There are some best books lists for 2026 so far and the borrowreadrepeat.com blog has the best compilation I've seen. It includes picks from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Book Page, the New York Times, and more--check out the link above!

At our July 27th book club meeting, we discussed Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard. We wished we could have watched her TED Talk first before reading. We are not a science-centered book club, and her book launches into more science than we were ready to wade through. We would have preferred a popular-science read, but we appreciated her honest portrayal of her life, even with its problems and issues.

At our June 29th meeting, the group discussed Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See. Our group has read several of See's books during our group's 20+ years, and this book did not disappoint. (Other books by this author that we have read include: Island of Sea Women in 2021, Dreams of Joy  in 2012, and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan in 2008.) We had a lot to talk about with this book -- we discussed the practice of foot binding, the role of women in the time period, and female friendships. Overall, the group enjoyed the book and rated it the highest of the year so far.

Our next book club meeting is Monday, July 27, 2026 at 3pm in the LME Library's large meeting room. We will be reading Finding the Mother Tree by Suzanne Simard. Books are available at the front desk and discussion sheets can also be picked up or are available online. 

Summary: "A personal and scientific work on trees, forests, and the author's profound discoveries of tree communication"-- Simard illuminates the fascinating and vital truths: that trees are not simply the source of timber or pulp, but are a complicated, interdependent circle of life; that forests are social, cooperative creatures connected through underground networks by which trees communicate their vitality and vulnerabilities with communal lives not that different from our own. At the center of it all, the Mother Trees: the mysterious, powerful forces that connect and sustain the others that surround them. Born and raised into a logging world in the rainforests of British Columbia, Simard writes of her own journey of understanding who we are and our place in the world, and how the Mother Tree nurtures the forest in the profound ways that families and human societies do. -- adapted from jacket

At our May 18th book club meeting, we discussed Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley. The group enjoyed this book and felt that it was "less preachy" than Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books (April 2026). Overall, even though some of the same issues were covered, the group liked Pooley's writing better and felt the characters were more relatable. Overall, the book rated very highly.

Our June book is Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See. The meeting is Monday, June 29 at 3pm in the LME Library's large meeting room. The book discussion guide is available online.

Summary: "Sent into an arranged marriage, Tan Yunxian, forbidden to continue her work as a midwife-in-training as well as see her forever friend Meiling, is ordered to act like proper wife and seeks a way to continue treating women and girls from every level of society in fifteenth-century China."

 I almost forgot to post the wrap-up for Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller, so better late than never! We had seven members at our April 27th book group, and most of the group thought the book was funny and topical. The biggest issue for some was that it covered so many issues that it diminished the impact. Also, there were a lot of characters and members had a hard time keeping them straight! Overall though, the book received high ratings.

Our next book club meeting is a week early due to the Memorial Day holiday. The meeting is Monday, May 18th at 3pm at the LME Library. We will be discussing Iona Iverson's Rules for Commuting by Clare Pooley. Books can be picked up at the library desk and the discussion is also available for pickup or here. 

Summary: "Nobody ever talks to strangers on the train. It's a rule. But what would happen if they did? From the New York Times bestselling author of The Authenticity Project, a heartwarming novel about unexpected friendships and the joy of connecting. Every day Iona, a larger-than-life magazine advice columnist, travels the ten stops from Hampton Court to Waterloo Station by train, accompanied by her dog, Lulu. Every day she sees the same people, whom she knows only by nickname: Impossibly-Pretty-Bookworm and Terribly-Lonely-Teenager. Of course, they never speak. Seasoned commuters never do. Then one morning, the man she calls Smart-But-Sexist-Manspreader chokes on a grape right in front of her. He'd have died were it not for the timely intervention of Sanjay, a nurse, who gives him the Heimlich maneuver. This single event starts a chain reaction, and an eclectic group of people with almost nothing in common except their commute discover that a chance encounter can blossom into much more. It turns out that talking to strangers can teach you about the world around you--and even more about yourself."