Friday, December 23, 2011

Happy Birthday Amy!


Happy Birthday Amy~
Your birthday comes at a very special time.
It's no wonder...you are a very special person!

Have a wonderful day!
The NTSBC Gals

Monday, November 21, 2011

Happy Birthday Teresa!

Happy Birthday Teresa!
Hope your day is bright and wonderful!

The NTSBC gals

Friday, November 18, 2011

January 2012 Book Selection


I'm sorry to have missed what I'm sure was a great gathering. Thanks to Margaret for hosting! Michelle has selected The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom as our next book. Goodreads says this about it...

When a white servant girl violates the order of plantation society, she unleashes a tragedy that exposes the worst and best in the people she has come to call her family.

Orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with the slaves of the kitchen house. Under the care of Belle, the master's illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes deeply bonded to her adopted family, though she is set apart from them by her white skin.

Eventually, Lavinia is accepted into the world of the big house, where the master is absent and the mistress battles opium addiction. Lavinia finds herself perilously straddling two very different worlds. When she is forced to make a choice, loyalties are brought into question, dangerous truths are laid bare, and lives are put at risk.

The Kitchen House is a tragic story of page-turning suspense, exploring the meaning of family, where love and loyalty prevail.

As we head into the craziness of the holiday season, I wish you all happy days blessed with friends, family and the luxury of extra reading time!

“Celebrate the happiness that friends are always giving. Make everyday a holiday and celebrate just living!”
― Amanda Bradley

Thursday, November 10, 2011

November NTSBC Meeting

I hope you are enjoying Major Pettigrew's Last Stand. If you'd like more scoop on the book or author Helen Simonson, you may visit her website by clicking here. Once there, you will find video interviews, FAQs, reviews, etc. Please note that the November meeting has changed to Thursday, Nov 17 at 7:00 at Margaret's home. Please respond to Margaret if you can make it.



Tuesday, November 8, 2011

Congratulations Peggy!

It's official...Peggy has been elected to the Ottawa Hills School Board! We knew you could do it and we were behind you all the way. We just hope that with your new position, you'll still have time to read all the NTSBC book selections! Way to go Peggy!


Monday, October 31, 2011

Friday, October 28, 2011

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

November Book Selection

Thank you Laura, for hosting our lively book discussion this morning! The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks was very well received by those present. Even more entertaining than Henrietta, was the post-book talk that covered everything from hormone replacements to the need for SBS (Smutty but Smart) books and the current high school dance style. Good thing we don't keep minutes at these gatherings, because I'm not sure they could be published!!

Margaret has selected the next book and it is (drumroll please):

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

Summary from goodreads.com...
The Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?

As the weather turns cooler, it's the perfect time to relax with a good book...happy reading!

Friday, October 14, 2011

October NTSBC Meeting


Mark your calendars for Wednesday, October 19 at 9:00 a.m. We will meet at Laura's home to discuss The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks.

Click here for an interesting interview with author Rebecca Skloot, found in the Smithsonian Magazine.

Happy Birthday Peggy!

Happy Birthday to our NTSBC Founder!

Best wishes
from your fellow Bookworms

Wednesday, September 21, 2011

Thank you Kelby, for a great start to our day! It was a good, if not mixed, discussion of A Visit from the Goon Squad. Our very perceptive, Teresa, said the book reminded her of the movie Pulp Fiction. Little did she know, Pulp Fiction was a big influence on author Jennifer Egan. Below is an excerpt from a review of the book in Paste Magazine...

A side note, if I may. Egan has mentioned that Pulp Fiction influenced her a great deal while writing Goon Squad. In 1994, when Pulp Fiction burst onto the scene, with its startling nonlinear storyline, punchy dialogue, pop culture references and humor juxtaposed with rank violence, a whole new phenomenon was created—so much so, no one knew quite where to place it....

As in Pulp Fiction, the characters ooze unlikeability, yet it is to Egan’s credit you feel their woundedness and wish some relief for them.

Egan creates underdog characters, achingly self-destructive and down-on-their luck. The characters’ personal interactions exude intimacy, and yet they know so little about each other. In other words, they’re more like real-life people or the messy, unpredictable characters in Pulp Fiction than the happy, redeemed-in-the-end Hollywood caricatures required for a movie deal. [Although I’m happy to report that HBO—o brave and cutting-edge network!—has acquired the rights to develop Goon Squad as a half-hour TV series.]

Moving on to October, most of you have learned that Laura has chosen The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot as our next book. Laura introduced it as a story about a woman who is very much still alive amongst us, despite being deceased and she is very popular and important in the science industry although her family has struggled to make ends meet.

