December: The Noel Diary

For December we will read: The Noel Diary by Richard Paul Evans

Location TBD and will be posted closer to the event date.

IMPORTANT: As our group gets bigger it is harder to hold a focused book discussion, I ask therefore that all that attend be prepared to talk about the book, and will respect others opinions by allowing one person at a time to speak and not split off into sub conversations. If necessary I may need to split the group into two for the book discussion, but would rather not if the venue and group allows. As always we will have plenty of time to socialize before and after the book discussion.

A reminder about RSVP'ing. Please be considerate to others and don't hold a spot if you are not sure about attending, as changing to a no last minute does not allow people on the waiting list enough time to read the book. Please make sure to modify your RSVP no later than noon the day of the meetup so I can give the restaurant an accurate head count.

****** The Noel Diary - Richard Paul Evans 304 Pages (Amazon rating: 4.8)
New York Times Bestseller

In this new holiday-themed novel from the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Mistletoe Promise and The Walk, a man receives the best Christmas present he could ask for: the chance to re-write the past.

Bestselling romance author Jacob Churcher hasn't been home for almost twenty years—not since his mentally ill mother kicked him out of the house when he was just sixteen. When a lawyer calls, days before Christmas, to inform him that his estranged mother has passed away and left her house to him, Jacob returns not just to settle the estate but to try and reconcile with the past and the pain and abuse he experienced as a child. Also, maybe cleaning out her house will be slightly less depressing than spending the holidays alone, watching re-runs of Christmas classics.

But as it turns out, the house holds more than just difficult memories, Jacob’s mother had become a hoarder and he must excavate through two decades worth of clutter. As Jacob digs through the detritus, like an archaeologist, he uncovers many puzzling items including a diary left by someone named Noel, a young woman he has no recollection of, who stayed with Jacob’s family during her pregnancy. That’s not the only echo from the past. Jacob has an unexpected visitor, Rachel, a woman looking for the mother who put her up for adoption thirty years before. United by their quest to make sense of the past and rewrite their futures, Jacob and Rachel begin a search for Noel. Along the way they find more than they possibly imagined, including grace, forgiveness and a chance at love.