Books

I love reading books. It's so easy to get lost in another world when it comes to books, but I don't actually read all that many. Last night I opened this month's book club book, my pick, The Obituary Writer by Ann Hood and I couldn't put it down and read the whole thing, it was excellent! I won't go into detail about the book, I'll save that for after our meeting on Thursday, but I'm glad I picked this book, you should read it. How did I come across this book you may ask yourself, well Oprah told me I think, and I liked the cover. I'm pretty sure it was maybe on one of the must reads for a month or something.

But back to books in general. Books take up time to read, I appear to only like to read books at night, no clue why, but I always end up staying up way too late, just one more chapter I constantly negotiate with myself, then when I get to the end of that chapter, well, you just can't stop there either. I'm pretty sure it was like 1:30am before I went to bed last night. 

Since I've had my Nook, there have only been a handful of books where I've actually read the physical book. I do feel bad that I'm contributing to the demise of book stores and libraries, but I just love my Nook. I like having several books to choose from, they are usually cheaper and I don't have books collecting dust on book shelves. I think if I really really liked a book I would buy it to have a physical copy too, that should save the bookstores right? 

Anywho, books. I like to read. Anyone read anything good lately that they would like to share with the group?

Book Club: The Dry Grass of August

Tonight was book club night, this month we read The Dry Grass of August (my pick) If you know me at all, I procrastinate. Even though this was my pick and I've had a month to read it, I read it all last night.. that's how I roll.

I can't remember where I came across the review for this book, but it said if you like 'The Help' you would like this book. It's set in the south in the 50's during the violent times of segregation. Like the help, the story centers around a family struggling with their own demons and secrets as well as dealing with the maid/nanny is the growing violence of segregation. 

We had a small group tonight, just four of us. But to my surprise, I got a 5 out of The Page Turner, this is a big deal to me, not only had she not read this book already of knew about it but it got a 5 from her, a 4 from the rest of us and led to a great discussion. I was proud. We talked about work, we talked about other books and we even mentioned politics a bit. Next month we are reading 'Conversations and Cosmopolitans' by Robert Rave.

The Page Turner's Hit the Road

This evening a very small group of Page Turners made the hour long drive for a super special Book Club meeting in Page Turner's town. This month's book was The Summer of Us by Holly Chamberlin, not gonna lie I didn't get to it. I've been working OT like a crazy person and by time I get home it's past dinner time so I eat and go to bed, no time to read. Yes I know this is bad, sorry. I'll try to be better next time, although August is going to be crazy busy too... Drama's wedding and all. And on top of all that NiBo is leaving the nest, my little bub is moving 35 miles away. So needless to say it's busy busy busy here at North of 10th.

We only had a total of four Page Turners for this evenings adventure out. We had dinner on the patio of a lovely restaurant. It was very nice to get out and chill with some great ladies for an evening. I still can't believe Page Turner makes that drive everyday.

Stay tuned for Sunday's 3rd and final bridal shower. Everyone is very excited about this luau themed party and I hear there are some great outfits that we will get to see to. Have a great weekend everyone!

Don't Worry, Be Happy

Book Club Night!

This month we read 'The Happiness Project' by Gretchen Rubin. We had a very small group tonight, just four of us to discuss, it's a busy time of year to try and coordinate schedules with everyone. We had three people give the book a 4 and a stick in the mud who didn't like the book.  This book is very comparable to a Eat, Pray, Love (Which I loved)type book.

The book is about Gretchen, a woman living in New York who has it all. A loving husband, a job she loves, two kids and makes a good living. But one day decides though she isn't unhappy, is she really at her happiest potential, and doesn't quite appreciate the good life she has enough.

Researching the crap out of anything with happiness she decides to start her own happiness project. Every month for a year she will dedicate the month to something new to up her happiness level, from finding a hobby, focusing on love to lightening up a bit she uses the guidance of others to explore what really does happiness mean, and is finding ones own happiness a selfish thing to do.

You could categorize this as a self help, I like to call it more a self awareness book. Some of the things she brings up are duh! no brainers and others make you think a bit and reflect on your own life a bit. I like books that make me think about things in a different way or reflect how I feel about certain things. It's always nice to feel not alone in something.


You can check out Gretchen's blog http://www.happiness-project.com/ that she started as one of her resolutions.

