What kind of cupcake are you making?

The book we're reading for September is The Icing on the Cupcake, by Jennifer Ross. (Read a synopsis of the book in a post below). The book is full of a variety of cupcake recipes. We thought it would be fun for this month to have a cupcake party. Pick your favorite one and bring it on Thursday, September 16th.

To ensure that we don't have several of the same cupcakes showing up, please make a comment to this post telling us what you plan to bring.

And if you find that you're just not going to have time to bake... NO WORRIES. Even if 2-3 ladies bake, there will be PLENTY! So come and enjoy the conversation and goodies!

Just for fun - Movie Night!

We are planning on meeting on Thursday, August 19th at the Sturgeon Bay Cinema to watch Feed The Fish. The show starts at 7pm, so plan to meet there in the lobby at 6:45pm. This is the movie that was partially filmed here in Door County so it should be a fun silly time.

Film Synopsis:

Joe Peterson, is a burned out kids book writer who's approaching his mid-life crisis. With his career at a standstill and his relationship in shambles, he leaves town with his best buddy to do the Polar Bear Plunge in the dead of winter in northern Wisconsin in an attempt to reignite his fire.

On his quest he meets Axel: an inspirational mentor; The Sheriff, and obsessed law enforcement professional: and Sif, his muse and a hockey player. Good thing they're all related!

Joe finds his lost passion, survives an assault by his obsessed ex-girlfriend, and tries to stay out of the way of the law. He pulls it together and finally gets the girl, and thank goodness, publishes again. But not before testing the icy waters of Lake Michigan on a snowy winter day.

Click below to watch a trailer...

Where is everyone anyway?

Alright... so several of us met last night and shared our opinions about what we think is and isn't working with Book Club. Although people still talk about book club and appear interested, attendance has been low. Could be a fluke, maybe life's just getting in the way. But if it's not, we want to know about it. If a lot of people are experiencing the same issue... let's fix it. But first, we've got to communicate.

So...... check out the poll questions over here ----------------->

A few things to note first:

• Genres - this is when we have a different genre of literature each month.
• Online voting - the method we've used the past year, with each person taking a turn recommending three books, then members vote for the winner.
• Committee Selected - the committee would select the books for each month, with recommendations coming in from everyone. This method was used the first year.
• Meals - it's been noted that sometimes our themes can make the potluck dinners difficult to plan for. We're going to ease this burden by simplifying the themes. It'll make it easier, more fun, and we still get to eat!
• RSVPing - Let's face it, we're not great at this. But we need to make a commitment to be better this year. We owe it to our hostesses.

Last night we all talked about some of our favorite books, past and present. And there was such a great selection, we thought it would be the perfect opportunity to make some selections for upcoming months. Not only will this give you a chance to experience the method of "committee selection", but it will give you more time to find good deals if you like to purchase your books. See the post below for book selections and themes for August through December!

You have through the end of July to answer the poll questions. And remember, if you need or want to elaborate on an answer, or maybe we just didn't address your issue, you can always post a comment right here on the blog!

Above all, we want to make this book club FUN for everyone!

August - December Book Selections!

August - We'd like to get together just for fun and hang out. The plan is to go see a movie then head over to the Neighborhood Pub to chat. The specific movie will be announced in an email as the date gets closer. You will not need to read anything... this is just for fun!


September -

The Icing on the Cupcake, by Jennifer Ross
Genre: Chick Lit

Summary:
When Ansley Waller's fiance Parish cancels their upcoming wedding, Ansley decides to leave Dallas to make a fresh start. In a surprise move, she heads to New York City to live with her recently widowed grandmother, Vivian, who gives Ansley an ultimatum: get a job or go home. 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 worse, someone's got a half-baked scheme to sabotage Ansley's new life.

319 pgs, Paperback, Pub. date 4/10

This book is filled with cupcake recipes. To start the year off, we'll be having a cupcake party! If one of these recipes inspires you, bake it and bring it to our meeting. We'll have a great time sharing dessert and conversation.


October -


Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford
Genre: Historical Fiction

Summary:
Set in the ethnic neighborhoods of Seattle during World War II and Japanese American internment camps of the era, this debut novel tells the heartwarming story of widower Henry Lee, his father, and his first love Keiko Okabe.

320 pgs, Paperback, Pub. date 10/09

Dinner theme: Chinese/Japanese


November -


Same Kind of Different As Me, by Ron Hall & Denver Moore
Genre: Memoir

Summary:
A modern-day slave and an international art dealer are bound together by a dying woman's faith. Will Ron, the art dealer, be able to embrace Denver, who's been homeless for almost 20 years? Will Denver learn to trust a white man? There's pain and laughter, doubt and tears, and in the end a triumphant story.

