PiedmontReaders

January Book Club Meeting

2012-02-04T12:45:00.000-08:00

January Book Club Meeting

Host: Teresa

Book: The Diary of Libby Beaman by Betty John

Response of Book Club Members: This "diary" was written as a novel by Libby Beaman's granddaugher Betty John. It tells the story of Libby Beaman living in the Arctic Circle in the cold of January when it is almost total darkness all day and all night. I almost sent my husband Jack to the meeting because he did some army audits up in Fairbanks, Alaska in January and back in the 1970's he had some similar experiences as Libby. For example:

142 inches of snow that January

If the temp was below -30 degrees, you had to leave the cars running all the time

The coldest temp Jack saw was -63 degrees in Fairbanks that January

With the cars running all the time there was ice fog from the fumes of the car which meant that one person would drive and the other person would walk along beside the car giving directions like stay straight, make a turn, etc.

2012-02-04T10:49:00.000-08:00

December Book Club Meeting

Host: Lucille

Book: The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein

Response of the Book Club Members: Everyone had mixed feelings about this book. Some because the dog in the story is dying of old age while narrating the story of his relationship with his owner Enzo. Some thought the book didn't go into enough detail about the dog's relationship with his owner Enzo. Others thought the book was a sad selection for the merry month of December.

WallyLamb, another author describes the novel as "...a meditation on humility and hope in the face of despair."

November Book Club Meeting

2012-02-04T10:07:00.000-08:00

November Book Club Meeting

Host: Maura

Book: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford

Response of the Book Club Members: Everyone like this book. The setting is San Francisco's China Town and tells the story of a Chinese American and a Japanese American. Their ups and downs. Thus the title of the book--Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.

September Book Club Read

2011-10-22T15:28:00.001-07:00

September Book Club Read

Host: Brenda

Book: Half Broke Horses, A True Life Novel by Jeannette Walls

Response Of Book Club Members: I understand why everyone enjoyed this book very much. It gave a great lady her due----she was an adventures woman who broke horses in the Arizona desert when she was just five years old. She later learned to drive a model T Ford and to fly a light plane.

October Book Club Meetiing-Turn Right at Machu Picchu

2011-10-18T05:46:00.000-07:00

October Book Club Meeting

Host: Delaine at Dickie's House

Book: Turn Right at Machu Picchu, by Mark Adams

Response of the Book Club Members: Most folks found the story of the discovery of Machu Picchu rather long and boring but did enjoy the humorous adventures of Mark Adams's trips to the site with his guides. And of course the ladies enjoyed the photos of Delaine herself at Machu Picchu when she was just eight years old.

August Bookclub Read

2011-08-13T08:27:00.000-07:00

August Bookclub Read:

Host: Haelie

Book: Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens

Response of the Bookclub Members: The members didn't not discuss the book plot but discussed

the novel's static one dimensional book characters in light of the fact that this was one of the very first novels ever written and it was a new unusual genre for readers and related that fact to the way characters are created in today's novels.

July Bookclub Meeting

2011-08-13T08:26:00.000-07:00

July Bookclub Meeting

Host: Pat

Book: Breakfast With Buddha

Response of Bookclub Members: Most members enjoyed this short and easy read about a strange but delightful roadtrip between a married Christian father and this man's sister's guru friends who claims to be a shaman. Everyone agreed that the book caused one to pause and think of the world thru a different perspective.

June Book Club Meeting

2011-06-17T06:46:00.000-07:00

June Book Club Meeting

Host: Dickie

Book: The Weird Sisters, A Novel, by Eleanor Brown

Response of the Book Club Members: Some people liked this book and some did not but everyone agreed that it was a great book to lead to a discussion of family dynamics, birth order,

sibling rivalry and dealing with an ill elderly parent. The three main characters were the older sister described as controlling, the middle sister described as without morals and the baby sister described as the pretty and loving one. The setting for this family saga is just east of Columbus, Ohio where the father is a Shakespearean professor at a private college that all three sisters attended. The book is sprinkled with lots of Shakespeare's quotes. Some members liked the quotes and some found them distracting.

May Book Club Meeting

2011-06-17T06:44:00.000-07:00

May Book Club Meeting

Host: Bev

Book: Unbroken, A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience,and Redemption, by Laura Hillenbrand

Response of Book Club Members: All members thought that this was one of the best books thatwe have read in 2011 though some members found the true story Louie Zamperini's survival in the South Pacific difficult because of the cruel and difficult experiences he had as a shot down bombardier who survived for over 40 days drifting in the ocean to only be taken by the Japanese to a POW camp where he was tortured almost every day.

The story has a happy ending. Louie survived, returned home, married, had children and grandchildren. Today he is a rollerskating grandpa in his eighties!

April Book Club Meeting

2011-04-17T14:20:00.000-07:00

April Book Club Meeting

Host: Carol

Book: This I Believe, edited by Jay Allison and Dan Sediman

Response of Book Club Members: This book of essays written by remarkable people (both famous and unfamous) is an uplifting nonfiction work. Each person writes an essay on what they personally believe in from their own personal experiences of living. Every one at the meeting had a favorite essay to discuss. Below are some of my personal favorite quotes from this book. This is the second book in this series. The first book was created in the late '40 by Edward R. Murrow and three of his associates.

"I believe that freedom is contagious."

Harold Hongju Keu

"Jazz is the sound of God laughing. And I believe in it."

Colleen Shaddox

"I believe in the power of love to transform. I believe in the power of love to heal."

Jackie Lantry

March Book Club Meeting

2011-03-20T14:50:00.000-07:00

March Book Club Meeting

Host: Joann

Book: The Last Promise

Response of Book Club Members: Everyone thought that this was a nice change of pace book. Call it a love story or a romance but call it a scenic journey thru one of the most beautiful regions of Italy. The author, Richard Paul Evans, divides his time between his home in Tuscony in Italy and his home in Park City, Utah. He wrote a love story with a happy ending that makes you want to book a trip to Italy to see the places he describes in the book.

Joann's Personal Opinion: Sometimes in February while you are waiting for spring and warm weather to arrive you need to take a break from the dark depressing books and just chill out with a light travel novel.

Joann's Cold Pasta Salad

2011-03-20T11:37:00.000-07:00

Joann's Cold Pasta Salad

Cook in salted water half a box of pasta.

While pasta cooks to a la dente stage steam some veggies and then stop the cooking by plunging veggies in cold water.

Place veggies in bowl with some freshly grated carrots, sliced red onions, sliced cherry tomatoes and chopped basil.

Drain cooked pasta and add to bowl.

