it's the uglies!

i love cats.

This doesn't have anything to do with books, but I laughed so hard I literally cried. My hope is that you will too.

the synopsis.

I’m late posting, but I have A LOT of really great excuses.

My computer crashed.

Our shelves in the garage nearly collapsed.

I got a new calling.

We’re renovating the bathroom—sort of.

We have family in town.


I've been busy editing photos.


I’m pretty sure my kid is a cross breed of half pure angel and half wild animal.

AND my dog ate my homework!

Okay, I don't have a dog, but I could come up with a plethora more of excuse. However, instead of boring you with my lame attempt to justify my tardiness, I’ll just get on with the good stuff, okay?

Here are the selections for our next book…

Tangerine 
Though legally blind, Paul Fisher can see what others cannot. He can see that his parents' constant praise of his brother, Erik, the football star, is to cover up something that is terribly wrong. But no one listens to Paul—until his family moves to Tangerine. In this Florida town, weird is normal: Lightning strikes at the same time every day, a sinkhole swallows a local school, and Paul the geek finds himself adopted into the toughest group around: the soccer team at his middle school.

Maybe this new start in Tangerine will help Paul finally see the truth about his past—and will give him the courage to face up to his terrifying older brother.

The Uglies 
Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.


But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.

The Undomestic Goddess 
Workaholic attorney Samantha Sweeting has just done the unthinkable. She s made a mistake so huge, it will wreck any chance of a partnership.

Going into utter meltdown, she walks out of her London office, gets on a train, and ends up in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she’s mistaken for an interviewee and finds herself being offered a job as housekeeper. Her employers have no idea they’ve hired a lawyer and Samantha has no idea how to work the oven. She can’t sew on a button, bake a potato, or get the #@%# ironing board to open. How she takes a deep breath and begins to cope and finds love is a story as delicious as the bread she learns to bake. But will her old life ever catch up with her? And if it does will she want it back?

Be sure to vote!

and the winner...

....by a landslide, is The Help!

like the deserts miss the rain.

Sorry I’ve been gone. I was out of town, and then sick, and then our hard drive crash! AHHHHH! Anyway, I don’t want to bore you with excuses, I just wanted to say I’m so sad I miss our last discussion....like the deserts miss the rain…(hey, isn’t that a song?)...and i miss you, yeah, like the deserts miss the rain...

Back on topic!

Here's the synopsis for next month’s book choices. Be sure to vote!

THE HELPBe prepared to meet three unforgettable women:

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone. Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken. Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town...

THE FRIDAY NIGHT KNITTING CLUBThe New York Times bestselling sensation that's "Steel Magnolias set in Manhattan" (USA Today)-now in paperback. Juggling the demands of her yarn shop and single-handedly raising a teenage daughter has made Georgia Walker grateful for her Friday Night Knitting Club. Her friends are happy to escape their lives too, even for just a few hours. But when Georgia's ex suddenly reappears, demanding a role in their daughter's life, her whole world is shattered. Luckily, Georgia's friends are there, sharing their own tales of intimacy, heartbreak, and miracle making. And when the unthinkable happens, these women will discover that what they've created isn't just a knitting club: it's a sisterhood.

THE UNDOMESTIC GODDESSWorkaholic attorney Samantha Sweeting has just done the unthinkable. She s made a mistake so huge, it ll wreck any chance of a partnership.

Going into utter meltdown, she walks out of her London office, gets on a train, and ends up in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she s mistaken for an interviewee and finds herself being offered a job as housekeeper. Her employers have no idea they ve hired a lawyer and Samantha has no idea how to work the oven. She can t sew on a button, bake a potato, or get the #@%# ironing board to open. How she takes a deep breath and begins to cope and finds love is a story as delicious as the bread she learns to bake.But will her old life ever catch up with her? And if it does will she want it back?

the votes are in.

I actually didn't vote for it, but I'm really, really excited!!!

Chains should be really good:)

I thought I'd also let you all know I use this :)  more than any normal person should. So just assume that I'm always :) and i'll try to cut back on the :)

okay?:)

Man, I did it again!...this may take a while.

the synopsis.

