June 1, 2023
The Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library
First Thursday Monthly Book Club Meeting Minutes
June 1, 2023
The Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library’s First Thursday Monthly Book Club met on June 1, 2023, from 12NOON to 1:00 PM in the library. Eight club members attended and shared in the discussion about books that the members had read in the last month while enjoying refreshments on a warm spring day. You’ll find the books we discussed below.
Gabriel’s Angel by Nora Roberts
Available:
In Library: Book
MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: “ON THE RUN…No one was going to take her child away from her! Pregnant and alone, Laura Malone had been on the move for months. Finding herself snowbound with an angry, impatient Gabriel Bradley was not part of her plans. Gabe wanted to be alone. He'd come to the isolated cabin to think, to work and to heal. But when a woman crashed into his life --literally-- he'd felt obliged to help. Laura was everything a man could ever want and all that he desired. She trusted him, but Gabe was hard put to be an angel when Laura felt like heaven in his arms.”
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/59823.Gabriel_s_Angel
Club member comment(s): The club member sharing thoughts about this book told the others that she enjoyed it and would recommend it.
The Affair by Lee Child
Available:
In Library: Book and Libby e-Book MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: “Everything starts somewhere. . . .For elite military cop Jack Reacher, that somewhere was Carter Crossing, Mississippi, way back in 1997. A lonely railroad track. A crime scene. A cover up. A young woman is dead, and solid evidence points to a soldier at a nearby military base. But that soldier has powerful friends in Washington. Reacher is ordered undercover—to find out everything he can, to control the local police, and then to vanish. Reacher is a good soldier. But when he gets to Carter Crossing, he finds layers no one saw coming, and the investigation spins out of control. Local sheriff Elizabeth Deveraux has a thirst for justice—and an appetite for secrets. Uncertain they can trust one another, Reacher and Deveraux reluctantly join forces. Reacher works to uncover the truth, while others try to bury it forever. The conspiracy threatens to shatter his faith in his mission, and turn him into a man to be feared. A novel of unrelenting suspense that could only come from the pen of #1 New York Times bestselling author Lee Child, The Affair is the start of the Reacher saga, a thriller that takes Reacher—and his readers—right to the edge . . . and beyond.”
https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/affair-lee-child/1100083720
Club member comment(s): The member reviewing this book described the book, told the others that she enjoyed reading it and recommended it.
A Kauffman Amish Christmas Collection: A Plan and Simple Christmas & Naomi’s Gift by Amy Clipston Available:
In Library: Book
MelCat: Book
Description: “In A Plain and Simple Christmas, from the author of the widely popular Kauffman Amish Bakery Series, shunned Anna Mae doesn’t receive the welcome she expects when she pays a visit for Christmas and her world begins to fall apart, leaving her to question her place in her family—and her faith in God. Set in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, Naomi’s Gift reintroduces twenty-four-year-old Naomi King, who has given up her dreams of finding true love. But when a young widower stirs surprising feelings in her, Naomi cautiously opens her heart to him and receives an unexpected response that once again turns her world upside-down. Author Amy Clipston artfully paints a panorama of simple lives full of complex relationships, and she carefully explores cultural differences and human similarities, with inspirational results.”
https://amyclipston.com/books/a-kauffman-amish-christmas-collection/
Club member comment(s): This book was described as enjoyable by the reader.
Storm Watch by C. J. Box
Available:
In Library: Book
MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: “When a prominent University of Wyoming professor goes missing, authorities are stumped. That is, until Joe Pickett makes two surprising discoveries while hunting down a wounded elk on his district as an epic spring storm descends upon him. First, he finds the professor’s vehicle parked on a remote mountainside. Then Joe finds the professor’s frozen and mutilated body. When he attempts to learn more, his investigation is obstructed by federal agents, extremists, and Governor Colter Allen. Nate Romanowski is rebuilding his falconry company—and financing this through crypto mining with the assistance of Geronimo Jones. He’s then approached by a shadowy group of local militant activists that is gaining in power and influence, and demanding that Wyoming join other western states and secede from the union—by force, if necessary. They ask Nate to throw in with them, but he’s wary. Should he trust them, or is he being set up? As a storm of peril gathers around them, Joe and Nate confront it in different ways—and maybe, for the first time, on opposite sides.”
https://www.cjbox.net/storm-watch
Club member comment(s): The member reviewing this book shared that she likes the author’s style of writing and recommended it to the others.
