The summer has come and gone and from the look of the comments that have been made about A Tree Grows In Brooklyn, the extra time you've had in the second quarter, to catch up on reading Unbroken and finishing our second quarter pick was used most wisely. Thank you for sharing your insightful comments. I always find it a joy to read your thoughts and reflect on how interesting it is that with so many people reading the same books, we all find different things about them that enrich our lives and give us added perspective about places, people, events, and even ourselves. Bravo!
Without further ado, I'd like to introduce our next book choice for 2011. It is 'Blind Your Ponies' by Stanley Gordon West. The following is a brief synopsis of the book:
"The small town of Willow Creek, Montana's high school basketball team has an abysmal streak of 0 wins and 93 losses. Their distant and haunted coach Sam Pickett dreads another season, but the arrival of two new students fills him - and the struggling town - with a surge of hope. Can Sam still inspire his team and resurrect his town?"
What's not to like about this book choice for the Smith family; it takes place in Montana, the main character is a high school literature teacher who also moonlights as their basketball coach, the team has a 93 game loosing streak, AND the reviews all say that the strength of this book is how the characters deal with adversity of all kinds. Come on ..........this book was written with our family in mind!
And if that little tease doesn't sell you completely on reading this book, maybe knowing how the book choice came to be will pique your interest and push you over the edge to run to your library or favorite website to get a copy of this book.
As many of you know, Annette and I took a road trip to Montana, to visit Grandpa and Grandma Smith a couple of weeks ago.
We decided that while driving up we would walk the walk and smell the roses on our long car trip ......... you know, enjoy the journey......... get out of the car for more than a bathroom break and a candy bar purchase. And what does that mean to Annette and I? You got it folks; finding some new book stores to visit. Our love of regional, independent bookstores is legendary. Who would have guessed, certainly not us, that quaint and scenic Dillon, Montana is the home of a delightful, regional book store appropriately named The Bookstore.
As we entered The Bookstore and looked immediately to our left, we noticed a magnificent piece of Montana objet 'd art that had Annette and I drooling and professing the need to repent of breaking the commandment, 'Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor's stained glass door'.
Lucky for us, the shop's owner, Debbie, didn't mind us immediately falling to our knees asking for forgiveness ......as well as the price of the door which we found out is not for sale ......... and we are happy to report that we are now guilt free ........well, of that offense at least .......... and currently in negotiations with a 'not to be named' renowned stained glass artist in the family who is considering the commission. Stay tuned for details. I digress.
We moved on to perusing the bookshelves which were chock full of regional books we had never seen nor heard of. While doing so, a woman came into the shop who obviously was well acquainted with Debbie. She said she had just finished Unbroken, which she loved, and wanted another book recommendation equally as good, but in her words, "Not so exhausting to read." At this point Annette and I were doing some heavy eavesdropping, which I believe is also a sin. Debbie recommended a number of books which didn't seem to do much for the woman. She then took a moment to think and then excitedly told her that she had just the thing, Blind Your Ponies. It was her current favorite book and she said that all the book clubs in the area had read it and LOVED it. At that point I raced over to the 'W' book shelves and pulled out the copy which I promptly purchased. Honestly, I don't know what book the woman bought because at that point I had my copy and wanted to make the most of the rest of the time I had in the shop, which I am happy to report I did. I hope she bought it as well. From the look of all the reviews I've read since coming home, it is a perfect choice. I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed the choosing of it. I look forward, as always, to reading your comments. Enjoy a beautiful autumn and take time to read on a bench somewhere under colorful falling leaves breathing in the crisp fall air!
Happy reading!
Debbie
P.S. And when next we meet, remind Annette and I to tell you the story of the Taco Bus we ate at in Dillon, Montana as well. You know us ..........always a story to tell when the two of us get together!
