We're excited to take our April Silent Book Club meeting outdoors! This month, we'll be gathering at Stumptown Park for a refreshing evening of reading under the open sky. Don't forget to bring a lawn chair, cozy blanket, or towel to relax with your book in comfort. We can't wait to see you there!
We're excited to welcome two authors to SBC Matthews this month!
Debra Yates hails from Ohio but now resides in St. Pete Beach, Florida. Although she began her writing later in life, she did so with great passion. Being of Cherokee descent and having had stories passed down from generation to generation, Debra found herself drawn to family history, to the point of enlisting a genealogist to verify her conclusions. Traveling to relevant destinations along the East Coast and in the Midwest, she brought her findings back to the peace, calm, and tranquility that she feels God has provided to her in the Sunshine State. With the release of Woman of Many Names, she now puts her sights on a follow-up to document the next stage of her seventh great-grandmother's historic life.
Woman of Many Names
Woman of Many Names is a deeper look into a woman who helped shaped the history of our Nation. Nancy Ward had ties to Daniel Boone and George Washington, including having saved the latter's life (and, it's believed, vice versa). (A letter written by Ward to Washington was later found in Thomas Jefferson's artifacts.) A role model akin to Joan of Arc, for young girls, Ward has been memorialized in Benton, Tennessee, by a federal historical marker. Also known as Nanyehi, she also foretold one of the great American tragedies, the Trail of Tears. All this and she's not even in the history books!
Carol Baldwin grew up in a Jewish home in Cherry Hill, NJ. Her interest in psychology led to a Bachelor's degree in Mental Health and a Master's degree in Community Counseling. She became a Christian in college, married her college sweetheart, and was widowed at 27 when he died from cancer. Five years later she became a southern girl when she married, moved to Charlotte, NC, and became a stepmother. Now she is blessed with nine grandchildren with whom she loves to share books. Carol has published two nonfiction books and her debut YA historical novel, Half-Truths, was just released.
Half-Truths
It is 1950, and 15-year-old Kate Dinsmore wants to become a journalist. But, her tobacco-farming father can't afford to send her to college. She devises a plan to move from rural North Carolina to her wealthy grandparents' home in Charlotte in hopes of gaining their financial support. Now she has a new set of problems. How can she please her society-conscious grandmother and conform to her new classmates' lifestyles? She meets Lillian, her grandmother's teenage maid, and in spite of their racial differences, they form a tentative friendship. While exploring her grandmother's attic, Kate unearths a secret that rocks her world and Lillian's too. The shocking discovery reveals half-truths that threaten the girls' friendship. What will Kate do when she must choose between Lillian and her new society friends?
How Silent Book Club Works
Silent Book Club is called that because it is an opportunity to enjoy quietly reading a book in a location different from your home, where no discussion is required. Some of the locations we visit might have background noise and conversations, but you do not have to participate in any conversations during your time with us. Silent Book Club is BYOBook so you can show up with any book (physical or digital). There are no assigned readings or discussions, just uninterrupted time to immerse ourselves in the pages of our favorite books.
Event Schedule
6:00-6:30 PM: Arrival, meet the authors, find a comfy place to read
6:30-7:30 PM: Quiet reading hour
7:30-8:00 PM: Continue reading, talk with others, author Q&A
Feel free to come and go as you please, staying for as little or as long as you like.