October reading choices

Jillene's choices for October:

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand--a sweet and ironically funny read with charming English characters,
       "In the small village of Edgecombe St. Mary in the English countryside lives Major Ernest Pettigrew (retired), the unlikely hero of Helen Simonson’s wondrous debut. Wry, courtly, opinionated, and completely endearing, the Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother’s death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and regarding her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?" (from Amazon.com) 

The Chosen, Chaim Potok -- a heart-rending depiction of the relationship between two Jewish boys and their fathers

Nurture Shock (recommended by others at the August meeting) -- "One of the most influential books about children ever published, Nurture Shock offers a revolutionary new perspective on children that upends a library's worth of conventional wisdom. With impeccable storytelling and razor-sharp analysis, the authors demonstrate that many of modern society's strategies for nurturing children are in fact backfiring--because key twists in the science have been overlooked. Nothing like a parenting manual, Nurture Shock gets to the core of how we grow, learn and live."

November book choices

Courtney's choices for November's meeting:

The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien (as a refresher before the movie comes out)

 J.R.R. Tolkien's own description for the original edition: "If you care for journeys there and back, out of the comfortable Western world, over the edge of the Wild, and home again, and can take an interest in a humble hero (blessed with a little wisdom and a little courage and considerable good luck), here is a record of such a journey and such a traveler. The period is the ancient time between the age of Faerie and the dominion of men, when the famous forest of Mirkwood was still standing, and the mountains were full of danger. In following the path of this humble adventurer, you will learn by the way (as he did) -- if you do not already know all about these things -- much about trolls, goblins, dwarves, and elves, and get some glimpses into the history and politics of a neglected but important period. For Mr. Bilbo Baggins visited various notable persons; conversed with the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent; and was present, rather unwillingly, at the Battle of the Five Armies. This is all the more remarkable, since he was a hobbit. Hobbits have hitherto been passed over in history and legend, perhaps because they as a rule preferred comfort to excitement. But this account, based on his personal memoirs, of the one exciting year in the otherwise quiet life of Mr. Baggins will give you a fair idea of the estimable people now (it is said) becoming rather rare. They do not like noise."

The Honest Truth About Dishonesty: How We Lie to Everyone--Especially Ourselves by Dan Ariely

The New York Times bestselling author of Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality returns with thought-provoking work to challenge our preconceptions about dishonesty and urge us to take an honest look at ourselves. Does the chance of getting caught affect how likely we are to cheat? How do companies pave the way for dishonesty? Does collaboration make us more honest or less so? Does religion improve our honesty? Most of us think of ourselves as honest, but, in fact, we all cheat. From Washington to Wall Street, the classroom to the workplace, unethical behavior is everywhere. None of us is immune, whether it's the white lie to head off trouble or padding our expense reports. In The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty , award-winning, bestselling author Dan Ariely turns his unique insight and innovative research to the question of dishonesty. Generally, we assume that cheating, like most other decisions, is based on a rational cost-benefit analysis. But Ariely argues, and then demonstrates, that it's actually the irrational forces that we don't take into account that often determine whether we behave ethically or not. For every Enron or political bribe, there are countless puffed résumés, hidden commissions, and knockoff purses. In The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty , Ariely shows why some things are easier to lie about; how getting caught matters less than we think; and how business practices pave the way for unethical behavior, both intentionally and unintentionally. Ariely explores how unethical behavior works in the personal, professional, and political worlds, and how it affects all of us, even as we think of ourselves as having high moral standards. But all is not lost. Ariely also identifies what keeps us honest, pointing the way for achieving higher ethics in our everyday lives. With compelling personal and academic findings, The (Honest) Truth About Dishonesty will change the way we see ourselves, our actions, and others. 

