June's BookShare gathering

Greetings Book Lovers:


We met last night, June 24th, at Ann Wing's home on her peaceful patio and enjoyed a wonderful evening together talking about books we have recently enjoyed.

Here are the books that we discussed:
1) "My Life In France" by Julia Child and Alex Prudhome presented by Nancy Nay.
Nancy loved this book and highly recommends it to everyone. She said it is so delightful to read and gives a great insight into the personality and character of Julia Child and how she came to be a famous French chef. It also tells about her marriage and the how supportive her husband was in her work and in all that she did.

2) "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" by Jean-Domonique Bauby presented by Geri Christensen. This wonderful and amazing book was written by a 43 year-old man living in France who suffered a massive stroke which was centered in his brain stem and left him almost totally paralyzed. The only movement he had left was his left eyelid which he was able to blink and which was the means by which he communicated using a special alphabet devised by his speech therapist. The book is by turns sad and funny, inspiring and insightful. The book was later made into a movie that has received five-star reviews and is said to be one of the best autobiographical movies ever made.

3) "Stones to Schools" by Greg Mortensen presented by Ann Wing. This book is a sequel to the author's first book, "Three Cups of Tea" written sometime earlier and is centered around his work building schools for women in Pakistan. Although it is somewhat similar in content, it is also very interesting with different stories and insights into the culture and collective consciousness of the people of that country and especially the women, most of whom have not been given the opportunity of an education, although they are very intelligent. Ann also recommends "Leah and Rachel" by Orson Scott Card which she said gave a very clear and concise commentary on these women and their lives in Old Testament times.

4) "Driven" by Larry Miller and "Seven Miracles That Saved America:Why They Matter and Why We Should Have Hope" by Chris Stewart presented by Marjean Giraud. The following review is from Amazon.com: [Larrys] impact in athletics through the success and reputation of the Utah Jazz, the Salt Lake Bees and Miller Motorsports Park, can be felt nationwide and perhaps worldwide. Yet, his greatest accomplishments may be the helping hands, the lessons, the time and care he offered to those less fortunate than himself. This [man] ... chose to be a servant king who used his resources and clout to enrich the lives of others. --Hall of Fame point guard John Stockton

I couldn't find any information on the second book except that it isn't yet available. It is scheduled to be on the market in September of 2010.

5. "The Marigold Field" by Diane Pearson presented by Sara Trivedi. This is the story of two families living in an English village before and during World War I.
It depicts their sufferings and sacrifices and the challenges they faced during this difficult time in their lives.

We drank root beer floats and enjoyed the beautiful summer together.

Here is a good recipe for a different side dish for summer picnics. It's different, easy to make and really good.

Quinoa Salad (Quinoa is a whole grain grown high in the Andes in South America. It is high in protein and low on the glycemic index: an almost perfect food. You can buy it at Sunflower Market or Costco.)

Cook 1 C. quinoa in 2 cups salted water. (You cook it the same way you do rice.)
Set aside to cool.
Add 1 can drained corn and
1 can drained and washed black beans
1/2 C. chopped bermuda onion
In a blender put:
1/2 C. oil
1/4 C. lime juice
1 1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. garlic salt
1/2 bunch fresh cilantro
Blend well and add to quonoa mixture.
Refrigerate 2 hours before serving.
This is one of those "try it, you'll like it" recipes. Once you taste it, you'll keep coming back for more. I guarantee it!

Our next BookShare meeting will be on Thursday, July 22nd at 7:30 p.m. at Ann Wing's.
I will send out a reminder e-mail ahead of time. Be thinking of a good book you can come and share with us. Bring a friend.

See you next time!