Sunday Salon, Bloggy Book Club and All Girls Book Club Combo

I read Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen for this month's Bloggy Book Club and for the first ever...All Girls Book Club, which is a book club that meets once a month. While I have loved blogging for Sunday Salon and for Bloggy Book Club and I love reading the comments of fellow reading enthusiasts on this blog and others...it was very gratifying to hear every one's opinion about this book in "real time"!

Water for Elephants was a great read...I know that I do write that phrase many times ...I am not a critic...I enjoy reading a story and I am led easily into it. I take the story for what it is...

In the Authors Notes in the back of the book, Sara Gruen writes that the idea of this book came about unexpectedly while researching for an entirely different book. The Chicago Tribune ran an article on Edward J Kelty, a photographer who followed traveling circuses around America in the 1920's and 1930's. The photograph that was included fascinated her so much she began researching Circuses and had abandoned her first idea for a book entirely instead deciding to write about the train circuses.

This is a story about a young man and his loss of both his parent's during the Depression and his adventure of running away with the circus. Sara Gruen contrasts the world of a showman's glamor and equestrian pageantry with the senseless cruelty of a sleazy sideshow.
This is also the story of an old man and his aged memories and his real fear of losing control of his mind and his life...and those memories he holds so dear.

The All Girls Book Club met and discussed this book at length and all of us either liked or loved this book very much! It is a great historical fiction and I liked it very much!
We decided that we will all go to the movie that is being made out of this book starring Reese Witherspoon, Sean Penn and Robert Pattinson

Sunday Salon...Read Along

The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell is a great book that I am re-reading ...The subtitle of this book is How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference.
I enjoyed this book when I first read it and reading again at a new place in my life has been rewarding for me. I love to watch people and how they respond to one another...this book will make you see those interchanges in a new light! Change is inevitable but it is human nature for most of us to not respond favorably when we feel it is happening.

Because I like driving myself somewhat crazy and I just plain love to read...I am reading three other books right now...all good!
I am missing a great Sunday School class today because I am working but the book we are reading for that class, and while I am only on the second chapter it has been very interesting! It is by Paul F. Knitter and it is called Without Buddha I could not be a Christian.
It's probably an intriguing title to Christians and to Buddhists but I have found it to be sensitively written and very thought provoking!

I am reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen for Blogging book Club this month and for my brand-new-no-name-yet-in-real-life-thank-God-I-have-it-book-club!
I do like it and I will share more later in the month!

The fourth book I am just finishing up is a must-have for any young woman leaving college or as I am, any woman reentering the work force. It is Cathie Black's Basic Black...this book is terrific and has given me just the pep-talk I needed!

I am off to work today and I am actually happy to as I will be at the Florida Fairgrounds working at a booth for work ...which is fun for me!
Happy Sunday and Happy Reading!

Sunday Salon... Is There Really a Human Race?

I don't normally review children's books but I bought my one and only grand daughter a book for her second birthday! SHHHHH! I did not give her this book on her birthday as I am saving it for her party later...don't worry she got lot's of gifts on her birthday from Papa and Gigi, however!

This book is called Is There Really A Human Race by Jamie Lee Curtis and illustrated by Laura Cornell and it is my new favorite book! It has great truths for children and gentle reminders for grown ups...I love it! It is written so well and the illustrations are just beautiful! I love this book...
All of us should slow down and rethink what success is all about!
From the book....

"Shouldn't it be that you just try your best?
And that's more important than beating the rest?
Shouldn't it be looking back at the end
that you judge your own race by the help that you lend?
So, take what's inside you and make big, bold choices.
And for those who can't speak for themselves use bold voices.
And make friends and love well, bring art to this place.
And make the world better for the whole human race."

My favorite!!

The Sunday Salon...or Here's What I am Reading!

I just finished Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones...loved this strange little book and it's story but will blog about it later...however I disagree with the great Anna Quindlen's quote...
"Destined to become a classic in the vein of To Kill a Mockingbird..."
My quote..."Are you kidding me?"

