Relicts of a Beautiful Sea by Christopher Norment
I am really excited to announce the book Relicts of a Beautiful Sea by Christopher Norment for the August 6th Desert Book Club meeting at 7:00 pm. Unlike most environmental books, filled with doom and gloom, this book is filled with hope and positive examples. It also is unique in that it describes our desert in terms of geologic time, which I found quite enlightening. Even if the latin animal names and the governmental topics slow you down, make sure you make it to the end to receive an inspirational message from Christopher to all of us.
For the last 3 years we have been meeting at Nancy’s super cute cabin in August, but this year it didn’t work out, so we look forward to returning next year. This time we will be heading for Indian Cove in 29 Palms. To get there from downtown JT, go east on Hwy 62 and turn right on Indian Cove Ave (Indian Cove Market). Turn right on Sullivan Rd and then turn right on Pine Spring Ave. I will have the white Book Club signs out to guide you. On paved roads for a change!
See you in August! —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.
