Options for January AND a change in schedule

PLEASE NOTE the change in schedule for the next few months. We will be discussing Cathy's choice, Outcasts United, in November, then Carolyn's in December. Unless someone can think of a conflict, we will change December's meeting to the 13th so we're not bumping up against Christmas.

Here are Jillene's choices for January's meeting:

Sister Of My Heart -- Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni made an indelible impression on the literary world with her first novel, The Mistress of Spices, a magical tale of love and herbs. Sister of My Heart is less reliant on enchantment but no less enchanting as it tells the tale of two cousins born on the same day, their premature births brought on by a mysterious occurrence that claims the lives of both their fathers. Sudha is beautiful, Anju is not; yet the girls love each other as sisters, the bond between them so strong it seems nothing can break it. When both are pushed into arranged marriages, however, each discovers a devastating secret that changes their relationship forever. Sister of My Heart spans many years and zigzags between India and America as the cousins first grow apart and then eventually reunite. Divakaruni invests this domestic drama with poetry as she traces her heroines' lives from infancy to motherhood, but it is Sudha and Anju who give the story its backbone. Anju might speak for both when she says, "In spite of all my insecurities, in spite of the oceans that'll be between us soon and the men that are between us already, I can never stop loving Sudha. It's my habit, and it's my fate." Book lovers may well discover that reading Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is habit-forming as well. --Margaret Prior

Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card -- a sci-fi classic. Intense is the word for Ender's Game. Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses -- and then training them in the arts of war... The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of 'games'... Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games... He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet? (Amazon.com review)

The Chosen, Chaim Potok -- Few stories offer more warmth, wisdom, or generosity than this tale of two boys, their fathers, their friendship, and the chaotic times in which they live. Though on the surface it explores religious faith--the intellectually committed as well as the passionately observant--the struggles addressed in The Chosen are familiar to families of all faiths and in all nations. In 1940s Brooklyn, New York, an accident throws Reuven Malther and Danny Saunders together. Despite their differences (Reuven is a Modern Orthodox Jew with an intellectual, Zionist father; Danny is the brilliant son and rightful heir to a Hasidic rebbe), the young men form a deep, if unlikely, friendship. Together they negotiate adolescence, family conflicts, the crisis of faith engendered when Holocaust stories begin to emerge in the U.S., loss, love, and the journey to adulthood. The intellectual and spiritual clashes between fathers, between each son and his own father, and between the two young men, provide a unique backdrop for this exploration of fathers, sons, faith, loyalty, and, ultimately, the power of love. (Amazon.com review)

November's reading choices

Browse through Carolyn's choices for November and vote on the right:

The Man Who Never Was: World War II's Boldest Counterintelligence Operation by Ewen Montagu

Operation 'Mincemeat' involved the acquisition and dressing up of a human cadaver as a "Major William Martin, R.M." (born in Aberbargoed) and putting it into the sea near Huelva, Spain. Attached to the corpse was a brief-case containing fake letters falsely stating that the Allied attack would be against Sardinia and Greece rather than Sicily, the actual point of invasion. When the body was found, the Spanish Intelligence Service passed copies of the papers to the German Intelligence Service which passed them on to their High Command. The ruse was so successful that the Germans still believed that Sardinia and Greece were the intended objectives, weeks after the landings in Sicily had begun.

Much Ado About Nothing by William Shakespeare

A comedy about two pairs of lovers, Benedick and Beatrice, and Claudio and Hero. Benedick and Beatrice are engaged in a "merry war"; they both talk a mile a minute and proclaim their scorn for love, marriage, and each other. In contrast, Claudio and Hero are sweet young people who are rendered practically speechless by their love for one another. By means of "noting" (which sounds the same as "nothing," and which is gossip, rumour, and overhearing), Benedick and Beatrice are tricked into confessing their love for each other, and Claudio is tricked into rejecting Hero at the altar. However, Dogberry, a Constable who is a master of malapropisms, discovers the evil trickery of the villain.

The Princess Bride by William Goldman

A fairy tale about the most beautiful woman in the world, Buttercup, and her love for Westley. The movie is based on this book.

October's Reading Choices

Here are Corinne's selections for October: (click on the title for more information)

Henrietta's War by Joyce Dennys - (library does not own)

Crossing to Safety by Wallace Stegner - (library has 2 copies)

Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day by Winifred Watson - (library has 3 copies)

September book choices

Cathy's choices for September's reading:

A Thomas Jefferson Education: Teaching a Generation of Leaders for the Twenty-First Century—the back of the book reads, “Is American education preparing the future leaders our nation needs, or merely struggling to teach basic literacy and job skills? Without leadership education, are we settling for an inadequate system that delivers educational, industrial, governmental and societal mediocrity? … We’ve known for a long time that it was the extraordinary, far-reaching vision of America’s founding fathers that produced the freest and most powerful nation on earth. What we have not understood, however, is the rigorous educational experience that gave them such remarkable vision. …” Not a challenging book to read, but I don't know how many copies the library would have since it comes out of George Wythe College Press in Cedar City, UT. NOT a church book, but rather reveres the founding fathers.

Outcasts United—this was the Maryland State book for 2010. It is the true story about a misfit soccer team that is united and successful because of a coach with a dream. Fun and inspiring to read.

Book Choices

Christina has picked Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson as April's reading choice.

Jen J. has the following choices for May. Vote for your favorite:

I Am A Mother, Jane Clayson: In this personal and honest narrative, broadcast journalist Jane Clayson Johnson shares her refreshing candor about the realities of motherhood and reminds women that a mothers work is God's work.

Jane Clayson Johnson began her career in broadcasting as KSL-TV in Salt Lake City. She is the former co-host of The Early Show in CBS, as well as a network correspondent for the CBS Evening News and 48 Hours. At ABC News, she covered national and international stories for World News Tonight and Good Morning America. Jane and her husband, Mark, live in Boston. She is a mother of two and a stepmother of three children.

The Five Love Languages, Gary Chapman: Unhappiness in marriage often has a simple root cause: we speak different love languages, believes Dr. Gary Chapman. While working as a marriage counselor for more than 30 years, he identified five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. In a friendly, often humorous style, he unpacks each one. Some husbands or wives may crave focused attention; another needs regular praise. Gifts are highly important to one spouse, while another sees fixing a leaky faucet, ironing a shirt, or cooking a meal as filling their "love tank." Some partners might find physical touch makes them feel valued: holding hands, giving back rubs, and sexual contact. Chapman illustrates each love language with real-life examples from his counseling practice.
Although some readers may find choosing to love a spouse that they no longer even like –hoping the feelings of affection will follow later– a difficult concept to swallow, Chapman promises that the results will be worth the effort. "Love is a choice," says Chapman. "And either partner can start the process today."

Matched, Allyson Condie: All her life, Cassia has never had a choice. The Society dictates everything: when and how to play, where to work, where to live, what to eat and wear, when to die, and most importantly to Cassia as she turns 17, who to marry. When she is Matched with her best friend Xander, things couldn't be more perfect. But why did her neighbor Ky's face show up on her match disk as well?