At our March 28th meeting, we discussed A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler. We had a lively discussion, but many members did not like the book because it was so sad. And Brad. We couldn't think of anything good about Brad. For me, it had a lot of the same vibe as the movie, Do the Right Thing.

Our next book group will be Monday April 25th at 3pm at the LME Library. You can pick up the book, The Library Book by Susan Orlean at the front desk. The discussion sheets are also available for pickup or can be viewed online. 

Summary: "Orlean chronicles the LAPL fire and its aftermath to showcase the larger, crucial role that libraries play in our lives; delves into the evolution of libraries across the country and around the world, from their humble beginnings as a metropolitan charitable initiative to their current status as a cornerstone of national identity; brings each department of the library to vivid life through on-the-ground reporting; studies arson attempts to burn a copy of a book herself; reflects on her own experiences in libraries; and reexamines the case of Harry Peak, the blond-haired actor long suspected of setting fire to the LAPL more than thirty years ago."

Oops--I forgot to post to the blog last month about Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett! There was a lot to talk about including generational differences, mother-daughter relationships, twins, choices/consequences, inherent trauma, racism and white privilege. It was a great discussion! Overall, the group felt it was very readable, and would recommend the book to others.

The book for March 28th was A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler. The discussion sheet is available here.

Summary:
"A gripping contemporary novel that examines the American dream through the lens of two families living side by side in an idyllic neighborhood, and the one summer that changes their lives irrevocably"

Our last book club meeting was March 31 when we discussed Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler.   For refreshments we had ginger ale, mini chocolate croissants, berries and crostini.

Our next book will meet April 28th at 3pm in the Turner Room.  Our book is Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout. Discussion sheets are available in the library and online.  Please join us!

Our book group meet on 2/24 and discussed Drop Dead Healthy by A.J. Jacobs.  We had healthy snacks and everyone enjoyed the book.

Our next read is Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler.  Discussion sheets are available in the library.  The online sheet will be available shortly.  We'll meet on March 31 at 3pm in the Turner Room.  

Wondering how we pick the books for bookgroup?  Well, it's a group effort!  Beth pulls together potential titles throughout the year from reading lists and suggestions from the group.  Since we have several members who prefer large print or audio, she then checks to make sure that the title is available in these formats.  If a title does not have multiple formats, we don't use it for bookgroup.

In October, the list is complete and sheets are made up with all the potential titles.  We review half the books at the October bookgroup meeting and vote on our favorites. The other half is reviewed the same way in November.

So far, we've looked at some fiction titles.  Next month, we will review the rest of the fiction and choose the non-fiction.  Do we have any titles chosen yet?  You bet!  We still need to choose at least 4 more fiction titles and 3 non-fiction books but here are 5 fiction books we will be reading next year:

• Home Front by Kristin Hannah
• Someone: A Novel by Alice McDermott
• The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
• Where We Belong by Emily Giffin
• Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler

Once we have all the books chosen, we'll post them to this blog.  Watch for the list in early December and don't forget to talk about a good book!