The Line Becomes a River By Francisco Cantú
After we read Devil’s Highway, several people suggested the Desert Book Club continue exploring the desert in relationship to our southern border and consider the book The Line Becomes a River By Francisco Cantú. Mary Sojourner, our latest visiting author speaks very highly of him, so I look forward to reading this work and meeting at 7:00 pm on Monday, June 3rd at Tatiana’s cabin perched on the side of Copper Mountain.
From Joshua Tree, drive east on Hwy. 62 past the College and power substation and turn left (north) on Mantonya Rd. Your visual clue is the big VCSC sign on your right. If you miss it, you can turn around at the new traffic light at Lear. I will also have my white Book Club sign visible. Drive a little less than 2 miles and turn left on Bellerue Rd. and the cabin will be at the end of the road. Same directions from 29 except you will turn right on Mantonya, 2 streets after Lear. We will be outside, so bring your favorite folding chair. Also, parking might be a bit tight, so think about carpooling and if it fills up, we will park at a neighbor’s house next door.
In July we are going to be reading Desert Shadows by Bob Murphy and in August, Love Cradle by Leslie Mariah (misspelled Lerias on Amazon) Andrews. Can’t wait to see you all in June!
—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.
