Recommended Reads

Following is a list of books we talked about at retreat a couple of months ago. These books were recommended reads from different members:

• The Invention of Hugo Cabret by Brian Selznik
• Juliet by Anne Fortier
• A CHange of Heart by Jodi Piccoult
• Birth Marked by Caragh O'Brien
• Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
• Mrs. Perfect by Jane Porter
• Unbroken by Lauren Hillenbrand
• Shabanu by Suzanne Staples
• Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers
• Goodnight Mr. Tom by Michelle Margorian
• Watcher by Dean Koonz
• A Wrinkle in Time by  Madeleine L'engle
• A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony
• Ida B by Katherine Hannigan
• Growing Up Black and White by Kevin Hoffman

Book recommendations and other stuff

Hey ladies! I can't wait to see you all at book club on Thursday! Hooray! I lost track of who got a newsletter in the mail and I know that not everyone got one. So if you see fellow members while you are out and about this week, give them a reminder that book club will be at Angie's house at 6:30. I also have the movie of Follow the River. We will watch it at my house around 8:00-8:30. I have YW volleyball so I won't be at the actual meeting (little sob) but I will call Angie when I get home so you can all come crash my house. I will be wearing jammies for sure, so you should too if you want to. Now on to book recommendations:

I picked up these book last week and have not been able to put them down since. The Hunger Games and it's sequel Catching Fire are by Suzanne Collins. The basic plot line is as follows. The US as we know it has fallen. The people are divided into 12 Districts and are governed by the iron hand of the Capitol. Every year each District is made to offer up 1 male and 1 female child to compete in The Hunger Games, a fight to the death tournament. Last man standing wins. The whole nation is required to watch these children kill each other off as a reminder of the power of the Capitol. Katniss is 16 when her 12-year-old sister's name is called. Katniss volunteers to go in her place. Thus begins the Hunger Games.
These books are absolutely fantastic. There is a little of everything in these books: Action, romance, theories on morality. That being said there is also violence, and there are some very disturbing scenes. I have to admit I have had some of the craziest dreams ever over the last week. I would highly recommend these books! I would have done them for book club except the books are very interdependent on each other, thus making it a bad match for our club. If you want to borrow them let me know. Both will be available by Thursday, but you have to read them in order!


Now, concerning watch faces: I will be placing a order on Friday after book club. If you want to order a face let me know by then. If you need help or have questions, we can go through the website pages at my house on Thursday night.
One more thing: I found a very cool blog: The Well-Read Child It is a blog dedicated to reviewing children's (infant-young adult) books. Very cool! Check it out. I will also add it to our side bar. I am excited to see you all this week!

the color purple

Has anyone read this book? I just did the other day, and ... well... it was... interesting. I'm pretty sure I loved it, but I hated lots of it. It's really well written and cleverly so {each chapter is a letter... sort of. The first page starts out, "Dear God"}. It is beautiful, sad, hopeful and true. The best word for the book {that I could come up with} is RAW. Its honest, this-is-life kind of telling speaks a kind of truth, touches you, but also makes you really sad and sometimes nauseated {ie. the incestual rape scene on page one}. Yeah. I don't know if I can recommend it... or at least don't know if I can recommend it to YOU. But I loved it... I think.