December Meeting

Our next book club meeting will be Thursday, December 9 at 6:45 at Mirko Pasta at Hamilton Mill.  Please bring an ornament (under $10) to exchange.  Please RSVP in the comments no later than Monday, December 6 so that I can make a reservation.

November Book Club

Our next book club meeting is Thursday, November 18 at 6:45 at Lynne's house.  We will be discussing Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner.

Please bring your book and an appetizer to share.  We will be planning our December meeting, so be thinking about a restaurant you would like to visit!

Please RSVP in the comments.

See you Thursday!

November Book Pick

For November, we will be reading Fly Away Home by Jennifer Weiner.  Our next meeting will be Thursday, November 18 at 6:45.  (Please note the date change!)

If you would like to hostess, please let me know.

November Book Picks

The Chisellers by  by Brendan O'Carroll

By turns funny, wise and heartbreaking, this Irish Tales of the City is O'Carroll's second book in his Mrs. Browne trilogy; the first, The Mammy, received high praise after publication in the U.S. last year. Featuring eccentric characters who are charming, irreverent and believable, the story continues in 1973 with Agnes Browne at center stage. A widow raising six sons and a daughter, whom she refers to collectively as the "chisellers," she lives in public housing in inner-city Dublin. Agnes is no angel, which makes her all the more human; she chain-smokes, likes a pint or two of an evening and has a sweet-dispositioned boyfriend, a French immigrant named Pierre, who works at a pizza joint and is endlessly patient with Agnes and her rambunctious brood. Mark Browne is the oldest; at 17, he is apprenticed to a furniture-maker whose business is failing. How Mark saves the business and wins the girl of his dreams inform the main storyline, but each of the siblings and Agnes get their fair share of attention. Frankie, the next in age, is involved with violent local skinheads. After he and his gang brutally beat his younger brother, Rory, a subsequent act further tarnishes Frankie's reputation and outrages his family. This lively novel features a wedding, a funeral and an ending that will melt the hardest heart. 

In the Woods by Tana French

*Starred Review* Rob Ryan and his partner, Cassie Maddox, land the first big murder case of their police careers: a 12-year-old girl has been murdered in the woods adjacent to a Dublin suburb. Twenty years before, two children disappeared in the same woods, and Ryan was found clinging to a tree trunk, his sneakers filled with blood, unable to tell police anything about what happened to his friends. Ryan, although scarred by his experience, employs all his skills in the search for the killer and in hopes that the investigation will also reveal what happened to his childhood friends. In the Woods is a superior novel about cops, murder, memory, relationships, and modern Ireland. The characters of Ryan and Maddox, as well as a handful of others, are vividly developed in this intelligent and beautifully written first novel, and author French relentlessly builds the psychological pressure on Ryan as the investigation lurches onward under the glare of the tabloid media. Equally striking is the picture of contemporary Ireland, booming economically and fixated on the shabbiest aspects of American popular culture. An outstanding debut and a series to watch for procedural fans. 

The Lace Makers of Glenmora by Heather Barbieri

Barbieri (Snow in July) sets her latest in a small Irish town, Glenmara, where a heartbroken American tourist, Kate Robinson, finds her one-night stay extended with the help of some motherly role models. Kate's hostess, chronically grieving widow Bernie, draws the young Seattleite into a gossipy ring of lace makers. Kate, a former fashion designer, takes to them perfectly (one of several head-scratching coincidences), inspiring them to take on an empowering but controversial project. Although the focus is always on the positive, the narrative's strongest when exploring the less charming sides of Glenmara; rich sources of missed potential include the local priest, nicknamed Father Dominic Burn-in-Hell Byrne, and Bernie's irritable best friend Aileen, the only lace society member to regard Kate with anything but syrupy goodwill. The result is a sweet novel with few surprises. Even Kate's pivotal, inspirational idea—embellishing the ladies' undergarments with lace—suffers from murky logic (as do reactions from characters like Father Byrne). Still, Barbieri's world generates convincing warmth and emotion, making it worth a look for Friday Night Knitting Club fans between sequels. 

