Book Review by "Rosie Girl" -- Home for the Holidays

Home for the Holidays by Heather Vogel Frederick
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Book Source:  personal copy


Review from "Rosie Girl" formerly known as "Daisy Daughter"

Home for the Holidays is number five in the Mother/Daughter Book Club Series. This realistic fiction novel is about five teenage girls who leave their homes in Concord, Massachusetts for different winter vacations. The girls go on different adventures in Laguna Beach, New Hampshire, and even a Christmas Cruise to the Bahamas. Megan and Becca fight over the captain’s son while Cassidy visits her home state of California. An unexpected sledding accident causes Emma and Jess to change their holiday plans.

Will the girls be happy enough to have a good Christmas?

I give this book five stars and two thumbs up! I relate to this book a lot because my mom (Daisy Mom) and I have our own mother/daughter book club. I have some of my best friends in our book club just like the girls in Home for the Holidays. Another similarity is that my mom is a librarian and so is Emma’s mom, Mrs. Hawthorne. Most young readers will be able to relate to at least one of the book club girls. Even tweens won’t be able to put this book down because it’s filled to brim with adventure, drama and love!

View all my reviews

Us! Celebrating the Power of Friendship Blog Tour and Giveaway!

The story of life is told in several volumes...Friends are bookends holding up either side.  Mary Anne Radmacher

I first met Mary Anne Radmacher at our local literary festival three years ago.  When I exited her workshop, I thought I'd met a new best friend.  Her words were inspiring and her presence peaceful.  I've since indulged on her inspirational writings and quotes on many occasions.

So I was thrilled to be asked to participate in the release of her newest book Us! Celebrating the Power of Friendship. 

Can you remember the name of your very first friend?  Or the last time you laughed or cried with a friend?  Our friendships create the richness of our lives, without which our existence would be bland and empty.

Mary Anne, in her extraordinary way, captures the meaning of friendship in 80 concise pages.  Her passages and poems are profound yet effortless.  You feel the sacredness of friendship in her words.

I'm thrilled to share with you Mary Anne's guest post and her thoughts on Friendship:

Mary Anne Radmacher

        What inspired you to write a book about friendship?  Was there a particular friend that kindled the idea?

       My friend, Maureen, was a high school senior when I was a sophomore.  When she graduated she gave me a book of quotes about friendship.  I knew when I finished enjoying those great thoughts that someday I would write a book on friendship.  When I was 19 I operated a switchboard for a small college in San Francisco.  In the quiet moments, I would work on my friendship book.  A teacher who stopped by my desk each day, Professor Sparks, greeted me with an unusual question – “What dream are you working on today?”  I easily and quickly replied, “My book on friendship.”  Thirty five years later US! CELEBRATING THE POWER OF FRIENDSHIP features some of the things I knew and treasured about friendship when I was still a teen-ager.

       

 Why is friendship important - to women especially?

I first want to say that I believe friendships are very important to men – and I have observed that they deal with it and talk about it (when they talk about it at all) differently than women.  Women want to  affirm, support, validate what they know to and for each other.  Women have an increasingly demanding set of roles to fulfill in our culture, and our friends help us “suit  up” for those various tasks.  Women friends offer each other support that is both tangible and metaphysical.

Is friendship more important than familial relationships? As important? 

The answer to that question depends on the nature of one’s relationship to family.  I was born around the time my parents were celebrating 25 years of marriage.  Two of my siblings could have been my parents.  The participants in my family structure were either a) tired or b) involved in their own life activities.  From early on I learned to create my own “tribe” first from the neighborhood, then school, then peers in my life experiences.  My friends, in all practical applications, have been like family to me.

Why do we need to take time out to appreciate our friends? Everyone leads busy lives, and our friends certainly understand that.

The busier I am the more conscious I am of how important it is to stay connected to my friends.  It’s too tempting to relegate our friends to the back of the line.  When, in fact, our relationships are one of the greatest graces of our lives. 

What are some easy ways to show our appreciation?

I’m a BIG FAN of the postal service.  Sending a fun or meaningful card “just because” is a real tender connection between friends.  I use technology to take photos with the short caption, “I saw this and it made me think of you.”  I’m encouraging groups of friends to use my US! book as a “scrap book” or to use an older term , “autograph book.”  Each member of the circle has a copy and each book gets passed around.  Friends write their own thoughts of appreciation on the page that most reminds them of their friend.  Combining my words and illustrations with loving words from your own friends – a powerful and memorable combination.

