Light summer reading

So, just to look ahead. I want to read some classics. I've enjoyed watching "North and South" (several times) as well as "Wives and Daughters," but I've never actually read anything by Elizabeth Gaskell. So, our book for July will be "North and South" and if you are feeling ambitious you can add "Wives and Daughters," but that one is optional. If you are REALLY eager to enjoy some lovely spring and summer weather with a good book you can go crazy and read anything by Elizabeth Gaskell I suppose. ;) You can get the books from the library and they are also available for free Kindle download from Amazon, so it should be a piece of cake to find a copy.

Some past book I remember reading are:

The Help

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Dracula

The Counte of Monte Cristo

The Little House on the Prairie series

Gone with the Wind

the biography of Pres Hinckley (I didn't actually read this one do the title escapes me)

The Hunger Games

What are the next titles that we are reading?

Books we've read

These titles come to mind, but it is all a blurr whether or not they are 2011 or 2010 books.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Books of Bayern, The Goose Girl series

Books This Year?

Oh my word, I don't know why I've never made a system for this, but I do NOT have a list of what we've read this year? Can anyone help me out? Here's what I've got:

The Looking Glass Wars
Jeeves
Remembering Isaac
The Children's Blizzard

What am I missing??

Also, it would be great if we could make a list of the books we've read for the past several years so the new members will know what we've read. A couple people have asked. I don't have a list at all. I used to keep such good track. Also, none of my tags are working on Shelfari. Does anyone have a list?

A book I just learned about

Has anyone heard of Miss Peregrines home for Peculiar Children? My son Tim had me watch a book trailer for it online. It looks pretty cool, creepy, I don't know I just wondered if anyone had read it.

New Schedule!

Hi everyone! I'm finally updating our blog. Just so you know, we're going to skip December, so since we have 3 months to read our next book, we chose two short ones, read one or the other or both for our discussion.

After that, I have March, May, and July's hosts. If you want to get on the list, you'd better hurry or you'll have to wait a year!!

So, I'll post our schedule here, but you can always find it on the sidebar. Thanks!

November 1st: MOVIE--The Englishman who Went Up a Hill and Came Down a Mountain. Cami's house.
January 3rd: Danger in the Shadows by Dee Henderson, and/or Bonds that Make Us Free: Healing our Relationships, Coming to Ourselves by C. Terry Warner. Host Melissa Brown.
February 7th: MOVIE--TBA.
March 6th: Host Amy Jones. (choices to come.)
April 3rd: MOVIE--TBA.
May 1st:  Host Jennifer Duffin. (choices to come.)
June 5th: MOVIE--TBA.
July 3rd: Host Kristine Athay. (This may move to August if we decide to do a series for the whole summer.


So,  now at least you have all the dates and can mark your calendars. Of course they are subject to change. If you are dying to be a host, let me know now!

Thanks.

Cami

Hi again!

Some new people are coming to the blog, so I thought I'd make sure everyone knows how it works.

Everyone in the blog can be a contributor. If you are not invited to be one, send me and email and I'll add you to the list. camille_turpin@hotmail.com. Go ahead and blog anything you'd like--about books or movies, or not. We're not picky. :)

I try to keep the sidebars updated with what we're reading and who the hosts are, so you can jump in at any time. We meet the first Tuesday of every month--we alternate books and movies. If there is a movie of the book, or something related, we watch that. If not, we've been asking Rebecca to choose some great classics for us to watch!  Last month we watched the original Flight of the Phoenix, with Jimmy Stewart, which was really great. We need to catch up on our classic movies just as much as classic books, in my opinion!

Please come to either night, or both. I also try to send out email reminders.

By way of announcement, which we will probably talk about at book group, I will be out of town on the first Tuesday of May, so our movie night will either have to be moved to another house, or moved to the next week. (Please the next week? I want to watch it with you all!) I'll make sure and put the date on the sidebar for what we decide, and send out emails.

That's it! Please invite new members of our neighborhood or ward if you think they'll be interested. Everyone is welcome!

Cami

Getting Back on Track

No post since June! That's crazy.

Well, I've finally updated the sidebar, so please refer to that if you wish to know what we're reading/watching/doing. If you are on the schedule but have not given us a book yet, when you're ready, let me know and I'll put a poll up so we can vote.

