July 2025 - Paris Library
At our June 30th meeting, we discussed the Girl Who Disappeared Twice by Andrea Kane. It was okay, but we felt it did not have enough substance for book group. Some felt the mystery wasn't very suspenseful, and others thought the title was misleading. Overall, it was a quick and easy read - good for those who just need a beach read.
Our next meeting is Monday, July 28th at 3:30pm at the LME Library. Copies of The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles are available for pickup at the front desk. Discussion sheets are also available for pickup or can be downloaded here. Summary: "Paris, 1939. Young, ambitious, and tempestuous, Odile Souchet has it all: Paul, her handsome police officer beau; Margaret, her best friend from England; her adored twin brother Remy; and a dream job at the American Library in Paris, working alongside the library's legendary director, Dorothy Reeder. But when World War II breaks out, Odile stands to lose everything she holds dear - including her beloved library. After the invasion, as the Nazis declare a war on words and darkness falls over the City of Light, Odile and her fellow librarians join the Resistance with the best weapons they have: books. They risk their lives again and again to help their fellow Jewish readers. When the war finally ends, instead of freedom, Odile tastes the bitter sting of unspeakable betrayal. Montana, 1983. Odile's solitary existence in gossipy small-town Montana is unexpectedly interrupted by Lily, her neighbor, a lonely teenager longing for adventure. As Lily uncovers more about Odile's mysterious past, they find they share a love of language, the same longings, the same lethal jealousy. Odile helps Lily navigate the troubled waters of adolescence by always recommending just the right book at the right time, never suspecting that Lily will be the one to help her reckon with her own terrible secret. Based on the true story of the American Library in Paris, The Paris Library explores the geography of resentment, the consequences of terrible choices made, and how extraordinary heroism can be found in the quietest of places"--
Girl Who Disappeared Twice - June 30
Our May 19th book club had low attendance, but we had a lot to discuss with The Art Thief by Michael Finkel. This true crime non-fiction work profiles Stéphane Breitwieser, who stole more than 300 art objects from museums, churches, and auction houses over nearly ten years. His narcissistic behavior and the lack of repercussions for his crimes stunned us. Finkel was very thorough and presented the details with startling clarity.
Our next meeting is Monday, June 30th at 3pm at the LME Library. We'll be reading the Girl Who Disappeared Twice by Andrea Kane. Copies are available for pickup at the front desk and discussion sheets are available at the desk or online.
Book Summary: When they are hired by veteran family court judge Hope Willis to find her missing daughter, Forensic Investigators--a team of renegade investigators comprised of a behaviorist, a techno-wizard, an intuitive, and a former Navy SEAL--must race against time to bring Krissy back alive.
Art Thief - May 2025
At our book club meeting on April 28th, we discussed The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. The group liked that it was a quick, engaging read. Even though the timeline jumped around a bit, it was still easy to follow since there was only one point of view. All rated it highly.
Our May book club meeting will be a week early due to the Memorial Day holiday. We will meet at the LME Library on May 19 at 3pm, and we will discuss the Art Thief by Michael Finkel. Copies of the book are available at the front desk. The discussion sheets are also available for pickup or are here.Summary for the Art Thief: "For centuries, works of art have been stolen in countless ways from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as Stéphane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than two hundred heists over nearly ten years, Breitwieser stole more than three hundred objects, until it all fell apart spectacularly. Unlike most thieves, he kept his treasures in a single room where he could admire them to his heart's content. Possessed of a remarkable athleticism and an innate ability to assess practically any security system, Breitwieser managed to pull off a breathtaking number of audacious thefts. Yet these strange talents bred a growing disregard for risk and an addict's need to score, leading Breitwieser to ignore his girlfriend's pleas to stop-until one final act of hubris brought everything crashing down."
Last Thing He Told Me - April 28
At our March 31st meeting, we discussed The Sisterhood: The Secret History of Women at the CIA by Liza Mundy. It was a well-researched book, but the topic was difficult to read. Some readers had trouble following due to the many individuals included, and others found it difficult due to how the women were treated by their superiors, co-workers, and the organization. However, all felt that this was an important part of history and should be read by all.
Our next meeting is Monday, April 28th at 3pm at LME Library. We will discuss The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave. Copies of the book are available at the front desk, and discussion sheets can be picked up or are available online.
Summary of The Last Thing He Told Me: "When her husband of a year disappears, Hannah quickly learns he is not who he said he was and is left to sort out the truth with just one ally- her husband's teenage daughter, who hates her."
March 2025 - Sisterhood
At our February 24, 2025 meeting, we discussed The Maid by Nita Prose. Most of our readers did not have high expectations, but they all loved the book! It was a quick read, but we liked the mystery and the characters. Overall, our group gave it the highest rating.
Summary: "The New York Times bestselling author of Code Girls reveals the untold story of how women at the CIA ushered in the modern intelligence age, a sweeping story of a "sisterhood" of women spies spanning three generations who broke the glass ceiling, helped transform spycraft, and tracked down Osama Bin Laden. Upon its creation in 1947, the Central Intelligence Agency instantly became one of the most important spy services in the world. Like every male-dominated workplace in Eisenhower America, the growing intelligence agency needed women to type memos, send messages, manipulate expense accounts, and keep secrets. Despite discrimination-even because of it-these clerks and secretaries rose to become some of the shrewdest, toughest operatives the agency employed. Because women were seen as unimportant, they moved unnoticed on the streets of Bonn, Geneva, and Moscow, stealing secrets under the noses of the KGB. Back at headquarters, they built the CIA's critical archives-first by hand, then by computer. These women also battled institutional stereotyping and beat it. Men argued they alone could run spy rings. But the women proved they could be spymasters, too. During the Cold War, women made critical contributions to U.S. intelligence, sometimes as officers, sometimes as unpaid spouses, working together as their numbers grew. The women also made unique sacrifices, giving up marriage, children, even their own lives. They noticed things that the men at the top didn't see. In the final years of the twentieth century, it was a close-knit network of female CIA analysts who warned about the rising threat of Al Qaeda. After the 9/11 attacks, women rushed to join the fight as a new job, "targeter," came to prominence. They showed that painstaking data analysis would be crucial to the post-9/11 national security landscape-an effort that culminated spectacularly in the CIA's successful efforts to track down Osama Bin Laden and, later, Ayman al-Zawahiri. With the same meticulous reporting and storytelling verve that she brought to her New York Times bestseller Code Girls, Liza Mundy has written an indispensable and sweeping history that reveals how women at the CIA ushered in the modern intelligence age"