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To Home Page || To Calendar This Page Last Updated June 19 2009 |
WOMEN'S BOOK CLUB
Reading Lists: 2004-2005 | 2005-2006 | 2006-2007 | 2007-2008 | 2008-2009 | 2009-2010
Reading List for 2004-2005:Top of Page
Month Title Author August, 2004 Mrs. Dallaway Virginia Wolf September 2004 Staying On Paul Scott October 2004 Life of Pi Yann Martel November 2004 Waiting Ha Jin December 2004 Foreign Correspondence Geraldine Brooks January 2005 Plainsong Kent Haruf February 2005 Bel Canto Ann Patchett March 2005 Empire Falls Richard Russo April 2005 Main Street Sinclair Lewis May 2005 Set This House in Order Matt Ruff June 2005 Years of Wonder Geraldine Brooks July 2005 Select Books for the
Next 11 Months
Reading List for 2005-2006
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MonthTitle
AuthorAugust, 2005 STAGGERFORD Jon Hassler September 2005 ALL THE KING'S MEN Robert Penn Warren October 2005 PIGS IN HEAVEN Barbara Kingsolver November 2005 THEIR FATHER'S GOD Ole Rolvaag December 2005
NICKLE AND DIMED Barbara Ehrenreich January 2006 THE KITE RUNNER> Khaled Hosseini February 2006 THE VIRGIN BLUE Tracy Chevalier March 2006 TENDER IS THE NIGHT F. Scott Fitzgerald April 2006 THE CURIOUS INCIDENT
OF THE DOG IN THE NIGHT-TIMEMark Haddon May 2006 HORSE HEAVEN
Discussion Postponed
Jane Smiley June 2006 THE NAMESAKE Jhumpa Lahiri July 2006 JAMES LAND
Michelle Huneven
Reading List for 2006-2007
MonthReading List for 2006-2007
Title
AuthorAugust 2006
MARCH
Geraldine Brooks September 2006
FRIDAY NIGHT LIGHTS
H. S. Bissinger October 2006
GARDENIA Faith Sullivan November 2006
THE RAZOR'S EDGE Somerset Maugham December 2006
ORDINARY HEROES Scott Turow January 2007
BLINDNESS Jose Saranago February 2007
GILEAD Marilynne Robinson March 2007
THE GOLDEN RATIO Mario Livio April 2007
THE MAIN Trevanian May 2007
MY SISTER'S KEEPER Jodi Picoult June 2007
This time is spent selecting books, suggested by the Book Group members, to be read in the coming year
July 2006 JAMES LAND
Michelle Huneven
Reading List for 2007-2008
Reading List for 2007-2008
Month Author Title Presenter July 2007
Mary Sharratt The Real Minerva Marilyn Boe August 2007
John Steinbeck Cannery Row Ruth Keely September 2007
Lisa See Snowflower and The Secret Fan
Harriet Duerre October 2007
Marshal Rosenberg Speak Peace Monica Williams November 2007
Lily Tuck The News From Paraguay Mary Claire Prestrud
December 2007
Marina Lewycka
A Short History of Tractors Donna Kopnick January 2008
Kim Edwards The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Carolyn Halvorson February 2008
Sara Green Water for Elephants Lorene Richards March 2008
Rhalid Hassemi 10,000 Splendid Suns
Jean Price April 2008
Megan Chance An Inconvenient Wife Barb Bollag May 2008
Candice Millard The River of Doubt LaGretta Dean
June 2008
Selection of eleven books for 2008-2009
OUR BOOK SELECTIONS FOR 2008-09
September, (fiction), A Small Island by Andrea Levy
October, (memoir), A Glass Castle by Jeanette
November, (non fiction) The Girls Who Went Away by Anne Fesler
December, The Dog Says How by Kevin Kling
January, poetry selection month (details to follow).
February, The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak
March. The Devil In The White City by Erik Larson
April, Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson
May, Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
OUR BOOK SELECTIONS FOR 2009-2010
August 2009, Loving Frank by Nancy Horan, Facilitator: Mary Clair Prestrud
September 2009, Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson, Facilitator: Donna Kopnick
October 2009, Omnivore’s Dilemma by Michael Pollan, Facilitator: Harriet Duerre
November 2009, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer, Facilitator: Luella Newstrom
December 2009, The Fiction Class by Susan Breen, Facilitator: Karen Wolf
January 2010, Moloka'i by David Brennert, Facilitator: Lorene Richards
February 2010, The Color of Water by James McBride, Facilitator: Nancy Buckman
March 2010, American Chica: Two Worlds, One Childhood by Marie Arana, Facilitator: Ginny Christiansen
April 2010, The Road Home by Rose Tremain, Facilitator: Ruth Keely
May 2010, Dancing at the Rascal Fair by Ivan Doig, Facilitator: Janet Stevens
July 2010, Firmin by Sam Savage, Facilitator: Monica Williams
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EVENING BOOK CLUB
Past Reading List:
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September 16, 2008 What Happened: Inside the Bush White House and Washington's Culture of Deception by Scott McClellan. This your chance for one last discussion of George W and friends. October 21, 2008 Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson. This Norwegian best seller comes highly recommended by NPR. November 18, 2008 The Cold War: A New History by John Lewis Gaddis. Now that it is over, are we any closer to knowing what went on? Are wars better served cold? December 16, 2008 The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Jono Diaz. This book about a ghetto nerd won this year's Pulitzer Prize. November 18, 2008 The Cold War: A New History by John Lewis Gaddis. Now that it is over, are we any closer to knowing what went on? Are wars better served cold? December 16, 2008 The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Jono Diaz. This book about a ghetto nerd won this year's Pulitzer Prize. January 20, 2009 Legacy of Ashes: The History of the CIA by Tim Weiner. This National Book Award winner is called a must read for all of the presidential candidates and well informed Americans.
