“What good is the warmth of summer, without the cold of winter to give it sweetness.”
― John Steinbeck, Travels with Charley: In Search of America

Here in Green Bay, WI we are experiencing a really severe cold snap. It has been in the single digits for days with minus degree wind chills. The other day the high was -1. Everyone still manages to bundle up, get to the store or trudge to the mailbox even though you have to put on six layers to do these tasks. Face masks, which seem to be a political statement for some, are not only a must in preventing the spread of disease, they keep your face warm. I’m really liking mine in this weather, except for the fogging glasses. COVID-19 cases are going down in our state and we are one of the top states in getting the vaccine into arms. I am scheduled for my second shot next week. I dream about warm weather, going to the movies and travel. I plan on signing up for a summer art class and I’ve started making tentative travel plans for the fall. I am more optimistic than I have been in awhile. Even though it is still winter and still cold, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Authors are still writing and we, in the book group, are still reading. Enjoy our offerings this month and stay strong.

- News of the World by Paulette Jiles (2016) 209p. In the aftermath of the Civil War, Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd travels through northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers. His life is changed when he agrees to return a young white girl, who has been a captive of the Kiowa, to her family down in San Antonio. Currently a major motion picture starring Tom Hanks in the lead role. (Bea)
- The Woman who Smashed Codes: A True Story of Love, Spies and the Unlikely heroine who Outwitted America’s Enemies by Jason Fagone (2017) 444p. The incredible true story of the greatest code-breaking duo that ever lived, an American woman and her husband who invented the modern science of cryptology together and used it to unmask Nazi spies and help win World War II. (Barb)
- A Most English Princess: A Novel of Queen Victoria’s Daughter by Clare McHugh (2020) 512p. From a recent review, “With court intrigue as vicious as the palace life is lush, this historical fairy tale of Queen Victoria’s daughter Vicky-who rises to German empress- is a rich indulgence.” Our reviewer said that after watching the PBS series on Victoria, she pictured those characters/actors as she read. But the book was not as kind to Queen Victoria as the series was. (Nancy)
- This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger (2019) 450p. In the summer of 1932, four children, three horribly mistreated at the Lincoln School for Indians in Minnesota, make a life changing decision to run away. Although only one boy is a Native American, all are orphans. They steal a canoe and head for the Mississippi River. This journey will change their lives in big and small ways. (Jeanne)
- A Bite-sized History of France: Gastronomic Tales of Revolution, War and Enlightenment by Stephane Henaut & Jeni Mitchell (2018) 256p. Covering 2500 years of French history from the pre-Roman Gauls to the present day, this book covers the influence historical events had on the eating habits and cuisine of the time, and how they, in turn, influenced history. Our reviewer found the chapters on cheese and wine particularly interesting as well as the ones covering WWll. (Anita)
- Sweet Sorrow by David Nicholls (2019) 416p. A sweet, nostalgic coming of age story of first love, a heady affair composed of teenage angst, insecurities, fear, jealousies, fraught emotions and all the mass of confusion that besets the teenage soul at the tender age of sixteen. (Linda)
- The Outsider: My Life in Intrigue by Frederick Forsyth (2015) 352p. For more than forty years, Frederick Forsyth has been writing extraordinary real-world novels of intrigue. Whether writing about the murky world of arms dealers, the shadowy Nazi underground movement, or the intricacies of worldwide drug cartels, every plot has been chillingly plausible because every detail has been minutely researched. But what most people don’t know is that some of his greatest stories of intrigue have been in his own life. (Paul)
- The Sentinel (Jack Reacher #25) by Lee Child and Andrew Child (2020) 353p. Typical Reacher, on his own, hitching a ride to a town he has never been to before. Ends up saving a geeky guy who is about to be kidnapped in broad daylight. But of course there’s more to the story. The bad guys who jumped Rutherford are part of something serious and deadly, involving a conspiracy, a cover-up, and murder. Jack sticks around to see it through. Note: Andrew Child is Lee’s brother. (me)
- I Marched with Patton: A Firsthand Account of World War II Alongside One of the US Army’s Greatest Generals by Frank Sisson (2020) 304p. A gripping firsthand account of World War II written by 95 year old Frank Sisson who served in the American Third Army under Patton and participated in many of the most consequential events of the conflict—including the Battle of the Bulge and the liberation of Dachau.(Dan)
- The Return by Nicholas Sparks (2020) 368p. The story of an injured Navy veteran and two women whose secrets will change the course of his life. Trevor returns to a cabin that he inherited from his grandfather to regroup. He is not prepared to fall for the local deputy sheriff or to get tangled up with a sullen teenager. Both women have secrets. In his quest to unravel Natalie’s and Callie’s secrets, Trevor will learn the true meaning of love and forgiveness. According to our reviewer, a very wonderful book from start to finish. (Pete)
- The Last Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli & Coco Chanel by Jeanne Mackin (2019) 352p. The time is Paris leading up to WWII. A young American widow befriends designer Chanel and befriends and is employed by Schiaparelli. The two icons are at the height of their careers, each trying to dominate the fashion world. As the war closes in and with shortages of supplies things change in a big way. Nice historical fiction as well as a fun look into the world of Haute Couture. (Rikki)
And a last minute addition: - The First Conspiracy: The Secret Plot to Kill George Washington by Brad Metzler (2019) 413p. In the months leading up to the Revolutionary War, some of Washington’s hand-picked body guards, along with the Governor of New York and the Mayor of NYC launch a deadly plot. This incident also foreshadows the origins of America’s counterintelligence movement that led to the modern day CIA. (Ellie)
