JULY 2021

Hello All,

We met on Wednesday, July 28th at Beth Hedengren's home.  We had a good turn-out and enjoyed each other's company as well as talking about great books.  Here is the list of some of the books that were discussed:

BETH HEDENGREN

The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin ****

YA. Quirky and sweet. An odd assortment of characters live in a fancy apartment building next to a strange abandoned mansion owned by Mr. Westing, who has gone missing. Mr. Westing’s corpse shows up in the mansion, and the apartment dwellers are invited to the reading of the will. They are divided into teams of two, each team is given clues, and the team that discovers who killed Mr. Westing will inherit everything. Fun story as layers of information appear. Great ending. 

 

The Splendid and the Vile by Erik Larson *****

Fascinating, detailed history of the first year of Winston Churchill’s time as Prime Minister. Drawing on a variety of primary sources (from diaries of London secretaries to the journal of Churchill’s aide), Larson weaves a many-layered account of the beginning of Britain's war with Germany.

 

The Lost and Found Bookstore by Susan Wiggs ***

Fun romance set in contemporary San Francisco. Along with the love triangle, we have some fascinating California history and a very touching relationship—working out some problems along the way-- with mom and grandfather. A fun read!

From Mary

Go to Sleep (I Miss You): Cartoons from the Fog of New Parenthood by Lucy Knisley. Funny and tender cartoons about being a new parent.

MARLENE MATHESON

A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum - She was born and raised in Brooklyn, NY by Palestinian immigrants. This is written as a novel based on the experiences of her family: cultural expectations and oppression. The pressure for her mother to bear sons is great, but she has four daughters and the daily shame she lives with is heavy. This gives insight into lives that are normally kept very private, as indicated in the opening paragraphs, "I was born without a voice...I did not know I was mute until years later, when I opened my mouth to ask for what I wanted and realized no one could hear me....Voicelessness is the condition of my gender....You've never heard this story before, no matter how many books you've read...we keep these stories to ourselves. To tell them to the outside world is unheard of, dangerous, the ultimate shame." 

To the Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson by Thomas S. Monson, Heidi S. Swinton - Excellent!!!

I Will Lead You Along: The Life of Henry B. Eyring by Henry B. Eyring, Robert I. Eaton - Excellent!!!

Ask Again Yes by Mary Beth Keane - Fiction - Two neighbors who were friends as children later married. Their families had been estranged because of a violent act which put her father in the hospital and his mother in jail. (I didn't like it.)

JO ANN ABEGGLEN

1. Family Tree by Susan Wiggs. This is a charming fun book that has an underlying theme like What Alice Forgot.  Annie Rush is a successful producer of her husband’s Cooking show. But in an instant she life is shattered. As Annie sifts through the ashes of her life she comes to a devastating reality. 3.5 .

2.  The Paris Library.  By Janet Skeslien Charles. 

This book is based on the true WW II story of the heroic librarians at the American Library in Paris. It is the story of friendship, family, romance and the power of literature to bring us together. 3.5.

LANI PACKARD

"Cheaper by the Dozen" by Frank B. Gilbreth and Ernestine Gilbreth

This book is a tribute to their father and the character of a man he was. He was an efficiency engineer, helping companies cut down on production time during the turn of the century (1800s-1900s). He loved to teach his children his new techniques and use his family as guinea pigs and examples of his work, sometimes filming it for the masses to see. Their mother was a brilliant woman with degrees in psychology who patiently put up with her energetic husband, his crazy schemes, and his robust sense of humor. 

"Pinocchio" by Carlo Collodi

I was astonished by how much this book parallels the gospel. It's about a little marionette named Pinocchio who, after making some bad choices and being punished by his father, commits to being obedient and to going to school. But he is tempted away from this resolve and finds himself in a very bad way; however, with the help and mercy of the blue-haired fairy, he is saved and able to begin the long journey of trying to return home to his father (who was lost at sea after he went looking for Pinocchio). After many trials and tribulations and getting into more trouble than seems reasonable and with the constant help of the fairy, who forgives him and saves him time and time again, he is finally able to find his father. He is then granted the ability to become a real boy as he has grown and matured and proven himself worthy of such an honor. There was an amazing giant snail character that takes about five days to go from the top floor of a house to the front door, a police dog that becomes a dear friend, helpful seagulls, a naughty cat and fox, and many others. Worth the read.

MARYANN STEVENS

The Whistler by John Grisham 4️ Florida mafia buys a judge. An Indian casino. Rampant coastal development. Paybacks all along the way. 

Witness to a Trial By John Grisham 4 ️ short story prequel to The Whistler. A double murder. A First time judge trying to prove she supports law & order. A crooked prosecutor. A public defender in over his head.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett 3 stars. An engaging story about multiple complex characters. The storytelling is good but the ending was abrupt & unfulfilling. Mallard is a Louisiana town full of unusually fair African-Americans. Stella, a twin, crosses to white society , abandoning & hiding from her natural family who desperately try to locate her for decades. A transman & a ‘straight’ woman fall in love. 

One Fatal Flaw by Anne Perry 4 ️ courtroom drama. We’ll written. Good story. 

Franklin & Eleanor by Hazel Rowley 4.5 ️ non-Fiction. A well researched inquiry into their unconventional, but nonetheless loving & supportive marriage. Eleanor was a remarkable woman. 

Edge of Eternity by Ken Follett 4️ 37 hrs 3rd of trilogy which covered 1900-2012). This one covered Cold War through election of Obama as seen through the eyes of 4 multi-generational families: British, US, German & Russian. Political power, greed, hate. Familial love, births, deaths, trials, & reunification. Story is true to historical facts & figures with the details filled in by the fictional families. 

GERI CHRISTENSEN

A DISTANT PRAYER by Miracles of the 49th Combat Mission BY Joseph Banks

A wonderful true story of heroism and true miracles from the sole survivor of a group of soldiers who were shot down down.  It was inspiring and wonderful to read.  4 stars.

THRICE THE BRINDLED CAT HATH MEWED by Alan Bradley

Another delightful Flavia de Luce mystery.  The story is fun but the writing is what is so entertaining.  I love how the author has the main character, an 11 year old girl, use chemistry to solve mysteries and navigate her dysfunctional family in the fictional village of Bishop's Lacey in England in the mid 1950's.  3.5 stars.

THE TIGHTROPE WALKER by Dorothy Gilman

This is one of my favorite books by this author.  Although I love the Mrs. Polifax series, this book stands alone.  The main character, Amelia, is left alone as both parents have died and she has no siblings. She inherits enough money to buy a curio shop that has a hurdy gurdy in it with a very interestingn note concealed inside. The note sends Amelia on a quest to find a murderer and she also finds love and romance along the way.  It is a fun book to read and this was probably my fifth or sixth time to read it.  4.5 stars.

THE GUERNSEY LITERARY POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY by Mary Ann Schaeffer and Annie Barrows. This book is a "must read" in my opinion for anyone who enjoys fiction mixed with true history.  It is the story of an eclectic group of people who live in the island of Guernsey in the Channel Islands during World War II and how they managed to survive the German occupation for five years.  I loved the characters and the way they loved, helped and supported each other.  A love story helps to make it even better.  5 stars. 

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