The library will be closed on Sunday, March 31, in observance of Easter Sunday.

Book Discussions and Clubs

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2nd Tuesday Book Discussion Titles

January
Morning & Evening
Honor
Thirty Umrigar

 

February
Morning & Evening
Yellowface
R.F. Kuang

 

March
Morning & Evening
Evil Eye
Etaf Rum

 

April
Morning & Evening
I Keep My Exoskeletons to Myself
Marisa Crane

 

May
Morning & Evening
All the Sinners Bleed
S.A. Cosby

 

January
Morning & Evening
Mercy Street
Jennifer Haigh

 

February
Morning & Evening
Watergate
Thomas Mallon

 

March
Morning & Evening
Bad Blood
John Carreyrou

 

April
Morning & Evening
Hester
Laurie Lico Albanese

 

May
Morning & Evening
The Violin Conspiracy
Brendan Slocumb

 

June
Morning & Evening
Lessons in Chemistry
Bonnie Garmus

 

July
Morning & Evening
Born to be Hanged
Keith Thomson

 

August
Morning & Evening
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Shelby Van Pelt

 

September
Morning & Evening
Beasts of a Little Land
Juhea Kim

 

October
Morning & Evening
Nowhere Girl: A Memoir of a Fugitive Childhood
Cheryl Diamond

 

November
Morning & Evening
The Last White Man
Mohsin Hamid

 

December
Morning & Evening
No Two Persons
Erica Bauermeister

January
Morning & Evening
Northern Light
Kazim Ali  B ALI

 

February
Morning
The Sweetness of Water
Nathan Harris  FIC HARRIS

 

Evening
Chasing Me to My Grave
Winfred Rembert  759.13 REM

 

March
Morning
Piranesi
Susanna Clarke  FIC CLARKE

 

Evening
1984
George Orwell  FIC ORWELL

 

April
Morning & Evening
Call Us What We Carry
Amanda Gorman  811.6 GOR

 

May
Morning & Evening
The Signal Flame
Andrew Krivak   FIC KRIVAK

 

June
Morning & Evening
Why Fish Don’t Exist
Lulu Miller  B Jordan

 

July
Morning & Evening
The Thirty Names of Night
Zeyn Joukhadar  FIC JOUKHADAR

 

August
Morning & Evening
Klara and the Sun
Kazuo Ishiguro  FIC ISHIGURO

 

September
Morning & Evening
Cultish: The Language of Fanaticism
Amanda Montell  306.44 MON

 

October
Morning & Evening
The Sentence
Louise Erdrich  FIC ERDRICH

 

November
Morning & Evening
Maus: A Survivor’s Tale: I. My Father Bleeds History
Art Spiegelman   GN MAUS V.1
and
Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood
Marjane Satrapi   GN 955.05 SAT

 

December
Morning & Evening
Small Things Like These
Claire Keegan FIC KEEGAN

 

January 
Morning & Evening
World of Wonders
Aimee Nezhukumatathil 590 NEZ

 

February
Morning & Evening
Revisioners
Margaret Wilkerson Sexton FIC SEXTON

 

March
Morning & Evening
Sharks in the Time of Saviors
Kawai Strong Washburg  FIC WASHBURN

 

April
Morning & Evening
The Lost City of the Monkey God
Douglas Preston  972.85 PRE

 

May
Morning & Evening
Interior Chinatown
Charles YU  FIC YU

 

June
Morning & Evening
The Splendid and the Vile
Erik Larson  940.54211 LAR

 

July
Morning & Evening
An American Marriage
Tayari Jones  FIC JONES

 

August
Morning & Evening
A Children’s Bible
Lydia Millet  FIC MILLET

 

September
Morning & Evening
The Vanishing Half
Brit Bennett  FIC BENNETT

 

October
Morning & Evening
The Only Good Indians
Stephen Graham Jones  FIC JONES

 

November
Morning & Evening
Hamnet
Maggie O’Farrell  FIC OFARRELL

 

December
Morning & Evening
Amoralman
Derek DelGaudio  793.8 DEL

January
Morning & Evening
American Spy
Lauren Wilkinson FIC WILKINSON

 

February
Morning & Evening
Unhoneymooners
Christina Lauren FIC LAUREN

 

March
No book discussion due to our move to Haines

 

April
Morning & Evening
Great Expectations
Charles Dickens FIC DICKENS

 

May
Morning
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations
Mira Jacob 741.5 JAC

 

Evening
Dopesick
Beth Macy 362.29 MAC

 

June
Morning & Evening
Nothing to See Here
Kevin Wilson FIC WILSON

 

July
Morning & Evening
The Bear and the Nightingale
Katherine Arden FIC ARDEN

 

August
Morning & Evening
The Dearly Beloved
Cara Wall  FIC WALL

 

September
Morning
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
Casey Cep 364.1523 CEP

 

Evening
The Mountains Sing
Nguyen Phan Que Mai FIC NGUYEN

 

October
Morning
Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversations
Mira Jacob 741.5 JAC

 

Evening
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee
Casey Cep 364.1523 CEP

 

November
Morning
The Mountains Sing
Nguyen Phan Que Mai FIC NGUYEN

 

Evening
Deacon King Kong
James McBride FIC MCBRIDE

 

December
Morning
Deacon King Kong
James McBride  FIC MCBRIDE

 

Evening
Sunny Days: The Children’s Television Revolution that Changed America
David Kamp  791.45028 KAM

Book Discussion Resources

Litlovers “How to Start a Book Club” 

 

Read the book quickly for plot and then reread to learn how the author develops themes, characters, and events.

Provide background material on the author and events of any special historical significance…a map, artwork, special food or music may help discussion. (Fifteen minutes at most)

 

General Questions

  1. Which characters do you like or dislike? Stereotypical? A foil? Is any one character the author’s mouthpiece?
  2. What role does fate play in the lives of the characters, events?
  3. What are the most important relationships, events, milestones in book and why?
  4. What is the narrator’s view of the world? Is he/she a good choice for this role?
  5. What is the main conflict? (politics, religion, relationships, culture, economics, gender) Successfully resolved?
  6. Describe the writing style….any memorable scenes, characterizations?
  7. Why did the author write this book? Strengths and weaknesses?
  8. Would it make a good movie?
  9. What would happen if ???? (Try to come up with alternatives to plot or characters’ actions)

 

Remember…you are not expected to be the authority but rather the moderator.

  1. Listen to the comments of others.
  2. Offer your ideas honestly and briefly.
  3. Try not to digress from the discussion (Varies with each group)
  4. Each member brings her/his own personalities, experiences, and backgrounds to the meeting. Disagreement enriches discussion.

The following resources offer reading recommendations, book discussion questions for popular titles, author information, book reviews and more:

 

 

St. Charles Writers Group

The Writers Group is a creative writing workshop, open to all those 18 years of age or older looking for a community of writers and seeking to improve their writing. The group meets twice a month.

Learn more

What To Read