tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-226082952024-03-26T23:37:27.175-07:00B.A.D. Girls Book ClubBooks And DiscussionUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger347125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-69965421726149221892024-03-26T10:48:00.000-07:002024-03-26T10:48:13.178-07:00The Book of Delights: Essays<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Ross Gay</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Lindsay</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A collection of essays written daily with the purpose of finding and elaborating on delights found in everyday life.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>7</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> It's fun and interesting to read about where others find daily delight.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>The writing style could be meandering at times. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Bathroom breaks (!), Daily Practices, Food, Gratitude vs Delight</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <i>"Our delight grows as we share it."</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We all enjoyed this book. We identified with finding delight in every day. Especially as a purposeful practice. It was interesting to see delight from another person's perspective. The essays were mostly short, but the sentences sometimes wandered around before getting to the point. This book of essays was probably best enjoyed as an audiobook. We also appreciated how this habit could change your outlook on life in a positive way. Most of the delights were not huge, deep insights. Most were light hearted, ordinary delights, which we loved. There were some insights, but not too deep. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>This was Lindsay's meeting and she took us to Houlihan's for a St. Patrick's themed dinner. We had dinner and dessert there and then spent the rest of our meeting time at CARE church in the atrium. </div><p><b style="text-align: justify;">What We Ate: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Scallops, Salmon, Chicken, Pot Roast, creme brûlée, flourless chocolate cake, and salted caramel gooey butter cake</span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHny_V0Eh-dZb8vplAmC9Ky6ZC4zuXupsnvNyyizvFeoQyGppRL5-gPcZUvJZ60cdqJRdVugiBB6hVvMUg783OP3-VnDxZu7DIuoAQlGjQ6CQJoIlywll2AiQfwOENih-PmOg0605JlvNbRSQJdSMOBp1BFNq4CUM1akQixy40RgyifTXkxz7w/s4032/IMG_5035.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHny_V0Eh-dZb8vplAmC9Ky6ZC4zuXupsnvNyyizvFeoQyGppRL5-gPcZUvJZ60cdqJRdVugiBB6hVvMUg783OP3-VnDxZu7DIuoAQlGjQ6CQJoIlywll2AiQfwOENih-PmOg0605JlvNbRSQJdSMOBp1BFNq4CUM1akQixy40RgyifTXkxz7w/w640-h480/IMG_5035.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwr3hM_fHPCl2sn0YTILmYrvMpX3B3GdOfihUWPmZQ01ar5auTk_OmUXJ9PAlGKj64mC1uMaGJhgJiRX-geyQOADgnsE4rVU_rQV0vfRLRKTVWxq3Ml2P_ZgQT4WSWUN6msPuBc1gAJ2LrLDdZ9t3VlERFrYYihRIdRzxkrQksM5soJdydXKYc/s4032/IMG_0663.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwr3hM_fHPCl2sn0YTILmYrvMpX3B3GdOfihUWPmZQ01ar5auTk_OmUXJ9PAlGKj64mC1uMaGJhgJiRX-geyQOADgnsE4rVU_rQV0vfRLRKTVWxq3Ml2P_ZgQT4WSWUN6msPuBc1gAJ2LrLDdZ9t3VlERFrYYihRIdRzxkrQksM5soJdydXKYc/w480-h640/IMG_0663.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ilOQYaCDuTeL2pvXrYI1LocOHDfdIOakkJJeyNl8JSzItB0GaFoEUs8h1iq9oeDZjiglssHWW2Zeh49iua8SG5GnaZQ45Z7UMiaJXZOHgAe1sD3u34CSxDOBgQv8TLBc-lHqzPULWpAHHXaocIn-5trnP7IcBRmzOLawc6b59yCDVhESCyho/s4032/IMG_0666.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5ilOQYaCDuTeL2pvXrYI1LocOHDfdIOakkJJeyNl8JSzItB0GaFoEUs8h1iq9oeDZjiglssHWW2Zeh49iua8SG5GnaZQ45Z7UMiaJXZOHgAe1sD3u34CSxDOBgQv8TLBc-lHqzPULWpAHHXaocIn-5trnP7IcBRmzOLawc6b59yCDVhESCyho/w640-h480/IMG_0666.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span><p></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-38011025364927376962024-02-29T17:52:00.000-08:002024-03-02T14:33:32.152-08:00The Thursday Murder Club<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Richard Osman</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Dara</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A group of eager friends in a retirement home come together weekly to solve murders, not expecting both the murder and the murderer to be so close to home. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>8</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> The characters and the story were delightful.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>Some parts were unrealistic and stretched belief. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Friendship, loyalty, love, humor, death and old age</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">After a certain age, you can pretty much do whatever takes your fancy. No one tells you off, except for your doctors and your children."</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We all really liked this book. The characters were so well-written and we liked getting to slowly understand their backgrounds and motivations. The group as a whole was a good collection of different personalities and was fun to read about. The humor and wit injected into the dialogue made for a great reading experience. We also loved that we didn't figure out the main mystery until it was revealed - that's always a plus when reading a mystery novel. It was interesting how the author used his own voice through Joyce's journal to fill us in on things. Most of us said we'd like to finish the series. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We celebrated Amberly's birthday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b><span>Josh made Pasta Bolognese for us along with Caprese with prosciutto and caesar salad. Dara made a chocolate bread pudding with salted caramel sauce for dessert along with raspberry sorbet sparkling cocktails! All of it was such a treat! </span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><span><br /></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCkVtE8I0A-C7bHc84s3YIUkaPuGsxsHSSucyRYaWNliFRNONLZmgpBzDRswiwHcY03xM7SdHbqurVz29izEO1V6FOXCLQ6gI8DsUjXFPUR0X0OE0MYnrKtb-xZfKDv_0MxrVQ2UwhzlySRlnaJz2TvTr3_EHh2x2F8govRGa-xYsVJ-oWK1j/s4032/IMG_9915.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqCkVtE8I0A-C7bHc84s3YIUkaPuGsxsHSSucyRYaWNliFRNONLZmgpBzDRswiwHcY03xM7SdHbqurVz29izEO1V6FOXCLQ6gI8DsUjXFPUR0X0OE0MYnrKtb-xZfKDv_0MxrVQ2UwhzlySRlnaJz2TvTr3_EHh2x2F8govRGa-xYsVJ-oWK1j/w640-h480/IMG_9915.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinWZf9cj0Fk4KmuIw4aPb9w8tOHnVrd71JhEELvg7R2oA9F-5q5DP1ssy4w3Rc7-v8AotoeRBV8ZZYCweoikNwsBuwJ5xgn6PjFJM1DsjLxsKhz2IaueEumeLDd4j6Yt6rWQuUuml9MYY8dmgia99rZH08kqAK0ex7snX1EU1W5MIscZSEDYLK/s4032/IMG_9916.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8Xyu4a6sIp-sadywHiMmpSFCLUADYPjzXF3C05Ak2SwHmdB5KWVuszwkSGX753XmpEejpBQrJgSgjpjNMAdlhrik3npRSy_NN01nBeR6EK90i8wL7of5LDzhS1HVR5xPitlBdezeMQbRHWOTdLPM0i_6NiddkvhO3sG2QHIUcMh0FZ5CqGu8/s4032/IMG_9922.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg8Xyu4a6sIp-sadywHiMmpSFCLUADYPjzXF3C05Ak2SwHmdB5KWVuszwkSGX753XmpEejpBQrJgSgjpjNMAdlhrik3npRSy_NN01nBeR6EK90i8wL7of5LDzhS1HVR5xPitlBdezeMQbRHWOTdLPM0i_6NiddkvhO3sG2QHIUcMh0FZ5CqGu8/w480-h640/IMG_9922.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyMZcfjSXoSURqeIFcbOm4tbmp-3MU5vVDHm6NXvP_yOsqFO4XpZ-_hG4veP-W1fuJ7KuBYayILXixNrre3QLDdtWkZ0u_1ngRWc2rOH3tpYxWiQNQcLiZU6XPjUmLBRY9H-iqsY3krAj89t3ukKPhYre-MAYMqNhdVffKzC8MLJftUFtubwR/s4032/IMG_9923.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLyMZcfjSXoSURqeIFcbOm4tbmp-3MU5vVDHm6NXvP_yOsqFO4XpZ-_hG4veP-W1fuJ7KuBYayILXixNrre3QLDdtWkZ0u_1ngRWc2rOH3tpYxWiQNQcLiZU6XPjUmLBRY9H-iqsY3krAj89t3ukKPhYre-MAYMqNhdVffKzC8MLJftUFtubwR/w480-h640/IMG_9923.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span><br /></span></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-25551451589974997072024-01-17T17:57:00.000-08:002024-02-04T17:51:41.963-08:00The Wishing Game<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Meg Shaffer</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Christina</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A young teacher's aide joins a reclusive author's game of riddles to win enough money to adopt a young boy. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>7</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> The story was unique and we liked the riddles.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>To those that listened to the audiobook - the main character came across very dramatic (annoyingly so). Those that read the book didn't feel that way. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Anxiety, Adoption, Childhood Trauma, Competition, Riddles</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Life can only be understood backwards, but it must be lived forwards."</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We liked this unique story, the imagery and the setting. This almost felt like a children's book, but in a good way. It was whimsical and imaginative and unrealistic at times. Some of us said it had a bit of a Wonka vibe - quirky and the competition aspect. Finding out the missing pieces to the characters' backstories was interesting, if a little too drawn out at times. This was a fun, interesting read with a nice, happy ending that we all enjoyed. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>It started snowing during our meeting and with the temps well below freezing already, we were concerned we'd have to cut our meeting short. But the majority of the precipitation happened overnight and we all woke up the next day to a dusting of snow. Stephanie also came straight from out of town to the meeting!</div><p><b style="text-align: justify;">What We Ate:</b><span style="text-align: justify;"> Christina hosted us and made a delicious tortelloni soup along with a salad, charcuterie board, garlic bread, and brownies for dessert. </span></p><p>*Stephanie was there too, but is not pictured. Sorry, Stephanie!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHDHAmTlEFI0XR1TJ6YMAYXOkqx-lpi1UZGJWBSP_h1d01-1bfEs5DYkqk0bNlajcmaTdzkRS51_VMwctuMB7gnENMVgy9Hanhv1msjyT_QBD5r-5o49Fn8YgIkfP4hpDQVRzOEgA_I6GXQq1cqMvpsxUf5LNctc50XpKPGdNn6dnzRKtoc6_/s4032/IMG_9332.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbHDHAmTlEFI0XR1TJ6YMAYXOkqx-lpi1UZGJWBSP_h1d01-1bfEs5DYkqk0bNlajcmaTdzkRS51_VMwctuMB7gnENMVgy9Hanhv1msjyT_QBD5r-5o49Fn8YgIkfP4hpDQVRzOEgA_I6GXQq1cqMvpsxUf5LNctc50XpKPGdNn6dnzRKtoc6_/w640-h480/IMG_9332.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjno1Pux1Tt8mkfjIOH_K-EAxDqAHiOEIyaKFTngx35_xPgitNKEuXBqPb4HJ-TxLYfESU54qxAdzGIOuM-e_kBfwnJx74D66CS807cgaRMBO7qM9xydroC4UbHeWvXiywzyXeAuvRDpU0riGuiRPkoEHzLSEXN27Y_SN5C83i_IVW9U8ReAXxS/s3154/IMG_9333.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2367" data-original-width="3154" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjno1Pux1Tt8mkfjIOH_K-EAxDqAHiOEIyaKFTngx35_xPgitNKEuXBqPb4HJ-TxLYfESU54qxAdzGIOuM-e_kBfwnJx74D66CS807cgaRMBO7qM9xydroC4UbHeWvXiywzyXeAuvRDpU0riGuiRPkoEHzLSEXN27Y_SN5C83i_IVW9U8ReAXxS/w640-h480/IMG_9333.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpwd1wTpcNUAAHcGQc8lkDDPyoK_3Ego9REUz9Qx82ILvfAZbuS4LaPQb_irQk9poBWtyViswYyLle8DwEpIZAVej7bwRcsUaY6dOE3MQgSdrayI88PRUUz1UShyphenhyphenwqUcsGjd9PuWmze0q4uETDgaXkltpoRBpRpFBnsQR9DwutQL3zOCj3Qfm/s4032/IMG_9331.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEpwd1wTpcNUAAHcGQc8lkDDPyoK_3Ego9REUz9Qx82ILvfAZbuS4LaPQb_irQk9poBWtyViswYyLle8DwEpIZAVej7bwRcsUaY6dOE3MQgSdrayI88PRUUz1UShyphenhyphenwqUcsGjd9PuWmze0q4uETDgaXkltpoRBpRpFBnsQR9DwutQL3zOCj3Qfm/w480-h640/IMG_9331.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6rCUJ2KAEN79XP3f0RB4UczbLbKbLk4juRwQj-ViGGJhfSLZ8g80C8K51JD44_u6MI-Cn_DoRdM0_MCV9kdP9GRhn-PJ5gTs6Sr6HfxxQNVlYPAbR8tsuNsh5a65koDucfLMceNon__jx_sjUGH7E79Cs0vRGci9xpjI8gcaKlkk1BBOZPxO/s4032/IMG_9334.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK6rCUJ2KAEN79XP3f0RB4UczbLbKbLk4juRwQj-ViGGJhfSLZ8g80C8K51JD44_u6MI-Cn_DoRdM0_MCV9kdP9GRhn-PJ5gTs6Sr6HfxxQNVlYPAbR8tsuNsh5a65koDucfLMceNon__jx_sjUGH7E79Cs0vRGci9xpjI8gcaKlkk1BBOZPxO/w640-h480/IMG_9334.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-11436193930697756582023-12-12T17:30:00.000-08:002023-12-12T19:26:32.621-08:00Bright Lights, Big Christmas<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Mary Kay Andrews</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Stephanie</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A brother and sister take up residence in their dilapidated camper on a street corner in New York City to sell their family farm's Christmas trees, relying on the kindness of the nearby residents to get them through the month. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>7</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> A very fun, quick and charming read.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>Some of it was very unrealistic.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Romance, villains, cleanliness, characters, family dynamics</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <i>"Now get out of your own way. If you have a dream to make art for a living, do that. With all the passion and energy you possess. Everything else will follow."</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We all really enjoyed reading this cute and fun story set during Christmas time. We discovered that we like reading "Christmas" novels during Christmas time. It's fun! And overall, this story was great. If we want to get picky, we could say that the romance was very rushed (like, more than normal - they never even had a real date, yet were professing love at the end), the "bad" guys were kind of underdeveloped, the makeout sessions took place when Kerry hadn't showered in days (ewww), and there was a shocking lack of bathroom facilities for the middle of the night (and all other times). However, the characters that were developed were interesting. And the story that unfolded about Heinz was interesting and sweet. In fact, the romance storyline may not have been needed at all - it really didn't even take center stage, which is why it seemed rushed and lacking. Is this the greatest book ever written? No. Did we enjoy it and would we recommend it? Yes and yes. