thread the pages | book club meeting #4

we just had our fourth book club meeting! our book was 'is everyone hanging out with me [and other concerns]' by mindy kaling. she is a riot! i had started watching her show 'the mindy project' so when it came time to choose a book that was not depressing like the last three and saw someone had pinned in on our book club pinterest board, i knew i had to choose it. and i am so glad i did! here are a few comments from our book club meeting:

i am the biggest office fan, but never really appreciated mindy's character and i haven't really seen her new show so it was nice to get a different view of her

it was GREAT when i was reading because i could picture her talking with her spunk

it was like we were having a real convo [allie]

that's how i felt, like i was there in conversation [shannon]

it was like i was sitting there chatting with her [myself]

^^^ we all said [typed] this at the same time! lol

i also related to her a lot

i can relate to her too on that level

i really do not like that basketball guy

i loved her story about baby sitting

who here is totally jelly of mindy in some part of her story? I AM

yup, she has amazing friends

like living with her awesome roommates!

i love how she describes everything. so much how i see things in my head, but can't put words to it.

[torrie joins the discussion]

hi torrie; we're just talking about how jelly we are of mindy's clothes, confidence, and bff's

oh, haha. so basically how awesome she is?

when i was reading it, i could imagine her saying it

i think i laughed the hardest with the chapter with pictures off her cell phone. it was so stinkin funny & totally relatable. 

i loved her little note about how she doesn't think stress is a legit topic of conversation. SO TRUE! we all have stress!

every part seemed interesting because a lot of it felt like conversations i would normally have... which may make me seem weird? 

i also liked how she went on about how she wasn't looking for a boy anymore, that she wanted a man. a lot of it was so accurate!

the book was great because it had the perfect mix of really great girlfriend advice and was funny as hell

oh and the bit about the waxed chests!

hahahaha

the next book we are reading is 'stern men' by elizabeth gilbert. if you would like to be a part of my online book club, please send me an email at afoxandawolf [at] yahoo [dot] com. 

thread the pages | book club meeting #3, part 2

last week we continued discussion on 'she's come undone' by wally lamb since almost all in attendance hadn't finished the book yet. it was the same peeps as the first meeting on this book so we were able to pick up right where we left off making for great and consistent conversation. here are some comments on the book from some of us:

i love the guy she marries in the end. makes my heart flutter!

OMG i laughed out so loud when they did the rap thing. haha.

haha yes! that was so cute! crazy how she had etch-a-sketched him.

i kept waiting for him to show up and then BAM!

the part with the janitor at the college was wild!

yeah, it's definitely a heavy book. I had to put it down and walk away a few times because it was overwhelming!

yeah, I know what you mean Breana. you still sort of wished for a happy ending for her

y'know? like after all the shit she went through, she could catch a break and have a kid..

its like she had worked so hard to be good and to feel good and even through her divorce she seemed okay; liberated and then roberta fell and its like her world came crashing down with her.

i can imagine how liberating it would feel too - to just get it all off your chest and lay it out on the table no more secrets or lying.

If you're gonna hunt a man down, atleast get a place in the town, not the same building.

jerking off in her dead gmas room talking about being a horny pallbearer in his poem.

I think the hardest part was watching her with Dante and her not standing up for herself.. I found myself wanting to be like "stop putting up with his BS! get the hell out!"

dolores seemed to me to mirror who she was in the beginning of the book, in the end. she was innocent, with bad things happening around her but no control of it and accepting in a way; in the beginning and in the end.