Pour a good amount of Wishbone Italian Dressing over mixture in bowl, stir, then marinate in fridge overnight.

Next day restir pasta and add a little more Wishbone Italian Dressing along with freshly grated pepper and salt and about 8 drops of Tobasco Sauce. Lastly add grated fresh mozzarella cheese to the pasta mixture.

Turn out pasta salad onto a nice platter and decorate with whole basil leaves.

Enjoy.

2011-02-24T16:35:00.000-08:00

February Book Club Meeting

Host: Cindy

Book: Little Bee, by Chris Cleave

Response of Book Club Members: Most club members liked the book at the beginning but disliked it more and more as they went along because of two plot problems: first, the brutal scenes depicted in the book and second, because some actions of the various characters seemed unbelievable. Others found that they intensely disliked some of the characters.

Joann's Personal Opinion: Don't read this book unless you have a strong stomach and can take brutality. This book should come with a warning on the cover: Not For The Faint Of Heart.

January Book Club Meeting

2011-01-26T11:08:00.000-08:00

January Book Club Meeting

Host: Teresa

Book: Isaac's Storm, by Erik Larson

Response of Book Club Members: Most book club members found this to be a difficult book to read. The author's writing style turned a lot of people off although the subject was interesting. This nonfiction book dealt with data collected about the worst hurricane to ever make landfall on the United State. This was the hurricane that destroyed the city of Galveston, Texas over 100 years ago.

December Book Club Meeting

2010-12-16T05:35:00.000-08:00

December Book Club Meeting

Host: Pat

Book: The Immoveable Feast, by John Baxter

Response of the Book Club Members: This easy read memoir by John Baxter of his many years living in Paris and hosting for his wife's family the special Christmas dinner he prepared from appetizer to dessert. This easy read gave each member a chance to discuss what they like to eat for Christmas. It also gave everyone who loves Paris a chance to take a virtual trip to Paris during the Christmas holidays. A very enjoyable read.

November Book Club Meeting

2010-11-29T07:26:00.000-08:00

November Book Club Meeting

Host: Maura

Book: Still Alice, by Lisa Genova

Response of the Book Club Members: This is a fiction book that has dealing with Alzheimer's in a family as its central theme. The book club members found the book enlightening but very depressing. No one wants to think of themselves or a family member losing their memory and their ability to function. Put this book under the category of read once but not a second time. Too depressing.

October Book Club Meeting

2010-10-16T09:03:00.001-07:00

October Book Club Meeting

Host: Dickie

Book: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot

Response of the Book Club Members: Everyone agreed that this book read like science fiction. But this true story of the life and death of Henrietta Lacks, a poor black woman from Clover, VA and what happened to her cells at Johns Hopkins University Medical Center after she succumbed to ovarian cancer. The strangest thing for the Piedmont Readers to contemplate was how her cells known in the medical world as HeLa cells have never died and have contributed to advances in medical treatment for polio, tuberculosis, etc.

Book discussion centered around slavery, racism, civil rights, the polio scare in the 1950's, the TB scare in the 1940's and 1950's, the AIDS scare of the 1980's and of course where we stand today in addressing these issues. Some members enjoyed both the scientific and human interest aspects of this non-fiction book while others preferred just the human interest aspects of this strange story.

Thank you Dickie for giving us an extraordinary book to read.
*

I personally found the following quote from the afterword of this book interesting: "When I tell people the story of Henrietta Lacks and her cells, the first question is usually Wasn't it illegal for doctors to take Henrietta's cell without her knowledge: Don't doctors have to tell you when they use your cells in research? The answer is no--not in 1951, and not in 2009, when this book went to press."

September Book Club Meeting

2010-09-19T10:01:00.000-07:00

September Book Club Meeting

Host: D.J.

Book: The Last Child, by John Hart

Response of the Book Club Members: Everyone attending the meeting said that this was the best book read so far this year. The story was intriguing and very unpredictable. The characters were well developed and either likable or very dislikable. Club members spent considerable time trying to determine what year the story took place. Most agreed that it must be sometime in the middle '90s. The main character, 13 year old Johnny, was admired by all the club members for his search for his lost twin sister. And lastly everyone agreed that this was a book that would be worth reading a second time because you could appreciate the setting, the characters and the plot even more the second time around.

August Book Club Meeting

2010-08-22T13:07:00.000-07:00

August Book Club Meeting

Host: Carol

Book: The Piano Teacher, by Janice Y. K. Lee

Response of the Book Club Members: Every book club member was unfamiliar with the Japanese occupation of Hong Kong before and during World War II. At the time Hong Kong was a British Crown Colony with the neighboring island of Macau being a Portugeese territory. The book showed how in times of war and deprivation anyone can be reduced to doing immoral things in order to stay alive and to keep other relatives and friends alive.

I personally think that this is a book that you could read a second time to glean more wisdom. I also would enjoy reading another book by this author if she writes a second novel.

July Book Club Meeting

2010-08-22T12:53:00.000-07:00

July Book Club Meeting

Host: Delaine

Book: Best Friends, by Jennifer Weiner

Response of the Book Club Members: Only five of the twelve members attended the meeting because of commitments that kept them from attending. Delaine led the discussion and members relived their high school days of friendships made and destroyed. Everyone agreed that high school years are difficult and no one wanted to go back and relive those anxious years. Members thought that the author did a good job of capturing growing up angst and that as we age we are still growing up.

June Book Club Meeting

2010-06-12T08:27:00.000-07:00

The candles were lit.
The drinks were ready.

The food was on the table in the breakfast room.
So the guests filled their glasses and their plates and proceeded to the brick patio to both socialize and to discuss the book selection.
********

June Book Club Meeting

Host: Joann

Book: The Master Butchers Singing Club, by Louise Erdrich

Response of the Book Club Members: The setting for this book is North Dakota where Fidelis Waldvogel, a German immigrant who processed thru Ellis Island begins his hardscrabble American life in 1922. The book references back to Germany in World War I and proceeds slowly and then rather rapidlyly thru World War II where some of Fidelis's sons are fighting on both sides of the conflict in Germany. The book ends with scenes of post World War II in Germany and America.

The book club members were fascinated by some of the amazing characters in this book: Fidelis, Eva, Delphine, Cyprian, Marcus and Step-in-a-Half. Louise Erdrich, the author who is part German, part French and part North American Plains Indian managed to weave lots of history of Jews and Germany into this story.