Bound South by Susan Rebecca White

Louise Parker is a classic southern belle. Well-dressed and well-mannered, she can’t help but be frustrated by her daughter. Wild Caroline goes to a strict Christian prep school where she cheats in math class and can only focus on becoming an actress, until she has to leave after she’s discovered in flagrante delicto with her drama teacher. In the meantime Louise is distracted by Missy, the daughter of her housekeeper, a born-again evangelical who assists her mother in between trying to convert Louise’s gay son. Despite the consequences of Caroline’s behavior, Louise finds herself wishing she could be as careless and wondering how her life would have turned out had she chosen a different path. Even with their differences, Louise’s thoughts eventually lead her to believe that Caroline may be more of a southern dame and Louise more of a rebel than either of them thought. An elaborate, generation-spanning southern tale of family life in the vein of Rebecca Wells. --Hilary Hatton

Fly Away Home byJennifer Weiner

Sylvie Serfer Woodruff is stunned when her husband, Senator Richard Woodruff, is exposed by the press for having an affair with a staffer. Though Sylvie is humiliated, she agrees to stand by Richard’s side during his mea culpa press conference. As soon as it’s over, she heads to a house in Connecticut owned by her family, not sure whether she wants to end her marriage or not. The Woodruffs’ two daughters are at similar crossroads in their lives. Diana, a physician with a young son, is carrying on an affair with a younger man after growing weary of her marriage, while her younger sister, Lizzie, a recovering addict, is trying to rebuild her life after a stint in rehab. Realizing she has always put Richard first before her children, Sylvie makes a bid to have her daughters join her out at the Connecticut house and is surprised to find their lives as tumultuous as hers has become. Weiner’s trademark blend of wit and sensitivity distinguishes this timely tale about a family in crisis. --Kristine Huntley

October Meeting

Book Club will meet Thursday, October 14 at Michele M's house at 7:00.  (Please note the time change!)

We will be discussing The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright.  Please bring your book and an appetizer to share.  See you Thursday!

October Book Pick

Just a reminder that we are reading The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright for our October book selection.  Our next meeting is October 14.

September Meeting

September book club will meet Thursday, September 9 at 6:45 at Tonya's house.  Please bring your book and an appetizer to share.  We will be discussing The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.

September and October Book Selection

In September, we will read The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton.

Our October book will be The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright.

Shanghai

1. What is the literal meaning of “Shanghai?”

On top of the sea

City by the sea

Flower of the sea

At sea

2. T___F___ As of 2005, Shanghai’s port was the smallest in the world.

3. What are the majority of buildings being built today?
office buildings

factories

customer service centers

high-rise apartments

4. What astronomical phenomena was visible from Shanghai in July 2009?

a comet

a total solar eclipse

a total lunar eclipse

a supernova star

5. Shanghai has the world’s most extensive:

train system

bus system

freeway system

bridge system

6. Shanghai is the largest city in:

China

Asia

The world

none of the above

7. What kind of uniquely Shangainese element is the shikumen?

Boat

temple

Townhouse

market

8. How many times has the Shanghai Museum moved since it opened in 1952?

Once

twice

Three times

never

9. As of 2006, what is the largest Christian church building in East Asia?

St. Ignatius Cathedral

The Orthodox Eastern Church

She San Cathedral

Dongjiadu Cathedral

10. T___ F___ Shanghai is the birthplace of Chinese cinema and theater.

11. For the first half of the 20^th century, Shanghai was considered the:

center of trade and finance of China

the center of culture of China

the economic center of China

none of the above

12. Today, Shanghai is often considered the center of China’s:

finance and trade

culture

economy

all of the above

September Book Picks

Here are some suggestions for our September Book Pick. If you have any books you would like to add, please email them to me.

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton

Cassandra is lost, alone and grieving. Her much loved grandmother, Nell, has just died and Cassandra, her life already shaken by a tragic accident ten years ago, feels like she has lost everything dear to her. But an unexpected and mysterious bequest from Nell turns Cassandra's life upside down and ends up challenging everything she thought she knew about herself and her family. Inheriting a book of dark and intriguing fairytales written by Eliza Makepeace - the Victorian authoress who disappeared mysteriously in the early twentieth century - Cassandra takes her courage in both hands to follow in the footsteps of Nell on a quest to find out the truth about their history, their family and their past; little knowing that in the process, she will also discover a new life for herself.

