After being forced into retirement at the end of 2015, one of the first things I wanted to do was join a book club where people actually READ the books! Now, I already organize a book club for women artists, but we meet every other month, so I knew I could handle another one. So, I trotted to the local library and found one that meets monthly. Then I found another that meets every other month at a local restaurant (called Pub Fiction). Okay, I thought, I can handle these. I still have my quest going of reading a book by an author from each state (I’m reading alphabetically, and I’ve read through Georgia). Then I found a group on Facebook called Read the World.  And, so it goes, I’m up to six book clubs now! I can handle this! I have already read as many books this year as I did all year long last year, and my reading  choices have become more varied, and to me more interesting. Here is what I read in July:

SOME LUCK by Jane Smiley: This is the first book in a trilogy (Last Hundred Years trilogy) that follows the Langdon Family in Denby Iowa from 1920 through 1953. Each chapter moves you forward another year. Thankfully, there is a family tree in the front, so it is easy to keep the characters straight.  The details about farming life were well researched. By the end of the book, there are six children born into the family, each with a story of their own.  The book weaves through the Depression, World War II, and even to Washington D.C. and the FBI. I will continue this trilogy, I want to see what happens to these people I came to care about. (Book club selection)

ME BEFORE YOU by Jojo Moyes: This is the third book I have read by JoJo Moyes, and they are all completely different, in story and in tone. Talk about a tear jerker! It is the story of Louisa and Will. Will was quite the daredevil – jumping out of planes, and also the successful, if ruthless businessman. This all comes to an end when an accident leaves him in a wheelchair. Louisa, who has lived a “safe” and boring life is hired to be his companion. After a rocky start to their relationship, Louisa endears herself to Will. Then Louisa learns her six-month contract is based on the amount of time Will has given his parents before he is going to commit suicide. It’s hard to put down, as Louisa sets out to give Will a reason to live, while Will encourages her to grow. It was worth the two month wait to get it from the library, and I think the wait will be just as long for the sequel, After You.

THE GREATS OF CUTTERCANE by Terry Kay: I became reacquainted with Terry Kay thanks to a book club. In fact, he came and spoke to us as he lives right down the road in Athens, Ga. This is a book of short stories based on the people of Cuttercane Georgia revolving around the magical legend of Asa’s Spring. Terry Kay generally writes in a very lyrical voice, but some of these stories are down right funny! They are the type of stories I heard growing up in the South! Enjoyable read.

OUTLANDER by  Diana Gabaldon: It took me awhile to jump on this bandwagon! This is the 600 page story of Claire, a nurse from World War II, who wakes up in 18th century Scotland, where her path crosses that of Jamie Frasier. What follows is suspense, passion, true love, tragedy and more.  However, it is not for the faint of heart, as it has it’s fair share of both violence and sex.  Jamie and Claire come alive – and I will continue with the series of – how many books now?  Eight? There will probably be a 9th one by the time I get there.

THE PUPPY DIARIES: RAISING A DOG NAMED SCOUT by Jill Abramson: I don’t normally read dog books – the dog always dies and I always cry. But, I saw it on the shelf at the library and couldn’t resist that little face. Plus it said on the cover it is a “marvelously entertaining chronicle of a puppy’s first year”.  It lived up to that. Abramson wrote a popular column for The New York Time’s website about the raising and training of Scout.  it still is a pretty light read. But if you love dogs, as I do, it is enjoyable. Also – I should note – I had a dog named Scout.

THE BOOK OF LIES by Brad Meltzer: This is a twisted tale! Cal Harper works for a rescue mission picking up vagrants that need shelter. He stumbled upon a man who who has been shot, and he ends up being his long lost father. They join forces and begin searching for the lost Book of Cain, and what they believe to be the weapon used in the Bible. His father was shot with a gun that was used in an unsolved murder in 1932 – of Jerry Siegel’s father. Why is this important? Jerry Siegel created Superman. So, you get a bit of both The Bible and comic book lore. And of course, there is a mysterious girl who has befriended his father. I’ve read Brad Meltzer’s books before, but this book kind of jumped around and kind of went into la-la land. But the premise was original I must say. (book club selection)

THE SPARROW: A NOVEL by Mary Doria Russell: I have to admit, I started this book more than once. If it wasn’t a book club selection, I might not have finished it. But,  even with the struggle to read it, the pay off was worth it.  It is a complicated science fiction book about a Jesuit linguist, Emilio Sandoz, who leads a group of scientists and explorers to the planet Rakhat, where they make contact with two races, the Runa and the Jana’ata. The story shifts between 2016- 2019, when they are on Rakhat, to 2060 at the Vatican. Sandoz is being interrogated after being rescued from Rakhat, returning a broken and mutilated man and the only survivor from the expedition. Did the priest really murder a child and become a prostitute? And, what happened to the other members of the party. It definitely provoked some lively discussion in the book club, leading to  discussions about God, moral behavior and exploring new worlds.  Plus, I loved the fact they travelled in space in asteroids. Oh, and there is a sequel – Emilio goes back to Rakhat (Children of God), and I miss Emilio.

