On vacation

Have a wonderful holiday. Big struggles in 2009 but we'll survive. Keep reading. Put Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd on top of your list of books to read. We will discuss it in January at our book club meeting.

Okebook club Selection

We have decided on Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd for discussion in January.

I just finished reading the book and enjoyed the story. The writer does a good job of drawing the reader into the emotions of the characters. There are parts of the story that will make you laugh out loud and parts that will make you sad. It's a story about child neglect, race, mental illness, motherly love, and romantic love. An interesting analogy was made between the life of bees and life of Lily Owens the main character.

Having read the book, I am ready to watch the movie now. Interestingly the real last name of Queen Latifah, who plays the role of August/the Queen Bee in the movie version, is Owens. She is Dana Owens.

New Steve Berry Book

Steve Berry has a new book out, The Charlemagne Pursuit. This looks like his seventh book. I still have my autographed copy of his first book, The Amber Room.

In this book protagonist Cotton Malone is featured once again. I believe Malone first appeared in the fourth book.

Read an excerpt of the latest book!

Check out 10 Tips for a Successful Life

Hi,

I want you to take a look at : 10 Tips for a Successful Life

Audacity to Win

You've heard of the Audacity of Hope by Barack Obama, now look out for the book the Audacity to Win by his campaign manager David Plouffe available in 2009.

25 Money Saving Tips

Yikes! It's almost December. Before you can say ohmigosh, it'll be January 2009. So, what are you doing to save money in these hard financial times? I found this very interesing blog about frugal living and it has an entry showing how various persons have found 25 different ways to save money. Ok, it's not a book but I believe the site is worth a visit.

Let's see, this is what I've been doing:

1. I make my own popcorn most times.
2. I save and reuse plastic shopping bags.
3. I turn off lights when I leave a room.
4. I unplug some electrical appliances when not in use - toaster, blender, cell phone charger.
5. I have a few florescent bulbs.
6. I wash clothes in cold water.
7. I use the ac sparingly and turn on the fan instead.
8. I didn't water the lawn this summer; it rained often.
9. I borrow books from the library instead of spending money on books. Also, I read the newspapers and magazines in the library.
10. I prepare most of my meals instead of eating out and I take leftovers for lunch at work.
11. I keep only 2 credit cards and pay them in full most months
12. I have basic cable - no HBO, no Showtime.
13. I have requested free stuff from heyitsfree.net.
14. I buy some things in bulk - toilet paper, toothpaste, soaps, deodorant.
15. In this cold weather I sometimes use safflower oil instead of body lotion.
16. I use white vinegar in my Downy dispenser instead of fabric softener.
17. I bought an expensive water filter but I no longer buy bottled water every week.


Ok. I could not list 25 but I have been making an effort. Happy Thanksgiving to you!

Dateline: Douglas Preston

I watched a part of Dateline's coverage of The Monster of Florence yesterday on MSNBC. The program must have been a repeat because I went online to see if there was a transcript and found this article dating from June 2007.

For those who don't know, The Monster of Florence is also the title of a book by best selling crime novelist Douglas Preston and it is based on real life crimes which took place in Florence, Italy. I also discovered that Tom Cruise will probably produce and star in the movie version.

November Book Selection

We meet on Friday, November 21 to discuss Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day by Winifred Watson. I found the movie featurette on You Tube. As can be expected, it is slightly different from the book version.

Janisse Ray at the Public Library

Janisse Ray will be back at the public library on Lee Avenue this Thursday at 6:30 PM. She is a memorist and environmental activist and grew up in southeast Georgia near Baxley. Her books are available at the Waycross College Library; Ecology of a Cracker Childhood was her first published book.

All I want for Christmas

Our book club members are not too excited about books on paranormal love but I thought this new book title from the Love At Stake series by Kerrelyn Sparks was really interesting: All I Want for Christmas is a Vampire.

President-elect Obama's book surge

Read in USA Today about President-elect Obama's book surge.

Link to sample text of The Audacity of Hope at Waycross College Library.

