Amy-Faye has always loved her idyllic Rocky Mountain town of Heaven, Colorado. Her event-planning business is thriving, her fellow book-obsessed Readaholics are great, and her parents live only a few blocks away. But lately her hometown has felt a little less heavenly. First, she agrees to plan a wedding without realizing the groom is her ex-boyfriend. Then, Ivy, one of her fellow Readaholics, dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances.
The police rule Ivy’s death a suicide by poisoning, but Amy-Faye and the remaining Readaholics suspect foul play. Amy-Faye soon discovers that Ivy was hiding dangerous secrets—and making deadly enemies. Taking a page from her favorite literary sleuths, Amy-Faye is determined to find the real killer and close the book on this case. But finding the truth could spell her own ending.
Up front confession: I do not currently belong to a
book club, even though I've just launched a series about the five women who
make up the Readaholics book club.
Over the stifled gasps, I add: I would like to, but
with two teens still at home, I have not carved out the time to join one or
start one. [Embarrassed pause.] Okay,
that's weak. We make time for the things that are important to us, right? I
mean, I make it to the gym 3-4 times a week, and to Bible study every other
week, so if I were serious about wanting to join a book club, I would. After
all, CEOs and government ministers and stay-at-home moms with six kids find
time (and babysitters) and get to their once a month book club meetings.
Book Club Types
I've gotten as far as debating what kind of club I
would like to join. One that reads best-sellers? One that reads classics? A
club that mixes it up with fiction one month and non-fiction the next? One that
has husbands and wives, or one that's all women? One that spends ten minutes
discussing the book du jour and an hour catching up with friends and noshing?
Or a club that huddles around a facilitator with a long list of prepared
questions?
I divide most book clubs into two groups: social and
serious. There's usually a lot of wine or margaritas at a social book club, and
furrowed brows and note-taking at the serious ones. As a writer, I've talked to
clubs of both kinds and enjoyed them both. I get all my best what-to-read-next
recommendations from book clubs.
Reading Like a Writer
I think part of my inertia is because I haven't ever
been part of a book club that wants to look at books the way I do, as a writer.
Francine Prose wrote a book called Reading
Like a Writer some years back, and I think she'd be great to have in a book
club. Yeah, it can be interesting to argue about the social issues raised in a
book, and ask "What would I do in such-and-such a situation?" But I
want to dissect how an author makes a character sympathetic, or how she raises
the tension in a particular scene, or why he chose a particular setting. Few of
my friends and neighbors want to take a book apart that way. That's not a slam
on them--they're not writers.
I'm sure a movie director would have a similar
experience watching movies with non-industry friends. Her buddies might be
gushing about the moral dilemma portrayed in the film, while the director says,
"Did you notice how that shot was framed, or that transition, or the
lighting?"
Resolved
While writing this post, I've come to the conclusion
that I really do want to be part of a
book club. If I start a book club that spends at least part of every meeting
looking at how the author wrote the book (and part of each session quaffing
wine, chatting and arguing about the book's content), will any of you join me?
We'll have to call ourselves the Readaholics, of course.
In the comments, please recommend a book for us to
start with!
P.S.: If you
don't live close enough to Colorado Springs to make it to meetings, why not
check out the Readaholics and the Falcon
Fiasco to see what they're reading?
I love the setting, I love the characters, and of course, all of the references. It makes a book nerd like myself so happy! :) I'm definitely looking forward to visiting this series again.
Rating: 5 stars
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All conclusions reached are my own.
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