Back to school and back to the classics

We are looking for someone to host our next book club meeting, which will be Thursday Sept. 8th at 8pm. Leave a comment or shoot me an email if you're interested.

Thanks to everyone who came to our August meeting to discuss The Hunger Games. It was really fun to hear everyone's experiences reading the book(s). Thanks so much to Jenny Abril for stepping in and hosting us in her home. We had a really great time. Thanks everyone!

If you have not yet heard, our September book is The Scarlet Pimpernel by Emmuska Orczy. If you've already read it, you know what a delightful, fast read it is. If you've seen the 1982 film with Anthony Andrews, Jane Seymour and Ian McKellan, you know it's a great story and the good news is that the book is even better. If you haven't read it, you are in for a treat. And if you haven't seen the film either, which is hilarious, then I am really jealous of you. Andrews' portrayal of Sir Percival Blakeney is fantastic. Odd's fish!

New location for our August meeting!

We'll be meeting at Jenny Abril's this Thursday instead of Sande's. Check your email for her address or contact me if you need it. Thanks!

"Hungering" for a good book? Ha ha.

Our August meeting will be held at Sande Pullen's home on Thursday the 11th at 8pm. We will be discussing, "The Hunger Games" by Suzanne Collins (dun dun dun). Thanks so much to Sande for being willing to have us over. If you happen to have an extra copy, feel free to post a comment or respond to the email for anyone who's still looking for a copy.

Thanks also (very late--sorry!) to Amy Reidhead for hosting us last month to discuss "Goose Girl." We had a really great discussion and a fun evening together, not to mention some delicious chocolate cake! Yum. Feel free to come if you haven't been before--we have a different group every month due to people's schedules and the book we're reading. We always want more members. So see you at our next meeting! :)

July in Tucson--A great time to vacation, take a break, and read a book...indoors!

Thanks to everyone who came to our June meeting last week. We had a great turnout (elevenish, I think) and some really fun conversation. It was interesting to hear everyone's take on the book as well as their insights and relevant experiences. (I had no idea any of us would have actually been to Botswana--thanks for bringing your album, Linda!) Thanks so much to Kindra for having us at her home and for the delicious treats. We loved it!

So onto our next book--a young adult book, not too long, titled, The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale. Here's a description of it, courtesy of Amazon:

Grade 6-9-A magical retelling of the Grimms's fairy tale of the princess who became a goose girl before she could become queen. Anidori-Kiladra Talianna Isilee, Crown Princess of Kildenree, is born with the ability to speak to animals, a gift that is nurtured by her aunt. When the king dies, the queen announces that Ani's younger brother, not the crown princess, will succeed her on the throne. Unbeknownst to anyone, the queen has promised Ani in marriage to the prince of neighboring Bayern. The devastated teen is sent with a retinue over the mountains to Bayem and is betrayed by Selia, her lady-in-waiting, and most of her guards during the journey. Ani escapes, takes the name "Isi," disguises her distinctive blonde hair, and becomes a tender of geese to survive until she can reveal her true identity and reclaim her crown from the imposter, Selia. Ani meets and falls in love with Geric, who is, conveniently, the prince she is to marry. She is able to convince him and the king of her identity, marry, become queen, and stop a war between the kingdoms. This retelling retains many similarities to the original tale, including the gruesome punishment for treason. Hale's retelling is a wonderfully rich one, full of eloquent description and lovely imagery, and with a complex plot, a large cast of characters, and a strong female protagonist. Fans of high fantasy will be delighted with this novel, the first in a planned trilogy, and impatiently await those to follow.

And just a reminder in August we'll be discussing the Hunger Games. At least the first one, maybe all three (is that right--there are three?). That should prove a fun night as well.

Happy summer reading!

June meeting reminder

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

By Alexander McCall Smith

Thu, 9 Jun

8:00 pm

Kindra Fairhurst's home

Can't wait to see you there!

Thanks to Mandy Taggart for hosting us last month and for leading the discussion. It was a really good time and we had a great turnout. And the brownies were delicious and, as far as we know, nothing like the chocolate pie in the book! :)

The book for June (one of the top ones voted for in our poll) is The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. This is a great, enjoyable, quick read that seems to have good availability at local libraries and I'm sure is inexpensive online. The book is actually the first in a whole long series, so if you've already read it perhaps you could read one of the others to discuss as well.

There was a request to consider changing meeting nights to Thursdays. No one at the meeting had any conflicts that we could think of. If Thursdays would not work for you, please let me know. We may change to them, or if they are a problem for some people as well, we may alternate months.

So for now, book club will be either the 2nd Wednesday or 2nd Thursday or June (the 8th or 9th I believe). Also, the book for July, if you want to get a head start, is Goose Girl by Shannon Hale, and August is Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

Meeting this week!

After much effort expended by all of us to get our hands on copies of The Help, we are finally ready to meet and discuss it. I loved the book and am looking forward to hearing what all of you have to say about it.

The details of the meeting have changed a bit. We are now meeting at Mandy Taggart's house, and we will be meeting at 8:00 instead of 7:30 (just this month due to a conflict many people had). So here's the plan:

Wednesday, May 11th

8 pm

Mandy Taggart's house

(address and code are listed in the email you should have gotten--please call or email Emily or Mandy if you don't have those)

And just for fun, Linda Goodman showed me the trailer for the movie they are making of The Help, due to come out in August. It looks like it's going to be as enjoyable as the book.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WbuKgzgeUIU

See you Wednesday night!