Bound and Un-Gagged (Book Club)

All meeting unless otherwise specified begin at 8:00 AM at the IHOP on Randall Road in the South East corner of the intersection of Route 20 and Randall Road.

Below is a list of books that have been selected for discussion on the following meeting dates.
Meeting Date Book to read and discuss
June 5^th "Mount Vernon Love Story" by Mary Higgins Clark - The role of leader comes naturally to George Washington, the man revered as the father of his country. But when it comes to the social aspects of mid-eighteenth century life, he is awkward and insecure. Mount Vernon Love Story explores Washington's strength and compassion, and illuminates his dreams of discovering true love.
July 3^rd Book club in a bag from the Library either "The Space Between Us" or "Out Stealing Horses".
"The Space Between Us" by Thrity Umrigar - Each morning, Bhima, a domestic servant in contemporary Bombay, leaves her own small shanty in the slums to tend to another woman's house. In Sera Dubash's home, Bhima scrubs the floors of a house in which she remains an outsider. She cleans furniture she is not permitted to sit on. She washes glasses from which she is not allowed to drink. Yet despite being separated from each other by blood and class, she and Sera find themselves bound by gender and shared life experiences.
"Out Stealing Horses" by Per Petterson and translated by Anne Born - We were going out stealing horses. That was what he said, standing at the door to the cabin where I was spending the summer with my father. I was fifteen. It was 1948 and one of the first days of July. Set in the easternmost region of Norway, Out Stealing Horses begins with an ending. Sixty-seven-year-old Trond has settled into a rustic cabin in an isolated area to live the rest of his life with a quiet deliberation. A meeting with his only neighbor, however, forces him to reflect on that fateful summer.
August 7^th "Take This Bread" by Sara Miles - "Mine is a personal story of an unexpected and terribly inconvenient Christian conversion, told by a very unlikely convert" Raised as an atheist, Sara Miles lived an enthusiastically secular life as a restaurant cook and a writer. Then early one winter morning, for no earthly reason, she wandered into a church.
This meeting will be at Church instead of IHOP.
September 4^th "Before Women Had Wings" by Connie May Fowler - Starstruck by a dime-store picture of Jesus, Avocet Abigail "Bird" Jackson fancies herself "His girlfriend" and embarks upon a spiritual quest for salvation, even as the chaos of her home life plunges her into a stony silence. In stark and honest language, Bird tells the tragic tale of her father, a sweet-talking wanna-be country music star, tracks her older sister's perilous journey into womanhood, and witnesses her mother make a courageous and ultimately devastating decision.
October 2^nd "John 3:16 by Nancy Moser" - Five people looking for a reason to keep living are about to find it in the last place they expected. After the loss of his wife, Roman Paulson's life revolves around his son Billy. As a football hero at the University of Nebraska, Billy has a promising life ahead of him. Roman isn't the only one whose life has been turned upside down. He's one of five people whose lives are about to intersect on a bright, fall day, when one of them will hold up a sign at a football game with a shore message: John 3:16. This simple act of faith will have the power to change lives forever.
November 13^th Date change due to craft fair on the 6th - "Wednesday Letters" by Jason F. Wright - The surprise New York Times bestseller, from an author who delivers "American storytelling at its best." The story of marriage, family and forgiveness that has become not just a bestseller but an instant classic. Their story begins with one letter on their wedding night, a letter from the groom, promising to write his bride every week - for as long they both shall live. Thirty-nine years later, Jack and Laurel Cooper die in each other's arms. And when their grown children return to the family B&B to arrange the funeral, they discover thousands of letters.
December 4^th Book club in a bag from the library.
January 8^th, 2011 Note date change due to 1st being the first Saturday. - "The Book Thief by Markus Zusak" - It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, and accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery…. Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist-books.
February 5^th, 2011 "The Wedding" by Nicholas Sparks - With The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and his other beloved novels, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks has given voice to our deepest beliefs about the power of love. Now he brings us the long-awaited follow-up to The Notebook - a story of an ordinary man who goes to extraordinary lengths to win back the love of his life.