There are lots of things I took away from this book, I dog-eared several pages of things that struck me as interesting and things I want to look into a little more.

I know I've been away for well.. a week. But my brain has been mush. Reading a book like this has lit a fire under my butt once again... sometimes you just need a nudge in the right direction or a little bit of inspiration from unexpected places.

In the book Gretchen starts a one sentence journal, because she's too busy to write the novel like entries we all associate with good journalers. So bear with me, but on days where the brain is too much mush I think I can at least write one sentence about my day or list my favorite part of my day because even though I may have had a crappy day, there was someone or something that made it worth it. Even if it's just sharing a laugh, that's at least something.

"We tend to forget that happiness doesn't come as a result of getting something we don't have, but rather of recognizing and appreciating what we do have." - Frederick Keonig

Book Club: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The monthly meeting of the Page Turners was this evening and we had a great time as always. Tonight we welcomed a new member to the club! I'm sure it was a little overwhelming for J to be thrown into the middle of all of us but she fit just great and added great insight to our discussion, welcome to the club J!

This month we read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. We were all a little surprised when we went to purchase (or check out from the library) that this book was located in the young adult section, but everyone managed to find it and had one of our better discussions in awhile.

The book is the story of Bruno who comes home one day from school to his home in Berlin, only to find that the maid is packing up all his belongings, because of his father's job the family will have to move. When they get to their new house, it's not as nice as their old home and Bruno is all alone, there are no other children to play with. Out the window he can see a tall fence that goes on what seems like forever and has sharp barbed wire at the top and in the distance he can see people all wearing these striped pajamas. One day Bruno decides to sneak away and explore. As he travels farther from the house he finds a skinny boy sitting on the other side of the fence and they become friends with tragic consequences for his unknowing family.

I gave this book a 4/5, and I'll warn you the ending is sad. We had a great discussion and all had different thoughts about different parts of the book, truely one the best things about book club (duh!) is that one persons thoughts will make you see the book in a completely different perspective.

Our book for next month is Room by Emma Donoghue. From what I've head this is going to be a good read too! Until next month, Happy Reading!

Book Club: Hungry for Happiness

This month the Page Turners read Hungry for Happiness by James Villas. It's the story of Loretta who has dealt with weight issues her whole life. She has been almost obsessed with losing weight after she had gastric bypass surgery. The book follows her through some tough times with men and food and dealing with a family who like her better fat because they too deal with weight and are unable to be happy for her in her new found life. Loretta has always loved food and after her surgery she loved to share her joy of food with others and begins a catering business. Through the book we find her struggle still with body image, the ups and downs with me and constantly searching for happiness.

Some people think that being skinny will solve all the problems but as we see from Loretta that's not always the case, no matter your size, the grass is always greener.  During our discussion the quote was thrown out there "If everyone threw all their problems in a pile, we would quickly grab our own back." We had a great discussion the best we have had in awhile. It's something everyone can relate to, and as women most of us have some sort of issue with our bodies. But I think the lesson from the book was just finding something that takes your mind off of all of that, something that you can do and be focused and be in the moment; that was our other big theme for this book, "living in the moment". We felt that through cooking, Loretta was able to focus, although out of necessity to not spoil the recipe, she was able to be in the moment and be happy and forget about the other worries and things going on in her life good or bad.

Happiness and living in the moment, most of the time so much easier said than done. Life is too short to worry about tomorrow or yesterday, we have to learn to live in the now and remember Hakuna Matata (it means no worries)

Book Club, Party Time, Excellent

The Page Turner's Society turned 1 today! Hooray! We voted on our favorite spot that we'd had dinner at the past year and the food was delish!

It's no secret that I love bookclub, even if the book ends up sucking I have one night a month to hang out with some great ladies and talk and drink and stuff our faces with food. Everyone brings so much to the table... I know you've heard that all before but it's so true. They are so much fun to sit and chat with, as usual we will veer off course but we all like to read and talk, perfect combo.

This month we read Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. It's tells the story of Charlie, a man in his 30's who is mentally challenged and Algernon a lab mouse who scientist used in an experiment to test a procedure that would make him smarter. Needing a human trial they found Charlie and gave him the same operation to increase his IQ. The book is from Charlie's perspective through his progress reports he rights to chart improvements. This book was also a Hallmark movie with Matthew Modine and there is a nice cliff notes version for you as well.

