READING

GROUP

CHOICES

2018

Selections for lively discussions

Reading Group Choices’ goal is to join with publishers, bookstores, libraries, trade associations, and authors to develop resources to enhance the shared reading group experience. Reading Group Choices is distributed annually to bookstores, libraries, and directly to book groups. Titles included in the current and previous issues are posted on ReadingGroupChoices.com. Books presented here have been recommended by book group members, librarians, booksellers, literary agents, publicists, authors, and publishers. All submissions are then reviewed to ensure the discussibility of each title. Once a title is approved for inclusion, publishers are asked to underwrite production costs so that copies of Reading Group Choices can be distributed for a minimal charge. For additional copies, you can place an order through our online store, contact us, or contact your local library or bookstore. For more information, please visit our website at ReadingGroupChoices.com.

Cover art, Untitled by Julie Flett (2017)

Design by Sarah Jane Boecher

Copyright © 2017 Reading Group Choices LLC

All Rights Reserved.

Published in the United States by Reading Group Choices LLC

ISBN 9780990689966

For further information, contact:

Reading Group Choices

info@ReadingGroupChoices.com

ReadingGroupChoices.com

PRAISE FOR READING GROUP CHOICES

“We have learned over the years that displays are a great way to encourage circulation at our small, rural library. One of our best displays is based on the wonderful literary guide published by Reading Group Choices! … Patrons cannot wait to get their copies and start reading. We sincerely LOVE your product and feel that it helps us create one of our favorite displays EVER.” —Gail Nartker, Sandusky District Library

“Reading Group Choices continues to be a first-rate guide for those delicious reads that book group members enjoy reading, and that prompt the most enriching discussions.” —Donna Paz Kaufman, Paz & Associates, The Bookstore Training Group

“I recommend Reading Group Choices as the number one starting point for book clubs. The newsletter is fantastic and I especially like the Spotlight Book Club section. It is a nice way to meet other book clubs. I am very happy with the book selections offered by Reading Group Choices. Thank you for this excellent service.” —Ana Martin, Cover to Cover Book Club, Hollywood, FL

“Not only is Reading Group Choices a great resource for individual readers and book groups, it’s also an invaluable tool for teachers looking to introduce new books into their curriculum. Reading Group Choices is a brilliant concept, well executed.” —Kathleen Rourke, Executive Director of Educational Sales and Marketing, Candlewick Press

“I love your book, website and the newsletters! As an organizer of two book clubs, it’s so great to get an early line on upcoming titles. The hardest part is waiting so long to read the book! By using recommendations from your newsletters, I can build a list of monthly book selections one whole year in advance.” —Marcia, CCSI Book Club

“Quail Ridge Books has worked with Reading Group Choices for many years and the guide has been sought out at our twice yearly Book Club Bash. The prize bags of books have been a highlight. We are great partners in getting good books into the hands of people who love to read and discuss books.” —René Martin, Events Coordinator, Quail Ridge Books

To Lucy

Thank you for being the best Reading Group Choices friend, colleague, mentor, collaborator, brainstormer, book smeller, social director, timely sigh-maker, and proponent of outdoor breaks. We miss you.

“A dog has one aim in life … to bestow his heart.”

—J.R. Ackerley

“To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing nothing was not boring—it was peace.”

—Milan Kundera

“Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole.”

—Roger A. Caras

Dear Readers,

Welcome to the 24th edition of Reading Group Choices. We have a wonderful selection of fiction, nonfiction, and young adult titles, and we hope these books and discussion questions inspire thoughtful and interesting discussions all over the world! This edition includes translations, novels, memoirs, collections, and graphic novels, and books that will be published in 2018 so you can plan ahead!

We have continued to connect with debut authors and independent publishers in order to provide you with a variety of well-known and lesser-known but equally enthralling recommendations that will allow you to travel to places and time periods, real and imagined. We hope you find something new, refreshing, and unputdownable.

Many of the books included in the 2018 edition will also be featured on our website or in our newsletter this year. Be sure to sign up for our eNewsletter where you can find out about new monthly recommendations, contests for signed copies and author Skype chats, and upcoming events at bookstores and book festivals around the country. You can also follow us on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for more exciting book news each day.

Thank you to our readers for supporting and inspiring us. Thank you to our book clubs for sharing your stories. And thank you to our authors, our independent bookstores, and our friends in publishing for working so tirelessly and celebrating so effortlessly the love of the written word.

To order more copies of this edition or past editions, you can visit our store online at ReadingGroupChoices.com, or mail in the order form at the back of this book.

Here’s to another year of reading, discussing, and discovering your new favorite books!

Mary Morgan

Reading Group Choices

Contents

FICTION

The Almost Sisters, Joshilyn Jackson

The Association of Small Bombs, Karan Mahajan

Behave, Andromeda Romano-Lax

The Boat Runner, Devin Murphy

The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir, Jennifer Ryan

Close Enough to Touch, Colleen Oakley

Cocoa Beach, Beatriz Williams

The Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry

Fallen Land, Taylor Brown

Grief Cottage, Gail Godwin

The Hopefuls, Jennifer Close

If the Creek Don’t Rise, Leah Weiss

The Little French Bistro, Nina George

The Little Paris Bookshop, Nina George

Miss Kopp’s Midnight Confessions: A Kopp Sisters Novel, Amy Stewart

The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah

The Nix, Nathan Hill

Nutshell, Ian McEwan

The Other Einstein, Marie Benedict

Pachinko, Min Jin Lee

A Piece of the World, Christina Baker Kline

Precious and Grace: No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, Alexander McCall Smith

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend, Katarina Bivald

The River at Night, Erica Ferencik

Salt Houses, Hala Alyan

The Second Mrs. Hockaday, Susan Rivers

The Spy: A Novel of Mata Hari, Paulo Coelho

Swimming Home, Mary-Rose MacColl

Swing Time, Zadie Smith

Temporary People, Deepak Unnikrishnan

Us & Them, Bahiyyih Nakhjavani

The Vengeance of Mothers: The Journals of Margaret Kelly & Molly McGill, Jim Fergus

The Women in the Castle, Jessica Shattuck

NONFICTION

Animals Strike Curious Poses, Elena Passarello

Being Mortal: Medicine and What Matters in the End, Atul Gawande

The Best of Us: A Memoir, Joyce Maynard

Cuz: The Life and Times of Michael A., Danielle Allen

Evicted: Poverty and Profit in the American City, Matthew Desmond

The General’s Niece: The Little-Known de Gaulle Who Fought to Free Occupied France, Paige Bowers

It’s Not Yet Dark: A Memoir, Simon Fitzmaurice

The Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story, Douglas Preston

The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women, Kate Moore

A Room in Athens: A Memoir, Frances Karlen Santamaria

Thousand-Miler: Adventures Hiking The Ice Age Trail, Melanie Radzicki McManus

Witnesses of the Unseen: Seven Years in Guantanamo, Lakhdar Boumediene & Mustafa Ait Idir

YOUNG ADULT

Ahimsa, Supriya Kelkar

As You Wish, Chelsea Sedoti

Bang, Barry Lyga

Beck, Mal Peet & Meg Rosoff

The Hate U Give, Angie Thomas

I Am Alfonso Jones, Tony Medina, Stacey Robinson & John Jennings

Invictus, Ryan Graudin

The Knife of Never Letting Go, Patrick Ness

Raymie Nightingale, Kate DiCamillo

This is Where It Ends, Marieke Nijkamp

The Wild Robot, Peter Brown

THE ALMOST SISTERS

Joshilyn Jackson

Superheroes have always been Leia Birch Briggs’ weakness. One tequila-soaked night at a comics convention, the usually level-headed graphic novelist is swept off her barstool by a handsome and anonymous Batman.

It turns out the caped crusader has left her with more than just a nice, fuzzy memory. She’s having a baby boy—an unexpected but not unhappy development in the thirty-eight year-old’s life. But before Leia can break the news of her impending single-motherhood (including the fact that her baby is biracial) to her conventional, Southern family, her step-sister Rachel’s marriage implodes. Worse, she learns her beloved ninety-year-old grandmother, Birchie, is losing her mind, and she’s been hiding her dementia with the help of Wattie, her best friend since girlhood.

“Leia, a self-proclaimed superhero-comics dork, narrates this light-dark Southern story of family, race, and belonging with affection, humor, and well-timed profanity, bound to please fans of the best-selling author’s six previous novels … Both literary and women’s fiction readers will appreciate Leia’s smart/sassy narrative” —Library Journal (starred review)

“Jackson has written another spirited page-turner … A satisfying, entertaining read from an admired writer who deserves to be a household name.” —Kirkus Reviews

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joshilyn Jackson is the New York Times bestselling author of seven novels, including Gods in Alabama and A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty. Her books have been translated into a dozen languages. A former actor, Jackson is also an award-winning audiobook narrator. She lives in Decatur, Georgia, with her husband and their two children.

July 2017 | Hardcover | 352 pp | $26.99 | 9780062105714 | William Morrow

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Throughout the story Leia deals with motherhood in many iterations—when she gets pregnant, when she reverses roles with Birchie, when she sees Rachel floundering and must help Lavender. How does Leia grow as a mother throughout the story? Leia mentions speaking in “unbrookable mother,” what do you think she means by that?

