On the January 21 episode of Days of our Lives, Julie hosted a book club. She, Maggie, Marlena, and Foster all discussed a book about losing one’s spouse. That may have been healing — though Marlena seemed tuned out for most of the time and then ran off — but it sure wasn’t fun. Book clubs are supposed to be fun! So, in the interest of keeping the book club afloat, we have suggestions for what Julie, Maggie, and Marlena should read next time.
Key Takeaways
- A book to tie in with Julie’s life experiences.
- A book to tie in with Maggie’s life experiences.
- A book to tie in with Marlena’s Life Experience.
Rom Com Con
Julie (Susan Seaforth Hayes) is mourning the loss of the love of her life, Doug (Bill Hayes). By the time current viewers met him, Doug was a salt-of-the-earth good guy, running a restaurant and singing ditties with the love of his life.
But when Julie and Doug first met, he was an ex-con, just out of jail, where he’d met Julie’s uncle Bill (Mike [Roarke Critchlow] and Jennifer’s [Melissa Reeves] biological father) and came to Salem to see if he could fleece Bill’s family.
We suspect Julie would have a lot to say about books like “Morning Glory” by LaVyrle Spencer, “Lady Luck” by Kristen Ashley, and “A Pound of Flesh” by Sophie Jackson, all novels about women falling for ex-cons.
Gotta Dance
Maggie (Suzanne Rogers) flexed that, unlike Julie and Marlena (Deidre Hall), she’d been widowed twice! But that seems like too dark a topic to dwell on. Instead, we suggest they focus on books involving Maggie’s other passion — dance!
Start with the classic “Ballet Shoes” by Noel Streatfeild, follow up with “The Red Shoes” by Hans Christian Anderson (Mickey [John Clarke] once gave Maggie a pair of red shoes, for a two-fer!). And then move to grown-up fare like “Astonish Me,” by Maggie Shipstead, a book that reads like Mikhail Baryshnikov fan fiction. And then watch him in the movie, “Dancers,” too. Now that’s a book club!
The Devil is in the Details
If Marlena doesn’t want to think about losing John (Drake Hogestyn), the book club should focus on a less triggering, yet familiar topic: How about “The Devil and Daniel Webster” by Vincent Bene? “The Exorcist” by William Peter Blatty? “Faust?” “Paradise Lost?”
Heck, Julie can also join in! Remember when Doug was possessed? This is a topic everyone in Salem can have an opinion on! Invite the whole town.