See Colin Powell's video about the historic occasion in USA history.

Author Website: Julie Garwood

I am now reading Killjoy by Julie Garwood, published in 2002. Great story so far. Check out Julie's outstanding website.

By the way, what are you reading?

Storyteller Martha Donaldson

I found an interesting link to the Pea Patch Murders here. This sounds similar to Martha Donaldson's story.

Money Saving Tips

This is a really different post. I have been reading about money saving tips mostly from Woman's World and thought I'd share.

I have not tried this body scrub but you can try it and tell me all about it: 2 Tbs canned pumpkin mixed with 3/4 cup raw sugar. This is not for the face.

Body Oil: Sweet Almond oil or Safflower oil. I know some folks who use olive oil on their skin. Your skin will not absorb any unhealthy artificial ingredients. I have actually tried the Safflower oil. I got that tip from Realage.com.

Laundry: Skip the pemanent press cycle on your washing machine because it uses more water per load than regular.

Keep your towels soft and fluffy by adding white vinegar to the rinse water instead of fabric softener. I have been doing that.

Storage of vitamins: Keep them in the refreigerator so they will not deteriorate. The potency of the vitamins will last past their expiry date if they are not exposed to heat and humidity. I just started doing this.

Mopping Floors: Add a few drops of Tea Tree oil (about 20) to water and a squirt of soap. Tea Tree oil will kill bacteria. I like Renew Floor Cleaner which I bought at the Dollar Store. I also sprinkle drops of tea tree oil in the bath and the bathroom basin before cleaning.

Storyteller Martha Donaldson

It was a full room at the public library last night as people gathered to hear Mrs. Donaldson relate the story of the Pea Patch Murders that took place in Waresboro in 1930. The story was quite different from what I was expecting. Jim Parker was living with his girlfriend as husband and wife. His wife and baby came to visit then disappeared. He had said that his visitor was a cousin of the "pretend" wife and had returned home to Florida so no one suspected anything.

One day you may get to hear Martha's fascinating story so I will not reveal any more details.

Winifred Watson

Here is an interesting article about Ms. Watson, writer of Miss Pettigrew.

Escape

Almost finished with Escape by Carolyn Jessop. The book drags out the story to the point that it becomes monotonous. It was informative just had too much details to hold my interest steadily. I put it down to read two other books.

For those who are not familiar with the story, Carolyn lived in a religious polygamous community, the Fundamentalist Church of Latter Day Saints. I learnt that sister wives do not necessarily get along with each other. They compete with each other for their husband's sexual attention since the more children the wife has, the better her status in the community.

I learned that accepting the plural wives lifestyle was an important access to heaven, but physical and emotional abuse were no obstacles to heaven. Sister wife Barbara abused the other wives and their children. The elderly husband abused his wives except for Barbara teh favorite.

Carolyn portrayed herself as intelligent and rebellious and someone who recognized early the danger that Warren Jeffs would present to her community. She was on Larry King Live some time ago. Interestingly, she escaped with her eight children but one daughter went back to the community.

It's hard to imagine that in this day and age in the United States people live like Carolyn did but she takes pains to point out she was raised to accept this lifestyle. It's a reminder that religious fanaticism is not something foreign and in some far away place.

Okefenokee Book Club Selections 2008

January 18
The Husband by Dean Koontz

February 15
My Grandfather’s Son by Clarence Thomas

April 4
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

May 23
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

June 20
Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson

July 18
Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope by Van Ryn and Cerak families

August 15
Enrique’s Journey by Sonia Nazario

September 18
Mockingbird in the Moonlight by Jaclyn Weldon White

October 17
The No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith

November 21
Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day by Winifred Watson

Miss Pettigrew

I just finished reading our book selection for November, Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day. I loved it. The story is about love and the tangled web that young lovers weave, except this was back in the 1930's.

This book was first published in 1938 and shocked readers at the time. I can see why. One of the main characters, Miss LaFosse, is unable to resist the charms, the influential job contacts, and the money of her three lovers: Phil, Nick, and Michael. She needs Phil for the job contact in the movie world. She needs the intimidating Nick to pay her bills plus she is a singer in his nightclub. Mike is the only one that wants to actually commit to her and get married.