The book starts out with grammatical errors and misspelled words since Charlie isn't too smart. As the book progresses his dated progress reports become more correct as we see that the operation has worked and Charlie's IQ is increasing. As the story continues the author challenges to see whether or not intelligence makes a person better. We follow Charlie through his struggles as his mind outgrows his emotional and social "smartness" It's a sad story as you see him struggle through these changes. But it's one of those books that you have to read to see if you'll like it.

I actually had "read" this book back in High School so I knew the general premise of the book. I gave it a 3 and our discussion a 4 this time around. We have already read 12 books, it's crazy to think about. December is my month and we will be reading A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood. You may remember this being my secret submission for the one year anniversary meeting. I really liked the book, it's a different style/direction for the club and it's a good short book for a busy December (can you believe it's almost December already?! crazy!) So read along with us and tell me what you think of the book if you ready it. It's also a very pretty movie directed by Tom Ford starring Colin Firth (love him). Happy Book Club Night everyone!

* Happy Halloween * & Let's Catch up!

Sorry blog peeps, it's been over a week since I've blogged. I know you were probably worried about me, I'm ok. I was actually busy getting my Halloween costume finished and it was going to be awesome. But sadly after all that hard work, my sister ended up being sick yesterday so I didn't go out.  Instead I sat my happy self at home in my PJ's and watched TV. I'm sorry she was sick but it makes me very sad that I put all that work into the costumes and didn't get to go anywhere... as always. Oh well, c'est la vie.

Friday at work was costume day. I actually won "Most Creative Costume" with my crazy cat lady get up. Complete with cats, pictures of cats, and talking about how awesome cats are. Here are some pictures from the other people who dressed up too. We had Darius Rucker, Thinkin' Arby's girl, and a few Merlottes waitresses and a Halloween edition of the Three Wolf Moon shirt. Epicness.

On Friday, we participated in the "Screaming Pumpkin Race" it was so much fun. We participated in the 10k Run (which we mostly walked, but hey 6.55 miles is 6.55 miles) needless to say I was a little sore. The course was set up through the historic Springdale Cemetery in Peoria, IL. We finished in just under 2 hours. (that's about an 18 minute mile if you were wondering) It was very neat. The cemetery was full of old Mausoleums and old stones everywhere. The course was pitch black except for glow sticks lining the path on one side. It was a grueling course too, for the people that say there are no hills in Illinois, go to this cemetery wand wog (run/jog) up one and get back to me. Needless to say I was a little sore yesterday. It was lots of fun and I hope to go back and do it again next year and try to actually run the whole thing. Google map the cemetery though and you'll see how absolutely HUGE it is. They also ran a Marathon and a Marathon Relay as well (that means 4 laps on the grueling course..eek!) There are pictures but my friend has them on her camera so I'll have to wait to get them from her, then I'll post them for ya.

Today is the official Trick-or-Treat day here in GC, so I may or may not be passing out candy. I may just repeat yesterday I haven't decided yet.

I am very excited for next weekend though and cannot wait! Friday is the annual Rodeo that me and my country gals attend AND after that one of our favorite local bands is going to be at our country bar, Double Awesome!! I can't wait for that. THEN on Saturday It's Sew My Style and myself are heading to Chi-town for a free financial seminar that we decided to attend on a spur of the moment impulse and Bill and Guiliana Rancic will be guest speakers. I'm proud of us for being spontaneous.

Thursday was Book Club night! This month we read "The Brief History of the Dead" by Kevin Brockmeier. It was an interesting book and I liked it alot until the end. The basic premise of the book is that when you die you go to 'The City' which is just another city like the one you came from except everyone there has died. You can remain in the city as long as someone on Earth remembers you. It's an interesting thought, you are only "alive" as long as you are remembered by the living. The book ends with you wanting more and asking a lot of questions. It was a little deep for us to figure out the exact meaning of what the author was going for. In other news apparently the new goal for The Page Turner if to find me the love of my life just look here. From all the conversations we had that night, this is what stuck. I don't know whether to be excited, nervous, or depressed lol. I'll let you know how that works out. Our November book (our 1 year anniversary!) is "Flowers for Algernon" by David Keyes. I read it before in High School, don't remember the details but know the general premise. For December, my pick is "A Single Man" by Christopher Isherwood.

