Fun Book Club Party Idea

Hello My Friends!

Happy New Year!

There! I acknowledge right up front that I know that Christmas has past. 

Ugh! Honestly, I miss it already. 

But! At any rate, I was able to host a very fun little 

soirée for my Lit-N-Latte Girls and I wanted to show the pictures off. 

So here they are!

Truly this theme could very easily translate into a January/Winter theme.

I always purchase all the books for the year. Sorry, but we love the covers and actually holding the book.  Many of the ladies use e-readers but any true book lover still loves the feel of a book in the hand and the turn of a page.

So with that in mind, it certainly helps to come up with a centerpiece.  The only thing that I added was my Father-in-Law's old typewriter, Christmas teacups and some vintage Christmas post cards.

It is also very easy to use your party favors. I gave each gal a Starbucks ornament.

We usually go pot luck, but I also supplied a hot cocoa bar.

This year I included a the White Chocolate Hot Cocoa Mix from the Safeway Select line.

You guys! I'm telling you! Short of making real cocoa in a double boiler... 

it just doesn't get any better. 

It is the best mix I have ever tried. I offered both the white and regular cocoa.

The party was a success.
We chatted about favorite reads this year, favorite of all time reads, books that are coming out this year,
books that are coming out in movies this year, must see movies and many, many other classic bookworm topics. (we all wear glasses)

I hope you had a lovely Holiday Season!
I can't believe how fast it went.

Good Reading?

I sure hope so! 

I thought I would share this year's selection of books for the Girlfriends Lit-n-Latte

book club. 

I'm pretty excited to read some of these selections.  I've heard a lot about The Harbenger,

The Goldfinch... Oh! Who am I kidding? I can't wait to read all of these. 

                                                     2016 Lit-n-Latte Book List

                                            Jan   Mrs. Kennedy and Me   -Clint Hill

                                            Feb  The Princess Bride   -William Goldman

                                            Mar   Miracles from Heaven  -Christy Wilson Beam

                                             Apr    Brooklyn  -Colm Toibin

                                             May  The Whistling Season  -Ivan Doig

                                             Jun    Summer Break

                                             July   The Goldfinch  -Donna Tartt

                                             Aug   The Harbinger  -Jonathan Cahn

                                             Sep   Wuthering Heights   -Emily Bronte

                                             Oct    Sister Eve, Private Eye  -Lynne Hinton

                                             Nov   The Lowland   -Jhumpa Lahiri

                                             Dec   The Hundred Gifts   -Jennifer Scott

Have you read any of them?

What did you think?

I'm currently reading Mrs. Kennedy and Me... Can't put it down! 

LOVE it!

        

Tattoos on the Heart ....

The Power of Boundless Compassion

By Gregory Boyle

I JUST finished reading this book and I had to share it with you!

I would consider this a must read for anybody. Adult that is.

Caution: This is a compilation of real stories about gang members and their lives.

The language is real and rough. If you are easily offended, this book is not for 

you. But if you interested in hearing how one man is making a big difference

in a real way, this book is for you! 

Father Gregory will make you re-think and re-define your definitions of

 success, failure, forgiveness, compassion, and hope.  He reminds us that

these are all deep wells that God wants us to draw from when we are 

internally (as well as externally) judging the worth of another Soul on this planet. 

Further, Father Doyle reminds us that whether you are a nurse in an ER or a homie from the hood,

 He will use you right where you are and just as you are!

But don't think this is all heavy spiritual reading... It is not.

I laughed as much as I cried. Humor abounds in his skilled story telling. 

The same, but different: I would compare this to Ann Voskamp's 

Best Seller "One Thousand Gifts" , only much grittier. 

From the Back of the book:

“Destined to become a classic of both urban reportage and contemporary spirituality” ( Los Angeles Times )— Tattoos on the Heart is a series of parables about kinship and redemption from pastor, activist, and renowned speaker, Father Gregory Boyle—now in paperback.

