The Christmas Book Flood

By: Emily Kilgore

Illustrated by: Kitty Moss

Dakota County Library hardcover 32 pages (?)

Published: 2022

Genre: Children's picture book

 

I mistakenly ordered this instead of our November book club book! I checked it out anyway. I like gorgeous picture books and this one qualifies. 

 

During WWII, Iceland was rationing lots of things but not paper. Giving books for Christmas became a really big deal. This is a lovely tradition! Moss' pictures are beautiful. Kilgore's words share that love of reading that is so important to so many people. 

 

This is a delightful book! (And I was able to order the correct book on Libby for book club. Different author . . . ) 

The Bait of Satan: Living Free from the Deadly Trap of Offense

By: John Bevere

Copy loaned by friend, paperback, 286 pages plus notes and an 80+ page study guide

Published: 1994 (this version 2014)

Genre: non-fiction, Christian forgiveness

 

Several friends recommended this book to me, so I finally read it. But I'm a firm believer in "right time, right book" and I'm not struggling with unforgiveness or offense right now. Mostly, reading this made me feel that I definitely need to spend more time in God's Word!

 

Initially, I really liked the "declarations" at the end of each chapter. But after a while, it was hard for me to say them aloud . . . when it used words like "never" or "always." I can promise to always try, but I can't promise I will always do something. It's not like I can lie to the Lord! He knows me. But that's quibbling. The declarations were a mix of Scripture, promises, affirmations, etc. They show up on these pages: 3, 10-11, 21-22, 33-34, 47-48, 61-62, 73-74, 87-89, 103-104, 119-121, 131-132, 145-146, 157-158, 168-169, 179-180, and 182-183. I starred the ones on pages 47-48, so I'll share them here:

 

 I'm not sure how legible these will be, but there are many of these statements that I think are right on the target. 

 

I also think it can be powerful to speak aloud statements of fact and prayers to God.

 

As I said, I initially really liked the affirmations but as the book went on I read them silently and questioned the statement as well as my own heart. It made for some good prayer time, but it also frustrated me that each new chapter began as a testimonial for the book.

 

People were fawning over Bevere and how life-changing this book was for them.

 Forgiveness is absolutely crucial for one's one health and wellness in spirit and in mind (and unforgiveness can impact your physical well-being, too!). But if you're not dealing with unforgiveness or being offended, . . . then this book isn't for you.

 

I was wracking my brain. Who has hurt me? Who have I not forgiven?

 

Honestly, our current POTUS is the only name I came up with. I have a pretty hard heart toward him right now. I can pray about that, but it's not a relationship that needs reconciling . . . he doesn't know I exist and he would probably call me fat, stupid, and ugly if he did meet me . . . which would just make me angrier.

 

So I did put a lot of post-it notes in the book. Let's see what I marked (for a not-very-long book, it has taken me a LONG time to read this!)

 

Page 58: In other words, a believer who chooses to delight in the Word of God in the midst of adversity will avoid being offended. That person will be like a tree whose roots search deep to where the Spirit provides strength and nourishment.

 

Yes! Get into God's Word. That was my biggest takeaway.

 

Page 72: Jesus desires to heal our wounds. But we often do not let Him heal them because it is not the easiest road to take. It is the path of humility and self-denial that leads to healing and spiritual maturity. It is the decision to make another's well-being more important than your own, even when that person has brought you great sorrow.

 

That used to be a wild concept for me - putting others before yourself. Then I became a mom! It gets easier when you rely on the Lord for the strength you don't have.

 

Page 81: "I will not marry you. I don't care who prophesied over you or what was said. I don't care how many have said, 'You two make a lovely couple.' If God has not revealed His will in your heart, you have no business going on with this marriage."

 

I trust that he actually spent time counseling and advising this young couple, but the way he shares the story he just sounds like a jerk. Perhaps they don't know how to listen for God's will. It all worked out in the end, but reading this just made me crabby with him. 

 

Page 83: The revealed Word of God is the solid rock on which we are to build our lives and ministries.

 

I agree! 

 

Page 87: Be sure that you build your life on God's revealed Word, not what others say. Keep seeking the Lord and listening to your heart.

 

 I agree with him, but he never really shares how to do this. For new believers or people young in their faith, this can be pretty hard.

