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| January 2026, Kathy H., Rowena S., Tammy C., Letty, Linda E., Kathy T. We are missing our traveling friends. Photo by Letty's sister, Jonya. |
We LOVE TO READ.
In 2025 we read the following 12 books and rated them according to our 'golf guide.' The rating system is based on the language of golf and quality of literature.
A Par rating meets the expectation of the elements of fiction: a solid plot, strong and dynamic characters, setting that is defined, a theme we can discuss along with a point of view that lends itself to telling the story, and strength of genre. *It is important to note that individual perceptions matter. Although the reader may not find the main character likeable, if the main character develops and changes over the lifetime of the novel then s/he is considered a dynamic character because of this change.
A Par rating for memoir asks for a compelling story using truth, theme, voice, point of view being I, and an ongoing attempt to arrive at answers.
At the end of each monthly discussion we talk through the rating briefly giving the novel/memoir a rating. To better explain our voting think of a scale of 1-5 with 5 being the best and you would recommend it to any type of reader, and a 1 being a bogey or would not recommend to others to read. We then take the total and divide it by the number of readers to get the average.
- A Hole-in-One vote equals 5 points.
- Eagle vote equals 4 points.
- Birdie vote equals 3 points.
- Par vote equals 2 points.
- Bogey is worth 1 point.
- Double bogey is not recommended.
West with Giraffes is an emotional, rousing novel inspired by the incredible true story of two giraffes who made headlines and won the hearts of Depression-era America.
“Few true friends have I known and two were giraffes…”
Woodrow Wilson Nickel, age 105, feels his life ebbing away. But when he learns giraffes are going extinct, he finds himself recalling the unforgettable experience that he cannot take to his grave.
It’s 1938. The Great Depression lingers. Hitler is threatening Europe, and world-weary Americans long for wonder. They find it in two giraffes who miraculously survive a hurricane while crossing the Atlantic. What follows is a twelve-day road trip in a custom truck to deliver Southern California’s first giraffes to the San Diego Zoo. Behind the wheel is the young Dust Bowl rowdy Woodrow. Inspired by true events, the tale weaves real-life figures with fictional ones, including the world’s first female zoo director, a crusty old man with a past, a young female photographer with a secret, and assorted reprobates as spotty as the giraffes.
Two excellent books from completely different times and places. The Instrumentalist is placed in 1704 Venice with an eight-year-old orphan girl strives to become Venice's greatest violinist and composer. Her "sound-color synesthesia" abilities set her apart from the other girls and create a destiny for her.
Hanks take us through the process of making a motion picture, a difficult task it is to produce and direct but also to write about clearly. I had to reread passages several times before I understand what that character's job really was in relationship to the making of a movie. Once I understood the direction it became an easier read, and most insightful.
present day but takes us back to a dark past when now 91 year-old Gretel comes face to face with her past and that of her father's--a Nazi commandant for Hitler.
four-year-old, Ruthie, vanishes while her Mi'kmaq family in Maine is picking blueberries. It is not a mystery but instead focuses on the family and the emotional fallout as the years pass by. I found myself so caught up in the drama that I have forgotten much of the story except for the ending. This might be an easier book to read the second time around.
