November book club at Vicki's

The book we decided on is Man's Search For Meaning by Viktor Frankl. It will be held on the last Tuesday of the month, which is the 26th, the Tuesday before Thanksgiving. Here is a synopsis of the book:

Psychiatrist Viktor Frankl's memoir has riveted generations of readers with its descriptions of life in Nazi death camps and its lessons for spiritual survival. Between 1942 and 1945 Frankl labored in four different camps, including Auschwitz, while his parents, brother, and pregnant wife perished. Based on his own experience and the experiences of others he treated later in his practice, Frankl argues that we cannot avoid suffering but we can choose how to cope with it, find meaning in it, and move forward with renewed purpose. Frankl's theory-known as logotherapy, from the Greek word logos ("meaning")-holds that our primary drive in life is not pleasure, as Freud maintained, but the discovery and pursuit of what we personally find meaningful.

At the time of Frankl's death in 1997, Man's Search for Meaning had sold more than 10 million copies in twenty-four languages. A 1991 reader survey for the Library of Congress that asked readers to name a "book that made a difference in your life" found Man's Search for Meaningamong the ten most influential books in America. 

Jo's book club night

Jo hosted a fabulous get together last night, and her house was decorated perfect for Halloween! To those who couldn't come, here are a couple quotes we discussed from the book:

“Sometimes the man who looks happiest in town, with the biggest smile, is the one carrying the biggest load of sin. There are smiles & smiles; learn to tell the dark variety from the light. The seal-barker, the laugh-shouter, half the time he's covering up. He's had his fun & he's guilty. And all men do love sin, Will, oh how they love it, never doubt, in all shapes, sizes, colors & smells. Times come when troughs, not tables, suit appetites. Hear a man too loudly praising others & look to wonder if he didn't just get up from the sty. On the other hand, that unhappy, pale, put-upon man walking by, who looks all guilt & sin, why, often that's your good man with a capital G, Will. For being good is a fearful occupation; men strain at it & sometimes break in two. I've known a few. You work twice as hard to be a farmer as to be his hog. I suppose it's thinking about trying to be good makes the crack run up the wall one night. A man with high standards, too, the least hair falls on him sometimes wilts his spine. He can't let himself alone, won't let himself off the hook if he falls just a breath from grace.” 
― Ray Bradbury, Something Wicked This Way Comes


And this quote I can relate to all too well:

“Oh Gosh, midnight’s not bad, you wake and go back to sleep, one or two’s not bad, you toss but sleep again. Five or six in the morning, there’s hope, for dawn’s just under the horizon. But three, now, three A.M.! Doctors say the body’s at low tide then. The soul is out. The blood moves slow. You’re the nearest to dead you’ll ever be save dying. Sleep is a patch of death, but three in the morn, full wide-eyed staring, is living death! You dream with your eyes open. Gosh, if you had strength to rouse up, you’d slaughter your half-dreams with buckshot! But no, you lie pinned to a deep well-bottom that’s burned dry. The moon rolls by to look at you down there, with its idiot face. It’s a long way back to sunset, a far way on to dawn, so you summon all the fool things of your life, the stupid lovely things done with people known so very well who are now so very dead – And wasn’t it true, had he read somewhere, more people in hospitals die at 3 A.M. than at any other time...” 

Movie night?

What if we did a movie night at my house and watched this movie? Could be fun! Watch the trailer here

October Book Club - Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

Here is a Synopsis:

Something Wicked This Way Comes is a 1962 novel by Ray Bradbury. It is about two 14-year-old boys, Jim Nightshade and William Halloway, who have a harrowing experience with a nightmarish traveling carnival that comes to their Midwestern town one October. The carnival's leader is the mysterious "Mr. Dark" who bears a tattoo for each person who, lured by the offer to live out his secret fantasies, has become bound in service to the carnival. Mr. Dark's malevolent presence is countered by that of Will's father, Charles Halloway, who harbors his own secret desire to regain his youth because he feels as though he is too old for Will.

The novel combines elements of fantasy and horror, analyzing the conflicting natures of good and evil, and on how they come into play between the characters and the carnival.

Book club will be held at Joanna's place at 7 pm. Bring a spooky treat and get ready for some Halloween fun!!

Location: 118 W Spring Hill Way, Sartoga Springs Ut

September book - All Creatures Great and Small

The book of the month is All Creatures Great and Small by James Herriot. Jill Brown will be hosting at her house in Cedar Hills. Book club is September 24th, so in about a week and a half! This book really is darling, and if you need to buy it, it's only $7 on Amazon. Can't wait to see you all there! Bring a potluck side dish to share, and be there at 7 pm!!