Daisy Jones & the Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Available:
In Library: Book; Libby audiobook and e-Book
MelCat: Book; large print book; audiobook
Description: “Everyone knows DAISY JONES & THE SIX, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now. Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock ’n’ roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their
first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next will become the stuff of legend. The making of that legend is chronicled in this riveting and unforgettable novel, written as an oral history of one of the biggest bands of the seventies. Taylor Jenkins Reid is a talented writer who takes her work to a new level with Daisy Jones & The Six, brilliantly capturing a place and time in an utterly distinctive voice.”
https://www.amazon.com/Daisy-Jones-Taylor-Jenkins-Reid/dp/1524798622
Club member comment(s): This book was not one that the club member would ordinarily choose, but she wanted to select a book that was not in her usual preferred genres. She read the book and watched the miniseries based on the book and believed them to be very different. The book is based on the musical group Fleetwood Mac. The reader enjoyed the book and would recommend it to others.
The Paper Palace by Miranda Cowley Heller
Available:
In Library: Libby e-Book
MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: “On a perfect August morning, Elle Bishop heads out for a swim in the pond below The Paper Palace – her family’s holiday home in Cape Cod. As she dives beneath the water she relives the passionate encounter she had the night before, against the side of the house that knows all her darkest secrets, while her husband and mother chatted to their guests inside…So begins a story that unfolds over twenty-four hours and fifty years, as Elle’s shocking betrayal leads her to a life-changing decision – and an ending you won’t be able to stop thinking about.”
https://womensprizeforfiction.co.uk/features/book/the-paper-palace
Club member comment(s): This book deals with childhood loves and two lives moving in different directions. There are a number of “what ifs” in this book, and the reader felt that the ending left her hanging. She described it as a good summer read with surprises, tragedies, and love.
Hunting Sweetie Rose by Jack Fredrickson
Available:
In Library: Book
MelCat: Book
Description: “Sweetie Fairbairn, the doyenne of Chicago society, is known for big-hearted philanthropy and magnificent soirees in her penthouse high atop one of the city's premier boutique hotels. Dek Elstrom is hired by a mysterious man in a long limousine to investigate the death of a clown. Was it suicide―or murder? What is the connection between the dead clown and Sweetie?”
https://www.amazon.com/Hunting-Sweetie-Rose-Mystery-Mysteries/dp/0312605269
Club member comment(s): The author of this book is a friend and family member of one of our club members. Jack Fredrickson is a Chicago native as is the club member which made the read even more interesting because she recognized city establishments and locations. Kalamazoo is also mentioned. She felt that the book kept her guessing and had a great touch of humor. She recommended it to the others.
From Scratch by Tembi Locke Available:
In Library: Book; Libby audiobook and e-Book
MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: “It was love at first sight when actress Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. There was just one problem: Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of his marrying a black American woman. However, the couple, heartbroken but undeterred, forged on. They built a happy life in Los Angeles, with fulfilling careers, deep friendships, and the love of their lives: a baby girl they adopted at birth. Eventually, they reconciled with Saro’s family just as he faced a formidable cancer that would consume all their dreams. From Scratch chronicles three summers Tembi spends in Sicily with her daughter, Zoela, as she begins to piece together a life without her husband in his tiny hometown hamlet of farmers. Where once Tembi was estranged from Saro’s family, now she finds solace and nourishment—literally and spiritually—at her mother-in-law’s table. In the Sicilian countryside, she discovers the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close knit community, and timeless traditions and wisdom that light a path forward. All along the way she reflects on her and Saro’s romance—an incredible love story that leaps off the pages. In Sicily, it is said that every story begins with a marriage or a death—in Tembi Locke’s case, it is both.”
https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/From-Scratch/Tembi-Locke/9781501187667
Club member comment(s): This has been a popular book with club members as it has been reviewed during a previous club meeting. The member reading the book this month commented that she liked the book and the movie particularly because they were so similar. After reading this book, she definitely had an appetite for Italian food!
