BRDC has partnered with Grayson LandCare for a reading by local author Jim Minick from his new book: Fire is Your Water on November 20th, at the Independence Courthouse 7:00 pm.

"Ada Franklin is a young pow wow doctor in the Pennsylvania Dutch, religious faith tradition. By saying sacred chants, she can remove warts, staunch bleeding, and “take out fire” to heal burns. That all changes on a June day in 1953 when the Franklin barn ignites into flame. Ada and her mother enter the burning building to rescue their animals. The scorching heat, the roar of the blaze, the shrill bellows of so many cows trapped inside—all of it changes Ada. For the first time, she fears death and—for the first time—she doubts God. After the fire, she no longer can heal. Then Ada meets Will Burk and his pet raven, Cicero. And then there is another fire."

"Fire Is Your Water is acclaimed memoirist Jim Minick’s first novel. Built on magical realism and social observation in equal measure, it never gives way to sentimentality and provides an insider’s glimpse into the culture of Appalachia. A jealous raven, a Greek chorus of one, punctuates the story with its judgments on the characters and their actions until a tragic accident brings Ada and Will together in a deeper connection."

Our October Book Club will discuss Gathering Moss: The Natural and Cultural History of Mosses by Robin Wall Kimmerer.

"Living at the limits of our ordinary perception, mosses are a common but largely unnoticed element of the natural world. "Gathering Moss" is a beautifully written mix of science and personal reflection that invites readers to explore and learn from the elegantly simple lives of mosses.