About our Book Club

I am an avid reader who is part of a book club of 12 women who get together once a month at each others homes to discuss various books. We always have delicious food & wine and fabulous discussions! If you love to read then please take some time to peruse some of our book reviews, become a follower, add comments, suggestions or ratings and PLEASE share this blog with your friends too!

May 30, 2012

Defending Jacob by William Landay

It's interesting... I was just thinking that I always love the books we read, therefore my blogs all seem to be glowing. It's probably due to the fact that I love reading so much but more so, I think we just keep selecting amazing books!
Defending Jacob is no exception. I literally could not put this book down and when I absolutely had to, it called to me like some intoxicating elixir that was controlling my brain!

As with any really great book, I cannot go into too much detail or I will spoil the plot and twists for the reader. As a matter of fact, I find myself sitting here not really knowing what I can reveal without ruining things. I will say that William Landay's style of writing is phenomenal! The way he weaves this story together is truly wonderful, all the while inserting some dry humor when you least expect it. This is an engrossing read and will leave you asking some really tough questions about your own feelings and the thoughts and emotions of your own family.

We as a group loved this book and ended up having a wonderful discussion about it!
Please read this book, you will not be sorry!

Appetizers: Various  Delicious Tid Bits
Dinner: Chicken and Fruit Salad with a Yellow Curry Dressing
Dessert: Delicious Cake from Porto's Bakery in Glendale
Drinks: Red & White Wine

May 23, 2012

Lonesome Dove

Our April read was Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. This was our second verrrry long book this year with a whopping 800+ pages and just like the first one it did not disappoint. This book takes you on such a journey that it's really difficult to snap out of it once the book is finished. I had tears in my eyes when I was turning the last page, I just didn't want it to end.


Aside from the epic wild wild west the characters in this book are amazing. Captain Augustus McCray was our collective favorite. Every girl loves a great cowboy, and he does not let you down. He is as crusty as cowboys can get but he's also funny, loyal, witty and brave and will most certainly pop into our heads the next time we envision a cowboy from that era.
Lorena Wood was another character that we all loved. She was the town whore but with the typical "heart of gold" hiding in her VERY thick skin. Feisty and beautiful we enjoyed any parts of the book that she was in.
There are so many others that we either loved or hated but they are too many to mention one by one, but every one of them is memorable in their own way.


I think one thing that really gripped us all was how very difficult life was back then and how much strength and tenacity was needed just to drive a herd of cattle and horses across several states to find new land. It was unimaginable to us all as we sat in a beautiful living room, sipping our drinks and having a lovely discussion that there were so many dangers and so much that they had to live without in those times. Life was beyond simple, but also incredibly complicated.


Some of us had read this book several times over our lives and some of us rented the mini series after we were finished reading the book, which was really something to see these characters come to life. We really recommend this book, but make sure you have some time! One thing we all agreed on was you don't want to try to read this when you have a lot on your plate or a very hectic schedule...just wait until you have a few days to just relax and read. Yeeehaw!


Appetizers- various yummy items
Dinner- Chili and Corn Bread
Dessert- Texas Sheet Cake
Drinks- Wild Turkey Shots (optional) and White and Red Wine (for the City Slickers)