Friday, December 18, 2009

Chapter Chat's 2009 Book List

January 8, 2009
The Outsiders by S. E. Hinton
Picked by Carrin

Host: Tamara
Facilitator: Carrin
February 5, 2009
Those Who Save Us by Jena Blum
Picked by Wanda

Host: Wanda
Facilitator: Wanda

March 5, 2009
Under the Banner of Heaven by Jon Krakauer
Picked by: Tamara

Host: Deb
Facilitator: Tami

April 2, 2009
The Shack by William P. Young
Picked by: Laurie
Host:
Facilitator:

May 7, 2009
The Magicians Assistant by Ann Patchett
Picked by: Tami

Host: Tami
Facilitator: open

June 4, 2009
Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

Picked by: Tamara
Host: Carrin

Facilitator: Tamara

July 9, 2009
She Got Up Off the Couch by Haven Kimmel

Picked by: Carrin
Host: Pontoon or open
Facilitator: Carrin

August 6, 2009
Angel Strings by Gary Eberle
Picked by: Tami

Host: open
Facilitator: Tami


September 3, 2009
Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver
Picked by: Tamara and Lisa Host:
Facilitator:


October 1, 2009

Maisie Dobbs, by Jacqueline
Host: Cindy
Facilitator: Cindy

November 5, 2009
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
Picked by: Deb H

Host: Sue
Facilitator: Deb H


December 3, 2009
The Alchemist by

Picked by
Host: Tami B

Facilitator:

Friday, October 23, 2009

The Guernesy Literary and Potate Peel Pie Society

Who knew?! What a delightful read. I went to my mailox and there it was, with a note that said, great books find the right reader. I naturally found that an interesting concept and immediately opened the book to find it was also partially the premise of the story.
Upon further reading, of the note, I found that I had won the book in a contest....the story of books finding the right reader in the this tome thankfully, was far richer. I am so excited this is our pick for this month. Enjoy the pictures, and link

Tuesday, September 29, 2009

Stalking Susan and more




Thanks Cindy I loved this book. Here is an interesting twist, it is a clip as if this really were a news show. Anyone recognize the voice over? I know Nancy would (except she will never read a blog!) Also an interview and a fun link for her next book, "Missing Mark"


Thursday, August 13, 2009

A Few New Books, From Some Old Favorites





When high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his wife, Maureen, a school nurse, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April 1999, while Caelum is away, Maureen finds herself in the library at Columbine, cowering in a cabinet and expecting to be killed. Miraculously, she survives, but at a cost: she is unable to recover from the trauma. When Caelum and Maureen flee to an illusion of safety on the Quirk family's Connecticut farm, they discover that the effects of chaos are not easily put right, and further tragedy ensues.


(Looks like another light novel from our friend Wally. Don't know what to tell you about this one, as I have not read it, but you know my history with Mr. Lamb. To borrow a phrase from Deb, "I mourned the loss of the tree that gave it's life to print She's Come Undone," but sucked it up and read This Much I Know for Sure which I thoroughly enjoyed.)



Next...

The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder is the sweet, sexy, funny journey of Calla Lily's life set in Wells's expanding fictional Louisiana landscape. In the small river town of La Luna, Calla bursts into being, a force of nature as luminous as the flower she is named for. Under the loving light of the Moon Lady, the feminine force that will guide and protect her throughout her life, Calla enjoys a blissful childhood—until it is cut short. Her mother, M'Dear, a woman of rapture and love, teaches Calla compassion, and passes on to her the art of healing through the humble womanly art of "fixing hair." At her mother's side, Calla further learns that this same touch of hands on the human body can quiet her own soul. It is also on the banks of the La Luna River that Calla encounters sweet, succulent first love, with a boy named Tuck.
But when Tuck leaves Calla with a broken heart, she transforms hurt into inspiration and heads for the wild and colorful city of New Orleans to study at L'Académie de Beauté de Crescent. In that extravagant big river city, she finds her destiny—and comes to understand fully the power of her "healing hands" to change lives and soothe pain, including her own. When Tuck reappears years later, he presents her with an offer that is colored by the memories of lost love. But who knows how Calla Lily, a "daughter of the Moon Lady," will respond?
A tale of family and friendship, tragedy and triumph, loss and love, The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder features the warmth, humor, soul, and wonder that have made Wells one of today's most cherished writers, and gives us an unforgettable new heroine to treasure.
( I LOVE Rebecca Wells, and loved the Ya-yas....I'm sure Calla Lily will be a delightful read!)

