Introducing: These Is My Words

Ladies and Gents, I would like to formally introduce to you all our next read.  Please welcome with open minds and time...These Is My Words.  I honestly don't know much about this novel, but it did come highly recommended to me by a trusted reader, so I'm excited.  It's quite a bit longer than our previous novel, so I'm estimating a total read time of about seven weeks.  That puts us at 55 pages a week.  I know for some of you this is turtle pace, but I never want someone to quit us because they can't keep up.  So, if you finish early, just pick up another read on your own. 

In a compelling fiction debut, Nancy E. Turner's unforgettable These Is My Words melds the sweeping adventures and dramatic landscapes of Lonesome Dove with the heartfelt emotional saga of Oldest Living Confederate Widow Tells All.

Inspired by the author's original family memoirs, this absorbing story introduces us to the questing, indomitable Sarah Prine, one of the most memorable women ever to survive and prevail in the Arizona Territory of the late 1800s. As a child, a fiery young woman, and finally a caring mother, Sarah forges a life as full and as fascinating as our deepest needs, our most secret hopes and our grandest dreams. She rides Indian-style and shoots with deadly aim, greedily devours a treasure trove of leatherbound books, downs fire, flood, Comanche raids and other mortal perils with the unique courage that forged the character of the American West.

Rich in authentic details of daily life and etched with striking character portraits of very different pioneer families, this action-packed novel is also the story of a powerful, enduring love between Sarah and the dashing cavalry officer Captain Jack Elliot. Neither the vast distances traveled nor the harsh and killing terrains could quench the passion between them, and the loss and loneliness both suffer only strengthen their need for each other.

While their love grows, the heartbreak and wonder of the frontier experience unfold in scene after scene: a wagon-train Sunday spent roasting quail on spits as Indians close in to attack; Sarah's silent encounter with an Indian brave, in which he shows her his way of respect; a dreadful discovery by a stream that changes Sarah forever; the hazards of a visit to Phoenix, a town as hot as the devil's frying pan; Sarah's joy in building a real home, sketching out rooms and wraparound porches.
Sarah's incredible story leads us into a vanished world that comes vividly to life again, while her struggles with work and home, love and responsibility resonate with those every woman faces today. These Is My Words is a passionate celebration of a remarkable life, exhilarating and gripping from the first page to the last.

A Few Reader Reviews:
http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/348225.These_Is_My_Words
http://www.seagullfountain.com/2009/04/19/reading-in-the-desert/
http://www.reviewers-choice.com/these_is_my_words.htm
http://www.katelehrer.com/gatheredPieces/fewReviews/theseWords.htm

OK, I'll see you all in a week for a check in ending on page 55.  Happy reading!  -CC

RITR...We're Finished!

We.  Are.  Done.  I'm curious to see what you thought of Racing in the Rain.  I found these generic questions I thought might be a nice way to wrap up a book.  You can answer them all, just a couple, or maybe you have a random thought you'd like to add.  Let me hear from you!

1. Which character do you like the most and why? The least and why?
2. What passage from the book stood out to you?
3. Are there situations and/or characters you can identify with, if so how?
4. Did you learn something you didn’t know before?
5. Do you feel as if your views on a subject have changed by reading this text?
6. Have you had a life changing revelation from reading this text?
7. What major emotion did the story evoke in you as a reader?
8. At what point in the book did you decide if you liked it or not? What helped make this decision?
9. Name your favorite thing overall about the book. Your least favorite?
10. If you could change something about the book what would it be and why?
11. Describe what you liked or disliked about the writer’s style?

RITR Check In

Hey, guys!  Yes, guilty as charged, I did not post last Sunday regarding the third quarter of Racing in the Rain as I said I would, but honestly, I just didn't have much to say or ask at that point.  I figured we could save our thoughts and opinions for this Monday's upcoming post when we finish the book.

"Monday?  I thought it was Sunday?"  Yep, changing that.  I find I like/need both Saturday and Sunday evenings to read, and it so it seems natural for me to post to the blog on Monday regarding the previous week's reading.  Hey, this is a new book club, so I'll be working out the kinks as we go :-)

As for a rough schedule, this is what I'm thinking.  We'll wrap up The Art of Racing in the Rain this weekend, then we'll take next week off so everyone can have time to get the new book, These Is My Words, and catch up on any personal reading they'd like to do.  Sounds good?  Feel free to share any ideas, opinions, suggested reading, etc!

Also, please check out Bending Binds on Facebook.  It's the more active platform if you're looking for more frequent random posts.  There's a link to our FB page on the left side of the blog's home screen.

Have an awesome weekend!
Claire