Half Broke Horses: A True Life Novel by Jeannette Walls
Available:
In Library: Not available.
MelCat: Book; large print book; audiobook
Description: “’Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did.’ So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, Jeannette Walls’s no-nonsense, resourceful, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town—riding five hundred miles on her pony, alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car and fly a plane. And, with her husband, Jim, she ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one who is Jeannette’s memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle. Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds—against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn’t fit the mold. Rosemary Smith Walls always told Jeannette that she was like her grandmother, and in this true life novel, Jeannette Walls channels that kindred spirit. Half Broke Horses is Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen’s Out of Africa or Beryl Markham’s West with the Night. Destined to become a classic, it will transfix readers everywhere.”
https://www.amazon.com/Half-Broke-Horses-True-Life-Novel-ebook/dp/B002PMVQCW
Club member comment(s): The reviewer had recently read the author’s book Glass Castle. She enjoyed the author’s subjects and writing style and opted to read this book as well. In Half Broke Horses, Walls writes about her grandmother. The book’s settings are authentic—including West Virginia. The reader is now looking forward to reading Walls’ next book Hang the Moon.
Exiles by Jane Harper
Available:
In Library: Book; Libby e-Book MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: “Exiles, the third and final book in the Aaron Falk series, follows on from Jane's international bestsellers The Dry and Force of Nature. At a busy festival site on a warm spring night, a baby lies alone in her pram, her mother vanishing into the crowds. A year on, Kim Gillespie's absence casts a long shadow as her friends and loved ones gather deep in the heart of South Australian wine country to welcome a new addition to the family. Joining the celebrations is federal investigator Aaron Falk. But as he soaks up life in the lush valley, he begins to suspect this tight-knit group may be more fractured than it seems. Between Falk's closest friend, a missing mother and a woman he's drawn to, dark questions linger as long-ago truths begin to emerge.”
https://janeharper.com.au/books/exiles
Club member comment(s): The member reviewing this book described the book and told the group she enjoyed the read and would recommend it.
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating by Elisabeth Tova Bailey
Available:
In Library: Book
MelCat: Book; large print book
Description: “In a work that beautifully demonstrates the rewards of closely observing nature, Elisabeth Tova Bailey shares an inspiring and intimate story of her encounter with a Neohelix albolabris—a common woodland snail. While an illness keeps her bedridden, Bailey watches a wild snail that has taken up residence on her nightstand. As a result, she discovers the solace and sense of wonder that this mysterious creature brings and comes to a greater understanding of her own place in the world. Intrigued by the snail’s molluscan anatomy, cryptic defenses, clear decision making, hydraulic locomotion, and courtship activities, Bailey becomes an astute and amused observer, offering a candid and engaging look into the curious life of this underappreciated small animal. The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating is a remarkable journey of survival and resilience, showing us how a small part of the natural world can illuminate our own human existence, while providing an appreciation of what it means to be fully alive.”
(https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/sound-of-a-wild-snail-eating-elisabeth-tova-bailey/1100219260)
Club member comment(s): The member reviewing this book picked it because of the unusual title. The author, while recovering from a catastrophic insult to her autonomic nervous system rendering her bedridden, observes a common garden snail on a potted violet plant next to her bed for hours each day and night. She researches snails and draws parallels between the snail’s life and her own. This award winning book was a real attention grabber and was recommended to the others.
House on Endless Waters: A Novel by Emuna Elon
Available:
In Library: Not available.
MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: Renowned author Yoel Blum reluctantly agrees to visit his birthplace of Amsterdam to promote his books, despite promising his late mother that he would never return to that city. While touring the Jewish Historical Museum with his wife, Yoel stumbles upon footage portraying prewar
Dutch Jewry and is astonished to see the youthful face of his beloved mother staring back at him, posing with his father, his older sister…and an infant he doesn’t recognize. This unsettling discovery launches him into a fervent search for the truth, shining a light on Amsterdam’s dark wartime history—the underground networks that hid Jewish children away from danger and those who betrayed their own for the sake of survival. The deeper into the past Yoel digs up, the better he understands his mother’s silence, and the more urgent the question that has unconsciously haunted him for a lifetime—Who am I?—becomes. Part family mystery, part wartime drama, House on Endless Waters is “a rewarding meditation on survival” (Kirkus Reviews, starred review) and a “deeply immersive achievement that brings to life stories that must never be forgotten” (USA TODAY).”
(https://www.simonandschuster.com/books/House-on-Endless-Waters/Emuna-Elon/9781982130237)
Club member comment(s): This dual time line historical fiction novel centers around main character Yoel Blum who sees a photo of his family during WWII that includes an infant who is not Yoel, his sister, and his parents. If the infant isn’t Yoel, then who is Yoel and who is the infant? The book takes the reader on a journey of discovery with Yoel. The author has a descriptive, lyrical writing style that draws the reader in. The club member’s ancestry is Dutch. The book is set in Amsterdam with detailed descriptions of the present day city and culture. An interesting, haunting book about the fear the Nazi’s engendered among the Jews and ordinary citizens in WWII Holland.
Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg
Available:
In Library: Libby e-Book
MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: “…beloved bestselling author Elizabeth Berg weaves a beautifully written and richly resonant story of a mother and daughter in emotional transit. Helen Ames–recently widowed, coping with loss and grief, unable to do the work that has always sustained her–is beginning to depend far too much on her twenty-seven-year-old daughter, Tessa, and is meddling in her life, offering unsolicited and unwelcome advice. Helen’s problems are compounded by her shocking discovery that her mild mannered and loyal husband was apparently leading a double life. The Ameses had painstakingly saved for a happy retirement, but that money disappeared in several large withdrawals made by Helen’s husband before he died. In order to support herself and garner a measure of much needed
independence, Helen takes an unusual job that ends up offering far more than she had anticipated. And then a phone call from a stranger sets Helen on a surprising path of discovery that causes both mother and daughter to reassess what they thought they knew about each other, themselves, and what really makes a home and a family.”
(https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/4815584)
Club member comment(s): The author narrates this book herself. She is gifted at developing characters such that the reader feels that he/she knows these people intimately. The complex relationship between the main characters, a mother and her daughter, following the death of the main character’s (the mother) husband is sad, humorous, and poignant. This was a great read and the club member recommended the book to others.
The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore
Available:
In Library: Book
MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: “Gilmore (I Hate You More) knocks it out of the park with this passionate love letter to books, showing literature’s power to offer solace, understanding, and human connection. When frail but formidable former literature professor Arthur fails to show up to the library as usual, librarian Sloane, who recognizes him as a kindred spirit despite his cantankerousness, correctly guesses that he’s sick and refusing help. Sloane pushes her way into Arthur’s home, and his neighbor Maisey, part-time nurse Mateo, and grandson Greg soon follow. The five protagonists tell their stories in consecutive narrations: Sloane is grieving her sister and engaged to a man she doesn’t love; telephone psychic Maisey struggles to connect with her teenage daughter; charming but listless Mateo can’t commit to a job or to his boyfriend; and Greg’s fulfilling his mother’s dying wish of reconciling with his estranged grandfather. Drawn together by Arthur’s illness, they form an unlikely book club, bonding over The Remains of the Day, The Joy Luck Club, and Anne of Green Gables. While there’s a hint of romance between Sloane and Greg, the real love story here is with stories themselves. Gilmore’s complex characters jump off the page, and readers should have their handkerchiefs ready for some cathartic tears. This is a treat.”