For twenty years, Father Gregory Boyle has run Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program located in the Boyle Heights neighborhood of Los Angeles—also known as the gang capital of the world. In Tattoos on the Heart, he has distilled his experience working in the ghetto into a breathtaking series of parables inspired by faith.

From giant, tattooed Cesar, shopping at JC Penney fresh out of prison, we learn how to feel worthy of God’s love. From ten-year-old Pipi we learn the importance of being known and acknowledged. From Lulu we understand the kind of patience necessary to rescue someone from the dark—as Father Boyle phrases it, we can only shine a flashlight on a light switch in a darkened room.

This is a motivating look at how to stay faithful in spite of failure, how to meet the world with a loving heart, and how to conquer shame with boundless, restorative love.

Winner of the 2011 PEN Center USA Literary Award for Creative Nonfiction

 This was a GOOD book! 

You should read it!

Book Review - The Fault In Our Stars

January's bookclub selection was:

 The Fault In Our Stars 

                                                             by John Green

Summary from the back of the book:

Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything by terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten. 

Insightful, bold, irreverent, and raw The Fault in Our Stars is award-winning-author John Green's most ambitious and heartbreaking work yet, brilliantly exploring the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love. 

SO! Here is what I thought. 

I thought that it was REALLY beautifully written in terms of picturesque illustration. I mean, I 

really want to go have dinner in Amsterdam now. :) 

(you'll understand if you read the story, and if not, you'll have to read it 

to find out what I mean) 

I thought that it was enlightening to help understand how a very intelligent teen with a long term fatal disease might handle life, family and love. 

BUT that is just about all the good I could find.

There were a lot of medical inconsistencies,  also a lot of things that just didn't make

logical sense in terms of their travel arrangements. 

But the biggest annoyance was the general overall attitude toward people that believe 

in God or an afterlife. There were mocking tones and down right blasphemous illustrations

about "the literal heart of Jesus"  over and over. The only believers in the story

were made out to be out-of-touch, uninformed losers. 

For example, here's a quote from Hazel (main character) after Gus (her true love) tells her that he absolutely believes in an after life. Or,  at least "Something" after life. 

"Really" I asked. I was surprised. I'd always associated belief in heaven with, frankly, a kind 

of intellectual disengagement. But Gus wasn't dumb."

I get it. We, the believing, are old-school and a dying breed... but really?

I don't know. I just couldn't get over it. 

Tell me. Did you LOVE this best selling block buster? 

It left me wanting.

The Grapes Of Wrath, Book Review

This month's book club read was John Steinbeck's  The Grapes of Wrath.

I will be honest with you. I was looking forward to racking up another classic on 

my "I read that" list.  I had read Of Mice and Men years ago and liked it. So I thought

this was an obvious choice. 

I finally finished it this week and it left me scratching my head, wondering who decides

which stories will be "classics" and which stories won't. 

I'm not saying that I didn't appreciate the story and the great descriptive details

that were so helpful in understanding the plight of migrant workers from our 

own mid-west.  As well, the mistakes of Big Government and Big Banking were 

not lost on me either. In some ways it reminded of our most recent housing bubble.

What I found disturbing is the fact that this book is required reading in many 

high schools and in some jr. high schools. It has a lot of adult content and 

adult situations. I would not recommend it for anyone under 30. Why, you might ask.

Most young people in our country today would have no way to relate to this level

of misery, pride, dignity or desperation and hopelessness. I think that it takes some

living and experience to be able to see beyond the pitiful and depressive subject.

I think that this important time in our history is better taught by a good history teacher.

I also HATED how it ended! What happened to young Tom Joad? Did AL and 

Agnes make it on their own? Did the family even survive the first year in California?

Really Mr. Steinbeck? How could you leave your precious reader dangling?

Does anyone else ever ask, 

"Classic? Says, who?"

Book Review The Glass Castle

Hey Peeps! 

Just thought  would share a book review with you. 

Hope you enjoy. 

