Friday, January 27, 2017

Book Clubs

 Pixabay

Are you a member of book club? I am and I find them so much fun! The opinions and perspectives of different people often bring a new thought. As a writer, I find a reader's observations helpful.

I'm a member of one in Weston Lakes. It's a bit too large for good discussions, but we like each other and never limit the size. 

We meet in each other's homes and the hostess prepares food. Delicious snacks. I've only had it once in our home, and my buffet of choices was puny compared to many of our ladies.

I checked these two books out of the library. If you don't use the library, you're missing a treat. There's a wealth of knowledge and selections in libraries. Now with eBooks, reading is also easy and not expensive.


I've finished The Promise.  It's a novel written by an author who lives in Sugar Land, and the story is set in Galveston.  The description from Amazon.

Young pianist Catherine Wainwright flees the fashionable town of Dayton, Ohio, in the wake of a terrible scandal. Heartbroken and facing destitution, she finds herself striking up correspondence with a childhood admirer, the recently widowed Oscar Williams. In desperation, she agrees to marry him, but when Catherine travels to Oscar’s farm on Galveston Island, Texas—a thousand miles from home—she finds she is little prepared for the life that awaits her. The island is remote, the weather sweltering, and Oscar’s little boy Andre is grieving hard for his lost mother. And though Oscar tries to please his new wife, the secrets of the past sit uncomfortably between them.

Meanwhile, for Nan Ogden, Oscar’s housekeeper, Catherine’s sudden arrival has come as a great shock. For not only did she promise Oscar’s first wife that she would be the one to take care of little Andre, but she has feelings for Oscar that she is struggling to suppress. And when the worst storm in a generation descends, the women will find themselves tested as never before.

This book has over six hundred reviews with a 4.2 star rating. I'll give three stars when I review it on Amazon. I know how hard an author works on a manuscript, and I never leave lower than a three. If I think a book should have less than three stars, I don't leave one at all.

The book has a sad, sad, ending. I prefer happy endings. I'm familiar with the history of the 1900 storm to hit Galveston, and I already knew over six thousand people died. I expected to find a rainbow in the story. I didn't.

Here's a blurb from In the Kingdom of Ice


The ship sailed into uncharted seas, but soon was trapped in pack ice. Two years into the harrowing voyage, the hull was breached. Amid the rush of water and the shrieks of breaking wooden boards, the crew abandoned the ship. Less than an hour later, the Jeannette sank to the bottom,and the men found themselves marooned a thousand miles north of Siberia with only the barest supplies. Thus began their long march across the endless ice—a frozen hell in the most lonesome corner of the world. Facing everything from snow blindness and polar bears to ferocious storms and frosty labyrinths, the expedition battled madness and starvation as they desperately strove for survival. 

This book has over a thousand reviews and a 4.7 star rating on Amazon.  I haven't read it yet, but it sounds interesting. I'd rather read it in hot August since these guys are stranded on ice in Siberia. 

I have three books that feature Galveston. Have you read them? They're happy books with an uplifting ending. Easy, carefree, and funny. I tell about the famous storm and the history of the island is woven into the stories, but these characters enjoy new, joyful beginnings...thanks to Sarah.  You don't have to read them in order, but each book features the same characters. I recommend starting with Sarah and the Internet Dating Service.  The second in the series, Sarah & the Scary Ferris Wheel tells more about the history in Galveston.


   

You'll find these books on my Amazon page.




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