BIAGB Book Club
Bring your lunch and your love of reading to this midday book club. Each month, we discuss a different book in a welcoming and relaxed environment. From bestselling fiction to compelling non-fiction, there’s always something new to explore. For a complete list of the books we've read, click here.
For more information, please contact: reference@chathamlib.org
When: Third Wednesday of each month at 12:00 PM
Where: Library Conference Room
June 17
The Second Life of Mirielle West by Amanda Skenandore
Mirielle, the wife of a silent film star, is diagnosed with leprosy and sent to Carville, a place that is both a hospital and a prison where patients are stripped of their rights. She must adapt to a new life, taking a new name and finding a new identity.
July 15
How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History of Slavery Across America by Clint Smith
A contemporary portrait of America as a slave-owning nation. Beginning in his own hometown of New Orleans, the author leads the reader through an unforgettable tour of monuments and landmarks - those that are honest about the past and those that are not - that offer an intergenerational story of how slavery has been central in shaping our nations collective history, and ourselves.
August 19
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
A dual-timeline novel inspired by the true story of the American Library in Paris during WWII, following a young librarian, Odile, who joins the Resistance with books, and a lonely teenager, Lily, in 1983 Montana, who uncovers Odile's secrets, exploring themes of friendship, heroism, and the power of literature. The book connects the two women through a shared love of books and a dark secret from the war, making it a "love letter to Paris, the power of books, and the beauty of intergenerational friendship."
Hooked On Books
Whether you’re into contemporary fiction, historical drama, or page-turning mysteries, Hooked on Books is perfect for readers who enjoy a wide variety of genres. Join us for lively evening discussions that dive deep into each month’s featured title. For a complete list of the books we've read, click here.
For more information, please contact: reference@chathamlib.org
When: Second Wednesday of each month at 6:00 PM
Where: Library Conference Room
June 10
Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain
After losing her parents, teenager Ivy struggles to care for her aging grandmother, mentally ill older sister and nephew, and her own epilepsy on a tenant tobacco farm. When Jane Forrester becomes the new county social worker, she doesn't realize just how much about the dark secrets that are going on behind the scenes.
July 8
The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry
In 1939 London, 14-year-old Hazel and her sister Flora are evacuated to a small village to escape the war. Living in a small village. Hazel and Flora create a magical land they can escape to. But one day, Flora disappears while playing near a river, shattering Hazel, who blames herself. 20 years latter, Hazel receives a strange wrapped book that contains all of the adventures that she and her sister shared. Adventures that she never told anyone
August 12
Circling the Sun by Paula McLain
Abandoned by her mother, Beryl Markham is raised by her father and the Kipsigis tribe in Kenya. Her unconventional upbringing transforms Beryl into a bold young woman with a love of all things wild. But even the wild child must grow up, and everything Beryl knows and trusts dissolves. Beryl forges her own path as a horse trainer, and her uncommon style attracts the eye of the Denys Finch Hatton. The intensity of their love reveals Beryl’s truest self and her fate: to fly.
Outer Edge
Explore new worlds and daring adventures with Outer Edge, our book club dedicated to science fiction, fantasy, and horror lovers. From epic space operas to magical realms, we celebrate the imagination in every form. For a complete list of the books we've read, click here.
For more information, please contact: kclardy@chathamlib.org.
When: Third Thursday of each month at 6:00 PM
Where: Library Galleries B&C
June 18
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time. The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success - not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.
July 16
Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix
There's power in a book...They call them wayward girls. Loose girls. Girls who grew up too fast. And they're sent to the Wellwood Home in St. Augustine, Florida, where unwed mothers are hidden by their families to have their babies in secret, give them up for adoption, and most important of all, to forget any of it ever happened.
August 20
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization's collapse - the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.