Remember, you are welcome to post here--if you are not a contributor and want to be, let me know!

BUT, I DO have a nice little New Year post assignment. If you would like, list the books you read in 2010. It's fun to look back and see what other people have been reading. Don't feel dumb if it's only 3 books--I don't think I read very many myself. This is not about quantity, it's about getting ideas for reading! Feel free to give a short rating, or just a list and star your faves!

So as to inspire you to post, I'll start. I have NO idea what I've read in the last year, so this should be interesting . . .


2010:

The Geurnsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (book group)
The Street of A Thousand Blossoms by Gail Tsukiyama **
Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger *****
The Help by Kathryn Stockett ***
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger **
The Aeneid by Virgil ****
Push by Sapphire *
The Lovely Bones by Alice Seybold **
Sugar by Bernice McFadden **
A Foreign Affair by Caro Peacock ***
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley ***
War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells ****
Meditations by Marcus Aurelius ***
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer **
Tales of the Oddessey series by Mary Pope Osborn ***
Five Children and It by E. Nesbit *****
Pirates! by Celia Reese ***
The Lightening Theif by Rick Riordan ***
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows by J.K. Rowling ****
Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare *****
Mocking Jay by Suzanne Collins ****
Al Capone Does My Shirts by Gennifer Choldenko ***
The Giver by Lois Lowry ***
Alive by Piers Paul Read ***
The Capture by Kathryn Lasky **
Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok **
Dead Man Walking by Helen Prejean **
The Importance of Being Earnest by Oscar Wilde *****
The Door in the Hedge by Robin McKinley ***
The Elegence of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery ***
Forest Born by Shannon Hale ***
The Mislaid Magician or Ten Years After by Stevermer and Wrede ****
Jane's Adventures by Jonathan Gathorne-Hardy ****

Hmm . . .more than I had remembered.  Even some of those I gave lots of stars to, I would not recommend to everyone. Anywho, I'm glad I wrote it down. Ok, most of them were children's books! So what? Anywho, if you want to know any more about those, comment and I'll tell you!

Also, please post yours so I don't seem lame!! :)

Upcoming Plans!

Yikes! With school ending madness, I've fallen behind on the job! Here's what we've got coming up.

MOVIE NIGHT: So, it was supposed to be tonight. Yeah, sorry about that. It being the first week of summer, and the day after a holiday, I figured it would have been a bad night anyway. SO, we'll look at doing Tuesday, July 6th for our movie night. We talked over a few options at our last meeting, and you can vote over on the sidebar. The options are these:

The Young Victoria (PG): This is the true story of the time Victoria took over the crown. Since we just read a book sort of about that, we thought it would be fitting. I've since watched it and it is DARLING and nice and clean, and just wonderful. I'd be happy to see it again.

Sherlock Holmes (PG-13): Just cause it's Britishy and mysteryish and we were in the mood. I figure you know enough about it.

Cold Comfort Farm (TV): This really has nothing to do with our last book, but I think it's hilarious. It's about a fashionable girl who has nowhere to go upon her parents death but to relatives. She ends up at a dilapidated old farm with every kind of backward and crazy person. She fixes them all up. Very funny. But we could also read this book eventually, so we could wait for that on this one, if you want.

Please vote.

Also, Stacey asked if we wanted to change her book. After some wishy washy discussion on the subject, we decided that it was up to Stacey. Some people have it and some have read it, but no one minds changing. However, Kristina wants to have The Hunger Games as her book choice next APRIL if possible, and we thought that might be a good idea since we're doing YA books this summer, but the new one is coming out soon, and we could really do both if we wanted to. Still, Stacey, it is up to you. Sorry we are of no help. I tried to make them come to a decision, it couldn't be done. :)

Let us know of your decision, and if we need a new poll.

Book Change?

Hey there Eagle Readers - I have to admit that I totally forgot about our blog and just stumbled upon it while perusing my bookmarks. Anyway, I've missed the last couple of book group nights so I haven't been able to discuss this with the group so I'll bring it up here. I know we voted on the books for the year already, but I have since read the book I suggested we read for December, "Remembering Isaac"and though it was OK, I wasn't exactly thrilled with it. I would rather change my selection to "The Hunger Games" which I have also read and think it would be a great book to discuss. Since tonight is book group and I am once again out of town - perhaps you could vote on my proposal or if not, I'm sure I'll make it to book group before December and we can talk about it then. (I'm just trying to save you from a less than exciting book experience - no offense to anyone who absolutely loves "Remembering Isaac" - like my sister who told me it was so incredible - to each his own:)

A Foreign Affair

Hey ladies,
I have finished my book, who would like to borrow it?