I just finished Bill Hybels' book the Volunteer Revolution unleashing the Power of Everybody
I enjoyed this book and for me it fit nicely in the direction God is pushing er directing me!

I also just finished re-reading Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis...again for obvious reasons...
if you ever need a fresh perspective in regards to your faith or lack thereof...this is a must read!

My best read this week is The Green Bible...I now own about 30 Bibles...I have my first Bible from my parents...the King James Version which I can never make sense of and then my second Bible the New Testament Good News version which had much hipper and easier to understand language and ...many others.
I have a Serendipity Bible...I have used for small groups and then a Women's Study Bible which has studies geared for yes, you're ahead of me here....women!
I have a copy of The Bible for dummies...which again, you're right there...for dummies!
I am all of those things.

But, this The Green Bible is beautiful in the fact that it is Environmentally friendly- cotton and linen cover, recycled paper, soy-based ink, and water-based coating.
It contains inspirational writings by scholars and leaders including one of my favorites Brian McLaren author of Everything Must Change.
It contains a Trail guide for further study...but it is called The Green letter edition because it has over 1000 verses highlighted in green print to support the thought that God cares greatly that we take care of His creation!
Have a beautiful Sunday...as we enjoy God's creation!

Bloggy Book Club

April's Bloggy Book club book was Scarpetta by Patricia Cornwell, the cover states...
Leaving behind her private forensic pathology practice in Charleston, South Carolina, Kay Scarpetta takes up an assignment in New York City where the NYPD has asked her to examine an injured patient on Bellevue Hospital's psychiatric prison ward. The handcuffed and chained patient, Oscar Bane, has specifically asked for her , and when she literally has her gloved hands on him, he begins to talk and the story he has to tell turns out to be one of the most bizarre she has ever heard...

Since I had a lot of driving to do this month...I chose to listen to this book on CD...it is long 15 hours!

I had been an earlier fan of Patricia Cornwell and have enjoyed the Scarpetta series in the past although I have missed two or three of the last novels. I thought I was fairly familiar with the characters and could pick up with them...my feelings are that her characters have not aged well! Many of them have more than flawed characteristics but rather all seem rather jaded...
one character who I had enjoyed seem to have committed a violent sex crime in a past novel which I had not read. While this had been a colorful character, there wasn't anything in any past novels to indicate this behavior and this action didn't ring true. Actually it makes Scarpetta and others seem ineffective because of it...because of this and a few other details ...the entire story didn't ring true for me. I didn't care for the characters. I solved the crime early and too many coincidences needed to happen for the story to even unfold.
I was disappointed in this novel almost from the beginning... I love a good forensic mystery... but I just couldn't buy into this story!

If anyone else would like to give it a try...let me know and I will mail you the box CD set!

Sunday Salon

Sometimes...I feel sorry for myself! Sometimes I feel blue...maybe it's hormonal...if I have any hormones left! I read a really good book that I highly recommend...it's a short read ...easy for those who don't like to read.
I highly recommend it for those who have a bit of an attitude problem right now!
Many of my " friends" on facebook have sad little one liners on their "What's on your mind?" line... so...this book is just for you!

The Diving Bell and The Butterfly by Jean-Dominque Bauby is the memoir of the editor-in-chief of French Elle, who suffered a stroke that resulted in locked-in syndrome when he was only 43 ears old. He died shortly after the french publication of his book.
This book was recommended to me but the stark facts of the true story made me not want to read the book and so I didn't! I am sad to say...it was a sale at Barnes and Nobles that encouraged me to read it...I am a girl who loves a sale!
Buy two...get one free...this was my free book!

I am so happy to have been gifted this book...it is beautifully written and so very eloquent ...it is 131 pages of the power of human consciousness...it will make you aware of your own life and your simple wonders and pleasures.

