Eight is Enough

Our May Book Club selection was "The Widow and the Tree" by Sonny Brewer. We had already read one of Sonny Brewer's books back in the first months of our club. That book was "The Poet of Tolstoy Park". Sonny Brewer lives in Fairhope, Alabama, raised in Kennedy, Alabama and this book is a very interesting story, loosely and closely, based on the true story of a big tree in Magnolia, Alabama. I loved this book and highly recommend it. You can go to www.baldwinexpress.org/coppermine/displayimage.php?album=12&pos=11 to see a picture of the tree. Though I understand that it is, now, just a stump in a fenced area but you get the sense of the enormity of this tree. I plan on finding it this summer on one of my beach trips.

OUR BIG SURPRISE

Shelia, our host, had told us that Sonny Brewer's sister might visit our Book Club. We were all looking forward to visiting with her and maybe a phone call from her brother. Well, guess what!

Shelia called us all into the dining room, a little mysteriously, and asked us to just stand there a minute.....we did...and then we saw him....Sonny Brewer walking up the sidewalk. We were so excited! What an honor! The stars just happened to all line up just right and he was able to eat with us and then be there while we discussed the book.

I was in awe. It was almost mystical. We turned into giggly girls. We asked questions, he told us things about the book that was not in the book, he told us his inspiration for parts of the book and he did a reading for us.

BEST BOOK CLUB EVER!!!!!!!!