Love Walked In by Marissa De Los Santos is our May book selection. Book club will be held Monday, May 12 at 6:45 at Susan's.
Sunday, April 20, 2008
May book selection
Love Walked In by Marissa De Los Santos is our May book selection. Book club will be held Monday, May 12 at 6:45 at Susan's.
Friday, April 18, 2008
Thanks for all of the great suggestions for books this month! We've never had so many people offer selections. As per requested at our last meeting, here are some "lighter" books to choose from since the last few we read were a little heavier. I will keep the remaining suggestions to use in the next couple of months. Please vote on your selection. This will be a short poll so that everyone will have a chance to get the book and have it read by May 12. (The poll says it ends on the 25th...sorry! Please vote by tomorrow!)
Kate Hollis, now a grown woman, has waited for years for the love of her life, Jake Sharpe, now a rock-and-roll legend, to return home, so she can finally tell him off. Jake has had hit after hit, singing about his former relationship with Kate, something she can't escape or get over. Ashley West is energetic in this fast-paced, funny coming-of-age story of first love, true friendship, and the pain of growing up. West captures each of the characters as they grow from giggling teenager to 30-something adult. She seamlessly moves the story back and forth in time as the present is revealed through the lessons of the past.
Arlene Fleet, the refreshingly imperfect heroine of Jackson's frank, appealing debut, launches her story with a list of the title's deities: "high school quarterbacks, trucks, big tits, and also Jesus." The first god, also a date rapist by the name of Jim Beverly, she left dead in her hometown of Possett, Ala., but the last she embraces wholeheartedly when high school graduation allows her to flee the South, the murder and her slutty reputation for a new life in Chicago. Upon leaving home, Arlene makes a bargain with God, promising to forgo sex, lies and a return home if he keeps Jim's body hidden. After nine years in Chicago as a truth-telling celibate, an unexpected visitor from home (in search of Jim Beverly) leads her to believe that God is slipping on his end of the deal. As Arlene heads for the Deep South with her African-American boyfriend, Burr, in tow, her secrets unfold in unsurprising but satisfying flashbacks. Jackson brings levity to familiar themes with a spirited take on the clichés of redneck Southern living: the Wal-Mart culture, the subtle and overt racism and the indignant religion. The novel concludes with a final, dramatic disclosure, though the payoff isn't the plot twist but rather Jackson's genuine affection for the people and places of Dixie.
Cornelia is a single thirtysomething who lives her life like a series of movie moments. She's a manager of a cafe because she hasn't figured out anything better to do. Her ideal man is Cary Grant. And just when she thinks he'll never show up, he does, in the form of Martin Grace. What she doesn't know is that Martin, with his cool charm and debonair demeanor, has a daughter, Clare. And she never would have known that except that Martin, in a state of panic, shows up with the girl at the cafe after her mother had a breakdown and left Clare to fend for herself. Estranged from his daughter for years, Martin doesn't know what to do with her. Both women's stories are told in alternating chapters, Cornelia's in first person, Clare's in third. Overall, it is a sweet story about knowing what you love and why.
June Parker's life is meandering along until a freak car accident leaves Marissa, her 24-year-old passenger, dead and June wracked with guilt. June discovers a list Marissa had been keeping of 25 things she wanted to do by the time she turned 25. After a run-in with Marissa's brother, June resolves to complete the list. Kissing a total stranger and throwing away her scale prove far easier than pitching an idea at work or changing someone's life. But June approaches the list with aplomb, daring to speak up about being passed over for a manager position, and becoming a Big Sister to a quiet, studious Latina teen named DeeDee. But when June uncovers a secret of DeeDee's, she realizes changing someone else's life might involve changing her own as well.
Kate Hollis, now a grown woman, has waited for years for the love of her life, Jake Sharpe, now a rock-and-roll legend, to return home, so she can finally tell him off. Jake has had hit after hit, singing about his former relationship with Kate, something she can't escape or get over. Ashley West is energetic in this fast-paced, funny coming-of-age story of first love, true friendship, and the pain of growing up. West captures each of the characters as they grow from giggling teenager to 30-something adult. She seamlessly moves the story back and forth in time as the present is revealed through the lessons of the past.
Arlene Fleet, the refreshingly imperfect heroine of Jackson's frank, appealing debut, launches her story with a list of the title's deities: "high school quarterbacks, trucks, big tits, and also Jesus." The first god, also a date rapist by the name of Jim Beverly, she left dead in her hometown of Possett, Ala., but the last she embraces wholeheartedly when high school graduation allows her to flee the South, the murder and her slutty reputation for a new life in Chicago. Upon leaving home, Arlene makes a bargain with God, promising to forgo sex, lies and a return home if he keeps Jim's body hidden. After nine years in Chicago as a truth-telling celibate, an unexpected visitor from home (in search of Jim Beverly) leads her to believe that God is slipping on his end of the deal. As Arlene heads for the Deep South with her African-American boyfriend, Burr, in tow, her secrets unfold in unsurprising but satisfying flashbacks. Jackson brings levity to familiar themes with a spirited take on the clichés of redneck Southern living: the Wal-Mart culture, the subtle and overt racism and the indignant religion. The novel concludes with a final, dramatic disclosure, though the payoff isn't the plot twist but rather Jackson's genuine affection for the people and places of Dixie.
