The Woman Lit by Fireflies-January 2012

A new year. A new book. Every year anniversary in January we try to pick a book with the word Firefly in the title. The book club all started with a book by Kristin Hannah called Firefly Lane. The Woman lit by Fireflies has three short stories that are not connected. It was ok but not a favorite by our group. The great thing about a book club though is you are exposed to books you wouldn't pick up on your own. It does have lots of discussion questions and may be great for your group. We just can't recommend it. This was the anniversary meeting so we had lots of games from a year of reading. A guess the quote game with two competing teams. A who can put the year of books in order the fastest game. This got a little dangerous! Also, a guess the object game. A bag full of random things and you pick the book it matches.

We made firefly butter mints for favors and snacks.

We had lots of great favors to celebrate another year of reading. We also made handmade bronze charms and beaded charm bracelts. Each charm represents a book from the last year. Thank goodness we know an artist that was able to guide, teach and offer us space and equiptment to do this.

We donated fronts of cards to St. Judes Hospital this month. This is a great month to do cards to clean up all the Christmas cards hanging around. This was so simple & expensive. We had a ton of cards and busted the first envelope I filled. Shipping was around $5.00. Here is a link to copy & paste if you are interested.

http://www.stjudesranch.org/shop/recycled-card-program/

A year of books...

The Book Thief

What a fabulous read for discussion. This book was a crowd pleaser! We would all recommend for another book club. Lots of great quotes and questions. The quotes were so wonderful one member created handmade rings with glass and quotes inside. They are amazing!

This month and continuing through all next year we will be giving back at each meeting. We thought it would be perfect to start with books. Don't worry we didn't steal any like Liesel. We donated gently used or new childrens books to Nationwide Childrens Hospital in Columbus, Ohio.
What a great way to help the community. If interested in doing this follow the link below. Copy & paste if you can't click it open.

http://www.nationwidechildrens.org/wish-list-for-donations

We should have lots of wonderful ideas this year to help out. If you don't live close to us look up a hospital in your area that might need similar items.

“I have hated words and I have loved them, and I hope I have made them right.” ― Markus Zusak, The Book Thief

Hollywood Girls Club by Maggie Marr

This book was a quick silly read. We were getting to serious with the selections this year and needed to mix it up a bit. So, not the best book club read if you are looking for a great discussion. This book did not have questions so just plan on a fun event. The host of this meeting created an event with a red carpet, photographer and all! We dressed appropriately for a hollywood party. It was fun to glam it up and be fancy for the night. So different than the usual day to day stay at home mom look. We had caviar, fancy drinks, sushi and more. The host created special wine glasses with the intial of each guest. She also made a little Hollywood sign and an event backdrop for photos. Lots of sparkle all around.

Dracula by Bram Stoker

We needed to throw in a classic to make the year complete. This was October choice. What a perfect month to read a spooky vampire book! Combine a book club meeting with a fun Halloween party to get the most of this one. We had a special place decorated just for vampire talk. Garlic necklaces, crosses and sharp stakes were close by just in case. This is a great book club book with a good selection of discussion questions.

Lakota Woman

This was an interesting book and somewhat educational. Not sure if I would recommend for discussion. This year for us seemed to focus on woman and suffering through the ages so it fit right in. Food choices were difficult because we weren't willing to sacrifice our beloved dogs. We managed to include a few yummy items in the buffet though that were pet free. The host of this meeting had some great decorations. Ideas for your group would be a totem pole, tepee, or cactuses.

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

This book has great theme potential! Especially for a summer book club. If you can't afford a trip to Hawaii anytime soon you can create a little tropics in your back yard. The host of this book club had some great decorations and passed out lei's as we entered the party. We all wore bright floral clothes to match the theme. The food was fun except maybe the poi. Poi was mentioned throughout the book but find a good recipe if you are thinking of bringing this to your own meeting. We still have poi jokes within the group. Lots of memories and fun at this one. Oh, the book was good and had lots to talk about. Aloha!!!

Slammerkin

Warning...This may not be the best book club read! A few members had trouble reading and/or finishing. So readers beware! It's a bit graphic but we had lots to talk about.

We headed back to London 1700's for an education in prostitution and many other things. We attempted to dress in our own versions of a Slammerkin. A red ribbon, corset or boning and a loose skirt was a must. A talented jewelry making member made everyone feather earrings & necklaces with red ribbon. Another member created t-shirts for everyone with the theme "reading is sexy."

If you plan to stay true to the book in the food department expect to be hungry & drunk!!! Lots of alcohol was mentioned but not much grub to munch along. We had a variety of breads and cheeses, tarts and london type foods. Don't forget the Hard Cider. CHEERS!