MARCH 2020 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, The Roots of the Olive Tree, Courtney Miller Santo

Females are best in the olive grove as they are “wise in the feet and wild in the head.” Some of us might have a future in olive harvesting!

17 Bookers met at the home of Patty Evans to discuss this month’s selection, a debut contemporary women’s fiction, set in a house in an olive grove in Northern California that brings to life five generations of women, including the unforgettable 112-year-old matriarch of Scot-Irish descent, Anna Davison Keller, who is determined to break all Guinness longevity records. As the story unfolds, we learn of the secrets and lies that divide the women and the love that ultimately ties them together.

Welcome KK Mitchell to her first “official” meeting although she’s been on the email list for a long time. We’re glad to have you in person and hope you enjoy our time together. Also, new to the Pinnacle Women’s Club and to Bookers, Suzanne Potter, has joined the group as well as Fran Farmer. We’re happy to have all of you!

Beverly Dossett, our discussion leader, offered a short summary and opened it up for the group to comment.

One of Bookers’ rules (and we only have two) is the book must foster discussion. This one did not disappoint. Sixteen read the selection, four liked, but the rest either disliked or rated it so-so. The common complaints focused on the abrupt ending (did they journey to Australia?), lack of character development, the difficulty of keeping the numerous characters straight…although the main characters were in alphabetical order (Anna, Bets, Callie, Deborah, Erin), the storylines seemed scattered and in some cases useless information failing to drive the story forward, some parts read as though an editor might have removed chunks of the text, the author relied heavily on clichés, some regarding the writing sophomoric especially for a university creative writing teacher, the change of viewpoints made it difficult to follow, and we never learned what Carl, Deborah’s husband, really did to deserve six bullets…although the location of those bullets probably answered that question. The secondary story about the theory of aging lost some momentum with the dissertations of the geneticist, Dr. Hashmit, whose study of the “superagers” saw a clear disparity between chronological age and biological age – those individuals having physical, psychological, and social lives of people one-half there ages. His theory was since they stop or slow senescence (the condition or process of deterioration with age within the body) his mission was to find the genetic mutation in the Keller family’s first-born females that was responsible for defying longevity norms.

On a more positive note, the story of the schoolteacher, Miss Dupont, who survived the fire that killed twenty-six children including Violet, Anna’s little sister and the first child born at Hill House, was heartwarming as she wrote letters on each anniversary of the tragedy to the parents of those who died imagining what he or she would be doing that year if they had lived. Also, the biblical meaning of roots of the olive tree is told in Romans 11:17 saying that Christians are spiritually grafted into the ancient olive tree of Israel…with faith not standing alone but supported by that tree. Those familiar with the olive trees of Israel realize that these old trees can live hundreds of years and are wonderful pictures of stability, endurance and fruitfulness. Ms. Santo adeptly used this imagery and analogy to create the characters, their relationships to each other, their strengths and weaknesses, and the richness in their lives. Anna’s character was the spiritual graft – the roots that held the Keller family together for generations.

On the business side:

Thank you to those who have already sent me book recommendations for the committee to consider. If you have not done so yet, please email your thoughts as soon as possible.

Bonnie Magee, our food czar, will be coordinating the offerings a little early this year for our Wine & Cheese evening meeting as she will be traveling (maybe) and will have surgery in May. Please respond directly to her and again, thanks to everyone for their support.

Our first batch of new books from BookTrib should arrive at the end of this month so we’ll have them to pass out next month.

Easter is almost upon us and Patty Evans needs volunteers to help coordinate the outdoor activities for the kids. Please contact her directly (pevans@thirdring.net) if you can tap into your inner “bunny” and help with the project.

The new and gently used bookstore, Bookish, in Malakoff, 211 S. Terry, will celebrate the grand opening with a ribbon cutting at 11:00 am, Saturday, March 21, 2020 to kick off a full day of events in partnership with local merchants. Bookish will provide snacks and Cappuccinos throughout the day with author’s book signings and short presentations. (Mine is 11:15 or 11:30); HF Family Table will be selling book themed box lunches; Sunrise Point (the new luxury cottages and event venue) will be offering tours all day; Malakoff Junction antique store will be open as well as Artful Thinking and the Vault House; Bookish and Sunrise Point will be hosting a giveaway at 2:00 pm – enter for a chance to win dinner for two at HF Family Table and a two night stay at Sunrise Point; Take a historic tour of Anding House B&B, originally the Flagg family home built in 1920 by Mr. Flagg, the President of First State Bank and owner of a drug store, dry goods and grocery stores.

