Tending Roses

Mindy hosted a great book club last night complete with hot chocolate and mini pies. We enjoyed discussing Tending Roses and families. We talked about our love of the grandma in the story. We also discussed the marriage relationship between Ben and Kate and the growth that the farm afforded them. We talked about how we could see ourselves in the book, not completely, but there was something for us all. Oh, and we learned that over the age of 40 you don't have to worry about filtering what you say.  Thanks to all those that came. (Bring your friends, our numbers are dwindling.)

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the book.

"[I]s life a success when it doesn't include time for after-school talks, and curling yo to read books on winter nights, and weaving daisy chains in the summer? Is it a success when you have all the big things but none of the small ones?"

"Sometimes we cannot raise our chins and see eye to eye, so we must bow our heads and have faith in one another."

"Your children are the greatest gift God will give to you, and their souls the heaviest responsibility He will place in your hands. When you are old, nothing else you've done will have mattered."

"When you feel burdened, listen to the laughter of your children. Take delight in them. They will make your load seem light."

Next month Kacey is hosting and even has an extra copy of the book to pass around. Come on. We would love more people.

December

The reason we don't have December book club was evident last night. Hope everyone is doing well, we missed you. Read lots of books to share in January on the 8th. Bring a favorite treat, too.

The Host

Lynda led a discussion about The Host by Stephenie Meyer. We talked about Wanda a lot and how selfish Melanie seemed to be. We discussed the human need for survival and home among other things. For food she brought camping meals (just add water), astronaut ice cream, fruit cobbler, veggie tray, etc.

Afterwards we exchanged Christmas books to read for next month. We are going to meet the first Tuesday in December, which is the 4th. We will talk about our individual reads and bring a holiday themed treat to share.

Anything I missed or you want to add?

The Scarlet Pimpernel

No one seemed to be 100% sold on this book. Those that could get into enjoyed it, but we kept getting off topic. We all would have liked to hear more about Percy's disguises. It was interesting to find out that there are 16 books in the series. Well, it is kind of a series. Two take place before this book, some focus on specific characters, etc. Me, being me, recommended (more than once) the musical by Frank Wildhorn and the movie with Jane Seymour, Anthony Andrews and Ian McKellen. I loved the ending and how romantic it was in the book. The movie and musical do not to that justice. Any other thoughts?

We had a fabulous Red Velvet cake ball and several red candies to round out our evening. Next month on November 13th we are meeting at Kacey's to discuss The Host by Stephenie Meyer.

October

Quick update, we are reading The Scarlet Pimpernel this month.  We are going to do a group hosting effort so do a little research into the book and come with someone interesting to add to the conversation :)  Also, for our refreshments, I request everyone bring a red or SCARLET food of their choice!

Tuesday October 9th at 7:00 p.m. at my house!

The Hiding Place and Next Month

The Hiding Place was a truly fantastic book.  I love to read and have read many books I would recommend but I am a better person after having read this book.  It is beautifully enlightening.  If you didn't get a chance to pick it up last month, put it on your list.  In fact I would put it on the top of your list.

We had a fantastic time at Jeannie's house.  The food was exceptionally good.  We discussed some of the major themes in the books, especially the characters (which is always that much more interesting when discussing real people).  My favorite theme we discussed was the miracles in the book and the clear showing of God's hand in our lives through the whole story.  We got to watch a part of the movie which was excellent and just had a great time.

Thank you Jeannie!

Micky is taking over next month with Runaway Twin by Peg Kehret.  She says this is a short one and recommends reading another book by the same author if you have time.  Book club will be held

Tuesday August 7th @ Kacey's House


That means two weeks ladies so let's get reading!

The Invention of Hugo Cabret

 Book Club was at my house last week. We discussed The Invention of Hugo Cabret and had a (kind of) tea party.


I tend to choose books that I want to share and that aren't necessarily great for discussion. I was worried about this one but needn't have been. After I gave a bit of author background. (He got all his training working at a children's book store.) We talked about the necessity of the pictures. They added so much to the story. In fact as the author wrote if he couldn't figure out how to say it well in words, he said it with a drawing instead. He took apart old watches, visited Paris and the Philadelphia museum for inspiration. He said he didn't write this book, he created it.


We talked about how everyone wants to make a difference. Everyone wants to be a success in their own way. 


Even though the pictures were in black and white there was often color there in our minds.


A theme throughout was invention. Not just the obvious invention, but the invention of self. 


Even though the "creator" thought his strength was in the illustrations I thought even the writing was well done. Some of my favorite quotes:
“I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and types of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason, too.” 


“Maybe that's why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn't able to do what it was meant to do...Maybe it's the same with people," Hugo continued. "If you lose your purpose...it's like your broken.” 

*I took too long to write this. I can't remember everything. Anyone else want to add something?

We did a bit of adjusting so we don't lose Jeannie and Mickey. This month we will meet the 4th Tuesday and then in July it will be the 2nd Tuesday. From then on it will be the second Tuesday. Questions?