March 2025 - Only The Beautiful

Sarah Aina has picked the book, Only the Beautiful by Susan Meissner for our March book club discussion. 

Here's some information about the book:

California, 1938—When she loses her parents in an accident, sixteen-year-old Rosanne is taken in by the owners of the vineyard where she has lived her whole life as the vinedresser’s daughter. She moves into Celine and Truman Calvert’s spacious house with a secret, however—Rosie sees colors when she hears sound. She promised her mother she’d never reveal her little-understood ability to anyone, but the weight of her isolation and grief prove too much for her. Driven by her loneliness she not only breaks the vow to her mother, but in a desperate moment lets down her guard and ends up pregnant. Banished by the Calverts, Rosanne believes she is bound for a home for unwed mothers. But she soon finds out she is not going to a home of any kind, but to a place that seeks to forcibly take her baby – and the chance for any future babies – from her.

Austria, 1947—After witnessing firsthand Adolf Hitler’s brutal pursuit of hereditary purity—especially with regard to “different children”—Helen Calvert, Truman’s sister, is ready to return to America for good. But when she arrives at her brother’s peaceful vineyard after decades working abroad, she is shocked to learn what really happened nine years earlier to the vinedresser’s daughter, a girl whom Helen had long ago befriended. In her determination to find Rosanne, Helen discovers a shocking American eugenics program—and learns that that while the war had been won in Europe, there are still terrifying battles to be fought at home.

We will meet on Tuesday March 18, at 7:30 at Debby's house for our discussion. Happy Reading!

Date Change For Book Club

We are pushing our February book club a week later than normal. Book club will meet on Tuesday February 25, at 7:30 at Debby's house. Hope to see you there. 

Looking forward to a great discussion about The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods. 

February 2025 - The Lost Bookshop

Jess has chosen The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods as our book for February. We will meet at 7:30pm at Debby's house on February 18 to discuss the book. Hope to see you there!

Here is some information about the book: 

‘The thing about books,’ she said ‘is that they help you to imagine a life bigger and better than you could ever dream of.’

On a quiet street in Dublin, a lost bookshop is waiting to be found…

For too long, Opaline, Martha and Henry have been the side characters in their own lives. But when a vanishing bookshop casts its spell, these three unsuspecting strangers will discover that their own stories are every bit as extraordinary as the ones found in the pages of their beloved books. And by unlocking the secrets of the shelves, they find themselves transported to a world of wonder… where nothing is as it seems.

Happy Reading!

Book Exchange

Here are the books that were given at our book exchange this year. I've got some new titles to add to my "To Read" list. Which one would you like to read? 

 

January 2025

Amy has picked A Painted House by John Grisham for our book for January. We will meet on Tuesday January 21, 2025 at 7:30 at Debby's house to discuss the book. 

Here is some information about the book: 

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Until that September of 1952, Luke Chandler had never kept a secret or told a single lie. But in the long, hot summer of his seventh year, two groups of migrant workers — and two very dangerous men — came through the Arkansas Delta to work the Chandler cotton farm. And suddenly mysteries are flooding Luke’s world.

A brutal murder leaves the town seething in gossip and suspicion. A beautiful young woman ignites forbidden passions. A fatherless baby is born ... and someone has begun furtively painting the bare clapboards of the Chandler farmhouse, slowly, painstakingly, bathing the run-down structure in gleaming white. And as young Luke watches the world around him, he unravels secrets that could shatter lives — and change his family and his town forever....

Happy reading, hope to see you there. 

November - Little Women

Sarah Cox has picked Little Women by Louisa May Alcott for our book for November. We will meet at 7:30 pm on Tuesday November 19th at Debby's house. Hope to see you there.

Here is some information about the book: 

Wealth is certainly a most desirable thing, but poverty has its sunny side . . .”  It’s Christmas time . . .   The March family has fallen on bad times after the father lost their money. The four March sisters—the nearly perfect ‘little woman’ Meg, the tomboyish Jo, the shy but wise Beth, and the artist of the family Amy—are planning to brighten up their Christmas by buying presents while their father is away, fighting the Civil War.  Featuring suspense, humour, and engaging characters, Alcott’s Little Women explores their lives as they make their way into adulthood. What becomes of the sisters as they fight the dangers of gender stereotyping while being torn between familial duties and personal growth?   This classic collectable is a must-read for all!   • This delightfully surprising yarn of family life is encased in this beautiful edition   • This timeless story comprises memorable and relatable characters that will keep the readers hooked  • The varied themes and thought-provoking ideas will take the reader on an incredible journey.

October: The Phantom of the Opera

Melissa has picked The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux for our book for October. A Kindle copy is on sale now for 99 cents. It is also available on Audible, as an ebook on Hoopla, and an audiobook on Libby. 

This story is about a Parisian opera house that is haunted by a mysterious and alluring phantom.