(https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-72825-621-4)
Club member comment(s): This book explores how a group of diverse people can pull together over their love for books and over the need to care for another human who is frail, alone, and in need of social interaction. The club member reviewing this book recommended it to the others.
Seed to Dust: Life, Nature, and a Country Garden by Marc Hamer
Available:
In Library: Not available.
MelCat: Book
Description: Marc Hamer has nurtured the same 12-acre garden in the Welsh countryside for over two decades. The garden is vast and intricate. It’s rarely visited, and only Hamer knows of its secrets. But it’s not his garden. It belongs to his wealthy and elegant employer, Miss Cashmere. But the garden does not
really belong to her, either. As Hamer writes, ‘Like a book, a garden belongs to everyone who sees it.’ In Seed to Dust, Marc Hamer paints a beautiful portrait of the garden that “belongs to everyone.” He describes a year in his life as a country gardener, with each chapter named for the month he’s in. As he works, he muses on the unusual folklores of his beloved plants. He observes the creatures who scurry and hide from his blade or rake. And he reflects on his own life: living homeless as a young man, his loving relationship with his wife and children, and—now—feeling the effects of old age on body and mind. As the seasons change, Hamer also reflects on the changes he has observed in Miss Cashmere’s life from afar: the death of her husband and the departure of her children from the stately home where she now lives alone. At the book’s end, Hamer’s connection to Miss Cashmere changes shape, and new insights into relationships and the beauty and brutality of nature emerge. Just like all good books and gardens, Seed to Dust is filled with equal parts life and death, beauty and decay, and every reader will find something different to admire.”
(https://greystonebooks.com/products/seed-to-dust)
Club member comment(s): The club member reviewing this book appreciated the information about gardening and exploration of the complex relationship between the gardener and his employer, an elderly woman. The author (the gardener); however, freely shares his agnostic philosophy with the reader. The club member does not share his perspective and found the read difficult for that reason.
Others reading the book might want to know his perspective before committing to the book. Because of this, the club member did not recommend the book to others.
In Kiltjumper: A Year in an Irish Garden by Niall Williams with Christine Breen
Available:
In Library: Not available.
MelCat: Book
Description: “…a memoir of life in rural Ireland and a meditation on the power, beauty, and importance of the natural world. 35 years ago, when they were in their twenties, Niall Williams and Christine Breen made the impulsive decision to leave their lives in New York City and move to Christine's ancestral home in the town of Kiltumper in rural Ireland. In the decades that followed, the pair dedicated themselves to writing, gardening, and living a life that followed the rhythms of the earth. In 2019, with Christine in the final stages of recovery from cancer and the land itself threatened by the arrival of turbines just one farm
over, Niall and Christine decided to document a year of living in their garden and in their small corner of a rapidly changing world. Proceeding month-by-month through the year, and with beautiful seasonal illustrations, this is the story of a garden in all its many splendors and a couple who have made their life observing its wonders.”
https://www.bloomsbury.com/us/in-kiltumper-9781635577181/
Club member comment(s): This delightful garden focused book was recommended by the club member reviewing it. The authors, a married couple, both have engaging writing styles and their descriptions of their working garden are thoroughly enjoyable.
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Available:
In Library: Book; Libby audiobook and e-Book
MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: “Demon Copperhead is set in the mountains of southern Appalachia. It’s the story of a boy born to a teenaged single mother in a single-wide trailer, with no assets beyond his dead father’s good looks and copper-colored hair, a caustic wit, and a fierce talent for survival. In a plot that never pauses for breath, relayed in his own unsparing voice, he braves the modern perils pf foster care, child labor, derelict schools, athletic success, addiction, disastrous loves, and crushing losses. Through all of it, he reckons with his own invisibility in popular culture where even the superheroes have abandoned rural people in favor of cities. Many generations ago, Charles Dickens wrote David Copperfield from his experience as a survivor of institutional poverty and its damages to children in his society. Those problems have yet to be solved in ours. Dickens is not a prerequisite for readers of this novel, but he provided its inspiration. In transposing a Victorian epic novel to her own place and time, Barbara Kingsolver enlists Dickens’ anger and compassion, and above all, his faith in the transformative powers of a good story. Demon Copperhead speaks for a new generation of lost boys, and all those born into beautiful, cursed places they can’t imaging leaving behind.”
