Great Book Club Picks

Focus for this List: It seems to me that there is a special flavor to books chosen by book clubs. They tend to be complex, depressing, and bogged down in reality. That said, I do understand that if the primary reaction to a book is, "Wow, what a fabulous book!  What else has the author written?" then there may not be much to discuss. Thus, this list is my take on books that provoke discussion, while also being good reads!  PS: I tend not to like depressing, thus, most of these books are a bit more upbeat!


Fiction:
1.  Children No More by Mark Van Name
Externally, this is about the partnership between a hero and his hyper-intelligent assault vehicle. (Yes, it's great science-fiction.) Internally, however, this is a heart-wrenching story about the rehabilitation of children who are forced to become soldiers. Another reason to read this with a book club? Mark is donating ALL the profits from ALL the sales of this book (regardless of format) to Falling Whistles, a charity that focuses on rehabilitating and reintegrating child soldiers. Look HERE for more details. Help save children while enjoying a good story.

2.  Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult

I have almost every novel Jodi Picoult has written, and they've all kept me up late, and drained me of tears, many, many times. She has a knack for really exploring an ethical issue, from so many different perspectives. Thus, her novels are ideal for book clubs because there is so much to discuss. This particular book of hers is one that had me up late thinking hard about belief, and trying to decide who in the book I did believe. It's a fascinating book and I think you'll enjoy discussing it with friends.

3. Eat Pray Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

I didn't think I was going to like this book, I really didn't. Then this memoir grabbed me by the heart and wouldn't let go. The hype on this one is right -- go ahead and enjoy!  I just bought the sequel, and will let you know what I think!

4. Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

After hearing so many of my book club's members rave about how wonderful this book is, I decided that hey, $4 for the Kindle version wasn't too much to pay. It was fabulous. 1930s circuses, romance, danger, intrigue, historical details, and the best elephant in fiction today. Surprisingly enough, it's also a moving examination of what it is to be old. So, I know this isn't a radically different suggestion for a book club read, but it is a good one! 

5.  The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

When word of this book first started circulating, I assumed it was about anorexia. Wow, was I wrong! Instead, it's my new favorite dystopia, which comments directly on our current culture of reality shows, and the wide divide between the haves and the have-nots. It's thought provoking, and each book in the trilogy kept me glued to the pages well into the morning hours.  There is a LOT to discuss here, and I find myself wandering around, wanting to talk to others who've read it -- a sure sign of a good book-club book! 

Nonfiction

6. My Life as an Experiment: One Man's Humble Quest to Improve Himself by Living as a Woman, Becoming George Washington, Telling No Lies, and Other Radical Tests by A.J. Jacobs

This fascinating and well-written book is a summation of all the crazy odd experiments that the author has written about in his articles and other books, The Year of Living Biblically: One Man's Humble Quest to Follow the Bible as Literally as Possible, and The Know-It-All: One Man's Humble Quest to Become the Smartest Person in the World. This amusing book is particularly easy to read in chunks, and leads to some interesting discussions.

7. Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales

I've been raving about how amazing this book is for years now. What delights me is how many people come back from having read it, raving themselves about what an interesting and helpful book it is. Granted, there are some really technical bits, but then again, don't book clubs delight in books with difficult bits? That said, the author's journalistic background shows in the fabulous (and true) stories that he tells as ways of making his point. 

8.  The Anatomy of Hope: How People Prevail in the Face of Illness by Dr. Jerome Groopman

It's been a while since I read this one, but I do remember it being a very thoughtful examination of what makes up true hope, and how it can affect you. I gave a copy to a friend who is a minister, and she said it was just full of sermon illustrations. Give it a look!

9.  The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell (or Blink, or Outliers, if you've already read that one!)

Malcolm Gladwell has a very engaging way of writing about ideas by telling stories. Best of all, these books will change the way you think -- or the way you think about thinking -- and you'll find yourself quoting his stories at parties for years to come. 

10. "Why Do I Love These People?": Understanding, Surviving, and Creating Your Own Family, by Po Bronson

I've decided that this fellow is one of my new favorite authors. His newest book, NurtureShock: New Thinking About Children, was particularly thought provoking as my husband and I are both teachers.  Either of these books would make great book club choices. One focuses on telling stories from interviews with various people about what makes up their families. The answers will broaden your understanding of the possibilities and make you reexamine your own family relationships.  The other, NurtureShock, focuses on collating and summarizing all of the most recent discoveries in the field of child development. Most of the research I'd already heard of, as it was announced, but having it all put together in context was amazingly helpful, and helped me rethink teenage arguing, among other things! Check out nurtureshock.com for essays & other tidbits from the book. 

So, what's YOUR favorite book-club pick?

Books for Those Who Teach

Focus for this List: I've been a teacher for 12 years now. Most of that has been in a rather non-traditional setting. For 7 years, however, I taught in various private schools. In my last year of teaching, I found a book that, had I found it earlier, might have kept me in the classroom. Here's a list for everyone still in the trenches (and for those looking to join the lonely horde). 