Watch this quick clip from the author:


Sounds like a great read....now the dilemma of reading the actual book, reading it on an iPad or Kindle, or listening. So many choices! Or do as Peggy does...use all the options!

Happy reading!

Thursday, September 15, 2011

Book Club to Book Club Loan

Another Village book club has picked Still Alice for their upcoming book selection. I was going to loan one of the members my copy but remembered I had already given it to someone else. Does anyone have a copy that they wouldn't mind loaning? Please respond if you are willing!

Speaking of Still Alice, I have heard that Lisa Genova's second book, Left Neglected is really good.

Monday, September 12, 2011

Book Review Podcast

Peggy found a podcast on iTunes discussing A Visit from the Goon Squad. Click here for the podcast and then select the first selection in the list. The podcast includes 3 reviewers discussing the book....will you agree with any of them? Grab a cup of coffee and take a listen!

Thursday, September 8, 2011

Happy Birthday Margaret!

Happy Birthday
Margaret!

So sorry to be a bit late in sending
you good wishes ~ hope you had
a fabulous day !

The NTSBC gals

September NTSBC Meeting

Mark your calendar for our next NTSBC gathering to discuss our summer read, A Visit from the Goon Squad. We will meet at Kelby's home on Wednesday, Sept. 21 at 9:00 a.m. Please respond to this post or Kelby if you can make it.

By the way, did you see the lovely photo of our very own Kelby in the paper today?!
Hope to see you all soon!

Sunday, August 28, 2011

Thursday, August 11, 2011

NTSBC Night at the Movies!

Wednesday, Aug 17 7:00 p.m.

Comment on this post or respond by email if you can make it.

This is going to be good!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Sunday, July 24, 2011

Saturday, July 23, 2011

What are you reading?

Hope you all are enjoying your summer and carving out some time for reading. I just wanted to post about a book I just finished and LOVED...The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. I found it to be a rich book full of twists and and secrets that take you back and forth between interesting characters from 3 different generations. Below is video from the author.


I also enjoyed reading One Day by David Nicholls. As I mentioned previously, this book has been made into a movie which will be released in August. Anyone want to see it? Speaking of movies...The Help will be released on August 12!! Let's plan a NTSBC Night at the Movies soon!

I am now starting to read Cutting for Stone, which I have wanted to read for a long time.

Please post a comment to let everyone know what you are reading!

Saturday, July 16, 2011

"Cacophony" Alert

A Visit from the Goon Squad (page 31) - " He wanted to cover his ears, block out the cacophony of Stop/Go........"

Happy Birthday Brigid


Happy day...happy reading! :)

The NTSBC Gals

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Summer Reading

Thank you Julie for hosting last night's book discussion!

Kelby's selection for our summer reading is A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. This book is the Goodread
s Book Club selection for the months of June and July. It has won several accolades, including a Pulitzer Prize, the National Book Critics Circle
Award and it will become an HBO series.

From Goodreads:
Bennie is an aging former punk rocker and record executive. Sasha is the passionate, troubled young woman he employs. Here Jennifer Egan brilliantly reveals their pasts, along with the inner lives of a host of other characters whose paths intersect with theirs. With music pulsing on every page, A Visit from the Goon Squad is a startling, exhilarating novel of self-destruction and redemption.




In addition, we discussed some books that are on our summer reading wish lists. Click on each book title for more info.

The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman
Emily and Einstein by Linda Francis Lee
Caleb's Crossing or People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
Bossypants by Tina Fey
The Lincoln Lawyer by Michael Connelly

Feel free to comment with other book suggestions.
Happy summer...happy reading!
Happy Birthday Molly!
Since you are out of town,
we send you happy wishes across the miles!

Have a great day!
The NTSBC gals

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

June NTSBC Meeting

We will meet at Julie's house this Wednesday at 8:00 p.m. for a fireside chat (outside that is) to discuss Skinny Dip. If you have not responded to Julie yet, please email her to let her know if you'll be there. See you soon!

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

June Book Selection

We are lightening things up as we head into summer! Julie has selected Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen. In an excerpt from a 2004 New York Times review, Janet Maslin praises Hiassen's work...

At this point in his career as a comic novelist, Carl Hiaasen did not need to get any better. He has long been writing smart, fizzy Floridian escapades that amount to pure reading pleasure. But "Skinny Dip", his latest, is something more: a screwball delight so full of bright, deft, beautifully honed humor that it places Mr. Hiaasen in the company of Preston Sturges, Woody Allen and S.J. Perelman. This book is dedicated to the late, priceless Warren Zevon, who provided a theme song for Mr. Hiaasen's previous "Basket Case" and whose quick, diabolical wit put him on that same list.