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>This was our Christmas meeting so we did ALL the things. Stephanie took us to Wildwood at Firewheel for dinner. Then we went back to her house for gifts, the Jeopardy game, book discussion, dessert charcuterie/fondue, and painting Santa and Rudolph masks. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><p><b style="text-align: justify;">What We Ate: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Stephanie took us to Wildwood at Firewheel for dinner - most of us had the Pecan Crusted Chicken and we all shared an order of the mac and cheese. We had some amazing appetizers that we shared as well: meatballs, smoked cauliflower florets, and Dragon Dip (cheese dip). We had an amazing dessert charcuterie/fondue board for dessert at Stephanie's house with festive cocktails. </span></p><p><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiFZqg9yZgE-NgDTw7RnysO538v-lwqZfpwRCh4Vj_Tdh1Lx57AjSAy_D5dKV4gq6QBrcTjJlTXkkyF-ticCfVfF1965rWdJNOYAvDGryHsxCVuMKbBO0AfnhLUucMW7gNW0gIZIRA-X4gKWqBckSC6kUqfYHTh2lQEWRwbvAVjsTZcbP8OAT/s4032/IMG_9062.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFiFZqg9yZgE-NgDTw7RnysO538v-lwqZfpwRCh4Vj_Tdh1Lx57AjSAy_D5dKV4gq6QBrcTjJlTXkkyF-ticCfVfF1965rWdJNOYAvDGryHsxCVuMKbBO0AfnhLUucMW7gNW0gIZIRA-X4gKWqBckSC6kUqfYHTh2lQEWRwbvAVjsTZcbP8OAT/w640-h480/IMG_9062.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAcKKJ-PkNZDqICi7ZWUNRZX45mQTW9zpVbtIcfjWsfx_sxzk63OeYnTLIiuNdQnGIYRSlg8-rQbprct6giSiRl3AR9YFF_NALgvU3u5Ztn43-NhfAuXU8lVDl2aIQBVs-p7CNYdVh5Q9uy3MlBEyzT34R_-RJXfmQwXGBDkuiHmF9eUBzzmKv/w640-h480/IMG_9096.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsvyt-74LjQSZ-HAuEbW8k6yZmvAy3Q3WOc-c3Tm0-85crey8Fmzi19kcXsiozxc4NsIYhxeUURKbMkltkn8EmSnNwe7x5wQiSFvgiXV68BqpTwDVhF8yO8UDfu5u-N-x-lYp9FZGQz9kQwns3n9lJJAXopFLxDD-lOohoS8pDO6yYEXxb5AU/s4032/IMG_9098.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgcsvyt-74LjQSZ-HAuEbW8k6yZmvAy3Q3WOc-c3Tm0-85crey8Fmzi19kcXsiozxc4NsIYhxeUURKbMkltkn8EmSnNwe7x5wQiSFvgiXV68BqpTwDVhF8yO8UDfu5u-N-x-lYp9FZGQz9kQwns3n9lJJAXopFLxDD-lOohoS8pDO6yYEXxb5AU/w480-h640/IMG_9098.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><span style="text-align: justify;"><br /></span><p></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-45846768186900738722023-11-19T14:33:00.000-08:002023-11-19T19:00:23.874-08:00Black Cake<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Charmaine Wilkerson</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Amberly</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A woman reveals her complicated and secret past to her children after her death.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating:</b> 8</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> This was a really good, engaging story.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>There were a few plot points that stretched reality a bit.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Family, Truth, Secrets, Adoption, Abandonment</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">And this is what I need you two to understand: You have always known who I am. Who I am is your mother. This is the truest part of me."</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We really enjoyed reading this book, and that is one of the most important things to us! It was a good story, with a unique and vivid setting. We loved learning more about the island culture and the black cake (which none of us had heard of before). We were interested in the Chinese history in the Caribbean Islands - something else we knew little about. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Overall we enjoyed how the story unfolded slowly. Some of the things that were revealed at the end seemed like they could have been revealed earlier - the cause of Covey's death, for one. Many times we wished characters would have taken different actions (Covey's father taking her and leaving the island vs. selling her to Little Man), but these things were fairly easy to overlook in service to the broader plot. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We talked a lot about secrets and abandonment since those were two large themes. Many of us were also surprised by the big reveal at the end - who had really killed Little Man. It was nice to not be able to guess that (for some of us!). </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We watched the first episode of the Hulu series, Black Cake, based on the book. It was fun and interesting to see what they changed for the series. </div><p><b style="text-align: justify;">What We Ate: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Amberly ordered several pizzas for us to try from a new pizza place, Dough Gourmet Pizza. We liked them all! She also had popcorn and an elaborate candy bar set up for us! And finally, she had ordered an authentic black cake for us to try! It was surprisingly good - dense and moist from the soaked and pureed fruit. However, some of us did not like the unique taste. But what fun to try the book's namesake!</span></p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTcl68R9M91rxDtdzwz0EhM4VJx23JAj9WOsgpBIPl4Udiov-IKq4VyNhyphenhyphentE2ypCaM7MEi7HcNHPSptcdCA0ceeucEYEAB_LUTuPeWBNwHfvlyCQ0jGF_uTlVTPDf74oPYup46FXMjowZbXyuFj05Vi8G1s3dq4_Dt4yltHq-tbNbiIRN9CMO/s4032/IMG_8846.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqTcl68R9M91rxDtdzwz0EhM4VJx23JAj9WOsgpBIPl4Udiov-IKq4VyNhyphenhyphentE2ypCaM7MEi7HcNHPSptcdCA0ceeucEYEAB_LUTuPeWBNwHfvlyCQ0jGF_uTlVTPDf74oPYup46FXMjowZbXyuFj05Vi8G1s3dq4_Dt4yltHq-tbNbiIRN9CMO/w640-h480/IMG_8846.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQjUIOqgurhpg_fDlFoKh2yy8sC0IIAraPBW5YhTZL_g9IeztHUO0NE4mCC140Jmnd6wSKmiDFEb2n6TA7j3GBqmLzOc6mgNyRbKUVb0UNL8tBAtb1eQhgEr6Ep26QWk1mXOfVbohPUAt8n3y9tlpkXwtwkbTbi0gJvHMT3_bhMtnF38eHYYs/s4032/IMG_8847.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQjUIOqgurhpg_fDlFoKh2yy8sC0IIAraPBW5YhTZL_g9IeztHUO0NE4mCC140Jmnd6wSKmiDFEb2n6TA7j3GBqmLzOc6mgNyRbKUVb0UNL8tBAtb1eQhgEr6Ep26QWk1mXOfVbohPUAt8n3y9tlpkXwtwkbTbi0gJvHMT3_bhMtnF38eHYYs/w640-h480/IMG_8847.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXDORVSoxi9kyRgmKCNlOZUSANkeipTYlpDL3DClOXOVOfMbcVuV2YTZ-b5jTrDkHxkyITOlkmai1xBBMDhUJqTACDxeAb02FKLB6FF45LPmxhEGP5buuYApLOV34vKfy7b2n1mjjWrSpqB_QFN3HsP3F-k9j4qucZS6mGx5enEmJP9WIm5_g/s4032/IMG_8845.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifXDORVSoxi9kyRgmKCNlOZUSANkeipTYlpDL3DClOXOVOfMbcVuV2YTZ-b5jTrDkHxkyITOlkmai1xBBMDhUJqTACDxeAb02FKLB6FF45LPmxhEGP5buuYApLOV34vKfy7b2n1mjjWrSpqB_QFN3HsP3F-k9j4qucZS6mGx5enEmJP9WIm5_g/w480-h640/IMG_8845.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKG4As8U5i-NFzXRRTz6LFhYTt4LXdaF2Pm_WtYkKGuu9uAZbSYpQtRnJtZaiLWc3us3RYJR0VyOZ6wH9EtAh5oBHXEX-hTSJOCj5ZMDAAWsrSHWjuRR2VMK3oqPrYst7oTjctMapooEdAyt-tmlOFZrESkA2iH30RmPQUYn83umbr1QLNxbHw/s4032/IMG_8845.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaWzhWtLjj5AbllqI5i-5OdU16JlaQ57EGuDyLfMHFKWpi9NVlQe2bh9Q92Fcs3Ta0mYASpxh5mjj8PeAOqj_Uhd8q64wlgHaV_UuRJM1BD1HhSMB5rxoyaje8y1Lvz0EnR278egqbDJJNAvmlx0hmOkv6KJ1dM71dmZMZQdyj_QZb-5Q43Qbm/w640-h480/IMG_8851.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbC0NVZPejFJR94Qj1BDxTq9BC4YBcPpYS80tOlcRdIgdWz2z4znFiamBTn3i9_YoOn48ms796fTweSjWvJUwLq3qOU2ydMWTwhubT9cYDmHCds4iNwcDDaH3q5IMGEPSSdwI2TeX0igeBUM18XXBaelQezLc8w7fChGT6o74NM207RnSIRo6/s4032/IMG_8852.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicbC0NVZPejFJR94Qj1BDxTq9BC4YBcPpYS80tOlcRdIgdWz2z4znFiamBTn3i9_YoOn48ms796fTweSjWvJUwLq3qOU2ydMWTwhubT9cYDmHCds4iNwcDDaH3q5IMGEPSSdwI2TeX0igeBUM18XXBaelQezLc8w7fChGT6o74NM207RnSIRo6/w640-h480/IMG_8852.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6XTXFpKXuR-gPqC0j_pzbbR-ck-MC5sMPbl05onAcNmfrgPcSzvlIgFyJFEsrlc1YkLXKN7hycjJJ-VPRE4FQKYd3JpPLQE4aJz-EoQFuENZQCb4lGoSKbJRlSGVjsRdepxqoXS0N3Bdt4LjQDn0wAsg7a-6WsWCkli9dUBmZaQMtfcgF-9P/s4032/IMG_8856.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgD6XTXFpKXuR-gPqC0j_pzbbR-ck-MC5sMPbl05onAcNmfrgPcSzvlIgFyJFEsrlc1YkLXKN7hycjJJ-VPRE4FQKYd3JpPLQE4aJz-EoQFuENZQCb4lGoSKbJRlSGVjsRdepxqoXS0N3Bdt4LjQDn0wAsg7a-6WsWCkli9dUBmZaQMtfcgF-9P/w480-h640/IMG_8856.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-a1qMv-esrVcZPkEITDb61nCAoZH_qLDjD_QRfZM-8CkVI7mNeB6Kk_OOctVBrAvxWpAAxQ3B23MRzb7NzYaCyVOLC4TdSGoicQuug7YSSR0VVD4h-vlvuA2UpJB2TH1LfdhYYiSe8kO02GP6EdyOfHsX4pL0smv9c1Z6wWWHxnG35GYy3Pj/s4032/IMG_8849.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiP-a1qMv-esrVcZPkEITDb61nCAoZH_qLDjD_QRfZM-8CkVI7mNeB6Kk_OOctVBrAvxWpAAxQ3B23MRzb7NzYaCyVOLC4TdSGoicQuug7YSSR0VVD4h-vlvuA2UpJB2TH1LfdhYYiSe8kO02GP6EdyOfHsX4pL0smv9c1Z6wWWHxnG35GYy3Pj/w480-h640/IMG_8849.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><p><br /></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-59793175538235795392023-10-23T14:53:00.009-07:002023-10-23T14:53:54.779-07:00City of Girls<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Elizabeth Gilbert</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Rachel</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A young woman makes mistakes, grows up, and finds a life for herself in New York City before, during, and after WWII in unconventional, but deeply satisfying ways.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>8</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> We loved the story and the unique characters - and the poignant way the story was told.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>Having to read some of the harsh things that happened to the main character.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Friendship, Family, Shame, Fashion, Love</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> "A<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">t some point in a woman’s life, she just gets tired of being ashamed all the time. After that, she is free to become whoever she truly is."</span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We all liked this book very much. We enjoyed reading it and discussing it. We didn't have much to pick apart, but we did discuss a few things that had us thinking: 1) how realistic it was for Vivian's parents to send her to NYC in the first place (with an aunt they didn't approve of), 2) why Peg's reaction to Vivian running away from Frank was so strong, 3) how many things had to converge at one time for Vivian to make her "big mistake." Ultimately, we really enjoyed discussing the plot and the very well fleshed-out characters, who were so unique we could really picture them. We thought Gilbert had a deft hand at writing - this was a meaningful and fun story to read. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We celebrated Lindsay's birthday and we received our Colorado photo books. </div><p><b style="text-align: justify;">What We Ate: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Rachel took us to Hopdoddy Burger Bar for burgers, fries, and shakes. Then, we returned to her house for tea and brownies and the rest of our meeting. </span></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhcVPRqR9mZCe6_sHcxwzyreUB-zomfPSA7fFVaW7lVUGoIMRfA5TXpeBsmPa_Q_kVB2bKCFVH94aUF4XVXfX46fHmfRRg1-ZQZJf4-E4xhezAEI4ZP0pbZnbKAoqtRtKmriYb10z8gh-k5KBK1s3ePNvS6uwbfFc9XMIFKV_bSpCbEaaAoOTc/s4032/IMG_8632.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhcVPRqR9mZCe6_sHcxwzyreUB-zomfPSA7fFVaW7lVUGoIMRfA5TXpeBsmPa_Q_kVB2bKCFVH94aUF4XVXfX46fHmfRRg1-ZQZJf4-E4xhezAEI4ZP0pbZnbKAoqtRtKmriYb10z8gh-k5KBK1s3ePNvS6uwbfFc9XMIFKV_bSpCbEaaAoOTc/w640-h480/IMG_8632.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYIP2ZWEV4Yxr5Jlt4jpFnrvDu1YIGHMO2Lroej1AvurOZcGuet2EC33ewVTxTt0OPDLgRoY7iS669EH5yqHuaaZJl91st9aZNNJ91UK8tEq1EDagTmeoiNa6X2zVM4BTrLr6KZftLejsBh0IUwMtaj1WV4ygKw1FHuC-TZURkHH8OtJBWSqZ7/s4032/IMG_8633.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUoV6F34wQWfFrG49ZE1V3YDs0vQCBFGOyfrWdCAAlfqjUp_vwxyVXAGLOT_jS4W4HbZsd5kjjacBXDYfkTxcOiAkxw_zA6sP045y_CnGzcXRxCB-TukVocxDr2VgeJRyaxcxWqoAZfUlwouLTjksR7Vx_1oMBtsnLEiBSViNiOHk5W1edw-H6/w640-h480/IMG_8638.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3xmec2m5FNbtWsWhIB4HwfbRC3l4LzO_Qus3JyWyGB-hHubsF9SX5Edg_CgxyNezUkFhPOWayK649NqoGQDEZC8TQaxrqaMQBHSB8foJWd-F5YXg9ju43XOJ-8UaTHdD6LlbkcxrO0xj5-AwKJ9-72j4CzT0BrOAS_bTH1HgnzMQWKG4CiOx/s4032/IMG_8639.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhP3xmec2m5FNbtWsWhIB4HwfbRC3l4LzO_Qus3JyWyGB-hHubsF9SX5Edg_CgxyNezUkFhPOWayK649NqoGQDEZC8TQaxrqaMQBHSB8foJWd-F5YXg9ju43XOJ-8UaTHdD6LlbkcxrO0xj5-AwKJ9-72j4CzT0BrOAS_bTH1HgnzMQWKG4CiOx/w640-h480/IMG_8639.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWymwTNzUHjgEch2Amx6TcvxPkTyrBgBENqGF4DeThkLOAr03I9EY19eUvq39omVN5IGyQ2jt1XP81Nt086seejrzkQ4hfmi210d8IkhtllVnb_BKIed_fdTmfgbFq2XrOPFT2JAKOK4mrGmLkNEgp0eZ9-H_Ka-_N6LA0P2lXBhF9UJc5yJ-V/s3091/IMG_8640.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3091" data-original-width="2358" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWymwTNzUHjgEch2Amx6TcvxPkTyrBgBENqGF4DeThkLOAr03I9EY19eUvq39omVN5IGyQ2jt1XP81Nt086seejrzkQ4hfmi210d8IkhtllVnb_BKIed_fdTmfgbFq2XrOPFT2JAKOK4mrGmLkNEgp0eZ9-H_Ka-_N6LA0P2lXBhF9UJc5yJ-V/w488-h640/IMG_8640.jpeg" width="488" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-79804273968705073902023-09-17T10:15:00.053-07:002023-12-05T17:29:59.248-08:00Magic Hour<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Kristin Hannah</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">All of Us</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A disgraced child psychiatrist and her small town cop sister work hard to piece together the story of a non-verbal, feral child found in their remote hometown.