I'm working on the book list for the fall....and trying to make it easy for you by linking to all the recommended versions.   Warning:  this reading list is tough....so start early.  If you haven't yet purchased Susan Wise Bauer's book The Well-Educated Mind, chapter 7 on The Story of the Past (which includes our current reading list) is excellent.   We also talked about moving our date to the 2nd Friday of the month so that during holiday times, we won't be interrupted.  Here's the reading list we discussed at the last meeting along with the proposed dates for meeting.   Please read over it and let me know of any problems you foresee with books or dates.  Now is the time to voice your opinion!   Although if you're like me, it may seem too early to have an opinion.

August 14:  Plato's The Republic--Penguin classics.  Click here.

September 11:  John Locke  The True End of Civil Government--Cambridge paperback.  (This version is $39 on Amazon, so just you're on your own.  I'm getting  this one.

October 9:  Thomas Paine's Common Sense--Oxford classics.  Click here.

November 13:  Alexis De Tocqueville--Democracy in America---Signet classic.  Click here.

December 11: Bob Woodward--All the President's Men--Touchstone books.  Click here.

--these are all used but cheap!

Email me or leave a comment on this post if you have any objections.   I'll make the list 'final' in a week or so after everyone has a chance to look over the dates and list.

Happy Summer to you all!

More on Ben Franklin......

I love this book.  Even more, I love the period of time in history.  My daughter and I were watching Sense and Sensibility this weekend and we both commented how we would have loved to have lived 'back in those times'.  Yes indeed.  To wear beautiful long dresses and learn to dance and do needlepoint and have afternoon tea and have 'callers'......I think I would have fit in quite well with my old-fashioned ways.  As I sit here slouched over my laptop with my lounge pants on, I think more formality in our lives would be neat.  I love their use of language too.  People in that era could construct some beautiful sentences.  That said, I thought we all should bring our favorite Ben Franklin quote to bookclub on Thursday.  Not necessarily a quote from the book, but a quote from him.  I'll get us started.

“Content makes poor men rich; discontent makes rich men poor.”

See you Thursday!

"Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy, and wise"

This is the book for March.  I started reading a book called Founding Brothers first which is excellently written and a good preface to reading a autobiography on one of the founding fathers......or brothers as Ellis calls them.  I'm about halfway through Part One of the 'Autobiography'  and it's a great read so far.  I'm continually fascinated by early American life and culture and in particular of the times in which Franklin lived.  He was the youngest of thirteen, self-educated for all intents and purposes and on his own in a strange city by age 17. He relished good books and educated himself mostly by reading them in every spare moment he could find.  Have you started the book yet girls?  Do you have a kinship with him already since he was the master at doing what we are trying to do for ourselves.....namely give ourselves the education we never had?  Start reading and then let's talk.

And maybe for some good bookclub fodder, you should bring your favorite Ben Franklin quote to our meeting, which is at my house on March 20th.  Or was it the 19th.  Someone inform me.

Your faithful bookclub junkie,

ms.edie

This is our book for February, we will be meeting on February the 20th at Sue K's house.





Written in 1565 at the request of her confessor, St Teresa's autobiography is at once an extraordinary chronicle of a life governed by the desire to draw closer to God and a literary masterpiece that brings to life a woman of candor, humor, and great spiritual strength. Teresa writes of her early life, the conflicts and crises she faced, and her decision to enter a life of prayer. Her lyrical, almost erotic description of ecstatic experiences call to mind the sensuous language of the song of songs.

TERESA OF AVILA (1515-1582), also called St. Teresa of Jesus, was a Spanish nun and one of the great mystics and religious women of the Roman Catholic Church. She was the leader of the Carmelite Reform, which restored and emphasized the austerity and contemplative character of this religious order. Canonized in 1622, she was elevated to Doctor of the Church by Pope Paul VI in 1970, the first woman to be honored.

The book that nearly did us in......

One Hundred Years of Solitude will not be voted as the favorite book of this years' club.  It's long and confusing and of six generations of a family, they recycle the same four names over and over.  I resorted to making flowcharts and family trees to keep myself awake and on track. I thought I was gonna lose my bookclub friends over this one.....but this group of women never disappoints.  We found plenty of meaningful discussion and then went on a tangent to dividing the room into two camps....those with OCD and those with ADD.  We all know which camp I fall into and if you can't remember, I'll give you a clue.  My dishwasher is half unloaded.....I have four books going right now....and I can't find the piece of scrap paper that I jotted stuff down on today at bookclub. 

We now move into the chapter of The Well Educated Mind on memoirs.  We start with an autobiography on St.Teresa of Avila....hosted by Sue....on Feb. 20.  I have to say I'm thankful to be done with the book of magical realism with too much insest and too few names.  I need to read some literary fluff before I start back into the 'classics'.  

Our schedule for the spring, in case you want to read along, is as follows:

Feb. 20  The autobiography of St. Teresa of Avila

Mar. 19  The autobiography of Benjamin Franklin  (changed to Thursday because of G-parents day)

Apr. 17  Surprised by Joy by C.S. Lewis  (Leigh Ann's)

May 15  Elie Wiesel   (Kim's)

More info upcoming on the children's bookclub that we will start in June.  We will try to do three books this summer and potentially have 2 groups- a 1-3 grade and 4-6.   The book we will use to guide the children is called Deconstructing Penguins.  I haven't ask yet, but maybe Pamela would like to be our moderator for one of the groups? Pretty please.

A huge thank you to Polly for opening her amazing home to us.  Shame on me for forgetting my memory card.  I will have to make a trip back soon to take pics.  The food and fellowship were wonderful as always!  And even though this wasn't my favorite book, I'm loving this bookclub.

Thanks for hanging in there girls even when the going gets tough.

Love to you all,

Edie