Almost every living organism in this book fares well as the story ends. Not even the story's snakes or tasty little dogs are made to suffer. But nobody winds up happier than the reader, unless it's Mr. Hiaasen for having hit his stride so unmistakably. "Skinny Dip" is a madcap trip through southern Florida, but Mr. Hiaasen's geography no longer matters. You'd follow him anywhere.

I for one, can't wait to dive into this book! Mark your calendar for our next book discussion on June 15.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

April NTSBC Meeting - Change of Location

We are scheduled to meet tomorrow on Wednesday, May 18 from 9:00 to 11:00 am to discuss The 5 Love Languages.

As you know we were scheduled to meet at Cari's house but there's been a change in location. Cari's mom is in town and has extended her visit, thus, speaking in the language of Quality Time. Julie has spoken in the Acts of Service language, by graciously offering her home for our discussion. I know we all join Cari in offering our Words of Affirmation to Julie for hosting us at such a short notice. I guess the love languages are at work!!

Hope to see you at Julie's tomorrow morning at 9:00!

Remember to take the Quiz to see what love language you speak. We can all compare!

Saturday, May 7, 2011

The Help Movie







Mark your calendar for August 12 for the release of The Help movie. Until then...take a look at the trailer. Can't wait!










Here is a fun behind the scenes clip of how they gave Jackson, Mississippi a makeover for the movie:

Friday, May 6, 2011

A Well Deserved Honor

Lt Michael Murphy, Navy Seal, honored with warship bearing his name



Michael P. MurphyAP – This undated file photo released by the U.S. Navy shows Navy Seal Lt. Michael P. Murphy, from Patchogue,

BATH, Maine – Engaged in a frenzied firefight and outnumbered by the Taliban, Navy Lt. Michael Murphy made a desperate decision as he and three fellow SEALs fought for their lives on a rocky mountainside in Afghanistan's Kunar Province in 2005.

In a last-ditch effort to save his team, Murphy pulled out his satellite phone, walked into a clearing to get reception and called for reinforcements as a fusillade of bullets ricocheted around him. One of the bullets hit him, but he finished the call and even signed off, "Thank you."

Then he continued the battle.

Dan Murphy, the sailor's father, said it didn't surprise him that his slain son nicknamed "The Protector" put himself in harm's way. Nor was he surprised that in the heat of combat his son was courteous.

"That was Michael. He was cool under fire. He had the ability to process information, even under the most difficult of circumstances. That's what made him such a good SEAL officer," Murphy said.

A warship bearing the name of the Medal of Honor recipient will be christened Saturday — on what would have been Murphy's 35th birthday — at Bath Iron Works, where the destroyer is being built.

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

No Reading Required!

Did your invitation to the Royal Wedding get lost in the mail like mine? If so, please join me for breakfast to watch the celebration (via recording). Come for a few minutes or stay for the whole morning. Pajamas, casual or formal attire ~ hats optional!


Sunday, April 24, 2011

May Book Selection

Sorry for the delay in announcing this...Cari has chosen, The 5 Languages of Love by Gary Chapman as our May book selection. We will meet on May 18...details to come on time and place.

An excerpt from Amazon.com:
Unhappiness in marriage often has a simple root cause: we speak different love languages, believes Dr. Gary Chapman. While working as a marriage counselor for more than 30 years, he identified five love languages: Words of Affirmation, Quality Time, Receiving Gifts, Acts of Service, and Physical Touch. In a friendly, often humorous style, he unpacks each one. Some husbands or wives may crave focused attention; another needs regular praise. Gifts are highly important to one spouse, while another sees fixing a leaky faucet, ironing a shirt, or cooking a meal as filling their "love tank." Some partners might find physical touch makes them feel valued: holding hands, giving back rubs, and sexual contact. Chapman illustrates each love language with real-life examples from his counseling practice.

You can actually take a test to assess what kind of love language you speak. Take the test here.


The days are long, but the years are short

Since reading The Happiness Project, the phrase "the days are long, but the years are short", has become my personal daily mantra. This morning's Zits comic strip struck a chord with me. My parents are visiting and my dad asked me why I was hiding eggs and doing baskets for my kids who clearly are beyond believing in the Easter Bunny. I told him it's one of our family traditions. I felt a little defensive about it and thought maybe I was just doing it for myself because I wasn't ready to give it up. However, once I saw my big boys and little girl practically taking each other down in the big hunt, while laughing hysterically, I was convinced that they too like our traditions. May you have a blessed Easter holiday with your loved ones and enjoy celebrating your traditions...be it with children, parents or friends.