       
Being cued in to the present and real struggles a friend is facing is important.  More than saying, “Let me know if there’s anything I can do,” DOING something practical really shows how much you appreciate your friend.  My friend is moving this week.  She has a two hour daily commute.  AND she has special food needs with a variety of allergies.  I made allergy-appropriate lunches for her for a week.  I said, “I know when you are moving you don’t even know where your kitchen utensils ARE!  I hope this makes making good, healthy choices easier for you this week.”  It got a big WOW from my friend.

As we get older, it becomes more and more difficult to establish new friendships. Why is that?

Age brings a certain predictability and a whole road of judgments and assessments at our backs.  It becomes very easy to judge someone in advance and tell ourselves all the reasons why we likely wouldn’t like this person or that.  Also, we’ve had a few friendship failures as we’ve gotten older and might be less inclined to be vulnerable.   My dad outlived all his old friends and he told me one of the regrets of his life is that he did not take the time to make new friends.  My life is like a shelf on a bookcase.  My oldest and my newest friends are the book ends that hold all the other books together!

What are some ways to foster new relationships?

Be open to people who are different than you.  Say yes to experience new gatherings and go to events that are a little out of your comfort zone.  Listen attentively and observe how you feel listening to this new person.  If you are immediately engaged, interested and alert…that might be an excellent basis for exploring the possibility of a friendship.  If someone says, “We should talk about that,” or “I’d love to get together sometime and learn about your experiences with_________,” schedule the time.  Sometime soon.  Listening is an excellent way to foster a new relationship.  And it’s also a litmus!  If you find yourself endlessly listening with no opportunity to speak, that might be an indicator of a relationship you want NOT to foster.  That’s important to pay attention to, as well.  Not everyone you meet would make a good friend for you.

If you could plan a perfect night with a friend, or group of friends, what would that be?

I get to have quite a few of those kinds of nights.  We share healthy and yummy food, work on some sort of art project and tell each other fabulous stories.  Most of them even true!

What is your advice for people who have grown distant from friends, and don't know how to change that?

Reach out.  Take the risk and say, “I miss our times of connecting.  I thought of you just the other day and remembered the time that we…..”  Sometimes just confessing that you’ve noticed some distance has crept in will be a relief – they have likely noticed it, too, and haven’t known what to do, either! 

We can't talk about your books without mentioning the artwork. Do your friends inspire you, advise, you or in any way assist you in your creative life?

My friends deliver honest advice and critique when I ask for it and otherwise have an abundant supply of “Ooooooh’s” and “Ahhhhh’s.”  That sweet celebration is like the warmest, softest sweater on a chilly afternoon.  The finest compliment I get from any of my friends is when they purchase my work and give it as a gift to their other friends.  Not only are they supporting my career but they are affirming that what I communicate has functional value to them.  That means so much to me.

Us!  is the perfect gift for the friends in our lives that mean so much!  That is why I am delighted to offer TWO copies of Us! as a giveaway!  To enter, please enter a comment about the meaning of friendship and a valid email.  The giveway will end on Sunday, November 20th at 10pm CST and the winners chosen by random.org (winners will be notifed via email and given 24 hrs to respond before another comment is chosen).

Also, please take the time to visit the other blogs participating in Mary Anne's tour:

Blog Links & Dates:

Monday November 7th-  Joyuslion http://www.joyuslion.com/

Tuesday November 8th - Christine Mason Miller http://christinemasonmiller.com/

Wednesday November 9th - Cornerstone Coaching http://www.cornerstone-ct.com/blog/

Thursday November 10th - 8 Women Dream http://www.8womendream.com/

Friday November 11th  - Aimee's Blog http://aimeeroo.com/

Saturday November 12th - Gerber Daisy Diaries http://www.gerberadaisydiaries.com/

Sunday November 13th - Motivational Musings http://motivationalstuff.com/blog/

Monday November 14th - The Red Boa http://theredboa.blogspot.com/

Mary Anne Radmacher

The words and work of mary anne radmacher have circled the globe on products, quotes in books, been included in speeches, are part of ceremonies from graduation to weddings to memorial services.

