Heads Up! August 1 Will be a Great Day for Me!

• The movers will begin moving furniture to my new Studio, Gallery, and School of Art.
• I’ll launch my Free Book with a Movie Club: Throwback Thursdays.

Each month, we’ll read together an older book that has been made into a movie. On the final Thursday of each month, we’ll get together and watch the book/movie of the month. Because all of the titles chosen for this club are older, I’m calling this club Throwback Thursdays.

Throwback Thursdays is an adult-only club. I’ll serve tea, water, and coffee. If anyone prefers wine, he or she should bring his or her own wine. The event is free, but I am asking that attendees bring a snack, a dish, a salad, or a dessert on Movie Night, which is once each month.

I am also offering other free opportunities for children, but Throwback Thursdays is only for adults.

August 1 is also the day that Water Valley, Mississippi, celebrates the Watermelon Festival. Regardless of that fact, I’ll launch our study of Tuck Everlasting online on that day. Because of the following quote from the book, I always celebrate the book Tuck Everlasting on the first day of August:

“The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel….” Natalie Babbitt, Tuck Everlasting.

In honor of Faulkner’s birthday in September, we’ll read his story A Rose for Emily and his novel The Reivers. We’ll watch the movie The Reivers.

 

In October, we’ll celebrate Banned Books Week all month. We’ll begin by reading the book To Kill a Mockingbird, and we’ll watch the movie.

In honor of Mark Twain’s birthday, the book and movie for November is Huckleberry Finn.

There is a free version of the book Huck Finn online. I’ll provide that link later.

Short and Delightfully Precious, We’ll Enjoy The Velvetten Rabbit in December — which is when this very real toy meets a little boy.

The book is very short, and we’ll watch the Meryl Streep/George Winston version of this movie on December 11.

There is a free version of the book The Velveteen Rabbit online. I’ll provide that link later.

On January 29th, we’ll celebrate the birthday of Robert Burns and all things Scottish. Robert Burns was born in 1759. He was a poet/lyricist. Most of his poems [like Auld Lang Syne] have become songs.

Throwback Thursdays will begin again in February of 2026, when we’ll enjoy the book and movie The Color Purple.

In March, our book and movie will be Elmer Gantry by Sinclair Lewis. Elmer Gantry was published in March and by April, it was banned.

“The book, Elmer Gantry, by Sinclair Lewis was published in March 1927. It was a satirical attack on religious institutions and the hypocrisy of some evangelists in the early 20th century, according to Americans United. The book caused a sensation and was denounced from pulpits across the nation. In April 1927, the novel was banned in Boston due to its perceived indecency and obscenity. The headline of a April 13, 1927, New York Times article read, ‘Boston Bans Sale of Elmer Gantry. Will Prosecute Any Who Sell Lewis Novel Under Law Against Indecent and Obscene Books’.” Google ai 

April is National Poetry Month, and we’ll look at several poets and poems together. The April movie will be Dead Poet’s Society.

The book and movie for May will be The Wizard of Oz.