The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society

Darian Gee's The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society is one of those books that I have been thinking about reading for a long time.  I have had an ARC on my kindle for a few years now. Yet, a few weeks ago I picked it up at the library.  And it still wasn't until I got the email reminding me that I had materials due soon that I finally cracked it open.

The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society is a fun, entertaining read that focuses on friendship.  Gee bases her novel on the lives of a few women who all connect somehow through a scrapbooking group run by Bettie Shelton. Bettie's group tries to find ways to preserve their memories, yet Bettie is losing hers as she ages and deals with progressing dementia.

Her neighbor, Isabel Kidd, is trying to sell her home after the death of her estranged husband.  Ava is a young single mother trying to raise her son on her own.  Yvonne Tate is new to Avalon, a plumber, estranged from her family - and a woman whose past may soon catch up with her.  Frances is excited about adopting a girl from China until her husband convinces her they cannot handle the medical issues the child has.

All these women meet and connect at Bettie's scrapbooking parties. Although not previously friends (and in some cases, enemies), through their time together friendships are forged.  

The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society is a stand-alone novel, yet I would love to read more about these same characters.  As I was reading I couldn't help but compare it to Debbie Macomber's  Blossom Street series that is centered around knitting.