Sunday, July 7, 2013

JULY READING and DATE



Well, because I am so delayed in this, I have decided to choose the book for July. We will be reading THE SCENT OF RAIN AND LIGHTNING. It has been on our voting list for a while, and I keep being told we should read it... so... we are!

Here is what it looks like and a brief summary:


One beautiful summer afternoon, Jody Linder receives shocking news: The man convicted of murdering her father is being released from prison and returning to the small town of Rose, Kansas. It has been twenty-three years since that stormy night when her father was shot and killed and her mother disappeared, presumed dead. Neither the protective embrace of Jody’s three uncles nor the safe haven of her grandparents’ ranch could erase the pain caused by Billy Crosby on that catastrophic night.

Now Billy Crosby is free, thanks to the efforts of his son, Collin, a lawyer who has spent most of his life trying to prove his father’s innocence. Despite their long history of carefully avoiding each other in such an insular community, Jody and Collin find that they share an exclusive sense of loss.

As Jody revisits old wounds, startling truths emerge about her family’s tragic past. But even through struggle and hardship, she still dares to hope for a better future—and maybe even love.


We will meet on AUGUST 3rd for this meeting! It is a Saturday! :) 

Happy Reading! 

-Alexis-

-JUNE Meeting (Bet Me)-

Sorry I am WAY behind on the book club blogging. Below are some pictures from the meeting that included a LOT of delicious food. :)

 Krispy Kreme Wedding Cake (Thank you Julie!)
 Bread and Delicious Herbed Butter (thank you Khadine!)
 Chicken Marsala was too tough... we went with lasagna!
Nanette's Skinny Salad (Thanks Jamie!)

After a fun time talking about the book and chatting over some jewelry, it was time to part. Check the next post for July reading!

Thanks, 
Alexis

Friday, May 10, 2013

MAY Reading (and JUNE)!

Well, the ties are annoying me... haha SO, the solution: Read one this month and then read another next month.


That being said:
MAY: Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham
JUNE: Bet Me by Jennifer Cruise

The MAY meeting will be on June 1st. (I know, not May, but we need some time to read!)

The JUNE meeting will be on June 29th.

This gives us a time to read, relax, and know what is coming next.

See you then & Happy READING!

-Alexis

Sunday, May 5, 2013

MAY Book Voting Choices!

Sorry this is so delayed. Happy Cinco de Mayo! :)

Take a look and be sure to vote. Thanks!


1. If Looks Could Kill by Kate White
New York true crime writer Bailey Weggins is dragged into a murder investigation by her boss, magazine editor Cat Jones, whose nanny is murdered by poisoned chocolate truffles meant for Cat.
If Looks Could Kill (Bailey Weggins Mystery #1)

2. The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.
The Fault in Our Stars

3. Bet Me by Jennifer Cruise
Minerva Dobbs knows that happily-ever-after is a fairy tale, especially with a man who asked her to dinner to win a bet. Even if he is gorgeous and successful Calvin Morrisey. Cal knows commitment is impossible, especially with a woman as cranky as Min Dobbs. Even if she does wear great shoes and keeps him on his toes. When they say good-bye at the end of their evening, they cut their losses and agree never to see each other again.

But Fate has other plans, and it's not long before Min and Cal meet again. Soon, they're dealing with a jealous ex-boyfriend, Krispy Kreme donuts, a determined psychologist, chaos theory, a freakishly intelligent cat, Chicken Marsala, and more risky propositions than either of them ever dreamed of. Including the biggest gamble of all--true love.

Bet Me

4. Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham
Roxanne: glamorous, self-confident, with a secret lover -- a married man

Maggie: capable and high-achieving, until she finds the one thing she can't cope with -- motherhood

Candice: honest, decent, or so she believes -- until a ghost from her past turns up

At the first of every month, when the office has reached its pinnacle of hysteria, Maggie, Roxanne, and Candice meet at London's swankiest bar for an evening of cocktails and gossip. Here, they chat about what's new atThe Londoner, the glossy fashion magazine where they all work, and everything else that's going on in their lives. Or almost everything. Beneath the girl talk and the laughter, each of the three has a secret. And when a chance encounter at the cocktail bar sets in motion an extraordinary chain of events, each one will find their biggest secret revealed.

