Nicole's Letter about The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

March 26, 2009

Dear Book Club Ladies,

As a fellow book clubber, who enjoys “reading, meeting, and overeating,” I am pleased to present “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.” It must be more than coincidence that we, as a group, decided upon this lengthy title, for more than just I made a request to read this book. As you may recall, at our last meeting, 3 ladies made this suggestion. I hope it was as enjoyable for each of you, as it was for me.

I feel at this point I need to quote Juliet on page 10 in a letter to Dawsey. “I wonder how the book got to Guernsey?” she writes, “Perhaps there is some secret sort of homing instinct in a book that brings them to their perfect readers.” I wonder, was this the case for Benee and Kim? The book came into my hands in a fairly common way. I mentioned our ‘mandatory’ book club meeting and my mother in law suggested this book. I decided that I should read it before I made my request, and was pleasantly surprised at how much I enjoyed it. Was this book sent my way through some homing instinct? Probably not, but with 3 requests, I think it’s fair to say, we needed to read this. Are you happy that we did?

As I settled into reading, I’ll admit some hesitation about the writing style. A story told through letters? Would it hold my interest? But as I began, the descriptions of the 1940’s era and the Channel Islands fascinated me. As a student and teacher of history in a former life, I was also compelled to know more of the effects of WWII on this part of the country. Then there was the tone, word use and rhythm of speech that was so marked, I could practically hear the English accent.

I thoroughly enjoyed the story from beginning to end. But then, I always love a good love story, and this one was most satisfying on many levels. There is, of course, the story between Juliet and Dawsey, Elizabeth and her German, Clovis Fossey and Widow Hubert, and Juliet and Markham V. Reynolds. But there is also the relationship between Guernsey folks and what they read, between what was and what is, between what is and what my be, and the heartbreaking what is and what might have been. And for me, the grit of war to make it not quite so cute. What did you like about the story?

So, as I sit writing this letter in preparation for presenting this book to you ladies, I am grateful to have read such a lovely tale. And, as we discussed before and as Juliet asks the Potato Peel society: What is the philosophical value of reading? What is the benefit for you in reading? For me, reading has always been a mini-vacation to another place or time. I love to lose myself in a good story and expand my perspective as I contemplate new thoughts and life experiences. Whether it be history or fiction, fine literature or a compelling narrative, books can elevate us beyond our own little worlds. Doesn’t that make life fun? And please, let us NOT serve Potato Peel Pie.

Sincerely, Nicole Fountaine Fisher

Shan's Amazing News you MUST read about. Life really can be GREAT!!

There are 3 amazing e-mails Shan has sent me this past week. Here they are for all of you to enjoy in order of date received. :) It is about her and her experiences with her son, the most awesome military man Trev. If you are short on time, come back and read all the way through the third e-mail because honestly, her writing is so hysterical to read. You just don't want to miss the content of these e-mails.

#1 SOI Graduation 3/3/09

I have all of 7 seconds to splash this to you before diving into my 88 hour day~
The weekend I spent with Trevor will go down as one of the top 3 mom experiences thus far!
I have it written in a file and it's around 20 pages. It was almost surreal.
I have a pic. taken right after he graduated when we had literally 40 min to visit while he ate lunch before he was wisked away to begin Recon. training.

Bookies, you're looking at the newest graduate of SOI.
I'm so proud of my PFC Pumpkin!

Details later...
Have a happy~
Shandelirious

#2 The e-mail about Trevor's Ordination...3/7/09

I just wanted to send a quick update on Trevor... now PFC Lundgreen (United States Marine Corps OO-RAH!)

I received a call earlier this week from him informing me that he had just finished his interviews with the church leaders there and was going to be ordained an Elder this Sunday!
Imagine my elation at the good news, and equal sense of disappointment at the lousy timing... as I had just spent 4 days with him the weekend prior for his graduation from SOI.
Long story short, my sweet husband surprised me with a plane ticket so I could fly down and be with him when he's ordained! Mark knew how important this is and simply said,
"Shan, your his momma, you need to be there... for both of you." I was overwhelmed... and speechless! (And as we know, it's a rare moment that causes me to be speechless!!)
So, I'm hopping on a plane this morning to go be with my PFC Pumpkin today and tomorrow.

