December 13, 2019

Gathering at a favorite Chinese restaurant, we celebrated the Christmas season with a delicious meal and our favorite Christmas tradition - Barbara reading T’was the Night Before Christmas while we rotated gifts with every “and.”  We also enjoyed our new tradition of reading the fortunes from our fortune cookies with a special addition added to the end (thank you, Laura,)

Realizing how busy we all are this time of year we didn’t assign a book for this month, but for January Donna chose Born A Crime by Trevor Noah. Happy reading!

October 16, 2019

Celebrating our 22nd Anniversary!

With all but Donna who is headed off to Italy to visit her son's family, we came together and as always reveled in each other's company. Chris, our historian, reminded us that we had our first meeting 22 years before, in October of 1997! So much has happened in that time. Our friendships have deepened and again and again we remind each other how lucky we were to have these particular members. Flyers were put in each cubby at school and, quite accidentally, we were the group that came together. We've had no new members though several of us have "gone on sabbatical." Happily several have returned when life gave them time and energy and others, in the throws of raising a family, remain on the rolls though not in attendance. Time, life's best gift, may yet see them returning.

Our meeting was a nice long one, catching up on each other's news including a retirement (congratulations, Cathy!!) and many summer trips, family news, discussing our latest read Little Fires Everywhere, and enjoying a leisurely meal and time together. 

During September the group attended a forum held with two of the authors we've enjoyed reading, Tara Westover (Educated) and Cheryl Strayed (Wild). From the benefit of this event, the book chosen for next month's read is Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed. Enjoy!

June 19, 2019

The beach! The beach! Each and everyone of us look forward to June and its joyous time at the beach house. We arrive early and talk for an amazing number of hours, never seeming to run out of news and topics to share.

Then of course there’s the food! Our ladies, definitely superb cooks one and all, consistently bring both delectable looking and tasting food.

Again and again our book for the month, Educated by Tara Westover, was chewed over. We all found several aspects of it extremely disturbing and worthy of lengthy discussion.

Carol said, "chins up ladies!" And we did!
But in the end we were all smiles for our group pictures.

Our book for our September meeting will be Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens. Happy reading!

May 15, 2019

After literally months of missing one or two, we once again missed a vital part of us. Hopefully next month we can all be together AT THE BEACH before summer craziness begins. As always, we enjoyed updating everyone about our busy lives. We spent a portion of a our time discussing our book, When Heaven and Earth Collide, and that took us inevitably to politics. As a group we are of similar beliefs but there’s always something new to learn and what excellent teachers we have!

Our book for next month is Educated by Tara Westover. I’m excited for the discussion we’ll be having!

April 17, 2019

Our meeting at Donna's cozy home elicited this description the following day by Carol: "We have such a Special Bond, We Are So Fortunate!  Many don’t have what we all have. We can speak our mind, not be judged, always loved and can agree to disagree, and come out unscathed and supported!  Dare I say, I Wish Everyone were so Blessed!  Thank you Ladies for always a fun, inspirational, and uplifting gathering!"

Well said!

Our book for next month is When Heaven and Earth Collide by Alan Cross.

March 20, 2019

Welcome to Spring! The downside of that was diminished numbers for our March gathering due to Spring Break and Spring Training. The upside was a cozy gathering in Cathy's kitchen to discuss our book, politics, and family happenings.
We all enjoyed reading I Thought You Were Dead, Carolyn sharing that she found it amazing that in reading it she could cry one minute and laugh the next.
Our book for next month is Michelle Obama's Becoming. I can't wait for our discussion!

February 20, 2019

Many thanks to Barbara for another wonderful Wednesday with Yayas and to all for your sharing loving kindness.  In spite of Carol’s sad loss of dear young friend and Lucienne’s loss of step mother (their ages make such a difference in our response , but death is so final no matter the age;  our sympathy to those who are grieving), we had some great laughs and good discussions.
Look forward to more in March at Cathy’s. Our book selection for the month is I Thought You Were Dead by Pete Nelson.
Thank you, Donna, for your words.

