"The Husband's Secret" by Liane Moriarty - Book Club Pick

The #1 "New York Times" Bestseller Overview:

"A novel that's perfect for vacation reading." --"People"

"It's a knowing, touching, and entertaining page-turner. What a wonderful writer--smart, wise, funny." --Anne Lamott

""The Husband's Secret" is so good, you won't be able to keep it to yourself." --"USA Today"

"Shocking, complex and thought-provoking, this is a story reading groups will devour.  A knockout. " --Emily Giffin, "New York Times" bestselling author

""The Husband's Secret "is a smart, thoughtful read... a lip-smacking and intelligently written novel." --"Entertainment Weekly"

"For a provocative page-turner, read "The Husband's Secret" by Liane Moriarty." --"Woman's World"

"Brilliant." --Sophia Hannah, international bestselling author of "The Wrong Mother "



At the heart of "The Husband's Secret "is a letter that's not meant to be read...My darling Cecilia, if you're reading this, then I've died...

Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be opened after his death. Imagine, too, that the letter contains his deepest, darkest secret--something with the potential to destroy not just the life you built together, but the lives of others as well. Imagine, then, that you stumble across that letter while your husband is still very much alive. . . .

Cecilia Fitzpatrick has achieved it all--she's an incredibly successful businesswoman, a pillar of her small community, and a devoted wife and mother. Her life is as orderly and spotless as her home. But that letter is about to change everything, and not just for her: Rachel and Tess barely know Cecilia--or each other--but they too are about to feel the earth-shattering repercussions of her husband's secret.

Acclaimed author Liane Moriarty has written a gripping, thought-provoking novel about how well it is really possible to know our spouses--and, ultimately, ourselves.

This novel looks to be engrossing and fun.  Grab a copy of "The Husband's Secret" by Liane Moriarty and join us for a discussion on Monday, November 4th. 

The Girls From Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow - A Book Club Discussion

 

Meet the Girls from Ames:        

Top row: Karla, Cathy, Sally, Karen

Middle row: Jane, Angela, Marilyn

Bottom row: Diana, Jenny, Kelly

 

 

I have to admit that The Girls From Ames took me longer than normal to read.  I believe that is due to it being a non-fiction book.  Fiction tells a story, stays on point, and moves toward a specific end.  Non-fiction doesn't work that way.  This story of eleven girls (Sheila is not pictured above) is a telling of how the years have woven each of their lives into a tapestry of friendship filled with support, hope, and unconditional love.  It is ongoing to this day - there is no justifiable ending.

 

I'm not going to spend my time breaking down the lives of each woman.  You will have to read the book in order to know them better.  However, I am going to tell you that this is an extraordinary story about friendship.  It tells of the good times and the bad.  It speaks of beginning friendships, of how these girls came to be part of this group, and how they managed to hang onto it through high school, college, careers, marriages, children, divorce, and yes, even death. 

 

The women in this story are my age and I lived their stories with them because I faced some of the same types of things with my friends in high school and beyond.  I can't say that my youthful friendships evolved as their did.  I have had friends through each stage of my life but at this time, I am not particularly close to any of those from my younger years.  Though we have reconnected after many years on Facebook, this book made me wish that I had kept up those friendships. 

 

To have the same people around you who grew up with you, knew your early secrets, your triumphs,  your most embarrassing moments, is truly special indeed.  I have women in my life whom I care deeply about and have walked with me through a season (or several).  They have been there for me when I needed support or someone to laugh or cry with.  I am not saying that these friendships don't measure up, they certainly do.  But there is something extra special about keeping a childhood friendship alive throughout your lifetime. 

 

This book gives statistics about the importance of unconditional friendships and how they actually help women to live longer lives.  Husbands, marriages, and children are worth having and fighting for, but female friends bring something different to the table.  They offer a safe place to vent, to bring understanding through shared experience, and support on an entirely different level.  You may not always agree with your girlfriends, but friendships such as these offer other minds and hearts to bounce real life situations off of.  It's like having a built-in safety net (and we all need that). 

 

Long term friendships are important.  We all really do need them.  So look around you today and celebrate the women you have in your life.  If you don't have enough friends, make more.  They will become ever more precious as we grow older.  There will come a time when those friendships become our lifelines.  I want to sit on my porch swing later in life (blue haired and wrinkled) and celebrate with my friends the lives we've succeeded in living.  We will laugh and cry and probably even have to slide on a pair of Depends, but that's okay with me!   Jeffrey Zaslow did a great job sharing the eleven girls from Ames who grew into wonderful women even though scattered across the county.  I highly recommend reading this book.