Nose Down Eyes Up by Merrill Markoe

Gil is a bit of a schlub. Nearing 50, he lives rent-free as a handyman in an elderly couple’s Los Angeles vacation home. His girlfriend, Sara, works as an animal communicator. Consequently, he can now understand all four of his dogs and is surprised to discover that the alpha dog, Jimmy, has been giving informative lectures to the neighborhood dogs about such topics as begging faces, edible shoes, and peeing inside versus outside. A chance meeting with Gil’s ex leads to his accepting a job remodeling her guesthouse, and Jimmy begs to be brought along. Soon Gil finds himself moving uncomfortably closer to his ex and further away from Jimmy, and it’s only when things get rough that Gil and Jimmy begin to reconsider the meaning of family.

The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie's grandmother's abandoned home near Salem, she can't refuse. As she is drawn deeper into the mysteries of the family house, Connie discovers an ancient key within a seventeenth-century Bible. The key contains a yellowing fragment of parchment with a name written upon it: Deliverance Dane. This discovery launches Connie on a quest--to find out who this woman was and to unearth a rare artifact of singular power: a physick book, its pages a secret repository for lost knowledge.

As the pieces of Deliverance's harrowing story begin to fall into place, Connie is haunted by visions of the long-ago witch trials, and she begins to fear that she is more tied to Salem's dark past then she could have ever imagined.

Written with astonishing conviction and grace, The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane travels seamlessly between the witch trials of the 1690s and a modern woman's story of mystery, intrigue, and revelation.

The Wednesday Letters by Jason Wright

Their story begins with one letter on their wedding night, a letter from the groom, promising to write his bride every week-for as long they both shall live. Thirty-nine years later, Jack and Laurel Cooper die in each other's arms. And when their grown children return to the family B&B to arrange the funeral, they discover thousands of letters. The letters they read tell of surprising joys and sorrows. They also hint at a shocking family secret-and ultimately force the children to confront a life-changing moment of truth . . .

The Weight of Silence by Heather Gudenkauf

It happens quietly one August morning. As dawn's shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families awaken to find their little girls have gone missing in the night. Seven-year-old Calli Clark is sweet, gentle, a dreamer who suffers from selective mutism brought on by tragedy that pulled her deep into silence as a toddler. Calli's mother, Antonia, tried to be the best mother she could within the confines of marriage to a mostly absent, often angry husband. Now, though she denies that her husband could be involved in the possible abductions, she fears her decision to stay in her marriage has cost her more than her daughter's voice. Petra Gregory is Calli's best friend, her soul mate and her voice. But neither Petra nor Calli has been heard from since their disappearance was discovered. Desperate to find his child, Martin Gregory is forced to confront a side of himself he did not know existed beneath his intellectual, professorial demeanor. Now these families are tied by the question of what happened to their children. And the answer is trapped in the silence of unspoken family secrets.

August Meeting

I hope that everyone had a great first day of school!

Just a reminder that book club is this Thursday, August 13 at 6:45 at Elisa's house. We will be discussing Shanghai Girls by Lisa See.

Please remember to RSVP in the comments! It makes it much easier for our hostess to plan.See you Thursday!

August Book Pick

Our next meeting will be Thursday, August 12 at 6:45. We will be discussing Shanghai Girls by Lisa See

May and Pearl, two sisters living in Shanghai in the mid-1930s, are beautiful, sophisticated, and well-educated, but their family is on the verge of bankruptcy. Hoping to improve their social standing, May and Pearl’s parents arrange for their daughters to marry “Gold Mountain men” who have come from Los Angeles to find brides.

But when the sisters leave China and arrive at Angel’s Island (the Ellis Island of the West)--where they are detained, interrogated, and humiliated for months--they feel the harsh reality of leaving home. And when May discovers she’s pregnant the situation becomes even more desperate. The sisters make a pact that no one can ever know.

