The Results are in!

I've heard from a lot of you that you have the book and are excited to read it! The poll has closed, and it looks like the official "spoiler" date is October 5th. That means that if you have not read the book by that day, don't get on the blog, because the rest of us will all be talking about the book!

For those of you who are starting to read, here are a few things you can do/think about while reading. If you own the book, you can write it in, or if not, you can keep a little journal on the side. Write down any specific quotes you likes, questions, or thoughts you have as you are reading. That will make our discussion much better when we all finish! I think it would be easiest for all of us to

Another idea which I need to do is to get a "Books I've Read" journal. I saw one at Powell's Books in downtown Portland, but it was a little expensive, so I'm going to see if I can find something cheaper or make my own. In it, you can list the name of different books you read, the author, the genre, the main character(s), plot, your recommendation, etc. Then you can remember what books you have read and what books you would recommend to others and to your own kids. Here is one I found online at amazon.com. If you click on the picture, it will take you to the website if you're interested.

The Goose Girl by Shannon Hale

Our first bookclub book is going to be . . . The Goose Girl! I read this book a few months ago for a bookclub I'm in, and I loved it. This book is a kind of Cinderella story, yet with a different twist. Here is a summary from Amazon:

Ani, the Princess of Kildenree, is a character in the Cinderella tradition, but her story of betrayal, strength, and resilience has several twists. When her handmaiden, Celia, plots to replace her--the resulting deception, stolen identity, and danger transform Ani into The Goose Girl. This counterpoint experience teaches her about loyalty, friendship, and eventually, love.

If you want to read more, click on the book and it will take you to the Amazon website page for The Goose Girl.

I loved this story because it has the elements of a fairy tale, yet the story is more mature, and it left me guessing and wondering how it would all work out in the end. Also it is a great coming-of-age story. The book is based on the Brothers Grimm fairy tale Goose Girl, but I wouldn't read the fairy tale now because it will give away too much of the book.

Shannon Hale is actually an LDS author. She grew up in Salt Lake City, and at the age of 10, she started writing stories. She served a mission in Paraguay, and graduated from the University of Utah. The Goose Girl was her first book, and it was an ALA top ten teens pick. She has written five young adult books, one of which, Princess Academy, was a Newberry Honor book for 2007! To read more about Shannon Hale, you can go to her official website and read more in her biography: http://www.squeetus.com/stage/main.html

So your first task is to go and get the book! See if your library has it! Most libraries should. Let me know what you think!!!

Our First Bookclub Book

Hello all you DCS girls! The long awaited DCS bookclub is finally here! I have thought long and hard about this bookclub, and after talking with several of you, have decided we should focus on young adult literature. These types of books are clean, entertaining, fun, well-written, easy to read, and best of all, will help us become better mothers! Please comment here with any books you think would be good for us to read as a bookclub. I have a few ideas to get us started, but we need all of your help to make this book club good! Also, I have a poll on the side for each of you to answer on when you think the first book should be read by. From then on, we will discuss the books together one month from whatever day we choose as our first bookclub meeting. Of course, even before the meeting, it would be great to see conversation/comments here about what you are thinking or wondering with the book, what you like and do like, etc. as long as you don't give any spoilers. Hope to hear from all of you soon!