The Glass Castle

by
Jeannette Walls

Back of the Book:


Jeannette Walls grew up with parents whose ideals and stubborn nonconformity were both their curse and their salvation. Rex and Rose Mary Walls had four children. In the beginning, they lived like nomads, moving among Southwest desert towns, camping in the mountains. Rex was a charismatic, brilliant man who, when sober, captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and above all, how to embrace life fearlessly. Rose Mary, who painted and wrote and couldn't stand the responsibility of providing for her family, called herself an "excitement addict." Cooking a meal that would be consumed in fifteen minutes had no appeal when she could make a painting that might last forever.
Later, when the money ran out, or the romance of the wandering life faded, the Walls retreated to the dismal West Virginia mining town -- and the family -- Rex Walls had done everything he could to escape. He drank. He stole the grocery money and disappeared for days. As the dysfunction of the family escalated, Jeannette and her brother and sisters had to fend for themselves, supporting one another as they weathered their parents' betrayals and, finally, found the resources and will to leave home.
What is so astonishing about Jeannette Walls is not just that she had the guts and tenacity and intelligence to get out, but that she describes her parents with such deep affection and generosity. Hers is a story of triumph against all odds, but also a tender, moving tale of unconditional love in a family that despite its profound flaws gave her the fiery determination to carve out a successful life on her own terms.
For two decades, Jeannette Walls hid her roots. Now she tells her own story. A regular contributor to MSNBC.com, she lives in New York and Long Island and is married to the writer John Taylor.


My thoughts: 
This was a great read! I would recommend it for anyone high school or older. There is some language and some adult situations, but the value of the story is so enormous and none of it is gratuitous.  Ms. Walls' story sheds so much light on the plight of children of the homeless. While the story is pitiful and sad, she uses humor and forgiveness in generous portions that make her story survivable.  She is living proof that we do not have to be victims of our child hood or up bringing.

Most of the ladies in book club liked it and would recommend it.

Thanks for dropping by! 

I'll be joining Ricki Jill for Literary Friday.

Book Review: Death by Darjeeling

by
Laura Childs

Back of the book:

Ordinarily, Charleston's Indigo Tea Shop is an oasis of calm.  But when tea shop owner, Theodosia Browning, caters the annual Lamplighter Tour of historic homes, one of the patrons turns up dead.  Never mind that it's Hughes Barron, a slightly scurrilous real estate developer.  Theodosia's reputation is suddenly on the line.  Aided by her friends and fellow tea shop entrepreneurs, Theo sets about to unravel the mystery of the deadly Darjeeling and encounters a number of likely suspects.  Tanner Joseph, the fiery environmentalist, held a grudge against the developer for his misuse of land.  Timothy Neville, the octogenarian major domo for the Heritage Society, opposed Hughes Barron's election to the board.  And Barron's unsavory partner might very well profit from a cleverly written buy-sell agreement!

This is what I think...

Clever, sweet, not too terribly predictable. I did drink more tea than usual and

it was a quick read. I enjoyed the book. If you like mysteries, this is a pretty good little read.
The book club was mixed. Several of the

ladies thought it was way to easy to foresee the outcome. 

Have you read any of the books in the Tea Shop Mystery series?

I'll be joining Art at Home for Literary Friday.

Anyone can grow into something beautiful....

Do you love that? I do! 

And the best part is that it's true! 

Last month's book club selection was 

The Language of Flowers

by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Seriously? The cover called me! 

From the back of the book:

The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it's been more useful in communicating mistrust and solitude. After a childhood spent in the foster-care system, she is unable to get close to anybody, and her only connection to the world is through flowers and their meanings. Now eighteen and emancipated from the system with nowhere to go, Victoria realizes she had a gift for helping others through the flowers she chooses for them. But an unexpected encounter with a mysterious stranger has her questioning what's been missing in her life. And when she's forced to confront a painful secret from her past, she must decide whether it's worth risking everything for a second chance at happiness.