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>8</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> The story and characters were fascinating and likeable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>The ending was a little speedy compared to the pacing of the rest of the book. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Families of Origin, Individual Experiences, Psychiatry, Culpability, Sense of Self, Healing, Self Awareness</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">Love rips the shit out of you and puts you back together like a broken toy, with all kinds of cracks and edges. It's not about the falling in love. It's about the landing, the staying where you said you'd be and working to keep the love strong."</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We really liked this book. Almost all of us rated it an 8. We felt like the story and the characters were solid. The story built relationships at an appropriate and believable pace and really took the time to introduce even the minor characters well. The plot moved slowly in places, but that just emphasized the actual slowness of the sister's progress with Alice. And then, the ending sped up. Really, this is just a minor quibble, but the pacing is definitely different in the last few chapters compared to the rest of the book. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We enjoyed talking about the sibling relationship between Julia and Ellie. It was so interesting to see how their joint childhood memories and experiences were so different despite growing up in the same household. We find this to be absolutely true for us as well. The fact that neither one understood the challenges of the other also rang true. We loved how they found their way back together while helping Alice. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We talked about how Ellie goes through a transformation because she learns to analyze herself. Others help her on this journey and could be a little hard on her at times - at least in our option. We thought it was unrealistic of Cal to expect Ellie to read his mind and know he loved her. We felt like he should not have been mad about that. He should have spoken up. We liked her character growth, though. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">And Julia grew as well. She could also be selfish - making Alice's treatment about her and her success rather than just helping Alice. Although, she did definitely want to do that the whole time. She learned about Ellie too and about how she had to believe in herself despite the opinions of others. For her character, we discussed how much therapists should be held responsible for their patients' actions. And we decided it was pretty much zero. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We discussed how the early years for Alice were trauma and fear and how that might impact her entire life. It was interesting how a sense of self, a name, safety, and trust were all themes of her treatment. We found all of that fascinating. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We were in Colorado! And we celebrated Dara's 50th Birthday!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><p><b style="text-align: justify;">What We Ate: </b> The meeting didn't take place around a meal, as usual. But on this Colorado trip, we had chili and cornbread, bacon and cinnamon rolls or monkey bread, grilled cheese and tomato soup - those are the highlights!</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8Dtf1y0ZuvA1kVaKg68Dw8nhuUmBrIFcItqpFQh_tZt5VClHpxfu8Z9fb7B2XApnDmVLaVTa3_IaWnWySdfYaxUzLBTMtclWxe3JPh6Xs2hPt9HousIvAuEvU-RqBSQ_EZWNQpYFB8zf_YOvLdHAan9sfPeRVIOPnNQ7ZwK47Fze--CaOFHk/s5760/RDC_5331.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="5760" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE8Dtf1y0ZuvA1kVaKg68Dw8nhuUmBrIFcItqpFQh_tZt5VClHpxfu8Z9fb7B2XApnDmVLaVTa3_IaWnWySdfYaxUzLBTMtclWxe3JPh6Xs2hPt9HousIvAuEvU-RqBSQ_EZWNQpYFB8zf_YOvLdHAan9sfPeRVIOPnNQ7ZwK47Fze--CaOFHk/w640-h426/RDC_5331.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZGbJcR5WtyDlvUOo0Bzmbb3JDX78ljjMPAI5vSTF35fidJzkYBajwnaO7Fx39m6APDBmajekEo_NxAlo9e9nqWGFvyEslw4ycqKFkGjUhAfO4MsvcYkaEsAzYJemenuovHHIlR9FAml-PpS8ZPQ06djDATKK1XslgXPCawM2PVnpYeM2M2TK/s5760/RDC_5450.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="5760" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirZGbJcR5WtyDlvUOo0Bzmbb3JDX78ljjMPAI5vSTF35fidJzkYBajwnaO7Fx39m6APDBmajekEo_NxAlo9e9nqWGFvyEslw4ycqKFkGjUhAfO4MsvcYkaEsAzYJemenuovHHIlR9FAml-PpS8ZPQ06djDATKK1XslgXPCawM2PVnpYeM2M2TK/w640-h426/RDC_5450.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsY29TDxPYXsr3atZ1dawPbSydaBWj5qn4_fRTY2I-m_4ZTiRE7vVI7LLLkhfuJ4wT6aVg3x51zAeqmvP2V4ht6zyPr9aiLm8nqj9IqCz8kJcQtzJPMNha4GYl5r_9ufdsS4TenFadSjY4KseJX5iUotzrXIaLwIXA_3S4BzGqeIRWhwpuflf/s5760/RDC_5474.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3840" data-original-width="5760" height="426" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvsY29TDxPYXsr3atZ1dawPbSydaBWj5qn4_fRTY2I-m_4ZTiRE7vVI7LLLkhfuJ4wT6aVg3x51zAeqmvP2V4ht6zyPr9aiLm8nqj9IqCz8kJcQtzJPMNha4GYl5r_9ufdsS4TenFadSjY4KseJX5iUotzrXIaLwIXA_3S4BzGqeIRWhwpuflf/w640-h426/RDC_5474.jpg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-9795358547839406402023-08-27T10:00:00.055-07:002023-08-28T10:33:59.049-07:00Rememberings<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Sinead O'Connor</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Lindsay</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> O'Connor shares details from her childhood and career in a more intimate portrait of who she is and how her life has been.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>7</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> Learning interesting things about an artist we all know of.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>How tragic some of those details were. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Fame, Artists, Abuse, Relationships, Activism, Music</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>“If you could talk about music you wouldn’t need music.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>Most of us really liked this book. And we didn't know very much about Sinead, so it was very enlightening. Her childhood experiences and relationships with her parents and family shed so much light on her life and career. It was terrible to be reading this book about such tragedy and chronic loneliness that still remained hopeful at points and definitely at the end...only to know that she passed away this year. However, those of us who listened on audio (all but one of us) enjoyed hearing her words in her voice, even if that voice was monotone! Some of the more crazy details that we were surprised by were: her encounter with Prince, the details behind her tearing up the photo of the Pope, and finding out that she loved Dolly Parton! We also found that she was an incredibly principled and empathetic person whose experiences forbid her from living inauthentically. She didn't want fame and she didn't want to be controlled. We loved hearing about her relationship with each of her children and ultimately hated that their mother is no longer with us. For fans especially, this is an insightful read. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>This was Lindsay's meeting, and since she now lives in another state, we had the meeting at Rachel's house and had a pool party. It was, of course, cooler than normal this evening, but we did swim and get in the hot tub. We discussed some plans for our upcoming trip to Colorado too!</div><p><b style="text-align: justify;">What We Ate: </b> Lindsay brought Curry Pizza and salad for us. Rachel had some cheese dips, hummus, and German Chocolate Chess Squares for dessert. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZoaGN2t1J9mjLPd6qWlOzvZr43Ou_gjKhjXszjCaFUU0M8IcnrR7pfuBXIw0b6Oj_DikbpAi_3HDOhvsho4zBQ_kFhpRu_2nfFI03qtqiAJhdd4HeZJFcF_sRkgqoAcMhu1BebqcW3jOvDrAxbyAVywK4QT4rIaWbB14shykG83K--scNwkLV/s3517/IMG_7543.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2638" data-original-width="3517" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZoaGN2t1J9mjLPd6qWlOzvZr43Ou_gjKhjXszjCaFUU0M8IcnrR7pfuBXIw0b6Oj_DikbpAi_3HDOhvsho4zBQ_kFhpRu_2nfFI03qtqiAJhdd4HeZJFcF_sRkgqoAcMhu1BebqcW3jOvDrAxbyAVywK4QT4rIaWbB14shykG83K--scNwkLV/w640-h480/IMG_7543.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYhssyc7NDi7OjW8aADo4OpZfkNsM9H6FglOD_Ycek4XjPyW2_VA8g5QHFkoUlnw1OuQESMp0SXPC8DYchGbBhrJYYVXCkpn4rtYavraj7iqeRxH0aDH47s1bfKo34vhN6b4NpFxl3ULyv3A07WYpRZRnlCJWtevVtyJmEn-hOzav74yBo2A2/s1501/IMG_7572.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1501" data-original-width="1081" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjBYhssyc7NDi7OjW8aADo4OpZfkNsM9H6FglOD_Ycek4XjPyW2_VA8g5QHFkoUlnw1OuQESMp0SXPC8DYchGbBhrJYYVXCkpn4rtYavraj7iqeRxH0aDH47s1bfKo34vhN6b4NpFxl3ULyv3A07WYpRZRnlCJWtevVtyJmEn-hOzav74yBo2A2/w460-h640/IMG_7572.jpeg" width="460" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LxxKKmcO9oWmyyfyCEHgKwpfnIcOx61CSnusN5aaXJdYgfVp-XG7herX9S2Tc44Azmd_XJoD7NIDkVcGiZU5qLow7DubDZqjyPpEKIIr7lmsyuGnn2qG_AiaPOyYGUueTiPaCSpIkZ1MJoNHc0bBUJYEeOv1nFpw3fQWJn9EOfK__73GqyR_/s1424/IMG_7569.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1424" data-original-width="1089" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7LxxKKmcO9oWmyyfyCEHgKwpfnIcOx61CSnusN5aaXJdYgfVp-XG7herX9S2Tc44Azmd_XJoD7NIDkVcGiZU5qLow7DubDZqjyPpEKIIr7lmsyuGnn2qG_AiaPOyYGUueTiPaCSpIkZ1MJoNHc0bBUJYEeOv1nFpw3fQWJn9EOfK__73GqyR_/w490-h640/IMG_7569.jpeg" width="490" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-78158138688528349712023-08-02T12:00:00.000-07:002023-08-02T15:42:33.596-07:00The Humans<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Matt Haig</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Dara</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> An alien representative is sent to Earth to take care of a recent mathematical development they'd rather humans not have and along the way it learns enough about humans to want to live as one.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>8</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> It was very funny and witty.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>We had to suspend disbelief basically the whole time! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <i>"To be human is to state the obvious. Repeatedly, over and over until the end of time."</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>Humor was the best thing about this book. And how could there not be humor when an alien is simultaneously discovering and commenting on the human race. Hilarious. We loved the voice of the alien. We loved following his journey of understanding about humans and why they are both terrible and wonderful. In this way, the author presented so many truths about humans - through the eyes of an "outside" observer experiencing things for the first time. Clever narrative design. It was commendable that an alien, who had to kill his host in order to take his place, was a likeable character at all. And we really did like him. Of course, the original host had to be portrayed as a terrible person for this to work - and we knew that while reading, but didn't mind. Overall, this is a great story about humanity and what is important. Despite an indefinite (and somewhat improbable!) ending, we really enjoyed this story.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We listened to Taylor Swift in the background the whole time!</div><p><b style="text-align: justify;">What We Ate: </b> Meal by Josh: Tuna Tostadas with black beans and mango salsa, Homemade Guacamole and Salsa, Signature Cocktail for the evening - strawberry mint ranch water (made with vodka), Entree: Chicken, Steak and Shrimp tacos with ALL the fixings. Dara made a TX sheet cake served a la mode for dessert and Amberly brought individual s'mores cups as well. </p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRopMs5gjKrmzwW_1mm3cAy40IwYk1GfAj3k-g_QlaPsmf-8lTRt5yh1Z5KNr6qvXJ0-0kfqq0Hlv1bcIKBwmFjLdzAb_cvOUSGSQw6TArqxPkM9Y9IUBE8qPt9BCAI103bYSrMK92TjiOGwSs0KIxZarJw9XJJXw-NpuHoWFIgn4w7VRVRRWS/s4032/IMG_7276.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgRopMs5gjKrmzwW_1mm3cAy40IwYk1GfAj3k-g_QlaPsmf-8lTRt5yh1Z5KNr6qvXJ0-0kfqq0Hlv1bcIKBwmFjLdzAb_cvOUSGSQw6TArqxPkM9Y9IUBE8qPt9BCAI103bYSrMK92TjiOGwSs0KIxZarJw9XJJXw-NpuHoWFIgn4w7VRVRRWS/w640-h480/IMG_7276.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuw49ELgenGv8xQhtEvXU4BINDlXhIKngqMdJXgIgm5N1DiiSjrg4Z0Lyza9X96e-pIbFtjH659sykbGJQgWlo3Km6JEU6jATEEFQQfanElaqvs4yQdaJA1KFhN1yk05ByYlkyafrUtnR1V6oHNE5Axbwz3PsRc8OxIOdSBtZQsceD1e-rVUgE/s4032/IMG_7275.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir9MgrywR3XihsOdhndPInkCnLJcMMKfxdo5709RAqYrZBgJrURwveP3xesSIP0BTgJtL3RHGfqzfttX6geiFh4Krj1QgcARA77rW2IpGPFE72lH4JZUkkQTgl4vtbAbtywrAhwpgJYpYFke0Sxqexhln5GUHQtI6yRuKOZnSMnNPWTIDf5UBa/w480-h640/IMG_7284.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78G-G8jm6KgFj9CgQg2hgcCWokiIG8UNmZQRVvKNq1xbfC4mIEv5EEk1J7B9C58KPApY8eJ-vmogbfmFBMgaKi2NHEWiEZe9bg5n1YfWkX6WdTBnzsqHQU9rZSGg7OMKDeImJleJLCBnkgR2mb4dXL5GjzJMsafPnXpqqj0GW-kbS1DuqMHKQ/s4032/IMG_7281.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj78G-G8jm6KgFj9CgQg2hgcCWokiIG8UNmZQRVvKNq1xbfC4mIEv5EEk1J7B9C58KPApY8eJ-vmogbfmFBMgaKi2NHEWiEZe9bg5n1YfWkX6WdTBnzsqHQU9rZSGg7OMKDeImJleJLCBnkgR2mb4dXL5GjzJMsafPnXpqqj0GW-kbS1DuqMHKQ/w480-h640/IMG_7281.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-52452857011480671082023-06-15T12:08:00.056-07:002023-06-15T19:34:23.106-07:00Happy Place<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Emily Henry</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">All of Us</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A group of friends meets at their usual vacation spot for the last time while working through big issues, miscommunications, and secrets that threaten not only one relationship on the brink, but the group as a whole. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>7</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> It was a fast, and fairly fun, easy read.