We are a book club that is in Ogden, Utah. We are a group of people who love to read and share our insights. We welcome anyone who wants to join and discuss.
Who Discovered America? The Untold History of the Peopling of the Americas by Gavin Menzies and Ian Hudson
Chosen by Melissa Sparks
Summary....
Greatly expanding on his blockbuster 1421, distinguished historian Gavin Menzies uncovers the complete untold history of how mankind came to the Americas—offering new revelations and a radical rethinking of the accepted historical record in Who Discovered America?
The iconoclastic historian’s magnum opus, Who Discovered America? calls into question our understanding of how the American continents were settled, shedding new light on the well-known “discoveries” of European explorers, including Christopher Columbus. In Who Discovered America? he combines meticulous research and an adventurer’s spirit to reveal astounding new evidence of an ancient Asian seagoing tradition—most notably the Chinese—that dates as far back as 130,000 years ago.
Menzies offers a revolutionary new alternative to the “Beringia” theory of how humans crossed a land bridge connecting Asia and North America during the last Ice Age, and provides a wealth of staggering claims, that hold fascinating and astonishing implications for the history of mankind.
Etiquette & Espionage (Finishing School #1) by Gail Carriger
Chosen by Melissa Sparks
Summary...
It's one thing to learn to curtsy properly. It's quite another to learn to curtsy and throw a knife at the same time. Welcome to Finishing School.
Fourteen-year-old Sophronia is a great trial to her poor mother. Sophronia is more interested in dismantling clocks and climbing trees than proper manners--and the family can only hope that company never sees her atrocious curtsy. Mrs. Temminnick is desperate for her daughter to become a proper lady. So she enrolls Sophronia in Mademoiselle Geraldine's Finishing Academy for Young Ladies of Quality.
But Sophronia soon realizes the school is not quite what her mother might have hoped. At Mademoiselle Geraldine's, young ladies learn to finish...everything. Certainly, they learn the fine arts of dance, dress, and etiquette, but they also learn to deal out death, diversion, and espionage--in the politest possible ways, of course. Sophronia and her friends are in for a rousing first year's education.
Present Over Perfect: Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living by Shauna Niequist
Chosen by Chelsea Barker
Summary....
LIVE A LIFE OF MEANING AND CONNECTION Instead of pushing for perfection
A few years ago, I found myself exhausted and isolated, my soul and body sick. I was tired of being tired, burned out on busy. And, it seemed almost everyone I talked with was in the same boat: longing for connection, meaning, depth, but settling for busy.
I am a wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend, neighbor, writer, and I know all too well that settling feeling. But over the course of the last few years, I’ve learned a way to live, marked by grace, love, rest, and play. And it’s changing everything.
Present Over Perfect is an invitation to this journey that changed my life. I’ll walk this path with you, a path away from frantic pushing and proving, and toward your essential self, the one you were created to be before you began proving and earning for your worth.
Written in Shauna’s warm and vulnerable style, this collection of essays focuses on the most important transformation in her life, and maybe yours too: leaving behind busyness and frantic living and rediscovering the person you were made to be. Present Over Perfect is a hand reaching out, pulling you free from the constant pressure to perform faster, push harder, and produce more, all while maintaining an exhausting image of perfection.
Shauna offers an honest account of what led her to begin this journey, and a compelling vision for an entirely new way to live: soaked in grace, rest, silence, simplicity, prayer, and connection with the people that matter most to us.
In these pages, you’ll be invited to consider the landscape of your own life, and what it might look like to leave behind the pressure to be perfect and begin the life-changing practice of simply being present, in the middle of the mess and the ordinariness of life.
One on my favorite things that I love about Ogden is that we have tons on these Little "Free" Libraries around our neighborhood and they are kinda walking distance from our homes. This is one thing that I LOVE supporting. Yes, I love to help support the WRITTEN WORD in our community! Especially the old written, I love the smell of old books (don't judge, us book lovers do it all the time. That smell of the ink, the glue, the paper. Ah, that's one of my a favorite scents. I wish they had it bottled as a room freshener... I would certainly buy gallons of it. Anyway, I'm rambling....) Okay, back on subject! I found a few libraries that are kinda before 2nd Street. These are F-R-E-E, you can take a book and return a book or give them new books. Psst... this is a great way of ditching your old books and get new books in return. My son and I take a few books that we don't read anymore or we have read a gazillion times and then we get new books in return. Sometimes, we go to Dollar Tree and we find books that we think people might like to read for free to help support the cause (yep, I am a cheap skate.) My son and I love giving books to the libraries and we always find new books. I really hope I'm turning him into a book nerd like me. :) Okay, enough about my "schpeel". If you guys don't know where they are, I'll be happy to share these locations with everyone.
1) My favorite location: This is at the St. James The Just Catholic Church. https://stjamescatholic.com/ @ 495 N. Harrison Blvd.
2) Theodore's Little Library (Charter #32414) 1022 Southwell Street (this is just north of Rancho Street).