May Book Club Meeting

2010-05-25T03:58:00.000-07:00

May Book Club Meeting

Host: Bev

Book: Ford County, by John Grisham

Response of the Book Club Members: This John Grisham book had seven stories. Here are the titles:

1. Blood Drive
2. Fetching Raymond
3. Fish Files
4. Casino
5. Michael's Room
6. Quiet Haven
7. Funny Boy

Everyone liked all these stories that had the state of Mississippi as the setting. "Blood Drive" was a wild redneck read. "Fish Files" and "Casino" had very clever main characters. "Funny Boy" gave everyone food for thought since it dealt with aids in the south in the '80s.

Everyone enjoyed the southern dishes Bev served us for the meeting. Bev and husband Shorty's version of Paula Dean's recipe for shrimp and scallop lasagna was awesome. I want the recipe!

April Book Club Meeting

2010-05-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

April Book Club Meeting

Host: Cindy

Book: The Help, by Kathryne Stockett

Response of the Book Club Members: The book club members dearly loved this novel set in the Mississippi delta in the twentieth century and dealing with the trials, tribulations, joys, and sorrows of being the black "help" serving the white "plantation owners" and raising the children of the "plantation owners". One line that summed up the situation was when one of the maids noted that the babies love us now but they will grow up and treat us just like their parents treat us now.

March Book Club Meeting

2010-05-11T14:54:00.000-07:00

March Book Club Meeting

Host: Teresa

Book: All the Presidents' Children, by Doug Wead

Response of the Book Club Members: All the members of the book club enjoyed learning about the lives of the children of the U.S. presidents and discovered many similarities between the children. Everyone agreed that following in the footsteps of a father who was president would be very challenging to say the least. The club spent most of the evening discussing George W. Bush's life and years in the White House since the author of the book, Doug Wead, had previously worked for both Bush presidents and he and his lovely wife joined us later in the evening to discuss the book and his time spent with the various members of the Bush family.

Book Members Recommend:

2010-02-28T10:41:00.001-08:00

Joann: This cold and snowy winter I have found and read a lot of great books. I recommend all of the following books:

The 42'nd Parallel, by John Dos Passos is a novel that covers the first twenty years of
the twentieth century in novel format. Each chapter begins with a quote and a "newsreel".

A Persian Requiem, by Simin Daneshvar is the unforunate story of a Muslin bride during
World War II in Iran which at the time is under English domaine.

The Year of Reading Proust, by Phyllis Rose is the writer's memoir of reading all the works
of Proust and how it related to her current life experiences.

The Dowry Bride, by Shobhan Bantwal is the frightening story of a Hindu dowry bride in
current day India who discovers that her mother-in-law and husband want to burn her to
death because she hasn't given them a baby and her father hasn't fulfilled the promise of
the monetary dowry.

The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova is a 909 page thriller that takes you on a hunt thru time
and geography to discover the real Vlad Drakulya in Romania and Translyvania who was the
real inspiration for Bram Stoker's book, Dracula.

The Master Butchers Singing Club, by Louise Erdrich is a delightful novel that has tons of
interesting characters doing strange things in Argus, North Dakota.

The Twelve Little Cakes, Memoir of a Prague Childhood, by Dominika Dery is a great memoir of growing up under USSR and communism in the 1970's and 1980's. Fascinating.

February Book Club Meeting

2010-02-28T10:06:00.000-08:00

February Book Club Meeting:

Host: Haelie

Book: Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon

Response of the Book Club Members: Several members of the club had a very difficult time getting into this long (820 pages) time travel novel that swings back and fourth from medieval Scotland to present times around the world so they admitted that they listened to the book on audio tape. This led to a heated discussion about what is a kosher way to approach a book club selection.Is it OK to listen to a book on tape that is a book you are "reading" for book club? Some members said yes and some members said no! Bev noted that Diana Gabaldon is her very favorite author because she is such a great writer. Others still felt that the book was a long hard struggle.

January Book Club Meeting

2010-02-28T09:51:00.000-08:00

January Book Club Meeting:

Host: Lucille

Book: Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert

Response of the Book Club Members: Everyone thought the first half of the Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir of divorcing her husband and spending a year "off" traveling to Italy, India and Indonesia was the best part of the book. Maybe it was because everyone could relate better to travel in Italy than either in India or Indonesia. Most everyone agreed that very few women going thru a divorce have the means to just take a year off and travel like Elizabeth did. In that regard many thought that Elizabeth's reactions and comments to leaving her husband were not typical. Some of the readers thought that maybe she protest too mush and suffers from priveleged rich girl status.

December Book Club Meeting

2010-02-28T09:50:00.001-08:00

December Book Club Meeting:

Host: Dickie

Book: The Gourmet Rhapsody, by Muriel Barbery

Response of the Book Club Members: Everyone enjoyed the great descriptions of great meals eaten by the French food critic Monnsieru Arthans but almost everyone agreed that his arrogance and his misuse of power in writing his food column was literally hard to stomach. All agreed that this was a good book selection for us during the busy month of December.

2009-11-22T05:35:00.000-08:00

November Book Club Meeting

Host: Carol

Book: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Response of the Book Club Members: Everyone was totally awed by this novel of the holocaust told thru the eyes of the main character who was Death. That's right. Death. Everyone started out hating Death but in the end everyone had great sympathy for him because he showed such compassion. Everyone thought it was one of the very best books we have read this year! And to think that in the bookstores they have classified this as a young adult book. Most of the book club members thought that that was a bad idea because it is a mature theme that would be way above the emotional maturity of 11 or 12 year olds.

2009-11-22T05:31:00.000-08:00

October 2009 Meeting

The Host: Joann

The Book: Chesapeake, James Michner

The Response of the Book Club Members: The more mature members of our group had read this book along time ago when it was first published. The younger members enjoyed being introduced to this prolific writer of American sagas: James Michenor. All agree that when writes a novel on a particular region of the country he started at the very beginning (before recorded history) and works his way thru plot and characters to the present time. For instance, in Chesapeake we have Native Americans and English colonists as well as Richard Nixon and watergate and Frank Perdue's chicken empire

The only negative to a Michenor novel-----they are long and take time to read.

2009-09-28T04:42:00.000-07:00

September 2009 Meeting

The Host: Delaine

The Book: March

Response of the Book Club Members: March continues the story of Little Women first through the eyes of the father, Mr. March, and then through the eyes of the mother, Mrs. March. Everyone enjoyed reading the book but not everyone enjoyed how the father was portrayed in this novel. The book did lead to a vigorous discussion of both current politics and slavery in the south. Many strong views and opinions were presented by various members. Everyone who had never read Little Women expressed interest in reading that book now.