Here's my take:

I didn't enjoy the book as much as I had hoped I would. And truthfully, I go back and forth on my final judgment. It was an "okay" book.  I found the story to be sad and 

depressing. There is a hopeful ending but you really have to slog through some story line 

that portrays some very weak characters and really stupid choices. But then, I also realize that these foster kids with separation and abandonment disorders  (not issues! true disorders) enter our society everyday and have to learn to live and be a part of society.  So in that regard I found the book enlightening. 

The ladies in the book club were also half and half. So you may just have to read it and decide for yourself. 

As far as content: 

One f-bomb in the whole book, and the story line is very clean while still being real to the situation.  

bonus alert!

Bonus Alert

Miss Diffenbaugh has provided free E-Cards using the language of flowers. Click here!

I'm jointing Ricki Jill for Literary Friday.

ENJOY!

A Book Review: The 19th Wife

For March our book club read: 

The 19th Wife 

by David Ebershoff

From the back of the book:

Faith, I tell them, is a mystery, elusive to many, and never easy to explain. 

Sweeping and lyrical, spellbinding and unforgettable, David Ebershoff's  The 19th Wife combines epic historical fiction with a modern murder mystery to create a brilliant novel of literary suspense. It is 1875, and Ann Eliza Young has recently separated from her powerful husband, Brigham Young, prophet and leader of the Mormon Church. Expelled and an outcast, Ann Eliza embarks on a crusade to end polygamy in the United States. A rich account of a family's polygamous history is revealed, including how a young woman became a plural wife.

Soon after Ann Eliza's story begins's a second exquisite narrative unfolds-a tale of muser involving a polygamist family in present-day Utah. Jordan Scott, a young man who was thrown out of his fundamentalist sect years earlier, must reenter the world that cast him aside in order to discover the truth behind his father's death.

And as Ann Eliza's narrative intertwines with that of Jordan's search, readers are pulled deeper into the mysteries of love and faith.

My thoughts:

I found the Ann Eliza story line fascinating. I liked the historical fiction and the details. I thought that Mr. Ebershoff did a wonderful job of weaving historical documents and fiction into a believable tale. I liked this part of the story so well, in fact, that I hated the entire second story line. I felt like it was completely unnecessary.

I'm not a total prude and I understand that this lifestyle still goes on and that it holds horrible consequences for the young men that pose a threat to the "community".  But I really felt that the graphic language was over the top. I usually try to avoid this kind of trash when I pick a book. I hate to be blindsided and frankly was embarrassed that I chose it for my group of ladies. 

SO if you opt to read this selection, my recommendation is just read the Ann Eliza story, or at least be forewarned that the other story line has LOTS of graphic language and adult sexual situations. 

I'm Joining in for Literary Friday

Yay! Friday!

Hello all you lovelies! 

I'm sorry that I have neglected you. 

But don't think that I have not thought of you this week. 

 

A quick thank you everyone that participated in Fresh-Cut Friday!

We had some amazing participants. 

If you want to see, all the links are below. 

You won't be sorry!

I also wanted to do a quick book review.

I'll be joining RickiJill for Literary Friday

 If you are looking for a good read... this might be a place to start.... 

I'm just saying.

From the back of the book: 

An unvarnished portrait of a marriage that is both ordinary and extraordinary, Dancing on Broken Glass takes readers on an unforgettable journey of the heart.

Lucy Houston and Mickey Chandler probably shouldn’t have fallen in love, let alone gotten married. They’re both plagued with faulty genes—he has bipolar disorder; she, a ravaging family history of breast cancer. But when their paths cross on the night of Lucy’s twenty-first birthday, sparks fly, and there’s no denying their chemistry.

Cautious every step of the way, they are determined to make their relationship work—and they put their commitment in writing. Mickey will take his medication. Lucy won’t blame him for what is beyond his control. He promises honesty. She promises patience. Like any marriage, there are good days and bad days—and some very bad days. In dealing with their unique challenges, they make the heartbreaking decision not to have children. But when Lucy shows up for a routine physical just shy of their eleventh anniversary, she gets an impossible surprise that changes everything. Everything. Suddenly, all their rules are thrown out the window, and the two of them must redefine what love really is.

