Bookish Women PAR-TAY!

A quick note that our final Bookish Women meeting of the school year will be this upcoming Thursday, May 12, at 8:30 at Sister's Brew!  The book is Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy...but chances are we won't be discussing it all that much because, in addition to our meeting, we're having a PAR-TAY!

Bring a treat to share and enjoy some excellent conversation with some wonderful women.  We have several friends leaving us after this month, and I have it on good authority that at least one of them wants a fantastic turnout as her farewell-to-Moscow wish. ;-)

We'll also decide whether or not we want to put together a little summer reading schedule.

Can't wait to see you all there!

The Last Battle

Hi everyone!

Thanks to everyone who came out for our recent meeting on The Good Earth.  We had a great time and some lively conversation.  :-)

Our next book club selection is The Last Battle by C.S. Lewis.  We've got a bit of a shorter lead time until this one -- but fortunately it's a shorter book.  Our meeting will be Tuesday, April 12th at 8:30 p.m. at Sister's Brew.  Can't wait to see you all there!

The Good Earth Meeting Reminder

Hi, everyone!

Our March Bookish Women meeting is scheduled for the 24th at 8:30 p.m. at Sister's Brew.  We'll be reading The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck (a gorgeous novel, if you ask me...which you didn't!).  The genre is historical fiction.  Hilary Jorgensen is leading the discussion.  It should be a lovely time.  Can't wait to see everyone there!!

Also...read any good books lately?  Head on over to our recommends page to leave your favorite picks in the comments!

Limbo Meeting Reminder

Hi everyone!

A reminder that our next book club meeting will take place on Thursday, February 17, at 8:30 p.m. at Sister's Brew.  We're reading Limbo, a memoir by A. Manette Ansay, and I will be leading the discussion.

This is a relatively quick read, but it's hard to find.  So I ordered two extra copies from Amazon.com, and Katie R. has one as well.  If you want a copy, email me at katie_in_logan [at] yahoo [dot] com or just add a comment to this post (comments get emailed to me as well).

Can't wait to see you in a couple weeks!

Are You Reading??

Hi everyone!  I hope your Christmas vacations are going swimmingly (or perhaps skiingly, as the case may be)!

Just a reminder that if you haven't yet read it, our meeting for The Chosen by Chaim Potok is coming up on January 20th at 8:30 at Sister's Brew...so there's still plenty of time.  But get crackin', because it's a bit longer than our previous selections!

Can't wait to see you all there.  And to finally come home to dear Moscow.  (Three and a half weeks away is about 10 days too many, if you ask me.   Which you didn't.  But that's why it's lucky to get to be the one who writes stuff on the blog, 'cuz then you can say what you want and no one can stop you.)  ;-)

Happy New Year, all!

Meeting Reminder and Time Change

A reminder that our next meeting is coming up this Wednesday, December 8th at 9:00 p.m. at Sister's Brew!  Please note the time change -- it's a half hour later this month.  We're reading The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley, and Hailey Cahoon is leading the discussion.  Though there is still plenty of time to get it done before then, you should still come even if you haven't exactly "read the book" for two very important reasons:

a)--It's so fun to sit and chat with all the ladies; and
2)--Sister's Brew hot chocolate and other approved beverages are totally delish!

Look forward to seeing you all there.  :-)

P.S. Read any good books lately?  Tell us all about them here!

...Aaaaand We're Back!

Summer got away from us a little bit, but we're back with a new schedule! We decided to go with a "genre" theme for Bookish Women this year, so we've selected a handful of genres we want to explore along with a well-respected title in each one.

Our first meeting back will be held on Thursday, November 11 at Sister's Brew at 8:30 p.m. Check out the sidebar for the rest of the schedule through May.

This month's genre is the short story, and in honor of Halloween, we've chosen three short stories by Edgar Alan Poe. You can probably find books with the stories in the library -- or read them online here:

The Black Cat
Hop Frog
Berneice

A couple other items of business: as you can see in the sidebar, we're still deciding on a memoir...so if you have a suggestion leave it in the comments. Also, there's another place in the sidebar for reading recommendations. If you've read a great book lately, share here and we'll copy there as well! :-)

Can't wait to see everyone on November 11!

Adios for the Summer!

We've had a wonderful year of BOOKS, haven't we? It has been so fun to learn from each of you--thank you for being willing to lead discussions! Thank you for the many yummy treats, too, ladies!

Any votes on who our next leader should be? My vote's on APRIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Book Club Reminder and Location Change

Novel Swap: This Wednesday, April 28th, at 8:30 p.m. at Sisters Brew (This is a location change!). Please bring a new or used (but cheap!) copy of your favorite (or a favorite) novel to swap with someone else. Also, please be prepared to give us a brief description of what the book you brought is about. We will "bid" on the books! Somehow...not sure how, but somehow.

Regular Book Club: Wednesday, May 5th, at 8:30 p.m. at Sisters Brew. We will be discussing The Arabian Nights. Katie R. will be our discussion leader. Yay, Katie!

Novel Swap and Arabian Nights

April 21st: Please send Kim your favorites book list by this date. She will put the lists together for a summer reading list.

April 28th: Please come to the Hillside Village Clubhouse at 8:30 p.m. for a favorite novel swap. Bring a cheap copy of your favorite novel (or A favorite novel), and be prepared to give a short synopsis of the story (no spoilers!). Very casual--no need to stress over the synopsis. Basically a "This book is about..." type-of-thing. The summer reading list will be handed out at this time, too. Don't miss it!

May 5th: We'll be discussing ARABIAN NIGHTS, with Katie R. acting as our discussion leader. There are many versions of this book, so it'll be lots of fun to discuss it. It's easily found at the local bookstores, and I know there are copies at the public library and at the university library.

