At our August 25th book group, we discussed Someone by Alice McDermott.  Although everyone understood the writing style chosen by the author, most felt it was distracting and made the reader less inclined to connect with the characters.  For treats we had Beth's favorite pasta salad, tomato/pepper/onion salad, and veggies with dip.  

In September, we will be reading Wild: From lost to found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed.  We will meet at 3pm in the Turner Room on September 29th.  Discussion sheets are available in the library or online. In addition, the book can be discussed in the online book forum for LME Library on GoodReads.
Summary: In the wake of her mother's death, Cheryl Strayed's family scattered and her marriage was destroyed. Four years later, twenty-six years old with nothing to lose, Cheryl made the decision to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert to Washington State - alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker and the trail was little more than an idea. But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone.

Our July 28th meeting for Donna VanLiere's Good Dream had 6 in attendance.  All liked the book and we had dream bars (modified with oatmeal instead of coconut) and watermelon.

Next meeting is Monday, August 25th at 3pm in the Turner Room.  We are reading Someone by Alice McDermott.  Summary: "The story of a Brooklyn-born woman's life - her family, her neighborhood, her daily trials and triumphs - from childhood to old age"--Provided by the publisher.

Discussion sheets are available in the library or online.  In addition, the book can be discussed in the online book forum for LME Library on GoodReads.

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!