Anne Of Green Gables

Hello All!

I keep a personal blog in addition to being a contributor here... as I am assuming is the case with most of you... anyhow... Shayla, our dear book-club-leader, asked me to re-post on this blog one that I recently did on my personal blog. Since I-love-her-so I am doing it now. I have much more to say on this subject and hope that we can generate some good discussion. Anyone else read Anne? There is so much to discuss with her. Without further ado... my post:

(Originally Posted HERE on Nov 24, 2009)

I finished reading book #6 in the Anne of Green Gables tonight.

It's entitled Anne of Ingleside.

I must tell you that I am positively smitten with these wholesome and delightful books. I know I use the word "lovely," a lot. Perhaps I throw it out there a bit too frequently, but I assure you that if anything ever deserved the word... these books do.

They are so refreshingly joyful, clean, and lovely.

Anne of Ingleside is set when the young, dreamy, and wide eyed Anne has grown up. She's married and starts the novel with five children. She encompasses so much of what I want to be as a mother and I admit I am envious of the unsullied, simple and romantic world that she gets to raise her darlings in. I wish I could give my own darlings such an enchanting, safe and respectful world to grow up in.

Can I share a few quotes that touched me to tears?

"A sort of moonlit rapture was running through the trees in the Hollow. Anne could even laugh... with a quiver behind the laughter... over their panic of an hour ago and Aunt Mary Maria's absurd suggestions and goulish memories. Her child was safe... Gilbert was somewhere battling to save another child's life... Dear God, help him and help the mother... help all the mothers everywhere. We need so much help, with the little sensitive loving hearts and minds that look to us for guidance and love and understanding."

"..."I should have found out what was troubling her. But I've been too much taken up with other things this week... things that really mattered nothing compared to a child's unhappiness. Think of what the poor darling has suffered." She stooped repentantly, gloatingly over them. They were still hers... wholly hers, to mother and love and protect. They still came to her with every love and grief of their little hearts. For a few years longer they would be hers... and then? Anne shivered. Motherhood was very sweet... but very terrible. "I wonder what life holds for them," she whispered."

This week I encountered some opinions which put me out a bit. They were discussing that being a wife and mother and devoting your all to that isn't good enough. That in order to make a difference in the world... or feel fulfilled... or... I'm not really sure what... you need to be more and look outside just those two little words.

It left me feeling confused and dreary.

I think this book came to me at just the right time. I really believe that Heavenly Father inspired other writers beyond the voices in the scriptures.

Due to Anne and the Ingleside Clan, and a meaningful talk with my Whitney (a more sweet voice on the purpose, duties, and joys of being a wife and mother you will be hard pressed to find)... hashing out all the details that I had been pondering... I feel much better. So so much to say and to consider on that subject but I already went through it all with Whit... I don't feel like doing it here.

Today was so beautiful. My darlings really are just that: My darlings. (Thank you Anne-girl for that term. I am stealing it and claiming it as my own forthwith and henceforth.) Today I chose to let myself revel in the blessing it is to be their mommy and my glass was completely and utterly overflowing. How could I ever have let myself be so bothered? I know there is no place on earth I would rather be or that could make me happier or bring me more fulfillment than in my own home with Corey, Jack and Alaster. What a wonderful thought.

***I realize that I comment a very sensitive subject this evening. I know there are plenty of good women who are able to, and choose to do more... Please know that I am not trying to counter-demean them, or take away from their many accomplishments and contributions. Isn't it wonderful that Heavenly Father has such unique and wonderful plans for each of His children?***

A post from Dee

This post is in behalf of Deedee, who was having technical difficulties, about Three Cups of Tea:

I think every American should read this book. The villagers shame at 911 was so over powering it was all I could think about for days. The way the people treated him and got him out of country was astonishing. We are lead to believe by the media that all muslims are bad and want to kill us all. NOT SO just the crazy ones that believe Osama bin Laden.

The education part is extraordinary. I loved that they have had their first girl doctor trained. When you educate girls you educate a nation. Long before formal school it is what children learn from their mothers that matters. If their women believe the world is good the children will believe that too and they will not be brain washed into believing other wise. As a great warrior once said his young men were protected because their mothers believed and they did not doubt their mothers. The passion for reading by your mom really shapes how much you desire education. if you see your parents read you will want to read and that is the beginning of educational desire. GREAT BOOK. Loaned out my copy it is still wandering. Hope it comes home soon. I want my sisters to read it.

dee

Book Review

As a book club, we rated The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

5 out of 5

Our best rating yet! If you haven't read it yet, we highly encourage you!

