Lakeside Reading

Summer is here and the South River Book Discussion Group met to discuss the "beach read" The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman. Members enjoyed some maple and sea salt caramel fudges in honor of the book's character Lolly, who works in a fudge shop. Also, thanks to one group member's generosity, we were able to make and take our own charm bracelets!

Additional resources about the book can be found below.

Author Bios & Interviews

• http://mybookthemovie.blogspot.com/2016/03/viola-shipmans-charm-bracelet.html
• http://dailycatch.coastalliving.com/2016/04/08/8-questions-with-the-author-of-the-charm-bracelet/
• https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/69311-lucky-charms-wade-rouse.html
• http://www.tulsaworld.com/blogs/scene/arts/memoirist-wade-rouse-finds-charm-in-fiction/article_92e86166-3817-5598-a5f9-5dc45aee22f2.html
• http://www.bookreporter.com/authors/wade-rouse
• http://www.writersdigest.com/editor-blogs/guide-to-literary-agents/open-author-interview-wade-rouse-author-of-im-not-the-biggest-b-in-this-relationship

Book Reviews

• https://www.publishersweekly.com/978-1-250-07132-3
• https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/viola-shipman/the-charm-bracelet-shipman/
• http://www.bookreporter.com/reviews/the-charm-bracelet

Discussion Questions

• http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/10958-charm-bracelet-shipman?start=3

Miscellany

• Book two in the series coming soon: http://violashipman.com/violas-books/the-hope-chest/
• Essay by the author about his father's fatal illness: http://www.goodhousekeeping.com/life/a43239/my-fathers-caregiver-family/

Summer Reading

The results of our survey are in and here are the books we'll be reading this summer!

June 22 at 7pm: The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman

Summary: Through an heirloom charm bracelet three women will rediscover the importance of family, love, faith, friends, fun and a passion for living as the magic of each charm changes their lives.

Year Published: 2016

Length: 298 pages

July 20 at 7pm: The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper and Gloria Vanderbilt

Summary: Though Anderson Cooper has always considered himself close to his mother, his intensely busy career as a journalist for CNN and CBS affords him little time to spend with her. After she suffers a brief but serious illness at the age of ninety-one, they resolve to change their relationship by beginning a year-long conversation unlike any they had ever had before. The result is a correspondence of surprising honesty and depth in which they discuss their lives, the things that matter to them, and what they still want to learn about each other. [NONFICTION]

Year Published: 2016

Length: 290 pages


August 17 at 7pm: The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg

Summary: Spanning decades, generations, and America in the 1940s and today, this novel is a fun-loving mystery about an Alabama woman today, and five women who in 1943 worked in a Phillips 66 gas station, during the WWII years.

Year Published: 2013

Length: 347 pages



September 21 at 7pm: The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

Summary: Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells--taken without her knowledge in 1951--became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, and more. Henrietta's cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can't afford health insurance. This bestseller tells a riveting story of the collision between ethics, race, and medicine; of scientific discovery and faith healing; and of a daughter consumed with questions about the mother she never knew. [NONFICTION]

Year Published: 2010

Length: 381 pages