Updated Book List - 2019

A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons
Divine Secrets of the YaYa Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells
Don't Sweat the Small Stuff by Richard Carlson, Ph.D.
Patty Jean's House of Curl by Lorna Landvik
Here on Earth by Alice Hoffman
Chicken Soup for the Woman's Soul by Jack Canfield, et al
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns
Animal Dreams by Barbara Kingsolver
All True Travels and Adventures of Liddia Newton by Jane Smiley
At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon
Where the Heart Is by Billie Letts
Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
Women of Independent Means by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey
Charming Billy by Alice McDermott
Traveling Mercies by Annie Lamontt
The Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx
Pull of the Moon by Elizabeth Berg
Stones from the River by Ursula Hegi
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone by J.K Rowlings
Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt
Chicken Soup for the Unsinkable Soul by Jack Canfield, et al 
The Reader by Bernhard Schlink Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver 
Reviving Ophelia by Mary Pipher, Ph.D.
Redemption Song by Bertice Berry
The Wedding by Dorothy West
The Pilot's Wife by Anita Shreve
Drowning Rita by Christina Schwarz
A Christmas Memory by Truman Capote
House of Sand and Fog by Andre Dubus III
The Devil's Dream by Lee Smith
Earth Abides by George Stewart
The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories by Sarah Orne Jewett
Corelli's Mandolin by Louis De Bernieres
Prodigal Summer by Barbara Kingsolver
Call of the Wild by Jack London
The Liar's Club by Mary Karr
Daughter of Fortune by Isabella Allende
Christmas on Jane Street by Billy Romp, Wanda Urbanska
Miss Julia Speaks Her Mind by Ann B. Ross
Mutant Message Down Under by Marlo Morgan
The Bonesetter's Daughter by Amy Tan
The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Picher
The Hungry Ocean by Linda Greenlaw
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks
Case Histories: A Novel by Kate Atkinson
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
The Ice Queen by Alice Hoffman
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time by Mark Haddon
The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett
High Tide in Tucson by Barbara Kingsolver
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See
A Redbird Christmas by Fannie Flagg
The Book of Bright Ideas by Sandra Kring
My Life in France by Julia Child
Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos
The Elegant Gathering of White Snows by Kris Radish
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert
Empire Falls by Richard Russo
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd
The Wild Trees by Richard Preston
A Summons to Memphis by Peter Taylor
The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs
Plain Truth by Jodi Piccault
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson
The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch
The Book Borrower by Alice Mattison
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
Tender at the Bone by Ruth Reichl
Women of the Silk by Gail Tsukiyama
It Ain't All About the Cookin' by Paula Deen
What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg
The Help by Kathryn Stockett
Julie And Julia by Julie Powell
Olive Kitterridge by Elizabeth Strout
The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
Jarrettsville by Cornelia Nixon
Waiting for Snow in Havana by Carlos Eire
The Vision of Emma Blau by Ursula Hegi
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister
See You Everywhere by Julia Glass
The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson
Raising Jake by Charlie Carillo
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
My Name is Mary Sutter by Robin Oliveira
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
Prayers For Sale by Sandra Dallas
20 Years Younger by Bob Greene Odd Girl Out by Rachel Simmons
Breath, Eyes, Memory by Edwidge Danticat
The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie
Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Holes by Louis Sachar
La Cucina by Lily Prior
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Giver by Lois Lowry
The Pickup by Nadine Gordimer
Seabiscuit by Laura Hillenbrand
The DaVinci Code by Dan Brown
Skipping Christmas by John Grisham
The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith
The Education of Little Tree by Forrest Carter
Plainsong by Kent Haruf
Straight White Male by Gerald W. Haslam
A Girl Named Zippy: Growing up Small in Moorland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel
Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
The Time Traveler's Wife by Aubrey Niffenegger
Life of Pi by Yann Martel
The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi
Giovanni's Light by Phyllis Theroux
The True and Outstanding Adventures of the Hunt Sisters by Elisabeth Robinson
A Million Little Pieces by James Frey
Sleep Toward Heaven by Amanda Eyre Ward
Stern Men by Elizabeth Gilbert
California Uncovered: Stories For The 21st Century by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni (Editor), et al
How To Be Lost by Amanda Eyre Ward
The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini
The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad
Middlesex: A Novel by Jeffrey Eugenides
The Prize Winner of Defiance, Ohio : How My Mother Raised 10 Kids on 25 Words or Less by Terry Ryan
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
The Tale of Hill Top Farm by Susan Wittig Albert
Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight : An African Childhood by Alexandra Fuller  
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
Faithful Place by Tana French
Major Pedigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford
Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman
Sarah's Key by Titiana de Rosnay
Unbroken by Laura Hillenband
Mudbound by Hillary Jordan
Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James
How High the Moon by Sandra Kring
The Girls from Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow
The Casual Vacancy by J.K. Rowling
Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
Caribou Island by David Vann
In An Instant by Lee and Bob Woodward
Straight Man by Richard Russo
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
Bossypants by Tina Fey
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline
The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (J.K. Rowling)
The Light Between Oceans by M.L.Steadman
Wild by Cheryl Strayed
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
The Persia Cafe by Melany Neilson
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry by Rachel Joyce
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Redfield Farm by Judith Coopey
Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver
A Long Walk to Water by Linda Sue Park
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
Nobody's Fool by Richard Russo
Night Gardening by E.L. Swann
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin 
Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee
The Botticelli Secret by Marina Fiorato
Go With The Flo by Judith Dechesere-Boyle
The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown
The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout 
The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
The Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 
The Rosie Effect by Graeme Simsion
Life after life by Kate Atkinson
Outlander by Diana Gabaldon 
The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George 
Lottery by Patricia Wood
Radical Remission by Kelly Turner
How to be a Woman by Caitlin Moran
My Grandmother Asked Me To Tell You She's Sorry by Fredrik Backman 
The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson 
The Shack by Wm. Paul Young
Shanghai Diary by Ursula Bacon 
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles 
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
News of the World by Paulette Jiles
The Secret Wife by Gill Paul
The handmaid's tale by Margaret Atwood 
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid:A Novel by Bill Bryson
The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig
Still Life by Louise Penny
And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan 
The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn
Christmas on Jane Street by Billy Romp, Wanda Urbanska  
Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig
Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman
I Thought You Were Dead by Pete Nelson
Bccoming by Michelle Obama 
When Heaven and Earth Collide by Alan Cross 
Educated byTara Westover
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

January 16, 2019

Trying something new, we gathered at 1:00, hours earlier than usual. It went so well we decided to up it an hour and meet at noon next month. What a lovely, fluid group of thinkers!

We enjoyed discussing last month’s book, Last Bus to Wisdom, as well as catching up on all that had happened to us since our last gathering. As usual, there was a lot!

We watched a slide show of pictures from Carolyn's trip to New York City, ice skating in Times Square.

Seems I can't get all of us in one picture!

Woo hoo! Another birthday celebration! Have a happy day, Carolyn!

The book chosen for discussion in February is Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine by Gail Honeyman.