Monday, July 13, 2009

francessco

Thursday, July 9, 2009

A Beautiful Summer Night

What a great night! Beautiful ride on White Bear Lake, only a little rain, great food, great company, great sound track, great Crissy doll, and then an amazing treat at Admirals after the tour. After running into TJ and Billy Mac we were treated to a world class, classical guitar concert, by Francesco Buzzurro. (His tickets typically range from $60- $400 and sell out almost immediately, we got in on our good looks!) Every once in awhile you luck out and stumble into the presence of greatness, and that was our fortune tonight. He has played at the Metropolitan Opera, and Classical Music Halls all over the world, and tonight he was under an oak, overlooking beautiful (well okay nearly dry and swampy) White Bear Lake, with a fiberglass parrot holding a Corona, swinging over his head! Poetry! But Oh man could he play! Francessco Buzzurro Born in Taormina in 1969, Francesco Buzzurro started to play guitar at the age of 6. He graduated at the Conservatory of Trapani. As a classical guitarist he won three national competitions. At the moment he is the leader of a quartet and plays at the most important Italian festivals. Checkout the link below! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yaBb1GLJiVo

Monday, July 6, 2009

An Interview With Zippy




Have your family and friends from Mooreland read the book? What do they think?

I think that most of the people who appear as characters in the book couldn't love it more. My sister owns a diner called The Blue Moon just outside of Mooreland, and she has the book cover framed and hanging on the wall there. I feel certain that as the book produces more artifacts Melinda will eventually put together a little shrine. My mom is the same: just unabashedly supportive and delighted. My favorite reaction, though, came from my old friend Andy Hicks, who is featured in the essay, "Favors For Friends." I gave him the book in manuscript, and he and most of his family read it. He sent me a letter and said they all wept when they finished it, because they realized that someone had actually seen them; their family had meant something to someone else. That feeling of having been seen is so important to us all, I think, but consistently a surprise.

The rest of the interview...http://www.randomhouse.com/boldtype/0301/kimmel/interview.html

Also another wonderful interview in a Blog by two fascinating women who read called "Seven Impossible Things Before Breakfast; Why Stop at Six" A reference of course to Lewis Carrol's "Through the Looking Glass" and a conversation between Alice and the White Queen. http://blaine.org/sevenimpossiblethings/?p=522#comment-84106



And as always, I want to know who they love to read and here is what Haven says...

South of the Big Four by Don Kurtz.

It's become part of my life's work to mention that book and promote that writer.

{Kimmel's essay on the book, "The Most Familiar Book I Ever Read," is included in Remarkable Reads: 34 Writers and Their Adventures in Reading (edited by J. Peder Zane and available in paper from Norton in February). She also has an essay included in the forthcoming, Killing the Buddha; The Hunter's Bible. In the anthology, thirteen novelists were asked to rewrite a book of the Bible. Kimmel wrote the chapter on Revelations.)}

Little, Big by John Crowley. Harper Perennial brought out his back list. The large format trade paper is breathtakingly beautiful. The book is gorgeous, strange, and deep.

The funniest book I ever read is Adrian Mole by Sue Townsend. I was rereading that book when I was pregnant with my son. I laughed so hard I went into labor.

I would recommend almost everything by Anne Tyler.



Enjoy!

Saturday, July 4, 2009

At Last...Pope Joan the Movie!