3)Connie Sanchez (Charter #50026) 636 E 650 N. (this is just South of Francis Park, what better way to wear the kids out at the park and pick out a new book after, just down next the street.)
4) Tracy's Little Library: 947 N. 975 E. Our very own Tracy just put up her own Little "free" Library in her neighborhood. It's super cute and I encourage everyone to come and check it out. Take a book and leave a book.
I think this is an excellent to help the community with books and the joy of reading. As for me, I spent twelve years of my life in a county that makes you pay $20 a year to renew a library card to the check out a book if you live in the County and not the Town. Then, wait anxiously for the Book Mobile to come to your town with the books that the library didn't even wany, but it was FREE. I love our libraries will let anyone who lives in the county to have a library every year to renew for $1, no matter where we live in Weber County. All my life until I was 16, I had a library card and it broke my heart when I found out the terms of the Tooele County Library, when I moved to the small town of Stockton, Utah. Anyway, I LOVE this idea of the my teenage age years and I became a proud Media Center Aide for all four years of High School at Ben Lomond High School. My flowering of a book nerd started earlier than that thanks to my Dad (he's the oldest book nerd I know,)
If you want to know more about other Little "Free" Libraries and where they are located, please visit https://littlefreelibrary.org/
The Miracle Morning: The Not-So-Obvious Secret Guaranteed to Transform Your Life: Before 8AM by Hal Elrod
Chosen by Sydney Hales
Summary.... What if you could miraculously wake up tomorrow and any—or every area of your life was transformed? What would be different? Would you be happier? Healthier? More successful? In better shape? Would you have more energy? Less Stress? More Money? Better relationships? Which of your problems would be solved?
What if I told you that there is a "not-so-obvious" secret that is guaranteed to transform any—or literally every area of your life, faster than you ever thought possible? What if I told you it would only take 6 minutes a day?
Enter The Miracle Morning. What’s now being practiced by thousands of people around the world could perhaps be the simplest approach to creating the life you’ve always wanted. It’s been right there in front of us, but this book has finally brought it to life.
Are you ready? The next chapter of your life—the most extraordinary life you've ever imagined—is about to begin.
YOU DESERVE AN EXTRAORDINARY LIFE. IT’S TIME TO WAKE UP TO YOUR FULL POTENTIAL.
Book Choice for September 2019 The Formula: The Universal Laws of Success by Albert-Laszlo Barabasi Chosen by Amber Campbell
Summary....
In this pioneering examination of the scientific principles behind success, a leading researcher reveals the surprising ways in which we can turn achievement into success.
Too often, accomplishment does not equate to success. We did the work but didn't get the promotion; we played hard but weren't recognized; we had the idea but didn't get the credit. We've always been told that talent and a strong work ethic are the key to getting ahead, but in today's world these efforts rarely translate into tangible results. Recognizing this disconnect, Laszlo Barabasi, one of the world's leading experts on the science of networks, uncovers what success really is: a collective phenomenon based on the thoughts and praise of those around you.
In The Formula, Barabasi highlights the vital importance of community respect and appreciation when connecting performance to recognition--the elusive link between performance and success. By leveraging the power of big data and historic case studies, Barabasi reveals the unspoken rules behind who truly gets ahead and why, and outlines the twelve laws that govern this phenomenon and how we can use them to our own advantage.
Unveiling the scientific principles that drive success, this trailblazing book offers a new understanding of the very foundation of how people excel in today's society.
Book Choice for August 2019
Girl, Wash Your Face by Rachel Hollis
Chosen by Tracy White
Summary....
With wry wit and hard-earned wisdom, popular online personality and founder of TheChicSite.com founder Rachel Hollis helps readers break free from the lies keeping them from the joy-filled and exuberant life they are meant to have.
Founder of the lifestyle website TheChicSite.com and CEO of her own media company, Chic Media, Rachel Hollis has created an online fan base of hundreds of thousands of fans by sharing tips for living a better life while fearlessly revealing the messiness of her own. Now comes her highly anticipated first book featuring her signature combination of honesty, humor, and direct, no-nonsense advice.
Each chapter of Girl, Wash Your Face begins with a specific lie Hollis once believed that left her feeling overwhelmed, unworthy, or ready to give up. As a working mother, a former foster parent, and a woman who has dealt with insecurities about her body and relationships, she speaks with the insight and kindness of a BFF, helping women unpack the limiting mind-sets that destroy their self-confidence and keep them from moving forward.
From her temporary obsession with marrying Matt Damon to a daydream involving hypnotic iguanas to her son's request that she buy a necklace to "be like the other moms," Hollis holds nothing back. With unflinching faith and tenacity, Hollis spurs other women to live with passion and hustle and to awaken their slumbering goals.
Audiobook Version (read in a kind of a weird robot voice.)
Why Did I Write the Book???
Book Discussion Questions
1. Rachel said that women emotionally abuse themselves. Do you think this is true? Why or why not?
2. Do you agree with Rachel’s saying “If you constantly make and break promises to yourself, you are not making promises at all. You’re talking.”