Education, anyone??

I'll admit, I just barely started Three Cups of Tea today. I tried it before, but I don't know anything about mountain climbing. But today I pressed forward, and this quote from the book got me thinking a lot.

"Can you imagine a fourth-grade class in America, alone, without a teacher, sitting there quietly and working on their lessons? I felt like my heart was being torn out. There was a fierceness in their desire to learn, despite how mightily everything was stacked against them.... I knew I had to do something." (pg. 32)

So my question is, how can we encourage our children, our nieces, nephews, the community at large to value education in our fame, fashion, sports, money, etc. obsessed society. I am pretty sure that everyone who visits here values education, or you wouldn't be bettering yourselves by reading and discussion, but how do we encourage the next generation to value these same things?? How do we make learning fun? Interesting? Any ideas? (I know there are a lot of educators out there...)

Casting a Late Vote

So I finally got my copy of The Gurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (note to self: if I ever write a book... do NOT make the title more than three words... no matter how cute it sounds long) and I finished it in about 2 days. I came right to the blog to cast my vote (you know... the rate it on the sidebar that we do for all the books...) and was bummed to find the poll had been closed! I wanted to cast my 5!

What a wonderful book! There's so much I want to say about it but here are the highlights:

I want to move to an island.

I'm so glad I didn't live during WW2.

My favorite funny scene was when Isola stormed in on Juliet after reading Jane Austen and demanding "What else have you been keeping from me?!?"

There are so many loveable characters but I think my favorite was Elizabeth... followed closely by Isola and Dawsey... and Juliet.

Yay for books! Books really can change people!!! They can change the world!!!

Loved the letter/telegraph format. So romantic, so different, so cool.

Basically loved it all... the writing... the characters... the moral points... wonderful. So sweet and so entertaining.

It's probably too late to start a discussion for this book as it's almost time to start 3 cups of tea discussion... which by the by... I volunteer never to choose the book again... I like 3cups okay and I think the story is a fantastic one and very important but I seriously wish someone else had done the actual writing of the story... did anyone else have a hard time getting into it? I am almost done but I just can't seem to make myself finish! As it is my pick though I promise to do it.

In the mean time... if you didn't read The Gurnsey book: DO! It's stupendous! I vote this as our best pick thus far! Nice choice Miss Bott!

Bluestockings

First of all, I have to say that I loved the witty and charming letters in this book. Nobody writes like this anymore! Now you can take a picture with your cell phone, and email it to someone, but I love the description of the Island and everything else. What a lost art! I must admit that my emails got a little bit more flowery as I have been reading this book. The letters in this book reminded me about the first Mitford book, by Jan Karon, where Father Tim talks his mentor in the church handwriting letters even though he didn't really have the time to, because he was so impressed by the scripture that said that Paul wrote the letters "by his own hand".

I have a serious discussion to post about later, but I was amused at the reference to Bluestockings in both this book and in Wives and Daughters. (Bluestocking is a derogatory term for female intellectuals) In GLAPPPS (lol...great acronym), her fiance breaks up with her calling her a bluestocking because she freaks out when he tries to pack up her books and put them in the basement, and in W&D, Molly is distraught when Mrs. Gibson calls her a bluestocking for reading a Natural History book from Roger. So I'm just throwing this out there... are looks the most important thing for women still, or have we come a long way in allowing women to be intellectuals? Are things the same, or have they really changed?

All in all, loved loved loved this book and recommend it to anyone who enjoys witty and intelligent, tongue-in-cheek writing.

Wives and Daughters Review

Out of the voting members, we gave Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell

3.8 out of 5

December's Book

Hi All,

Due to Ashlee's request, here is December's book, chosen by the Ashter herself:

Three cups of tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Hope this extra week or so helps to get ahold of the book, and looking forward to discussion on Guernsey Literary and P.P.P. Society!

S

Request

Hello! So I am totally excited to read this months book... but I haven't got it yet! I had to put a request in at the library and I am still about 17 people away from getting it in my hands. I have a feeling that this could happen again... so my request today is that we could start choosing the books a little more in advance? What do you think? I don't want to be a bother, but I really want to start participating again :) -- ASHLEE

Review

The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands received the rating of

3.8 out of 5 from our book club members

Wives and Daughters

Hello? Are we all still out there?