In Cocktails for Three, Madeleine Wickham combines her trademark humor with remarkable insight to create an edgy, romantic tale of secrets, strangers, and a splash of scandal

Cocktails for Three

Sunday, April 7, 2013

APRIL READ and DATE CHANGE!

Hello all! 
THE VOTES ARE IN!

The month of April we will be reading...

I've Got Your Number by Sophia Kinsella


The date of the meeting will be on a SUNDAY this month. Due to conflicts. We will still meet at 5:30pm. I hope to see you there! 

-Happy Reading-
Alexis

Sunday, March 31, 2013

Chick-Lit Choices for APRIL!

Here we go ladies! I wanted to lighten up the book choices for April. I have chosen a few books that I think will be good and they have been on my "to-read" list for a while. Check out the books below, and then cast your vote.
Voting Ends:
April 6, 2013

April Meeting:
April 27, 2013

1. Cocktails for Three-Madeleine Wickham

Cocktails for Three
Roxanne: glamorous, self-confident, with a secret lover -- a married man
Maggie: capable and high-achieving, until she finds the one thing she can't cope with -- motherhood
Candice: honest, decent, or so she believes -- until a ghost from her past turns up
   At the first of every month, when the office has reached its pinnacle of hysteria, Maggie, Roxanne, and Candice meet at London's swankiest bar for an evening of cocktails and gossip. Here, they chat about what's new atThe Londoner, the glossy fashion magazine where they all work, and everything else that's going on in their lives. Or almost everything. Beneath the girl talk and the laughter, each of the three has a secret. And when a chance encounter at the cocktail bar sets in motion an extraordinary chain of events, each one will find their biggest secret revealed.
   In Cocktails for Three, Madeleine Wickham combines her trademark humor with remarkable insight to create an edgy, romantic tale of secrets, strangers, and a splash of scandal.

2. Watermelon by Marian Keyes
Watermelon (Walsh Family, #1)
Marian Keyes begins Watermelon with a rather inauspicious romantic opening when the heroine's husband leaves her for Denise from the flat downstairs the day their first child is born. Claire, the deserted wife and mother, returns to her family in Dublin and, after going through the required stages of "Loss, Loneliness, Hopelessness and Humiliation", begins to feel much better--so much better that when James tries to win his way back into her affections, he gets more than he bargained for.

3. I've Got Your Number-Sophie Kinsella
I've Got Your Number
Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life.

What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

4. She Went All The Way by Meggin Cabot
She Went All the Way
There are a few places screenwriter Lou Calabrese would rather be than crammed into a helicopter with Jack Townsend, star of her claim to fame, Copkiller, and whose ex just ran off with Lou's ex. Talk about uncomfortable. But when, halfway out to the isolated arctic location where Copkiller IV is currently shooting, their pilot turns murderous and their helicopter crashes, Lou realizes her day has just gotten a lot worse.
Now, while family and friends back home fret over her disappearance, Lou is on the run in the arctic wilderness with America's sweetheart Jack Townsend and only the contents of her purse, his pockets, and their mutual knowledge of survival movie trivia to keep them alive. Can these two children of Hollywood put aside their differences and make it back home without killing each other? Or much, much worse, actually start to like one another?
-READ AND VOTE-

Sunday, March 10, 2013

Happy MARCH Reading!

Well, it was close, but we have a winner! 
This month we will be reading

Me Before You by Jo Jo Moyes


I have looked for the book and Amazon had the best price. (other than the library=free) Barnes and Noble at Polaris was sold out and they were $22!

Anyway, we will be meeting about the book on March 30, 2013 at 5:30pm.
We will meet a my house. If you have any snacks that maybe you read about in the book, please bring it to share! I will let you know what I will have on the facebook page. Be sure to RSVP to the event via the facebook page as well so I can get an idea of how many will be coming. 

Don't forget your $2.00 dues. 

Bring your journal for the quiz!

Bring your book. 

I hope you enjoy the book and am excited to meet!

-Alexis-


Sunday, March 3, 2013

Time to VOTE for MARCH2013

Because we had such a close vote last month, I am going to include a few from the last vote. Take a bit of time to read the summaries and vote for what you think you would like to read and discuss! Vote on the right side of the blog.

