January - Life and Death at Hoover Dam

January's book is Life and Death at Hoover Dam by Jerry Borrowman. Ursula will be our hostess and she has arranged for the author to come to our review. We were lucky to have him join us last year and it was an interesting and enjoyable experience. So, mark your calendar for Wednesday, January 16 at 7 p.m.

Goodreads Review:

Life and Death at Hoover Dam

by Jerry Borrowman, Kirk L. Shaw 

 3.58  ·   rating details  ·  78 ratings  ·  22 reviews

It's 1931 and men are desperate for jobs. A lucky few will get to work in the searing heat of the Nevada desert on the massive Hoover Dam. Their goal is to tame the mighty Colorado River with a dam that towers sixty stories high from the base of the canyon to the crest of the dam, thus creating the largest man-made like in the world. Nothing like it has ever been built. Life and Death at Hoover Dam tells the story of a handful of these men and the sacrifices they endured. From choking on gasoline fumes in 120-degree inside the diversion tunnels to dangling by slender cables from the thousand-foot walls of Black Canyon, they will put their lives at risk. In the end, these men and the 20,000 others who worked on the dam will build a monument that makes possible the palm trees of Los Angeles and the desert oasis of Phoenix. This is the story of their lives-the men who built the matchless Hoover Dam.

Volunteer Needed for Book Club Specialist 2013

Book Club 2012 has come to an end and Linda ended the year in style with a delicious spread and an inviting, holiday atmosphere. We were small in numbers but enjoyed sharing our favorite books with each other (we even shed a few tears). Thanks so much for a wonderful evening and the party favor, Linda!

It's time for a new year with new books and a new Book Club Specialist. I've enjoyed this responsibility this past year - and it's a pretty easy job. To read what the specialist's responsibilities are just scroll down a couple of posts or click here. We are still looking for a volunteer (you need not continue the blog or if you'd like I can show you how or update it for you each month) so please let me know if you'd like an opportunity.

Because of the small numbers at our last book club we were not able to finalize the schedule and book list for next year. Please let me know as soon as possible if you would like to host and which month would be best for you. So far we have Ursula in January, Dione in February, Kathy in September and Linda in December. 

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday with your family, friends and loved ones and I pray that everyone stays safe and that only good memories are made. May this coming year be the best one yet and may we all be grateful for the many blessings we have been given.

Merry Christmas,

Dione 

Bylaws - General Information

Welby Neighborhood Book Club Bylaws

General Information

1.                          Book reviews will generally be held the third week of each month on a Wednesday evening at 7:00 p.m.

2.                          Book reviews may be held at a location specified by the hostess for the month. Consider home, church, library, out-of-doors, parks, etc.

3.                          There will be one business meeting each year to elect a new book club specialist and to finalize the Book Club Wish List for the coming year. At this meeting sisters will sign up for the month and the book they would like to host.

4.                          Books need to be returned to the library prior to the due date (if you would like more time with the book, call the hostess and ask her if she will renew the book for you. This is usually possible if the book is not a New Release). If you keep a book past its due date, please take the book to the library clerk at the front desk at the Bingham Creek Library to pay the fine on your book. Lost books will also need to be paid for out of your own expense account.

5.                          Attendees do not necessarily need to have completed the book being reviewed in order to attend Book Club and participate in the discussion.

6.                          All sisters in the ward and neighborhood are invited to attend and may invite guests from time to time as desired.

7.                          Books to be reviewed during the current year will have been previously selected by those who frequently attend book review. Books to be reviewed will have a G or a PG rating.

Hostess Responsibilites

Hostess Responsibilities

1. The hostess will call the Bingham Creek Library (801-944-7684) some time during the last week of the month or during the week following the prior book club. Tell them how many books you would like to reserve for book club and give them your library card number. He or she will call you when ALL of the books have arrived (This usually takes about two weeks). Pick the books up from the Book Club Holds shelf and take them home. Fill out a form with information about the book club date and the due date and tape it inside the front cover of the book. Deliver the books to the members who will be reading it. If the member is not at home when you deliver the book, you may place the book in a grocery bag and hang it on the front door handle or tuck it under the door mat, and then call the member to let her know the book was delivered.