I will be volunteering at the Decatur Book Festival over Labor Day weekend. This is one of the largest book festivals in the U.S. I managed to get slots during the lectures by two of the authors I read this month, Terry Kay and Brad Meltzer!!! Woohoo!

What have you been reading, and any thoughts on the books I’ve been reading?  In August I will tackle American Gods by Neil Gaiman, and I just might read Winnie the Pooh!

For the past two months, I have repeated a couple of authors more than once, learned about two different Buddha characters, read a couple of children’s classics, and had a healthy dose of Southern literature.

THE VALLEY OF LIGHT: A NOVEL: by Terry Kay – This was a book club selection and I loved being reintroduced to Terry Kay, who lives about 60 miles down the road in Athens, Ga. This is a beautifully written, lyrical story about Noah who comes to a small town in North Carolina that is set in the Valley of Light.  He has a magical ability when it comes to fishing. Because Terry Kay is from Georgia, I will be writing more about this when I write about my reading quest (reading a book by an author from each state) as this is one of four (or five) books I read for Georgia. I was also lucky enough to go to a small discussion led by Terry Kay also.

THE RUNAWAY by Terry Kay  – Tom and Son Jesus are born at the same time on the same day – one black and one white.  At 12 years old, they are best friends. Tom is a reader and decides to run away in a Huck Finn inspired episode. Along the way the two boys discover a human bone that ends up being from Son Jesus’ father who was murdered a few years earlier.  Set in Georgia in the 1940’s, there is a sheriff that is more interested in justice than traditional racist thinking. Again, I will share thoughts about this book in my Georgia blog, and some thoughts from Terry Kay himself.  This leads me to the next book:

THE BOOK OF MARIE by Terry Kay – This is Terry Kay’s favorite book, so after I heard him say it, I had to read it. There is an interesting history about this book and the previously mentioned The Runaway.  Terry Kay had written a book that followed the two boys from The Runaway through childhood, through young life where they are separated, into older life, framed by the Civil Rights Movement. But, the publisher thought the first part of the book was what needed to be published – of course, they know better. Terry Kay kept playing around with the remainder of the original story and ended up with this. It is NOT a sequel to The Runaway.  You can hear him speak about this book below.

ANNE OF GREEN GABLES; ANNE OF THE ISLAND; ANNE’S HOUSE OF DREAMS by Lucy Maud Montgomery – Believe it or not, this is one of those classic books series I have never read (I found it at mom’s house). I thoroughly enjoyed all three.  It covers the adventures of Anne Shirley who arrives at the home of Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert, an older brother and sister, who were going to adopt a boy to help with the farm. But Anne is sent instead. Of course,  they keep her instead of sending her back. Why would they send her back after spending time with her? She may be talkative, but she has a big and good heart, a positive attitude, a curious nature, and she is always getting into mishaps of her own making (like dying her red hair and ending up with green hair).

THE LITTLE PRINCE by Antoine de Saint-Exupery – no, I have never read this before!  Published in 1943, a year before the author’s plane vanished over the Mediterranean.  The story of a pilot marooned in the desert that meets a tiny prince from a asteroid so small he sees the sunset 44 times a day. There are a lot of lessons in this little treasure, much to think about.  Instead of hashing all this out, I thought I’d share some of the best known quotes:

“All grown-ups were once children…but only a few of them remember it.”

“And now here is my secret, a very simple secret: It is only with the heart can one see rightly; what is essential is invisible to the eye.”

The most beautiful things in the world cannot be seen or touched, they are felt with the heart.”

“I must endure the presence of a few caterpillars if I wish to become acquainted with the butterflied.”