VOTING CLOSES MARCH 6th, 2013! ((We need to get some time to read))



1. The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard

One beautiful summer afternoon, Jody Linder receives shocking news: The man convicted of murdering her father is being released from prison and returning to the small town of Rose, Kansas. It has been twenty-three years since that stormy night when her father was shot and killed and her mother disappeared, presumed dead. Neither the protective embrace of Jody’s three uncles nor the safe haven of her grandparents’ ranch could erase the pain caused by Billy Crosby on that catastrophic night.
Now Billy Crosby is free, thanks to the efforts of his son, Collin, a lawyer who has spent most of his life trying to prove his father’s innocence. Despite their long history of carefully avoiding each other in such an insular community, Jody and Collin find that they share an exclusive sense of loss.
As Jody revisits old wounds, startling truths emerge about her family’s tragic past. But even through struggle and hardship, she still dares to hope for a better future—and maybe even love.
(from Barnes and Noble.com)


2. Defending Jacob by William Landay


Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.
Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.
Award-winning author William Landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisis—a suspenseful, character-driven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control.
(From Barnes and Noble.com)

3. Me Before You by JoJo Moyes
New York Times bestseller
They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .
Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has never been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.
Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.
A Love Story for this generation, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart? (barnesandnoble.com)

4. Chore Whore: Adventures of a Celebrity Personal Assistant by Heather H. Howard

Chore Whore: Adventures of a Celebrity Personal Assistant


I have been used, abused, lied to, and cheated on, blamed, shamed, screamed at, and ridiculed. I've been scammed and damned, had my ass kissed, my reputation dissed, and my face spat on. All in the name of working as a celebrity personal assistant . . . a CHORE WHORE!
After twenty years of working thanklessly for a dozen high-powered Hollywood hotshots, Corki Brown has had enough. She's sick to death of handling elaborate extortion deals, washing groupies' dirty underwear, and having to whip up intimate dinners on no notice for spoiled stars, each with his or her own bizarre dietary demands. And now her ten-year-old son is starting to exhibit some disturbing signs of Tinseltown weirdness. It's time to get out, but escape won't be easy. . . . (barnesandnoble.com)

Check them out... Make a choice...VOTE! 

Happy Reading!
-Alexis



*Night Road* Meeting Success!

February's book, Night Road, was an emotional roller coaster that had us questioning the role of parents and grief. At the meeting, we were joined by my cousin, Alissa, and her daughter. With that... a few members brought their kids to keep them entertained while we discussed and ate. And boy did we EAT! It was delicious. Here are a few pictures from the festivities! 
Night Road by Kristin Hannah
 -Chocolate Chip Cookies-
 -Hot Cheese Dip-
 -Jude's Cheese Quesadillas-
 -Making a Quesadilla...-
 -The Book Inspired Menu-
*Updated Decor*

Here is what our menu consisted of:
1. Mia, Zach and Lexi Cheese Quesadillas
2. Jude's Fruit Salad (fruit salsa)
3. Lexi's Ice Cream From Amour
4. Hot Cheese Dip
5. Chocolate Chip Cookies

Check out the next post to VOTE and get started on your reading for the END of March!

-Happy Reading-

Alexis

Sunday, February 17, 2013

February Date!

Hello! Sorry it has been a bit delayed... busy busy busy with school.

We will be meeting for the February Book (Night Road by Kristin Hannah) will be

MARCH 2, 2013

By this date,  I think we will all have had read the book. 

If you are willing to bring a snack to share (that has anything to do with the book) let me know so I can make a fun sign for it!
I am planning on making/having a cheese quesadilla bar. So, that one is taken. I haven't read far enough yet to think of anything else. 

We will meet again at my house at 5:30. Feel free let me know of anything else. 

ALSO!
Because the voting was so close for February, some of those books will be making another appearance on the poll. So, look for the MARCH selection to be coming up soon!

Thanks! Hope to see you here!!

-Alexis

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

February Book Choice!

Hello!
Sorry this is so delayed, I have been really busy these past few days.

As you can see, the voting was VERY close. This month we will be reading Night Road by Kristin Hannah.
 

I haven't started it yet, but I will be getting to that soon!  

I am curious, because the voting was so close, if we should do the other two books (Defending Jacob and The Scent of Rain and Lightning) for March and April. Let me know your thoughts on Facebook...

*Be sure to take notes on food ideas if you have any while reading and let me know*

Happy Reading!!