Director: Sönke Wortmann
Writers: Donna Woolfolk Cross (novel) Heinrich Hadding (screenplay)
Contact: View company contact information for Pope Joan on IMDbPro.
Release Date: 29 October 2009 (Germany)
Status: Post-production
Genre: Drama | History more
Plot: A 9th century woman of English extraction born in the German city of Ingelheim disguises herself as a man and rises through the Vatican ranks.
After a couple of problems and some cast changes, it seems that Pope Joan, the movie adaptation of Donna Woolfolk Cross’ bestseller about a female pope in the middle ages, is finally reaching its filming stage with the first scenes being shot next month in Morocco and Germany. Among its stars, are John Goodman, who was originally attached to the project just to drop out to do something else and finally coming back again; Johanna Wokalek, who replaced Franke Potente in the lead role; and David Wenham. The original director, Volker Schlondorff, was also replaced by Sonke Wortmann, but it seems that now those troubles are over and everything is in place to make a good period movie. At least we’re hopeful!

Thursday, June 4, 2009

Chocolate Cake that you couldn't guess what was in it

1 1/2 cup chocolate chips melted in microwave
2 cups drained and rinsed garbonzo beans (chick peas)
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
4 eggs

Place eggs in a blender. Add chick peas and puree til smooth. Add sugar, melted chocolate chips and baking powder. Pour into 8 or 9 inch greased pan. Bake for 35-40 min.

Yes, it's this easy.

Thursday, May 7, 2009

Favorite Reads of 2008 (Reading Group Guides)

1. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen (Algonquin)

2. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan (Ballantine Books)

3. Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (Penguin Books)

4. The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls (Scribner)

5. A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (Riverhead Trade)

6. The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak (Knopf Books for Young Readers)

7. Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert (Penguin Books)

8. The Shack by William P. Young (Windblown Media)

9. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See (Random House Trade)

10. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows (The Dial Press)

Thursday, April 9, 2009

Magician's Assistants Throughout History


Assistants have been part of magic shows for most of the recorded history of magic as a performance art. Despite their often crucial role in magic acts they, and the work they do, have suffered from negative public perceptions. The assistant's role has often been stereotyped as consisting of menial tasks and having the primary purpose of adding a visually aesthetic element to an act. This is associated with the perception that assistants are usually female and often dressed in revealing costumes. Although there have been plenty of instances of male assistants throughout the history of magic, the glamorous female stereotype has made a particular impact because female assistants were a prominent feature of illusion shows during the 20th century, when magic began to reach huge new audiences, first through the burgeoning of live vaudeville and variety shows and then through television. The glamorous female assistant has become an iconic image that continues in modern media and literature
A notable feature of the glamorous female assistant iconography is the frequency with which assistants play the role of "victim" in illusions where they are tied up, apparently cut with blades, penetrated with spikes or swords or otherwise tortured or imperiled. Examples include Aztec Lady, Devil's Torture Chamber, Mismade Girl, .
Radium Girl, Zig Zag Girl, and, perhaps most famous of all, Sawing a woman in half.[1 Noted illusion designer and historian Jim Steinmeyer has identified the advent of the sawing illusion as a turning point in magic history and a moment which, more than any other, marks the origin of the cliche of the female assistant as victim. It is generally agreed that a "sawing" type illusions was first performed publicly by P.T. Selbit in January 1921. His presentations of what he titled "Sawing through a woman" made an enormous impact and greatly affected public expectations of stage magic for decades afterwards. Steinmeyer has explained:


"Before Selbit's illusion, it was not a cliche that pretty ladies were teased and tortured by magicians. Since the days of Robert-Houdin, both men and women were used as the subjects for magic illusions. Victorian gowns often made it unrealistic for a lady to take part in an illusion or be pressed into a tight space."

Changes in fashion and great social upheavals during the first decades of the 20th century made Selbit's choice of "victim" both practical and popular. Steinmeyer notes: "During the 1900s, as a shapely leg became not only acceptable on the stage but admired, it was fashionable to perform magic with a cast of attractive ladies".
That was only part of the story however. The trauma of war had helped to desensitize the public to violence and the emancipation of women had changed attitudes to them. Audiences were also tiring of the gentler forms of magic represented by the likes of John Nevil Maskelyne. It took something more shocking, such as the horrific productions of the Grand Guignol theatre, to cause a sensation in this age.
Steinmenyer concludes that: "...beyond practical concerns, the image of the woman in peril became a specific fashion in entertainment".