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>Several things annoyed us. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Friendship, Communication, Relationships</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <i>"<span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">It doesn't matter how busy life's been, how long the five of us have gone without seeing one another: meeting at the cottage is like pulling on a favorite sweatshirt, worn to perfection."</span></i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>Well. This book and our impressions of it are kind of a paradox. On the one hand, it was a fast, fun read that we all mostly enjoyed. On the other hand, we can't really recommend it because we were annoyed by so many things. Overall, the book was fine and we didn't hate it - thus our fairly high rating. BUT, we also didn't super enjoy it either - it didn't really capture our attention. We didn't love any of the characters. The main character was, frankly, irritating to us. We thought the overall plot - where two people were essentially being deceived by their closest friends - was annoying. And also, the crux of every problem in this book hinged on lack of communication. To the point of ridiculousness. Who breaks up with someone and doesn't tell them why? Dumb. And that kind of secrecy/lack of just speaking to each other was the same problem with every relationship tension. Every single one. So those are the criticisms. One thing we liked was the idea of the vacation house and how that became a source of nostalgia and a representation of the cocoon of these relationships - friendship mostly. We liked the witty banter, even if we thought it was unrealistic. And the book didn't take us forever to read. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>This meeting took place at our lake house weekend gathering. Lots of memorable things - mostly that someone doesn't like to play games with balls. There were also a plethora of wild flowers this time! So many more than we've ever seen. We were also able to swim in the pool for the first time in years without completely freezing (it was still cold). </div><p><b style="text-align: justify;">What We Ate: </b> We ate our usual fare with one addition - we had lunch at Hemmingway's restaurant over by the marina on Sunday before we drove home. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZLfv6vyI1IF5f89lddj5hKJxKi472rGAm2x5i7pxh0TUAGL2vy-Lo-xhWju8j7HgVHAyw7gaamktlg4KAwOXSSMIAaXMEAHes5Mt1lBb3S2IyTu_ATlxo9_HLLfftwKhUBlH00OIK8bKyZQYgYleT1ASUMVCCnPOURN0j6uzNW_Jfu31yw/s2049/IMG_5915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1543" data-original-width="2049" height="482" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrZLfv6vyI1IF5f89lddj5hKJxKi472rGAm2x5i7pxh0TUAGL2vy-Lo-xhWju8j7HgVHAyw7gaamktlg4KAwOXSSMIAaXMEAHes5Mt1lBb3S2IyTu_ATlxo9_HLLfftwKhUBlH00OIK8bKyZQYgYleT1ASUMVCCnPOURN0j6uzNW_Jfu31yw/w640-h482/IMG_5915.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1537" data-original-width="2049" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiTTZpqraG_9BsObpLIM90GhDG4E-G6tF0pwPQIz1RKaG97xGxzR38GN8mbh0ym_2-OMLrZOxLqfAESrt6vqGqU13eqDNJB4AT9tq-Zu4kzNzOhU-PZirY5k4xVqc0UcnXSrlvCn8wiIlYFTsBxkPincyOCGCl0ZKgh2Js8PZaRfV3YuBZyA/w640-h480/IMG_6042.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7XdHmqQg7dM86KjizqDfyIdoetEIq87bVYRWBvO7-5LBaKA1_Xtp_U1SHlLggoCTQb_xUwOla2mS-S75hbcJLen4sqjUiZu2jFr1mhyvm5WWzFM_mV9EVD8bzWoQ4TzzY10qUkQ5Y6YwwPQAt6hoHEF3bsSTzshtZ8e1Ju12MLmgclNMnw/s2049/IMG_6054.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2049" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt7XdHmqQg7dM86KjizqDfyIdoetEIq87bVYRWBvO7-5LBaKA1_Xtp_U1SHlLggoCTQb_xUwOla2mS-S75hbcJLen4sqjUiZu2jFr1mhyvm5WWzFM_mV9EVD8bzWoQ4TzzY10qUkQ5Y6YwwPQAt6hoHEF3bsSTzshtZ8e1Ju12MLmgclNMnw/w640-h480/IMG_6054.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjGSBV3cyihI9eBL_5OhvbaqUNgyZEJwrN2uZEGRrIpB3Tej5Y9HIgMmoMRr3fxiHeD8rReudgUK91fbXRyW_qsFc2r16CWDejDuoNfmHhXQcFscKoNTP4NKelnkyTqQRup5QYQsCSkfeUknyXJjoEJMfXAVoE_dXtzvjlZuZzTFBsWjBbg/s2049/IMG_6057.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2049" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwjGSBV3cyihI9eBL_5OhvbaqUNgyZEJwrN2uZEGRrIpB3Tej5Y9HIgMmoMRr3fxiHeD8rReudgUK91fbXRyW_qsFc2r16CWDejDuoNfmHhXQcFscKoNTP4NKelnkyTqQRup5QYQsCSkfeUknyXJjoEJMfXAVoE_dXtzvjlZuZzTFBsWjBbg/w640-h480/IMG_6057.JPG" width="640" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p><br /></p><p><br /></p>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-502263860808027382023-05-15T12:48:00.001-07:002023-05-15T12:48:06.748-07:00The Poppy War<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">R. F. Kuang</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Christina</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A village orphan accomplishes her dream of attending military school where she learns of her special abilities that can both help her country in war, but could also destroy her and those she loves. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>6</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> Some interesting "thought experiments" about what is the best thing to do in certain situations. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>It was hard to get into the book because we didn't like or care about Rin (the main character) or really any of the other characters. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> War, Psychedelics, Spirituality, Moral/Ethical decisions, Dehumanizing, Enemy/Hero, Victory & Revenge, Wisdom</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">“<i>I have become something wonderful, she thought. I have become something terrible. Was she now a goddess or a monster? Perhaps neither. Perhaps both.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We all had issues with this book, even though several of us really expected to like it. And all of us said we were not interested in continuing this trilogy. Our first issue was the main character, Rin. She just was not easy to identify with and frankly, not likeable. Sometimes that works. This time it did not work for us. She was, in fact, and anti-hero in this story, which is interesting, but makes it hard to root for her. And the secondary characters did not really make up for this - we didn't connect with any of them either. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We thought the Phoenix imagery was really one-sided. The book focused on the fire and destructive side of the Phoenix, but made no mention or focus on the rebirth that Phoenixes usually represent. Likewise, the whole book was devoid of any kind of hope.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Some of the book failed for us simply because of form, not substance. There were some pacing issues for us with Part II - it was slow and too long. The action of the first and last parts felt paced better. But sometimes it was substance that bothered us: we did not love all the battling and especially did not love chapter 21 with it's very gratuitous and graphic depictions of war crimes. One could argue that these atrocities set up the central plot point of the book - the decision that Rin ultimately had to make about whether to give in to the Phoenix god or not. But, even if that is the case, we still did not like reading about it at all. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">The parts that were somewhat interesting were the issues that Rin was struggling with: to choose "victory and revenge or wisdom, understanding, and enlightenment" as her master, Jiang, put it. Weighing the darkness of what humans are capable of against the darkness that the god(s) could unleash was, at least, an interesting problem.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">One of the main themes was not only accurate, but interesting as well - the dehumanization of the enemy. This is what humans do to justify their acts of violence and Rin was no different. That the gods stripped the shamans of their humanity to make them "vessels of the divine" was yet another aspect of dehumanization that was interesting to explore. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>Stephanie took us to Delucca Pizza where we had gaucho-style pizza for dinner. Then we went to Legacy Hall for our meeting discussion.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>Many, many pizzas, including dessert pizzas. We unanimously said that the best savory pizza was the Hot Sopressata. And the best dessert pizza was the Nutella. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmeLCbEJktm3WsziXCKjYS8s-JyJJowB7S29qouVNCxFDUi4si0sYR7gy5_WVSibn_hwBgw7Ov48mkFWtn_mQQH5Q-T0kuHtfVfg0mT9e9gKpnmEgadbydz711ile2zR2f1DOrBn9HvJrpVWIY1XdgG55v8U4ezbj-otn6dqOzm5cy8kGQA/s4032/IMG_5036.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXmeLCbEJktm3WsziXCKjYS8s-JyJJowB7S29qouVNCxFDUi4si0sYR7gy5_WVSibn_hwBgw7Ov48mkFWtn_mQQH5Q-T0kuHtfVfg0mT9e9gKpnmEgadbydz711ile2zR2f1DOrBn9HvJrpVWIY1XdgG55v8U4ezbj-otn6dqOzm5cy8kGQA/w480-h640/IMG_5036.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OjM0qhqvTgMiB9j3BjlnIlGI6H7uTN13nlojGWIgPpwyoRCfR1GaW4WHOnEb2tr1lqkEq43svx1FLnJkwQ9PdlGjfiaqxh1icxkZIlD5t8x009kx9P8HAFYQud0mSUF4URGj0h1oMAg9zh0s0Slhvx9uKT5C44vkGbmn8iqfV_roCqitFg/s4032/IMG_5037.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5OjM0qhqvTgMiB9j3BjlnIlGI6H7uTN13nlojGWIgPpwyoRCfR1GaW4WHOnEb2tr1lqkEq43svx1FLnJkwQ9PdlGjfiaqxh1icxkZIlD5t8x009kx9P8HAFYQud0mSUF4URGj0h1oMAg9zh0s0Slhvx9uKT5C44vkGbmn8iqfV_roCqitFg/w480-h640/IMG_5037.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9AKZYKsBR1umOAGukQidxNhmxDYqKYUKlvcdiuyFyfI-3Z2ZsSuduFCdsb-k2s5g2yxERxwMrnYN7R6nfqhTKWog2STjbiY0ND6bfX18YbZNl-Q13JKKRO7zyVLh4TU8ugR0ZNoOyCrMfPaBJAlQ7AyEYcOTqlnHZf-dJcfQezCCGpl07w/s4032/IMG_5038.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjc9AKZYKsBR1umOAGukQidxNhmxDYqKYUKlvcdiuyFyfI-3Z2ZsSuduFCdsb-k2s5g2yxERxwMrnYN7R6nfqhTKWog2STjbiY0ND6bfX18YbZNl-Q13JKKRO7zyVLh4TU8ugR0ZNoOyCrMfPaBJAlQ7AyEYcOTqlnHZf-dJcfQezCCGpl07w/w640-h480/IMG_5038.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_79I7D_QZUPV-x0kJFUWXmMbZeUAj75jQqoKUdz_9cD49uoBPz5EOpfjNVpa0rY6KYZHzFpie4JIf7TjE9UJU6Dvll4dbJgOaUHCfk-F4pet2j9UnJhUEJDtsMb3whCvPnJa_cPo8a_CW8ixbO6PgflboKUntFqMubTcfTEZdKHIdi84dw/s4032/IMG_5040.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjL_79I7D_QZUPV-x0kJFUWXmMbZeUAj75jQqoKUdz_9cD49uoBPz5EOpfjNVpa0rY6KYZHzFpie4JIf7TjE9UJU6Dvll4dbJgOaUHCfk-F4pet2j9UnJhUEJDtsMb3whCvPnJa_cPo8a_CW8ixbO6PgflboKUntFqMubTcfTEZdKHIdi84dw/w640-h480/IMG_5040.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZXq9wPrfeDawamT-K6fPe_P242Ps-eTGgPGLJk2da1rs_xJq0r7las3Vx9skzEaYgJpVc_djY6PrRHoEwNueY1lmIpymSJf7qDVh0THk611eh3iT4sqST8SYb_qVoT-yifIreZfy5RQQ1yLiV_Td82Fc6xb-ne8OdUwCbzkIyms_F0fNKw/s4032/IMG_5043.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZXq9wPrfeDawamT-K6fPe_P242Ps-eTGgPGLJk2da1rs_xJq0r7las3Vx9skzEaYgJpVc_djY6PrRHoEwNueY1lmIpymSJf7qDVh0THk611eh3iT4sqST8SYb_qVoT-yifIreZfy5RQQ1yLiV_Td82Fc6xb-ne8OdUwCbzkIyms_F0fNKw/w640-h480/IMG_5043.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcPpll-P-p_dxefbgYg1xUCL6UG9z8ehrlqftKapjKK73JZ6QDDuWdPZcA6byYOKRJk4aNceJEQquXlmignL3yM8RTm_v_5yAf4I4sbllA14nEqg1ynjJaNsVhynkJ65daD9mLjjD92QnDPO00pctGMBaUS9Gv9ZlfKoiyQElOPeWLehZLw/s4032/IMG_5080.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgcPpll-P-p_dxefbgYg1xUCL6UG9z8ehrlqftKapjKK73JZ6QDDuWdPZcA6byYOKRJk4aNceJEQquXlmignL3yM8RTm_v_5yAf4I4sbllA14nEqg1ynjJaNsVhynkJ65daD9mLjjD92QnDPO00pctGMBaUS9Gv9ZlfKoiyQElOPeWLehZLw/w640-h480/IMG_5080.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-29221651452215121292023-04-24T16:30:00.048-07:002023-04-24T17:23:10.538-07:00Remarkably Bright Creatures<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Shelby Van Pelt</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Stephanie</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> Two lonely people dealing with grief and loss are brought together by circumstances and the clever workings of an elderly octopus.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>8</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> We loved the voice of Marcellus, the octopus.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>It was a bit predictable.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Friendship, Struggle/Grief/Loss, Growing Older, Self-Sabotage</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;">“<i>Why can humans not use their millions of words to simply tell one another what they desire?”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We all really enjoyed reading this sweet, and sometimes sad story. We liked how it ended (happy) and we thought the story line was mostly interesting. The best part of the book is undoubtedly the chapters dedicated to Marcellus' voice. He is humorous, provides a unique perspective on humans, and taught us many things about octopus that we did not know. His character and voice also added something unique to this story that made it more than mundane. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We did think the story was a little bit predictable. And in fact, the reader finds out less than halfway through the main crux of the connection of characters. And then, a lot of the book after that was slow and sometimes frustrating. It just took too long to reach a conclusion after we already knew the "twist" and some of the events seemed contrived to keep the characters apart, which is annoying. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We did like the descriptions of loss and grief that both Tova and Cameron's characters made us privy to. It was very satisfying to see them become a family in the end after their loneliness. However, while Tova was a very likeable character that we had no issues rooting for and identifying with, Cameron was sometimes annoying. He came around in the end and redeemed himself, but some of his choices made us roll our eyes and contributed to the above-mentioned contrived circumstances that frustrated the plot. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Overall, despite minor critiques, we thought this book was fun to read and we enjoyed it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>This was the first time we had a "host" for the meeting that did not pick the book. Christina hosted us at Velvet Taco and Stephanie chose the book. The reason for this is that we met ON Stephanie's birthday! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>Lots of tacos. But seriously - we had everything from cauliflower tacos, to chimichurri steak tacos, Chicken Tikka tacos, blackened shrimp tacos, and others. We also had queso, guac, and elote corn with chips. AND celebratory Nothing Bundt Cake Bundtinis in various flavors for dessert. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOO-xXJN-caG-EK3N8jGJtzwFeuDLDLUVYhs-Oon608wdaOomLcJvmpEFcB6OcpkznnGr1ZRu6q-Uvwt7DoEo7rShPQyimt93BV809RF-b4yCGfLvubE8eZSpXHzwoXd0AaF-apON5VKLioiIDpbtVOJy3l7NH5G3kJIxhzRjjoQDpMtmotQ/s3147/IMG_4932.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2360" data-original-width="3147" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOO-xXJN-caG-EK3N8jGJtzwFeuDLDLUVYhs-Oon608wdaOomLcJvmpEFcB6OcpkznnGr1ZRu6q-Uvwt7DoEo7rShPQyimt93BV809RF-b4yCGfLvubE8eZSpXHzwoXd0AaF-apON5VKLioiIDpbtVOJy3l7NH5G3kJIxhzRjjoQDpMtmotQ/w640-h480/IMG_4932.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMZnTvU4qCIepKNzN_LRKt54At7Awra3OU6fPQ4GE_zboSB0xpBqmEIWTZ6C4M21a2GxVlFMUX7KcM-ewMjhQA0gbYQMfk96mfV3p42u2D-8omRxYXphKALfwbYrCu7LR_N05C7SkzoqbPLYu8TGrZ7j8w2UgLj4ZLgdw4z7AizEcm0PkcmQ/s4032/IMG_4929.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4C3S30wj1R4Qrya1Yplu_GBgR3xpHYOCqcbKzJu1r4OMPIwTfd7sOWk67DWpCBOzdnvck4GYMb5C2kAi7FbKKaLRmMTcYc888XEow087lQy0K-7tIxRbyRgus73cKq1_GwcpW4lJmc8cr64MoFeEJ0XiFYulXrm2vt2ttdlrQ5TM9tWxVQ/s4032/IMG_4946.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQ4C3S30wj1R4Qrya1Yplu_GBgR3xpHYOCqcbKzJu1r4OMPIwTfd7sOWk67DWpCBOzdnvck4GYMb5C2kAi7FbKKaLRmMTcYc888XEow087lQy0K-7tIxRbyRgus73cKq1_GwcpW4lJmc8cr64MoFeEJ0XiFYulXrm2vt2ttdlrQ5TM9tWxVQ/w480-h640/IMG_4946.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCRszw4xJ5RB0dTehHt75CnL4t2KXgb8NCAOQPZWka_91ka3b4M_AYtiRt5s7H4tdvBVdUx-v7WfnRr328vMJDzVOHyLqJis7l7jS-CrRYUtuQ3Xhc2uqMwOwmyTSLrtnNwXcbT-vGnYb9S8MeQWErAoDTE8HNUgWeVQ4RtcRpuzTZz-Avg/s4032/IMG_4947.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnCRszw4xJ5RB0dTehHt75CnL4t2KXgb8NCAOQPZWka_91ka3b4M_AYtiRt5s7H4tdvBVdUx-v7WfnRr328vMJDzVOHyLqJis7l7jS-CrRYUtuQ3Xhc2uqMwOwmyTSLrtnNwXcbT-vGnYb9S8MeQWErAoDTE8HNUgWeVQ4RtcRpuzTZz-Avg/w480-h640/IMG_4947.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-59132905677190826152023-03-22T08:00:00.000-07:002023-03-22T08:21:43.616-07:00The Measure<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Nikki Erlick</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Amberly</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> When mysterious boxes arrive revealing the length of everyone's lives, the ripple effects are many as people learn how to deal with this new information.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>8</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> This was just such an interesting premise to read about, consider, and discuss.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>Maybe that it presented several heartbreaking scenarios.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Death, Relationships, COVID, Grief</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>“Once you know something, you forget what it was like to not know it.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>This was truly a book to discuss. Several of us even discussed the premise with our spouses before our meeting - that's how interesting it was. The author doesn't dive into the "why" of the boxes' arrival, but rather the aftermath and the choices people must make. And the way that knowledge affects society as a whole. Some of these ripple effects were things we hadn't even thought of until they were brought up in the book - insurance implication, healthcare and treatment, and adoption biases. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">All of us said that this book made us think of some of the things that COVID introduced to society or brought to the forefront. Certainly, the before/after nature of the boxes' arrival was familiar. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We liked how the author took us through several scenarios with each of the characters and how their strings (or knowledge of their strings) affected their lives and choices. There was a wide array of experiences covered and it was all interesting. Overall, we really enjoyed reading this book and discussing all the things it brought up. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>Amberly took us to Zanata for dinner and it was amazing. Then, we went right next door to Fable & Fire, which is a book store / bistro. We had some drinks and held our book discussion there. What a fun night!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>We had salad, baked brie, hummus, pimento cheese appetizers. And pizza, salmon, and chicken for entrees. The flambeed Bananas Foster and flourless chocolate cake rounded out our meal. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp98d54tIXt088Rtke6-UFOIUoc7zz1d_83-TDNoZ32ecDcrIe8C0BVxLyNHQyVIc0x7rBUr-7MN-Co_sPCp4uCavcoKKdaKuZaxIsI3rCcccEglfDqr0kkbhsLnvxXcL7kGILRycn1-rqD5Zjd7jqYEUbasO4WIK_8Pve5y7Dx1MTV6TBdA/s4032/IMG_4646.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp98d54tIXt088Rtke6-UFOIUoc7zz1d_83-TDNoZ32ecDcrIe8C0BVxLyNHQyVIc0x7rBUr-7MN-Co_sPCp4uCavcoKKdaKuZaxIsI3rCcccEglfDqr0kkbhsLnvxXcL7kGILRycn1-rqD5Zjd7jqYEUbasO4WIK_8Pve5y7Dx1MTV6TBdA/w480-h640/IMG_4646.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb5F7id4CyB14Xk0xrkABraamarGNsOOlxwJZHBRPKyvVzshSbKVK1ca6da-tt5llgSXZFLrdVkRBtVPJdSnYqngH0ilcbw9Dh1_MjO-quQyYmwrq-xKa6xBk0HbdkQc7oDBfD4oN0vEKMYYJXc8V6Jx0ujdDjiPeUGcRILdzIkYBBfb_dWQ/s4032/IMG_4648.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5C82Tr032brdZde8NKVitQ-C75Mm2GG3jswKwEVOMFpO8l5LEin07FhvYaWdjGrWWhpgLsP0A2u7ZvKx-FYN2or4dM0ACV7JPeAx-4eybf-AbedpUo9JT2TJ-9fygTmuuwhXTYtE_3TCWfZwvsEssxU6tKkOMgh8z8eabe4c7JVwJI_DoA/s4032/IMG_4658.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiT5C82Tr032brdZde8NKVitQ-C75Mm2GG3jswKwEVOMFpO8l5LEin07FhvYaWdjGrWWhpgLsP0A2u7ZvKx-FYN2or4dM0ACV7JPeAx-4eybf-AbedpUo9JT2TJ-9fygTmuuwhXTYtE_3TCWfZwvsEssxU6tKkOMgh8z8eabe4c7JVwJI_DoA/w640-h480/IMG_4658.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wk13oA60EGBXAYu8sWS6Q876Ji9pntZwsA0_eZRUTSpYNEuVZCRjnxMIMyTuKIIeVicebbNhrAX1-BAJxeGgvTSSN9RAA1n6-_KfxH7nMBdP4dAIY2J00iRdh1WI40YuqZGTZZPBVBYixPCbFLnZo1lcwy6wMntXY3rZrH4pTu94Vn2r-Q/s4032/IMG_4662.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1wk13oA60EGBXAYu8sWS6Q876Ji9pntZwsA0_eZRUTSpYNEuVZCRjnxMIMyTuKIIeVicebbNhrAX1-BAJxeGgvTSSN9RAA1n6-_KfxH7nMBdP4dAIY2J00iRdh1WI40YuqZGTZZPBVBYixPCbFLnZo1lcwy6wMntXY3rZrH4pTu94Vn2r-Q/w480-h640/IMG_4662.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir96k0eRMX60rpisqsN64VrB_OkZ051efv-03_nLrDi0mg3z4gDona0FEn9X9WtLCt36hJf5uN6ZroxnZVeB5YIdFoimo1d_WtZLJVc89BvjUsGzz2YyjXaXpueOK29rSQiHq2IVbPVAQIJ9gV1cOC6kdiV-zUeXXNypYV87npyRJ7qMKNjA/s4032/IMG_4668.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEir96k0eRMX60rpisqsN64VrB_OkZ051efv-03_nLrDi0mg3z4gDona0FEn9X9WtLCt36hJf5uN6ZroxnZVeB5YIdFoimo1d_WtZLJVc89BvjUsGzz2YyjXaXpueOK29rSQiHq2IVbPVAQIJ9gV1cOC6kdiV-zUeXXNypYV87npyRJ7qMKNjA/w640-h480/IMG_4668.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-38576699810441795892023-02-06T11:37:00.006-08:002023-02-06T11:37:57.204-08:00Demon Copperhead<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Barbara Kingsolver</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Rachel</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> Demon Copperfield tells us about his difficult childhood dealing with everything from abuse to foster care to drugs - and how he found his footing - with the backdrop of Appalachia and it's unique history and character. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>8</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> Brilliant writing and engaging story.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>The first third of the book is very hard to read because it is so depressing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Poverty, Mother/Child relationships, Abuse, Drugs, City/Country</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <i>"It's hard to explain how you can miss a place and want it with all your heart, and be utterly sure it will obliterate you the instant you touch down."</i></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>Our overall impression of this book was very good. We all enjoyed reading it. However, it was a LONG book and we only had two weeks since our last meeting to read it! That was a challenge and at least one of us felt that it was too long. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We ALL agreed that the first part of the book - when Demon was a young child - was the hardest part to read. It was so hard to hear about these things happening to a little boy. And the absolute, most infuriating part for us was when his money was stolen at the truck stop. Some of us were ready to be done with the book at that point. Thankfully, it changed shortly after that. We think the first part was so hard to read because he was so young and also because all of that was just happening to him - through no choice of his own. The later parts of the book held very hard things too - but he was a bit older and was making his own choices by then. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">We discussed how Kingsolver is just a brilliant writer. Besides her words and sentences being just beautiful, she shows things through the story that you don't even realize she's telling you. For example, several characters reappear in different phases of Demon's life. Kingsolver is making the point that small towns and country life are all about that - knowing everyone and running into them over and over again. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Every single character was a masterpiece as well. They all served to fill in the blanks of this life that Demon was wading through. Some were bright spots, and some were black. But they were all so vivid. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Kingsolver uses the story to make several poignant points about drugs, city vs. country economy, etc. And that story...it was heartbreaking and gripping at the same time. We loved it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We celebrated Amberly during this LOVE month! Lindsay was able to join us too!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>Cream cheese with spicy jam and crackers, Indian Beef curry with potatoes, Basmati Rice, and Brown Butter Churro White Chocolate Chip Cookies</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1zZh572KzKtWCzy8FH7AV-b0gnqM9Y2NXSx5HYoulFBTA-rTF3jqOYz-6KTjTrDILdP2IhU-HeuQcG2pdyntAel7T_9boUQnLhwWLM6tKKu_Ef6IDeeHlgNVSojjXWmtl1wOaLNtN2fYndpYijAriU9HMvhpyY-PLNe75qMy0XzuaeJo1g/s3088/IMG_4271.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2316" data-original-width="3088" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEje1zZh572KzKtWCzy8FH7AV-b0gnqM9Y2NXSx5HYoulFBTA-rTF3jqOYz-6KTjTrDILdP2IhU-HeuQcG2pdyntAel7T_9boUQnLhwWLM6tKKu_Ef6IDeeHlgNVSojjXWmtl1wOaLNtN2fYndpYijAriU9HMvhpyY-PLNe75qMy0XzuaeJo1g/w640-h480/IMG_4271.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikbwkJobds8TxTF8OL8_BhSLI0RE_Fv6kcR3oBCE1kxbii0EUIlvIxmSRn0bs7WO9SnHX2hoFQStx5BF22U5MwSmDOH1fM9-EZ61stJ5X3Zj3K8dUcRcmIj-RF9sg2vxaDWPalLnRz67qz3KUcI178LECoWCKSiRNUDYwo2iUALz14FvQ4lQ/w640-h480/IMG_4273.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TGHWPhSHQa6BVqx6OnSoOIUur19sKXng_e3LK9Nk26T7DaqkmB7yxY3FxMn0j0BSC-mQNHFgpxOU8fZpAgBumSl_HWqW5Ty91yLeIlTuPCP13xaW41Yf6xo8WKBIhSyFdZtZs6BR85ZDtB0xVswZbPoy-bSGpCJWn_G82tJAgwaSiOxHvw/s4032/IMG_4274.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8TGHWPhSHQa6BVqx6OnSoOIUur19sKXng_e3LK9Nk26T7DaqkmB7yxY3FxMn0j0BSC-mQNHFgpxOU8fZpAgBumSl_HWqW5Ty91yLeIlTuPCP13xaW41Yf6xo8WKBIhSyFdZtZs6BR85ZDtB0xVswZbPoy-bSGpCJWn_G82tJAgwaSiOxHvw/w480-h640/IMG_4274.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3nsTgNXRakisEiVXjIBlTu2wVIMb6GQguwVh8y7CRaw_-QuJjdcYcAHA0z4bXqAAn_P-8YESMdB-tGmu0O-lM2BMw4XqEljP78Md_4VxiOFmpcHfvQ_ej3J2a7Y8w-wvoFpM6oL-jPSljnjztslHPCH3KTWJx2h_lzMwd4TQvb-Qdsndow/s4032/IMG_3938.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3nsTgNXRakisEiVXjIBlTu2wVIMb6GQguwVh8y7CRaw_-QuJjdcYcAHA0z4bXqAAn_P-8YESMdB-tGmu0O-lM2BMw4XqEljP78Md_4VxiOFmpcHfvQ_ej3J2a7Y8w-wvoFpM6oL-jPSljnjztslHPCH3KTWJx2h_lzMwd4TQvb-Qdsndow/w640-h480/IMG_3938.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-80255310711648855732023-01-23T12:22:00.003-08:002023-01-23T12:22:14.548-08:00Friends, Lovers, and The Big Terrible Thing<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Matthew Perry</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Lindsay</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> Actor Matthew Perry details his struggles with alcohol and drug addiction as well as the fallout from that over the years.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>7</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> This was a very honest and enlightening account of addiction. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>The tone of some parts were not great.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Addiction, Acting, Relationships, Childhood, Writing Style</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>“I think you actually have to have all of your dreams come true to realize they are the wrong dreams.