This is our final Bookers' meeting for this year. We will resume for year 23, September 8th.
“You like people almost as much as they like you. And it makes being around you feel like – like standing in sunlight.” Daphne to Miles
16 met at the home of Jane Shaw to bid farewell to Bookers’ Year 22 at our traditional “wine & cheese” evening meeting to discuss this month’s selection by one of the queens of contemporary romance who did not disappoint satisfying our innate desire for predictability and happy endings as the genre dictates. Many thanks to those who provided a delicious assortment of goodies and spirits and to Rebecca Robinson and Karla Lawson for coordinating our menu and for agreeing to assume this role for Bookers’ Year 23, which will begin on September 8th.
Kat Mackey brought this wonderful cake in honor of Bookers’ long tenure and even more special was the design mirroring the book cover of my novel, Wings Against The Wind, and I managed to hold back a few tears until I got home. Very sweet sentiment and so appreciated!
Welcome new Bookers’ member, Suzanne Hughes, to the group and we’re excited to have another book lover among us. We hope she enjoyed her “first” Bookers’ meeting and will be with us when we resume after our summer break.
Business:
If you haven’t already done so, it’s time to renew your PWC Membership. Drop $60.00, cash or check, to a lockbox on Susan Cunyus’ porch, 395 St. Andrews Drive, Pinnacle Golf Club.
The Flags Across Pinnacle fundraiser is in full swing and participation in this visual display of our support of our military and in celebration of America’s 250th anniversary is much needed. Kat Mackey is taking the lead in this effort, and the goal is to see Pinnacle awash with the red, white, and blue. If you haven’t already, please consider supporting this effort. Please contact her at 307-214-2256, or email kmackey321@yahoo.com for details.
Patsy Dehn on behalf of The Pinnacle Church shared a special event as detailed below. Please direct any questions to her at 214-478-5135..
We will be reworking our rating system by adding some increments to our “3” rating to bridge the gap between the meanings attached to 3 and 4. Thanks to Jeana Cunningham for the suggestion!
Our summer read is The Bright Years by Sarah Damoff about one family, four generations, a secret son, and a devastating addiction – a saga set in Texas and told from three points of view.
I will be checking on how to add Bookers’ members to Clubster as I didn’t know they were not automatically added with the PWC connection. Sorry for the confusion!
Sunshine:
Prayer warriors are needed for the following members of Bookers. Debbie Yarger’s husband, Chris; Penny Callison’s youngest son; and Kat Mackey’s sister Please keep them in your thoughts as they and their families navigate through these health issues and we hope after every storm, a rainbow will brighten the dark skies. Better news on the health front is Jean Alexander’s husband, Lee, has been released from the hospital after recovering from pneumonia and is doing well, and Kay Weatherford’s son’s health is improving.
About the Author:
She was born in 1991 in Cincinnati, Ohio, and received a creative writing scholarship to Hope College, where she initially planned to study dance, shifting her focus to writing and completed a writing residency at New York Center for Art & Media Studies. She began her career with young adult novels, publishing her debut, “The Love That Split the World” in 2016 transitioning later to adult romance with her first in that genre, “Beach Read” published 2020 which quickly became a bestseller establishing her as a prominent voice in contemporary romance – her style described as a mix of rom-com and chick-lit. She and her husband, William Henry, a graphic designer whom she met when she was 18, currently reside in Cincinnati and the nearby Northern Kentucky region. In an interview with National Public Radio, she was asked what shades of Daphne she saw in herself. “The fear of not being enough…especially in romantic relationships.” Her advice to writers – read everything you can; your voice will emerge if you give it time; and be true to your writing – don’t get caught up in the “it” genres – trust yourself and your work. Good advice!
Synopsis:
This story is about heartbreak, unexpected connections, and a fake relationship that turns real. Picture this – you have a dream job, a dream house, and are planning a dream wedding with the love of your life. Daphne Vincent, a reserved children’s librarian, moves to Waning Bay, Michigan, to start a life with her fiancé, Peter. Just before their wedding, Peter leaves her for his childhood best friend, Petra, leaving Daphne heartbroken and homeless. She moves in with Miles Nowak, Petra’s ex-boyfriend, who is also recently dumped. Despite their contrasting personalities, Daphne being practical and reserved, Miles, carefree and outgoing, they bond over shared heartbreak and quirky adventures around town. To make their exes jealous, Daphne and Miles pretend to be a couple, attending Peter and Petra’s wedding and posting staged photos on social media. Their playful scheme leads to humorous situations, including attending a senior citizens’ prom to recruit volunteers for a library Read-A-Thon. As they spend more time together, Daphne discovers Miles’ kind and sunny personality, and their friendship gradually blossoms into romance. The story concluded with Daphne and Miles hosting a housewarming party, reflecting on the “funny story” of how they fell in love.
The novel combines witty dialogue, heartfelt moments, and the popular “fake dating” trope, exploring themes of reclaiming identity after a breakup, friendship, and the unexpected ways love can develop. A film adaptation is planned for release on Netflix.
