Little Chapel on the River by Gwendolyn Bounds

I wish I could write like this. Compared to Ms. Bounds, my regular blog, The Bizarre Bazaar reads like a sixth-grader's English assignment. (Even despite my best efforts to take a cue with my most recent post earlier this week Memories and Coffee)
The essence of this book begins with the events of 9-11. "Wendy" had been living with her mate in an apartment just down the street from the Twin Towers. They moved in with friends temporarily, but the end result was they moved into a little burg called "Garrison", just outside of NYC, and near West Point.

The reason for the love of the community and its citizens centers on a pub called Guinan's (referred to by one of the patrons as his "little chapel on the river" from whence the title comes.)

I never met any of the people Ms. Bounds describes (hell, I don't get out of Texas but once in a blue moon) but all of the regulars are instantly familiar. Whether you are a regular patron of a local bar, or even at church, or the corner store, these people will probably remind you of someone.

The owner is an elderly man named Jim Guinan who came to the town in the 50's. He rarely makes an appearance in the early portion of the book, however, as he is in and out of hospital and home care due to physical ailments, resulting from diabetes. Still there are others including several of the Guinan clan children helping keep the operation afloat.

Plus there are numerous others, posing as regulars in the bar. My favorite, and I think also one of the author's is "Fitz". William Fitzgerald is a former military man, and probably the last person I'd get along with if politics were the only subject. But Ms. Bounds paints in all the details, so that I think, under the right circumstances, I'd probably even buy him a beer.

In between, at the end of each chapter is a memoir of the author's childhood in North Carolina, which usually has some bearing on the present day in terms of what Ms. Bounds wrote.

The author chooses to attend "services" at this chapel with regularity so you get to meet lots of very interesting peopl;e along the way as well as her somewhat eccentric neighbors Walter and Jos (pronounced yos...) I enjoyed every minute I spent with this book.

I'm giving this one my first 10 star rating. Well done Wendy!

Next book is "Washington Goes To War" by David Brinkley.