MARCH 2025 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, A Storm of Infinite Beauty, Jlianne Maclean

 

“There are no accidents in nature.” John Muir, Travels in Alaska, 1915

11 Bookers met at the home of Virginia Gandy to discuss this month’s selection, a women’s historical fiction that alternates between Valdez, Alaska around the devastating 1964 earthquake and in Wolfville, Nova Scotia in 2017. With eloquent prose, this story covers the gamut of life’s emotions including loss, family, secrets, desperation, friendship, survival, grief, and marital discord.

Business:

Books in Bloom luncheon, benefiting the Henderson County Clint W. Murchison Memorial Library will be held at Athens Country Club on Friday, April 25^th. Author, Amanda Churchill, will be speaking about her debut historical fiction novel, The Turtle House, inspired by her grandmother who was a Japanese War Bride. Tables of 8 cost $500.00 ($62.50 each) and individual tickets at non-host tables will be $65.00 each. Lunch is included and served at noon. Bookers have contributed to this event many times in the past years, and it is always a fun event. Hosts are responsible for table decorations which can be themed to reflect the book or floral arrangements. Kat Mackey’s husband is part-Japanese, and they have many items that could be used if we follow the theme of the novel.

Tonya Guillamun is the sorority sister of the author. She’s interested as are Jane Shaw, me, Kat Mackey and Virginia Gandy. We need three more for a table of 8. Please let me know as soon as possible so I can reserve the Bookers’ table.

Our next meeting will be April 8^th, 10:00 a.m. at the home of Debby Stein, 102 St. Annes, Pinnacle Golf Club. We will be discussing The Keeper of Happy Endings, a historical literary fiction, by Barbara Davis. From an exclusive bridal salon in Paris, the matriarch of the family is forced to leave her world when her heart and faith in love is shaken, boxing up her memories, determined to forget. The setting switches to Boston in the 1980s where an unlikely friendship develops between her and an aspiring gallery owner.

We’ll be moving our May 13^th evening wine and cheese meeting to May 20^th to be held at the home of Jane Shaw at 5:30 p.m. Kim Nalls will again be coordinating our food. I hope this doesn’t interfere with any other events.

One of our newest members, Penny Callison, asked who was the first resident at Pinnacle and when was the Pinnacle Women’s Club formed? I’m not sure who resided here first (besides the Indians) but the history of the PWC has been documented by Aulsine DeLoach, the first President, in 1998. Briefly the Pinnacle Club manager, thought it was time for a women’s club and Paula Kimball, Susie Johnson, Ann Johnson, Susan Albritton, Jane Schneider, Lois Welch, and Aulsine met with her in April 1998 and the formation of the PWC took flight and here we are twenty-seven years later still going strong.

Sunshine:

Marcie Allen, a cherished member of the PWC and our book club, passed away February 6, 2025, leaving a hole in our hearts as we will all miss her infectious smile, her contagious laugh, and her pure and engaging spirit. She was delighted when one of our reviewers brought the book to life with a skit or costume, her artistic flair on display which most likely reflected on her long tenure with the Brazosport Center for the Arts and Sciences in Clute, Texas. Bookers made a $50.00 donation in her memory to this organization. Ann Ireland announced a stone has been purchased for the memory garden. Details will follow.

Although not a Bookers’ member, Suzan Murray was an active member of the Women’s Club and a fixture within the Pinnacle community. Her passing on February 26^th extinguished a light that shined brightly in all who knew her. Condolences to her family.

Long-time PWC and Bookers’ member, Bonnie Magee, underwent surgery to remove a lipoma earlier today. All went well and the biopsy is off to pathology, but the surgeon is confident the mass is benign.

I received a text message from Jean Alexander thanking everyone for their kind thoughts and prayers for her husband Lee. His surgery to remove the parotid gland was very successful, but they are quite certain that he will be going through six weeks of radiation as extra insurance to make sure all cancer cells are eradicated. The final decision will be made in the next few days.

About the Author

Julianne MacLean is a USA Today bestselling author of more than forty novels covering a wide variety of genres from women’s fiction to a collection of series, trilogies, and contemporary and historical romance. She is a four-time RITA finalist which is presented by the Romance Writers of America for prominent English language romance fiction along with Booksellers’ Best Award and Reviewers’ Choice Award from Romantic Times. She has a degree in English literature from the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia, and a business administration degree from Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia. She loves to travel and has lived in New Zealand, Canada, and England and currently resides on the east coast of Canada in a lakeside home with her husband and her mom. She wrote four manuscripts that never sold, spending that time learning the craft and business of writing and it took six years to sell her first book to Harlequin. She is the daughter of a jazz musician and nostalgic about 1970 and 1980 music and was a DJ in a dance club during her university days. She’s a lover of research and the importance it plays in creating her books which she writes both by advance plotting and by the seat of her pants. Her reading preferences lean towards the classics, but recently she has been drawn to Lisa Wingate’s Before We Were Yours (Bookers, November 2017) and The Shell Seekers by Rosamunde Pilcher (Bookers, October 2014) which if you haven’t read, you must! Beautiful cover too. Published in 1987, set in England following the story of Penelope Keeling, an independent and resilient woman in her 60s whose life and family history is revealed through a cherished painting.

The idea for A Storm of Infinite Beauty came to the author when she was inspired to write about a natural disaster that occurred in real life, stumbling across a book online about how the biggest earthquake in North America changed America’s understanding of the planet and the story grew from there. Although Wilderness Lodge is a fictional hotel, it was inspired by a few locations she visited for crab feasts and boat cruises. As for the historic Old Town of Valdez, which was condemned and relocated not long after the earthquake, it is still possible to visit the former townsite and it exists as described in the novel.