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We mostly enjoyed reading about Matthew Perry's life from his own perspective. Many of us appreciated the important things he's learned and the insight he gave into the struggle of addiction. All of that was very interesting as were the few details he gives about his time on Friends. The one thing that most of us noticed that kept this from being rated higher was his tone when speaking about certain things. Sometimes he came off as arrogant or braggy. Especially when speaking about his sexual conquests. And some of the humor fell flat or was a turn off for us. The book was very honest and thorough - almost to a fault on both. But overall we enjoyed it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We were at the lake house with our husbands for this meeting and Josh joined us for the discussion because he also read the book. Playoff football games were on the TV in the background, which is new for us!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>Josh cooked all our meals for us this weekend. We had beautiful, simple breakfasts, a sandwich trio for lunch, and salmon with chimichurri for dinner. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eWNTK16MAehLtjM6mKfZ-g13qTLvxa-MZGO9M1V7J6rrMoho7a0zfpr5aADyiXvYeSeca_RJ7XJ9PulW139ehaNoLIYglsdqm_NdOqKiJqdEFMrpCFQZyBZ4aSMUawNF7z7nhkOURKxqKqQr7VCeMTaQGUZloKc-2vp2NTGiE7ZAP2s1ZA/s2049/IMG_0037.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1536" data-original-width="2049" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5eWNTK16MAehLtjM6mKfZ-g13qTLvxa-MZGO9M1V7J6rrMoho7a0zfpr5aADyiXvYeSeca_RJ7XJ9PulW139ehaNoLIYglsdqm_NdOqKiJqdEFMrpCFQZyBZ4aSMUawNF7z7nhkOURKxqKqQr7VCeMTaQGUZloKc-2vp2NTGiE7ZAP2s1ZA/w640-h480/IMG_0037.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbcAkGJWR_q_WMqCF5nLlx3B3dGB9QOWVFuafKNHneJAeA-nBwQ7iTNxwP8sz04U3xx_IGtCfxxWIMrzLcG4Q_R2azF631pr2ua5QevqWD7jHI6t_Ya-8bJHWk7SDPtuaL4JN9OIFb0M3tfzQfrL6UuEt28Lw9JEmEa06Wx6PLAYKkIZNAw/s4032/IMG_4072.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUbcAkGJWR_q_WMqCF5nLlx3B3dGB9QOWVFuafKNHneJAeA-nBwQ7iTNxwP8sz04U3xx_IGtCfxxWIMrzLcG4Q_R2azF631pr2ua5QevqWD7jHI6t_Ya-8bJHWk7SDPtuaL4JN9OIFb0M3tfzQfrL6UuEt28Lw9JEmEa06Wx6PLAYKkIZNAw/w640-h480/IMG_4072.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-70558354245236306242022-12-18T11:41:00.000-08:002022-12-18T11:41:03.743-08:00The Woman in the Library<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Sulari Gentill</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Joint Pick</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A novel within a novel, an author is in Chicago to write her next book when she and her table-mates hear a woman scream in the library, which leads her to love and searching for the truth.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>7</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> The unique story structure was interesting.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>The ending was very abrupt.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Writing, Pandemic inclusion in novels, Spontaneous Friendships</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>“Still, there might be something fitting about a friendship based on a common love of words being founded on an exchange of the same.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We all enjoyed this book and felt that it was a more lighthearted murder-mystery - not too intense. We liked that given we were reading it for our Christmas time book. We liked the structure of having two stories going simultaneously although we thought it would have been fine to just have the main one. Some of the book was a little predictable. For instance, we knew the murderer would not be Cain, just because everyone thought it was the whole time. We thought it was an interesting choice to reveal that the killer would have been one of the main 4 characters - and really, just the three besides Freddie, since we were privy to her inner mind. Some of what happened was not super realistic, but we allow that in thriller-type books to a certain degree. But one thing we pretty much universally criticized is the VERY abrupt ending. It seemed as if the author just didn't know how or where to stop. It didn't ruin the read for us, but it was quite a way to end a book. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>This was our Christmas party meeting! We exchanged gifts and painted Christmas signs together. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>Pomegranate martinis, Cream cheese with strawberry jalapeno jam; Goat Cheese with fig jam, honey, balsamic, and thyme. Curry pizzas- Chicken Masala, Chicken Tandoori, and Butter Chicken. And Chocolate cobbler with ice cream for dessert.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnM0Xio-M8yAK3z-GDfZVx0u2JI7-QscWHEtdA8L99B-oIS1hUVRSv4j4k00XKrNNTbxjWsH33HsY6e_HFCo_oGNxQxsGf3AJcNHJ7hqjSt8KNsxAhr3exjJMjNL21VSpjHcK0yxcAa1wLLYipDiUCO72kz44A3y6x3dXeSv4VSZVvFVzOhg/s4032/IMG_3668.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnM0Xio-M8yAK3z-GDfZVx0u2JI7-QscWHEtdA8L99B-oIS1hUVRSv4j4k00XKrNNTbxjWsH33HsY6e_HFCo_oGNxQxsGf3AJcNHJ7hqjSt8KNsxAhr3exjJMjNL21VSpjHcK0yxcAa1wLLYipDiUCO72kz44A3y6x3dXeSv4VSZVvFVzOhg/w640-h480/IMG_3668.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfJKloHEOE9DMi4Z2tU98U4plWPdz25f_Z05XUHWgid7JoSzbAOKh4fgdcFskcz7ieAWCbM2aYevKSL6-U6WoDBGA7kbqtD99NSNLm7NrONrhN7NJ50x-OR67_wvWQU0SneXnlSKTT07pdIKSTMwHniIDlS_kbD0euPcq_giY9s6r-WRALQ/s4032/IMG_3661.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYfJKloHEOE9DMi4Z2tU98U4plWPdz25f_Z05XUHWgid7JoSzbAOKh4fgdcFskcz7ieAWCbM2aYevKSL6-U6WoDBGA7kbqtD99NSNLm7NrONrhN7NJ50x-OR67_wvWQU0SneXnlSKTT07pdIKSTMwHniIDlS_kbD0euPcq_giY9s6r-WRALQ/w480-h640/IMG_3661.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHw-QQDns6az9eJmcCGc97d0AVe-jOWIqFPypYyB8Ri3EvuM_RCf3mu3aB1NJnbqaH64xxAI55JYrhp8FdMmPpGB2sy4wPbk79SrFJGA-8oxhtPFt7EDYx_9QBX_HGZGzwbik2-ncp2oAlYYgKXzYNnpWyFXSh4Eo8ORepWAMzWGmy0xNGyQ/s4032/IMG_3663.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHw-QQDns6az9eJmcCGc97d0AVe-jOWIqFPypYyB8Ri3EvuM_RCf3mu3aB1NJnbqaH64xxAI55JYrhp8FdMmPpGB2sy4wPbk79SrFJGA-8oxhtPFt7EDYx_9QBX_HGZGzwbik2-ncp2oAlYYgKXzYNnpWyFXSh4Eo8ORepWAMzWGmy0xNGyQ/w640-h480/IMG_3663.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyohRzU2AS1OBfl_eg-tL99cNPImbhaDJUzN62lbELvUowsbnb0otO1iCrn29Xc65tmcroQD1UXqiI0FC6G81-YWSOzmq2WfpKmcNU7ubDrL07KqrJjs7elmdaQCk9bN-9jcoMPJ9dAS29ur81R4NPYe5n5sBrFXkQxmN5j6n2gsnjvdlEQQ/w640-h480/IMG_1754.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTAjALfXgnsYOPPy7R87EQf9ZKOkt4zwr8COqeVrK3mtoMO0TiFrk7lnHn2vQ_3odvmpDvO-q15JVi6Fyn86OddbuUaxYUEYdON-XNZxysI22rtw1P-bqcysnuCbbWGWYI2nVZ3lQI0a4UqipuqV9zdRMMkqJ0dcttgYH5SkeOJqESYPC9g/s4032/IMG_1763.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDTAjALfXgnsYOPPy7R87EQf9ZKOkt4zwr8COqeVrK3mtoMO0TiFrk7lnHn2vQ_3odvmpDvO-q15JVi6Fyn86OddbuUaxYUEYdON-XNZxysI22rtw1P-bqcysnuCbbWGWYI2nVZ3lQI0a4UqipuqV9zdRMMkqJ0dcttgYH5SkeOJqESYPC9g/w480-h640/IMG_1763.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHIokqfO8ftUfwcBKYiBL018bjKu_G6kz0qzNQEaq76bgfP7JHOul7GAabIsT0gsvHM4e_1q9AOusTcltii4_plYM8MFMMM_3wuWf_RPzKZTtQ-VUms7swhxwio5Zp7zj9IO0p0JZMCjRAZQU0Bo3RYPH7S096Cb0-LfGC-oUzOT4tuyfVQ/s4032/IMG_3677.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDHIokqfO8ftUfwcBKYiBL018bjKu_G6kz0qzNQEaq76bgfP7JHOul7GAabIsT0gsvHM4e_1q9AOusTcltii4_plYM8MFMMM_3wuWf_RPzKZTtQ-VUms7swhxwio5Zp7zj9IO0p0JZMCjRAZQU0Bo3RYPH7S096Cb0-LfGC-oUzOT4tuyfVQ/w640-h480/IMG_3677.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOA2W3X_8b6DlEUQ4Y_jW-wCSc10QiprPPpOt6ETzdPN_8ugdK1m2wZ-HlvtKnbjpwI6-mH1rBSbLFzoVtp9vC-dGBMSH54B1hRTSePJTtoO30z6DX2tH9Q-sF5scHIon3oyhOcZcR-9pmgQtY2pyImBIXNdwJeqxamE80Z5D4_FpCJjjBQ/s4032/IMG_3678.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBOA2W3X_8b6DlEUQ4Y_jW-wCSc10QiprPPpOt6ETzdPN_8ugdK1m2wZ-HlvtKnbjpwI6-mH1rBSbLFzoVtp9vC-dGBMSH54B1hRTSePJTtoO30z6DX2tH9Q-sF5scHIon3oyhOcZcR-9pmgQtY2pyImBIXNdwJeqxamE80Z5D4_FpCJjjBQ/w640-h480/IMG_3678.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-81099750698547181972022-12-03T12:25:00.001-08:002022-12-17T19:03:22.472-08:00Fairy Tale<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Stephen King</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Dara</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A young man rescues a grumpy older man with a friendly dog and is pulled into not only his inner circle, but his biggest secret as well, which leads him to another world and a dark ruler to defeat.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>7</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> A great modern fairy tale. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>For some of us, the "intro" was a bit long.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Classic Fairy Tales, Storytelling, Dark vs. Horror</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>“It’s the stories of our childhood that make the deepest impressions and last the longest.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>This was such an interesting read. I don't think any of us knew what to expect. Except that we knew Stephen King is an excellent writer. The character development in the beginning of the book between Charlie and Mr. Bowditch was really well-done and serves to set up the whole premise for the rest of the book, although the "real" action doesn't take place until well in to the story. That's why some of us felt that the intro was a bit too long. It did take a while to even discover that there was another world, although it's hinted at. And Charlie's time there is very much a fairly tale, albeit a somewhat dark and twisted one, just like the classics. King paints some very vivid pictures of the afflictions the people of Empis are faced with. We loved the references to other fairy tales and we loved the characters and overall story. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We actually had this meeting (for November) on December 1st after having to reschedule a couple of times due to conflicts cropping up! </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>Josh made us crudite with hummus and crostini to start. We had Holiday margaritas (delicious), and pot roast with potatoes and carrots. For dessert, Dara made us pumpkin dump cake with ice cream and whipped cream. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVqNSPYiSVpW3Ei_XGGUBP7tf55D3eycf2B3b65C-PpwyDoZy4dIEeqEJ8W0k8qZs0z727HHpTvL_rokBXg_FZaATf2UY4Rfp-VlwkpLA-AfxOoFomtMrBlHe6hFNuJD-DcznJmTvCo1Hjaqa6YGhEmPNYrRgXX3twWTFPtPtklsjJzEl6w/s4032/IMG_3576.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiXVqNSPYiSVpW3Ei_XGGUBP7tf55D3eycf2B3b65C-PpwyDoZy4dIEeqEJ8W0k8qZs0z727HHpTvL_rokBXg_FZaATf2UY4Rfp-VlwkpLA-AfxOoFomtMrBlHe6hFNuJD-DcznJmTvCo1Hjaqa6YGhEmPNYrRgXX3twWTFPtPtklsjJzEl6w/w640-h480/IMG_3576.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjR--TAW-ZLfNg38mwm5YuwJlR_egbHCdfASRZ5TJ_x8UKxZpGPsCRzX9ARjwQZxSTI-4IT2nmo1Qq8t3NA6Oh5mC01TJUk3LeEm4PemswOZnZjhApZF6lkZyjxuAWQHQVTOpp3G2iMgip75907YL3xMS1IOkxVhQ2Fe0Pq58eudwo3TbvksA/s4032/IMG_3572.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DMhvC2bB9oSaYYXcxg-Qwf2vZ5jypst-WglXkoWnOe1Y7HT5aaC8XCRTCuoRjr5GYb6AITFUlBiZ_9CpGAe_nZoMfRo95HXKxC5CaW1Kv7C1a7vofJml4PXRZj2-ouZS3iCIoS5lBsPMW0Fr7LtiEiS7_qQ8dx3UP6R9JNKuXBDbBNIljg/s4032/IMG_3579.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_DMhvC2bB9oSaYYXcxg-Qwf2vZ5jypst-WglXkoWnOe1Y7HT5aaC8XCRTCuoRjr5GYb6AITFUlBiZ_9CpGAe_nZoMfRo95HXKxC5CaW1Kv7C1a7vofJml4PXRZj2-ouZS3iCIoS5lBsPMW0Fr7LtiEiS7_qQ8dx3UP6R9JNKuXBDbBNIljg/w640-h480/IMG_3579.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjri2HlLzWILCflrBJ0cjlvOn5sEx3gmPJt5S9afzaz8oXIP44fsgtdRvbQQJhTi9OwDBhqqZ1v8GjOQLpbb_fAgVMhlyRAEoBZTLz_8OGoNrnsuce1bDFM3St4gBWJEDyq7S322ExzZ1f0BK8IrNunGFl3zn4k__LX0NjB9X6uOrOcZ9g3Cw/s4032/IMG_3580.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjri2HlLzWILCflrBJ0cjlvOn5sEx3gmPJt5S9afzaz8oXIP44fsgtdRvbQQJhTi9OwDBhqqZ1v8GjOQLpbb_fAgVMhlyRAEoBZTLz_8OGoNrnsuce1bDFM3St4gBWJEDyq7S322ExzZ1f0BK8IrNunGFl3zn4k__LX0NjB9X6uOrOcZ9g3Cw/w480-h640/IMG_3580.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-4176884086158226872022-10-20T12:08:00.002-07:002022-12-14T12:27:40.162-08:00The Last Rose of Shanghai<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Weina Dai Randel</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Christina</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A Shanghai woman meets a Jewish man and falls in love with him, complicating their lives during a very violent and troubling time of WWII and the Japanese occupation.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>7</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> Another WWII book with another perspective!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>Didn't feel connected to the main character.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> War, Shanghai, Love, Relationships</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>“We were what the tangle of the past made us, which trapped us, forcing us to be ensnared in a future we could never be set free from.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>Overall we liked this book, but we all agreed that it was a little hard to read. It was sad and depressing the whole time and never got better. We did like the (yet again) new perspective on WWII from Shanghai with details of what it was like after the Japanese took over. All of that was interesting...and sad. One of the unfortunate things was that we didn't really care about Miriam, the main character. We didn't quite connect with her so it was hard to really care about what happened to her. We felt like the romance was rushed a little bit and some characters (as well as the romance) lacked development. The ending, which we also felt had a fast pace, was a bit predictable. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>Christina treated us to a hibachi dinner (lacking any good Chinese restaurants nearby) and we also tried a new-to-us place, Better Than Sex desserts, which was an experience!