In contrast to the publicity given to Selbit, the names of the assistants who made this influential act work have received almost no publicity. There were actually two premieres of the illusion. Selbit first presented it to an audience in December 1920, however on that occasion the spectators were a small group of invited theatrical agents and promoters who Selbit hoped would book the act. The public premiere then occurred on 17 January 1921 at the Finsbury Park Empire music hall after Selbit was hired by the Moss Empire group. According to Steinmeyer, the assistant at the 1920 preview was Jan Glenrose, Selbit's main assistant at that time. The public performances featured principal assistant Betty Barker.

Many of these illusions, together with others that involve appearances, disappearances or escapes, involve assistants being shut in boxes of one sort or another. This has led to the nickname "box jumper" which, although it could be applied to a male assistant, is usually inferred to be a female assistant. One reason that has been given for the predominance of women in this role is that the illusions sometimes require an assistant that can fit into cramped spaces and women have an advantage in that they tend to be smaller and more limber than men.

Feminist critics have taken the above aspects of illusions and performances as evidence to support claims that magic is misogynistic, but this view has been contested by some magicians and assistants. However, a few prominent assistants have gone on record stating that they deserve better recognition for their efforts and achievements (see "Documentaries" below).

Some modern magic acts have preserved the glamourous elements of the female assistant iconography while attempting to give full recognition to female performers by billing women as equal partners in acts. A notable example is the husband and wife act The Pendragons, for which Charlotte Pendragon has worn very revealing costumes and done traditional "box jumping" roles yet receives equal billing with her husband and has been honoured in her own right as a top professional magician. Another example, although with more modest and conservative costuming, is Kristen Johnson, who receives equal billing with her husband Kevin Ridgeway when they perform together as a magic act and often stars in her own right as an escape artist.

History and critiques of magician's assistants

Assistants have been part of magic shows for most of the recorded history of magic as a performance art. Despite their often crucial role in magic acts they, and the work they do, have suffered from negative public perceptions. The assistant's role has often been stereotyped as consisting of menial tasks and having the primary purpose of adding a visually aesthetic element to an act. This is associated with the perception that assistants are usually female and often dressed in revealing costumes. Although there have been plenty of instances of male assistants throughout the history of magic, the glamorous female stereotype has made a particular impact because female assistants were a prominent feature of illusion shows during the 20th century, when magic began to reach huge new audiences, first through the burgeoning of live vaudeville and variety shows and then through television. The glamorous female assistant has become an iconic image that continues in modern media and literature.[2][1]

A notable feature of the glamorous female assistant iconography is the frequency with which assistants play the role of "victim" in illusions where they are tied up, apparently cut with blades, penetrated with spikes or swords or otherwise tortured or imperiled. Examples include Aztec Lady, Devil's Torture Chamber, Mismade Girl, Radium Girl, Zig Zag Girl, and, perhaps most famous of all, Sawing a woman in half. Noted illusion designer and historian Jim Steinmeyer has identified the advent of the sawing illusion as a turning point in magic history and a moment which, more than any other, marks the origin of the cliche of the female assistant as victim. It is generally agreed that a "sawing" type illusions was first performed publicly by P.T. Selbit in January 1921. His presentations of what he titled "Sawing through a woman" made an enormous impact and greatly affected public expectations of stage magic for decades afterwards. Steinmeyer has explained:[4]

"Before Selbit's illusion, it was not a cliche that pretty ladies were teased and tortured by magicians. Since the days of Robert-Houdin, both men and women were used as the subjects for magic illusions. Victorian gowns often made it unrealistic for a lady to take part in an illusion or be pressed into a tight space."[5]

Changes in fashion and great social upheavals during the first decades of the 20th century made Selbit's choice of "victim" both practical and popular. Steinmeyer notes: "During the 1900s, as a shapely leg became not only acceptable on the stage but admired, it was fashionable to perform magic with a cast of attractive ladies".[5]