Kendra's Favorites

Okay, so it took me long time to get these posted, and they're in no particular order:
1-Tess of the d'ubervilles
2-Christy
3-Work and the Glory Series
4-Added Upon
5-The Scarlett Letter
6-Anything Lucy M. Montgomery
7-To Kill a Mockingbird
8-Adventures of Huck Finn
9-Great Expectations
And yes, I have to admit it...
10-The Harry Potter Series

Also, for our next gethering, you'll want to come for the food! I'll be making delights to fancy our own English Tea Party!

Rebecca's Favorites

I will try to remember my favorite books. These are in no particular order.

The Work and Glory series
Bayern books
Dracula
Count of Monte Cristo
10 Little Indians
The Spring of the Tiger
A Tale of Two Cities
Frankenstein
Nancy Drew
Cronicles of Prydain

These are all books I remember that made me happy to be reading them. Most are from my childhood.

Cami's Faves

PLEASE don't ignore the post below that Trisha put up. Go down and read it first, then peruse this, if you choose.

I'm feeling bad that I've not done my very own assignment! So I'll post my faves.

Since I'm feeling a little adventurous and lazy at the same time, I think I'll just post my favorites shelf from Shelfari, then you can see them, and hover over them if you want my reviews. Let's see if this works:

Shelfari: Book reviews on your book blog

That's a couple more than 10, but you'll all have to deal!

It WAS hard to choose though. Perhaps we'll have to post our favorites of different genres in the future--or recommendations, which are definitely different than favorites!

Hi all. I just wanted to let you all know if anyone else needs a copy of the book, I got mine back and it is available. Also, we will have our book group next Tuesday (March 2) at my house (Trisha's) at 7:30pm. It should be a good discussion. Hope everyone can make it.

Okay. Cami challenged us all to name our top 10 books. I have so many books I love, so this is going to be quite a challenge.

1. Pride and Prejudice
2. Catcher in the Rye
3. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
4. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
5. Rebecca (By Daphne du Maurier)
6. The Secret Garden
7. Eat, Pray, Love
8. To Kill a Mockingbird
9. Gift from the Sea
10. Wuthering Heights

Okay now by way of explanation. I love to read. I've never tried to make a top 10 list. As I wrote this, all I could think of all the fantastic books I am leaving out....but a lot of the books I chose were life changing for me. So there you go...is anyone else out there? I'm interested to read other people's lists.

I have finished the book. I really liked it. It only took me a week to read. It was a quick, easy read but there's a lot to think about and discuss. If anyone wants to borrow my book, it's up for grabs.

I went to Costco this weekend and noticed they have copies of The Help by Kathryn Stockett. I bought a copy. It was $13 and is only available in hard back. I am about 75 pages into the book and I really like it. I hope everyone else will like it too. As soon as I am done I will let everyone know and you can start passing it around. I didn't check Amazon for prices there...You maybe could get it cheaper there used. Happy reading. -Trish

Here we are!

This is our book/movie group blog. You should all be authors so you can contribute.

I thought it would be really fun for us to kick off our blog with a posting assignment! (Don't worry, this won't happen often.) Since we ALL want book recommendations, I'd love to see everyone's top 10 favorite books. I'd love to see other recommendations too, if you want to add things that may not necessarily be your favorite, but you love to recommend. So, if you want to, post and give us your faves and your recommendations. It will be great to have this resource, as well as to get to know everyone's different reading tastes. You can do it for movies too, if you'd like. That would be super fun.

Can't wait to see your posts!

Cami

p.s. OH, I forgot. What do you want to do about Gone With the Wind. Comment here to give your say.

A. To HECK with bedtime--let's watch all 4 hours as planned!
B. Yikes, I think we'd better start earlier so I can get to bed at a decent hour.
C. Well, I really want to watch it all, but I may fall asleep--let's do two different days.
D. 4 hours is fine, if it's a weekend. Let's change the date.

(If you've never commented before, just look below this post where it says how many comments there are. Click on it, and there you go.)