The book for August 29 is The Mermaid Chair

The book for August 29, at 7:30 is The Mermaid Chair by Sue Monk Kidd. This is the same author who wrote The Secret Life of Bees that so many members liked.

Here is a reveiw from Amazon.com:

Sue Monk Kidd's The Mermaid Chair is the soulful tale of Jessie Sullivan, a middle-aged woman whose stifled dreams and desires take shape during an extended stay on Egret Island, where she is caring for her troubled mother, Nelle. Like Kidd's stunning debut novel, The Secret Life of Bees, her highly anticipated follow up evokes the same magical sense of whimsy and poignancy.
While Kidd places an obvious importance on the role of mysticism and legend in this tale, including the mysterious mermaid's chair at the center of the island's history, the relationships between characters is what gives this novel its true weight. Once she returns to her childhood home, Jessie is forced to confront not only her relationship with her estranged mother, but her other emotional ties as well. After decades of marriage to Hugh, her practical yet conventional husband, Jessie starts to question whether she is craving an independence she never had the chance to experience. After she meets Brother Thomas, a handsome monk who has yet to take his final vows, Jessie is forced to decide whether passion can coexist with comfort, or if the two are mutually exclusive. As her soul begins to reawaken, Jessie must also confront the circumstances of her father's death, a tragedy that continues to haunt Jessie and Nelle over thirty years later.
By boldly tackling such major themes as love, betrayal, grief, and forgiveness, The Mermaid Chair forces readers to question whether moral issues can always be interpreted in black or white. It is this ability to so gracefully present multiple sides of a story that reinforces Kidd's reputation as a well-respected modern literary voice. --Gisele Toueg --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

Updates from July - Fastfood Nation

The organic beef that we were talking about is Heartland Beef and can be purchased at the Lincoln Square Farmers market every Tuesday morning. Erica and I find it tastier and cheaper than what we can buy at Whole Foods. If you want to find out more about it, their web site is: www.heartlandmeats.com . You'll notice that the fat content of the beef is extremely low. More like you would expect for chicken than for beef.

Speaking of beef and chicken. Eric Schlosser, author of Fastfood Nation, has another book you might be interested in. It is called Chew on This. This is about the 37 day life of a pre-Chicken McNugget (Amazon.com review). The book is written for grades 6 - 9; so it could be an interesting read for you and some older children that you know.

Jen