A novel about two sisters, two cultures, and the struggle to find a new life in America while bound to the old, Shanghai Girls is a fresh, fascinating adventure from beloved and bestselling author Lisa See.

For our July meeting, we will be reading On Folly Beach by Karen White. Our next meeting is July 15 at 6:45 at Michelle H's house.

Please bring your book to discuss and an appetizer to share. Please RSVP in the comments!

July Book Selection

Thanks, Michelle for submitting some book selections!

The Forgotten Garden-Kate Morton

Like Frances Hodgson Burnett's beloved classic The Secret Garden, Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden takes root in your imagination and grows into something enchanting--from a little girl with no memories left alone on a ship to Australia, to a fog-soaked London river bend where orphans comfort themselves with stories of Jack the Ripper, to a Cornish sea heaving against wind-whipped cliffs, crowned by an airless manor house where an overgrown hedge maze ends in the walled garden of a cottage left to rot. This hidden bit of earth revives barren hearts, while the mysterious Authoress's fairy tales (every bit as magical and sinister as Grimm's) whisper truths and ignite the imaginary lives of children. As Morton draws you through a thicket of secrets that spans generations, her story could cross into fairy tale territory if her characters weren't clothed in such complex flesh, their judgment blurred by the heady stench of emotions (envy, lust, pride, love) that furtively flourished in the glasshouse of Edwardian society. While most ache for a spotless mind's eternal sunshine, the Authoress meets the past as "a cruel mistress with whom we must all learn to dance," and her stories gift children with this vital muscle memory.

Shanghai Girls-Lisa See

For readers of the phenomenal bestsellers Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love--a stunning new novel from Lisa See about two sisters who leave Shanghai to find new lives in 1930s Los Angeles.

May and Pearl, two sisters living in Shanghai in the mid-1930s, are beautiful, sophisticated, and well-educated, but their family is on the verge of bankruptcy. Hoping to improve their social standing, May and Pearl’s parents arrange for their daughters to marry “Gold Mountain men” who have come from Los Angeles to find brides.

But when the sisters leave China and arrive at Angel’s Island (the Ellis Island of the West)--where they are detained, interrogated, and humiliated for months--they feel the harsh reality of leaving home. And when May disc

overs she’s pregnant the situation becomes even more desperate. The sisters make a pact that no one can ever know.

A novel about two sisters, two cultures, and the struggle to find a new life in America while bound to the old, Shanghai Girls is a fresh, fascinating adventure from beloved and bestselling author Lisa S

On Folly Beach-Karen White

Folly Beach, South Carolina, has survived despite hurricanes and war. But it's the personal battles of Folly Beach's residents that have left the most scars, and why a young widow has been beckoned there to heal her own...

To most people, Folly Beach is simply the last barrier island before reaching the great Atlantic. To some, it's a sanctuary for lost souls, which is why Emmy Hamilton's mother encourages her to buy the local book store, Folly's Finds, hoping it will distract Emmy from the loss of her husband.

Emmy is at first resistant. So much has already changed. But after finding love letters and an image of a beautiful bottle tree in a box of used books from Folly's Finds, she decides to take the plunge. But the seller insists on one condition: Emmy must allow Lulu, the late owner's difficult sister, to continue selling her bottle trees from its back yard.

For the most part Emmy ignores Lulu as she sifts through the love letters, wanting to learn more. But the more she discovers about the letters, the more she understands Lulu. As details of a possible murder and a mysterious disappearance during WWII are revealed, the two women discover that circumstances beyond their control, sixty years apart, have brought them together, here on Folly Beach. And it is here that their war-ravaged hearts can find hope for a second chance...

Our June book selection will be The Icing on the Cupcake by Jennifer Rose.

Our next meeting will be Thursday, June 10. Please email Andrea if you would like to host.

May Meeting

Book club will meet Thursday, May 13 at 6:30 PM at Danielle's house. We will be discussing A Soft Place to Land. Please bring your book and an appetizer to share. Please leave your RSVP in the comments. See you tomorrow night!

