Heather's Suggestions

Small Change: The Secret Life of Penny Burford
by J. Belinda Yandell
160 pages

A devoted housewife scoops up her husband’s loose change and eventually puts together a substantial bank account. The family learns of this account, and the many things she used it for, after her death. Why Penny did what she did becomes the story.









Early Bird
Rodney Rothman
256 pages

Everyone says they would like to retire early, but Rodney Rothman actually did it — forty years early. Burnt out, he decides at the age of twenty-eight to get an early start on his golden years. He travels to Boca Raton, Florida, where he moves in with an elderly piano teacher at Century Village, a retirement community that is home to thousands of senior citizens.

Early Bird is an irreverent, hilarious, and ultimately warmhearted account of Rodney's journey deep into the heart of retirement. Rodney struggles for acceptance from the senior citizens he shares a swimming pool with and battles with cranky octogenarians who want him off their turf. Before long he observes, "I don't think Tuesdays with Morrie would have been quite so uplifting if that guy had to spend more than one day a week with Morrie."



The House Keeper and the Professor
by Yoko Ogawa
192 pages

A brilliant mathematician, the Professor was seriously injured in a car accident and his short-term memory only lasts for 80 minutes. He can remember his theorems and favorite baseballs players, but the Housekeeper must reintroduce herself every morning, sometimes several times a day. The Housekeeper learns how to work with him through the memory lapses until they can come together on common ground.

Joanne's Suggestions

The Ugly American
by Eugene Burdick and Wm. J. Lederer

Synopsis: First published in 1958, The Ugly American became a runaway national bestseller for its slashing expos&eaccute; of American arrogance, incompetence, and corruption in Southeast Asia. Based on fact, the book's eye-opening stories and sketches drew a devastating picture of how the United States was losing the struggle with Communism in Asia. Combining gripping storytelling with an urgent call to action, the book prompted President Eisenhower to launch a study of our military aid program that led the way to much-needed reform.

From Joanne: I recently read this and was thoroughly engaged. I remembered this title back in the 60's when I was a teen and heard many references to it but being only interested in romance and art at the time, paid no attention. It is a series of stories of Americans in different governmental capacities who go to Southeast Asia to live and work for the government. Some of them are idiots and some are heros who really work for the people of those countries. It was a great read and now I can see why this book was being talked about and referenced and why it was so controversial. The heros of the book remind me of what our missionaries are expected to do.


North and South
by Elizabeth Gaskell

Synopsis: Mary Gaskell's North and South examines the nature of social authority and obedience and provides an insightful description of the role of middle class women in nineteenth century society. Through the story of Margaret Hale, a southerner who moves to the northern industrial town of Milton, Gaskell skillfully explores issues of class and gender, as Margaret's sympathy for the town mill workers conflicts with her growing attraction to the mill owner, John Thornton. This new and revised expanded edition sets the novel in the context of Victorian social and medical debate.

From Joanne: A young woman from the south of England moves to the north of England with her family. She must confront the prejudices she brings with her about the people and their lives. There is a romance but it does not overshadow the compelling contrast of north and south England in the mid 1800's. The is a BBC mini-series based on this book. I have not read this, got it on good recommendation from a friend.


Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold
by C.S. Lewis
324 pages

Synopsis: This tale of two princesses - one beautiful and one unattractive - and of the struggle between sacred and profane love is Lewis’s reworking of the myth of Cupid and Psyche and one of his most enduring works.

Collette's Suggestions

Blink
by Malcolm Gladwell
320 pages

In this best-seller, a staff writer for The New Yorker weighs the factors that determine good decision-making. Drawing on recent cognitive research, Gladwell concludes that those who quickly filter out extraneous information generally make better decisions than those who discount their first impressions. The author of The Tipping Point (2000) cites the implications for such areas as emergency situations and marketing, plus some notable exceptions.




The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible
by AJ Jacobs
416 pages

Put a fine writer to work on a great idea and you get a book that is timely, at times hilarious, moving, profound, irreverent, and respectful. This memoir of a secular individual's attempts to obey the Bible, literally, for an entire year -- from the Ten Commandments to somewhat less publicized rules, such as avoiding clothes made of mixed fibers, playing a ten-string harp, and stoning adulterers. The Year of Living Biblically demonstrates that relations between believers and skeptics can be friendly and constructive.