3. Do you agree with the sentiment: “Stop waiting for someone else to fix your life. Stop assuming that someday it will magically improve on it’s own.” Do you think we get stuck in the mentality that it’s someone else’s fault that we don’t have the life we strive for?
4. Rachel says, “I am successful because I have never once believed my dreams were someone else’s to manage.” She also believes that no one is going to care about your dreams as much as you do. Do you agree with her? Are you the only one who will drive yourself towards your dreams/goals?
5. How do we compare ourselves to others? Do you think social media is making this worse? Rachel says, “Comparison is the death of all Joy, and the only person you need to be better than is the one you were yesterday.” Is it possible to cut out comparing in our lives?
6. Did you know that peeing after Sex would help prevent an UTI?
7. Have you had a similar sex journey as Rachel?
8. Rachel says, “I cannot continue to live as half of myself simply because it’s hard for others to handle all of me,” do you have any personal experiences that you can relate to Rachel’s statement?
9. Rachel urges us to “Celebrate the small moments. They are sacred.” What are some small, sacred moments you can celebrate from that last week?
10. How do you feel about Rachel’s relationship with diet coke? Could you be friends with Rachel in real life?
11. Rachel says that “Someone Else’s opinion of you is none of your business.” Is this true? Or would you rather know what everyone thought about you at all times?
12. Do you like other people’s kids?
13. Do you like organized sports?
14. Have you ever Hated your spouse? If so when?
15. Did you recognize a specific lie you tell yourself after reading “Girl Wash your face?” If so, what lie do you tell yourself?
16. Rachel found herself with Bells Palsy and Vertigo after her busy lifestyle? Have you ever had anything similar happen to you?
17. Do you think our culture looks down on working moms? Men aren’t asked if they feel guilty because he has a job. Why do women feel guilty for being working moms?
18. Rachel says “When you really want something, you will find a way. When you don’t really want something, you’ll find an excuse.” When are excuses ok and when are they not ok?
19. Do you have any similar goals like Rachel’s $1000 Louis Vetton Speedy bag?
20. Do you catch yourself “needing” something to dull your stress and anxiety in your life like Rachel did with alcohol? How can we stop ourselves from this vicious cycle?
21. Do you think the current foster care system should be changed to prevent what happened to Rachel from happening to future families?
22. Rachel said that a new mother only has two responsibilities 1. Take care of the baby and 2. Take care of yourself. Do you have any personal experiences that this advice would have helped with?
23. Rachel peed her pants in public. Have you ever done the same thing?
24. What do you think about Rachel’s husband and how he treated her before and after she decided she was not ok with how he was treating her?
Book Choice for July 2019
Fablehaven by Brandon Mull
Chosen by Melissa Sparks
Summary....
For centuries mystical creatures of all description were gathered into a hidden refuge called Fablehaven to prevent their extinction. The sanctuary survives today as one of the last strongholds of true magic. Enchanting? Absolutely. Exciting? You bet. Safe? Well, actually, quite the opposite.
Kendra and her brother, Seth, have no idea that their grandfather is the current caretaker of Fablehaven. Inside the gated woods, ancient laws keep relative order among greedy trolls, mischievous satyrs, plotting witches, spiteful imps, and jealous fairies. However, when the rules get broken -- Seth is a bit too curious and reckless for his own good -- powerful forces of evil are unleashed, and Kendra and her brother face the greatest challenge of their lives. To save their family, Fablehaven, and perhaps even the world, Kendra and Seth must find the courage to do what they fear most.
Discussion questions
Spoiler alert! Some of the questions contain key elements of the plot. Do not read if you don't want to know what happens!
There can be great protection from exact obedience. How is this principle reinforced for Seth? For Kendra?
Kendra is generally a rule keeper, while Seth is a rule breaker. How did their attitudes evolve over the course of the book?
Consequences serve an essential role for maintaining order and justice and harmony. How do laws help to keep order in Fablehaven? How are Kendra and Seth affected by the consequences of their decisions?
It can be a challenge to find the courage to do what we fear most. What enables Kendra to do something that terrifies her?
Many of the creatures in Fablehaven have roots in various mythologies, particularly Greek. Can you identify which creatures come from which mythologies?
Several of the creatures of Fablehaven personify specific attributes. What do the fairies seem to personify? The satyrs? The cliff troll? What are the strengths and weaknesses of those characteristics?
Lena spends part of her life as a naiad, in an unchanging state. What aspects of mortality does she like? What does she dislike? How do you think she feels about being returned to the water? Was it fair for the fairies to do that?
Fablehaven exists to help protect and conserve vanishing magical species. Why is that worthwhile? Why do you suppose Grandpa Sorenson even wants to protect the dangerous creatures?
There is a promise at the front of the book that none who enter Fablehaven will leave unchanged. How do their experiences at Fablehaven change Seth and Kendra?
