November Book and Meeting

I apologize for the late notice about November's book selection! I was a little distracted by certain goings-on around our country! I hope you have been able to read October's book MWF Seeking BFF, by Rachel Bertsche. My copy is available for anyone who would still like to read it.

Please pencil in the date of our next meeting on Wednesday, November 14th. (We don't have YW scheduled that night so I figured why not?!) More details will come as soon as I figure them out! HA HA!

For November I am very excited to read Shannon Hale's newest addition to her collection, Palace of Stone, a Princess Academy sequel. Here is a synopsis to get you excited!!!


"Coming down from the mountain to a new life in the city seems a thrill beyond imagining. When Miri and her friends from Mount Eskel set off to help the future princess Britta prepare for her royal wedding, she is happy about her chance to attend school in the capital city. There, Miri befriends students who seem so sophisticated and exciting... until she learns that they have some frightening plans. They think that Miri will help them, that she "should" help them. Soon Miri finds herself torn between loyalty to the princess and her new friends' ideas, between an old love and a new crush, and between her small mountain home and the bustling city. Picking up where "Princess Academy" left off, this incredible stand-alone story celebrates the joys of friendship, the delight of romance, and the fate of a beloved fairy tale kingdom."

October Book and Meeting

Our next book club meeting will be Tuesday, October 2nd 8:00 pm at Gelato-icious on Everett Mall Way. There we can discuss this month's book Insurgent, by Veronica Roth. I hope you are all enjoying it!!!

For October, Laura selected the book MWF Seeking BFF: My Yearlong Search for a New Best Friend, by Rachel Bertsche. Here is a synopsis:


"When Rachel Bertsche first moves to Chicago, she’s thrilled to finally share a zip code with her boyfriend. But shortly after getting married, she realizes that her new life is missing one thing: friends. Sure, she has plenty of BFFs—in New York and San Francisco and Boston and Washington, D.C. Still, in her adopted hometown, there’s no one to call at the last minute for girl talk over brunch or a reality-TV marathon over a bottle of wine. Taking matters into her own hands, Bertsche develops a plan: Meeting people everywhere from improv class to friend rental websites, she'll go on fifty-two friend-dates, one per week for a year, in hopes of meeting her new Best Friend Forever."

September Book and Meeting

As a much needed Back-to-School-Mother's-Retreat, we will be meeting this Friday night, September 7th, at Applebees (on Everett Mall Way) at 9:00 for their half-price appetizer and dessert special! Please pass the info along!!!

The book selection for September is the second in Veronica Roth's trilogy series, Insurgent.  Here is a synopsis of the book:


"One choice can transform you--or it can destroy you. But every choice has consequences, and as unrest surges in the factions all around her, Tris Prior must continue trying to save those she loves--and herself--while grappling with haunting questions of grief and forgiveness, identity and loyalty, politics and love.

Tris's initiation day should have been marked by celebration and victory with her chosen faction; instead, the day ended with unspeakable horrors. War now looms as conflict between the factions and their ideologies grows. And in times of war, sides must be chosen, secrets will emerge, and choices will become even more irrevocable--and even more powerful. Transformed by her own decisions but also by haunting grief and guilt, radical new discoveries, and shifting relationships, Tris must fully embrace her Divergence, even if she does not know what she may lose by doing so.

"New York Times" bestselling author Veronica Roth's much-anticipated second book of the dystopian "Divergent" series is another intoxicating thrill ride of a story, rich with hallmark twists, heartbreaks, romance, and powerful insights about human nature."


Hope to see everyone on Friday night!!!

August Book

In all the craziness I forgot that the beginning of the month meant we needed another book selection!!! Fortunately, I had already selected what we were going to read next, I just neglected to let you all in on the info!!!

For August we will be reading Divergent, by Veronica Roth. (Brace yourself...) It is the first of another Young Adult trilogy but SO WORTH IT! For those who are concerned about dragging another trilogy out, the second in the series came out in May, so the last installment shouldn't be terribly far off. I hope you like it! I was totally hooked....

Here's the brief and completely unsatisfactory synopsis from Goodreads....(I swear, some of the synopsis' are as long as a book, and some are just a sentence!)


"In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice Prior must choose among five predetermined factions to define her identity for the rest of her life, a decision made more difficult when she discovers that she is an anomaly who does not fit into any one group, and that the society she lives in is not perfect after all."

July meeting and book

I hope you are all enjoying your summer break! I am currently in sunny Idaho, where it is a sizzling 90 degrees outside. Hopefully I will bring back some sunshine with me!!!

Our next book club meeting will be on Friday, July 13th at 7:00 pm at the Grand China Buffet (on Evergreen, by KMart). Come prepared to immerse yourself in the wonderful Americanized Chinese food that Pearl finds so disgusting, ha ha!