 

Page 114: In the beginning I tried to run them over with the gospel. I told them they were not saved just by attending mass. I pushed them to their limits. I was not wise. Then God instructed me to live the Christian life before them and let them see my good works. 

 

I liked his personal example of trying to witness to his Roman Catholic parents and grandparents. It can be so hard to share the gospel with people who have known you all your life! I think for many Christ-followers, how to best share the gospel is an ongoing question.

 

Page 118: Some will not understand as you move with the Spirit. Don't allow their unpleasant response to deter you from what you know in your heart is true. 

 

I love that he uses 1 Peter 4:1-2 to reinforce this idea. We can't water down our faith to appease people who don't like the gospel. Live for the will of God.

 

Page 127: Jesus proved His rights regarding the temple tax to Peter and the rest of the disciples to exemplify the importance of laying down our lives to serve. He never wanted freedom to be a license to demand our rights and cause another to stumble.

 

I love living by Jesus' example! He served, loved, and taught whoever would listen.

 

Page 128: Our liberty has been given to us for serving and laying down our lives. We are to build and not to destroy. Nor was this liberty given for us to heap things on ourselves. Because we have used it in this manner, many today are offended by the lifestyles of Christians.

 

Yes! I think back to Jim and Tammy Faye Bakker in the 1980s. What a turn-off. If following Jesus and enjoying spiritual freedom looks like that, no thank you. I think some of the Christian Nationalists today are also making huge mistakes in this regard.

 

Page 143: Forgiveness is usually denied to other people, but sometimes it it denied to oneself. . . . Anyone includes you! If God forgave you, who are you not to forgive the one He has forgiven, even if it is you?

 

I struggled with unforgiveness toward myself for a long time when I was a new Christian. That was really hard - to let go of the past and allow myself to experience God's grace, mercy, and love. (The part I omitted was Matthew 5:24. Look it up.)

 

Page 155: Many people are able to hide their offense and hatred as Absalom did.

 

Okay, I admit that I struggle with this story from 2 Samuel . . . where Amnon raped Absalom's sister Tamar, basically destroying her life. I would most definitely want to go the revenge / avenge route rather than forgiveness. I'm just being honest. I understand the point the author is making, but some of us want to see justice happen. I'm learning to trust God for the eternal outcome, but I can't be too hard on Absalom here.

 

Page 156: Perhaps David should have taken action against Amnon. Perhaps a leader has areas of error. Who is the judge - you or the Lord? Remember that if you sow strife, you will reap it.

 

I definitely know the Lord has better judgment! And I would prefer a life of peace rather than strife. These are good things to think about.

 

Page 157: Do not be afraid to allow the Holy Spirit to reveal any unforgiveness or bitterness. The longer you hide it, the stronger it will become and the harder your heart will grow. Stay tenderhearted. How?

Let all bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking be put away from you, with all malice. And be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God in Christ forgave you. (Ephesians 4:31-32)

 

Scripture has the answers! I remember the first time I heard the acronym for Bible: Basic Instructions Before Leaving Earth. I like that. I really need to spend more time reading that rather than all these other books.

 

Page 162: This was exactly where the Lord wanted me - at the end of myself. So often we try to do things in the strength of our souls. This does not cause us to grow spiritually. Instead, we become more susceptible to falling.

 

It's interesting how much less stressful life becomes when you trust in the Lord and His strength instead of your own might. I wish I'd learned how at a much younger age!

 

Page 166: We grow in the tough times, not the easy times. Hard places will always come in our journey with the Lord. We cannot escape them but need to face them, for they are part of the process of becoming perfect in Him. If you choose to run from them, you will seriously hinder your growth.

 

This is in the section titled "Maturing Through Hardships." Been there, done that. Just kidding. Sometimes, though, I've definitely prayed, "Lord, I know you say you won't give me more than I can handle, but I think You have too much confidence in me!" Hmm . . . 1 Corinthians 10:13 is more about temptation than life "stuff," but I don't know what other verse makes sense here. Jeanne needs to spend more time in the Word!

 

Page 172: Often we judge ourselves by our intentions and everyone else by their actions.