Synopsis

The novel alternates timelines and is narrated from two different perspectives…Gwen Hollingsworth, a young woman in the midst of a messy marital separation, who is a descendant and curator of a museum dedicated to Scarlette Fontaine, a Hollywood legend, singer, actress, and beloved fashion icon…and Peter Miller, a biographer and photojournalist who arrives at the museum with shocking claims about Scarlett saying she lived a life of exile in Alaska and had a baby born in secret. The duo joined forces traveling to Alaska to unravel the secrets surrounding one year of her late, legendary family member’s life – one of heartache, loss, and tragedy before she headed to Los Angeles to follow her dream of becoming an actress/songwriter. When Gwen and Peter travel to Alaska together, they find themselves on a path toward something far deeper and more meaningful than either of them ever expected.

Discussion

The majority read/finished/liked/loved with one finding it depressing and one other saying it was like a Hallmark movie, just so-so. I asked if anyone had been to Alaska, Valdez, and or Prince William Sound which rekindled a family tragedy from one of us as her dad was filling in for another Captain of an oil tanker when the vessel encountered very high waves. It was December 1973 and the last anyone saw him he was clinging to a barrel. He was just fifty years old. His first mate also lost his life. He was the son of Ernest Gann, an American author famous for aviation novels, The High and the Mighty and Island in the Sky, both turned into movies starring John Wayne and his memoir, Fate is the Hunter, is still in print considered as one of the greatest aviation books ever written. It was heartbreaking to hear a story so tragic and personal, but in order to deal with the overwhelming grief and face her fears, many years later she took an Alaskan cruise which in the end proved cathartic and gave her some peace in the face of her unresolved despair.

We discussed the job of a prologue and how it set the stage for the rest of the story when we meet Valerie/Scarlett pushing a baby carriage toward a ship to deliver a letter to the baby’s father just minutes before the earthquake hit Valdez on Good Friday, March 27, 1964. We examined the caustic relationship between Gwen and Eric mourning the loss of their newborn and approaching it differently. A noted Hollywood paparazzi and hunky, Peter Miller, made an entrance writing a biography of Scarlett and the unlikely relationship between the two began…first on a professional level, then advancing through the novel to a satisfying ending…if you were rooting for the couple. All they had to go on initially was an old newspaper article showing a joyful reunion of a young man holding a baby who was returning the child to his distraught mother. There were many characters dotted through the book, all having some connection to either each other or to the earthquake and its aftermath.  The author skillfully navigated through the maze of details from the past to the present introducing a controlling father whose decisions negatively impacted his daughter’s life; a love-struck young man devoted to his childhood friend, Angie, who was pregnant and married to a jealous and vindictive policeman; and how the best laid plans are interrupted by harsh words when a summer relationship ends and the unsuccessful attempts to reveal a pregnancy to the birth father fails until later in the novel when the couple reunite under a cloud of secrecy to protect their privacy. Valerie/Scarlett wrote twenty letters to Drew, all of which were not delivered, but the one that was hand delivered to a crew member of the ship that went down in the earthquake/tsunami somehow was saved. We discussed what happened to those letters, most of us thinking they were never found – mystery solved – our hostess remembered Gwen saying, “the letters” would make a great addition for the museum collection, but although those letters were given to her by Drew, they were from their “summer of love” and not about the baby. Thank you, Virginia, you kept me from researching the issue! Valerie/Scarlett’s story made Gwen realize she didn’t want to die alone, she wanted to be loved and not by her philandering husband, Eric…Peter was right in front of her.

A shocker came when Andrew Thornby, Gwen’s favorite high school music teacher, showed up in her office at the museum loaded with information about Valerie/Scarlett and that he was Drew. He was there because Gwen and Peter had gotten something wrong in the book. She did not die alone. Shortly after her cancer diagnosis, she asked him to join her in Switzerland. They spent six months together before she passed. Her last words, “Don’t be sad. We’ll be together again.” Our happy-ever-after ending surfaced as Eric returns to marry his twenty-one-year-old and Gwen offered Peter her guest room…they decided instead of going to the wedding, they’d do something boring, like watch a documentary about Audrey Hepburn or go dancing. Awwwwwww…do you think they will have a child together? ….that would be another Awwwwwww moment.

 “Life’s journey of life and death were all a storm of infinite beauty – darkness slowly gives way to light.”

Happy Reading,

JoDee

FEBRUARY 2025 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, Very Very Lucky, Amanda Prowse

 14 Bookers sloshed our way on a short road trip to the home of Penny Callison for this month's meeting in anticipation of Jean Alexander, our reviewer extraordinaire, bringing this novel to life. Unfortunately, life threw her a curve ball and she was unable to join us and yours truly led the review and discussion. Our thoughts and prayers extend to the Alexander family and other members currently dealing with difficult situations.

On the business side:

Our next meeting will be March 11^th at the home of Virginia Gandy. Our book is A Storm of Infinite Beauty, by Julianne Maclean. The setting is a lush journey from Nova Scotia to a rustic lodge in Alaska. A Hollywood legend dies tragically at thirty-six, leaving no children, or so the story goes. The curator of her museum is related to the legend and she and a reporter join forces to discover the truth.

Our book selection committee of three works tirelessly reading and selecting worthy books for us to enjoy during our year. 2024-2025 is complete through our summer read, which will be discussed when we resume in September. The 2025-2026 committee will be responsible for selecting 9 books, and Kat Mackey has graciously volunteered to join the team. The criteria are simple. The book must be well written and foster discussion, and our goal is getting out of our comfort zones and exploring various genres.