August book of the month - Proof of Heaven

This month we will be discussing the book Proof of Heaven by Eben Alexander. It's a great book! Book club will be held at my mom's house, DeNeise Young. Her address is Sugarloaf Drive, Cedar Hills. As always, bring a potluck to share, and let's have a great night!  Here is the synopsis:


A SCIENTIST’S CASE FOR THE AFTERLIFE

Thousands of people have had near-death experiences, but scientists have argued that they are impossible. Dr. Eben Alexander was one of those scientists. A highly trained neurosurgeon, Alexander knew that NDEs feel real, but are simply fantasies produced by brains under extreme stress.

Then, Dr. Alexander’s own brain was attacked by a rare illness. The part of the brain that controls thought and emotion—and in essence makes us human—shut down completely. For seven days he lay in a coma. Then, as his doctors considered stopping treatment, Alexander’s eyes popped open. He had come back.

Alexander’s recovery is a medical miracle. But the real miracle of his story lies elsewhere. While his body lay in coma, Alexander journeyed beyond this world and encountered an angelic being who guided him into the deepest realms of super-physical existence. There he met, and spoke with, the Divine source of the universe itself.

Alexander’s story is not a fantasy. Before he underwent his journey, he could not reconcile his knowledge of neuroscience with any belief in heaven, God, or the soul. Today Alexander is a doctor who believes that true health can be achieved only when we realize that God and the soul are real and that death is not the end of personal existence but only a transition.

This story would be remarkable no matter who it happened to. That it happened to Dr. Alexander makes it revolutionary. No scientist or person of faith will be able to ignore it. Reading it will change your life.

Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale

July's book is Book of a Thousand Days by Shannon Hale. I absolutely loved this book! I listened to it on Audible, and really enjoyed the music and the full cast. Great book to listen to! Book club will be a Christie Young's house in Cedar Hills. I'll post her address soon! Two weeks left!

Star Girl - Book of the month for June

Last night was so great! I loved it, and loved all of us together! We all mesh so well, and there is just a great dynamic of personalites. I love all of you women so much! Thank you for coming, and I really enjoyed our discussion. Next month, we will be reading Star Girl by Jerry Spinneli, and Teressa will be hosting at her home in Lehi. I will get the address to you shortly. As always, it will be on the last Tuesday of the month, June 25th at 7 pm, and please bring a side dish or dessert potluck to share, along with lots of thoughts to share about the book. Instead of voting on the books, I thought it was a better idea to just give everyone a chance to pick a book, and either host or I will host it if you cannot. That way we all get to read something we want! As you read the book, please leave comments, questions and such on this blog. We can start mini discussions! Let me know if you haven't got an invite to be an admin on this blog, and I will send you an invite. However, you must have a gmail account to use blogger, so if you don't have one, you'll have to create one! Love you all!!

Amanda Knox: Top 10 Points That Raised Questions During Her Murder Trial

I was researching this case, and found an interesting article that's called Amanda Knox: Top 10 Points That Raised Questions During Her Murder Trial. You can find it here.

Waiting to Be Heard - A Memoir by Amanda Knox

I was looking at some books in Wal Mart and discovered this one. I read the leaflet and also the first chapter and it intrigued me. I don't know if any of you know much about her case, but there is a lot of speculation surrounding it. Here is a summary:

Amanda Knox spent four years in a foreign prison for a crime she did not commit.

In the fall of 2007, the 20-year-old college coed left Seattle to study abroad in Italy, but her life was shattered when her roommate was murdered in their apartment.

After a controversial trial, Amanda was convicted and imprisoned. But in 2011, an appeals court overturned the decision and vacated the murder charge. Free at last, she returned home to the U.S., where she has remained silent, until now.

Filled with details first recorded in the journals Knox kept while in Italy, Waiting to Be Heard is a remarkable story of innocence, resilience, and courage, and of one young woman’s hard-fought battle to overcome injustice and win the freedom she deserved.

With intelligence, grace, and candor, Amanda Knox tells the full story of her harrowing ordeal in Italy—a labyrinthine nightmare of crime and punishment, innocence and vindication—and of the unwavering support of family and friends who tirelessly worked to help her win her freedom. 

Book club will be at my house at 7 pm. Please bring a potluck to share, and we'll chat and eat, and then have the book discussion. No children allowed! We all need a break, and 1 night a month away from our children for two hours is good for mom and kids! Get daddy to watch them, or plan a babysitter. It will be worth it, I promise! Friendships will be made that will last a lifetime. Can't wait to see you there! Also, as you read it, you can post your thoughts on this blog. Make sure you send me your email so I can make you an Admin so you can post as well! You'll be hearing from me soon. We have 3 weeks, so get reading!!