No Obligation Book Club

Disbanded

2010-07-22T20:31:00.000-07:00

That's right. The NOBC is no longer. I hope that everyone continues to read and please let us know what you read! I'm always up for new books! :)

Here' photos from the last book club where we bit farewell to BC member Becky as she moved to Boise! Who knew it would be a farewell to the bookclub itself!?

Good luck everyone! :)

The gift we got for Becky.

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk

2010-05-12T22:19:00.000-07:00

This meeting was super fun! Almost all was in attendance, including our favorite, Milo! All who read it liked it for the most part. We all agree that is had some disturbing and vulgar parts but was really entertaining. Most never guessed the twists that Palahniuk delivered but some knew right away. Amazing! What was written in the book was, "Book traumatized Deb. Everyone liked it, but thought it was disturbing. It was funny how the parents supported the son after he died." some other off topic subjects we talked about was Milo (duh), Robert Downey Jr., Lost, the fact that Taylor can fit her fist in her mouth like Milo and movies. We, of course, had a plethora of food: Pizza, brownie bites, lemon cake, fruit, veggies and soda. It was another successful meeting and we look forward to next month's! Here are some shots snapped:

da grub:

haha baby doesn't know what to think about all these ladies!

Our next book is Little Bee by Chris Cleave!

Not Without Hope by Nick Schuyler

2010-04-12T21:42:00.000-07:00

I had to put this one in there too...so funny!

Our April meeting was held at Chelsea Allred's house and it was her birthday the next day! She made DELICIOUS Navajo Tacos. It was nice because we all kind of sat down to dinner. It was almost like a dinner/book club! So fun! Jen brought her mom, to join in on the fun. (Meet baby Milo more than anything. :D ) Before our book chat but after dinner, there was a lot of chit chat about babies, food and.. yes, spiders. For some reason, that always comes up at book club meetings! It's so funny! We ended with little cupcakes and a 'Happy Birthday' to Chelsea.

As far as the book discussion goes, everyone agreed that it was a very sad story and interesting as well. Some thought that the jumping from author to author was too noticeable and really annoying. The popular topic was how we think Nick Schuyler was kind of selfish. But we could not imagine going without food and water, or holding your friend as they die so we don't know how we would react if put in that situation. Would you rather risk your life to save others or just do what you need to, to survive yourself? It is just horrible to picture yourself and/or your loved ones in that situation. Some liked it, some didn't but pick it up if you'd like! My personal opinion...just watch his interview on Oprah, you'll save time. :)

The book club favorite: Milo!

Kyle always gets to come. He says its for the food, but we think differently. :)

We love Milo's "mom" jeans

MMMM Navajo Tacos!!

Happy Birthday Chels!

Our next book is Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk chosen by Jen! He also wrote Fight Club so we are pretty excited to read this one.

March's Book (Revised)

2010-03-13T15:02:00.000-08:00

The book for March has been changed to Not Without Hope by Nick Schuyler and Jeré Longman. If you don't remember this story, it happened about a year ago. You can see the story here:

This should be a great read.

Chosen By A Horse by Susan Richards

2010-03-09T22:40:00.000-08:00

(Sorry, we forgot to take the photo when everyone was there! We're missing Shana & Jenny!)

Tonight we met to discuss:
Chosen by Shana! We were all so happy to be there:
haha just kidding, Milo WAS happy to hang out with all the ladies! The majority of the group, except for Shana who actually owns horses, never really thought much about horses until this book. A few admitted that they weren't exactly excited to read it but ended up LOVING it. We loved the relationship she had with her horses especially with Lay Me Down. We all agreed that we cried at the end (SPOILER ALERT) when she has to put Lay Me Down, down and then the reaction from Hot Shot. There were also some pretty funny parts. Biggest lesson learned: Horses ARE pets and have personalities. We would recommend it, most definitely, and don't judge a book by the section it's found in. :) (this one can be found in the pets section) Another successful meeting! Here are some shots from the night!

Broccoli soup! MMM!

Salsa!

awww sleepy little guy!

March's book...

2010-03-09T08:41:00.000-08:00

Chelsea ALLrED here...I felt like since I picked the book, I should at least give Chelsea ALBERT a break and write the post! SURPRISE Chels!
The book I picked for this month is The Inferno by Dante Alighieri.

