DFW's Big Read - Introduce Yourself!

[Kasey]

Hi everyone,

Welcome to the group page for DFW's Big Read! We are so glad that you have found this page and are joining us for our book club. We will be featuring one book each quarter, with a virtual book club meeting to discuss the selection. In the meantime, feel free to post any other recommendations to the book shelf.

We would love to kick off our first Big Read, The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates, with everyone introducing themselves so that we can get to know each other.

My name is Kasey Henry, and I, along with my dear friend Lisa, am one of the moderators for our first Big Read. I am a DFW Regional Leader for the South Central region (Texas and Oklahoma), a chapter leader here in Houston, and I have been a DFW member for about 3 years now. I love the DFW's mission of supporting women and girls across the world, and Moment of Lift is reinforcing how critical this work is. My favorite books are The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, Becoming by Michelle Obama, Without Reservations: The Travels of an Independent Woman by Alice Steinbach, and anything and everything written by Brene Brown. I'm a native Texan who lives in Houston with my husband and our cat.

I look forward to getting to know everyone in this forum and at our virtual book club meetings!

[Lisa]

Thank you Kasey!
I'm Lisa Nelsen, and Kasey recruited me to be a moderator, because I'm an insatiable reader.

Naming my favorite books is difficult, so I will divide them into categories. All time favorite books include: Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, Middlemarch by George Elliot, and A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth. Contemporary favorites include: The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai, News of the World by Paulette Jiles, and Half a Yellow a Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie. The best books I've read during quarantine are Rodham by Curtis Sittenfeld and Writers and Lovers by Lily King.

I'm a native Houstonian and 7th generation Texan. My husband and I also live in Houston with the most spoiled cat in the world. I don't know if I or my cat will be more upset when I have to return to my office.

I'm so excited to meet all of you!

[Beth]

Looking forward to this DFW Book Club!
Sending greetings from CT where I have been involved with my town DFW chapter for about 3 years, and I also lead a DFW Chapter at my office in MA. I just started to volunteer as a Chapter Mentor, too. I am an avid reader. Thinking about a few recent favorites: This Tender Land by Kruger, The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd, A woman is No Man by Etaf Rum, Chances Are by Richard Russo, The Stationary Shop by Marjan Kamali, Dragonfly by Meacham... too many good books to list.
Beth

[Lisa]

Hi Beth! I have A Woman is No Man on my shelf. I love meeting readers who can suggest new books for me.

[Leslye]

Hi Beth. I loved Marjan Kamari’s books, especially The Stationery Shop. I recently read the Book of Lost Friends, or I should say listened to it, by Lisa Wingate and it was excellent. The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See is also very good. I like historical fiction.

[Leslye]

I forgot to introduce myself. I’m Leslye and I started the first DFW chapter in The Berkshires in western MA over 8 years ago with a friend. Since that time I have been the Northeast Regional Leader for three years, then a chapter mentor and now I chair the DFW Advocacy Committee. And I have a second DFW chapter I lead as well. I’m a retired pediatrician.

[Ruth]

Hi my name is Ruth - I’m from upstate New York. I’ve been involved with Dining for Women since 2011, when our first chapter opened up locally. We have loved learning for the past 10 years about the challenges women and girls face as they try to live and uplift themselves. My background is engineering and tech. I have two grown children in different parts of the country. A group of Dining for Women compatriots have been attempting to further educate ourselves about many of the Issues I hope to see here.

[Gail]

Enjoy seeing all the recommendations....... and the dedicated supporters of DFW!!!!! Gail-Peace Dale, RI

[Tara]

Hi to everyone
My name is Tara. I’ve been a member of DFW for about 9 years. For the last three years I’ve been privileged to be a member of the board of directors. I’m humbled to be among this amazingly talented , dedicated, accomplished and generous women. I attended my first virtual chapter last week, and although I missed seeing my chapter members in person and sharing food and drink,, however I loved hearing from the grantees. Without the work of DFW, I would never have learned about my sisters all over the world who are facing challenges that seem insurmountable, but with the help of DFW, they are achieving success.

I’m an avid reader and the one my book group is reading is the Rent Collector. And This Tender Land
I loves line from the book
We breathe in love and we breathe love out. It’s the essence of our existence and the very air of our souls.

[Beth]

Tara - I was thinking that the Rent Collector would be a great read for this group. There is so much to discuss. Also loved This Tender Land- beautifully written.