Jean -Dominique Bauby was left after his stroke with complete paralysis and
could only move his left eyelid, only slightly...his mind however, is completely intact. With the help of Claude Mendibel who wrote down every letter that Bauby signaled with his eye to her with the aid of an alphabet screen, he painstakingly made letters form words, sentences and then paragraphs...to pages and then chapters...to a completed memoir... a very beautifully written memoir completed before his death.

I am left with such encouragement for my own life and the gifts I have been given...
After...my daughter reads this book ( it will take her no time at all)...I will mail it to the first person who asks for it...I just ask that you blog about it!

Happy reading!

Sunday Salon

I am reading firefly lane by Kristin Hannah for February Bloggy Book Club and I am half way through the book. This is a surprisingly good read for me, I had mistakenly thought it a romance novel and those really aren't my favorite novels to read. While there is some romance, it is predominately a great story of friendship between two young girls that spans thirty years!
I love the time period that the novel takes place in...the girls are a year younger than I was at that time in the 70's. I could relate to all the happenings and place myself there in my own life. I couldn't however, relate to their friendship though, as my father was in the Navy and our family moved every two years of my life...making life long friendships difficult for me to form. I have a few very long lasting friendships but nothing that lasted since eighth grade...I am intrigued by these characters and I am enjoying this book so far!
What's your longest friendship and what makes it special?
Where were you in the 70's?
What was life like for you?
My daughter's friend, Sara Nelms is pursuing her dream...if you haven't helped her out..please do and enter my drawing for an iPod nano!

Holding Fast

I just finished reading Holding Fast The Untold Story of the Mount Hood Tragedy by Karen James, this was sent to me by my blogger friend Rhonda at A Day in Rhonda's Life. Rhonda got it from Jill at jill jill bo bill who has a very personal take on the story as it was about Kelly James, a childhood friend of her husband's.
I didn't need this story personified anymore for me but this added dimension of it being some one's friend made it more tragic...maybe it's me but some times these news stories seem so sad, that we or again, I tend to put them in little boxes labeled something other than real!
Because I had read Jill's account of the story, I was primed for a sad story and it is... but Karen James brings such a testimony of faith to the telling of her story. Because of her faith and that of her husband's you are not left with a story about a life ending but rather a life that was well lived!
This is a quick and compelling read that you will ponder long after you have finished the book. It is the story of Kelly James, his death and his wife Karen's struggle to understand what happened.

Recently, My Hubby and I found out that a business associate took his own life while alone. We did not know him well, but what we did know about him was that he was troubled and unhappy, and struggling financially! He didn't have many good relationships and certainly showed very little faith and I can't help but contrast his death with Kelly James! The contrast itself was startling, one in faith and a life well lived...the other alone and isolated and in despair!
Both families are surely devastated...but because of God's love and James' love of God...life will continue for the James family while the other family may be consumed with a sad bitterness!
I often wonder if I could survive such a tragedy with my faith intact...I don't know... but I know I wouldn't survive it at all without my faith!
I had just finished reading Same Kind Of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore and I was startled to see their picture in the book and a review by them on the cover!
It would seem Karen has continued her painting and she had a joint art exhibition with Denver Moore in May 2008...I really enjoyed their book as well!

The first person who will commit to:
Read this book...
Blog about it and
Then pass it on to another blogger!
Just leave a comment on this post

and I will mail you this copy of Holding Fast by Karen James.

Don't forget my Give-away for a iPod nano! Vote For Sara Nelms!

Bloggy Book Club

The pick for February is firefly lane by Kristin Hannah..I would put a picture of the novel...right about here but I can't get blogger to work for me today!
This is a novel about two women's friendship that spans thirty years...a friend suggested it to me.

I am currently reading Big Russ & Me Father and Son: Lessons of Life by Tim Russert and so far I love it! We all learn from our Dads...whether we are aware of it or not, whether it is a conscious act on either participate... we learn!