After I finished June's book, Shanghai Girls, I knew that I would need to continue to read the next book or I would go crazy! So, for July, we will read Dreams of Joy, by Lisa See.


**SpOiLeR aLeRt!!!!**

If you haven't finished Shangai Girls yet, then don't read the synopsis for Dreams of Joy below!!!!


"In her beloved New York Times bestsellers Snow Flower and the Secret Fan, Peony in Love, and, most recently, Shanghai Girls, Lisa See has brilliantly illuminated the potent bonds of mother love, romantic love, and love of country. Now, in her most powerful novel yet, she returns to these timeless themes, continuing the story of sisters Pearl and May from Shanghai Girls, and Pearl’s strong-willed nineteen-year-old daughter, Joy.

Reeling from newly uncovered family secrets, and anger at her mother and aunt for keeping them from her, Joy runs away to Shanghai in early 1957 to find her birth father—the artist Z.G. Li, with whom both May and Pearl were once in love. Dazzled by him, and blinded by idealism and defiance, Joy throws herself into the New Society of Red China, heedless of the dangers in the communist regime.

Devastated by Joy’s flight and terrified for her safety, Pearl is determined to save her daughter, no matter the personal cost. From the crowded city to remote villages, Pearl confronts old demons and almost insurmountable challenges as she follows Joy, hoping for reconciliation. Yet even as Joy’s and Pearl’s separate journeys converge, one of the most tragic episodes in China’s history threatens their very lives.

Acclaimed for her richly drawn characters and vivid storytelling, Lisa See once again renders a family challenged by tragedy and time, yet ultimately united by the resilience of love."

June Book

Audrey will be hosting for June. We will be reading Shanghai Girls, by Lisa See. Here is a synopsis to get you started....
"In 1937, Shanghai is the Paris of Asia, a city of great wealth and glamour, the home of millionaires and beggars, gangsters and gamblers, patriots and revolutionaries, artists and warlords. Thanks to the financial security and material comforts provided by their father’s prosperous rickshaw business, twenty-one-year-old Pearl Chin and her younger sister, May, are having the time of their lives. Though both sisters wave off authority and tradition, they couldn’t be more different: Pearl is a Dragon sign, strong and stubborn, while May is a true Sheep, adorable and placid. Both are beautiful, modern, and carefree . . . until the day their father tells them that he has gambled away their wealth and that in order to repay his debts he must sell the girls as wives to suitors who have traveled from California to find Chinese brides.

As Japanese bombs fall on their beloved city, Pearl and May set out on the journey of a lifetime, one that will take them through the Chinese countryside, in and out of the clutch of brutal soldiers, and across the Pacific to the shores of America. In Los Angeles they begin a fresh chapter, trying to find love with the strangers they have married, brushing against the seduction of Hollywood, and striving to embrace American life even as they fight against discrimination, brave Communist witch hunts, and find themselves hemmed in by Chinatown’s old ways and rules.

At its heart, Shanghai Girls is a story of sisters: Pearl and May are inseparable best friends who share hopes, dreams, and a deep connection, but like sisters everywhere they also harbor petty jealousies and rivalries. They love each other, but each knows exactly where to drive the knife to hurt the other the most. Along the way they face terrible sacrifices, make impossible choices, and confront a devastating, life-changing secret, but through it all the two heroines of this astounding new novel hold fast to who they are–Shanghai girls."

Next Meeting

Certainly a lot of changes are going on in our little world! Even though boundaries change and people move, I feel like all our relationships are precious and vital for who we are. I plan on continuing to send out invitations for our little Book Club, no matter what Ward you live in, and welcome you to please invite any others you may come in contact with through all our new connections. I have always intended this club to be an outlet for frazzled moms, and a way of connecting with other sisters in similar circumstances.

Our next meeting will be on Thursday, June 7, at 8:00 pm at Alise Quayle's house. Her address is 5222 115th St SE, which is over in High Valley Ranch. We will be discussing this month's book I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith, in addition to last month's book Midnight in Austenland, by Shannon Hale. Please let me know if you can come, so Alise will know what to plan for.


I am excited to see all of you there! I'm sure we will have lots to talk about, in addition to talking about books!

May Book

For the month of May, Alise Quayle will be hosting. She has chosen to read I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith. A synopsis follows below:

I Capture the Castle tells the story of seventeen-year-old Cassandra and her family, who live in not-so-genteel poverty in a ramshackle old English castle. Here she strives, over six turbulent months, to hone her writing skills. She fills three notebooks with sharply funny yet poignant entries. Her journals candidly chronicle the great changes that take place within the castle's walls, and her own first descent into love. By the time she pens her final entry, she has "captured the castle"; and the heart of the reader; in one of literature's most enchanting entertainments.

