Discussion Groups
Fiction Book Discussion Group
The Fiction Book Discussion Group meets one evening
each month from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. Books are made available
a month before the discussion. Please email or
call the Readers’ Advisory Desk at (630) 960–1200.
There is no Fiction Book Discussion Group in January.
February 2
The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins
A gorgeous, rare yellow diamond with a murderous history is at the heart of this sinister mystery thriller. Stolen from India by a British officer in 1799, the diamond eventually is bequeathed to young Rachel Verinder as an eighteenth birthday present. When the diamond is taken the very same evening, a frantic manhunt ensues, with members of the British Imperial Guard facing off against three Brahmin “guardians of the diamond” who are determined to return the gem to its rightful owner.
March 1
While I’m Falling by Laura Moriarty
Divorce leaves forty-nine-year-old Natalie Von Holten at loose ends scrutinizing her life choices and struggling to maintain two part-time jobs. Daughter Veronica—wrestling with the academic and social maelstrom of college life—reaches out to her mother after some reckless choices land her in a tough spot allowing both women to overcome a difficult passage.
April 5
The Paris Wife by Paula McLain
In 1920, quiet Hadley Richardson meets dashing Ernest Hemingway at a party in Chicago, and both fall deeply in love. After marrying, moving to Paris, and jumping into the hard-drinking, fast-moving expatriate lifestyle, Hemingway pursues literary stardom; and Hadley shows strength and poise amidst the challenges of life in another country with little money.
May 3
The Leftovers by Tom Perrotta
What would happen in your community if the Rapture really happened and a number of people simply disappeared? Perrotta’s novel examines the lives of the remaining residents of the fictional suburban town of Mapleton after the “departure” and the drastic changes they make in their lives trying to understand what happened.
June 7
Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
Two women living in Lyme Regis, England, in the early 1800s forge an unlikely friendship over a shared interest in fossils, challenging social conventions, and making important scientific discoveries along the way.
Nonfiction Book Discussion Series
The Nonfiction Book Discussion Series meets one evening
each month from 7:30 to 9:00 p.m. Books are made available
a month before the discussion. Please email or
call the Reference Desk at (630) 960–1200 for more information.
There is no Nonfiction Book Discussion Group in January.
February 6
When Everything Changed: The Amazing Journey of American Women from 1960 to the Present by Gail Collins
Beginning and ending with a revelatory story about women wearing slacks, Collins follows the lives of over 100 women during a time of great social change. She examines the sexism that was once considered the norm and monitors the personalities, confrontations and halting progress of the women’s rights movement. With a keen eye and telling anecdotes, she paints a vivid picture of the times and the cultural milieu. “An enormously entertaining cultural and social history.”
March 5
Unbroken: A World War II Story of Survival, Resilience, and Redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
Louis Zamperini was a young man training for the 1940 Olympics when the games were cancelled due to the outbreak of World War II. Unbroken charts his alternate fate as an Army Corps bombardier who spent 47 days afloat encircled by sharks after his B-24 crashed into the Pacific. Even more astounding is the chronicle of his survival as a POW in the Japanese “theater of cruelty.” Still active at 94, Zamperini epitomizes the generation that refused to be broken.
April 2
Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua
Chua, a Yale Law School professor, has created a stir with her critique of Western parents as being too permissive and eager to praise mediocrity. Yet she has been criticized for her Chinese style of parenting which some feel bor-ders on abuse. Chua’s daughters, Sophia and Lulu, are undeniably accomplished, but at what emotional cost? Should self-esteem come before accomplishment, or accomplishment before self-esteem? Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother is an entertaining read, so be prepared for a lively discussion.
May 7
Griftopia: Bubble Machines, Vampire Squids, and the Long Con That Is Breaking America by Matt Taibbi
Rolling Stone contributing editor Taibbi delivers a blistering examination of the ongoing financial and political crisis in America today. At the heart of it, he says, is the grifter class, the big players in the financial industry and the politicians who do their bidding. Finding fault with both the political right and the left, Taibbi’s reporting leaves the reader’s jaw dropping in disbelief at the extent of the scams that have fueled America’s economic meltdown.
June 4
Just Kids by Patti Smith
This National Book Award-winning autobiography by rock ’n’ roll high priestess Patti Smith describes her growth as an artist at the end of the 60s and her ascension to stardom in New York during the 70s. As a freshly transplanted college dropout from New Jersey, Smith befriended photographer Robert Mapplethorpe, and together they looked for a hot meal, a place to lay their heads, and nurturing environments for artists, as they meandered about places like Max’s Kansas City, the Strand bookstore, and the hotel lobby of the Chelsea where they met friends Janis Joplin, Sam Shepard, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs.
Area Book Discussion Groups
If you can't make our discussions, other area libraries sponsor book discussion groups that might be of interest.
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