1.  The First Days of School: How to Be an Effective Teacher by Harry Wong, & Rosemary Wong
Despite the somewhat cheesy title, this really is a very factual guide (and collection of lists) of what you need to do to get ready for your first year of teaching. Remember, as M. always says, your first year at a new school is still a first year of teaching, so hold on to this one and be ready to pull it out and use as needed.

2.  The Teacher's Survival Guide: Real Classroom Dilemmas and Practical Solutions, by Marc Major
This is the book that I wish I'd found earlier. This is a fabulous mix of good philosophy, and brutally practical advice. The sections on classroom management should be required reading for everyone.  If you buy only one book, this is the one. 

3.  The Courage to Teach: Exploring the Inner Landscape of a Teacher's Life, 10th Anniversary Edition by Parker Palmer
This is a book to read over the summer. It focuses on the idea that you can only teach effectively from a position that is true to who you are at the core. In other words, if focuses on that unpopular notion that not everything can be prescribed and that teachers are individuals who may find different solutions to the same problems. A very thoughtful book that can help you articulate why things work or don't work well for you.

4.  Tongue Fu! At School: 30 Ways to Get Along with Teachers, Principals, Students, and Parents by Sam Horn
Ok, I'll admit it, I picked this one up initially because the title made me giggle. Still, having read it, this is a guide to the snappy come-back and thoughtful response that calm situations down and keep things managable.  It's a delightful read.

5.  Coloring Outside the Lines by Dr. Roger Schank
This is aimed more at parents than at teachers, and yet, I found it quite an enjoyable read. The author talks about some specific ways to raise kids who are more verbal, creative, analytical, and inquisitive, and who have more gumption, and ambition. Yes, that list is straight from the table of contents. This would be especially helpful for those with younger kiddos.

6. The Students Are Watching: Schools and the Moral Contract by Theodore Sizer and Nancy Sizer
This is another summer read for teachers (when else would you have time?).  It's an interesting discussion of how our small, everyday actions impact the kids and the culture of the school.  Aimed primarily at those dealing with the middle and upper grades, I think this would be a good book for parents to read as well.

7.  Teach Like Your Hair's on Fire: The Methods and Madness Inside Room 56 by Rafe Esquith
This is the 5th grade teacher we all wish we'd had. He's had a while to work out some elaborate (and really cool) systems, but I'm not sure how well they would work if you don't have the same group of kids all day.  Still, as an inspirational read, it's wonderful.

8. Teaching with Love & Logic: Taking Control of the Classroom  by Jim Fay & David Funk
Another summer read, when you can sit down and read it all the way through, this has become one of the standard ways to deal with classroom discipline.

9. Fair Isn't Always Equal: Assessing & Grading in the Differentiated Classroom by Rick Wormeli
This is a really thoughtful analysis of how we grade the work, and how to structure our classroom so that it can be truly fair to all of the little ones. The analogy that always strikes me?  How is it fair that I get to wear glasses and someone else doesn't? Well if someone "needs glasses" in order to "see the board" then, isn't it fair that we make sure the student gets what is needed in the way of support?

10.  Chronicles of Fairacre by Miss Read
For when all the books of theory, advice, and rhetoric about rubrics have just been too much, escape to the 1955, beautifully imagined world of Fairacre. A peaceful sanctuary, and an enjoyable read.

Books for the Bathroom

Focus for this List: Yes, there are, in fact, books in every room of my house. This list is for the bookshelf that also holds spare toilet paper.  (Note: this is not a list of acceptable substitutes for toilet paper -- that's a different list!)  Now, admittedly, the criteria for this list are a bit vague. When we moved, however, I found that certain books just cry out to spend time in the bathroom, being read only occasionally, and in small doses.  What's in YOUR bathroom bookshelf?

Books in our Bathroom at the Moment:
1.  The Worst Case Scenario Survival Handbook: Travel, by Joshua Piven & David Borgenicht
I've got several books from this series; when I was single, the version in the bathroom was this one.  You know, just in case!

2.  Edna St. Vincent Millay: Collected Lyrics
This was a library sale treasure, and I'm enjoying finding new gems.

3.  How to Shit in the Woods, Second Edition: An Environmentally Sound Approach to a Lost Art, by Kathleen Meyer
Mr. Turkey is an Eagle Scout. Until we were married, I'd never camped outside a day in my life. So, how does a confirmed bookworm confront such a new situation? Yup, we buy books and read them. This one I found particularly well-written. It's earnest tone is endearing, and truly, this is information we should all be passingly familiar with. (Sorry, pardon the pun.)

4.  Strain Your Brain: Power Puzzles (Official Mensa Puzzle Book), by Ivan Moscovich
This is quite a colorful, and mind-bending puzzle book. Good for long visits!

Books That Have Since Migrated Elsewhere:
5.  They Have a Word for It: A Lighthearted Lexicon of Untranslatable Words and Phrases (The Writer's Studio), by Howard Rheingold
This is truly one of my favorite linguistic books. As an exchange student, I noticed how language shapes thought, and vice versa, this book goes one step further and tries to explain such concepts as we do not have in English.  Yes, Gemütlichkeit is in there!  Now shelved in linguistics.

