January History Book Club

"Looking Like The Enemy"

Mary Matsuda Gruenewald

Even the ardent love of liberty will, after a time, give way to its dictates. The violent destruction of life and property incident to war, the continual effort and alarm attendant on a state of continual danger, will compel nations the most attached to liberty to resort for repose and security to institutions which have a tendency to destroy their civil and political rights. To be more safe, they at length become willing to run the risk of being less free.
-Alexander Hamilton, Federalist Papers.

In 1941, Mary Matsuda Gruenewald was a teenage girl who, like other Americans, reacted with horror to the bombing of Pearl Harbor. Yet soon she and her family were among 110,000 innocent people imprisoned by the U.S. government because of their Japanese ancestry. In this eloquent memoir, she describes both the day-to-day and the dramatic turning points of this profound injustice: what is was like to face an indefinite sentence in crowded, primitive camps; the struggle for survival and dignity; and the strength gained from learning what she was capable of and could do to sustain her family.

Please join us, in the Barnes & Noble Café, January 22, 2009 at 7:00 P.M. to discuss this exceptional narrative.

Happy New Year,
Milan

THIRD MONDAY DETECTIVES

Three of us met in the Cafe at B&N on this cold, cold December morning to discuss Susan Wittig Albert's Thyme of Death, the first in the China Bayles series. I like being in the small town of Pecan Springs and solving mysteries with China and her friends. However, that was not the consensus of this gathering. We have been meeting since September and I have yet to choose a book the majority liked! Help! This is a tough group.

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Our book for January 19th is Elizabeth Peters' Crocodile on the Sandbank. The major character in this selection is Amelia Peabody, who is described as "Indiana Jones, if he were female, a wife, and a mother who lived in Victorian times." I've not read any Elizabeth Peters' book, so I'm looking forward to curling up near the fire with this one.

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HAPPY HOLIDAYS !

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Jane

Silent Night

The ‘Tommy’ cautiously raised his head above the protection of the trench, looked across toward the enemy position and witnessed, to his amazement, not the flashing bark of enemy machine gun fire, but perched prominently on top of the rival's bunker, tiny ferns ornamented with glowing candles. Then, more unbelievably, wafting across no man's land, he heard the familiar refrain of “Silent Night” being sung in German.

On this Christmas Eve of 1914, the insanity of war became, for a short time, a casualty of the season.

Join us, December 18th at 7:00 P.M., in the Barnes & Noble Café, as we discuss Stanley Weintraub’s remarkable book: “Silent Night”.

Milan

THIRD MONDAY DETECTIVES

The selection for the December 15th meeting is the first in the China Bayles series by Susan Wittig Albert.
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China Bayles has it all - a prestigious Houston law practice, money, power - but it's not enough. She's smart, she's tough, she's confident, and she knows she wants something more out of life than the fast track offers. Something like the Thyme and Seasons herb shop in Pecan Springs, Texas.
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You'll fall in love with the fictional small town in the Texas Hill Country.
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Please bring your favorite mystery/suspense author/book suggestion to the meeting for selection for reading in 2009.
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Have a happy Thanksgiving. See you in the Cafe at 10 am on the 15th.

Detective Jane

our odd discussion

jane, emily, tanya and i had a great discussion thursday night on this fascinating book by dean koontz.

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everyone had some interesting insights to share, and the meeting seemed to be over in about 15 minutes rather than an hour.

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in january, we will be reading hannibal rising by thomas harris. it's the story of where hannibal lecter came from - and how he became the "monster" that he is throughout the books.

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i look forward to the talk!

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jeff

January Knitting Group

We will not meet in December giving everyone a break for the holidays. Our next meeting will be on January 5, the first Monday, at 7:00 p. m.

We will be discussing the book, The Lace Reader, by Brunonia Barry. I haven't read it yet myself but have read several good reviews. It looks like an interesting story.

We will also collect any jester hats our members have knitted for our charity project. Please join us for a great discussion in the cafe.

Leslie

November Meeting

Our group met the evening of November 3. It was a small but productive meeting. Two of us met and discussed the different charities represented in the book Knitting for Peace. Many established and worthy charities are listed in the book. It includes good directions for the knitted items they collect as well.

We made progress on the projects we were creating. I showed an example of the baby jester hat we are knitting for Care Wear. I hope to collect them from other members at the January meeting.

Leslie