http://barbarakingsolver.net/books/demon-copperhead/
Club member comment(s): This Pulitzer Prize winning book is an expose’ on the foster care system, drug manufacturing companies, and the disease of addition. The club member found the book hard to read related to the trauma experienced by the main character and those around him. She recommended this book to the others.
The House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson
Available:
In Library: Libby e-Book
MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: “Johnson’s suspenseful and thought-provoking latest (after The Yellow Wife) follows two young Black women as they separately navigate mid-20th-century America. In the fall of 1948, Ruby is a high school junior in Philadelphia who attends Saturday enrichment classes in hopes of winning a college scholarship and becoming an ophthalmologist. Eleanor, from a Cleveland suburb, is a sophomore at Howard University who is surprised by the campus’s social hierarchy, which is based on wealth and skin color. The lives of both women change when they find love: Ruby with the sweet, bright son of her Jewish landlord; and Eleanor with a medical student who belongs to an upper-class Black family. Unexpected pregnancies threaten the plans and dreams of both women, and heighten the tensions caused by the gulfs between them and their lovers’ families. Johnson methodically develops the women’s worlds and draws subtle hints at the similarities in their experiences, and after their pregnancies, they’re brought together in a bittersweet denouement. This well-crafted work is bound to provoke discussion among readers about the conflicts women face regarding pregnancy.”
https://www.publishersweekly.com/9781982197360
Club member comment(s): The club member reviewing The House of Eve told the others that the book is about two black women living very different and parallel lives that eventually intersect. She enjoyed the book and recommended it.
The Book Woman’s Daughter by Kim Michele Richardson
Available:
In Library: Libby e-Book
MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: “Part 2 of the The new novel from the New
|
Book Woman of Troublesome Creek series. |
York Times bestselling author of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek! Bestselling historical fiction author Kim Michele Richardson is back with the perfect book club read following Honey Lovett, the daughter of the beloved Troublesome book woman, who must fight for her own independence with the help of the women who guide her and the books that set her free. In the ruggedness of the beautiful Kentucky mountains, Honey Lovett has always known that the old ways can make a hard life harder. As the daughter of the famed blue-skinned, Troublesome Creek packhorse librarian, Honey and her family have been hiding from the law all her life. But when her mother and father are imprisoned, Honey realizes she must fight to stay free, or risk being sent away for good. Picking up her mother's old packhorse library route, Honey begins to deliver books to the remote hollers of Appalachia. Honey is looking to prove that she doesn't need anyone telling her how to survive. But the route can be treacherous, and some folks aren't as keen to let a woman pave her own way. If Honey wants to bring the freedom books provide to the families who need it most, she's going to have to fight for her place, and along the way, learn that the extraordinary women who run the hills and hollers can make all the difference in the world.”
https://www.hoopladigital.com/title/15039849
Club member comment(s): This book comes sequentially after the Book Woman of Troublesome Creek. The book women brought more than books to their Appalachian patrons. The protagonist in this book is unique in that she has a genetic blood disorder that changes the color of her skin. The club member enjoyed this book and recommended it to the others.
