DECEMBER: Janice - The Dog Under The Bed: Arthur On The Streets by DJ Cowdell

The Dog Under The Bed: Arthur On The Streets (book 2) by DJ Cowdell  (107 pages)

Arthur is a little dog, in search of love, missing the lady who loved him most, finding out just how hard life can be for a dog alone. Follow his journey as he goes not only in search of love and a home, but how he learns the truths of life, and how hard it can be for the dog that nobody wants.

From the first fateful moment as he strays away from the only place he has ever known, into the unforgiving streets and back alleys, into a life of hunger, cold and fear.

An exploration of just what made him so wily and smart, how one small dog went from being a deeply loved, important member of a family, to a dog alone, wandering in search of shelter, food and safety.

Find out just how daft one dog can be, the laughter as he discovers his first love of chicken and how his love of food gets him into one mess after another.

As Arthur finally learns the importance of family, through cold hard floors at night, to thunderstorms and rain outside, share each step he takes as he comes face to face with the struggles of life when nobody knows your name.

From snarling voices, to children laughing in the fields, from bitter rain to playful horses, join Arthur once again on an adventure of learning, discovery and sheer excitement.

The Dog Under The Bed: Arthur On The Streets is a joyful mixture of ups and down, all leading to one inevitable fate. Find out just what happened to him, and why , and how he ended up, right under a little boy’s bed.

Book to be discussed in January at Janice's annual pot luck.   Janice will let us know what date/s for January and theme for $15 or less gift to draw numbers for selecting.   

NOVEMBER - JAN - The Dog Under the Bed by DJ Cowdell

THE DOG UNDER THE BED by DJ COWDELL  (book 1) (121 pages)

This is the remarkable story of one endearing dog's search for a home, but not just a home, simply someone to show him he matters, that he is loved by someone.Arthur is a small dog, lost and alone on the streets of Warrington, simply trying to survive. Afraid and hungry, he runs constantly away from trouble, until he finds an unusual escape, into the house of a family, and underneath a young boy's bed. That is when the fun really begins...Unknown to Stan, Nancy, Abigail and Billy, this little doggy has hidden himself well, and so begins his adventure to stay hidden, for once warm and safe, snug under the bed.Read as Arthur sneaks around the house, barely avoiding being caught as he secretly raids the fridge, drinks from the only source of fresh water, and plays with a room full of cuddly toys.Find out why he was lost and alone, and how he rediscovers himself.The Dog Under The Bed is a heart-warming tale that touches on all of our love and affection for man's and woman's best friend, and how one lucky dog uses all of his wily instincts to find out once and for all what it is to be a part of a loving family.Funny, surprising and full of love, the Dog Under The Bed will remind us all just why we love them so much.

Will discuss in January at Janice's annual pot luck along with Janice's choice (book 2 of same series)

OCTOBER - Linda - The Wright Brothers by David McCullough

THE WRIGHT BROTHERS by David McCullough

Two-time winner of the Pulitzer Prize David McCullough tells the dramatic story behind the story about the courageous brothers who taught the world how to fly: Wilbur and Orville Wright.

On December 17, 1903, at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, Wilbur and Orville Wright's Wright Flyer became the first powered, heavier-than-air machine to achieve controlled, sustained flight with a pilot aboard. The Age of Flight had begun. How did they do it? And why? David McCullough tells the extraordinary and truly American story of the two brothers who changed the world.

Sons of an itinerant preacher and a mother who died young, Wilbur and Orville Wright grew up on a small sidestreet in Dayton, Ohio, in a house that lacked indoor plumbing and electricity but was filled with books and a love of learning. The brothers ran a bicycle shop that allowed them to earn enough money to pursue their mission in life: flight. In the 1890s flying was beginning to advance beyond the glider stage, but there were major technical challenges the Wrights were determined to solve. They traveled to North Carolina's remote Outer Banks to test their plane because there they found three indispensable conditions: constant winds, soft surfaces for landings, and privacy.

Flying was exceedingly dangerous; the Wrights risked their lives every time they flew in the years that followed. Orville nearly died in a crash in 1908 but was nursed back to health by his sister, Katharine - an unsung and important part of the brothers' success and of McCullough's book. Despite their achievement the Wrights could not convince the US government to take an interest in their plane until after they demonstrated its success in France, where the government instantly understood the importance of their achievement. Now, in this revelatory book, master historian David McCullough draws on nearly 1,000 letters of family correspondence plus diaries, notebooks, and family scrapbooks in the Library of Congress to tell the full story of the Wright brothers and their heroic achievement.

meeting held at Round Table on Wednesday, November 29th

September - Frances - THE WOMEN OF GREAT HERON LAKE

THE WOMEN OF GREAT HERON LAKE by Deanna Lynn Sletten

Two strong women, generations apart, living parallel lives.

When Marla Madison’s husband dies, she realizes her life has become very small. Her daughter is grown and Marla has spent the past two decades focused on his friends, his interests, and his home. Feeling lost, she throws herself into fixing up the one-hundred and fifty-year-old family lakeside manor. She soon discovers an old journal in a secret drawer and is instantly intrigued. The handwritten book tells the tale of another Mrs. Madison from over a century ago, the first woman to live in the lake manor. As Marla reads the journal, she discovers that her life parallels that of the woman who wrote those words decades ago and Marla finds inspiration from her strength.

1875 - Alaina Carlton was content to become a spinster until her beloved father introduced her to Nathaniel Madison, one of the most prosperous men in St. Paul, Minnesota. Even though she values her independence, Alaina is intrigued by this man who pursues her. When they marry, she believes she’s found a man who will treat her as an equal, but soon realizes that isn’t entirely true. From their mansion on the illustrious Summit Avenue to their manor at Great Heron Lake, where the rich and powerful play, her life is no longer her own. But fifteen years and two children later when Nathaniel grows ill, she takes her rightful place where women weren’t allowed in order to secure her children’s inheritance and her future.

An inspiring family saga of two determined woman who found meaning in their lives by following their passions and not allowing society, or propriety, to hold them back.