Who else is excited to read about hell? I'm way intrigued!

Here is what MY book looks like. I got it at Barnes and Noble.

The other cover I came across looks like this....

I hear it's a hard book to get through, but I think it will be a very interesting read!

MockingJay

2010-02-27T11:00:00.000-08:00

I am pleased to say, the third book in the Hunger Games series has a release date!! If you haven't started the series, you MUST. They are fabulous books! I got the following from USA Today:

"Since the September release of Catching Fire, the second in Suzanne Collins' best-selling Hunger Games trilogy for teens, Internet speculation has focused on the title of the third book. The most common guess: The Victors. Not even close. Today, Scholastic reveals the title and cover of the last book in the series set in a dictatorship where teens are forced to fight to the death on TV. It's Mockingjay, out Aug. 24. In the series, mockingjays are offspring of mockingbirds and jabberjays, a government-bred mutant designed to spy on rebels. Mockingjays become symbols of resistance. Collins is finishing her screenplay of The Hunger Games, the first book. Catching Fire entered USA TODAY's Best-Selling Books list at No. 1."

August 24th people... mark your calendars!

GoodReads - Top Books Published in February

2010-02-23T12:05:00.000-08:00

Just thought I would share what the top 100 books in February were according to goodreads.com.

Have you read any? Any favorites?

You can also vote on books on the website!

"Books on the Cheap"

2010-02-17T11:54:00.000-08:00

If you haven't checked out the little 'fun links' over there on the right, please do! You will find such fun things! (Get it? fun links?) :) I came across this at Booklicious and thought it was too awesome not to share!

They combine many different online stores and coupon codes you can use! Is my reading list growing steadily? uh-huh! Do I buy a book a month (minimum)? Maybe... Do I love a good deal on books?? Yes please! Go ahead and bookmark the page so you always know where to go to get some deals! :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T19:50:00.000-08:00

I've never been the type of gal to enjoy a steamy romance novel. Laugh immaturely at the different ways to describe a "love" scene? Sure! But never something that goes under my pillow á la Rachel Green from friends. (LOVE that episode haha)

In honor of this Love day, I thought I would just list the Love stories we've read for book club.

Twilight (let's face it, its about love)

Sunday's at Tiffany's

Nights in Rodanthe

The Time Traveler's Wife

I guess we haven't read too many!

If you have any great love books you love...let us know!

Book Help - Chosen by a Horse

2010-02-11T22:22:00.000-08:00

It's about that time again! Time to get that book club book so we can have it finished before the next meeting.. right?? :) I do know that B.C. member Sharon finished it in a couple days, so it isn't very long and it must be really good! Below are some places you can find the book to purchase it!

Amazon New= $10.04 Used= $4.00

Borders New= $13.95

Borders (Used Marketplace)= $2.09

Barnes & Noble Reprint= $10.04 Bargain= $4.48

I also just came across this website called dealoz.com, haven't had time to check the whole thing out but when I plugged in the book title, it compared prices for me from different sites! Check it out!!

Forrest Gump by Winston Groom

2010-02-09T23:46:00.000-08:00

Tonight was a super fun meeting! It was hosted at my house and we did a southern theme to kind of match the home town of Forrest Gump. We had fried okra, cornbread, chocolate buttermilk pie, fried chicken, biscuits, lemonade, and tiramisu from Jenny! With those who read the book, we all agreed that we love the movie more than the book, which is rare! The book and the movie are just sooo different. You can't really compare the two. We thought the book was still very entertaining though, especially how it was written. Most loved that it was written exactly how he talks, but some really didn't like that at all.

Most people have seen the movie, but have you read this book? What did you think of it?

The next book we are going to read is Chosen by a Horse by Susan Richards!

Here are some photos from the night:

Boxes of Chocolates..

The tiramisu

Oven-fried okra with two dipping sauces... YUM!

