Agawam Pageturners Book Club's Discussion of Time Is a River by Mary Alice Monroe

The group had an interesting discussion about Time Is a River. Most of the group loved the book. One woman said she especially loved the writing in the book; she felt she was right on the water. The story is about Mia, a breast cancer survivor, who stays in a cabin in North Carolina for the summer after her husband's infidelity. The cabin belongs to Belle Carson, Mia's fly fishing instructor and the granddaughter of Kate Watkins, a great fly fisherwoman accused of killing her lover. Mia uses her time to paint, fly fish, and solve the mystery about Kate Watkins. The cabin Mia is staying at originally was that of Kate Watkins. The only part of the book that people disagreed about was Mia's involvement with Stuart. Some that it was contrived. Others thought it was necessary for Mia to learn how to love again after her betrayal by her husband. Overall, a very enjoyable read.

Night Bookers Book Club Discussion of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See

The group had an interesting discussion about the book. Some people enjoyed the story of two women friends in nineteenth century China. One woman commented that she and her friend had a misunderstanding like Snow Flower and Lily, and did not talk for several years. However, they reconciled. Snow Flower and Lily do not, even though Lily does go to care for Snow Flower when Snow Flower is dying. Others found some aspects of the culture disturbing, such as the mothers subjecting their daughters to the severe pain of foot binding. Also, some found disturbing Snow Flower's husband beating her. People found it interesting that the highest position a woman could have was to become the oldest mother of sons in a household. People wondered why Snow Flower's daughter committed suicide the day after she got married. Some thought she saw her mother being beaten by her mother, and she saw her mother rejected by her best friend. People spent a lot of time talking about Lily. They talked about Lily's relationship with her mother. The mother showed no emotion to Lily, so Lily assumed her mother didn't love her. So, instead she turned to Snow Flower. However, because she was starved for her mother's love, it made it easy misread the fan and to think Snow Flower had betrayed her with other sworn sisters (Snow Flower hadn't). Others thought Lily was just selfish. Others thought Lily changed when she found out Snow Flower lied about her family background. Others thought Lily cared to much for rules an appearances and not enough about Snow Flower's feelings. Despite these conflicts and the suffering, the women do persevere in the book. The secret writing of the women, nu shu, was interesting. People talked about the character Madame Wang, the matchmaker. Although she was a widow woman, she had power, position, money, and freedom. She was a wheeler and dealer. She brought Lily and Snow Flower together to have a laotong relationship, a relationship closer than a man and wife. One of the members is an antique dealer and she brought in shoes the girls probably wore on their bound feet. Overall, a lively discussion.

Agawam Pageturners Book Club's Discussion of The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe

The group had an interesting discussion about the book. Some liked it. Some liked it, but did not love it. Some disliked the book. Some read it for the geography of Salem and Marblehead Massachusetts. The book goes back and forth from the present to the time of the Salem Witch Trials. Connie goes to Marblehead to clean out her grandmother's house. She goes on a quest to find the book of Deliverance Dane. Deliverance was her ancestor, who was convicted of being a witch. The group discussed possibilities for the Salem Witch Trials: the young girl accusers eating moldy bread that caused them to hallucinate; mass hysteria; mentality of a religion of restrictions. A lot of the discussion was spent talking about personal experiences with magic. Magic takes place in the book in the present and during the Salem Witch Trials. The magic that Deliverance Dane had was passed down through the generations to even Connie's grandmother, mother, and even Connie, a Harvard PhD. candidate. Someone said there are elements of magic and mysticism in every religion. Another person said she was too rationale for all that type of talk. The group also talked about how the "witches" used herbs and practical common sense for treating the body. Chilton Manning, Connie's PhD. adviser was also discussed. He became obsessed with finding the philosopher's stone, and he thought Connie's book would have the information. Someone pointed out that he is what is wrong with Old Boston. A very lively discussion.

New Books Added in July

These are the new books added to the collection in July: Adult, Children's, Teens.