Radmacher's words are woven into media from Oprah's Harpo Studio headquarters, commercials, to being quoted in newscasts from the 2011 Tour de France coverage to the evening news with Diane Sawyer.  Her signature posters are in board rooms and school rooms, adorn hospital halls and homes around the world (and found at maryanneradmacher.com) and her work is visible from the Clinton Museum Store to gifts store on the corner.

Stay current with her appearances and what writing processes she is guiding at maryanneradmacher.net

www.MaryAnneRadmacher.net

LIVE WITH INTENTION

just released and available as an ebook!

Book Review Guest Post -- The Lonely Polygamist

The Lonely Polygamist by Brady Udall

Guest Post by Daisy Dad

Daisy Dad's Enjoyment Rating:  3.5 out of 5 stars

Source: Personal Copy

Sensitive reader:  language, sexual innuendo, infidelity

I am going to let the cat out of the bag.  We are Mormon.  Not your standard run of the mill Utah Mormons, but those rare, often misunderstood LIBERAL Mormons.  (You thought I was going to say Polygamists didn’t you?)  Liberal Mormons are a somewhat rare breed in the Church – many would say oxymoronic - and to find two that are actually married to one another is even rarer.  But we are, and are proud of it.  So when I read a review in Entertainment Weekly about a year ago on Brady Udall’s The Lonely Polygamist, I immediately wanted to read it (Yes – I do not move through my reading list as quickly as Daisy Mom).  Other less liberal Mormons would avoid such a book, based on the ever vigilant pursuit of LDS members to remove the stigma of Polygamy – something the mainstream LDS church hasn’t practiced in over a Century.  I, on the other hand, love entertainment that most mainstream Mormons would shun – I loved HBO’s Big Love and can’t wait to see Book of Mormon, The Musical on my next visit to NYC.  Call me what you want – things like these shows, books and TV do not bother me – in fact probably just the opposite – they reconfirm to me the Truth as I see it and feel it in my choice of Religious faith.  So does Brady Udall make me want run out and find me a few more wives, have a bunch more kids and live The Principle?  Well…

The Lonely Polygamist is an aptly named book about Golden Richards, his four wives, and his pursuit of religious perfection, economic stability, familiar peace and personal sanity all within the realm of today’s imperfect, unstable and chaotic world while adding the backdrop of a western wasteland savaged by mid-twentieth century nuclear testing.  Sounds complicated.  Well for poor Golden, who finds himself in a religious sect that his Father stumbled into after abandoning Golden and his mother on his own pursuit of all those same things,  is debilitated by insecurities, hang-ups, and morals, both self created and Church created that seem to get the best of him.  Udall tells an interesting tale of Golden and his family, both past and present – that allows the reader to form their own opinion about his family’s beliefs.  The book is fairly non-judgmental of this always misunderstood religious belief, and does his best not to bash this (misguided - my opinion-) religious Principle, or the root of it being The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.

Though the story is centered on Golden, I was drawn into some of the other characters that Udall created, specifically The Wives.  Though I wish there was a bit more on a couple of them (Nola and Rose-of-Sharon), Beverly, Golden’s first Wife and Trish, Golden’s fourth wife, are my favorites.  Each in her own way is The Lonely Polygamist, even more so than Golden.  Beverly – wanting to cleave to The Principle with a zealot’s devotion in order to save her soul and to drag the other souls in her family kicking and screaming into the eternities with her and Trish – wanting to be a part of a family that could offer her the bonds and love that she so desired, but actually unable to find in the Richards clan.  But the story of one of the “plyg” kids was my favorite.  Poor misunderstood Rusty.  A boy too identifiable even in a “normal’ family that even with a father, four mothers and dozens of siblings still ends up on the outside looking in.  Though I would have liked to have even just a few more pages of other family members or more flushed out information on the other wives, I felt the loneliness in each of these characters – not only Golden.

I applaud Mr. Udall for weaving the tale of The Lonely Polygamist that even this “mainstream”, “liberal” Mormon with only one wife thoroughly enjoyed.

(Daisy Mom would like to add:  even though I haven't read this book, I'm still wondering WHY Mr. Udall would name his main character after a 1970's BYU and Dallas Cowboys football player?)

