Three cups of Tea discussion

Honestly.... I'm not done yet!

So if you don't mind, I'd like to postpone our discussion until May 14. And then if there is anyone else who is a little behind, we can all have more time.

In the mean time, let's also start on our May book. I'm so excited to read it! Once again, not in my library so I have to do some hunting, but it sounds good enough to motivate me.

Where are you in "Three Cups of Tea?" I'm about 1oo pages into it. The main guy just returned to the USA to raise money for the bridge.

sleepy slurp

April's book: Three Cups of Tea

The book for April is Three cups of Tea, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I've had several friends read this book and come back with raving reviews. It is a true story about an American establishing schools to fight the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Review on Amazon:
From Publishers Weekly
"Some failures lead to phenomenal successes, and this American nurse's unsuccessful attempt to climb K2, the world's second tallest mountain, is one of them. Dangerously ill when he finished his climb in 1993, Mortenson was sheltered for seven weeks by the small Pakistani village of Korphe; in return, he promised to build the impoverished town's first school, a project that grew into the Central Asia Institute, which has since constructed more than 50 schools across rural Pakistan and Afghanistan. Coauthor Relin recounts Mortenson's efforts in fascinating detail, presenting compelling portraits of the village elders, con artists, philanthropists, mujahideen, Taliban officials, ambitious school girls and upright Muslims Mortenson met along the way. As the book moves into the post-9/11 world, Mortenson and Relin argue that the United States must fight Islamic extremism in the region through collaborative efforts to alleviate poverty and improve access to education, especially for girls. Captivating and suspenseful, with engrossing accounts of both hostilities and unlikely friendships, this book will win many readers' hearts."

Stay tuned for our book discussion at the end of the month. Happy Reading!

Current Book Schedule:
May
"The Guernsey Literary and Potatoe Peel Society," by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
(h0sted by Lisa)

June
the Sunflower by Richard Paul Evens
(hosted by Jessie)

July
"(___Telling us next week____)"
(Hosted by Michelle)

August
Need a volunteer

September
Need a volunteer

Bizzzness

It's time for some bizzzness, ladies. For some reason, this picture seemed appropriate... Don't ask.

Christy discussion
Before we move on, please don't forget to post about Christy. I'm still waiting for my copy to come in at the library! SO LAME! I had this problem last month, too. Because I can see this becoming a regular problem for me and my little library branch, I'd like to request that we build a six month schedule.

6 month schedule
To build our schedule, please post what month you would like and what book you will choose. I know it is hard to choose books in advance, but it would be helpful for those of us who need to order from Amazon or have a huge lead time for their pokey little library.

You are welcome to speak up for months beyond our 6 month range and choose a book when we get closer.

New Members
Lisa gave me a list of her friends and their emails to add to our blog. If you would like to do the same thing, feel free to email me. We love new members! If you are a new member, we want to know who you are.
Please leave a comment telling us: a. your name, b. whereabouts your from, c. how you found us, d. what you are currently reading and e. what type of books you enjoy.

New Poll
There is a new poll question for you in the right hand corner.

extra challenge!

Hey, not that there is a lot of extra time in a day, but I thought it would be fun to compare two books by the same author with a similar storyline. Robin McKinley has written two books following the storyline of Beauty and the Beast. Beauty is one of my all time favorite books and the second, I just found this week at the library. Rose Daughter, I thought was a sequel to Beauty, but it's not. It's another version and I thought it would be a fun challenge to read both versions and see what your thoughts were on the two. It's not an official book group book, just a side challenge for anyone interested.

questions for Chisty

OK Ladies, I'm due anyday and bored so here's to boredom.

I loved this book. I'm a huge fan of the pioneer lifestyle anyway and love the reality that this book gives to that. I love that Christy feels like she is going back in time and through the experience opens her eyes to see not only the reality, but the beauty. I love the growth and personal development.

1. Which character did you find yourself drawn to?

2. Which character transformation did you enjoy most?

3. What theme struck you most?

4. Ask any question or comment as you wish!

5. Did you agree with the twist in the end?

I'll put my comments in the comment spot so I don't ruin the story for anyone eles?

A book club post for your kiddies

My cousin's wife has this adorable blog - Sarah Jane, Illustrating Childhood - where she shares her art and lots of fun ideas for kids. Her latest post featured a web site where you can actually download old record books. Do you remember listening to book on record as a child? I loved following along to my Disney story books. Sleeping Beauty and Snow White were always my favorite.

I love that someone has taken the time to make so many children stories available online. The site is called Kiddie Records

Check it out! I know it is one I will bookmark.

Oo La la!

Everyone thank Lisa for our chic new look. I love it! Thanks so much for taking the time.

I'm still working on getting Christy from the library, but I hope the rest of you are enjoying reading it now.

Does anyone have any friends they would like to join the book club? Just email me their email address and I can send an invite. If you don't have my email, just leave a comment.

Thanks again, Lisa!

Discussion on the Book of Lost Things

I hope you all enjoyed the book. I sure did, even though i really have to admit that it freaked me out a lot of the time.

For those of you who may not have had a chance to read it, it is a dark fantasy about David, a boy living in England during WWII, who crosses over into another world while following the voice of his dead mother. He finds himself in a world where fantasy and fairy tales are real, but that are dark and twisted versions of the tales he heard as a child. And although he meets a few people to assist him on his way, most of the characters are dark and creepy.

I found that the book was very well written. As I read it, I kept thinking, "This is what Greggory Maguire's books should be like." I loved watching the internal and external struggles David had throughout the book, even though at times you wished you could close your eyes. In fact, the only reason I didn't completely love the book, was because it was so creepy, it gave me nightmares and I had to stop reading it before bed. It really was a great read though.

My questions are as follows:

1. What was your first impression of David? How did your impressions of him change throughout the book?

At first David made me a little nervous. He was so stricken with fear that his mother would die, that he had become obsessive trying to do things to keep her alive - even though all the things he did were actually superstitious and would not actually help her. After his father married Rose, David made me annoyed, as he had become a very selfish version of himself. It actually wasn't until the point in the story where he followed Roland into the fortress, that I began to like him as a character. I think the realization that his mother was really gone, helped him grow and heal.

2. Did you have any idea how dangerous or powerful the Crooked Man was?

I have to admit, the Crooked Man was the reason I had nightmares while reading this book. Something about the way Connolly wrote him really terrified me, even though for the most part of the book, he was lurking in the shadows. Part of that might have to do with the fact that he was the only one from their world who could cross over into ours. However, even with that, it wasn't until the end that I realised just how evil he really was.

3. Connolly did a fantastic job of weaving in different fairy tales into the story, however distorted he made them. Which was your favorite example?

I would have to say that the section about the 7 dwarfs and Snow White was my favorite, mostly because the dwarfs were the only lighthearted part of the book. They were so clever and funny, it was a nice break from the rest of the book.

**I would love to know a few of your questions if you want to add them when you answer mine. I hope you all enjoyed it :). And I am excited to read next month's book Jessie - I have never read Christy before.

March Book!

Just to get you thinking about it. Our March Book is Christy by Catherine Marshall. I am excited to read this one. I read it ages ago and loved it. It's a good growth book!