The Third Thursday Readers

Nichole's Pick for Sept.

2014-08-14T06:12:00.001-07:00

"The Fault in Our Stars" by John Green

Forecast

2014-08-14T06:09:00.002-07:00

Heavy rain, thunder, lightning.... Natalie's book club was so fun. It was great to catch up with everyone. The book is still being passed around.

2014-08-13T12:50:00.000-07:00

Natalie's Pick: Here if You Need Me: A True Story by Kate Braestrup
August 13, 2014; 7PM
I Love the picture of the author holding a red mug...

The Ocean at the Ghost Bar

2014-06-13T22:17:00.000-07:00

Hi Bookies:) Just wanted to update our site and say thanks to Christy for our entertaining evening at Jeffrey's Ghost Bar, with haunted light effects and all!

I still haven't read the book, but listening to the discussion made me want to all the more.. And so did listening to Gaiman's commencement speech at the University of the Arts:

Make good art. I love that! (If reading this in email, you'll need to click over to the website to view the video).

We were sorry to bid Liz B. a fond farewell. Sounds like a lot of grand adventures await her and Andrew in New York. We just hope their continued travels bring them back to Utah again. And that she'll continue to share good titles with us in the future (I personally love Liz's taste in movies and hope she'll point us toward some good ones!).

Catherine is hosting this month and her pick is Anna Hunt's The Shaman in Stilettos! Not sure if the library or Back of Beyond have copies, but the above link is to Amazon's listing and Catherine has a copy she is generously passing around.

Lastly, if you have a tween or eager reader who is interested in stretching his or her reading picks (but still wants the freedom to pick which books he or she reads), you might be interested in the Summer Book Bingo that Aidan and I put together: http://summerbookbingo.blogspot.com/

He showed it to Charlotte at the library and she liked it so much that she offered Back of Beyond gift certificates to kids who turn it in at the end of summer. Email me if you have any questions.

Hope to see most of you at Catherine's!

Hyperbole and a Half with a Whole lot of FUN!

2014-02-23T18:33:00.000-08:00

Hello Ladies,

What a fantastic book club Deirdre hosted. There were very tasty treats, including delicious chocolate covered strawberries and Trader Joe's chocolate covered almonds (notice how I am focusing on the chocolate...). EAT ALL THE THINGS!

It seemed every one enjoyed the book and could relate to some if not all of her experiences. Those who have battled and or faced depression felt she nailed it when describing the hopelessness of it all. Although, we thought by the end of the last chapter she needed to "get over herself".

CLEAN ALL THE THINGS was central theme and a very good reason to not be an adult. Insert any word of choice and you can ____ ALL THE THINGS! I personally loved the cake chapter and her letters to herself when she was younger. We felt if we had had someone read the chapters aloud it would have been even more funny.

We found her rudimentary drawings rather impressive because they showed so much emotion and expressiveness.

This book was definitely heavy at times and is a book one cannot read all the way through in one setting.

It's hard to track where our conversations went to from there. I recall a smattering of vacation talk, spouse and children talk, dog talk (Christy would like to throw Melissa a puppy party. Melissa gets her new furry addition next Friday. I know my dogs can't wait to have another "sibling"), to food, movies, other books... I truly cannot remember it all but we were at Deirdre's until almost 10!!! (super late for this 3rd grade teacher that is for sure!)

http://hyperboleandahalf.blogspot.com
Check out her blog to read more!

Drum roll please....
Our next book is The DoveKeepers by Alice Hoffman. Hope it is good!

Next meeting: 3/20 at 6pm
Location: 8 orchard way

The library has it but there is a wait list.

Amazon Synopsis:
Nearly two thousand years ago, nine hundred Jews held out for months against armies of Romans on Masada, a mountain in the Judean desert. According to the ancient historian Josephus, two women and five children survived. Based on this tragic and iconic event, Hoffman’s novel is a spellbinding tale of four extraordinarily bold, resourceful, and sensuous women, each of whom has come to Masada by a different path. Yael’s mother died in childbirth, and her father, an expert assassin, never forgave her for that death. Revka, a village baker’s wife, watched the murder of her daughter by Roman soldiers; she brings to Masada her young grandsons, rendered mute by what they have witnessed. Aziza is a warrior’s daughter, raised as a boy, a fearless rider and expert marksman who finds passion with a fellow soldier. Shirah, born in Alexandria, is wise in the ways of ancient magic and medicine, a woman with uncanny insight and power.

