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 Ask Us Desk at (630) 960–1200.
May 9
Juliet in August by Dianne Warren
First-time novelist Dianne Warren establishes this contemporary story in Juliet, a town on the remote desert plains of Saskatchewan, Canada. Unspooling from multiple points of view, readers are privy to the lives of Juliet’s disparate citizenry that includes a struggling farmer, a bank president, his wife, and wayward teenage daughter, along with an orphaned farmer, now heir to a vast acreage and, finally, the owner of Juliet’s local diner. Anchored by a strong sense of place, readers witness the interplay between protagonists over one twenty-four hour period in this cleverly plotted work of literary fiction.
June 6
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman
The harsh and untamed island outpost of Janus Rock serves as a fitting backdrop to introduce this story of isolation and loss by first time novelist M.L. Stedman. Thomas Sherbourne has been shattered by his experience on the front lines during World War I and seeks peace and solace tending a light house on an extremely remote island off the coast of Western Australia. When a small boat washes ashore carrying a living infant alongside her dead father, Thomas and his wife Isabel see it as a miracle—the child a gift from God. Isabel has just given birth to a stillborn child. Grieving for her own infant and longing for motherhood, she and Thomas decide to raise the child as their own. When they return to the mainland after two years, events unfold that lead to a moral dilemma.
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 Ask Us Desk at (630) 960–1200 for more information.
May 6
American Nations: A History of the Eleven Rival Regional Cultures of North America by Colin Woodard
One would think that over the centuries, assimi-lation and internal migration would have worn down the barriers dividing Americans. But according to Woodard, these barriers are rooted deep in our past when 11 distinct “nations” were established by early settlers, each with their own territory, culture, and governing philosophy. Using this theory, he tries to explain why certain states vote along party lines, why some regions are passionately religious, and much more. This engaging read is sure to be a conversation starter.
June 3
The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder by Daniel Stashower
In this true crime tale of 1841 Manhattan, twenty-year-old cigar girl Mary Rogers was found brutally murdered and the incompetent NYPD could not seem to solve the crime. The ensuing public outrage and bungled investigation led famed writer Edgar Allan Poe to put the detective from his fiction magazine serial, C. Auguste Dupin, on the case. The Edgar Award-winning Stashower interweaves the biographies of both Rogers and Poe with an intriguing look at the birth of the modern detective story.
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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