Christmas Books

Does anyone have any suggestions for a good Christmas book for adults? Each year I read a Christmas book and am running out of ideas. I'd love some title suggestions :>!

Congratulations Shanna!!!!!

Yea ! We are all so excited for you!

For Review in December: "The Glass Castle" by Jeannette Walls

In The Glass Castle, Walls chronicles her upbringing at the hands of eccentric, nomadic parents--Rose Mary, her frustrated-artist mother, and Rex, her brilliant, alcoholic father. To call the elder Walls's child-rearing style laissez faire would be putting it mildly. As Rose Mary and Rex, motivated by whims and paranoia, uprooted their kids time and again, the youngsters (Walls, her brother and two sisters) were left largely to their own devices. But while Rex and Rose Mary firmly believed children learned best from their own mistakes, they themselves never seemed to do so, repeating the same disastrous patterns that eventually landed them on the streets. Walls describes in fascinating detail what it was to be a child in this family, from the embarrassing (wearing shoes held together with safety pins; using markers to color her skin in an effort to camouflage holes in her pants) to the horrific (being told, after a creepy uncle pleasured himself in close proximity, that sexual assault is a crime of perception; and being pimped by her father at a bar). Though Walls has well earned the right to complain, at no point does she play the victim. In fact, Walls' removed, nonjudgmental stance is initially startling, since many of the circumstances she describes could be categorized as abusive (and unquestioningly neglectful). But on the contrary, Walls respects her parents' knack for making hardships feel like adventures, and her love for them--despite their overwhelming self-absorption--resonates from cover to cover.

We will review this book at the Christmas party held at Mindy’s house on Friday, Dec. 17 at 7:00 PM.  We will review the book until 8 PM and the exchange white elephant gifts and party after 8PM. We will do the chocolate fountain again this year. Please check below for your food assignment. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

The Christmas party is scheduled for Friday, December 17th. We will start at 7:00 PM and review The Glass Castle. Around 8:00-8:30 we will switch to party mode. We will exchange white elephant gifts and do the chocolate fountain. Please bring a white elephant gift (don’t spend a lot of money, these are suppose to be silly) and your following food assignment. Be reminded that the list is just a suggestion. You can really bring whatever you want. Please RSVP on the blog so I can know how people to plan for. Also, jammies are encouraged.

· Mindy: chocolate and fountain

· Missy: potato chips

· Linda: cinnamon bears

· Shanna: marshmallows

· Krista: pound cake cubes

· Johanna: banana or apples slices

· Caron: pretzels

· Ann: nutter butter cookies or something with peanut butter

· Leah: pineapple chunks

· Amy: Oreos

· Angie: strawberries or brownie bites

· Becca: Gummy orange slices

 

RETREAT, RETREAT!!

Book Club retreat will be held on November 12-13.  Please be reminded that retreat attendance requires that you have attended book club regularly over the past 6 months.  We will meet at Mindy’s at 4:00 PM. Please give me a call if you are willing to drive. As always, thank you so much Johanna for hosting us at your great cabin!

Ladies, please bring the following items:

· All personal items you need for an overnighter.

· $ for food and craft: I am asking $10 for food. The craft will be wooden stand-alone letters that say “READ”. These letters will be one-of-a-kind. They are being made especially for our club. Does that make you feel exclusive and special? It better! They will cost $15 each to make. If this is more than you want to spend, please let me know ASAP. As of now I have ordered one for everyone. I have black and barn red paint. If you want me to get you a specific color contact me ASAP and I will do it for you.

· A book for the book exchange

· A treat to share

· Movies or games

Caron will be bringing her mom’s beads so if you want to make things out of them bring some extra money for that.

Please call Mindy if you have any questions. I will assume the following if I DO NOT hear from you: That you are coming to retreat, that you want a letter set, and that you are okay with one of the two colors that I chose.

Please be aware that we have to pick up our craft on the way out of town and he is expecting us there no later than 5 PM. It is very important that we leave Smithfield no later than 4:30, preferably earlier. If this is a problem let me know.

I can’t wait to hang out with all of you!

November's Book Club Pick

The Weight of Silence

by Heather Gudenkauf 

It happens quietly one August morning. As dawn's shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing in the night.Seven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by tragedy that pulled her deep into silence as a toddler.
Calli's mother, Antonia, tried to be the best mother she could within the confines of marriage to a mostly absent, often angry husband. Now, though she denies that her husband could be involved in the possible abductions, she fears her decision to stay in her marriage has cost her more than her daughter's voice.
Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli has been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Desperate to find his child, Martin Gregory is forced to confront a side of himself he did not know existed beneath his intellectual, professorial demeanor.
Now these families are tied by the question of what happened to their children. And the answer is trapped in the silence of unspoken family secrets.

We will review this book at book club retreat held on November 12-13. Details about retreat will be in this month's newsletter. Please be reminded that retreat attendance requires that you have attended book club regularly over the past 6 months. Please contact Mindy if you have any questions.