Book Clubs

Curious to see what the current book club suggestion is? December's Book Club from Great Falls is "The Dutch House" by Ann Pratchett. Summary: "Do you think it's possible to ever see the past as it actually was?" I asked my sister. We were sitting in her car, parked in front of the Dutch House, in the broad daylight of early summer. At the end of the Second World War, Cyril Conroy combines luck and a single canny investment to build an immense real estate empire, propelling his family from poverty to enormous wealth. His first order of business is to buy the Dutch House, a lavish estate in the suburbs of Philadelphia. Meant as a surprise for his wife, the house sets in motion the undoing of everyone he loves. The story is told by Cyril’s son, Danny, as he and his older sister, the brilliantly acerbic and self-assured Maeve, are exiled by their stepmother from the house where they grew up. The two wealthy siblings are thrown back into the poverty their parents had escaped from and find that all they have to count on is each other. It is this unshakeable bond that both saves their lives and thwarts their futures. Set over the course of five decades, The Dutch House is a dark fairy tale about two smart people who cannot overcome their past. Despite every outward sign of success, Danny and Maeve are only truly comfortable when they’re together. Throughout their lives they return to the well-worn narrative of what they’ve lost with humor and rage. But when at last they’re forced to confront the people who left them behind, the relationship between an indulged brother and his ever-protective sister is finally tested. Next meeting: January 5, 2023 If you are interested in joining the Great Falls Library's Book Club, you should stop by the Great Falls Library or call 803-482-2149 for more information.

Curious to see what the current book club read is?   January's book for the Fort Lawn Community Center's Book Club is "A Man Called Ove" by Fredrik Backman.   Summary: A grumpy yet loveable 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.   If you are interested in joining the Fort Lawn Community Center's Book Club, please call 803-377-8145 for more information.   Next Meeting: January 10, 2023 at 10:30 a.m.

Curious to see what the current book club read is? December/January's book for the Lewisville Community Library's Book Club is "The Thirteenth Tale" by Diane Setterfield. Summary: All children mythologize their birth...So begins the prologue of reclusive author Vida Winter's collection of stories, which are as famous for the mystery of the missing thirteenth tale as they are for the delight and enchantment of the twelve that do exist. The enigmatic Winter has spent six decades creating various outlandish life histories for herself -- all of them inventions that have brought her fame and fortune but have kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she at last wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. She summons biographer Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth, hidden by those who loved her most, remains an ever-present pain. Struck by a curious parallel between Miss Winter's story and her own, Margaret takes on the commission. As Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good, Margaret is mesmerized. It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire. Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida's storytelling but remains suspicious of the author's sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves. If you are interested in joining the Lewisville Community Library's Book Club, please call 803-789-7800 for more information. Next Meeting: January 12, 2023 at 1 p.m.