COLOR CODING SYSTEM

WHITE:         LIGHT READ

PINK:             MODERATELY CHALLENGING

RED:              CHALLENGING

April 14:                     Beloved by Toni Morrison

In honor of the late Nobel Prize laureate’s finest achievement which stares unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery transforming history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby…filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope.

RED

                                    Home of Beverly Dossett

                                    Discussion Leader: Katherine McDonald

May 12:                      The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

One-hundred and four-year old Ona tells the eleven-year-old unnamed boy who has been helping her out every Saturday morning, “The story of your life never starts at the beginning.” A heartwarming tale of love, loss, and friendship.

PINK

                                    Evening Wine & Cheese meeting

                                    Home of Melanie Prebis        

                                    Discussion Leader: Jean Alexander

                                    Bonnie Magee will again coordinate our menu

Summer reads:            The Giver of the Stars by JoJo Moyes and

                                    The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

                                    Much has been made of the similarities of these two books, some calling it plagiarism. They were published five months apart; they both take place in Kentucky and deal with the Pack Horse Library Project tasked with bringing books to remote areas of Appalachia between 1936 and 1943.

                                             Bookers is reading both because of the controversy…will be a fun meeting in September 2020.

With the power of storytelling the minds of younger generations will absorb the rich history of their ancestors…if they listen. They might even learn that the narrative of your life is not the same as the truth of your life.

Happy Reading,

JoDee

FEBRUARY 2020 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

“Use it up; Wear it out; Make it do; or Do without.” 1930’s America

19 Bookers sloshed to the home of Daryl Daniels to discuss this month’s selection set within the background of America’s Great Depression. Rokhshie Malone led the dialogue of this domestic/historical fiction tale capturing the hopelessness sweeping the country in 1931. She provided a storyboard featuring the timeline of this period between 1929 and 1938 and into 1940 when the United States began sending military supplies and other assistance to the Allies in Europe. Another chart displayed what items cost in 1931 along with two different book covers, and a tribute to the theme song of the era, “Brother Can You Spare A Dime.” The majority of Bookers read and liked the book; a few loved it; a couple were iffy. Well done Rokhshie…with a nod to hubby Bud.

The author stumbled upon a1948 newspaper photograph of four young siblings on the steps of an apartment building with the mother shielding her face from the camera…the sign haunted Ms. McMorris – 4 Children For Sale – inquire within. She wondered what could have possibly pushed a parent to “sell” her children. The answer to that question became the foundation of this novel. 

A picture is worth a thousand words, but this one, 2 children for sale, consisting of one number and three words told the story of families during the Great Depression. In the midst of all this, the photo caught the nation on fire – it humanized the struggles of everyday life and in doing so gave people something else to talk about instead of unemployment and starvation. There was an outpouring of compassion for a mother and her children and Ellis Reed became the reporter with the pulse on the commonality of man and his plight, ambitions, and triumphs. At the heart of the story is loss and how individuals deal with it – Jim Reed, Sylvia Millstone, and Geraldine Dillard lost children while Lily Palmer as an unwed mother would have lost her reputation if her son was discovered.  

The photo affected more than Ellis’s career – it was viewed by thousands, each seeing what they wanted to see in the photograph – even today we bring our own perceptions to the table…most skewed by our past – either consciously or unconsciously. Lily and Ellis were kindred spirits, both carrying the torch of survivors out to prove their worth to themselves and to their families. They both dealt with guilt – Lily’s with the stigma of having a child out of marriage and Ellis’s success built on the hardships of others.