256 pgs, Paperback, Pub. date 03/08

Dinner theme: It's soup night! What better for a cool, fall evening?


December -


On Strike for Christmas, by Sheila Roberts
Genre: Christmas

Summary:
At Christmastime, it seems as though a woman's work is never done. Trimming the tree, mailing the cards, schlepping to the mall, the endless wrapping - bah humbug! So this year, Joy and Laura and the rest of their knitting group decide to go on strike. If their husbands and families want a nice holiday - filled with parties, decorations, and presents - well, they'll just have to do it themselves. The boycott soon takes on a life of its own when a reporter picks up the story and more women join in. But as Christmas Day approaches, Joy, Laura, and their husbands confront larger issues in their marriages and discover that a little holiday magic is exactly what they need to come together.

352 pgs, Paperback, Pub. date 10/07

Dessert Night - Bring some Christmas cookies to share or pick up a yummy treat on your way over.

June Meeting

It was an intimate dinner for two at the Nightingale Supper Club last night. I really can't tell you any of the details because I was not one of those two ladies. But I bet they had a great time. And I'm positive that one of them will send me a photo, descriptive words and ratings very soon. Right? Maybe??

Edited to add this picture of two hot chicks out on the town talking books...

May Meeting

Five of us met last night at Wendy L.'s house for Indian dinner and to discuss the book Secret Daughter. We all seemed to like the book and it definitely made for good conversation about family dynamics and different cultures.

The best part of the night was when Dena arrived and immediately apologized for her dish. Apparently she read "dash" in her chicken recipe as "tablespoon" which resulted in a significant amount of cayenne pepper being added. I, for one, liked the heat.

Our descriptive words were:
Heartfelt
Cultural
Interesting
Learning experience
Journeyful

And our average rating was 7.7

June Book Selections

So this is super late, my apologies, but life just got in the way. These are for the month of June, for which we'll be meeting for dinner at a (to be determined) restaurant. Our selections this month come from Paulette.

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Promote Peace One School at a Time, by David Oliver Relin and Greg Mortenson

Greg Mortenson recounts his experiences as co-founder of the Central Asia Institute, a nongovernmental organization that, since the 1990s, has done exemplary work in Pakistan and Afghanistan, where it has built and operated schools and improved public health. He tells how, by working side-by-side, the villagers and the staff of the CAI have overcome challenges, drawn on strengths, and worked toward breaking down the ignorance and prejudice that might otherwise have divided them. It has not been easy and the need is great, says Mortenson, and underscores the fact that the positive work of NGOs like the Central Asia Institute can go far in fighting terrorism.

Pub. 2/08, Paperback, 349 pgs

Lucky, by Alice Sebold

Raped and beaten as an 18-year-old Syracuse University student, Alice Sebold recounts the story of her rape, the trial and conviction of her rapist, and her recovery. Her book also tells the story of its own coming into being. Immediately after the rape, Sebold vowed to write about it, and worked it out in various forms before sculpting it into its final shape 18 years later while completing a graduate degree in fiction writing.

Pub. 9/02, Paperback, 272 pgs

Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen

Jacob Jankowski, 90 years old and living in a nursing home, tells how, orphaned and penniless during the Great Depression, he became an animal trainer in a circus. In his days with The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth, he falls in love with the beautiful performer Marlena - and also with the delightful Rosie the elephant.

Pub. 5/07, Paperback, 350 pgs

You have through May 15th to cast your vote!

In the meantime, get a copy of The Secret Daughter, by Shilpi Somaya Gowda for our meeting on May 20th and check out the links in the post below for some ideas on Indian recipes.

Indian Recipes

Our next bookclub meeting will be an Indian themed dinner based on the location of our current book, The Secret Daughter, by Shilpi Somaya Gowda, which will take place on Thursday, May 20th. If you're in need of some ideas and recipes for Indian food, you can check out these websites...

http://www.recipesindian.com/
http://www.indianfoodforever.com/
http://allrecipes.com
http://showmethecurry.com/
http://www.indiasnacks.com/

April Meeting

We had a nice time meeting at Tami's house and discussing the book The Next Thing on My List, by Jill Smolinski. Although the book was sort of light and often funny, the discussion questions pushed us into a deeper level, which made for really interesting conversations.

Our descriptive words were:

Fun
Cheeky
Frothy
Light
Funny
Irreverant
Humerous
Clever
Motivating

And our average rating was 6.2.

