Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Call me Elizabeth
A true story - a story of the determination to maintain the "status quo" within a family. A story of a mother's love for her children.
The Book Thief
Markus Zusak has written this book from the perspective of "Death". http://www.theage.com.au/news/reviews/the-book-thief/2005/09/08/1125772645161.html - this review provides a good summary of the book.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
The Book Thief
Our reading for October is The Book Thief. What a wonderful book! What an amazing author! Find yourself a copy and enjoy the read.
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
Other books by same author – Message in a Bottle, The Rescue, A Bend in the Road, Nights in Rodanthe, The Wedding, The Guardian, Three Weeks with my Brother, True Believer, At First Sight, The Choice.
The Notebook was written in 1996, and was adapted into a popular romance film in 2004. The movie and the book have different endings.
The Notebook was inspired by the story of the grandparents of Sparks’ wife who had been married over sixty years when Sparks met them. He marvelled at how much the couple cared for each other and wrote this novel as an attempt to describe such a love.
Differences from the movie
. book only describes the main events, not in detail
. in the movie the notebook was written by both Noah and Allie
. events in the book are mostly from the past of Noah and Allie when they are 31 and 29
. in the book it starts out when Allie is 15 and Noah 17, in the movie Allie is 17 and Noah 19
What other differences are there?
Questions
1. At one point in the novel, Gus says to Noah, “My daddy used to tell me ‘the first time you fall in love it changes your life forever, and no matter how hard you try, the feelin’ never goes away. This girl you been tellin’ me about was your first love. And no matter what you do, she’ll stay with you forever.” Do you think this is true? Can you remember your first love?
2. The restored house Noah lives in plays an integral role in the novel. In fact, an article about the restoration is what draws Allie back to New Bern. What do you think the house represents? What does this say about the importance of place? Does Noah restore anything else in the novel?
3. When Allie decides to come down to see Noah “one last time”, do you think she wanted to see him just to say good-bye, or was she secretly hoping to fall in love with him again? Was it right for Allie, who had already agreed to marry Lon, to make this visit? Would your answer be different if she was already married?
4. When asked by her mother, Allie claims to be in love with both Noah and Lon. Do you think this is true? While it is possible to love more than one person equally, is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time?
5. Allie’s mother regrets hiding Noah’s letters to Allie for so many years. Why does Allie’s mother change her mind, especially when Allie’s wedding is less than three weeks away? Can you understand Allie’s mother’s motivation for hiding the letters in the first place?
6. Were you surprised when it is revealed that Allie had decided to marry Noah, or was there never any question in your mind?
7. Noah and Allie’s love for each other at the end of the novel seems as pure and as powerful as it was in the beginning. Is it possible for the intensity of first love to last that long? Is it unrealistic to expect it to?
8. Although he’s not in the best shape himself, Noah goes to Allie’s bedside and reads “The Notebook” to her every day. As a result, Allie is in much better shape than the other Alzheimer’s patients. Do you think this is plausible? Is her stable health a result of her hearing the story of her life every day, or are greater forces at work? What does Noah’s devotion suggest about marriage and love?
9. The Notebook has been a best seller not only in America, but around the world. Why do you think this is?
The Notebook was written in 1996, and was adapted into a popular romance film in 2004. The movie and the book have different endings.
The Notebook was inspired by the story of the grandparents of Sparks’ wife who had been married over sixty years when Sparks met them. He marvelled at how much the couple cared for each other and wrote this novel as an attempt to describe such a love.
Differences from the movie
. book only describes the main events, not in detail
. in the movie the notebook was written by both Noah and Allie
. events in the book are mostly from the past of Noah and Allie when they are 31 and 29
. in the book it starts out when Allie is 15 and Noah 17, in the movie Allie is 17 and Noah 19
What other differences are there?
