The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans

Thank you for hosting in your festive home Cortney!

In attendance:

Cortney, Jamie, Lille, Lauren, Joy, and welcome Maria Nakata

Our fabulous December book with a sweet Christmas theme was written by Richard Paul Evans. Hallmark Channel has a movie made from this book. However, while the movie was entertaining there were a few deviations from the book that made the movie comparably less fantastic.

Richard Paul Evans has a way of making 300 pages fly by. The Mistletoe Promise has this effect as well. Perfect.

Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder

Book Club at Joy's House

In attendance:

Joy, Cortney, Lauren, Jamie


This series by Maria V. Snyder totally rocks.

The first book begins with Poison Study then on to Magic Study and completing with Fire Study.

Highly recommended adventure!

yes! bring on the snacks!

Happy Halloween, Here Comes Thanksgiving, and Get Ready for Christmas!

Our October Book Club took place at Joy's home.
In Attendance:
Lauren, Cortney, Jamie, Moana and Joy
This month we talked about two books. Our September book was Amaranth Enchantment by Julie Berry and our October book was I Am Not a Serial Killer by Dan Wells. Both books had great synopsises unfortunately the stories fell a little flat at the twists and turns.

candy corn, cookies, cream cheese & pepper jelly on pita chips,
pumpkin cake & cream cheese frosting, sparkling raspberry punch and
affectionately titled 'Butt Bars' sooooo delicious! see below for recipe

Book Suggestions mentioned tonight:
Graceling by Kristin Cashore (Adventure and strong female lead character)
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder - *see below (must read the whole Study Series!)
The Winter Sea by Susanna Kearsley (The ebook cover is beautiful)

Recipe for Butt Bars (Mom's Double-Delicious Halloween Bars) Thank you Lauren!

1/2 c. butter
1 1/2 c. grahm cracker crumbs
1 can (14oz) sweetened con. milk
1 (12oz) pkg chocolate chips
1 c. peanut butter and/or butterscotch chips

1. Preheat to 350 degrees
2. melt butter in 9x13 baking dish
3. sprinkle crumbs over butter
4. pour sweetened con. milk over crumbs
5. top with chips, press down firmly
6. bake 25-30 min or until lightly browned
7. cool, then cut into bars

Our Books for November and December 2016:
Poison Study by Maria V. Snyder
Tuesday, November 29th,7pm location TBD

The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans
Annual Cookie Exchange
Tuesday, December 20th, 7pm Cortney's Home

The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker

Happy 13th Anniversary to all our Book Club Members Past and Present!
Our June and July Book was The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker suggested by Cortney

In attendance at Joy's home:
Jamie, Cortney, Lauren, Kat and Joy

The discussion questions we followed for The Art of Hearing Heartbeats:

1. In your opinion, what does the back-and-forth between Julia’s and U Ba’s narratives add to the telling of the love story between Tin Win and Mi Mi? How do these stories interrelate? 

2. Tin Win is born to parents who abandon him as a child but Mi Mi is born into a close-knit family. Mi Mi’s mother, especially, adores her daughter. Do you see this developmental difference reflected in the adult each one becomes, or in the way the two relate to one another?
3. After he loses his sight, Tin Win spends several years in a monastery under the tutelage of the abbot, U May. In your opinion, what does U May model for Tin Win? How does Tin Win grow in these years?
4. Tin Win’s wealthy uncle, U Saw, finances Tin Win’s eye operation and subsequent education abroad. But to U Saw’s discredit, his motives are self-interested, and for his own convenience, he obstructs all communication between Tin Win and Mi Mi. Is U Saw portrayed as a villain—or is he even villainous?
5. A portion of the novel is in the form of letters. Does this change the mood or the flow of the novel? The way you see the characters?
6. Tin Win and Mi Mi develop an intense, literally symbiotic relationship: he walks for her; she acts as his eyes. They become inseparable, but then they are separated for decades. Given what you know about each character, how do you think they are able to withstand the time apart?
7. Discuss the role of memory in the novel, both individual and collective.
8. Burma (now known as Myanmar) was occupied by the British from the nineteenth century until 1948. How important is this colonial history to the major events of the novel?

There were a few more discussion questions but we felt The Art of Hearing Heartbeats was sufficiently discussed out.

