Talk About a Good Book

Women in the Castle - May 21

At our April meeting, we discussed the book, Killers of the Flower Moon. It was very well received by the group and everyone felt that there hasn't been enough of Native American history taught at school. We had cookies and turnovers from Frosted.

Our next book group is a week earlier than usual due to the Memorial Day holiday. We will be meeting on Monday, May 21 at 3pm at the LME Library. We're discussing Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck. Books can be picked up at the front desk and discussion sheets are also available for pickup or online.

Summary for Women in the Castle: Three women, haunted by the past and the secrets they hold. Amid the ashes of Nazi Germany's defeat, Marianne von Lingenfels returns to the once-grand castle of her husband's ancestors, an imposing stone fortress now fallen into ruin following years of war. The widow of a resister murdered in the failed July 20, 1944, plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Marianne plans to uphold the promise she made to her husband's brave conspirators: to find and protect their wives, her fellow resistance widows. As Marianne assembles this makeshift family from the ruins of her husband's resistance movement, she is certain their shared pain and circumstances will hold them together. But she quickly discovers that the black-and-white, highly principled world of her privileged past has become infinitely more complicated, filled with secrets and dark passions that threaten to tear them apart. Eventually, all three women must come to terms with the choices that have defined their lives before, during, and after the war--each with their own unique share of challenges.

April 30 - Killers of the Flower Moon

At our March 26th meeting, we discussed Beartown by Fredrik Backman. The book club has read two other of Bachman's novels including A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. For Beartown, most readers felt the book had a slow start but overall was extremely well written. Many of us thought it would be about hockey, but it's not. If you like well defined characters, books about topical issues, or community dynamics, this book will not disappoint. The second book in the series, Us Against You, will be coming out in June 2018. For refreshments, we had cookies and cupcakes from Frosted Bakery.

Our next book group meeting will be Monday, April 30th at 3pm at the LME Library meeting room. Copies of the book, Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann, are available at the front desk. Discussion sheets can be picked up or are available online. This is a non-fiction book based on the true-life murder mystery about one of the most monstrous crimes in American history. In the 1920s, the richest people per capita in the world were members of the Osage Indian nation in Oklahoma. After oil was discovered beneath their land, they rode in chauffeured automobiles, built mansions, and sent their children to study in Europe. Then, one by one, the Osage began to be killed off. As the death toll climbed to more than twenty-four, the FBI took up the case. It was one of the organization's first major homicide investigations and the bureau badly bungled the case. In desperation, the young director, J. Edgar Hoover, turned to a former Texas Ranger named Tom White to unravel the mystery. White put together an undercover team, including one of the only American Indian agents in the bureau. The agents infiltrated the region, struggling to adopt the latest techniques of detection. Together with the Osage they began to expose one of the most chilling conspiracies in American history.

The Great American Read coming in May 2018

PBS will be hosting THE GREAT AMERICAN READ in May 2018. GAR will launch with a two-hour special event on Tuesday, May 22, 2018, at 8 p.m. on PBS stations nationally. Over the course of 15 weeks in the summer, viewers can read and vote on favorite works of fiction; the series then returns in the fall with additional episodes exploring the nominated books through themes including “Heroes,” “Villains & Monsters,” “Who Am I?,” “What We Do for Love,” “Other Worlds,” and will conclude with an exciting finale and countdown to “America’s Best-Loved Book.”

More information can be found at: http://www.pbs.org/book-view-now/blogs/news/2018/02/02/the-great-american-reads-from-pbs/

Watch for more information!

March 26 - Beartown

At our February 26th meeting we had 9 members present and discussed the book Open Season by C.J. Box. Everyone liked the book and felt it was a very good start of the series. It was highly rated as a fun read by the group but there were a few criticisms. The story centered around Joe Pickett, Wyoming game warden and a case that involves the murder, deceit and the endangered species act. Most criticism focused on the stereotypes of characters and the negative portrayal of almost all the women in the book. I personally felt that actions of Marybeth (Joe's wife) in the key confrontation were completely out of character for anyone who had ever lived in a remote area. Anyway, it was a lively discussion and we had grapes and nanaimo bars for treats.

Our next book is Beartown by Fredrik Backman. Our bookgroup has read two other books by this author including A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry. Book discussion will take place on March 26th at 3pm in the LME Library's large meeting room. Copies of Beartown can be picked up at the circulation desk and discussion sheets are available with the book or online.

Beartown summary: "From the New York Times bestselling author comes a poignant, charming novel about a forgotten town fractured by scandal, and the amateur hockey team that might just change everything. Winning a junior ice hockey championship might not mean a lot to the average person, but it means everything to the residents of Beartown, a community slowly being eaten alive by unemployment and the surrounding wilderness. A victory like this would draw national attention to the ailing town: it could attract government funding and an influx of talented athletes who would choose Beartown over the big nearby cities. At first, it seems like the team might have a shot at fulfilling the dreams of their entire town. But one night at a drunken celebration following a key win, something happens between Kevin and the general manager's daughter--and the next day everything seems to have changed. Accusations are made and, like ripples on a pond, they travel through all of Beartown, leaving no resident unaffected. With so much riding on the success of the team, the line between loyalty and betrayal becomes difficult to discern. At last, it falls to one young man to find the courage to speak the truth that it seems no one else wants to hear. Fredrik Backman knows that we are forever shaped by the places we call home, and in this emotionally powerful, sweetly insightful story, he explores what can happen when we carry the heavy weight of other people's dreams on our shoulders."

February 26 - Open Season by C.J. Box

At our January 29th meeting, we discussed One in a Million Boy by Monica Wood. Eleven members were present and we had a great time discussing the boy, Ona, Quinn and their relationships. For refreshments, we had animal crackers, fruit and pound cake.

Our next meeting will be Monday, February 26th at 3pm at the LME Library. We will be reading the book, Open Season by C.J. Box. Copies of the book are available at the front desk and discussion sheets are available for pickup or online.

Summary for Open Season:
As Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett races against time to save an endangered species, he finds himself plunged into a deadly mystery that soon threatens his family and the life he loves.