December 2010 Meeting

I love our Book Club.  Really I do.  I know that the rest of you probably feel the exact same way.  I always look forward to our monthly meetings and new book picks!  This months pick wasn't one of our favorites, but that's okay... cause every once in a while we just need a quick read that doesn't take a lot of brain power:)
We read Playing for Pizza by John Grisham.  The girls who read John Grisham said this wasn't a "typical" book of his.  It was kind of slow, you needed to be a football fan too (which many of them are so that wasn't a huge issue).  To be honest, we all just felt it was kind of boring.  We wanted the love interest to evolve into something, it didn't.  So, I'd say most of us wouldn't recommend it unless you love Italy & football and need a simple easy read.

We were missing two girls this month:(  Jodi was sick so she couldn't make it.  

Erin was home with her new baby boy Lowen!

Isn't he adorable?!  He was born on November 30th. 

We also had another "newbie" join us this month!  Michelle went to college with us and she joined the book club in December!  We are having so much fun with everyone & I'm anxious to see what the new girls picks will be when it's there turn!

We hope everyone can make it in January!  

Merry Christmas!

December 2010 Pick-Mennonite in a Little Black Dress by Rhoda Janzen

Not long after Rhoda Janzen turned forty, her world turned upside down. It was bad enough that her husband of fifteen years left her for Bob, a guy he met on Gay.com, but that same week a car accident left her injured. Needing a place to rest and pick up the pieces of her life, Rhoda packed her bags, crossed the country, and returned to her quirky Mennonite family's home, where she was welcomed back with open arms and offbeat advice. (Rhoda's good-natured mother suggested she get over her heartbreak by dating her first cousin—he owned a tractor, see.)
Written with wry humor and huge personality—and tackling faith, love, family, and aging—Mennonite in a Little Black Dress is an immensely moving memoir of healing, certain to touch anyone who has ever had to look homeward in order to move ahead.

New Pick: Playing for Pizza by John Grisham

Rick Dockery was the third-string quarterback for the Cleveland Browns. In the AFC Championship game against Denver, to the surprise and dismay of virtually everyone, Rick actually got into the game. With a 17-point lead and just minutes to go, Rick provided what was arguably the worst single performance in the history of the NFL. Overnight, he became a national laughingstock and, of course, was immediately cut by the Browns and shunned by all other teams.

But all Rick knows is football, and he insists that his agent, Arnie, find a team that needs him. Against enormous odds Arnie finally locates just such a team and informs Rick that, miraculously, he can in fact now be a starting quarterback. Great, says Rick—for which team? The mighty Panthers of Parma, Italy.

Yes, Italians do play American football, to one degree or another, and the Parma Panthers desperately want a former NFL player—any former NFL player—at their helm. So Rick reluctantly agrees to play for the Panthers—at least until a better offer comes along—and heads off to Italy. He knows nothing about Parma—not even where it is—has never been to Europe, and doesn’t speak or understand a word of Italian.

To say that Italy—the land of opera, fine wines, extremely small cars, romance, and Football Americano— holds a few surprises for Rick Dockery would be something of an understatement.

October Meeting- Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

We met at Granite City to discuss our latest book-  The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.  It was a great pick that we all enjoyed.  It was violent, raw, descriptive, etc.  I don't think any of us really realized how graphic some of the details would be, but we enjoyed it nonetheless.  There were several different story lines going on throughout the book so it kept us engaged and wanting to read more.  I think we'd all recommend this book, as long as the reader is aware of some of the violent & graphic details.  A few of us have already begun the 2nd book in the trilogy The Girl Who Played with Fire.

We welcomed another new member to our group!  Kathryn joined us last night and we are so excited to have her join us!

LBBC is growing again!  Amy L. is our 3rd member to announce her pregnancy!  She is 9 weeks along!  Here are our cute little mama's...

Erin is 36 weeks, Amy is 9 weeks & Bre is 20 weeks!

By our next meeting Erin will of had her little boy!  We can't wait to meet him!

October's Book!

We are so excited for Erin's pick this month!  This book has been on all of our "must read" lists for a while now.  Erin chose the bestseller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.  I can't wait to get started on it and see what everyone is talking about!

SUMMARY: An international publishing sensation, Stieg Larsson's Girl with the Dragon Tattoo combines murder mystery, family saga, love story, and financial intrigue into one satisfyingly complex and entertainingly atmospheric novel. Harriet Vanger, a scion of one of Sweden's wealthiest families disappeared over forty years ago. All these years later, her aged uncle continues to seek the truth. He hires Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist recently trapped by a libel conviction, to investigate. He is aided by the pieced and tattooed punk prodigy Lisbeth Salander. Together they tap into a vein of unfathomable iniquity and astonishing corruption. -- Vintage Crime

We are all really wanting this to be a great book, we've had a few doozies lately!:)

You can also read Booking Mama's review of the book here. 

September Meeting- War by Sebastian Junger

It's been 7 long weeks since our last meeting!  Tonight we got together to discuss War by Sebastion Junger which was Breana's pick.  I think we all came to the meeting not "liking" the book but after discussing it we left appreciating it more.  We all agreed we didn't care for his style of writing, we craved to know more of each characters life since it was non-fiction.  I think we all wanted to find a connection with one or more of them but with his style of writing it made it fairly difficult to do that.
It was an interesting read and even though we didn't "love" it, at least it gaves us lots to discuss.  It sparked discussion on war in general and the lifestyle of a soldier.  The book made us appreciate what is going on in our country and what our soldiers are fighting for.  For many of us war is a topic we don't want to talk about, because it gets a little uncomfortable I think.  It was good for us to talk about it though, and even though the book isn't on any of our Top 10 lists I think it's one we can all appreciate the writers journey and telling of the story.

We also have a new LBBC member!!!  Our sorority sister Jodi from college joined us tonight!  Hopefully we didn't scare her off & she'll join us again next month:)   

Oprah's New Pick!

Oprah picked her next Book Club pick this week!

Freedom by Jonathan Franzen 

"In his latest novel, Jonathan Franzen returns to fiction with a comic and tragic epic of contemporary love and marriage. Freedom captures the temptations and burdens of liberty: the thrills of teenage lust, the shaken compromises of middle age, the wages of suburban sprawl, the responsibility of privilege. Charting the characters' mistakes and joys as they struggle to learn how to live in an ever-changing and confusing world, Freedom is an indelible and deeply moving portrait of our time."

I think it sounds pretty good!  Has anyone read this?