May Bookman Book Club on Wednesday, May 29th at 6:00 pm.

Join us to discuss "The Goat Fish and the Lover's Knot" by Jack Driscoll.

This club is open to the public and anyone can join!

Elmore Leonard said about Jack Driscoll's stories, "The guy can really write." And in The Goat Fish and the Lover's Knot, he once again demonstrates in every sentence the grace and grit of a true storyteller. The ten stories are mostly set in Michigan's northern lower peninsula, a landscape as gorgeous as it is severe. If at times the situations in these stories appear hopeless, the characters nonetheless, and even against seemingly impossible odds, dare to hope. These fictional individuals are so compassionately rendered that they can hardly help but be, in the hands of this writer, not only redeemed but made universal.

The stories are written from multiple points of view and testify to Driscoll's range and understanding of human nature, and to how "the heart in conflict with itself" always defines the larger, more meaningful story. A high school pitching sensation loses his arm in a public school classroom during show and tell. A woman lives all of her ages in one day. A fourteen-year-old boy finds himself alone after midnight in a rowboat in the middle of the lake with his best friend's mother. Driscoll is a prose stylist of the highest order - a voice as original as the stories he tells.

Lovers of contemporary storytelling will revel in Driscoll's skill and insight on display in this unique collection.

Join us on Sunday, May 19th at 1pm to meet author Eldonna Edwards.

Eldonna Edwards grew up in a large family nestled between cornfields and churches in the provincial Midwest. She eventually escaped the harsh winters, moving to California where she expanded her career from massage therapist to journaling facilitator to author to beloved writer’s conference instructor and public speaker. Her bestselling debut novel, This I Know, won over the hearts and minds of readers everywhere and was a Delilah Book Club selection. In her second novel, Clover Blue, Eldonna once again explores themes of otherness and belonging, and the true definition of home. She is also the subject of the award-winning documentary Perfect Strangers that follows one kidney patient and one potential kidney donor in their search for a possible match. Her 2014 memoir Lost in Transplantation chronicles this life-changing decision.

Eldonna's new book Clover Blue hits shelves on Tuesday, May 28th. At this event Eldonna give a reading from her newest novel to give us all a taste of the work.  Attendees will be able to pre-order the books so that they can pick it up the day it goes on sale!

Set against the backdrop of a 1970s commune in Northern California, Clover Blue is a compelling, beautifully written story of a young boy’s search for identity.
 
There are many things twelve-year-old Clover Blue isn’t sure of: his exact date of birth, his name before he was adopted into the Saffron Freedom Community, or who his first parents were. What he does know with certainty is that among this close-knit, nature-loving group, he is happy. Here, everyone is family, regardless of their disparate backgrounds—surfer, midwife, Grateful Dead groupie, Vietnam deserter. But despite his loyalty to the commune and its guru-like founder Goji, Blue grapples with invisible ties toward another family—the one he doesn’t remember.

With the urging of his fearless and funny best friend, Harmony, Clover Blue begins to ask questions. For the first time, Goji’s answers fail to satisfy. The passing months bring upheaval to their little clan and another member arrives, a beautiful runaway teen named Rain, sparking new tensions. As secrets slowly unfurl, Blue’s beliefs—about Goji, the guidelines that govern their seemingly idyllic lives, and the nature of family itself—begin to shift. With each revelation about a heartbreaking past he never imagined, Blue faces a choice between those he’s always trusted, and an uncertain future where he must risk everything in his quest for the truth.

Part coming-of-age tale, part love story, part mystery, Clover Blue tenderly explores an unconventional but no less complex family that resonates with our deep-rooted yearning for home.

Eldonna Edwards at The Bookman on Sunday, May 19th at 1:00pm!!!

May Notables Book Club with Christy Buck.

May 30th at 6:30pm at The Bookman!

Christy Buck is the Executive Director of the Mental Health Foundation of West Michigan.  With more than 30 years of experience in the mental health field, Buck's passion for transforming and saving lives through mental health education led her to develop two classroom programs, "Live, Laugh, Love" for middle and high school students, and "Be Nice."  Since2006, she and her staff have passionately presented to over 100,000 people in West Michigan on mental health awareness, bullying, and suicide prevention.

The book discussion she will be leading is on "Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine," by Gail Honeyman.

No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine. 

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy. 

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.

Join us on Thursday, May 30th at 6:30pm at The Bookman.  You can purchase the book at the store, or donate $10 to R.E.A.D. as your "ticket" to the club!

Poetry Lives at The Bookman! All are invited to bring an original or favorite poem and share with a group of gentle folks. You are also welcome to just sit and listen, or participate in the always lively discussion.