With Regina Marinelli & Melba Toliver

Booked At the Bell will turn their attention to coastal North Carolina as we discuss Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens. 

Owen’s debut novel was written in 2018, became an international sensation, and was adapted for film in 2022. This coming-of-age murder mystery follows two timelines that slowly intertwine. The first timeline describes the life and adventures of a young girl named Kya as she grows up isolated in the marshes of North Carolina. The second timeline follows an investigation into the apparent murder of Chase Andrews, a local “celebrity”. The themes of survival, resilience, and the deep bond between humans and nature are interwoven through the novel.

Please consider supporting independent book shops, such as Book & Puppet Co. in Easton.

Join us on March 13th at 6:30 to discuss We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter. 

This story was inspired by the author’s family’s struggle to survive WW II and the Holocaust. This work of historical fiction starts in Poland where the horrors overtaking Europe forces the Kurcs family to disperse to far corners of the earth, each member navigating their own path of survival. It’s a riveting novel that demonstrates the strength of the human spirit during the most unspeakable atrocities of the twentieth century. We Were the Lucky Ones was recently released as a miniseries on Hulu. 

Last month we welcomed two new Booked readers, both first-time book club members. Why not discover if Booked is for you? Also, please consider supporting independent book shops, such as Book & Puppet Co. in Easton. 

The Booked at the Bell Bookclub RETURNS in February 

Happy New Year, Book Lovers! Join hosts Regina Marinelli & Melba Tolliver on February 13th at 6:30 p.m. to kick-off our 2025 book discussion series. 

We will begin with a memoir called Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. Zauner may be better known as the guitarist in a band called Japanese Breakfast and her debut book is a tender account of her grief surrounding her mother’s battle with pancreatic cancer. This book originated as a short story before evolving into a book and is destined for the big screen. 

Despite the heart-wrench, Zauner will spark our appetites as she reminds us that food often ties us to those who have passed. Written in 2021, Crying in H Mart, was a NYT best-seller, received the 2021 Goodreads Choice Award for Memoir & Autobiography and was named top book of the year by numerous publications. 

The Good Earth by Pearl S. Buck, the best-selling book in America in 1931 and 1932 will be discussed. The Good Earth is the first book of The House of Earth Trilogy and depicts family life in a Chinese Village. As the title implies, land is at the heart of this book which is also rich with characters caught between tradition and modernity. Buck was awarded the Pulitzer Prize and a few years later became the first woman to receive the Nobel Prize for Literature. When her epic novel was published, many readers were introduced to a country and culture they knew little about. Perhaps reading this book and our discussion will inspire some of us to visit the Pearl S. Buck House at Greenhill’s Farm in Bucks County, where she wrote and lived for forty years, after growing up in China as the daughter of missionaries. 

A Summer Reading/Discussion Program 

                              Hosted by Melba Toliver and Regina Marinelli

"MY FAVORITE BOOK IS"  -   Share your favorite book!! 

We read books to learn. To be entertained. Uplifted. Enlightened. To escape. To forget. To remember. To get better. To be better. To travel the world. To see it through another’s eyes. Perhaps one book became THE book that changed you. We invite you to share THAT book and your story on October 10th at 6:30 p.m. 

Thank you, Bell Tower Board, for granting us book lovers time and space to meet the second Thursdays of every month. 

A Summer Reading/Discussion Program 

                              Hosted by Melba Toliver and Regina Marinelli

Summer and books go hand in hand, at least for the book lovers hosting a new program at the Bell Tower. Join Melba and Regina once a month, from May to September, to discuss the book of the month, to share your thoughts about a book that you’ve recently read and to even give a book away to a new or old acquaintance.  Don’t forget to bring a suggestion for our next “read”. 

Our first meeting is Thursday, May 16th from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Our first “read” will take us to southern India. The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese, is a captivating story involving a family living in a small Christian community. It’s a multi-generational saga full of family secrets and mysterious “curses” which over the years become unraveled with the advent of modern science. The book is “long” but don’t let that deter you from joining us. There will be no judgement for failure to finish before we meet. The book is available as an audio and is narrated by the author. Whether by eyes or ears, both are truly wonderful ways to imagine not just the place and time of this story as the plot unfolds, but also the aromas and vibrant landscapes of a corner of the world you may never visit. 

We encourage supporting independent bookstores such as our favorite, Book & Puppet Co., in Easton. Consider purchasing your copy of The Covenant of Water using the following link.  https://bookandpuppet.com/

Please see the calendar for subsequent meeting dates and we look forward to seeing you at The Bell on May 16th -6:30-8:00 p.m.

For the Calendar, Please hold the following dates for future meetings.