If you guys want a good read you definitely need to pick this book up! the next book we are reading is 'is everyone hanging out with me [and other concerns]' by mindy kaling. you can pick it up on amazon, target, library, or maybe even a used book store. i'm almost finished with it and love it!

if you would like to join the book club, leave me a comment below or send me an email at afoxandawolf [at] yahoo [dot] com!

thread the pages | book club meeting #3, part 1

we had our third meeting this past friday. i was totally unprepared! because of this whole bullying thing going on at bry's school and my having to focus on that then trying to read a book that is just so tragic and sad was not a good combo. so, unfortunately i got not even halfway through the book! thankfully a few others didn't have a chance to read it all the way through as well so i decided to host a second meeting to discuss more of the book. and hopefully some more people can join!

the book we were/are [for some of us apparently... sheesh i'm such a terrible book club coordinator!] reading was/is 'she's come undone' by wally lamb. it's basically a book about a girl who has a tragic childhood and ends up eating to help her emotions and eventually becomes fat. through events later on in life she decides to make amends and change her lifestyle. that last sentence... i didn't get to that part yet. i'm still in the tragic teen part. 

nonetheless, we still had a great meeting with great conversation. here's a little bit of our discussion:

I feel like once they got that TV it all went to #^*>

Haha, awwe. It was her escape from her real life, that and food.

I feel the most sorry for the mother. More so than Dolores. Anyone else?

Gosh I felt bad for her. She tried so hard just to help out her daughter. But she could barely keep her life together.

I felt so uncomfortable during the rape scene. I couldnt read any further.I didnt finish that chapter.

I think part of her hatred towards people judging her is paranoia.

It just may have been the thing to do, 'Running errands' with your kids

Thats how I felt the whole time I was reading; the worst was going to happen.

Poor grandma. I have to say, I related to her best. I'm a crotchety old catholic lady at heart.

Like, she shelters herself, and tries to bandage her life up in her room with calories and tv. 

But four years later? I mean... I know everyone heals differently but four years... thats a long time! And yes, a bit obsessed for sure.

well, that's about it really. i am excited to get more in to discussion this week. i have read all of the book now so i know i will be prepared this time around!

the next book we are reading is 'is everyone hanging out with me [and other concerns]' by mindy kaling. i am very excited about this book because 1. she is amazing 2. she is hilarious 3. she has an amazing wardrobe 4. i love her show 'the mindy project' 5. this is not a sad book! the last three books have been sad, sad, sad, so i am glad to have chosen one that wont make me cry! [at least i hope i wont cry with this one!]. you can find the book on amazon or pick it up at your local target for 20% off the cover price! it is also available on your kindle and other tablets. 

interested in joining my book club? leave me a comment here or send me an email at afoxandawolf [at] yahoo [dot] com. 

thread the pages | book club meeting #2

we had our second book club meeting last week. i love being able to sit down and chat with ladies about a book that has literally left me inspired and depressed all in the same package. the unlikely pilgrimage of harold fry left me an emotional mess on so many levels, but was so amazing to me that i started to read it again. 

the journey this man went through, with his own faith and reasoning, to save his friend was an inspiring tale making me feel as though i wanted to walk to save someone's life myself. reading about his walk and everything he encountered made me feel like i was right there and when i put the book down {or, errr, my kindle} i felt years older through his experiences. 

here are a few comments from this past meeting:

It kind of made me want to go walk to/for someone myself!

I know what you mean Ashley! It had its inspiring moments

I got really emotional especially towards the end. The whole time I kept wanting harold or maureen say what they felt.

I think that's what's got my hooked,, the whole relationship between Harold & Maureen. It was sad & kind of painful, but it's what has me drawn into the story more

That one guy in the army pants who was doing it for his kids really pissed me off.

I really liked the style of writing, where it would go into the characters thoughts & past intermittently throughout the book. It keeps me interested

I loved when he was one with the road too. We were able to see more of his thoughts and past and I liked those parts of the story.

I also loved when Maureen was the narrative. I liked seeing what her thought process was and what her mirrored thoughts were to Harolds actions.

the next book on the list is 'she's come undone' by wally lamb. you can find it on amazon, but be sure to check your local library or ask a friend - free is always better!

if you're interested in joining thread the pages, please email me at afoxandawolf [at] yahoo [dot] com.

thread the pages | first book club meeting

last week we had our first book club meeting. i was a little nervous to see how well we would carry on conversation and discussion on the book, but it went fabulous! 

we held the 'meeting' on the facebook group through group convo. 

the first book we read was Talk Before Sleep, by Elizabeth Berg. here is a little blurb about the book:

"Until that moment, I hadn't realized how much I'd been needing to meet someone I might be able to say everything to."

