The Best Books Club: "The Gauguin Connection," by Estelle Ryan

Photo by Kelly Sikkema

I’ve long known I’m a bit of an oddball. I could fill a column with proof of that assessment, but I’ll focus on just one for now.

Studies show the vast majority of people anticipate a fresh start with new opportunities and goals as December draws to a close each year. On the contrary, for more than 45 years, as a student and then as an educator, my internal calendar caused me to become giddy — really! — with New Year anticipation as July drew to a close and a new school year drew near.

That all changed 15 years ago, and when late July arrived again this year, I again found myself neither looking forward nor anticipating anything promising. As a result, and because I wanted to introduce others to a protagonist I’ve followed through 17 novels, I selected “The Gauguin Connection” for our September selection and began reading.

I initially read the first book of Estelle Ryan’s then-new series when it was originally published in August 2012, and I enjoyed it as much this time as I did then. The plot is engaging, with enough twists to keep a reader interested without becoming so convoluted as to need an Excel spreadsheet to keep track of the details. Ryan avoids — at least in this book — creating stereotyped characters. Instead, each member of the small cast of main characters, outstanding in their respective fields, is interesting and engaging.

Fortunately, the art connection, which holds little interest to me but is central to this book and therefore necessitates quite a few in-text discussions of art and artists, doesn’t distract from what is, for me at least, the crux of the book — the mystery to be solved.

As I finished “The Gauguin Connection,” I felt drawn to look back even further in my reading history, to the genesis of my intense love for mysteries. And so, one evening in early August, I turned off my phone and curled up in my oversized chair with a large bowl of still-warm buttered popcorn and a 32-ounce Sprite and spent a delightful evening re-reading “The Secret of the Old Clock” (Carolyn Keene, 1930).

I stayed up beyond my self-imposed normal bedtime, just as I had stayed awake far past my parent-imposed bedtime, huddled under the blankets with my desk lamp and book, countless nights throughout my childhood. As I closed the book in the wee hours of the morning, I vowed to occasionally resurrect that practice in the months to come.

As I journaled several hours later, I came to the decision it’s time for me to resurrect another tradition from my past. To once again see late July and early August as a time of new beginnings, opportunities and goals.

Of course, I was a bit late to the game, but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I purchased a new dot-matrix journal for the “new year” and, with the help of our next The Best Books Club selection, have spent the past 30-plus days looking forward, considering the possibilities, dreaming and goal-setting.

It’s been a wonderful time of staying up late — sans the desk lamp under the covers — considering my 100 Things list, watching YouTube videos, listening to a variety of intriguing podcasts, etc.

I’ve begun to find a healthy balance again, one of reflecting on the past without becoming mired in it and of looking forward to the future while cherishing the moments of the day at hand.

So grab a notebook, real or electronic, and a copy of our September selection, and plan your own roadmap for the absolute best year of your life!

Although we'll no longer be discussing books via The Best Books Club Facebook Group or Facebook Live, I hope you'll f ind a friend or small group of friends with whom to continue talking about books you love. Here are some questions to consider for this month's selection:

1. According to publishing statistics, mystery books are the No. 2 best-selling genre. What is it that makes them so popular?

2. Mystery novels are typically plot-driven rather than character-driven. Do you think that’s the case with “The Gauguin Connection?”

3. Was the climatic scene believable? Explain.

4. If you were casting the movie version of “The Gauguin Connection,” who would you cast as Genevieve, Colin, Manny, Vinnie and Phillip?

5. What is your favorite book genre and why? What book introduced you to that genre?

Coming Up

I’m really excited about our October selection for The Best Books Club! “It’s Never Too Late to Begin Again” (Julie Cameron, 2016) will inspire you to discover “creativity and meaning at midlife and beyond.” Do not let the word “creativity” stop you; no saying, “Well, that’s not for me, because I’m not creative.” One thing I’ve learned in 60-plus years on Earth is every single person is “creative” in some way. Yes, some people are “artists,” but all of us create merely by being. So, grab a copy of this book and discover how you can create something new!

Patti Miinch, a resident of Cape Girardeau, is an author, mother and mother-in-law of two, grandmother of five and retired educator; while she has many loves, spending time with her family, sports, travel and reading top the list.