Amy's Suggestions

The Magic of Ordinary Days
by Ann Howard Creel
304 pages

Synopsis: Olivia Dunne, a studious minister's daughter who dreams of being an archaeologist, never thought that the drama of World War II would affect her quiet life in Denver. An exhilarating flirtation reshapes her life, though, and she finds herself banished to a rural Colorado outpost, married to a man she hardly knows. Overwhelmed by loneliness, Olivia tentatively tries to establish a new life, finding much-needed friendship and solace in two Japanese American sisters who are living at a nearby internment camp. When Olivia unwittingly becomes an accomplice to a crime and is faced with betrayal, she finally confronts her own desires. Beautifully written and filled with memorable characters, Creel's novel is a powerful exploration of the nature of trust and love.


Those Who Save Us
by Jenna Blum
496 pages

Synopsis: For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy's sole evidence of the past is an old photograph: a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer, the Obersturmfuhrer of Buchenwald.

Driven by the guilt of her heritage, Trudy, now a professor of German history, begins investigating the past and finally unearths the dramatic and heartbreaking truth of her mother's life.

Combining a passionate, doomed love story, a vivid evocation of life during the war, and a poignant mother/daughter drama, Those Who Save Us is a profound exploration of what we endure to survive and the legacy of shame.


The Heretic's Daughter
by Kathleen Kent
332 pages

Synopsis: Martha Carrier was one of the first women to be accused, tried and hanged as a witch in Salem, Massachusetts. Like her mother, young Sarah Carrier is bright and willful, openly challenging the small, brutal world in which they live. Often at odds with one another, mother and daughter are forced to stand together against the escalating hysteria of the trials and the superstitious tyranny that led to the torture and imprisonment of more than 200 people accused of witchcraft. This is the story of Martha's courageous defiance and ultimate death, as told by the daughter who survived.

Charlotte's Suggestions

Bel Canto
by Ann Patchett
352 pages

Synopsis: Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of Mr. Hosokawa, a powerful Japanese businessman. Roxanne Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening -- until a band of gun-wielding terrorists breaks in through the air-conditioning vents and takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different countries and continents become compatriots.

Without the demands of the world to shape their days, life on the inside becomes more beautiful than anything they had ever known before. At once riveting and impassioned, the narrative becomes a moving exploration of how people communicate when music is the only common language. Friendship, compassion, and the chance for great love lead the characters to forget the real danger that has been set in motion and cannot be stopped.


China Study : The Most Comprehensive Study of Nutrition Ever Conducted and the Startling Implications for Diet, Weight Loss, and Long-Term Health
by T. Colin Campbell
417 pages

Synopsis: Referred to as the "Grand Prix of epidemiology" by The New York Times, this study examines more than 350 variables of health and nutrition with surveys from 6,500 adults in more than 2,500 counties across China and Taiwan, and conclusively demonstrates the link between nutrition and heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. While revealing that proper nutrition can have a dramatic effect on reducing and reversing these ailments as well as curbing obesity, this text calls into question the practices of many of the current dietary programs, such as the Atkins diet, that are widely popular in the West. The politics of nutrition and the impact of special interest groups in the creation and dissemination of public information are also discussed.


Unaccustomed Earth
by Jhumpa Lahiri
352 pages

Synopsis: The eight stories in this collection revolve less around the dislocation Lahiri's earlier Bengali characters encountered in America and more around the assimilation experienced by their children—children who, while conscious of and self-conscious about their parents' old-world habits, vigorously reject them in favor of American lifestyles and partners. Lahiri, who was raised and educated in the United States and whose parents are Bengali, is adept at showing us these cultural and generational conflicts. The stories she generates from these clashes appear true to life, and while a few lack nuance and at times feel familiar, they are never predictable. Lahiri is far too accomplished and empathic a writer to relax her gaze; she excels at uncovering character and choosing detail.