 

Ooh! I'm guilty of this one! I know what my heart and my intentions are . . . but that isn't always communicated well to others. And sometimes instead of giving other people the "benefit of the doubt," I'm quick to judge their words and / or actions. This is definitely an area where I need to make some improvements.

 

Page 173: But when I defend myself, it only fuels their fire of offense. This is not pursuing peace. Standing up for ourselves and "our rights" will never bring true peace.

 

Again, I can definitely be guilty of wanting to "prove" my point of view / my good intentions. If someone else is upset with me, I need to listen. And pray. And ask forgiveness.

 

Page 177: If we keep the love of God as our motivation, we will not fail. Love never fails. When we love others the way Jesus loves us, we will be free even if the other person chooses not to be reconciled to us. 

 

This is good stuff! I opted not to do the study guide, but will be happy to return this book to my friend Pat tomorrow at church. 

Juneteenth

By: Ralph Ellison

Libby audiobook 14:30 hours

Read by: Joe Morton 

Published: 1999 (I think)

Genre: fiction, race

 

I checked this out because I'm trying to read "great works" and "great authors" to expand my horizons. But I honestly have not been enjoying it. So Louie convinced me to blog what I've listened to so far (5 hours, 13 minutes) and move on.

 

The introduction is by John F. Callahan, who published it after Ellison's death (and did some editing to get it ready for publication). Ellison started on it just two years after Invisible Man came out and worked on it for forty years! The introduction was quite interesting, but hearing him say "quote, unquote" over and over and over got old.

 

I own a print copy of Invisible Man (which I've not yet read) and I did some online reading to figure out what I'm missing by not listening to the next nine hours of this book . . . I think I made the right choice by stopping here. 

 

From Ebsco.com: ""Juneteenth" by Ralph Ellison is a complex narrative that delves into themes of race, identity, and historical memory through its portrayal of the relationships between its central characters. The story unfolds with Reverend Alonzo Hickman and his congregation traveling to Washington, D.C., to confront Senator Adam Sunraider, who is embroiled in race-baiting rhetoric. The congregation believes they can redeem Sunraider, who was once a member of their community as a boy named Bliss. However, the unfolding events reveal deeper layers of Sunraider's character and his manipulative agenda."

 

In chapter two, the Senator's speech made me think of 1984's doublespeak. It's almost surreal listening to it.

 

I made a note: "PEOPLE don't save souls!" Only God has this power

 

It was hard for me to decide who I disliked more - Bliss / the Senator or Reverend Hickman. Ugh. Hickman's preaching all seemed to be for his own glory, not for God. 

 

Hickman says, " . . . black boys and brown girls . . . " at one point. I thought, "why are the children two different colors - one for each gender?" I don't care enough to dig into it, but it seemed odd. 

 

I had other thoughts on this but didn't write other notes. 

 

It was fun in the intro when he said Ralph Ellison was named for Ralph Waldo Emerson . . .  

 

I do plan on reading Invisible Man at some point, but I'm going to move on to a different audiobook for sure! 

 

 

50 Children: One Ordinary American Couple's Extraordinary Rescue Mission into the Heart of Nazi Germany

By: Steven Pressman

Hennepin County Library hardcover 260 pages plus acknowledgements, notes, and index

Published: 2014

Genre: non-fiction, WWII history

 

I was curious about the true story behind our August book club title The Brunswick. It was fascinating to see how Callie Murray took a true event and wove it into such a wonderful story (The Brunswick). 

 

This was hard for me to read, though. What happened in the 1930s and 40s still horrifies me. I love that Pressman is married to the granddaughter (Liz Perle) of Gilbert and Eleanor and it was Eleanor's accounting of what they experienced that led to this book. Fascinating.

 

In early 1939, the Jewish Americans Krauses pushed to go into Nazi Germany to get fifty children out with unused US visas. It was daring and unprecedented, but they were successful.

 

Page 5: Coincidentally three prominent Philadelphia Quakers - . . . - had traveled on their own to Berlin only a few weeks earlier in an effort to help Jews get out of Germany. Quaker groups in the United States, organized under the banner of the American Friends Service Committee, had become active in a variety of Jewish rescue efforts ever since Hitler had come to power in 1933.

 

I love this! I have such "quaint" notions of Quakers, but they were clearly acting out in faith, trying to save victims of Nazi Aryanism. Very cool that there were people actively trying to help.

