The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

The Scarlet Pimpernel

by Baroness Emmuska Orczy

The Library Book Club meeting for this book was held February 21, 2019, at 6:30 pm in the entry foyer.

This book was our chosen community reads book for the 2019 On the Same Page.  Free copies were available at the library until supplies ran out.

Armed with only his wits and his cunning, one man recklessly defies the French revolutionaries and rescues scores of innocent men, women, and children from the deadly guillotine. His friends and foes know him only as the Scarlet Pimpernel. But the ruthless French agent Chauvelin is sworn to discover his identity and to hunt him down.

book 1 in The Scarlet Pimpernel series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Vivian rated it ★★★★ and said “I was surprised the book deviates quite a lot from the movie (or is it the other way around – hah!)? I can see how these Pimpernel stories became runaway best-sellers and could easily become addicting!

Cathy rated it ★★★★.

Silas Marner by George Eliot

Silas Marner by George Eliot

Silas Marner

by George Eliot

The Library Book Club meeting for this book was held September 20, 2018, at 6:30 in the entry foyer.

A limited number of book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

Embittered by a false accusation, disappointed in friendship and love, the weaver Silas Marner retreats into a long twilight life alone with his loom. . . and his gold. Silas hoards a treasure that kills his spirit until fate steals it from him and replaces it with a golden-haired founding child. Where she came from, who her parents were, and who really stole the gold are the secrets that permeate this moving tale of guilt and innocence. A moral allegory of the redemptive power of love, it is also a finely drawn picture of early nineteenth-century England in the days when spinning wheels hummed busily in the farmhouses, and of a simple way of life that was soon to disappear.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Vivian rated it ★★★★.

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies by William Golding

Lord of the Flies

by William Golding

The Library Book Club meeting for this book was on July 19, 2018, at 6:30 in the entry foyer.

A limited number of book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

When a plane crashes on a remote island, a small group of schoolboys are the sole survivors. From the prophetic Simon and virtuous Ralph to the lovable Piggy and brutish Jack, each of the boys attempts to establish control as the reality – and brutal savagery – of their situation sets in.

The boys’ struggle to find a way of existing in a community with no fixed boundaries invites readers to evaluate the concepts involved in social and political constructs and moral frameworks. Ideas of community, leadership, and the rule of law are called into question as the reader has to consider who has a right to power, why, and what the consequences of the acquisition of power may be. Often compared to Catcher in the RyeLord of the Flies also represents a coming-of-age story of innocence lost.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Bekka rated it ★★★★★.

Miranda rated it ★★★ and said “I had a hard time connecting with this one. It just seemed really emotionally flat to me.”

Patty rated it ★★★.

Land of Little Rain by Mary Austin

Land of Little Rain by Mary Austin

Land of Little Rain

by Mary Austin

The Library Book Club meeting for this book was on June 14. 2018, at 6:30 in the entry foyer.

A limited number of book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

A stirring tribute to the unique beauty of the American Southwest

In the region stretching from the High Sierras south of Yosemite to the Mojave Desert, water is scarce and empty riverbeds hint at a lush landscape that has long since vanished. But the desert is far from lifeless. For those who know where to look, the “land of little rain” is awash in wonders.

In this exquisite meditation on the people, flora, and fauna of the American desert, Mary Austin introduces readers to the secret treasures of the landscape she loved above all others. Her lyrical essays profoundly influenced the work of nature writers and conservationists, among them Edward Abbey and Terry Tempest Williams, and have inspired generations of readers to visit some of the country’s most stunning national parks, including Death Valley and Joshua Tree.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Cathy rated it ★★★.

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

The Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder

by Joanne Fluke

The Library Book Club meeting for this book was held November 15, 2018, at 6:30 in the entry foyer.

A limited number of book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

Hannah Swensen already has her hands full, between dodging her mother’s attempts to marry her off, and running Lake Eden, Minnesota’s most popular bakery, The Cookie Jar. But when the Cozy Cow Dairy’s beloved deliveryman is found murdered behind Hannah’s bakery with her famous Chocolate Chip Crunchies scattered around him, Hannah sets out to track down a killer. The more Hannah snoops, the more suspects turn up. This is one murder that’s starting to leave a very bad taste in Hannah’s mouth, and if she doesn’t watch her back, her sweet life may get burned to a crisp.

book 1 in the Hannah Swensen series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Miranda rated it ★★★★.

Cathy rated it ★★★.