2. Leia makes the decision to hide her pregnancy early on, and keeps her secret throughout much of the story. Were you surprised by characters’ reactions when her pregnancy was revealed?

3. We see Jake as Leia’s ex-best friend, as Rachel’s husband, and as Lavender’s father. How does your impression of him change throughout the story? Do you feel more sympathy for Rachel or Jake during their conflict?

4. After discovering the trunk of bones, Birchie says, “I told you the first night you were here. I told you at dinner.” Did you have any idea who Birchie had been referring to? Were you surprised by what really happened?

5. Despite her worsening dementia, Birchie remains a strong character throughout the book. How would you describe her lifelong friendship with Wattie? Did your impressions change throughout the novel? Why do you think Birchie chose to keep their true relationship a secret even as times changed?

6. For much of the story, Selcouth Martin is referred to only as “Batman.” Were you surprised by how different he was from Leia’s memory of their one-night stand? How did your impression of Selcouth change throughout the novel?

7. There are multiple relationships in the novel that fit the title. How did the title take on new meaning to you as the story developed?

8. At the end of the novel, Selcouth is there for the birth of his son. What was your impression of the nature of Leia and Selcouth’s relationship at this point?

9. The Almost Sisters deals with difficult topics like race, privilege and family. Everyone has biases—in life and in books—but some people handle them better than others. Which of these characters dealt with these the best? The worst?

THE ASSOCIATION OF SMALL BOMBS

Karan Mahajan

National Book Award Finalist

The New York Times Book Review’s Ten Best Books of the Year 2016

Washington Post Notable Fiction Book of 2016

Time Magazine, Esquire, Buzzfeed and Huffington Post Best Book of 2016

For readers of Mohsin Hamid, Dave Eggers, Arundhati Roy, and Teju Cole, The Association of Small Bombs is an expansive and deeply humane novel that is at once groundbreaking in its empathy, dazzling in its acuity, and ambitious in scope.

When brothers Tushar and Nakul Khurana, two Delhi schoolboys, pick up their family’s television set at a repair shop with their friend Mansoor Ahmed one day in 1996, disaster strikes without warning. A bomb—one of the many “small” bombs that go off seemingly unheralded across the world—detonates in the Delhi marketplace, instantly claiming the lives of the Khurana boys, to the devastation of their parents. Mansoor survives, bearing the physical and psychological effects of the bomb. After a brief stint at university in America, Mansoor returns to Delhi, where his life becomes entangled with the mysterious and charismatic Ayub, a fearless young activist whose own allegiances and beliefs are more malleable than Mansoor could imagine. Woven among the story of the Khuranas and the Ahmeds is the gripping tale of Shockie, a Kashmiri bomb maker who has forsaken his own life for the independence of his homeland. Karan Mahajan writes brilliantly about the effects of terrorism on victims and perpetrators, proving himself to be one of the most provocative and dynamic novelists of his generation.

“Wonderful … Smart, devastating, unpredictable, and enviably adept in its handling of tragedy and its fallout.” —Fiona Maazel, The New York Times Book Review

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Karan Mahajan grew up in New Delhi, India. His first novel, Family Planning, won the Joseph Henry Jackson Award and was a finalist for the International Dylan Thomas Prize.

October 2016 | Paperback | 288 pp | $16.00 | 9780143109273 | Penguin Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Why does Mansoor walk away from the bodies of Tushar and Nakul in the immediate aftermath of the bombing?

2. Consider the different shapes grief takes for Mr. and Mrs. Khurana. How is Vikas’s obsession with hiding behind his camera to film Delhi markets an expression of his anguish?

3. Discuss the Khuranas and their preoccupation with how the outside world perceives their wealth or socio-economic status. Why do they lie about why their children were going to the market?

4. How does the devastating loss of their two children affect Mr. and Mrs. Khurana’s marriage?

5. Consider the influence Ayub has over Mansoor. How does he help Mansoor heal, either physically or spiritually? How does Ayub’s faith adhere to your ideas about Islamic fundamentalism? How does it depart from it?

6. Would you consider Mansoor’s experience of college in the United States positive or negative?

7. How does Ayub’s failure with non-violent protest change his idea about the best way to enact social change?

8. What did you think of the character of Shockie? Did you have any sympathy for his actions?

9. Has reading this book given you a better understanding of social and religious conflicts in India? Do you feel that the bombing at Lajpat Nagar could have happened anywhere?

10. Does Western media pay attention to the kinds of “small bombings” described in this novel?

BEHAVE

Andromeda Romano-Lax

A poignant and harrowing fictional retelling of the life of Rosalie Rayner Watson, one of the most controversial scientists—and mothers—of the 20th century.

“The mother begins to destroy the child the moment it’s born,” wrote the founder of behaviorist psychology, John B. Watson, whose 1928 parenting guide was revered as the child-rearing bible. For their dangerous and “mawkish” impulses to kiss and hug their child, “most mothers should be indicted for psychological murder.”

Behave is the story of Rosalie Rayner, Watson’s ambitious young wife and the mother of two of his children.

In 1920, when she graduated from Vassar College, Rayner was ready to make her mark on the world. Intelligent, beautiful, and unflappable, she won a coveted research position at Johns Hopkins assisting the charismatic celebrity psychologist John B. Watson. Together, Watson and Rayner conducted controversial experiments on hundreds of babies to prove behaviorist principles. They also embarked on a scandalous affair that cost them both their jobs–and recast the sparkling young Rosalie Rayner, scientist and thinker, as Mrs. John Watson, wife and conflicted, maligned mother, just another “woman behind a great man.”

With Behave, Andromeda Romano-Lax offers a provocative fictional biography of Rosalie Rayner Watson, a woman whose work influenced generations of Americans, and whose legacy has been lost in the shadow of her husband’s. In turns moving and horrifying, Behave is a richly nuanced and disturbing novel about science, progress, love, marriage, motherhood, and what all those things cost a passionate, promising young woman.

“Shocking and thought-provoking … The intimate struggles of a woman weighing her value, utility, and satisfaction both within and outside the home certainly resonate today.” —The Boston Globe

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Andromeda Romano-Lax is the author of The Spanish Bow, a New York Times Editors’ Choice, as well as The Detour and Plum Rains. She teaches at the University of Alaska Anchorage, and is the co-founder of 49 Writers.

February 2017 | Paperback | 416 pp | $15.95 | 9781616958008 | Soho Press

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. What do you think of the Behaviorist parenting method? Many Behaviorist philosophies are still very controversial now—do any of its tenets still have merit? Is it possible to go too far in the opposite direction?

2. On page 53, Rosalie’s father asserts (in reference to eugenics) that “scientists are misusing what they don’t understand to divide humanity up all over again.” Does John’s scientific work go against this trend, or in a way does it also “divide humanity up”?

3. Based on Rosalie’s descriptions of John and her explanations of his motives and behavior, did the events of his life inspire his behaviorist ideology? Why or why not?

4. In what ways are Mary Watson and Rosalie depicted as similar in Behave? In what ways are they depicted as opposites? What might Romano-Lax be suggesting through the connections between these characters?

5. Describe the role of female friendship in the novel. How does it affect the way Rosalie is portrayed?

6. What role does class play in Behave? How do John’s and Rosalie’s differing financial backgrounds affect their relationship?

7. What does the novel suggest about the professional and personal roles and issues of women in Jazz Age American society? Do any of the comments continue to resonate today?

8. Are John’s attitudes regarding gender roles (for examples, his claim on page 336 that “You’re my wife. That’s any worthwhile woman’s career”) consistent with his behaviorism? How do you account for his attitudes toward women?

9. Why do you think John chose “an abnormal baby for his most famous experiment”? (377) Do you think it undermines the results of his experiment? Do you think it undermines the rest of his work?

10. Why might, as Romano-Lax puts it, Rosalie Rayner Watson’s life have been “deemed not worth recording or not worth protecting from erasure by others”? (385) What are qualities that make a life more “noteworthy,” and why might this be the case? Have there been any recent changes in which lives are considered noteworthy?

THE BOAT RUNNER

Devin Murphy

In the tradition of All the Light We Cannot See and The Nightingale, comes an incandescent debut novel about a young Dutch man who comes of age during the perilousness of World War II.

Beginning in the summer of 1939, fourteen-year-old Jacob Koopman and his older brother, Edwin, enjoy lives of prosperity and quiet contentment. Many of the residents in their small Dutch town have some connection to the Koopman lightbulb factory, and the locals hold the family in high esteem.

On days when they aren’t playing with friends, Jacob and Edwin help their Uncle Martin on his fishing boat in the North Sea, where German ships have become a common sight. But conflict still seems unthinkable, even as the boys’ father naively sends his sons to a Hitler Youth Camp in an effort to secure German business for the factory.

When war breaks out, Jacob’s world is thrown into chaos. The Boat Runner follows Jacob over the course of four years, through the forests of France, the stormy beaches of England, and deep within the secret missions of the German Navy, where he is confronted with the moral dilemma that will change his life—and his life’s mission—forever.

“The Boat Runner is a satisfying page-turner, sure, but it is also an allegory for our time, a reminder of world war not so long ago, when fishermen, factory owners, children, and mothers became reluctant heroes, standing bravely against a sudden and twisted evil.” —Nickolas Butler, internationally bestselling author of Shotgun Lovesongs and The Hearts of Men

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Devin Murphy is an assistant professor of creative writing at Bradley University. His fiction has appeared in more than sixty literary journals and anthologies, including the Missouri Review, Glimmer Train, and Chicago Tribune. He lives with his wife and children in Chicago.

