Seasons Greetings! We
have come to a most familial and prestigious time of year. I can’t help but sit
back and enjoy a great book with a hot cup of cocoa, and share classic tales
with my family to while away the cold and dark hours with my family. Truly
classic tales of Early American Thanksgiving gatherings and Old World
traditions find a warm spark in my heart, and often encouraging daring attempts
at old recipes with the kids. With Turkey Day (duck at my house) and Black
Friday Shopping behind us, most folks have put their holiday shopping lists
behind them and started the festive tasks of decorating the house for the
upcoming December festivities. With the Spokane office deciding to opt for an
in-house Holiday Party this year, I am delighted and eager to see how folks
dress up their spaces and hear the wonderful tales of social gatherings!
Delightfully, many folks have put
their culinary talents to work in the kitchens and great food will be
appearing. Enjoy, indulge with great aplomb, and don’t stress too much. With
great tastes in mind, we hope you will enjoy the selections of this
newsletter’s suggested reads!
As always, we
truly care! Please, remember to celebrate safely and with responsibility in
mind.
Email:
Many of us lead busy lives and we may
not always have time to read the newsletter at work. We also are open to new
members 24/7… all year long! Just email me and I will add you to our email
distribution, so you don’t have to go hunting up the latest rendition of our
great suggested reads!
NEWS!
I would like to thank everyone that
was able to donate extra books for our book donation/exchange. We are still
accepting donations for our upcoming charity book sale and raffle. We will be
announcing our Book Sale Dates and Times soon, so please keep your ears to the
ground for this great mini-event!
Meeting Schedule:
Due to varied schedules, we would like
to announce that we will not be holding club meetings as of this time. As such,
we greatly encourage the use of our Blog for communications and discussions on
the titles we publish with each newsletter.
For Sale:
For those of you still looking for a
great gift idea, I am happy to share this great opportunity!
·
NOOK eReader w/ Glow Light ~ For More Info,
Contact Bradley Bower @ bbower@ecova.com or at
329-7475!
If you have something you would like to advertise in our
newsletter for sale or trade, email me the details and you will be added in our
next newsletter!
Where can I get a copy of that book?
Did you enjoy that book? Not sure
where you can obtain a copy for your library or as a gift? Well, if you
borrowed it from a library or shared via your Kindle or Nook, try one of these
great stores! You might find more than you anticipated!
What we were reading:
*October 2012 reading list was:
·
Series Pick!
o
Nancy Drew Series by Carolyn Keene
·
Monthly Pick!
o
“America’s Most Proclaimed Haunted
Places” by London Knight
·
Other Suggested Titles!
o
Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha
Christie
o
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the
Night-Time by Mark Haddon
o
Dracula by Bram Stoker
o
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane
Setterfield
o
Sex, Murder and A Double Latte by Kyra
Davis
o
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
o
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
o
The Complete Fairy Tales of the
Brothers Grimm
o
Haunted Legends by Ellen Datlow
Check out our blog where each
suggested reader pick has an entry where we would love to have your input! So
many wonderful book suggestions! So little Time!
Readers Challenge:
There will be a new monthly addition to our blog. It will be titled “Readers Challenge,” where you, the reader, can post a reading challenge or recommendation of a book you have recently read.
Series of the
Month!
Garrison Keillor’s
Lake Wobegon Novels:
Lake Wobegon is a fictional town in Minnesota, said to have been the boyhood home of Garrison Keillor, who reports the News from Lake Wobegon on the radio show A Prairie Home Companion.
Lake Wobegon is characterized as "the little town that time forgot, and the decades cannot improve," and as the town "where all the women are strong, all the men are good looking, and all the children are above average." As taken from Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lake_Wobegon.
Garrison Keillor has a gift for telling a heart felt tale of life in small
town Mid-West America. Hold onto your sides and keep a box of tissues close at
hand, and let these stories of love, life, loss, and triumph sweep you off your
feet!
About the Authors: Garrison Keillor
Gary Edward "Garrison" Keillor (born
August 7, 1942) is an American author, storyteller, humorist, and radio
personality. He is known as host of the Minnesota Public Radio show A
Prairie Home Companion (also known as Garrison Keillor's Radio Show
on United Kingdom's BBC Radio 4 Extra, as well as on RTÉ in Ireland,
Australia's ABC, and Radio New Zealand National in New Zealand).
As taken from
Wikipedia at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Garrison_Keillor.
This Month’s
Reading Pick:
Westley ... handsome farm boy who risks death and much, much worse for the woman he loves; Inigo ... the Spanish swordsman who lives only to avenge his father's death; Fezzik ... the Turk, the gentlest giant ever to have uprooted a tree with his bare hands; Vizzini ... the evil Sicilian, with a mind so keen he's foiled by his own perfect logic; Prince Humperdinck ... the eviler ruler of Guilder, who has an equally insatiable thirst for war and the beauteous Buttercup; Count Rugen ... the evilest man of all, who thrives on the excruciating pain of others; Miracle Max ... the King's ex-Miracle Man, who can raise the dead (kind of); The Dread Pirate Roberts ... supreme looter and plunderer of the high seas; and, of course, Buttercup ... the princess bride, the most perfect, beautiful woman in the history of the world.
S. Morgenstern's timeless tale—discovered and wonderfully abridged by William Goldman—pits country against country, good against evil, love against hate. From the Cliffs of Insanity through the Fire Swamp and down into the Zoo of Death, this incredible journey and brilliant tale is peppered with strange beasties both monstrous and gentle, and memorable surprises both terrible and sublime.
Other Suggested Reads!