It is necessary to change our May 13^th evening meeting due to a conflict. Hostess, Jane Shaw will recheck her calendar and let us know what works for her. We hope Carla Russo will volunteer to host a meeting for us after her house is complete.

About the Author:

Amanda Prowse, born in London, is touted as the most prolific writer of bestselling contemporary fiction in the UK today. Her thirty-two novels, two non-fiction titles and ten novellas have been published in dozens of languages around the world. She is also a popular television and radio personality and makes countless guest appearances on the BBC national and independent radio stations where she is well known for her insightful observations and infectious humor. The Daily Mail describes her as “the queen of family drama” for her ability to make readers feel as if they are actually in the story.

She is a huge supporter of libraries and having become a proud ambassador for The Reading Agency, works tirelessly to promote reading, especially in disadvantaged areas. Her ambition is to create stories that keep people from turning the bedside lamp off at night with great characters that ensure you take every step with them and craft tales that fill your head so you can't possibly read another book until the memory fades. She narrates Very Very Lucky and her latest, This One Life, detailing what happens when the past catches up with the present and the consequences of choices made, was released in January 2025 with Ever After due out in August.

She describes her books as falling into two categories, “gut punchers” which are tougher grittier reads often based around an issue where an ordinary woman finds herself in an extraordinary situation as readers follow her journey and “marshmallows” slightly easier reads or holiday books. She conducts extensive research before writing on a particular subject but now has a team who verifies the facts. She writes everywhere, carries a notebook and pen and inspiration might come from a song, something she saw through a window or a comment overheard. When asked about the most incredible moment in her career, she said that awards and milestones are rewarding but sitting opposite a woman who was engrossed in one of her books, she thought her heart was going to fly out of her chest…watching her turning the pages, oblivious to her surroundings knowing that she had taken this stranger to a place that came from inside her head.

Synopsis

The author has given us a heartwarming and poignant novel exploring how grief is the price we pay for love. We are drawn into the lives of two very different characters, who in alternating point-of-view chapters, invite us into their worlds asking us to embrace the complexities of life, love, and loss told with a mix of laugh-out-loud humor, tear-jerking sadness, and ultimately hope as we learn how it is possible to find happiness in unexpected places.

Emma Fountain, an only child, a perfect wife and mother of three children with a part-time job is also the caregiver for her recently widowed and ailing mother, and a support system for her best friend. She’s the poster child for a people pleaser as if she is running for Wife/Mom/Daughter/Friend of the year. She realizes her life has hit the full limit mark when she wakes up in IKEA after falling asleep in one of the show beds. When her best friend, Roz, climbs through her bathroom window while she is soaking in a water-less tub behind a locked door accompanied by a bottle of wine, her belief that she can find a way around any obstacle crumbles in the face of a problem she cannot fix, her best friend’s cancer has returned and has spread everywhere.

Recently widowed Thurston Brancher is wallowing in grief after losing his wife of sixty-two years – his joy and sense of purpose has disappeared. She was his background noise, his music, and confirmation that his was a life to be lived as a couple. He was certain he could not go on without her and planned to quietly end his life hoping to be reunited with Mary. His life changed one day after driving his niece to work where he meets and unceremoniously bonds with Emma and an unlikely friendship flourishes. His calming influence starts to bring Emma’s troubles into perspective and in return she lends her sympathetic ear to his loneliness.

What Very Very Lucky tells us is that all those friends or family we have lost too soon have left an imprint of love on our hearts which we carry with us every day. We are often who we are because of them. Shouldn’t we love truly, forgive quickly, laugh hardily, worry less about what takes up space in our heads, be kind always, and remember others have lots going on that they might not want to share. Life is short. Enjoy the ride.

Discussion:

Most read/finished and liked/loved….one liked but sort of on the fence overall…iffy.  

The question was asked, in your wildest dreams would you ever be so tired and stressed to fall asleep in a bed in the middle of a department store? Our hostess confessed to falling asleep at a very long red light and had a friend who took a catnap in the stall of a bathroom. Teachers are indeed overworked! We discussed the well-drawn cast of characters, our favorites, non-favorites, and how, if any way, they evolved from the beginning introduction to the end of the book. Emma Fountain, an exhausting character who refused to hand off the responsibility baton – but in the end she learned how to say no. Her husband Brendan, a supportive husband and father, was the post that anchored the family who finally put his foot down and expressed his feelings and frustrations with his wife’s obsession with fixing everyone’s problems. Martha, the eldest was consumed by frivolous things and interestingly she chose her “soulmate” Sergio, who was a clone of her father. Reggie, the middle child, a high schooler who struggled with depression and fitting in came full circle when Thurston counseled him on the importance of learning to facilitate his dream of becoming a chef. We discussed the unusual meals that were prepared by this family wondering what type of restaurant would Chef Reggie fit in? Alex, the youngest, was on an athletic scholarship to a very fancy private school which his parents could not afford. His selfishness and desire to have everything his classmates had were on display when he was embarrassed at the car his dad was driving when he picked him up. There was little sympathy for his plight in life. One of the most endearing characters in the book was a landslide choice – Thurston Brancher (a ripened gent who predictably pulled at our Jane Shaw’s heartstrings.) He was wallowing in grief after his wife passed – his life of harmony disappeared when she did. His character made an impact on everyone’s life he touched and his unlikely friendship with Emma was the starting point to his healing and moving on after Mary. Roz, Emma’s “delinquent twin” embraced everything life threw her way. She added a laugh out loud, cry your eyes out character to the novel, offering her decision not to treat her returning cancer, but just live each day like it was her last. Her journey provoked emotional and personal stories of fighting battles that sometimes cannot be won, and the importance of doing so your way. No one confessed to having a friend who would climb through their bedroom window while they were behind a locked bathroom door soaking in a waterless tub nursing a bottle of wine. We were all clueless to the romantic relationship between the opinionated and often cruel and obnoxious Margery, Emma’s mother, and her fidgety, nosey neighbor, Gordon. Love or companionship sometimes blooms inside loneliness. Roz was trying to prove Emma was a goody two-shoes when she asked what is the worst crime that deserves a public flogging – to which Emma and I concur – folding the corner of a page over in a book to mark your place!

