February -- Spoiled Brats, by Simon Rich

Here's a collection of short stories to read.  Enjoy!

Linda's pick for January

WONDER

by

R.J. Palacio

August Pullman is a 10-year-old boy who likes Star Wars and Xbox, ordinary except for his jarring facial anomalies. Homeschooled all his life, August heads to public school for fifth grade and he is not the only one changed by the experience--something we learn about first-hand through the narratives of those who orbit his world. August’s internal dialogue and interactions with students and family ring true, and though remarkably courageous he comes across as a sweet, funny boy who wants the same things others want: friendship, understanding, and the freedom to be himself.

Happy Reading Friends!!!

Athena's Pick for December: A Man Called Ove

NPR Bestseller
Boston Globe Bestseller

In this “charming debut” (People) from one of Sweden’s most successful authors, a grumpy yet lovable man finds his solitary world turned on its head when a boisterous young family moves in next door.

Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon—the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

A feel-good story in the spirit of The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, Fredrik Backman’s novel about the angry old man next door is a thoughtful exploration of the profound impact one life has on countless others. “If there was an award for ‘Most Charming Book of the Year,’ this first novel by a Swedish blogger-turned-overnight-sensation would win hands down” (Booklist, starred review).

ANNE'S BOOK FOR NOVEMBER

Award-winning journalist Barbara Demick follows the lives of six North Korean citizens over fifteen years—a chaotic period that saw the death of Kim Il-sung, the rise to power of his son Kim Jong-il, and a devastating famine that killed one-fifth of the population. Demick brings to life what it means to be living under the most repressive totalitarian regime today—an Orwellian world that is by choice not connected to the Internet, where displays of affection are punished, informants are rewarded, and an offhand remark can send a person to the gulag for life. Demick takes us deep inside the country, beyond the reach of government censors, and through meticulous and sensitive reporting we see her subjects fall in love, raise families, nurture ambitions, and struggle for survival. One by one, we witness their profound, life-altering disillusionment with the government and their realization that, rather than providing them with lives of abundance, their country has betrayed them.

Annell's Pick for October

The Halloween Tree

by Ray Bradbury

ON HALLOWEEN NIGHT, eight trick-or-treaters gather at the haunted house by the edge of town, ready for adventure. But when Something whisks their friend Pip away, only one man, the sinister Carapace Clavicle Moundshroud, can help the boys find him.

Lauri's Pick for September:

Baba's Daughter: Memoirs of a Persian-American Girl 

by Jessica Shahriari Nicely

 

When Jessica Shahriari Nicely stepped onstage in the Miss USA pageant, she was a young woman who projected poise and confidence to the world. This image, however, masked the pain and anguish of growing up in a turbulent home ruled by an alcoholic, abusive father. Even early on, Jessica knew that life with her Iranian father was not typical, nor was it normal for a mother to abandon her family. And yet normalcy was something this girl yearned for, something that spurred her to dream and create a detailed vision for her future—a vision that became her lifeline.
In these pages, Jessica bravely tells her story. She recounts a childhood marked by loss and punctuated by physical violence, emotional abuse, and shocking neglect. She describes letdowns from helping professionals and rays of hope from extended family members and friends. You’ll learn how she developed the fortitude and incredible spirit to not only endure incredible suffering in her home but to emerge a happy, productive adult.

Pam's book for August

Traveling with Pomegranates
Sue Monk Kidd has touched the hearts of millions of readers with her beloved novels and acclaimed nonfiction. Now, in this wise and engrossing dual memoir, she and her daughter, Ann, chronicle their travels together through Greece and France at a time when each was on a quest to redefine herself and rediscover each other.

As Sue struggles to enlarge a vision of swarming bees into a novel, and Ann ponders the classic question of what to do with her life, this modern-day Demeter and Persephone explore an array of inspiring figures and sacred sites. They also give voice to that most protean of human connections: the bond of mothers and daughters.