Joann mentioned that if she gave this book five stars, she would have to give Geraldine Brook's other novel, The People of the Book, ten stars. One of the best books she has read this year.
Someone else mentioned that the beauty of Geraldine Brook's novels is that each one is so unique. She doesn't use a formula method like John Grisham or Dan Brown to create a brilliant book.

D.J. Recipes

2009-08-20T12:40:00.000-07:00

Praline Grahams (Southern Living Recipe)
12 Whole regular graham crackers (I use Nabisco Honey Maid, you can also use choc. Graham crackers)
¾ c. butter
½ sugar
1 c. chopped pecans

I put 12 graham crackers on a cookie sheet. Melt butter, stir in sugar and pecans. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly (now I turn the oven on to 300 degrees) cook 5 min. remove from heat and spread over graham crackers. Bake in oven for 8 minutes.

Bok Choy Salad (Submitted by a reader in Marco Island, FL, Southern Living magazine)
3oz pkg ramen noodle soup mix, any kind
1/3 c. sunflower seeds
3 tbl slivered almonds, chopped
½ c. sugar
¼ c. olive oil
¼ c. cider vinegar
2 tbl soy sauce
1 boy choy, shredded
6 greeen onions, chopped

REMOVE flavor packets from soup mix; reserve for another use. Crumble noodles. (I put in a Ziploc and smash)
COMBINE noodles, sunflower seeds, and almonds. Spread on a 15x10 jellyroll pan.
BAKE at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown; set aside.
BRING sugar and next 3 ingredients to a boil in a saucepan over med. Heat. Remove from heat, cool.
PLACE bok choy and green onions in a large bowl. Drizzle with sugar mixture. Add ramen noodle mixture, tossing well.

P.S. *Tip for the day - I have a small 2 speed Black & Decker chopper that I ALWAYS use. I buy my nuts in bulk at Costco, I store them in the freezer and chop them as I need them. It’s my one appliance I couldn’t live without J

2009-08-20T11:57:00.000-07:00

August 2009 Meeting

The Host: D.J.

The Book: Loving Frank

Response of the Book Club Members: Everyone liked reading the book but not everyone like how Frank Lloyd Wright and his mistress left their respective spouses and children and ran away to Europe seeking self-actualization and love with each other. Everyone agreed that they were selfish to do so and to hurt their families and friends. The tragic ending to the book was based on real events but I will not discuss them. You need to read the book.
l

Take A Look

2009-07-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

Piedmont Readers stay in shape by running. Here are D.J., Maura and Cindy participating in a local five mile? race. Awesome ladies. You rock!

July 2009 Meeting

2009-07-15T01:11:00.000-07:00

July 2009 Meeting

The Host: Maura

The Book: Always Looking Up

The Response of the Book Club Members: Book club members found this book to be both very entertaining and very provocative since the author, Michael J. Fox, who has Parkinson's Disease is a strong advocate of stem cell research to find a possible cure for Parkinson's Disease.

Delaine Walker offered a good summation of the book:
"I have always been a fan and admirer of Michael J. Fox - having grown up watching Family Ties, was addicted to Spin City and of course loved his movies especially Back to the Future. But after reading the book, I respect him even more, I stop and listen to his TV advertisements, his approach to managing his foundation is refreshing - what a powerful statement 'I need you to help me go out of business'. But most of all I appreciate his great sense of humor and how he turns his challenges into opportunities.

I had not idea that he kept such a hectic schedule, traveling the world, doing non-stop interviews, meeting with politicians of every stripe and variety, conducting non-stop fundraisers, asking for money from the rich and powerful and doing all this while raising a family of four kids. Some of the best passages in the book contain his reflections on being a father and a husband. I just love a book that makes me laugh and cry at the same time.

The book also covers the very tough issues surrounding embryonic stem cell research, no matter where you stand on this issue the positive is that Michael J. Fox brough the issue forward and into the political area for discussion."

June 2009 Meeting

2009-06-15T07:22:00.000-07:00

June 2009 Meeting

The Host: Connie

The Book: Gift From the Sea

The Response of the Book Club Members: Each member had a chance to respond to a series of quotes that Connie selected from this classic book written by Anne Morrow Lindbergh many years ago. Several members had read this book many years ago and discovered new insights with this second reading. For others the book was a first read. Everyone agreed that Anne Morrow Lindbergh who was born in 1906 was a both a visionary and a lady of remarkable wisdom whose thoughts are very very relevant today. Below the photos are some of the quotes from the book that stimulated a lot of great discussion amongst the readers.

The wave of the future is coming and there is no fighting it.

The sea does not reward those who are too anxious, too greedy, or too impatient. One should lie empty, open, choiceless as a beach - waiting for a gift from the sea.

If you surrender completely to the moments as they pass, you live more richly those moments.

For happiness one needs security, but joy can spring like a flower even from the cliffs of despair.

The only real security is not in owning or possessing, not in demanding or expecting, not in hoping, even. security in a relationship lies neither in looking back to what it was, nor forward to what it might be, but living in the present and accepting it as it is now.

Only in growth, reform, and change, paradoxically enough, is true security to be found.

Don't wish me happiness - I don't expect to be happy it's gotten beyond that, somehow. Wish me courage and strength and a sense of humor - I will need them all.

Men kick friendship around like a football, but it doesn't seem to crack. Women treat it like glass and it goes to pieces.

I believe that what woman resents is not so much giving herself in pieces as giving herself purposelessly.

I believe that what woman resents is not so much giving herself in pieces as giving herself purposelessly.

Life is a gift, given in trust - like a child.

Grief can't be shared. Everyone carries it alone. His own burden in his own way.

The most exhausting thing in life is being insincere.

One can never pay in gratitude: one can only pay 'in kind" somewhere else in life.

I feel we are all islands - in a common sea.

Connie had each quote typed up on a pretty card and we got a card to read and think about. Then we were told to give a comment on our quote or to call on another book club member to comment on the quote. This led to an excellent book discussion that included every book club member and led to great shared insights into the book.Great idea, Connie. I think I would like to use this technique in October for my turn hosting.

May 2009 Meeting

2009-05-11T05:14:00.000-07:00

The Host: Pat

The Book: The Shack

The Response of the Book Club Members:

The book club members had one lively discussion of this fiction novel by WM. Paul Young. First of all is this book a retelling of an actual experience or a work of fiction? Answer: this is a fiction novel.

Second, we had both very positive and very negative responses to the book. Take a look below.

Bev: I got the message of the book and found it reassuuring but I didn't appreciate the writing style or how the writer chose to present his ideas.

Laurie: I think this book made the Holy Trinity feel personally accessible and re-emphasized that God is there for us during all our life; from the biblical scholar to the individuual in a crisis of faith. He keeps loving, believing, and supporting us even when we have turned our back on Him.