February Pick: Hyperbole and a Half

2014-01-24T16:24:00.005-08:00

Thanks, Liz, for hosting a lovely evening and discussion of John Steinbeck's East of Eden. Lots of yummies, especially the cheesy bread that was devoured.

We all enjoyed Steinbeck's prose and the character of Lee, the scenic descriptions of Salinas Valleyand complex characters. His heavy-handed moments and saint/whore woman-complex had some of us complaining---and is it just me or does it seem like the more well-established a writer becomes the more long-winded they become too? Is it that editors get sheepish about telling them to cut pages?

We found it odd that in a novel built around the idea of timshel and one's ability to choose, that the character of Cathy would seem so unnaturally evil, some supposing she was a sociopath from birth. This led to a discussion on nature vs nurture and then on favoritism in parenting. My favorite part of the discussion was the tangent about dogs:) And cats---especially the image of Liz's cat skyping with her mom and of Rachel's cat playing on the iPad.

Oh---and here is the Paradox of Dogs by the Oatmeal that Chelsie and I referenced. Warning: you may pee your pants from laughing while reading it.

And lots of tangential movie recommendations/discussions. Liz has seen EVERYTHING. My picks for the year are over here, but I haven't seen hardly anything (Oscar contest coming soon nonetheless). PLEASE, if you have a rental recommendation, tell us in the comments!

Our next gathering is February 20th at 6PM, and I'm taking a risk---a comic memoir of sorts,
Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

It's $10 on Amazon, slightly less as an e-book, and at our library (well, that copy is actually at Natalie's house but she's sure to finish it soon so put it on hold). Here's the blurb from Amazon:

Touching, absurd, and darkly comic, Allie Brosh’s highly anticipated book Hyperbole and a Half showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with deceptively simple illustrations.

It's a thick book but a fast read. I'm not sure it will provide as much meat for discussion as Steinbeck, so please bring your funniest story/joke/drawing on the 20th. Lots of bugs going around Moab and they say laughter's the best medicine so let's all get a good dose. See you on the third Thursday!

P.S. This is the Oliver Jeffers' book Christy was describing:

And the video that made me fall in love with him a couple years ago (I was wrong--- The Incredible Book Eating Boy wasn't his first book, just the first one I discovered):

October~Rules of Civility

2013-10-10T08:41:00.003-07:00

I hope you're all enjoying the book I chose for October; it's one of my favorites. If you haven't picked up a copy yet, click the picture below!

See you all soon.

Wedding Vow Game Answers & Winner!

2013-09-09T10:38:00.001-07:00

Thanks to all who played our little game!

Vow #1:
(Partner’s name), I promise to do my best in these things:
To love and respect you.
To listen.
To seek meaningful lives together – with passion, humor, commitment, honesty, and understanding.
To support your dreams and share mine.
To be a strong and compassionate mother for our children.
To enjoy and be present in the every day moments with you, while we seek out the extraordinary.
To continue to learn and grow, and support you, as you change and grow, as well.
To have lives surrounded by beauty.
And, to make loops and take shortcuts, whenever possible.

Vows by Christy & Scott

Vow #2:
I promise to always laugh with you and to comfort you; to love you when life seems easy and when it seems hard; to help you when you need help, and turn to you when I need help; to communicate my needs to you and to honor your needs in return; and to take care of myself so that together we may be whole. I pledge to build a home with you that is compassionate to all and full of respect for each other. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life.

Vows by Rachel and Dan

Vow #3:
I, Deirdre, take you, Brian, for my lawful husband and companion, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.

Vow #4:
I vow:
to give fully---my loyalty, trust, and affection, and to give you the freedom and encouragement to seek your own path.
to share fully---my life, love, and laughter, and to always do more than I must.
to strive fully---to support, honor, and respect you, and to earn your grace in return.
to cooperate fully in unity with you so that we may magnify our individual strengths and temper our doubts.
I ask you to be my playmate, confidante and side-kick; to teach me and learn from me; to be my guide and to be my helper, hand in hand through all the wonders and tribulations that life offers us.

Vows by Karen and Eric

Vow #5:
I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way
than this: Where “I” does not exist, nor “You”, so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

Poem by Pablo Neruda

Vow #6:
It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be really hard. We’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you. Forever. You and me, every day.

