Delicious Reads: Walt Disney

{February}

The Snow Child

by, Eowyn Ivey

What a magical book we found in "The Snow Child". Eowyn Ivey did an awesome job with this book. You think you have it figured out what is really going on in the book and then something magical happens and you change your mind and start thinking something else. This happened to me several times. Did the snow child really live in the woods alone or was she magic in some way. You will have to read and decide for yourself.

Our Star Rating: 3.75 Stars

{March}

Carter Beats the Devil

by, Glen David Gold

We loved, loved, loved this book, "Carter Beats the Devil" . Glen David Gold is a great story teller. This book has lots of twists and turns and then it all comes together in the end. The book takes place in a fun time in history where magic is mystical and the mystery behind who did it is amazing. Leigh Bardugo of the Grisha Trilogy introduced us to this book and we will be forever grateful for her recommendation. Thanks Leigh. Oh and Glen David Gold we want more books from you.

Our Star Rating: 4.5 Stars

{April}

Walt Disney: An American Original

by, Bob Thomas

We all love going to Disneyland and so we thought this book "Walt Disney: An American Original" by Bob Thomas was the perfect book to read so that we could do a Disney themed book club. We went all out crazy for this book club. It was so interesting to learn about Walt and where he came from the ideas behind the iconic Disney things we know today. Walt Disney was an amazing, creative, driven, and talented man.

Our Star Rating: 3.7 Stars

Disney Giveaway

{May}

The Husband's Secret

by, Liane Moriarty

Oh we loved this book. "The Husband's Secret" was a fun book to read for the summer. Reading about how the women's lives in the book came together was a twisty and unique way to tell the story. I really loved in the end how she tells the what ifs because when do we ever get to actually hear about the what ifs?

Our Star Rating: 4 Stars

{June}

The Goldfinch

by, Donna Tartt

We were asked by Little Brown Publishing to read and do a book club on "The Goldfinch" . But they didn't have to bend our arm too much because we had been hearing buzz about this book and we were glad to switch up our book picks a bit in order to read this book. This is a book with a long story lasting around 30 years. So there is a lot of information you need to know and build up of characters but even though it is quite long it is well worth the length. We were a little mixed on our liking it or not liking it therefore the 3.5 star rating but it was a unique story and very interesting to learn about the history of the artwork. This would make a great book club read.

Our Star Rating: 3.5 Stars

Art Gallery Hors D'ouvres

{July}

The Golem and the Jinni

by, Helene Wecker

We had such a fun time putting this book club together. "The Golem and the Jinni" was a fabulous read and such a great book to do a whole book club around. We made golems out of clay. We dressed in our best jinni attire. And we discussed the book under a tent that looked like we were in a genie bottle. This was a fun book club to be at and everyone thought the book was really good.

Our Star Rating: 4 Stars

{August}

Ruin and Rising

by, Leigh Bardugo

Oh Leigh Bardugo really brought her "A" game when she wrote this series. We are in love with her!!! "Ruin and Rising" was a great last book in the Grisha Trilogy. We can't wait to read more from her. She has another series in the works that is somewhat related to this series and we will for sure read it.

Our Star Rating: 4.1 Stars

Make Up and Dress Up Ideas

Book Club Menu Ideas

Interview with the Author

Kelly's Goodreads Book Review

{September}

The Haunting of Hill House

by, Shirley Jackson

We try to read a couple Halloween type books this time of year and so we thought we would try the classic tale of "The Haunting of Hill House" . But for most of us this book didn't quite give us the haunted feel that we craved for this time of year. It was an okay book. Our star rating reflects that a bit. But you can always find fun ways to throw your book club to still make it a great night.

Our Star Rating: 2.75

{October}

Black Moon

by, Teri Harman

"Black Moon" is the second book in a trilogy and it surpassed all of our expectations of a second book. Sometimes (well most of the time) the second book in a series is not my favorite. Teri did not disappoint in the second book of her series. This is a great witchy, Halloweenie book. Pick up this series and read it. You will be glad you did.