Individual corn bread cans

Choosing Books for your Book Club

2010-02-06T13:00:00.000-08:00

So it's your month to choose the book. What should you choose? This is a question that I have to seriously think about a month before I get to choose. Do I theme it with the corresponding month? Do I choose a style opposite of the book chosen last month? Do I look to much into this? :)

Thankfully, there are some places to help! Over at Flashlight Worthy, they have created lists under Book Club Recommendations. Such lists in this category are, The 10 Best Books of 2009 for Book Clubs, The Best Book Club Selections of 2009 as chosen by Women Book Bloggers, and more. There are many other categories, and all are helpful when trying to choose a good book to read, whether you are in a book club or not.

Another place to find goodreads (hehe) is goodreads! They have tons of books to choose from, from so many genres and lists! They even have a "Worst books of all time" list! I'm not recommending you read them, I'm just sayin!

One other place I've found to help you choose a bookclub book, is over at LitLovers. They have an entire section devoted to Book clubs! Perfect!! They not only have book ideas, but questions to discuss at the meetings and.. umm.. recipes/menus?? ::Swoon:: We are ALL about that!

Go check em out, get lost for hours and add to your ever-expanding, to-read list!

Another post to the iPad...

2010-02-04T09:00:00.001-08:00

Thought this was funny.

haha...I still think the ipad is cool though.
-posted by chels allred

Spark

2010-02-02T12:00:00.000-08:00

I found this little blurb from USA Book News about the latest greatest health book. And lets face it, I'm biased because I am a spark person and have been for over a month! If you are like me and want to shed some pounds, this is the way to go!

A revolution is taking place! Millions of people are discovering a new way of thinking about their weight, their health, and their lives. They are taking part in a visionary approach to weight loss that combines goal setting, nutrition, exercise, motivation, and community that has a proven track record of ten million pounds lost. From the experts who created SparkPeople.com, one of the most successful online weight-loss programs to date, comes The Spark, a ground-breaking book that focuses on what you can do, instead of what you can’t do. The Spark is about transforming your life and your idea of what dieting means. With dozens of photos—including stunning before-and-after shots and easy-to-follow exercise images—this book distills the best of SparkPeople’s medically accepted nutrition and fitness plan and infuses it with a program of personal empowerment. In this book, you’ll discover:
• Secrets of Success—the best habits of SparkPeople’s most successful members
• A 28-day program that brings together the most effective practices from SparkPeople into an innovative 4-stage plan, available only in this book
• Dozens of success stories that show the power of this transformational program
The Spark delivers inspirational health and weight-loss advice that will surely spark countless lives.

Forrest Gump - The Movie

2010-01-30T09:30:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite movies' books was chosen to read this month. As I read I'm finding how different the movie is from the book, but good just the same! Forrest Gump was released in 1994 and stars: Tom Hanks, Robin Wright Penn, Gary Sinise, and Sally Fields to name a few.

Some famous lines in the movie (and some of my favorites) are:

"Run Forrest, Run!"

"Life is Like a Box of Chocolates. You never know what you're gonna get."

"I may not be a smart man, but I know what love is."

"Stupid is as stupid does."

Do you know any I missed? Do you not love this movie??

If for some reason, you've never seen it.. here is the trailer to convince you to rent/buy it! :)

ipad

2010-01-28T17:00:00.000-08:00

ipad: not the NY way of saying ipod. This I have learned.

No, this my friends, is like an enlarged iphone or Sony Reader where you can download books. But with the ipad, you have a 3G network, therefore you have internet wherever you go!

It's full features list includes:

Safari

Mail

Photos

Video

You Tube

ipod

itunes

App Store

Maps

Notes

Calendar

Contacts

and.. ibooks!

I can't decide if I think digital books are a good idea. I'm quite the book hog in that I want a copy of each book I read. I like having the physical book to put on a shelf. I like having books on display. On the other hand, how convenient would it be to travel with 7 books all the size of this ipad? I do think this idea is fabulous, will have many versions before it's done right, and I will want one undoubtedly.

What do you think about the new ipad?

J.D. Salinger Dies at 91

2010-01-28T12:30:00.000-08:00

J.D. Salinger, author of The Catcher in the Rye, died of natural causes at the age of 91. We have not yet chosen this book to read in book club, but I would love to read it. It was written in 1951 and currently sells over 250,000 copies each year.

To read the full story, go here.