From the best scene of “The Notebook”

Vow # 7:
I’ll miss you, kiss you, give you my coat when you are cold. Need you, feed you. I’ll even let you hold the remote control. So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink, put you to bed when you’ve had too much to drink. All I want to do is grow old with you.

Song from “The Wedding Singer”

And the winner with the most correct matches (5 out of 7) was…

Christy

Here's what I got for you:
1. Christy
2. Karen
3. Deirdre
4. Rachel
5. literary
6. film
7. film

Prize of wine & chocolate to be awarded at our next gathering!

Thanks again---I especially enjoyed seeing your guesses, and being teased indirectly by at least three people about the lack of originality of mine! I prefer to call them “classic.”

And here’s to Natalie and Obe as they enter into a grand adventure this Saturday!

The Wedding Vow Contest

2013-09-02T22:59:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Natalie for hosting a fun gathering at Rotary Park and tolerating a tableful of wedding advice! The story-telling flowed, and several people shared the story of how they came to write their wedding vows (weeks before, the night before, or simply plagiarizing their partner). We thought it might be fun to play a guessing-game, matching the vows with the right couple (we threw in a couple literary ones too).

The prize (still to be decided) will be awarded at September’s book club gathering! To play, send an email with your matches to Deirdre by Friday. Not in the comments because we’ll influence each other with our guesses. I’ll post everyone’s guesses next week with the winner.

Vow #1:

(Partner’s name), I promise to do my best in these things:
To love and respect you.
To listen.
To seek meaningful lives together – with passion, humor, commitment, honesty, and understanding.
To support your dreams and share mine.
To be a strong and compassionate mother for our children.
To enjoy and be present in the every day moments with you, while we seek out the extraordinary.
To continue to learn and grow, and support you, as you change and grow, as well.
To have lives surrounded by beauty.
And, to make loops and take shortcuts, whenever possible.

Vow #2:

I promise to always laugh with you and to comfort you; to love you when life seems easy and when it seems hard; to help you when you need help, and turn to you when I need help; to communicate my needs to you and to honor your needs in return; and to take care of myself so that together we may be whole. I pledge to build a home with you that is compassionate to all and full of respect for each other. I choose you as the person with whom I will spend my life.

Vow #3:

I, ( her name), take you, (Partner’s name), for my lawful husband and companion, to have and to hold, from this day forward, for better, for worse, for richer, for poorer, in sickness and in health, until death do us part.

Vow #4:

I vow:

to give fully---my loyalty, trust, and affection, and to give you the freedom and encouragement to seek your own path.

to share fully---my life, love, and laughter, and to always do more than I must.

to strive fully---to support, honor, and respect you, and to earn your grace in return.

to cooperate fully in unity with you so that we may magnify our individual strengths and temper our doubts.

I ask you to be my playmate, confidante and side-kick; to teach me and learn from me; to be my guide and to be my helper, hand in hand through all the wonders and tribulations that life offers us.

Vow #5:

I love you without knowing how, or when, or from where. I love you straightforwardly, without complexities or pride; so I love you because I know no other way
than this: Where “I” does not exist, nor “You”, so close that your hand on my chest is my hand, so close that your eyes close as I fall asleep.

Vow #6:

It’s not going to be easy. It’s going to be really hard. We’re gonna have to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you. Forever. You and me, every day.

Vow # 7:

I’ll miss you, kiss you, give you my coat when you are cold. Need you, feed you. I’ll even let you hold the remote control. So let me do the dishes in our kitchen sink, put you to bed when you’ve had too much to drink. All I want to do is grow old with you.

August Pick: Committed

2013-07-30T09:21:00.001-07:00

Thanks, Marva, for a great discussion and lovely evening. Yummy cheese and fruit and chocolate. A even more delicious gin & tonics. I've been converted.

Some highlights from the evening: the giant pause after Karen's Aunt Helen statement, which lead to hilarious laughter once we realized she didn't mean what we thought she might mean. Here's to all the fun that comes from not all of us having finished the book!

Also, we will be teasing Christy that her favorite mixed drink is tequila for a while!

I love the Smiths & Nick Drake, but my mix tapes were full of Indigo Girls and REM. Do you remember mix tapes? Do you still have some? I finally got rid of my collection this spring (and captured it here). Even in this age of Pandora and Spotify, I love mixing CDs as gifts.