I have a book I do not recommend...
My Hubby and I had to take a business trip last weekend so we looked for a book that we could listen to on CD! I paid actual hard earned money for this crap...yep that's what I called it crap!
I am not concerned about offending this author as I bet ...he will be tickled pink that I think it is crap!
The book I hate is Why We Suck by DR. Denis Leary...I put the bold font by his title as this would appear to be fairly important to him as you listen to him put the emphasis on his title numerous times!
We stopped listening at the third CD!
I wanted to like this...I really did! It's just awful for the sake of being awful! He insults everyone and I mean everyone...except his wife...God love the saint of a woman! He has a filthy mouth and I am not easily insulted...
However...let's just say...it makes me uncomfortable hearing a man describe Britney's Spears private parts knowing he is old enough to be her father....GROSS!!!
But...where the actual book might be better as opposed to the audio version...DR. Denis Leary has the most annoying voice...EVER! As I listen to him
read the book all I can think of is ...this is a really bad impersonation of Joe Pesci's Leo Getz in Lethal Weapons 1-18! It sent me over the moon...and not in a good way...OKAY!!! OKAY!!!
DR. Denis Leary, I may suck but.... Buddy you suck more!
I know he is laughing all the way to the bank!
That's all I got...
If you haven't entered my give-away for an iPod nano...Please do! We are doing this to suppport Sara Nelms who is pursuing her dream!

Bloggy Book Club and Sunday Salon

Same Kind of Different as Me by Ron Hall and Denver Moore with Lynn Vincent was Bloggy Book Club choice for January and I loved this book! I don't know how I missed this book when it was first published but I did... I am thinking it is Divine providence that I read it now.

My Husband and I work once a month at a Cafe for Homeless, the third Monday of every month is "our Monday." It is a wonderful organization and a privilege to be a part of a group that is doing something tangible for so many! There are important rules set in place for good reason however there have been long moments that I have struggled to not cross an important boundary...( another post!) It is in those moments I believe I find God because I want to find him.

This book tells the almost unbelievable story of Denver Moore who grew up on Plantations as really nothing more than an indentured slave, never having the opportunity for an education!

When I type this...I think...about my love of reading and Denver never having the opportunity to learn reading or writing and then I think...this happened in the United States of America!



It is the story of a beautiful marriage, full of life and it's struggles and the testimony of God's healing love. It's the story of a God's vision for His people as given to a woman who will be stricken with cancer and God not healing her! Finally, it's also the story of an unlikely friendship and a shared ministry!

I loved the way the story is written...alternating in first Denver's voice and then in Ron's...sharing their personal perspective and insight!



I had read peviously, the book No Experts Needed The Meaning of Life According to You by Louise Lewis and at the end of that book she asks us to define "What is the meaning of life?"

I have prayed about this...and I had my answer all along but I felt it wasn't "good enough!"

It is and this story convinced me of it!

For me the meaning of life...is to serve others! It gives me joy and I feel closer to God as I am serving!

Same kind of Different As Me ( at least the paperback edition) has questions answered by the authors...

One question that made me think...

In some communities, homelessness has reached epidemic status. What do you think is the ultimate solution to this problem? How has your perception of homelessness changed over the past few years?

Ron: In my opinion there is no solution to the homeless problem. However, there are many ways to improve the conditions for those who fall into that state: (1) Relationships build trust and trust leads to accountability. This is the point where lives can be changed; (2) Encourage and fund the reconciliation of families. The simple cost of a phone call and a bus ticket home have resulted in getting people off the streets and back at home. We have heard many stories like this from our readers; (3) My perception has changed greatly after knowing hundreds of homeless people and hearing their stories. Only by taking the time to listen can you discover that most homeless people started off in life much like everyone else but were often thrown off track by a tragedy and circumstances beyond their control. But by the grace of God, I avoided a similar fate.