It has been a long time, my friends, but we are getting to the end of October. For those of you who have finished Wives and Daughters, feel free to start discussing. If any of you haven't finished yet (like myself)... read on!

I found these questions online for Book Club discussions on Wives and Daughters and I thought they might spark some discussion. Feel free to comment on any of these that speak to you, or, as always, feel free to start your own discussion if these don't float your boat! Enjoy!

Discussion Questions

Wives and Daughters
by Elizabeth Gaskell (1866)

1. The women in Wives and Daughters lead daily lives that conform to 19th-century gender roles for women of their class: they manage the household, arrange flowers, do needlework, and take direction from their husbands, brothers, and fathers. Does the novel offer any critique of Victorian male authority? From a 21st-century perspective, was Elizabeth Gaskell a feminist?
   
   
2. Elizabeth Gaskell lived during a period when the traditional social and political structure of English society was changing. Does Wives and Daughters challenge traditional ideas of social class? List the characters in descending order by their social class. Then list the characters in descending order for quality of mind and/or strength of character. How closely do the two lists match up? What do you think Gaskell believed about how society should be ordered?
   
   
3. Friendship is a prominent theme in the novel. Select three sets of friends. What does each show about the nature of friendship? Which friendships are unexpected or surprising? Which friendships are strongest, and why?
   
   
4. Wives and Daughters has been praised for the three-dimensional quality of its characters, even those who are less appealing, such as Mrs. Kirkpatrick. How does Gaskell help us understand and sympathize with the novel's less likeable characters? How does she reveal the flaws of the more sympathetic characters, like Molly? Is there a character in her novel who is too good to be true? Too bad to be believable?
   
   
5. Anthony Howell, who plays Roger in the film, describes his character as "an unheroic hero." How does Roger differ from a typical hero? From the other men in the novel? From his brother Osborne? Why is it significant that Roger is a scientist and an explorer? What does this rising star at Cambridge need to learn from Molly?
   
   
6. The parent/child relationships in the Gibson household and at Hamley Hall are at the emotional center of the novel. What universal stories does the novel tell about parents and their children? Which relationships did you find most compelling or believable? What are the barriers that keep parents and their children from understanding each other more completely? Do similar barriers still arise today within families?
   
   
7. Wives and Daughters begins like many fairy tales: a single father with a daughter remarries, bringing a stepmother with children of her own into the household. How is Gaskell's story similar to and different from stepmother fairy tales you recall? Why do you think so many writers and storytellers have used the stepmother plot?
   
   
8. Gaskell died before she finished Wives and Daughters. The manuscript ends after Roger leaves again for Africa without telling Molly how he feels. Gaskell's notes indicate that she intended to write a love scene and a happy ending for Molly and Roger upon Roger's return. How did screenwriter Andrew Davies choose to script the final scenes? What do you think of his ending? Is the film's imagined ending consistent with the rest of the novel and the period in which it was written? How do you think Elizabeth Gaskell would react if she had a chance to see the end of the film?
   
   
9. Andrew Davies believes that Wives and Daughters will appeal to today's audiences because it is a story about second families -- common in the 19th-century because of high death rates, common today because of divorce and remarriage. Do you agree? What other themes, conflicts, or ideas in this 1866 novel have relevance for modern readers?
   
   

© WGBH Educational Foundation 2002

September's book

Wow... it's September 7th! Really? I don't know how the first of the month got away from me except I've been busy getting school going again. So I apologize that this was not done sooner!

3 of 4 people voted to read Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell for our next book (which will be September AND October's book so we can make it through the lengthiness (is that a word?)) I hope to have discussion at the end of September on what we've read so far just so we don't go so long without a good discussion (thanks for the idea, Katers!) Happy reading!!

It was a Thinker

I don't love Dr. Laura. She is not my favorite, nor do I worship her and take everything she says as scripture. However...

I really liked this book just because it made me think. It made me think differently about certain issues, about the trends in our society, and about the trends in my household. I liked that she is a traditionalist and that the book gave some secular back-up to what we learn in our religion. Women are the nurturers. End of story. Women are in charge of the household for the most part. And that includes cooking and cleaning and other wifely duties. Even if we do live in an age where women have to work outside the home. And I love that Julie Beck says that we, as LDS women, should do this better than anyone else on the earth because of what we know. But do we?