They met at a party.  It was hate at first sight.  Ruth was far too beautiful, too flamboyant.  Not at all Ann's kind of person.  Until a chance encounter in the bathroom led to an alliance of souls.  Soon they were sharing hankies during the late showing of "Sophie's Choice," wolfing down sundaes sodden with whipped cream, telling truths of marriage, mortality, and love, secure in a kind of intimacy no man could ever know.  Only best friends understand devil's food cake for breakfast when nothing else will do.  After years of shared secrets, guilty pleasures, family life and divorce, they face a crisis that redefines the meaning of friendship and unconditional love.

and here are a few highlights from our 'meeting':

{no names will be displayed and these are in snippets, not the whole convo}

Alright ladies, thank you for being 'here'! Im so excited about this. I hope everyone enjoyed the book. I sure did. I even almost cried!

I'm pretty sure I did cry and played it off as allergies haha

I cried my eyes out! (Soaked my whole shirt)

What I loved most about the story was the connection they had with each other.

I think it had great character development and showed the relationships of all of the characters well

I know that I personally have a hard time in life having a 'best friend'. I feel like I am so old because I had to grow up so quickly that someone who might have been my best friend if I hadn't of had my daughter so young cant really relate to me and doesnt understand my life. So it kind of made me jealous, their friendship. Ha

Yes, and that the two women could bare their souls

I liked the book, but honestly couldn't relate to it very well. I don't have a best friend, so I couldn't really get that aspect

Although I've never kissed her under the stars.

I think the sort of lesbian overtones combined with the really vague spirituality part sort of made the book less enjoyable for me. It was a good read, but not necessarily my cup of tea I guess.

I would love a follow up to the book to see Ann later on. Death can change people.

I loved the whole damn book up until the end

Yup, hated the ending. It just ended so dull. Like anticlimactic.

the ending was poop

I think the snippets at the end were to show that Ann's life would go on w/o Ruth.

hahahaha. I LOL'd when she made her promise to take her vibrator so no one would find it later, hahahaa

In that situation, I would love to have someone by my side like that, To hide my vibrator!

Yeah, I'd be like "Let's go play Bingo and eat peanut butter cups!!

Yes, we all need the vibrator hiding friend. Lol

see, great conversation! 

the next book we are reading is The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, by Rachel Joyce.

if you would like to join my book club, please send me an email or leave me a comment; be sure to include your email. you can also head on over to the Facebook book club group and ask to join. There is also a board on Pinterest where you can pin book suggestions!

thread the pages | a book club

i’ve been wanting to join a book club for a while now. i love to read and i love getting together with a bunch of ladies to talk about nerding out over books. a friend of mine put one together, but i found that i am just not able to commit to driving down the the meet ups, especially while nursing a baby and being a one vehicle family. so a few weeks ago i decided to organize an online book club. it seems to make the most sense since it gives me and the members the flexibility of staying in and still be able to be a part of a club. maybe while still wearing our jammies and enjoying our coffee and chatting online?

with a few social media posts and a lot of responses, my book club was born!

thread the pages book club.

can i just say i am totally in love with the name!?

i’ve never organized a book club before so i researched some guidelines in having one. there were suggestions of having a themed book club, meeting at a different members house each month, how long the meetings should be, how to choose a book – wow! i didn’t realize how much organization came with forming a book club! but after reading the helpful tips coupled with having this an online club, i definitely have figured out how i would like the group to form. and i have such great ladies on board that gives the group diversity and fun!

if you are interested in joining the book club, please email me at afoxandawolf [at] yahoo [dot] com.