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>Almost all of us had the filet with fried rice for dinner, and we all got different desserts.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WOnmbvwZU2FU2VE1B6sB2spqM1q2lpftTvdMFihnqRfBIDMD5ghq-rNd58l56Bbf1zXEv8RBdpiIhD3ob_Km7b_z4TuxnRto5-KtIoFRlxmDxbyJr1hrvSqTS-3js8M1-R1xJAWlHEbmbWysYB-zH4ivtWtnlJ5NLW0T3gH6aNTijPrpMA/s4032/IMG_2844.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8WOnmbvwZU2FU2VE1B6sB2spqM1q2lpftTvdMFihnqRfBIDMD5ghq-rNd58l56Bbf1zXEv8RBdpiIhD3ob_Km7b_z4TuxnRto5-KtIoFRlxmDxbyJr1hrvSqTS-3js8M1-R1xJAWlHEbmbWysYB-zH4ivtWtnlJ5NLW0T3gH6aNTijPrpMA/w640-h480/IMG_2844.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_AqqoFdsFL9zP4DnO58iZwllhTq6jkZDKad7EOyBK9nLxCInPluuWJNysoZVhug3QfgOKoAr6BX3c7uo3-ysqcQojIGk5-oFlfB-lpXeOKh0asbQTsL9yfA93ru6GBixuE7D5UnUoiiIdJcYA7S8HWSWBYKggYRptMokwGDQy0-E7nHo3qw/w640-h480/IMG_2853.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIhD_UzXrTmAL2uBObAkRe5iEl67QSh5k07QYu1dcJf9gOhkMoiD5dp3lW_7ZFzaqUNG-u57LeQMmjzagQRhIhMsdLWt8Z-l1TnyTV8VnaQQuIruFSn6Jvi5aoIk9Ra-xanpKv40gDbv4ATRF0iMly1syxn_oXlbsdJTU5DZIlHDeRCp-4jw/s4032/IMG_2854.jpeg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIhD_UzXrTmAL2uBObAkRe5iEl67QSh5k07QYu1dcJf9gOhkMoiD5dp3lW_7ZFzaqUNG-u57LeQMmjzagQRhIhMsdLWt8Z-l1TnyTV8VnaQQuIruFSn6Jvi5aoIk9Ra-xanpKv40gDbv4ATRF0iMly1syxn_oXlbsdJTU5DZIlHDeRCp-4jw/w640-h480/IMG_2854.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDGyoDpeMcQ2PUw3Joyu1DK0JcF15uP_RacDrEFuMTX4VzbOqoCr4i-59ClaEZZ77NRXYHr3I2qMzdPi__on3IZXBNsdBXxKnmdniloH5iHT8hI25iMh82a1ZRK01v_6HV455mFZOLLHr2ivIpwe9CuNZnoq8ITrBXIOfvjCkkZh2wuykgEA/w640-h480/IMG_2859.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-51362258383204033082022-09-21T09:18:00.014-07:002022-12-14T12:08:23.975-08:00Little Fires Everywhere<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Celeste Ng</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Stephanie</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> Two mothers and their families/children navigate the quirks and politics of a small town, realizing that their pasts will catch up to them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>8</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> Very interesting story!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>You almost didn't want to find out what happened. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Control, Parenting, Motherhood, Privacy</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>“Sometimes you need to scorch everything to the ground, and start over. After the burning the soil is richer, and new things can grow. People are like that, too. They start over. They find a way.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We all liked this book and enjoyed reading it. The story was a little anxiety-inducing at times, though. We both did and didn't want to find out what happened next because we were worried for the outcome for the characters. We had lots of good discussion about parental rights in the two impossible situations mothers found themselves in. We found out that the title was both figurative AND literal - we were not expecting that! We thought it was interesting that the author purposefully did not use Mrs. Richardson's first name very much - we thought that maybe contributed to her lofty and non-personal persona. We also picked up on the very obvious themes of planning and control - and how those can go awry. Some of us had watched the TV series before reading the book since it had been out for a while.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We celebrated Dara's birthday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>Sueno! We had the best cocktails and food - including churros!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8Jaw_WiM93FqvT81MD_jmOkQ8BkNJ9O7ovJ4TpH7_KwXl8NT3lhlwZJyBCZ-E_FTzPfsVFGZ1mGi6hfkX8SEv8DRGsJR-rbe9RLlJZlmyBW2xPajtBbquz8lttgKnfD9nKlY2gtcw2__kGMFQEcm4Mipk7v6v-qPMmFbwm6fQdTKOOgQbQ/s4032/IMG_2574.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgw8Jaw_WiM93FqvT81MD_jmOkQ8BkNJ9O7ovJ4TpH7_KwXl8NT3lhlwZJyBCZ-E_FTzPfsVFGZ1mGi6hfkX8SEv8DRGsJR-rbe9RLlJZlmyBW2xPajtBbquz8lttgKnfD9nKlY2gtcw2__kGMFQEcm4Mipk7v6v-qPMmFbwm6fQdTKOOgQbQ/w640-h480/IMG_2574.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTs53LeZM3EwTDLzjC2E8Quz9LZo7Tq15AQ7LyOPSRmnS0oQV6zd9vfEMmy2cjCZ5RF3gKO8NoGoxS61GDSy_L2jT-ps4ZsulxEJtn7EhA9kGg1WLd28cmZl51U-bhX65Ezj2UEBMbZ5WxDH8FUjnDZpHo09BXJbxxXRfB1FrnrVJOLqQGCg/s4032/IMG_2575.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigSWFuxUbebugg8rbS1Kaduik39eoFyiD_2ush1WfNq7vRdIO9ReD4L0jiNa7pvt08cr83DWYncbEggOcrr64bIjdxwFPBk6OgfzxXKuiFSMLITaSkBR4HHPIoPUvslh1CLIn3qmt8ztIASfPQ4i3isch4OjU4aUyaWFOtVQoNjNcaS9gsWg/w640-h480/IMG_8941.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNxX0bBditwyosgbUsdOFl1Q4lg7rMvUmGR7hnaId1ZivIWVY9_QctaKM_wkkblOa-ZUiDZ6g6CbQ5TeVEPL9rIMjj62ienl8BTOJFyMDeuMstL97g5_bbQm6tChNKiyKb7DNWj5ZkKd1gn1WceG9nN1pMXvJ_v2rkgomYSI07uB1dDVWLQ/s4032/IMG_2579.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipNxX0bBditwyosgbUsdOFl1Q4lg7rMvUmGR7hnaId1ZivIWVY9_QctaKM_wkkblOa-ZUiDZ6g6CbQ5TeVEPL9rIMjj62ienl8BTOJFyMDeuMstL97g5_bbQm6tChNKiyKb7DNWj5ZkKd1gn1WceG9nN1pMXvJ_v2rkgomYSI07uB1dDVWLQ/w480-h640/IMG_2579.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB3mlXHWaRBvmziDuv8-bxRTA2Hg4vivO0RWG6T14a-xlul4_qr-Ssl1nXEcxso9URkfXKq8ePfRmZZR41rxoukYZZ9XMJEBRtzG9cUOlyKYgKeUfY_rbNuL56RV5Lji5VlkQvKndjfyutp6l1MwiRDU8nxBFu3W3UDFQL_pOxNRov8vX5ug/w640-h480/IMG_8942.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-Z2g260KXDonbyjP3pkAd7cTzNjThPp1tVdoLHqvGTEV6E35rYXAeulicxTOkFUJEKvGMN27RTiTCK_doNSVxl3IGI4g5xlQuIW3xO0Z4Qmuu8mo11RBamxi_d0biA09-omiPUMiTlwAyjSG54K3vN0hMV9AaaruXeHUcK4kXELgdogXBw/s4032/IMG_2580.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi-Z2g260KXDonbyjP3pkAd7cTzNjThPp1tVdoLHqvGTEV6E35rYXAeulicxTOkFUJEKvGMN27RTiTCK_doNSVxl3IGI4g5xlQuIW3xO0Z4Qmuu8mo11RBamxi_d0biA09-omiPUMiTlwAyjSG54K3vN0hMV9AaaruXeHUcK4kXELgdogXBw/w640-h480/IMG_2580.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-7326688052097795242022-08-23T09:06:00.001-07:002022-12-14T09:18:06.581-08:00Where the Crawdads Sing<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Delia Owens</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Amberly</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A girl who lives in the swamp finds herself all on her own and must figure out how to survive and be left alone by people who would take advantage of her in various ways.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>8</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> This was a great, entertaining story.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>We think it was hyped a little too much by the time we read it.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Abandonment, Loneliness, Human Survival</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>“She knew the years of isolation had altered her behavior until she was different from others, but it wasn't her fault she'd been alone. Most of what she knew, she'd learned from the wild. Nature had nurtured, tutored, and protected her when no one else would.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We all agreed that this was an easy and engaging story to read. We liked the character development, but wondered how Chase seemingly changed the most. The themes of abandonment and loneliness were simultaneously interesting and heartbreaking. Some of this book was hard to read. We all enjoyed it, but we did wonder why people had raved about it. Maybe our expectations were raised a bit because of that. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We met at the Moviehouse and Eatery theater where we had dinner and watched the movie adaptation of the book. We all thought it was a pretty good reflection of the book. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>Food from Moviehouse - good stuff!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKpG8ZRhERBCljX2DqmmegklQG5PiXG0kEdav7EMzl1bMaCAQ47DRmsgJHdD2HS5HPRzS3NdOyOqszlJ-IoFqxgzMnfLGfyZs22PmckI4NdtJOPlMSWm41WmsEF9cja_rQk35wxsvC8PNpPxu-YS4or2IpGdjOBdMMz9x6QIKo7_fdc0-zA/s4032/IMG_2309.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdKpG8ZRhERBCljX2DqmmegklQG5PiXG0kEdav7EMzl1bMaCAQ47DRmsgJHdD2HS5HPRzS3NdOyOqszlJ-IoFqxgzMnfLGfyZs22PmckI4NdtJOPlMSWm41WmsEF9cja_rQk35wxsvC8PNpPxu-YS4or2IpGdjOBdMMz9x6QIKo7_fdc0-zA/w640-h480/IMG_2309.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxChT4PbZXEPC-ZiY3mwFopUheAVU3lXuxoKHdRWa0pIDP9r9n1Cjysyh-3u9yhTyaSey_iwXHdGtKqSDW99u-R_sVBR4uRN-OWZUSmt2GQ4SKwbbxFxDcVwPmBWFlSgdBbbPLbY4YsTSvKYruZr1A9OPPWJWlfL_Rd68xDOj03cH3ML2Iw/s4032/IMG_2306.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgmxChT4PbZXEPC-ZiY3mwFopUheAVU3lXuxoKHdRWa0pIDP9r9n1Cjysyh-3u9yhTyaSey_iwXHdGtKqSDW99u-R_sVBR4uRN-OWZUSmt2GQ4SKwbbxFxDcVwPmBWFlSgdBbbPLbY4YsTSvKYruZr1A9OPPWJWlfL_Rd68xDOj03cH3ML2Iw/w640-h480/IMG_2306.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrpCPSSDYHZ3R2VuyBtB57X-XAsS6XJQrjua6iS3zXAUgyCjLM66E93HCkR0mAv1hnCMNjcp3DnAaIHy1OzC8UOBLO3vR9H349JqrplwLeA4S8RPN2e_6-Yr_oMrXkTsK58H-47IAX7GBGhI_v14-0IBpbc9kn8GPxqLDGexcWQG87rWgpQ/s3103/IMG_2308.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2327" data-original-width="3103" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYrpCPSSDYHZ3R2VuyBtB57X-XAsS6XJQrjua6iS3zXAUgyCjLM66E93HCkR0mAv1hnCMNjcp3DnAaIHy1OzC8UOBLO3vR9H349JqrplwLeA4S8RPN2e_6-Yr_oMrXkTsK58H-47IAX7GBGhI_v14-0IBpbc9kn8GPxqLDGexcWQG87rWgpQ/w640-h480/IMG_2308.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-74672661048389394472022-07-19T17:46:00.040-07:002022-12-14T09:06:18.857-08:00The Diamond Eye<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Kate Quinn</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Joint Pick (we found this title while browsing in an amazing independent book store during our day in Waco)</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> A Russian woman becomes a sniper for the army and experiences the horrors of war and also the intrigue of international relations on a tour of the US during WWII. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>7</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> The Russian perspective of WWII was fairly new to us.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>The second half of the book was slightly less interesting.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> War, Russia, Invasion, Ukraine/Russia, Women in war</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>“Snipers must make themselves calm in order to succeed, and that is why women are good at sharpshooting. Because there is not a woman alive who has not learned how to eat rage in order to appear calm.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>This was yet another WWII book for us! But we really enjoyed the different perspective - this time from a Russian sniper who was a woman. The book was essentially split into two different parts: 1) the war front in Russia, and 2) Mila's trip to the US as a celebrity sniper. We found the first part to be slightly more entertaining, although there definitely is some action in the second half. It was interesting reading this during Russia's invasion of Ukraine since Mila is constantly talking about how Russia was invaded by Germany - and the fallout of that. This book showed us that we still have things to learn about WWII and we especially appreciated another female perspective. The book details what it's like to be sniper in a very engaging way, which was also something we learned about while reading. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We were at the lake house for our annual trip!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>ALL the good things we keep on our menu!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5RNQHPjYXCJRJDv6BbzYWeLId0Dtiyj-cK5ItuvtmukIwH_o0MW86p77vuIf-r_AGvQ6MIAZYnbnhweWnBGspuAvyke9MVlc9GuQcUwrSGr5lmeos3tuoVZpwx9szidDQyDj_reNrCGYXUECGTH7ZihWj4ImWA_nxvJ2Glz683k6wlm1og/s4032/IMG_1800.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii5RNQHPjYXCJRJDv6BbzYWeLId0Dtiyj-cK5ItuvtmukIwH_o0MW86p77vuIf-r_AGvQ6MIAZYnbnhweWnBGspuAvyke9MVlc9GuQcUwrSGr5lmeos3tuoVZpwx9szidDQyDj_reNrCGYXUECGTH7ZihWj4ImWA_nxvJ2Glz683k6wlm1og/w640-h480/IMG_1800.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfUbHfTB-TuosNMQthnMRvbzXPUFI0plPPBJ9u9-A3ZnrLTqha97m9I6kSmSqTPCZiqB4Bl0QxxjI_cXxbmhjwDD3euTo-EmpEQjJp5MzDZKZ_pAh9VoFhH_mYCHi_t_IWUWxwtxStu5D8O9Nr7b1P2aTy7N5YdztRrdnkF8f2DFiIsx8abw/w640-h480/IMG_1863.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoIg3ErCbQYhaUUUC9i-mcb9tzDO_pJxyqjPUnEUFGd2mLNnkH4SQQmt6HOCouQJCzgSZvoAOjLbBokgjylVkj_5U2-TzfqGXdAkScTu4s5ScN-EGs7bcjMmGGezMCeJPitzsitGDZucbRsEXcZRWeQlmtoxA7kubRA0uwbNR1vXsSztX2A/s4032/IMG_1873.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMoIg3ErCbQYhaUUUC9i-mcb9tzDO_pJxyqjPUnEUFGd2mLNnkH4SQQmt6HOCouQJCzgSZvoAOjLbBokgjylVkj_5U2-TzfqGXdAkScTu4s5ScN-EGs7bcjMmGGezMCeJPitzsitGDZucbRsEXcZRWeQlmtoxA7kubRA0uwbNR1vXsSztX2A/w640-h480/IMG_1873.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWXjjmyHR2jmLgAIuONnCSc7y7YMVYLg3xTMHr1y2NRPqDh-2HZxxeO2HGaxMbD8eFd8pgivOMDYpKp_diqCUxpYV8vbm2957NACzNJQCKhTml5yk8-zeKPKpWHH5R8frtcChwc2gO0vujovRCkeFufSv-3oWeX42WS0yCu9HtgQdTY1pJg/s4032/IMG_1894.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzWXjjmyHR2jmLgAIuONnCSc7y7YMVYLg3xTMHr1y2NRPqDh-2HZxxeO2HGaxMbD8eFd8pgivOMDYpKp_diqCUxpYV8vbm2957NACzNJQCKhTml5yk8-zeKPKpWHH5R8frtcChwc2gO0vujovRCkeFufSv-3oWeX42WS0yCu9HtgQdTY1pJg/w640-h480/IMG_1894.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-40342286203561573892022-06-14T17:30:00.001-07:002022-12-13T17:46:09.496-08:00The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Taylor Jenkins Reid</span></p><p><b style="text-align: justify;">Who Picked the Book: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Rachel</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> An aging actress decides to detail the relationships she's had throughout her lifetime to a seemingly random journalist - with surprising reveals along the way.