October, November and December's Newsletter

~~~~Stockton Book Club Newsletter ~~~~
October / November / December
Edition #9, 10 & 11
Fall and Winter
stocktonbookclubut@yahoo.com
http://www.stocktonbookclubut.blogspot.com/

The Help byKathyrn Stockett (October’s Book Choice)

The Help is a 2009 novel by American author Kathryn Stockett. The story is about African American maids working in white households in Jackson, Mississippi during the early 1960s. A USA Today article called it one of 2009's "summer sleeper hits".  An early review in The New York Times notes Stockett's "affection and intimacy buried beneath even the most seemingly impersonal household connections" and says the book is a "button-pushing, soon to be wildly popular novel". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution said of the book, "This heartbreaking story is a stunning debut from a gifted talent".


Note: If you want a copy of the books that we are reading, please call Jamie at 435-840-8183. I’ll  be happy to get you a copy and have it delivered to your home.

***If you have another book title that you think the Book Club would like to read, please let us know. Send us an e-mail at stocktonbookclubut@yahoo.com.***






Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom (November’s Book Choice)

Tuesdays with Morrie is a 1997 non-fiction novel by American writer Mitch Albom. The story was later adapted by Thomas Rickman into a TV movie of the same name directed by Mick Jackson, which aired on 5 December 1999 and starred Jack Lemmon and Hank Azaria. The book topped theNew York Times Non-Fiction Bestsellers of 2000.
This novel tells the true story of Brandeis University retired sociology professor Morrie Schwartz and his relationship with his students. On his graduation, Mitch Albom, the narrator, tells his favorite professor, Morrie Schwartz, that he will keep in touch. However, Mitch doesn't contact his professor until one night when he sees Morrie being interviewed on T.V. It turns out that Morrie has developed ALS, a terminal disease, and is in a wheelchair. Mitch begins to visit his professor and soon realizes that, though he has grown remarkably, he still has a lot to learn from Morrie.
After five years in hardcover, Tuesdays with Morrie was released as a trade paperback in October 2002. It was re-released as a mass-market paperback by Anchor Books in January 2006. According to this edition, 11 million copies of Tuesdays with Morrie are in print worldwide.


Christmas Party!!!!!!

For December we will not have a book to read, but we encourage you to enjoy your holidays with loved ones.  If you would like you can read a book of your liking and you can discuss the book with our club come January.   We will have a Christmas Party, we ask that you bring a White Elephant Gift, a book to trade, and a dessert to share.  

When: Thursday, December 1st 2011
Time: 6:30 pm
Where: Stockton Fire Station


Bookjigs Bookmark
We have an order for the bookmarks.  Visit http://www.bookjigs.com/ to look at the different designs, each design costs start at $18 for a package of 6.  We can trade and switch designs with other members who have purchased the bookmarks.  These are very nice bookmarks, they clip on to the cover of your book and the ribbon attached will hold your place in your book. You don’t lose your bookmark.

Recipes

Minny's Chocolate Pie (The Help by Kathryn Stockett)

1. 1 packaged pie dough crust, such as Pillsbury
2. 1 1/2 cups sugar
3. 3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
4. 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
5. 2 large eggs, beaten
6. 3/4 cup evaporated milk
7. 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
8. 1/4 teaspoon salt
9. Whipped cream, for serving

1. Preheat the oven to 350°. Ease the pie crust into a 9-inch pie plate and crimp the edges decoratively. Prick the crust lightly with a fork. Line the crust with foil or parchment paper and fill with pie weights or dried beans. Bake for 15 minutes or until set. Remove the foil and weights and bake for about 5 minutes longer, just until the crust is dry but not browned.
2. Meanwhile, in a bowl, whisk the sugar with the cocoa powder, butter, eggs, evaporated milk, vanilla and salt until smooth.
3. Pour the filling into the pie shell and bake for about 45 minutes, until the filling is set around the edges but a little jiggly in the center. Cover the crust with strips of foil halfway through baking. Transfer the pie to a rack and let cool completely before cutting into wedges. Serve with whipped cream.

MAKE AHEAD The chocolate pie can be refrigerated overnight.

Chocolate Chip Cookies (Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons hot water
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
• 1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
2. Cream together the butter, white sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Dissolve baking soda in hot water. Add to batter along with salt. Stir in flour, chocolate chips, and nuts. Drop by large spoonfuls onto ungreased pans.
3. Bake for about 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until edges are nicely browned.

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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

Tami Olsen
        
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

May. His Name is Guck by Clyde A. Landon

Jun. Like Father, Like Son? by Roger T. Muir and Greg D. Boyle.

Jul. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

Aug. Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray
Sept. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

Oct. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Nov. Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom

Dec. Book of your choice (Opitional)


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Happy Reading!!!!!