Our discussion included what prompted the title of the novel with Ellis wondering what else he had sold on a Monday – himself, his integrity, his principles. There are two English nursery rhymes that might have contributed to the title…Solomon Gundy born on a Monday, Christened on Tuesday, Married on Wednesday, Took ill on Thursday, Got worse on Friday, Died on Saturday, Buried on Sunday – the other another one to consider – Monday’s child is fair of face, Tuesday’s child is full of grace, etc.…or it could have been just the beginning of the week…Ms. McMorris most likely had a solid reason. The prologue garnered some discussion as it began where the novel ended – the setting in the waiting area of the hospital where a reporter approaches the story’s unknown narrator seeking a statement…and Lily says, “It started with a picture.” We talked about the image of a pregnant teenage Lily standing at the top of the stairs pondering how a fall would certainly cause a miscarriage…until the baby kicked; the powerful scene between a father and son, at odds their entire lives, with each carrying an unspeakable burden hoping to find a way to right irreversible wrongs; the multiple side stories; the setting, although realistic, might have been more so with heightened attention to more family struggles (although an editor might not agree); the events unfolding seemed rushed – almost frantic toward the end but keep in mind Lily and Ellis did not have the luxury of time if they were going to rescue Ruby and Calvin; the heartbreaking realization that Calvin was chained in the barn of his “new home.” Most agreed the breaking into the orphanage was a touch over the top – but how else are they going to get the information they needed – and again time was of the essence. The characters were well developed pointing to how each one grew as the novel progressed except the depth of Mrs. Millstone’s mental illness although hinted at was revealed enough for the reader to recognize the seriousness of her disease. One of our members shared that she has a friend who was born in Arkansas to a poor family – she and her older brother were actually “sold” to a loving couple – this happening in the early 1950’s not during the depression but points to how some families still have to make difficult choices. Bottom line, the novel was somewhat predictable, was certainly a page-turner, tying up all the loose ends with a happy ending for most.  

On the business side:

Please thank our new Bookers Selection Committee, Jean McSpadden, Janet Noblitt, and Beverly Dossett for volunteering to read, read, and read more in order to find those Bookers’ treasures we all love. As we requested last year, please send me the titles of 3 books you recommend for consideration by the committee by March 1^st and I’ll pass them along.

Reminder: The deadline to turn in your garage sale survey is Thursday, February 13 at the conclusion of the PWC luncheon. Please make your voice count.

TaleFlick is a company that curates books for movies and television. I submitted my book about a year ago and now Life in a Box was selected to participate in the weekly discovery contest. Voting at www.taleflick.com began Monday, February 10 @ 10:00 a.m. Pacific through Friday, February 14 @ 4:00 p.m. Pacific. The one with the most votes is rewarded with a direct pipeline into the industry professionals. I would greatly appreciate your support!

Kathleen Kent, author of the Heretic’s Daughter is the guest speaker of the 2020 Books in Bloom fundraiser benefitting the Henderson County Public Library. She will be speaking about her newly released noir fiction, The Burn, on April 17, 2020 at the First United Methodist Church, Athens. If you’re not familiar with this genre, it is a subgenre of crime fiction, often called hardboiled fiction where right and wrong are not clearly defined and the protagonists are often tragically flawed. I have reserved a table of 8 for Bookers and we have two more members interested in going. Individual tickets are available but if we can find 6 more, I can reserve another table for us. Please let me know if you are interested asap.

On Saturday March 21, 2020 a new bookstore will hold their grand opening in Malakoff, and I’m honored to be part of the celebration. Details to follow.

As suggested last month I reconnected with Robert Dugoni, (Sam Hell’s author) regarding the audio version. I told him that several Bookers commented what a wonderful job he did narrating as they “felt every word.” Also, I told him about the “standing ovation moments” in the book. He responded “how very heart warming. Thanks so much for letting me know.”

COLOR CODING SYSTEM

WHITE:         LIGHT READ

PINK:             MODERATELY CHALLENGING

RED:              CHALLENGING

March 10:                   The Roots of the Olive Tree by Courtney Miller Santo

A debut novel set in a house in an olive grove in Northern California, a touching story bringing to life five generations of women, including an unforgettable 112 year-old matriarch determined to break all Guinness longevity records – the secrets and lies that divide them and the love that ultimately ties them together.

PINK

Home of Patty Evans

Discussion Leader: Beverly Dossett

April 14:                     Beloved by Toni Morrison

In honor of the late Nobel Prize laureate’s finest achievement which stares unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery transforming history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby…filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope.

RED

                                    Home of Jean Alexander

                                    Discussion Leader: Katherine McDonald

May 12:                      The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

One-hundred and four-year old Ona tells the eleven-year-old unnamed boy who has been helping her out every Saturday morning, “The story of your life never starts at the beginning.” A heartwarming tale of love, loss, and friendship.