Questions
1. At one point in the novel, Gus says to Noah, “My daddy used to tell me ‘the first time you fall in love it changes your life forever, and no matter how hard you try, the feelin’ never goes away. This girl you been tellin’ me about was your first love. And no matter what you do, she’ll stay with you forever.” Do you think this is true? Can you remember your first love?
2. The restored house Noah lives in plays an integral role in the novel. In fact, an article about the restoration is what draws Allie back to New Bern. What do you think the house represents? What does this say about the importance of place? Does Noah restore anything else in the novel?
3. When Allie decides to come down to see Noah “one last time”, do you think she wanted to see him just to say good-bye, or was she secretly hoping to fall in love with him again? Was it right for Allie, who had already agreed to marry Lon, to make this visit? Would your answer be different if she was already married?
4. When asked by her mother, Allie claims to be in love with both Noah and Lon. Do you think this is true? While it is possible to love more than one person equally, is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time?
5. Allie’s mother regrets hiding Noah’s letters to Allie for so many years. Why does Allie’s mother change her mind, especially when Allie’s wedding is less than three weeks away? Can you understand Allie’s mother’s motivation for hiding the letters in the first place?
6. Were you surprised when it is revealed that Allie had decided to marry Noah, or was there never any question in your mind?
7. Noah and Allie’s love for each other at the end of the novel seems as pure and as powerful as it was in the beginning. Is it possible for the intensity of first love to last that long? Is it unrealistic to expect it to?
8. Although he’s not in the best shape himself, Noah goes to Allie’s bedside and reads “The Notebook” to her every day. As a result, Allie is in much better shape than the other Alzheimer’s patients. Do you think this is plausible? Is her stable health a result of her hearing the story of her life every day, or are greater forces at work? What does Noah’s devotion suggest about marriage and love?
9. The Notebook has been a best seller not only in America, but around the world. Why do you think this is?
Friday, August 6, 2010
Next thing on my list
Many people go through life without writing a list of what they would like to do, what they are really passionate about. This book has an overriding sadness however the list is the focus.
What are you passionate about?
Have you compiled a list of your dreams and what you would really like to do with your life?
What are you passionate about?
Have you compiled a list of your dreams and what you would really like to do with your life?
Never Say Die
Chris O'Brien's insights into his life, his passions and his illness.
A beautiful read by an amazing man.
A beautiful read by an amazing man.
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
Book for June
The book for June is "Tiger Traits" - the 9 Success Secrets you can discover from Tiger Woods to be a Business Champion by Nate Booth.
Leaving aside all the controversy surrounding Tiger at the moment, he has built a successful business. Nate Booth identifies 9 Tiger Traits - these are
1. Identify and Develop Natural Talents
2. Create a Clear and Compelling Dream
3. Select Teachers, Heroes, and Teammates who guide, inspire and support
4. Be Confident
5. Manufacture Magnificent Mental Models
6. Let Actions do the Talking
7. Constantly Improve in Good Times and Bad
8. Be Likable
9. Be grateful, Give Back
Enjoy the read!
Leaving aside all the controversy surrounding Tiger at the moment, he has built a successful business. Nate Booth identifies 9 Tiger Traits - these are
1. Identify and Develop Natural Talents
2. Create a Clear and Compelling Dream
3. Select Teachers, Heroes, and Teammates who guide, inspire and support
4. Be Confident
5. Manufacture Magnificent Mental Models
6. Let Actions do the Talking
7. Constantly Improve in Good Times and Bad
8. Be Likable
9. Be grateful, Give Back
Enjoy the read!
Sunday, May 2, 2010
Book for May
The book for this month is Jessica by Bryce Courtenay. Jessica is based on the inspiring true story of a young girl's fight for justice against tremendous odds.
A tomboy, Jessica is the pride of her father, as they work together on the struggling family farm. One quiet day, the peace of the bush is devastated by a terrible murder. Only Jessica is able to save the killer from the lynch mob – but will justice prevail in the courts?