Another highlight of the evening: Looking for Alaska by John Green courtesy of Karen! (If you wanna ~~fall in love with~~ get to know John Green, watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1mUDw0sRZV0&list=TL4xM8818ldFo)

Perks of a Wallflower led to great discussion---love picks that reveal how we all see and experience the world differently. The unknown "you" that Charlie addresses in his letters left some in search of an answer, some indifferent, some thinking they were the answer.

And some had a Sam-like high school experience and some of us had a squeaky-clean-sheltered high school experience. And while it was fun to remember, none of us wanted to go back and live through high school again, and hope we will be able to accompany our children through those years with some grace and humor (and use Karen's mom's strategy if our kids sneak out at night!).

Natalie picked Elizabeth Gilbert's Committed: A Love Story for our August read, most likely the 22nd---look for more details via email.

And if you didn't get a chance to read Perks of a Wallflower, above are most of the best lines, compliments of teen-obsessed readers on Pinterest.

July Pick: The Perks of Being a Wallflower

2013-06-27T13:46:00.001-07:00

Thanks to Catherine for our lovely evening in June discussing The Gastronomical Me (the title of which I can no longer read without hearing it sung by Ethel Merman as if the title of a Broadway play, thanks to Liz!).

Catherine's celebration of local wine and homemade cheese included food tales (no one wants to go to Peru for a food tour now), delectable and disgusting descriptions of past food adventures, tangents about the tooth fairy and the big Talk, a spirited debate on Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead and lots of good movie recommendations that I now can't remember (Liz's recommendation of The Whistleblower and mine of Safety Not Guaranteed are all I can recall---Karen, please update if you still have the list, thanks!).

Marva has chosen The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky for our discussion on July 25th. Till then, enjoy a cool drink and stay out of the sun!

Food for thought

2013-06-16T16:37:00.002-07:00

This Thursday bring a food story from your life to share for conversation. Thanks!

2013-05-22T10:53:00.001-07:00

JUNE: MFK Fisher's, "The Gastronomical Me"
June 20 TH 6:30 p.m. at Catherine's house.
Be there or be square.

May Pick: Licking the Spoon

2013-05-08T09:54:00.001-07:00

A head's up that Rachel will be hosting a discussion of Licking the Spoon next Thursday, the 16th. Several copies are in circulations as well as available at Back of Beyond.

If, like me, you're a fan of the memoir/cookbook mash up, here are some of my favorites:

I'm a huge fan of Nora Ephron, and Heartburn was the first book of hers I ever read. I love it too much to discuss. Someday I'll make that keylime pie from my favorite scene.

Cookbook fans will enjoy her retrospective essay, Serial Monogomy, about her favorite cookbooks over the years. The link takes you to the article at The New Yorker, but it is also in her essay collection, I Feel Bad About My Neck.

There's a blurb on the cover of Licking the Spoon from a previous book-club-pick author, Gretchen Rubin, liking this book to Heartburn and another of my favorites, Home Cooking by Laurie Calvin, but for the life of me (I still have the last quarter of the book to finish), other than the fact that they all include recipes, I don't see any similarities.

A Homemade Life, the memoir of a much younger author, with recipes, is another favorite. She is the writer of the blog Orangette. It made me wish I lived in Paris and ate bread & chocolate daily (oh, wait, that last one I do).

I'll end with Kingsolver, whose didactic and sometimes condescending tone I can forgive because the recipes in here are really good. Her pizza crust recipe has become a staple. And she's right about almost everything, but I just wish she wasn't so sure of it.

I love Ruth Reichl, but have never read any MFK Fisher. Please share your favorite food-writers! And let me know if you'd be interested in borrowing any of the above---I think I have all but Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, which was a library check-out.

April Pick: Forty Rules of Love

2013-05-08T09:29:00.001-07:00

Christy hosted a fun gathering in April to discuss Elif Shafak's Forty Rules of Love. It was my favorite kind of discussion, where half the group were nays (Christy and me), half were yays (Rachel and Catherine), and Liz's take was in the middle (from what I remember). Rachel shared some of her favorite quotes, which I found more profound than any of the "rules", and we shared some of our favorite bad lines.