Cornelia is a single thirtysomething who lives her life like a series of movie moments. She's a manager of a cafe because she hasn't figured out anything better to do. Her ideal man is Cary Grant. And just when she thinks he'll never show up, he does, in the form of Martin Grace. What she doesn't know is that Martin, with his cool charm and debonair demeanor, has a daughter, Clare. And she never would have known that except that Martin, in a state of panic, shows up with the girl at the cafe after her mother had a breakdown and left Clare to fend for herself. Estranged from his daughter for years, Martin doesn't know what to do with her. Both women's stories are told in alternating chapters, Cornelia's in first person, Clare's in third. Overall, it is a sweet story about knowing what you love and why.
June Parker's life is meandering along until a freak car accident leaves Marissa, her 24-year-old passenger, dead and June wracked with guilt. June discovers a list Marissa had been keeping of 25 things she wanted to do by the time she turned 25. After a run-in with Marissa's brother, June resolves to complete the list. Kissing a total stranger and throwing away her scale prove far easier than pitching an idea at work or changing someone's life. But June approaches the list with aplomb, daring to speak up about being passed over for a manager position, and becoming a Big Sister to a quiet, studious Latina teen named DeeDee. But when June uncovers a secret of DeeDee's, she realizes changing someone else's life might involve changing her own as well. Tuesday, April 15, 2008
Follow up
Great meeting last night! The food was great and so was the discussion! We need to do several things:
1. We need to update our roster for the coming year. Please reply in the comments if you would like to continue meeting with the book club. Dues are $5 a month.
2. There was some discussion on what day to meet. With a group this size, NO day is good for everyone! May's meeting will continue on the 2nd Monday of the month but be thinking about summer and fall and we will discuss a day change at the May meeting.
3. If you would like to submit a book for our May selection, please leave it in the comment section or email it to Andrea BY THURSDAY. The poll will be open for voting Friday and Saturday.
4. If you would like to host book club at your house in May or July let Andrea know.
1. We need to update our roster for the coming year. Please reply in the comments if you would like to continue meeting with the book club. Dues are $5 a month.
2. There was some discussion on what day to meet. With a group this size, NO day is good for everyone! May's meeting will continue on the 2nd Monday of the month but be thinking about summer and fall and we will discuss a day change at the May meeting.
3. If you would like to submit a book for our May selection, please leave it in the comment section or email it to Andrea BY THURSDAY. The poll will be open for voting Friday and Saturday.
4. If you would like to host book club at your house in May or July let Andrea know.
Because you wanted to know...
Lydian money
This coin was minted around 600 BC in Lydia, Asia Minor (current-day Turkey), a country in close proximity to both the civilizations of Mesopotamia, from which ideas about money and much else originated, and the Greek colonies in Asia Minor, through which ideas about coinage and much else spread.
Monday, April 14, 2008
April Quiz
Money, Money, Money, MONEY!
1. John Jacob Astor, owner of New York's Astoria hotel, perished in what famous disaster?
Sinking of the Titanic
Chicago fire
San Francisco earthquake
Hindenburg crash
2. John D. Rockefeller accumulated the bulk of his fortune as owner of what company?
Gulf Refining
Standard Oil
British Petroleum
Shell Oil
3. The Breakers, a 70-room palazzo built by the Vanderbilt family, is located in what state?
South Carolina
California
Rhode Island
Hawaii
4. In 1967, Carnegie Tech (founded by industrialist Andrew Carnegie) merged with a research institute founded by what former Secretary of the Treasury?
Lyman Gage
Carter Glass
Ogden Mills
Andrew Mellon
5. In The Great Gatsby, which character is described as “old money,” “hulking,” “aggressive,” “confrontational,” and “racist”?
Jordan baker
Nick Carraway
Jay Gatsby
Tom Buchanan
6. Which person has never had their portrait on US currency?
George Washington
Ben Franklin
Ulysses S. Grant
Andrew Johnson
7. What denomination was Woodrow Wilson's portrait on, that is no longer produced?
$500
$1,000
$10,000
$100,000
8. The number of denominations of US currency currently circulating is:
11
10
7
5
9. Whose signature appears on US currency?
The Vice-President’s
the Secretary of Treasury’s
Abraham Lincoln’s
Speaker of the House
10. What does the date on US currency mean?
a new president is elected
tribute to a historical event
symbolizes the change in design of the bill
a new secretary of treasury has been appointed
11. What is the highest denomination U.S. banknote ever issued?
$500
$1000
$10,000
$100,000
12. What is the lowest denomination U.S. paper money ever used?
3 cents
5 cents
25 cents
50 cents
13. How many women have ever appeared on U.S. paper money?
none
one
three
five
14. Who makes the final decision on who will appear on U.S. bills?
The President
The Secretary of State
Congress
The Secretary of the Treasury
15. The Lincoln Memorial appears on the back of which bill?
$20
$5
$1
$10
16. Whose head is facing right on U.S. coins?
Abraham Lincoln
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Franklin D. Roosevelt
17. True or False? U.S. Coins are magnetic.
18. What is the largest bill in circulation today?
$100
$1,000
$10,000
$500
19. What does "E. Pluribus Unum" mean?
United We Stand
Show Me the Money
Out of many,One
In God We Trust
20. What is the life span of a $1 bill?
12 years
22 years
22 months
2 years
21. How many ridges does a quarter have on its circumference?
22. How many ridges does a dime have on its circumference?
23. Fort Knox is located in which state?
Pennsylvania
Washington D.C.
