YPL Book Group, led by Leslie Altman, meets the 3rd Thursday of the month at 2 PM. Newcomers always  welcome. Meets in the Simpkins Reading Room.

August: Thursday,
     August 20th at 2 PM

Midwinter Break
     by Bernard MacLaverty

With Midwinter Break, a moving portrait of retired couple Gerry and Stella Gilmore’s marriage in crisis, Bernard MacLaverty reminds us why he is regarded as one of the greatest living Irish writers. Through accurate, compassionate observation and effortlessly elegant writing, MacLaverty reveals the long-unspoken insecurities that exist between Gerry and Stella over their four-day holiday in Amsterdam, crafting a profound examination of human love.

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FYI: Past YPL
Book Group picks include:

July: The Summer Friend
     by Charles McGrath

June: The Innermost House   
     by Cynthia Blakeley

May:  Spoon River Anthology
    by Edgar Lee Masters

April: A Woman of No Importance     
    by Sonia Purnell

March: The Wedding People
     by Alison Espach

February: Clear
     by Carys Davies

January: How to Read a Book               
    by Monica Wood

November: Isola
     by Allegra Goodman

October: Orbital
     by Samantha Harvey

September: The Great Gatsby
     by F. Scott Fitzgerald

August: H is for Hawk
    by Helen Macdonald
or
Raising Hare
    by Chloe Dalton
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Looking Ahead
YPL Book Group

September: Thursday,
     September 17th at 2 PM

The House of Mirth
     by Edith Wharton

The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton is a classic novel set in New York City at the start of the 20th century. It chronicles the life of Lily Bart, a young woman of high society who finds herself in a precarious position between the traditional expectations of her class and the modern freedoms of a new age. Through complex characters and captivating events, The House of Mirth explores the social and moral consequences of ambition, as Lily must decide between love, money, and her own sense of self-worth.

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October: Thursday, October 15th at 2 PM

My Father's House
   by Joseph O'Connor

September 1943: German forces have Rome under their control. SS Commander Paul Hauptmann rules over the Eternal City with vicious efficiency. The war’s outcome is far from certain. Diplomats, refugees, Jews, and escaped Allied prisoners flee for protection into Vatican City, a neutral, independent state nestled in the city of Rome. A small band of unlikely friends led by a courageous Irish priest is drawn into deadly battle of wits with Hauptmann and his soldiers.

Suspenseful, beautifully written, and inspired by a true story, My Father’s House tells an unforgettable story of love, faith, sacrifice, and courage.

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November: The Friend
    by Sigrid Nuñez

January: When the Jessamine Grows
     by Donna Everhart
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Looking Ahead
Neighborhood Book Group

Details to come.
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Neighborhood Book Group, led by Rick Woods, meets the 2nd Thursday of the month at 4 PM. Meets in the Gale Room.

August: Thursday,
     August 13th at 4 PM

Benjamin Franklin:
   An American Life    
       by Walter Isaacson
(and/or the Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin)


In this colorful and intimate narrative, Isaacson provides the full sweep of Franklin’s amazing life, showing how he helped to forge the American national identity and why he has a particular resonance in the twenty-first century.

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FYI: Past Neighborhood Book Group picks include:

July: The Perks of Being A
   Wall Flower
     by Stephen Chbosky

June: The Catcher in the Rye
     by J.D. Salinger

May: James 
     by Percival Everett

April: Tell Me Everything
     by Elizabeth Strout

March: 84, Charing Cross Road
     by Helene Hanff 

February:1929
     by Andrew Ross Sorkin

December & January:
The  Correspondent
    by Virginia Evans

November: Still Life
    by Sarah Winman

October: At Home
     by Bill Bryson

September: Everything is Tuberculosis
     by John Green
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