Are You Free?

the 2nd Tuesday of the Month

BOOKS / LEARNING / FINDING YOUR INTERESTS

A nice photo of our library, part of the Dakota County system of libraries. I would estimate we have 6 libraries within 10 miles of our home. Just another reason we like it here.

Our lives are full of things we must do as well as things we want to do. For me, the 2nd Tuesday of the Month in the evening is reserved for my History Book Club. Getting out in the world, doing something communally with a group of people, and then sharing our perspectives are the components of an activity that builds community. That is our Rosemount History Book Club.

I have been a member of the club for at least six years. The format of the club is straightforward. We meet monthly to discuss the book we have read during the previous month. September through November is an interesting period for the club. We begin the nominating process allowing people to nominate up to three books for the following year. Thanks to a volunteer whom I will call G, who is very organized, the whole process seems much easier than it probably is. “G” does all of the following and makes all the details look easy:

1. Distributes lists of the books read in previous years to browse

2. Solicits nominations explaining all the rules and guidelines

3. Collects the nominations

4. Issues friendly reminders to those that “forget” to nominate

5. Assembles and distributes the nominations and organizes the voting

6. Collects the votes and maintains the tally of the votes received

7. Sequences the books considering length and theme across the year

The founder of our book club, J, is at the hub of most volunteer activities in our town. We would not get along very well without him or his wife. He still performs many of the other duties of the club in terms of organization, reserving rooms, and controlling the flow of meetings. One of the wonderful touches for the club is he gets a customized bookmark printed each year listing the books we will read in the following year. I look forward to getting the bookmark each year and hope I make it through the year without spilling coffee on it or misplacing it. The bookmarks are available in the library and serve to market the club to the likely.

All of that magic work and background that many of us take for granted occurs and many of us just read the books and get together to discuss the book of the month at our local Library. Press the link if you are interested in the location. You can also pick up one of the bookmarks at the library or join us on the second Tuesday of each month at 630 pm. More information on the club is available by sending an email to rahsbookclub75@gmail.com for those of you who are close by.

my local library

All of this information and background buries the lead. We are a history book club and we cling tightly to only non-fiction. Thanks to joining Substack and following a fellow book lover, I now realize that some of the books we have read previously are actually considered to be in the genre of historical fiction. I’m not sure how that will sit with some of the members. We now have about 35 subscribing members and 15 to 20 regularly attend the meetings. We were fortunate to survive and retain interest during the pandemic when our meetings were on Zoom. I think we all were happy to get back to in-person meetings in the last six months or so. Here is a link, if you are interested to a more book-centric Newsletter which I enjoy. Take a look if you get a chance. The author is a prolific reader and blogs about all aspects of the love of books.

Our list of books for next year is set and provided below:

JAN :: Franklin & Washington: The Founding Partnership by Edward J. Larson

FEB :: CountDown 1945: The Extraordinary Story of the Atomic Bomb by Chris Wallace

MAR :: The Big Burn: Teddy Roosevelt and the Fire that Saved America by Timothy Egan

APR :: The Pope and Mussolini: The Secret History of Pope Pius XI and the Rise of Fascism in Europe by David I. Kertzler

MAY :: A Conspiracy of Decency: The Rescue of the Danish Jews During WW II by Emmy E. Werner

JUN :: Robert E. Lee and Me: A Southerner's Reckoning with the Myth of the Lost Cause by Ty Seidule

JUL :: The Age of Acrimony: How Americans Fought to Fix Their Democracy 1865-1915 by John Grinspan

AUG :: The Doctors Mayo by Helen Clapesattle

SEP :: Three Ordinary Girls: The Remarkable Story of Three Dutch Teenagers Who Became Spies, Saboteurs, Nazi Assassins--and WWII Heroes by Tim Brady

OCT :: The Daughters of Yalta: The CHURCHILLS, ROOSEVELTS, and HARRIMANS: A Story of Love and War by Catherine Gace Katz

NOV :: The Swerve: How the World Became Modern by Stephen Greenblatt

DEC :: Unexampled Courage: The Blinding of Sgt. Isaac Woodard and the Awakening of President Harry S. Truman and Judge J. Waties Waring by Richard Gergel

I hope and expect to continue with this Newsletter through the new year. I think if I do, I may share a short review of these books as we evaluate them. That accounts for 12 of 208 posts for next year (4X/week). 12 down, 196 to go. As always I am amazed by the range of our group and what they recommend and vote for. Another great year of history and learning with twelve more events on my calendar with a nice group of people. I have read three of these books previously (AUG, SEP & NOV) so my fall is already opening up. Perhaps that is the time to step out into a new genre! If you have read any of these books, pass along a note and tell me what I am in for.

My posts would not be complete without a music reference. Although a bit of a stretch, I enter into this posting of music wanting to share my music taste and the songs I am inspired to think of as I write. This song and its lyrics are about an epic journey likened to Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings. Now those are some pretty good books! It also happens to be a great rock and roll song. Just listening to music for music’s sake is a pretty good way to get along. So here is another song for good measure. I wonder if my parents understood how this band got their name. As always, constructive criticism is always welcome.

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