Emma’s mismatched dinnerware took front and center many times in the novel, especially with the VIP green plate. The author used this as symbolism – a visual reminder of the chaos of her family life – all the meals, the squabbles, every emergency, the dash for forgotten things, or picking up someone or dropping them off because they were in the wrong place. But what happened when she broke the plate? She put a piece of it in a vase in the kitchen window to remind her of her old life and with the green plate broken, the symbolism was she had turned the page to new beginnings.

Ms. Prowse satisfied those who love all the loose ends tied up making a happy-ever-after-ending reality. It was a several tissue event for me as the blended families (Emma, Reggie, Alex, Roz in a wheelchair, Brendan, Martha, Sergio, and Bruce alongside June, a pregnant Nancy and husband Andrew, Gordon, Margery and Gordon’s niece, Flick-the car park policewoman) gathered at Thurston’s for the inaugural Merrydown Boxing Day Rounders Match. Boxing Day is celebrated after Christmas day, known as the Day of Goodwill. It originated in the UK and is celebrated in many parts of Europe. Thurston had put on the last of his shirts Mary had laundered for him and went about the daily business of living without his wife, grateful for the sixty-two years they had together. Thurston announced he and Mary had always dreamed of looking out their window to see a large family gathered in the field. “Days like this make us all realize that time together is precious, and we are all very very lucky.” Several more tissues were required when Thurston and June saw Mary in the bedroom window – she’s waiting for him.  He began to sing loud and clear, and all the characters knew whatever life had in store for them, they would face it together. One astute Booker asked if anyone thought that Thurston had died in this scene because he saw his Mary in the window and heard her voice clearly in his head. Because June saw it too, we decided that scenario would not be feasible…but the question got our attention for sure. Also, one last comment was how old Nancy was – based on her mother’s age, she might have been 50…a little too old to be pregnant – food for thought. I love how our Bookers dive into books! Thanks to everyone for supporting and enjoying our little book club!

Happy Reading,

JoDee

JANUARY 2025 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, The Berry Pickers, Amanda Peters

“The dash on a tombstone carries the entire sum of a life within it.”

We start 2025 with a blank canvas. Let’s paint it with good health and leave behind what weighs us down and cherish our friendships and the shared love of the written word. Happy New Year Y’all!

15 met at the home of Jane Shaw, pulling double duty to kick off the new year by hosting and reviewing this month’s selection. And in keeping with the blueberry theme, we left White Cap Lane loaded with Vitamins C, K, & A, antioxidants, lower levels of cholesterol and blood pressure, and loaded with fiber thanks to the culinary skills of our hostess. Yum!

On the business side

I was born in Altadena, California and in a matter of hours across Southern California countless homes and possessions have been destroyed with residents forced to flee some on foot, escaping with only the clothes on their backs. We took a moment of silence to lift up the families of those who lost their lives, for strength and courage for all those who are working tirelessly to protect the communities, and comfort those who face the task of rebuilding from the ashes. Our hope, to pit the strength of prayer against the strength of mother nature.

We welcomed Donna Coleman, who has been a member for several years but hasn’t been able to attend often, and her mother, Jean, and hope they enjoyed their time with us and will visit again when possible.

Pinnacle Women’s Club Gala scheduled for March 1^st at the Legacy Event Center in Gun Barrel City, 6:00 – 9:00 p.m. The link to reserve your seat and view the auction items is https://PWCCF.ejoinme,org/PWC2025Gala

Patsy Dehn and the Pinnacle Church Women are hosting their luncheon, Seasons of Life and Love, February 1^st 11:30 at the Pinnacle Club with featured speaker, Grammy award winning singer, actress, and writer, Janice Archer Cruse. Tickets are $20.00 and reservations are open to everyone. Contact Patsy 214-478-5135 with questions or reservations or drop your check in the box designated for this event inside the clubhouse.

We’ll be taking a short road trip to the home of Penny Callison, 124 Santa Monica Drive, Mabank, Texas for our next meeting on February 11^th, at 10:00 a.m. Jean Alexander will lead the discussion of Very, Very Lucky by Amanda Prowse, a life affirming story about having it all, losing it all, and how new friends can show each other the way back to happiness.

About the author

Ms. Peters describes herself as “A woman, a daughter, a sister, an Auntie, a cat mom, a dog mom, a friend, a descendent of a revolutionary war sailor, of accused witches, and Mi’kmaq ancestors, a Canadian, a traveler, a wine drinker, an admirer of stained glass, a listener of jazz and old country, a reader of books and a teller of stories.” She is of mixed European and Mi’kmaq heritage, born and raised in the Annapolis Valley region of Nova Scotia as a member of the Glooscap First Nation which is a Canadian aboriginal community. This tribe lives according to the Seven Sacred Teachings which focuses on relationships with all of creation and offers suggestions for ways to treat others. The seven teachings include love, respect, honesty, courage, truth, wisdom, and humility with each teaching represented by an animal showing how to live respecting every living thing.