PINK

                                    Evening Wine & Cheese meeting

                                    Home of Melanie Prebis        

                                    Discussion Leader: Jean Alexander

                                    Bonnie Magee will again coordinate our menu

Summer reads:            The Giver of the Stars by JoJo Moyes and

                                    The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

                                    Much has been made of the similarities of these two books, some calling it plagiarism. They were published five months apart; they both take place in Kentucky and deal with the Pack Horse Library Project tasked with bringing books to remote areas of Appalachia between 1936 and 1943.

                                           Bookers is reading both because of the controversy…will be a fun meeting in September 2020.

Happy Reading,

JoDee

JANUARY 2020 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, Robert Dugoni

“Two eyes, two ears, ten fingers, ten toes, and a nose, Perfect…” in a 2020 world at least.

20 Bookers met at the home of Beverly Dossett to discuss this month’s selection led by Ann Ireland. It appears this one hit a home run as everyone read it, all liked it, and many of us loved it. Bookers’ send our continued thoughts and prayers to Sheri Green as she goes through another clinical trial…the bad news is the chemo makes her extremely nauseous, but the good news is that her pain level is better…things may be turning upward for our friend. Our own Ann Ireland will be undergoing major back surgery on January 27. She doesn’t need anything, but maybe take a few prayers out of the piggy bank for a successful operation and a short recovery period.

As we’ve filled our schedule for this year (see below) we all would like to thank our book selection committee, Pat Faherty, Katherine McDonald, and Melanie Prebis, for an extraordinary two years of service! There’s an old Turkish saying, measure a thousand times, cut once. That’s what they did when choosing a Bookers’ book and we benefited from their tireless efforts!

A worn-out cliché is that our eyes are the windows of our souls, but at certain intervals in our lives we all suffer from acute blindness closing our eyes to the unpleasant, having sight but no vision. Sam, born with “red pupils,” ocular albinism, struggled through many trials and tribulations because of his condition, but it was his mother with her 2020 vision who gave her son the tools he needed to deal with his extraordinary gift. She knew he was destined for greatness, after all it was “God’s will” and He had a divine plan for Sam. If he had been named a Pope, it would not have surprised her in the least. By not coddling him, Madeline and Max Hill handed their son an invaluable lesson – you must learn to stand on your own as your parents will not always be there to protect you. Sam spent a lifetime getting to know himself, but it took a young girl in dire need of a hero to prove to Sam his mother might have been right. The novel captures the nuances of growing up, of community, of fairness, of bias, of bullying, of a Catholic school education, of fitting in, of loyalty, of lifelong friendships, of faith lost and recaptured, of enduring love, and hope.

Our discussion included personal “David Bateman” bullying stories, what group we identified with in school, the standing ovation moments in the story (Father Brogan’s truths about Sam’s bike accident, the trip to Lourdes, Fernando, Mickie and Sam FINALLY), Ernie’s success on the field and in business, David Bateman’s propensity for abuse from his childhood experiences, and one criticism was the length of time – ten years – that Sam spent overseas seemed too long given his father’s health issues – he turned his back on friends, his hometown, and the life he’d always known.  

As readers, we are grateful Mr. Dugoni’s agents and editors for rejecting his five-week first draft leading him to this extraordinary novel with a connecting thread pulling us through the story – it’s what everyone wants…to believe.   

On the business side:

Bookers is officially a BookTrib book club and we will receive our first shipment in April. Our commitment is simple, we take a photo of the group with the books, I email it to their editorial director; if you want, please post on social media about the book and/or the BookTrib program. Also, please visit www.booktribcom to subscribe to their free weekly newsletter.

We are all aware the impact book clubs have on sales…just out, book clubs bought 45% of all adult fiction in 2019. We’re awesome…but we knew that!

COLOR CODING SYSTEM

WHITE:         LIGHT READ

PINK:             MODERATELY CHALLENGING

RED:              CHALLENGING

February 11:               Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

A scrawled sign peddling young siblings on a farmhouse porch captures the desperation sweeping the country in 1931. A struggling reporter snaps a photograph which changes his life with consequences he never expected.

                                    PINKISH RED

Home of Daryl Daniels

Discussion Leader: Rokhshie Malone

March 10:                   The Roots of the Olive Tree by Courtney Miller Santo

A debut novel set in a house in an olive grove in Northern California, a touching story bringing to life five generations of women, including an unforgettable 112 year-old matriarch determined to break all Guinness longevity records – the secrets and lies that divide them and the love that ultimately ties them together.