Carol: In my opinion, this book tried (too simplistically) to explain and provide answers for the unimaginable: the death of a child.

Joann: I liked how the book started but I didn't like how the story unfolded when Mack returned to the shack but I can see that the beauty of this book is the religious response this book has generated in people of all religious persuasions so I think most everyone would benefit from reading it.

Dickie: The Shack brought up some nice 'reflections' for me but overall was too syrupy and neatly tied up for my tastes.

Cindy: I think this book would be comforting to anyone in a crisis-emotional or spiritual.

DJ: It started strong, and uneasy for me, and lapsed into an idealistic message of how to embrace your relationship with a higher power and stepping outside your comfort zone.

Haelie: I liked the "story" aspect of the book and the revelations that Mack underwent in his life. However, when he got to the shack, I felt the book turned into a lecture series on theology. Many of the points were redundant. Yet the book was an easy read and there were some good insights.

Connie: The one basic instruction I sometimes miss is to see life through another person's eyes...whether superficial and contrite or deep and moving. The key is both are important to God and therefore, ought to be important to me! Although the book is fiction, I'm sure there is a true life story behind it. I gained from having read The Shack.

Maura: God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit can be found anywhere and anytime you are open to receive and embrace.

2009-04-21T05:38:00.000-07:00

April 2009 Meeting

The Host: Bev

The Book: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, A Novel

Response of the Book Club Members: Everyone dearly loved the book and said that they would love to read more books about this period of time which was World War II. And everyone also stated that they would like to read books about World War II from the view of Europeans who suffered because of the was. A nice comparison for American memories and thoughts about World War II.

Here are the photos Bev sent of the April 2009 Book Club Meeting that she hosted at her home. This top photo is a photo of an authentic recipe for Potato Peel Pie. Click on the photo to read how very awful this recipe is. This recipe comes from Annie Barrows who was one of the authors of our April book selection, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, A Novel.

All the book club members at the April meeting breathed a sigh of relief when they saw that Bev wasn't serving Potato Peel Pie but some very delicious appetizers instead to go along with her wine selections.

And here hostess Bev is posing with a big bowl of fresh strawberries for everyone to enjoy.

Bev collects bunny rabbit collectibles so she is the perfect hostess for an Easter time gathering. Can you spot the bunnies hiding among the orchid plants on the kitchen table?

On book club night the members like to begin each meeting by noshing on yummy appetizers while having a glass of wine and catching up on each book club member's past month. From left to right around the kitchen island we have Connie, Maura, Teresa, Delaine, Dickie, D.J., Pat, Cindy and Haelie. Three members were unable to attend the April meeting: Laurie, Carol and Joann.

Another view of the gang in Bev's pretty kitchen: D.J., Pat, Dickie, Cindy and Haelie.

This is the book group sitting in Bev's family room where they discussed the book. Another tradition of the book club is to serve coffee and dessert after the book discussion. Bev served a yummy chocolate cake from Wegman's Gourmet In-store Bakery with those big luscious strawberries that she was passing in a previous photo. Pictured from left to right in this photo is Delaine, Pat, Maura, Haelie, Cindy and the lady with the cute red shoes who is D.J.

March 2009 Meeting

2009-03-16T07:31:00.001-07:00

The Host: Dickie
The Book: Where Have All the Leaders Gone?:

Response of Book Club Members: Some members who disliked the book's message stated that they thought Lee Iacocca, the author, was a bit arrogant. Members who liked the book's message thought that Lee Iacocca was a great business leader and so he was qualified to state what are the qualities of a good leader. One question that came up was this: would a good business leader be a good politcal/government leader? Would a Bill Gates make a good president? Would Walt Disney and Roy Disney have made good politcal leaders in days gone by?

All book club members agreed that our country is currently in a crisis. Some members said that we would recover from this crisis while others said that it was too late for the United States. That we as a nation have lost our ability to lead in the world and that we are now on a downward slide.

D.J. reminded us of Lee Iacocca's book summation:
#1 Give something up.
#2 Put something back in
#3 Elect a leader who has these nine C qualities:

Curiosity

Creativity

Communication

Character

Courage

Conviction

Charisma

Competence

Common Sense

I think Dickie chose this book for discussion so that we all can begin to think about the following pressing matters:

#1 Are we greedy and too satisfied for our own good?

#2 If we love our democratic ideals what can we give back to our country?

#3 Do we care about the future our children and grandchildren will face in this country?

#4 Who will save the backbone of our nation which is the middle class that is rapidly falling into the lower class?

#5 The biggest problem is solving the energy/oil crisis that has made us beholden to the middle east?

In summation: We all left the meeting with more questions than answers.

DragonQuilter Is The Hostess This Friday

2009-03-08T03:17:00.000-07:00

DragonQuilter will be the hostess for our March bookclub meeting. DragonQuilter, aka Dickie, will either send Scott out the door or to the far reaches of the house this Friday when the thirteen book club guests start arriving with book in hand. What will we be discussing this Friday? Glad you asked. Dickie has chosen a timely tome since the United States seems to have gotten off its track financially and intellectually. We will be discussing Lee Iococca's book, Where Have All The Leaders Gone?
Dickie wanted a book selection that would lead to a lively discussion and I believe this book will do the trick. And if the book discussion gets to heated we may have to get a book club facilitating psychologist like they do around New York City. You wonder what I am talking about. Fought Over Any Good Books Lately? is an interesting article that appeared in The New York Times written by Joann Kaufman. Learn more by clicking here: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/07/fashion/07clubs.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1

January 2009 Meeting

2009-02-17T07:10:00.000-08:00

The Host: Haelie
The Book: A Page Out of Time, by Kathleen Reid

Response of Book Club Members: members who scrapbook brought some completed scrap books to pass around so member could take a look. Some members thought the book was believable while others questioned that. Joann wondered if the author was a little bit inspired to write this novel by the late Charles Kuralt.

February 2009 Meeting

2009-02-17T06:16:00.000-08:00

The Host: Teresa
The Book: Poet's Corner, compiled by John Lithgow

Response of Book Club Members: club members got inspired to write poems of their very own to bring to the meeting and share. Take a look.

Delaine's Poem:

Run free run free through the field

Clip clop clip clop see me trot

Graceful graceful graceful graceful I float

Oh see me Oh see me

What am I? A horse of course!

Cindy's Poem:

Times-tables

My clock ticks awaythe seconds,

The sand slips through the hour glass

I have too much time on my hands.

Quality time, prime time,over time, on time, out of time, time after time.

