The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store// James McBride

 

Hello friends! For our November meeting, we met at the library to discuss The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride. Up next for December is Untamed, by Glennon Doyle. As always, if you are able to obtain a copy of Untamed elsewhere, we would encourage you to do so, as our copies are limited. Also, we'd like to remind our members to please be intentional about reading through the book club books and returning them to library in as timely a fashion as possible to help us be as efficient as we can in distributing the copies we are able to secure~ we appreciate your help! If you don't need a copy of Untamed, and you haven't already let us know, would you please leave us a note down below? Many thanks!

 

To the read!

 

Chicken Hill was where Moshe and Chona Ludlow lived when Chona ran the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store, which served the neighborhood's quirky collection of blacks and European immigrants, helped by her husband, Moshe, a Romanian-born theater owner who integrated the town's first dance hall. When the state came looking for a deaf black child, claiming that the boy needed to be institutionalized, Chicken Hill's residents—roused by Chona's kindess and the courage of a local black worker named Nate Timblin—banded together to keep the boy safe.

As the novel unfolds, it becomes clear how much the people of Chicken Hill have to struggle to survive at the margins of white Christian America and how damaging bigotry, hypocrisy, and deceit can be to a community. 

With the exception of a small few, the group liked this one. They really loved McBride's writing, specifically how intricately he would describe a character, or a scene. They appreciated learning something new about Jewish culture, mixed in with sharing a community with people of color. In the end, they were inspired to read more of McBride's work.

On the other hand, those in favor of the book could agree that there were far too many plot lines and characters to keep track of (even though reading the descriptions of some of the characters was fun). It was said that McBride would go to great lengths to describe a character, then use them for a brief moment in a brief scene, only to never mention them again. We also weren't sure that some of the plot lines were even clear, or necessary. Lastly, a few of us weren't crazy about the ending, it felt rushed and thrown together, unlike all the time and attention McBride gave to the rest of the book.

 

What did you think of the read? Let us know below! 👇

Did you enjoy The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store? We've heard good really good things about McBride's book, Deacon King Kong. Fans of the book also enjoyed, The Berry Pickers, by Amanda Peters, The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon, and Hello Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano. All of these titles are available within the Viking Library System~ reserve your copy today!    

 

 The votes are in!

Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"

 

Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 

3.5 stars

 

 

 

Frankenstein// Mary Shelley

Hello fall! For our October meeting, we met back at the library in the meeting room. It was kind of nice to be back, and we will plan to meet there for certainly the duration of this year's book club meetings. Up next for November is The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride.

As always, if you are able to obtain a copy of The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store elsewhere, we would encourage you to do so, as our copies are limited. Also, we'd like to remind our members to please be intentional about reading through the book club books and returning them to library in as timely a fashion as possible to help us be as efficient as we can in distributing the copies we are able to secure~ we appreciate your help! If you don't need a copy of The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, and you haven't already let us know, would you please leave us a note down below? Thanks!

One other thing while I have you, as we are now moving into the colder Minnesota months, we'd like to see if there is interest in the library setting up another recurring Zoom meeting for our monthly book club meetings. If you happen to know that you will be traveling, or will be out of town, or cozy in your house and would rather join the discussion via Zoom, please let us know fairly soon and we will work to make the necessary arrangements. Otherwise, we'll be seeing you in the meeting room from now until the weather warms back up again next Spring/Summer!

 

Without further ado!

 

Shattered by grief, the unstable Victor Frankenstein conducts a bizarre experiment, using electricity to shock inanimate matter and create an enormous man-like monster. Terrified by his own actions, Victor abandons his creation to the wilderness. Years later, the intelligent and hideous Creature finds his creator and demands his right to happiness. A tragedy of murderous rage and the fatal consequences of revenge quickly ensue. 

Yet again, it would seem like we were all on mostly the same page with this book. No one loved it, or was inspired to read any more of Shelley's work, but no one passionately hated it either. We found it entirely too wordy and monotonous, a noticeable effort needed to be made in order to get through it. We thought the ending was disappointing and absurd. 