February 17, 2009 Life & Times of Michael K by J.M Coetzee. A Booker Prize winner, this book is considered a African classic.bbb On March 17, 2009, The Forgotten Man: A New History of the Great Depression by Amity Shlaes. This work by one of our nation’s most respected economic commentators offers a fresh reinterpretation of the Great Depression.
On April 21, 2009, Chicago by Alaa Al Aswany. The book was recently translated from Egyptian. It involves a clash of cultures in one of our great all American cities and got great reviews from its original Egyptian audience as well as literary critics on NPR. On May 19, 2009, Outliers: Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell. Every wonder what went wrong? Why does Bill Gates have all the luck? This study in success may provide answers. On June 16, 2009, On Beauty by Zadie Smith. This funny, critique of the culture wars that define our nation should provide us with light summer reading. On July 21, 2009, Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Kearns Goodwin. This book won the Pulitzer Prize and is said to have highly influenced our new President.
On August 18, 2009, Netherland by Joseph O’Neill. On top of all the Best Book of 2008 lists, this work examines the scars left by 9/11 on a Dutch banker marooned in New York.
July 18, 2006 Gilead
Marilynne Robinson In 1956, the son of an Iowa preacher writes a letter to his young son to help him understand his family history which includes struggles with abolition and the civil war. This won the Pulitzer Prize in 2005 for fiction. August 15, 2006 Our Endangered Values: America's Moral Crisis
Jimmy Carter An ex-president offers a personal look at "moral values" and how they relate to important issues of our day. A devote Baptist, he champions the separation of church and state. He takes on the idea of preemptive war, women's rights and more.
June 27, 2006
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus
Charles C. Mann
Traditionally, Americans have learned that Columbus discovered a couple of empty continents. Mann reveals and persuades us that researchers have discovered this to be wrong.
May 16, 2006 A House for Mr. Biswas
V. S. Naipaul
Born "the wrong way" Mohun Biswas struggles to gain independance and a home of his own. This book is an Indian classic by a Nobel Prize winning author. Expand your mind to the Indian subcontinent.
April 18, 2006 The World is Flat: A Brief History of the Twenty-First Century Thomas L. Friedman. What is the most crucial development of the twenty-first century? How can anyone know that when it is only 2006? Anyone who got the book for Christmas (according to Barnes and Noble, this was a top seller) should have read this definitive work by now and is welcome to join the discussion. March 21, 2006 Snow Orlan Pamuk
An exiled poet returns to Turkey to report on the suicides of girls forbidden to wear their headscarves. All the action takes place amid a raging snow storm. Does Turkish weather rival Minnesota's? This is a tale of love and intrigue. February 21, 2006 How the Irish Saved Civilization: The Untold Story of Ireland's Heroic Role from the Fall of Rome to the Rise of Medieval Europe Thomas Cahill This illuminating book looks into a "hinge" of history that describes how this island nation of saints and scholars preserved Western Culture from being destroyed by Barbarian invasions. Is this just one more Irishman bragging or is there really something to this? January 17, 2006 The Plot Against America Philip Roth What if America had negotiated a deal with Hitler? Do you have a hard time imagining our home town hero, Charles Lindbergh, as a bad guy? This highly acclaimed author explores the "what if" factor in his latest book. It is supposed to be fascinating and especially chilling for us lovers of Lindy. December 20, 2005 The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America Erik Larson This will be the group's first true crime book. The author weaves a story intertwining two men in Chicago in 1893: The architect of the World's Fair and a serial killer who used the fair to lure his victims. Explore the criminal mind with us. November 15, 2005 Acts of Faith Philip Caputo In the harsh background of contemporary Sudan, this is a tale of idealism run amok and ignorance disguised as compassion. What motivates all those volunteers and missionaries in Africa? The author explores the reasons in a thought provoking way. Imagine a discussion by Unitarians about missionary work! October 18, 2005 Freakonomics Steven D. Levitt and