6.  The Quotable South: A Compendium of Eclectic Quotes About the South, compiled by Al Dixon
It's colorful, and it's funny. And then I lived in Raleigh for 4 years. Now I'm not sure if it's funny or tragic, but I know that it's true. Now shelved between linguistics and the travel books.

7. Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, by ZZ Packer
An interesting collection of short stories, this is an enjoyable read. Now shelved in non-fiction.

8.  It Was a Dark and Stormy Night: The Best (?) from the Bulwer-Lytton Contest, compiled by Scott Rice
"The funniest opening sentences from the worst novels never written."  The bathroom will echo with your howls of laughter and groans of disgust!  Do yourself a favor and click on the link in the Author's Name, and enjoy!  Now shelved next to my literary classics.

9.  Why Do Men Have Nipples? Hundreds of Questions You'd Only Ask a Doctor After Your Third Martini, by Mark Leyner, and Billy Goldberg, M.D.
Ok, so the questions and answers are interesting, but more amusing are the transcribed chat messages back and forth between the two authors.  Now shelved in nonfiction.

10.  Not Quite What I Was Planning, Revised and Expanded Deluxe Edition: Six-Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure, edited by Rachel Fershleiser, & Larry Smith
They read like haiku -- intense, and short.  (Now shelved in nonfiction, but it may wander back into the bathroom. Writing this blog helps me remember all of my treasures!)

Note: if I had more space, I'd totally lobby for this bathtub.  As it is, I can only dream!  Click here to find the website where I found this treasure!  :)

Books to Help You Get Stuff Done!

Focus for this list:
I occasionally do something other than read. No, really, I do! Mind you, when that happens, I frequently go in search of books on the topic. Really! In any case, I hope some of these books will help you get stuff on your list done as well. 
NOTE: all photos are of my own doing, of my own projects! 

Quilting:

1.  Quick Quilts to Make in a Weekend, edited by Rosemary Wilkinson
This was the first quilting book that didn't scare me. In fact, I ended up making one quilt loosely based on one of these patterns. It took me about a year to get it done, but then again, it was only my second quilt!

2.  Around the Block with Judy Hopkins: 200 Rotary-Cut Blocks in 6 Sizes  by Judy Hopkins
This is my favorite reference work on how to make organized quilt blocks without breaking my brain doing math.

3.  That Dorky Homemade Look: Quilting Lessons From a Parallel Universe by Lisa Boyer
This is the book that liberated my soul, and gave me the heart to keep quilting. 

4.  Cut-Loose Quilts: Stack, Slice, Switch, and Sew by Jan Mullen
After Lisa Boyer turned me loose, Jan told me how to make it REALLY interesting!!!  :)

Yes, each square is centered by a fussy-cut flamingo doing something at the beach: dancing the flamenco, riding a motorcycle, snorkeling, shopping, etc, etc, etc. 

Really, this is a quilting book for how to make the whole thing relaxing. That is, unless you're someone who particularly enjoys parallel lines. Some do!





Gardening:
5.  The Lazy Indoor Gardener: How to take care of your house plants with the least possible effort by Roberta Pliner

Mr. Turkey Bird just found this book at the library book sale, and yet, it describes my philosophy of plant care just perfectly. We took it along to the store when shopping for new victims! 

Mind you, Hubert, the philodendron cuddling up to the poetry and nonfiction shelves, has survived three different moves, and has lived in 4 different cities in 3 different states.


6. Western Garden Book of Edibles: The Complete A-Z Guide to Growing Your Own Vegetables, Herbs, and Fruits  by Sunset Publishing

As you can see, we're pretty ambitious for folks living in an arid climate. 
This is a photo of the only pepper to actually form and ripen last year. The tomatoes did a fabulous job, and we'll replant them this year, AFTER having consulted our new encyclopedia of plants that Might actually survive here!





7.  The Organic Lawn Care Manual: A Natural, Low-Maintenance System for a Beautiful, Safe Lawn by Paul Tukey

A gift from our dear friend, on the occasion of our first lawn, this was actually a fascinating read. 









Painting (with Watercolors):

8.  The Complete Watercolorist's Essential Notebook by Gordon MacKenzie
and
9.  Brush With Watercolour: Painting Landscapes the Easy Way by Terry Harrison

I spent a year living in New Mexico recently, and my mother got me involved with watercoloring, which led to a class in painting with acrylic. Only one of the paintings on the wall is mine (the little one that copies the bigger one) but I'm still wildly proud of my efforts! If you, like me, spent all of your electives in music or science class, these two books will help you branch out and explore your artistic side.


FUTURE projects!

10.  Treehouses: The Art and Craft of Living Out on a Limb by Peter Nelson

No. I don't have a picture of my treehouse yet. I don't live near any trees that are big enough or sturdy enough, which, most of the time is just fine with me. I tend to feel that most trees are out to get me. (Redliners by David Drake. 'Nuff said)

Still, I read this book with the intensity of someone who is in desperate need of an arboral retreat. So, when the revolution comes, I may be perched in a tree, happily reading a book, and ignoring the rest of the universe. Oh, and blogging!!!