[Cathy]

Hi All,

How exciting that DFW has a Book Club up and running - I love it! I am Cathy Caldwell and I have been a member of DFW for about 5 years now. I have moved twice in that time (military spouse) - but am now settled back in my home town in Indiana (small, rural - I NEED you all for culture and not backward thinking, which appears very pervasive here;). I have served on the DFW Advocacy Committee and am still serving on the Grant Selection Committee and I love the research and conversation involved in the discernment process of selecting the organizations DFW will support.

I am a mom to 3 (b/g twins who are 19 and a 15-year-old daughter) and I do my best to model (and preach) women's empowerment to all 3! In my professional life, I am a medical writer and have been busier than ever thanks to COVID-19...

As for reading, I love reading but the time is tricky - so I have become a huge fan of Audible so that I can multi-task when possible. It is hard to pick a favorite book, but I did really enjoy the Rent Collector (discussion from others above) as I used to run a nonprofit aligned with a Cambodian NGO (and have 2 cherubs whom we adopted from Cambodia - so its people are always close to my heart). I think the 2 books that have had the most impact on my life thus far are Half the Sky (Kristof and WuDunn) and When Breath Becomes Air (Kalanithi).

Looking forward to getting to know you all!
Cathy

[Leslye]

Hi Cathy. A wonderful way for us to reconnect. Miss you on Advocacy but when you have time you should check out our chapter with RESULTS. I have moved so far from my comfort zone and feel like perhaps I am making a bigger difference now.
I too use audiobooks—-I knit and listen which is how I stay focused. And I also loved both books you mentioned at the end. I met Kalanithi’s wife, and her story as she told it to a small group, was amazing and a tribute to their love.

[Danna]

I am very excited to join the Dining For Women book club. I have been wanting to join a non fiction book club for a long time. My name is Danna English and I have been a member of a Santa Barbara DFW chapter for almost two years. I am so honored to be associated with an organization that focuses on women and children in the developing world. Many of my favorite books that I've read are about Rwanda and Africa such as A Thousand Hills, Land of a Thousand Hills, Road Trip Rwanda, A Thousand Hills to Heaven, Cry Of The Kalahari, and Secrets Of The Savanah. I'm currently reading West With The Night. I am looking very forward to reading and discussing The Moment Of Lift. I have met so many amazing women through DFW. I know I will learn a lot from all of you.

[Melissa]

Hi, my name is Melissa. I am a chapter leader in Santa Barbara, CA. I love to read, and I am looking forward to learning and sharing with all of you. Books are our window to the world.

[Luci]

hello everyone! My name is Luci and I am a chapter leader in Greenville SC. My claim to fame is that I met Beth Ellen on the metro on the way to the Women's March in DC three years ago and that's how this chapter came to be! I have been amazed by all the wonderful and impassioned folks I have met through DFW, Love to read - always several books piled up around the house. Just finished reading Moment of Lift and loved it. It has inspired me to do more regarding lifting women and girls up. Looking forward to this discussion.

[Jan]

Hi there - I’m Jan Richards, currently serving as the regional leader for Florida. My husband and I retired from Washington DC (although originally from Michigan) to the Southwest Florida Coast four years ago, and through my neighbors who have a very active chapter, I was led to DFW. My background in terms of career was in nursing and physician continuing education, working at both a university as well as several associations.

I have two adult daughters, four grandchildren (although I don’t see any of them often enough) and I enjoy reading, knitting, and playing the piano (I recently returned to lessons after a 50 year hiatus!).

I read anything and everything...it used to be primarily mysteries but my reading has evolved to historical fiction and international culture. I’m so pleased to see the lists above with more book suggestions from all of you. A recent book I really loved (I listened to it while knitting) is THE GIRL WITH THE LOUDING VOICE. I’m looking forward to discussions with all of you and getting more book suggestions ... let’s do this!

[Amy]

Hi! everyone, My name is Amy Linde and I am a new DFW member in my hometown of Grand Rapids, Michigan . I have yet to meet my DFW group in person due to the stay-at-home order for COVID, but we've been meeting on Zoom.

I am involved with and support charities and organizations that empower women. A few years ago, I watched the excellent film, Half the Sky by Nicholas Kristoff and recently I bought Melinda Gates's book The Moment of Lift. I was excited to find this discussion group that plans to review it.

I'm an eclectic reader and belong to two local book clubs. Books I like: Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See, Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson, Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, Grant by Ron Chernow, and poets Robert Frost, Mary Oliver, Billy Collins, and my new favorite poet, Naomi Shihab Nye.