He has asked Elder Paul Hansen of the Branch Presidency to ordain him. I met Elder Hansen when I was down there and was deeply impressed with his wisdom, love, and
great concern for our military members. (He also had a striking resemblence to Mark's dad.)
When Trev told me he had asked Elder Hansen to ordain him, I told him I thought that was perfect to which Trevor replied, "Besides mom, he reminds me of Grandpa Bob."
Yes, I cried.
Please know of my deep love and appreciation for your support you've generously given along this new journey of mine with a son serving in the Marines. WOW have my eyes
ever been opened to our Father in Heaven's plan for ALL of us!

Much love and gratitude for your contined prayers and concern,
Shan



#3 The Follow-up e-mail about Trev's ordination.. amazing. 3/10/09



Dear Sister/Girlfriends,

Just in case you were wondering ... for me this year Mother's Day landed on March 8th!!

Tho' the trip was a 'fast mad-dash' to California and back, that experience is imprinted in my heart forever. I have fallen in love with the wonderful Senior Couples serving at Camp Pendleton. My son has several 'sets' of grandparents there. The love they feel and extend to our children in the military is almost enough to make ME want to enlist!! But alas, grey hair, stretch marks and wrinkles (not to mention my age) disqualify me for this noble commitment.

A couple of military moms have asked if my husband is LDS and I'd like to clarify that with a resounding YES!!! The rest of that story in a nutshell is: he actually would have been there had it not been for our business (timing) and the fact that child services frowns on leaving a 13 year old home alone... even tho' Wyatt THINKS he's 21~...

So, back to Trevor's ordination, those present for it were: the three priesthood holders standing in the circle, Trevor and me. It was beautiful, powerful, private, sweet and perfect. The blessing Trev received along with the ordination has given me great strength and comfort in knowing without a doubt Trevor is on the Lord's errand and under His watchful eye at all times. He has some pretty tall orders to fill and has been promised with what he needs to carry out the Lord's work so long as he is faithful to his covenants and worthy of this priesthood.

I bear witness, as a mother and as a daughter of God, I KNOW the time is here for these righteous men (and women) to be called up to defend our freedoms and be the instruments in opening the doors in countries where presently the church isn't allowed to proselyte. It takes GRIT and nerves of STEEL for our military to do their jobs. They are constantly exposed to the perverse and diabolical elements Satan is using to wreak havoc here on earth. Nevertheless, they are there because of their deep 'hard wired' commitment they seem to have been born with. The good that they are doing, the influence for righteousness sake and the seeds they are planting are VITAL to our Father in Heaven's plan. It takes a very unique individual to exist in this type of element and do it with strength and integrity.

Moms, we must have done something right to be deemed caretakers and given custody to rear these fearless, committed warriors in God's army. Somewhere along the lines we obviously screwed up and did or said something RIGHT in providing the example, the spoken word or at the very least, a fertile environment for their own seeds of commitment to cultivate and sprout. ... I'm sure in my own case I provided more fertilizer than anything else ... (all through middle and high school the look on their faces told me so!!) At the end of the day, this is the Lord's work and it WILL go forward. Nothing will stop it. He needs his strongest players (inside and out) playing first string.

A member of the Stake Presidency that interviewed Trevor 2 Sundays ago said to Trev, "There will come a time when you along with your platoon will be given orders to fight. It will be your first time as well as many others in your group. I promise you Trevor, when that happens, several of those around you will crumble under the extreme circumstances you're forced to be in. And when they do, you will stand up and have the strength, courage and fortitude to carry out the orders given. When the 'episode' is over, those who were trained the same as you and couldn't step up to the plate will ask you why you were able to and they weren't. It will be in that very moment you will look them in the eye and say to them boldly with the Spirit, 'The reason I was able to do what I did is because I am a worthy priesthood holder and member of The Church Of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.' And THAT, dear Trevor will be when your REAL work for the Lord begins."

The Church is true.
The last days are here.
The war (on all levels) is in full swing,
and our children (be they full time missionaries, full time military or full time members) are the soldiers fighting it.
I pray as mothers we will continue to support each other, encourage each other and lift up those hands which hang down.
For that is what you have done so willingly and continue to do for me.