Recipe and Reminder

Here is the cookie recipe from Elisa that everyone requested. For a printable copy, click here.

Reminder: Book Club is MAY 13 not May 20th!

May Book Selection

Our next book club meeting will be Thursday, May 13th. We will discuss A Soft Place to Land by Susan Rebecca White.

Pick a Book for May

Here are the contenders for our May book selection. Please vote in the poll above, but hurry! The poll will only be open through noon on Saturday!

A Soft Place to Land

For more than ten years, Naomi and Phil Harrison enjoyed a marriage of heady romance, tempered only by the needs of their children. But on a vacation alone, the couple perishes in a flight over the Grand Canyon. After the funeral, their daughters, Ruthie and Julia, are shocked by the provisions in their will.

Spanning nearly two decades, the sisters journeys take them from their familiar home in Atlanta to sophisticated bohemian San Francisco, a mountain town in Virginia, the campus of Berkeley, and lofts in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. As they heal from loss, search for love, and begin careers, their sisterhood, once an oasis, becomes complicated by resentment, anger, and jealousy. It seems as though the echoes of their parents deaths will never stop reverberating until another shocking accident changes everything once again.

Icing on the Cupcake

In Ansley Waller’s world of Southern belles and gentlemen, getting a diamond ring isn’t just important—it’s the ultimate goal. So when her fiancé, Parish, unceremoniously kicks her to the curb and cancels their upcoming wedding, Ansley is so ashamed that she decides to leave Dallas and make a fresh start. In a surprise move, she heads to New York City to live with her recently widowed grandmother, Vivian, whom she’s never met. In turn, Vivian gives Ansley a no-nonsense ultimatum: Rather than wallow in misery, either get a job or go home.

The Waller women have a tradition of baking their way out of sorrow. So Ansley mixes batch after batch of creative cupcakes—Black Bottom Heartache, Moving Blues Banana Caramel, Tres Leches Made Small. Before long, she’s opening up her own cupcake shop and even trying her hand at dating. But the ways of Manhattan’s eligible bachelors are altogether different from their Southern counterparts, and Ansley’s nearly fail-safe tactics fall flat. And worse, someone’s got a half-baked scheme to sabotage Ansley’s new life. It’ll take a cup of courage and a dash of Southern charm, plus a few secret ingredients, if Ansley hopes to pull off her recipe for success.

Leaving Unknown

Maeve Connolly is tired of being labelled as irresponsible. Yes, she may spend unhealthy amounts of time on Facebook and watch marathon sessions of America's Next Top Model, but Maeve isn't a typical post-college slacker. Determined to change her life and make her own luck, Maeve impulsively decides on a grand adventure - driving cross country to LA. But en route, Maeve's car breaks down and she is stranded in Unknown, Arizona. It is here, alone and in the middle of nowhere, that Maeve finally faces up to the reality of her past. What Maeve has denied acknowledging, even to herself, is that she isn't running from bad luck, but from something much more complicated - something that made her feel as though the world would never turn again, and her heart would always remain closed. What begins as a hilarious and quirky coming-of-age tale soon deepens into a complex portrayal of survivorship and one woman's journey to a new beginning. Funny, irreverent, and moving in equal measure, The Good Luck Girl will leave you smiling through tears.

Sarah's Key

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.
Tatiana de Rosnay offers us a brilliantly subtle, compelling portrait of France under occupation and reveals the taboos and silence that surround this painful episode.

Thanks for the Memories

How can you know someone you’ve never met? Joyce Conway remembers things she shouldn’t. She knows about tiny cobbled streets in Paris, which she has never visited. And every night she dreams about an unknown little girl with blonde hair. Justin Hitchcock is divorced, lonely and restless. He arrives in Dublin to give a lecture on art and meets an attractive doctor, who persuades him to donate blood. It’s the first thing to come straight from his heart in a long time. When Joyce leaves hospital after a terrible accident, with her life and her marriage in pieces, she moves back in with her elderly father. All the while, a strong sense of déjà vu is overwhelming her and she can’t figure out why …

Quizball 57

Quizball 57

Who was the first prime minister of Israel?

