February 2011-our second anniversary

This month the book club humored Karen, and read one of her favorite poets, Billy Collins. In his collection of poems The Trouble with Poetry, Karen's favorite poems are "The Revenent," "The Trouble with Poetry," and "The Lanyard." She said that if everyone at least reads these three she will be thrilled. :)

We met for lunch at Cucina, on 1026 2nd Ave in Salt Lake City (On 2nd Ave, between Q and R streets, just north of South Temple).

Leslie says: "The Lanyard" ended up being my very favorite, but there were others I liked almost as much. That one about the Gutenberg Bible and the sheep, for one. I'm not a huge fan of poetry, because I don't always get deeper meanings out of it, which seems to be the point. Then I feel stupid. Holly talked about a lot of stuff I didn't understand and I felt clueless for not seeing anything more than a lanyard, but I still liked the poem. I'm going with the philosophy that if you like something you read, great - even if you don't get anything deep out of it. If it doesn't speak to you at all, that's okay too. Either way, it's worth giving it a shot. I feel enriched for having read some of these poems.

Holly says: Oh Leslie, your gals know that between us, you are the brilliant and hilarious one!  (Readers can refer to The Happiness Project page 156 to get the joke—spontaneous trait transference.)   Plus, the only reason I was talking "about alot of stuff" is because I had to look up all those complicated words, giving me a leg up having had a refresher on their definitions.  "The Lanyard" is my favorite Collins poem too.  A message to my team bloggers –Leslie’s gals—I thank you all for your kindness, compassion, and your friendship: in return I present you with a lanyard!

January 2011

A great new year, and great books! This month, we read Linda's pick, Little Britches by Ralph Moody.

We ate Pizza Napoletano at Settebello in downtown Salt Lake (and gelato next door).

We also gave each other the very best gifts to start the new year: book reccomendations! I, for one, am excited to get started on the 30 books the group recommended for me! (All of the swap lists are here.)


Sue says: I loved this book.  This is another of those classic childhood books that I'd never heard of until it became my book club read.  It is wonderful-the voice of the author is appealing, the stories are interesting, the characters are engaging and it's a great read.  It would have been a read-aloud with my boys if I'd known about it when they were young-darn!  But I'm very glad I read it now and would recommend it wholeheartedly.

Holly says: Ralph Moody’s book is similar in style to Laura Ingalls Wilder.  Little Britches, starts when he is eight years old and his family moves from New Hampshire to Colorado to start life on a ranch out west. His father’s health isn’t so great, so fresh air and wide open spaces was just what the doctor ordered. They arrive to find things not quite as they were lead to believe. I wasn’t overly excited about this book before reading it.  A western coming of age series, well, I just didn't think I’d like it.  Yee-haa...I couldn’t have been more wrong!  Bravery, honesty, ingenuity, love, and morality are just some of the virtues extolled in this book.   We’re enlightened through a series of wonderful stories and adventures.  I love the characters and their relationships with each other.  It’s a quick read...so, grab your cup of coffee and settle in—just be sure you stir a lot of cream in that coffee, partner! [You’ll have to read the book to get that last part ;-D]