Next fun topics of conversation went in three directions: FOOD, MUSICALS and BOOKS

FOOD Establishment recommendations:

Cortney suggested Big Kahunas by the airport to try the BBQ pizza and the club sandwich
Big City Diner multiple locations, Joy's favorite: Paniolo Chicken Salad
Jamie mentioned Mexico in Kalihi 
We all want to try Coquitos in Waianae for Puerto Rican, Colombian & Caribbean selections
Lauren felt North Shore Tacos are the closest to Cafe Rio on the island
Then Cortney mentioned Hughley's for southern food. That place is high on my to-go list.
Queen Street Cafe & Grill has awesome firecracker Chicken. yes, please.
Dixie Grill got some not so great reviews from our bookclubbers.
And one of our favorite group places to eat is Cattle Company and their hot fudge cake. We've had too many farewells at Cattle Company though.

MUSICALS:

Cortney has an affinity for Musicals! How awesome is she?! So I picked her brain. Some favorites she mentioned: Singing in the Rain, The King & I, White Christmas, that one she watches every year. Then we found out Cortney's favorite Christmas CD is Martina McBride.

Kat mentioned the musical Urinetown of which we thought was You're In Town ....nope. Urinetown. hahaha

The Paet family favorite Musical is Seven Brides for Seven Brothers. Bless Your Beautiful Hide! And I like Chicago, too. We all LOVE The Sound of Music. I'm surprised none of us mentioned Grease, however!

BOOKS:

Our August Books for the month will be the Stung series by Bethany Wiggins. 

Book ONE: Stung

Book TWO: Cured

This series is Moana's suggestion and Cortney and I read them. They are super quick reads and both very good.

Each book is approximately 300 pages. So we will all need to get crackin'!

Also mentioned for possible future reads:

Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline, 278 pages

Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum, 497 pages

The Secret Keeper (478 pages) and The Lake House (593 pages) both by Kate Morton

And Finally, Pebble Ice or Nugget Ice is to be found at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf or in a pinch at Sam's Club in their cafe. Aloha!!

The Land Uncharted by Keely Brooke Keith

The Land Uncharted by Keely Brook Keith

Lydia Colburn is a young physician dedicated to serving her village in the Land, an undetectable island in the South Atlantic Ocean. When Lt. Connor Bradshaw’s parachute carries him from the world war to Lydia's hidden land, his mission could expose her simple society. As Connor searches for a way to return to his squadron, his fascination with life in the Land makes him protective of Lydia and her peaceful homeland, and Lydia’s attraction to Connor stirs desires she never anticipated. But will they be able to keep the Land hidden?(goodreads.com)

In attendance: Joy, Jamie, Cortney, Moana, Amalie and welcome to Lauren Snow!

We got together at Joy's home. This book was available for download online and not at the Hawaii Public Library. Those who chose to read it found it on Amazon or using their Kindle store.

Usually we like to find a book with a reader's guide or discussion questions. There were none available online so this time we tried our best to make our own questions. Here's a sample from our discussion:

• The author suggests that "The Land Uncharted" was an "unusual mix of science fiction, historical fiction, and romance." Do you feel this is a good description? What would you change or add to the description?
• Connor Bradshaw became the first person to arrive to "The Land" since the colonists' arrival. What did he do -or- what actions did he take to become accepted by the Colburn family and the community?
• "The Land Uncharted" is a place where seemingly time has stopped. Modern conveniences haven't been invented. What would it be like to have the knowledge of modern conveniences and no longer have them? Would you try to possibly improve the lives of those around you or make the most of what is offered from the time of mid-1850s America?
• "The Land Uncharted" may have had a satisfying ending for some. There are sequels. Would you read a continuation of this book? What direction would you like the story to take? Who should the next book be about?

Then everyone was asked to rate the book based on a stand alone novel and not part of a series. The ratings were varied. We all thought this was the bones for a really great story.  (***possible spoiler***) And we all wanted more conflict and resolution with the outside world. No closure or resolution came for Connor, (or his bewildered co-pilot) or with all he could be reunited with in the modern age.(***end of spoiler***)

Because of the book's main focus being the ins-and-outs of this new unheard of community, it was aptly titled: The Land Uncharted.
Here's a link to carry forward to book 2: Uncharted Redemption

The book for next month, May 24th Book Club:
Ready Player One by Earnest Cline suggested by Amalei.

In the year 2044, reality is an ugly place. The only time teenage Wade Watts really feels alive is when he's jacked into the virtual utopia known as the  OASIS. Wade's devoted his life to studying the puzzles hidden within this world's digital confines, puzzles that are based on their creator's obsession with the pop culture of decades past and that promise massive power and fortune to whoever can unlock them. When Wade stumbles upon the first clue, he finds himself beset by players willing to kill to take this ultimate prize. The race is on, and if Wade's going to survive, he'll have to win—and confront the real world he's always been so desperate to escape(goodreads.com).

