Events

The U.S. Presidents group reads and discusses concise biographies of past presidents, their leadership abilities and how well their reputations have withstood the test of time. The biography for March is Thomas Jefferson by Joyce Appleby (Times Books, $22.00). Few presidents have embodied the American spirit as fully as Thomas Jefferson. He was the originator of so many of the founding principles of American democracy. Politically, he shuffled off the centralized authority of the Federalists, working toward a more diffuse and minimalist leadership. He introduced the bills separating church and state and mandating free public education. He departed from the strict etiquette of his European counterparts, appearing at state dinners in casual attire and dispensing with hierarchical seating arrangements. Jefferson initiated the Lewis and Clark expedition and seized on the the crucial moment when Napoleon decided to sell the Louisiana Territory, thus extending the national development. In this compelling examination, distinguished historian Joyce Appleby captures the richness of Jefferson's character and accomplishments.

Kim Justus will sign In a Flash: Miracles Here and Beyond (Createspace, $12.50). A piercing pain suddenly shot through Kim's brain, like a bolt of lightning snapping and tracing through the sky. An ordinary day was instantly transformed into a fight for survival. Within days, she underwent aggressive, brain surgery. Her doctor's initial misdiagnosis led to her speech and comprehension being severely compromised, before she lost consciousness. From the depths of a coma, Kim entered a near death experience, awaking to find her life profoundly changed. Facing mortality, changes in her body, mind and spirit were thrust upon her without warning. Her courageous fight to overcome unconventional obstacles is intimately shared in this compelling story. In a Flash: Miracles Here and Beyond offers Kim's personal account of her battle to survive a ruptured brain aneurysm, the unfolding of a near death experience, and the miracles that ensued. In a Flash is a powerful story of survival, challenges of faith, and divine orchestration. Kim artfully describes a journey where the tenants of science and spirituality collide, resulting in a dynamic union.

The Golden Sowers group will discuss Jake Ransom and the Skull King’s Shadow by James Ransom (HarperCollins, $7.99). When a mysterious envelope arrives for Jake Ransom, he and his older sister, Kady, are plunged into a gripping chain of events. An artifact found by their parents--on the expedition from which they never returned--leads Jake and Kady to a strange world inhabited by a peculiar mix of long-lost civilizations, a world that may hold the key to their parents' disappearance. And as Jake struggles to find a way home, it becomes obvious that what the Skull King wants most is Jake and Kady--dead or alive.