April Meeting

One last book before summer: The Dead Don't Dance by Charles Martin. This is a novel that men and women both will love. The main character, Dylan Styles, is a young self-reliant farmer who loses faith in himself, God, and the world around him when his wife's pregnancy and delivery go horribly wrong. Filled with quirky Southern characters I love so well, you'll have a hard time forgetting this book.

We will meet again at Tazza de Caffe in Valley View Village from 7-8 PM on April 30th. Grab a coffee and a Dutch Letter pastry ... YUM. Very cozy place, indeed!

If you can't make it to the meeting, feel free to post replies in regards to the novel. We'd love to hear your ideas!

Also, if you have any ideas for changes or suggestions for next year's Faith & Fiction Book Club, please see the entry below from last month. I'm open to new ideas and suggestions!

Happy Spring (but watch out for the snow that's coming!)
Stephanie

Suggestions?

OK, so we are small group. Very small. But that's nice too. However, we're wondering what you think we should do to grow. I hear often from Salem members that they can't make it to the meetings, but they love reading the books. What changes should we make for the Fall 2008/Spring 2009 season?

• Is meeting off site something we should continue? Or should we meet at Salem?
  
• Should we change our meeting nights from Wednesday to a different night, perhaps even Sunday afternoons or Saturday mornings?
• What do you think of the books? Do we need more mainstream authors, like Kingsbury? Or do you enjoy reading books that you may have never heard of?
• Do you have any suggestions for books for next go-round? If so, please email me and let me know!
  

Thanks for your input! If you don't know my email address, Amy Krueger at Salem can provide it for you.

Stephanie

Yikes!

Wow! I've gone an entire school quarter without posting. Sorry, sorry, sorry! Well, here's the latest with Faith & Fiction Book Club . . . we still meet every month.

Since Christmas, we've tackled some "heavier" historical fiction novels. In January, we read Daughter of Silk by Linda Lee Chaikin. Those of us not familiar with the French language used the glossary often! ha ha We read The Illuminator by Brenda Rickman Vantrease for February.

The consensus seemed to be that -- while these were not texts all members would pick up on their own -- they really enjoyed them and learned a lot about these historical periods. We also have a new-found appreciation for the struggles the earlier Christians had to guarantee all Christians, especially Protestants, their religious freedoms. Just being able to read the Bible in English would have been heretical several hundred years ago. Praises to God for those before us who have blazed the path for modern Christianity.

Speaking of modern Christianity, our March 26th meeting will discuss A Skeleton in God's Closet by Paul L. Maier. This is a fantastic, fast-paced archeological thriller. We'll be meeting at Tazza di Caffe on Valley View Drive in Council Bluffs from 7-8 PM.

Our final meeting of the spring will be April 30th, when we discuss The Dead Don't Dance by Charles Martin. I do love Southern Fiction, and this young Southern Christian fiction novelist has crafted one of my favorite books of all time. This one will draw you in!

Stay tuned for the location of our last meeting. Being a small group in a busy and growing church, we sort of get bounced around as rooms are moved and re-tooled or as other groups take precedence. We're flexible, though, and have enjoyed taking our meetings "off campus." Tazza di Caffe does have some fantastic Dutch Letters and the Dulce de Leche capuccino I had there in front of their fireplace was divine!

The Christmas Wish

Whew! What a busy season, when really what we should be doing is slowing down and remembering why we celebrate: the birth of Jesus Christ. Obviously, I've been busy, since I'm posting this after the Christmas holiday. Although, in many countries, it's not over yet! Not until Epiphany (January 6th) with the arrival of the Three Kings. In fact, that's when most Spanish and Latin American Christians exchange gifts. But, I digress . . .
We met to discuss The Christmas Wish at the Mall of the Bluffs Panera Bread several weeks ago and had a splendid time discussing not only this delightful little novella, but also our own Christmas traditions and what is going on in our lives right now.
Last Sunday, the Lifetime Channel broadcast a made-for-TV movie version of The Christmas Wish starring Neil Patrick Harris and Debbie Reynolds. It was pretty cute, and really followed the novella. If you happen to think of it, try to read the book and then catch the movie next season. That is, of course, if you're not too busy rushing through the holidays!

December - April Info

December's novel, The Christmas Wish by Richard Siddoway, is no longer in print. Therefore, I can't take orders for new novels for you. :-( You may, however, purchase used copies VERY inexpensively from Amazon or eBay. The Council Bluffs Public Library also owns one copy.

I will be taking orders starting December 30th for the four spring novels. Remember that when you order through Salem, you are receiving a special discount at Barnes & Noble even better than your own personal discount, if you have a B&N discount card. If they have the books in stock, you'll get them as soon as I get them. If they need to be ordered, it usually takes 5-7 business days, so there isn't much turn around time.

Here are the spring novels and our meeting dates:

• Daughter of Silk by Linda Lee Chaikin - Jan 30th ($11.12)
  
• The Illuminator by Brenda Rickman Vantrease - Feb 27th ($11.94)
  
• A Skeleton in God's Closet by Paul L. Maier - Mar 26th ($6.84 or $12.84)
  
• The Dead Don't Dance by Charles Martin - Apr 30th ($6.84 or $12.84)

The last two novels have two prices listed since they are available in paperback as well as in the smaller and less expensive reprint paperback sizes.

Keeping Faith - November 28th

Join us as we discuss novelist Jodi Picoult's novel Keeping Faith. If you've never read any of her novels before, Picoult is a secular novelist who challenges what you think and what you believe about many contemporary issues. I know that her novels always leave me in shock at the end ... I just never see the end happening that way, or I'm left with more questions! They're just great because they are so compelling and controversial.

As a side note, Ms. Picoult will be a featured author of the Council Bluff's Public Library's Bluffs Author Series in January.

Here are some discussion questions to think about as you read. Feel free to bring discussion questions of your own with you!

We will most likely be meeting in the senior high room, since there is no longer a table for discussion in the library/sacristy. Please read the sign upon entering Salem to find out exactly where the meeting will be held.

October Meeting

Our next Faith & Fiction Book Club meeting will be Wednesday, October 24th from 7-8 PM at Salem UMC in the Sacristry/Library. Enter the Sanctuary and go through the door to the LEFT of the altar. The Library is the first door on your left. Join us for our discussion of the chilling novel THR3E by Ted Dekker. There are no discussion questions that I can find for this novel, so please use the ones below for last month's book. Bring some of your own, too!

I will be taking orders at this time for the November book, Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult. We get a nice discount from Barnes & Noble, or you can pick this up on your own or check it out at the library. I'll also be taking orders Sundays, October 21st & 28th between the services in the Fellowship Hall. Please make checks in the amount of $12.84 payable to Salem. You may also place orders for any future books at this time as well!