PINK

Home of Patty Evans

Discussion Leader: Beverly Dossett

April 14:                     Beloved by Toni Morrison

In honor of the late Nobel Prize laureate’s finest achievement which stares unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery transforming history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby…filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope.

RED

                                    Home of Jean Alexander

                                    Discussion Leader: Katherine McDonald

May 12:                      The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

One-hundred and four-year old Ona tells the eleven-year-old unnamed boy who has been helping her out every Saturday morning, “The story of your life never starts at the beginning.” A heartwarming tale of love, loss, and friendship.

PINK

                                    Evening Wine & Cheese meeting

                                    Home of Melanie Prebis        

                                    Discussion Leader: Jean Alexander

Summer reads:            The Giver of the Stars by JoJo Moyes and

                                    The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

                                    Much has been made of the similarities of these two books, some calling it plagiarism. They were published five months apart; they both take place in Kentucky and deal with the Pack Horse Library Project tasked with bringing books to remote areas of Appalachia between 1936 and 1943.

                                    Bookers is reading both because of the controversy…will be a fun meeting in September 2020.

“The true meaning of success can be found in the quiet moments of life – when your heart is filled with love.”

Robert Dugoni

Happy Reading,

JoDee

DECEMBER 2019 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, Bookers Highlight Reel of Christmas Past, Present, & Future, a presentation by JoDee Neathery

“And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so? It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags…then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before. What if Christmas doesn’t come from a store. What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little more.”

22 met at the home of Jane Shaw for Bookers’ Highlight Reel of Christmas Past, Present & Future, color coded candy-cane, and presented by your chairperson, “moi” featuring a walk-through of Bookers’ Christmases from 2004 to present. As always, our members stepped up volunteering to bring food and spirits to toast the season and our very special group of ladies. Special thanks to Jane for opening her beautifully decorated home for our celebration, to Bonnie Magee, our Food Czar Extraordinaire, for coordinating our feast, to our elf, Barbara Creach, for directing the sock in a sack exchange, and to our veteran Mimosa bartender who also worked “flute” cleanup, Janet Noblitt, for keeping us hydrated and tidy! And, word of the hoopla traveled fast as a bevy of migrating birds and white pelicans converged lakeside to join in the sing-along of, We Wish You A Merry Christmas. A warm welcome to our newest book lover, Karen Gallini, and we hope she becomes a regular Booker. I’ll deliver the box of cards, a crystal angel that lights up, and a warm and fuzzy pair of socks to our Sheri Green who needs some Bookers’ love and a spark of light.

After the Highlight Reel of Christmas Past and Present, Christmas Future was presented, we ended our festivities with a reading of a short excerpt from my work-in-progress novel, A Kind of Hush, a gripping family drama detailing how life is seldom a tidy affair exploring if there is a gray area between right and wrong. The Mackie family of four is enjoying a summer outing when their life is once again upended. Are they victims of a tragic accident or was it something more heinous – and if so whodunit and whydunit. We begin in Buffalo, New York in the summer of 2012…

BOOKERS HIGHLIGHT REEL OF CHRISTMAS PAST, PRESENT, & FUTURE

One of the most timeless and universal themes, both poignant and simple highlighting the essence of Christmas was the story of four young ladies’ march from childhood to adulthood addressing the conflicts they met between family and personal growth set within the background of the Civil War. The opening line of Little Women by Louisa Mae Alcott is “Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents….”

I’ve got a present for each of you that I hope you enjoy. It’s not wrapped in glittery foil paper and tied up with an organza ribbon. Its only value is in the memories it shares and the promise of honoring Christmas in our hearts so that it will last all year. We always talk of books being our vision into worlds we’ve yet to discover and characters we’ve yet to meet. They allow us to walk in other’s shoes by expanding our minds and embracing thoughts and cultures beyond our comfort zone. Many of you have been a Booker since our inception and some only a short while, but the purpose of this little gift is to show everyone where we have been by strolling through Bookers’ Christmases beginning in 2004. Enjoy the journey!