Thanks for another great book group, Michelle. Your home is absolutely lovely!

Alright everyone, I updated the new synopsis list for our next book. Look it over.

Be sure to vote.

You have one week.

Or else…

(okay there’s no or else, but please vote. I promise it will be fun—it will be the highlight of your week, for sure!)

TANGERINE
Though legally blind, Paul Fisher can see what others cannot. He can see that his parents' constant praise of his brother, Erik, the football star, is to cover up something that is terriblywrong. But no one listens to Paul—until his family moves to Tangerine. In this Florida town, weird is normal: Lightning strikes at the same time every day, a sinkhole swallows a local school, and Paul the geek finds himself adopted into the toughest group around: the soccer team at his middle school.

Maybe this new start in Tangerine will help Paul finally see the truth about his past—and will give him the courage to face up to his terrifying older brother.

CHAINS

As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.

WALK TWO MOONS

Thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle, proud of her country roots and the "Indian-ness in her blood," travels from Ohio to Idaho with her eccentric grandparents. Along the way, she tells them of the story of Phoebe Winterbottom, who received mysterious messages, who met a "potential lunatic," and whose mother disappeared.

Beneath Phoebe's stories Salamanca's own story and that of her mother, who left on April morning for Idaho, promising to return before the tulips bloomed. Sal's mother has not, however, returned, and the trip to Idaho takes on a growing urgency as Salamanca hopes to get to Idaho in time for her mother's birthday and bring her back, despite her father's warning that she is fishing in the air.

and the winner is...

The Screwtape Letters!

Be sure to get a copy for the month of April.

Happy reading everyone!:)

the synopsis.

Just in case you’re having trouble voting on April's book…

THE SCREWTAPE LETTERS
Screwtape is an experienced devil. His nephew Wormwood is just beginning his demonic career and has been assigned to secure the damnation of a young man who has just become a Christian. In this humorous exchange, C. S. Lewis delves into moral questions about good v. evil, temptation, repentance, and grace. Through this wonderful tale, the reader emerges with a better knowledge of what it means to live a good, honest life.


THE UGLIESTally is about to turn sixteen, and she can't wait. Not for her license -- for turning pretty. In Tally's world, your sixteenth birthday brings an operation that turns you from a repellent ugly into a stunningly attractive pretty and catapults you into a high-tech paradise where your only job is to have a really great time. In just a few weeks Tally will be there.

But Tally's new friend Shay isn't sure she wants to be pretty. She'd rather risk life on the outside. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world -- and it isn't very pretty. The authorities offer Tally the worst choice she can imagine: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. The choice Tally makes changes her world forever.


THE ALCHEMISTPaulo Coelho's enchanting novel has inspired a devoted following around the world. This story, dazzling in its simplicity and wisdom, is about an Andalusian shepherd boy named Santiago who travels from his homeland in Spain to the Egyptian desert in search of treasure buried in the Pyramids. Along the way he meets a Gypsy woman, a man who calls himself king, and an Alchemist, all of whom point Santiago in the direction of his quest. No one knows what the treasure is, or if Santiago will be able to surmount the obstacles along the way But what starts out as a journey to find worldly goods turns into a meditation on the treasures found within. Lush, evocative, and deeply humane, the story of Santiago is art eternal testament to the transforming power of our dreams and the importance of listening to our hearts.


Remember when you're voting there are no wrong answers...just listen to your heart. What does it tell you?

three cups of tea.

March's book will be Three Cups of Tea. The inspiring account of one man's campaign to build schools in the most dangerous, remote, and anti-American reaches of Asia.

And thanks to Penny for inviting us all to her lovely home for last tonight’s book group. It was absolutely splendid! And an even bigger thanks to her for not kicking out the free loaders who were eating her strawberries and M&M’s all night long:) Some people just can’t take a hint…

And Kristen wanted me to be sure that the SouthWest Aquatics link was here on the blog for everyone to peruse --heehee;-)