Nine months later, a baby is born . . . with Jessica determined to guard the secret of the father's identity. The rivalry of Jessica and her beautiful sister for the love of the same man will echo throughout their lives – until finally the truth must be told.
Set in the harsh Australian bush against the outbreak of World War I, this novel is heartbreaking in its innocence, and shattering in its brutality.
'A deserved best seller, based on fact, a story told with heartbreaking honesty.'
The Australian Women's Weekly
A tomboy, Jessica is the pride of her father, as they work together on the struggling family farm. One quiet day, the peace of the bush is devastated by a terrible murder. Only Jessica is able to save the killer from the lynch mob – but will justice prevail in the courts?
Nine months later, a baby is born . . . with Jessica determined to guard the secret of the father's identity. The rivalry of Jessica and her beautiful sister for the love of the same man will echo throughout their lives – until finally the truth must be told.
Set in the harsh Australian bush against the outbreak of World War I, this novel is heartbreaking in its innocence, and shattering in its brutality.
'A deserved best seller, based on fact, a story told with heartbreaking honesty.'
The Australian Women's Weekly
April book
Our book for April was White Oleander by Janet Fitch. This story had a great degree of sadness and manipulation around it. It is the story of a mother and daughter and the complexity of this relationship. A movie has been made and this information on the movie is from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White_Oleander_(film)
The narrator, Astrid Magnussen (Alison Lohman), is the fifteen-year-old daughter of a free-spirited artist, Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer). Her father having left before she was old enough to remember him, Astrid depends heavily upon the maternal care of her passionate, but largely self-centered mother. Ingrid's current relationship, with a vulgar man named Barry (Billy Connolly), comes to an end when he is discovered to be a womanizer, and her emotional response leads her to murder him using poison (white oleander). Ingrid is arrested and sentenced to life in prison, leaving Astrid without parents and in need of foster care.
Astrid is sent to live with foster mother Starr Thomas (Robin Wright Penn), a former stripper and recovering addict. The unhealthy environment leads Starr to suspect that Astrid is having an affair with her live-in boyfriend, and she turns violent towards the girl. Astrid is then given into the care of former actress Claire Richards (Renée Zellweger), a sweet and affectionate woman who initially provides stability for Astrid. Upon accompanying Astrid to see her mother in prison, however, Claire's weaknesses are seized upon by the jealous Ingrid, and she ultimately commits suicide, suspecting that her husband is having an affair. Astrid then chooses to live with a Russian immigrant, Rena (Svetlana Efremova), who treats her foster children as cheap labourers.
As Ingrid's appeal for release approaches, she tries to bribe Astrid to testify that she did not murder Barry. In a newfound position of power, Astrid demands answers from her mother as to their past, leading to the revelation that Ingrid left Astrid with a babysitter for over a year when she was younger, a move that clearly gave rise to feelings of abandonment in Astrid's childhood. Eventually, having reluctantly agreed to testify, Astrid learns from her mother's lawyer that the appeal has been denied, because Ingrid refused to let Astrid's testimony be heard, a final act of love from a difficult but ultimately loving mother. Astrid forges a new adult life in New York with Paul: another young man she met while in foster care. (Patrick Fugit).
This book has been on Oprah Winfrey's book club also.
The narrator, Astrid Magnussen (Alison Lohman), is the fifteen-year-old daughter of a free-spirited artist, Ingrid (Michelle Pfeiffer). Her father having left before she was old enough to remember him, Astrid depends heavily upon the maternal care of her passionate, but largely self-centered mother. Ingrid's current relationship, with a vulgar man named Barry (Billy Connolly), comes to an end when he is discovered to be a womanizer, and her emotional response leads her to murder him using poison (white oleander). Ingrid is arrested and sentenced to life in prison, leaving Astrid without parents and in need of foster care.