May Book Selections!

Take a look at the books Lori N. picked for our May meeting. Once you've made your choice, vote in the poll to the right ---->

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt, by Beth Hoffman

Twelve-year-old CeeCee Honeycutt is in trouble. For years, she has been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille-the tiara-toting, lipstick-smeared laughing stock of an entire town - a woman trapped in her long-ago moment of glory as the 1951 Vidalia Onion Queen. But when Camille is hit by a truck and killed, CeeCee is left to fend for herself. To the rescue comes her previously unknown great-aunt, Tootie Caldwell. In her vintage Packard convertible, Tootie whisks CeeCee away to Savannah's perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricity, a world that seems to be run entirely by women. From the exotic Miz Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in her backyard bathtub and uses garden slugs as her secret weapons, to Tootie's all-knowing housekeeper, Oletta Jones, to Violene Hobbs, who entertains a local police officer in her canary-yellow peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer. It is a novel that explores the indomitable strengths of female friendship and gives us the story of a young girl who loses one mother and finds many others.

Hardcover, Pub date 01/10, 320 pgs

The Negotiator, by Dee Henderson

FBI Special Agent Dave Richman has spent his life protecting people; failure is not in his vocabulary. He'll figure out a way to protect Kate even if she is determined to make it difficult.

Kate O'Malley's specialty is hostage situations - defusing human time bombs before they go off. She will walk into the middle of a crisis if that's what is necessary to settle a situation. She's learned to let others see what she wants them to see. She's learned to depend on herself. Only herself. People die if she fails.

Kate is a target. Someone's been sending her black roses. Maybe the same person who just blew up an airplane.. and blamed Kate. Then the investigation brings up the one name Kate hoped never to hear again... and she's faced with the shocking evidence that the bomber may be someone she knows. Now she has to decide if Dave - and the God he trusts so implicitly - is all he's supposed to be. And Dave is about to discover that loving a hostage negotiator is one thing, but keeping her safe is another matter entirely.

Paperback, Pub date 2001, 304 pgs

Secret Daughter, by Shilpi Somaya Gowda

When her husband threatens to murder her newborn daughter, Kavita sends baby Asha off to a Mumbai orphanage where she is adopted by and Indian-born doctor now living in California with his American wife. The story eventually shifts perspective to the grown Asha who feels disconnected from her roots and travels to India on a scholarship in hopes of reuniting with her birth family. Using various narratives, settings, and time periods, The Secret Daughter creates a compelling look at how two families become interconnected across continents and gernerations through their link to Asha.

Hardcover, Pub date 3/10, 352 pgs

March Meeting

We met last night and Dena's house for a Mid-western dinner to discuss the book Mistaken Identity. As usual, the food and the conversation was great. I think we all agreed that these families emulate the type of faith we all would hope to have in times of crisis.

Our descriptive words were:

Inspiring
Unbelievable
Tear-jerker
Unmistakably moving
Emotional
Uplifting
G0d-filled
Gracious

And our average rating was.... 7.5

Now, get your hands on our April book, The Next Thing on My List, by Jill Smolinski. Our meeting will be on Thursday, April 15th.

April Book Selections

These April book choices are from me. Seems like we've been reading alot of heavy non-fiction lately, so although I can't promise these will be "light", they are all the figment of the author's imagination. You have through Saturday, February 27th to vote at the poll on the right ------>


The Year of Fog, by Michelle Richmond

Six-year-old Emma vanished into the thick San Francisco fog. Or into the heaving Pacific. Or somewhere just beyond: to a parking lot, a stranger's van, or a road with traffic flashing by. Now, as the days drag into weeks, as the police lose interest and fliers fade on telephone poles, Emma's father finds solace in religion and scientific probability - but Abby can only wander the beaches and city streets, attempting to recover the past and the little girl she lost. With her life at a crossroads, she will leave San Francisco for a country thousands of miles away. And there, by the side of another sea, Abby will make the most astounding discovery of all - as the truth of Emma's disappearance unravels with stunning force.

416 pages, Paperback
Published 2/08



Believe Me: A Novel, by Nina Killham

Thirteen-year-old Nic Delano has a lot of questions. Like why does he have a babysitter at his age - and where did she get such long legs? But mostly, what exactly is the meaning of life?

His mother, Lucy, an astrophysicist and atheist, has always encouraged Nic to ask questions. But lately she doesn't like the answers he's getting. Nic has been hanging out with a group of devout Christians and is starting to embrace the Bible and a very different view of the heavens.

