Sleepy Dog Book Club Book List
12/20- 7pm
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December- A Very Bavarian ChristmasHolly Noel Brigham is trapped back in her hometown of Bavarian Falls personalizing ornaments at Neumann's, the famous mile-long Christmas store-and she doesn't even like Christmas.
Problems, not presents, are stacking up for Holly. She's in her thirties, still single, and sleeping in her childhood bedroom due to a failed start-up in the city. Holly needs a turn of heart in order to unlock what's next. The only guy showing any interest in her is quirky Frank, who keeps her laughing but makes her feel boxed in. Then there's handsome Nik, who has a shady past but takes her ambitions seriously. As Holly works through fractured relationships and embarrassing misunderstandings, she stumbles upon love in the Bavarian-themed town from which she tried to distance herself. |
1/26- 7pm
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January- I'm Glad My Mom DiedJennette McCurdy was six years old when she had her first acting audition. Her mother's dream was for her only daughter to become a star, and Jennette would do anything to make her mother happy. So she went along with what Mom called "calorie restriction," eating little and weighing herself five times a day. She endured extensive at-home makeovers while Mom chided, "Your eyelashes are invisible, okay? You think Dakota Fanning doesn't tint hers?" She was even showered by Mom until age sixteen while sharing her diaries, email, and all her income.
In I'm Glad My Mom Died, Jennette recounts all this in unflinching detail--just as she chronicles what happens when the dream finally comes true. Cast in a new Nickelodeon series called iCarly, she is thrust into fame. Though Mom is ecstatic, emailing fan club moderators and getting on a first-name basis with the paparazzi ("Hi Gale!"), Jennette is riddled with anxiety, shame, and self-loathing, which manifest into eating disorders, addiction, and a series of unhealthy relationships. These issues only get worse when, soon after taking the lead in the iCarly spinoff Sam & Cat alongside Ariana Grande, her mother dies of cancer. Finally, after discovering therapy and quitting acting, Jennette embarks on recovery and decides for the first time in her life what she really wants. Told with refreshing candor and dark humor, I'm Glad My Mom Died is an inspiring story of resilience, independence, and the joy of shampooing your own hair. |
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February- Everything is Just BeginningMichael Sullivan is a talented lyricist and a decent guitarist, but since he was kicked out of his band (and his apartment), he's not sure he'll ever get a record deal. Living with his loser uncle in a beat-up trailer and working a dead-end job, Michael has little reason to hope for a better future. Until the invitation for a swanky New Year's Eve party shows up in the mailbox. It's for his uncle, with whom he shares his name, but his uncle is going out of town . . .
On the effervescent night of December 31, 1989--as the Berlin Wall is coming down, the Soviet Union is inching toward democracy, and anything seems possible--Michael will cross paths with the accomplished and enigmatic young heir to a fading musical dynasty, forever altering both of their futures. Award-winning novelist Erin Bartels enchants with this story of two lonely souls who have exactly what the other one needs--if they could simply turn their focus from what is ending to what is just beginning. |