Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish

This is the next book for the book club that I'm part of. This was such a fun book. Mildred Kalish is in her 80s and this book is the memoirs from her childhood. She grew up in Iowa. She was on a farm for the summer months and then lived at her grandparents house the remainder of the year. It was a different time in the 30s, and you made due with what you had. The kids didn't really want for more. They were content. I get the impression that in many ways life was easier. Although I think when you're a child a lot of things come easier.

This book brought back so many memories of stories from my Grandma and Grandpa. Especially the food chapter--I was thinking of all of the yummy recipes that my Grandma makes. The book reminded me to ask my Grandma and Mamo about their childhoods and stories that they remember. I am also going to encourage them to write them down so I can pass along to the next generations in our family.

Looking forward to the book club discussion. Definitely one to put on your list.

The Pagan Stone by Nora Roberts

Book 3 of the Pagan Stone series. It was predictable, but an enjoyable series. It was fun if you need something light to take your mind off everyday life.

The Hollow by Nora Roberts

Book 2 in the Pagan Stone series by Nora Roberts. These are quick reads and like you Michele, not typically what I'm interested in. The story continues exploring the relationships of the people that are tied together not only through family trees, but through events that happened in their past. I'm anxious to find out what happens next so my next book will be book 3: The Pagan Stone.

On another note: What are you reading? Anything that's worth passing on to the gals in my book club? :) We're always looking for good suggestions.

Roots by Alex Haley

I must admit that when Nancy picked this for book club I was a bit overwhelmed by the length--almost 900 pages. However, I found it to be very easy to read and a fascinating story. If you haven't read it or seen the mini-series, it's worth checking out of the library. The story starts with Kunta Kinte in Africa and talks about his life and his becoming a man. He is captured by white men and taken to the "newnited" states. The parts on the boat are the most graphic and difficult to read. Kunta tells his story to his daughter and she passes it down to her son and so forth. Very interesting and makes you wonder why people thought that they could take other people and force them to do their manual labor. That part was mind-boggling to me. Check out the book club blog for more details as I'm sure Nancy will have done a great write-up on it.

Blood Brothers by Nora Roberts

I've never read anything by Nora Roberts including her books that she's written as JD Robb. She is a great story-teller. Blood Brothers is the first book of a trilogy where three kids are connected by an occurence at the Pagan Stone in Hollow Gulch (ok, you have to be into fantasy a little bit with this book). Every seven years weird things start happening because a demon comes back. It's very entertaining and not something I normally would have picked up but a friend loaned me the three books. Of course there is a love interest which makes things well interesting. It's also been entertaining to read and I will finish the series after finishing some others on my pile.

Finger Lickin' Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

This one had me laughing. A lot. I thought that Evanovich did a better job with Fifteen than with Fourteen. Lula has you crackin' up and poor Stephanie is just a mess because she's broken it off with Joe Morelli (WHAT???). But all is well she's at staying at Ranger's and working for him. So you see there is just a lot that can happen when Stephanie is with Ranger. There's a lot of fun with Grandma Mazur and Lula trying to come up with a bbq recipe to win a competition. It's hilarious.

The Friday Night Knitting Club by Kate Jacobs

Warning: if you don't knit, this book will make you want to learn. The story is about a group of ladies who all get together at Georgia's yarn shop to knit together. We learn a little bit about each woman and how their lives are intertwined. It was so good, I couldn't put it down. It takes place in NYC and I happened to be in NYC while I was reading this which made it more real. I grew to love the different women in the book like they were my own friends. I would recommend this for women who want to be reminded of how special it is to have girl friends.