Judy Robinson took a novel approach for meeting new neighbors when she and husband Don moved from Sammamish to Pleasant Ridge two decades ago.
For Don, a retired ordained pastor and 1972 La Conner High School grad, the move was a true homecoming. The couple live on the Valentine Road farm east of town where Don grew up.
“Don knew everybody, but I didn’t know anybody,” Judy said. “I thought that maybe a good way to meet people would be to start a book club.”
That was in 2009, and today the Valentine Road Book Club she founded is still going strong.
Club members look forward to meeting monthly from September through May to review books they previously agreed to study. Attention is given to fiction and non-fiction works.
When the club convened Feb. 19 at the Muckleshoot Circle home of Ron and Carolyn VanderVegt, members delved into “The Frozen River,” an historical fiction tome inspired by the real-life diary of 18th century Maine midwife Martha Ballard.
Their insights addressed subtle points as well as primary themes.
“It’s great to hear other people’s perspectives on the books we read,” said club member Rachel Gage, a cataloguer at the Burlington Public Library.
Another club member, Carol Avery, noted how comparisons can extend to how the same subject is treated by different authors and genres.
“Lots of times, I’ll read a historical book after I’ve read historical fiction to see how they’re alike or different,” Avery said.
Club sessions also invite consideration of other topics, from contemporary events to local history.
“One of the things I really love about the club is that I get to learn about the history of this area,” said Gage, who lives with her husband, Skagit Valley College math instructor Abel Gage, in the old Torseth house next to Pleasant Ridge Cemetery off Valentine Road.
Freelance writer Anne Basye, a regular contributor to La Conner Community News, agreed that a common love of books and reading is just one of the ties that binds club members together.
“It’s pretty much a typical book club,” Basye said. “The meetings are partly about the book and partly about everything else.”
Chris Barnes, another Valentine Road resident, spoke during a break in “The Frozen River” study about having read diaries from bygone eras, amused at the number of mundane entries about weather conditions.
“The Frozen River,” a Good Morning America Book Club pick, proved a more engaging read given that it explores universal themes such as justice, loyalty and community. Another club favorite was last October’s selection, “Nuggets From Norway,” penned by Pleasant Ridge’s own Mickey Bambrick.
“We try to do local authors,” said Judy, adding that much research goes into books nominated each summer for club review. A vote by members pares the reading list down to nine books.
“We try to have books that aren’t much longer than 300 pages,” she said, “because we only have them for a month.”
“One of the challenges of a book club,” added Carolyn VanderVegt, the younger sister of Don Robinson, “is that everybody wants to have the same book at the same time.”
That’s where Gage, in her role with the Burlington library, comes in. She can tap interlibrary loans to garner the copies that club members need.
Next up for the club is a March reading of Fredrik Backman’s coming-of-age novel “My Friends.” Judy, who launched the club so many years ago as a way to connect with neighbors, will serve as hostess at the March 19 meeting.
Her efforts haven’t gone unnoticed.
“I think it’s super cool that you put yourself out there to start the club,” Gage said.
Bill Reynolds is a general assignment reporter for La Conner Community News.
