Happy Monday, y’all! It’s the first Monday of the month, which means it’s time to reveal the book selection for our monthly, virtual book club, Mom’s Book Nook. Mom’s Book Nook is a place for busy moms who still crave great reads to easily participate in a book club, in virtual format that allows it to fit into our crazy lives and schedules. Participation is easy – all you have to do is read the book of the month along with us! I am also super excited to announce some fun changes to the format of Mom’s Book Nook and introduce my new co-host and fellow book lover, Laura from Sunny Day Family.
Mom’s Book Nook
Last month’s book was Wild by Cheryl Strayed. I chose it after committing a cardinal book sin – I watched the movie before reading the book. The movie left me with a feeling of missing a huge part of the story, so I decided to read the book.
Confession – after reading the book, I still feel the same way. Wild is a memoir of Cheryl’s journey to rediscover herself after she loses her mother to cancer just before finishing college. She loses herself in her grief, participating in risky behaviors, leaving school one paper short of graduating, destroying her marriage and losing touch with her siblings and step-father as they all move on with their lives, while she is left standing still. In a quest to get back to who she was and/or discover who she is, she naively decides to hike the Pacific Crest Trail (PCT) alone, with little to no training.
It is an emotionally wrought account, as you share in Cheryl’s grief and can almost feel the physical pain she bears from the challenges of her journey. However, where most books, I can read through in mere days, it took me the entire month to plod through this one. I think I struggled to identify with her initial unraveling. In fairness, I haven’t lost my mother, and would be beyond devastated if I did now, let alone at the age of 22. But my inability to identify with the central motivation of her story, combined with my disinterest in the detailed accounts of life on the PCT, left me unmotivated to turn the page.
What did you think of the book?
Introducing Laura from Sunny Day Family
I am beyond thrilled to introduce my Mom’s Book Nook members to Laura, my new co-host for the club. Laura is a SAHM to twin boy toddlers (God bless her!), and writes at Sunny Day Family all about the little things that help make every day shine. Everything from fun activities and crafts for kids, tips and tricks to keep your home and family organized, recipes, and some encouraging reads especially for moms.
Given our shared love of books, not only for our kids or to learn about parenting, but as a guilty pleasure for ourselves, I knew Laura was the perfect collaborator to help grow and expand Mom’s Book Nook! I already so value her input and ideas, and it’s way more fun choosing and talking about books with a partner in crime!
Mom’s Book Nook Facebook Event and Giveaway
In lieu of the last few months’ #BookNook Twitter Parties, Laura and I have decided to relocate our monthly live Book Nook discussions to Facebook. The last Monday of every month at 9PM ET, we will host a live, discussion of that month’s book via a Facebook event. All event participants will be able to register to win a $10 Amazon or Barnes & Noble gift card (winner’s choice) to cover the cost of next month’s book!
Given the long holiday weekend, and transition to new format, there will be no Twitter Party this evening. Join the July discussion Monday, July 27th at 9PM ET to talk all about…
July 2015 Book
Laura and my first joint selection for Mom’s Book Nook is In the Unlikely Event by Judy Blume.
About the Book
In 1987, Miri Ammerman returns to her hometown of Elizabeth, New Jersey, to attend a commemoration of the worst year of her life. Thirty-five years earlier, when Miri was fifteen, and in love for the first time, a succession of airplanes fell from the sky, leaving a community reeling. Against this backdrop of actual events that Blume experienced in the early 1950s, when airline travel was new and exciting and everyone dreamed of going somewhere, she paints a vivid portrait of a particular time and place—Nat King Cole singing “Unforgettable,” Elizabeth Taylor haircuts, young (and not-so-young) love, explosive friendships, A-bomb hysteria, rumors of Communist threat. And a young journalist who makes his name reporting tragedy. Through it all, one generation reminds another that life goes on.
About the Author
Judy Blume spent her childhood in Elizabeth, NJ, making up stories inside her head. She has spent her adult years in many places, doing the same thing, only now she writes her stories down on paper. Adults as well as children will recognize such Blume titles as: Are You There God? It’s Me, Margaret; Superfudge; Blubber; Just As Long As We’re Together; and Forever. She has also written the best-selling novels Wifey; Smart Women; and, Summer Sisters. More than 75 million copies of her books have been sold, and her work has been translated into twenty-six languages.
Judy received a B.S. in education from New York University in 1961, which named her a Distinguished Alumna in 1996, the same year that American Library Association honored her with the Margaret A. Edwards Award for Lifetime Achievement. She has won more than ninety awards, none more important than those coming directly from her youngest readers.
Judy’s first book in the Fudge series, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing, was published in 1972. She is thrilled to be celebrating its 30th Anniversary with the publication of Double Fudge. Just as generations of fans have loved the Fudge books, generations of Judy’s family have inspired them. Thirty years ago, Fudge was inspired by her son, Larry, and now Double Fudge was written at the request of her grandson, Elliot.
Judy lives on islands up and down the East Coast with her husband George Cooper. They have three grown children and one grandchild.
Thanks for joining Laura and me for another month of Mom’s Book Nook. As always, feel free to leave any recommendations for next month’s book or feedback in the comments below! Happy summer reading!
