I had shared with you earlier I had bought Book 35 Rock Bottom by A Fern Michaels which is part of the Sisterhood series of books. I like having this new book for many different reasons including it turning a ordinary day into a Library Adventure.
Now only that it will allow me to share post in our 30 Minute Reading Challenge and our about Town series as we examine Haltom City and Haltom City Library this week as I look for book one if the series.
I remember when I was #Homeschooling Charlie and Suzzane sometimes we would plan a field trip but a trip to the Library would need to happen and this is what is happening for me this week.
Sometimes a book plans it for you and this week that’s what happened to me. I bought Rock Bottom by Fern Michaels at WinCo for $5.98 because I thought it would be a fun adult book for my Monday 30-Minute Reading Challenge.
Then I discovered it was Book #35 in the Sisterhood series. And I immediately thought: Wait a minute. I need to know what happened first! So now I’m going book hunting. While Rock Bottom sits on my shelf until I finish the rest of the books.
I purchased my copy of Rock Bottom myself at WinCo for $5.98. Nobody sent me this book, and this isn’t a sponsored post. I did include my Amazon affiliate link for anyone who would like to look for a copy of their own. If you purchase through my link, I may earn a small commission at no additional cost to you.
I always want you to know when I’m sharing something because I bought it and genuinely wanted to try it, versus something that was provided to me for consideration. This one? I bought it because I love books. And apparently, I bought myself a whole new reading adventure that came with David’s blessing.
The first Sisterhood book is Weekend Warriors, which was published in 2003. This story introduces the seven women who become the Sisterhood, women brought together by friendship, tragedy, and a desire to right wrongs when the usual systems of justice fail them.
And instead of immediately trying to buy every book in the series, I’m going to do something I love: I’m going to the library. My first stops are going to be: Richland Hills Library, then North Richland Hills and if I still haven’t found it I will check out Haltom City Library and if they don’t have it I wild ask my best friend Debbie Finney Sutton to check Watauga Library.
I’m going to see if I can find Weekend Warriors and start at the beginning. And if one library doesn’t have it? We’ll try another. That’s part of the fun. If none of the Library’s have the book I will head to Half Price Books on Denton Highway and if it isn’t there try the store in Beford and last but not least I will end up at Barnes and Nobel in Hurst.
If I had still been #Homeschooling Charlie I would have taken him with me and turned this adventure into a Field Trip since we’ve finished Homeschooling I might gather my Girlfriends and do a Girls Day Out. Would you want to come with us?
If your #Homeschooling you research Fern Michaels. Then you could take time to teach your students about the book series. Then you could compare the different libraries you go to.
We could teach our students how to search for books and then we could explain what we’re reading and research things from the book we didn’t know. While out and about the kids would be able to explore our community. And they would learn to follow a question all the way to an answer.
That’s real-world learning. And the best part? Nobody has to sit at a desk and call it school. We’re just going on an adventure. Which is the best part of the school day isn’t it? I think so.
When I bought Rock Bottom, I knew I was getting a Fern Michaels book. I didn’t realize I was stepping into a series that began more than twenty years ago. Yes, you heard me right 20 years ago or when the Dinosaurs roamed the face of the Eart as Charlie likes to claim.
The official Fern Michaels website lists Weekend Warriors as Sisterhood #1 and Rock Bottom as #35. The series continues with Backwater Justice at #36, Code Blue at #37, and Blood Money at #38.
So now I have another reason to investigate. I want to see how the Sisterhood developed from that first book to the one sitting on my table. I want to meet these characters from the beginning. I want to understand their friendships. And I want to see what happens along the way.
Let’s be honest. Do you really think I’m going to walk into a library looking for one book and walk out with one book? Probably not. I may come out with the entire set if they have them. Then you and I can share books.
Another series Fern Michaels wrote is the Men of the Sisterhood series and The Godmother series. So while I’m looking for Weekend Warriors, I’m going to see what else the library has.
Because why go to the library if you’re not going to check out more books? Exactly. That’s practically the whole point. Besides the men have there own story too and it isn’t to often I find a series based on men I want to read.
The Men of the Sisterhood series is sounds interesting because it takes the male allies from the Sisterhood story and gives them their own organization. The first book is Double Down.
And now I’m curious. How does that fit into the Sisterhood? When should I read it? Does it make more sense after I’ve read certain Sisterhood books? Those are exactly the kinds of questions I want to answer while I’m doing this little investigation.