2. The hostess will make reminder calls to regular members one or two days before each book club.

3. The hostess may invite a member to begin and end each book review with prayer.

4. The hostess will lead a discussion on the book.

5. The hostess need not offer refreshments; however, offering water to drink is suggested.

Book Club Specialist Responsibilites

Book Club Specialist Responsibilities

1. The Book Club Specialist will call the Relief Society Secretary by the end of each month to ask her to publish the book to be read for the following month in “Keeping Posted” and will also ask her to announce it in Relief Society and/or to post it on the Relief Society clipboard. (When possible, try to give her a tentative list of about six months in advance instead of calling her each month)

2. A member of the book club will volunteer, or be chosen, to serve as Book Club Specialist for a period of one year – January to December, in an annual business meeting. The Book Club Specialist will choose a date and time when nearly everyone can attend this annual business meeting. It can be held at any book review that has previously been scheduled (it usually takes about 20 minutes). At this meeting members will choose the books they most want to review from the Book Club Wish List, and they will sign up for a month when they can serve as a hostess. The Book Club Bylaws may be circulated and read at this meeting.

3. The Book Club Specialist will keep a folder or binder with the following current information:

1. A Calling List of Attendees

2. A list of the books previously reviewed in Book Club

3. A list of recommended books for the current year; this will include a month-by-month list of both books to be reviewed and hostesses for the books being reviewed

4. A “Wish List” of books to be considered for the following year – Members will want to add their ideas and recommendations to this list from time to time so I find it helpful to bring this binder to each book club I am able to attend

5. The “Book Club Bylaws” for the current year. This will probably need to be adjusted and amended by the Book Club Specialist on an annual basis or as the needs and desires of the group change.

December - Your Favorite Christmas Story

Come share your favorite Christmas story with us at our next book club on Wednesday, December 19th, 7 p.m. at Linda's home. We will also be choosing the books and host schedule for next year so don't forget your calendars.

Thanks to Jennifer who hosted last month's book review. I heard it was a good discussion. You'd think I would have remembered since I post the dates and reminders. I even forgot to take my daughter to her dance lesson that day. A couple of weeks before I took her at 7 p.m. and when I picked her up the dance teacher reminded me that her lessons are at 5 p.m. I tell ya, I'm loosing my mind. Maybe we need to review a book on memory!

New Books for a New Year!

Here are some of the books suggested for next year:

Life and Death at Hoover Dam by Jerry Borrowman
This one is already scheduled. It will be hosted by Ursula on January 17th and the author will be coming to discuss his book with us.

Gathering Blue (The Giver #2) by Lois Lowry (suggested by Fay)

Insight (Beholders #1) by Terron James (suggested by Kendra)
Tres Leches Cupcakes by Josie Kilpack (suggested by Jennifer)

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton 

Mrs.Pollifax by Dorothy Gilman (suggested by Kendra?)

The Cheshire Cheese Cat by Randall Wright and Carmen Deedy (Randall is Fay’s son)

Duct Tape Parenting by Vicki Hoefle

Heaven is Here by Stephanie Nielsen

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Annie Barrows (suggested by Dione)

What do you think? To read more about these books click on the title.What is your book suggestion? 

November - Let It Go: A True Story of Tragedy and Forgiveness by Chris Williams

Jen J has chosen a different book for us to review. Some of us may be familiar with the story through the media. I think this will be a wonderful book for us to end the year on. Another change is the date - We will hold November's book club on Thursday, November 29 due to Thanksgiving the previous week. Jennifer has a limited number of books to loan out so let us know if you would like to read it and she'll get it to you ASAP. Looks like a truly inspirational and uplifting book:

Let It Go: A True Story of Tragedy and Forgiveness

by Chris Williams (Goodreads Author)

 4.39  ·   rating details  ·  178 ratings  ·  75 reviews

On a cold February night in 2007, a devoted father of four and a seventeen-year-old drunk driver both received life sentences. In one violent, devastating instant, both faced a drastically different - and uncertain - future. But as Chris Williams sat in his demolished vehicle, staring at the car that had just caused the death of his wife, his unborn baby, his eleven-year-old son, and his nine-year-old daughter, he committed to do something extraordinary: he would forgive.

That decision launched Chris on a journey toward healing that impacted his family and friends, the young man who had caused the accident, and an entire community - a community that would face another deadly tragedy just a few days later.

Chris's message of empowering forgiveness is an invitation to all who have suffered, however unjustly, to lay down their burdens and let it go.

