2012 Reads. Part I.

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JANUARY: Bossypants
by Tina Fey - 8 votes
Host: Kim Ashton - Discussion Lead: Azure Jensen

Summary: Before Liz Lemon, before "Weekend Update," before "Sarah Palin," Tina Fey was just a young girl with a dream: a recurring stress dream that she was being chased through a local airport by her middle-school gym teacher. She also had a dream that one day she would be a comedian on TV.

She has seen both these dreams come true.

At last, Tina Fey's story can be told. From her youthful days as a vicious nerd to her tour of duty on Saturday Night Live; from her passionately halfhearted pursuit of physical beauty to her life as a mother eating things off the floor; from her one-sided college romance to her nearly fatal honeymoon — from the beginning of this paragraph to this final sentence.

Tina Fey reveals all, and proves what we've all suspected: you're no one until someone calls you bossy.

Nominated by: Jenn Whitesides - I chose this one because I heard it was hilarious and I always enjoy a good laugh.

FEBRUARY: Secret Daughter
by Shilpi Somaya Gowda - 9 votes - 339 pages
Host: Tiffany Sheppard - Discussion Lead: Kim Ashton

Summary: On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to a baby girl. But in a culture that favors sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter's life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son. Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband, Krishnan, see a photo of the baby with the gold-flecked eyes from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion. Somer knows life will change with the adoption but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles. Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and the child that binds both of their destinies, Secret Daughter poignantly explores the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love, as witnessed through the lives of two families-one Indian, one American-and the child that indelibly connects them.

Kim Ashton: I even more recently read this book and thought it was really interesting to see how motherhood and family play out in different parts and cultures of the world, it was really interesting!! The only con? It's longer than our usual picks, about 340 pages.

MARCH: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
by Beth Hoffman - 8 votes - 254 pages
Host: Jayne Klingler - Discussion Lead: Jayne Klingler

Summary: Twelve-year-old CeeCee is in trouble. For years she’s been the caretaker of her psychotic mother, Camille— the crown-wearing, lipstick-smeared laughingstock of an entire town. Though it’s 1967 and they live in Ohio, Camille believes it’s 1951 and she’s just been crowned the Vidalia Onion Queen of Georgia.

The day CeeCee discovers Camille in the front yard wearing a tattered prom dress and tiara as she blows kisses to passing motorists, she knows her mother has completely flipped. When tragedy strikes, Tootie Caldwell, a previously unknown great-aunt comes to CeeCee’s rescue and whisks her away to Savannah. Within hours of her arrival, CeeCee is catapulted into a perfumed world of prosperity and Southern eccentricities—a world that appears to be run entirely by women.

While Tootie is busy saving Savannah’s endangered historic homes from the wrecking ball, CeeCee encounters a cast of unforgettable, eccentric characters. From the mysterious Thelma Rae Goodpepper, who bathes in an outdoor tub under the watchful eyes of a voyeuristic peacock, to Oletta Jones, the all-knowing household cook, to Violene Hobbs, the loud-mouthed widow who entertains a local police officer in her yellow see-through peignoir, the women of Gaston Street keep CeeCee entertained and enthralled for an entire summer.

But CeeCee’s view of the world is challenged in ways she could have never imagined: there are secrets to keep, injustices to face, and loyalties to uphold. Just as she begins to find her ballast and experiences a sense of belonging, her newfound joy collides with the long-held fear that her mother’s legacy has left her destined for destruction.

Laugh-out-loud funny, at times heartbreaking, and written in a pitch-perfect voice, Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is a spirited Southern tale that explores the intricate frailties and strengths of female relationships while illuminating the journey of a young girl who loses her mother but finds many others

Jayne Klingler: this was such a fun cute story. it was quick so fun to read and loved it. it makes you love your friends you have. so cute love loved loved it!

APRIL: Matched / Crossed

by Ally Condie - 4 votes - 366 pages
Host: ? - Discussion Lead: Jenn Whitesides

Summary: Cassia has always trusted the Society to make the right choices for her: what to read, what to watch, what to believe. So when Xander's face appears on-screen at her Matching ceremony, Cassia knows with complete certainty that he is her ideal mate... until she sees Ky Markham's face flash for an instant before the screen fades to black.

The Society tells her it's a glitch, a rare malfunction, and that she should focus on the happy life she's destined to lead with Xander. But Cassia can't stop thinking about Ky, and as they slowly fall in love, Cassia begins to doubt the Society's infallibility and is faced with an impossible choice: between Xander and Ky, between the only life she's known and a path that no one else has dared to follow.