The dowdy, middle-aged, inefficient nursery governess, Miss Pettigrew walks into Miss LaFosse's life one morning and a transformation takes place. For middle-aged here read forty years old. All in one day, Miss LaFosse's love life is transformed and Miss Pettigrew is transformed physically and emotionally. We get an hour by hour story about this transformation.

The tone is light hearted and humorous.

Buying a Kindle? Get a discount!

Buy a kindle, save some trees! Check out the Oprah discount. I don't know Oprah, I like to have my book in my hand. Plus I can't afford to buy books regularly, I borrow from the library.

The Oprah selection, The story of Edgar Sawtelle is the next big bestseller. I heard this is a book that you just can't put down.

Storyteller Martha Donalson

Storyteller Martha Donaldson will be at the Okefenokee Regional Library in Waycross next Thursday, October 30 at 6:30PM to tell the true story of the Pea Patch Murders in Ware County in the 1930s. I can't find anyone who knows about these murders so I will just have to plan to be with the Friends of the Library next Thursday to find out more.

The Winner of the Man Booker Prize 2008 is ....

(drum roll) ... Aravind Adiga, author of the fictional work, White Tiger. Check this site to see the videos of the other candidates for this prize

Jamaican Life

Imagine flying across the world to meet a first time author! This is what a Jamaican man named Mr. Hassan Saleem did. He flew from Fiji, where he now resides, to a London book fair to meet Robert Lalah, a fellow Jamaican.

Lalah's book is titled Roving with Lalah: Slices of Everyday Jamaican Life and it is available at Ian Randle Publishers. I also have enjoyed the column in the Gleaner about Roving with Lalah. I know the book will be a big hit among the Jamaican diaspora.

Books on Polygamy

Well I finished The 19th Wife. I highly recommend this historical fiction. I found the teaching on celestial marriage interesting but still wondered how so many women could have been fooled, are still being fooled, into thinking this was the means to get to heaven. The language was a little too crass for my taste but the storyline was fascinating. Now I am reading Escape, the memoir of Carolyn Jessop who escaped from a polygamous marriage. She was a fourth wife.

October Selection

Our selection for October is The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. The writer was born in Zimbabwe, went to school in Scotland, and worked in Botswana. See his website with interesting music here. Also, read an excerpt of the novel here.

Secret Life

Secret Life of Bees by Georgia writer, Sue Monk Kidd ,will be showing soon on the big screen starring Jennifer Hudson, Alicia Keyes, Queen Latifah and other big name stars. We read The Mermaid Chair at the book club some years ago; we should put this one on our list of books to read.

Macedonia Passage

I met another very interesting writer at the Okfenokee Public Library last night, Mr. Wright Gres, writer of Macedonia Passage: Dangerous Cargo. His novel, published in 2007, was inspired by his travels to Europe which included some of my favorite places; Sienna, Italy and Corfu Greece. I am putting this book on my list of books to read. Right now I am reading The 19th Wife and so far it is a really fascinating book.

Man Booker Prize

The winner of the Booker Prize, now known as Man Booker Prize, will be announced on October 14. Eligible novelists must be from Britain or from the British Commonwealth, read more here.

The buzz is about two first time novelists who have been nominated: Aravind Adiga from India with The White Tiger and Steve Toltz from Australia with A Fraction of the Whole.

Banned Books Week - September 27 - October 4

Banned Books Week, a celebration of our right to read whatever we want, is coming up soon. I have been looking at links relating to the Week.

1. http://bookable.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/banned-books-week/


2. http://rwridley.wordpress.com/2008/08/07/banned-books-week/


3. http://theseptemberproject.wordpress.com/2008/07/29/september-project-events-at-campbell-county-va-public-library-system/

Local Heroes

Waycross College Library has been participating in the September Project for some years now. This year the library display is honoring our local heroes, particularly those firefighters, some from as far away as California, who battled the wildfires in Waycross last April. We lived in a cloak of smoke for months.