That was only part of the story however. The trauma of war had helped to desensitize the public to violence and the emancipation of women had changed attitudes to them. Audiences were also tiring of the gentler forms of magic represented by the likes of John Nevil Maskelyne. It took something more shocking, such as the horrific productions of the Grand Guignol theatre, to cause a sensation in this age. Steinmenyer concludes that: "...beyond practical concerns, the image of the woman in peril became a specific fashion in entertainment".[5]

In contrast to the publicity given to Selbit, the names of the assistants who made this influential act work have received almost no publicity. There were actually two premieres of the illusion. Selbit first presented it to an audience in December 1920, however on that occasion the spectators were a small group of invited theatrical agents and promoters who Selbit hoped would book the act. The public premiere then occurred on 17 January 1921 at the Finsbury Park Empire music hall after Selbit was hired by the Moss Empire group. According to Steinmeyer, the assistant at the 1920 preview was Jan Glenrose, Selbit's main assistant at that time. The public performances featured principal assistant Betty Barker.[6][4]

Many of these illusions, together with others that involve appearances, disappearances or escapes, involve assistants being shut in boxes of one sort or another. This has led to the nickname "box jumper" which, although it could be applied to a male assistant, is usually inferred to be a female assistant.[7][8] One reason that has been given for the predominance of women in this role is that the illusions sometimes require an assistant that can fit into cramped spaces and women have an advantage in that they tend to be smaller and more limber than men.[1][5]

Feminist critics have taken the above aspects of illusions and performances as evidence to support claims that magic is misogynistic, but this view has been contested by some magicians and assistants. However, a few prominent assistants have gone on record stating that they deserve better recognition for their efforts and achievements (see "Documentaries" below).[1]

Some modern magic acts have preserved the glamourous elements of the female assistant iconography while attempting to give full recognition to female performers by billing women as equal partners in acts. A notable example is the husband and wife act The Pendragons, for which Charlotte Pendragon has worn very revealing costumes and done traditional "box jumping" roles yet receives equal billing with her husband and has been honoured in her own right as a top professional magician. Another example, although with more modest and conservative costuming, is Kristen Johnson, who receives equal billing with her husband Kevin Ridgeway when they perform together as a magic act and often stars in her own right as an escape artist.

Thursday, March 5, 2009

The Shack



It was an awesome Book Club. Cindy thank you, I could barely see you in your gossamer floaty attire!

I was amazed at the depth and breadth of reactions to the story. That is the beauty of this book! So many real and diverse feelings. I think it was one of our longest discussions. Good job Chapter Chatters!

Tip: Start at Video #4 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIh7IJHlSf8&feature=relatedIt would make sense to read the book first and then listen.
Here is some info on Paul Young. It is a series of You Tube videos. He tells his dramatic life story and what brought him to writing “The Shack” I can't recommend them highly enough. There is no way I could do justice to his biography when facilitating! Also, did anyone else picture Della Reese as Paul Young's "God" and Sayid from "Lost" as the Jesus character?

Monday, February 16, 2009

Lost Boys

http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.mazeministry.com/mormonism/polygamy/boys.gif&imgrefurl=http://www.mazeministry.com/mormonism/polygamy/lostboys.htm&usg=__RkG5ItfmRegHK7pUrgqp9ecuoTY=&h=324&w=379&sz=119&hl=en&start=12&um=1&tbnid=qYWlPwR_QgxLyM:&tbnh=105&tbnw=123&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dlost%2Bboys%2Bpolygamy%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26rlz%3D1T4GZHZ_enUS308US235%26sa%3DN
(CBS) "Lost Boys" is the term given to young men who are forced to leave polygamist compounds at a very young age. Many say they're banished on pretexts, enabling older men in such sects to have less competition for younger women and wives.

Most of the Lost Boys are between 13 and 21 when they're kicked out of compounds such as the one in Eldorado, Texas from which authorities removed more than 400 children and teens in a raid earlier this month.

The alleged wrongdoing cited by sect elders when Lost Boys are tossed include things such as watching a movie, playing football, or talking to a girl, Lost Boys say.