Jeana's Suggestions

A Tale of Two Cities
by Charles Dickens
409 pages

Sydney Carton, a bright young man who has seemingly wasted his life, acts behind the scenes to effect a higher justice within the maelstrom of power struggles and spy intrigues between France and England, and persecutions by the government and the governed in France. He loves a young French woman named Lucie Manette, who marries his good friend Charles Darnay, a teacher of languages with a secret aristocratic background. Set against the fiery backdrop of the French Revolution, _A Tale_ seems quite different from Dickens's other famous novels, but has little to do with politics -- it is, in fact, antipolitical. It's more a story of personal loyalty, friendship, and communion, even in turbulent times. -David Loftus, Resident Scholar from AllReaders.com


Whistling in the Dark
by Lesley Kagen
336 pages

Synopsis: Sally O'Malley made a promise to her daddy before he died. She swore she'd look after her sister, Troo. Keep her safe. But like her Granny always said-actions speak louder than words. Now, during the summer of 1959, the girls' mother is hospitalized, their stepfather has abandoned them for a six pack, and their big sister, Nell, is too busy making out with her boyfriend to notice that Sally and Troo are on the Loose. And so is a murderer and molester.

Highly imaginative Sally is pretty sure of two things. Who the killer is. And that she's next on his list. Now she has no choice but to protect herself and Troo as best she can, relying on her own courage and the kindness of her neighbors.

Review: The loss of innocence can be as dramatic as the loss of a parent or the discovery that what's perceived to be truth can actually be a big fat lie, as shown in Kagen's compassionate debut, a coming-of-age thriller set in Milwaukee during the summer of 1959... Kagen sharply depicts the vulnerability of children of any era. Sally, "a girl who wouldn't break a promise even if her life depended on it," makes an enchanting protagonist. —Publishers Weekly


The Help
by Kathryn Stockett
464 pages

Synopsis: Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women:

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town...

Publishers Weekly Starred review: What perfect timing for this optimistic, uplifting debut novel set during the nascent civil rights movement in Jackson, Miss., where black women were trusted to raise white children but not to polish the household silver. Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan is just home from college in 1962, and, anxious to become a writer, is advised to hone her chops by writing "about what disturbs you." The budding social activist begins to collect the stories of the black women on whom the country club sets relies--and mistrusts--enlisting the help of Aibileen, a maid who's raised 17 children, and Aibileen's best friend Minny, who's found herself unemployed more than a few times after mouthing off to her white employers. The book Skeeter puts together based on their stories is scathing and shocking, bringing pride and hope to the black community, while giving Skeeter the courage to break down her personal boundaries and pursue her dreams. Assured and layered, full of heart and history, this one has bestseller written all over it.

Rosalie's Suggestions

Left to Tell: Discovering God Amidst the Rwandan Holocaust
by Immaculee Ilibagiza
219 pages

Synopsis: Immaculee Ilibagiza grew up in a country she loved, surrounded by a family she cherished. But in 1994 her idyllic world was ripped apart as Rwanda descended into a bloody genocide. Immaculee’s family was brutally murdered during a killing spree that lasted three months and claimed the lives of nearly a million Rwandans. Incredibly, Immaculee survived the slaughter. For 91 days, she and seven other women huddled silently together in the cramped bathroom of a local pastor while hundreds of machete-wielding killers hunted for them. It was during those endless hours of unspeakable terror that Immaculee discovered the power of prayer, eventually shedding her fear of death and forging a profound and lasting relationship with God. She emerged from her bathroom hideout having discovered the meaning of truly unconditional love—a love so strong she was able seek out and forgive her family’s killers. The triumphant story of this remarkable young woman’s journey through the darkness of genocide will inspire anyne whose life has been touched by fear, suffering, and loss. This is Immaculee’s first book.


Half Broke Horses: A True-Life Novel
by Jeannette Walls
288 pages

Synopsis: Jeannette Walls's memoir The Glass Castle was "nothing short of spectacular" (Entertainment Weekly). Now, in Half Broke Horses, she brings us the story of her grandmother, told in a first-person voice that is authentic, irresistible, and triumphant.

"Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did." So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, Jeannette Walls's no nonsense, resourceful, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town -- riding five hundred miles on her pony, alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car ("I loved cars even more than I loved horses. They didn't need to be fed if they weren't working, and they didn't leave big piles of manure all over the place") and fly a plane. And, with her husband Jim, she ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette's memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle.

Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds -- against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn't fit the mold. Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true-life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit. Half Broke Horses is Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa or Beryl Markham's West with the Night. Destined to become a classic, it will transfix audiences everywhere.



Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
by Alan Bradley
384 pages

Synopsis: In his wickedly brilliant first novel, Debut Dagger Award winner Alan Bradley introduces one of the most singular and engaging heroines in recent fiction: eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce, an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison. It is the summer of 1950—and a series of inexplicable events has struck Buckshaw, the decaying English mansion that Flavia’s family calls home. A dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. “I wish I could say I was afraid, but I wasn’t. Quite the contrary. This was by far the most interesting thing that had ever happened to me in my entire life.”

To Flavia the investigation is the stuff of science: full of possibilities, contradictions, and connections. Soon her father, a man raising his three daughters alone, is seized, accused of murder. And in a police cell, during a violent thunderstorm, Colonel de Luce tells his daughter an astounding story—of a schoolboy friendship turned ugly, of a priceless object that vanished in a bizarre and brazen act of thievery, of a Latin teacher who flung himself to his death from the school’s tower thirty years before. Now Flavia is armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together, to examine new suspects, and begin a search that will lead her all the way to the King of England himself. Of this much the girl is sure: her father is innocent of murder—but protecting her and her sistersfrom something even worse….

An enthralling mystery, a piercing depiction of class and society, The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is a masterfully told tale of deceptions—and a rich literary delight.

Guernsey and Us

from page 51:

Once two members had read the same book, they could argue, which was our great delight. We read books, talked books, argued over books, and became dearer and dearer to one another. Other Islanders asked to join us, and our evenings together became bright, lively times--we could almost forget, now and then, the darkness outside. We still meet every fortnight.

I couldn't help but see the similarities. When I stop to think that 12 years ago you were all strangers to me, I'm really grateful that Jeana invited me to join.

Three Cups of Tea/If you missed this...

See my blog to get info on when and where to see and listening

to Greg Mortenson's BYU forum talk.

It was very intersting. http://leftyfifty.blogspot.com

Greg Mortensen

Here is info for tommorrow's BYU forum

Three Men In a Boat

Just curious about how bookgroup went last week. How did the discussion go? Did everyone enjoy the book? Anyone could answer these questions, because enquiring minds just have to know!
I hate it when I can't come!!
Our schedule at the MTC has changed a little so we will have to be involved there every other Thursday night or if we get new missionaries once in a while we could be there every Thursday night... It makes me very sad about my bookgroup attendance. Such is life I guess..
Hope everyone is doing well!
Love
kim

An Announcement

See here.

I've Lost It!

It's so funny that I'm the one who posted the initial FYI for the movie and then promptly forgot about the whole thing.

Awesome.

I think I'm definitely on track for several years of senility. Sigh.

Movie time

No one has posted the time for the movie and I had forgotten that I have to defend my thesis on Monday at 3:00, so it looks like I will not be going with you tomorrow. Sorry! If you reschedule for some reason, let me know!

I am plodding through Edgar. There are a lot of details I scratch my head over like why do we need to know who built the house? Will this be important later on?

Thanks Tiffianie; thanks Heather

Thanks, Tiffanie, for getting me signed on so I can actually make comments on the blog! I may yet make it into the 21st century.

Heather--loved your home, especially the walk-in pantry. (Next time I'll tale the tour to the library.)

I'm halfway through Edgar Sawtelle. It's a long read.

Rosalie

Movie Time

For those who can join us...

We are going to try and make it to "My Sister's Keeper" at Jordan Commons (in Sandy) on Monday June 29th. We don't have movie times yet, but we'll shoot for a matinee around noon.

Carpooling to Heather's house

Last year when we carpooled to Heather's we met at the Park and Ride lot at the 1600 North freeway entrance in Orem (near Home Depot). Should we just plan on meeting there again on Thursday? If we leave at 6:20 we should get to Heather's at about 7:00.

If you want to carpool, just leave a comment so we don't leave anyone behind. I'm liking the book and looking forward to treats at Heather's house. See everyone in a couple days.

June Book Group

Wherever we decide to go, let's set up a carpool. There's a possibility I won't be able to come--my daughter is having surgery on Tuesday.

Thanks to you all for being such a great group. I always enjoy spending time with you.

Charlotte

Laughter

For those of you who made it to Charlotte's house for book group...I have two things to say:

1. Pirates

2. Tomato Paste

Thanks for the laughs, ladies. We really do have the best book group EVER! (Oh...and the book was great, too.)

What a Woman!

I have to say that I am enjoying the book, Infidel.
Ayaan is so smart...I want to hear her speak and shake her hand!