October's Book Club date has been changed

Due to the Fall Break we will be holding book club on Thursday, October 25th this month at 7 p.m. at Dione's house. Scroll down to the next post or click on the link to read more about the book for October, The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts.

October - The Teacher's Funeral: A Comedy in Three Parts by Richard Peck

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale was a good book! And Kathy's homemade cinnamon rolls were good! I'd say it was a good book club we had. Actually, it was great! Thanks, Kathy! She had a long day and only sat down for the book club - but then she got up several times to check on the rolls. What a woman!

I'm excited to announce that it's my turn for book club! Yay! Don't you just love when you've read a good book and you want to share it? Well, I've read A Teacher's Funeral and it's just a funny, feel-good book that I think you will all enjoy. And if you're having a busy month I recommend listening to the book on CD. The narrator is charming. Here's what Goodreads has to say about it:

The Teacher's Funeral : A Comedy in Three Parts

by Richard Peck

 3.81  ·   rating details  ·  1,941 ratings  ·  362 reviews

"If your teacher has to die, August isn't a bad time of year for it," begins Richard Peck's latest novel, a book full of his signature wit and sass. Russell Culver is fifteen in 1904, and he's raring to leave his tiny Indiana farm town for the endless sky of the Dakotas. To him, school has been nothing but a chain holding him back from his dreams. Maybe now that his teacher has passed on, they'll shut the school down entirely and leave him free to roam.

No such luck. Russell has a particularly eventful season of schooling ahead of him, led by a teacher he never could have predicted--perhaps the only teacher equipped to control the likes of him: his sister Tansy. Despite stolen supplies, a privy fire, and more than any classroom's share of snakes, Tansy will manage to keep that school alive and maybe, just maybe, set her brother on a new, wiser course.

As he did in A Long Way from Chicago and A Year Down Yonder, Richard Peck creates a whole world of folksy, one-of-a-kind characters here--the enviable and the laughable, the adorably meek and the deliciously terrifying. There will be no forgetting Russell, Tansy, and all the rest who populate this hilarious, shrewd, and thoroughly enchanting novel.

September - Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

We had a huge turnout for August's book club hosted by Wendy A. The discussion was interesting and the refreshments tasty! I love that she considered serving chocolate pie but didn't know how we'd take it. We told her we trust her! Thanks for a wonderful evening, Wendy.

I've already read the book for September, Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. I can confidently say that you'll really enjoy it. I don't think there's a book Shannon Hale has written that I haven't enjoyed, come to think of it. Our host will be Kathy E and the book club will be held on September 19 at 7 p.m. I'm looking forward to it!

Book of a Thousand Days

by Shannon Hale, James Noel Smith (Illustrator)

 3.95  ·   rating details  ·  22,438 ratings  ·  4,154 reviews

When Dashti, a maid, and Lady Saren, her mistress, are shut in a tower for seven years for Saren's refusal to marry a man she despises, the two prepare for a very long and dark imprisonment.
As food runs low and the days go from broiling hot to freezing cold, it is all Dashti can do to keep them fed and comfortable. But the arrival outside the tower of Saren's two suitors--one welcome, and the other decidedly less so--brings both hope and great danger, and Dashti must make the desperate choices of a girl whose life is worth more than she knows.
With Shannon Hale's lyrical language, this forgotten but classic fairy tale from the Brothers Grimm is reimagined and reset on the central Asian steppes; it is a completely unique retelling filled with adventure and romance, drama and disguise.

 

August - The Help by Kathryn Stockett

I think I've recovered from the wedding and I'm ready to get back to my normal routine (as much as that's possible with the kids out of school). Thank you, Tiffanie, for hosting June's book club. I read and enjoyed the book. I just wish I could have come to the discussion. Now I've got to check out the next book in the series.

Wendy A has offered to host our next book club. It will be held on August 15 and we will be reading The Help. If you haven't read the book but you've seen the movie - the book's even better! This should be a fun discussion.

The Help

by Kathryn Stockett (Goodreads Author)

 4.45  ·   rating details  ·  458,799 ratings  ·  54,887 reviews

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step.
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 to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.
Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.
In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women - mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends - view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.

June - The Walk by Richard Paul Evans

Unfortunately, due to a plethora of the kids' end of school year performances, I was unable to attend the last book club held at Ursula's, but a big thank you goes out to her. She went above and beyond in trying to secure enough books for everyone to read. I'm sure the evening was fun!

