A Little Summer Reading

Hey there Princesses!
First of all, thanks so much to Alexis for hosting a great discussion about Olive Kitteridge! It was an interesting book that really made us think about life - great pick!

Now that it's summer, we have one of our founding members back in the city and we're looking forward to her hosting our next party. Welcome back Kathleen!

Kathleen has chosen a book that sounds amazing. It's called Death with Interruptions by Jose Saramago. Here are the deets:
On the first day of the new year, no one dies. This of course causes consternation among politicians, religious leaders, morticians, and doctors. Among the general public, on the other hand, there is initially celebration. Flags are hung out on balconies, people dance in the streets. They have achieved the great goal of humanity: eternal life. Then reality hits home, families are left to care for the permanently dying, life insurance policies become meaningless, and funeral parlors are reduced to arranging burials for pet dogs, cats, hamsters, and parrots. Death sits in her chilly apartment, where she lives alone with a scythe and filing cabinets, and contemplates her experiment: what if no one ever died again? What if she, death with a small d, became human and were to fall in love?


Sounds great!
Happy reading
S

June's Read

Hey there Princesses,

First of all, I'd like to give a big thank you to Rachel P. for hosting the fantastic Mother's Day Brunch! We all had a great time and I think our mothers/grandmothers did too.

And now, on to June!

June's hostess is Alexis and she's chosen Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout. Here's the blurb:

At times stern, at other times patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town of Crosby, Maine, and in the world at large, but she doesn't always recognize the changes in those around her: a lounge musician haunted by a past romance; a former student who has lost the will to live; Olive's own adult child, who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and her husband, Henry, who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse.

As the townspeople grapple with their problems, mild and dire, Olive is brought to a deeper understanding of herself and her life - sometimes painfully, but always with ruthless honesty. Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition - its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires.

Sounds great!

Happy reading,

Sarah R

Mother's Day Book Brunch!

Hola Princesses!

Thanks to Rachel M. for her wonderful party to discuss last month's book. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close was such a touching story.

Now, on to May. As you know, Rachel P. is going to be hosting this shindig on Saturday, May 8th and we're bringing our mothers along for the ride! The book for this month is called Fault Lines by Nancy Huston and here's the blurb:

Narrated by four children from different generations of the same family, Fault Lines is a tale of a present haunted by the past. From California to New York, from Haifa to Toronto and Munich, its stories unwind back through the years until, reaching the Second World War, the devastating secret at the heart of the family's history is finally revealed.

Domestic in focus and epic in scope, Fault Lines is a poignant and captivating piece of storytelling, revealing what can happen when past and present collide...

Sounds great! Check your Email for more details on May's party, ok?

Happy reading,

Sarah R

Our March Book

Hey ladies,

So I think we can all agree that The Help was a fantastic read! Thanks Alison!

Our book for March has been selected by Rachel M, and is called Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer. Here are the deets:

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is on a mission to find the lock that matches a mysterious key belonging to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on 9/11. An inspired innocent, Oskar is alternately endearing, exasperating, and hilarious as he careens from Central Park to Coney Island to Harlem on his search. As he roams the five boroughs, Oskar encounters a motley assortment of people who are all survivors in their own way. His journey concludes in an emotional climax of truth, beauty and heartbreak. Foer once again demonstrates his ability to evoke and unravel the most personal and complex matters of the heart.

Sounds great! Happy reading ladies :)

February's Book

Hi princesses!

So, last month's book - Lullabies for Little Criminals - was a big hit. Thanks to Sarah D for the fantastic party and wonderful discussion.

And now, on to February's book!

Our hostess next month is Alison, and the book she's chosen is called The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Here's the blurb:

Be prepared to meet three unforgettable women:

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

Sounds great! See you at our next meeting - February 7th at Sarah R's house!

Happy reading :)

S

A Little Holiday Reading

Hey Princesses!
Well, November's book - Little Bee - was fantastic. Thanks Clara for hosting such a lovely evening.

As discussed, we won't be meeting in December because of busy holiday schedules. Hopefully we all have a great time during Christmas and Hanukkah and get a chance to re-charge and spend time with family.

Our next party will be taking place on Sunday, January 10 at Sarah D's place. Sarah's pick is called Lullabies for Little Criminals, by Heather O'Neill. Here's the blurb:

This strikingly original portrait of a year in the life of a young Montrealer opens with dash and optimism. Baby, almost twelve, and her father, Jules, twenty-six, have taken up residence at a once-stylish downtown hotel.
Like all their friends, Jules exudes style: fur hat, long leather jacket, slippery leather boots. He also has a heroin habit. Yet Montreal’s decrepit downtown is viewed through Baby’s eyes as an enchanted place where everyone plays an endless game of dress-up. Going out for “chocolate milk” means dad needs to score.
But the strong love and good memories between them keep her hopeful. Baby moves in and out of foster homes and even into a detention centre where every kid she meets is a character. Although nothing shakes her love for Jules, there’s only one career option for an attractive, neglected girl, no matter how bright and imaginative. But O’Neill allows us to see beyond the squalor into the heart of a girl who won’t be destroyed.

Sounds great! Happy reading and Happy Holidays!
S

November's Read

Hi ladies!
So, the discussion on the 13th Tale was great... it seems like we all enjoyed it very much! I think reading something a bit spooky was great to get us in the Halloween spirit :)

And now - on to November!

For November's book, Clara has picked Little Bee, by Chris Cleave. I'm not going to put a description of the book up because it might ruin the plot. So happy reading!

SarahR