Earth is the Right Place for Love: A Novel by Elizabeth Berg
Available:
In Library: Book
MelCat: Book; large print book
Description: “…A coming-of-age story about two brothers supporting each other through life’s twists and turns in Mason, Missouri. It is the spring of 1947, and 16-year-old Arthur Moses is in love. Not the fleeting puppy love of his peers, but a deep, all-consuming love that he's certain is real. The only problem is that Nola McCollum doesn’t look his way, and when she finally does, it’s to ask Arthur to pass her number on to his older brother, Frank. Arthur says he will but instead hides the note in his desk and asks Frank for his advice on how to win Nola over. Frank needs advice for his own troubles, and Berg’s narration of the two young men whispering to each other at night in their shared bedroom lends a profound sweetness to the novel even as the boys deal with the harsh realities of their lives such as an abusive father. Despite his lack of success wooing Nola, Arthur, who loves trees and his hometown and treats everyone he meets with gentle kindness, soldiers on with calm resolve, certain that someday his brother’s advice will lead Nola to him. But when a gut-wrenching tragedy hits the Moses household, Arthur is not sure he can or should ever try to be happy again. While the relationship between the brothers is the novel’s crowning jewel, Berg’s ability to create characters—even some we meet for only a few scenes—with rich inner lives cannot be overpraised: ‘But he knew that now he would be seeing her in an altogether different way. There she would be, standing fierce on her stoop, but behind her would be a lot of other hers, younger hers, wearing a polka-dotted dress or a red wool suit, or the cotton-print robe she’d had to cut extra-careful to keep whole the wings of the big white birds.’ A poignant tale of love, grief, and the resiliency of the human spirit.”
https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/elizabeth-berg/earths-the-right-place-for-love/ Club member comment(s): This book was endorsed as a “happy” and “calm” read!
Encore in Death by J.D. Robb Available:
In Library: Book; Libby e-Book MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: “The homicide cop with a passion for justice returns in the captivating crime thriller series by the #1 New York Times bestselling author. It was a glittering event full of A-listers, hosted by Eliza Lane and Brant Fitzhugh, a celebrity couple who’d conquered both Hollywood and Broadway. And now Eve Dallas has made her entrance―but not as a guest. After raising a toast, Fitzhugh fell to the floor and died, with physical symptoms pointing to cyanide, and the police have crashed the party. From all accounts, he wasn’t the kind of star who made enemies. Everyone loved him―even his ex-wife. And since the champagne cocktail that killed him was originally intended for Eliza, it’s possible she was the real target, with a recently fired assistant, a bitter rival, and an obsessed fan in the picture. With so many attendees, staff, and servers, Eve has her work cut out determining who committed murder in the middle of the crowd―and what was their motivation. As one who’s not fond of the spotlight herself, she dreads the media circus surrounding a case like this. All she wants is to figure out who’s truly innocent, and who’s only acting that way…”
https://indeath.fandom.com/wiki/Encore_in_Death
Club member comment(s): The author began writing books in this series in 1995. This is book number 56 in the series. The club member told the group that this is a murder mystery. She appreciated that the book does not focus on the gritty horror of the murder scene but rather on the process of determining who committed the murder. The book is futuristic in that it is set in 2058. People are eating primarily soy based foods because they cannot afford regular food. Chicory substitutes for coffee. People live to be over 100 years old with 65 considered middle age. Much of futuristic content of her books written in 1995 has actually become part of everyday life now. Citizen are vaccinated against dental caries and many types of cancer. Interestingly, must of what the author wrote as futuristic content in 1995 has come to fruition today. The club member recommended this murder mystery to others.
Little Beach Street Bakery: A Novel by Jenny Colgan
Available:
In Library: Book
MelCat: Book; large print book; audiobook
Description: “Polly Waterford is recovering from a toxic relationship. Unable to afford their flat, she has to move miles away from everyone, to a sleepy little seaside resort in Cornwall, where she lives alone above an abandoned shop. And so Polly takes out her frustrations on her favorite hobby: making bread. But what was previously a weekend diversion suddenly becomes far more important as she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, and each loaf becomes better and better. With nuts and seeds, olives and chorizo, with local honey (courtesy of local bee keeper, Huckle), and with reserves of determination and creativity Polly never knew she had, she bakes and bakes and bakes . . . And people start to hear about it. Sometimes, bread really is life . . . And Polly is about to reclaim hers.”