 

Page 16: But the Jewish spirit of social service and tikkun olam - the Hebrew phrase meaning "healing the world" - remained an integral part of life for the city's Jewish community leaders, including Solomon Kraus.

 

Solomon was Gilbert's dad. There was a lot of interesting historical info in this section. To have a phrase meaning "healing the world" is pretty neat.

 

Page 54: By the end of World War I, America had ceased to be a nation that warmly invited immigrants from around the world. Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, a virulent xenophobia pervaded the United States, and the once-idealized sympathy for those millions of "huddled masses yearning to breathe free" had long since vanished into thin air.

 

This change saddens me. It makes me even sadder that one hundred years later, the MAGA mentality cares even less about those who are disenfranchised and "foreign." I'm so glad that Jesus taught and modeled a different mentality! Lay down your life. Take care of others.Serve selflessly.

 

Page 78: As conditions in Nazi Germany deteriorated, Razovsky and others grew more frustrated than ever with the rigid limits imposed by American immigration policies. 

 

Cecila Razovsky was a Jewish American social worker and activist for immigrants in the U.S. (per Wikipedia). She was doing the same thing that the Krauses were - trying to rescue children from Nazi Germany, but she had been at it longer than them. If only . . . how many lives could have been saved if we had relaxed our quotas a bit? 

 

Page 126: "My parents did not give me this feeling that I might not ever see them again because of the tragedies that were occurring in Europe," said Paul Beller. "Instead my mother painted a very different picture. She said to me, 'How would you like to visit some of your relatives in New York and have a little vacation in America?' She presented it without any grimness or fear, even though in her own mind I'm sure she was thinking totally differently. So when I was interviewed, I presented a very positive picture. I made it sound like I wasn't afraid of leaving on my own."

 

As a parent, I can't imagine how much courage it took for parents to do this. To know that they might never see their child again, but wanting them to survive, to live a full life. It breaks my heart.

 

Page 148: "Every bit of me was sick at this terrible piece of man's inhumanity to man," she wrote. Eleanor was painfully conscious of her role in the tragic circumstances that led parents to willingly offer up their children. "To take a child from its mother seemed to be the lowest thing a human being could do. Yet it was as if we had drawn up in a lifeboat in a most turbulent sea," she wrote.

 

Her willingness to go through with this, even though she was frightened for her own safety and saddened by the reality of what these parents were doing, made her an absolutely heroic figure. At so many points, she just wanted to be home with her own children, safe from the Nazis.

 

Page 177: "The parents stood in completely orderly and quiet fashion. Their eyes were fixed on the faces of their children," she wrote. "Their mouths were smiling. But their eyes were red and strained. No one waved. It was the most heartbreaking show of dignity and bravery I had ever witnessed."

 

Eleanor finds out that the parents are not waving back to their children because "Jews were not allowed to give the Nazi salute. The parents risked being arrested if they raised their arms to wave good-bye." The cruelties and degradation of Jewish people . . . seems to have had no bounds in this era. 

 

Page 187: The name on her German passport was listed as Charlotte Sara Berg. But Sara was not her middle name. In an effort to easily identify Jews, one of Hitler's edicts required Jewish females to list Sara as a middle name if their first names were not recognizably Jewish. Males were required to use Israel as their middle name.

 

This explanation came up after Cyrus Follmer, an American vice consul, asked the little girl if she could write her name. She replied, "Ja," then burst into tears, asking if she had to write "Sara." This makes me so sad.

 

Page 193: . . . Eleanor was far less impressed with the Harding itself, which she dismissed as "old, small and hideous." She and Gil had long since become accustomed to considerably higher standards of luxury and comfort when it came to travel.

 

It was a little frustrating to me that Eleanor was so fashion / culture / wealth focused (in some ways), yet if someone were reading my private notes, they might take away an impression of me that I'd prefer not to give. She was courageous to embark upon this mission to save fifty children. She was also just a little hoity-toity for me.

 

Page 207: One by one, each of the children bit into the chocolates, which brought at least some of them to tears. "Viennese chocolate was so good," Wenkart remembered fondly. "And the Whitman's chocolates were really awful!"

