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.