Stephen J. DubnerEver wonder why the crime rate dropped in the 1990's? You will never guess the reason given by this book. This politically incorrect book, shakes out all kinds of surprising truths. The discussion is guaranteed to be interesting whether you are right or left leaning. September 20, 2005 Everything is Illuminated Jonathan Safran Foer A young man sets out to find the woman who saved his Grandfather from the Nazis. His adventures in present day Ukraine accompanied by Alex, the translator/butcher of English, and a dog named Sammy Davis Junior. Junior, are supposed to be hilarious. Join us for the laughs. August 16, 2005 Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books Azar Nafisi Every Thursday for two years, the author met with seven dedicated friends to read forbidden Western classics. Explore resilience in the face of tyranny and maybe gain some insight into the current Middle East situation. July 19, 2005 The Great Fire Shirley Hazzard A winner of the National Book Award, this is a romance set following World War II. This will be our first "love story" and discussion should be interesting. June 21, 2005 The Skeptical Environmentalist: Measuring the Real State of the World Bjorn Lomborg Have the environmentalists got it all wrong? This book endeavors to see both sides of the debate. Warning: this book might come close to containing Unitarian heresy. Click Here to find out about a discussion of this book in the January 2002 Scientific American. May 17, 2005 The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Mark Haddon Written from the point of view of an autistic hero the book explores a crime involving the death of a neighbor's dog. How does a person exornerate himself when accused of crime when his communication skills are very limited? April 19, 2005 Life at the Extremes: The Science of Survival Frances Ashcroft Celebrate surviving another Minnesota winter by finding out just how we do it. Have you ever wondered why divers get the bends and whales don't? This book explains it. March 15, 2005 The Kite Runner Khaled Hosseini The story takes place in Afghanistan and is a coming of age novel about the last days of the monarchy. Help us answer the questions "What monarchy?" and why is it so violent there? February 15, 2005 The Fabric of the Cosmos Brian Greene Is space an entity? Why does time have a direction? Are you not a scientist but wish you knew more? Gain a new and deeper understanding of science and the universe by reading the book and joining the discussion. January 20, 2005 The Namesake Jhumpa Lahiri Cultures clash when a family from the Indian subcontinent moves to America. Revelations about the defining powers of names and parental expections have cross cultural implications. How do we come to define ourselves? This Pulitzer Prize winning author may give us some insight. December 21, 2004 Galileo's Daughter Dava Sobel The historical detail of Galileo's life is woven together with the warm and earnest writings of his daughter to create very human version of the scientist. Travel back in time and enjoy this memoir of science, faith and love. November 16, 2004 The Known World Edward P. Jones This winner of the National Book Award, looks at the multidimensional world created by the institution of slavery in America. Freed blacks and slaves and black owners of slaves. What happens when a culture disintegrates and its aftermath should be thought provoking. October 19, 2004 Under the Banner of Heaven:
A Story of Violent FaithJon Krakauer Jon Krakauer usually writes adventure stories, but decided to write a true crime book for a change. What he ended up with was a comprehensive study of the Mormon religion and fundamentalism. Join us to explore this tale of spirituality gone awry. September 21, 2004 Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamtress Dai Sijie August 2004 Truman David McCullough July 2004 Left Behind: A Novel of the Earth's Last Days Tim Lahay and Jerry B. Jenkins June 2004 Doubt: A History Jennifer Michael Hecht May 2004 Disgrace J. M. Coetzee April 2004 The Conquerors Michael Beschloss March 2004 Three Junes Julia Glass February 2004 The Things They Carried Tim O'Brien January 2004 Atonement Ian McEwan December 2003 Colored People: A Memoir Henry Louis Gates, Jr. November 2003 Life of Pi Yann Martel
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Planning for Growth and Vitality Workshop
Submitted by Donna Kopnick and Kathy Park
It’s Called Community Building
Or 9 Ways to make MVUUF a visible presence in our community.
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- Buy a copy of one of the minister''s sermons you liked and give it to a non-member. (The minister's sermons are available in the office.)
- Carry a “7 Principles card” and give it to people when they ask about UUism. (7 Principles available in the pamphlet rack near the entry.)
- Display our “7 Principles” at home or work.
- Display our “MVUUF Affirmation of Values” at home or work. (Ask Janet Stevens, Office Manager, for a copy of the Affirmation of Values)
- Participate in a community event that reflects UU principles (for example, Gay Pride).
- Promote our congregation's rental space to individuals and groups you know.
- Tell someone about a provocative thought you heard at church.
- Write an article for a local newspaper about a Fellowship project in which you’re involved. (for example, Habitat for Humanity, VEAP, Free Trade) and submit it to the Fellowship Publicity Chair .
- Practice your response to the question ”What is Unitarian Universalism?”
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