The Cherry Cola Book Club (Cherry Cola Book Club Novels) - Softcover

Lee, Ashton

Softcover

ISBN 10: 075827341X ISBN 13: 9780758273413

Publisher: Kensington, 2013

Synopsis

With its corrugated iron siding and cramped interior, the Cherico, Mississippi, library is no Antebellum gem. But for young librarian Maura Beth Mayhew, it's as essential to the community as the delicious desserts at the Twinkle, Twinkle Café. It's a place for neighbors to mingle and browse through the newest bestsellers, for the indomitable Miss Voncille Nettles to host her "Who's Who in Cherico?" meetings. The library may be underfunded and overlooked, but it's Maura Beth's pride, and she won't let the good ole boys on the City Council close it down without a fight.

Which is why Maura Beth has founded the Cherry Cola Book Club--a last-ditch attempt to boost circulation and save her job. Over potluck dinners featuring treasured family recipes, the booklovers of Cherico come together to talk about literary classics. But soon it's not just Margaret Mitchell and Harper Lee being discussed over chicken gumbo and homemade biscuits with green pepper jelly. Secrets are shared, old dreams rekindled, and new loves slowly blossom.

Southern charm, wit, and warmth combine in this delightful novel about great books, true friends, and the stories that give life its richest meaning, on and off the page.

About this title

About the Author:

Ashton Lee, author of The Cherry Cola Book Club, was born in historic Natchez, Mississippi, into a large, extended Southern family which gave him much fodder for his fiction later in life. He currently lives in Oxford, Mississippi.

From Booklist:

Cherico, Mississippi: population, 5,000; home to a gourmet café, funky hardware store, vintage antiques shop, and an underutilized library that is struggling to stay open. A newly minted librarian, Maura Beth Mayhew, landed the directorship of the Cherico Public Library straight out of graduate school. Now, six years later, her dream job has become a nightmare as she is presented with a three-month deadline to get her circulation and membership numbers up—or else. Thus is born the Cherry Cola Book Club, a cute name for a serious effort to save Cherico’s library. As Maura enlists various townspeople to join the discussion group, where they deconstruct classic southern literature while delving into potluck suppers showcasing classic southern cuisine, her hugely successful efforts go roundly mocked and criticized by the recalcitrant councilmen. In the quest to change the officials’ opinion and hold on to this valued resource, vibrant friendships transform the small but appreciative community. Lee’s buoyant David-versus-Goliath tale zestfully illuminates a real problem confronting libraries and cities of all sizes. --Carol Haggas

About this edition

• Publisher: Kensington
• Publication date: 2013
• ISBN 10: 075827341X
• ISBN 13: 9780758273413
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 272