September 2017 | Paperback | 400 pp | $15.99 | 9780062658012 | Harper Perennial

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Why is storytelling so important to Jacob? In what ways does the idea of storytelling surface in this novel? What do the recurrent Thump-drag stories add to the novel?

2. Most war stories portray allies and enemies, but in The Boat Runner, things are not as clear cut, and each character is held morally responsibility for their own actions. What do you think the author hoped to achieve in doing this?

3. Of all the losses Jacob sustains in this story, what is the one loss that changes him the most? What is Jacob’s greatest personal strength?

4. Jacob Koopman is complex character and is often shown in private moments struggling to do what’s right. What are some of the moral dilemmas Jacob must face? In what ways do the labels hero or villain describe him?

5. How does the persecution of Jews reveal itself in this book, and how does Jacob react to encountering this? Do his reactions change over the course of the novel?

6. Consider the idea of borders in this novel. The physical location of Jacob’s town sits on the edge of two countries as well as on the edge of land and water. What are some of the other borders that Jacob encounters? How are these borders significant in understanding his character?

7. In what ways does the sea and shipping become an essential part of the novel? How did Uncle Martin and Jacob’s missions aboard ship complicate the story?

8. On page 353, the captain of The Royal Crest tells Jacob, “It’s been my experience that the incidents we can’t control make us who we are.” Is this true for Jacob?

9. What are the most striking images that linger after finishing the novel? Which experiences do you think will stay with Jacob the most?

10. Of the many characters Jacob meets along his journey, which stand out the most to you? What makes them memorable?

THE CHILBURY LADIES’ CHOIR

Jennifer Ryan

Through letters and journals, The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir unfolds the struggles, affairs, deceptions, and triumphs of a village choir during World War II.

As England becomes enmeshed in the early days of World War II and the men are away fighting, the women of Chilbury village forge an uncommon bond. They defy the Vicar’s stuffy edict to close the choir and instead “carry on singing,” resurrecting themselves as the Chilbury Ladies’ Choir. We come to know the home-front struggles of five unforgettable choir members: a timid widow devastated when her only son goes to fight; the older daughter of a local scion drawn to a mysterious artist; her younger sister pining over an impossible crush; a Jewish refugee from Czechoslovakia hiding a family secret; and a conniving midwife plotting to outrun her seedy past.

An enchanting ensemble story that shuttles from village intrigue to romance to the heartbreaking matters of life and death, Jennifer Ryan’s debut novel thrillingly illuminates the true strength of the women on the home front in a village of indomitable spirit.

“There’s so much happening in Chilbury: intrigue, romance and an unforgettable cast of characters who aren’t always as they appear … a charming slice of English wartime life that warms the soul like a hot toddy.” —Martha Hall Kelly, New York Times bestselling author of Lilac Girls

“Lyrical, poetic, emotional, funny, endearing, surprising – it is a masterpiece.” —Veronica Henry, author of An Eligible Bachelor

“With her unforgettable characters and vivid narrative, Jennifer Ryan creates the kind of wartime novel that plays out over the intimate territory of the human heart—full of soul, full of hope. You’ll be thinking about this book long after the last page turns.” —Beatriz Williams, New York Times bestselling author of A Hundred Summers and The Secret Life of Violet Grant

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Originally from Kent and then London, Jennifer Ryan lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and children.

September 2017 | Paperback | 416 pp | $16.00 | 9781101906774 | Broadway Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. What is the main theme of the book? Which of the characters is most changed through the course of the book?

2. Which character do you like most? Why? Which character do you dislike most? Why?

3. Which character do you most relate to? Why?

4. What was the funniest moment of the book? Why do you think it was funny?

5. Do you think that Mrs. Tilling made the right choice to help Carrington, even though it would have been illegal for her not to have handed him over to the police? A great deal has happened since the Second World War in this regard. What does that say about the society and culture in which we live?

6. In what way does Venetia alter through the course of the book? What are the biggest moments of change for her?

7. Why doesn’t Mrs. Tilling hand Miss Paltry over to the police? Why is she being nice to her?

8. What does it say about the way her character has changed over the course of the book? Would you have handed her in?

9. Are there any recurrent symbols throughout the book? Why do you think they were chosen?

10. Are there any allusions to other books hidden throughout? What are they, and why are they relevant?

11. Did you feel for Venetia’s dilemma after Slater left? In what ways would her choice have been easier today? Why do you think that is?

12. Tragically, we already know what will probably happen to Silvie’s parents, even though none of the characters does at this point. How does that affect you when reading the book?

13. What impact did the war have on women, work, and society? How do you think women’s equality has progressed since the Second World War?

14. And now, a show of hands: Did you shed a few tears while reading The Chilbury Ladies’ Choir? Be honest now, there are some sad and very moving parts. Which did you find most heartrending, and why?

CLOSE ENOUGH TO TOUCH

Colleen Oakley

A “heart-wrenching and humorous” (Publishers Weekly) love story for anyone who’s ever wanted something—or someone—just out of reach, Colleen Oakley’s Close Enough to Touch will delight fans of Jojo Moyes’s One Plus One and Graeme Simsion’s The Rosie Project.

Can you miss something you never had?

Jubilee Jenkins is no ordinary librarian. With a rare allergy to human touch, any skin-to-skin contact could literally kill her. But after retreating into solitude for nearly ten years, Jubilee’s decided to brave the world again, despite the risks. Armed with a pair of gloves, long sleeves, and her trusty bicycle, she finally ventures out the front door—and into her future.

Eric Keegan has troubles of his own. With his daughter from a failed marriage no longer speaking to him, and his brilliant, if psychologically troubled, adopted son attempting telekinesis, Eric’s struggling to figure out how his life got so off course, and how to be the dad—and man—he wants so desperately to be. So when an encounter over the check-out desk at the local library entangles his life with that of a beautiful—albeit eccentric—woman, he finds himself wanting nothing more than to be near her.

“Oakley delivers an out-of-the-ordinary love story with steady quips and endearing characters … [Jubilee’s] journey from recluse to recovery is fascinating.” —Publishers Weekly

“Oakley masterfully creates a high-stakes story that still feels solidly real. All of her characters are well-rounded and charming, especially Jubilee. Readers will cheer each time she takes a risk and delight in her triumphs. A romantic, sweet story about taking chances and living life fully.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Oakley’s sophomore novel is a treat … Fans of JoJo Moyes and rom-coms set within the stacks of libraries will rejoice.” —Booklist

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Colleen Oakley is an Atlanta-based writer and author of the novel Before I Go. Her articles, essays, and interviews have been featured in The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Marie Claire, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade, and Martha Stewart Weddings.

August 2017 | Paperback | 352 pp | $16.00 | 9781501139291 | Gallery Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. What effect does the alternating narrative between Jubilee’s and Eric’s perspectives have on your understanding of the events and characters in the book? How would the story have been different if it was just from Jubilee’s point of view?

2. How does Jubilee’s relationship with her mother affect her outlook on life?

3. How is Jubilee affected by each of the people she interacts with as she reenters the world? How do they affect her perspective about her condition?

4. Is Eric’s long-distance father-daughter book club experiment a success? What is so powerful about the shared reading experience? How has a book brought you closer to a family member or friend?

5. Why do you think Jubilee resists pursuing treatments or management for her condition? Why wouldn’t she want to see a doctor?

6. Consider this quote: “People did stare at me in high school—like I was a curiosity—but I didn’t think anyone ever noticed me. It’s a strange feeling, to be seen but invisible at the same time.” (94) What is the difference between being seen and being noticed? Why is the difference important to Jubilee?

7. How has Jubilee’s nine-year seclusion affected her emotional maturity?

8. Discuss the importance of female friendship. How does Madison and Jubilee’s relationship affect each of the women?

9. Why is Jubilee the only adult who is able to get through to Aja? How do their shared experiences link them?

10. How does the truth about Jubilee’s condition change her relationship with Eric? With Madison?

11. Throughout the book, Jubilee starts to understand that her biggest fear isn’t actually physical touch but having emotional connections, only to be let down or disappointed by them. How does each character experience and deal with their own fears of vulnerability throughout the book?

12. Did the letter Jubilee found from her mother change your view of her?

13. What was your reaction to the epilogue?

COCOA BEACH

Beatriz Williams

Burdened by a dark family secret, Virginia Fortescue flees her oppressive home in New York City for the battlefields of World War I France. While an ambulance driver for the Red Cross, she meets a charismatic British army surgeon whose persistent charm opens her heart to the possibility of love. As the war rages, Virginia falls into a passionate affair with the dashing Captain Simon Fitzwilliam, only to discover that his past has its own dark secrets—secrets that will damage their eventual marriage and propel her back across the Atlantic to the sister and father she left behind.

Five years later, in the early days of Prohibition, the newly widowed Virginia Fitzwilliam arrives in the tropical boomtown of Cocoa Beach, Florida, to settle her husband’s estate. Despite the evidence, Virginia does not believe Simon perished in the fire that destroyed the seaside home he built for her and their young daughter. Separated from her husband since the early days of their marriage, the headstrong Virginia plans to uncover the truth, for the sake of the daughter Simon never met.