Communist Manifesto by Karl Marx

A rousing call to arms whose influence is still felt today, Karl Marx and Friedrich Engels' The Communist Manifesto is edited with an introduction by Gareth Stedman-Jones in Penguin Classics. Marx and Engels's revolutionary summons to the working classes, The Communist Manifesto is one of the most important political theories ever formulated. After four years of collaboration, they produced an incisive account of their idea of Communism, in which they envisage a society without classes, private property or a state, arguing that the exploitation of industrial workers will eventually lead to a revolution in which Capitalism is overthrown. This vision provided the theoretical basis of political systems in Russia, China, Cuba and Eastern Europe, affecting the lives of millions. The Communist Manifesto still remains a landmark text: a work that continues to influence and provoke debate on capitalism and class. Gareth Stedman Jones's extensive and scholarly introduction provides an unique assessment of the place of The Communist Manifesto in history, and its continuing relevance as a depiction of global capitalism. This edition reproduces Samuel Moore's translation of 1888 and contains a guide to further reading, notes and an index. Karl Marx (1818-1883) was born in Trier, Germany and studied law at Bonn and Berlin. He settled in London, where he studied economics and wrote the first volume of his major work, Das Kapital (1867, with two further volumes in 1884 and 1894). He is buried in Highgate Cemetery, London. Friedrich Engels (1820-1895), as well as his collaboration with Marx, was the author of The Condition of the Working Class in England (1845), based on personal observations and research. If you enjoyed The Communist Manifesto, you might like Marx's Capital, also available in Penguin Classics. 'The words of the Communist Manifesto flare like the fiery writing on the wall above the crumbling bastions of capitalist society: socialism or barbarism!

August gathering

Once again, we met in August to discuss what everyone's been reading over the summer!  Many thanks to everyone who came and shared.  It was a fun time.

Here are the results, by reader and genre:

Deb:

The Doll's House and other Short Stories, Katherine Mansfield

War Brides, Helen Bryan

Whose Body?, Dorothy Sayers

Henrietta's War, Joyce Dennys

Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin

YA:  Savvy, Ingrid Law (I forgot to mention this one last night.  Her writing is unique and the storyline was fun)

Children's:

Charlie Bone series (upper elem/middle school)

Dinosaur Cove (easy chapter)

Jillene:

 Maj Pettigrew's Last Stand

The Valley of Light, Terry Kay

The Emperor of All Maladies (on the history of cancer treatment)

Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream (cookbook)

YA/Children's:

The Goose Girl, Shannon Hale

The Chosen, Chaim Potok

The Willoughbys

Holes, Louis Sachar

Christina:

Midnight In Austenland, Shannon Hale

Jane Eyre

Edenbrook (LDSish historical fiction)

Jane Austen Marriage Manual (not recommended)

Children's/YA:

Fablehaven 

Book of a Thousand Days, Shannon Hale

Beverly Cleary!

Tessa:

The Last Lecture

The Once and Future King

The Best Advice I Ever Got, Katie Couric

Nurtureshock

Multiple Blessings, Kate Gosselin

Children's:

A Wrinkle in Time

Half Magic

Kenny and the Dragon

The Invention of Hugo Cabret, Brian Selznik

Mendy:

Night Circus

Heaven Is Here, Stephanie Nielsen

YA/Children's:

Island of the Aunts, Eva Ibbotson

Chime, Franny Billingsley

Maggie C:

The Swan Thieves, Elizabeth Kostova

The Hobbit

Ashley:

Kathy Reichs (forensic anthro series, better to start with the 3-4th novels to avoid the cursing)

Why We Get Fat, Gary Taubes

YA:

Tamora Pierce:  4 different series:

   Wild Magic 

   Alanna

   Protector of the Small

   Beka Cooper

Kirsten:

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

Alexander McCall Smith:

   No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series

   Corduroy Mansions series

YA/Children's:

The Alchemyst, Michael Scott (series)

Wonderstruck, Brian Selznick

Roald Dahl books

Corinne:

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

The Winter Sea, Suzanna Kearsley

I, Robot, Azimov

The Secret Daughter, Shilpi Gowda

Anna Karenina, Tolstoy

YA/Children's:

Daughter of Smoke and Bone, Leilani Taylor

Touch of Power, Maria Snyder

Grave Mercy

Watership Down

Ok For Now and Wednesday Wars by Gary Schmidt

Maggie R:

Meryl Streep Movie Club

Pleasant Valley series by Marta Perry (Amish romance)

Aubree:

Elizabeth the Queen, Sally Bedell Smith

YA/Children's:

Septimus Heap series

Mysterious Benedict Society, Trenton Lee Stewart

Peter and the Star-Catchers

A Tale Dark and Grimm

Missing series by Margaret Peterson Haddix