On a more positive note, we were impressed that Shelley was just 18-years-old when she started writing Frankenstein, and 20 when it was published. A couple of us were glad to have read it in the end, regardless of our lack of enthusiasm for the read, as it seems like one of those classic novels that feels good to know you've read. Most of us thought Victor Frankenstein had a good soul (though it was mentioned we always thought the monster was named Frankenstein, not the scientist who created him), but found him wildly irresponsible and negligent, lacking all common sense, to create this fierce creature (though he wasn't altogether fierce at the onset) and then run away to let someone else deal with him. To additionally then also not arrange for protection of his family and new bride, especially after clearly seeing the monster's vengeance, and threats, against him firsthand.

A small few could also empathize with the monster's longing for companionship and his subsequent insistence on having a female fashioned. We tossed around the idea of Frankenstein making him a female, without reproductive capabilities, and letting them live out their days in some far off, uninhabited place (like the monster promised to do). We wondered why Frankenstein didn't kill the monster himself, or hire a mob to do the job, if he couldn't bring himself to slay his own creation.

 

 

Overall, this was a miss for us. What did you think of Frankenstein? Please let us know in the comments below! 👇

 

 

Did you love Frankenstein? Fans of the book also enjoyed, Dracula, by Bram Stoker, The Picture of Dorian Grey, by Oscar Wilde, and Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte. All of these titles are available within the Viking Library System~ reserve your copy today!  

 

Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"NO"

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"MAYBE"

Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 

2 stars

Grandma Gatewood's Walk// Ben Montgomery

Yesterday we met again at Paul Miller Park to discuss Grandma Gatewood's Walk, by Ben Montgomery. It was so nice to meet outdoors, for very possibly the last time this year~ and we welcomed a new member to boot! Up next for October is Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley.

As always, if you are able to obtain a copy of Frankenstein elsewhere, we would encourage you to do so. Also, we'd like to remind our members to please be intentional about reading through the book club books and returning them to library in as timely a fashion as possible to help us be as efficient as we can in distributing the copies we are able to secure~ we appreciate your help! 

 

To the book!

 

Emma Gatewood told her family she was going on a walk and left her small Ohio hometown with a change of clothes and less than two hundred dollars. The next anybody heard from her, this genteel, farm-reared, 67-year-old great-grandmother had walked 800 miles along the 2,050-mile Appalachian Trail. And in September 1955, having survived a rattlesnake strike, two hurricanes, and a run-in with gangsters from Harlem, she stood atop Maine’s Mount Katahdin. There she sang the first verse of “America, the Beautiful” and proclaimed, “I said I’ll do it, and I’ve done it.”

Grandma Gatewood, as the reporters called her, became the first woman to hike the entire Appalachian Trail alone, as well as the first person—man or woman—to walk it twice and three times. Gatewood became a hiking celebrity and appeared on TV and in the pages of Sports Illustrated. The public attention she brought to the little-known footpath was unprecedented. Her vocal criticism of the lousy, difficult stretches led to bolstered maintenance, and very likely saved the trail from extinction. 

I think we all liked this one too. No one declared their ultimate love and devotion to the read, but no one claimed to hate it either. A few mentioned they went into the book just sure they weren't going to like it, but were pleasantly surprised that it wasn't a chore for them to get through it. 

We liked Emma Gatewood (other than the part where she fled her abusive husband and left her children behind with him). We thought she was humble, and courageous and inspiring in her own right. We marveled that she walked the Appalachian Trail, in it's entirety, three times, with so little gear, in her 60's. We liked that she didn't seem to complain, ever, and that she kept a positive attitude. It was neat to read about her first hike, what the terrain was like, who she met, how she got by, etc. A highlight for us was at the very end, when the book tells of an abusive husband whose one request on his death bed was that he could see his ex-wife (and victim of his abuse) one more time... she refused. "Good for her!"

On the other hand, there were those that found the book repetitive with too much detail about the terrain and who she met and how she got by~ it felt like reading the same things page after page. We also got a sense that this walk wasn't really all that difficult for Gatewood, and we wondered if that was really believable. One member mentioned the bugs alone must have been just terrible at times, and there was only a mere mention of them, once. We also felt like the book was about 50 pages too long, with those side tangents regarding the auto industry and the like accounting for much of the problem. We didn't think much of Montgomery's writing one way or the other, however, no one was inspired to read anything else of his.

 

 

What are your thoughts on the book? Please let us know in the comments below! 👇

 

 

Did you enjoy Grandma Gatewood's Walk? Fans of the book also enjoyed, A Walk in the Woods, by Bill Bryson, The Appalachian Trail: A Biography, by Philip D'Anieri, and Wander, by Ryan Benz. All of these titles are available within the Viking Library System~ reserve your copy today!  