The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir

The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir

The Princes in the Tower

by Alison Weir

The Library Book Club meeting for this book was on May 17, 2018, at 6:30 in the entry foyer.

A limited number of book club reading copies were available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

Despite five centuries of investigation by historians, the sinister deaths of the boy king Edward V and his younger brother Richard, Duke of York, remain two of the most fascinating murder mysteries in English history. Did Richard III really kill “the Princes in the Tower,” as is commonly believed, or was the murderer someone else entirely?

Carefully examining every shred of contemporary evidence as well as dozens of modern accounts, Alison Weir reconstructs the entire chain of events leading to the double murder. We are witnesses to the rivalry, ambition, intrigue, and struggle for power that culminated in the imprisonment of the princes and the hushed-up murders that secured Richard’s claim to the throne as Richard III.

A masterpiece of historical research and a riveting story of conspiracy and deception, The Princes in the Tower at last provides a solution to this age-old puzzle.

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Amim

The Enchanted April by Elizabeth Von Amim

The Enchanted April

by Elizabeth Von Amim

The Library Book Club meeting for this book will be April 19, 2018, at 6:30 in the entry foyer.

A limited number of book club reading copies will be available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

A recipe for happiness: four women, one medieval Italian castle, plenty of wisteria, and solitude as needed.

The women at the center of The Enchanted April are alike only in their dissatisfaction with their everyday lives. They find each other—and the castle of their dreams—through a classified ad in a London newspaper one rainy February afternoon. The ladies expect a pleasant holiday, but they don’t anticipate that the month they spend in Portofino will reintroduce them to their true natures and reacquaint them with joy. Now, if the same transformation can be worked on their husbands and lovers, the enchantment will be complete.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Patty rated it ★★★.

The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin

The Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin

The Janissary Tree

by Jason Goodwin

The Library Book Club meeting for this book will be March 8, 2018, at 6:30 in the entry foyer.

A limited number of book club reading copies will be available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.

The year is 1836. Europe is modernizing, and the sultan of the Ottoman Empire feels he has no choice but to follow suit. But just as he’s poised to announce sweeping political change, a wave of murders threatens the fragile balance of power in his court. Who is behind the killings?

Deep in the Abode of Felicity, the most forbidden district of Topkapi Palace, the sultan – ruler of the Black Sea and the White, ruler of Rumelia and Mingrelia, lord of Anatolia and Ionia, Romania and Macedonia, Protector of the Holy Cities, steely rider through the realms of bliss – announces, “Send for Yashim.” Leading us through the palace’s luxurious seraglios and Istanbul’s teeming streets, Yashim places together the clues.

He is not alone. He depends on the wisdom of a dyspeptic Polish ambassador, a transsexual dancer, and the Creole-born queen mother. He manages to find sweet salvation in the arms of another man’s wife (this is not your everyday eunuch!). And he introduces us to the Janissaries.

For four hundred years, they were the empire’s elite soldiers. But they grew too powerful, and ten years earlier the sultan had them crushed. Are the Janissaries staging a brutal comeback? And if they are, how can they be stopped without throwing Istanbul into political chaos?

book 1 in the Yashim the Eunuch series

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Bekka rated it ★★★★ and said “This took me a little while to get into it, but I ended up liking it quite a bit. The mystery was well done, and the exotic locale is quite fun.”

Cathy rated it ★★★★.

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

Just So Stories by Rudyard Kipling

Just So Stories

by Rudyard Kipling

The Library Book Club meeting for this book was on February 15, 2018, at 6:30 in the entry foyer.

This book was our chosen community reads book for the 2018 On the Same Page.  Free copies were available at the library until supplies ran out.

One of the world’s greatest storytellers weaves together an unforgettable collection of animal tales, including how the camel got its hump, how the leopard got its spots, and how even a butterfly stamping his leg can change a man’s life.

Initially written for his own “best beloved,” Just So Stories was published in 1902. It has been a favorite for the past century and is certain to be cherished by generations to come.

Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians

Vivian rated it ★★★★★ and said “Imagine wondering what the crocodile has for dinner and being rewarded for your curiosity with a new, more versatile nose.

“This is just one of the many ingenious stories crafted by Kipling to explain why and how about animals humps, lumps, and so forth. He earns 5 stars for his inventive words, use of language, and imagination. I loved hearing these stories read to me when I was young. I now love sharing them with school classes and other story sharing events.”

Cathy rated it ★★★★.

Patty rated it ★★★.

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