The Book Haters' Book Club by Gretchen Anthony

The Book Haters' Book Club by Gretchen Anthony

Published by Park Row Books ISBN 9780778333067

Trade paperback, $17.99, 352 pages

You might think it odd that someone who loves books as much as I do would read something titled The Book Haters' Book Club, but I could not resist finding out what Gretchen Anthony's book was all about.

Elliot and Irma are best friends and co-owners of Over the Rainbow bookstore in Minneapolis. As the novel opens, Elliott has recently passed away and Irma has summoned her two daughters- Bree, who works in the bookstore, and Lacey, who left home as a teenager and owns a tire repair store with her husband Tuck in Oakland- and Elliot's life partner Thom to a lawyer's office.

To everyone's surprise, Irma has decided to sell the store to a developer who has designs on putting high-rise condos in the store's place. Bree cannot believe that this is the first she is hearing about this; she had planned on taking over the store when Irma retired.

Thom seems very angry at Irma for reasons other than selling the store. He has always been jealous of the close relationship Irma and Elliot had. Irma recently lost her longtime boyfriend Nestor to cancer and now her best friend and business partner has died. Bree and Laney want Irma not to make any rash decisions while she is grieving, but Irma is firm- she is selling and will give Thom Elliot's share of the sale, which appears to be a paltry sum, not close to what the store is worth.

Laney and Bree are confused by Irma's behavior. While the women were close when they were younger, they have grown apart. Laney rarely comes home, she is busy running her and her husband's business. The sisters band together with Thom to try and stop the sale.

As someone who works in a bookstore, I especially enjoyed and related to that aspect of the story. I also loved the humor in the story. Bree's attempts to woo the owner of the neighboring distillery made me laugh. She cannot hold her liquor. 

The sisterly relationship is realistic as well. Lacey has a sarcastic sense of humor, and the way she needles her mother is delightful. Irma's exasperation at her daughters' attempts to save the store was something every mother can understand.

What makes the reader keep turning the pages is to find out exactly why Irma is adamant about selling the store so quickly. Everyone here has secrets that come to play (including the deceased Elliot) and they have to figure what they want out of life.

The Book Haters' Book Club is a newsletter that Elliot sent to customers, and we get to read some of the clever ones, which include several book suggestions. I squealed when I spied two of my favorite books by Helen Ellis - American Housewife and Southern Lady Code- in a newsletter.

If you are a true book lover, as I am, you must put The Book Haters' Book Club on your list. It's a treasure.

Thanks to Harlequin for putting me on their Fall 2022 Women's Fiction Blog Tour.

Friday 5ive- September 16, 2022

Welcome to the Friday 5ive, a weekly-ish post featuring five things that caught my attention this week.

The weather has been glorious this week in our corner of the world, hope it has been in yours too.

1)  Last Friday the New York Yankees honored retired all-star Derek Jeter for his induction into the National Baseball Hall of Fame. We attended the game with a few family members, and although the Yankees lost to Tampa Bay, it was great to see Derek and his family- mom, dad, sister, nephew, wife, and three young daughters- there. During Derek's speech, his oldest daughter broke free from Mom and erased the batter's box chalk lines with her shoe. It was funny and adorable. Members of his Yankee family reunited as well- Jorge Posada, C.C. Sabathia, Mario Rivera among others and it was fun to see them all together again. We even got a replica of his Hall of Fame plaque that night for attending the game.

2)  On Saturday we had a celebratory birthday dinner for two brother-in-laws and an anniversary at 

Harry Cipriani's in the Sherry Netherland Hotel. The restaurant is a replica of Harry's Bar in Venice, and the food was delicious. It was Fashion Week so there were lots of very fashionable and tall people there.

From Harry Cipriani's website

3)  Speaking of Fashion Week, While running errands on Monday afternoon, I stumbled upon a Fashion Week garden party called LoveShackFancy at the Cooper Hewitt Design Museum. People were lined up outside the gate taking photos of the beautiful people at the party. You never know what you'll find walking around NYC. (I guess my invitation got lost in the mail.)

4)  Showtime's City on a Hill returned a few weeks ago. Kevin Bacon plays Jackie Rohr, a disgraced former FBI agent in 1990's Boston now working security for a wealthy retired former head of the FBI in Boston, played skeevily (is that a word?) by Corbin Bernsen. Bernsen is up to no good and Kevin Bacon must decide if he can look the other way to keep his lucrative job or bring this horrible man to justice. Bacon is fantastic in this role and although there are other storylines in this drama, it's Bacon that keeps us watching. 

 

5)  I read a few good books this week. My September Book of the Month selection was Deanna Raybourn's Killers of a Certain Age, about four 60-something women who are retired assassins. They have spent the last forty years killing drug kingpins, dictators, arms dealers and sex traffickers as part of an organization that began by hunting down Nazis who escaped justice.  While on a retirement cruise they discover that they themselves have been targeted for assassination by their own organization. This is a fast-paced thriller filled with humor and fascinating characters. The women decide they have to kill the people who want them eliminated and go on a road trip. It just screams out to be a movie and there are many terrific 60-something actresses who would be perfect for these roles. Thanks to my friend Allison who has raving about Deanna Raybourn's historical mysteries for a long time and that convinced me to give this one a try. I will always trust Allison's opinion. This one is a blast!

I also read Gretchen Anthony's The Book Haters' Club, about Irma, a woman who summons her daughters- Bree, who works in her mom's bookstore in Minneapolis, and Lacey, who owns a tire repair store in Oakland with husband- to a lawyer's office to tell them that she is selling the bookstore she has owned for 30 years (along with her recently deceased business partner and best friend) to a developer who wants to build high-rise condos. Her daughters are shocked and they, along with the deceased partner's life partner  try to stop the sale. It's filled with heart and humor and everyone has secrets that come out. Why is

Irma so adamant to sell quickly?  Book lovers will adore it. My full review publishes Saturday. 

Have a safe, healthy week.