Much love and gratitude,
Shan
MM PFC (Elder) Lundgreen :0)

Etsy: Nadia's Place

Carrie has the coolest baby stuff. Check out the Etsy's Web site at http://www.nadiasplace.etsy.com/ and pass the information along. :)

Rich and Creamy Tomato Basil Soup

"The secret to the richness of this soup is to use real butter, fresh basil leaves, and heavy cream. Please do not substitute, or you will not have the same high quality end result."

RECIPE RATING: 4.5 on Allrecipes.com
PREP TIME
10 Min
COOK TIME
35 Min
READY IN
45 Min
4-6: Servings

Ingredients:
4 tomatoes - peeled, seeded and diced
(Note: for easy peeling, drop in boiling water for about 5 seconds. The skin comes right off)
4 cups tomato juice
14 leaves fresh basil
1 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 cup butter
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
Place tomatoes and juice in a stock pot over medium heat. Simmer for 30 minutes. Puree the tomato mixture along with the basil leaves, and return the puree to the stock pot.
Place the pot over medium heat, and stir in the heavy cream and butter. Season with salt and pepper. Heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Do not boil.

Shan's "Trev" at Booty CAMP!!

In Shan's own words.... Bookies, you're looking at a strong, healthy, body building, sharp shooting, lean, mean, highly trained Marine! He's got our back for the next 4 years. OO RAH!!!

Let Death guide you through The Book Thief

On September 24th we gathered at Shannon Simpkins’ home to discuss “The Book Thief”, by Markus Zusak. We started with a traditional German dinner out on Shannon’s patio. Shannon served a delicious main dish of ribs and sauerkraut…comfort food at its best. She also served a green salad mixed with goat cheese, baked potatoes, rolls and red grapes. For dessert we had a variety to choose from: orange cake, lemon bars, and several kinds of cookies. We ate well. On the table was a huge beautiful centerpiece that highlighted a large bowl of green apples. It will be noted that throughout the evening several people stole an apple to eat later, in memory of Liesel and Rudy’s apple-stealing-days. Thank you Shannon for the delicious meal!

From the beginning of the discussion, it was clear that “The Book Thief” had risen to the top of many people’s list of favorite books. Zusak skillfully uses his words and form of presentation to take you into the action of the story. Using Death as the narrator of this story in WWII was entirely appropriate. We especially liked how Death was exhausted and even compassionate towards humans as he watches their evil and their goodness. In the end he is “haunted by humans”. Death’s outside perspective and running commentary throughout the book allows the reader to see and learn more. Death is often profound.

We also discussed the power of words. Words are used for evil (Hitler) and for good (Leisel). Leisel is saved by words on a number of levels. First, her emotional stability is saved in the theft of her first book (connecting her to her brother), and then by Hans reading this book to her nightly when she has terrible dreams. Then she learns to read by painting the letters on the walls and reading the books she has stolen. Later, her reading is used to calm others in the bomb shelter. She discovers that she could write her own story from Max, which literally saves her own life in the end as she is writing in the basement when her street is bombed. She is physically saved.

We discussed each of the characters and agreed with the idea that there are no cowards in the Hubermann household. It was good to read a story from the perspective of Germans who did NOT agree with Hitler and his “mob Psychology”. Zusak’s characters became real people to us, and their story is one of tragedy and triumph.

Marylynn's Madness!!

As most of the groupies know, Marylynn has had a busy, busy few months. Her son Brandon returned from his mission to Dominican Republic the tail end of July and Cameron hits the MTC to train for his mission in Washington D.C. TODAY!! It's a Wahoo-Boohoo day, eh? We are thinking of you Marylynn. Here is a pic of the newest missionary in the Buford family.

Kim's Isabella

Kim had a baby girl last week. For more details and pictures, refer to her blog at http://xlpetersen.blogspot.com/. Congratulations Kim and Shane.

