And the Winner is . . .

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. See you on April 25th . . .

Next book club date, 2nd Graham Greene Meeting, New book choices etc.

We're having a second Graham Greene meeting, for those of you who missed it, on Wednesday, April 6th at 7. Place TBA. Our Crimson Moon experience would have been grand except for the Hip Hop stylings of a Christian organization so we moved it to Cosi. I find that God Hop and book discussion don't mix well.

Also, I've changed next month's book selections because 1) many of you had read the selections and 2) because I can - so have your votes in by Thursday, March 24th before noon. Our next meeting to discuss one of these books is Monday, April 25th, 7 p.m. Place TBA:

Bridge to Terabithia - Katherine Peterson - 144 pages

yes, it's a kid's book . .

All summer, Jess pushed himself to be the fastest boy in the fifth grade, and when the year's first school-yard race was run, he was going to win. But his victory was stolen by a newcomer, by a girl, one who didn't even know enough to stay on the girls' side of the playground. Then, unexpectedly, Jess finds himself sticking up for Leslie, for the girl who breaks rules and wins races. The friendship between the two grows as Jess guides the city girl through the pitfalls of life in their small, rural town, and Leslie draws him into the world of imaginations world of magic and ceremony called Terabithia. Here, Leslie and Jess rule supreme among the oaks and evergreens, safe from the bullies and ridicule of the mundane world. Safe until an unforeseen tragedy forces Jess to reign in Terabithia alone, and both worlds are forever changed. In this poignant, beautifully rendered novel, Katherine Paterson weaves a powerful story of friendship and courage.

Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold - 288 pages - published 2002

From the author of the stunning memoir, "Lucky, " comes a fiction debut narrated from heaven. Starting with the first chapter, 14-year-old Susie Salmon recounts her rape and murder and watches her family as they cope with their grief


Nickle and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America - Barbara Ehrenreich - 240
pages - published in 2001

Essayist and cultural critic Barbara Ehrenreich has always specialized in turning received wisdom on its head with intelligence, clarity, and verve. With some 12 million women being pushed into the labor market by welfare reform, she decided to do some good old-fashioned journalism and find out just how they were going to survive on the wages of the unskilled--at $6 to $7 an hour, only half of what is considered a living wage. So she did what millions of Americans do, she looked for a job and a place to live, worked that job, and tried to make ends meet.

Welcome!

This is the first entry for before the first book club meeting. Our first selection will be Graham Greene's The Quiet American.