June 2021 – The Four Winds by Kristen Hannah

The Four Winds is not light reading.   The subject matter is depressing (i.e. The Great Depression and the Dust Bowl) however the author does a fantastic job of relaying the struggles of that time period.  I learned so much I never knew! The dust storms, the migration of farmers to California, amazing story telling.   Hannah really gives you a slice of life during the Great Depression for farmers and families.

We gathered at one of my favorite cottages in Historic College Park – Julie’s home!  It’s literally a Kalidescope of my favorite things!   We were so happy to have Sherry who drove over from Chattanooga to join us! Great seeing everyone!  I was awarded an early birthday cupcake and I completely ate it!!! Thanks everyone!  (I’m a 4th of July babe).

Author bio HERE 

Book Summary:

In The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah, Elsa Wolcott is a woman trying to raise two children on farm in the Great Plains during the Dust Bowl following the Great Depression. She watches as the lands around her crack in their perpetually parched state and the hopelessness threatens to breaks the spirit of those around her.

As the situation worsens, Elsa is forced to make a decision to stay and fight or leave for the uncertain and unfamiliar lands in the West. In this tale, Kristin has written a survival story about resilience, love, family, courage and the American Dream.

For a wonderful video of Kristin Hannah HERE 

So good to see everyone!  See you next month!

Oh!  Julie found our very first Historic College Park Book Club invite to everyone.  From 2007!

May 2021 – Of Women & Salt by Gabriella Garcia

Our first REAL meeting post pandemic.   REALLY missed our book club meetings, talking, discussing, catching up etc!  Remember, book club is part literary, part social part therapy!  It’s a delightful dance of discussions and where those may lead!  (I’m actually posting this in July – got behind in my book club posts!)

We met at my house – located in Frog Hollow (East Point Ga) – my house is lovingly named Speckled Egg Cottage.   Everyone brings a nibble to share (those peanut butter stuffed dates ARE THE BOMB thank you girl!) and a libation (wine – helps with great conversations!).   We also had an impromtue birthday sing along for our Jules! (Julie Sharp).   We had two of our icons join us (Julie A and Anda Panda).   So very happy to see everyone!

Our May book was quite interesting  – many different takes on symbolism in the book.

Author bio: Gabriela Garcia is the recipient of a Rona Jaffe Foundation Writer’s Award and a Steinbeck Fellowship from San Jose State University. Her fiction and poems have appeared in Best American Poetry, Tin House, Zyzzyva, Iowa Review, and elsewhere. She is the daughter of immigrants from Mexico and Cuba and grew up in Miami. Of Women and Salt is her first novel.

Summary: Of Women and Salt tells the intertwined stories of women in two families from the 19th century to the present day. After an unstable childhood during the Cuban revolution, Carmen leaves her mother behind and immigrates to Florida. Later, in a wealthy suburb, Carmen tries to provide her daughter, Jeanette, with a comfortable American life. Jeanette has a drug addiction, is hiding a tragic secret and is desperately seeking a purpose.

We enjoyed the book.   My take is that you never know what’s happening behind closed doors!

Happy Reading ! Follow our website so that you don’t miss another book!

#OfWomenandSalt #gabriellagarcia #hcpbookclub #atlantabookclubs #historiccollegeparkbookclub

June 2020 – The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon

Our last in person book club was March – about 4 months ago! The Covid virus seems surreal in that I feel as if I’m on a movie set awaiting someone to call CUT! That’s a wrap!

On a rainy night in Georgia, last evening to be exact – we meandered to Alex’s lovely home in Historic College Park. Just a trio of book loving gals antsy to talk, laugh, have libations and be merry.

Our book for June is The Corpse Washer by Sinan Antoon. I listend to it on audible. Very interesting indeed. For a summary click HERE . I’ve always found it fascinating how different cultures prepare their loved ones in death. I very much recommend this book.

We three muskateers sat and giggled, had serious insights as to what we have going on in our lives at the moment. I’m just post ‘nip tuck’ surgery about a week and a half ago — thus I’m wearing a head scarf and glasses lest I scare you to death. Plus it’s quite fun being all mysterious. Think Kim Novak in a Hitchcock film. :::::squeeeee:::::::

I’ll be double nickles on the 4th of July – and at this point in my life my time is very important to me. I only attend things that I enjoy and adds something to my life. Book club DEFINATELY does that for me.

That’s a wrap!

#hcpbookclub #historiccollegeparkga #kimykennedy #atlantabookclub

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March 2020 – The Kid Stays in the Picture by Robert Evans

** We are in the middle of the pandemic Covid 19- We have been asked to ‘shelter in place’ so no book club! We are using ZOOM to hold our meetings – thankfully we can still talk and see one another! Waiting for the madness to end!! **

Our March meeting was held by ZOOM – thank GOD FOR ZOOM!  For an extravert like myself (Kimy) this sheltering in place has been maddening.   So happy to have Eileen, Julie A, Julie S aka Jules, the wee one Jenny, Steph who is the host of a fab cocktail party when we aren’t in the middle of a pandemic outbreak,  Patricia and our Sherry from Chattanooga! Did I leave anyone out?  I chose my favorite striped cotton beach slacks, my favorite navy sweater for our meeting.  When you can’t go out of the house choosing your attire for a ZOOM meeting becomes VERY IMPORTANT.

Our March book is also a movie – The Kid Stays in the Picture by Robert Evans.

What a life!! I had no idea who Robert Evans was but knew all the movies he produced.  I found his obituary was quite interesting. Click HERE to read. 

For video of his life click HERE 

His lovely home Woodland is featured HERE 

Great seeing everyone and catching up via ZOOM.  Hopefully by end of April or May we will be done with this ‘shelter in place’ event.  Love to you all!

**Make sure you follow the ladies of Atlanta by following our book blog! See you next month!

P.S.  Note the red cut across the bridge of my nose! Hazards of an ipad in bed! Holy snap!

Feb 2020 Echoes of the Fall by Hank Early

Wonderful meeting ladies and gents!  Happy Leap Day! Feb 29!

We were honored to have Southern Author Hank Early and his wife and friend join us from Birmigham Ala!  A special thanks to Christine for welcoming our book club into her lovely home!  Christine is also my neighbor – we are across the street from one another in Frog Hollow, East Point Ga!

I was please to meet the author and his entorage for a pre-book club dinner at my favorite haunt in Atlanta Volare Bistro is Historic Hapeville Ga.  We then meandered over to Christine’s lovely home for our meeting.

We were able to tape our meeting which you can see HERE  The video is about a 40 min question and answer session.  I really enjoyed it everyone!

Here is the clip of the snake handling church in Sand Mt near Lake Guntersville Ala.   Theres also the ‘midget wrestling’ in that area as well.   If we were all the same it would be very boring is all I’m going to say on these topics.   Bless their hearts.  Ahem.

We completely enjoyed having Hank Early with us.  This is his second visit with our book club with the first being 2 years ago with the first book of this 3 part series.    I just downloaded his short stories written under his true name of John Mantooth called Shoebox Train Wreck on Audible .  A southern gothic themed short stories.  Can’t wait!

We ended the evening at Arches Brewery – a local haunt in Hapeville Ga.

Thanks everyone for making our book club the best!!

**Make sure you follow our book club blog so that you don’t miss a meeting!