There's a TED talk by Elif Shafak that you can watch here: http://www.ted.com/talks/elif_shafak_the_politics_of_fiction.html

Also, there's a group discussion with Isabel Allende TODAY on goodreads.com:
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/101912-ask-isabel-allende---wednesday-may-8th
For those who enjoyed Eva Luna, they'll be discussing Allende's newest novel, Maya's Notebook.

March Pick: Eva Luna

2013-02-22T09:04:00.001-08:00

Source: stephaniehowell.typepad.com via Deirdre on Pinterest

Thanks to everyone who made it last night for our discussion of State of Wonder, cats vs.dogs, Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Celebrity death predictions and other randomness. I think Rachel, Marva and I enjoyed the book the most; several found the characters too stilted or dry. Lots of discussion about the ending and whether there will be a sequel. Thanks to all who brought wine and chocolate. If we ever abandon the third Thursday of the month, I think we should rename the club BWC---Books, Wine and Chocolate!

Liz announced her pick for April: Eva Luna by Isabel Allende, not to be confused with The Stories of Eva Luna, which the library also has. We’re scheduled for March 21st.

Christy should be back from Thailand and Liz B. will be leaving for Belize. Between that and the great descriptions in the last three books, anyone else have ~~Island~~ (get out of) Moab Fever?

February Book---State of Wonder

2013-01-24T07:49:00.002-08:00

Thank you, Liz, for an evening of wine, cheese and great discussion. One of the main reasons I love book club, and discussing books in general, is that I learn things and see connections that I never would have otherwise. Dalva was definitely one of those rich reads where each person's perspective added to my understanding and I left with more affection for it than before we met.

Next up is State of Wonder by Ann Patchett. Here's a summary I found online:

A researcher at a pharmaceutical company, Marina Singh must step out of her comfort zone when she is sent into the heart of the Amazonian delta to check on a field team that has been silent for two years — a dangerous assignment that forces Marina to confront the ghosts of her past.

The library has ordered a second copy, I heard one was already snagged from Wabi Sabi, and Back of Beyond has some in stock too. Be sure to mention it is for our book club to receive a discount!

See you at my place on the Third Thursday!

January Book - Dalva

2012-12-21T15:43:00.001-08:00

Thank you to Karen for hosting last night's gathering. Please join me next month to discuss Dalva.

From her home on the California coast, Dalva hears the broad silence of the Nebraska prairie where she was born and longs for the son she gave up for adoption years before. Beautiful, fearless, tormented, at forty-five she has lived a life of lovers and adventures. Now, Dalva begins a journey that will take her back to the bosom of her family, to the half-Sioux lover of her youth, and to a pioneering great-grandfather whose journals recount the bloody annihilation of the Plains Indians. On the way, she discovers a story that stretches from East to West, from the Civil War to Wounded Knee and Vietnam -- and finds the balm to heal her wild and wounded soul.

There is one copy at the library, one at the used book store, and soon there will be some at Back of Beyond. Happy Reading!

2012-12-19T08:00:00.000-08:00

Please join me for an evening at my house to talk about Daniel Suelo and Mark Sundeen and their story of Daniel's life paths. Daniel is in Moab right now and I was considering having him show up to our gathering. Either way, I'm sure we'll have lively discussions! Thursday, Dec. 20. 7pm. Anyone not in our group who has read the book is also invited!

Like we did last year, in the spirit of books and Christmas, I encourage you to bring a wrapped book that you're done with for a little gift exchange. Hope you can make it!

December Read: The Man Who Quit Money

2012-12-03T20:18:00.001-08:00

Source: etsy.com via Deirdre on Pinterest

A big thanks to our November host, Natalie, for our lively discussion of The Happiness Project. Overall it seemed we enjoyed discussing it more than we enjoyed reading it. I appreciated hearing different takes on Gretchen Rubin’s “Be Gretchen” motto and hearing what individuals find fun that others may not, and what we always make time for. Natalie made a lovely point about striving to be light and whether it actually does come easy to some people. Lots of contrasts were made between life in Moab and life on the Upper East Side of NYC.

I’m curious to hear if the book stays with anyone or has an unforeseen impact as we head into resolution season.