Among the many difficulties Lost Boys face is that they're raised to not trust the outside world. They're usually left with little education or life skills and must learn to live in a world about which they know little, while dealing with the deep psychological pain of being shunned by their families and believing they're beyond spiritual redemption.

One such Lost Boy is Brent Jeffs, nephew of controversial imprisoned polygamist leader Warren Jeffs.

Brent chatted withThe Early Show co-anchor Maggie Rodriguez Monday, along with Shannon Price, director of The Diversity Foundation, which helps Lost Boys, among others, housing them and helping to integrate them into society.

Brent told Rodriguez, "(The reason) most of these men, you know, just like me, who were tossed out is if we're not following every little single thing that they say and do, they just find little reasons to kick us out. And you know, merely for the big reason of, you know, we're competition for these older men to get these younger women. It's a sad story.

"They'll usually find something, you know, that you've done wrong. Some little thing, then they'll say, 'well, you need to leave town because you've done this wrong thing. And we don't believe that you need to stay in here with us."

" ... when they're kicked out, these boys, their dad, they're told to drop these boys off at the edge of town and just tell them, 'Good luck.' These boys have nowhere to go. They don't have brothers and sisters, you know, anybody to go to. So they rely on somebody like us (The Diversity Foundation, which Brent is working with), who can kind of help them figure out what they're doing in life. Otherwise, they're just lost and, you know, they end up making some bad decisions down the road. And it's just not a good situation. We definitely need to help them."

Asked if young people in polygamist sects even know it's against the law for someone to marry and have sex with a girl younger than 18, Brent replied, "They don't even talk about it at all in the church. The thing they teach in there is, 'What we tell you to do is what you should do, and you should never, ever question what we tell you to do.' They don't say anything about underage marriages and you're being married to this girl that's definitely not of age to be married. They just don't teach that at all."

Price said services her group makes available to Lost Boys vary, "depending on the child and what their availability is of their family back in their community of origin. So most of them I think generally speaking, they're lacking in education, they're delayed in their maturity. So, we do a lot of life skills instruction to make sure that they can integrate into the larger society."

"Under the Banner of Heaven" suggested reading companions


Will Bagley, Blood of the Prophets: Brigham Young and the Massacre at Mountain Meadows;
Fawn Brodie, No Man Knows My History: The Life of Joseph Smith;
Sally Denton, American Massacre: The Tragedy at Mountain Meadows, September, 1857;
Judith Freeman, Red Water;
Philip Jenkins, Mystics and Messiahs: Cults and New Religions in American History;
John D. Lee, Mormonism Unveiled: Or Life and Confession of John D. Lee and Brigham Young;
Bernard Lewis, What Went Wrong?: The Clash Between Islam and Modernity in the Middle East;
Dorothy Allred Solomon, Predators, Prey, and Other Kinfolk: Growing Up in Polygamy.

Thursday, January 15, 2009

"Very Valentine"....For those who love Trigiani!


I LOVE Adriana Trigiani. I have read all of her books and have them if any Chapter Chatters want to borrow them. Delightful! Her new book "Very Valentine" looks like it won't disappoint. Here is a link to a video of her talking about her books
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vqN0PoKbSc
and some info!

Adriana Trigiani is beloved by millions of readers around the world for her hilarious and heartwarming novels. She was raised in a small coal-mining town in southwest Virginia in a big Italian family. Trigiani chose her hometown for the setting and title of her debut novel, the critically acclaimed and bestselling Big Stone Gap. the first in a series, will debut Tuesday, February 3, 2009. In this contemporary family saga, 33-year-old Valentine Roncalli must save her family’s custom-made shoe company—one of the last family owned business in Greenwich Village (in New York City)—while juggling the personal demands of love, family ties, and an unexpected trip to Italy. The novel’s sequel, Encore Valentine, will debut in February 2010.

Perhaps one popular book critic said it best: “Trigiani defies categorization. She is more than a one-hit wonder, more than a Southern writer, more than a woman’s novelist. She is an amazing young talent.”