Carrie's Bundle of Love!! Congratulations

Travelling to "I" countries to Eat, Pray, and Love

Hi ladies,
I am catching up on the review for June 19th, 2008. We held this evening’s discussion at Grandma Margetts’ house, and enjoyed a potluck dinner out on her covered patio. We read Eat, Pray, Love, by Elizabeth Gilbert. This was an interesting lively read. It is a book about Elizabeth’s own experiences. She describes it as “One Woman’s Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia”. She spends a year traveling and living in these three places. In each country she focuses on a specific area of her life. In Italy, she focuses on pleasure…the pleasure of her environment and the pleasure of eating fabulous food. Of course she gains quite a bit of weight as she eats her way through the Italian cuisine. She has just divorced her husband and Italy was a good starting place to find herself, even if she was a bit self-absorbed. She next goes to live in India in an Ashram to study Yoga under a Guru. Her focus now turns to devotion. A tremendous amount of self control had to be learned as she learned to control her mind and became at peace living in very austere conditions. Several in the discussion found this section slow to read. I thought the process of controlling ones thoughts and overcoming weaknesses was very interesting. Her final destination was Indonesia. She met and interacted with a number of people who influenced her, including a man with whom she eventually falls in love. The focus in Indonesia was on balance…an interesting topic that we each address regularly. The book was well-liked. It was noted that it would be great to have an entire year to “find yourself”, especially after a difficult time in your life. Most of us do not have that luxury. I did love Gilbert’s use of metaphor, and her style of writing was very engaging. Many of Gilbert’s insights resonated with our group, and she was able to make us feel as she felt as she embarked on this year of self discovery. In the process, we could question our own thoughts and values and learn more about ourselves in return.
Marylynne Buford

Ridin' that bus....

Hello, book lovers! On May 29 we took a ride to Amy's mother's home to discuss "Riding the Bus with My Sister" by Rachel Simon.

We packed our lunches into styrofoam containers for our ride. Hoagie sandwiches, apples, individual packets of trail mix, baby carrots and Sun Chips were provided for our "meal on the go." We also choose from a variety of delicious flavored waters (and only 5 calories!). Dessert was a cute pound cake bus, with chocolate donut wheels and fresh strawberries. Thanks to Amy and her mom for keeping with the theme of the book.

For the most part, I think everyone enjoyed the book as a whole. There were parts that were frustrating for some readers. Some of us felt the frustration of the family as Beth manipulated everyone around her in order to get her own way. We also could feel her father's frustration and desperation as he struggled to take care of Beth and maintain control over his own life. The comment was also made that Beth could have contributed positively to society but choose not to. The feeling was that if Beth was smart enough to figure out bus schedules, remember drivers birthdays and make bus stops on time, she could have done more with her life. As it was, Beth was content to simply ride the buses. In fact, we all agreed that once she found the buses, her life had meaning and excitement.

We felt that Rachel did an excellent job portraying Beth's speech and mannerisms. It was interesting that Rachel figured out that "I don't kn-oh" had 3 separate meanings for Beth. We also could feel Rachel's frustration with her sister's behavior. And it was interesting to note that Rachel was 40 before she really researched her sister's condition and tried to learn the definition of mental retardation.

We all agreed that Rachel and Beth came from a family with severe dysfunction. Their mother was certainly an interesting woman! There were feelings of anger towards her as well as pity. Her low self-confidence, sadness and overall disappointment with life combined to send her into a downward spiral which eventually ended with her marrying an alcoholic, ex-con. There was redemption for her when all 4 of the children eventually reestablished contact with her after many years.

In the end, Rachel was able to break out of her introverted, lonely life and reach out to others through the experiences gained "riding the buses". She learned much about life from the drivers, many of whom were deeply philosophical about life. Rachel was able to find long-awaited happiness with her former love, Sam, although Beth surely must have been disappointed about not getting her wish: a bus driver for a brother-in-law.

The next book club will be held at Grandma Margett's home on Thursday, June 19.

Happy Reading!
Carma Rasmussen

Shakespearean Festival Planning

It is time to get out the calendars and vote (on the right side of the blog) for the best weekends that you could attend the Shakespearean Festival. Vote for as many weekends that work for you. The weekend with the most votes will win. The anticipation to see Fiddler on the Roof and sit on William's Shakespear's lap is just about killing me!!

Angry Housewives??? Never!!

Dear Book Club Friends:

Thank you for a fantastic evening last week at book club hosted by Wendi Coccimiglio. We enjoyed a wonderful Italian meal including spaghetti and penne pasta with marinara sauce and meatballs, a delicious salad with strawberry dressing, accompanied with crunchy bread and garlic cheese biscuits. Wendi also served a variety of made to order mixed drinks. I had the pomegranate juice blended with ginger ale – delicious! Dessert went right along with the title of the book - bon bons. We enjoyed peanut butter, toffee, and mint ice cream bon bons along with the best brownies of all time. Thank you, Wendi, for the extra effort to make the evening special. She was a wonderful host.