Denver told me that faith-based organizations, government programs, and well-meaning individuals fed him and kept him alive for all those years on the street, but it was the love of Miss Debbie that caused him to want to make a change in his life.



Denver: God says the poor will always be with us. I don't believe there is a solution but if people were more like Miss Debbie, homeless folks would be treated better.

I enjoyed this book and I recommend it...it is told from a Christian perspective but I think others of different faiths would enjoy it!

This story is really about humanity and we are all humans!

a lotus grows in the mud or in a car ride...

My daughter and I had a road trip of sorts...a quick trip to Orlando to collect money from a customer who doesn't want to part with it and while I understand that desire, they need to pay us!

My business has evolved to me spending a good portion of my day reminding people they need to pay me and me fielding calls from people who would like me to do the same! FUN!

You may wonder why I don't take either of my six foot sons with me on these collection trips, as they are more intimidating than my only daughter and the answer is simple... she likes to listen to books-on-tape (or CD!)

So, "Thelma and Louise" stopped by the library and looked for a mutually satisfying book...no easy task as she is 25 and I am not! I thought maybe the Twilight series but she wasn't interested and there wasn't a huge selection to begin with..but we did find Goldie a lotus grows in the mud by Goldie Hawn with Wendy Holden. We decided that would be a good one... as I had previously started it and not finished it, as was my prior behavior with reading books.

So, this was a good one to get off my book shelve!

This is not your typical celebrity memoir...it isn't told in a lineal fashion but more in a " I remember, one time when this happened" and then you are transported to a different time and a different place in Goldie Hawn's Life. This is not a Hollywood tell-all...no negative comments about people but just great stories about her life, her work, her travels and her family. She is truly a unique person and while I am not anything like her, I appreciate her nature and the fact that she is so funny and that she lives her life to the fullest!

The book is co-written by Wendy Holden and I liked the style of the writing and the fact it wasn't in chronological order. After listening to more than half of it on CD, and it was fun listening to Goldie narrate her story...so much fun in fact after we got back...I picked up the book and finished the rest of her story!

I, now have this terrific memory of Goldie Hawn reading to me and my daughter...I ask you what is better than that?

Sunday Salon and The need for Appropriate Clothing

This great Christmas and New Year's was spent doing things I truly enjoy...not because I would have chosen to do them, as Christmas is too busy! But... because I had injured my foot and had to stay off of it, I got to enjoy my favorite pastimes! My joy was made more complete when I chose to wear comfy clothes...I was fine with it until my daughter said "Didn't you have that on yesterday?"
and I answered "Yes...I did!"
and then when I hobbled out to the mail box and the new-across-the-street-neighbor said.."Oh, You are a nurse...Where do you work?"
and I answered "No...I am not a nurse...Why do you ask?"
and she logically pointed to the blue scrubs I had been wearing for two days!
So..I am back to bathing and dressing appropriately but it was glorious while it lasted... I watched simply a ton of movies and have read my little heart out and have planned a year's worth of trips to travel with the Hubby! Life is good!
I just finished The Last Lecture by (the late) Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow. If you are unfamiliar with it it is the book about his last talk entitled The Last Lecture...it is given on the premise that Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. His lecture and his subsequent book was made very powerful given the fact he had been diagnosed with terminal cancer.
This book expounded on the theme and was a culmination of everything Randy had come to believe. I highly recommend this book...I loved it for many reasons but especially as his wife and children will receive the proceeds.
To learn more visit the web page The Last Lecture. This is not a book about dying...it is a book about living!
I have just started a book about...The Meaning of life according to you! I know because it says so right on the cover...I have been intrigued by it since the first page! I try to be a "lemons to lemonade" kind of girl, sometimes well, sometimes not so well, but I do try!
The book is a spiritual book entitled NO Experts Needed by Louise Lewis and as I said I was intrigued by the very first page as it has one of my favorite quotes by T.S. Eliot, "Little Gidding" from Four Quartets

We shall not cease from exploration
And the end of all our exploring
Will be to arrive where we started
And know the place for the first time.