Christmas 2004:

Skipping Christmas, John Grisham & The 5 People you Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom

Enter a frazzled super Mom during the holidays juggling the kid’s activities, shopping for the perfect gift, preparing the holiday meal while maintaining a smooth and orderly family life. One day in frustration, she slammed the car door exclaiming, “Who ever invented this holiday ought to be crucified.” From the back seat came a small voice, “They have already done that.” The book points to what should be celebrated rather than what is and what it means to be on the receiving end of kindness and neighborly love.

Mitch Albom’s powerful, thought-provoking book, The 5 People you Meet in Heaven, encourages the reader to embrace this idea of heaven where he suggests there are really no strangers in the world, only family we have yet to meet.

Christmas 2005:

The Life of Pi, Yann Martel

This is one of those books that fosters discussion at the drop of a hat – is it the kind of book that makes you believe in God or one that makes you believe in the human need to tell stories in order to make sense of our existence. How does a boy, a 450-pound Bengal tiger, an injured zebra, and an orangutan on a 26-foot lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific survive 227 days at sea? The author tells us, “life is a story…isn’t one with an imaginative overlay better.” God is shorthand for anything that is beyond material – he asks us to cherish a story devoted to the powers beyond.

Christmas 2006:

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Dai Sijie

The fable style book follows two young boys exiled to a remote Chinese village for re-education during the Cultural Revolution, however, it is not about politics or the evils of the regime, but a sweet, humorous, touching story about first love, teenage relationships, and how fate of empires can hinge on the education of their youth.

Christmas 2007:

Poetry Appreciation Month

Robert Frost says a “poem begins as a lump in the throat; a sense of wrong; a homesickness; a lovesickness; it finds the thought and the thought finds the words.” Bookers shared their favorites.

Christmas 2008:

Water for Elephants, Sara Gruen

A story of survival, loyalty, adventure, love, and the frailty of aging set in the world of a third-rate circus trying to make it in the midst of the Great Depression. The story ended as it began when 22-year-old Jacob escaped his circumstances and joined the traveling circus…and then 92-year old Jacob did it again.

Christmas 2009:

Astrid & Veronica, Linda Olsson

A record number, 36, Bookers attended this one. The novel, acted out by Bernie Crudden and Patti Branco, is one of an unlikely friendship between two women, four decades apart but bound by comparable histories who find comfort and freedom in their shared stories. We learn how the shards of loneliness can be shattered by the power of love.

Christmas 2010:

Not My Daughter, Barbara Delinsky

Another record turnout, 37 Bookers with special guest, MN’s sister Dianne, who by her own admission, “reads by osmosis” listening to her sisters. We launched into a chorus of Christmas carols before our own thespian, Bernie Crudden, who donned several hats in telling this story displayed her professionalism in light of being “underwhelmed with the character development and the happy-ever-after conclusion to an unlikely story.”

Christmas 2011:

A Week in Winter, Marcia Willett

29 Bookers plopped down in an English countryside and into the lives of colorful characters telling a tale of love found and love lost leaving us with a warm and fuzzy feeling inside an old family farmhouse that was at the center of the story.

Christmas 2012:

The Young Wife, Pam Lewis & Back When We Were Grownups, Anne Tyler

A common thread zigzagged throughout both novels and the similarities of the book jackets highlighted the links between the two – both were views from behind the two women, both looking off to the side, one with an updo, the other with a ponytail…one at life’s sunrise, the other facing twilight both reflecting on their decisions. They forced us to look back and wonder, have I turned into the wrong person or am I just a different person than I was.

Christmas 2013:

Ordinary Grace, William Kent Krueger

A story about a boy standing at the door of manhood trying to understand a world that seems to be falling apart around him. The novel is about a “grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it.” A miracle happened that day of ordinary grace within the sorrow of a family’s tragedy a simple prayer offered in perfect speech was unexplainable but every word, unforgettable. The book struck a chord as if a chapter was taken out of our own lives as we acknowledged that deep faith in a power greater than ourselves is essential to reconciling tragedy. The title of the book is so poignant because a miracle arrived in the steady voice of a young man who conquered fear, and a mother who returned to her family.

Christmas 2014:

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, Gabrielle Zevin

The book is a “love letter to the world of books” about a thirty-nine-year-old grieving widow, the owner of a small bookstore on a remote island off the coast of New England who overcomes depression and bitterness to give his heart and name to an abandoned child and trust that love deserves a second chance. Control of the meeting flew out the window, when towards the end we had a lively discussion on “coupling” on the first date. I’m speechless now as I must have been then!