Kentucky
Maryland
24. Whose head appears on both sides of one coin?
Jefferson
Lincoln
Kennedy
Franklin D. Roosevelt
25. Who was the first group to use coins?
Lydians
Romans
Greeks
Chinese
26. Who made the first plates for the Continental Currency?
George Washington
Paul Revere
Betsy Ross
Sammy Sosa
27. When did Congress pass the Mint Act?
July 4, 1776
October 31, 1789
February 17, 1812
April 2, 1792
28. Where were the first U.S. coins produced?
Philadelphia
San Francisco
Denver
Seattle
29. What were Greenbacks?
Green Bay Packer fans
the people who print paper money
The executives at the Treasury Department
the nickname for the first U.S. paper money
1. John Jacob Astor, owner of New York's Astoria hotel, perished in what famous disaster?
Sinking of the Titanic
Chicago fire
San Francisco earthquake
Hindenburg crash
2. John D. Rockefeller accumulated the bulk of his fortune as owner of what company?
Gulf Refining
Standard Oil
British Petroleum
Shell Oil
3. The Breakers, a 70-room palazzo built by the Vanderbilt family, is located in what state?
South Carolina
California
Rhode Island
Hawaii
4. In 1967, Carnegie Tech (founded by industrialist Andrew Carnegie) merged with a research institute founded by what former Secretary of the Treasury?
Lyman Gage
Carter Glass
Ogden Mills
Andrew Mellon
5. In The Great Gatsby, which character is described as “old money,” “hulking,” “aggressive,” “confrontational,” and “racist”?
Jordan baker
Nick Carraway
Jay Gatsby
Tom Buchanan
6. Which person has never had their portrait on US currency?
George Washington
Ben Franklin
Ulysses S. Grant
Andrew Johnson
7. What denomination was Woodrow Wilson's portrait on, that is no longer produced?
$500
$1,000
$10,000
$100,000
8. The number of denominations of US currency currently circulating is:
11
10
7
5
9. Whose signature appears on US currency?
The Vice-President’s
the Secretary of Treasury’s
Abraham Lincoln’s
Speaker of the House
10. What does the date on US currency mean?
a new president is elected
tribute to a historical event
symbolizes the change in design of the bill
a new secretary of treasury has been appointed
11. What is the highest denomination U.S. banknote ever issued?
$500
$1000
$10,000
$100,000
12. What is the lowest denomination U.S. paper money ever used?
3 cents
5 cents
25 cents
50 cents
13. How many women have ever appeared on U.S. paper money?
none
one
three
five
14. Who makes the final decision on who will appear on U.S. bills?
The President
The Secretary of State
Congress
The Secretary of the Treasury
15. The Lincoln Memorial appears on the back of which bill?
$20
$5
$1
$10
16. Whose head is facing right on U.S. coins?
Abraham Lincoln
George Washington
Thomas Jefferson
Franklin D. Roosevelt
17. True or False? U.S. Coins are magnetic.
18. What is the largest bill in circulation today?
$100
$1,000
$10,000
$500
19. What does "E. Pluribus Unum" mean?
United We Stand
Show Me the Money
Out of many,One
In God We Trust
20. What is the life span of a $1 bill?
12 years
22 years
22 months
2 years
21. How many ridges does a quarter have on its circumference?
22. How many ridges does a dime have on its circumference?
23. Fort Knox is located in which state?
Pennsylvania
Washington D.C.
Kentucky
Maryland
24. Whose head appears on both sides of one coin?
Jefferson
Lincoln
Kennedy
Franklin D. Roosevelt
25. Who was the first group to use coins?
Lydians
Romans
Greeks
Chinese
26. Who made the first plates for the Continental Currency?
George Washington
Paul Revere
Betsy Ross
Sammy Sosa
27. When did Congress pass the Mint Act?
July 4, 1776
October 31, 1789
February 17, 1812
April 2, 1792
28. Where were the first U.S. coins produced?
Philadelphia
San Francisco
Denver
Seattle
29. What were Greenbacks?
Green Bay Packer fans
the people who print paper money
The executives at the Treasury Department
the nickname for the first U.S. paper money
Sunday, April 13, 2008
April Meeting
We will be meeting at Bone Fish Grill in Buford at 6:45 for our next book club outing. Please leave a comment that you will be attending by noon on Monday so that I can make a reservation. We will be discussing Summer People by Brian Groh. See you there!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
