The Memory Keeper's Daughter 6/18/08

Thank you to DeAnna for hosting this month's book club.

In Attendance:
DeAnna, Sarah, Keri, Aisha, Cortney, Rhona, and Molly.

Rhona and Cortney left positive book reviews of The Memory Keeper's Daughter on Goodreads.com.

Next month will be at Joy Paet's home on July 16th at 7 o'clock. We will be discussing The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

The Last Promise - 5/21/08

This month we read The Last Promise by Richard Paul Evans.

Richard Paul Evans has a writing formula down pat -
1. Find an unsuspecting attractive person.
2. Find out their love story.
3. Make sure one or both of them kept a diary or letters to one another.
4. Capitalize on it.

Positive book reviews were left on Goodreads.com by Rhona, Joy, Moana and Caddie.



We had a baby shower for Amber Standage. The Standages will be welcoming a new baby boy in early June. Right Amber?!

We all wish much love to you, Rick and big sister Taryn.



Thank you Molly for opening your beautiful home for book club this month. And thank you for all your planning to make Amber's baby shower so much fun. I loved the candles and blue theme. And thanks to Sarah, Molly and Trisha for the games and prizes.

In attendance:
Molly, Sarah, Joy, Trisha, Arielle, Bonnie, Jane, Amber and
Codee & Terry (Kahana) - Born May 1st. Congratulations Franco Ohana!!

The book we will be reading in June:
The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.
**UPDATE** Our next meeting:
Wednesday, June 18th, 7 PM at DeAnna Dotson's home.

**Update** Congratulations to the Standage Ohana!
Bryant Richard Standage born June 6th.

**Update** Please notice the book for July is now The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls.

Kindred 04/23/08

Thanks Rhona for opening your home for Book Club this month. Kindred by Octavia E. Butler was an interesting book to discuss. Especially with the juxtaposition of a modern 1970s black woman traveling back to an era of pre-civil war slavery.

In Attendance:
Rhona, Sarah, Molly, & Joy

In May will be talking about The Last Promise by Richard Paul Evans. Thanks Molly for agreeing to host at your home. We'll see everyone on Wednesday, May 21st.

* Congratulations Codee on the the birth of Kahana Franco May 1, 2008! *

The True Story of Hansel and Gretel 3/25/08

Ah, The True Story of Hansel and Gretel: a novel of war and survival by Loise Murphy, while the story premise seemed spot on interesting. The horror and intensity of the subject matter made it difficult for many to push through to the end. I will say that those that could stomach the peril thought the book was worth the read. There were just too many of us that couldn't recommend it to others.

April's Book will be Kindred by Octavia E. Butler. (287 pages)

We need to vote for our next meeting date of either April 15(tax day) or April 22?
Please post for a vote on the day and place of April's book club. Mahalo!

The Sunflower 2/19/08

What a wonderful productive evening at Book Club! Thank you to everyone for all your great input.

Cortney may be our first published author. . .of a cook book. ;-) *hint *hint - Yum - I need the recipe for your Curry Pasta. Along with Cortney, Moana, Rhona, Jane, Codee and I talked about The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans.

Perfect love casteth out fear. 1 John 4:18

What a nice, feel-good, inspirational book. We all loved the chapter headings, the author's style, and felt it was worth visiting his work again. (*read* check out MAY's selection)

**** Joy's review on www.goodnessmatters.com****
Knowing goodness matters to so many people makes it easy to recommend The Sunflower by Richard Paul Evans. It is such an uplifting, simple, good read.  Reaching the last page made me wish it could continue on - and even with the brevity of the tale it left such a lasting impression. At the heart of the story is a very real orphanage in Peru named "El Girasol" - The Sunflower. Paul Cook an American ER doctor, gave up his career and selflessly became the orphanage Director. A young woman, Christine Hollister, who's heartsick after her fiance broke off their engagement agrees to go on a humanitarian expedition with her best friend Christine. During this expedition, a beautiful story unfolds about service, children, sacrifice and love. The whole story is sumptuously written with thought provoking quotations from Paul's diary at the beginning of each chapter.  

*Paul Cook's Diary*
The surest way to minimize your own burdens is to carry someone else's. (ch. 6)

Today I overheard an American teenager comparing her deprivation to that of our children, because her parents would only buy her a used car. There are none so impoverished as those who do not acknowledge the abundance of their lives. (ch. 9)

Feelings can be like wild animals - we underrate how fierce they are until we've opened their cages. (ch. 12)

The more I study history the more I realize how little mankind has changed. There are no new scripts, just different actors. (ch.14)

I have come to believe that the only true way we can serve God is to serve His children. (ch. 20)
*~*~*~*~*~*
"Chocolate is God's apology for broccoli" (ha!)

From reading The Sunflower I understood how the value of service, sacrifice and generosity to others can have a healing affect in our own life. Oh, I want to pick up the book and start it again right from the beginning! ~Joy  updated 8/19/2011


And. . .drum roll please. . .We have the next 6 months of book picks. =D

March 25th (*note: 4th Tuesday)
The True Story of Hansel and Gretel: a novel of war and survival by Loise Murphy

April: Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

May: The Last Promise by Richard Paul Evans

June: The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

July: The Appeal by John Grisham **Update** The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

**UPDATE**:
August: These is My Words by Nancy E. Turner

September: Breaking Dawn (Book 4 of the Twilight Series) by Stephenie Meyer
~release date August 2nd~

Can't wait to hear your comments. As for those of you who had to be away from us this evening - without question - Ladies, you were missed.

Next Book Club Meeting: March 25, 2008 at Cortney Nadig's home.
****Last Minute switch**** Book Club will be meeting at Rhona's home 3/25 at 7 PM.

