Introducing the Aiken Bella Magazine Book Club

Nichole Miller

June 7, 2020

Each month we will select a book to read and then publish a review. The selection will be posted on Instagram and Facebook before our publication date for anyone who would like to read along. This month we read Before We Were Yours, by Lisa Wingate. This story caught our attention because of its partial setting in Aiken, South Carolina, as well as its basis in the true events involving the Memphis Children’s Home scandal. I, for one, am looking forward to the books Nichole “Book Nerd Nikkie” Miller will select in the future. Be sure to follow Aiken Bella Magazine on Facebook and Instagram for updates and our next selection.

– EmilyAnn Raynor

A Book Review By Nichole Miller:

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Before We Were Yours is an emotional look at two time periods and two different worlds. This story starts in 1939 with a family of nomads living on a houseboat on the Mississippi River. Late one night the mother goes into labor, is unable to deliver, and is rushed to the hospital in the closest town, leaving the children alone. While the parents are at the hospital, the children are illegally abducted and taken to a home for unwanted children. Here their lives will change forever.

Fast forward to present day in Aiken, South Carolina, where we meet Avery Stafford. Avery is the girl who has it all. Coming home to be by her father’s side during a health crisis, she puts her charmed life on hold. As a prominent lawyer in Baltimore, she is being groomed to replace him as a South Carolina Senator. However, during a charity event she meets May Crandall, who sparks a curiosity in Avery. This curiosity leads to the discovery of secrets that could destroy the Stafford family and any possibility of a political career.

This heart wrenching story set in Memphis, Tennessee, and Aiken, South Carolina, will draw you in from the first page. It is based on the real life events of Georgia Tann, Director of the Memphis based adoption agency. Georgia Tann used her position to steal children from impoverished families and sell them to wealthy families all over the country. This engaging page turner tells a tale — no matter how far our paths may lead in different directions, our hearts will always find a way home. Lisa Wingate weaves a story that will have your emotions in high gear to the last page.

Nichole Miller

Nikke is a busy nurse practitioner but in her spare time is an avid reader of all genres. Other hobbies include kayaking, writing, and sleeping. She and her husband have two daughters, three cats, and one kombucha scoby. To rationalize her book addiction, she will be bringing us a monthly book club selection.

Nichole Miller

In the know

Pocket Poetry

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Bella Book Host: Changing Ways We Consume Literature

As I have mentioned before, I am a huge fan of Audible. As a mom of two dancers, I spend a lot of time driving and waiting. Audible allows me to access a nearly endless list of audio books from my phone, in the car, in the studio waiting room, and while sewing. For a monthly charge I receive a limited number of credits included in my plan. This month, after realizing I had already used my credits catching up on speculative fiction series involving dragons and talking ships, I evaluated my options. I keep my in-person shopping limited these days, but Amazon had print and Kindle versions available, and

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The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell

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A Return to Art and Music

An Evening of Art & Music • September 30 • 4:30 – 7:30 pm We, here at Bella, are excited about small scale events coming back to life. Not only have our beloved Bella Buzz pages been empty, but no events have occurred to fill the famous “Scene Around Town” section, leaving the pages of Bella empty of the faces of Aiken. A duo of women, Peggy Penland and Katy Lipscomb, are rallying for indoor/outdoor events featuring music, art, and community to entice us to get out and experience life. And so was born An Evening of Art & Music, scheduled for September 30, 4:30 – 7:30 pm. The past