The Knees of Gullah Island by Dwight Fryer

We went looking for this book so we could learn more about the Gullah culture. When searching for this topic it was very hard to find Fiction books that focused on Gullah culture.  Overall the group liked this book. 

Try to schedule a trip or vacation to Charleston, SC close to this meeting.  Charleston, SC has Gullah museums, festivals, history and present day Gullah knowledge. Make sure to stop by a basket weaving station on the side of the road.  They are amazing. I wish I could have brought everyone back a sweetgrass basket but settled on Shrimp and Grits for everyone with cooking directions written in Gullah.  We also had sweetgrass roses, a bible translated in Gullah, Frogmore Stew and spanish moss dripping from the trees.  Different members brought something to contribute to the Frogmore Stew.  Here is the recipe if you want to create a stone soup like theme for your meeting. 

Frogmore Stew
Big pot of boiling water seasoned with Old Bay to taste 
Potatoes, Corn, Onion, Sausage and Shrimp


Put in the pot with slow cooking things first.  Shrimp last till cooked.  Dump outside on a table with newspaper and eat! 

Wear something beachy because most of this book club should take place outside in the summer heat.  The south is HOT.  It was a Gullah good time!

The give back project this month was a donation to an organization that helps combat human trafficking.  This seemed like a good connection to a book around the time of the end of the civil war since Human trafficking is a modern form of slavery. We found one not far from our town that we could easily drop off donations.  Here is a link if you live near or around Columbus. http://centralohiorescueandrestore.org/ If not just google your local area and you should find something.  We had FIVE in Columbus.  I was saddened to learn that human trafficking is on the rise.  Help out if you can!

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey

We went straight to the loony bin for this one.  We mixed in another classic this year with One flew over the Cuckoo's nest.  The host planned a movie night for the meeting so we could watch after we read.  Great book and message that would be perfect for a book club discussion.  We spent most of the time visiting, eating and watching movie but would still recommend this title!  One member made a huge bottle of "cough syrup" with a Firefly Book Club label.  The ingredients that were listed in the book for cough syrup were attached to the back of the bottle.  She found the bottle at a local hardward store.  It was perfect to go with the "meds" we had rationed out for each ward.  The meds were labeled like the wards in the book.  We had the Acute and the Chronic.  Don't worry medication time only consisted of tic tacs and altoids.  The medication containers were little ketchup things from a fast food place.  If you read this one with your group this is a perfect treat. 

We wore "greens" to match the patients in the book.  Scrubs were easily found at the thrift store.  A favorite spot for collecting book club wardrobes.  You could also have a nurse Ratchet or Candy the hooker.  We had the hooker but no nurse.  The majority of us were mental patients.  We are all moms and I think feel a little crazy most of the time. 

The host Emily picked a local nursing/rehab center to take donations.  They were gladly accepting books and magazines for patients and visitors.  Such an easy way to help the community.  We always have lots of extra books to share!  Call around if you want to help.  You will be surprised the places that would welcome similar donations. 

Breaking Silence by Linda Castillo

Breaking Silence is a quick easy read.  A bit of a mystery and great Amish theme.  The setting of the book was in Ohio which is the home state of the Firefly Book Club ladies.  It was fun to read about the local newspaper The Columbus Dispatch in the pick of the month.  We had a great time dressing, baking and crafting like the Amish.  The member that lived on the most farm like setting hosted this one.  We had wonderful goodie bags that were perfect with the theme.  The host made hand towels with initials of members sewn on that were wrapped around Amish friendship bread.  We also got a starter for future loaves.  We also had homemade wine with special Firefly book club labels, clothespin holders and stamped hand towel. 

Jenny the host picked the charity this month.  We donated canned goods to the local food pantry.  Here is a link http://www.cwhumanservices.org/Pantry.html  Check out your local pantry for the most needed items if you are interested in serving your community. 

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

Jodi Picoult is one of my favorite authors.  I was excited to finally discuss one of her books in a group meeting.  We switched it up this month and went out to dinner.  Not a lot of outfit or food choices in this one so it worked out perfectly.  The member that took charge and made reservations also decorated the table and brought dessert.  Dessert was amazing and such a treat.  Mason jars full of cupcakes!  Yum!

  Ok, back to the book.  Everyone enjoyed the book but this was the first of her books I didn't get super passionate about.  She covers some big issues and this missed the mark for me.  A great book but didn't get major discussion going at the table.  We made special Firefly bleach shirts for each member since we didn't have an outfit theme.  I need a theme if you can't tell already. 

Allison wanted to donate items to the Faith Mission of Ohio.  We hand delivered them to the men shelter after dinner.  Here is a link if you want to help!  http://www.faithmissionofohio.org/wishlist.php  This is a link to the wishlist items.  There are lots of other ways to give back on the site if hand delivering goods is not your thing. 

The Great Gatsby by F.Scott Fitzgerald

                        
We traveled right back to the roaring 20's for this one. Oh, what a time we had at this meeting. Plenty of hidden booze, good records and fun flapper costumes. This was by far one of my favorite book clubs. We had plenty of appetizers for snacking. Some of us researched recipes from the time period to stay true to the book. Katie ordered everyone flasks to wear tucked in garters. Perfect for a book during the time of Prohibition. If you want to go all out at your meeting stick with something from this time period. The book was not a favorite read for all but enjoyable for some.

 

 Katie picked the charity of the month for our year of giving back. We sealed up leftovers to pass on to the homeless in the Central Ohio area. If you are interested you have to check out this site! http://www.celestialmission.org/  It is pretty amazing and looking for amazing people to join. It is so easy and a few of us continued to contribute long after this meeting.

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