Silas Marner...April's book club read & another SPECIAL EVENT

We will be reading Silas Marner (by George Eliot) this month. It's fairly short, so we'll be meeting on Wednesday, April 14th, at 8:30 p.m. at the Hillside Village Clubhouse to discuss it. Megan is going to lead our discussion. Also, we're going to have a Bookish Women birthday party (celebrating EVERYONE'S birthdays), and we'll be eating traditional English food. If you'd like to volunteer to bring something English, just let me know. So far, Hailey is bringing cake, and I'm going to provide a traditional English Tea (more of a snack-meal than anything. Teatime in England doesn't necessarily mean tea will be served. I have an English friend who called going out for pizza at 5 p.m. "tea."). I realize this doesn't give people much time to read the book, but even if you don't get a chance to read it, please come and have fun with us! We'll watch a little excerpt of the movie, too.

Another thing I'd like to do this month is have a favorite novel swap. Please find a cheap or used copy of your favorite novel (or one of your favorites), and bring it to our SPECIAL EVENT, which will be held Wednesday, the 28th of April, at 8:30 p.m.

I'm also going to be compiling a summer reading list. Please think of at least four NOVELS that you recommend to fit the following categories: Life Changers, Pure Entertainment, I'd Recommend This to Anyone, and Longtime Favorites. Please send me the titles of the books, their categories, their authors, what you'd "rate" them (if they were a movie--G, PG, etc.) and why, and give a one or two-sentence thought about the book (not a summary, but what you thought about this book or how it affected you). Here's an example:

Kim T. would recommend HOWL'S MOVING CASTLE, by Diana Wynne Jones, to anyone. She rates it PG for magic and very mild story-book violence, and says, "This book is very smart and fun, as are all of Diana Wynne Jones' books."

We'll compile this list and post it on this blog so you can enjoy some fun summer reading!

Cabin Fever Picnic & Picture Book Club...& Regular Book Club!

The Cabin Fever Picnic & PIcture Book Club event will be held on Thursday, March 25th, at 5 p.m. at the church (behind Staples). Remember to bring a blanket and your supper (utensils and stuff, too). Also, please bring a used book for each child in your family. We're going to have a big swap.

Regular book club will be held on Wednesday, March 31st, at 8:30 p.m. at the Hillside Village Clubhouse. Pleasy is in charge of our discussion of Chinua Achebe's THINGS FALL APART. Please come, even if you haven't read the book! And bring a treat!

Upcoming Events

Many thanks to Dave for a most excellent book club tonight! And thanks to all of you who came--we had a great turnout. Lynette won our "Promptness Prize" (the first two books in a young adult series--"The Land of Elyon"); Lanny (Katie L.'s hubby) won a fake-book-really-treasure-box for correctly guessing what a mock-Shakespeare poem was "all about" (see this site--must scroll down a bit); April won a copy of next month's book club book (keep reading to find out what it is) for being the first to identify the author of Holy Sonnet #10 (John Donne), which was part of our poetry packet; and Rebekah N. won a collection of poetry for being the first to name a Robert Frost poem (She named "Out, Out").

Our next book for book club will be Chinua Echebe's THINGS FALL APART. We will meet on Wednesday, March 31st, at 8:30 p.m. at Sisters Brew. Pleasy will be leading the discussion.

Also, on Thursday, March 25th, at 5 p.m. at the church, we will be having a Cabin Fever Picnic & Picture Book Club. Please bring yourself, your family (children, too), a blanket to eat on, and your supper (everything--drinks, too). We will picnic inside while listening to wonderful children's picture books being read. I hope to have a guest reader for the event.

Ye Booke Clubbe Poetics

By Kim Thacker

Hark! The eve doth quickly come
When fair maids gather, to prattle some,
And to give ear to poet Dave--
A winsome buck and handsome knave--
Who lends the wisdom of his mind
To aid in study of a poetic kind.

But, "Alas!" cry I, and again, "Alack!"
Did yon fair maids forget their snack?
For poems go down best with food,
So bring a treat. Now, I conclude.

Translation:

Hey! The night is coming fast
When we get to hang out to chat a little,
And to listen to Dave, the poet--
Who has a charming personality and is pretty good
_____looking, even if he does have a bit of the devil

_____in him--
Who is going to share his knowledge
To help us learn more about poetry.

But, "Dang!" I cry, and then I shout, "Bummer!"
Did you gals forget to bring a treat to share?
Poetry is fun, but eating truly rocks.
So make sure you bring a treat for everyone to enjoy!

_____Now, I'm done with this silly poem that obviously

_____has meter problems...

We have a winner!!!

Here's the winning poem, folks:

Up to little old Moscow two love birds often fly
To spend a couple of joyous years at good old U of I.

'What to do in this little town,' they wonder with a sigh
'We're not sure we'll like it here, but I guess we'd better try.'

Then a spritely chap came walking by with a bounce up in his shoe
And the new arrivals queried him, 'What's there here to do?'

'What to do in Moscow? You really do not know?
Well stand your ground, you're in a town where good times overflow.

'There's Mikey's down on Main Street, not far from Sister's Brew,
Blackberries out in Kendrick and the Lentil Festival too.

'Elk River Falls and the Cedar grove not too far away
You'll pass Spring Valley Reservoir, a perfect place to play.

'There's grizzly bears, apples and pears over at WSU
A bike path Troy to Pullman and wheat fields for a view

'Enjoy your time in this little town once of the name 'Hog Haven'
Cause time is swift, and soon enough your dear friends will be wavin'.'