Vampire Love

Young people seem to love Stephenie Meyer's books with the theme of vampire love. Twilight is the number one book on USA Today's best sellers database list . This is based on sales through August 31.

The Other Queen

Philippa Gregory, writer of the very popular historical novel The Other Boleyn Girl, has a new book out. Read her interview on USA Today and take a look at the excerpt for the new book, The Other Queen.

The movie version of The Other Boleyn Girl was a hit, I predict this one will also be turned into a movie.

What are you reading?

I think I'd like to read American Wife by Curtis Sittenfield. Read an excerpt here.

Dead at 47

The co-author of 100 Things to Do Before You Die, Dave Freeman is dead.

Usain Bolt

Okay, so I like photos of triple gold medalist "Lightning" Bolt, the star of the track and field arena in the 2008 Olympics.

Jamaicans have been stars in track and field since the 1948 Olympics. Read the book by Patrick Robinson.

Want to be a writer?

Take a look at Rita Herron's site. She has very useful tips for those of us who want to write.

Congrats to Olympic Champ Usain Bolt

Hard work, excellent coaching, and nurturing paid off for Usain Bolt who turns 22 years old tomorrow (Thursday). He represents a new generation of Jamaican sprinters who run in the footsteps of Jamaican Olympic giants: Dr. Arthur Wint, Herb McKenley, Donald Quarrie, Bert Cameron, Raymond Stewart, Merlene Ottey, Juliet Cuthbert and so many others.

The book Jamaican Athletes: A model for the world by Patrick Robinson will have to be updated.

Heirs of the Knights Templar

Those who have read Steve Berry's best-selling novel called The Templar Legacy may be interested in this article. The heirs of the Knights Templar, legendary secret Christian warriors, are suing the Pope.

Mockingbird in the Moonlight

Mockingbird in the Moonlight is our pick for September 19.

The writer is Jaclyn Weldon White, a writer from Georgia. I am looking forward to reading this book.

What's New with Thrillers?

Take a look at the thriller writers web site for August. Steven James, Sandra Brown, Jeffrey Deaver and others have books hot off the press.

Adelphi University First Year Reading

The First Year Reading Program will be reading Brother, I'm Dying by Edwidge Danticat this year about Haitian immigration and loss. The theme for the program is self and society.

Books on Polygamy

People magazine has given the historical fiction,The 19th Wife, 4 out of 4 stars. This is the second new book about polygamy that I have seen in recent times. Escape by Carolyn Jessop, published in 2007, was the first.

Randy Pausch

In case you have been living under a rock or been shipwrecked on a deserted island during the last few days, Randy Pausch died on Friday. He was the author of best-selling book titled, The Last Lecture.

Memorable words: "We can't change the cards we're dealt, just how we play the hand. If I'm not as depressed as you think I should be, I'm sorry to disappoint you."

Lessons from Seabiscuit

Wow! Tony wrote five articles in all about lessons from the movie version of Seabiscuit. This final one is about conquering your fears and racing ahead to greatness.

Apples & Oranges

This sounds like an interesting family drama, new book Apples & Oranges by Leslie Cauley featured in USA Today. Read the excerpt from this link on USA Today online

What are you reading these days?

I am reading The Appeal by John Grisham. It's really good so far. My copy of Enrique's Journey came today so I hope to complete The Appeal by tomorrow so I can start on my new book that we'll discuss in August.

In the meantime, we meet tomorrow to discuss Mistaken Identity.

Caribbean Book Buzz

The Manley Memoirs by Beverley Manley, fourth wife of former Prime Minister Michael Manley, is likely to be a best seller in the Caribbean.

Book Buzz

The buzz is that The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski is a book you have got to read this summer.

August Selection: Enrique's Journey

Enrique's journey by Sonia Nazario. Supposed to be a fascinating true story of a 17 year old Honduran boy searching for his Mom in the United States. See this site.