Having known most of you for awhile, I can safely say that you all are very good examples of this to me. In reading this book, I gave myself a long hard look to see whether I was doing what I was ought to. Yes, I was... but not very consistently. So consistency is the name of the game in our household anymore.

All the talk about the negative impact the feminist movement has had in our society, and how women have been made to believe that people are unisex, having no specific responsibilities or functions in society associated with gender really struck home for me. I see it so much around me, and, in fact, had stopped hanging around a group of women a few months previously because every time we met it turned into a husband bagging party. Since when did that become entertainment? How did we get this way as a society?

The way a husband and wife ought to interact with each other reminded me of something I read in The Shack by Wm. Paul Young. (Which, by the way, was a very good book in that it gets you to think about the godhead in a little bit different way, although it's not necessarily doctrinally founded. I would recommend it though) It is talking about how hierarchy is a human invention. The author (who is speaking to God in the book) challenges that and says, what about how The Father is first, and then next is The Son, and then next comes The Holy Ghost? The answer was that if each individual in the relationship submits their wills to the other person fully and completely, always caring more for the others than for themselves, this takes the hierarchy away and turns it into a cycle of selflessness. The author challenged how this could possibly work, and "God" says that it only works fully when all people in the relationship are really committed to it. Then no one feels like they have to "watch out for their own selves" because the other person is already doing that and that leaves them emotionally free to look out for their interests in return. I'm not explaining it very well, but I thought that related to marriage. It builds strong bonds of love to serve your husband so fully that he has time to serve you and others.

So this was quite lengthy, but the book just gave me a lot of food for thought. What did you guys think?

Follow Ups

I actually really enjoyed The Proper Care and Feeding of Husbands, but did it bug anyone else that she used so many examples of phone calls and letters of horrible ways wives treated their husbands, but then there was never any follow up to prove that the advice she gave worked for those people. The examples of the advice working always came from separate callers or letters. I guess I just like a little more resolution and the point of all the examples is not resolution (because my bet is that most of those awful examples did not make the marriage last), but to open our eyes and recognize some of the things wives can slip into doing that make for lass harmonious marriage. Sorry, I don't even know if this paragraph makes sense.

One chapter that struck home for me was about not letting yourself go and becoming a frumpy wife. I don't even have a kid as an excuse yet and I find myself never getting ready and putting cute clothes on or doing my hair and make-up anymore unless we are going to go out with someone else. And my husband should be the one I'm getting ready to impress..not other people. So does anyone have any tips on motivation for getting yourself out of a frump slump?

What do you think?

Hi all my lovely book-y friends,

We had a tie in the vote for September's book. So I am asking that you comment and give your input by September 1...not very much time!

Should we read The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis?

OR

Should we read Wives and Daughters by Elizabeth Gaskell?

Before you comment, here's some important info:

If we read Wives and Daughters, I propose we read it for September AND October because it is quite lengthy. So having said that, what do you want to read?

Twelfth Angel Review

The participating members of the review of Twelfth Angel by Og Mandino gave this book:

3.5 out of 5

Okay, people, I need your help...

As a mom, just when I had the infant stage "under control" (which may have been a myth in and of itself), I have been thrust full force into toddler-dom, where there's some disciplining that needs to go on in an appropriate way, etc. and I am finding myself in uncharted territory once again!

I have been reading a book called "Things to Do with Toddlers and Twos" by Karen Miller this morning and came across a passage that raised a question. This book is obviously more geared towards day care givers in a classroom type situation, but she says that one thing you should never do is to force a child to say they're sorry because it breeds insincerity. My immediate reaction is that the child needs to learn the context for "sorry" and the only way she can do that is just like with learning "please" or "thank you"...you have to show the child how to use the word appropriately so they know what it means. It also states very clearly that you should not use food, stickers, candy, star charts, etc. for rewards, but in my experience, it's a great tool to teach good behavior. Am I just out in left field?

So, Moms, Grandmas, Future Moms, and anyone who interacts with toddlers, what is your opinion?

I also would like to know everyone's favorite parenting books as well. I just got "Happiest Toddler on the Block", but I am open to any suggestions!

Who Is Your Twelfth Angel?

