“Time can wash dirt off a memory until it is revealed as something else entirely.”
Welcome to our 18 Bookers who descended onto the home of Suzy Penner to kickoff the beginning of year 23 of our special book club! Welcome new members, Tracey Thompson and Linda Mulchin.
Jane, Patty, Kat, and I spent a good amount of time reading during the break and we believe we’ve come up with a great slate of books for this year that will hopefully enlighten, entertain, and foster lively conversation. Once again, we’d like to recommend ordering some or all of these from our local indie bookstore, Bookish. The list of books is as follows: Yesteryear, Caro Claire Burke; The Wife The Maid and the Mistress, Ariel Lawhon; Theo of Golden; Allen Levi; The Book Club for Troublesome Women, Marie Bostwick; When Never Comes, Barbara Davis; This Book Made Me think of You, Libby Page; I See You've Called in Dead, John Kenney; The Lost Bookshop, Evie Woods; The Art of Burning Heather, Devrie Brynn Donalson.
Business
We appreciate everyone who contributed to honor Debbie Yarger’s husband, Chris, who passed away July 16, 2026. Bookers’ generosity and the love and admiration for his sacrifices and service to Country are reflected in our $1,000.00 donation to the Cedar Creek Veterans Foundation. His legacy will live on by providing much needed services to our area’s veteran population. We received some late donations totaling $60.00 so I issued another check to CCVF. Debbie is very grateful for our outpouring of support
In keeping with the PWC’s focus on giving back to the community and in conjunction with our partnership with the Mabank Family Resource Center they will take gently used books. If you have any to donate, please bring them to me and I’ll make sure we get them to Cindy Kellum for the “giving” day.
Thanks to Rebecca Robinson and Karla Lawson who again agreed to be our food and beverage czars. This year since Carla Russo is hosting the May meeting and furnishing all refreshments and hors d’oeuvres, they will only be responsible for our holiday party scheduled for December 8th. On that note each hostess of the other meetings may choose to offer just coffee/tea/water or provide a more elaborate spread. It has been Bookers’ policy since day one to focus on books rather than food, but as in past years, we have combined both successfully.
Each year we collect $10.00 for our ‘slush fund’ which cover any out-of-pocket expenses or monies to contribute to worthwhile causes. Last year we honored past Bookers’ members, Marcie Allen and Pat Faherty, along with adding funds in memory of Chris Yarger. Thanks for your support! (Venmo: @Joann-Neathery) or bring to our next meeting.
On a personal note, my deepest gratitude for everyone who purchased my latest novel, Wings Against The Wind. Your support warms my heart! I would appreciate you considering posting a short review and/or comment on Amazon. Customer reviews drive Amazon’s algorithm putting the novel in front of more readers. It’s a marketing tool that is cost-free and easy. Thank you!! And, I am honored to again speak to Bookish’ book club on Thursday, October 1st, 6:30 social; meeting @ 7:00.
Speaking of authors, many of you are familiar with Ann Patchett who has forty-two books to her credit, eleven standalone novels, six non-fiction books, three children’s books and several anthologies. She is the recipient of the 2026 Library of Congress Prize for American literature honoring American writers whose work shows true mastery of the craft, originality of vision, and the rare ability to say something lasting about what it means to be human.
Sunshine
We wish Ann Ireland’s husband Charles continued improvement as he faces some health challenges.
About the Author
Sarah Damoff, a Texas native, lives in Dallas with her husband and children. She holds a Child Protection Certification from Harvard University. She is a social worker in the foster care system and has spent time counseling families affected by addiction. Her experience with issues related to alcoholism, divorce, adoption, and more is evident throughout the book. The Bright Years is her debut novel. Her second, released May 2026, titled The Burning Side is the story of a couple on the brink of collapse. When their house goes up in flames in the middle of the night, they escape with their two young children and the quiet knowledge that the fire is not the only thing threatening their family. The novel is about what we inherit and what we choose, about forgiveness and the ache of being known…but above all it’s about the meaning of home and the costs of long love. A family saga suffused with humor longing, and heartbreak. Novel # 3 is a work-in-progress titled State of Care is about a single mom whose son is taken into foster care after an accident who must navigate the flawed systems meant to help children and families but sometimes loses sight of their humanity. No release date available.
