Twelve Oaks Strong

November 7, 2008

Twelve Oaks Strong: Reading their way through the South
By Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D.
Warner Books Hardcover
288 pages
ISBN: 0-446-53132-4

When the idea of forming a book club took root with a dozen Atlanta women, the name was a natural: Twelve Oaks, after the plantation in Gone with the Wind. "There are 12 of us and several are Atlanta natives, and like the oak tree, we are very strong women," says Club President Karen McCrea. "We have supported each other through births, marriages, sickness and job loss."

Each woman leads a book discussion once a month and then hosts the club in her home for dinner (and lots of wine) the following month. The book choices range from fiction and biographies to mysteries, but usually not non-fiction unless it is something like Under The Tuscan Sun.

Most recently, Terry Kay, author of Dark Thirty, contributed to the evening's discussion. "Being in the club forces you to read books that you never would have read otherwise - like Leon Uris' Exodus, published in 1958," says Melinda Mischik.

Each year, members give their first, second and third choice of books that they want to lead and have the club read; and then the club president compiles the final book list for the year, scheduling the leader and hostess of each discussion. Members' ages range from 40 to 52, and the group is comprised of professionals - lawyers, teachers, advertising executive, church children's program director, realtor, accountant, and Sotheby's Southeastern art representa- tive. The club meets monthly every third Wednesday except for December, which is usually a week earlier. Twelve Oaks was featured in Good Morning America's series "Read this Book Club" in July and August of 2002. Says Darlene Schultz: "We picked Lovely Bones - which ended up being an international best seller - before hardly anyone had heard of it."

Club Name: Twelve Oaks
Established: 1998
Members: 12
Focus: Books that elicit lively discussions
Best Pick: Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
PHOTOGRAPH: BENJAMIN G. BROWN

Nice Girls Don't Get The Corner Office:
101 Unconscious Mistakes Women Make that Sabotage Their Careers

Are you or is someone you know a "nice girl?" Could a professional woman be sabotaging her own career simply by working hard, saving the company money, and refusing certain perks? Surely those things couldn't be standing between her and that coveted corner office, could they? Think again. In her new book, Lois P. Frankel, Ph.D., the President of Corporate Coaching International and the author of several books and numerous articles, builds a persuasive argument that they do. A licensed psychotherapist with a doctorate in counseling psychology and internationally recognized workplace behavior expert with more than 20 years experience in human resources development, Dr. Frankel helps women change their "girlish" behavior and finally claim the corner office they deserve. Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office helps women become aware of when and how they are damaging their careers with self-defeating behaviors such as: Whether you're an executive or just starting out, Nice Girls Don't Get the Corner Office offers concrete ways for a woman to identify and modify specific self-defeating behaviors that are subconsciously making her sound, look, and act like a girl - and subsequently causing her to be treated accordingly.

• Couching statements as questions
• Polling others before making a decision
• Sharing too much personal information
•Taking on other people's work
•Waiting to be noticed or called upon in meetings
• Pinching company pennies