November 16 Meeting at Grace's
This book "Breaking Night" by Liz Murray was selected after I heard the author give a talk on her life at Shepherd University, she was so inspirational.
I was amazed at how far she had come in her life with all the obstacles she had faced, as well as her living conditions and her home life. She did not attend school because she felt this strong need to be there for her parents who were both drug addicts She had one sister who was not as tolerant as Liz when it came to her parents. What was unbelievable to so many of us was the love that she had for her parents, especially her mother. I believe everyone liked the book and we had a very good discussion. No one in this group could really relate to the life style that the author experienced.
We all agreed Liz Murray was very intelligent and mature for her age. She enjoyed reading and was self educated. When her family hit rock bottom and she was placed in a home, she realized she wanted more for her self. She was given an opportunity to complete school and to enter a program for college bound students through the NY Times. She was number one in her class and was accepted in to Harvard University where she excelled.
The movie "Homeless to Harvard" is based on this book and the life story of Liz Murray.
This was a special evening for us ladies as we celebrate our ten year anniversary.
So much to be THANKFUL for as we approach Thanksgiving. Good Friends. Good Food and Good Times
Love you ladies, thank you for being in my life, I am truly blessed.
Love to All.
Grace
I was amazed at how far she had come in her life with all the obstacles she had faced, as well as her living conditions and her home life. She did not attend school because she felt this strong need to be there for her parents who were both drug addicts She had one sister who was not as tolerant as Liz when it came to her parents. What was unbelievable to so many of us was the love that she had for her parents, especially her mother. I believe everyone liked the book and we had a very good discussion. No one in this group could really relate to the life style that the author experienced.
We all agreed Liz Murray was very intelligent and mature for her age. She enjoyed reading and was self educated. When her family hit rock bottom and she was placed in a home, she realized she wanted more for her self. She was given an opportunity to complete school and to enter a program for college bound students through the NY Times. She was number one in her class and was accepted in to Harvard University where she excelled.
The movie "Homeless to Harvard" is based on this book and the life story of Liz Murray.
This was a special evening for us ladies as we celebrate our ten year anniversary.
So much to be THANKFUL for as we approach Thanksgiving. Good Friends. Good Food and Good Times
Love you ladies, thank you for being in my life, I am truly blessed.
Love to All.
Grace
October 19 Meeting at Carol's
Everyone appeared to have a good time during our Halloween festivities. The
costumes were great and I love that you all entered into the holiday fun. I
hope the decorations weren't too scary or over the top. The food was
uncomplicated (pizza, veggies, cheese and crackers, chips and salsa and fruit)
and way too many desserts like usual. The book was not so successful. I think
most of us agreed the story lines were very good, but way too short. The author
jumped around from character to character and never delved far enough into the
different lives. I felt we were left hanging from a cliff too many times. My
disclaimer is I had not read the book previously and went on a recommendation
from a friend. I want next October so you can start thinking of your next
costume.
Carol
Carol
September 28 - October 2 at Pat's
Our Sept. meeting was held at the beach. We had 4 days of beautiful weather, beautiful ocean, fun if not too productive shopping, good company, and plenty of delicious food, from still warm choc. chip cookies to homemade scrapple. Our book discussion was spirited and covered many topics including organ transplant, loyalty, and monetary impact on healthcare. The cure for anything is salt water- sweat, tears and the sea.
Pat
Pat
August 17 Meeting at Sharon's
Responses to The Midwife of Hope River were very positive. We talked about the depression era environment in which Patience lived and worked and how tough it would be to live under those conditions. Several felt that for them the isolation would be the hardest to endure. We felt we learned a lot about midwifery and different approaches used in delivering babies that best fit the individual mother’s needs and comfort level. Some of us have relatives who had their children by midwives and we discussed how the practice is becoming popular again. We were also impressed that the author shared a practice as a nurse-midwife with her ob-gyn husband in Morgantown, WV, until 2003 when the drastic increase in liability insurance forced them to give up deliveries.
We missed having Drika and Pat join in the discussion with us. Kathy set up a group photo for us to send with a card to Ellen who is recovering from emergency surgery.
Sharon
We missed having Drika and Pat join in the discussion with us. Kathy set up a group photo for us to send with a card to Ellen who is recovering from emergency surgery.
Sharon
Get well soon, Ellen!
July 20 Meeting at Pam's
The book for this month was “Woman #17” by Edam Lepucki. It was about relationships between mothers, daughters and friends. I think we all agreed the author didn’t really show why the relationship didn’t work. Lady hires Ester, nickname 5 without really knowing her or checking her qualifications. I really don’t think most people would do that. 5 has an affair with Lady’s son. It was hard getting into the characters. 5 and Lady are a bad combination and drink way too much. I just couldn’t relate to them. I fixed spaghetti with Italian sausages, hamburger and bacon, tossed salad and fresh baked bread. Maybe because of all the drinking in the book not much wine was consumed. We did have a great evening just talking. It’s a great group of ladies and we always manage to have fun no matter what we’re reading.
Pam
Pam
