“Mrs. Mike” was the classic novel presented to Dimmitt Book Club recently when they met here at Rhoads Memorial Library. Member Zetha Collins read excerpts from the 1947 release, which detailed the story of Katherine Mary O’Fallon, a 16-year-old Irish girl from Boston, and Sergeant Mike Flannigan of the Canadian Mounted Police.
Suffering from pleurisy, Katherine Mary had been sent to her uncle’s ranch in Alberta, Canada, to recover; it was there that she met and married Mike. His orders sent them to Hudson’s Hope located far into the interior of Alberta, where they experienced the beauty and harshness of the land and animals while facing fires, whooping cough and other challenges.
The story featured several people who came and went through the Flannigan’s lives, including the First Peoples and their struggles and immigrants and their hopes and dreams. It was written by Benedict and Nancy Freedman.
Dimmitt Book Club’s next meeting will be Wednesday, April 10, and will feature author Natalie (Cline) Bright, a Dimmitt native. The event, set to begin at 2 p.m., will be held in our meeting room.
As far as newlyreleased books that we have received and are ready for checkout, they include: -”ChasingEndlessSummer” (a novel) by V.C. Andrews: -”Crosshairs” (a Michael Bennett thriller) by James Patterson and James O. Born; -”The Summer Book Club (a novel) by Susan Mallery; -”The Last Love Note” (a novel) by Emma Grey.
That last book, “The Last Love Note,” follows Kate, who has lost her young husband, Cameron, and is struggling to raise their young son. She is grieving, working frenetically at her university fundraising job while attempting to keep her sense of humor. The tale is based on the idea that “you may never stop loving the one you lost, but you can still find love again.”
“The Uncharted Flight of Olivia West” by Sara Ackerman is another new release which is available and inspired by actual events. The year is 1927 when Olivia “Livy,” a fearless female pilot, hopes to qualify for the Dole Air Race. The event features a highstakes contest to be the first to make the 2,400-mile Pacific crossing from the West Coast to Hawaii.
When it becomes apparent that only men will make the cut, Livy manages to be chosen as a navigator for one of the pilots. Some will not survive the harrowing journey that ensues.
Fast forward to 1987: Wren Summers inherits a remote piece of land on the Big Island with nothing on it by a dilapidated barn and an overgrown macadamia nut grove. She is down to her last dime and wants to sell the place, but she is intrigued by the odd aviation parts kept in the barn by her late great-uncle.
Wren enlists the help of residents of a nearby retirement home to uncover Olivia’s history; what she learns is more earth shattering than she could have ever imagined.
Until next week, Happy Reading!