Characters:
Most agreed Miles, the Croc wearing, tattooed stoner bartender with an unstable career was a keeper – kind, witty, warm, and adventurous. Daphne’s character evolved from one who thought she was never enough who built her life on needing to have a sense of control and order to one of reinvention – learning to trust again marked by her willingness to embrace new experiences thanks to her relationship with Miles. Daphne’s mom was admired as she picked herself up by the bootstraps and made an independent life for herself; Daphne’s dad never met a stranger he couldn’t con who seemed like he always landed on his feet – the great schmoozer. Ashleigh, Daphne’s library co-worker, was armed with a wicked laugh-out-loud sense of humor. Peter, the perfect boyfriend, and Petra, his self-centered fiancé were a tolerable couple at best with one of our astute Bookers’ members pointing out Petra is the feminine version of Peter. Clever, and most likely on purpose in my opinion. (Thanks Amy!) And, my favorite, Starfire, who when we first meet, she’s clad in a gauzy maxi-dress looking like one of the Real Housewives on a desert vacation – she was quirky, genuine, never met a stranger, and had the 1960-1970’s hippie mentality – peace, love, and harmony. It’s impossible not to love a character who was certain she was an heiress on the Titanic!
Discussion:
We talked about why Peter and Petra would invite their exes to their wedding and what we would have done; the books that we read as a child that might have fostered our love of reading in certain genres – my two staples as a youngster were Charlotte’s Web with themes of friendship, sacrifice, and the circle of life and Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland encouraging creativity. Today my favorites are The Little Prince – about friendships, love, innocence, and imagination with the emphasis on seeing what’s truly essential in life. And, The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse about forming deep friendships with love, courage, and belonging as central themes. Both are masterpieces to be read and reread, IMHO. There was a poker scene in the novel, and our question was who would you invite to a real or fictional monthly poker night (not strip poker which adds another aspect to the discussion) – and why – things to noodle when you have time to noodle! Mine were Phil Ivey – considered the GOAT of poker; Robin Williams to see if he could crack Ivey’s stoic nature; Kenny Rogers because he knows when to hold ‘em and knows when to fold ‘em; Homer Simpson, known for his poker skills; James Bond…because he’s just Bond, James Bond; and my Dad who might be able to hold his own with this group! Daphne is called a “we-girl” defined as not just an individual but also a member of a group that values mutual support, shared goals, and empowerment – the term reflecting the idea of being a part of a “we” rather than just acting alone – someone who is confident, creative, community minded, and committed to uplifting others. I think we know an organization of “we-girls!” It was also pointed out that in conversation some address themselves and their opinions as “we” loved the food or the décor, etc…rather than I. I failed to point out one of my pet peeves – and that is the overuse of words – there is a Thesaurus out there writers – use it. In our other rom-com selection, Life’s too Short, Adrian snorted 34 times; In Funny Story, some form of chortle was used 11 times….grrrrr….We chatted a little about books and reviewers with several pointing out their first Bookers’ meeting was in May, 2021when first-time reviewer, Debbie Yarger, skillfully and with teacher-like preciseness led us through the complexity of People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks by creating a visual storyline unrolling a picture scroll in reverse chronological order following the story from salvation back to creation as in the book and one packed with a variety of characters. There wasn’t a peep in the group as she walked us through the plot.
Rating System:
0 – aka The Susan – wouldn’t recommend to my worst enemy. (Susan is special – no one else has a rating named after them!!)
1 – put your money back in the piggy bank
2 – borrow, don’t buy
3 – good beach read
4 – borders on your favorite read ever
5 – order now, include in your will
Fortunately, we escaped without any “Susan’s” or any 1’s. Two Bookers voted 2 – one because the audiobook narration lasted over eleven hours – predictable plot with no twists and turns and the other described it as “melted vanilla.” The 3 category received the majority of the votes with comments ranging from easy read like a Hallmark movie; predictable – a good beach read. I liked the characters and the premise – different people have different opinions of what’s funny…I wasn’t rolling on the floor with this one – but did crack a smile. Given the rom-com format, it was going to be predictable, but I thought she did a good job of developing the characters. The intimate scenes were a little too detailed for my taste…some cringe-worthy, but again that’s one of the elements of this genre – I like to imagine what’s going on rather than having a tutorial. Blame it on my fuddy-duddy-ness. Another commented on the predictability as in the deadbeat father trope but overall enjoyed the fast read. It served the committee’s goal in providing a lighter read for our evening end-of-the-year read. One Booker commented it was her favorite read so far! We had no one threatening to include this one in their will. Onward to next year’s slate of books. Please let the committee (JoDee, Patty Evans, Jane Shaw, Kat Mackey) know if you discover a “jewel” that meets Bookers’ criteria – has to be well written and foster discussion.
Have a wonderful summer break – from meeting – not reading – and we’ll see you around the compound.
JoDee
