April's Book Club Newsletter

Stockton Book Club Newsletter!!!!

April 2011

stocktonbookclubut@yahoo.com
Edition #4
http://www.stocktonbookclubut.blogspot.com/



The Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie (April’s Book Choice)
Book was chosen by Jim Wilde. This book is Miss Marple's first mystery.

About the Book:
Miss Jane Marple, spinster sleuth extraordinaire, is introduced in this first-ever mystery to feature her brilliant talents. The setting is St. Mary Mead, where Colonel Protheroe is found shot in the vicar's study. Nearly everyone in town is a suspect: his daughter, his second wife, the artist enamored with both of them, the poacher, and even the vicar. Into this uproar, Miss Marple carefully steps and shrewdly fits the nearly endless puzzle pieces together. Match wits with this master of the deductive arts.

Fun Facts about Agatha Christie

•Her stage play The Mousetrap (AKA - Three Blind Mice) holds the record for the longest initial run: it opened at the Ambassador Theater in London on 25 November 1952 and as of 2011 is still running after more than 23,000 performances.

•She wrote romances under the name Mary Westmacott.

•Her first Miss Marple Mystery is Murder at the Vicarage and her final Miss Marple Mystery is Sleeping Murder.

•In late 1926, Agatha's husband, Archie, revealed that he was in love with another woman, Nancy Neele, and wanted a divorce. On 8 December 1926 the couple quarreled, and Archie Christie left their house Styles in Sunningdale, Berkshire, to spend the weekend with his mistress at Godalming, Surrey. That same evening Agatha disappeared from her home, leaving behind a letter for her secretary saying that she was going to Yorkshire. Her disappearance caused an outcry from the public, many of whom were admirers of her novels. Despite a massive manhunt, she was not found for 11 days. On 19 December 1926 Agatha was identified as a guest at the Swan Hydropathic Hotel (now the Old Swan Hotel) in Harrogate, Yorkshire, where she was registered as 'Mrs Teresa Neele' from Cape Town. Agatha gave no account of her disappearance. Although two doctors had diagnosed her as suffering from psychogenic fugue, opinion remains divided as to the reasons for her disappearance. One suggestion is that she had suffered a nervous breakdown brought about by a natural propensity for depression, exacerbated by her mother's death earlier that year and the discovery of her husband's infidelity. Public reaction at the time was largely negative, with many believing it a publicity stunt while others speculated she was trying to make the police believe her husband had killed her.

•During the Second World War, Christie worked in the pharmacy at University College Hospital, London, where she acquired a knowledge of poisons that she put to good use in her post-war crime novels. For example, the use of thallium as a poison was suggested to her by UCH Chief Pharmacist Harold Davis (later appointed Chief Pharmacist at the UK Ministry of Health), and in The Pale Horse, published in 1961, she employed it to dispatch a series of victims, the first clue to the murder method coming from the victims’ loss of hair. So accurate was her description of thallium poisoning that on at least one occasion it helped solve a case that was baffling doctors.

Fun Facts about St. Mary’s Mead (Fictional Town of Miss Marple)

•St. Mary Mead is supposed to be in the southeast of England, within commuting distance of London. It is just outside the town of Much Benham and is close to Market Basing (which appears as a name of a town in many of Agatha Christie's novels and short stories) and is 12 miles from the fashionable seaside resort of Danemouth.

•Before the Second World War, the village itself was not particularly large. The only road of significance passing through the village was High Street. Here were the well-established purveyances of Mr. Petherick, the solicitor; Mrs. Jamieson, the hairdressers; Mr. Thomas's basket-weavers; The Blue Boar Pub; and Mr. Baker's grocery shop. The little-trafficked railway station, featured in the book The Murder at The Vicarage is also located at the very end of High Street.

•St. Mary Mead is modeled on any quintessentially British country village one can visit today.

His Name is Guck by Clyde A. Landon (May’s Book Choice)

Book was chosen by Donna Wilde.

About the book:
At the age of ten, Clyde Landon's world revolved around slingshots, marbles, and talking his way out of trouble. But that all changed the day he met Guck, a motley colored shepherd dog. The bond between them was immediate, and when Guck needed a new home, it was Clyde who quickly assumed responsibility, convincing his parents to allow him a pet, despite the family already having too many mouths to feed. Guck was ours. I could hardly believe it. There wasn't another dog in the whole wide world like him...'You're ours!' I told him. 'You're mine. Mom said I could keep you.' For some strange reason, I felt as though I was telling him something he already knew, but he listened intently while I carried on...'Guck Landon.' It sounded perfect, just perfect. In His Name is Guck: A Story of a Boy and His Dog author Clyde Landon recounts his unforgettable memories with this special dog, one who displayed the ultimate in love, courage, and devotion. Landon uses his knack for description to transport readers to 1940s Colorado, where a boy and his dog roamed the mountainside together, sharing incredible adventures and an undying bond of friendship.

Editor’s Note: The Author, Clyde Landon will come and speak to us about the book at May’s Book Club Meeting. If you would like to order the book before hand. The book is available on Amazon for $20.99 (new) and $12.00 (used). Book is also available at Barnes and Noble and Hastings in Ogden, Utah.

