Brown Bag Book Discussion - Summer 2001

Two women, one young, one old, learn to craft new lives and mend old ones while sewing a quilt. Sarah McClure agrees to clean an old woman's decrepit estate in return for learning how to quilt. The two become friends and Sarah hatches a plan to save the estate from developers, patch up Mrs. Compson's family relationships, and give herself a real job in the process. For quilters and fans of The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas and How To Make an American Quilt by Whitney Otto.

Pediatrician David Beck is slowly getting his life back on track after his wife's brutal murder by a serial killer, 'til one day he receives a mysterious e-mail with a phrase in it only his wife would know. Suddenly, he's taunted by the impossible­that somehow, somewhere, she's alive. The message warns, "tell no one" and David must choose between secrecy and taking the blame for her murder when the investigation is reopened. This thriller zooms to a plot-twisting finish that will keep you guessing...DON'T skip to the last page!

Temptation, Ohio, that is. This spicy romance is about two sisters who come to a small town to film a movie as a favor to a friend. Rumor has it, it's a porn film, and the town political mill gets rolling to pass ordinances banning porn in city limits. The main characters all fall in and out of bed with one another and before long, it has turned into a porn film after all, ready for broadcast on the local public access cable channel. Fun movie quotes are sprinkled liberally throughout; read this sexy romp at the beach.

A coming of age story, similar in feel to Girl, Interrupted, only this time it's the main character's mother who's insane. Focuses on the interior life of the main character, who has to cope with the knowledge that her mom's an alcoholic and suicidal. This novel is so short and compact, it's more like a novella but well worth the read.

In Bainbridge, Alabama, eight-year-old John Gallatin McMillan III has been the center of his mother's world, cloistered and pampered, until she unexpectedly dies. John goes to live with his aunt on a run-down cotton farm, tormented by long hours of work and an abusive uncle. Then he's befriended by a black boy and gets a taste of the burgeoning Civil Rights movement. From the author of the equally graceful and bittersweet My Last Days as Roy Rogers.

Gottman is a researcher at the University of Washington and his book comes out of observations he made of couples who attend his "love lab" and the interactions they have with each other. Gottman claims he only needs five minutes with a couple to see whether or not they'll stay together, and he bases his predictions on the quality of their friendship and how well they know each other. Even when couples are faced with negative characteristics in their relationship (criticism, contempt, stonewalling, etc.) he claims that the "repair attempts" to fix the relationship are what determines if the relationship will last. For anyone (single or married) who is interested in a quantitative analysis of what makes a solid relationship.

Lots of useful tips and techniques for turning a hobby into a business, with tax forms, marketing plans, etc. The only drawback is it's primarily black and white and could use more illustrations.

A practical guide to realizing your dreams, before you have a mid-life crisis. For those who want to self-actualize.

This riveting action-packed book is the third in a series about a eunuch slave, Taita, and his rise to prominence in Egyptian times. Smith puts a lot of research in his lengthy books, with vivid descriptions that make you feel like you're in the story. There are some juicy bits and some gore, too. Taita is fairly vain, but justifiably so, since his accomplishments (though fictional) are legendary­first Egyptian to ride a horse astride, first to build a chariot, etc.

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