Haste makes waste-

A stitch in time saves nine-

Make hay while the sunshines-

Never put off for tomorrow what can be done today.

I was born prematurely into a world that is ina hurry.

I'm out of breath and wasting time.

Dickie's Poem:

Songs For My Heart

You've brought songs to my heart

and awakened anew,

feelings and laughter from the

brightness of you.

I dance with the stars in

the brightest moonlight,

and coax you to come

and share in the flight.

To find such pure joy

in just being with you

it's something quite special

for only a few.

For the gift I do thank you

and can only pray,

that to you I'll return

this gift in some say.

Joann's Poem:

Poems Are Like Buds On a Tree

***

Poems are like buds on a tree.

Each bud has many tightly wrapped petals.

And each petal unpeels another thought.

Each bud is a delight to the searching soul who finds it.

And each poem like each tree bud is a divine delight.

***

Poems are like spring days in winter's eye.

They cleanse our dulled eyes and brain.

They awaken our senses from a deep sleep.

They make us delight in the sound of works expressed.

They create images that express our true feelings.

***

We fall in love with poems.

We use poems to declare love.

We recite poems to those we adore.

We equate poems with a time and place and lost love.

We hunger for another poem to stir our soul.

***

Poems are small while novels are big, sometimes huge.

Poems carry more meaning then their weight in gold.

Sometimes novels are not worth the paper to print them.

Novels almost never are worth their weight in gold.

Poems do have more meaning then their weight in gold.

***

Peoms represent good economy.

A huge product from so little material.

But the mental production progresses slowly.

Poems don't come from assembly lines.

Poems come from struggling words along a line.

***

Nursery rhymes are poems for mothers and babies.

And babies respond with coos, laughts and mimics.

Patriotic lyrics are musical poems for citizens.

And folks respond with tears, zeal and volunteering.

Gospel songs are poems for souls in search of God.

***

Poems are like buds on a tree.

Each bud has many tightly wrapped petals.

And each petal unpeels another thought.

Each bud is a delight to the searching soul who finds it.

And each poem like each tree bud is a divine delight.

Consensus of members to this book from question posed by Connie:

Could the world live without poetry?

Answer: A world without poetry would be sorely lacking!

Where Have All The Leaders Gone

2009-02-16T22:43:00.001-08:00

We are now reading Where Have All the Leaders Gone written by Lee Ioccoca. Want to get a heads up about this book. There is a good post on Snopes.com on this book. Check it out. It will definitely make you want to sit down and read this book. Ioccoca spares no one. He tells it like he sees it. Click here to read the book entry on Snopes: http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/iacocca.asp

Meeting Author Vincent Lash

2009-02-16T07:16:00.000-08:00

Vincent Lash the author of The Jeweler's Mark attended the meeting that Teresa hosted. He both discussed the writing of his book about the jewelry industry and discussed jewelry appraising. Vincent Lash is an independent appraiser of jewelry, gold, silver and clocks. Vincent Lash is a G.I.A. graduate gemologist and a senior member of the National Association of Jewelry Appraisers. Book club members brought to this meeting jewelry for Vincent Lash to appraise for a fee.

Recipes From PiedmontReaders

2009-02-16T07:05:00.000-08:00

#1 Chocolate Saltine Cracker Delight
Quick and Very Good

Ingredients:
40 or so Saltine Crackers
1 cup butter (do not substitute)
1 cup brown sugar
1 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate morsels
Optional Topping:Approx. 1/4 cup shelled walnuts or pecans, chopped ultra fine

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line a jellyroll pan with aluminum foil. Arrange saltine crackers on foil. Make sure crackers are flat, and pan is full. Melt butter and brown sugar in a saucepan and boil for 3 minutes. Pour over crackers, spread with spoon to coat evenly. Bake at 325 degrees F. for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven, pour chocolate chips over and let stand 5 minutes to melt. Spread around with a knife or spoon, then cover with bits of chopped nuts or some kind of brickle if you so desire. Place in refrigerater or freezer until hard. Break into bite-size or cracker-size pieces. You may also substitute white chocolate pieces or whatever you like instead of the semi-sweet chocolate.

The first year of book club this recipe showed up at a lot of the meetings.

#2 California Veggie Wraps
Bev's recipe
For each wrap you need these ingredients:

1 T. spreadable cream cheese
1 ten inche flour tortilla
2 T. shredded carrot
2 T. thinly sliced red or yellow pepper
2 T. chopped red onion
1/4 cup shredded Cheddar or monterey Jack cheese
1/4 avocado, peeled and sliced
1/4 cup baby spinach leaves or torn arugula
1/4 cup alfalfa sprouts
salt and pepper

Directions:
Spread cream cheese over the tortilla to within 1/2 inch of the edges.
Arrange the filling ingredients in a row along the center one third of the tortilla. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Roll the tortilla up as tightly as possible to enclose the filling without tearing the tortilla. Cut in half crosswise and arrange made wraps under plastic wrap and refrigerate till time to serve.

Every member raved about these wraps that Bev made with her hubby Shorty for all the bookies to enjoy Thanks for the recipe, Bev.

Settings For Books Read

2009-02-16T03:56:00.000-08:00

Afghanistan

A Thousand Splendid Suns

The Kite Runner

Africa

Little Bee

The Crocodile on the Sandbank

The Poisonwood Bible

The Power of One

The Triumph of the Sun

China

The Memory Keepers Daughter

The Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

The Piano Teacher (Hong Kong)

Eastern Europe

The Shell Seekers

Egypt

The Crocodile on the Sandbank

England

The Atonement

Pride and Prejudice

The Crystal Cave

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night

The Dress Lodger

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Socierty (Guernsey Island)

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe

Oliver Twist

The Outlander

The Other Boleyn Girl

The Queen's Man

The Pillars of the Earth

The Plain Truth

The Reading Group

The Third Witch

The Thirteenth Tale

Till We Have Faces

Wicked: Life and times of the Wicked Witch of the West

Years of Wonder

France

The Da Vinci Code

The Gourmet Rhapsody

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank

Blackberry Wine

The Immoveable Feast

Holland

The Girl With the Pearl Earring

India

The Interpreter of Maladies

Italy

The Last Promise

Israel

The Red Tent

Western Europe

Loving Frank (France, Italy, as well as Chicago)

The Pillars of the Earth (England, France, Spain)

Eastern Europe

The Book Thief

Japan

Memoirs of a Geisha

Unbroken

Jordan

Leap of Faith, Memoirs of an Unexpected Life, by Queen Noor

Latin America

Bel Canto

Peru

Turn Right At Machu Picchu

Portugal

The Alchemist

Spain

The Sun Also Rises

The Pillars of the Earth

Little Indiscretions

United States

A Day Late and a Dollar Short (The South)

A Long Total Love Chase (Northeast)

All the Presidents' Children (U.S.)