We've added a change to the book we were scheduled to review in May. Rather than reading Miles to Go, the second book in the Walk series by Richard Paul Evans, we will be reading the first book; The Walk. Makes sense! The book review will be held on Wednesday, June 20, 7 p.m. at Tiffanie's house. Here's a Goodread's review:

The Walk (Walk #1)

by Richard Paul Evans

 3.97  ·   rating details  ·  3,586 ratings  ·  885 reviews

"My name is Alan Christoffersen. You don’t know me. ‘Just another book in the library,’ my father would say. ‘Unopened and unread.’ You have noidea how far I’ve come or what I’ve lost. More important, you have no idea what I’ve found." —Prologue What would you do if you lost everything—your job, your home, and the love of your life—all at the same time? When it happens to Seattle ad executive Alan Christoffersen, he’s tempted by his darkest thoughts. A bottle of pills in his hand and nothing left to live for, he plans to end his misery. Instead, he decides to take a walk. But not any ordinary walk. Taking with him only the barest of essentials, Al leaves behind all that he’s known and heads for the farthest point on his map: Key West, Florida. The people he encounters along the way, and the lessons they share with him, will save his life—and inspire yours. Richard Paul Evans’s extraordinary New York Timesbestsellers have made him one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. A life-changing journey, both physical and spiritual, The Walk is the first of an unforgettable series of books about one man’s search for hope.

May ~ The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini

Thanks to Linda for hosting April's book club. We had a great discussion and everyone enjoyed getting to know the author of The Contract, J.L. Rasmussen. We're looking forward to reading more from her as she is in the process of writing her second book. But don't expect it to be anything like The Contract - You'll have to stay tuned to find out!

Ursula will be hosting the book club on May 16th. We will be reviewing:

The Quilter's Apprentice (Elm Creek Quilts #1)

by Jennifer Chiaverini

 3.81  ·   rating details  ·  3,669 ratings  ·  584 reviews

After moving with her husband, Matt, to the small college town of Waterford, Pennsylvania, Sarah McClure struggles to find a fulfilling job. In the meantime, she agrees to help seventy-five-year-old Sylvia Compson prepare her family estate, Elm Creek Manor, for sale. As part of her compensation, Sarah is taught how to quilt by this cantankerous elderly woman, who is a master of the craft.

During their lessons, Mrs. Compson reveals how her family was torn apart by tragedy, jealousy, and betrayal, and her stories force Sarah to face uncomfortable truths about her own alienation from her widowed mother. As their friendship deepens, Mrs. Compson confides in Sarah the truth about why she wants to sell Elm Creek Manor. In turn, Sarah seeks a way to bring life and joy back to the estate so Mrs. Compson can keep her home -- and Sarah can keep her cherished friend. The Quilter's Apprentice teaches deep lessons about family, friendship, and sisterhood, and about creating a life as you would a quilt: with time, love, and patience, piecing the miscellaneous and mismatched scraps into a beautiful whole.

April ~ The Contract by J.L. Rasmussen

Sometimes, what we think are our best decisions can become our worst. Dacie had everything she ever wanted, a marriage to her best friend and a baby on the way and yet the decision that made it all possible also became the decision that haunted her. Every smile, every look, every memory became a nightmare. If she could only undo The Contract.

We will be reviewing The Contract by J.L. Rasmussen on Wednesday, April 18, 7 p.m. at Linda's house. I believe this will also be attended by the author. We've been really spoiled these last months with the authors coming to share their insight and answering our questions.

Last month the author of Hunchback, Randall Wright, came. He told us how he came to be an author and what inspired him to write the story of the young, hunchbacked boy, Hodge. We were even able to give him some advice on his writing: Write a sequel to Hunchback! Thanks again, Fay, for not only hosting the club last month but for raising such a talented and imaginative son. We look forward to reading more from him.  

March Book Club Date Changed

March's book club will be held on Wednesday, March 28th this month rather than March 21st, as was originally planned. Many of our readers will be involved in the Blue & Gold Banquet which is scheduled for the 21st so the majority felt it would be best to hold book club the following week

We will still be meeting at Fay's home and the author, Randall Wright, will be coming to answer our questions and give insight to the story. We are looking forward to seeing you all there!

