I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flag

When the story begins, we meet Maggie Fortenberry, the still beautiful ex-Miss Alabama and former model, who has returned to her home town of Birmingham and is now selling real estate in the high-end market of Mountain Brook. On the outside, Maggie may appear to others to be cool, calm, and collected, but all is not what it seems. For years, Maggie has been living with a painful and secret past, and now that the bottom has suddenly fallen out of the real estate market, her future is not looking all that great either. Maggie finds herself with a dilemma that many baby booomers are facing these days: “Too young to retire, and too old to start a new profession.” Now what?

After months of long, sleepless nights, Maggie finally comes up with what she thinks is “the perfect plan” for what to do with the rest of her life. But as we all know, plans don’t always turn out the way we want. Anyhow, while Maggie is busy trying to put her perfect plan into action, something unexpected happens and she finds herself embroiled in the middle of a mystery that might even baffle Nancy Drew!

There were several times I wondered why I continued reading this story because Maggie's drive to end it all did not set well within me. There was, however, a place in the story where I took pause and considered my own plight and how if I never had my daughter and my parents had moved onto the next realm, if I, too, would not have considered the same path. Mostly because I have lost my path at times in life and claimed my daughter's existence as my Saving Grace. As I grow older I grow to know that I have a strong faith that life is like the pendulum swing in that it swings just as far into the dark as it does into the light.

Discussion Questions:
1. Maggie’s life hasn’t turned out the way she’d hoped, and at the beginning of the book she makes her big decision to fix it once and for all. Why do you think she feels this way, and what makes her decide that the time has come to put her plan into action? Have you ever felt the way Maggie does, and if so, what did you do to solve it?
Maggie had all sorts of dreams that were based on her winning the Miss USA pageant, but when she did not win she came home feeling as though she let everyone, including herself, down. She compared her life with those around her - those she deemed happy or successes at life. She had no children, no husband and her parents were gone. He greatest friend in the world had just passed and with it fears of their business spinning into the drain. She lost hope, but worse, she lost faith. Why this particular time? She had no one left to object or to whom she felt responsible. Or maybe she felt as though she had no one left who needed her.

I have definitely gone through a few dark patches on my journey and no doubt I will again. The difference with the times I experience now and the earlier ones in my life is that I now understand the pendulum swing and have faith in the Universe that I will not be given more than I can handle. I know that there are learning opportunities and silver linings to all challenging times - I just have to find the patience and keep faith alive.

2. Maggie’s decision comes at the end of a perfectly ordinary day, with no bells and whistles or dramatic events. In your opinion, is this typical of the way big changes happen in real life? Can you think of examples in your own life where a major event happened on an otherwise ordinary-feeling day?
No, not really. The times I have experienced the want to just move on and end this trip through the living realm have been when I am going through rough and rocky roads. I always feel the need to depart this world during depressive, dark, times.

3. What are Maggie’s “16 perfectly good reasons to jump in the river”? If you were making the list, what would you put in your “pros” and “cons” columns? Cons: I would miss the next swing of the pendulum into the light, my daughter, my parents and other family members. I may not have a spouse, or a thriving business and financial security, but I do have the opportunity to become better, to learn new lessons of faith and understanding, to perhaps share something with another in need that helps them along their journey. I am nothing more than a tool of the universe. This body is borrowed, my soul a at times a tool, at times a sponge... My life has purpose even if I do not know exactly what its purpose is at every moment. I have faith and I believe in the Great Mystery to shine the light on the path I am to take.

4. When Charles proposed to Maggie years before, she turned him down. Why did she do this? Do you think she made the right decision, given the circumstances at the time? In hindsight, should she have made a different decision? What would you have done?
I cannot remember the exact reasons she gave Charles as to her answer. I do remember that her reason had something to do with holding him back from knowing true happiness. I am not much on martyrdom and try always to make decisions based on my truths. If it were going to hold me back from being of further use to the Universal needs I may turn down a proposal. I always ask myself, "Who am I that I should know what is best for you and your path?" I can't answer for Maggie's hindsight but she seemed to have learned a great lesson. We as mere humans can rarely answer our own riddles, or know what's best for our own lives; how can it be that she could know what's best for Charles' future and sojourne?

5. Both Brenda and Maggie each think that the other’s life is easier and happier. Brenda is envious of Maggie’s good looks and constant cheerfulness and charm, while Maggie wishes she had Brenda’s practicality and the comfort of her big family. Why do you think they believe this—is the grass simply always greener on the other side of the fence? If you had to choose between Brenda’s and Maggie’s, which kind of life would you prefer?
In my life I have had both. I grew up in a huge family with strong family ties, yet I chose a life of solitude 3000 miles away. I'm an odd one indeed, because I do not do well carrying a burden of other's expectations of me, especially when those people are people I care most about. If I were to return to Brenda's life I would surely disappoint so many of the people I love the most. Now that I live Maggie's life I do get lonely quite often, but enjoy the quiet and peace of no expectations.