The author has graciously offered a (pdf) copy of the book. She states it's simply her way of giving back to life...
You may find it here at NO Experts Needed.
This is a wonderful book for me to read at this stage of my life but I suspect it would be for others for various other reasons!

Bloggy Book Club

For the Month of December...Bloggy Book Club read Derek Maul's In My Heart I Carry A Star, stories for the Advent.

I really enjoyed this book...I guess a disclaimer of sorts is necessary as I am friends with the author and he is my Sunday School teacher. But I think I am still unbiased enough to be able to recommend a good book for Christians or for those simply looking for a more authentic Christmas experience.

The book is set up as a devotional reading for the advent season and as such is uniquely Christian...unashamedly so. Each morning through this advent season, with coffee in hand my Hubby and I read this book and pondered the readings all day and then quietly in the evenings, as a couple, talked about what the reading meant to us and as it turned out it meant a great deal to both of us.

It is easy I think...or maybe it is just easy for me to be swept away with the consumerism of Christmas and because of that the simple joy of Christmas and it's meaning can be lost in a journey of emptying one's wallet. Not very inspiring! The reading of this book will become a tradition in our home, which for my Hubby and I is heartwarming! We are Empty Nester's now...and if we needed our children to help us conjure up Christmas...it wouldn't have worked this year! Because while we are a close family and we did see them often...things are not the same. And that is a good thing! But, My Hubby and I without realizing it started a new tradition for us!Our morning and evening devotional... kept us focused in the right direction. This has been a difficult year for us financially and at times I have felt panicked but I have been able to keep myself sane and feeling loved because of the reminders in this little gem of a book!

My pastor, whenever we read scripture always says to ask..."Who? What? When? and Where?" and then... "So what?" Scripture needs to be made relevent for your life and you are the only one who can do that for yourself! "Who said this?" "What was happening?" "When did this happen?" and then "So What?" meaning "So what does this mean for my life?"

Derek answers these "So what?" questions with beautiful examples from his personal life...while reading his... it is very easy for you to ask yourself...

"So What does this "Christmas" mean for my life?"

The Sunday Salon

I have had a restful Sunday as I am staying off my injured foot and I am feeling better.
I am reading In My Heart I Carry A Star by Derek Maul for Bloggy Book Club. It is a great book to read for an Advent Season devotional or if you just want a Christmas book that has a wonderful collection of heartwarming stories!
This book reminds us about the real reason for the season which is not to shop until you drop exhausted or to overeat until you feel like popping.
Derek has a great blog where he discusses this book and other great topics.
I have enjoyed this book so much and will blog later in more detail for December's Bloggy Book Club.

The Sunday Salon and more....

The Sunday Salon

I finally finished Eat this Book by Eugene H. Peterson which he describes as a conversation in the art of spiritual reading ... I have to say it wasn't much of a conversation! I found this book to be boring and I made myself finish it as it was for a class I attend. I found very little I disagreed with although there were a few items... but mostly I just didn't care for this book.
***update*** I got home from my Sunday School class and after our discussion of this book, I feel like I should add that there is a chapter in this book that I did like very much and it was probably the "meat and potato" of the entire book! It speaks of spiritual reading and I have to say I did enjoy this part of the book and found it important to me and where I am at in terms of my faith. That said...I still found this book a bit boring.
I just three minutes ago...finished Gilead by Marilynne Robinson author of Housekeeping and The Death of Adam, which I have not read. I liked Gilead, it is a story about a congregationalist minister named John Ames who is writing his "begats" for his young son. While reading his memories of his family life and other minutia you feel his sense of urgency because of his illness.
I felt it was beautifully written. This book was given to me by a friend who loved it...I find that most endearing...when you find a book you just want to share with a friend or loved one!