My Take:  I loved the the book. I loved Lucy. I was totally in, until the end of the story. 

The last chapters actually made me SOB! I was so emotional drained by the time I 

reached the last 2 chapters that I think I just felt like I was done. The closing chapters

are all about Micky, and honestly I just felt that it was to far fetched and not really believable.

That aside, some of the writing is absolutly beautiful. The author also takes on some 

very heady real life issues in meaningful ways. It was food for some amazing conversation 

for book club. 

And that, my friends, is a good thing!

I'm off to have a great weekend. 

I hope you are too! 

Little Makes, Movies and Updates

Hello Chickie Babies! 

I hope you are having a great week. YES?

I am happy to say that I am!

I have made some minor changes and I can see a difference in attitude already. 

On my 15 minute break at work I am now taking a walk. What a wonderful 

difference that one little change can make. 

It clears my head and I feel like I am more focused when I get back to my desk.

I'm still working on this cute little baby blanket and it is coming along nicely. 

But, like I usually do, I got inspired to make a super quick project. 

I was on Pinterest and saw a couple of cute outfits with big, chunky, gray infinity scarves. 

So ....

I had to have one!

Super quick to make, this is just 2 skeins of Vanna's Choice in Taupe. 

If you would like to make one and would like more 

of the how-toos just click here.

I started reading this... ugh! Sooooooo good. 

Can't wait to tell you more.

Check out her website for more details. 

Went and saw this Saturday afternoon with my bookclub girls... 

You just really need to go see it!
 I LOVED it!

You can watch the trailer here.

I also have my Fresh-Cut Friday post ready to go. 

Do you?

Book Review: Bonhoeffer Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy

By Eric Metaxas

 Back of the Book
As Adolf Hitler and the Nazi's seduced a nation, bullied a continent, and attempted the extermination of European Jews, a small number of dissidents and saboteurs worked to dismantle the Third Reich from the inside. One of these was pastor and theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Widely known as the author of the classic works, The Cost of Discipleship, Life Together and, arguably, some of the most important theological works of the 20th century including Act & Being, Sanctorum Communio and Ethics. Bonhoeffer is also widely known for his 1945 execution in Flossenberg concentration camp for attempting to assassinate Hitler.

Bonhoeffer: Pastor, Martyr, Prophet, Spy is the first fully comprehensive biography of Bonhoeffer in more than 40 years. Written by best-selling NY Times author Eric Metaxes, he presents both sides of Bonhoeffer's life, as theologian and as conspirator drawing them together to tell a searing story of incredible moral courage in the face of monstrous evil.

Presenting a deeply moving narrative, using previously unavailable documents-including personal letters, detailed journal entries, and first-hand personal accounts, Metaxas reveals dimensions of Bonhoeffer's life and theology never before seen. Furthermore, Metaxas presents the fullest accounting of Bonhoeffer's heart-wrenching 1939 decision to leave the safety of America for the lion's den of Hitler's Germany, and using extended excerpts from love letters and coded messages written to and from Bonhoeffer's Cell 92, we are allowed to see for the first time the full story of Bonhoeffer's passionate and tragic romance.

Finally, Bonhoeffer gives witness to the extraordinary faith of an incredible human being, while also illuminating the tortured fate of a nation he sought to deliver from the evil tyranny of National Socialism, and its political party, the Nazi party. The reader will come face to face with a man determined to do the will of God radically, courageously, and even to the point of death.
Silence in the face of evil is itself evil: God will not hold us guiltless. Not to speak is to speak. Not to act is to act.
-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

This is what I think: 

I thought this was one of the best biographies that I have ever read. It is exhustive and complete. 

Eric Metaxas gave such depth and personalty to Dietrich Bonhoeffer.I ended the book and was sad that it was over.Pastor Bonhoeffer sets a Christian standard that  that anyone would admire without being stodgy and judgmental. His story is really true, living, inspiration.Oh! And by the way... Tons of great in sites into WW11 history. Stuff they just don't tell you in school.

I'll be joining Ricki Jill for Literary Friday