Look for us in Tooele Transcript's Bulletin Board.****

Please Email your comments, questions, and suppgestions to stocktonbookclubut@yahoo.com.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

We'll be reading The Help by Stockett for October's book.  Last month, our book club went and watched the movie The Help.  We decided to read the book.  The novel is told from the point of view of three narrators: Aibileen Clark, a middle-aged African-American maid who has spent her life raising white children, and who has recently lost her only son; Minny Jackson, an African-American maid whose back-talk towards her employers results in her having to frequently change jobs, exacerbating her desperate need for work as well as her family's struggle with money; and Eugenia "Skeeter" Phelan, a young white woman and recent college graduate who, after moving back home, discovers that a maid that helped raise her since childhood has abruptly disappeared and her attempts to find her have been unsuccessful. The stories of the three women intertwine to explain how life in Jackson, Mississippi revolves around "the help", with complex relations of power, money, emotion, and intimacy tying together the white & black families of Jackson.

Our 2nd Anniversary Celebration!!!!

In 2009, Labor Day Weekend we had our first ever book club meeting.  We discussed To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee and enjoyed a yummy dessert.  We want to CELEBRATE our book club's milestone.  We came from humble beginnings. Beginning with a conversation that RonnaLee and Jamie had on Facebook. Since then, we have a fan page and group page on Facebook, a blog, an article in theTooele Transcript and have invited local authors to come and discusse their works with us. RonnaLee and Jamie have decided that it would be fun to have an outing with our book clubbers for a movie and dinner.  The movie would be The Help and dinner will be at Applebee's. We will discussing the books we read during our Summer Break.  Books are Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell, Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray and The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins.

When: Thursday, September 15th 2011
Time: 6:00pm
Where: We will meet at the Stockton LDS Meetinghouse, we will meet there and we go to there together. 

We have decided to watch The Help and we will be reading the book in October.

Please RSVP e-mail us at stocktonbookclubut@yahoo.com.

The Help

July's Newsletter

Stockton Book Club Newsletter
July / August / September 2011
Edition #7, 8 & 9
stocktonbookclubut@yahoo.com
http://www.stocktonbookclubut.blogspot.com/


Summer Break!!!!
For the Summer Months we were thinking of having a small break and we’ll meet in September.  So we will be off through July and August, through that time we have some book titles to read and we will talk about them in September.  Just chose from one or all to read.            

Book Titles:

Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell.
The story is set in Clayton County, Georgia and Atlanta during the American Civil War and Reconstruction and depicts the experiences of Scarlett O'Hara, the spoiled daughter of a well-to-do plantation owner who must use every means at her disposal to come out of the poverty that she finds herself in after Sherman's March to the Sea. The novel is the source of the extremely popular 1939 film of the same name.
***Just a thought, we were thinking of watching the movie while we read the book.  We could read and watch it in parts. It won’t be a meeting, we’ll just get together to watch the movie.***  
The Hunger Games bu Suzanne Collins
It is the first book of the Hunger Games trilogy.  It introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalypticworld in the country of Panem where North America once stood. This is where a powerful government working in a central city called the Capitol holds power. In the book, the Hunger Games are an annual televised event where the Capitol chooses one boy and one girl from each district to fight to the death. The Hunger Games exist to demonstrate not even children are beyond the reach of the Capitol's power.
 
Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray
With her suddenly unemployed husband, her elderly mother, and a petulant teenage daughter sharing space under her roof, Ruth has enough stress already. Then she gets the phone call saying her father, a bar-hopping piano player, has broken both wrists and needs someone to take care of him. Since dear old Dad and Ruth’s mother are sworn enemies, it looks like stormy territory ahead.
Ruth reverts to her favorite stress-reduction technique, visualizing herself sitting in the warm, safe haven in the center of a bundt cake. She feels protected there, open to the universe but safe from it. Ruth’s husband Sam, a former hospital administrator, thinks he needs a career change and dreams of buying old sailboats, refurbishing them, and selling them for profit. Jarred by the risk-taking and potential for financial ruin, Ruth wonders if she could launch a mid-life career as a cake baker. She bakes all the time anyway, why not do it for profit?
The whole family gets into the act. Daughter Camille makes business cards that say “Eat Cake”, and thus a name is chosen. Ruth’s father contacts old cronies in fine restaurant service and offers them samples. Ruth’s mother sews elaborate presentation boxes for the cakes. Even Sam is enlisted into service on the production end. When Ruth loses the nerve to approach businesses to buy her cakes, Camille steps in, asking for double the price her mother had contemplated. Business takes off, and family happiness ensues.

Note: If you want a copy of the books that we are reading, please call Jamie at 435-840-8183. I’ll  be happy to get you a copy and have it delivered to your home.