The Bright Years is a multi‑generational family saga tracing four generations of the Bright family in Texas exploring how cycles of abuse, alcoholism, and unspoken grief shape and sometimes distort love. The story moves from the 1950s to 2019 following Ryan, Lillian, and their daughter, Jet, as they navigate inherited trauma, addiction, and buried secrets while seeking to break patterns they never chose. The author shared an interview titled “To Build a New Family, I Had to Make Peace with the Ghost of my Old One.” Like many who lose their parents young, she resolved not to marry and like many who make resolutions, she ate her own words. She was eleven when her dad left after fourteen years of marriage leaving behind two freckled-faced daughters. Five years later her mom collapsed one afternoon and was dead by dinner while Sarah was at the theater rehearsing for Tom Jones. Her grandmother waited for her at home after watching her own daughter die and Sarah racked her brain to remember if she had told her mom she loved her. She died of aortic dissection – often called a broken heart – although technically inaccurate. After that she lived on the brink of tears – a whiff of her mom’s Clinique perfume on a passerby…a child reaching for his mother’s hand. The loss of her sister by way of estrangement came later…Sarah was haunted by her images everywhere she turned. The moment she fell in love with Lucas was when he asked about her mom – she asked him like what about her – to which he replied – anything…her blood type – the humor was a surprise – so she thought he must understand grief and he did as his childhood was not like a fairy tale. Two years later they were married and sixteen months later, their baby girl arrived, dedicated to building a new family on the ruins of the first – her new family now a point of reentry. Fast forward to today – fourteen years and three children since the wedding. Her life is full of domestic noises… a running faucet, a child frustrated with fractions, another asking about her lost shoe…the room is a mess with food crumbs and Scrabble tiles.
She once said she would give anything, do anything, change anything to get her family back. But to change one loss would create another. An orphan’s inheritance is to know the nearness of loss…at any moment it is one breath away. “Our son has the same thick hair as the grandmother he never met. Our daughters will sleep beneath quilts handmade by a great-grandmother, decades before they were even a whisper of a dream.” She believes love – the capacity for it – is an heirloom, nothing else. It stubbornly funnels its way through her…a gift she once couldn’t see through the loss of it.
Rating System
0 – wouldn’t recommend to my worst enemy
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
Discussion
We strive to pick books that foster conversation and this one did not disappoint. Most agreed it was beautifully written despite the subject matters, and the Texas setting was a plus for those of us with deep ties to the Lone Star State. We had a couple of 2’s who were disappointed in the focus on addiction. The majority who commented felt it was a 3-citing the depth of some characters lacking; the plot didn’t ring true and some questioning why Lillian felt the need to hide the painful secret she had given birth to a son and placed him for adoption. Alcohol addiction fueled the plot pointing out how breaking the cycle requires lifelong work and the pain that it causes were raw reminders of personal stories from a few members. The novel also addressed domestic violence, guilt, and how difficult it is to survive and assume a normal life. We questioned why Lillian suddenly died leaving her daughter, Jet, to navigate grief and unanswered questions; and why, after Ryan finally achieves long-term sobriety, reconnects with Jet and his granddaughter, Apricity (which means the warmth of the sun especially felt during winter or cold days) dies of liver failure. Our 4’s thought it was a realistic picture of addiction and the pain it causes; some didn’t like the ending, but the last sentence tied my feelings into a nice little package of hope for a better generation of the Bright family. “I know Jet will keep her family close. Together, they will visit the hill where her parents lie in rest. And the oak that was once a sapling will spread wide its canopy.”
Happy reading,
JoDee
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