Jayne Klingler: Got to put a shout out to my friend ally who wrote the book. plus its good! {series, 2nd book is out in November} Jenn Whitesides: I am submitting this book b/c supposedly it is a cross of The Hunger Games and The Giver. Since I LOVE both those books, I'm assuming I will really enjoy this one.

MAY: Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption
by Laura Hillenbrand - 11 votes - 473 pages
Host: Jen Hatch - Discussion Lead: Jen Hatch

Summary: On a May afternoon in 1943, an Army Air Forces bomber crashed into the Pacific Ocean and disappeared, leaving only a spray of debris and a slick of oil, gasoline, and blood. Then, on the ocean surface, a face appeared. It was that of a young lieutenant, the plane’s bombardier, who was struggling to a life raft and pulling himself aboard. So began one of the most extraordinary odysseys of the Second World War.

The lieutenant’s name was Louis Zamperini. In boyhood, he’d been a cunning and incorrigible delinquent, breaking into houses, brawling, and fleeing his home to ride the rails. As a teenager, he had channeled his defiance into running, discovering a prodigious talent that had carried him to the Berlin Olympics and within sight of the four-minute mile. But when war had come, the athlete had become an airman, embarking on a journey that led to his doomed flight, a tiny raft, and a drift into the unknown.

Ahead of Zamperini lay thousands of miles of open ocean, leaping sharks, a foundering raft, thirst and starvation, enemy aircraft, and, beyond, a trial even greater. Driven to the limits of endurance, Zamperini would answer desperation with ingenuity; suffering with hope, resolve, and humor; brutality with rebellion. His fate, whether triumph or tragedy, would be suspended on the fraying wire of his will.

Telling an unforgettable story of a man’s journey into extremity, Unbroken is a testament to the resilience of the human mind, body, and spirit.

Jen Hatch: Haven’t read it yet… but it’s become highly recommended to me, and I’ll stand by it!

JUNE: Sarah's Key

by Tatiana de Rosnay - 6 votes - 293 pages

Host: Tiffany Sheppard - Discussion Lead: Tiffany Sheppard

Summary: Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel' d'Hiv' roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.

Paris, May 2002: On Vel' d'Hiv's 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond is asked to write an article about this black day in France's past. Through her contemporary investigation, she stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah. Julia finds herself compelled to retrace the girl's ordeal, from that terrible term in the Vel d'Hiv', to the camps, and beyond. As she probes into Sarah's past, she begins to question her own place in France, and to reevaluate her marriage and her life.

Tatiana de Rosnay offers us a brilliantly subtle, compelling portrait of France under occupation and reveals the taboos and silence that surround this painful episode.

Tiffany Sheppard: I haven't read this yet, but it was highly recommended by a friend and it has four stars on good reads. I think it would make for good discussion.

July: Seven Miracles That Saved America: Why They Matter and Why We Should Have Hope

by Chris Stewart, Ted Stewart - 4 votes - 356 pages
Host: Sue Layne - Discussion Lead: Carrie Carson

Summary: There was a time when it was accepted that America was a God- blessed land— that God ruled the fate of this nation and raised up great leaders when they were most desperately needed to assure that our history would unfold as He desired. Do we still believe this is true? Bestselling author Chris Stewart and his brother, Utah Federal District Court Judge Ted Stewart, present seven significant events in American history to show how God has provided miracles to sustain and protect this nation at critical times. From Columbus's discovery of the New World, to the amazing events at the World War II battle of Midway, to the miracle that saved President Ronald Reagan and allowed him to play a key role in smashing the Iron Curtain, the authors provide little- known details of events that literally changed the future of the world— events that give us assurance that God does watch over this country. And, as we struggle through difficult times, we have reason to hope that He will continue to bless us.

Carrie Carson & Sharee Poyfair: “This is one book that I think every American should read. I have always loved our Founding Fathers, the Constitution, and our amazing country, but this book has developed an even deeper admiration for the men and women who have made this country great - ALWAYS in partnership with God. This goes on my "Favorite Books of ALL-TIME" list. An absolute MUST read, as far as I am concerned.” (I took Sharee’s quote from Goodreads.)

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FYI - Other Nominations and how many votes they got...
Mockingbird by Kathryn Erskine 3

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See 3

Ida B: . . . and Her Plans to Maximize Fun, Avoid Disaster, and (Possibly) Save the World

by Katherine Hannigan 3

The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy 2

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool 2

I am Number Four/ The Power of Six (Lorien Legacies) by Pittacus Lore 1

If You Lived Here, I'd Know Your Name: News from Small-Town Alaska by Heather Lende   1

Incantation by Alice Hoffman 1

The Island by Victoria Hislop 1

Mountains Beyond Mountains: The Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World

by Tracy Kidder 1

Take Good Care of the Garden and the Dogs by Heather Lende 0