Christmas 2015:

Our Souls at Night, Kent Haruf

This novel is a touching, often humorous story of the loneliness of a man and a woman, both “up in years” coming together to wrestle with the events of their lives and their hopes for the imminent future. Their stories were acted out in the bedroom of Jean & Lee Alexander – Addie was played by MN and I was in the character of Louis. Addie’s final dialogue went like this: I love having Louis staying over the night…I like the friendship… hearing Louis breathe…I love the air, the country, the backyard, the gravel in the back alley, the grass… the cool nights…lying in the bed and talking to Louis in the dark…I was just so lonely especially at night.

Christmas 2016:

7 Women, Eric Metaxas

Our purpose in selecting this book was to enlighten, to learn, and appreciate the sacrifices these women endured in the name of benevolent goodwill toward humanity. Strong faith played a significant role in their resolve, but we also learned the secrets of what made these great women greater. They were Joan of Arc, Susanna Wesley, Hannah More, Saint Maria of Paris, Corrie Ten Boom, Rosa Parks, and Mother Teresa.

Christmas 2017:

The Trouble with Goats & Sheep, Joanna Cannon

Unfortunately, this was an unpopular selection as only four including me liked it. Some thought it was “much to do about nothing…a waste of time.” It was a parable, a simple story to illustrate a moral or spiritual lesson as told by Jesus in the Gospels. The author used the parable of sheep and goats found in Matthew 25:31-46 where all those on earth will be brought before the Lord and He will separate them as a “as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.” It points out the difference between man redeemed and saved versus man condemned and lost.

Christmas 2018:

Mr. Dickens and His Carol, Samantha Silva

Last year we rebounded as this selection was a favorite, the author drawing on the truths of Mr. Dicken’s life at the time he created “A Christmas Carol.” One of the great ironies of this classic was it was written in six weeks because of his dire financial situation, but the result was the clearest example of his vision of the world, not only at Christmas  but for all time…we must be responsible for those who have less and generosity is the only antidote for our selfishness, greed, and miserliness.

So, we’ve talked about Christmas Past having looked at the 15 Christmases we’ve shared together and the common thread in all these selections was the power of love, faith, kindness, knowledge, and trust in the things we cannot explain. So, let’s look at Christmas Present – Christmas 2019 – we’re inundated with disturbing news feed from the world, our State and country; a normal day for our school children is participating in active shooter drills; trusted leaders of religious groups have fallen from grace…and the list goes on. However, here we enjoy a continual spirit of giving through our community’s philanthropic efforts and the increase of residents calling Pinnacle “home” allowing us to grow our friend-base by meeting new people. 

Also, on the bright side beyond our little piece of the world we find twenty drivers on a busy highway stopping to rescue a dog; we see two young sisters raising money to provide Thanksgiving meals to those in need in their area; thousands of winter coats are donated for children living in public housing in Chicago; a single dad adopts five siblings, ages 5,4,3,2, and 1so they could remain together; a Florida man paid off 400 student lunch debts – all of this heartwarming news happened just in November of this year. All these examples of the profoundness of Dr. Seuss who professed, “Christmas will always be as long as we stand heart to heart and hand in hand.”

Now on to Bookers’ Christmas Future – let’s look to 2020 when just maybe we might consider a new novel, a gripping family drama detailing how life is seldom a tidy affair asking the question, is there a gray area between right and wrong. The Mackie family of four is enjoying a summer outing when their life is again upended. Are they victims of a tragic accident or was it something more heinous…and if so whodunit and whydunit. We begin in Buffalo, New York in the summer of 2012 with an excerpt from my work-in-progress, A Kind of Hush.

As a side note, when the character profile of Gabe appeared to me, I scribbled it down in the middle of the night, certain my next endeavor had to include him. Why? I loved his curiosity and vulnerability highlighted by his adeptness to be younger and older than his years. He has become a part of me to the point that I think he is certain to be in my will. To me, the others feed off his uniqueness and as he grows, so do they.

Thank you for being such a captive audience and aren’t we fortunate to be here together to share in a season which engages the whole world in a conspiracy of love where the world is softer and more beautiful.

Happy Holidays, and yes Virginia there is a Santa Claus – if not, the eternal light with which childhood fills the world would be extinguished.