There’s another series, too. The Godmother series. The official Fern Michaels book list begins that series with The Scoop. So yes… I’m probably going to be looking for those, too. Because apparently one book has turned into an entire Fern Michaels research project. And I’m perfectly okay with that.
If the libraries don’t have everything I’m looking for, the next stop could be Half Price Books. I love a bargain but remember there books are higher than discount stores like Ollie’s Bargain Basement or a clearance book sale.
I’m personally not usually going to pay full price for a book when I know I can keep looking and possibly find it used. That’s one reason I love libraries, library sales, thrift stores, Ollie’s Bargain Basement, Half Price Books, and those unexpected book tables you find while you’re shopping somewhere else.
Of course, there are exceptions. I’ve bought Danielle Steel books on release day for years. Sometimes you have an author you love enough to splurge on. But with a series that can turn into dozens of books?
I’m going bargain hunting. And David has already told me: “Go ahead. Buy Book One.” He just don’t know what he’s getting himself into. Until he sees all the books I will be purchasing. Along with the new book shelf I will need. I just need to figure out a place for it.
The funny part I haven’t shared with David is what we didn’t realize when he told me to buy Book One was that it wasn’t going to stop with one book. Now I have a mission. Find Book #1.
Learn the backstory. Explore the other series. Visit the libraries. Maybe visit Half Price Books. And somewhere in all of this, I still have to find my Scary Chairs, because September 1st has arrived!
So Monday starts the reading challenge, and then the rest of the week can turn into the adventure. At some point I’m probably going to be looking at David saying: “David, are you up yet?”
“Come on, come on! I’ve got places to go, things to see, and things to get done!” More and more and more for poor David. But you know what? He’s not going to gripe. He’s not going to complain.
He’s probably just going to shake his head and say: “Move ’em out.” That’s what husbands do when they’ve married women who turn everything into an adventure. Charlie, meanwhile, would probably like to remind everyone that there are already enough books in this house.
His official position remains: “NO MORE BOOKS!” He’d probably tell me to take them all back. And then he’d point around the house and remind me that I’m eventually going to run out of room.
Maybe he’s right. But I still haven’t met the book lover who says: “You know what? I think I have enough books.” Have you? Because we’re book people. That’s what we do and were proud of it.
The question is where will this adventure take us? That’s what I don’t know yet. Maybe Richland Hills will have Weekend Warriors. Maybe North Richland Hills will. Maybe Haltom City will surprise me.
Maybe I’ll find another Fern Michaels book that I wasn’t even looking for. Maybe I’ll end up at Half Price Books. Maybe I’ll discover another series. And maybe I’ll learn more about how the Sisterhood has continued from Book #35 to the books that followed.
The official site now lists Blood Money as Sisterhood #38. That makes me curious about the history of those later books, too. But I’m not going to guess at answers I haven’t found. I’m going to investigate. That’s what makes this fun. I don’t know the ending yet. I’m going to find it. And I’m taking you with me.
Of course, I haven’t forgotten about Fern Michaels’ resident ghost. Mary Margaret. A ghost living in the home of an author surrounded by books and dogs? How could I not be curious? And that little detail could take us somewhere completely different.
Fort Worth has its own ghost stories, historic buildings, legends, and places where people love to tell stories about strange happenings. So perhaps after the library adventure, we’ll have to add a little Fort Worth ghost-history adventure to the list.
Not necessarily because we’re going ghost hunting. But because one book can make you curious about an entire city. That’s one of my favorite things about reading. You start with a book. The book gives you a question. The question sends you somewhere. And suddenly you’re learning about your own community.
Right now, I’m reading Rock Bottom as part of our Monday 30-Minute Reading Challenge. I haven’t reviewed it yet. That comes later. First, I need to read it. But I’m not waiting to start the adventure.
I’m going to find Weekend Warriors. I’m going to explore the Sisterhood. I’m going to look into the Men of the Sisterhood and The Godmothers. I’m going to see what our local libraries have. And I’m going to see where this little $5.98 WinCo purchase takes me.
Because sometimes the best adventures begin with something incredibly simple. A book. A question. And a husband who says: “Go ahead. Buy Book 35” So… Who’s coming book hunting with me?
And if you’re a Fern Michaels reader, tell me where I should go next. Did you start with Weekend Warriors? Did you read the Sisterhood books in order? Have you read the Men of the Sisterhood books?What about The Godmothers? Because I have a feeling this is only the beginning.
Greatful Moments — Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