I really enjoyed your perspectives as we discussed Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons. I liked how the book was organized, with each chapter written from the voice of the book club host. While it took a while to learn the distinctions of the characters, I enjoyed how their lives unfolded from each of their points of view. And Faith's letters to her mother in each chapter added was a great thread throughout the book. Many of us were intrigued by the books that were selected for each chapter and why. One of the titles was a favorite of Aunt Leilani’s (Marylynne and Lani’s mother). I really like each character and was interested in how they faced life's challenges over 40 years. I felt the author introduced many issues, but never developed them fully in terms of their scope and implications. I found myself filling in the blanks a lot.

Faith was the daughter of an alcoholic mother who neglected her terribly; her mom died in a car accident for which Faith blames herself. Faith’s adult life was spent covering up her past for fear that those she loved would reject her if they knew. Married to a pilot, she was a model wife and devoted mother of fraternal twins, a boy and a girl. Faith finds the strength to face her past while dealing with the “coming out” of her homosexual son.

Slip is the short, athletic redhead and peace activist. Through her brother, a soldier in Vietnam, we are reminded of the horrors of war and the post traumatic challenges soldiers face after coming home.

Merit is the daughter of a minister who disapproves of her moving away from home and pursuing a college education. She meets and marries Eric, a doctor, and has four girls - the third is delivered at the book club meeting. Merit endures a physically and emotionally abusive husband, keeping his ever escalating abusive behavior secret from everyone until the Angry Housewives witness an episode after a party. We found her coping strategy, hiding notes and other items in her hair, to be very interesting. She eventually meets Mr. Paradise (very tacky name for a guy who wears a leisure suit) who encourages her musical talent. At age 43 she gets pregnant and marries Mr. Paradise.

Audrey is our buxom beauty who loves showing off her large breasts and wearing mini skirts. I loved her spunky personality. One of my favorite parts of the book was when she got Faith and Slip to join with her to “flash” the nosey neighbor from the tree house. Audrey has a gift of premonitions, and uses this ability throughout the book. She divorces her cheating husband, faces a near death car accident with one of her sons, and becomes close friends with her gay neighbor, Grant, who eventually joins the book club.

Kari is the oldest in the group and enjoys sewing and crafts. Early on, we learn that Kari has experienced tragedy in her life. Her first adopted child that was returned to the birthmother, and she is mourning the loss of her husband. Kari experiences prejudice and racism when she agrees to adopt her niece’s baby, Julia, who is part black. I was very impressed with Kari’s capacity to love and nurture Julia.

Through all of their trials, the Angry Housewives’ friendship really binds them together and helps them pull through. Thanks to all of you for your friendship to me. We have a great group of women in our book club too.

Great Beauty-Terrible Beauty

Hello Everyone,

We had a wonderful, quiet evening at Andrea's house Thursday night. Andrea served hummus with crackers and vegetables as an appetizer, followed by a marvelously tender roast with potatoes, carrots and green beans. Along side this was Yorkshire Pudding (many of us have made this under the name of a popover puff or German pancakes, but hers was made with the grease from the roast instead of bu tter.) The Yorkshire Pudding was served with either gravy or jam, both of which were very tasty. For dessert, Andrea served an English Trifle, with layers of yellow cake, rasberries, blueberries and other fruit as well as whipped cream and delicious tapioca pudding. It was wonderful. Thank you so much, Andrea, for such a delicious meal.

I led the discussion on Libba Bray's "A Great and Terrible Beauty." In the discussion, it was pointed out that the great and terrible beauty is power and how the girls in the book really didn't use the power that they were given for good. They really didn't learn or grow much from the experiences that they had, and didn't try to do anything with the magic they had except tease and torture people who had been unkind to them.

We also discussed girls and the issues that teenagers and adults run into. In the book, each of the 4 m ain gi rls had insecurities that they faced, but didn't handle very well. For example, Pippa was terrified over getting engaged to Mr. Bumble, and when she tells Felicity, Felicity is so consumed by the fact that her father hasn't come to visit her for Asembly Day, that she totally brushes off Pippa, who is supposedly her best friend. Each of us has insecuirities, and we discussed how sometimes, teenagers and even adult women will act or react a certain (negative)way based on their own feelings of insecurity.

