families in these hilarious takes on everything from cousins ("celebrities for little kids") to growing up in a big family ("I always assumed my father had six children so he could have a sufficient lawn crew") to changing diapers in the middle of the night ("like The Hurt Locker but much more dangerous") to bedtime (aka "Negotiating with Terrorists").

Dad is Fat is sharply observed, explosively funny, and a cry for help from a man who has realized he and his wife are outnumbered in their own home.

We will meet at 7pm at Debby's house on Tuesday April 17 for our discussion and a treat. 

Book Picks for May and June

Just in case you want to start reading ahead we have selected books for the next few months too.  

In May we will be discussing That We May Be One A Gay Mormon's Perspective on Faith & Family by Tom Christofferson.  Michelle will be leading the discussion on Tuesday May 15. 

In June, we will be discussing Joseph smith Rough Stone Rolling by Richard Lyman Bushman.  Sarah G. will be leading the discussion on Tuesday June 19.  

March Book Pick

Nola has selected the book for our March discussion. She purchased several copies that have been circulating amongst book club readers. It is a quick and interesting read about personality types of students and teachers.

Teachers in today's diverse schools need a new kind of guidebook for classroom management — one that teaches them how to understand each of their students' personalities. In this book, they'll find what thousands of teachers nationwide have already learned from the authors' seminars on process communication: that once teachers identify a student's primary personality type (reactor, workaholic, persister, dreamer, rebel, or promoter), they'll know the secret to instructing and interacting with that student. In-service and preservice educators will be engaged by

• narratives that illuminate each personality type



• real-life examples of positive interactions between teachers and students with different personality types



• ideas for blending process communication with existing approaches in all types of classrooms



• forms that help pinpoint a student's personality structure, motivational needs, and strengths and challenges



• logs to track the success of intervention strategies

With this easy-to-use guidebook, adapted from the concepts in Dr. Taibi Kahler's best-selling The Mastery of Management, educators will build better relationships with all students and keep the classroom focus where it belongs — on learning.The strategies in the book could also be applied to the home or any leadership or teaching position.
We will meet at 7:00 pm on Tuesday March 20, at Debby's home.
Even if you haven't read the book, please come and join our discussion. There will be treats too.
As always come with ideas for future book club picks.