18718 Olmeda Place San Diego, CA 92128
September 19, 2025
Dear Bookclub,
September's dwindling summer evenings remind me of last-chance garden tomatoes, migrating crows and summer reads to quickly finish. Virginia Evans' "The Correspondent", while hardly a relaxing beachy page-turner, evoked the pleasant, enjoyable vibe of a well-written story that you can't wait to get back to. Our bookclub evening of sharing a light supper and good conversation was easily on track with the book's discussion as Evans gave us much to debate and appreciate.
Sybil, we agreed, not the most pleasant person, was a character we recognized with her aging and thought-provoking dilemmas. Situations, while 'checking' every current-socially-relevant box, seemed plausible despite the ridiculousness of the vast inclusion. The letter writing vehicle entertained and hooked us; I laughed out loud more than once!
Virginia Evans has been writing for a long time yet surprisingly, this is her first publication. Please enjoy this delightful interview from the BBC Book Club:
Also, an interview on youtube, with Evans describing her method with this novel:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DBMEILUaZRY
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| Syme's Letter Writer |
A letter writer since childhood, I felt inspiration to write more letters - or at least get back to the ones I intend to write. Busy-ness continues to rob me of intentions and a renewed commitment bubbled up with Sybil's discipline. Please enjoy this piece from NPR's Life Kit series about "The Art and Pleasure of Writing a Letter":
https://www.npr.org/2025/04/15/1244802158/how-to-write-letter
My suggestions for an upcoming read:
For the holidays:
"A Very French Christmas" various authors ('the great French holiday stories of all time')
"Five Tuesdays in Winter" Lily King *chosen
"The Christmas Guest" Peter Swanson
For January:
"Culpability" Bruce Holsinger *chosen
"Mother Mary Come to Me" Arundhati Roy
"Broken Country" Clare Leslie Hall
Up next:
Warmest regards from your book loving friend,
Lynn
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