Introduce Yourself

[Stephanie]

Reply to this message to introduce yourself to the group. And let us know which of Anna Quindlen's other books have you read, as well as what interests you about this new one!

[becke_davis]

Hi! I'm the gardening moderator, but I just had to check in here because I am a regular reader of Anna Quindlen's column and I've read several of her books, the most recent was Rise and Shine.

[Dragonslayer53]

I have read several of Anna Quindlen's books, including Rise and Shine. My favorite is One True Thing. The story of a daughter returning home to care for her sick and then terminal mother, touched me profoundly.

I think I have read all of Ms. Quindlen's books and liked most of them. I also look forward to reading her column in Newsweek (which is the main reason I subscribe to the magazine.)

I live in Vermont, am married, have 2 daughters and 2 granddaughters and two cats. I look forward to the discussion of Rise and Shine.

Ann

[HPSeeker]

Hello

I actually haven't purchased or read the book being discussed here, but am only recently aware of Anna Quindlen as an author, so was curious. What I wish is that I had more time to read 'cause thre's SO much good stuff out there and I'm sure Anna is an author I'll eventually read

: Donna

[SALi]

Hi. I haven't read or even heard of Anna Quindlen before but i wish i had. I'm in the middle of Rise and Shine and so far i am loving it and can't wait to get more of her books to read.

[HPSeeker]

Thanks for the quote, SALi I remembered hearing that and couldn't recall who it was that said it!

: Donna

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SALi wrote:
Hi. I haven't read or even heard of Anna Quindlen before but i wish i had. I'm in the middle of Rise and Shine and so far i am loving it and can't wait to get more of her books to read.

[KathyH]

Good morning!

I live in Orange, California and work at a large church. I LOVE to read. I just picked up "Rise and Shine" yesterday afternoon and am about half way through. (I had to order the hard cover online because all I could pick up yesterday was the paperback version - and they had to go into the back to get it! Now it's on display!)

KathyH

[Stephanie]

KathyH,

Glad to have you here - I am not surprised that you're halfway through Rise and Shine, hard to put down, isn't it? I fairly fell into the story, and the vacant stare that met my children's requests for anything while I was reading has been the subject of a few jokes around here!

[kakhi]

Anna Quindlen is one of my favorite authors and I had to be a part of this book club. I read the book some time ago. Her books seem so real and her characters are so human. I also like her column in Newsweek. I always learn something from them and she brings her own perspective to a subject of importance.
I look forward to her contributions to the book club.

[kiakar]

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Stephanie wrote:
Reply to this message to introduce yourself to the group. And let us know which of Anna Quindlen's other books have you read, as well as what interests you about this new one!

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Hello all;

This was a wonderful book as all of Anna Quinlan's books are. I have been around as a reader and partipater for a long time. Love these clubs. Happy reading to us all!

[Trillian]

Hi everyone. I have been taking a break from the book clubs for the past month. But this one IS hard to put down. I admit it...I picked it because I have a kind of thing about bright-n-shiny morning TV hosts (not necessarily a positive thing!)

But this is great. I'm only about 80 pages in, but I love Bridget already...

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Stephanie wrote:
KathyH,

Glad to have you here - I am not surprised that you're halfway through Rise and Shine, hard to put down, isn't it? I fairly fell into the story, and the vacant stare that met my children's requests for anything while I was reading has been the subject of a few jokes around here!

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[aquindlen]

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Trillian wrote:
Hi everyone. I have been taking a break from the book clubs for the past month. But this one IS hard to put down. I admit it...I picked it because I have a kind of thing about bright-n-shiny morning TV hosts (not necessarily a positive thing!)

But this is great. I'm only about 80 pages in, but I love Bridget already...

---

Stephanie wrote:
KathyH,

Glad to have you here - I am not surprised that you're halfway through Rise and Shine, hard to put down, isn't it? I fairly fell into the story, and the vacant stare that met my children's requests for anything while I was reading has been the subject of a few jokes around here!

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Book clubs are certainly alive and well! I have been traveling to promote Rise and Shine and have met book club members everywhere. I just met a book group celebrating their 100th book, and the other day a woman mentioned that she is in a mother/son book group with her teenage son, which I think sounds like a wonderful idea. And I just appeared at something called Book Group Expo, which is a kind of convention for book group members that was held over the weekend in San Jose, California. There was a wonderful spirit there. So many people who had been called "Bookworms" as kids and had found others like them with whom to share the joy of reading. One woman said her mother would say, "You should be out having fun!" "Mom," she would reply, "reading IS fun!"

[kittyshop]

Hello-Like Ms.Quindlen this is my very first on-line book club as well. I was so excited to see the author as a part of this club I just had to join! I have been a huge fan of Anna Quindlen for years. I purchased Rise & Shine as soon as it came out, but as a busy mother of three teens I only recently began to read it-looks like my timing was perfect. I am so excited to hear what Ms. Quindlen and others have to say about this story.

[Stephanie]

Hi Kitty,

Welcome to the B&N groups - I think you're going to like the online forum. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

[PeacefulAngel]

Hi, my name is Kimberly. I am a huge Anna Quindlen fan, she is my favorite writer. I've read "Black and Blue," "Blessings," "One True Thing," "Object Lessons," "Living Out Loud," and most recently "Rise and Shine." I hope to read more by her in years to come.

And if you're reading this, please come to Connecticut for a book signing!

[aquindlen]

Thanks for the invitation, Kimberly. In the fall I spoke at R.J.Julia, which is a spectacular independent bookstore in Madison, CT. I hope I will be in the area for a speech or a signing some time in the next year.

[LaurenKondrat]

Hello,

My name is Lauren and I am fairly new to these online book discussions. I just started Rise and Shine, which is the first novel I have tried by Anna Quindlen. From the looks of previous posts though, I have a lot to look forward to. Already I love the voice of our narrator, Bridget. I teach high school English, and already I am finding myself marking pages with wonderful prose and voice to share with my students. I can't wait to see what happens next!

[aquindlen]

High school English teachers should rule the world! The one I had my senior year, Miss Ritzenthaler, changed my entire sense of myself by forcing me to step up my game, both as a reader and a writer. I will never forget her.

[LaurenKondrat]

I am still a newby (I just finished my second year), so I don't think I have changed the world just yet...maybe a few individuals here and there, but that's a start, right? I am working on it though. Thanks for the support!

[PennyN]

I have never joined an on-line (or any other) book club before. I have read all of anna quindlen's books and read all her NY Times columns, Life in the 30's, before she published fiction. I was having children at the same time she was, lived in CT when she lived in NJ. I still remember a particular column I loved (we're going back at least 20 years); she said she was often asked who in the world she would most like to meet, with the expectation her answer would be a world leader of some kind. The people she most wanted to know were the ones who developed Sesame Street segments like "Letter B" to the tune of the Beatles "Let It Be." The column went on to describe the joys of watching a small child (hers) learn. It was magical - I don't know if it is in the collection of her columns, but I hope so. I heard Anna speak in the Nantucket Unitarian Church a number of summers ago, when she was here visiting her friend David Halberstam and had just published her book on the books she most loved. Her love of her family and the way she has managed her life to honor her priorities always inspire.
PennyN