Best Friends (U.S.)

Breakfast With Buddha (U.S.)

Buffalo Winged (Northeast)

Cane River (The South)

Chesapeake (Virginia, Maryland and Delaware)

Diary of Libby Beaman (Alaska)

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood (The South)

Ella Minnow Pea (The South)

For One More Day (The Northeast)

Ford County (Mississippi)

Gardenias For Breakfast (The South)

Gods and Generals (The South)

Half Broke Horses (Arizona)

House of Sand and Fog

It's Not about the Bike

Isaac's Storm (Galveston, Texas)

Loving Frank (Chicago and Europe)

March (Virginia and New England)

Middlesex (Detroit)

My Losing Season (The South)

My Sister's Keeper

One For the Money

Outfoxed (The South)

Page Out of Life

Pleasure of My Company

Pull of the Moon

Rococo

Seabiscuit

Skipping Christmas

Standing in the Rainbow (The South)

Still Alice

The Awakening (The South)

The Bitch in the House

The Corrections (Philadelphia and New York City)

The Gift From The Sea (American beach)

The Glass Castle (The South)

The Help (Mississippi Delta)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (Virginia)

The Interpreter of Maladies (California)

The Jeweler's Mark

The Last Child (North Caroline)

The Lovely Bones (New York)

The Master Butchers Singing Club (North Dakota)

The Memory Keepers Daughter

The Merlot Murders (The South)

The Mermaid Chair (The South)

The Monk Downstairs (San Franciso)

The Nanny Diaries (New York)

The Plain Truth

The Pat Conroy Cookbook, Recipes of My Life, by Pat Conroy (The South)

The Wife (New York)

The Secret Life of Bees (The South)

The Shack (Cascades of Oregon)

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle (Wisconsin)

The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters (Hollywood and Midwest)

The Weird Sister (Ohio)

The Widow of the South (The South)

The Witching Hour (The South)

This I Believe (Essays On Living In U.S.)

Under Orders (The South)

Water For Elephants

Where Have All The Leaders Gone? (United States)

White Oleander (California)

South America

The State of Wonder

Sudan

The Triumph of the Sun

Vietnam

The Things They Carried

The World

Poet's Corner

Memoirs/Biographies Read

2009-02-15T13:51:00.000-08:00

Memoirs/Biographies/Non-Fiction Read and Discussed

All the Presidents' Children

Always Looking Up

The Bitch (Self Help Stories for Women)

Cane River

The Diana Chronicals

Eat, Pray, Love

The Glass Castle

It's Not About the Bike

My Losing Season

The Pat Conroy Cookbook, Recipes of My Life

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank

Poet's Corner

Princess: A True Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia

Seabiscuit

This I Believe (Self Help Essays)

Unbroken

Books Members Recommend:

2009-02-14T19:45:00.000-08:00

Joann: I read this month Sarah's Key and I couldn't put it down. 5 stars.

Bev: I read The Ninteenth Wife and loved it.

Dickie: Learned last night the The Autobiography of Helen Keller is a great book about a genius locked in blindness and deafness.

Future Book Club Meetings

2009-02-14T18:20:00.000-08:00

2011
January: Teresa's House, Isaac's Storm, by Erik Larson
February: Cindy's House, Little Bee, by Chris Cleave
March: Joann's House, The Last Promise, by Richard Paul Evans
April: Carol's House, This I Believe, with forward by Studs Terkel, edited by J. Allison and D. Sediman
May: Bev's House, Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand
June: Dickie's House, The Weird Sisters, by Elenore Brown
July: Pat's House, Breakfast With Buddha, by Roland Mercullo
August: Haelie's House, Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens
September: Brenda's House, Half Broke Horses, A True Life Novel, by Jeannette Walls
October: Delaine's House, Turn Right At Machu Picchu, by Mark Adams
November: Maura's House, Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford
December: Lucille's House, The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein

2012

January: Teresa's House, The Diary of LibbyBeaman

February: Carol's House, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collias

March: Dickie's House, The State of Woncer by Ann Patchett

Christmas Cookie Exchange for Book Club

2009-02-14T17:19:00.000-08:00

Sunday December 21, 2008 the book club had its first cookie exchange for current and past members at Joann Shipley's home. Each participant brought six dozen cookies of one type and the ladies sampled and shared and exchanged them and discovered new cookie recipes.

The great cookie walk.

Yum, yum!My bag has more cookies than your bag!

Meeting Author Ellen Crosby

2009-02-14T15:39:00.000-08:00

Our book club's first outing away from the Piedmont neighborhood was to Swedenburg Winery near Middleburg, VA. We were able to meet Ellen Crosby, the author of the Merlot Murders, and to listen to her speak about how she creates her mystery novels. Ellen was a former state department employee who lived all around the world including Paris, France. We were able to have our book purchases autographed by Ellen.

Current Book Club Members

2009-02-14T15:11:00.000-08:00

Cindy

Haelie

Teresa

Joann

Dickie

Bev

Brenda

Maura

Delaine

Lucille

Carol

The three original members from 2001 are Cindy,Haelie and Pat.

The four newest members are Lucille, Carol, and Cindy R.

A returning member is Brenda. Pat has left the group.

Past Book Club Members

2009-02-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

Debbie Geis

Cathy Miclat

Margie Goodwin

Kathy

Brenda Burleson

Mouna Karas

Peggy

Joan Roy

Karen

Leia Santos

Robbyn Lessig

Laurie Kane

Connie Bourne

D. J. Cleary

Chronological List of Books Read

2009-02-14T12:52:00.001-08:00

Over 116 Books Read and Discussed So Far

2001

She's Come Undone, by Wally Lamb (Debbie)

The Shell Seekers, by Rosamund Pilcher (Cathy)

The Winter Solstice, by Rosamund Pilcher (Pat)

White Oleander, by Janet Fitch (Cindy)

Memoirs of a Geisha, by Arthur Golden (Margie)

2002

Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis (Teresa)

The Things They Carried, by Tim O'Brien (Joann)

A Day Late and a Dollar Short, by Terry McMillan (Kathy)

A Long Total Love Chase, by Louisa M. Alcott (Brenda)

The Girl With The Pearl Earring, by Tracy Chevalier (Debbie)

The Red Tent, by Anita Diamont (Hailie)

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood, by Rebecca Wells (Karen)