****April’s and May’s Meeting will be combined and will be on May28th @ 1:00pm at the Stockton Fire Station (207 N/ Conner, Stockton, Utah). We'll be having a Potluck Lunch, please feel free to bring a Potluck Dish of your choice.  The Author, Clyde A. Landon will be present and will be discussing his book with us.***

Like Father, Like Son?, by Roger T. Muir and Greg D. Boyd June’s Book Choice
 
We’ll be reading Like Father, Like Son?, by Roger T. Muir and Greg D. Boyd in honor of Fathers Day. We’ll be able to get the author to come in and talk about the book. We would like to get as many people as we can involved. The majority of our club is Women and Mothers, we would like to get Fathers and Men involved in the discussion. We’ll be also joining another book club in Stockton, the South Rim Book Club. Book chosen by Ronnalee Hesford.



About the Book:
Co-authored by Roger T. Muir and Greg D. Boyle, this quick read retales the true stories of two young boys who grew up in very different circumstances. One had a dad in the home, the other did not. Both find paths to success, but at what cost, and how can you ensure you're on the right track?Concerned with the staggering statistics that 85% of all imprisoned youth and 63% of all youth suicides come from children of fatherless homes, this book explores a very serious topic with the greatest of integrity and compassion, combining tough realities with a great blend of humor, hope and inspiration.
***Richard Paul Evans, NY Times #1 best selling author of The Christmas Box stated, “In their book, Like Father, Like Son?, Muir and Boyle examine the impact a good father can have on his son – and the damaging effects his absence can create. As you contemplate the stories and recommendations shared, I believe you will find a sense of healing and renewed potential."***

Book’s website - http://www.fixthefathers.com/

~*~*~ The Meeting for June will be announced at a later date. We will keep you posted on the updates.~*~*~

Recipe

Very Berry Trifle

Ingredients

•3 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla pudding mix, prepared according to package directions

•1 1/2 teaspoons almond extract, divided

•1/2 cup white grape juice

•1 (12 ounce) loaf pound cake, cut into 1/2-inch slices

•1/2 cup SMUCKER'S® Red Raspberry Preserves

•1/2 cup SMUCKER'S® Blackberry Preserves

•1 cup whipping cream

•1 tablespoon powdered sugar

•1 teaspoon vanilla

•8 crisp almond macaroon cookies, crushed

Directions
1.Prepare pudding mixes according to package directions; cool. Blend in 1 teaspoon of the almond extract. Set aside. Combine remaining 1/2 teaspoon extract with grape juice. Set aside.

2.Spread 1/4 of pound cake slices with raspberry preserves and 1/4 with blackberry preserves; top each spread slice with unspread slice to form "sandwiches." Cut sandwiches into 3/4-inch wide pieces. Reserve a few to garnish top of trifle; sprinkle remaining pieces with grape juice mixture.

3.To assemble trifle, spoon 1/3 of pudding into 6-cup dessert dish or trifle bowl. Alternate raspberry and blackberry cake pieces in pattern on pudding, using half of pieces. Repeat procedure. Top with remaining pudding. Chill several hours.

4.Shortly before serving, whip cream with powdered sugar and vanilla until soft peaks form. Sprinkle crushed macaroons around edge of dish. Pipe rosettes or spoon dollops of whipped cream on top of trifle; garnish with reserved cake pieces

Nutritional Information
Amount Per Serving Calories: 409
Total Fat: 15.2g
Cholesterol: 90mg

Editors Note: Thanks to Jim Wilde for the idea for the Trifle Recipe. If you have an idea for a recipe that coordinates with the book, please let us know. stocktonbookclubut@yahoo.com.


Current Stockton Book Club Members
RonnaLee Hesford - Founder
Jamie West - Co-Founder
Nadine West
Kathleen Memmot
Lela Anderson
Mary Durtschi
Debbie Rusk
Suzanne Thompson
Jim Wilde
Donna Wilde
Don West Jr.
Josie West
Jill Bartholmew
Doralee Speakman
Joyce Grogan

Books We Have Read in the Past Months
2009 -
Sept. - To Kill a Mocking Bird by Lee Harper
Oct. - Peyton Place by Grace Metalicous
Nov. - Jacob Have I Loved by Katherine Patterson
Dec. - A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
2010-
Jan. The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffennegger
Feb. The Importance of Being Eanest by Oscar Wilde
Mar. The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
Apr. The Kite Runner by Khaled Housseini
May. The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom
Jun. Life of Pi by Yann Martel
Jul. Agent Bishop by Mike Peters
Aug. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
Sept. Percy Jackson and The Olympians: The Lighting Thief by Rick Riodan
Oct. The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Lerouix
Nov. The Wednesday Letters by Jason F. Wright
Dec. Collection of Christmas Stories by Various Authors
2011-
Jan. Fried Green Tomatoes of the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg.
Feb. Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Mar. Love, Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli
Apr. Murder at the Vicarage by Agatha Christie

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Happy Reading!!!!!


If you have an idea for a book and would like to host a book club meeting or if you have any questions or comments please call Jamie at 435-840-8183 or Ronnalee at 435-843-9675. Email at stocktonbookclubut@yahoo.com.