 

This took me by surprise initially, but it also made me laugh. I think I've read too many stories of starving children treating a Hershey bar as the Holy Grail. But in 1939, these children were used to a very different quality of chocolate than their new American friends realized.

 

Page 211: Among those, 288 were allowed into Great Britain and 224 were admitted into France. Belgium took in 214, the Netherlands 181. For many, sadly, the reprieve proved to be temporary. Of the 937 passengers who first set out for Cuba, 254 lost their lives in the Holocaust - victims of roundups and deportations that came in the wake of the Nazi occupation of Belgium, Holland, and France.

 

This made me think of Long Way Home by Lynn Austin! (A book club title that deals with this topic that we read in October 2022.) How awful to have a visa to get into Cuba, traveling across the ocean, then having Cuba say no. . . and the United States refuse to accept you . . . and Canada . . . and having to travel back across the ocean to Europe. Oh, we can be so selfish and hard-hearted.

 

Page 214: The children's English lessons, which had begun onboard the Harding, continued throughout the summer. On the weekends, the Sunday comics provided the children with a particularly enjoyable method for mastering their new language. . . . "To this day, the funnies are the first thing I read on Sundays before reading the rest of the paper."

 

This is from one of the children, Erwin Tepper, in an interview. I agree with him! If I have a Sunday paper, the comics are first.

 

Page 251 (Afterword): Those who stood silently by were also complicit in their way, giving full reign to the perpetrators, facilitating genocide, and proving that to be a "bystander" in the presence of evil is not a neutral act.

 

I think about this a lot. I wasn't alive during this era in history. But the ICE detention centers and treatment of immigrants in our country right now distresses me. What am I doing about it? I don't want to be a silent bystander, complicit in what is being done to human beings in the name of MAGA.

 

Page 256 (Afterword): In the United States, the most common myth, embraced to explain America's failure to act more compassionately toward refugees and more forcefully in the face of mass murder, is that we did not know what Nazi German, her allies and collaborators, were doing. But the Krauses were not intelligence agents privy to classified information. They were reading the newspapers after Kristallnacht and learning of the brutality with which Jews were being treated in Vienna and across Germany. What distinguished them from others is simply that they chose not to close their eyes to what they were reading. In 1938-1939 information regarding Germany's treatment of Jews was publicly available to all Americans.

 

I've always heard that "Americans just didn't know what was going on." My parents aren't here any more to ask. In 1939, my mom was eleven / twelve years old and my dad was twelve / thirteen. I kind of hope they were just kids being kids and didn't know. But my grandparents? My maternal grandparents were of German ancestry. They were a wee bit persecuted in Minnesota during WWII. I wish I'd talked with my mom about this more and had recorded her stories.

 

The photograph section in the middle (and the photos at the start of each chapter) were wonderful. I was especially moved by the picture of Heinrich Steinberger. He's the five year old boy who was taken off the list of fifty children when he got ill. He died three years later at the Sobibor death camp. He was such a cute little boy. This book made me incredibly sad, but it was worthwhile. History unlearned repeats itself.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Every Given Day

By: Cathy Gohlke

Dakota County Library paperback 346 pages plus author's note, acknowledgments, and book club discussion questions

Published: 2026

Genre: Christian historical fiction, 1920s

 

We're meeting to discuss this in a few hours. I mostly enjoyed this book and definitely was curious to do a little bit of research on my own (about the era, the development of insulin, etc.).

 

Basic synopsis: Schoolteacher Gwen Armstrong goes to New York to help her ailing sister Marion with her two young children. Marion has TB (which is what the sisters' mother died from) and is already at a sanitarium when Gwen shows up on the doorstep. Mrs. Barrie, the housekeeper, is skeptical, and the two Bennett children don't want an aunt they've never met; they want their mother. Russell Bennett, Marion's husband, is a debonair "businessman" who is rarely home.

 

Page 2: Paradox, Pennsylvania, September 1918

 

I'm not completely sure why I "flagged" this . . . except that I'm interested in unusual-sounding place names. This isn't a real city - I checked - but a paradox is symbolic as a word.

 

Page 4: Gwen turned away, wishing she'd left the door open, a clear means of escape. Duty, guilt, the privilege of sacrificing for those less fortunate - those considered worthy. She knew every nuance, had lived her entire life caring for those who needed her. 