Overall, I think that this book was hard for several of the people who came, to relate to, and therefore they didn't enjoy it as much as some of the others we have read in the past. Thank you to everyone that came and for the great company and discussion.


--Janeeece

One, Two, Three... let's have a cup of tea.

We had a great time at book club last week. Janeece served delicious baked potato and lentil soups in bread bowls, along with a salad. Many of us conserved our bowls until we had tried both soups! She also served various herbal teas to transport us to Pakistan. Most tried innocent flavors like lemon, apple cinnamon, and citrus. I wanted something more authentic, and since we were lacking yak butter tea, I tried Marylynne's offering of raspberry leaf tea. I decided it is an acquired taste. For dessert, Janeece spoiled us with yummy slices of a giant chocolate chip cookie topped with chocolate pudding (she is the Pampered Chef queen).

I reviewed the book "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin. I was so inspired by Mortenson's story the first time I read it last year, and was no less endeared to his work and Pakistan's villagers this time through. It is truly an example of how one person can really make a difference in the world.

We discussed what made Mortenson so successful at helping the Pakistani people. He seems so humble and sincerely loves and respects the Muslim people. We decided that a more devout Christian might have less success in that region. Everyone also felt that if you didn't drink tea, it would be a major problem (I'd be in trouble)! Some questioned whether it was right to have to act like a Muslim to be accepted, when we are expected to be tolerant of everyone. Although it does seem to be a double standard, it is inspiring to hear of an American taking that higher road and instilling an appreciation of at least one of us in that region.

With the resurgence of the Taliban's power and instability in Pakistan and Afghanistan, the Central Asia Institute's efforts to bring education to the unserved children seem even more important. We agreed that the numbers of madrassas is alarming. I read an article telling Mortenson's account of the events following Benazir Bhutto's assassination in Pakistan. I had been wondering if the unrest would stall his work, but after reading about his continued aid after major earthquakes and thinking about his increased r esolve after 9/11, I am sure he will keep doing what he does as long as he can.

I am so grateful for the opportunities I have had in this country, and that my children can be educated. We sometimes dwell on the imperfections of our education system, when we forget that some people would literally send their child down a river to have that chance.

J Wendy Aposhian

Memory Check... Keep that one

We had a very nice evening, and our numbers grew as people braved the weather and traffic to get there. Wendy started the evening with a delicious baked Brie filled with fruit in the center. She had decorated the table with beautiful photos of Down Syndrome children and with photos of beach scenes, both so appropriately tied to The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards. For dinner Wendy served yummy BBQ ribs (the ribs were a tie to David Henry being a BONE doctor). Wendy rounded out her the meal with baked potatoes and salad. Later she served a wonderful Key Lime pie.

Our discussion of The Memory Keepers Daughter focused on several issues. We discussed the ethics of the choices different characters made. David certainly made choices that could not be reversed, and ultimately his lie destroyed his family relationships. He never cleaned up this mess. Everyone had to deal with it after his death. I had hoped that he would tell Norah the truth later in their lives, even though the damage was already done. We also discussed if Carolines choices were ethical, and we considered the dismal options available for Down Syndrome children during the 60s. Caroline certainly did a commendable job with Phoebe, but what kind of responsibility did she have ethically in keeping Phoebes existence from Norah? Ultimately, both David and Caroline made selfish choices, althoug h the consequences for each were different. Beginning the story in the 60s made the storyline feasible (Very little knowledge or options for Down Syndrome children was integral to the plot). I don't think it would be plausible today. We also discussed the ethics of prenatal care and options today. Greater medical knowledge has presented more options to be considered. This book certainly portrayed the how consequences are tied to our choices. Thank you Benee for leading an interesting discussion.

Marylynne

Let's Get This Started!!

So, my bookclub friends and family members, I am proud to announce that we have gone digital! This will be the hub for posting comments about the books we've read, meeting blunders, recipes, knick-knacks during the month, important news about bookclub members, or whatever. I hope you enjoy the new look. Welcome Welcome.