The Nanny Diarys, by E. McLaughlin and N. Kraice (Mouna)

The Lovely Bones, by Alice Seybold (Peggy)

The Painted House, by John Grisham (Cindy)

Bel Canto, Ann Patchett (Joan)

The Corrections, by Jonathan Franzen (Cathy)

2003

Skipping Christmas, John Grisham (Margie)

Princess: A True Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia, by

Jean Sasson (Joann)

Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen (Kathy)

Gods and Generals, by Jeff Shaara (Pat)

House of Sand and Fog, by Andre Dubus III (Debbie)

The Dress Lodger, by Sheri Holman (Cindy)

The Third Witch, by Rebecca Reisert (Haelie)

The Morality Play, by Barry Unworthy (Brenda)

The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay (Dickie)

Outfoxed, by Fern Michaels (Peggy)

Seabiscuit, by Lauren Hillenbrand (Cathy)

Standing in the Rainbow, by Fanny Flag (Joann)

2004

It's Not About The Bike, by Lance Armstrong (Joan)

One For The Money, by Janet Evonovich (Margie)

The Pull of the Moon, by Elizabeth Berg (Debbie)

The Other Boleyn Girl, by Philippa Gregory (Pat)

Awakening, by Kate Chopin (Kathy)

The Bitch in the House, by Cathi Hannauer (Cindy)

Years of Wonder, by Geraldine Brooks (Karen)

Blackberry Wine, by Joanne Harris (Dickie)

The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart (Brenda)

Buffalo Winged, by Patricia Reilly Panera (Haelie)

Middlesex, by Jeffrey Eugenides (Cathy)

The Kite Runner, by Khaled Hussein (Joann)

2005

The Monk Downstairs, by Tim Farrington (Joan)

The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver (Bev)

Little Indiscretions, by Carmen Posadas (Margie)

The Secret Life of Bees, by Sue Monk Kid (Dickie)

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night, by

Mark Haddon (Cindy)

The Reading Group, by Elizabeth Noble (Karen)

Cane River, by Sue Tademy (Joann)

Pleasure of My Company, by Steve Martin (Brenda)

The Lion, The Witch anThe Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis (Haelie)

The Wife, by Meg Wurlitzer (Bev)

Leap of Faith, memoirs of an Unexpected Life, by Queen Noor (Teresa)

The Plain Truth, by Jodi Picoult (D.J.)

2006

My Sister's Keeper, by Jodi Picoult (Maura)

The Crocodile on the Sandbank, by Elizabeth Peters (Margie)

Wicked: Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West, by G.

Maguire (Brenda)

Gardenias for Breakfast, by Robin Jones Gunn (Haelie)

My Losing Season, by Pat Conroy (Joann)

The Interpretor of Maladies, by Jhumpa Lahiri (Leia)

The Pat Conroy Cookbook, Recipes of My Life, by Pat Conroy (Joann)

The Mermaid Chair, by Sue Monk Kidd (Dickie)

The Triumph of the Sun, by Wilbur Smith (Teresa)

The Da Vinci Code, by Dan Brown (Cindy)

The Widow of the South, by Robert Hicks (Pat)

The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho (D.J.)

2007

Under Orders, by Dick Francis (Delaine)

Timeline, by Michael Crichton (Laurie)

The Witching Hour, by Anne Rice (Maura)

The Piano Shop on the Left Bank, by Thad Carhart (Dickie)

The Wild Swans: Three Daughter of China, by Jung Chang (Bev)

The Namesake, by Jhumpa Lahiri (Leia)

The Painted Veil, by Somerset Maugham (Teresa)

The Glass Castle, by Jeannette Walls (Robbyn)

A Thousand Splendid Suns, by Khaled Hussein (Joann)

The Sun Also Rises, by Ernest Hemingway (Cindy)

The Memory Keeper's Daughter, by Kim Edwards (Pat)

Ella Minnow Pea, by Mark Dunn (Haelie)

2008

The Queen's Man, by Sharon Kay Penman (Laurie)

Water For Elephants, by Sara Gruen (Pat)

The Diana Chronicles, by Tina Brown (Maura)

The Atonement, by Ian McEwan (Bev)

The Jeweler's Mark, by Vincent Lash (Teresa)

The Thirteenth Tale, by Diane Setterfield (Dickie)

Rococo, by Adriana Trigiani (Joann)

The Merlot Murders, by Ellen Crosby (Cindy)

For One More Day, by Mitch Albom (Connie)

The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters,by Elizabeth Robinson (D.J.)

Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follett (Carol)

The Story of Edger Sawtelle, David Wroblewski (Lucille)

2009

Page Out of Life, by Kathleen Reid (Haelie)

Poets' Corner, by John Lithgow (Teresa)

Where Have All the Leaders Gone, by Lee Iaccoco (Dickie)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by

Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (Bev)

The Shack, by WM. Paul Young (Pat)

The Gift From The Sea, by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (Connie)

Always Looking Up, by Michael J. Fox (Maura)

Loving Frank, by Nancy Horan (D.J.)

March, by Geraldine Brooks (Delaine)

Chesapeake, by James Michenor (Joann)

The Book Thief, by Markus Zuzak (Carol)

The Gourmet Rhapsody, by Muriel Barbery (Dickie)

2010

Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert (Lucille)

The Outlander, by Diana Gabaldon (Haelie)

All the Presidents' Men, by Doug Wead (Teresa)

The Help, by Kathryne Stockett (Cindy)

Ford County, by John Grisham (Bev)

The Master Butchers Singing Club, by Louise Erdrich (Joann)

Best Friends, by Jennifer Weiner (Delaine)

The Piano Teacher, Janice Y. Lee (Carol)

The Last Child, John Hart (D.J.)

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, by Rebecca Skloot (Dickie)

Still Alice, by Lisa Genova (Maura)

The Immoveable Feast, by John Baxter (Pat)

2011

Isaac's Storm, by Eric Larson (Teresa)

Little Bee, by Chris Cleve (Cindy)

The Last Promise, by Richard Paul Evans (Joann)

This I Believe, edited by Jay Allison and Dan Sedimon (Carol)

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand (Bev)

The Weird Sister, by Eleanore Brown (Dickie)

Breadfast With Buddha, by Roland Merullo (Pat)

Oliver Twist, by Charles Dickens (Haelie)

Half Broke Horses, by Jeanette Walls (Brenda)

Turn Right At Machu Picchu, by Mark Adams (Delaine)

Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford (Maura)

2012

The Diary of Libby Beaman,by Betty John (Teresa)

The Art of Racing in the Rain, by Garth Stein (Lucille)