 

I love how the author acknowledged Gwen's struggle without her wallowing in a pity party. Sometimes when you are a giver, you give so much to others that you forget to take care of yourself. That said, the scene in her creepy principal's office was one I'm glad she escaped from unscathed! He was unconscionable, offering marriage as her "only choice" and assuring her that if she rejected him she'd never get hired as a teacher again. What a creep!

 

Page 24: Gwen was pleased when she read over Alistair's letter. His penmanship and his ability to formulate sentences and paragraphs in coherent, complete thought bespoke a solid early education.

 

Yes! It is so rewarding to encounter a young person who is literate! It's sad to me that she's meeting her nephew and niece for the first time, but she and Marion became estranged when Gwen's beau swept the vivacious and lovely Marion away. Understandable.

 

Page  32: Life might challenge or change their aspirations, keep them from becoming reality. But dreams meant hope, and hope, Gwen knew, was desperately needed when life around you, life and the people you've depended upon, were falling apart.

 

I think this is so key! Hope can indeed be a powerful motivator. Sometimes I'm afraid I'm a bit too much of a realist or even skeptic. Even though Gwen thought it likely her sister might not survive and come home, she wanted the children to keep hope alive.

 

Page 40: Employment for women came with a cost, a cost that must be carefully considered, and often involved a delicate dance and a line they dared not cross. A single woman could not risk joblessness, poverty, homelessness.

 

I'm very glad things have improved for women over the last one hundred years! I could not have the life I have now if I were a single woman. I would almost certainly still be working full time. Praise God and thank my amazing husband!

 

Page 53: Doctors, pastors, service providers of all sorts were run off their feet, serving in constant danger of contracting a disease they couldn't stop, couldn't begin to stem. They, too, were dropping like flies. Word had gone out for anyone willing to provide essential nursing care to please volunteer.

 

The Spanish flu really was a modern plague! So much sickness, contagion, and death. It helped that Bennett Place had a "quarantined" sign on the gate (because of Marion's tuberculosis). That kept people out. 

 

Page 71: She understood Marion's desire to protect them, to enjoy every precious moment with them as carefree as possible. Still, she wondered just how much time there would be to prepare them for the inevitable, and whether knowing or not knowing was the greater gift.

 

To me, this is very connected with the question of hope. If she were to tell the children about her own mother's death and what was happening with Marion, it would definitely be sad and sobering. At ages 11 and 8(?), it was nice for them to remain children. I like when Gwen and Mrs. Barrie had a heart to heart and hugged. The connection between these women was definitely good for the kids.

 

Page 89: Gwen was amazed and inspired by Marion's faith and heart for God. She didn't fully understand it or know how that had come about, except that Marion attributed it to her time alone with God in the sanatorium - patience and faith through suffering. It certainly had not been fostered in childhood. Gwen prayed out of desperation sometimes . . . 

 

 It took Gwen awhile, but her faith journey felt very authentic to me.

 

Page  109: That light rekindled a flame in Gwen she'd thought long dead. She didn't mean to acknowledge that flame, but she couldn't deny it.

 

Every time she felt drawn to Russell, I got mad! I understand that as a jilted "spinster," the attentions of her handsome, dashing brother-in-law were tempting, but . . . JUST SAY NO! I did not like him at all. He seemed so shallow, selfish, and nasty. That was the aspect of the book I liked the least.

 

Page 110: "I'd hoped, after Clara was born, that Marion would be content in that department, that things might return to the way they were. Parents in our class, in my circle of society, don't mollycoddle their children. Nursemaids, nannies, and governesses take care of those things, freeing adults to travel, to pursue their social responsibilities."

 

What a jerk! This is Russell, talking to Gwen about his disappointment in his wife.

 

In Chapter 22, there was a section about the increase of diabetes following the flu pandemic. That was one of the things I looked up. Apparently, there was a dramatic increase after Covid-19 as well. Interesting!

 

Page 168: In the meantime, Malcolm would go to church on Sunday, just as he always did, and pray to the God he loved and trusted for wisdom, for clarity, for skill in the work He'd given him to do. Daily he prayed for each of his patients by name, laying their cases before the Great Physician, seeking the restoration of mind and body that only He could give.

