Plan for tomorrow

Okay, I checked out that Google Wave thing...apparently it's not up and running quite yet, but it sounds like that would be perfect to use for the future. For tomorrow I have posted some questions below, and let's use MSN Messenger to answer them and discuss. Then those that aren't going to make it tomorrow can answer the questions on the blog, and post comments, etc. Andrea, do you have Messenger?
Rain, is there any time that we could do it so Les can join in? What is the time difference there?

HERE WE GO..

Introduction

Jeannette Walls’s grandmother Lily Casey Smith is the kind of woman who built this country: resourceful, hardworking, and smart. Full of spunk and with a strong will to do whatever she puts her mind to, she can break a wild horse by the time she is six years old. At age fifteen, she leaves home to teach in a frontier town, riding five hundred miles across New Mexico with nothing but her pony for company and her pearl-handled revolver for protection. She tries living and working in Chicago, where she meets her first husband, but betrayal and loss soon drive her back to ranch life—caring for livestock and respecting the land are what she does best. Together, she and her second husband manage a 180,000-acre ranch and Lily uses her incredible pluck and ingenuity to supplement their meager income. They raise two children, one of whom is Jeannette Walls’s mother, Rosemary Smith Walls. With little more than Lily’s resourcefulness to guide the way, the family will weather tornadoes, droughts, floods, personal tragedy, and the Great Depression. In this tale of extreme hardship emerges a story of one woman whose spirit can’t be broken.


1. Lily seems willing to sacrifice everything to defend her principles and the rights of others. On more than one occasion, she is fired from a teaching position for refusing to back down from what she believes in. Do you applaud Lily’s moral conviction in these instances? Or did you hope that Lily would learn to compromise?

2. Lily has high expectations for her children, from sending them off to boarding school despite their protests to enforcing strict rules for keeping animals as pets. When Rosemary falls in love with a wild horse and asks her mother if she can keep it, Lily replies, “The last thing we need around here is another half-broke horse” (pg. 190). How might this statement apply to Lily’s children as well? Are Lily’s expectations of her children particularly high or rather a reflection of the times? Why do you think this phrase was chosen as the title of the book?

3. Discuss Lily’s husband Jim. How does his personality complement her strong nature?

4. Walls calls Half Broke Horses a “true life novel.” In her author’s note, she explains why. Do you agree with this label? What do you think of the “true life” genre?

5. “Helen’s beauty, as far as I was concerned, had been a curse, and I resolved that I would never tell Rosemary she was beautiful” (pg. 119). Examine Lily’s relationship with her daughter, Rosemary, and, in The Glass Castle, Rosemary’s relationship with Jeannette. How does each generation try to compensate for the one before? How does each mother try to avoid the mistakes or pain imposed upon her by her own mother?


Rain..I don't think anyone else has read The Glass Castle (ALTHOUGH YOU ALL SHOULD!!) Here are a few questions you and I can talk about if you want

Questions for readers who have also read The Glass Castle

1. In Half Broke Horses, Lily’s father decides to bring her home from school so that he can use her tuition money to breed dogs. This instance of selfishness bears a close resemblance to Rex Walls’s behavior in The Glass Castle when he takes the money Jeannette’s sister has been saving to escape Welch, WV, and goes on a drinking binge. Over and over these men disappoint their children, and yet they are forgiven. Talk about the lack of bitterness in both of these books. How do the children rationalize their parents’ behavior?

2. “There was a big difference between needing things and wanting things—though a lot of people had trouble telling the two apart—and at the ranch, I could see, we’d have pretty much everything we’d need but precious little else” (pg. 134–5). How might this description refer to Lily’s life as a whole? What effect did growing up without much have on Rosemary Walls, whom we learn more about in The Glass Castle?

SUNDAY

Ok everyone, just a reminder that we will be reviewing Half Broke Horses this Sunday at 9 pm. I am kind of thinking about the best way to do this. I know a lot of us have MSN Instant Messenger. Those that don't, would you be interested in downloading it? Or does anyone else have any ideas as to any chat rooms we could get onto? I will have some questions about the book ready, and we can take as little or as much time as we want. Let me know your ideas...

Also, I want to apologize for all the mind-changing and confusion! Hopefully we have gotten all of the kinks out and things will run smoothly from here on out. We have decided to just have each person pick the book when it's their month, instead of voting and choosing. We will still continue with the vote for April's book, but will start the new system in May. Just make sure the book you are choosing is appropriate, stimulates a good discussion, and has received good reviews from critics.

Thanks everyone! I will post the final instructions for tomorrow night's chat by the morning, so leave me your comments and then check back here tomorrow.

April Book

Sorry for the back and forth, confusion, etc. I got Chelsea Handler's book in the mail yesterday and started the first chapter. It's pretty dang offensive. I was a little bit offended so I think everyone else would be. So I am putting up the poll again for 3 days between Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold and The Art of Racing In The Rain. You will have 3 days for the re-vote. Please everyone vote this time.

Please Read

Ok so during a discussion between Natalie, Becky, Leslie and myself and everyone's new desire to read The Book Thief (apparently they didn't have that desire to read it, when I put it up for choices ;) Just kidding, love you guys! Anyhow, at a mere suggestion and please feel free to be honest and upfront with your feelings here...But it was suggested to possibly read The Book Thief instead of the Jeffery Archer book. So this would be the book we review in April. Anyhow, just a suggestion, so please tell us your thoughts. If anyone has already bought the Archer book, etc. We can forgo that I ever suggested it. Comments please. I would love to hear from everyone, because this would be a pretty major change, so I want to know everyone's feelings. Thanks so much!