Her debut novel, The Berry Pickers, was published in 2023.

Her debut short story collection, Waiting for the Long Night Moon, was published August 2024.

She currently is an Associate Professor in the Department of English and Theatre at Acadia University in Wolfville, Nova Scotia.

Her awards include the 2024 King Charles III Coronation medal for her significant contribution to Canada; the 2024 Carnegie Medal of Excellence in Fiction for The Berry Pickers which recognizes the best fiction books for adult readers published in the U.S. the previous year; the 2024 Crime Writers of Canada for best crime first novel; the 2024 Dartmouth book award which honors Nova Scotia literature and the valuable contribution writers make to their cultural heritage; the 2023 Barnes and Noble Discovery Prize winner honoring the best debut novels published that year; shortlisted for the 2024 Raddall Atlantic Fiction award recognizing a full-time resident of Atlantic Canada published the prior year; second place in the 2023 Amazon (U.S.) best books; shortlisted for the 2023 Writers Trust Atwood Gibson award recognizing writers of exceptional talent for the best novel of the year; the Canadian 2021 Rising Star Program recognizing talented authors in the early stages of their careers.

Most of the group read, finished, liked or loved the selection with only one saying it was not her cup of tea, although several commented on the heartbreaking sadness of the story.

Jane walked us through this tale that tracks the lives of two siblings from an Indigenous Canadian family working in Maine as seasonal berry pickers. In the summer of 1962 four-year-old Ruthie is kidnapped by a white New England woman who renames her Norma, raising her as her daughter. Joe, her six-year-old brother, was the last one to see her alive and he carries the burden of guilt for the rest of his life which leads him down the path of self-destruction manifesting itself into alcohol abuse and violence. Ruthie, aka Norma, grows up feeling disconnected and out of place with her new family, but as she matures, she turns out resilient and determined to piece together the puzzling emotions, scattered dreams, and feelings of displacement and loss plaguing her identity. The novel is narrated in alternating chapters between Joe and Norma, each character grappling with the known and unknown pieces of their lives.

Discussion

After years of assimilationist policies forced on the First Nations and specifically the Mi’Kmaq communities, the novel underscores the lasting trauma caused by systemic attempts to assimilate Indigenous peoples into the dominant culture exemplified in Norma’s character as she struggles with her identity and Joe’s profound grief after her disappearance. We learned instead of using the word “Indian,” the proper way to address them are either North American, Indigenous or First Nations…after all none of them are from India. Some still travel from Nova Scotia to Maine to pick blueberries although many fields are fully automated, eliminating the need for hand-picking. We discussed the abundance of tension headaches and alcohol throughout the novel – they were almost like extra characters in the story. The first-person point of view worked well between the two protagonists, Joe and Norma, while the other pivotal but minor characters played more narrative roles. We agreed it would have been very hard to follow the story if there were more than two first-person point of view characters. We talked about how Joe spent his entire life dealing with “what-ifs” believing he truly had “sour blood,” how happiness eluded him, and his daughter was better off without knowing him – he couldn’t hurt her if she didn’t know him. The beginning and ending of Joe’s impending death was bittersweet as he finally was reunited with the family he had turned his back on, saying he was happier than ever that all the people he loved were with him in one place, but found it unfair that his time was up just as he was finding true happiness again. We followed Norma’s path through her memories that led to the discovery of who she really was and how her family had unfairly bonded together to perpetuate the lies about her identity. We talked about Lenore’s overprotection of Norma and how her love felt like a heavy burden fueled by the fear of being discovered, and if she deserved any of our sympathy or not; what we would have done if we had found the file cabinet drawer full of photos; Aunt June’s complicity in the coverup; and how far her father as a judge went to keep the secret safe but only moving a short distance away rather than fleeing the area. We talked about Lenore’s slide into mental illness and when Norma’s true identity was discovered how Aunt June unearthed the truth about Norma’s birth family resulting in her rewarding and happy reunion.

This novel confirms that “lies don’t end relationships, the truth does” and the benefit of the dishonesty in this case was Norma until she discovered the truth. We discussed Norma’s husband, Mark, and her decision to end their six-year marriage. We shared stories of how the discovery of family secrets can shatter what you’ve always believed.

The author did a wonderful job painting a vivid picture of not only the landscape of the settings but captured the personalities of the characters and in the end, closed the circle of Joe’s life and Ruthie finally had the family she had been searching for. Happy-ever-after-ending stressing the importance of knowing one’s heritage and how the search for identity can impact an individual’s sense of belonging and self-understanding.

The thing about picking a handful of berries is that each one is different – some are sweet, some sour, some extra juicy. This novel is just like a handful of berries…filled with so much sweet, so much sour, and so much juice.

Happy Reading,

JoDee

DECEMBER 2024 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, The Wedding People, Alison Espach

                       “Love is visible, it paints the air between two people a different color.”

20 Bookers Ho, Ho, Ho’d to the home of our December 8^th birthday girl, Kat Mackey, for our holiday brunch and meeting. Many thanks to all who volunteered to cater this event with a delicious assortment of food and beverages, and we appreciate Kim Nalls for organizing everything for us, Virginia Gandy for supplying the champagne flutes, and Ann Ireland for assuming the role of bartender.

