The Audacity of Hope

Hi all... Thanks for being flexible about the book change, but I was a little Eat, Pray, Loved out!

I've been interested in reading this book for a while. And since Obama has a good chance of becoming our next president, I thought it would be a good time to dive in and learn a bit more about him.

Obama writes, “As the child of a black man and a white woman, someone born in the racial melting pot of Hawaii, with a sister who’s half-Indonesian but usually mistaken for Mexican or Puerto Rican, and a brother-in-law and niece of Chinese descent, with some blood relatives who resemble Margaret Thatcher and others who could pass for Bernie Mac, so that family get-togethers take on the appearance of a UN General Assembly meeting, I’ve never had the option of restricting my loyalties on the basis of race, or measuring my worth on the basis of tribe.”

It'll be interesting to see if/how reading this book makes a difference in how we vote come November. I'm excited to talk with you all about it next month. Enjoy! ~Taylor

The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho

Similarly to Hillery, I wanted to pick a really light read. The Alchemist is a perfect summer read because it's sort and simple. Seriously, very simple. Good readers could finish it in an afternoon. The translation from Portugese to English makes the vocabulary in the book easy...I can't say that for all of the previous books we've read.

I will be honest, I have read this book before. In fact, I believe I have read this book about 4 times. But, I want you all to know that this book is INCREDIBLY inspiring and every time I read it the story is different for me. I have noticed that as books are chosen, it is painfully obvious who the book host is. We are all choosing something we find interesting, personally, as well as asking others to read about topics we think they should know and learn about. I don't really know what this book says about me. You should all know that I was an English Teaching major and now teach Reading. I teach because I feel very strongly that the only things we can leave behind are moments where we inspired others to be more than they are.

With all that said, this book is a simple read but has a depth to it that is really limitless. While we may have thoughts and opinions that dovetail one another, this book truly asks you to see yourself and where you are going. It even refers to itself as a "modern day parable." I hope you like it, and questions will be posted soon. Enjoy!

Yummy....

Hope ya'll enjoyed the book. Since the main character of this book is candy, these questions will be less thought-provoking than past selections. Sorry if you were in the mood for pondering! And James the Bames - keep the Pipeline Freak dream alive!

Question #1

At the back of the book, Almond has a name-that-candy-bar quiz. This one is a little tougher and a true test of your candy knowledge. http://food.aol.com/play-with-your-food/candy-bar-id-quiz. I got 8 out of 20. How'd you do?

Question #2

Almond misses the Caravelle bar. I'm not a big candy person, but I miss these chocolate-graham cracker-marshmallow cookies that you heated in the microwave to create a delicious indoor s'more. (The name espacpes me. The last time I had one was 1993.) Which junk food of yesteryear would you like to bring back?

Question #3

Almond talks about the downfall of the "little guy" in the candy business. Do you think the rise of Hershey's and Mars has lessened the quality of America's candy?

Question #4

Toward the beginning of the book, Almond lists the candy goods currently inside his house. Right now, I'm looking at a tube of strawberry Creme Savers, two Tootsie Rolls Pops, and two mini Snickers. What is in your house/apartment at the moment?

Question #5

I'm not a big candy eater. But by the end of the book I had consumed 5 Reese's Peanut Butter Cups and an entire Pay Day bar. If I know Blair like I think I do, I bet she had a few pounds of semi-sweet chocolate chips. What was your diet like while reading?

Question #6

Idaho has the Idaho Spud. North Carolina has the Goo Goo Cluster. I currently reside in San Antonio, Texas. Our local pride and joy of the candy bar world is the Big One. It's a bar of some marshmallowy substance, topped with peanuts, and covered in chocolate. Dale Earnhardt Jr. is on the wrapper. What the specialty bar where you guys live?

Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America

"Picture a magical, sugar-fueled road trip with Willy Wonka behind the wheel and David Sedaris riding shotgun, complete with chocolate-stained roadmaps and the colorful confetti of spent candy wrappers flying in your cocoa powder dust."

I like ice cream more than I care to admit. My husband and I once traveled 3 hours for an all-you-can-eat ice cream fair. Is it just me, or should Ben and Jerry change the label on the back of their cartons from 4 to 1? For anybody else who loves something more than you should, find solace in Steve Almond.

Almond is an unabashed, aptly named candy freak. This guy loves candy more than I love ice cream. We accompany him on a trek across the country to discover what happened to some of his beloved candies of yesteryear (do Goo Goo Clusters or Idaho Spuds ring a bell?) Even though you may not all crave candy, you will admire and even relate to Almond's passion.

Compared to recent Book Worm Club selections, this is a lightweight. Perfect in time for some fun summer reading, right? I garauntee at least a few laughs and a craving for a piece of chocolate.