March Choices for April Book

Hi Everyone! Jessica, Natalie and myself were talking at lunch today and felt that when it becomes your time to choose the book(s), you don't have to put forth choices. If you are positive about the book that you want everyone to read, then you can pick that one book. Or put up choices. It's up to you. Is everyone okay with that? With that said, I'm putting up 3 choices because I couldn't decide.


Book One:






Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals. On the eve of his death, Enzo takes stock of his life, recalling all that he and his family have been through: the sacrifices Denny has made to succeed professionally; the unexpected loss of Eve, Denny's wife; the three-year battle over their daughter, Zoë, whose maternal grandparents pulled every string to gain custody. In the end, despite what he sees as his own limitations, Enzo comes through heroically to preserve the Swift family, holding in his heart the dream that Denny will become a racing champion with Zoë at his side. A heart-wrenching but deeply funny and ultimately uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life...as only a dog could tell it.

I've heard GREAT things about this book.
Book 2
Chelsea Chelsea Bang Bang by Chelsea Handler
The hilarious new book from the star of Chelsea Lately and the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. Get ready for big laughs as Chelsea Handler lets loose with more comic personal essays, from growing-up stories of discovering "The Feeling" during a third-grade sleepover and getting screwed by her parents during the Cabbage Patch craze, to grown-up tales of dealing with a sister who's off - and by "off" she means Mormon. Chelsea never lets anyone off the hook, even herself, as she delivers page after page of irreverent humor, biting wit, and deliciously off-kilter entertainment.
If you are at all offended by vulgarity, bad language, etc. this is not the book for you. I watch Chelsea's show and I think she is HILARIOUS; but she is ruthless and has no shame. Should be an easy read, I got through her last 2 books within a couple of days.


Book 3

Till We Have Faces: A Myth Retold by C.S. Lewis
This tale of two princesses - one beautiful and one unattractive - and of the struggle between sacred and profane love is Lewis’s reworking of the myth of Cupid and Psyche and one of his most enduring works.
I have always wanted to read C.S. Lewis's books. Have you read this one Rani? I know you've read some of his.
So there you have it girls! Get to voting! Poll closes March 7th.

Hey everyone!

Have any of you guys started Half Broke yet? Any feedback so far? I just finished it and totally loved it, especially since I loved The Glass Castle and it had the same kind of feel..

February Choices

Hi Ladies, I'm very excited about our new book club, and anxious to post February's choices for those ready to start a new book. Anyhow, here are my choices:

City of Bones by Cassandra Clare

Part of the growing trend toward Urban Fantasy in Young Adult fiction, The Mortal Instruments series is dark, edgy and has more than a few neo-gothic horror overtones. Clary Fray, a seemingly normal teen from Brooklyn, realizes one day (or actually, one evening) at a teen club that she can see things, things that should not be real, that her friends cannot see. In the blink of an eye, Clary is knee deep in a reality that includes demon-hunters (and demons, of course), vampires, warlocks and werewolves - and the truth is that it's the same reality she has lived in all of her life. She just couldn't see it all before because someone or something was preventing her from seeing it. As Clary learns more about the world of the Shadow Hunters (descendants of angels who hunt demons) from an enigmatic boy named Jace, she also discovers the dark secrets of her own family's history and the true nature of her place in the world.

I have not read this, but have heard good things about it from those that have.

Not a Penny More, Not a Penny Less by Jeffrey Archer

Jeffrey Archer has woven a thoroughly enjoyable tale of a scoundral - Harvey - who cheats anyone anyway he can. Through an innocent third party, he manages to dupe four men out of a total of $1,000,000. One of these, a university professor, determines to follow his father's motto: don't get angry, get even. The professor puts together a dossier on Harvey and contacts the three other men and convinces them to come up with a way to get the money they lost back. (They had all invested in north sea oil shares that turned out to be worthless.) The schemes they develop and carry out are not only brilliant, but also very humorous reading. The delightful twist at the end had me laughing all through the last chapter.

Jeffrey Archer is quickly becoming one of my favorite authors, I have not read this one, but I hear its the one to read. My favorite was As the Crow Flies, and I highly recommend it. The thing I love about Jeffrey Archer is that he seems to be able to write in all genres, but most of his books seem to be historical epics.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

The epic tale begins when Claire Randall, a young combat nurse in World War II, moves to Scotland with her beloved husband to re-ignite their marriage interrupted by the war. Hiking one day, Claire accidentally passes through the stones of an ancient stone circle and wakes up to find herself in 16th century Scotland. Lost, alone, and confused (yet, determined), Claire's path crosses, and is inextricably linked to, a young Highland warrior, James Fraser. (The kind of man women want, and men want to BE.)The story that ensues would make Shakespeare proud--danger, suspense, passion, betrayal, true love, and tragedy. Gabaldon is a master story teller. She shrouds her fantasy in just enough reality as to completely seduce her readers.

I may have been the only person that hasn't read this book yet, that is why I'm dying to.

The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak

This is a story told by Death. An interesting point of view perhaps, but as it is set in Germany during World War II, perhaps it is entirely appropriate. It is also a story of a young girl, who in spite of having a life that no one would wish on anyone, still manages to have glimpses of pleasure through many small things, including the few books that she manages to acquire (or shall we say, steal).

I actually read this and loved it. Very endearing read, and it makes for a good discussion.

Ok so there you have it girls. I will put the vote on the side and you have one week to place your vote.