 
Our June Book is The Art of Hearing Heartbeats by Jan-Philipp Sendker suggested by Cortney

 A poignant and inspirational love story set in Burma, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats spans the decades between the 1950s and the present.  When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without a trace, neither his wife nor his daughter Julia has any idea where he might be…until they find a love letter he wrote many years ago, to a Burmese woman they have never heard of. Intent on solving the mystery and coming to terms with her father’s past, Julia decides to travel to the village where the woman lived. There she uncovers a tale of unimaginable hardship, resilience, and passion that will reaffirm the reader’s belief in the power of love to move mountains(goodreads.com).

Other books we talked about tonight:
Kat mentioned The Last Girl by Joe Hart  and A Miracle of Hope by Ruth Reid
Moana mentioned Stung by Bethany Wiggins
Joy mentioned Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
Lauren mentioned her favorite classic authors are Jane Austin, and the Bronte Sisters. She also recommended The Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd

Celebrating 12 Awesome Years of Reading!

Blackmoore by Julianna Donaldson

We really enjoy this author. Julianna Donaldson really knows how to write a proper, clean, fantastic romance. Blackmoore by Julianna Donaldson was genuine entertainment. Our book club group had a great time discussing the story and grateful for the reader's guide at the back off the book.

In attendance, Jamie, Cortney, Joy and welcome to Kat Johnston and Cloe.

March Book Club pick:

 Heir Apparent by Vivian Vande Velde

The Gift by Richard Paul Evans

Cookies, Cookies, Cookies!!

I just love our December Book Club and Cookie Exchange. This year was super yummy. Thank you everyone!

This month our book pick was The Gift by Richard Paul Evans.
In Attendance,

Digna, Peggy, Cortney, Amalie, Virginia, Joy, Jamie, and Krystal

 Welcome to book club Peggy and Digna.

suggestions made for future reading:
The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin
Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Blackmoore by Julianna Donaldson

The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch

Thank you Monica for hosting book club at your lovely home.

In attendance,
Monica, Joy, Delight(Joy's sister-in-law), Krystal, Cortney and Jamie

We read and discussed The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
from goodreads.com:
"We cannot change the cards we are dealt, just how we play the hand."
— Randy Pausch
A lot of professors give talks titled "The Last Lecture." Professors are asked to consider their demise and to ruminate on what matters most to them. And while they speak, audiences can't help but mull the same question: What wisdom would we impart to the world if we knew it was our last chance? If we had to vanish tomorrow, what would we want as our legacy?
When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave--"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"--wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have...and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living.
In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon and given it an indelible form.


We are all looking forward to December's Cookie Exchange!

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart

Our October Book Club selection:  We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
A beautiful and distinguished family.
A private island.
A brilliant, damaged girl; a passionate, political boy.
A group of four friends—the Liars—whose friendship turns destructive.
A revolution. An accident. A secret.
Lies upon lies.
True love.
The truth.

We Were Liars is a modern, sophisticated suspense novel from National Book Award finalist and Printz Award honoree E. Lockhart.

Read it.
And if anyone asks you how it ends, just LIE.
summary found at goodreads.com

This month we met at Cortney's home. I just LOVE how she decorates for Halloween. The food was YUMMY! Jamie made pumpkin mochi, Cortney made s'mores bread and pasta salad, Joy made fudge and brought spinach artichoke dip. There was also pumpkin flavored Oreos.

In attendance, Cortney, Jamie, Joy and Kanoe.
The book was recommended by Amalie.

We talked about our upcoming book selections:
November The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch
December The Gift by Richard Paul Evans

The Maze Runner by James Dashner

Our September Selection:
 The Maze Runner by James Dashner​
​
"If you ain't scared, you ain't human."

When Thomas wakes up in the lift, the only thing he can remember is his name. He's surrounded by strangers--boys whose memories are also gone.

Outside the towering stone walls that surround the Glade is a limitless, ever-changing maze. It's the only way out--and no one's ever made it through alive.

Then a girl arrives. The first girl ever. And the message she delivers is terrifying​.

Movie Night!!! September 23, 2014 at the Kapolei Theaters' 7:15PM showing. What fun!!

We had great time! Krystal, and her friend Peggy, Kanoe, Jamie, Cortney, and Val.

Inferno by Dan Brown

Our August selection:
Inferno by Dan Brown
 In his international blockbusters The Da Vinci Code, Angels & Demons, and The Lost Symbol, Dan Brown masterfully fused history, art, codes, and symbols. In this riveting new thriller, Brown returns to his element and has crafted his highest-stakes novel to date.

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.

Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered.

Unfortunately we were unable to meet this month. I was unable to reschedule a book club get together.
Mostly my fault. Tuesday, August 26th was Clesson and my 19th wedding anniversary ♥

~Joy