Borders

2010-01-24T21:35:00.000-08:00

Maybe I'm biased and other book stores do this too, but I just LOVE Borders rewards card. It's just like one you'd get at a grocery store that they scan with every purchase but you also get these in your email:

(This coupon has been claimed already.)

I get a coupon from 15%-50% off on item almost every month (sometimes 2x a month)! This comes in pretty handy since I buy a book club book once a month. :) I highly recommend it and if Barnes & Noble has this too, please let us know! :)

Book Help - Forrest Gump

2010-01-19T21:08:00.000-08:00

If you still haven't bought/checked-out Forrest Gump yet, here are some links to do so (buy) online! I bought mine at Borders and they had about 3 copies.

Amazon New= $5.60 Used=$3.13

Borders New= $15.00

Borders (Used Marketplace)= $3.45

Barnes & Noble New= $10.80 Used= $3.29

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

2010-01-14T20:22:00.000-08:00

First of all let me say that I am a slacker because we forgot to take a group photo!! There are other photos, but not a full group one like we normally do. :(

Anyway, on to the meeting!! B.C. member Debbie hosted and it was perfect! She themed it as Christmas brunch and she did not disappoint! There were bacon sticks, coffee cake, fruit, quiche, hot cocoa, coffee... there's no calories at book club right?

B.C. member Chelsea brought her little baby boy, Milo and let me tell you! We could start a Milo club just so we all could dote on him once a month! He was such a good baby and everybody loved him. How could you not? :)

So far we are not the kind of book club that spends hours discussing the book and this meeting was no exception. We spoke briefly about it if we could skip Christmas personally. We also thought that the neighbors were way too extreme and should have minded their own business. If someone wants to skip Christmas, they should be able to. What do you think?

The next book we are reading is Forrest Gump by Winston Groom. We are all really excited to read it seeing as the movie is so good!

Here are some more photos from the meeting:

Skipping Christmas - Discussion Questions

2009-12-29T12:30:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone had a great Christmas and Holiday weekend! I also hope everyone is enjoying the book, Skipping Christmas. (or enjoyed it if you finished!) I think it is a funny book! Our next meeting isn't until the second week of January but I found a few questions that might spark discussion. If you've read it, (or not) please feel free to answer these questions in a comment below. Have a safe and happy new years everyone! :)

1. As you were reading the book, did you find yourself siding with or against the Krank's as they skipped Christmas?

2. Do you think it is possible to skip Christmas entirely?

3. If you skipped Christmas, what traditions, etc would you miss the most?

4. Has this book affected how you will view the Christmas season next year?

Skipping Christmas - The Movie

2009-12-21T08:00:00.000-08:00

If you didn't already know, Skipping Christmas was made into a movie in 2004. The movie is called Christmas with the Kranks starring Tim Allen and Jamie Lee Curtis. It's a funny family movie so I wonder if the book will be the same. Not that they ever are. I try to live by the phrase, never judge a book by its movie. Maybe not live by it, but I agree 110%! :)

Here is a trailer of the movie Christmas with the Kranks. Pretty funny/silly movie! I would recommend it, especially during Christmas time!

Book Help - Skipping Christmas

2009-12-14T07:30:00.000-08:00

To find this month's book, here are some links of places I have found it. If you know of any other links, let me know. :)

Amazon New= $6.99 Used= $3.89

Borders New= $6.99

Borders (Used Marketplace) = $2.09

Barnes & Noble New= $6.29

I also want to mention that I got mine at Borders but it was in the Mystery/Thriller section. Go figure! I mean, I know its John Grisham, but still! :)

Christmas Jars by Jason Wright

2009-12-08T14:10:00.000-08:00

These book club meetings just keep getting better and better! Becky hosted on Monday and everything was just perfect! It had been raining and cold all day and Becky was prepared with soup with rolls, pumpkin bars, hot cocoa and more! Perfection! Most read this wonderful book and agree that it was a great one. A truly inspirational book. We chatted about Christmas traditions and how we try to help others. Some of the questions I posted below were answered as follows:

2. What have you unexpectedly discovered and how do you think i can/will change you life?
- Babies change lives FOREVER. (haha)
3. What was the significance of the tic-tac-toe game of tater tots (Pg. 16)? What simple traditions do you have in your life and what do they symbolize?
- Christmas eve pajamas, Christmas eve dinner, "Bundting" bread, Christmas day dinner
4. "This just don't belong in the papers (Pg. 31) Do you agree? Are acts of kindness better left anonymous?
- No, If they are in the papers, maybe more people can learn about the acts and take part in them.
- Yes, its more genuine if it's anonymous.
5. How can you give away Christmas (Pg. 69)?
- Buy gifts for families in need.

