The Bean and Me Book Club -- Because of Winn Dixie by Kate Di Camillo

My granddaughter is an avid reader.  I am proud of this and thankful for it because it is my belief that if you can read you have the world in your hands. 

She is now 8 and is reading fairly advanced and sophisticated books (i.e. Harry Potter).  She has asked me to read some of the books that she has found particularly compelling.

So, we started the Bean and Me Book Club.  This is how it works.  She reads the books, recommends them to me (and loans them to me sometimes -- the kid has an impressive personal library) and then I read them.

Our most recent read is "Because of Winn Dixie" by Kate DiCamillo.  I saw the movie years ago and enjoyed it and am really looking forward to starting this book.  I am sure it will be one of those I can't put down and it will probably be a quick read.  It is on my Kindle and I always read faster on the device. 

The queue is growing and I was told this morning what I will be reading when I am done with this.  It looks like a good variety.  I love that we are able to share this love of reading.

I might even start a blog devoted completely to his book club.  I have to think about that.

The Water Tower Club

I just finished reading "The Water Tower Club" by B.K. Mayo. I discovered this book when it was reviewed on my cousin's blog (mlhalldotcom.blogspot.com).  Michael gave it a very positive review and it sounded like something I would enjoy so I purchased the book for my Kindle.

Now, it didn't hurt that the author, B.K. Mayo, was an alumni of my high school that I had met once when Michael married my cousin Joy in San Antonio.  It also didn't hurt that the book had San Antonio ties.  So, forth I charged.

The main character of the story is Darryl Coombs, a transplanted San Antonian who was in a rather complicated relationship with Charlotte.  The story revolves around Darryl Coombs returning to his hometown of Grotin to try to save his sister, Libbey, who had, for some unexplainable reason, decided to attack City Councilman Bobby Hobson with a nail file and had been arrested.

Along the way, as Darryl tried to uncover the reason for the bizarre attack launched on Bobby by his sister,  he was forced to revisit his difficult youth and come to terms with all the ghosts he had shoved in his the back of his mind. 

And what did he learn about the attack waged on Bobby?   I am not going to tell you. You will have to  read the book but it is well developed and isn't at all contrived and chock full of secrets as well.

As the book progresses he deals with this past demons, gets his sister out of jail, makes amends with this mother and journeys home to San Antonio and to Charlotte, anxious to share his new  feeling of freedom from his past.

But, Charlotte isn't there.

I am not going to tell you where she is either.  You will have to read the book. 

I didn't know what to expect when I started this book but I have been very impressed.  It is so well written it just flows well.  So, I purchased another of Mayo's books -- "Tamara's Child" and am looking forward to it.