The Moonshine Women by Michelle Collins Anderson

Beginning in 1912 and continuing through the Prohibition era, THE MOONSHINE WOMEN by Michelle Collins Anderson is a work of historical fiction set in rural Missouri that was chosen as an Indie Next pick for April 2026. The family saga revolves around the Strong sisters: Rebecca who loves nature and working on the farm; Elsie who is looking for love and a chance to escape to an easier life; and “Shine,” the youngest, who despite her impulsive personality and fiery, red hair, is the most talented at crafting moonshine with her father, Hiram and grandmother, Lidy. Rural life is especially difficult during the Depression, and, after a tragedy, these young women expand their operation to Hot Springs, Arkansas, a vacation spot for mobsters (Al Capone makes an appearance or two) and other wealthy customers. The sisters still suffer setbacks but stay strong (“who they were deep down, that core of pure obstinance and determination”) while also learning to depend on others (“enlarging your circle didn’t dilute love, but miraculously multiplied it”). Anderson has thoroughly researched this era: pointing, for example, to when “the government feared that female bootleggers outnumbered their male counterparts five to one!” She provides a useful list of Sources, some, like this, with online links, plus Discussion Questions for Book Groups. For interested readers, Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls is another fictional work which also deals with Prohibition and has strong female characters; it received multiple starred reviews.

The Last Ride of the Pony Express by Will Grant

THE LAST RIDE OF THE PONY EXPRESS by Will Grant is subtitled “My 2,000-mile Horseback Journey into the Old West” and it offers fascinating facts while providing quite a travelogue on horseback between St. Joseph, Missouri and Sacramento, California. Grant is accompanied by two horses, Chicken Fry (love that name!) and Badger on a series of adventures that trace the route of the Pony Express (see map). Readers will be astounded to learn that the Pony Express was in operation for only about 18 months, from April 1860 to October 1861, completing no more than 150 round trips. Introducing readers to hosts such as the head of the National Pony Express Association, locales involving river crossings, and origins of words like mustang, Grant weaves in numerous tidbits and reflections on how the West has changed, even recently. He notes, for example, that “between 1970 and 2020, the number of dairy farms in the US fell from 648,000 to 32,000.” Musings on the impact of the Western frontier on the national psyche and the “fabling” inspired by the short-lived Pony Express balance descriptions of potential danger and also glimpses of humor. Grant is a former cowboy and horse trainer who began a journalism career in 2008 with many of his stories involving horses, including exploits in Mongolia, Arizona, and Kyrgyzstan. I am looking forward to more adventures from him. Both informative and entertaining, THE LAST RIDE OF THE PONY EXPRESS received a starred review from Booklist. 

The Confession Club by Elizabeth Berg

THE CONFESSION CLUB by Elizabeth Berg is this year’s chosen title for the One Book Two Villages program for the Winnetka-Northfield Public Library District. There will be a virtual book discussion on Wednesday Aug 12 (more details about registration) and also hopes for a ticketed cocktail party and reception with this wonderful, local author on September 10 – if social distancing and opening up allows. 

THE CONFESSION CLUB is Berg’s third title (after The Story of Arthur Truluv and Night of Miracles) set in the fictional small town of Mason, Missouri.  There, a group of women form a supper club which evolves into the Confession Club – a weekly meeting to share secrets and fears and to bolster each other. Concerns range from economic ones about the health of businesses to more personal ones about attractions to a homeless man or struggles with a fragile marriage. Like Berg’s other works, this new title is a gentle, heartwarming read full of friendship and caring. Throughout, Berg offers hopeful words of wisdom: “All around are broken people, doing the best they can. And getting better.  … Taking risks is just unmasking hope, you know.  Things don’t always work out in this world. But they do often enough. … Walk toward whatever joy you find. You don’t know what’s going to happen. …That’s what life is, at its best. A confession club: people admitting to doubts and fears and failures. That’s what brings us closer to one another, our imperfections.” Recommended, especially for fans of Fanny Flagg and Jan Karon.