Thursday, April 21, 2011

You or Somone Like You -- a "not too serious" review

Sitting in Brigid's handsomely appointed living room, sheltered from the cacophony of the world outside, the intrepid ladies of the NTSBC delved into You or Someone Like You by world renowned scent critic and self-styled auteur extraordinaire, Chandler Burr. Wine and conversation flowed freely as these loquacious literary ladies dissected and divined the larger portent of M. Burr's controversial contention that Judaism's fixation on separateness is a myopic world vision and every bit as racist as any other "ism" in which one group ascribes superiority to its members simply as a matter of birthright. While some thought the work provocative, daring, and original, Brigid and Margaret cogently observed that the tome read more like a term paper than a novel and passionately objected to the scribe's incessant and contrived references to esoteric literary works. Kelby and Peggy tacitly agreed with their erudite assessment. Not having finished the book, Teresa diplomatically recused herself from the discussion, but commented that she would toss the book out straight away. Her sudden vehemence took us all by surprise, but privately we all envied her, for unlike us, she would never have to carry with her the memory of You or Someone Like You.

Sunday, April 17, 2011



Happy Birthday
Julie!

Wishing you a happy day!
The NTSBC gals

Thursday, April 14, 2011

All Things Books

Here are a few things we thought you Bookies might be interested in...

www.bookbrowse.com and www.bookmovement.com are both good resources, similar to goodreads.com, but with more emphasis on book clubs. Book Browse has a section on book club advice as well a list of weekly recommendations. Both websites allow you to peruse the site but to gain complete access, they require membership. Book Movement is free but Book Browse charges a fee after a one month free membership.

Peggy found a site that offers FREE audio books at www.bookshouldbefree.com. Are you saying to yourself that there must be a catch? It appears there really isn't a catch and the books are really free. While you won't find any books from the current best seller list, you will find many classics and older books. This would be a great way to catch up on all those books you feel you should read. The audio books might be be helpful to some of the high school students who are struggling with the books on their required reading list.

Lastly, Peggy discovered we are not the only Not Too Serious Book Club in existence! Our sister NTSBC is a program offered through the Midland, Michigan Library. In case you are curious, they have read such books as The Eyre Affair, The Time Traveler's Wife, Look Again, Cover Her Face and Mysterious Affair at Styles. Perhaps they'd like to check out our blog!

Monday, April 11, 2011

12 Tips for Reading More

Thought you might be interested in these tips from our friend Gretchen...

12 tips for getting more reading done. Never enough time to READ! In fact, I'm going to go read right now. http://bit.ly/cMsWje

Friday, April 8, 2011

April NTSBC Meeting

We will gather at Brigid's home on Wednesday, April 20 at 7:00 p.m to discuss YOSLY. Light appetizers and desserts will be served. Since this blog is public and probably has a huge audience on the world wide web (ha!), I don't want to post Brigid's address. Please let me know if you need it and I will send it to you privately.

Hope you can make it for a lively discussion. Looking forward to hearing what Cari has selected for May!

Click here to look over some discussion questions: YOSLY Reading guide

"A book is like a person, and one's reaction to a person invariably has more to do with one's own personality and life experience than with the actual person herself."
Chandler Burr (You or Someone Like You)

Monday, March 28, 2011


Happy Birthday Kelby!

Hope you have a wonderful day!

Best wishes from
the NTSBC gals


Wednesday, March 23, 2011

YOSLY

Those in the know, refer to our book, You or Someone Like You, as YOSLY (just wanted to make sure you were among those "in the know")! Have you started reading it yet? I am still waiting for mine to land on my door step...I'm hopeful it will arrive in time for spring break.

Here are a couple of sites you may want to check out prior to our next meeting.

Author Chandler Burr's website is: http://www.chandlerburr.com/newsite/index.htm
Did you know he was the New York Times perfume critic? Who knew there was such a position!

The discussion site for YOSLY is: http://www.annerosenbaum.com/

Lastly, I wanted to pass along this quote regarding YOSLY...I think we can be serious enough, don't you?
“A must-read for any book group serious enough to spend more time discussing the book at hand, rather than discussing what wine to serve during the meeting…”— NPR'S FRESH AIR

To those traveling over spring break...
may you have safe travels,
beautiful weather
and lots of time to read!

Thursday, March 17, 2011

April Book Selection


By looking at the above book covers, it would appear we are reading 3 very different books. However they are all covers for our next book selection which is You or Someone Like You by Chandler Burr. Question...in a bookstore, does a book's cover influence if you will take a look at it? If so, which cover would peak your interest?

This looks like a fun and interesting read, especially for those traveling over spring break. Thanks Brigid!

To read the book's synopsis on goodreads.com,
click here.