“Williams’ narrative offers a tropical milieu of rumrunners, skulduggery, concealed identity, dangerous complications for Virginia and her toddler daughter Evelyn—and lots of entertainment for readers.” —Seattle Times

“Williams has gained a solid reputation with readers for her gracefully written historical fiction, and Cocoa Beach is an excellent example of her ability to flawlessly marry a finely honed plot rich in unexpected twists and turns with a full cadre of richly nuanced characters, who will keep readers engagedfrom the book’s first page to its stunning conclusion. Readers who enjoy novels with a strong sense of place and time will especially savor William’s latest masterwork…” —Reader to Reader

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: A graduate of Stanford University with an MBA from Columbia, Beatriz Williams lives with her husband and four children near the Connecticut shore.

June 2017 | Hardcover | 384 pp | $27.99 | 9780062404985 | William Morrow

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. At the start of the novel, Virginia reflects that “The history of the past three years is as mysterious to me as the mangroves growing on the opposite shore of the river.” Why is that? Has ignorance been bliss for Virginia?

2. What do we learn about Virginia during the flashbacks to wartime France? How does that affect the way we think of her and Simon?

3. Were you surprised when Agent Marshall hints that Simon’s death was not “a simple act of God?” Do you think Virginia was surprised?

4. What is the meaning of the note left for Virginia at Maitland that reads “Everything you seek is here”? Is it reassuring? Or menacing? Who do you think left it for her?

5. Why does Virginia choose to believe what Samuel tells her about Simon? Would you have fled back to America, as she did?

6. Why does Virginia’s father send Simon money once she’s returned to New York? What effect does that have on Virginia’s relationship with her father? What does it do to her feelings for Simon?

7. What do you make of Samuel? Why do Virginia’s feelings for him seem to waver between attraction, trust, and mistrust?

8. Were you surprised to learn the truth about Clara?

9. What do you think will happen to Simon and Virginia—and their children—in the years after this novel has ended? What do you think Agent Marshall’s sudden appearance on their doorstep means for them?

THE ESSEX SERPENT

Sarah Perry

An exquisitely talented young British author makes her American debut with this rapturously acclaimed historical novel, set in late nineteenth-century England, about an intellectually minded young widow, a pious vicar, and a rumored mythical serpent that explores questions about science and religion, skepticism, and faith, independence and love.

When Cora Seaborne’s brilliant, domineering husband dies, she steps into her new life as a widow with as much relief as sadness: her marriage was not a happy one. Wed at nineteen, this woman of exceptional intelligence and curiosity was ill-suited for the role of society wife. Seeking refuge in fresh air and open space in the wake of the funeral, Cora leaves London for a visit to coastal Essex, accompanied by her inquisitive and obsessive eleven-year old son, Francis, and the boy’s nanny, Martha, her fiercely protective friend.

While admiring the sites, Cora learns of an intriguing rumor that has arisen further up the estuary, of a fearsome creature said to roam the marshes claiming human lives. After nearly 300 years, the mythical Essex Serpent is said to have returned, taking the life of a young man on New Year’s Eve. A keen amateur naturalist with no patience for religion or superstition, Cora is immediately enthralled, and certain that what the local people think is a magical sea beast may be a previously undiscovered species. Eager to investigate, she is introduced to local vicar William Ransome. Will, too, is suspicious of the rumors. But unlike Cora, this man of faith is convinced the rumors are caused by moral panic, a flight from true belief.

“A novel of almost insolent ambition–lush and fantastical, a wild Eden behind a garden gate…it’s part ghost story and part natural history lesson, part romance and part feminist parable. I found it so transporting that 48 hours after completing it, I was still resentful to be back home.” —The New York Times

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Sarah Perry was born in Essex in 1979. Her first novel, After Me Comes the Flood, was longlisted for the Guardian First Book Award and the Folio Prize. She lives in Norwich. The Essex Serpent is her American debut.

June 2017 | Hardcover | 432 pp | $26.99 | 9780062666376 | Custom House

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Many comparisons have been drawn between Sarah Perry’s writing and the Victorian novelists who were writing at the time the book was set, including Charles Dickens and Wilkie Collins. Do you think this book feels Victorian, or contemporary?

2. “I’ll fill your wounds with gold”, Michael says. He means both literally that he will make sure Cora is financially comfortable during their marriage in exchange for the pleasure of hurting her, but also that he will remake her as something more beautiful and interesting than she was before. Cora survived her horrible marriage, but was definitely damaged. What do you think are Cora’s seams of gold?

3. Will is at odds with the superstitious villagers, who insist the serpent is real, whereas he sees their conviction as a sign of their lack of faith. However, he is also wrangling with Cora, who is more interested in science than religious belief. And while Will is a minister of the established Church, he secretly reads Darwin. Do you think he believes faith is fundamentally rooted in the words of the Bible or a more personal encounter with the world?

4. Cora’s physical size and mannish habits of dress are frequently commented upon by other characters in the novel. She rejects a lot of society’s expectations of her as a woman, whereas Stella Ransome is the living embodiment of the perfect housewife. Despite their differences, they are friends. What do you think Perry is trying to tell us by having Cora save her rival instead of quietly letting her drown?

5. Cora sends her angry letter to Luke at a terrible time—it arrives as all his other hopes are being dashed. If this unfortunate coincidence hadn’t taken place, would we still read the letter as cruel?

6. One of the subplots of the novel is the disappearance of Naomi Banks. By the end of the novel, she has returned. Do you think they will become close friends again?

7. The novel sets up Cora to choose between two men and in the end she chooses neither. Do you think this is a comment on traditional literary plots? Do you think the novel sees friendship as more valuable and enduring than romantic love?

FALLEN LAND

Taylor Brown

An Indie Next pick, an Okra 2016 Winter Selection, and a SIBA Bestseller

Fallen Land is Taylor Brown’s debut novel set in the final year of the Civil War, as a young couple on horseback flees a dangerous band of marauders who seek a bounty reward. Callum, a seasoned horse thief at fifteen years old, came to America from his native Ireland as an orphan. Ava, her father and brother lost to the war, hides in her crumbling home until Callum determines to rescue her from the bands of hungry soldiers pillaging the land, leaving destruction in their wake. Ava and Callum have only each other in the world and their remarkable horse, Reiver, who carries them through the destruction that is the South. Pursued relentlessly by a murderous slave hunter, tracking dogs, and ruthless ex-partisan rangers, the couple race through a beautiful but ruined land, surviving on food they glean from abandoned farms and the occasional kindness of strangers. In the end, as they intersect with the scorching destruction of Sherman’s March, the couple seek a safe haven where they can make a home and begin to rebuild their lives. Dramatic and thrillingly written with an uncanny eye for glimpses of beauty in a ravaged landscape, Fallen Land is a love story at its core, and an unusually assured first novel by award-winning young author Taylor Brown.

“Like McCarthy’s Border Trilogy or Frazier’s Cold Mountain, this is American literature at its best, full of art and beauty and the exploration of all that is good and bad in the human spirit.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“This is a masterpiece that deserves a full serving of accolades.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Brown’s expressive language captures the harsh realities of the South at the time. A nail-biting journey from first page to last.” —Library Journal (starred review)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Taylor Brown’s fiction has appeared in more than twenty publications, including The Baltimore Review, The North Carolina Literary Review, and storySouth; and he is the recipient of the Montana Prize in Fiction, and was a finalist in both the Machigonne Fiction Contest and the Doris Betts Fiction Prize. He lives in Wilmington, North Carolina.

January 2017 | Paperback | 303 pp | $16.95 | 9781250116840 | St. Martin’s Griffin

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. What did you know about Sherman’s March to the Sea before this novel? How, if at all, did Fallen Land inform you about, or change your impression of, this chapter in history?

2. The main character, Callum, commits a string of violent acts throughout the novel. Do you find his actions justifiable? Are there any moments when you wish he’d acted differently?

3. The horse, Reiver, winds up becoming one of the main characters in the novel. He certainly has an interesting name. Why might the author have chosen to name him so?

4. The treatment of animals arises again and again in the novel. Do you find this distracting, or do you think the plight of animals is something we too often miss in stories of war?

5. We are taught, as young readers, that every story has a “moral.” Is there a moral to this novel? What can we learn about our world—and ourselves—from Callum and Ava’s story?

GRIEF COTTAGE

Gail Godwin

After the sudden death of his mother, eleven-year-old Marcus is sent to live with his Aunt Charlotte on a small South Carolina island. A recluse and unaccustomed to house guests, Charlotte leaves Marcus largely on his own to acclimate to his new life. Marcus is fascinated by Grief Cottage, the island’s most notorious home and the frequent subject of Charlotte’s paintings.

When a hurricane ripped through the island fifty years earlier, the boy and his parents who rented the cottage were swept away and their bodies were never recovered. Marcus becomes obsessed with uncovering their identities after he encounters the ghost of a boy slightly older than himself in the doorway of the decrepit home. Marcus builds his new life around the routine of visiting the cottage each morning, attempting to catch another glimpse of his undead friend. But the ghost is not so forthcoming; Marcus is slowly drawn further and further into the fatal history of the cottage. Tasked with rifling through his own past as well, Marcus attempts to reroot himself with the help of a cast of local characters, a nest of turtle eggs, and a ghost that won’t let him go.