July Selection: Mistaken Identity

Our book for discussion in July falls into the genre of spiritual biography. It is Mistaken Identity: Two Families, One Survivor, Unwavering Hope by the Van Ryn and Cerak families with Mark Tabb.

If you heard of the story in the media of Laura Van Ryn and Whitney Cerak you were probably wondering as I was, how could the Van Ryn family not recognize that the "daughter" they were caring for was not their daughter? How could the Cerak family bury the wrong person, believing her to be their daughter? Well the answers are right here in the book.

Take a look at the You Tube clip from Dateline

Seabiscuit

We read and discussed the book, Seabiscuit, in November 2003. This morning I came across an interesting new and deep perspective of Seabiscuit by Tony Williamson. Click on the link to read the seven lessons he got out of watching the movie Seabiscuit. Here are just two lessons mentioned by Tony:

"1. Physical limitations, adversity and hardship are no indication of your true potential. Your true treasure is your mind, not your circumstances.

2. Every one of us is uniquely gifted in something. It does not matter that we may have been abused, discarded and 'left for dead'. If we find that 'something' with which our Creator has endowed us, we can rise and soar into the skies of success, leaving our past behind us."

New Book

About two days ago, USA Today had an article on the new book, Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston with Mario Spezi. Here is an online link to the article.

We meet tomorrow

We meet tomorrow to discuss, Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson. This was for me just an "okay" family drama set in rural small town Georgia; it was not as funny and as entertaining as Jackson's first book Gods in Alabama. There were however some unexpected twists to the story so it was worth reading.

Playing for Pizza

Just finished reading Playing for Pizza by John Grisham. My attraction to this book of course was the setting - Parma, Italy.

I learned from the novel that Parma is the home of parma ham and parmesan cheese. The novel gave good information on Italian culture. Rick, the protagonist toured some of my favorite places: Siena, Florence, and Venice.

Here are my photos of a bronze boar by a market in Florence, a photo of Siena, and of the San Marcos church in Venice mentioned in the book.

Monster of Florence

I finished reading Middlesex. It had some really strange characters but it held my interest. I have moved on to Last Chinese Chef by Nicole Mones

I was browsing the list of bestsellers on amazon.com and came across the book cover for The Monster of Florence . It reminded me of the photo I took in Florence, Italy of a statue illustrating the Rape of the Sabine Women. I looked closely and of course it is the same statue on the book cover.

The book is based on the real life story of a serial killer who murdered couples in Florence in 1968 - 1985.

Okebook Club Selections 2008

This is our list so far:

January 18
The Husband by Dean Koontz

February 15
My Grandfather’s Son by Clarence Thomas

April 4
Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen

May 23
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

June 20
Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson

Paperback Best Sellers

I notice that My Sister's Keeper by Jodie Picoult is still on the New York Times Book Review best sellers list (dated June 1, 2008). That's my favorite Picoult book. Also, number 1 on the list is one of my favorite book club picks, Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

I have not read number 5, Wicked Pleasure by Lora Leigh or the very popular Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini.

Chick-Lit Summer

I liked USA Today's suggestions for chick-lit summer reading. One of the titles suggested is A Bad Bride's Tale, read the excerpt.

Summer Reading

I love this interactive site on USA Today highlighting 2008 Summer Books.

By the way, Audition, by Barbara Walters should be on the new book shelf at Waycross College Library this week.

Also, I am enjoying Middlesex. You may find the incestuous relationship between two of the characters really gross but the storyline itself is good so far and I am getting a bit of history of the Greek and Turkish relationship.

See my photo of Ephesus in Turkey taken the second week in May 2008 and also my photo of a chapel in Turkey, near to Ephesus, that is supposed to have been the house where the disciple John lived with the Virgin Mary. The last photo was taken of a souvenir store in Kusadasi, Turkey.

Middlesex

Under the Tuscan Sun brought back memories but it was not a very exciting memoir. I have moved on to Middlesex a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides about a Greek American family. So, here are my photos of Corfu in Greece.

