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."
Monday, July 2, 2012
Monday, June 4, 2012
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."
"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."
Monday, May 21, 2012
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!
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!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
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!!!
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!!!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
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?"
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?"
Sunday, March 4, 2012
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.
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.
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