We finished Into the Water by Paula Hawkins as our May book selection. It was so interesting to hear everyone’s opinions on the characters and the ending (which if you have not read it, stick with it until the very last page!).
We are switching gears entirely to The Book of Polly by Kathy Hipenstall. I knew this was the book for me the first page in when she pleads with her mother “Please don’t take the falcon to the parent/teacher conference!”
Here’s the description:
Willow Havens is ten years old and obsessed with the fear that her mother will die. Her mother, Polly, is a cantankerous, take-no-prisoners Southern woman who lives to chase varmints, drink margaritas, and antagonize the neighbors—and she sticks out like a sore thumb among the young modern mothers of their small conventional Texas town. She was in her late fifties when Willow was born, so Willow knows she’s here by accident, a late-life afterthought. Willow’s father died before she was born, her much older brother and sister are long grown and gone and failing elsewhere. It’s just her and bigger-than-life Polly.
Willow is desperately hungry for clues to the family life that preceded her, and especially Polly’s life pre-Willow. Why did she leave her hometown of Bethel, Louisiana, fifty years ago and vow never to return? Who is Garland Jones, her long-ago suitor who possibly killed a man? And will Polly be able to outrun the Bear, the illness that finally puts her on a collision course with her past?
The Book of Polly has a great blend of humor and sadness, pathos and hilarity. This is a bittersweet novel about the grip of love in a truly quirky family and you’ll come to know one of the most unforgettable mother-daughter duos you’ve ever met.
Want to follow along and read it with us? Visit our Mrs. Twist Reads This bookclub page on BookMovement and sign up for a free membership. You can see what books are coming up as possible selections for the summer, when our club meetings will be held to RSVP, and post discussion questions, review and comments. This site is how I also send you emails of our upcoming meetings. You can invite friends to join our group, too. Don’t worry if you are not local, you can read along with us regardless of where you live in the world.
I have already enjoyed the first few chapters (so has Hazel). It’s the perfect light, pool-side read. As I shared with our members on Wednesday, I want to be a reader, but I allow technology to keep me from setting aside the undisturbed time to read. Once, I’m into a book I really enjoy it. Being in a book club helps me stay accountable and I have appreciated that. Plus, I get to spend time with my friends — old and new!
Happy reading!
Hospitality is in my DNA. I founded Home with a Twist, a daughter’s twist on her mother’s traditions, in memory of my mother to celebrate her life and the gifts she shared with me. Mother loved to celebrate life’s occasions – big and small.