 

Malcolm was the lovely younger Scottish doctor who knew about some of the research being done to treat diabetic patients. And he had faith in the Lord. I liked Malcolm!

 

Page 186: He spends money as if it were wastewater. The grocery bill for this affair alone could feed a family of five for more than a year. 

 

Gwen is questioning Russell's words, motives, and lifestyle. About time! He's clearly not on the up-and-up.

 

Page 224: "She prays with me at night - is helping me learn to pray. She says believing in God is a choice we make and that I should talk to God like my best friend, but with more respect, and know that He listens - like a loving father, she said." 

 

Alistair was such a delightful character. Lots of heartbreak in his young life, but as he's learning about faith from Mrs. Barrie, he's sharing his newfound faith with Aunt Gwen.

 

Page 225: How can you think of God as a loving Father if your own father barely gives you the time of day? The thought startled Gwen. Am I thinking of Alistair and his father, or of myself, and my own father?

 

I think it is very telling that Gwen came to the realization that part of her connection to Alistair was the lack of a positive father figure.

 

Page 286: Trusting, relying on anyone else, even God, goes against everything in me. Gwen shuddered. "I can't let you go. You're all that's left to me."

 

This was so sad! A twelve-year-old boy who is accepting of his own imminent death, trusting God, while the adult who is caring for him is clinging tightly. We've been talking about truly trusting God in church a lot lately. I think it's hard for us. We like to be in control. Truly trusting God means we're willing to let go. 

 

In chapter 40, Gwen decides to do something she knows she shouldn't. She steals Mrs. Barrie's keys, goes into Russell's museum and office, and rifles through his papers. I was on edge this whole chapter.

 

Page 317: She didn't love Russell. How she'd ever thought she might, let alone marry him, she didn't know now. 

 

Finally! This imaginary romance with Russell was my least favorite part of the book. He just creeped me out.

 

Page 328 had such a beautiful section between Gwen and Malcolm. I love that he encouraged her to praise God. Always a good choice!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Page 330: Forgive me for my arrogance, Father, for thinking I know better than You what is best for him . . . or for me. You raised Jesus from the dead to life everlasting. Nothing is too hard for You. I know You can heal him. Whether now or in Your Kingdom. I'm ready to let him go to You. I surrender him to You. I trust You.

 

This was a huge shift for Gwen. The author did a wonderful job of bringing her to this point gradually. Her prayer is heartfelt.

 

Page 334 in chapter 46 has the title. Gwen says, "Every given day!" in response to Alistair's question about every day being Thanksgiving now. I love "finding" the title in the story.

 

Page 342: "Need I remind you about miracles? They may take time, but they're always in the making. We must watch for them, expect them."

 

Alistair is writing letters to Carter in Egypt, preparing the way for going to work with him. Gwen is dubious, but he gives her this lovely reminder.

 

The story ends delightfully. There are a few surprises and other parts not surprising, but pleasant aspects. I look forward to our discussion. 

The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can Eat

By Edward Kelsey Moore

Libby audiobook 12 hours

Read by Adenrele Ojo and Pamella D'Pella

Published: 2013 (this version also 2013)

Genre: mostly realistic fiction

 

Apparently, this has been made into a movie. I am a bit surprised at how many notes I jotted as I listened to this in the car. I finished it almost two weeks ago and liked some aspects and disliked others. I'm also surprised that it was written by a man. It's primarily told from women's point of views.

 

Odette, Clarice, and Barbara Jean were nicknamed "The Supremes" as teens in the 1960s. The three women have shared a lot of life in the decades since. 

 

Odette was my favorite. She was born in a sycamore tree, the source of her strength. She was married to James and could see and talk with ghosts, including her mama and Mrs. Roosevelt.

 

Clarice was a piece of work, always trying to control situations and people. But her husband Richmond's infidelity was legendary (as was her dad's) and her mom Beatrice kept encouraging her to just ignore it.

 

Barbara Jean was married to Lester. But NOT the Lester (Payne) who was her mother's pimp! Why on Earth would the author do this?! There are so many names you could choose. I almost went back to re-listen to all this because initially I thought she married the pimp. Lester. Different Lester. Barbara Jean's mom tried to extort four different men as baby daddies. Yuk. Barbara Jean slept in the library of her fancy house and tried to decide whether to hit the bottle (vodka) or open the Bible when she couldn't sleep. She dressed in sexy, tight clothes.