Far from a traditional ghost story, Grief Cottage is an examination of the psyche as it experiences wonder, grief, and loss.

“One of our country’s very finest novelists.” —Ron Rash, author of The Risen

“No one writes about the … human condition like Gail Godwin.” —Wiley Cash, author of This Dark Road to Mercy

“Captivates with the quiet, renewing power of a persistent tide.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Gail Godwin is a three-time National Book Award finalist and the bestselling author of more than a dozen critically acclaimed books, including Publishing, a memoir, and the novels Flora, Father Melancholy’s Daughter, and Evensong. She has received a Guggenheim Fellowship, National Endowment for the Arts grants for both fiction and libretto writing, and the Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. She lives in Woodstock, New York.

June 2017 | Hardcover | 336 pp | $24.30 | 9781632867049 | Bloomsbury USA

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Consider the novel’s epigraph: “Not everybody gets to grow up. First you have to survive your childhood, and then begins the hard work of growing into it.” What does it mean to “grow into” one’s childhood? Who in the book is a good example of that?

2. The turtle migration is a central fixture in Marcus’s new life; he convenes with the eggs each day, monitors their temperature closely, and is devastated when he misses their historic sprint from nest to ocean. Why are the turtles a source of comfort for Marcus? How does the turtles’ journey serve as a foil for the other character’s attempts at survival?

3. Because of his relationship with Johnny’s ghost, Marcus often feels as if he straddles the line between sanity and insanity. In your opinion, does Marcus actually see a ghost in Grief Cottage or is he merely hallucinating an imaginary friend of sorts? How does this ghost story in particular challenge our preconceived notions of the boundaries of reality?

4. The past and present are at constant odds throughout the novel: Marcus’s confidant Lachicotte is enamored with restoring the antique; the turtles prepare to embark on an annual, ancient tradition; Marcus finds himself obsessed with the fate of a family who inhabited the island over fifty years ago, only to develop a present-day relationship with the ghost of their teenage son. What point, if any, does the novel make about the function of time? Does the novel advocate for attempting to preserve the past or for letting it go? How do the characters reckon with, honor, and run from their pasts?

5. Despite receiving praise from his aunt, Marcus is constantly wracked with anxiety that she will find him unsatisfactory and send him away. Discuss this part of Marcus’s personality. How does it impact his life and relationships? Why does Marcus feel unwanted despite reassurance? In your opinion, what is the seed of his insecurity?

6. Before his overdose is complete, Marcus races to see Johnny’s ghost at Grief Cottage. Explore Marcus’s inexplicable connection to Johnny’s ghost; in what ways are the boys similar or different? Why does Marcus give himself to Johnny as a place to dwell? Likewise, why does Johnny choose Marcus as his host?

THE HOPEFULS

Jennifer Close

A Mother Jones Best Book of the Year

A blazingly honest portrait of ambition and marriage, and a brilliantly funny send-up of young D.C., from the bestselling author of Girls in White Dresses.

A New York newlywed, Beth was supportive when her husband, Matt, decided to follow his political dreams all the way to Washington. Yet soon after they move to D.C., Beth realizes that she hates everything about it: the traffic circles, the ubiquitous Ann Taylor suits, the humidity that descends each summer, and, most of all, the lonely dinner parties where anyone who doesn’t work in politics is politely ignored. Things start to change when the couple meets a charismatic White House staffer named Jimmy and his wife, Ashleigh. The four become inseparable, coordinating brunches, birthdays, and long weekends away. But as Jimmy’s star rises higher and higher, the couples’ friendship—and Beth’s relationship with Matt—is threatened by jealousy, competition, and rumors.

“Hilarious … A pleasure to read … [Close] has a light, precise touch about the way a young marriage works when the partners are caught between old ideals and new realities.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post

“Wildly evocative.” —Elle

“Inspired by Close’s own experiences moving to Washington for her husband’s work on the Obama campaign, The Hopefuls is blisteringly honest about the circus of American politics and Washington’s exhausting culture of competition—one that that renders people outside of political circles virtually invisible.” —Meredith Turits, Elle

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jennifer Close is the bestselling author of Girls in White Dresses, The Smart One, and The Hopefuls. Born and raised on the North Shore in Chicago, she is a graduate of Boston College and received her MFA in fiction writing from The New School in 2005. She worked in New York in magazines for many years. She now lives in Washington, DC, and teaches creative writing at George Washington University.

May 2017 | Paperback | 320 pp | $16.00 | 9781101911457 | Vintage

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Who are the “hopefuls” in the title?

2. In the Washington, DC, of the novel, most people are from elsewhere—away from home and family. How does this contribute to the intensity of their relationships?

3. On page 13, Matt tries to cheer up Beth about their move to DC: “’We’re here,’ he said. ‘And home is wherever we’re together.’” Beth doesn’t quite buy it. Why not?

4. On page 84, Beth says, “Matt’s jealousy no longer surprised me. I’d figured out that DC was a city that was crammed full of jealousy, that there was, in fact, a hierarchy of jealousy among the people we spent time with.” Why does she believe DC to be more rife with jealousy than anywhere else? Do the people in Texas prove to be less inclined toward the sentiment?

5. “[The Dillons] were just so lucky, so charmed. Everything was working out for them, life was unfolding exactly as it should—and most of the time, it seemed like it was all happening without any effort on their part.” (146) Why does Beth feel this way? In what ways is she right, and how is she wrong?

6. The Dillons follow traditional gender roles when it comes to parenting. What is the reader meant to think about this? Does having well-defined roles help or hinder the Dillons’ relationship?

7. On page 248, Colleen tells Beth, “’I mean, every person expects something from the other one when they get married.’” What point is she making? Do you agree?

8. Colleen proves herself to be a straight-talking friend. On page 292, she points out to Beth, “’You’re always letting things happen to you. You just wait to react. Do something.’” Does Beth take her advice?

9. Close introduces each section with a quote from a president or first lady—until the final one, which opens with this quote from Dylan Thomas: “Washington isn’t a city, it’s an abstraction.” What did he mean? How does it relate to the novel?

10. Discuss the final section of the novel, the postscript set in DC. Was it the ending you expected?

IF THE CREEK DON’T RISE

Leah Weiss

Indie Next Pick

Okra Pick

Bustle.com— “10 Best Fiction Books Coming Out in August 2017” pick

Sadie Blue has been a wife for fifteen days. That’s long enough to know she should have never hitched herself to Roy Tupkin, even with the baby.

Sadie is desperate to make her own mark on the world, but in remote Appalachia, a ticket out of town is hard to come by, and hope often gets stomped out. When a stranger sweeps into Baines Creek and knocks things off kilter, Sadie finds herself with an unexpected lifeline … if she can just figure out how to use it.

This intimate insight into a fiercely proud, tenacious community unfolds through the voices of the forgotten folks of Baines Creek. With a colorful cast of characters that each contribute a new perspective, If The Creek Don’t Rise is a debut novel bursting with heart, honesty, and homegrown grit.

“This one nearly broke my heart. An impressive debut from a talent to watch.” —Kathleen Grissom, author of the New York Times bestsellers The Kitchen House and Glory Over Everything

“Masterful use of language … for fans of the Big Stone Gap books, by Adriana Trigiani, and Mitford series, by Jan Karon.” —Booklist (starred review)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Leah Weiss is a Southern writer and novelist born in North Carolina and raised in the foothills of Virginia. Her debut novel, If the Creek Don’t Rise, will be released in August of 2017. Her short stories have been published in The Simple Life magazine, Every Day Fiction, and Deep South Magazine. She retired in 2015 from a 24-year career as Executive Assistant to the Headmaster at Virginia Episcopal School. She now pursues writing full time.

August 2017 | Paperback | 320 pp | $15.99 | 9781492647454 | Sourcebooks Landmark

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Life in 1970 Appalachia (and fictional Baines Creek) was undeniably hard and harsh. What did the novel tell you about that historic time and place that you expected? What did you learn that surprised you?

2. Sadie Blue was the principal character in the book, with her story told in three chapters. Did you root for her from the start? What were her key moments of growth? Who were her mentors and supporters? What did they do that helped her grow a stronger backbone?

3. In what ways were Sadie Blue and her grandmother, Gladys Hicks, and Sadie and her mother, Carly, alike? In what ways were they different?

4. Gladys and Marris were best friends. Who needed the other the most? Who gave the greatest purpose to their relationship?

5. Who were the most lovable or admirable characters? What made them that way? What were their strengths and weaknesses? In what ways were they important to Sadie’s salvation?

6. Preacher Eli Perkins never quite believed he was good enough for his job. How did that quality make you feel about him? How do you think he performed his job?

7. Three characters that are hard to love are Prudence Perkins, Roy Tupkin, and Billy Barnhill. Did you find any reasons to empathize with them? What were the pivotal moments in their past that shaped their personalities? How do you think you would have fared if you were born into their families and stations of life?

8. When Kate Shaw arrived in Baines Creek, she expected to be doing the teaching. What were the things she learned instead?

9. Birdie’s Books of Truths: What insights did they give you into life in Appalachia and the gifts Birdie possessed?

10. Which characters were most capable of loving? In what ways did they demonstrate that?

11. A number of murders were committed in the book. Do you think any of them were defensible? If so, which ones and why?

THE LITTLE FRENCH BISTRO

Nina George

From the New York Times and internationally bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop, an extraordinary novel about self-discovery and new beginnings.