***If you have another book title that you think the Book Club would like to read, please let us know. Send us an e-mail at stocktonbookclubut@yahoo.com.***

Our 2nd Anniversary

It all started in 2009 when RonnaLee posted that she wanted start a book club on Facebook. Jamie commented that she agreed with the idea and it took off from there. Our first meeting was during Labor Day weekend, we discussed “To Kill A Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee.  So far it has been a wonderful experience for all our members.  As a group we have had some fun and colorful discussions about the books we have read.  In some of our book meetings, we got so involved in the discussion about life and we actually forgot to discuss the book.  Every meeting brings new unique experiences for all of us.  One month, we read “The Importance of Being Earnest” by Oscar Wilde which was chosen by Jim Wilde, he brought the play to the meeting and we watched it during the meeting.   Just recently, we have invited local authors to come and talk about their books and their writing process, we would like to do it again very soon.  We also had the Tooele Transcript write an article about us.  Our blog was had such great success, we have had people all over the world looking at our blog.  We are extremely excited about our results and we are looking forward to the future.  
Anyways, RonnaLee and Jamie thought about doing something special for meeting in September. We were thinking of doing something in Salt Lake City or Park City, maybe go shopping, to a play or out to eat.  Let us know what you would like to do.  E-mail us your idea.

Bookjigs Bookmark
We have an order for the bookmarks.  Visit http://www.bookjigs.com/ to look at the different designs, each design costs start at $18 for a package of 6.  We can trade and switch designs with other members who have purchased the bookmarks.  These are very nice bookmarks, they clip on to the cover of your book and the ribbon attached will hold your place in your book. You don’t lose your bookmark.

Recipes
 

Sweet Potato Pie (Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell)

Ingredients

• 1 (1 pound) sweet potato
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1 cup white sugar
• 1/2 cup milk
• 2 eggs
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 (9 inch) unbaked pie crust

Directions

1. Boil sweet potato whole in skin for 40 to 50 minutes, or until done. Run cold water over the sweet potato, and remove the skin.
2. Break apart sweet potato in a bowl. Add butter, and mix well with mixer. Stir in sugar, milk, eggs, nutmeg, cinnamon and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until mixture is smooth. Pour filling into an unbaked pie crust.

Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 55 to 60 minutes, or until knife inserted in center comes out clean. Pie will puff up like a souffle, and then will sink down as it cools. 



 
Glazed Lemon Bundt Cake (Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray)

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter or margarine, softened
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon extract
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup milk
• 1 tablespoon grated lemon peel
• GLAZE:
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon water
• 1/2 teaspoon lemon extract
• 3/4 cup sugar

Directions

1. In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in extracts. Combine flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture alternately with milk. Stir in lemon peel. Pour into a greased and floured 10-in. fluted tube pan. Bake at 350 degrees F for 60-70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean. Cool for 10 minutes; invert onto a wire rack. Cool 10 minutes longer. Place rack on waxed paper. Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over the warm cake. Cool completely before serving.

Parmesan Crusted Chicken with a Creamy Orange Sauce Recipe (Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins)

The flavors of this Parmesan Crusted Chicken with a Creamy Orange Sauce are to die for!   It is an elegant main dish that is quite easy to make.  It can even be prepared in the morning, just cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook. 
 

Ingredients

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

• 8 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 cups fine bread crumbs
• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh ground pepper
• Juice of 1/2 mandarin orange

Creamy Orange Sauce

• 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh minced rosemary leaves
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh minced thyme leaves
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup fresh sqeezed orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon Tabasco sauce
• 20 mandarin orange slices
• Orange zest for garnish

Instructions

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Lightly grease a large baking dish.
2. Pound chicken breast to 1/4 inch thickness using a mallet.   Cut chicken breast in half.
3. Mix melted butter and garlic in a shallow bowl. Set aside.

Mix bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, parsley, paprika, salt and pepper in a large shallow bowl.  Dip each chicken breast into the garlic butter and then into the bread crumb mixture to coat.  Roll up each breast and secure with a toothpick.  Lay seam-side down in prepared baking dish.  Squeeze juice of 1/2 mandarin orange over chicken breasts.  If you are making this dish ahead of time, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to cook.

1. Bake for 40 – 50 minutes, until chicken is done.  Be sure to remove toothpicks before serving.

Creamy Orange Sauce

1. Add cream, rosemary, thyme, salt, mandarin orange juice, and Tabasco to a saucepan and bring to a boil.  Stir constantly, until sauce has thickened, approximately 8 minutes.
2. Gently stir in mandarin orange slices.
3. Serve over Parmesan Crusted Chicken.  Garnish with orange zest.

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****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 

Tami Olsen

         
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

May. His Name is Guck by Clyde A. Landon

              Jun. Like Father, Like Son? by Roger T. Muir and Greg D. Boyle.

             *Jul. Gone With The Wind by Margaret Mitchell

             *Aug. Eat Cake by Jeanne Ray

             *Sept. Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

      *Summer Break Books.
"LIKE" us on Facebook for news, updates and fun! Look for Stockton Book Club.
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.Visit our blog often and keep tabs on us. www.stocktonbookclubut.blogspot.com

 

Look for us in Tooele Transcript's Bulletin Board.****

 

Email us if you have a book title you would like us to read.  We are also looking for Local Utah Authors to come and discuss their book to us.  Please send us a note to stocktonbookclubut@yahoo.com.

Happy Reading!!!!

.