Our Star Rating:

{November}

Shadow on the Crown

by, Patricia Bracewell

Oh "Shadow on the Crown" how we love you. Plus book two comes out in February so we won't have to wait long to read the next book. This book is set in 1000 AD England and so there is so much you can do for your book club with decorations, food, and plus you can always email the author Patricia Bracewell and ask her to Skype in with your book club to answer all your questions. You've got to put this on the list for your book club.

Our Star Rating: 4.5 Stars

{December}

The Eye of Minds

by, James Dashner

"The Eye of Minds" is the book we are discussing next week but I will update this post when we have our review, ideas and star rating done. Let's cross our fingers that maybe we can get James Dashner to come to or Skype book club that night.

Our Star Rating: 3.5 Stars

I hope this gave you some good ideas for your book club or the next book you might want to read. Enjoy!

xoxo'

Kellie

Friday, May 16, 2014

"Walt Disney: An American Original" Part III Book Review {by Bob Thomas}

TITLE OF THE BOOK: Walt Disney: An American Original
AUTHOR: Bob Thomas
PUBLISHER: Disney Editions
NUMBER OF PAGES: 384
YEAR PUBLISHED: 1994
GENRE: Biography

BOOK SUMMARY: A biography of the American legend, Walt Disney, chronicling the failures, successes, relationships and experiences that shaped this fascinating man.

Star Review: 3.7 /5 Stars

Angie, who moderated this book club meeting, came up with a fun way to discuss this book. She divided up the group into 4 groups, by giving each book club member a pair of "Mickey ear" clips themed to a certain land in Disneyland - Adventureland, Fantasyland, Frontierland, or Tomorrowland.

Each group was given a time period of Walt's life, and were asked to come up with some discussion questions/topics for the whole group to discuss. Then we all got back together and went through the questions.

The first group was given the time period of Walt's childhood and earlier years. One thing that we discussed
was his relationship with his father, Elias Disney. His father was a very strict and stern man, who made his children work very hard, and did not shy away from corporal punishment. Was he abusive, or is part of our perception of him due to generational differences? What impact did his father have on how Walt would deal with things later in his life? They both had to deal with a large amount of failures, but they did so in different ways.

The second group was given "the war years" - what happened to Walt and his studio during WWII. In 1941 Walt received a call telling him that 500 army soldiers would be moving into his new studio building, and that they needed to remove the film equipment to make room to install gear for repairing trucks and anti-aircraft guns. They stored ammunition in the employee parking sheds. About 1/3 of Walt's artists were drafted into the war. The studio made many instructional cartoons for the government, as well as designing more than 1,400 military insignia. The studio lost a lot of money on the government work that they did, and got even deeper into debt. The interesting thing to discuss was Walt's attitude toward all of this. He is quoted as saying "I had to do it. Those kids grew up on Mickey Mouse. I owed it to 'em." He had a surprisingly good attitude toward it, and wanted to do his part to help the country.

The third group was given Walt's adult years. We had an interesting discussion on the relationship between Walt and his brother Roy. They were very different - Walt was the creative dreamer, and Roy was often the one who dealt with the practical issues, and helped keep the company running. They often had disagreements about things, but were also quick to forgive, which is something we really admired about them. Some members said they wished that the book had been able to include more about Walt's family life.

The last group was given the topic of Walt's legacy. We discussed what we thought Walt would think of the company now - including the Disney Channel, the theme parks, cost of food at the parks, the direction of the animation department, Pixar, commercialization, straight to video sequels, etc. Of course it is a mixed bag, but we did think he would love the attention to detail and storytelling that Pixar brought back into the movies. We also went around the room, and everyone shared their favorite Disney movie, and told of a way that Disney impacted their childhood or adult life. It was really fun to hear about funny childhood memories, Disney park engagements, and to realize what a large impact Walt Disney has had on us all.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
We were sad to learn that Bob Thomas died very recently, just in March of this year. He was an American Hollywood film industry reporter and biographer. He covered a record 66 Oscar ceremonies as a reporter, and interviewed many of the industry's biggest stars. He was the author of nearly 3 dozen books, including biographies of Walt Disney, Abbott and Costello, Marilyn Monroe, Katharine Hepburn, Joan Crawford, Marlon Brando and Liberace, among others.

Author Bob Thomas, Walt Disney: an American Original