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FOUR SEASONS BREEZE | MAY 2025 49 Our Book Club selection for May 13 is Table for Two, by Amor Towles. Here is a brief description from Doug S., who will be leading the discussion: "Towles is the author of three previous thoughtful best-selling novels: Rules of Civility, A Gentleman in Moscow, and e Lincoln Highway. All three have been read and enjoyed by this Book Club in the past. The book opens with six short stories related to New York City followed by a Los Angeles novella, Eve in Hollywood. But, as the New York Times review said, '… the Oscar goes to Eve in Hollywood, a novella that unfolds during the filming of Gone with the Wind.' We will spend most, if not all, of our time talking about Eve in Hollywood. The novella's story is told from the perspective of several characters, including a detective on a train, a has-been actor, an aspiring stuntman chauffeur, a blackmailer, a house detective, and petty crooks. Towles takes the reader through the Beverly Hills Hotel, bungalows, movie sets, the Tropicana Club, and dive bars of Los Angeles in the 'Golden Age' of the late 1930s. We observe Eve befriending Olivia de Havilland as studio moguls are casting Gone with the Wind. And we observe other celebrities of the time in not always f lattering fashion. Towles' style is an homage to the noir fiction of Dashiell Hammett and Raymond Chandler and he again demonstrates his signature wit and literary skill." Our meetings are held on the second Tuesday of each month at 9:30 am in the RCN Room #3. All our book selections are recommended by club members. Someone volunteers to lead the discussion about the book we have chosen for the month. For more information about the Four Seasons Book Club or to get your name on our mailing list, please contact me at michelesrosen@ gmail.com. ~ Micki Rosen In response to a number of inquiries, here are a few facts about the hawks we see at Four Seasons. Perhaps the most common is the Cooper's Hawk. This bird may be seen in your yard, especially if you have a bird feeder. Birds and small rodents are its primary prey. This bird weighs only 10 to 24 ounces. As such, it does not pose a threat to your pets beyond swooping at them to drive them off. The same is true for our other backyard species, the Sharp-Shinned Hawk. They are even smaller, weighing under half a pound. In the open areas of Four Seasons, you may see a Red-Tailed Hawk soaring or perched in a tree or on a street light. These birds may look large, but weigh only 1.8 to 3.3 pounds. They prey on small to medium birds and small mammals, up to the size of a rabbit. They rarely attempt to prey on cats or dogs. When they hunt, they do so by f lying down from a perch. Our yards at Four Seasons are not large enough for these birds to hunt successfully, so they tend to be in our more open areas. The Red-Shouldered Hawk is also seen here. It is slightly smaller than the Red-Tailed and also preys on small birds, rodents, reptiles, amphibians, and insects, preferring open areas as well. We have hawks here because we have an abundance of food for them with our healthy population of songbirds, small rodents, lizards, frogs, and insects. They do not need to prey on your pets. Nevertheless, common sense dictates that pet owners should keep watch on their furry friends when they are outside. The Birding Club walks the trails as a group on the first Saturday of the month. We gather at 8 am by the Potrero Creek sign at the edge of The Lodge parking lot. We walk at a leisurely pace, taking time to see as many species as we can. Please feel free to join us. We love to see new faces. If you have any questions, please call or text me. ~ Genie Cooper (269) 930-0310 Birding CLUB Book Club

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