you really ever really know someone? We discussed the importance of love
and community, the importance of connection as illustrated in the stories of two memorable
curmudgeons (A Man Called Ove and The Storied Life of A.J. Firkry). We revisited a historical
time when women had limited rights and freedoms (The Invention of Wings) and experienced
an anthropological event in the imagined life of a Margaret-Mead-like character in Euphoria.
We discussed the problems of great wealth and the importance of connections between
people (Empty Mansions - The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark & the Spending of a
Great American Fortune). How about a 3 generational saga - an inside look at an ordinary
family that considers itself unique, but is actually quite ordinary (A Spool of Blue Thread).
We shared inspiring insights into a special place of history, the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, the
young boys who melded into a team to achieve greatness (The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and their Epic Quest for the Gold at the Berlin Olympics). We also revisited
a familiar classic, looking at it with fresh eyes, making new connections (To Kill a Mockingbird).
We have come together as a community of readers, sharing insights, asking questions, reviewing
possible answers. We have enlarged our reading life, we have enriched our curious minds.
Thank you to the men and women who make the time to come together each month to
share a cup of coffee, and enriching literature. Enjoy your summer. May you be entertained
by great books. Don't forget to bring those titles back to share this Fall!
We meet again as a whole October 5th to discuss our Classic selection. I will begin posting
information on the book and the author in September. Until then, I will add bits and pieces here
and there relating to our library and the wide world of books.
Here are our selections for discussions in 2017 - 2018:
- October 5: The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
- November 2: The Silent Wife by A.S. A. Harrison
- December 7: In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror & an American Family in Hitler's Berlin by Erik Larson
- January 4: The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood
- February 1: Swimming Lessons by Claire Fuller
- March 1: The Wright Brothers by David McCullough
- April 5: The Dovekeepers by Alice Hoffman
- May 3: News of the World by Paulette Jiles
- June 7: The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff
"The public library is where place and possibility meet."
- Stuart Dybek