Hey everyone!

Im Glad to see that the relief society has a blog now. How fun! Its been awhile since the last book club meeting and I thought it might be fun to have some great summer reading. I will announce in relief society the book for the month of july. Hopefully we can get a great trun out like the last time.

Book for March is The candy shop war by Brandon mull

Meeting will be held at Cherry on top by ralphs on mcarthur on thurs april 2 at 7pm

We will meet Febuary 26 at 7:30 pm. I will let you know if this changes. If you have any questions or suggestions let me know. Enjoy the book and hope to see you soon.

Thank you to all those who attended the last meeting we had fun and a great talk about the book. I have asked Anna Simkins to host the book club for February and she has chosen

Life of PI by Yann Martel.

Book Club Meeting

The Book Club Meeting for January will be held at Goldie Mayry's Apt on January 29, 2009 At 6 PM. you may bring something to snack on if you would like but you don't have to. I have asked Anna Simkins to host for Feb. She will announce the new book at the meeting, and I will post it on the blog. I look forward to seeing you at the end of the month.

Because December is so busy I have decided that we are not officially having a book. However If you feel like you would like to read something during that time I would suggest A Red Bird Chirstmas By Fannie Flagg.

For January I have asked Goldie Mayry to host the book club and she has chosen the book for that month. The Book is
"The Number One Ladies Detective Agency" by Alexander Mccall Smith.

We will let you know the date of the next meeting which will be held towards the end of January.

Questions for The Wednesday Letters

We had our first club meeting on Friday night. Thank you to those that came. It was really fun. I enjoyed talking in depth about the characters of the book. Here are the questions we discussed.

Jack’s death was expected, whereas Laurel’s was a surprise. Do you think one way is preferable to the other? Are there things you can do to help prepare yourself for a loved one’s demise? A&P adopts the nickname that others had given to mock her, telling herself, “nicknames mean you matter” (p. 5). Have you ever had a nickname you didn’t like? How might you have turned it around to give it a positive meaning? The youngest Cooper child, Malcolm, has been away for two years. Would he have returned to Woodstock earlier if he’d known his father was dying of cancer? Should he have returned sooner? When Malcolm does return home, he discovers a secret his parents kept from him. Have you ever discovered secrets held by someone you loved after he or she had passed on? How did your discovery affect your feelings about that person? Why did Laurel try to keep Malcolm’s parentage a secret? Would Jack and Malcolm have been happier if she had? When Sam was 17, she ran away to New York City to pursue her dream of having an acting career. Though she got a small part in a show called “Curtains” she eventually stopped pursuing her dream. How and why did this happen? Is it admirable or disappointing that Samantha puts other’s needs ahead of her dreams? When reading her father’s letters, Samantha learns that he paid for the part in the show she got. Yet she’s not angry about this. Why not? Was this the act of a loving parent or a controlling father? Does learning this secret change Samantha’s view of herself? Aside from the Coopers, who is your favorite character and why? Joe is finally able to give up alcohol because the girl he nearly killed forgave him—even visiting him and frequently writing him letters while he was in prison. What is the novel saying about the relationship between forgiveness and self-acceptance? Where else are these themes worked through the novel? Matthew and Monica’s marriage is troubled by their childlessness. Would it have lasted if they hadn’t been able to adopt a child? What does a child bring to a couple like Matthew and Monica? What does Nathan’s inability to trust Rain say about him? Is there such a thing as a healthy skepticism? Discuss Malcolm’s development over the course of the novel. How do the letters play a part in his journey to maturity? What is it about letters that gives them such power? When was the last time you wrote a letter? It takes an unusual spirit to forgive your rapist—and even welcome him into your community. Could you—like Jack and Laurel—accept Pastor Doug as a man of God? Does The Wednesday Letters inspire you to start any traditions of your own?