Marianne is stuck in a loveless, unhappy marriage. After forty-one years, she has reached her limit, and one evening in Paris she decides to take action. Following a dramatic moment on the banks of the Seine, Marianne leaves her life behind and sets out for the coast of Brittany, also known as “the end of the world.”

Here she meets a cast of colorful and unforgettable locals who surprise her with their warm welcome, and the natural ease they all seem to have, taking pleasure in life’s small moments. And, as the parts of herself she had long forgotten return to her in this new world, Marianne learns it’s never too late to begin the search for what life should have been all along.

With all the buoyant charm that made The Little Paris Bookshop a beloved bestseller, The Little French Bistro is a tale of second chances and a delightful embrace of the joys of life in France.

“George beautifully evokes Brittany with its rocky shores, crustacean-rich waters and Celtic origins … It’s no spoiler to say this novel offers a happy ending — and a satisfying one, as well.” —The Washington Post

“[Nina] George’s engrossing novel is as much about indulging the senses with succulent dishes and dazzling sights as it is about romance and second chances. With a profound sense of place and sensuous prose, the novel functions as a satisfying virtual visit to the French Riviera. A luscious and uplifting tale of personal redemption in the tradition of Eat, Pray, Love.” —Kirkus Reviews

“George envelops the reader in the sights, sounds, and smells of the coastal town, heightening Marianne’s new experiences with lush descriptions of Breton life. Fans of Elizabeth Gilbert and Isabel Allende will adore this courageous story of new beginnings, second chances, and the power of self-love.” —Booklist

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nina George is the author of the bestselling international phenomenon The Little Paris Bookshop. She also works as a journalist, writer, and storytelling teacher. She lives with her husband in Hamburg and Brittany, France.

June 2017 | Hardcover | 320 pp | $26.00 | 9780451495587 | Crown Publishing Group

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. What elements of the story line affected you most personally? Was it Marianne’s loneliness? The way she boldly set out on a journey through a foreign country without knowing a word of the language?

2. Which characters did you identify with the most and why? Were there any characters that left you feeling perplexed or annoyed? Why?

3. The landscape is as much a protagonist in the book as the human characters (and to some extent, the animal ones). Is there a place, a region, a season in which you feel especially at home? Why? What appealed to you most about how the Breton landscape is described—the light, the sea, the rocks, the stillness, the wildness?

4. Food, music and friendship: These are the essential ingredients that help Marianne reclaim her life. What things do you need in order to feel entirely, truly and deeply alive?

5. Religion, superstition and a woman’s wisdom: Some scenes in the book touch on spiritual planes beyond the realm of established religions. What role do such planes have to play in today’s world? How does belief in mythical forces, the invisible world beyond our physical one change the characters in The Little French Bistro?

6. Most often, we cannot change our lives from one day to the next by making only a single decision. Instead, it takes many small steps to explore a new path. What steps did Marianne take in The Little French Bistro that you were surprised by? Were there other paths you would have liked to see Marianne take?

7. Love between people who “have a few more years under their belt than others” is rarely the subject of a novel. Why do we sometimes find it difficult to believe that older people are capable of the same insane longings, hopes, relationship troubles or desires as the young? Did you find the depiction of the lifestyles of these characters, most of whom are between 60 and 70 years old, relatable? Surprising?

8. It’s said that books have the power to heal. They can change lives and cast the world in a new light. Do you have the sense that The Little French Bistro has given you something that you could use in your life? Another perspective? A different understanding of culture? An idea that you have long wanted to try out in your life?

THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP

Nina George

“There are books that are suitable for a million people, others for only a hundred. There are even remedies—I mean books—that were written for one person only … A book is both medic and medicine at once. It makes a diagnosis as well as offering therapy. Putting the right novels to the appropriate ailments: that’s how I sell books.”

Monsieur Perdu calls himself a literary apothecary. From his floating bookstore in a barge on the Seine, he prescribes novels for the hardships of life. Using his intuitive feel for the exact book a reader needs, Perdu mends broken hearts and souls. The only person he can’t seem to heal through literature is himself; he’s still haunted by heartbreak after his great love disappeared. She left him with only a letter, which he has never opened.

After Perdu is finally tempted to read the letter, he hauls anchor and departs on a mission to the south of France, hoping to make peace with his loss and discover the end of the story. Joined by a bestselling but blocked author and a lovelorn Italian chef, Perdu travels along the country’s rivers, dispensing his wisdom and his books, showing that the literary world can take the human soul on a journey to heal itself.

Internationally bestselling and filled with warmth and adventure, The Little Paris Bookshop is a love letter to books, meant for anyone who believes in the power of stories to shape people’s lives.

“If you’re looking to be charmed right out of your own life for a few hours, sit down with this wise and winsome novel … Everything happens just as you want it to … from poignant moments to crystalline insights in exactly the right measure.” —Oprah.com

“[A] bona fide international hit …” —The New York Times Book Review

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nina George is the author of the bestselling international phenomenon The Little Paris Bookshop, as well as numerous other books that have been published around the world. She also works as a journalist, writer, and storytelling teacher. She lives with her husband in Hamburg and Brittany, France.

March 2016 | Paperback | 416 pp | $16.00 | 9780553418798 | Broadway Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. “Memories are like wolves. You can’t lock them away and hope they leave you alone.” The Little Paris Bookshop begins when Monsieur Perdu opens the room he’s kept sealed off for two decades. What are your first impressions of Perdu?

2. “Perdu reflected that it was a common misconception that booksellers looked after books. They looked after people.” Monsieur Perdu helps countless people find books that heal them. In your life, have you ever felt that a book restored you to yourself?

3. In Chapter 3, Perdu refuses to sell a copy of Max Jordan’s Night to a customer, because he feels it would upset her. How would you react if this happened to you? Is there such thing as a dangerous book?

4. On their journey south, Perdu forges a powerful friendship with both Max and Cuneo. What do the three characters teach one another?

5. The death of the deer is an emotionally charged scene that serves to ignite something within Perdu. What do you think it represented for the three men?

6. We come to know Manon through Perdu’s account of her, and her travel diary. What did you think of her as a character?

7. The time to mourn, or “hurting time,” becomes important for nearly every character in The Little Paris Bookshop. Do you believe a period of grieving is necessary when a loved one is lost? Does it depend on the circumstances in which they left your life?

8. Perdu finally arrives in Bonnieux, where he asks Manon’s husband, Luc, for forgiveness. Does Luc provide Perdu with the sense of closure he lacks? Does Perdu offer anything to Luc?

9. The text that is perhaps most vital to Perdu’s emotional journey is Sanary’s Southern Lights. Were you surprised to discover the author’s true identity? Why or why not?

10. The novel includes pages from Manon’s journal, letters between Perdu and Catherine, recipes, and a reading list. Did these artifacts make your reading experience a richer one?

11. Love and friendship, the power of stories to heal—of these, which do you think this novel is most about?

MISS KOPP’S MIDNIGHT CONFESSIONS: A KOPP SISTERS NOVEL

Amy Stewart

The best-selling author of Girl Waits with Gun and Lady Cop Makes Trouble continues her extraordinary journey into the real lives of the forgotten but fabulous Kopp sisters.

Deputy sheriff Constance Kopp is outraged to see young women brought into the Hackensack jail over dubious charges of waywardness, incorrigibility, and moral depravity. The strong-willed, patriotic Edna Heustis, who left home to work in a munitions factory, certainly doesn’t belong behind bars. And sixteen-year-old runaway Minnie Davis, with few prospects and fewer friends, shouldn’t be publicly shamed and packed off to a state-run reformatory. But such were the laws—and morals—of 1916. Constance uses her authority as deputy sheriff, and occasionally exceeds it, to investigate and defend these women when no one else will. But it’s her sister Fleurette who puts Constance’s beliefs to the test and forces her to reckon with her own ideas of how a young woman should and shouldn’t behave. Against the backdrop of World War I, and drawn once again from the true story of the Kopp sisters, Miss Kopp’s Midnight Confessions is a spirited, page-turning story that will delight fans of historical fiction and lighthearted detective fiction alike.

“A colorful and inventive adventure that also contains a serious message at its core about the importance of meaningful work to women’s identities and, in some cases, survival” —The Washington Post

“Amy Stewart uses her skills as a researcher to lovingly excavate the wonderful, entirely forgotten story of the Kopp sisters.” —USA Today

“Stewart gives us three sisters whose bond—scratchy and well-worn but stronger for it—is unspoken but effortless.” —NPR

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Amy Stewart is the award-winning author of seven books, including her acclaimed fiction debut Girl Waits with Gun and the bestsellers The Drunken Botanist and Wicked Plants. She and her husband live in Eureka, California, where they own a bookstore called Eureka Books.

Sept 2017 | Hardcover | 384 pp | $26.00 | 9780544409996 | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. How has the world changed and what progress has taken place throughout the Kopp Sisters Series?

2. How are the sisters’ roles continuing to evolve throughout the series, and how are the rolls becoming more defined?

3. This third book is written in third person instead of from Constance’s point of view. Did you notice this change? What do you think of it? What does it allow that Constance’s point of view did not?