We welcomed new members, Suzie Fagg and Kay Williams and were delighted to add Tonya Guillamun to our Bookers’ member list and hope she will be able to attend soon.

On the business side:

Our thoughts and prayers are with KK Mitchell as she recovers from a serious health scare. She is on the mend and in room 274 at UT Health Athens and is up to visitors this afternoon.

Our January 14^th meeting will be held at the home of Jane Shaw who will be pulling double duty as hostess and discussion leader for this month’s selection, The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters, a novel centered around a four-year-old girl who goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine sparking a tragic mystery that haunts the survivors, unravels a community, and remains unsolved for nearly fifty years.

PWC Senior Friends 2^nd annual Christmas party is today at 2:00 p.m. at the Mabank Nursing Home. Everyone is invited to help spread some holiday cheer to the residents of the facility.  The PWC Lunch out and a visit to the George W. Bush Presidential Library is Thursday, December 12^th; Friday, December 13^th is the Pinnacle Club Mingle & Jingle; and Saturday, December 14^th is the PWC Christmas Progressive Dinner.

About the author:

Alison Espach’s novel, The Wedding People, is not only a bestseller, but a New York Times Editor’s Choice, a Today show Read with Jenna Book Club pick, a Barnes and Noble Book Club Pick, and the #1 Indie Next Pick for August 2024 and was just named Goodreads Readers’ Favorite Fiction for 2024. She is also the author of Notes on Your Sudden Disappearance, a Chicago Tribune and NPR “Best Book of 2022,” as well as The Adults, a New York Times Editor’s Choice and Barnes and Noble Discover pick. Her fictional audio series In-Depth Market Research Interviews with Dead People is an Audible Original. She has written for McSweeney’s, Vogue, Outside, LitHub, Joyland and others. She received her MFA from Washington University in St. Louis and now lives in Rhode Island where she is a professor of creative writing at Providence College. TriStar Pictures won the bidding rights to produce the film before it was released to the public.

Recap:

From my perspective as a fly on the wall, here’s what I’ve learned about “the wedding people” plus Phoebe Stone., a distraught professor of Victorian Literature. As you know flies do not have ears, but I was able to hear sounds through my antennae and I must say some of the language in this contemporary romantic/comedy was cringe-worthy and not for the faint of heart, the low point being when someone has sex with a vintage car’s tailpipe. I’m pretty sure flies cannot be prudes, but this fly also thought the F-bombs lost their impact due to overuse. That being said, the novel is a story of lovers who turn into strangers and strangers who turn into friends that reads like a guide to personhood. It was a glorious day in Newport, Rhode Island when Phoebe arrived at the oceanfront hotel, The Cornwall Inn, with only the clothes on her back and her dead cat’s painkillers, her plan, to slip away like sand between her fingers and quietly rid the planet of her worthlessness after her husband of twelve years left her for another woman. To her dismay, she was mistaken for a guest of the lavish week-long wedding celebration.  A chance encounter in the elevator with Lila, the privileged bridezilla, changed the course of both women’s lives forever. Lila thought she had accounted for every detail of the wedding week only to learn that Phoebe, the guest in the Penthouse, was bent on unceremoniously checking out of life. Lila begged her to at least wait a week until the event was over. Their unexpected meeting captured how a perfect stranger can sometimes be just the partner you need to get through a crisis as both Phoebe and Lila began to care about someone other than themselves.

The author weaves readers through the individual dramas including the bride’s mother’s nude portrait on display and her documented “day-time-drinking,” the chatter between two dysfunctional bridesmaids, the still grieving widowed groom and his eleven-year-old daughter, the “hot” younger brother of the groom’s former wife, and his dominating sister along with an array of other quirky sometimes annoying family members. As in a Hallmark movie of the week, the girl gets to reject the husband who rejected her, she gets the guy, the built-in family, and the freedom to write whatever she wants.

From this fly’s viewpoint, the evolution of Phoebe from the meltdown of her dead-end marriage and a stalemate career where she was not valued… to a woman who sees a bright future with the jilted groom is cause for celebration. Although the ending was somewhat predictable, it was a happy-ever-after conclusion to a wild week-long ride in the seaside city of Newport.

Discussion:

