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?