Vatican City

Remember Angels and Demon by Dan Brown? The setting included Vatican City. These photos were taken when we visited the Vatican museum and St. Peter's Basilica. I managed to capture a photo of the Swiss guards at the Vatican. They are unmarried Roman Catholics. Their uniform have the colors of the Medici family that dominated Florence and Tuscany.

More Photos of Italy

All these are my photos of Rome, Italy. The first photo is a gothic dominican church, Santa Maria sopra Minerva, near to the Pantheon. The second is an obelisk outside the church. The third is of Castel Sant'Angelo taken while on the way to Piazza Navona . The fourth is the Fontana di Nettuno (Neptune fountain) in the Piazza Navona, and the last one is the Pantheon.


Piazza Navona is mentioned by Dan Brown in Angels and Demons.


I started Under the Tuscan Sun yesterday. It's by Frances Mayes.

Next Meeting - Between, Georgia

Our next meeting is June 20 and we'll be discussing Between, Georgia by Joshilyn, Jackson. Jackson's most recent book is actually The Girl Who Stopped Swimming available at Waycross College library.

These are for you to view Ana

These are all of Santorini, Greece. Only three ways to get to the main town of Thira: cable car, donkey, climb up 500 plus steps.

Now I have to go look for a novel set in Greece. Any suggestions?

Assisi, Italy

These are all of Assisi in Italy.

We are reading about Italy in the first half of the book Eat, Pray, Love so I thought I'd share some of the photos I took 2 weeks ago.

Fonte Gaia

This is another photo I took of the fountain. This panel apparently features Rhea Silvia nursing Remus and Romulus, the founders of Rome.

Tuscany region, Italy

I took this photo of the Fonte Gaia by the Palio in Siena, Italy.

I was advised on the plane ride from Italy to read this book, Under the Tuscan Sun which was made into a movie.

Door of Paradise - Florence, Italy

This is a photo I took of one panel of the bronze door of the Florence Baptistry in Florence, Italy - Moses and the Ten Commandments. Unfortunately you can't actually see Moses in this photo.

Italy .... the country with lots of small cars, ice cream (gelato), churches, ruins, naked statues, and tourists.

We meet this week to discuss Eat, Pray, Love. Take a look at this interview with Gilbert. The first section of course is all about Italy.

Qunatum Life

We don't discuss self-help type books at the club but I just finished reading 5 Steps to a Quantum Life and found it really interesting. If you liked The Secret, you will appreciate the Quantum Life. Most of the scientific info was way over my head but the exercises were easy to read and practical.

Next Meeting of The Okebook Club

We'll meet on May 23 to discuss Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert. Interestingly, I'll be off to Italy next week. How is that for coincidence! Maybe one day I'll get to see India and Indonesia like Miss Gilbert.

Much Ado About Books - Jacksonville, FL.

It's that time of the year again; it is time for Much Ado About Books. More than 20 writers will be participating in panel discussions this Saturday, April 26 at the Prime Osborn Convention Center in Jacksonville, Florida. Steve Berry from St. Mary's, Georgia is one of the writers participating; link here for the other writers.

Talk Gertie to Me

Came across an interesting blog with links to a variety of genres and this Chick Lit sounded really interesting. Link here. Has anyone read it yet? Give feedback if you have. Thanks.

National Book Award Fiction Winner

Here he is ... Denis Johnson, writer of Tree of Smoke: A Novel and winner of the 2007 National Book Award. It's a big book, over 600 pages described as a Vietnam novel.

James Beard Foundation

For the best in cookbooks, look at the James Beard Foundation award nominations. Notice how good food is being promoted lately? I know some of you have got to be Bravo TV fans and watch that Top Chef competition on a regular basis.

The Last Lecture

First there was the video on YouTube, now there is the book, The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch.

ThrillerFest

Imagine a meeting place for writers, readers, wanna-be writers, plus publishers! Well, all these groups of people will be meeting in New York in July for ThrillerFest.

Thriller lovers, check this site out.

