Hereby Decided

The 2008 inaugural meeting of the Salem Secular book club (or whatever we call ourselves) hereby has established:

A. The next meeting to be February 2nd (Ilene's birthday) at Carol's house.
1. Book is Three Cups of Tea, about an Afghani who builds either roads or schools, or both...
2. We will have another book exchange, and hobbit-style, give presents to each other on someone's birthday. Wrap a book (new or used) that you think someone else might enjoy.
3. Carol will make creme brulee.

B. March's meeting will be Saturday the 15th, at an unestablished location... Kim's. :)
1. Book is Imperial Woman, by Pearl S. Buck, and takes place in China. Will discuss in anticipation of our fellow members' trip to East Asia at the end of the month.

C. The next books after that shall be, with dates as yet unassigned:
April - Wicked by Gregory Maguire (book on which the hit Broadway musical is based - backstory of the witches from Oz)
May - Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier - same author as The Girl with the Pearl Earring
June - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay, by Michael Chabon (a Pulitzer winning author, although we're not sure if it's for this book or not)

D. Also recommended/discussed:
1. If you liked Girl with a Pearl Earring (or even if you didn't), check out the youth book Chasing Vermeer (rec. by Star) that has a DaVinci Code style without all that bothersome heresy. Or, The Girl in Hyacinth Blue (rec. by Liz) which traces the history of a fictional Vermeer painting.

2. Good movies for kids - Nanny McPhee (Emma Thompson & the dreamy Colin Firth), Ratatouille (a slug of CGI-animated rats), The Water Horse (boy befriends the Lochness Monster)

3. Not good for kids - Monster House (deceptive animated movie -the house REALLY DOES eat people.)

4. There may be actual medical reasons for the prevalence of certain old wives' tales.

5. Liz will host a showing of Becoming Jane at some point in the near future.

6. PBS will be showing ALL of Jane Austen's books as movies during Masterpiece Theater Sunday nights starting very soon. Darell R. will be recording.

Meeting adjourned.