Who was the first man to appear on the cover of the American Vogue?

A gooney bird is another name for which bird?

Who directed the 2005 Bob Dylan documentary No Direction Home?

What is the US state capital of Washington?

Salpingitis is the medical term for the inflammation of which part of the body?

Who (at 2008) plays Doctor Gregory House in the TV series House?

The Butut is the monetary unit of which country?

Chrometophobia is an irrational fear of what?

Who won the 1987 British Formula One Grand Prix?

What type of creature is a bonnethead?

The first chamber of commerce in Britain was founded in which city in 1783?

Which country hosts the world screaming championships?

In astronomy what is the outermost region of a planet's atmosphere called?

A bibliophile is a lover of what?

In which year did Captain Scott reach the South Pole?

Which British sportsman's autobiography is entitled Walking Tall?

George Williams founded what in London in 1844?

Which novelist wrote under the pseudonym Ellis Bell?

Steve Martin and Goldie Hawn played an architect and waitress in which 1992 film?

A costard is what type of fruit?

What is a corrida?

Which British rock band leased a six-acre section of Shepperton Studios in 1977 under the name of Ramport Enterprises?

Who painted The Monarch of the Glen?

In which year was Britain's first adhesive postage stamp the Penny Black issued?

In US politics who replaced Spiro Agnew as Richard Nixon's vice-president in 1973?

What does TGV most commonly stand for?

Who was crowned King of the Scots in 1306?

The term 'green-eyed monster' originated from which of Shakepseare's plays?

The Royal Mint is in which country of the UK?

answers in the comments section

April Meeting

Don't forget! Our April book club meeting is Thursday, April 15th at 6:45 at Andrea's house. Come celebrate giving the government your hard-earned money! We will be discussing Look Again by Lisa Scottoline. Bring your book and an appetizer to share. See you Thursday!

April Book Selection

Look Again

When reporter Ellen Gleeson gets a “Have You Seen This Child?” flyer in the mail, she almost throws it away. But something about it makes her look again, and her heart stops—the child in the photo is identical to her adopted son, Will. Her every instinct tells her to deny the similarity between the boys, because she knows her adoption was lawful. But she’s a journalist and won’t be able to stop thinking about the photo until she figures out the truth. And she can’t shake the question: if Will rightfully belongs to someone else, should she keep him or give him up? She investigates, uncovering clues no one was meant to discover, and when she digs too deep, she risks losing her own life—and that of the son she loves.

Lisa Scottoline breaks new ground in Look Again, a thriller that’s both heart-stopping and heart-breaking, and sure to have new fans and book clubs buzzing.

March Meeting

Thursday, March 18th will be our next book club meeting. We will meet at 6:45 PM at Teri's house. We will discuss Keeping Faith by Jodi Piccoult. Please bring your book to discuss and an appetizer to share.

If you have any suggestions for our next book selection, please email them to Andrea or bring the book/synopsis.

See you tomorrow night!

April Suggestions

If you have any other suggestions for our next book, please email them to Andrea.

Irreplaceable

Lovely's debut novel, a touching journey of the heart, tracks what happens to two Midwestern families after a death and a gift of life.

Archeologist Alex Voormann and his plant biologist wife, Isabel, had a pleasant enough life in Iowa until Isabel was struck and killed while riding her bicycle. Alex reluctantly complies with her wish to be an organ donor, which saves the life of Janet Corcoran, a 34-year-old Chicago art teacher and mother of two.

Lovely thoughtfully weaves the tales of these two families together, tracing the realities of love and loss of all kinds as Alex a

ttempts to move on, the man who was driving the truck that killed Isabel begins popping up in unexpected places, and Janet seeks out Alex and Isabel's mother to thank them and express her guilt and empathy. Lovely does a great job of staying out of sappy melodrama as the gravity of Isabel's death pulls the cast together in memorable fashion. The delicate handling of loaded material, attention to detail and depth of character make this a standout.