June 13

July 11

August 15

September 12

September 12, 2024                                                                              

Booked at the Bell will end our summer program on September 12th with a discussion on two books. 

The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother, is the memoir of James McBride, first published in 1995; it is also a tribute to his mother. McBride describes his life growing up in a large, poor African American family led by his ethnically Jewish mother who was a devout Christian. The chapters alternate between James McBride's descriptions of his early life and first-person accounts of his mother Ruth's life. McBride also takes us along with him on his journey to discover his Jewish roots.

In 2023, McBride released The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store about the intertwining lives of African American, Jewish, immigrant, and white residents in Pottstown, Pennsylvania, largely taking place in the 1920s and 30s. This novel involves a mystery, meanders and introduces a broad cast of characters and McBride’s magic involves exposing the worst and illuminating the best of each one. 

Please check back for announcements on future Booked programming, as we decide to extend our “stay” at the Bell Tower for the fall and beyond.

A Summer Reading/Discussion Program 

                              Hosted by Melba Toliver and Regina Marinelli

July’s Booked at the Bell discussion takes place at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia during the Civil War and its aftermath. The novel “Night Watch” by Jayne Anne Phillips received the 2024 Pulitzer Prize in Fiction and tells the story of three individuals who are trying to heal from the horrors of war. One is a wounded Union soldier and the other two are a twelve-year-old girl and her mother. This powerful tale of resistance and endurance may be our most challenging “read” to date and the reviews are very mixed. Please join the conversation on July 11th at 6:30 p.m. so we can hear your thoughts on this work of historical fiction that has been described as “riveting”, “chaotic”, “lyrical”, “five star” and “one star”. 

PULITZER PRIZE WINNER • LONGLISTED FOR THE NATIONAL BOOK AWARD IN FICTION • A NEW YORKER BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR • From one of our most accomplished novelists, a mesmerizing story about a mother and daughter seeking refuge in the chaotic aftermath of the Civil War—and a brilliant portrait of family endurance against all odds

“A tour de force.” —Tayari Jones, author of An American Marriage

In 1874, in the wake of the War, erasure, trauma, and namelessness haunt civilians and veterans, renegades and wanderers, freedmen and runaways. Twelve-year-old ConaLee, the adult in her family for as long as she can remember, finds herself on a buckboard journey with her mother, Eliza, who hasn’t spoken in more than a year. They arrive at the Trans-Allegheny Lunatic Asylum in West Virginia, delivered to the hospital’s entrance by a war veteran who has forced himself into their world. There, far from family, a beloved neighbor, and the mountain home they knew, they try to reclaim their lives.

The omnipresent vagaries of war and race rise to the surface as we learn their story: their flight to the highest mountain ridges of western Virginia; the disappearance of ConaLee’s father, who left for the War and never returned. Meanwhile, in the asylum, they begin to find a new path. ConaLee pretends to be her mother’s maid; Eliza responds slowly to treatment. They get swept up in the life of the facility—the mysterious man they call the Night Watch; the orphan child called Weed; the fearsome woman who runs the kitchen; the remarkable doctor at the head of the institution.

Epic, enthralling, and meticulously crafted, Night Watch is a stunning chronicle of surviving war and its aftermath.

SEE LESS
 

A Summer Reading/Discussion Program 

                              Hosted by Melba Tolliver and Regina Marinelli

Summer and books go hand in hand, at least for the book lovers hosting a new program at the Bell Tower. Join Melba and Regina once a month, from May to September, to discuss the book of the month, to share your thoughts about a book that you’ve recently read and to even give a book away to a new or old acquaintance.  Don’t forget to bring a suggestion for our next “read”. 

Our first meeting is Thursday, May 16th from 6:30-8:00 p.m. Our first “read” will take us to southern India. The Covenant of Water, by Abraham Verghese, is a captivating story involving a family living in a small Christian community. It’s a multi-generational saga full of family secrets and mysterious “curses” which over the years become unraveled with the advent of modern science. The book is “long” but don’t let that deter you from joining us. There will be no judgement for failure to finish before we meet. The book is available as an audio and is narrated by the author. Whether by eyes or ears, both are truly wonderful ways to imagine not just the place and time of this story as the plot unfolds, but also the aromas and vibrant landscapes of a corner of the world you may never visit. 

We encourage supporting independent bookstores such as our favorite, Book & Puppet Co., in Easton. Consider purchasing your copy of The Covenant of Water using the following link.  https://bookandpuppet.com/

Please see the calendar for subsequent meeting dates and we look forward to seeing you at The Bell on May 16th -6:30-8:00 p.m.

For the Calendar, Please hold the following dates for future meetings.

June 13

July 11

August 15

September 12