When you read about the reigning champions of Do-It-Yourself, the natural thing to do it create hand poured candles at book club. It was sweet to expand our activities together beyond wine, snacks, and laughs. Here is our lovely club:
Here is what I thought of The Magnolia Story:
The Magnolia Story surprised me. I was far more inspired and impressed with their family story than I predicted. Most celebrities write books these days, many are hit and miss, in my humble opinion. However, Joanna and Chip write from their hearts. They tell their simple story, driven by a desire to invest their lives into Waco, Texas. They are much like their television persona: honest, driven, and goofy. I have always had a need to do things with my hands, to create, to grow seeds into food, to nurture children. I did a lot of soul searching thinking about a career move; at the root of some my dreams was creating with my own hands. Joanna and Chip echo the same desires, to help people with their hands. To build, remodel, create, and design. I liked walking through the ups and downs as they pursued their passions. They are not pushing anyone to be like them, or take on their values, they are simply doing their dream. I enjoyed reading about two people living and loving imperfectly, but doing their best to give back and give grace.
To Purchase this book on Amazon, click here: The Magnolia Story
Orphan Train, the historical fiction novel set in this time period is outstanding. We meet three characters, Neeve, an orphan in 1929, Molly, aging out of the modern day foster system, and Vivian, a 90 year old woman who Molly is placed to serve community service. Their stories fit together perfectly, their struggles are different, but also a mirror image of one another. Each womans life is rich with emotion, perseverance, and redemption. A perfect historical fiction novel. The Audiobook was fantastic, I think it added to the book because of the characterization through different voices.
A father’s small, wise, and calculated investment has grown into a large sum of cash. For the Plumb siblings, this cash is the security blanket to cover up a multitude of mistakes. Bea, Leo, Jack, and Melody Plumb are all in different states of upheaval in their lives. Their fathers nest egg is about to be distributed equally to all four of them, and they are counting on that money to fix their problems. Sadly, money cannot fix all problems. The siblings are all forced to examine their lives and relationships with each other. The Nest makes a fantastic book club choice because the characters are outrageous, frustrating, relatable, and sometimes horrid people. However, some characters transform into better versions of themselves, and the story comes full circle in a satisfying ending. Read it with a friend so you can talk about it, it is book that lends itself to discussion. Our book club agreed we all liked it better after we had talked it through
Our April Book Club pick is The Nest by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney.
A man with a closet full of secrets can only keep them hidden so long. Sooner or later your wife finds out a secret, discovers things don’t add up, and your house of cards comes falling down piece by piece. Unless you don’t let it fall. In this fast paced, story we first meet Diane, beautiful and put together, mother of a daughter named Picasso. She is married to Oliver, desperately in love, yet desperately unhappy. You cannot quite figure out what is going in her marriage, and either can Diane. The story is told from the perspective of Diane, Picasso, and a small town detective. If you liked Gone Girl you will love the twists and turns and psychological layers. However, I thought this book far surpassed Gone Girl in writing, character development, and depth. The writing is fresh, beautiful, and creative. The pacing and plot are impeccable. The story is told by different characters, the reader gains the perspective of the story from many different angles. This is the best murder mystery I have read in a long time, I could not walk away from it until it was over. It is haunting, masterful, and a stunning success.
Beginnings and Book Ends 