4. What do you think of Sheriff Heath and Constance’s rapport? How has their relationship changed since book one?

5. In the newspaper interview, Constance shares the 6 requisites she believes are necessary for a detective, and says “At midnight a woman will tell almost anything if she finds one who is sympathetic to tell it to.” This is also included in the epigraph. In what ways are “help” and “sympathy” important themes in Constance’s life and in this book?

6. In the book, parents ask police to arrest daughters for lack of morals and waywardness—things as simple as staying out late, dating or taking jobs. Before Constance takes on more responsibility there is little or no defense available for these women. Were you surprised about this part of our history? The Mann Act still exists, but the meaning and use has changed. What does its new use say about how our society has changed or stayed the same since the early 1900s?

7. Even though Constance supports and defends women like Edna who are in jail for leaving home, Constance expresses concern when Fleurette leaves on her own adventure. Constance even follows her and asks others to check on her too. How is Constance similar to the parents who turn in their daughters? How is she different?

8. Norma is protective of her family. She initiates spying on Fleurette, handles all of Constance’s fan mail, and takes care of the farmhouse. Does she enjoy her role? Do you think it might change?

9. Even though Constance and May have very different personalities and jobs, they are both in strong positions for females at the time. How does being female effect their lives and their positions? How do they have to act differently than men in the same positions?

10. Why does Fleurette lie about her experience on the show? What is she feeling at the end about her homecoming?

THE NIGHTINGALE

Kristin Hannah

France, 1939. In the quiet village of Carriveau, Vianne Mauriac says goodbye to her husband, Antoine, as he heads for the Front. She doesn’t believe that the Nazis will invade France … but invade they do, in droves of marching soldiers, in caravans of trucks and tanks, in planes that fill the skies and drop bombs upon the innocent. When a German captain requisitions Vianne’s home, she and her daughter must live with the enemy or lose everything. Without food or money or hope, as danger escalates all around them, she is forced to make one impossible choice after another to keep her family alive. Vianne’s sister, Isabelle, is a rebellious eighteen-year-old girl, searching for purpose with all the reckless passion of youth. While thousands of Parisians march into the unknown terrors of war, she meets Gaetan, a partisan who believes the French can fight the Nazis from within France, and she falls in love as only the young can…completely. But when he betrays her, Isabelle joins the Resistance and never looks back, risking her life time and again to save others.

With courage, grace and powerful insight, bestselling author Kristin Hannah captures the epic panorama of WWII and illuminates an intimate part of history seldom seen: the women’s war. The Nightingale tells the stories of two sisters, separated by years and experience, by ideals, passion and circumstance, each embarking on her own dangerous path toward survival, love, and freedom in German-occupied, war-torn France—a heartbreakingly beautiful novel that celebrates the resilience of the human spirit and the durability of women. It is a novel for everyone, a novel for a lifetime.

Haunting, action-packed, and compelling.” —Christina Baker Kline, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Orphan Train

“This moving, emotional tribute to the brave women who fought behind enemy lines during the war is bound to gain the already immensely popular Hannah an even wider audience. [The Nightingale] is positioned to take the book world by storm.” —Booklist

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kristin Hannah is a New York Times bestselling author of twenty-two novels.

April 2017 | Paperback | 592 pp | $16.99 | 9781250080400 | St. Martin’s Griffin

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. The Nightingale opens with a statement that lays out one of the major themes of the book: “If I have learned anything in this long life of mine, it is this: In love we find out who we want to be; in war we find out who we are.” What do you think the narrator means? Is love the ideal and war the reality? How does war change the way these characters love? How does love influence their actions in the war?

2. Why do you think Kristin Hannah chose to keep the narrator’s identity a secret in the beginning and end of the novel? Were you surprised by whom it turned out to be? Did you go back and reread the beginning of the novel once you finished? Were you satisfied when you discovered who was narrating the novel?

3. Many characters chose to construct a secret identity. How did pretending to be someone else determine each character’s fate, and what about those who had no choice, like Ari and Julien?

4. The book captures many of the era’s attitudes about men and women. Isabelle, for example, is told that women do not go to war. Vianne is confused by her new wartime role as provider. Their father, Julien, is unwilling to fulfill his parental duties after his wife dies. Have gender roles changed much since World War II? Vianne says that “men tell stories…women get on with it.” Do you agree with her?

5. Each sister experiences love in a different way. Vianne’s love is that of a mature woman, a wife and a mother devoted to her family; Isabelle’s love is youthful and impulsive, more of a girlish dream than a reality. How did Isabelle’s feelings of abandonment shape her personality and her life? How did Vianne’s maternal love lead to acts of heroism, saving the lives of Jewish children? How did love—and war—bring these two sisters closer together?

6. When Isabelle works with Anouk and women of the French resistance, she notices “the wordless bond of women.” What does she mean?

7. Vianne recalls her husband Antoine telling her that “we choose to see miracles.” What does he mean by this? Is it his way of telling his wife he knows the truth about their son’s biological father? Or is it his way of looking at life, of coping with the terrible events they’ve lived through?

8. Which scenes moved you the most? Which character’s fate would you say was the most tragic, poignant, or harrowing? What will you remember most about The Nightingale?

THE NIX

Nathan Hill

A New York Times 2016 Notable Book

Entertainment Weekly’s #1 Book of the Year

A Washington Post 2016 Notable Book

A Slate Top Ten Book

It’s 2011, and Samuel Andresen-Anderson hasn’t seen his mother, Faye, in decades—not since she abandoned the family when he was a boy. Now she’s reappeared, having committed an absurd crime that electrifies the nightly news and inflames a politically divided country. The media paints Faye as a radical hippie with a sordid past, but as far as Samuel knows, his mother was an ordinary girl who married her high-school sweetheart. Which version of his mother is true? Two facts are certain: she’s facing some serious charges, and she needs Samuel’s help.

To save her, Samuel will have to embark on his own journey, uncovering long-buried secrets about the woman he thought he knew, secrets that stretch across generations and have their origin all the way back in Norway, home of the mysterious Nix. As he does so, Samuel will confront not only Faye’s losses but also his own lost love, and will relearn everything he thought he knew about his mother, and himself.

“Nathan Hill is a maestro.” —John Irving

“Funny, endlessly inventive … [a] wild tragicomic tangle of [Hill’s] imagination.” —Entertainment Weekly

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Nathan Hill’s short fiction has appeared in many literary journals, including The Iowa Review, AGNI, The Gettysburg Review, and Fiction, which awarded him its annual Fiction Prize. A native Iowan, he lives with his wife in Naples, Florida.

May 2017 | Paperback | 752 pp | $17.00 | 9781101970348 | Vintage

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Why do you think that the author chose to call his novel The Nix? What is a Nix according to folklore? How does the Nix function symbolically within the novel and which major themes does it facilitate or uncover? Who in the story believes himself or herself to be a Nix and why?

2. Faye reveals that she believes the things a person loves the most will ultimately hurt them the worst. Which events in her life may have caused her to adopt this point of view? Does the rest of the book seem to support this view of love or overturn it?

3. What kinds of experiences do the female characters share? What do the men in the book think women should be like? In the sections set in the 1960s and ’70s, how does feminism impact the way that women are perceived by those around them? How do they respond to these expectations and stereotypes? Is Faye’s experience similar or different from those of other women?

4. How does Samuel and Faye’s relationship compare to Faye’s own relationship with her father? How well does each child know his or her parent? What prevents them from knowing this parent better? How do the relationships change over time, and what causes these changes?

5. Consider the treatment of Faye’s story in the press. Does the press, provide fair and unbiased accounts of the news? What does the book suggest about the publishing industry? Are the stories each character tells truthful and reliable? Does the book suggest how we can determine whether or not a source is reliable and a story is true?

6. Many of the characters in the book engage in some type of art. What purpose does art fulfill in their lives? Why does Samuel decide to become a novelist? What does he hope that his book will achieve?

7. Consider the collective view of America that the novel offers. Would you say it’s an accurate portrayal? How does the author use comedy and the absurd to pose truths about the cultural and political landscape? Alternatively, how does he employ elements of tragedy to accomplish this? Is one method more successful than the other?

8. At the end of the book, Faye thinks: “Something does not have to happen for it to feel real” (581). What might her statement suggest about the past, memory, imagination, and regret?

NUTSHELL

Ian McEwan

“Oh God, I could be bounded in a nutshell and count myself king of infinite space—were it not that I have bad dreams.” —Hamlet, Act II, Scene 2

Trudy has been unfaithful to her husband, John. What’s more, she has kicked him out of their marital home, a valuable old London town house, and in his place is his own brother, the profoundly banal Claude. The illicit couple have hatched a scheme to rid themselves of her inconvenient husband forever. But there is a witness to their plot: the inquisitive, nine-month-old resident of Trudy’s womb.

As Trudy’s unborn son listens, bound within her body, to his mother and his uncle’s murderous plans, he gives us a truly new perspective on our world, seen from the confines of his. McEwan’s brilliant recasting of Shakespeare lends new weight to the age-old question of Hamlet’s hesitation, and is a tour de force of storytelling.