We all brought a white elephant gift this meeting to celebrate Christmas and everyone was too nice! No stealing of presents at all! But it was a great way to get Christmas going. Becky surprised us with empty jars, ribbons, fabric, paper and foam pieces so we all could make our very own Christmas jars. It was such a great idea and had a couple of us in tears. :) It was such a great time to get together, eat great food, talk about a great book and do a project for a great cause.

The next book is yet another Christmas book, which is perfect for us to read through Christmas day! It is called Skipping Christmas by John Grisham.

Here are some photos of the night!

The Spread!

BC member Jenny brought Vietnamese eggrolls!! MMMM!

Pumpkin bars... to die for!

BC member Jen got a snowman....and some bows! haha!

Making our Christmas Jars!

Christmas Jars - Experiences

2009-12-04T15:30:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone is enjoying or enjoyed Christmas Jars as much as I did! It was such a good, dare I say, heartwarming book! :) I would definitely LOVE to start a Christmas Jar of my own. So many people all over the country have started a Christmas Jar tradition. I found this map on his website at http://www.christmasjars.com:

As it states, each star represents communities where jars have been given to someone in need. Also on the website are stories of people's experiences they have with their Christmas Jars. I have read a few and they are truly great, and inspiring stories. If you have a few minutes, I recommend reading some: http://www.christmasjars.com/share.php This was such a perfect way to get into the Holiday spirit. I can't wait to discuss the book! The website also has book club questions so we will have plenty to discuss! I have included the questions below. If you've read it, please leave your answers in a comment so I can share them at the meeting!

1. In one sentence, how would you define the word HOPE?

2. In the prologue, "Hope" is unexpectedly discovered, and it forever changes the life of Louise. What have you recently unexpectedly discovered and how do you think it can/will change your life?

3. What was the significance of the tic-tac-toe game of tater tots (pg. 16)? What simple traditions do you have in your life and what do they symbolize?

4. "This just don't belong in the papers" (pg. 31). Do you agree? Are acts of kindness better left anonymous?

5. How can you give away Christmas (pg. 69)?

6. What "jar story" did you most relate to? Why?

7. Have you or your family been blessed by a Christmas act of kindness?

8. Do you believe that "good goes around"? How have you seen that in your own life?

9. What can your book club group do to bring hope to someone in need this holiday season? Who do you know who might be in need of their own Christmas jar?

10. Will you go home today and start a Christmas Jar of your own?

Book Help - Christmas Jars

2009-11-17T12:40:00.000-08:00

In case you need a one stop place to shop around for this month's book, I have provided some links for ya! It seems to be a really short book so it is inexpensive! Love it!

Amazon New= $8.77 Used= $6.50

Borders New= $7.95

Borders (Used Marketplace) = $4.01

Barnes & Noble New= $7.15 Used = $3.82

Alibris = $4.50

If you know of other places, let me know! :) Here's to getting the Christmas spirit a little early!

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

2009-11-11T09:29:00.000-08:00

Last night was another great book club meeting! We had almost everyone in attendance which always makes for a fun evening!! Although only three of us actually read the book we always have a fabulous time eating, catching up, reviewing movies and books. Consensus of the three of us was that it was a decent book but not really scary at all. There were some creepy parts and it might have been scary when it was written in 1959 but we have all read scarier books. The Shining seemed to be the book of choice when it comes to scary books. We did NOT like the Doctor's wife and felt that she had no real purpose in the book. We compared The Haunting of Hill House to its movie parallel, The Haunting. Then we compared The Shining to its movie. From there it was a movie discussion about other scary movies, classic movies, just our favorite movies! I LOVE these fun conversations. It was a really fun night!

What did you think of this month's book? What are your favorite scary movies?

Our next book is Christmas Jars by Jason F. Wright to get us in the holiday spirit! I will post places to order it soon if you don't already have it.