I think that is all for now, see you didn't really miss that much in my absence. Don't worry I'll be back on it now. Happy Haunting!

Book Review: A Single Man

I can talk about my book now, I read A Single Man by Christopher Isherwood.

Here's the back cover description:

After the sudden death of his longtime lover, George must adjust to life on his own as a professor in Southern California in the early 1960s. During the course of an ordinary day, George is haunted by memories as he seeks connections with the world around him. Wry, funny and melancholy, A Single Man is a moving portrait of a gay man in midlife.

I actually watched the movie first on this not knowing it was based on a book. The movie is directed by Tom Ford (the fashion giant who saved the Gucci fashion house) it stars Colin Firth and Julianne Moore. I describe the movie as a "pretty movie" its a well done movie and I rated it a 5 because I like movies that change your perspective on something. The movie differs a bit from the book with the story line. It was critically acclaimed and won several awards and earned Colin Firth an Oscar nomination.

The book is written in a third person narrative and goes through one day in the life of George. The memories of his partner Jim who died in a car accident are like ghosts that pepper his daily routine. He is struggling between letting the grief take him over and fighting to find the good in the everyday simple things and you really fight for him to find that peace. He is a British transplant to America and he is often questioning the notion of going back to England to live to try and outrun the ghostly memories of Jim.

In the movie you are following George through the day he decides he can no longer escape the grief of losing Jim and has decided to commit suicide and you follow him through the day knowing this and hoping that he will see the little things in life that make it worth living. This adds a different urgency to the movie as opposed to the book where you are just reading an ordinary day and him struggling to fit into the "straight" way of life and find peace with his own demons.

This book wasn't the book picked for our November meeting but it is going to be my next host month pick which I think will be February which will be perfect because it is a short book of only 186 pages and February is a short month. I think this will be a good book to step out of our comfort zone as a group to discuss this book, I think there is a lot you can take away from this book.

An interesting note about the book:
Don Bachardy, Isherwood's surviving partner said in an interview that at one point in their relationship he was considering ending it. Thinking about life without Don became the inspiration for the novel.  Isherwood began writing the book during one of the most difficult parts of their relationship and was so upset that he began imagining what life would be like without him. After learning that about the book you can see that it was really a day in the life of the author and him outwardly expressing the difficulty of going through life with out Don. I can see how he would relate so well and the painfully ordinary details of minute daily tasks seem so huge when you are overcoming such a loss.

It's a very moving book and I'm excited to hear what the group will say about it, I've got several months before that will happen but it's my pick. I also encourage you to see the movie but read the book first.

Our November book club read is Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.

Book vs. Movie and My Two Cents on Eat, Pray, Love

As I mentioned earlier I really like this book. Tonight was also a special book/movie review night. Double the fun!

Eat, Pray, Love is about the journey of the author and her travels to find happiness, faith, God and learn about herself. The book begins with her divorce and she realizes that she just isn't the person she used to be nor the person she particularly wants to be. We follow her to Italy (where she eats), India (where she prays) and Indonesia (where she finds love).

Book club tonight was a smaller crowd than usual and I agree with FM that it just had an off feeling to it. None the less it was a good discussion but I felt I censored myself because others had such strong dislike for the book. I still remained an active participant in the conversation. We also welcomed a new member (I know shocking). 3/7 people actually enjoyed the book, the others not so much. This was the first book that we have been so divided in opinions (which means we are growing). Book club just didn't have the same hooplah around it. ('Page Turner' was off her game tonight too)

After a quick/dinner discussion we headed off to the movie, we had a few sit the movie out. It's always interesting to see what gets left in a movie and what gets the boot. I'm a detail oriented person and I think that's why I'm let down by book to movie adaptations. When I read a book it really is the little things that stand out to me. I gave the movie a 3 (the book was a 4). I felt like there were small ah-ha moments in the book that were fairly significant to Elizabeth's journey and several of them were left out of the movie. Most of the page turners who didn't like the book enjoyed the movie. 'Old Lady' and I weren't as impressed. Even though the scenery in the book was amazing, I imagine that it in no way does it compare to the real thing.

