Book Club Discussion – The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid Who would have thought that a humorous memoir of growing up during the idyllic 1950’s inDes Moines,Iowacould engender such differing reactions among our Zion Book Club readers? And yet, The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson has earned [...]
Zion’s Book Club Discussion of December 1, 2011 “Once upon a time, there was a determined young lady named Sarah Prine who journeyed with her family through the Old West’sArizonaTerritoryby rough wagon train. A tomboy who never knew that word, she beat grown men in shooting contests a la Annie Oakley. She endured every [...]
It is not often one reads a book that provides a gripping story, a history lesson, and an opportunity to reflect on the consequences of choices. Zion Book Club members encountered such a book when they read “Sarah’s Key” by Tatiana de Rosnay. Although a work of fiction, the book is based on one [...]
Zion Book Club: Thursday September 22, 2011 After a wonderful but fast summer hiatus, the Zion Book Club tackled the rather dark novel The Fifth Woman by Swedish author Henning Mankell. The novel features Detective Kurt Wallender, a dedicated policeman, as he investigates a series of murders. Although this is the fourth novel [...]
(from Cindy Bushey-our Book Club blogger) The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls provoked a lot of mixed emotions in me. It’s a stunning retelling of a mixed-up childhood, sometimes loving, sometimes abusive. The almost clinical descriptions of abject poverty and neglect made me want to cry, especially when the young Jeannette didn’t realize how awful [...]
Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand Book Club Meeting on April 28, 2011 In life, it can sometimes be said of certain people that unless they have bad luck, they have no luck at all. The main character in Lauren Hillibrand’s “Unbroken” had a string of bad luck that would have killed a weaker individual. Rising [...]
The Zion Book Club met on March 24th to discuss “The Other Wes Moore”, a true story of two African-American boys of the same name and approximate age, living in the housing projects of Baltimore, Maryland and their divergent life paths. The author became a Rhodes Scholar after a stint at Valley Forge Military Academy [...]
Celebrating literature, love, and the power of the human spirit, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is the story of an English author living in the shadow of World War II—and embarking on a writing project that will dramatically change her life. Unfolding in a series ofletters, this enchanting novel introduces readers to [...]
Here is a list of the books that we have read so far, in Book Group: we’re amazed at how many we’ve read. In September we’re going into our 4 th year of great reading and great fun! In a highly unscientific poll we rated our top and bottom picks, so far. Top rated books: #1 [...]
This is Barbara’s Pick for March 24th: “The Other Wes Moore–One Name, Two Fates” by Wes Moore “The idea that two very similar people can grow up to live two completely different lives is at the heart of the endlessly intriguing “The Other Wes Moore.” Begun when Rhodes scholar and White House Fellow Wes [...]