March's Book Poll

Since this is not a dictatorship, I'm going to put 3 books on the ballot for next month's book. Please vote on you're favorite. The book with the most votes will be March's book. Please vote as soon as possible as I hope to get the fliers announcing the new book out by Sunday, March 7th. You may place your vote as a comment to this post. Thank you :)

Now, the titles and author of the books and what the book's back cover had to say about each one.

1) A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

It was a dark and story night: Meg Murry, her small brother Charles Wallace, and their mother had come down to the kitchen for a midnight snack when they were upset by the arrival of a most disturbing stranger.

"Wild nights are my glory," the unearthly stranger told them. "I just got caught in a downdraft and blown off course. Let me sit down for a moment, and then I'll be on my way. Speaking of way, by the way, there is such a thing as a tesseract."

A tesseract (in case you don't know) is a wrinkle in time. To tell more would spoil your enjoyment of Madeleine L'Engle's unusual book.

2) Roots: the Saga of An American Family by Alex Haley

Translated into 206 languages and made into a remarkable eight-part-miniseries, this incredible blend of fact and fiction chronicling Alex Haley's ancestral history was on bestseller lists for over two years, selling millions of copies worldwide. Haley received special citations from the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award committees, and received the Spingarn Medal for this eloquent story of seven generations, beginning with a birth in 1750 in an African village.

But Alex Haley did more than trace the ancestry of his own family. ROOTS speaks not just to African-Americans, or to whites, but to all peoples and all races everywhere, peoples and races with their own rich cultural heritages, their own tales of courage, their own generations of men and women whose spirit and indomitable will have left footprints in the sands of history. ROOTS: THE SAGA OF AN AMERICAN FAMILY, by Alex Haley, is a timeless work, an extraordinary epic that rightfully takes its place as a Modern Classic-for new readers to discover, old fans to cherish anew.

3) To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill a Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer prize in 1961 and was later made into an Academy Award winning film, also a classic.

Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, To Kill a Mockingbird takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. now with over 15 million copies in print and translated into ten languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.

Book Club Meeting Canceled

Sorry Sisters, but I had to cancel tonight's book club meeting. The family had an all nighter last night and a very cranky and needy son this morning and afternoon because of it. For his and my sanity, I chose to see to his comfort and needs today. That left no time for cleaning and getting things ready for the meeting. I hope you understand.

The Unofficial Silver Creek R.S. Book Club

Okay, I had to put that disclaimer in the title. Even though the Silver Creek Relief Society sisters meet for this book club, I can't call it the "Silver Creek Relief Society Book Club" unless a member of the ward Relief Society presidency attends the meetings. That hasn't happened yet. So to simplify things, I'm calling this blog the Silver Creek Book Club, since that could reference anything really. I hope that's okay.

Now, as to why I decided to create this blog. I haven't been able to get my act together and actually have a book club meeting. I think the last one was held in October 2009. And even when I did have a meeting, turn-out was poor. I know many sisters couldn't attend the meetings but still wanted to participate, so that is why I've set up this blog. My hope is that this blog will allow us to discuss the books chosen to be read as a club. I also hope it will give us a place where we can post opinions of other, non club books we've read, and that it can be a source of suggestion for those looking for a good read. So basically, this blog will function as the club itself. I will still hold monthly meetings because I like, and sometimes need, the socialization aspect of meeting in person.

As for the types of books we will be reading as a club, I would like to follow the Lord's admonition to "seek ye out of the best books words of wisdom" (D&C 88:118). And as we are taught by the Prophet Joseph Smith, "If there is anything virtuous, lovely, or of good report or praiseworthy, we seek after these things" (Articles of Faith 1:13). I hope the books we read will follow this counsel and help us to be better people because of what we have read. That being said, let's read some of everything, fiction and non-fiction alike. I prefer fiction, I won't lie, but I know there is much good to be found in non-fiction.

Happy Reading!
Kim