Gold Fame Citrus by Claire Vaye Watkins
In her novel Gold Fame Citrus, Claire Vaye Watkins uses her writing skills to spin a possible future for California after our precious water supplies dry up. It is an adventure well worth taking, where the ever-growing Mojave desert becomes one of the main characters. If you happen to be allergic to post-apocalyptic novels, give this one a chance, it has hope and a big heart at its core.
I can’t believe that this is the start of the 4th year of the Book Club! At 7:00 pm Monday Oct. 2nd, the Sibleys have again agreed to open up the Palms restaurant and bar on their night off for us. Be sure to bring plenty of snacks and drinks so Laura doesn’t have to fire up the grill. To get to the Palms, take Hwy. 62 to downtown 29 Palms and go north at the light on Adobe Rd. Turn right at the light on Amboy road then drive about 12 miles into the heart of Wonder Valley and the Palms will be on your right at 83131 Amboy road. Remember to bring a flashlight so you can walk across the highway to the Sibley’s Wonderland Bookstore. It’s the only place I know of where you pay for your books at a bar!
—Kip
Every month from October 2014 until March 2020, Kip’s Desert Book Club gathered on the first Monday of the month at 7:00 pm in the home of a different resident of the Morongo Basin to discuss a book that in one way or another touches on the theme of “desert”.
Since the start of the pandemic, Kip has been hard at work making renovations to the kitchen and bathrooms at Copper Mountain Mesa Community Center, where he is the board President, and keeping their monthly USDA food drive alive. During this time, Kip’s Desert Book Club had largely been on pause, with the exception of a few virtual meetings. These virtual gatherings allowed us to welcome the participation of book club fans from beyond our local region.
Sixty-six books, more than seven years, and one pandemic later, Kip has decided to step back from being the primary book club organizer and join the rest of us as readers. Kip, we thank you for all the wonderful and eclectic desert books you’ve chosen over the years, as well as the unforgettable stories and knowledge you continue to share (if you know, you know!)
So, we are excited to announce that beginning in January 2022, our in-person book club will resume as the Desert Research Library Book Club (or DRL Book Club, for short). Each month, a member of the current Desert Research Library Artist Cohort will select a book from the library as that month’s book club selection.