For those who are still working on Midnight in Austenland, we will be sure to discuss it as well at the next meeting!

Happy Reading!

April Meeting

We met on Friday night at Gelato-icious, a new gelato shop around the corner from where I live. It was oooh sooo divine!!! I highly recommend the place. We will soooo be going back again!  :)

We had a great time enjoying our rich and creamy smooth gelatos, while sitting around in the comfortable lounge area of the shop. Everything was discussed, from kids to hubbies and back again. Everything, that is, except the book we read for April! Only two of us had the chance to read it, so we will wait to discuss Midnight in Austenland at our May meeting!

Those in attendance were Alise Quayle, Anne Bodily, JoLyn Thompson, and myself. Thanks for a great night out, Ladies!!!

April Book

With Spring Break, the first of the month snuck up on me! Now it is ten days in, and I am only getting our book assignment out! For April we will indulge my anything-Jane-Austen-goes passion and read Shannon Hale's brand new novel Midnight in Austenland! I just finished reading it and had a lot of fun with it. My copy is available to circulate about!

Here is a synopsis:

"When Charlotte Kinder treats herself to a two-week vacation at Austenland, she happily leaves behind her ex-husband and his delightful new wife, her ever-grateful children, and all the rest of her real life in America. She dons a bonnet and stays at a country manor house that provides an immersive Austen experience, complete with gentleman actors who cater to the guests' Austen fantasies.

Everyone at Pembrook Park is playing a role, but increasingly, Charlotte isn't sure where roles end and reality begins. And as the parlor games turn a little bit menacing, she finds she needs more than a good corset to keep herself safe. Is the brooding Mr. Mallery as sinister as he seems? What is Miss Gardenside's mysterious ailment? Was that an actual dead body in the secret attic room? And-perhaps of the most lasting importance-could the stirrings in Charlotte's heart be a sign of real-life love?

The follow-up to reader favorite Austenland provides the same perfectly plotted pleasures, with a feisty new heroine, plenty of fresh and frightening twists, and the possibility of a romance that might just go beyond the proper bounds of Austen's world. How could it not turn out right in the end?"

March Book

Hey Ladies!

I hope you've had a chance to read February's book, Alan Bradley's The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie. Our next meeting to discuss it will be next Thursday, March 8th at 7:00 pm at Avocado's Mexican Restaurant. I've heard that it is excellent :) Please let me know if you plan on coming so we know how many seats to get! The address for Avocado's is 10822 Evergreen Wy.

The book we will be reading for March is Crossed, by Ally Condie. It is the second in her Matched trilogy. I think many of you have already read it :)

Here is a synopsis to get you excited:

In search of a future that may not exist and faced with the decision of who to share it with, Cassia journeys to the Outer Provinces in pursuit of Ky - taken by the Society to his certain death - only to find that he has escaped, leaving a series of clues in his wake.

Cassia's quest leads her to question much of what she holds dear, even as she finds glimmers of a different life across the border. But as Cassia nears resolve and certainty about her future with Ky, an invitation for rebellion, an unexpected betrayal, and a surprise visit from Xander - who may hold the key to the uprising and, still, to Cassia's heart - change the game once again. Nothing is as expected on the edge of Society, where crosses and double crosses make the path more twisted than ever.

February Book

For February we will be reading The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, by Alan Bradley. Here is a synopsis:

"In his wickedly brilliant first novel, Debut Dagger Award winner Alan Bradley introduces one of the most singular and engaging heroines in recent fiction: eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison. It is the summer of 1950—and a series of inexplicable events has struck Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia’s family calls home. A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. 'I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.'

"To Flavia the investigation is the stuff of science: full of possibilities, contradictions, and connections. Soon her father, a man raising his three daughters alone, is seized, accused of murder. And in a police cell, during a violent thunderstorm, Colonel de Luce tells his daughter an astounding story—of a schoolboy friendship turned ugly, of a priceless object that vanished in a bizarre and brazen act of thievery, of a Latin teacher who flung himself to his death from the school’s tower thirty years before. Now Flavia is armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together, to examine new suspects, and begin a search that will lead her all the way to the King of England himself. Of this much the girl is sure: her father is innocent of murder—but protecting her and her sisters from something even worse…."

Next Meeting

Many of you have winter birthdays and we thought it would be fun to celebrate them together! We will be meeting this Friday, February 3rd at 7:00 pm for a combined Book Club Meeting/Birthday Party at the Hot Iron Grill in Mill Creek. The address is: 15418 Main St, Mill Creek, WA 98012.

Please let me know if you plan on coming so we know what to plan for at the restaurant!!!