6. Edwina Crocker-Sperry spent her life protecting a huge secret, one that both gave her tremendous freedom and tightly curtailed her world. What do you think that life was like for her? Would you like to have been Edwina, or to have lived a life like hers? What do you think would have happened if her secret had been discovered?
I have read quite a few stories about times during the mid to late 1800's and how boys were preferred over girls, and each time it turns my stomach to think of how girls were treated just because their father's were not given male heirs. Poor Edwina. How she must have felt knowing her father could not accept her for who she was. Poor family in that the community belief that a woman could not be heir to a busineses. Do I wish I could live a double life? Uhm, no. I have enough of a hard time living my single one in good measure and keeping. It did make me happy to read that Edwina found a way to live and disclose her true womanly self it is just too bad that she could not do so in her own home with her family.

7. Everyone who meets Hazel Whisenknott falls in love with her, with her energy and enthusiasm and optimism. Even five years after she is gone, she still brightens the lives of all her friends and employees. Do you know anyone like Hazel?

8. Hazel refused to let anything get in the way of her dreams. What lessons could we all learn from Hazel’s story? What about Maggie’s?

9. At one point, Maggie meets a schoolmate who is surprised to hear that Maggie never became Miss America—the friend has been bragging about knowing Miss America for years. When Maggie tells her she was just the second runner-up, she laughs, “Honey, it’s like the Oscars; after so many years, nobody ever remembers who won, just who was nominated.” How does this change Maggie’s perspective? Do you think the observation is true, or not? Can you think of examples?

10. One effect of Maggie’s decision, she realizes, is that she no longer has to worry about the consequences of her actions. She stops going to the gym and watching the news, and starts having a lot more fun. She even speaks her mind to Babs Bingington! If you didn’t have to worry about the long-term consequences of your actions, what would you do differently? Is there anything on your list you might want to do anyway? Is there anything you might want to give up, despite the consequences?

Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

After being dumped by his longtime girlfriend, twenty-eight-year-old Justin Halpern found himself living at home with his seventy-three-year-old dad. Sam Halpern, who is "like Socrates, but angrier, and with worse hair," has never minced words, and when Justin moved back home, he began to record all the ridiculous things his dad said to him:

"That woman was sexy. . . . Out of your league? Son, let women figure out why they won't screw you. Don't do it for them."

"Do people your age know how to comb their hair? It looks like two squirrels crawled on their heads and started fucking."

"The worst thing you can be is a liar. . . . Okay, fine, yes, the worst thing you can be is a Nazi, but then number two is liar. Nazi one, liar two."

More than a million people now follow Mr. Halpern's philosophical musings on Twitter, and in this book, his son weaves a brilliantly funny, touching coming-of-age memoir around the best of his quotes. An all-American story that unfolds on the Little League field, in Denny's, during excruciating family road trips, and, most frequently, in the Halperns' kitchen over bowls of Grape-Nuts, Sh*t My Dad Says is a chaotic, hilarious, true portrait of a father-son relationship from a major new comic voice.


I literally could not read this book without cracking up. I began reading it on the flight to visit my family for the holidays. Just before we exited the plan the gentleman behind me tapped me on the shoulder and said, "You have to tell me the name of the book you are reading." He said that because I fought back over the top, from the gut laughter, so badly my eyes stayed watery.

Definitely not a read for those who are easily offended by foul language and politically incorrectness.

Spoken From the Heart by Laura Bush

Wow! This book changes everything - well, it changes a lot of my old perceptions. I am not sure why I chose this book to read because as most who know me know I have never been fond of her husband's leadership. My distaste for his leadership lead to my personal assumption about who he is as a person. In this I have learned a lesson - again. We as people are in large part have two sides to our persona. The me I am here at home does influence who I am in public and at work, but visually and acoustically a very different woman. At work I am an aggressive recruiter at home I am laid back and connected to my woman spirit.

I am glad I read this book of life from Laura Bush's perspective. In it she describes with such clarity you can actually imagine what it was like to live in Midland during the oil boom. I understand better that part of the country breeds the strong willed and why those from that region are very proud of their heritage.

The story interweaves the consistency of her father moving their family from house to house within the town, her incredible friendships that have stood the test of time, and of a tragedy that left her grieving silently for decades. She lived through the thick of the civil rights movement graduating college in 1968 she took on teaching in intercity schools and later a trained as a librarian. The marriage to George took place after only having dated him for three months, but they knew upon meeting they were destined to be together forever. The stories of being thrust into the limelight of the political world and of the relationship with her mother in law (this one blew me away.) The biggest shocker of the entire story is of George's devotion to her and his family. I think that is the biggest reason I am glad I read the book... I hate the idea of the leader of our masses being cold and calculating.