Astrid is sent to live with foster mother Starr Thomas (Robin Wright Penn), a former stripper and recovering addict. The unhealthy environment leads Starr to suspect that Astrid is having an affair with her live-in boyfriend, and she turns violent towards the girl. Astrid is then given into the care of former actress Claire Richards (Renée Zellweger), a sweet and affectionate woman who initially provides stability for Astrid. Upon accompanying Astrid to see her mother in prison, however, Claire's weaknesses are seized upon by the jealous Ingrid, and she ultimately commits suicide, suspecting that her husband is having an affair. Astrid then chooses to live with a Russian immigrant, Rena (Svetlana Efremova), who treats her foster children as cheap labourers.
As Ingrid's appeal for release approaches, she tries to bribe Astrid to testify that she did not murder Barry. In a newfound position of power, Astrid demands answers from her mother as to their past, leading to the revelation that Ingrid left Astrid with a babysitter for over a year when she was younger, a move that clearly gave rise to feelings of abandonment in Astrid's childhood. Eventually, having reluctantly agreed to testify, Astrid learns from her mother's lawyer that the appeal has been denied, because Ingrid refused to let Astrid's testimony be heard, a final act of love from a difficult but ultimately loving mother. Astrid forges a new adult life in New York with Paul: another young man she met while in foster care. (Patrick Fugit).
This book has been on Oprah Winfrey's book club also.
Monday, March 1, 2010
A thought provoking read
"A Cargo of Women" is a book that highlights the plight of women in the 1800's. How resourceful they needed to be to place food on the table, and in many cases this was in vain as the children were too weak and succumbed anyway. Then they were hauled before a magistrate because they were only trying to feed their family - and the punishment was unbelievable. Tear them away from their families and load them on a ship bound for a colony that was in its infancy. How would you have coped?
For stealing a loaf of bread you were "in service" for 14 years in another country. You weren't allowed any money so could not even write a letter home - and in many cases very small children were left behind. You only had to look the wrong way, say a wrong word, or have a tone that implied you were insolent and you could be locked away for a period of time - and have your hair cut off!!
Reading this book made me feel so grateful for my life today.
For stealing a loaf of bread you were "in service" for 14 years in another country. You weren't allowed any money so could not even write a letter home - and in many cases very small children were left behind. You only had to look the wrong way, say a wrong word, or have a tone that implied you were insolent and you could be locked away for a period of time - and have your hair cut off!!
Reading this book made me feel so grateful for my life today.
Thursday, February 4, 2010
Additional reading
Hi
You may remember I wasnt sure which book to choose for my selection out of "The Help" or "A Cargo of Women" and I ended up choosing the later because of the Australian connection. Well I read the "The Help" whilst we were camping on the weekend and I highly recommend it.
"The Help" by Kathryn Stockton is on Oprah's Bookclub list amongst many others. Whilst I was researching what would be a good book for my selection this book just kept coming up and I was this close to choosing it when I came across the other.
I can barely beleive that I live in a world that barely 10 years before I was born black people were being murdered, beaten and generally treated as less than human and any white person perceived to be treating them better were also persecuted.
The women in this book were strong women who stood up for them selves in a dangerous world. Definately worth a read.
Kristy
You may remember I wasnt sure which book to choose for my selection out of "The Help" or "A Cargo of Women" and I ended up choosing the later because of the Australian connection. Well I read the "The Help" whilst we were camping on the weekend and I highly recommend it.
"The Help" by Kathryn Stockton is on Oprah's Bookclub list amongst many others. Whilst I was researching what would be a good book for my selection this book just kept coming up and I was this close to choosing it when I came across the other.
I can barely beleive that I live in a world that barely 10 years before I was born black people were being murdered, beaten and generally treated as less than human and any white person perceived to be treating them better were also persecuted.
The women in this book were strong women who stood up for them selves in a dangerous world. Definately worth a read.