Bookers’ committee selected this read but that doesn’t necessarily mean we all loved it. We chose it as it was different from our normal and we wanted a “lighter” read for the holidays. Our focus is and always has been on challenging ourselves by stepping outside our comfort zone and this one certainly did that for me. The novel has received over 20,000 ratings, the majority glowing and it’s an Amazon editorial pick as one of the best books of 2024. It was a very popular choice as the vast majority of our group liked/loved it giving it an overall 4-star rating with not one admitting to “not my cup of tea” category. It was touted as hilarious, witty, and laugh-out loud, and wickedly funny with romantic twists and characters that readers will identify with and root for. We discussed how humor is subjective with at least twenty different types, many different versions of the old joke, “How many….does it take to change a lightbulb?” Espach used a mix of dark and sarcastic humor as a literary device to convey her characters true feelings of frustration, anger, love, etc…Through it we learn Pheobe tried and failed at being a good enough wife…she tried and failed to conceive a child…which led to her despair and felt her only choice was to end the misery. On a deeper level, the story focused on mental health issues while tugging at our heartstrings and we talked about whether there was a balance between the seriousness of Phoebe’s despair and the lightheartedness of the character’s interactions with each other…the genre, Romantic Comedy, dictated the balance or lack of it. Rom/Com’s follow a pattern of ten steps always involving two lead characters who are missing something in their lives foreshadowing what’s to come, the meet-cute stage where they meet, the happy together honeymoon stage, the obstacles, the journey to find a solution to the obstacles but new obstacles appear, the choice, to continue or not, the crisis, the epiphany of perfect love, and finally the resolution and the happy-ever-after ending. Early in the novel the author mentions literature tends to have circular endings that are always a reflection of the beginning as we see Phoebe getting a second chance at life and happiness; Lila realizing not everything was going to be perfect no matter how hard she tried finally dropping the “wedding charade” and doing the right thing; Gary was able to accept the death of his wife and move forward with someone else; Matt admitted his mistake with Mia and realized what he had thrown away with Phoebe but in the end he was going to have to move forward without either of them. Phoebe compared her life to a Russian novel where all the characters go on a great wild adventure just to be killed off in the end. A few of us felt empathy for her especially suffering from mental illness and applauding as her character grew. We discussed whether anyone experienced Lila-like-stress at their wedding – my own was very little as in Las Vegas the only issue was getting my dad and future husband away from the crap table in time for the wedding. We talked about Phoebe and Gary – two very unhappy souls – meeting at 3:00 a.m. in the morning in the hot tub forming an immediate bond and whether we guessed how it was going to play out. We didn’t discuss Gary’s daughter, Juice (my favorite character) other than the bond she and Phoebe felt growing up without a mother connecting them emotionally in a way that others might not. Matt’s arriving with his tail between his legs to try to win Phoebe back caused a plethora of conversation, many angry that Phoebe slept with him, but we realized she now held all the cards…he was vulnerable and she catered to his affections, only to prove to herself she was worthy of love, seeing him in a different light knowing she could and would go on without him and he’d have to find another “Mia” to lick his wounds. After Lila realized she couldn’t go through with the wedding to Gary she commented about the entire wedding being a waste to which Phoebe responded “Lila, every day this week, you gave me reason to get up in the morning, to put on a beautiful dress and be part of something, and for that I will always be grateful.” We talked about if we could rewrite the ending, what would it be…seems everyone liked the HEA conclusion!

I’m mad I forgot this little tidbit – I thought I had caught a grammatical error – page 250 with Gary talking about his relationship with his brother-in-law, Jim. “Then they SHAT side-by-side in the woods – who knew shat is the past participle of shit? Not me! Learn something new every day.

May the spirit of the season fill your heart with cheer and bring joy and laughter to last throughout the year. May your home be warmed by love’s gentle light guiding you through the season’s tranquil night. May the gifts you give and the ones you receive be wrapped in kindness and moments to believe. May your gatherings be merry, your table filled with delight as family and friends join hands making spirits bright. And may the stars above shine with heavenly grace, blessing you with peace in this sacred space.

JoDee

NOVEMBER 2024 BOOKERS MINUTES & MUSINGS, The Roaring Days of Zora Lily, Noelle Salazar

“In three words I can sum up everything I’ve learned about life: it goes on.” Mary Pickford

16 Bookers met at the home of Kittie Minick to discuss this month’s selection that asks the question, “Who is Zora Lily?”

We welcomed new members Karla Lawson and Rebecca Robinson and many thanks to the strong arm of the invincible Jean Alexander for “suggesting” they join us. All kidding aside, we are delighted to have you and hope you’ll make a return visit. Also, we’re looking forward to Suzie Fagg joining us next month.

On the business side

Bookers support for Jen White Sherman and Bookish is much appreciated. We ordered 95 books, totaling about $1,800.00!

Copies of The Berry Pickers were passed out to those who ordered them. If you were not there, I have your copy here.

Our December 10^th meeting will be at the home of Kat Mackey, 10:00 a.m., 146 Hilton Head Island Drive. Kim Nalls has volunteered to assume the role of “Food & Beverage Czar” for our holiday brunch and the year-end-wine-and-cheese evening meeting in May. The group chose to expand the menu options and Kim will be putting together an email detailing the choices and I’ll be sending it out as soon as possible. As always, please respond to her directly (kimlnalls01@gmail.com)  instead of replying to me.

In December, we’ll be discussing The Wedding People by Alison Espach which is a humorous, tender, and introspective contemporary women’s fiction set in Newport, Rhode Island. Phobe Stone, who is experiencing a personal crisis, arrives alone with no luggage at a grand hotel and is mistakenly identified as part of the wedding people.

Ann Ireland reminded us of the PWC Philanthropy project – One Man’s Treasure Clothing Drive. Folded donations must be delivered to her home in black garbage bags, 201 Colonial Drive by November 14^th.

Recap

Bookers set a record – all read, all finished, all liked – Woo Hoo!

My name is Zora Lily, the maternal great-great-grandmother of author Noelle Salazar. My husband, Horatio, and I moved from Canada to Seattle during the logging boom, living in a camp in Ballard, Washington. We raised eight children whom we adored, and although I was just a hair beyond illiterate, I dreamed big and laughed hard with a gaggle of girlfriends. The good Lord said it wasn’t good that a man should be alone, so he made him a helper fit for him. I was that gift to Horatio, but it was my granddaughter who used her skills and imagination to craft the novel you have just read.

Noelle was raised in the Pacific Northwest where she’s been a Navy recruit, a medical assistant, an NFL cheerleader, and always a storyteller. Just my name, her research skills, and the narrative were what brought my life to these pages, and I’m told when she’s not writing, she can be found dodging raindrops and daydreaming of her next book. Her latest, The Lives We Leave Behind, is scheduled for release this month.

