Hanna's Daughters~

I thought a little tidbit about the author might be interesting as we begin our journey through Hannah's Daughters. I'm excited to read this one. The last book was wonderful and it looks like the next one is going to be great as well!

Marianne Fredriksson, née Persson (March 28, 1927, Gothenburg – February 11, 2007, Österskär) was a Swedish author who worked and lived in Roslagen and Stockholm. Before becoming a novelist, she was a journalist on various Swedish newspapers and magazines, including Svenska Dagbladet.

Fredriksson published fifteen novels, most of which have been translated into English, German, Dutch and other languages. Most of her earlier books are based on biblical stories. A central theme in her writings is friendship because, as she maintained, "friendship will be more important than love" in the future.

"A Curse Dark as Gold" Discussion

I hope you all loved this book as much as I do.  It was my second time reading it, and I loved it just as much, and maybe even a little more.  Here were some of my thoughts as I read:

1.  I was drawn into the book within the first page.  Did any of you feel the same way, and why?

2.  Charlotte feels responsible for her entire village. Do you think this feeling is justified? Why or why not?

3.  What did you think of Uncle Wheeler?  Did you have any clue, until the end, that he was also involved with Jack Spinner?

4.  I liked Randall Woodstone from the moment he first appeared in the story.  How did he contrast to Charlotte's uncle?  What did you think of his engagement gift to her (the plate that said "Great Courage Breaks Ill Luck")?

5.  I found it interesting how the mill seemed to try and communicate with Charlotte, like when it showed its disapproval of Jack Spinner.  What did you think about this?

6.  When she finds herself in desperate straits, Charlotte makes some extraordinary choices about who she can trust to ask for help. Do you think she made the right decisions, or could she have turned elsewhere for assistance? What would you have done?

I hope you enjoyed it!!
 
And just in case you didn't know, February's book will be "Hanna's Daughters," by Marianne Fredrickson.

random thought for january

If you could invite two characters and two authors to dinner, who would you invite?

Reminder and a question . . .

Hi all,

Just a quick reminder about our January book, A Curse Dark as Gold.  (All the info is in a post below)  It is fantastic, and so I hope you all get a chance to read it.  I just started rereading it, and I remember why I loved it so much the first time.  I think I will plan the discussion for the 29th of January, but I may post it earlier so that everything will be fresh in my head when I do it.  So if it comes up on here early, no worries :).

Also, I think we assigned the next few months, but I have already forgotten who has picked what months and what books they have picked.  I was thinking about getting library requests in, and so I was wondering if we could post a list of what will be coming the next few months.

That said, I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and New Year's.  In my blog I wrote down all the books I finished in 2009, and if you want to read it, go here.  I would love to know what all of you read too, that is, if you feel like sharing.  Have a great January and happy reading!

Lisa

December Challenge!

OK ladies and gents. I know that December is super busy, but a friend just stopped by this week to read me the original version of The Gift of the Magi by O Henry. It's short and I promise tears, but totally worth it! What a beautiful story told in such wonderful language. I'm so grateful for the joy a friend shared with me. May your Christmas be filled with wonderful memories and smiles.

January Book: A Curse Dark as Gold

Our book for January is A Curse Dark as Gold, by Elizabeth Bunce.  I have read it before and loved it!!  I hope you all will as well.  And hopefully, since you have extra time, you will be able to get it from your library, although it is one I would like to buy and add to my personal library.  I hope you all have a Merry Christmas, and happy reading :).

PS. Are any of you on Goodreads.com?  If so, I would love to add you as a friend there so that I can see what you are reading when it isn't a book club book.  Let me know, and I will add you.

Mrs. Mike Discussion Questions

Hey everyone!!! I hope everyone had an awesome Thanksgiving weekend and you were able to enjoy all the turkey and pumpkin pie you wanted. I know I did. A little too much.

Anyway, it's time for the discussion of Mrs. Mike by Benedict & Nancy Freeman. I looked online to see if there were any reading guides for this book, and struck out. Nothing. So, I grabbed some generic questions and I'm hoping you can just adapt the questions to the book as best as you are able. (I'm lousy thinking up questions myself.) Anyway, I'm going to post the questions now, and come back with my own answers later on tonight. Two of my four kids have been sick today, so I'll come back after they are in bed to answer.

• What was unique about the setting of the book and how did it enhance or take away from the story?
  
• What specific themes did the author emphasize throughout the novel? What do you think he or she is trying to get across to the reader?
• Do the characters seem real and believable? Can you relate to their predicaments? To what extent do they remind you of yourself or someone you know?
• How do characters change or evolve throughout the course of the story? What events trigger such changes?
• Did certain parts of the book make you uncomfortable? If so, why did you feel that way? Did this lead to a new understanding or awareness of some aspect of your life you might not have thought about before? 
• What was your favorite part of the story? Least favorite?
  

Okay, there you go everyone. Sorry I am so late in posting this, and I will be back with my answers later tonight. I am excited to see what you all thought of this book!

Any takers?

I'm just getting organized for the next few months and giving us all a headstart on books, especially for those whose library systems aren't very fast. So do I have any takers for January, February and March? Thanks for those who have been participating. It's so fun to have so many comments!

A Turkey Day Poem for Your Thanksgiving Day

Oh I'm glad I'm not a turkey, a turkey, a turkey.
Oh I'm glad I'm not a turkey on Thanksgiving Day.
They stuff you and bake you and then they all taste you.
Oh I'm glad I'm not a turkey on Thanksgiving Day!
(from my daughter's kindergarten poetry folder!)

Happy Thanksgiving! Don't forget our discussion for Mrs. Mike!

Okay, the book for this month is Mrs. Mike, by Benedict & Nancy Freedman. Thanks all for helping me choose... I'm excited to see what you think of this book.

For the book discussion at the end, I will probably post questions on the 30th of November unless there is a reason not to... I just know the weekend before is Thanksgiving weekend, and the days preceding that are going to busy for most of us, so let me know how Monday, the 30th sounds for you. If there are no objections then we'll just keep it to that day.