Our book for November is Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King. Books can be picked up at the library desk or ebooks are available through the library's catalog, RSAcat. Discussion sheets can be picked up with the book are also available online.

Summary of Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers by Maxwell King: "Fred Rogers (1928-2003) was an enormously influential figure in the history of television and in the lives of tens of millions of children. As the creator and star of Mister Rogers' Neighborhood , he was a champion of compassion, equality, and kindness. Rogers was fiercely devoted to children and to taking their fears, concerns, and questions about the world seriously. The Good Neighbor, the first full-length biography of Fred Rogers, tells the story of this utterly unique and enduring American icon. Drawing on original interviews, oral histories, and archival documents, Maxwell King traces Rogers's personal, professional, and artistic life through decades of work, including a surprising decision to walk away from the show to make television for adults, only to return to the neighborhood with increasingly sophisticated episodes, written in collaboration with experts on childhood development."

 

I don't know why I'm always surprised, but the lists of the best books of the year are coming out already. I've compiled some of them and will add more as I see them.

Barnes & Noble Best Books of 2022 - has best books in a variety of categories

NPR's Books We Love 2022

Esquire's Best Books of 2022 (So Far)

Good Housekeeping's 50 Best New Books of 2022

Publisher's Weekly Best Books of 2022 - in a variety of categories

Book Browse's Best Fiction Books for Book Clubs in 2023

Added 11/17/22: Time's 100 Must-Read Books of 2022

I almost forgot to give a wrap-up of September's meeting! We discussed The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel. This was a substitute for Where the Crawdads Sing which still had too many holds to secure enough copies for the group. Everyone attending book group loved The Forest of Vanishing Stars. This is the fourth book in a row to receive excellent ratings!

Our next book club meeting will be Monday, October 31st at 3pm in the library's large meeting room. We will be reading The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict. Copies of the book are available for pickup at the front desk and the discussion sheets are available for pickup or online. At this meeting we will also start picking titles for 2023, so be sure to attend!

Summary of The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict: "December 1926: England unleashes the largest manhunt in its history. The object of the search is not an escaped convict or a war criminal, but the missing wife of a WWI hero, up-and-coming mystery author Agatha Christie. When her car is found wrecked, empty, and abandoned near a natural spring, the country is in a frenzy. Eleven days later, Agatha reappears, claiming amnesia. She provides no answers for her disappearance. That is...until she writes a very strange book about a missing woman, a murderous husband, and a plan to expose the truth. What role did her unfaithful husband play? And what was he not telling investigators? THE MYSTERY OF MRS. CHRISTIE explores one strong woman's successful endeavor to take her history into her own hands."

Due to the large quantity of holds for Where the Crawdads Sing, we will instead be reading Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel for our September 26th book club. Copies of the book are available at the circulation desk starting next week and the discussion guide can be picked up or printed online. 

Summary:
"The New York Times bestselling author of the "heart-stopping tale of survival and heroism" (People) The Book of Lost Names returns with an evocative coming-of-age World War II story about a young woman who uses her knowledge of the wilderness to help Jewish refugees escape the Nazis-until a secret from her past threatens everything."

 At our July 25th meeting, we discussed Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick. Everyone loved this book--it really was charming and enjoyable! The stories behind the charms were engaging and we loved how Arthur's world expanded as he interacted with the other characters. We highly recommend this book!

 Our next meeting will be August 29th at 3pm in the library's small meeting room. We will be reading Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes.  Copies of the book are available for pickup at the library's circulation desk. The discussion sheet is also available at the desk or online. All are welcome!

Summary:
"Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt's new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically. The leader, and soon Alice's greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who's never asked a man's permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Horseback Librarians of Kentucky. What happens to them--and to the men they love--becomes a classic drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. Though they face all kinds of dangers, they're committed to their job--bringing books to people who have never had any, sharing the gift of learning that will change their lives."