Our October pick was also unveiled tonight. We shall be reading The Brief History of the Dead by Kevin Brockmeier. A spooky cover and good topic for an October Halloween month.

We also have our Page Turner Society one year anniversary approaching in November. We have a special selection method of the occasion. All of us will give a short description of a book of our choosing with the reasons we chose. Keeping it anonymous we will then select our favorite choice and the book with the most votes will win and be read for our one year anniversary.

You all know that I enjoy book club and if you aren't a part of one I highly recommend finding one. Make sure you have different people with different backgrounds because it's no fun when everyone thinks the same.

[I opted for saving my 20-something quarter life crisis story for later, it could get lengthy and I don't really know how to articulate it just yet, so hold tight it may or maynot be a future blog post]

Bookclub: Eat, Pray, Loved It.

Tonight is bookclub/movie night!

We will be dining out after work to discuss the book, eating at a different location that originally announced (I think 'Page Turner' wanted to make sure it was a place with some booze).  Then after the discussion/dinner we will venture over to the theatre to check out the movie (by the same name) starring Julia Roberts.

Rumblings so far (mini-discussions) was that most didn't enjoy this book. I actually honestly loved it and am going to give it a 4. From the beginning I have related to this book on so many levels. 'Page Turner' thinks that our younger members (me included) ".. have not lost yourself. You have not gone off the course you wanted your life on." I'm there right now and maybe not in the same sense as the author has but I've always felt older than what I am and have lived a fairly "grown up" life this far.

This actually ties in great with a story I came across via 20-Nothings that was featured in the New York times about 20 somethings and their "selfish" search to find themselves. This is could get wordy and is a bit deep for so soon this morning. It's intersting and I suggest you read it if you get the chance.

So check back later tonight or tomorrow to get the bookclub recap as well as why I related (and I think many others my age if they think about it) to this story. Happy Book Club Day to All!

Book Club: The Help

Ahhh book club night. Book club is like a box of chocolates you truly never ever know what you will get and from whom it will come.

First rule of Book club. Don't talk about book club... well you can talk until you are blue in the face about the book and it is actually highly encouraged to do so, technically that is the actual point of book club; but I cannot tell you about what is actually discussed in detail about the book aka side travels from the questions. All I can say is 'Old Lady' took us on a little time trip.

This evening we had a great location, good food and as always great company. This month we read The Help by Kathryn Stockett. As we mature in our book club routine, I love that we are not just not looking at the book at face value. We have begun to take a deeper look at the book, the story, the writing technique, and the author.

This was Kathryn's first novel. We learned that she received 45 rejection letters for this book prior to it being published. We asked ourselves how this could be, this book is now a national best seller, bet those guys are kicking themselves in the arse now. I think it adds a whole different perspective on the book as a work of art when you learn about the author and the back story to the book. I myself don't want to know too much about the author until the end of the book, I think it would give you a different view of the book if you know too much ahead of time.

The Help is set in 1960's Mississippi..

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town...

I gave this book a 4 and the discussion 4. As we progress it's getting harder and harder to rate books. We are being much more critical.. and snooty as you'll read later.

We had a bit of house-keeping (no pun) to do tonight. Our 1st year anniversary is fast approaching and we are trying to decide if we want to do something special to celebrate. Several ideas have been brought up, but this topic has currently been tabled, it's too much to think about November being here. We also discussed a guest policy, that was quickly shot down. The Page Turner Society is also getting snooty (but in the we are way cool kind of way) we updated the by-laws and according to section III paragraph B, line 4 of the update, no new members will be admitted at this time. Sorry to anyone who has the dreams of becoming a Page Turner.

As always you are encouraged to read along with us, comment, blog along, facebook, twitter or craigslist your thoughts, you just won't be able to experience the magic that is book club night and learn the deep dirty secrets.

Next month we are in for a special treat, its a two-for night for our members. Our book Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert is being made into a movie and we will be discussing the book AND the movie!

Another HUGE announcement... 'Old Lady' has announced our September read and.. drum roll please.... What Remains: A Memoir of Fate, Friendship, and Love by Carole Radziwill. Also, 'The Page Turner' has in her possession Twilight, will she read and get hooked and going on a vampire love triangle binge (don't hold your breath) but stay tuned to see.