But when unexpected tragedy strikes, Nic and Lucy's beliefs are truly put to the test. And they need each other now more than ever. But will a mother and her son be able to find common ground where faith meets understanding and love is, ultimately, what endures?

304 pages, Paperback
Published 1/09



The Next Thing on My List, by Jill Smolinski

After a car accident in which her passenger, Marissa, dies, June Parker finds herself in possession of a list Marissa had written: "20 Things to Do by My 25th Birthday." The tasks range from inspiring (run a 5K) to daring (go braless) to near-impossible (change someone's life). To assuage her guilt, June races to achieve each goal herself before the deadline, learning more about her own life than she ever bargained for.

304 pages, Paperback
Published 3/08

The Freedom Writers Diary

We met last night for our movie tie-in book, The Freedom Writers Diary. While we all enjoyed the book and it's inspiring stories, we were left a bit disappointed with the movie for leaving out so many significant moments.

Our words and ratings were:

Eye-opening
Encouraging
Disturbing
Insightful
Educational
Inspiring
Impactful

Book Rating = 7.7
Movie Rating = 6.0

March Books

These Memoir themed books for March come to us from Dena...

Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope,

by Don Van Ryn

Meet Laura Van Ryn and Whitney Cerak: one buried under the wrong name, one in a coma and being care for by the wrong family.

This shocking case of mistaken identity stunned the country and made national news. would it destroy a family? Shatter their faith? Push two families into bitterness, resentment, and guilt?

Read this unprecedented story of two traumatized families who describe their ordeal and explore the bond sustaining and uniting them as they deal with their bizarre reversal of life lost and life found.

And join Whitney Cerak, the sole surviving student, as she comes to terms with her new identity, forever altered, yet on the brink of new beginnings.

Mistaken Identity weaves a complex take of honesty, vulnerability, loss, hope, faith, and love in the face of one of the strangest twists of circumstance imaginable.

Paperback, 288 pgs, Pub. 3/09

The Last Lecture, by Randy Pausch

A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professor are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?

When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave- "Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams" - wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have... and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.

In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come.

Hardcover, 224 pgs, Pub. 4/08

Always Looking Up, by Michael J. Fox

There are many words to describe Michael J. Fox: Actor, Husband, Father, Activist. But readers of Always Looking Up will soon add another to the list: Optimist. Michael writes about the hard-won perspective that helped him see challenges as opportunities. Instead of building walls around himself, he developed a personal policy of engagement and discovery: an emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual outlook that has served him throughout his struggle with Parkinson's disease. Michael's exit from a very demanding, very public arena offered him the time - and the inspiration - to open up new doors leading to the unexpected places. One door even led him to the center of his own family, the greatest destination of all.

The last ten years, which is really the stuff of this book, began with such a loss: my retirement from Spin City. I found myself struggling with a strange new dynamic: the shifting of public and private personas. I had been Mike the actor, then Mike the actor with PD. Now was I just Mike with PD? Parkinson's had consumed my career and, in a sense, had become my career. But where did all of this leave Me? I had to build a new life when I was already pretty happy with the old one.

Always Looking Up is a memoir of this last decade, told through the critical themes of Michael's life: work, politics, faith, and family. The book is a journey of self-discovery and reinvention, and a testament to the consolations that protect him from the ravages of Parkinson's.

With the humor and wit that captivated fans of his first book, Lucky Man, Michael describes how he became a happier, more satisfied person by recognizing the gifts of everyday life.

Paperback, 288 pgs, Pub. 3/09

January Book Club Meeting

Eight lovely ladies met at Mary's house for a German themed dinner to discuss the book, The Zookeeper's Wife, by Diane Ackerman. The book was set in 1942, a time in history with strong divisive views. We also had strong differing opinions about the book, you either loved it or hated it.

Our descriptive words were...

Beautifully devastating
Informative
Discombobulated
Disappointing
Disjointed
Interesting concept


Our average rating was 4.3




And it was by birthday. Jan was clever and looked up how to write "Happy Birthday Teri" in German!

January is a German Themed Dinner

Given the period in which our book this month takes place, we'll be having a German themed dinner. Here's a few links to get you started in your recipe search...

http://recipesbycindy.homestead.com/GermanRecipes.html
http://allrecipes.com/Recipes/World-Cuisine/Europe/Germany/Main.aspx
http://www.tasty-german-recipe.com/


As a reminder, our books to be reading are:
January - The Zookeeper's Wife, by Diane Ackerman
February - The Freedom Writers Diary, by Erin Gruwell