Guest Book Review -- Percy Jackson and the Olypmpians Books 4 & 5

My rating: Battle of the Labyrinth 5 of 5 stars; The Last Olympian 4 of 5 stars


Guest review by Daisy Dad

I’m back with my review of the final two books of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson and the Olympians series – The Battle of the Labyrinth (Book 4) and The Last Olympian (Book 5). After the first three books I finally felt that the author moved out from under another’s series dominance and found a truly original voice for his series.

I loved The Battle of the Labyrinth – easily the best of the series. All of Mr. Riordan’s books have been based on a quest – and he took his half blood demigods from coast to coast in his previous books – but adding the mythology of the labyrinth into the mix was a welcomed change to previous quests. The story moves quickly and anticipation builds throughout the book – a real page turner. The continued development of each of the characters continued and my favorite developments were that of Annabeth and her architectural connection to the creator of the labyrinth, Grover’s overarching quest to find the God of the Wild, Pan, and probably my favorite of all the characters – Nico - the son of Hades. The book was not all about Percy and his growth and maturation as he approached the age of 16 and the fulfillment of the great prophecy which I appreciated.

I did not want to wait for the paperback release of The Last Olympian so I waited a little bit for the library’s copy and went to work on the final book with great expectations for the conclusion of this series. After the breakneck speed of The Battle of the Labyrinth I was a bit disappointed – not with the ultimate finale – which was rather fulfilling – but I found it a bit slow in developing. I am not going to say that I was bored with the first half of the book – but I was close…

Ultimately, I enjoyed the entire series and would recommend it. I often think of what I want my children to be reading as they grow older and how these choices will develop their own interests. I would love to see my children take an interest in mythology through these books because Rick Riordan TEACHES mythology in a way that piques curiosity that could possibly make young readers pick up The Iliad, The Odyssey or other ancient literary classics where these stories were first told.

And yes, my calendar is marked for October 12 when The Heroes of Olympus, Book One: The Lost Hero is released – with hopes that Percy and friends (and seemingly NEW friends) will be back for another set of adventures.

Daisy Daughter Guest Book Review -- The Mother Daughter Book Club

The Mother Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick

Hi, I am Daisy Daughter.

I read The Mother Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick. It is about four girls in a book club who are reading Little Women with their mothers.

The girls are Megan, Emma, Jess and Cassidy. Megan loves fashion but her mother doesn’t approve. Cassidy loves hockey and her Mom used to be a famous super model – hard to believe they are related?! Emma wants to be a writer and her Mom is a librarian. Jess really wants to be a poet and her Mom is on a T. V. show in New York City.

I really liked this book. I think whoever reads it will like it. Megan was my favorite character because she was the most like me.

There are three additional books in this series…Much Ado About Anne (Anne of Green Gables), Dear Pen Pal, and the soon to be released Pies and Prejudice. I want to read them all.

This is our mother/daughter book club choice for September. I am way ahead!

Guest Book Review -- Percy Jackson and the Olypmpians: The Titan's Curse (#3)

The Titan's Curse by Rick Riordan

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Guest Review by Daisy Dad

When I started the third installment of Rick Riordan’s Percy Jackson & the Olympians: The Titan’s Curse – I really didn’t want to like it. I read and reviewed the first two and you may remember that I was hung up over the similarities to the Harry Potter series. The characters, the situations, even the games that they play (I still enjoyed the Quidditch matches of HP over Capture the Flag and/or Chariot Races of PJ). But then I was talking to another father about the two series and he is a HUGH Percy fan and said that Harry was “just o.k”. JUST O.K.???? I almost fell over. I bit my tongue and allowed him to explain. He felt that while the Potter books were extremely entertaining, he really appreciated the teaching of Greek Mythology in a new, interesting and original way. I mentioned in my first review of The Lightning Thief that I wanted to go back and read D'Aulaires' Book of Greek Myths or maybe Homer’s The Odyssey, but have I? I’m not going to answer that, but I will let you know that I did finish The Titan’s Curse reading it differently.

Did I like it? Yes. Was it great? No. Unfortunately, I think Mr. Riordan missed a couple of opportunities to make his work stand above the critics (like me) that his books are subtle knock-offs of another series that “will not be named”. The best example of this is when the di Angelo siblings are introduced as the newest half-bloods in the story. An opportunity to explore these character’s feelings as they learn of their new identities as a daughter and son of a god was lost. I thought it would be interesting to see a different perspective than that of Percy’s, but that was not to be so. This installment is also basically the same as the first – a journey across the United States to save the world from the return of the Titan Kronos.