Do any of you have someone that sticks out in your mind as an example of courage, bravery, and a positive attitude in the face of adversity? Let me tell you about mine.

He was the bishop of our ward recently. Little less than a year ago, his wife gave birth to their fourth child, he found out that he had lymphoma, and was called as bishop all in a short space of time. He passed away just a couple of weeks ago. He was the best example of a positive attitude that I have ever seen. During the course of his illness, he would experience so much pain that it hurt to sit still, but he would come and sit through as much of our church meetings as he possibly could, with a smile on his face! His counselor told us of a Sunday when he had been so ill that he couldn't come to the morning meetings. The counselor sent word home with his son, who had been collecting tithing, not to worry about coming to church that day, that they had it covered. He jokingly said to tell him that if he came he would hit him. The bishop walked in just as the opening hymn started, took his seat on the stand, and whispered to his counselor, "I dare you to hit me in front of all these people." This is just one example of the humor and bravery he showed over the last several months. He was only released from his calling a few weeks before he passed away. He said that he knew that he was supposed to fulfill this calling and would do so as long as he was physically able to. He did so much for the people of our ward, and was always more worried about others than himself. He was so selfless with his time and energy, even during a time of such trial for himself and his family. He was also a great example of faith in doing what he knew our Heavenly Father wanted him to do. He never gave up, and he never lost faith that he would be taken care of.

I know that he is no longer in pain, and that he is where our Father in Heaven needs him to be. My heart breaks for his wife and children, but even they have been such good examples to us all. Their husband and father passed away on a Tuesday, and the oldest son was ready to do baptisms for the dead on Thursday with the youth in our ward. The whole family was at church that Sunday. At the viewing, rather than listen to others' condolences, his wife would tell each person who came through something nice that her husband had said about them, or some piece of advice she had learned through all of this.

I only new this man for the short time he was bishop, as we had only recently moved into the ward, but he has left a mark on my life that can never be forgotten. I have never before heard of someone who had touched so many lives, and accomplished so much in 38 short years. I hope you don't mind me sharing a scripture that gave me comfort at the time of his funeral. D&C 42:45-46 "Thou shalt live together in love, insomuch that thou shalt weep for the loss of them that die, and more especially for those that have not hope of a glorious resurrection. And it shall come to pass that those that die in me shall not taste of death, for it shall be sweet unto them;"

Not much to do with Anything...

... But, I've been actually thinking about reading Wives and Daughters lately so I think that would be fun, but any book is fine. 

Speaking of which, has anyone seen/read North and South? The book is by the same author of Wives and Daughters and if you loved Pride and Prejudice, you'll love this one. 

Actually, it's similar to Pride and Prejudice in the way that The Lightning Thief is similar to Harry Potter. They both have similar plots and characters, but they are both VERY good in different ways. The same is with North and South and Pride and Prejudice. 

The similarity doesn't bother me though, does it bother other people? 

I know this is random but it was just on my mind. 

The Twelfth Angel

I know it's not quite the end of the month, but I really liked this book. It's been a rough month for me, not in the same way as the main characters, but rough none the less. I appreciated Og Mandino's ideas on positive thinking. My question is this, what do you use to pick yourself up, or get through rough patches? And has anyone used this method of positive thinking and had good results?

The Great Divorce

I finished The Great Divorce last night by C.S. Lewis. AWE-SOME! It's a little intense, but a great review of the idea of Heaven and Hell by this masterful authors. I recommend it to anyone looking for a great book on this interesting topic!

Book Review: The Lightning Thief

This book was hard to get ahold of, so not many were actually able to read it, but out of 4 votes, the Lightning Thief had an average book club review of

3.5 out of 5

Hope you are enjoying The Twelfth Angel!

Book Club Review

Hi all,

According to our poll (thanks to those who voted!) this was the average response for the past two books. If you haven't voted for The Lightning Thief yet, take a sec...it's fun!

The 5 People You Meet in Heaven got a reader review of
3.3 out of 5

Little Britches got a reader review of
4.2 out of 5

What did you think?

My question this month is a simple one. What did you think of the Lightning Thief? What was your favorite part? Least favorite part? That's it! Easy Peasy

Book Recommendations?

Hi all!

I hope you have gotten a copy of The Lightning Thief and are enjoying it thus far. In the meantime, I was wondering what your favorite book is and why (I know it's hard to choose just one, so if you must put several, then you must :). Then we will all have a trusted resource for a good book recommendation...