Today I’m here to tell you my story, and about Greta Garbo’s white satin gown from the 1923 film, The Star, that was the centerpiece of the Hollywood Glamour Exhibition in 2023 at the Smithsonian. The curators were fitting the alluring gown designed by the famous designer of the 20s and 30s, Michele Clémente, whose signature was demure and high neckline creations, when an elegantly stitched tag fluttered to the floor…it read Zora Lily…begging the question…who is she?

I was a young hardworking seamstress from a poverty-stricken family in Seattle in 1924 and instead of following my dreams of becoming a famous designer like Coco Chanel, I was forced into the role of the family breadwinner after the death of my brother, Tommy. My granddaughter used perfectly aligned stitches as she pieced together a stunning masterpiece from the fringe on the speakeasy costumes for my best friend, Rose, to the unlikely attention from my wealthy businessman aka love of my life and bootlegger, Harley, to the frantic sewing rooms backstage on Hollywood shows.

My saga fills an emotional stage with struggles, happiness, joyful laughter, self-doubt and heartache. My family and siblings were a stark contrast to the stilted staff, jealousy, and anxiousness in the living rooms of the wealthy where I worked as a nanny. Our family was just trying to make it one more day without starving and my childhood was filled with prejudices towards my family, especially aimed at my drunken father. Hopes and dreams led me from the grey skies of Seattle to sunny California and betrayal and disappointment led me back home and that’s where my life as a successful designer with my own boutique began and the accolades poured in. But one thing was missing – Harley – but I knew he would have been proud, and suddenly a familiar pair of blue eyes, my future, stared at me from outside my shop.

Opening night of the Hollywood Glamour Exhibition was wrapped in glittering mystery as the mannequins’ faces and delicate costumes swirled elegantly in place answering the question, “Who is Zora Lily.”

Our discussion

In looking into Greta Garbo’s life and movies, I found a similarity between Zora’s story and hers pointing to the possibility the author took a page from Greta’s personal life. Greta’s father was an unskilled laborer – often out of work and in poor health – forcing his family to live with the constant threat of poverty. She dropped out of school at 13 to care for him and after he died, she vowed to make a life for herself void of financial hardship. Zora’s dad was a drunk, and often out of work, passing the financial responsibility on to the family. Zora’s drive to succeed mirrored that of Garbo. Greta was MGM’s biggest asset and Zora leveraged her abilities with the studio as Greta also did. We wondered why the handsome Harley Aldridge was so well known by everyone at the speakeasys and seemed to have unlimited resources and although his father owned a legitimate furniture store business, his flamboyancy suggested something more illicit. We discussed the significance of painted or rouged knees, a fashion staple during the era, and it seems this was the flappers’ version of thong straps above low-rise jeans.  Rebellious girls in the 1920s wanted to anger and shock their Victorian-era parents, so not only would they bare their knees with short dresses, but they would also paint pictures to make sure an onlooker didn’t miss their risqué hem length. When Zora’s brother died, she was thrown into the role of breadwinner, and although setting aside her dream of designing clothes and owning her own boutique, this responsibility might have been the seed that led her to achieve her goals. Jealousy and trickery reared its ugly head in the character of Elsbeth Pritchard who worked for the same wealthy family as Zora…she handled it by keeping her head down, needing the job more than she needed her pride…until the time was right to seek her own revenge. Standing ovation Ms. Lily!

The drink of choice of Zora and the girls was a Mary Pickford, named after the actress who was married to Douglas Fairbanks. It was a classic rum cocktail (rum, pineapple juice, grenadine & maraschino liqueur) sweet with a kick, just like its namesake. Pickford represented Hollywood’s conscience, a favorite soldier’s pinup girl…looking Victorian but acting modern – seductive in an innocent, youthful and naïve way. Although the love story between Zora and Harley was a major plot point in the novel, it offered some intrigue as to whether it was genuine on his part, and if so, what did he expect to gain from the relationship beside a bed partner.  After Harley was deported to England for two years for his bootlegging business, Zora took a leap of faith and joined her friends in Hollywood but the promises of designing costumes for the movies took a back seat to her role as a seamstress whose responsibilities never ended. Her “career” exploded when her name was removed from all the costumes as she had not signed a contract…she learned a lesson and never let that happen again.  We were mixed on whether Zora should have written Harley sooner – one side why risk the relationship by silence – the other was her determination to do it on her own and knowing he would “lovingly” insert himself into the mix if he knew her plans. She knew her talents and knew she belonged somewhere not because she was on someone’s arm, but because she wanted to be on her own before she was someone else’s.

We talked about how Zora’s siblings all shared everything – food, clothes, chores, beds and life and how that scenario might be different in our world today. When the movie, The Star, wrapped in 1927 to be released the following year Zora’s life turned upside down and she wanted to go home, but where was home… and because she had failed, she began doubting if she was good enough for Harley. She returned to her parent’s home – one she didn’t recognize – indoor plumbing, electricity, her father was sober and responsible, the kids had new shoes. Her dad cleaned up his act because he thought Zora left because of him and after Tommy died, he couldn’t bear losing another child – big time wakeup call. Patsy, a native of Seattle, shared some of the sights and sounds of this diverse city and we talked some about the Jackson Street Jazz Scene, then and now.  I asked if you had a chance to rewrite the ending, what would you change – everyone loved the happily-ever-after-feel good ending and we commented if Zora had been alive to be recognized at the Smithsonian, she would have taken every stitch and sequin to heart. It would have been the cherry on top of a long journey to realization of a dream. We loved that the book started with family, and aptly ended with family.

“If dreams die, life is a broken-winged bird that cannot fly.” Langston Hughes

Happy Reading,

JoDee