But the true craft that I have finally appreciated is the way Riordan weaves Greek myth into a modern day adventure. The Lightning Thief was the myth of Odysseus, The Sea of Monsters was the myth of Jason & the Argonauts, and now The Titan’s Curse is the myth of Hercules. And not a glossing over of those myths – a full telling with many of the side stories and details of the mythology that I would doubt would be learned in any elementary school or junior high. I lost myself in the adventure and spent less time making comparisons. I am a sucker for young love and the author does a nice job with the awkwardness of it, and I look forward to see how it develops further in the next two books. Knowing his audience, I also appreciated how death and the loss of a loved one were handled in this book.

I may have to read something else now and let some anticipation build for The Battle of the Labyrinth. What new Greek myths will I learn next?

Guest Book Review -- Percy Jackson and the Olypmpians: The Sea of Monsters

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: Book 2 – The Sea of Monsters



3 out of 5 stars

Guest Post by Daisy Dad

I can’t help it. No matter how much I want to like the Percy Jackson & The Olympians series, I am continually nagged by the thought that this is a not so clever, fairly blatant rip off of Harry Potter – but I know it is not. Was Harry Potter a not-so-clever, blatant-rip-off of something that preceded it? C. S. Lewis’ The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe Chronicles? J. R. R. Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings trilogy? Maybe a series that I am not as familiar with? Unfortunately, after the second book, The Sea of Monsters, the parallels are unmistakable:

Percy Jackson = Harry Potter

Annabeth = Hermione

Grover = Ron Weasley (maybe a stretch)
Chiron = Dumbledore
Kronos = Lord Voldemort
Luke = Draco Malfoy
Half-Blood Hill = Hogwarts

I could go on…

But on its own merits, I still found The Sea of Monsters very entertaining. A fast paced voyage novel well suited for any young reader with adventure in their hearts. Updating the story of Jason and the Argonauts and the quest for the Golden Fleece, Rick Riordan again makes the world of the gods seem commonplace in the real world of today. Though the beginning of this book is maybe too similar to the way The Lightning Thief began, the introduction of a new character – Tyson – the half brother of Percy who is also a Cyclops – is a tender example of how cruel our world can be to those who are different – and how important it is to rise above first impressions and find the goodness in everyone. It may just surprise you!

Other than my HP comparison issues, the only other criticism I have, and it is really more a hope that the upcoming books don’t fall deeper into this trap, is that the writing verges on the cinematic – as if Mr. Riordan is writing with a screenplay and Hollywood in mind rather than writing a great story, with the depth and care it takes to rise above the lure of the quick and easy success a film franchise can bring. (Tsk, Tsk, Dan Brown and The Lost Symbol!) I guess that will be his “Golden Fleece,” the lure of “Circe”, or the hard to ignore “Siren” song. May Mr. Riordan avoid these human frailties and find his true, original voice in The Titan’s Curse.

Book source:  private purchase

Guest Book Review -- Percy Jackson and the Olypmpians: The Lightning Thief

The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan


My rating: 3 of 5 stars







Guest post by Daisy Dad

I am not a blogger. I am not a prolific reader like my wife. Most times I would rather watch the movie than read the book (I know – sacrilege!) and then if the movie is good I will have the best intentions to go back and read the book, but 9 times out of 10 I will not. I always tease my wife about starting a book club for men where we pick a book and instead of reading it we would watch the movie remake instead. Any husbands out there want to start? I digress. Anyway, I will confess that I have only read a few books since my dearly beloved Harry Potter series ended with a flourish of warm fuzzes in Deathly Hallows. It was very hard to pick up a book or a book series that so completely captured my imagination that I had completely lost interest in reading. I tried Wally Lamb (one of my favorites) but it is still on the shelf. I read a great book about the Southern Italian Mafia – but non-fiction doesn’t count. So when my wife said she did not have the time to read Percy Jackson and the Olympians – The Lighting Thief – to see if it was appropriate for our 9 year old to read, I reluctantly agreed.