Meeting Date	Book to read and discuss
June 5^th	"Mount Vernon Love Story" by Mary Higgins Clark - The role of leader comes naturally to George Washington, the man revered as the father of his country. But when it comes to the social aspects of mid-eighteenth century life, he is awkward and insecure. Mount Vernon Love Story explores Washington's strength and compassion, and illuminates his dreams of discovering true love.
July 3^rd	Book club in a bag from the Library either "The Space Between Us" or "Out Stealing Horses". "The Space Between Us" by Thrity Umrigar - Each morning, Bhima, a domestic servant in contemporary Bombay, leaves her own small shanty in the slums to tend to another woman's house. In Sera Dubash's home, Bhima scrubs the floors of a house in which she remains an outsider. She cleans furniture she is not permitted to sit on. She washes glasses from which she is not allowed to drink. Yet despite being separated from each other by blood and class, she and Sera find themselves bound by gender and shared life experiences. "Out Stealing Horses" by Per Petterson and translated by Anne Born - We were going out stealing horses. That was what he said, standing at the door to the cabin where I was spending the summer with my father. I was fifteen. It was 1948 and one of the first days of July. Set in the easternmost region of Norway, Out Stealing Horses begins with an ending. Sixty-seven-year-old Trond has settled into a rustic cabin in an isolated area to live the rest of his life with a quiet deliberation. A meeting with his only neighbor, however, forces him to reflect on that fateful summer.
August 7^th	"Take This Bread" by Sara Miles - "Mine is a personal story of an unexpected and terribly inconvenient Christian conversion, told by a very unlikely convert" Raised as an atheist, Sara Miles lived an enthusiastically secular life as a restaurant cook and a writer. Then early one winter morning, for no earthly reason, she wandered into a church. This meeting will be at Church instead of IHOP.
September 4^th	"Before Women Had Wings" by Connie May Fowler - Starstruck by a dime-store picture of Jesus, Avocet Abigail "Bird" Jackson fancies herself "His girlfriend" and embarks upon a spiritual quest for salvation, even as the chaos of her home life plunges her into a stony silence. In stark and honest language, Bird tells the tragic tale of her father, a sweet-talking wanna-be country music star, tracks her older sister's perilous journey into womanhood, and witnesses her mother make a courageous and ultimately devastating decision.
October 2^nd	"John 3:16 by Nancy Moser" - Five people looking for a reason to keep living are about to find it in the last place they expected. After the loss of his wife, Roman Paulson's life revolves around his son Billy. As a football hero at the University of Nebraska, Billy has a promising life ahead of him. Roman isn't the only one whose life has been turned upside down. He's one of five people whose lives are about to intersect on a bright, fall day, when one of them will hold up a sign at a football game with a shore message: John 3:16. This simple act of faith will have the power to change lives forever.
November 13^th	Date change due to craft fair on the 6th - "Wednesday Letters" by Jason F. Wright - The surprise New York Times bestseller, from an author who delivers "American storytelling at its best." The story of marriage, family and forgiveness that has become not just a bestseller but an instant classic. Their story begins with one letter on their wedding night, a letter from the groom, promising to write his bride every week - for as long they both shall live. Thirty-nine years later, Jack and Laurel Cooper die in each other's arms. And when their grown children return to the family B&B to arrange the funeral, they discover thousands of letters.
December 4^th	Book club in a bag from the library.
January 8^th, 2011	Note date change due to 1st being the first Saturday. - "The Book Thief by Markus Zusak" - It's just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, and accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery…. Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak's groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can't resist-books.
February 5^th, 2011	"The Wedding" by Nicholas Sparks - With The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and his other beloved novels, #1 New York Times bestselling author Nicholas Sparks has given voice to our deepest beliefs about the power of love. Now he brings us the long-awaited follow-up to The Notebook - a story of an ordinary man who goes to extraordinary lengths to win back the love of his life.