Christy referenced another book on happiness called Raising Happiness. The random architecture textbook that Rubin refers to and at least three of us loved is called A Pattern of Language: Towns, Buildings, Construction by Christopher Alexander. Moab Library has it and it really is a wonder---as much about the life inside what we build as it is about the structures. The title to Atul Gawande’s Checklist Manifesto was supplied by Karen Downey---how lucky we are to have a bookseller in our midst! I’d say the book might have been better as a New Yorker article (perhaps that is where it originated) but I am in love with having checklists for my easily-distracted and overly-focused mind.

Source: barnesandnoble.com via laura on Pinterest

Karen announced our December read: The Man Who Quit Money by Mark Sundeen. Arches Bookstore has it in stock---be sure to tell them you’re buying it for book club to get a discount---yay! I read a really moving review by another local, Damian Nash, who is featured in the book, on Amazon’s page---follow the link above if you’d like to read it.

Karen also encouraged us all to bring a used book to exchange at our holiday gathering on the third Thursday of December---the 20th at 7PM. Address and directions will be sent via email.

I hope to have our 2013 calendar lined up by then. Please ~~send me an email~~ leave a comment below if you are interested in hosting in 2013 and what month/season you’d prefer. We had a great turn out at Natalie’s---was it 9 or 10? A photo is out there somewhere---thanks Obe!

October Pick: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

2012-09-28T08:45:00.003-07:00

Source: Uploaded by user via LaSmitha on Pinterest

Great discussion, laughs and kinky stuff at Rotary Park last night (just joking about that last one...it was a very vanilla gathering!).

Liz captured a photo of Nicole's beautiful spread---loved her hat filled with discussion questions!

Christy chose our next read: The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox. We'll be gathering on the 18th of October (the third Thursday---imagine that!). Looking forward to seeing you at Christy's!

2012-09-11T11:09:00.002-07:00

Thanks to Mindy for hosting the last book club meeting in Monticello. Catherine drove Nicole and Liz (as well as a rooster we named Golden) over to Mindy's new place. It was a rare, rainy day and Mindy had to forego her plans to have a Pottery Barn, idealistic setting on her back porch. We had a great time at her kitchen table chatting up the book and snacking on some fantastic appetizers that only Mindy could manage. We all enjoyed the book and loved the cover illustration. Liz mentioned it reminded her of a "Mad Men" type motif. We noticed the influence of popular television culture on this book (Big Love).
Get ready for S E X... Nicole's pick is Fifty Shades of Grey!!!

Book Club Update

2012-07-31T23:21:00.000-07:00

I wish my family agreed with this:

Source: someecards.com via LaSmitha on Pinterest

So far we are on track to have 12 picks for 2012---the first year our bookclub didn't skip a month at some point. Summer is the biggest challenge, so I think we have a good chance to make it to 2013. We didn't take any photos at Marva's last gathering or CeCe's but both were great nights. I loved the large group sitting around chairs under trees at CeCe's and the small circle of us talking till 11PM on Marva's patio.

According to our book list here, the rest of year's picks go in this order:

Mindy -August: The Lonely Polygamist
Nicole - September

Tara? - October

Natalie - November

Beth - December

I'm not sure if Beth will be in Moab and whether she or Tara still want their spot. Please send an email to the group if you don't want your spot, so that we can get someone to take it with plenty of notice. At the gathering at my place in April, we revisited the notion of growing the group to include more people. Liz had a great suggestion that whomever is hosting be able to invite someone so that the group would grow slowly rather than all at once. Perhaps more thoughts on this at Mindy's.

Lastly---some random book recommendations. Jenny Chatwin (our long-lost leader---boo to moving, Jenny!) posted one of the opening lines of Let's Pretend This Never Happened: "High school is life's way of giving you a record low to judge the rest of your life by." I recognized it because I just picked it up at the library today. I swore I wasn't going to read it after hearing too much hype about it---and because I read too many memoirs anyway, but I ended up laughing loudly at the library while just glancing at it, so it came home with me. Hilarious. Also, The Art of Possibility was another random library pick last month and a great one---by Benjamin Zander, the conductor of the Boston Philharmonic Symphony. His TED talk can get anyone excited about classical music and leadership/change in general.

What else have you been reading?

Hunger Games

2012-06-17T09:03:00.004-07:00

Hunger Games Discussion: The book looks ablaze!

2012-05-19T10:28:00.003-07:00

So, let's meet at Old City Park 7PM this Thursday for some "Hunger Games" talk. Looking forward to seeing everyone! Catherine