Talk About a Good Book

Great American Read - the results are in!

If you've been following the Great American Read on PBS, you know that Americans have been voting on their favorite books for months now. Last night, the top pick was announced and the winner is: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

To find out about more about the winners, visit https://www.pbs.org/the-great-american-read/results/

The video of "The Grand Finale" is online as well.

Thank you to all who participated!

Books for Living - October 29

At our September 24th meeting, we discussed Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. The group enjoyed reading and discussing this classic. We had pie and pasties from Frosted Bakery.

Our next meeting will be Monday, October 29 at 3:30pm in the LME Library large meeting room. The book is Books for Living by Will Schwalbe. Copies are available at the library circulation desk. Discussion sheets are available for pickup or online.

Summary: "For Will Schwalbe, reading is a way to entertain himself but also to make sense of the world, to become a better person, and to find the answers to the big (and small) questions about how to live his life. In this delightful celebration of reading, Schwalbe invites us along on his quest for books that speak to the specific challenges of living in our modern world, with all its noise and distractions.'"

Jane Eyre - September 24

At our August 27th book group, we discussed the book This Is Always How It Is by Laurie Frankel. We had eleven members present and the book provided an excellent discussion of a timely topic. We had pie and danishes from Frosted Bakery.

Our next meeting will be Monday, September 24 at 3:30pm in the LME Library large meeting room. The book is Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Copies are available at the library circulation desk. Discussion sheets are available for pickup or online at https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com/books/286570/jane-eyre-by-charlotte-bronte/9780143106159/readers-guide/#

Summary: In early nineteenth-century England, an orphaned young woman accepts employment as a governess and soon finds herself in love with her employer who has a terrible secret.

August 27 - This is How It Always Is

At our July 30th meeting, we discussed Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance. The book provided great discussion opportunities and all the participants liked reading the book. We had cupcakes and cake pops from Frosted Bakery.

For our August 27th meeting, we will be reading This Is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel. Books are available at the LME Library desk for pickup as of 7/31/18. We distributed discussion sheets but they are also available for pickup or online here.

Here's a summary of the book:
"When Rosie and Penn and their four boys welcome the newest member of their family, no one is surprised it's another baby boy. At least their large, loving, chaotic family knows what to expect. But Claude is not like his brothers. One day he puts on a dress and refuses to take it off. He wants to bring a purse to kindergarten. He wants hair long enough to sit on. When he grows up, Claude says, he wants to be a girl. Rosie and Penn aren't panicked at first. Kids go through phases, after all, and make-believe is fun. But soon the entire family is keeping Claude's secret. Until one day it explodes. This Is How It Always Is is a novel about revelations, transformations, fairy tales, and family. And it's about the ways this is how it always is: Change is always hard and miraculous and hard again; parenting is always a leap into the unknown with crossed fingers and full hearts; children grow but not always according to plan. And families with secrets don't get to keep them forever."

Hillbilly Elegy - July 30

At our June 25th bookgroup, we discussed Dry by Jane Harper. Most of the group enjoys mysteries, and this one held us all to the end. Definitely a quick read for the group and well received. We had the Oreo brownie from Frosted which was excellent!

Our next bookgroup meeting will be Monday, July 30 at 3pm in the Library's large meeting room. The book is Hillbilly Elegy J.D. Vance. Copies of the book are available at the library desk and discussion sheets can be picked up or are available online.

Summary: "J. D. Vance's grandparents moved north from Kentucky's Appalachia region to Ohio in the hopes of escaping the dreadful poverty around them. However, Vance's family struggled profoundly with the demands of their new middle-class life, and were never able to fully escape the legacy of poverty. A deeply moving memoir with its share of humor and colorful figures, Hillbilly Elegy is is an urgent and troubling meditation on the loss of the American dream for a large segment of this country."