Mark your calendars for
April 20th for our next book discussion!

Thank you Clare!

Thank you Clare for hosting a great book club discussion! Although we didn't stay on topic the whole time (do we ever?), it was a great conversation.

For those of you who missed it, you might be interested to know that The Lone Survivor is supposedly being made into a movie (filming early this year) and a book is coming out on May 15 about the life of fellow Operation Redwing member, Lt. Michael Murphy, titled Seal of Honor. Who would you cast as Marcus Luttrell in the movie?

We also watched Marcus Luttrell's Today Show interview. If you haven't seen it, links for the video and other related info can be found in earlier posts below.

Sunday, March 13, 2011

March NTSBC Meeting

We will meet on Wedesday, March 16 from 10:00 a.m. - noon at Clare's house to discuss The LoneSurvivor. Please RSVP to Clare.

To read an interesting article from the NY Times about how the book came to be, click here.

For more information on Operation Redwing and its heroes, go to www.lonesurvivor.net/redwing.html

One Village - One Book


On Monday, March 21 from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. in the Community Room, there will be a book discussion on The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak for adults and students grades 9 and up. The Book Thief has been described as "an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul". Dialogue about the book will be lead by the OHES librarian, Rebecca McLean.

From goodreads.com:
It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery. . . .

Wednesday, February 16, 2011

March Book Selection


Thanks to Peggy for a delicious lunch and lively conversation! We may be the only group in the country that could make valid comparisons between Remarkable Creatures and The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills!

Moving on to March, we voted on Clare's top 3 picks and decided on Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell. (click on the title to read the description and reviews on goodreads.com)

We will meet next on March 16...until then, happy reading!

Thursday, February 10, 2011

February NTSBC Meeting


We will meet at Peggy's house on Wednesday, February 16 at 12:30 to discuss Remarkable Creatures. The photo above is of Mary Anning's "crocodile" ~ actually the Ichthyosaurus. It's hard to see, but there is a portrait of Mary below the head. It resides in London's Natural History Museum. Can you imagine finding this?

One little trivia about Mary Anning is that she was the inspiration for the tongue twister "She sells seashells on the seashore"!

Monday, January 31, 2011

Remarkable Creatures

Have you started reading Remarkable Creatures yet?

To give you a visual, this picture is of Lyme Regis, located on the southern coast of England, where Elizabeth Philpot and her two sisters moved. Did you know that Mary Anning and Elizabeth Philpot are actual historical figures?

See the link to a short interview with author Tracy Chevalier in "Extra Stuff" below.

Monday, January 24, 2011

Happiness Project anyone?


For those who have started or are contemplating starting their own happiness project, let us know what you are doing and how it is going.

Want to get Gretchen Rubin's monthly newsletter that highlights the best of the month's material from her blog and facebook page? Email Gretchen at gretchenrubin1@gmail.com and write "newsletter" in the subject line.


Sunday, January 23, 2011

OK, I know I'm supposed to "Be Julie", but after checking out this blog site, I have to admit I was wanting to "Be Becky". Learning how to set up a blog is now just one more thing I need to add to my already, very long "to do" list.

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Wow!

Becky,
I am impressed with your blog! What a great idea!
April

Wednesday, January 19, 2011

Welcome!

The NTSBC has its own blog! This is a place where you can find monthly schedules, current and past book lists, information on our book selections, NTSBC birthdays, etc. It's also a place where you can post comments, questions and thoughts on any of the books we read, other book recommendations or just comments in general. Let's see how this works and have fun with it!

February Book Selection


Amy offered 2 options for the next book selection: The Glassblower of Murano by Marina Fiorato and Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier. After a close vote, Remarkable Creatures was determined the winner. The most remarkable thing about both of these books is that Margaret hasn't read either of them!!

Synopsis


A voyage of discoveries, a meeting of two remarkable women, and extraordinary time and place enrich bestselling author Tracy Chevalier's enthralling new novelFrom the moment she's struck by lightening as a baby, it is clear that Mary Anning is marked for greatness. On the windswept, fossil-strewn beaches of the English coast, she learns that she has "the eye"-and finds what no one else can see. When Mary uncovers an unusual fossilized skeleton in the cliffs near her home, she sets the religious fathers on edge, the townspeople to vicious gossip, and the scientific world alight. In an arena dominated by men, however, Mary is barred from the academic community; as a young woman with unusual interests she is suspected of sinful behavior. Nature is a threat, throwing bitter, cold storms and landslips at her. And when she falls in love, it is with an impossible man.

Luckily, Mary finds an unlikely champion in prickly Elizabeth Philpot, a recent exile from London, who also loves...