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>8</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> Such a great story.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>Might have been slightly predictable toward the end - the big reveal. But that's stretching to find something. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Relationships, Hollywood, Aging, Honesty</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>“I spent half my time loving her and the other half hiding how much I loved her.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We all really loved this book. It was such an engaging and interesting story. It was different than what we expected from the title, but we loved that it was different. It was easy to read and to follow - we liked that it was chronological since there were so many characters. We thought it was clever to begin each chapter with a description for each husband. And we loved the twist - the reveal about Evelyn's true love and why that was complicated for her at that time. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We had a lovely patio table at the restaurant - even though it was a bit warm outside that evening!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>We met at J. Theodore where we had all sorts of delicious drinks and food, and then we went back to Rachel's house for discussion. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhbGtPN8GIyYB5EjOA_saBrw1Y1ERuJCyc-Ewf8wPkUr45ysRPebPcgBkq9WrS2BYLiz7BQf0agCzTaPGlytNPfp-OGZhhXLbdIy2Aa2lJx7TuyPkwr4HN7YR4qwakpPKYSnGgodla776jP9JxfSkEi13eAwzPpmTIaXDXHyQPuVj9blDKg/s4032/IMG_1460.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiIhbGtPN8GIyYB5EjOA_saBrw1Y1ERuJCyc-Ewf8wPkUr45ysRPebPcgBkq9WrS2BYLiz7BQf0agCzTaPGlytNPfp-OGZhhXLbdIy2Aa2lJx7TuyPkwr4HN7YR4qwakpPKYSnGgodla776jP9JxfSkEi13eAwzPpmTIaXDXHyQPuVj9blDKg/w640-h480/IMG_1460.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitDrcHlCxHvopUygbXskwInDmV2SrRnw2RgVSCu9GoBRlHsDoSpI1GW7HcsexubuO30TrEiHP-3qdw9lFinKHYpCXdXmIciWtmoQD-curob-jt6E70C_xm9P6Cxvh-8GjMSY0JdQjXP1h2j1cosZwNDeBlPrvtLGFDL4RNBWm4AB6ClqSp2Q/s4032/IMG_1452.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOE2lkkXs7htQxI38uppXhxR6MJMblelNt_tMYwYkmQghkHj-3UICF-_UH3MGOSz_nuJ2AZgvl8en5VKmXU6KZufbioiLDgfVhsFHw5gyjJoZhcyNGpmaS6WjXrw44u7vsgjhY9loX_IbCrl1qo5XzVkkUVhUH8kvMtv9lY-4bQ5DtiGnNXQ/s4032/IMG_1464.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOE2lkkXs7htQxI38uppXhxR6MJMblelNt_tMYwYkmQghkHj-3UICF-_UH3MGOSz_nuJ2AZgvl8en5VKmXU6KZufbioiLDgfVhsFHw5gyjJoZhcyNGpmaS6WjXrw44u7vsgjhY9loX_IbCrl1qo5XzVkkUVhUH8kvMtv9lY-4bQ5DtiGnNXQ/w480-h640/IMG_1464.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuj52Y9Fr-J84iqJeQ3HI4zu2XmuGhX7OLPCPjbOyqdNoZwgd0-ezDkiZRFUkzX1Iex01689QLEornrvMvBJML-mwsdJp-AhP7tMdPUiDO2uIHxuQHCWZR4gZrhqJHFUaXBO9VCNh2wSESAuk_OoyKGHvstPqd0obh5VOBnnxmKoB1SfJdSw/s4032/IMG_1466.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuj52Y9Fr-J84iqJeQ3HI4zu2XmuGhX7OLPCPjbOyqdNoZwgd0-ezDkiZRFUkzX1Iex01689QLEornrvMvBJML-mwsdJp-AhP7tMdPUiDO2uIHxuQHCWZR4gZrhqJHFUaXBO9VCNh2wSESAuk_OoyKGHvstPqd0obh5VOBnnxmKoB1SfJdSw/w640-h480/IMG_1466.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-71302967879574979062022-05-25T17:03:00.010-07:002022-12-13T17:30:12.132-08:00Atlas of the Heart<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">Brene Brown</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> Brene outlines the importance of naming emotions and gives examples with lengthy descriptions. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>6</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> The first and last chapters.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>It was a little boring and informational.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Emotions, Language, Emotional Intelligence</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> "The limits of my language mean the limits of my world."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>First of all, many if not most of us listened to this book since it was read by Brene. She does a great job of reading it, but one of her quirks is repeating a sentence (or two) that she thinks is especially important - to draw attention to it and make sure the listener doesn't miss it. Some of us liked this and some of us HATED it. Ha! This is not an issue in the regular paper or kindle book -she only does this in the audiobook at her own discretion. Our low rating of this book mostly has to do with how technical it got. Lots of information, lots of definitions and honestly, it was just too much for the casual reader looking to learn insight about emotions. It's not that the information is not useful. We really liked how she set up the whole reason for the book - that labels and language surrounding emotions are SO important because it gives us a framework for understanding. If you can't label or understand it, you have no idea what to do next. This made so much sense to us. But in the "weeds" of all the definitions of the emotions, we got lost and bored. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We celebrated Lindsay's graduation with some cards and gifts. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>We met at Haywire and had some very good cocktails, dinner, and desserts. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59nQtxu8SnvPPclx2rFX1astiVRDuvUaKGkbv4t8nZHTlQEy6DBq7pbA3Zx1QIQ0bf_e7YzazJ9HDwUJKqiIHd_KyW8caiRI5v1w3pv91XZQ1dvThO1ONFp8VXMJtQ7InhUOPcLWrlAhn2VyKT5oZwUyV0uXDU6CzzlXGgOfA3Yn9DjYToQ/s4032/IMG_7252.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj59nQtxu8SnvPPclx2rFX1astiVRDuvUaKGkbv4t8nZHTlQEy6DBq7pbA3Zx1QIQ0bf_e7YzazJ9HDwUJKqiIHd_KyW8caiRI5v1w3pv91XZQ1dvThO1ONFp8VXMJtQ7InhUOPcLWrlAhn2VyKT5oZwUyV0uXDU6CzzlXGgOfA3Yn9DjYToQ/w480-h640/IMG_7252.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0emDPjNs7j95EaNHPiqh9Oe0HagL55UsBOUvn7g--7rAMTVJxDgE5ol-a5AvTTt1Mo8j8P46qFQ6X8E_Vnlfwi1UURmSQT9K7XiRXtrxVqqghfdOnujolgAiqQ7QEpKtqsKZTPt6ucjR8bi6uip2ZLW0U5brexeI4Xi7hsmKalZQ2vNa2Mw/s4032/IMG_1256.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0emDPjNs7j95EaNHPiqh9Oe0HagL55UsBOUvn7g--7rAMTVJxDgE5ol-a5AvTTt1Mo8j8P46qFQ6X8E_Vnlfwi1UURmSQT9K7XiRXtrxVqqghfdOnujolgAiqQ7QEpKtqsKZTPt6ucjR8bi6uip2ZLW0U5brexeI4Xi7hsmKalZQ2vNa2Mw/w480-h640/IMG_1256.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55GePA5ZCtzroaAAiblJAospIGvucw5b45MjftBw2EsD_u4_8yc61SXedhEubZ0_6y-96icI0GPwMTqstaZhxJQmCsPXR0JfuTHbUmg4xZIyk89ATrbKRTSbRd_93hiXtZ47MKZtjb5ckIMTGNuxuNUPGX4GMy3iX0lYwfVrPXXfbA3kgZA/s4032/IMG_1257.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj55GePA5ZCtzroaAAiblJAospIGvucw5b45MjftBw2EsD_u4_8yc61SXedhEubZ0_6y-96icI0GPwMTqstaZhxJQmCsPXR0JfuTHbUmg4xZIyk89ATrbKRTSbRd_93hiXtZ47MKZtjb5ckIMTGNuxuNUPGX4GMy3iX0lYwfVrPXXfbA3kgZA/w480-h640/IMG_1257.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-20788525560933594122022-04-18T12:05:00.013-07:002022-12-13T17:03:02.530-08:00A Gathering of Shadows<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">V.E. Schwab</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> Kell deals with the fallout of transporting the shadow stone, while Lila makes a new persona for herself - and they collide at the Element Games.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>8</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> The characters and the interesting plot.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>Beginning was slow to get going. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Magic, Character Development</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>“The world is neither fair nor right, but it has a way of balancing itself.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We liked reading this second book in the Shades of Magic series. While we thought this one was slower to start, and had almost too fast of pacing in the second half, we actually liked the plot of this one overall better than the first book. The new characters were better and interesting. And the returning characters were fleshed out and developed in satisfying ways. We all loved the story at the very beginning where Lila deceives a whole ship full of men. However, we thought that her progression in mastering magic was very quick. This was a great second installment in this series and we enjoyed it. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>We celebrated Stephanie's birthday.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>Pork tenderloin, sweet potato puree, and crispy Brussels sprouts. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytGMmnx1l7Z2gO8bNao7EBft0UgwpxwmQAEv49yT4ONuZuu7qculHeIhBFyv5yjXHI28rcCEvDuUPYcNUHZH4JgmhDDPhUE8MEtR0M2MuEevtj1CGxY6L159me8rse4nyzeraZXD0jEdRgIze2HCAl0UBryThsScl4FkpYj_QKDoM9TqWwg/s4032/IMG_0666.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgytGMmnx1l7Z2gO8bNao7EBft0UgwpxwmQAEv49yT4ONuZuu7qculHeIhBFyv5yjXHI28rcCEvDuUPYcNUHZH4JgmhDDPhUE8MEtR0M2MuEevtj1CGxY6L159me8rse4nyzeraZXD0jEdRgIze2HCAl0UBryThsScl4FkpYj_QKDoM9TqWwg/w640-h480/IMG_0666.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0RH82JZPSfNL9NSH1kMy7w72Itb_vYoGNSf-0aMUpAFephRJ9AdFb9cO0c1JSaryVgZFysvGVLgDxjJdlkUBuHfl9AKT8ni7oqbUA3c9JoMcf8SazrF0bRsFcHjGpdvV7QFn10_7bsz9sFRWOjbd71WJ5pLVTQi7VYf6gtw_r1pTEwiNnw/s4032/IMG_0675.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEid0RH82JZPSfNL9NSH1kMy7w72Itb_vYoGNSf-0aMUpAFephRJ9AdFb9cO0c1JSaryVgZFysvGVLgDxjJdlkUBuHfl9AKT8ni7oqbUA3c9JoMcf8SazrF0bRsFcHjGpdvV7QFn10_7bsz9sFRWOjbd71WJ5pLVTQi7VYf6gtw_r1pTEwiNnw/w640-h480/IMG_0675.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzKsCLkHMMIeBOsvf9hWN3uan3fjWhZaqhB-icuPuvE0p2Z5gA8KbtTU0lnk6MPGGo7pGfabj3_eqyq_cLXuXTGUqVQAl_I3_pu95U_imj82HE1nBCs0fL4RX0G-dgD1_PtzIQTyKQgKv12KV-gHln-xCtUR_Wx-YeTBhUj3Dpw3F1kolxQ/s4032/IMG_4831.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghzKsCLkHMMIeBOsvf9hWN3uan3fjWhZaqhB-icuPuvE0p2Z5gA8KbtTU0lnk6MPGGo7pGfabj3_eqyq_cLXuXTGUqVQAl_I3_pu95U_imj82HE1nBCs0fL4RX0G-dgD1_PtzIQTyKQgKv12KV-gHln-xCtUR_Wx-YeTBhUj3Dpw3F1kolxQ/w480-h640/IMG_4831.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22608295.post-79943163107559659452022-03-28T11:02:00.001-07:002022-12-08T12:04:51.100-08:00A Darker Shade of Magic<p><b style="text-align: justify;">Author: </b><span style="text-align: justify;">V.E. Schwab</span></p><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>One-sentence summary:</b> Kell, who can travel between universes, finds himself in an unwanted pickle concerning magic and his "home" London and Delilah, a girl from Grey London, helps him along the way.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>B.A.D. Girls Book Rating: </b>8</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite thing about it:</b> It was a great story that also had great world-building.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our least favorite thing about it: </b>It's full-on fantasy/magic so if you're not into that, you won't like it!</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Main Topics of Discussion:</b> Magic, London, "Traveling"</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Our favorite quote:</b> <span style="background-color: white; color: #181818; font-family: Merriweather, Georgia, serif; font-size: 14px; text-align: left;"><i>“I'd rather die on an adventure than live standing still.”</i></span></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Notes: </b>We found this book and the story to be very entertaining. The world the author lays out is also very imaginative and detailed. We also loved the interesting, multi-faceted characters. We thought the decision to have each London assigned a color was inventive and gave each a "theme" before we even learned about them. Most of us loved the magical elements and the struggle between the good and bad sides of magic, which is the central conflict in the book. This is the first book in a trilogy and most of us liked it enough to continue reading the series. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>Memorable Meeting Moments: </b>This was a joint-pick book and so we met up at Sueno for dinner and moved to Starbucks for after-dinner discussion. </div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b><br /></b></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><b>What We Ate: </b>Amazing cocktails, tacos, enchiladas, churros.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PwUDsJ2GWzYQBIDA_z0t4IsIlXV5JYy9WOScJN_SfvqIwaE_0hsDnPxACUqNqgwQKC_0sTuMlWwmpYGSDYxugcyeNtSI_X-E14pVlbDSk-CcijbVde2VJYtjtJMxqKUTSLaOCUQW-lK6ffxwMK2V-qguDuSYfhy1TVsFZb9yPfSdE26hqg/s4032/IMG_0484.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5PwUDsJ2GWzYQBIDA_z0t4IsIlXV5JYy9WOScJN_SfvqIwaE_0hsDnPxACUqNqgwQKC_0sTuMlWwmpYGSDYxugcyeNtSI_X-E14pVlbDSk-CcijbVde2VJYtjtJMxqKUTSLaOCUQW-lK6ffxwMK2V-qguDuSYfhy1TVsFZb9yPfSdE26hqg/w480-h640/IMG_0484.jpeg" width="480" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; 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margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh2lWS9x577h56nXFYr_btcwBrnf5_2guV4zxCzL1Vjqr6hIc9qlYR99MKDOod-6X5ca_KKwdwitgJMHheXfOxcoD58U1CwaX10SR50S1F7WhsjKcNvE7SUGtx7ceoH1-eoOIGcjIWeOshgraQJIML2sv43yHvUum-SU3SNXlr5WoiQ1irkg/w640-h480/IMG_0495.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8_71k8Q4ub9I-XnGjXMsvax14kys7KAD67YnjZu2khH9Zf_rEBXzAhlMsqlirXiVTFjD3QTWVp0ijyDhlhaAxgAi3pPSS2dd17DlBMo8q8F_8YUCKOO-va5GbUXleQV-tJGlwwQVapGD0Cju6cMpeu3RNIpUs6Rq1_sCcaAixDSJXr322w/s4032/IMG_0498.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8_71k8Q4ub9I-XnGjXMsvax14kys7KAD67YnjZu2khH9Zf_rEBXzAhlMsqlirXiVTFjD3QTWVp0ijyDhlhaAxgAi3pPSS2dd17DlBMo8q8F_8YUCKOO-va5GbUXleQV-tJGlwwQVapGD0Cju6cMpeu3RNIpUs6Rq1_sCcaAixDSJXr322w/w640-h480/IMG_0498.jpeg" width="640" /></a></div><br /><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br /></div>Rachelhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15981869073359271864noreply@blogger.com0