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]