 

Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"

Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 

3.5 stars

The Guncle// Steven Rowley

 
For our August meeting, we met again at Paul Miller Park to discuss The Guncle, by Steven Rowley. It is lovely to be able to meet outdoors when the Minnesota weather allows~ we are planning to try to reserve the large shelter again for our September meeting as well, where we will delve into Grandma Gatewood's Walk, by Ben Montgomery. We'll be sure to get the word out about final arrangements when the date gets closer~ stay tuned!

As always, if you are able to obtain a copy of Grandma Gatewood's Walk elsewhere, we would encourage you to do so. Also, we'd like to remind our members to please be intentional about reading through the book club books and returning them to library in as timely a fashion as possible to help us be as efficient as we can in distributing the copies we are able to secure~ we appreciate your help! 

Speaking of efficiency, lastly, if you don't need a copy (and you didn't already let me know), would you mind leaving a comment down below to let us know? Thanks!

 

Onward!

 

Patrick, or Gay Uncle Patrick (GUP, for short), has always loved his niece, Maisie, and nephew, Grant. That is, he loves spending time with them when they come out to Palm Springs for weeklong visits, or when he heads home to Connecticut for the holidays. But in terms of caretaking and relating to two children, no matter how adorable, Patrick is honestly a bit out of his league.

So when tragedy strikes and Maisie and Grant lose their mother and Patrick’s brother has a health crisis of his own, Patrick finds himself suddenly taking on the role of primary guardian. Despite having a set of “Guncle Rules” ready to go, Patrick has no idea what to expect, having spent years barely holding on after the loss of his great love, a somewhat-stalled career, and a lifestyle not-so-suited to a six- and a nine-year-old. Quickly realizing that parenting—even if temporary—isn’t solved with treats and jokes, Patrick’s eyes are opened to a new sense of responsibility, and the realization that, sometimes, even being larger than life means you’re unfailingly human.

Most of us liked this one. We thought it was an easy read, with a healthy, balanced mix of both lighthearted and heavy material. We believed, and liked, all of the main characters, except maybe Clara, Patrick's sister, who was determined to take the kids out of his care. We also weren't fans of Greg, Maisie and Grant's father, who immediately following Sara's funeral checked himself into a 3 month rehab program, handing the kids off to Patrick during what had to be the darkest time in their lives. We suspected the kids must have felt a lot like orphans, at least for a time. 

It was specifically mentioned that Grant's lisp, and Patrick's nickname of "Grantelope" was a particularly favorite part... along with the cake and wishes celebration on Sara's birthday. A small few of us were inspired to read his followup novel, The Guncle Abroad, and those who did liked that one too.

The few criticisms we scraped together were some of us thought it was boring and repetitive, though they had trouble citing where and when these offenses occurred. A small few mentioned they started the book and just couldn't pick it back up~ it wasn't that they didn't like it, it's just that they couldn't get into it. It didn't bother anyone that there was homosexual subject matter, but having the "JED" throuple right next door, and the nonbinary play director in the end, was a little too much LGBTQ+ content for just one fun little book of 326 pages. 

Mostly, this book got us talking about our own uncles~ recalling and sharing fun childhood memories of favorite male relatives, but also talking about current relationships our children, and our grandchildren, enjoy in the here and now.

 

Did we miss anything? Do you have a beloved guncle? Let us know below! 👇

Did you enjoy The Guncle? Fans of the book also enjoyed, Funny Story, by Emily Henry, The Paradise Problem, by Christina Lauren, and Just for the Summer, by Abby Jimenez. All of these titles are available within the Viking Library System~ reserve your copy today!  

 

Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"

Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 

4 stars

Tiny Beautiful Things// Chery Strayed

 

💥Happy 4th of July everyone!💥 We met in the large shelter at Paul Miller Park this month to discuss Tiny Beautiful Things, by Cheryl Strayed. A big thank you to everyone who made it~ it was a tad toasty, but thankfully the bugs weren't bad at all. We may plan to try to meet there again for our August 13th meeting where we'll compare notes on The Guncle, by Steven Rowley. Stay tuned!

We have limited copies of The Guncle, so as always, if you are able to obtain a copy elsewhere, we would encourage you to do so. Also, we'd like to remind our members to please be intentional about reading through the book club books and returning them to library in as timely a fashion as possible to help us be as efficient as we can in distributing the copies we are able to secure~ we appreciate your help! 

