Women who changed the world, Ros Horton & Sally Simmons

“I am not afraid. I was born to do this.” Joan of Arc

“I believe in hard work. It keeps the wrinkles out of the mind and spirit.” Helena Rubinstein

“Her spirit will endure as long as man can read and stories can be told of the woman who showed the world there are no boundaries to courage and faith.” Senator Lister Hill of Alabama, speaking about Helen Keller

“Love begins at home, and it is not how much we do, but how much love we put in the action that we do.” Mother Teresa

“Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart.” Anne Frank

This book features 50 women who “are outstanding individuals who achieved exceptional things in the major fields of human endeavour—politics, literature, art, science, music, social reform, entertainment, sport, and adventure.” Each woman’s life story is told in a 3-page mini-biography. I enjoyed this format and even made a list of people, movies, and songs I want to look up now that I’ve read a small introduction. Some of the women I found interesting to learn about include Cleopatra, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Margaret Bourke-White, Katharine Hepburn, Rosa Parks, Oprah Winfrey, and surprisingly, Madonna.

Other well-known women featured in this book:
Amelia Earhart
Benazir Bhutto
Billie Holiday
Dian Fossey
Diana, Princess of Wales
Eleanor Roosevelt
Elizabeth I
Eva Peron
Florence Nightingale
Isabella I of Spain
Jane Austen
Margaret Thatcher
Marie Curie
Marilyn Monroe
Susan B. Anthony
Virginia Woolf

Little Women/Good Wives

Did you know that the movie Little Women is actually taken from two of Louisa May Alcott's books? Yep! I found out because when I borrowed the book Little Women from the library, I was distressed the closer I got to the end. Why? Because it wasn't the end of the story. So I thought I had gotten ripped off by the British for only getting half of the book. But now I know there were actually two different books to begin with. Yesterday I just finished the second half, Good Wives. And let me tell you that it was so adorable! Now, I've read a lot of books. But I would say that Little Women (parts 1 & 2) is now on my top 10 list. That's saying a lot! So for anyone looking for a wholesome read that offers great advice & sweet love stories, Little Women & Good Wives are the books for you!

Has anyone read the sequels Little Men and Jo's Boys?

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

I chose to read this book this month. I've been wanting to read it for a while now, and it seemed like the appropriate time. I really enjoyed this book, though it was slow going at times. The book is about one family's attempt to become more connected to their food by eating local for one year. They own farm land, so they grow, harvest and preserve most of the food they eat (including meat). It's interesting to think about eating more locally and eating food when it's in season. This book is not for everyone, but if you're looking for ways to reduce your carbon footprint, save money, or become more self sufficient it's a good resource.

October Discussion

The Wednesday Letters

by Jason Wright

I absolutely loved this book! I enjoyed how realistic the relationships were. Even though Jack had some flaws, I thought he was a great example of a wonderful husband and father.

Here are some questions to ponder/answer. Hope you enjoyed the book too!

1. A&P adopts the nickname that others had given to mock her, telling herself, “nicknames mean you matter” (p. 5). Have you ever had a nickname you didn’t like? How might you have turned it around to give it a positive meaning?

2. Joe is finally able to give up alcohol because the girl he nearly killed forgave him—even visiting him and frequently writing him letters while he was in prison. What is the novel saying about the relationship between forgiveness and self-acceptance? Where else are these themes worked through the novel?

3. Does The Wednesday Letters inspire you to start any traditions of your own?

Book for October

The Wednesday Letters

by Jason F. Wright

This is one I've been wanting to read for about a year now. My good friend recommended it to me but the Manchester library doesn't have it. So I bought it as my "plane book" for my flight home from Utah. But I didn't get a chance to even open it because I was busying watching in-flight movies/t.v. and sleeping. This book is also a New York Times Bestseller. I hope you like it too!

September Discussion

Where did September go?! Hopefully we're back in the swing of things, recovering from a fun summer, and ready to start reading again!


Here are some questions for Emma and 1776.


Emma:
1. Did you like the movie or book better? Why?
2. How would you rate this book in comparison to Jane Austen's other books/movies you've read/seen?
3. Did you or did you not like the character, Emma? Why?



1776:
1. So what's the big deal about the year 1776 anyway? (aka, was it a good read?)
2. What major/minor role would you have played, if you lived during that time?
3. What did you learn?

Book for September

This month you have a choice to read 1776 or Emma. It seems like everyone has been busy for the summer and this month might be busy too. So if you happen to read anything else, please post a recommendation here.

I've already read Emma so I'll post some questions at the end of the month. Marcos has read 1776 so I'll get him to tell me some questions for that book as well.

Hope everyone had a lovely summer.

Midnight Sun Tragedy

Have you heard that someone leaked the first half of Midnight Sun by Stephenie Meyer??? Midnight Sun is the same story as Twilight, but from Edward's perspective. So since it was leaked, Stephenie was pretty upset (which was totally justified) and so she made a statement and then posted the first 12 chapters of Midnight Sun on her website (www.stepheniemeyer.com).

While Stephenie would prefer that her true fans didn't read it, she also knows that people will just look for it anyway. Well, there was NO WAY I was going to be able to not read it. So I did. And it was fabulous! Actually, it was my very favorite of the whole series (and this book isn't even finished).

Anyway, I am heart-broken that she has decided to put it on hold "indefinitely." But there are quite a few fan groups that are petitioning her to continue the work. Check out some of the links on the side of this blog for more details about that.

Has anyone else read Midnight Sun yet?

Discussion for Breaking Dawn

I realized after reading the book that I can't post the questions for discussion without spoilers, so I will leave the questions in the comments section.

This month we'll be reading and discussing Breaking Dawn by Stephanie Meyer. I'll put questions for discussion up soon, but with a warning: if you read the comments on the discussion before you finish the book, you may read something that will give the plot away!! I'd like to read people's opinions about the ending, etc (I haven't read it yet, so don't comment on this post), so I don't want everyone to have to tip-toe around the details.

So, on this post, leave comments that don't give everything away. On the next post, don't read the comments unless you're either done with the book, or don't mind give-aways. Consider yourselves warned. :)