I am reading My Losing Season by Pat Conroy...I have had it on a book shelve for about three years and so...since I made the decision to be a reader...I am reading again! Pat Conroy is a wonderful author...I had read The Prince of Tides and Beach Music...so I am familiar with his fictional work but My Losing Season is a memoir and it is very interesting!

The Lucky One by Nicholas Sparks is the Bloggy Book Club choice for November!
If you would like to be a member...it's so simple read the book of the month, Blog the last Sunday of the month and tell us what you thought of the book. This month is November 30th!

If you would like a chance to win $50 for your favorite charity check out My Loser contest!
Blog about a time when Losing meant something to you and mention what charity you are competing for and why and tell people to vote for you!
I will announce the winner Thanksgiving Day! You have one more week to enter and then I will link all your stories and then make up a poll!

Our first entry is beautifully written as always by Candid Carrie.

The Sunday Salon

I have finished The Shack by William P Young for Bloggy Book Club and I will be blogging about that on October 26th...I enjoyed this book!

I am more than half way through Gilead by Marilynne Robinson and so far just consider it a pleasure to be lost in it's pages!
I feel, with these two books read back to back like I might be on a some spiritual journey of some kind...they really have impacted me in a positive way! I would recommend either one.

I am having a Giveaway for Halloween here and Travel with Ronda is having a Giveaway here!

Sunday Salon

Just a quick blog for Sunday Salon"ers."..
I am reading The Jane Austen Book Club by Karen Joy Fowler for the Bloggy Book Club and I am enjoying it very much!
For the Sunday School class I attend I am reading Eat This Book by Eugene H. Peterson, the same author who did the Message version of the bible. I am at chapter three and wishing this could have been written as a short article...not a good sign but I will persevere!
Enjoy your Sunday...I am off to the Cutest Boy in America's birthday party!

Sunday Salon

Happy Sunday Salon!

I really enjoyed finishing up The Faith Club...I highly recommend this book for anyone struggling with faith or current affairs in the Middle East or if you just enjoy a book about smart women getting to know one another better.

I have started Persuasion by Jane Austen for the Bloggy Book Club...very good and it inspired me to pick up The Jane Austen Book Club, which is a contempory novel by Karen Joy Fowler.

The prologue starts with...Each of us has a private Austen.

How could I resist that?

Sunday Salon

I missed last week's Sunday Salon...so much paperwork at work...not much time for reading.

I have almost just finished (about ten pages left to go) The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner...I have really enjoyed this book.
...The cover states the book is a memoir of spiritual reflections in three voices that will make you feel you are eavesdropping on the authors' private conversations, provocative discussions, and often controversial opinions and conclusions. The authors wrestle with the issues of anti-Semitism , prejudice against Muslims, and preconceptions of Christians at a time when fundamentalists dominate the public face of Christianity...
I thought this was well written and I loved the idea of the narrative told by three different authors...I was afraid at first it might be confusing but it wasn't and in fact made it less confusing because the incident or conversation was made three dimensional by the different voices...it wasn't this flat telling of the facts.
I do recommend this book if you are struggling with what is happening in the Middle East...of course this is not a history book but rather a story of three women wanting to understand and be understood!
The final chapter instructs on how you might start a Faith Club and I have to say I would very much like to be involved in such a group. They have a website...The Faith Club that gives detailed information if you are interested in starting one!

Sunday Salon

Not much reading today...

However, this evening I will curl up with...

The Faith Club by Ranya Idliby, Suzanne Oliver, and Priscilla Warner.

The cover states it is about a Muslim, a Christian, and a Jew-

Three women search for understanding. I am only in about a fourth of the way but, I am very interested and hopeful it works out well...I guess since they have written a book together, that is at least a good sign.

Also, still on my nightstand...

As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner, A New Kind of Christian by Brian D Mc Laren, Marley & Me by John Grogan and I will reread this week because I want to....

To Soon to Say Goodbye by Art Buchwald... because it was!