-Alexis

Tuesday, January 29, 2013

*Research and VOTE*

Here are the book choices for FEBRUARY! Please check them out using the links, and then VOTE on the right hand side of the blog.

1. Night Road by Kristin Hannah


For a mother, life comes down to a series of choices. 
To hold on…
To let go..
To forget…
To forgive…
Which road will you take?
                                                            Night Road
For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach—are bright and happy teenagers.  When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude.  Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend.  Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable.   
Jude does everything to keep her kids on track for college and out of harm’s way.  It has always been easy— until senior year of high school.  Suddenly she is at a loss.  Nothing feels safe anymore; every time her kids leave the house, she worries about them. 
On a hot summer’s night her worst fears come true. One decision will change the course of their lives.  In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything.  In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive.
Vivid, universal, and emotionally complex, NIGHT ROAD raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, love, and forgiveness.  It is a luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope.  This is Kristin Hannah at her very best, telling an unforgettable story about the longing for family, the resilience of the human heart, and the courage it takes to forgive the people we love.

(from Barnes and Noble.com)

2. The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard

 One beautiful summer afternoon, Jody Linder receives shocking news: The man convicted of murdering her father is being released from prison and returning to the small town of Rose, Kansas. It has been twenty-three years since that stormy night when her father was shot and killed and her mother disappeared, presumed dead. Neither the protective embrace of Jody’s three uncles nor the safe haven of her grandparents’ ranch could erase the pain caused by Billy Crosby on that catastrophic night.
Now Billy Crosby is free, thanks to the efforts of his son, Collin, a lawyer who has spent most of his life trying to prove his father’s innocence. Despite their long history of carefully avoiding each other in such an insular community, Jody and Collin find that they share an exclusive sense of loss.
As Jody revisits old wounds, startling truths emerge about her family’s tragic past. But even through struggle and hardship, she still dares to hope for a better future—and maybe even love.
(from Barnes and Noble.com)

3. The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman


The debut of a stunning new voice in fiction— a novel both heartbreaking and transcendent
After four harrowing years on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns to Australia and takes a job as the lighthouse keeper on Janus Rock, nearly half a day’s journey from the coast. To this isolated island, where the supply boat comes once a season and shore leaves are granted every other year at best, Tom brings a young, bold, and loving wife, Isabel. Years later, after two miscarriages and one stillbirth, the grieving Isabel hears a baby’s cries on the wind. A boat has washed up onshore carrying a dead man and a living baby.
Tom, whose records as a lighthouse keeper are meticulous and whose moral principles have withstood a horrific war, wants to report the man and infant immediately. But Isabel has taken the tiny baby to her breast. Against Tom’s judgment, they claim her as their own and name her Lucy. When she is two, Tom and Isabel return to the mainland and are reminded that there are other people in the world. Their choice has devastated one of them.
M. L. Stedman’s mesmerizing, beautifully written novel seduces us into accommodating Isabel’s decision to keep this “gift from God.” And we are swept into a story about extraordinarily compelling characters seeking to find their North Star in a world where there is no right answer, where justice for one person is another’s tragic loss.
The Light Between Oceans is exquisite and unforgettable, a deeply moving novel.
(from Barnes and Noble.com)

4. Defending Jacob by William Landay


Andy Barber has been an assistant district attorney in his suburban Massachusetts county for more than twenty years. He is respected in his community, tenacious in the courtroom, and happy at home with his wife, Laurie, and son, Jacob. But when a shocking crime shatters their New England town, Andy is blindsided by what happens next: His fourteen-year-old son is charged with the murder of a fellow student.
Every parental instinct Andy has rallies to protect his boy. Jacob insists that he is innocent, and Andy believes him. Andy must. He’s his father. But as damning facts and shocking revelations surface, as a marriage threatens to crumble and the trial intensifies, as the crisis reveals how little a father knows about his son, Andy will face a trial of his own—between loyalty and justice, between truth and allegation, between a past he’s tried to bury and a future he cannot conceive.
Award-winning author William Landay has written the consummate novel of an embattled family in crisis—a suspenseful, character-driven mystery that is also a spellbinding tale of guilt, betrayal, and the terrifying speed at which our lives can spin out of control.
(From Barnes and Noble.com)

Make your choice and VOTE! :) 

Thanks! Once the vote is over, I will spread the word on the choice and set a date! Happy reading!

-Alexis