 

I wrote the word "dreams." I think this is in reference to the recurrent dreams Barbara Jean had about a river and a child, but I'm not sure.

 

Big Earl was married to Thelma. When she died (before the start of this book), Earl married Minnie. Minnie is a crackpot fortune teller. She also provides a lot of comic relief. Big Earl's and Thelma's son Little Earl and his wife Irma Mae took over the diner, while Big Earl helped out until his death. Big Earl's funeral was at one of the Baptist churches. It had the "sexiest Jesus."

 

Ray "Chick" Carlson was the "prettiest white boy" and hired by Big Earl back in the day. He and Barbara Jean fall in love as teens. A lot of the back story was revealed as the book went on. 

 

When Odette gets diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma, she tries to keep quiet about it. But as she loses weight, sleeps more, and lacks energy, she shares her determination to fight the disease. Her story was my favorite thread in the book, though all the women's lives are intertwined.

 

Clarice's cousin Veronica - ugh. As teens and worse as adults, these women can be catty. As she ropes Clarice into helping her plan her daughter Sharon's wedding, the women are trying to outdo one another regarding their daughters' weddings. (Clarice tried to make her daughter's wedding fancier than Odette's daughter's and then Veronica took it to the next level.) 

 

Clarice bugged me the most. How she put up with her cheating husband and acted like she had it all together - ugh. "Feeling bad about yourself is the entire point of going to church, Odette!" Clarice's Calvary Baptist was led by a pastor who told her it was her duty to stand with Richmond no matter what. What?! Why wasn't he telling Richmond to stop sinning?! 

 

First Baptist and Holy Family were the other women's churches. 

Lester Maxberry (Barbara Jean's husband) loved cars!

Clarice's mom Beatrice was yuk! "Suffering to earn the Lord's favor." Do these people not read their Bibles?

 

They all have their coping mechanisms. For Odette, it's food; for Clarice, playing piano; and for Barbara Jean, it has become alcohol.

 

I love Odette.Threatening to kill Richmond if he messed with Barbara Jean was extreme, but effective. And it was easy to believe she scared him out of doing something incredibly stupid. 

 

This takes place in Plainview, Indiana. I have a lot of random notes that I'm not going to write here. There was a place where the vocal work for Chick is wrong - his voice sounds exactly like Barbara Jean's. I don't think I could do it justice, but it was jarring to listen to.

 

Sometimes the cattiness and gossip bothered me.

 

Odette's mama and the afterlife . . . again, entertaining, but not very believable. The WORST DAY EVER is the day Adam is killed. Adam (Barbara Jean's son with Chick) was eight years old, walking down Wall Road to get to his grandma's house when he was hit and killed by a car. The car was almost certainly driven by racist Desmond Carlson, Chick's older brother. 

 

The ghost of Eleanor Roosevelt was pretty funny - drunken, irreverent, fascinated by sex and death.

 

Minnie Mac, the fortune teller, was also funny with Yvonne and her seven babies . . . "not this one. Try again." 

 

Overall, an interesting book. A bit weird. I don't plan to see the movie. 

 

Lessons from Cats for Surviving Fascism

By: Stewart "Brittlestar" Reynolds

Ann's copy hardcover 54 pages

Published: 2024

Genre: satirical humor

 

I like the cat humor. Some of the connections between cats and our current administration (Trump) are a bit of a stretch. But the author is clever and it's a short book. It was nice of my sister to share it with me.  

Call Me Jonathan for Short

By: Cecile Godreau, M.M.

Personal collection paperback 57 pages 

Published: 1992

Genre: children's allegory

 

I'm not sure why this was in my collection, but I decided to read it before donating it. Jonathan has an elderly neighbor named Mrs. Byrne. They become friends and work in her garden together. Her dog Penny loves his attention.

 

They talk about new life after death, comparing the garden in the spring to resurrection. Since the author is a Maryknoll nun, I think this may have been given to me by my aunt, Sister Marian, when my boys were little. I don't think I ever read it to them . . . and now I'll donate it so someone else can read it.