The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald

 WRITTEN 6/23/23

"It was funny, she thought, how often we stuck to the safe path in life, pulling on blinders and keeping our eyes to the ground, doing our best not to look at the fantastic view. Without seeing the heights we had reached, the opportunities actually awaiting us out there; without realizing we should just jump and fly, at least for a moment.          -Sara, from the novel

This book was recommended by a friend, and it was really a fun read---much different than anything I've read lately. It was truly unique in that it is quite literally a book about books! Plus one of the main characters is dead from the start!

Sara Lindqvist travels from her home in Sweden to the fading small town of Broken Wheel, Iowa, to meet her pen pal, Amy Harris. Sara, who had worked in a bookshop, had been sharing a correspondence with Amy about their mutual love of books. She arrives only to find that Amy has passed away and she had just missed the funeral. Of course, Sara is shocked and confused about what she should do but the residents of the town, who have apparently adored Amy, take it upon themselves to welcome Sara. She feels as if she already knows some of the citizens from hearing about them in Amy's letters, which are sprinkled throughout the novel. They included the prim and proper (and bossy) Caroline Rohde and "Poor George'" who is suffering a broken family and Tom Harris, a relative of Amy, who is single and seems rather cold at first. 

Sara decides to open a bookshop in Broken Wheel against everyone's advice. As you might predict, it ends up being a blessing to the town and provides Sara with a sense of belonging and purpose that she has been missing.

I enjoyed the mention of so many well-known books, a number of my favorites like To Kill a Mockingbird, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, and Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe. The author even lists the books and authors mentioned in a special section of the book. Among them authors I enjoy so much like Jodi Picoult, Mark Twain, Fannie Flagg and John Grisham. 

In one scene, Sara is talking to a customer about the smells of different books and that "New books always had the strongest aroma." This made me realize the reader misses this feature while reading in a digital format.

According to an author bio, Ms. Bivald is Swedish and worked in a bookshop herself so one could assume there is at least some resemblance to her main character, Sara. This is her debut novel, and a good one. I rate it a 5, very enjoyable. I may recommend this for Page Turners for next year.

ADDED 6/29/24

It was clear the other Page Turners didn't enjoy the book quite as much aa I did. The average rating was 3.3. At least a couple of people said it reminded them of a Hallmark movie but most thought it was a refreshing relief after last month's read, Half the Sky. Like me, several found it interesting that many books mentioned were ones we'd read, some discussed as Page Turner selections. One participant rated the book a 5 because of personal experience similar to Sara's. A few felt the character development was weak.

On the Bright Side The New Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen by Hendrik Groen

 

"It's at moments like these that you need friends to rescue you from complete apathy and give you a kick in the behind: no whining! Another day the roles may be reversed and it's your turn to cheer someone up and help them get through the day. If you're alone, you can't do it. You'll sink into total lethargy, unable to haul yourself out of your chair by the window. Then you're dead before actually dying. You have to keep yourself from falling into that trap. That's what our club is for: Old But Not Dead. It sounds a bit pathetic, but it's the truth."

          -from the NEW diary

After reading Hendrik's first Secret Diary, I couldn't resist diving into this one! Being married to an octogenarian and not far from that age myself AND living in a retirement community, or care home as Hendrik describes it, I can SO relate to the stories he tells! Elevator queues to complaints about food and overexposure to other's aches and pains are all things we have experienced. Hendrik tells all in such a humorous way. And although much of the book is funny, there are poignant passages, too, when Hendrik loses 2 close friends---one in each diary. Definitely a disadvantage to becoming good friends with folks of 80+ years!

In his 85th year, Hendrik hears rumors that the care facility where he resides may be shutting down in the near future. He and friends from the Old But Not Dead club find a way to make up the majority of the resident council in order to investigate and, hopefully, stop such a thing from happening.

I must rate the book a 5, even though I am a little disappointed to find out these diaries are actually fiction and Hendrik Groen is a pen name for a Dutch author who may be much younger that the book's Hendrik. The diaries seem so realistic from my point of view, I was comfortable believing he could be a resident in my own "care home"!

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt

 

"Well let's see where that puts us. We've got a weirdo bug specialist slinking around town with a bottle of deadly poison. We've got a nigger drag queen, an old man who walks an imaginary dog, and now a faggot murder case. My friend, you are getting me and Mandy into one hell of a movie."

           -Joe Odum to the author

I read this book a number of years ago, probably the late 1990's. My husband and I both got such a kick out of it, we planned a "Midnight in the Garden" tour of Savannah. I enjoyed rereading it and reminiscing about our trip as references were made to places we visited for example the Mercer House, Clary's drugstore and Bonaventure Cemetery. 

I would call this book a memoir although the Super summary website claims it's a mixture of genres. The author, a New York journalist, lived in Savannah off and on for about 8 years, met some amazing, eccentric people and experienced some crazy happenings. See the quote for hints about the characters but add a so-called voodoo princess to the mix!

Jim Mercer, one of the upper crust of Savannah society and a noted antique dealer, is accused of murder when a young employee of his is found dead in his home. As he spends years at trial (there are 4!) or in jail, the author who has gotten to know him is intrigued by all the legal wrangling. During this time, Berendt also meets Joe Odum, named above, and several other very unique characters including the drag queen Lady Chablis who acts the part of Grand Empress of Savannah and becomes something of a thorn in Berendt's side.

One of my husband's and my most vivid memories of our "Midnight..." tour years ago was seeing Lady Chablis perform live. At that time, she was living in South Carolina and would come to Savannah occasionally to perform. Our tour guide informed us she would be appearing while we were in town and to top off the tour, it was a must-do! 

I have rated the book a 5 and hope to see the film again soon.