First let me say, Percy ain’t no Harry and Rick Riordan ain’t no J.K. but I reluctantly enjoyed the book. Mr. Riordan creates a world that seems real – one that could co-exist within our own reality – something that Hogwarts does not. As Percy learns of his true identity with the aid of his friend Grover, the historic framework of the Greek gods and a possible scenario of how they are more than just myths and how their actual existence could explain many current events were intriguing to me. Yes, this is Juvenile literature but one with a sophisticated edge. Could the Greek gods be just that, Gods? Of course the more you think about it the more farfetched it becomes, but if you let down your BSmeter just for a little while, Mr. Riordan weaves some interesting theories about the continued existence of Zeus and his brothers and sisters.

This cross country adventure is not without its faults. At times it is too cinematic (and no, I have not seen the movie). Too often when filmmakers use real places and they take license to manipulate the reality of those real places, it becomes harder to believe. Let me just say the scene in the St. Louis Arch is a little farfetched – even for a filmmaker. I also wished that I had a better grasp of the Greek gods and heroes. I think a refresher course (or an introductory course for younger readers) would only make this book more enjoyable and even culturally stimulating – for older or younger readers. I remember enjoying D’Aulaires’ Book of Greek Myths as a youth and will be having my father send it to me so my daughter can be a bit more familiar with some of the mythology that is introduced.

There is one event in the book that, even though it is resolved to the good in the end, may be a bit disturbing for young readers. So, without spoiling it for you, why don’t you read it too before you let the young one read it. You will enjoy it. I am off to start #2 – The Sea Monsters.

Don’t worry Harry, I still like you better!

Book source: personal copy

View all my reviews >>

Guest Post at Booking Mama

Thanks again to Julie at Booking Mama for allowing my to share my "book group rules" with her readers. I hope they are helpful!!

And just in case you missed them, here they are:

Book Club Rules for The Big Love Book Group

I was asked by a friend recently how we started our book group -- I’m sure there is an official book group handbook out there somewhere (it probably has Oprah’s seal on the front)…but here are my rules (and I made them up as I went along):

1. Ask a lot of like minded friends to join. I sent postcards to nearly everyone in my women’s church group. Only 10 women came to our first meeting. You must have devoted readers, or people will drop out, or won’t read the book, or they will only come because there are refreshments. Which isn’t a bad thing necessarily, but for those who are there to discuss a book, secondary chatter is forbidden and non-participants eaten.

2. You need to decide at the beginning WHAT you want to read: Adult fiction/non-fiction/YA literature/Christian fiction. My group is an adult fiction/non-fiction group – they are very vocally opposed to anything that varies from those choices. It's easier as a group to start out all "on the same page" than to hear people complain about what you are or are not reading (been there, done that). If your members aren’t in agreement – they need to “go rogue” and start a separate group.

3. Pick something readily available and has multiple copies at the library, so people don't feel obligated to buy the book (we're in a recession folks!). The more people that have access to the book, the more successful the discussion. I absolutely hate the excuse, "I didn't read because I couldn't find a copy.” Our library has book group “kits.” They come with 10 copies of the book and discussion questions. They are extremely helpful.

4. We don't pick books that are only available in hardback -- again, the cost issue and access issue. The Help won't be on our "to-read" list anytime soon, because there are 50+ holds on it at our library system and only available in hardback. The only time we've made an exception to this rule was when we picked The DaVinci Code, and for some reason, enough people had copies, there were plenty to pass around.

5. This is not necessary, but I'm the unofficial book group leader -- so I assign months for every member to discuss a book. It eliminates the blank stares that plagued us when we first started, and the question, "whaddya want to read?" Fortunately, we have enough members that we each usually pick one book a year. Then we all volunteer to host once a month. For those of us with small children it's more difficult to host, but I try to host during the summer months when school/bedtimes aren't an issue.

6. Pick a night and stick to it. We always meet on the 3rd Thursday. Regardless if we have 2 members or 12. And we only meet 11 months out of the year. We take December OFF because of the holidays and reconvene in January. We try to pick a longer book to read during that time. Our greatest accomplishment was reading Gone With the Wind 5 years ago.

7. This rule is also optional, but we try to pick a book that someone has read before, so we don't have any surprise objectionable material. We have a fairly conservative group of women, so some graphic content (violence or sexual) is not welcome (although, I read just about anything in a binding).

8. Pick a snazzy name: We are The Big Love Book Group – don’t ask me why, but I promise, there isn’t a sister-wife among us.

9. Have LOTS of yummy refreshments! Because, really, it’s all about the food!