Speaking of efficiency, lastly, if you don't need a copy (and you didn't already let me know), would you mind leaving a comment down below to let us know? Thanks!

To the book!

For more than a decade, thousands of people have sought advice from Dear Sugar--the pseudonym of bestselling author Cheryl Strayed--first through her online column at The Rumpus, later through her hit podcast, Dear Sugars, and now through her popular Substack newsletter. Tiny Beautiful Things collects the best of Dear Sugar in one volume, bringing her wisdom to many more readers. This tenth-anniversary edition features six new columns and a new preface by Strayed. Rich with humor, insight, compassion--and absolute honesty--this book is a balm for everything life throws our way.

With an overall rating of 3 stars, I would say we liked this book more than we didn't. No one present said they loved it, and no one said they hated it either. We unanimously agreed that we liked Strayed's writing, and thought, for the most part, her advice was genuine and sincere. It was clear Strayed had put time and thought and effort into her replies, and we thought that was honorable in it's own right. Several members mentioned the book moved them to tears and laughter and times, and that in and of itself is a sure sign of a quality read.

However, a few of us did find her coarse language unnecessary, and her repetitive "sweet pea" references obnoxious by the end. It was suggested that the book was possibly just a little bit too long, and also that the advice seemed to center largely around romantic relationships... maybe some parenting or life path/career advice thrown in would have helped break it up a bit?

Most of us also felt like Mrs. Strayed's advice, and the brunt of this book, seemed to feel like it was mostly about her. We can recognize that it's incredibly helpful to have life experience to draw from in order to give credible advice, but her responses had a way of turning the discussion back to herself, making us wonder at times if there was any real advice given by the end of some of the chapters.

Let us know your take on the book down below! 👇

Did you enjoy Tiny Beautiful Things? Fans of the book also enjoyed, Tom Lake, by Ann Patchett, The House of Eve, by Sadequ Johnson, and Hello Beautiful, by Ann Napolitano. All of these titles are available within the Viking Library System~ reserve your copy today!  

 

Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"YES"

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"YES"

Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 

3 stars

Gunflint Falling// Cary Griffin

Hello summer! 🌞 What a treat it was to meet at the Nest to discuss this month's selection, Gunflint Falling, by Cary Griffin! Thank you to everyone who came~ we had a great turnout! Up next for July is Tiny Beautiful Things, by Cheryl Strayed. 

Just as a precaution, I wanted to mention that Tiny Beautiful Things, has some pretty foul language throughout. It also has a few spots of semi-graphic sexual content. Also, we do have several copies requested and on the way, but if you have a chance to snag it somewhere else, we would encourage you to do so. If you don't need a copy, or would prefer to sit this one out due to its graphic nature, would you mind letting me know in the comments down below? It helps out a whole heap!

 

Onward!

 

On July 4, 1999, in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness (BWCAW), a bizarre confluence of meteorological events resulted in the most damaging blowdown in the region’s history. Originating over the Dakotas, the midsummer windstorm developed amid unusually high heat and water-saturated forests and moved steadily east, bearing down on Fargo, North Dakota, and damaging land as it crossed the Minnesota border. Gunflint Falling tells the story of this devastating storm from the perspectives of those who were on the ground before, during, and after the catastrophic event—from first-time visitors to the north woods to returning paddlers to Forest Service Rangers.

By the time the storm began to subside, falling trees had injured approximately sixty people, and most needed to be medivacked to safety. Amazingly, no one died. The historic storm laid down timber that would later blaze in the Ham Lake fire of 2007, ultimately reshaping the region’s forests in ways we have yet to fully understand.

 

Everyone unanimously felt like this book was far too long, with far too many minute details about irrelevant people. While we understand that working a natural disaster takes a lot of people and resources, it was nearly impossible to keep everyone straight, and in the end, with the exception of the six people primarily highlighted, any other bio's were largely unnecessary. It was said the book is just shy of 300 pages, and it easily could have been half that length had it been written a little more clearly and concisely (much like the epilogue). 

One member said she loved that the book took her back to earlier days when she camped and canoed all over the Boundary Waters with friends and family. Many members added that they too have fond memories of time spent in the Boundary Waters. It was said that pictures would have been a nice addition to the book, however, a quick Google search doesn't show much of anything along those lines, so it's possible Mr. Griffin didn't have any to add at the ready. 