In
celebration of the start of a fabulous holiday season, we have dusted off the
following classic titles to entertain your more nostalgic and traditional
interests this month. Please feel free to enjoy any of the following titles at
your leisure!
A Christmas Carol
By Charles Dickens
One of the best-loved and most quoted stories of "the
man who invented Christmas"-English writer Charles Dickens-A Christmas
Carol debuted in 1843 and has touched millions of hearts since. Cruel miser
Ebeneezer Scrooge has never met a shilling he doesn't like. . .and hardly a man
he does. And he hates Christmas most of all. When Scrooge is visited by his old
partner, Jacob Marley, and the ghosts of Christmas Past, Christmas Present, and
Christmas Yet to Come, he learns eternal lessons of charity, kindness, and
goodwill. Experience a true Victorian Christmas.
Treasure
Island
By Robert Louis Stevenson
The most popular pirate story ever written in English,
featuring one of literature’s most beloved “bad guys,” Treasure Island has been
happily devoured by several generations of boys—and girls—and grownups. Its
unforgettable characters include: young Jim Hawkins, who finds himself owner of
a map to Treasure Island, where the fabled pirate booty is buried; honest
Captain Smollett, heroic Dr. Livesey, and the good-hearted but obtuse Squire
Trelawney, who help Jim on his quest for the treasure; the frightening Blind
Pew, double-dealing Israel Hands, and seemingly mad Ben Gunn, buccaneers of
varying shades of menace; and, of course, garrulous, affable, ambiguous Long
John Silver, who is one moment a friendly, laughing, one-legged sea-cook . .
.and the next a dangerous pirate leader!
The unexpected and complex relationship that develops between Silver and Jim helps transform what seems at first to be a simple, rip-roaring adventure story into a deeply moving study of a boy’s growth into manhood, as he learns hard lessons about friendship, loyalty, courage and honor—and the uncertain meaning of good and evil.
The unexpected and complex relationship that develops between Silver and Jim helps transform what seems at first to be a simple, rip-roaring adventure story into a deeply moving study of a boy’s growth into manhood, as he learns hard lessons about friendship, loyalty, courage and honor—and the uncertain meaning of good and evil.
The
Sun Also Rises
By Ernest Hemingway
The quintessential novel of the Lost Generation, The Sun Also Rises is one of Ernest
Hemingway’s masterpieces and a classic example of his spare but powerful
writing style. A poignant look at the disillusionment and angst of the
post-World War I generation, the novel introduces two of Hemingway’s most
unforgettable characters: Jake Barnes and Lady Brett Ashley. The story follows
the flamboyant Brett and the hapless Jake as they journey from the wild
nightlife of 1920s Paris to the brutal bullfighting rings of Spain with a
motley group of expatriates. It is an age of moral bankruptcy, spiritual
dissolution, unrealized love, and vanishing illusions. First published in 1926,
The Sun Also Rises helped to
establish Hemingway as one of the greatest writers of the twentieth century.
The Hunchback of
Notre-Dame
By Victor Hugo
In the vaulted Gothic towers of Notre-Dame lives Quasimodo,
the hunchbacked bellringer. Mocked and shunned for his appearance, he is pitied
only by Esmerelda, a beautiful gypsy dancer to whom he becomes completely
devoted. Esmerelda, however, has also attracted the attention of the sinister
archdeacon Claude Frollo, and when she rejects his lecherous approaches, Frollo
hatches a plot to destroy her that only Quasimodo can prevent. Victor Hugo's
sensational, evocative novel brings life to the medieval Paris he loved, and
mourns its passing in one of the greatest historical romances of the nineteenth
century.
Twenty
Thousand Leagues Under the Sea
By Jules Verne
French naturalist Dr. Aronnax embarks on an expedition to
hunt down a sea monster, only to discover instead the Nautilus, a remarkable submarine
built by the enigmatic Captain Nemo. Together Nemo and Aronnax explore the
underwater marvels, undergo a transcendent experience amongst the ruins of
Atlantis, and plant a black flag at the South Pole. But Nemo's mission is one
of revenge-and his methods coldly efficient.
Don Quixote
By Miguel de
Cervantes Saavedra
Don Quixote has become so entranced by reading chivalric
romances, that he determines to become a knight-errant himself. In the company
of his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, his exploits blossom in all sorts of
wonderful ways. While Quixote's fancy often leads him astray -- he tilts at
windmill's, imagining them to be giants -- Sancho acquires cunning and a
certain sagacity. Sane madman and wise fool, they roam the world together, and
together they have haunted readers' imaginations for nearly four hundred years.
Little Women
By Louisa May Alcott
In picturesque nineteenth-century New England, tomboyish Jo,
beautiful Meg, fragile Beth, and romantic Amy come of age while their father is
off to war.
The
Scarlet Letter
By Nathaniel Hawthorne
Set in the harsh Puritan community of seventeenth-century
Boston, this tale of an adulterous entanglement that results in an illegitimate
birth reveals Nathaniel Hawthorne's concerns with the tension between the
public and the private selves. Publicly disgraced and ostracized, Hester Prynne
draws on her inner strength and certainty of spirit to emerge as the first true
heroine of American fiction. Arthur Dimmesdale, trapped by the rules of
society, stands as a classic study of a self divided.
The
Three Musketeers
By Alexandre Dumas
One of the most famous historical novels ever written, The
Three Musketeers (1844) is also revered as one of the world's greatest
adventure stories--its heroes Athos, Porthos and Aramis symbols for the spirit
of youth, daring, and comradeship.
READ! It feeds the
mind!
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