A few questions I will ponder to answer:

1. Laura Welch learned that her grandmother had lost two children, but no one new the entire story—because it was never discussed. "You might talk about the wind and the weather, but troubles you swallowed deep down inside." In what way does this training—suppressing unpleasant information—prepare her for the life ahead?

2. How does Laura describe her growing up as an only child? What was it like for her eventually to marry into the large, boisterous Bush family? How hard do you think it was for the once shy girl who went on "solo picnics" to fit in?

3. How does Laura Bush frame the terrible car accident that happened when she was 17? She writes that so many lives were wrecked that night at that corner." Talk about the accident and its aftermath.

4. If you are "of an age," how well does Laura capture the tone and tenor of the 1950s and '60s? She grew up in Texas, but are there similarities to your childhood years?

5. Laura Bush doesn't talk about how she felt watching so many of her friends marry...and she, herself, not marrying until the day after her 31th birthday. She learned of a friend's remark that "the most eligible bachelor in Midland" married "the old maid of Midland." She says she thought it was funny. Do you believe her?

6. How does she explain the whirlwind courtship with her future husband? Does she discuss what drew her—a once shy, bookish young woman who read Tolstoy by the poolside—to an outgoing jock-turned-oil-man? How does she talk about their differences...and what holds their marriage together?

7. What does she mean that she and George, as a young married couple, "were the outliers on the Bush family curve"?

8. How does Laura talk about her relationship with her mother-in-law, Barbara Bush? How did the relationship evolve?

9. In what ways did Laura's life change from being first lady of Texas to being First Lady of the United States? Did you/do you ever envy her positions? Would you find it exciting...or terrifying...to be the wife of the President of the United States?

10. How does Laura defend the her husband's decision to declare war on Iraq? And his response to hurricane Katrina?

11. Talk about how she felt on her return to private life in Texas in 2009. What does she mean when she says, "I could at last exhale"?

12. Laura Bush has always been described as a deeply private individual. Do you feel she reveals her inner self in this memoir? Do you feel you know who she is, more so than when you started the book? Or do you feel she revealed very little, especially after her childhood?



She's a remarkable woman and tells of her childhood in the little west Tewhere everyone knew everyone and then some. Her childhood seems so enchanting and full of love. As I read I was continually shocked or moved emotionally by some of her experiences. Her devotion to education and love for children endears her to her reader. Her adoration of her husband no matter what leaves a lonely heart yearning for something never attained. She's truly a fascinating woman and after reading her book I have added her to my "Most Like to Meet" list.

Firefly Lane by Krisin Hannah

I read more in the summer months of 2010 than I have in a long while. Having the time for reading has been wonderful and am realizing now, at 45, what I have been missing all my life by not finding the time to read. This book was handed to me by a young woman who worked at the hospital on a temporary assignment this summer. It caught my fancy first because it was written by an author who is from the PNW and grew up not far from the area I first called home a decade ago. As I began reading I found I couldn't bear to put it down. It is a touching story of two girls who met during their early teen years - the year, 1974. While the story was excellent it left me reflective of what my life may have been had I been fortunate enough to of met a lifetime friend when I was younger. It was easy for me to step into Kate and Tully's world and follow their lives as though I were a bystander. I identify more with Kate in that I've always searched for the something more... I will have to rethink that longing now because what I have had and experienced in my life has been all I really needed; love, family, health, strength, faith... toss in adventure and what else could a woman ask for to complete the journey?

Here are some of the questions other readers have posted and my answers according to my interpretation.

1. One of the first things Tully says to Kate is a lie. Indeed, Tully is quick to lie throughout her life. Do you think this trait is her way of hiding the shame of her past or is it a willful reinterpretation of self? Do these lies and manipulations, big and small, help her ultimately to be more honest about whom she is, or do they undermine her ability to face her ownshortcomings?

2. From her earliest memory, Tully feels abandoned by her mother and father. How does this sense of being unwanted influence her life? How does her troubled relationship with her mother lead to the decisions she makes in her life? Do children have an obligation of some kind to forgive their parents, even inthe face of repeated disappointment? How much do you think childhood heartaches make us who we are?

3. The Kate-Johnny-Tully triangle is one of the fundamental underpinnings of the novel. How does Johnny really feel about Tully? How does Tully feel about him?

4. Kate believes she is Johnny's second choice for love. How does Johnny contribute to her insecurities? How did Tully? How much of a relationshipis set in the beginning and how are changes made as we grow?

5. When Chad leaves Tully, she rationalizes away her broken heart by saying,"if really loved me, he would wait for me." What does this reveal about Tully's perception of romantic love? How do these perceptions setthe stage for the rest of her life? Do you believe that Tully will ever fall in love?