Kristy
Monday, February 1, 2010
Lovely Bones
The Lagoon Book Club's book for the month is "Lovely Bones". Our meeting will be at the Lagoon Restaurant on Tuesday 23 February at 7 pm.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Feel It Real - A guided approach to bringing the Law of Attraction into you Life
Have just received the above book by Denise Coates from Borders Online. Full of practical exercises to invoke the Law of Attraction. Helps to overcome mental blocks and to experience the natural well being of the Universe.
Saturday, January 23, 2010
January Reading
Our book for the month was Gone with the Wind - an epic 1939 movie - a story of love between Scarlett O'Hara and Rhett Butler through the American Civil War.
Other books that I have read this month are
Put Your Dream to the Test - 10 Questions to help you see it and seize it - John C Maxwell. What's the difference between a dreamer and someone who achieves a dream? According to Dr John Maxwell the answer lies in 10 powerful questions. This book provides a step-by-step action plan for you to see, own and reach your dreams.
How I raised myself from Failure to Success in Selling - Frank Bettger. This book provides insights on - The Power of Enthusiasm, How to conquer Fear, The key word for turning a sceptical client into an enthusiastic buyer, the Quickest way to win confidence and Seven golden rules for closing a sale.
The Vortex - Esther and Jerry Hicks. This book uncovers a myriad of false premises that are at the heart of every uncomfortable relationship issue, and guides you to a clear understanding of the powerful creative vortex that has already assembled the relationships you have desired. Abraham will show you how to enter that vortex, where you will rendezvous with everything and everyone you have been looking for.
Positive Cash Flow Property - Margaret Lomas. From this book you learn where to look for positive cash flow property, the contracts you need to understand, the process of applying for finance, how to choose a property manager, methods to prepare for tax and how to manage a property sale.
Your Dreams are too Small - Joe Tye. This is a brilliant book that shows you the path toward visualising and realising your most authentic, most magnificent dreams.
Happy for No Reason - Marci Shimoff. This book incorporates the lastest findings in positive psychology, powerful tools and techniques, and moving real-life stories, and in a 7 step program will raise your "happiness set point"
The Ultimate Happiness Prescription - Deepak Chopra. This is a beautiful little book containing the seven keys to Happiness. Be aware of your body, find true self-esteem, Detoxity your life, give up being right, focus on the present, see the world in yourself, live for enlightenment.
Other books that I have read this month are
Put Your Dream to the Test - 10 Questions to help you see it and seize it - John C Maxwell. What's the difference between a dreamer and someone who achieves a dream? According to Dr John Maxwell the answer lies in 10 powerful questions. This book provides a step-by-step action plan for you to see, own and reach your dreams.
How I raised myself from Failure to Success in Selling - Frank Bettger. This book provides insights on - The Power of Enthusiasm, How to conquer Fear, The key word for turning a sceptical client into an enthusiastic buyer, the Quickest way to win confidence and Seven golden rules for closing a sale.
The Vortex - Esther and Jerry Hicks. This book uncovers a myriad of false premises that are at the heart of every uncomfortable relationship issue, and guides you to a clear understanding of the powerful creative vortex that has already assembled the relationships you have desired. Abraham will show you how to enter that vortex, where you will rendezvous with everything and everyone you have been looking for.
Positive Cash Flow Property - Margaret Lomas. From this book you learn where to look for positive cash flow property, the contracts you need to understand, the process of applying for finance, how to choose a property manager, methods to prepare for tax and how to manage a property sale.
Your Dreams are too Small - Joe Tye. This is a brilliant book that shows you the path toward visualising and realising your most authentic, most magnificent dreams.
Happy for No Reason - Marci Shimoff. This book incorporates the lastest findings in positive psychology, powerful tools and techniques, and moving real-life stories, and in a 7 step program will raise your "happiness set point"
The Ultimate Happiness Prescription - Deepak Chopra. This is a beautiful little book containing the seven keys to Happiness. Be aware of your body, find true self-esteem, Detoxity your life, give up being right, focus on the present, see the world in yourself, live for enlightenment.
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