Leslie hosted this month's book club at Blu. She reserved the lounge that was set up with sofas, chairs, and tables. We had a lovely meal and refreshing drinks. Several of us ended the evening having ice cream at the local Dairy Queen in deference to the book.
This was a rare meeting where all of our local members were present and Lou was visiting from Florida. That meant we were all present except for Tammy and Darby, whom we missed!
While we had a delightful time, we were all mindful that this was Leslie's last meeting before moving to Tulsa in the middle of the month. We know that she will join us when she can and we plan to travel to Tulsa for an occasional meeting. We wish them all the best but will miss having her close.
Not only did Lou join us but her husband, Gene, dropped by for a few minutes when he picked her up. We caught up with him on what he is doing now and he gave us his comments on the book. He and Lou listened on their long drive. His comments mirrored those of the group.
"Finding Salvation at the Dairy Queen" by Susan Gregg Gilmore
The book is set in a small Georgia town of less than 2,000 people in 1972-75. Catherine Grace is the daughter of Ringgold, Georgia's third-generation Baptist Preacher of the only church in town. Her mother died unexpectedly when she was six in a tragic accident. Catherine and her sister are trying to navigate what's left of their childhood without their mother. Catherine is quick-witted, more than a little stubborn, and desperately trying to figure out a way to escape her small-town life. She is on the eve of graduating and every Saturday afternoon, she sits at the Dairy Queen, eating Dilly Bars and plotting her getaway to Atlanta.
Like many small towns, everyone knows everyone. Church is an important part of the community. It provides a spiritual and moral base and is a community of support and socialization. But, it can also be a breeding ground for judgment and gossip. Not everyone is who they seem on the surface. The book's central theme seems to be how the characters work their way to forgiveness as the many secrets and lies of the characters are revealed. A secondary theme was that of mothers and mothering. After Catherine's mother dies, the girls are mothered by a variety of people they know in the community and come in contact with.
Our September 10 meeting will be at Denise's home. The book of the month is "Running with Sherman." Carla G has volunteered to host in October. Our book is the latest from Abraham Verghese, "The Covenant of Water." This is a new, hot off-the-shelf book. At 736 pages, it is longer than most of our books and might be hard to come by at the Library so, we're suggesting an early start. 