March - Hunchback by Randall Wright

Our next book review will be March 21 at Fay's house. We will be discussing Hunchback by Randall Wright (who happens to be Fay's son). Here is a Goodreads summary of the book:


Hunchback

by Randall Wright

 3.72  ·  rating details  ·  18 ratings  ·  6 reviews

"You!" shouted a voice from near the willow tree. "Stop!"
Hodge heard the jangle of a horse's bridle. He spun about the other way, but a dark shape jumped out of the shadows and knocked him to the ground. Light flashed into his face as a lantern was uncovered.
"A spy," hissed the figure. "A stinkin' spy."

A glorious adventure of castles, kings, traitors-and one humble hunchback who has to save them all

Long ago, Castle Marlby rang with the comings and goings of kings and princes. Now the castle is a quiet, sleepy place where everyone seems to have forgotten those golden days. Everyone but Hodge, that is. Though his hunched back earns him the unlovely job of mucking out the latrine, he dreams of serving a prince someday. But when one finally appears, he is nothing like Hodge expected.

Prince Leo is kept hidden away behind locked doors, as if he were in terrible danger. Or is he himself the dangerous one? When Hodge discovers the truth, he tumbles headlong into an adventure that proves far more exciting than he could ever have imagined. It will take all his strength to survive-and all his heart.

Can I just tell you how excited am I to read this book? Fay is seeing about having Randall Wright come join our discussion. We hope to see you all there!

Book Club History

So you're chatting with your friend/sister/what's their bucket and you begin discussing books. You know you've read several good ones but you can't seem to recall the title, author, or even what it's about  (please tell me I'm not alone). Well, I know there's at least one other person this happens to because I received a request to post the previous books we've read since our club began back in 2006.

Thanks to our wonderful, previous Book Club Specialists we have a typed list of all of the books. And to make it accessible to you all I've included the list at the end of this blog's page. Just scroll to the bottom and enjoy your walk through time. And to refresh your memory just click on the name of the book. How many of these have you read? I counted 26 that I've read. We should have a prize for the person who has read the most. Unfortunately it won't be me because I was gone for a couple of years. (But have you read any of the ones our Star Heights Book Club read?)

February - As Time Goes By

Thank you to Kendra for hosting January's book club and for recommending the book, The Hunger Games. Most everyone seemed to enjoy it and those that weren't crazy about the story-line still couldn't seem to put the book down. The main question we couldn't all agree on was who Catniss should end up with...

Our book read for February will be As Time Goes By by Jerry Borrowman. If his name sounds familiar to you it's because we read Three Against Hitler in April, 2009 and A Distant Prayer: Miracles of the 49th Combat Mission in April, 2008. Here is a summary of the book we will be reading this month:

LDS Historical Fiction. 

A World War II Novel-Battle of Britain. 

"The outbreak of war threatened all families living in England, including 

the rich and powerful. Lord Philip Carlyle, a member of Winston 

Churchill’s War Cabinet, was keenly aware of the danger as the father 

of two military age sons, Michael and Dominic. Although both were 

born in America they had spent most of their lives living at Carlyle 

Manor near London. Now their adopted country would call on them at 

its hour of greatest need."   

The book review will be at Patti's on February 15th and, if all goes as planned, we will have the pleasure of having the author, Jerry Borrowman, join us that evening to share his insights and answer our questions. To help us prepare for this occasion I thought I'd share his Bio from Goodreads:

Jerry Borrowman

Goodreads author profile

url

http://www.goodreads.com/jborrowman

born

December 27, 1952 in Blackfoot, Idaho, The United States

gender

male

website

http://www.jerryborrowman.com

genre

Biographies & Memoirs, Historical Fiction, History

influences

Love of history and to pay tribute to the men and women who have fought to keep our country free.(less)

member since

May 2009

About this author

edit data

Jerry Borrowman is a best-selling author of more than a dozen published books, most military fiction and co-authored biography. He and Rudi Wobbe, co-authors of Three Against Hitler, are recipients of the prestigious "National Medal of the Freedom Foundation at Valley Forge," for their contribution to the cause of freedom.

Jerry is known for his meticulous attention to historical detail, including the technology that is unique to each story. 

January - The Hunger Games

This month we will be reviewing The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins. Kendra, who will be hosting the club on January 18, was unable to reserve copies due to all the holds at the library, but there are several copies being passed around by generous book owners. Please let me or Kendra know if you'd like to borrow a copy.

I was able to snag a copy at the library last month and I really enjoyed this book. Because of the subject matter there's bound to be those who did not like it, which will make for an interesting discussion. I hope you'll join us!