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Literature Circle

FPC Literature Circle

April Literature Circle for 50th Anniversary Year, 2023-2024

Tuesday, April 9 | 1:30 PM | McCullough Room

We will continue our 50th Anniversary of the amazing FPC Literature Circle with author Rudy Ruiz reviewing his own novel, “Valley of the Shadows.

In the visionary neo-Western blend of magical realism, mystery, and horror that is Valley of Shadows, Solitario Cisneros finds himself confronting the dark past of injustice, isolation, and suffering along the US-Mexico border. When a series of murders and kidnappings plunge his Mexican town of Olvido into chaos, Solitario, a retired sheriff, is forced to face his inner demons and the evil forces threatening the community. With the help of Onawa, a gifted Apache-Mexican seer, Solitario embarks on a journey to uncover the truth and question his own destiny, exploring themes of belonging, rewriting history, and the eternal battle between good and evil in the hauntingly beautiful landscape of the desert. Through Rudy Ruiz’s luminous prose, listeners are transported to a time and place where the boundaries between reality and magic blur, challenging the very essence of human existence.

Social half-hour at 1:00 PM followed by the review at 1:30 PM.  Bring a friend to hear a great story and be reminded of the value of books!



Literature Circle meets from September through May the second Tuesday of each month at 1:00 PM in the McCullough Room. This 2023-2024 year is the 50th anniversary of the Literature Circle at First Presbyterian Church of San Antonio. We have a half-hour coffee social to greet the members & guests followed by a review of a book listed for that particular month. The reviewers are men & women interested in good literature, i.e. teachers, pastors, church members & staff, authors, etc. Two copies of each book to be reviewed are available in the church library to read beforehand.

The reviews are video-taped each month and are available to view here on the Literature website shortly after the monthly review is finished. Visit the third tab on this page marked “Video Archive” or visit the FPC Literature Circle YouTube Playlist.

Men & women of all faiths are welcome & invited to attend.

Circle Officers

Grace Clouse, Chair and Ellen Frazier, Publicity


Upcoming Reviews

On the second tab on this page, view the list of books to be reviewed for 2023-2024, the 50th anniversary year of Literature Circle.

Second Tuesdays, September through May | 1:00 PM Social followed by the Review at 1:30 PM | McCullough Room

“I love books.  I adore everything about them.  I love the feel of the pages on my fingertips.  They are light enough to carry, yet so heavy with worlds and ideas.  I love the sound of the pages flicking against my fingers.  Print against fingerprints.  Books make people quiet, yet they are so loud.”  Author Nnedi Okorator


Watch Book Reviews on YouTube

YouTube Playlist
Date Book Image Book & Reviewer
September 12 “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck (This book was reviewed in Sept. 1973), reviewed by Ann Smith
October 10 “The Ride of Her Life” by Elizabeth Letts, reviewed by Martha Smith
November 14 “Brackenridge: San Antonio’s Acclaimed Urban Park” by Lewis F. Fisher, reviewed by the author
December 12 “Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty” by Anderson Cooper, reviewed by Tripp Stuart
January 9 “Facing the Mountain” by Daniel James Brown, reviewed by Richard Taylor
February 13 “The Second Life of Mirelle West” by Amanda Skenandore, reviewed by Morgan Fuller
March 12 “The Sandcastle Girls” by Chris Bohjalian, reviewed by Jane Hansen
April 9 “Valley of Shadows” by Rudy Ruiz, reviewed by the author
May 14
“High, Wide, and Lonesome: Growing Up in the Colorado Frontier”
by Hal Borland, reviewed by Suzie and Scott Simpson
Literature Circle:“The Second Life of Mirielle West” by Amanda Skenandore reviewed by Morgan Fuller – 2/13/24
Literature Circle: “Facing the Mountain” by Daniel James Brown, reviewed by Richard Taylor -1/9/24
Literature Circle: “Vanderbilt: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty” Reviewed by Tripp Stuart -12/12/23
Literature Circle: “Brackenridge: San Antonio’s Acclaimed Urban Park” reviewed by the author, Lewis F. Fisher – 11/14/23
Literature Circle: East of Eden – 9/12/23
Literature Circle: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek- 03/14/23
Literature Circle February 2023: The Tigers of Bastogne reviewed by Hank Cherry
Literature Circle Book Review Jan. 2023: THE CAPTURED by Scott Zesch 1/10/23
The Leopard is Loose by Stephen Harrigan reviewed by Rev. Scott Simpson
Literature Circle November 2022 Book Review by Bill and Patrice Hensley
Literature Circle Oct. 2022 Book Review by Martha Smith
Literature Circle Book Review Sept. 2022 with author Rudy Ruiz
Literature Circle May 2022 Book Review by author Christina Baker Kline
Literature Circle April 2022 Book Review by Mark Sullivan
Literature Circle March 2022 Book Review: Jane Hanson
November 2021 Book Review with Bill Hensley
October Book Review 10/12/21
Literature Circle September 2021
May Book Review 5/11/21
April 2021 Book Review
Literature Circle March Book Review 3/19/21
March Book Review 3/9/21
Literature Circle January Book Review 2021
Literature Circle December 2020 Book Review
Literature Circle November 2020 – Janice Clayton
Literature Review October 2020 – Becky Prichard
Literature Circle 9/16/20 – Jane Hansen

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