Some photos of the night:

The spread!

Baked potato bar..mmm..

Since BC member Chelsea just had her adorable baby, she brought photos of him to share!

Giggling...much of this was happening last night! lol

TV, Educational?

2009-11-03T12:30:00.000-08:00

BC member Jenny took this photo on a road to Greenville Island from downtown Vancouver, Canada. It is on the side of a library and I love it! If you can't read it, it says

"I find television very educational. Every time someone switches it on, I go into another room and read a good book" - Groucho Marx

Truer words have not been spoken! Although I do have shows I watch, sometimes its best to have silence in my house and read a good book. Don't you agree?

Next book club meeting is in T minus 7 days!

The Haunting of Hill House - Movies

2009-10-27T16:00:00.000-07:00

Since we are reading a "scary" book this month, you may be interested in a scary movie to go along with it before Halloween. Although we are firm believers in the phrase: "Never judge a book by its movie", sometimes the movies are fun too! :)

The Haunting of Hill House was first made into a movie in 1963 titled The Haunting. This one stars (L to R) Julie Harris as Eleanor, Claire Bloom as Theo, Richard Johnson as the Dr., and Russ Tamblyn as Luke. I'm gonna have to Netflix that one for sure!

The second movie was made in 1999 also titled The Haunting and stars (L to R) Lili Taylor as Eleanor, Catherine Zeta-Jones as Theo, Liam Neeson as the Dr., and Owen Wilson as Luke. Has anyone seen these and if so are they scary/suspenseful? I can't imagine anything with Owen Wilson as scary/suspenseful but ya never know!

We're not alone!

2009-10-22T18:00:00.000-07:00

BC (bookclub) member, Debbie, found something! She found another No Obligation Book Club! The exact name! So.. I decided to google 'No Obligation Book Club' and we are not alone. Realsimple.com has a no obligation book club, and there is one on goodreads.com! And we thought it was such an original name! :) I thought this was funny news to share.

Well, read on No Obligation Book Clubbers, read on!

I hope everyone's enjoying the book, The Haunting of Hill House. How creepy is Mrs. Dudley? :)

Price War: Walmart vs. Amazon

2009-10-19T09:01:00.000-07:00

Looks like Walmart and Amazon are going head to head to offer the lowest prices on some of the newest books! Check out this article from the NY Times:

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/10/17/books/17price.html?_r=1&hpw

Honestly, I never thought Walmart even had many books to choose from, but going online, they had this month's book, The Haunting of Hill House for $10.17, which is pennies cheaper than Amazon! I guess if you are a fan of Walmart, they offer competitive pricing for books!

Book Help

2009-10-15T13:04:00.000-07:00

I thought it might be easy for you to access this month's book if I brought some options to you! :D Below are various sites that you can purchase the book The Haunting of Hill House.

Amazon $10.20

Borders (Used Marketplace) $11.88

Barnes & Noble $12

Alibris $1.99!!

There may be others, but I love these. We're all really excited to read this book, though we hope its not too scary! Enjoy!

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

2009-10-13T22:22:00.000-07:00

Tonight was our book club meeting to discuss Catching Fire. Although most of us had read it already, we were excited to discuss this book (finally)! The consensus? We LOVED this book. It was just as gripping as the first. Some liked the first book (The Hunger Games) better but some liked this one better. Either way, we all are kind of getting sick of Katniss not being able to decide who she loves. Peeta or Gale?? We all vote for Peeta, but it is understandable why she loves Gale too. What we mostly wanted to discuss was how Suzanne Collins could end the book how she did! She really REALLY left us all hanging for the next book, but that won't be here for a long time! She left us with so many questions about a district 13, where's Peeta, where's her family... So many! We were also discussing the movie that they are for SURE making, starting with The Hunger Games and who should star in it... What do you think? Have you read this book? Tell us what YOU think! :D

This is our first post of many, please feel free to comment and leave your input! We would LOVE to hear it!

Little highlights of the night:

The beautiful cake Jenny brought! Thanks Jenny!

The spread:

Our little pal of the night: Polly

I almost forgot! Our next book, to read over halloween is The Haunting at Hill House by Shirley Jackson.