April Meeting

We finally had our March meeting in April. We want to meet again this month. April 25 is our date and our book club selection is Eat Pray Love.

Books to Read

Here are some of the books that historical fiction writer, Philippa Gregory, is recommending in the March 28 edition of The Week:

History Play by Rodney Bolt

Lottery by Patricia Wood

The Year of Henry James by David Lodge

The Needle in the Blood by Sarah Bower

Phillippa Gregory wrote The Other Boleyn Girl and the movie version is now showing in theaters.

Meeting Date Change

We've had to change our book club meeting date y'all. We'll meet on April 4 to discuss New York Times bestseller, Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen. This novel is Sara's third. She's also written Riding Lessons and Flying Changes and is working on a fourth novel, Ape House.

Have you noticed ...

.. that I have added to the blog? I added a widget. Right now it features Nathan McCall, writer of Them. I added a poll. I even changed the template. Enjoy!

Read Books By Email

That's the idea behind the DailyLit website. DailyLit sends you books by email or RSS feed according to your pre-agreed schedule. You can have access to over 750 classic and contemporary books. Some are free and some are on a pay-per-read basis.

New Book byJoshilyn Jackson

Here is a new book by one of the book club's favorite southern writers, Joshilyn Jackson. The title is The Girl Who Stopped Swimming.

Anne Rice and Son

This mother son team makes an interesting read from USA Today.

Author's Blog

Remember Mary Kay Andrews, the writer? We read her humorous book Savannah Blues quite a while ago. Well take a look at her blog The Kudzu Telegraph.

Effective Book Club Discussions

• "The best books for discussion confront themes and conflicts that are more universal and also more challenging". Read MORE

Judge Thomas

Having read and discussed the book, My Grandfather's Son, book clubbers may want to read more about Clarence Thomas in The Nine: Inside the Secret World of the Supreme Court by Jeffrey Toobin, particularly pp. 99 -113. Interestingly, Toobin says Thomas was the friendliest, warmest Judge and full of rage.

Meeting February 15

We meet this week to discuss My Grandfather's Son by Clarence Thomas. Judge Thomas wants us to know his roots and hear his "voice".

Books I'd Like To Read If ...

... I could only find the time!

The Power of Now by Eckhart Tolle, a New York Times Bestseller. I want to read this first to assess if it's worth reading Oprah's selection A New Earth: Awakening to Your Life's
Purpose by this author.

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

The Appeal by John Grisham, top of USA Today's Bestselling list this week


P.S. What a difference a "W" makes. I had to correct my typo of the title; The Power of Now since as the comment reads, The Positive Power of No by Kim Demotte is a whole other book.

Errol Flynn's Estate

If anyone is thinking of reading or has read The Pirate's Daughter by Margaret Cezair Thompson, then you have got to read this article.

Recreated Amber Room.

Remember the book, The Amber Room? It was the first of the Steve Berry novels. We even invited Steve Berry to our book club. Well take a look at this news item about the recreated Amber Room.

In the meantime, Steve Berry has his sixth book out, The Venetian Betrayal.

Book Prize

I entered a contest on ReadingGroupGuides.com and won a book titled And Sometimes Why by Rebecca Johnson. Check out Rebecca's website here.

Book Club Selections 2008

This is our book club list for 2008 so far:

January 18
The Husband by Dean Koontz

February 15
My Grandfather's Son: A Memoir by Clarence Thomas

March 21
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Bestsellers on USA Today List

Top five bestsellers on USA Today:

Plum Lucky by Janet Evanovich

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

Atonement by Ian Mc Ewan

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

We meet this Friday

This is a reminder that we will meet this Friday (third friday in the month) to discuss The Husband by Dean Koontz.

I just finished reading The Darkest Evening of the Year by Koontz; it gave me nightmares.

2008 Bestseller

Eat, Pray, Love is el numero uno on the USA Today's Best-Selling Books list for the fourth week. Read more.

Feed the hungry in 2008

Build your vocabulary and donate free rice by playing this very addictive and challenging game. If you have doubts about the site being a legitimate one, see snopes.