On the business side:

We received a card from Melba Holt which began, “No Bookers…Boo Hoo!” She and Layton have moved into Belmont Village in Dallas, Texas. She will keep up with Bookers through the minutes and is on a hunt for local fellow book lovers in their community and I’m sure she’ll be successful! She would love a visit if we’re in the neighborhood.

Our book selection committee has filled the May slot (see below) and they are still working on our summer read. We’ll keep you posted!

Kristin Hannah’s novel, The Nightingale, is in movie production and real-life sisters, Dakota and Elle Fanning, have been cast as the book sisters, Vianne and Isabelle.

Exciting News:

BookTrib was created as a news source for people who love books, want to find out what’s happening in the book world and love learning about great authors of whom they may not have heard. Their mission is to bring discerning readers and rising authors closer together in a big way with more than 70,000 monthly website visitors and close to 50,000 views on social media.

They have a book club network across the country boasting 80,000 members. Bookers is now a part of that network!! We fit their dynamic as we meet in person monthly, have a large membership base, and enjoy finding reads not necessarily on the bestsellers’ lists.

BookTrib puts together a “Booster Box” every month of four or five books (advanced reader copies and/or recently published books) and send them to the member clubs. Our job is to listen to a short synopsis, give away or raffle them off, take a photo of the “winners” and post on their website and on social media (which I will do)…They of course would love our opinion on the books. There’s a reason that publishers and authors pay $1,500.00 monthly for this service – it gives them invaluable feedback on the good, bad, and ugly, the reader dynamic, etc…During our summer months they will send the books to me and I’m thinking of doing a “monthly summer email” about them to see if anyone is interested in reading one of them…the bottom line is we’ll be getting lots of free books and who knows some might just be the treasures we are always looking for. Stay tuned! 

COLOR CODING SYSTEM

WHITE:         LIGHT READ

PINK:             MODERATELY CHALLENGING

RED:              CHALLENGING

January 14, 2020:       The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni

Sam always saw the world through different eyes, born with red pupils he was called “Devil Boy” by his classmates: “God’s will” is what his mother called his ocular albinism. His unique condition, his mother’s devout faith, coupled with his father’s practical wisdom and his two other misfit friends makes for an entertaining read.

PINK

                                    Home of Beverly Dossett

                                    Discussion Leader: Ann Ireland

February 11:               Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

A scrawled sign peddling young siblings on a farmhouse porch captures the desperation sweeping the country in 1931. A struggling reporter snaps a photograph which changes his life with consequences he never expected.

                                    PINKISH RED

Home of Daryl Daniels

Discussion Leader: Rokhshie Malone

March 10:                   The Roots of the Olive Tree by Courtney Miller Santo

A debut novel set in a house in an olive grove in Northern California, a touching story bringing to life five generations of women, including an unforgettable 112 year-old matriarch determined to break all Guinness longevity records – the secrets and lies that divide them and the love that ultimately ties them together.

PINK

Home of Patty Evans

Discussion Leader: Katherine McDonald

April 14:                     Beloved by Toni Morrison

In honor of the late Nobel Prize laureate’s finest achievement which stares unflinchingly into the abyss of slavery transforming history into a story as powerful as Exodus and as intimate as a lullaby…filled with bitter poetry and suspense as taut as a rope.

RED

                                    Home of Jean Alexander

                                    Discussion Leader: TBD

May 12:                      The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood

One-hundred and four-year old Ona tells the eleven-year-old unnamed boy who has been helping her out every Saturday morning, “The story of your life never starts at the beginning.” A heartwarming tale of love, loss, and friendship.

PINK

                                    Evening Wine & Cheese meeting

                                    Home of Melanie Prebis        

                                    Discussion Leader: TBD

Summer read:             TBD

Bookers is about friends walking in each other’s shoes and a community never shy about offering hope and courage to those in need. Bookers shared in the celebration of the Christmas spirit and spread good wishes of health and happiness for the New Year. Many thanks from a humbled author to all those who have been my cheerleaders for Bookers and in my writing journey. I am a staunch believer in the wonderment of camaraderie among those in love with the written word…we agree, we disagree, we respect the opinion of others, and through reading we quench our thirst for knowledge as we stand united as a group of “bookies.”

Merry Christmas and happy reading,

JoDee