In the end, we found that there's two different kinds of nonfiction writers and readers. There are those that live for all the details and facts, maybe preferring a more textbook approach to the subject at hand. On the other hand, there are those who want the authenticity to remain intact, but don't want all the names and dates. Don't embellish or lie, but tell the story in a way that pulls one into it, makes them feel the blowdown right along with the main 6 featured individuals. 

Which are you? Did we miss a category? Let us know below! 👇

 

Did you like Gunflint Falling? Fans of the book also enjoyed, The Lightkeepers Daughter, by Jean Pendziwol, The Last Ride of the Pony Express, by Will Grant, and Fox Creek, by William Kent Krueger. All of these titles are available within the Viking Library System~ reserve your copy today!  

 

Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"NO"

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"NO"

Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 

2.5 stars

 

Harbour Street// Ann Cleeves

Happy belated Mother's Day to you and yours! This month's pick was Harbour Street, by Ann Cleeves. Up next for June is Gunflint Falling, by Cary Griffin. Please be advised, we have very limited copies of Gunflint Falling. We'll do our best to get the copies we do have circulated as quickly and efficiently as possible, but in the meantime, if you have an opportunity to find a copy elsewhere~ we would encourage you to do so! Also, if you happen to not need a copy of this book, would you mind leaving a comment down below to let me know? It helps us circulate books at optimal efficiency! Thanks!

Speaking of Cary Griffin, The Perham Area Public Library is hosting him on Tuesday, June 18th, at 2:00pm. He'll be with us to discuss his latest book and take any questions anyone may have. Please get it on your calendars and plan to join us! 

 

To the book!

 

As the snow falls thickly on Newcastle, the shouts and laughter of Christmas revelers break the muffled silence. Detective Joe Ashworth and his daughter Jessie are swept along in the jostling crowd onto the Metro. But when the train is stopped due to the bad weather, and the other passengers fade into the swirling snow, Jessie notices that an old lady hasn't left the train: Margaret Krukowski has been fatally stabbed as she sat on the crowded train. Nobody, including the policeman himself, sees the stabbing take place. Margaret's murderer is seemingly invisible; her killing motiveless. Why would anyone want to harm this reserved, elegant lady?

Arriving at the scene, DI Vera Stanhope is relieved to have an excuse to escape the holiday festivities. Soon Vera and Joe are on their way to the town of Mardle, where Margaret lived, to begin their inquiry. Then, just days later, a second woman is murdered. Vera knows that to find the key to this new killing she needs to understand what had been troubling Margaret so deeply before she died - before another life is lost. But why are the residents of Harbour Street so reluctant to speak?

Remember last month when I said that every once in a great long while we more or less agree on a book? Well, somehow, it has happened again! Overall, I think we all felt the same way about Harbour Street. We thought Cleeves did a great job with character development, we found everyone believable and relatable. We liked Vera and Joe the best. We thought there was good scene development, it left you feeling cold and damp, right along with the characters. We were pleasantly surprised to find that even though this is #6 in a series, we thought it stood alone just fine.

Our few criticisms would be that the timeline seemed off somehow. It opens with the hustle of Christmas celebrations and ends with the case being solved and an invitation to grab a drink for New Years... we all felt like it seemed like an awful long book, with a whole lot of active investigation happening, to span a mere 6 or 7 days... we didn't believe the three different murders could have been solved in that short time. We didn't care for all the extra characters or criminal plot lines tucked into it. We thought the whole part about the halfway house could have been excluded. Probably the entire Malcolm bits as well, though we did wonder whatever happened to him in the end. No one saw the killer coming, or had the faintest notion it would have been them~ one member mentioned they don't like reading a mystery they have no chance of solving before the books end.

In the end, no one loved it and no one loathed it, rather, we landed somewhere in the middle of all of that. No one feels compelled to pick up another Ann Cleeves book, but could appreciate her spin on a cozy mystery all the same.

 

Let us know your take on the book down below! 👇 

 

Did you like Harbour Street? Fans of the book also enjoyed, The Last Remains, by Elly Griffiths, Past Lying, by Val McDermid, and The Hunter, by Tana French. All of these titles are available within the Viking Library System~ reserve your copy today!  

 

Would we recommend this to a friend to read? 
"MAYBE"  (Equally split vote)

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?
"NO"

Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating: 

3 stars