 

(Before answering any of the discussion questions posted last week, I want to see if someone who read the book would be willing to post their thoughts as a "comment" on today's blog.  If we get some discussion going, I will be happy to share my answers.  Otherwise, I just feel like I'm talking to myself.)   - Thanks!

 

Summing Up Relationships

The letter below was written by Bob Marley.  I don't know if this is a copy of the original letter he wrote or just the original words but they are worth reading, comprehending, and following.  It's great advice for relationships.  In the past, I have been guilty of trying to change people to fit my wants and expectations.  That should have been the first clue that the relationship was doomed for failure. 

 

 

Pass this on to your children, friends, co-workers, and family members that are searching for a relationship partner.  It's a lesson not only for women but for men too.  No one is perfect but there is one perfect person out there for all of us.  You only need to find them!

 

Quiche

I don't know about you, but I needed to start my day off with a laugh!  Laugher is good for the body, the spirit, and the soul.  I feel that we can all use more of it in our daily lives.  I realize that our cheeks and bellies can't ache every day resulting from laughter but I'm going to give it a whirl, what do I have to lose? 

 

So join me - laugh, laugh hard.  This world certainly needs a lot more it.  It won't solve the world's problems but it can certainly help us face them with a better attitude.  Have a great Friday!   

The Thriller Genre Loses a Strong, Popular Voice

Tom Clancy Dies, Left 'Indelible Mark' On Thriller Genre

by Lynn Neary

 

 

 

Best-selling author Tom Clancy has died. He was 66 years old. Beginning with the publication of his 1984 megahit The Hunt for Red October, Clancy wrote a string of blockbuster thrillers inspired by his fascination with military hardware and history.

Clancy didn't mince words when he talked to would-be writers. "If your objective is to write a book, get a computer and write the damn book," he told members of the military at a 2004 writing workshop. "Yes, you can do this if you try hard enough. It's a lot easier than you realize it is."

Clancy was speaking from experience. He wrote Red October in his spare time while he was still in the insurance business. After it was turned down by major publishing houses, he took the manuscript to the Naval Institute Press, which had never published fiction before. Fred Rainbow had worked with Clancy on a couple of pieces for the institute's magazine, Proceedings.

"He went from [being] a person with very thick glasses and an insurance agent to a rock star," Rainbow says. Red October rose quickly to the top of the best-seller list and was Clancy's first book to be made into a film — it was a tense Cold War drama with the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. vying to gain control of a runaway Soviet submarine.

After the book and film came out, Rainbow says, Clancy had a big fan in the White House. "He became what I would call a pet rock of President Reagan," Rainbow recalls. "[Reagan] loved to have him over for dinners, because it was the great American dream — an insurance agent, best-selling novelist ... this was Ronald Reagan's delight, so he opened a lot of doors to Tom Clancy from that point on."

Clancy went on to build an empire. Among his best-selling books, Patriot Games, Clear and Present Danger and The Sum of all Fears were turned into movies featuring major stars. Jack Ryan, first introduced in Red October, became a recurring character in Clancy's stories of military maneuvers and clandestine operations.

"I think what makes Tom Clancy is that people cared about Jack Ryan," says thriller writer Brad Meltzer. "He gave America a character that represented America right back at them. They saw this character that was like us; they saw someone who was terrified about the Cold War but wanted to do something about it."

Meltzer adds that Clancy has left an indelible mark on the thriller genre. "I in my books write thrillers that are full of government secrets, that are researched with people at the highest levels of that government," he says. "I wish I invented that genre. I didn't. Tom Clancy did."

And Clancy never stopped. His next book, Command Authority — starring Jack Ryan — is due out in December.

_______

For me, 66 is far too young.  Tom, we thank you for all your contributions to the writing world.  Your thrillers ignited us and drew us into the box office.  You will be missed.  Rest in peace.

Mothers vs. Fathers

I love this!!!

I had to laugh when I saw it.  Is this picture not the truth?  Moms nurture and dads rough-house.  Teaching our children both is a good thing.  It balances us out.  Enjoy your day!

An Autumn Greeting

"Come," said the Wind to the Leaves one day.
"Come over the meadow and we will play.
Put on your dresses of red and gold.
For summer is gone and the days grow cold."

 

(Unknown Author)

 

 

In Paul Revere fashion, I'll say..."The Holiday's are Coming!  The Holiday's are Coming!"  Not that I'm counting down the days until Christmas - yet.  I am however, looking forward to Halloween.  I can only handle one holiday at a time!  I've said before that Fall is my favorite season.  I just wish it was cool enough in Florida to have a real bon fire!  That would be a wonderful reminder of my life growing up in Kansas.  Instead, I'll have to make different memories for the future.  One's that I can share with my great-great grand children one day!   (Believe me, I am not rushing that experience!)  Good-bye September - hello October!