[Wendy]

Hi Danna, loved Land of a Thousand Hills and had an amazing experience visiting Rwanda on a DFW trip a few years ago!
Wendy Frattolin, Communications & Membership Director at DFW

[Marsha]

Hi, I’m a very new member of DFW, now living full time in North Carolina and loving it. Looking forward to sharing books, discussing and learning with everyone.

[Granny]

Hi,
I'm a relatively new DFW group leader in Ventura, California. We only had 3 meetings before COVID-19 closed us down. I like the idea of this book group but I must say that I've never been part of a book group, and not an online one for sure. Who brings the snacks and wine?

[Julie]

Hi everyone. I am Julie Ringwood and hail from Agoura Hills, California. I'm a grant writer by day and an avid book reader/audible book listener by night. I have been a DFW member for 10+ years, starting in the Malibu Lake Club chapter. I'm now with the Thousand Oaks chapter. I look forward to your book suggestions.

[ANNA]

Greetings from Fort Collins, Colorado. I am Anna Olsen and I have been a member of DFW since 2012. A former Financial Advisor, I am retired, play lots of golf, hike and read. A reading goal I challenged myself to several years ago was to read the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction books. This Pulitzer began in 1918 with His Family written by Ernest Poole - a read that is relevant today, just as it was in 1918. Thank you for the invitation to join this book group!

[Wendy]

Snacks and wine -- essentials of any book discussion! We will all just have to bring our own! Welcome!

[Colleen]

Hi all you lovely bibliophiles! I am Colleen Kill, a Regional Leader for DFW in the West and Chapter Leader in Simi Valley, CA. I have just started reading "The Book of Lost Friends" so glad to hear its wonderful. The "Rent Collector" was also on my list so happy to see it get mentioned too. I have also begun to re-read one of my favorite books - "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver. I am so excited to join this group and SAD I missed the first meeting. I loved "The Moment of Lift".

[Colleen]

Hi all you lovely bibliophiles! I am Colleen Kill, a Regional Leader for DFW in the West and Chapter Leader in Simi Valley, CA. I have just started reading "The Book of Lost Friends" so glad to hear its wonderful. The "Rent Collector" was also on my list so happy to see it get mentioned too. I have also begun to re-read one of my favorite books - "The Poisonwood Bible" by Barbara Kingsolver. I am so excited to join this group and SAD I missed the first meeting. I loved "The Moment of Lift".

[Gail]

Glad you've joined us, Colleen, and thanks for the other suggestions. Gail

[Beth]

Just finished The Book of Lost Friends and really enjoyed it!

[Leslye]

sorry to have missed the meeting last week. didn't have power.
I loved The book of Lost Friends. AM reading Overstory now which is wonderful as well.

[Lindy]

Hi, I missed the discussion of Melinda Gates' book, but loved reading it. What is the next book on the list and when will it be discussed? I would like to pass this information on to my chapter tomorrow night. Thanks!
Lindy

[Linda]

Colleen wrote: "Hi all you lovely bibliophiles! I am Colleen Kill, a Regional Leader for DFW in the West and Chapter Leader in Simi Valley, CA. I have just started reading "The Book of Lost Friends" so glad to hea..."

Thanks for the recommendations!

[Kasey]

Lindy wrote: "Hi, I missed the discussion of Melinda Gates' book, but loved reading it. What is the next book on the list and when will it be discussed? I would like to pass this information on to my chapter tom..."

Hi Lindy, our next virtual book club meeting is October 7, and the book this time is Behind the Beautiful Forevers by Katherine Boo. The link to register is under Events on the main Dining for Women Book Club page (here on Goodreads). Thanks for passing this info along to your chapter! I know that it will be another great discussion.

[Lindy]

Thanks! I've read Behind the Beautiful Forevers. Fantastic choice. Anyone who is traveling to India should read it before they go. It changes your perspective completely. I will pass on the info and try to join the discussion on Oct 7.

[Regula]

Hi! I'm Regula, chapter leader of Greensboro 05, NC. Has the book for the fall been selected?

[Gail]

Hi Regula, Yes, "Behind the Beautiful Forevers" - a non-fiction by Kathrine Boo will be discussed on Oct. 7 @ 8 pm EST.
If you go to the DiningforWomen.org page under our JOIN column, you will find full year coverage of books we've selected to discuss. There are many more........ and your selections are also welcome. Glad to have you join us - Gail , chpt leader for Peacedale, RI

[Regula]

Thanks Gail. Just the info I was looking for

[Laura]

Hi, my name is Laura Stam, I am a member of the Rochester, NY chapter. I am also a member of the advocacy group. I am an avid reader, looking forward to some interesting discussions.