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/18213783
Club member comment(s): The club member briefly described the book and recommended it to the others as a great summer read.
Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
Available:
In Library: Book; Libby audiobook and e-Book
MelCat: Book; audiobook
Description: “On a perfect June day, Vivian Howe, author of thirteen beach novels and mother of three nearly grown children, is killed in a hit-and-run car accident while jogging near her home on Nantucket. She ascends to the Beyond where she's assigned to a Person named Martha, who allows Vivi to watch what happens below for one last summer. Vivi also is granted three “nudges” to change the outcome of events on earth, and with her daughter Willa on her third miscarriage, Carson partying until all hours, and Leo currently “off again” with his high-maintenance girlfriend, she’ll have to think carefully where to use them. From the Beyond, Vivi watches “The Chief” Ed Kapenash investigate her death, but her greatest worry is her final book, which contains a secret from her own youth that could be disastrous for her reputation. But when hidden truths come to light, Vivi’s family will have to sort out their past and present mistakes—with or without a nudge of help from above—while Vivi finally lets them grow without her. With all of Elin’s trademark beach scenes, mouth-watering meals, and picture-perfect homes, plus a heartfelt message—the people we lose never really leave us—Golden Girl is a beach book unlike any other.”
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/55643278
Club member comment(s): “I didn’t figure out the ending!” That she didn’t made this a recommended read for the group members. The main character is killed, goes to heaven, and gets nudges allowing her to change what happens on earth. She can also hear gossip in heaven about what people thought of her on earth. Interesting premise. Interesting book.
The Mayfair Bookshop: A Novel of Nancy Mitford and the Pursuit of Happiness by Eliza Knight Available:
In Library: Not available.
MelCat: Book
Description: Eliza Knight brings together a brilliant dual-narrative story about Nancy Mitford—one of 1930s London’s hottest socialites, authors, and a member of the scandalous Mitford Sisters—and a modern American desperate for change, connected through time by a little London bookshop. 1938: She was one of the six sparkling Mitford sisters, known for her stinging quips, stylish dress, and bright green eyes. But Nancy Mitford’s seemingly sparkling life was really one of turmoil: with a perpetually unfaithful and broke husband, two Nazi sympathizer sisters, and her hopes of motherhood dashed forever. With war imminent, Nancy finds respite by taking a job at the Heywood Hill Bookshop in Mayfair, hoping to make ends meet, and discovers a new life. Present Day: When book curator Lucy St. Clair lands a gig working at Heywood Hill she can’t get on the plane fast enough. Not only can she start the healing process from the loss of her mother, it’s a dream come true to set foot in the legendary store. Doubly exciting: she brings with her a first edition of Nancy’s work, one with a somewhat mysterious inscription from the author. Soon, she discovers her life and Nancy’s are intertwined, and it all comes back to the little London bookshop—a place that changes the lives of two women from different eras in the most surprising ways.”
https://elizaknight.com/books/the-mayfair-bookshop/
Club member comment(s): This is a dual time line book about Nancy Mitford. Very enjoyable read.
The Water of the Lake was Red by Mulanda Juma (written in French and not translated into English) Availability:
Library: Not available
MelCat: Not available
Description: This book was shared with the group by a patron who knows the author, Mulanda Juma, and considers him her son. They met with the club member was serving with her husband in the Congo. Both mentored the author as he obtained his education and started his career. Written in French and not yet translated into English, the club member sharing the book with the group pointed out that on the back cover, she was asked to and provided comment about the book along with others. The link below tells the story of the author and, if you look closely, you’ll see a photo of the club member and her husband!
https://mcc.org/centennial/100-stories/displaced-war-working-peace
Thanks to everyone for sharing their thoughts about so many wonderful books! We look forward to seeing everyone at the next First Thursday Monthly Book Club Meeting on Thursday, July 6, 2023, at 12 NOON in the library.
Until then, think about the following!