Head on over to "The Page Turner Society" for additional discussion on tonight's read... Happy Reading!

[a note I had this whole thing done once and lost it, cursing and almost tears. The first one I had was awesome, hope this'll do]

I Heart Bookclub

I love the last week of the month. Tonight was the glorious night of the month we lovingly refer to as bookclub night.

This month's book was 'In Cold Blood' by Truman Capote. This was a very interesting read, that led to some interesting discussions, true that some may not have been quite book related but they were entertaining none the less.

If you follow the 'Page Turner's blog (if you don't you totally should) you'll learn that bookclub is not just about the reading. Each bookclub we all share a little more about ourselves and have really started to build relationships with each other. Yes we all work together and see each other as much as we do our own family, but this group takes it a step further and enjoys hanging out with each other outside of work even if it's only once a month for a few hours.  I really love this group and I'm so glad that am a part of it. Whether they know it or not they are all shaping the woman I'm growing into. Each of them has a different background, a different story to tell, and they have all been so kind to me and I really really appreciate it.

Back to the book... 'In Cold Blood' is the story of a family that is murdered in the small farming town of Holcomb, Kansas. There was no apparent motive for the crime and hardly any clues.

The book begins with by walking through the day, which is to be their last, of the Clutter family and parallels with the day of the killers as they make their way to the small town. As the book progresses you learn more about the family and the killers alike. It's such a different side of a murder because along with the facts you are getting background on how the killers grew up, their lives up to this point and lets you see how they got to this place. Capote then walks you through the trial up to the execution of the guilty.

It's a very interesting book to read. I had seen the movie "Capote" with Phillip Seymor Hoffman as Capote and it walks you through what Truman did to write this book. Having seen the film, I think it took me to a different place reading the book. I saw it through Capote's experience, the long hours and research he put into this book is amazing. Over 8,000 pages of notes from interviews with the townspeople and extensive interaction with the killers themselves.

I gave a 3 and would recommend it to anyone to definately have on their list of books to read. It is definately a unique piece of literature.

What Can I Say That You Don't Already Know

Book Club Night!

We did not disappoint as usual. I don't mean to gloat but we have the best book club ever, and that goes without saying. Everyone finishes the books and comes ready to discuss, whether we love it or hate it everyone brings something to the table and walks away even more excited for the next book.

This month was my turn to host. I chose Ladder of Years by Anne Tyler. I hadn't read this book prior my choosing, so I was in the same boat as everyone else reading it for the first time. How did I choose the book you ask; well I wanted a good discussion book and had seen this book on a book club listing somewhere and while perusing the bookstore over a lunch one day the cover caught my eye (yep judge my books by the cover, a book is a work of art and so should the cover be as well.. just like a person's first impression brings in your character so should a book cover but I digress) and read the back description and thought it would be an interesting read:

BALTIMORE WOMAN DISAPPEARS DURING FAMILY VACATION, declares the headline. Forty-year-old Delia Grinstead was last seen strolling down the Delaware shore, wearing nothing more than a bathing suit and carrying a beach tote with five-hundred dollars tucked inside. To her husband and there almost-grown children, she has vanished without a trace or reason. But for Delia, who has long felt like a tiny gnat buzzing around her family's edges, "walking away from it all" was not a premeditated act but an impulse that will lead her into a new, exciting, and previously unimagined life.

After the jump see my thoughts on the book...

Book Club Night!

Book Club is the highlight of the month. After all the blah you know you have something to look forward to coming up. Book club goes like this... the hostess of the month picks the book and the place we go, we have dinner then discuss. Our book club is a small manageable number with a nice spread of ages and life experiences so everyone brings something different to the table.

We have discovered that it isn't really the book that makes the club it is the discussions we have. Since this discovery we have decided to rate the book prior to discussion then again after the discussion, because the discussion has been know to kind of boost the quality of the book.

This month we met at our hostess's house and we all brought something to eat. Delish, too much for us all. We got to sit outside enjoy this awesome weather [thank you mother nature.. you finally heard us!] and enjoy a nice Bud Light Lime and some margaritas! Thank you hostess for a great night!

So as you can tell by the picture this months book was Swine Not? by Jimmy Buffett [hence the margaritas]... yes Jimmy Buffet writes books.. who knew. So how was it you ask, well...