NECESSARY LIES by Diane Chamberlain – This was read for a book club, and boy did it have a good discussion. It takes place in 1960 in North Carolina. Ivy Hart (age 15) lives with her family as a tenant family on a tobacco farm. She is basically the caretaker for her grandmother, her older sister and nephew. Jane Forrester, the newest social worker, must confront the decision to sterilize Ivy without her knowledge. The state contends if you are poor, ill, or deemed “unfit”, you should not have children. This is known as Eugenics, and the Nazi’s did not start this, in fact it was legal in North Carolina into the 1970’s! It was an eye-opener. I couldn’t put it down and it drove me to research the world of Eugenics.

THE GOOD GOOD PIG: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood by Sy Montgomery – I fell in love with this pig, as the runt of the litter he was small enough to fit in a shoebox, He ended up reaching almost 800 pounds! The author is a vegetarian naturalist, her husband is Jewish – so Christopher was never in danger to be slaughtered for food. Set in a small town in New Hampshire. He escapes for jaunts around the town to the point the policeman keeps treats in his car for him to lure him home. Restaurants save leftovers to bring to him weekly and the little girls next door gave him a weekly “spa” day. Even on election day, there were always a few write-in votes for Christopher Hogwood. You follow him through is life of over 13 years (no one knew knew what his life expectancy was as most pigs are slaughtered before the age of one year!) to his trip to Hog Heaven. He was featured on NPR and USA Today. BTW, Christopher Hogwood was named after a conductor in England of the same name (who dedicated a performance to the pig upon his death). He was the first Buddha like character I encountered in the past two months.

Here’s a little video featuring Chris.

THE SOUL OF AN OCTOPUS: A Surprising Exploration into the Wonder of Consciousness by Sy Montgomery  – Yes, this is the same author that wrote The Good Good Pig.  I have to admit, an invertebrate stole my heart!  The octopus Octavia is so alive and has such a personality. Yes, she does recognize her humans and loves to interact with them. As Montgomery watches her lay her eggs -she calls them like “tiny seed pearls on a black string”. I couldn’t  help but be mesmerized by these creatures. Here you can hear her talk about this book.

LUNCH WITH BUDDHA by Roland Merullo – Here is the second Buddha character I met in two months. This is the sequel to Breakfast with Buddha. Otto Ringling is facing an emotional crisis, and once again his sister Cecilia arranges (as she did in the previous book) for him to travel with her husband, Volya Rinpoche, through Washington, Idaho, Montana and finally to the family home in North Dakota. They talk about life and death, marijuana, sexuality, Native Americans while visiting such landmarks at Yellowstone Park.  The book isn’t as playful as Breakfast with Buddha,  there is an underlying theme of grief, but there are profound lessons to be learned. I have Dinner with Buddha to enjoy next!

ONE PLUS ONE by Jojo Moyes – I have never read Jojo Moyes and felt it was time to check her out. This is the story of one single mom, a math prodigy daughter, a Goth stepson, and a wealthy stranger.  Together they take a crazy trip across the country to get to the Math Olympiad in Scotland for the daughter. The story is pretty unbelievable, but you want to believe it and you root for them all. Jess and the stranger, Ed, have made some bad choices, but they are good people trying to get ahead in the world. I’ll read more of her books!

GEORGIA BOTTOMS by Mark Childress – First of all, it is important to note that Mark Childress is from Monroeville, Alabama, the home of both Harper Lee and Truman Capote. The story takes place in Six Points, Alabama, where no one realizes Georgia’s family money is gone. Her mother has dementia, her brother is a drunk. But Georgia has all these balls in the air as she has six lovers, one for each day of the week (she takes Mondays off). The men don’t know about each other and they all leave her a monetary gift. But when the Baptist preacher seems on the verge of spilling the beans, Georgia takes matters into her own hands. The book is funny, the characters are definitely Southern, but it isn’t his best book (TENDER or CRAZY IN ALABAMA are better). But, still it is a good quick read.

OFF SEASON by Anne Rivers Siddons – The book revolves around Lilly Constable McCall who is married to a successful architect, and  herself a successful sculptor. But her husbands death sends her on a journey to the Maine cottage where Cam (her husband) died, She spent her summers throughout her life there too.  She seems to carry on conversations with a spirit that seems to inhabit the site that has brought so much joy, as well as tragedy in her life. She revisits her 11-year old life and the boy Jon Lowell who is her first love. I’ve read many books by this author that I loved (especially PEACHTREE ROAD), but this one seemed to skim the surface – it is good but not great! And I felt the ending was a cop-out.  But, I plan on re-reading PEACHTREE ROAD.

Do you have any suggestions????