Look Again

When reporter Ellen Gleeson gets a “Have You Seen This Child?” flyer in the mail, she almost throws it away. But something about it makes her look again, and her heart stops—the child in the photo is identical to her adopted son, Will. Her every instinct tells her to deny the similarity between the boys, because she knows her adoption was lawful. But she’s a journalist and won’t be able to stop thinking about the photo until she figures out the truth. And she can’t shake the question: if Will rightfully belongs to someone else, should she keep him or give him up? She investigates, uncovering clues no one was meant to discover, and when she digs too deep, she risks losing her own life—and that of the son she loves.

Lisa Scottoline breaks new ground in Look Again, a thriller that’s both heart-stopping and heart-breaking, and sure to have new fans and book clubs buzzing.

The Local News
Lydia Pasternak is a decade out of high school, but inside she's still Danny Pasternak’s little sister, the bookish teenager who lived in her popular older brother's shadow until the night he disappeared. Though she has spent her adult life trying to forget that year she turned sixteen, the memory of her brother’s vanishing still haunts her: her secret pleasure at the attention she received as the missing football hero’s sister, her ambivalence about his possible fate, her emergence as an individual in his absence. As her parents went off the rails, she went to her first keg parties and befriended the school's elite crowd—all the while fervidly helping the attractive private investigator her family hired to search for clues to Danny's whereabouts. The shocking end to that trail of clues—an end that Lydia never prepared herself for—left a wound that has never healed, even now as she prepares to return to her hometown after many years.

An authentic dissection of public and private grief, The Local News is a moving, memorable debut that explores the complicated bond between siblings and how our brothers and sisters define who we are.

March Pick

For our March meeting we will be reading Keeping Faith by Jodi Piccoult.

When the marriage of Mariah White and her cheating husband, Colin, turns ugly and disintegrates, their seven-year-old daughter, Faith, is there to witness it all. In the aftermath of a rapid divorce, Mariah falls into a deep depression—and suddenly Faith, a child with no religious background whatsoever, hears divine voices, starts reciting biblical passages, and develops stigmata. And when the miraculous healings begin, mother and daughter are thrust into the volatile center of controversy and into the heat of a custody battle—trapped in a mad media circus that threatens what little stability the family has left.

In Keeping Faith, #1 New York Times bestselling author Jodi Picoult—one of the most powerful writers in contemporary fiction—brilliantly examines belief, miracles, and the complex core of family.

Our next meeting will be Thursday, March 18th at 6:45. If you would like to hostess, please send me an email.

February Meeting

Book Club is Thursday Feb. 11th at 6:45 at Kim A.'s house. We will be discussing Greetings from Somewhere Else. Bring your book and an appetizer to share!

February Meeting

For February, we will read and discuss Greetings From Somewhere Else by Monica McInerney.

Book Club will meet Thursday, February 11 at 6:45 at Kim's house.

January Quiz

Lockerbie Bombing

1. The plane that was destroyed by a bomb over Lockerbie Scotland was:

Pan AM Flight 103

Northwest Flight 253

American Airlines Flight 11

United Airlines Flight 175

2. The plane was flying from:

Paris to Newark

Dublin to JFK

Heathrow to JFK

Heathrow to LaGuardia

3. This tragedy occurred in

1986

1987

1988

1989

4. The number of fatalities was

247

324

270

202

5. _________ was convicted of this crime.

No one

A Libyan

An Iranian

An American Muslim

6. ___T ___F The cockpit voice recorder was never found.

7. ___T ___F There were CIA agents on board the flight.

8. ___T ___F There were no fatalities on the ground.

9. ___T ___F Investigators believe that the victims died from the explosion, not the impact.

10. This singing group was scheduled to be aboard the flight but overslept and missed it.

The Temptations

The Four Tops

The Commodores

The Platters

11. ___T ___F An anonymous warning was called in concerning the bomb and was distributed to all carriers.

12. In 2009, the only person convicted of the bombing was released on

appeal

an overturned conviction

compassionate grounds

a provision of a new international treaty

13. ___T ___F In 2003, Libya formally admitted responsibility for the bombing.

14. There were 35 students from this college returning from a semester abroad.

Princeton University

Syracuse University

Harvard University

Duke University

15. ___T ___F The families of the victims were compensated for their loss.