6. Near the end of the novel, when their friend is on the rocks, both women feel wronged. Certainly Kate has ample reason to feel betrayed, but what about Tully's similar belief? Do you understand why Tully was upset, too? Do you believe that a friend should always reach out, even when great pain has been caused? Or do you believe that true friends would never hurt each other?

7. If you could think of one word that personified the seventies, the eighties,the nineties, and the new millennium (so far), what would those words be?

8. At which moment in the novel did you first notice a hint of tension between Tully and Kate? Who do you feel was to blame for this turning point?

9. Music plays an important role in this novel. What musical memories do you have of your teen years, your twenties, and today? Do you feel, as we get older, that music plays less of a role in our lives? Why do you feel that music so profoundly impacts us when we're "coming of age?"

10. What do you feel Kate was most jealous about with regards to Tully? And what was Tully the most envious of in Kate's life? Jealousy is often wanting what we cannot have. Do you feel that these characters truly could not have the things they wanted? If not, why not?

11. Under what circumstances do you feel a betrayal is unforgivable? Do you feel that any of these characters crossed that line?

12. What role do you see Tully playing in Mara's life, after the pages of the novel are closed?

Descartes' Bones by Russell Shorto

It has been quite a while since the last time I read a book through. This book, however, is difficult to put down. While waiting on my daughter to finish work I made a round at the local bookstore and this book caught my eye immediately. Of all the other books I flipped through, this one never left my hand. Summer reading to most my friends are hot little romances, or a light hearted feel good, but for me, summer fun reading is flavored with history and opens my mind to thought.

The description on the back of the book described Shorto's style of writing 'elegant'. After reading only a few pages I agree - he has an incredible smooth style that flows from paragraph to paragraph which was totally unexpected of a historical piece. I truly invite you to give the book a couple page read the next time you visit a bookstore.

Descartes was a mathmetician in the 1600's. At least he always returned to his love of math - some say it was because of the true proven values. It was not until later in life that he began publishing his thoughts about philisophical ideas and notions. Born in France, but died in Sweden, the two countries disagreed with where his bones should rest so they shared them. This book shares Shorto's perspective on the journey Descartes bones would take and show how this event, coupled with the man's thoughts and ideas on the belief that body and mind were two rather than one, affected, and probably began, the new modern age of the world.

Here are some of the discussion questions that I will try to answer while reading this book:

1.Descartes' Bones opens with this quotation from Shakespeare's Richard II: "What can we bequeath save our deposed bodies to the ground?" In the context of what we learn in Descartes' Bones, what do you think this quote means? Why did the author choose it?

2.What do you think of the author's conversational writing style, how he weaves his experiences and opinion into the narrative? Did it enhance your reading experience?

3.Before reading Descartes' Bones, what meaning did Descartes' most famous saying, "I think, therefore I am," hold for you? Did it change now that you've read the book? How?

4.What is your definition of philosophy? Is there a particular philosopher to whose theories you subscribe? What do you think of Descartes' disproved theory of dualism? Can you understand why it was accepted for so long?

5."Dr. Mennecier is what you would call a French intellectual….To many people…that would be considered a slur…but the term can also encompass a way of looking at the world that is becoming sadly rare—call it a serious commitment to idiosyncracy,". How does Descartes embody this description by the author? What about the author himself? How would you describe someone with a "commitment to idiosyncracy?" Is that a good or bad trait?

6."The prevailing wisdom in neuroscience and philosophy is that Descartes was dead wrong. Mind and body—mind and brain—aren't fundamentally different at all." What do you make of this statement from the Preface, that such a revered figure in science such as Descartes was ultimately wrong? Does the fact that dualism was debunked make you question the accuracy of Descartes' other teachings?

7.The author poses many questions about what he terms the "perennial conflict between faith and reason." To you, what comprises this dispute? Why has it persisted through centuries?

8."[Descartes] wanted to reorient the way people thought,". How are people influenced? Do you think it's really possible to alter the way a person actually thinks? If so, how would one go about doing so?

9.The author describes the great lengths to which opponents of Cartesianism went to prevent its ideas from being spread. Why was Cartesianism considered so dangerous?

10."In the prevailing modern view, faith has no business meddling in astronomy or biology." Do you agree with this statement from Chapter Two? Considering debates like those between believers of Darwin's theory of evolution and those of intelligent design, how does religion factor into these ideas?

11.The author describes the saga of Descartes' bones as a metaphor for modernity. Do you agree with his characterization?

12.In Chapter Six the author explains his obsession with the tale of Descrtes' bones by stating that we as human beings "are all detectives" and "we crave closure." Do you agree? Why is the story of Descartes' bones so interesting to Russell Shorto, and to others? To paraphrase the book's descriptive copy, why should anyone care about the remains of one long-dead philosopher?