As for me...

(and I know Ashlee agrees with me on this one) The Book Thief is by far my favorite book to date. Great writing style, very unique narrator (death), great relationships (her and her papa), gripping story, and although it has a weighty subject material, it still leaves you better than when you picked it up, and makes you feel good and realize what is important in life.

It also depends on what "favorite" category you are talking...

favorite light reading with a cute love story: anything Shannon Hale, especially Book of a Thousand Days

favorite classic: that's a toughy... maybe Tale of two cities, or Little Women

favorite self-help type book: Thinking Body, Dancing Mind

favorite children's book: The Ordinary Princess

favorite book growing up (that I read 100 times): Girl of the Limberlost

so.... a penny for your thoughts...

Adoration

I thought it was so refreshing to read a book where a child loves and absolutely adores his father. I have read so many lately of broken and dysfunctional relationships between parent and offspring that this was a breath of fresh air! I think it says so much about their relationship and his father as a parent when Ralph said, "I always loved him more after he chastised me." How many children honestly can say that?

Ralph's father reminded me so much of my Grandpa Brown (Amanda, my cousin, thought the exact same thing) in that he didn't say much, but when he did speak, you payed attention, and it was always just the right thing to say at that moment. It made me long for the good old days where hard work, and ingenuity and common sense were highly valued. It made me miss my Grandpa and helped me to see him for the true gem that he was. He never called attention to himself, so sometimes it's easy to overlook some of the wonderful things he did. But just like Ralph's dad, he just always went about attending to what needed to be attended to with a quiet dignity and leading by example.

I loved "watching" the ranch come together piece by piece as I read and I especially loved his father's teaching moments throughout the book. So my question is to you, what was your favorite teaching moment he had with his father? I think mine was when his father taught him that it didn't matter what a persons skin color was, but that the only thing to be worried about with other men is whether they were honest or dishonest. It seems so scarce to see such honesty in this day.

Is It Always Black or White?

First of all, I have to say I loved this months book! I think it totally captured the typical American boy. I can see my brother, my husband, and my own two little boys thinking and doing all of the things that Ralph did. This book made me laugh and it made me cry. I love a book that can do that.

Now for a question. My husband and I have the discussion about boys fighting all the time. I've always said that I think fighting is bad no matter what, and that I would always punish our kids for fighting. My husband takes the stance that if it is in self defense, or defense of another, he'd take them out for ice cream afterwards. Reading this book made me wonder if maybe I'm wrong. I felt awful for Ralph and wondered if I was his mother, if I would have been able to hold to the original warning of punishment. I guess that's why its good that kids have a mom and a dad to balance them out. What do you think?

A thought

I just loved this paragraph from the book, and I wanted to know everyone's thoughts on this:

"All parents damage their children. It cannot be helped. Youth, like pristine glass, absorbs the prints of its handlers. Some parents smudge, others crack, a few shatter childhoods completely into jagged little pieces, beyond repair." (pg. 104)

I loved this metaphor and it made me see things a little differently-from my parents perspective, and from my perspective as a parent. Will I smudge or crack? Will my kids forgive me for my inadequacies? What are your thoughts?

Hello?

Am I allowed to start posting now?

I figure it's almost the end of the month and we ought to get this party started!

I've never belonged to an actual book club before so I hope I am not totally showing my inexperience as I start the discussion. If I do it wrong please let me know.

Okay I would like to know: For you, what was the most meaningful and touching person that he met and also if there were any that fell flat for you that you thought their lesson could have been better...

On your marks.... get set.... discuss!

-Ashlee

Welcome, friends!!

Hello from Ashlee and Shayla and welcome to our online Book Club!

While we each have had an unofficial book club going on for some time, recommending and receiving recommendations from our good friends, we wanted to have something more official to bring us together more often to discuss what we all love...reading! We have friends all over the place, so while we would love to meet physically and catch up and discuss the books we've been reading, an online edition is more practical.

Please join us and invite your friends. We will read a book a month and post discussions and questions at the end of the month for each other. Leave a comment here if you would like to join us and I will send you an invitation. We will all be contributors to the blog, so you can post whatever you'd like along the way, and we'll all take turns selecting books.

For our first month, we will be reading The Five People you Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom. If you've already read it, stay tuned to help us discuss...

Happy reading!