Our book club met on Monday, January 26th and discussed Anxious People by Fredrik Backman. The discussion sheet is here. 

Even though everything was a bit confusing at first, we felt the author deliberately used this as a storytelling device. Most members laughed out loud at times and some shed happy tears at the ending. Overall, it was favorably rated even though it felt foreign at times. (Understandably, since this is a Swedish author whose works are translated.)

Book Summary for James: "From Percival Everett-a recipient of the NBCC Lifetime Achievement Award and finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, Booker Prize, and numerous PEN awards-comes James, a retelling of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim's point of view. When the enslaved Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he decides to hide on nearby Jackson Island until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck Finn has faked his own death to escape his violent father, recently returned to town. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and too-often-unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. While many narrative set pieces of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn remain in place (floods and storms, stumbling across both unexpected death and unexpected treasure in the myriad stopping points along the river's banks, encountering the scam artists posing as the Duke and Dauphin...), Jim's agency, intelligence and compassion are shown in a radically new light. Brimming with the electrifying humor and lacerating observations that have made Everett a "cult literary icon" (Oprah Daily), and one of the most decorated writers of our lifetime, James is destined to be a major publishing event and a cornerstone of twenty-first century American literature"--

At our December 8th book club meeting, we discussed our favorite books from 2025, and I shared our 2026 picks. For 2025, our fiction favorites were: The Frozen River, The Berry Pickers, and The Maid. For non-fiction, we enjoyed What the Bears Know and The Art Thief. 

All our past and present titles (all 23 years!) can be found on this MASTER LIST.

“Talk About a Good Book” Book Club Discussion Group

Usually meets last Monday of the month at 3 pm

 2026 (Our 23^rd year)