August 18 Meeting at Linda's

Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls and children of all ages -- Welcome to Linda's. 

We are together once again and this time to discuss a very special lady Mabel Starks who reminds us a little of Linda....right?  She always has a story or another adventure and so did this circus lady who was married 4 or 5 times and very much in love with her 550 pound Rajah.  She lead a active if not slightly insane circus life.  Everyone has thought about running away to join the circus until you realize it's a dirty tough life.  I liked the book but the gratuitous sex with the sick old guy at the end was totally unnecessary.  Edna concurred.

Next month on Sept 15, we will meet at Pam's house after reading "Growing Up Amish" by Ira Wagler.  Pam daughter knows the author and will purchase autographed copies of the books for those who requested one.  We threw out some comments about life in the Amish community but we will leave most discussion until next month.  Otherwise we'll have nothing to talk about. Oh right!

Our banner will be auctioned off Sept 3 at noon at the Art Centre located at 300 West King Street. I suggested that we bid on our banner up to $110 if each member will pitch in $10.  Please let me know if you are in agreement so I know my maximum bid. If we win, I suggest we donate the banner to the library or we can pass it around to the members of the bookclub.  There was a bit of discussion so first we’ll need to secure the banner and then we will decide what to do with it.

BTW, Edna did find her notes.  They were lying in the road in front of my next door neighbor's house.  Needless to say, Edna was ecstatic.

Start thinking of what book you want us to read for next year's bookclub.
Year THREE starts in October.  WOW can't believe it.  It's been fun.

We missed you -- Roe, Pat and Louisa and will see you next month.

So many books, so little time,

KAthy G

July 21 Meeting at Louisa's

It  was a hot and steamy night and one by one they sauntered into the room.  Sweat dripping from their brow. What could posess these fair ladies to venture out on a evening like this.

Well maybe it's bookclub night and Louisa just invited us into her home for some fun, fixing and discussin'.  Crack open the wine and pour me a drink, it's time to discuss "Midnight in the Garden of Good Evil" by John Berendt.

Louisa asked several questions on the book to get us talking, Oh really, like we need an incentive.  What really happened on that night when Hansford died?  Are the characters in the books similar to the folks in Martinsburg?  We do have our own characters.  Does voodoo really work, I don't think anyone really bought that.  After Louisa's famous cookies were passed around more discussion insued and we learned more about Savannah, love, life and each other.

Next month we will meet on August 18 at Linda home after reading "The Final Confession of Mabel Stark" by Robert Hough.  The book is not in the Martinsburg Library, so if anyone gets a copy please pass it around.

Stay cool and enjoy your summer.

KAthy G

June 16 Meeting at Ellen's

Aw bummer....we didn't get to go swimming at Ellen's, but all is not lost, we still get together once again for bookclub.  As we gather around the food , we catch up on what happened over the past month.  When Ellen finally gets our attention, we get around to discussing the book "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks.  Ellen picked this book because she liked the author and the books he's written, namely 'Notebook".  Grace questioned what the character "Jo" was all about and everyone chimed in to discuss their take on the story.  A 

major topic of conversation was spousal abuse and stories of friends and locals who have been abused were discussed.  Linda shared an incident in her never ending story that quite amazed us.  Although we were glad that "Kevin" got what he deserved, one couldn't help wonder why he was like that and the book really didn't delve into his character or explain why he was abusive, other than he was greatly affected by the brutal aspects of his job.
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On July 21 we will head over to Louisa's to discuss " Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil" by John Berendt.  The library has several copies so you shouldn't have any problem getting a copy.
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Have a wonderful summer and see ya all in a month if not sooner,
KAthy G

May 19 Meeting at Sharon's

Välkommen!
We are greeted by the Swedish flag as we enter Sharon's home.
After our usual catching up on the events of the past month and having satiated our appetites, we adjoin to the living room to discuss "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Steig Larsson. Sharon poses several questions dealing with the characters in the book, namely Mikael Blomqvist, Erica Berger, Martin, Harriet and Lisbeth.  Lisbeth it is agreed was the main character and a character she was.  I was disturbed by the extent of the brutal revenge she inflicts upon Nils Bjurman her so called guardian, but he did indeed deserve it.  He was a pig!

Lisbeth is a strong and odd character and it is obvious by the ending, that this is not the last we will see of her.  Al joined us in the discussion and added his view of this book with the recommendation to continue reading the entire three book series -  The Girl Who Played with Fire and The Girl Who Kicked the Hornets' Nest.

Next month we will meet at Ellen's home and read "Safe Haven" by Nicholas Sparks who also wrote "The Notebook".

Louisa drew our attention to a used book web site call Alibris.com where you can purchase books for as little as 99¢ plus shipping.
Friday, I will drop off our banner.  There is a reception for "The Festival of Banners 2011" on Friday May 27th at 7pm at Boydville.  I'll post details tomorrow. 

Enjoy the sun when it makes it's next appearance.

God kväll!

KAthy G

April 28th Meeting at Pat's

Despite having surgery on Monday, Pat invited us into her home for a wonderful night of companionship, discussion and of course, food.  After we had more than enough to eat, Pat started discussion on her book "Promises to Keep",  She explained her job as Navigator for Hospice and how it related to the book.   Everyone contributed their experience of dealing with death since we've all been there.  At our age, I don't think anyone hasn't had someone close die, or had to deal with cancer.  It was a very positive discussion and truly a fact of life.  Pat offered several books, some  that dealt the dying process and guide for caregivers, and others on  becoming truly happy. Then Pat asked if we could go "vegan" to improve our chances of beating cancer.  No meat, eggs, dairy products, butter and all other animal -derived ingredients.   That drove us to the dessert table. Somehow a life without good rich desserts doesn't sound appealing.

I brought in the banner Alice and I painted for the Downtown Martinsburg banner project with the Good Time Girl Book and Dinner Club theme.

We also had a surprise visit by Roe's little sister Theresa and her daughter Jen who are heading out to WVU to check it out.  That made things very lively.

Next month we will read "Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" by Stieg Larsson and meet at Sharon's house on May 19.

(Pat give me your book suggested list and I will post them on the blog.)

Good reading and see you in three weeks.

KAthy G

March 17th Meeting at Alice's

We show up. We listen. We try to laugh. 
We also eat. We talk. We have a great time.

Tonight we met at Alice's home and are greeted by FREE books from Alice's collection. After catching up on the events of the past month, we dine and then start discussion on "A Short Guide to a Happy Life". Alice gives us a brief biography of Anna Quindlen and explains her connection to this author.  The book is filled with a number of quotations and everyone picks their favorite. The book also contains photos and we pick out several that strike our fancy.  Alice and Louisa brought out their personal photos which were wonderful. It was a little book with a simple message.

Alice and I pass around the designs we made for the Downtown Martinsburg Banner Project using the Good Time Girls Dinner / Bookclub as our inspiration.  We will paint at my house and I will let you know when we need any help for this project.  If there is something particular you want to do, let me know.

Next month we will meet at Pat Fogel's home on April 28 -- the 4th Thursday of the month.  We will read  "Promises to Keep" by Jane Green.  Please note the author's name because there are several books with that title.

Erin Go Bragh

KAthy G