Love Comes Softly and a Farewell to Elizabeth

Thank you Rhona for opening your home for our book club meeting. Our meeting this month allowed us to bid Aloha 'Oe to Elizabeth Baldwin. We'll miss you so much! Thank goodness for email! Cyberspeakingly, you'll still be close! I was about to list all the gals that have moved away that we still keep up with, however. . .there's just too many and I'd end up bawling!!!

This was a great meeting for book discussion. We talked about "Love Comes Softly" by Janette Oke. This is the first book of 8 in the series:
The first date is the book publication date the second is the date the book was made into a movie.

1. Love Comes Softly (1979) (2003)
2. Love's Enduring Promise (1979) (2004)
3. Love's Long Journey (1982) (2005)
4. Love's Abiding Joy (1983) (2006)
5. Love's Unending Legacy (1984) (2007)
6. Love's Unfolding Dream (1987) (2007)
7. Love Takes a Wing (1988) (2009)
8. Love Finds a Home (1989) (2009)

***update9/20/2011***ALL the books have now been made into Hallmark movies. The most recent Love Finds a Home(2009) And now there is a 9th movie called Love Begins(2011) a prequel to Love Comes Softly*** AND  a 10th movie Loves Everlasting Courage(2011) premiering on the Hallmark Channel October 1, 2011 - which is also a prequel to Love Comes Softly.
They are really beautiful stories. So read, then watch or just watch. ;-)

For February we will be reading "The Sunflower" by Richard Paul Evans and the February 19th meeting will be at Joy Paet's home. Yehaw! ;-)

****9/20/2011 update*** Ladies of the Palehua Ward Relief Society had a retreat this past weekend and we watched Love Comes Softly(2003), ate snacks and just enjoyed each others' company like we do so well. Such a wonderful movie and a fine adaptation of the book***

It's Christmas at Palehua Book Club

December's book club meeting was held at Jane Gorton's home. She did such an amazing job making us feel festive!
Amber, Trisha, Sarah, Jane, Joy, Elizabeth, DeAnna, Cortney, Moana

Sarah, Jane and . . . mmmmmmm, Yum!

The gals!........................Sarah and Joy

Amber and Trisha..............Moana, Cortney and Trisha

Molly, Cortney and Sarah...............Elizabeth and Cortney

December's book was: Thorn In My Heart by Carol Higgs
For January we will be reading Love Comes Softly by Janette Oke.

A Girl Named Zippy 11/20/07

Thank you Molly for hosting Book Club this month.
A big welcome to Aubrey Carson! Thanks Trisha for 'recruiting' your cousin. HOW FUN!

We had a good turnout:
In addition to Molly Koch, Aubrey Carson, Trisha Sessions, we also had Cortney Nadig, Amber Standage, Codee Franco, Jane Gorton, Sarah Ohki, Joy Paet, Rhona Slingerland, and Tori Sessions.

Check out the review on Goodreads.com for A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel

Our next meeting will be on Tuesday, December 20 at Jane Gorton's home to talk about Thorn in my Heart by Carol Higgs.

Jane Eyre and Farewell for Debbie Sell - 10/16/07

Thank you Trish Sessions for opening up your lovely home for our get together.
Molly Koch, Tori Sessions, Elizabeth and Ethan Baldwin,
Trish Sessions, Sarah Ohki, Jessica Rogers, Moana Piena,
Codee Franco, Jane Gorton, Amber Standage, Cortney Nadig,
Debbie Sell, Leticia Davis, Val Diamond, Keri Magaoay, Joy Paet















Our October Book: Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë

"'You have saved my life: I have a please in owning you so immense a debt. I cannot say more. Nothing else that has being would have been tolerable to me in the character of creditor for such an obligation: but you: it is different;--I feel your benefits no burden, Jane...I knew,' he continued, 'you would do me good in some way, at some time;--I saw it in your eyes when I first beheld you: their expression and smile did not...strike delight to my very inmost heart so for nothing...My cherished preserver, good night!'" Chapter 15

November's book:
A Girl Named Zippy - Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel

Thanks Molly Koch for offering your home!

**THIS JUST IN** from Moana Piena:

PEANUT BUTTER HERSHEY KISSES

I first tasted these at a Relief Society movie night thing and later got the recipe from a friend. Sinfully delicious!

1 bag (13 oz.) Hershey’s kisses

1 c. Karo light corn syrup

½ c. sugar

2 c. peanut butter (18 oz. jar)

5 c. Rice Krispies

Unwrap Hershey’s kisses. Put Rice Krispies in a large mixing bowl. Simmer syrup and sugar until sugar dissolves. Add peanut butter and mix. Pour over cereal and mix. Flatten small portion of mix, place kiss in center and shape into balls.

*Congratulations to Val Diamond and her family! Krystal Diamond arrived on October 24, 2007!*

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas 9/18/07

At Amber Standage's home.

Suzanne's Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson

In attendance (remind me if I'm mistaken):
Amber Standage
Trish Sessions
Moana Piena
Tori Sessions (Nate)
Debbie Sell
Molly Koch
Jane Gorton
Elizabeth Baldwin
Codee Franco
De Dotson
Joy Paet

Amber, you just out did yourself with your beautiful handout and table display. Thank you for opening your home to us.


A made for TV movie was released in 2005. I highly recommend watching the movie after reading the book. I thought it was really good. The actor that plays Matt, Johnathon Schaech, was really terrific playing the man in head-over-heals love and anguishing loss.

Redeeming Love 5/17/07

At Molly Koch's home.

Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers

It was only a matter of time a blog was organized for our Book Club. . .so why not me?