“Smart, funny and utterly captivating.” —The New York Times

“More brilliant than it has any right to be … Suspenseful, dazzlingly clever and gravely profound.” —The Washington Post

“Fantastically entertaining and frequently hilarious.” —San Francisco Chronicle

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ian McEwan is the bestselling author of sixteen books, including the novels The Children Act; Sweet Tooth; Solar, winner of the Bollinger Everyman Wodehouse Prize; On Chesil Beach; Saturday; Atonement, winner of the National Book Critics Circle Award and the W. H. Smith Literary Award; The Comfort of Strangers and Black Dogs, both short-listed for the Booker Prize; Amsterdam, winner of the Booker Prize; and The Child in Time, winner of the Whitbread Award; as well as the story collections First Love, Last Rites, winner of the Somerset Maugham Award, and In Between the Sheets.

May 2017 | Paperback | 224 pp | $16.00 | 9780525431947 | Anchor Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. There are many allusions and references in the novel to Shakespeare, Hamlet in particular. Which resonated with you the most?

2. It’s not easy to empathize with Trudy. Discuss her character, her dilemma, and the ways in which you identify with her.

3. At one critical point John gives a soliloquy, the story of his love affair and marriage with Trudy. How surprising was that to you? Did you feel differently about John and Trudy after reading this?

4. Does Claude have any redeeming qualities? If so, what are they?

5. There are numerous mentions of fine wine, music, literature, and current geopolitics that suggest an unexpected worldliness in our narrator. A fetus does not know about such things. How does McEwan pull it off?

6. In what ways is the ending inevitable? Surprising? Satisfying?

7. If Nutshell were made into a film, who would you cast in the roles of John, Trudy, and Claude?

8. In Atonement, we meet one of McEwan’s most unreliable narrators, Briony. In Nutshell we meet his most reliable narrator. Or is he? Should we trust him just because he hasn’t yet been spoiled by the outside world?

9. What other Ian McEwan novels have you read? In the arc of McEwan’s writing career: his themes, his literary tropes, his plots and characters, where does this novel fit? And where does it all point?

10. McEwan has said elsewhere that many novels are over-long. In your opinion what are the virtues of the shorter novels that McEwan often delivers? How, in general, do longer novels fall short?

THE OTHER EINSTEIN

Marie Benedict

Indie Next Pick and LibraryReads Pick

In the tradition of The Paris Wife and Mrs. Poe, The Other Einstein offers us a window into a brilliant, fascinatingwoman whose light was lost in Einstein’s enormous shadow. It is the story of Einstein’s wife, a brilliant physicist in her own right, whose contribution to the special theory of relativity is hotly debated and may have been inspired by her own profound and very personal insight.

Mileva Maric has always been a little different from other girls. Most twenty-year-olds are wives by now, not studying physics at an elite Zurich university with only male students trying to outdo her clever calculations. But Mileva is smart enough to know that, for her, math is an easier path than marriage. And then fellow student Albert Einstein takes an interest in her, and the world turns sideways. Theirs becomes a partnership of the mind and of the heart, but there might not be room for more than one genius in a marriage.

“Superb … the haunting story of Einstein’s brilliant first wife who was lost in his shadow.” —Sue Monk Kidd, New York Times bestselling author of The Invention of Wings, The Secret Life of Bees, and The Mermaid Chair

“Could the theory of relativity actually have been conceived by ‘the other Einstein’? In this fascinating and thoughtful novel, we learn that this is more than possible.” —B.A. Shapiro, New York Times bestselling author of The Art Forger and The Muralist

“The Other Einstein takesyou into Mileva’s heart, mind, and study as she tries to forge a place for herself in a scientific world dominated by men.” —Bustle

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marie Benedict is a lawyer with more than ten years’ experience as a litigator at two of the country’s premier law firms and for Fortune 500 companies. She is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College with a focus in history and art history and a cum laude graduate of the Boston University School of Law. She lives in Pittsburgh with her family.

August 2017 | Paperback | 336 pp | $16.99 | 9781492647584 | Sourcebooks Landmark

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Discuss the various ways that gender affects the characters in this novel. Do you think gender would influence Mileva’s life in the same way if she lived today?

2. This novel can be seen as a quest for understanding, a search for the divine in the natural order of the world. How does the study of math and physics become this quest for Albert and Mileva? Are they, either separately or together, successful in their crusade? Does unmuzzling life’s mysteries have disparate meanings to them?

3. Betrayal is a recurrent motif in the book and an unfortunate reality in Mileva’s life. What forms of betrayal does she experience? How does her reaction to those betrayals propel the story forward, for better or worse? Has Mileva engaged in betrayal herself?

4. Discuss the setting of the book, a world on the brink of astounding scientific discoveries, political upheaval, and ultimately horrible World War I atrocities. Does this historical setting affect the characters? What role, if any, does it play in shaping their lives?

5. From a very young age, Mileva assumes that she will never marry due to her physical disability. How is this disability both a blessing and a curse? How does her limp impact her differently at different life stages?

6. Mileva and Albert are drawn to each other from the beginning of their years together at Polytechnic. What qualities compel them toward one another? Is their relationship “inevitable,” as Mileva believes.

7. The loss of Lieserl impacts Mileva tremendously, yet she doesn’t fully share her feelings with Albert. Why does she keep her devastation from him? Do you think she should have been more open with him?

8. On several occasions throughout the novel, the characters undergo metamorphoses. What are Mileva’s changes, and what instigates them? Do some of them frustrate you or take too long? Does Albert change during the course of the novel? If so, how would you describe his evolution?

9. Albert Einstein is arguably one of the most famous figures of the twentieth century, but The Other Einstein shares a story about him that you might not have otherwise heard. Did this novel change your perception of him, or about the stories we are told regarding other women in history?

PACHINKO

Min Jin Lee

A National Reading Group Month Great Group Reads 2017 Selection

“There could only be a few winners, and a lot of losers. And yet we played on, because we had hope that we might be the lucky ones.”

History is seldom kind. In Min Jin Lee’s bestselling, magisterial epic, four generations of a poor, proud immigrant family fight to control their destinies, exiled from a homeland they never knew.

In the early 1900s, teenaged Sunja, the adored daughter of a crippled fisherman, falls for a wealthy stranger at the seashore near her home in Korea. He promises her the world, but when she discovers she is pregnant—and that her lover is married—she refuses to be bought. Instead, she accepts an offer of marriage from a gentle, sickly minister passing through on his way to Japan. But her decision to abandon her home and to reject her son’s powerful father sets off a dramatic saga that will echo down through the generations.

Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From the bustling street markets to the halls of Japan’s finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee’s complex and passionate characters—strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis—survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history.

“A powerful meditation on what immigrants sacrifice to achieve a home in the world. Pachinko confirms Lee’s place among our finest novelists.” —Junot Díaz

“Stunning … A compassionate, clear gaze at the chaotic landscape of life itself.” —The New York Times Book Review

“Ambitious … a social novel in the Dickensian vein.” —USA Today

“A deep, broad, addictive history of a Korean family in Japan enduring and prospering through the 20th century.” —David Mitchell, The Guardian

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Min Jin Lee’s debut novel, Free Food for Millionaires, was one of the “Top 10 Novels of the Year” for The Times (London), NPR’s Fresh Air, and USA Today. She lives in New York with her family.

Jan 2018 | Paperback | 496 pp | $15.99 | 9781455563920 | Grand Central Publishing

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. “History has failed us, but no matter.” How does the opening line reflect the rest of the book—and do you agree?

2. In a way, Sunja’s relationship with Isak progresses in reverse, as her pregnancy by another man brings them together and prompts Isak to propose marriage. How does Lee redefine intimacy and love with these two characters?

3. What does “home” mean to each of the main characters? Does it ever change? In what ways does a yearning for home color the tone of the novel?

4. How do courting and marriage alter from one generation to the next?

5. How much agency and power do you think Sunja really has over her life?

6. Much is made of Sunja’s fading beauty, as well as the physical appearance of all the women who surround her. What does this reveal about society at this time? Do you see this emphasis on female beauty reflected in present-day culture?

7. Throughout the book, characters often must choose between survival and tradition or morality. What examples embody this tension?

8. Many of the main characters struggle with shame throughout their lives, whether due to their ethnicity, family, life choices, or other factors. How does shame drive both their successes and failures?

9. The terms “good Korean” and “good Japanese” are used many times throughout the book. What do these terms mean?

10. Compare the many parent-child relationships in the novel. How do they differ across families and generations? What hopes and dreams does each parent hold for their children—and are these hopes rewarded?

11. Even in death or physical absence, the presence of many characters lingers on throughout the book. How does this affect your reading experience? How would the book have been different if it were confined to one character’s perspective?

12. Why do you think the author chose Pachinko for the title?

A PIECE OF THE WORLD

Christina Baker Kline

An Instant New York Times Bestseller

To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family’s remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life. Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best known American paintings of the twentieth century.

As she did in her beloved smash bestseller Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful novel that illuminates a little-known part of America’s history. Bringing into focus the flesh-and-blood woman behind the portrait, she vividly imagines the life of a woman with a complicated relationship to her family and her past, and a special bond with one of our greatest modern artists.

Told in evocative and lucid prose, A Piece of the World is a story about the burdens and blessings of family history, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy.

This edition includes a four-color reproduction of Andrew Wyeth’s “Christina’s World.”

“Graceful moving and powerful.” —Michael Chabon

“The novel evokes the somber grace of [Wyeth’s] paintings … Christina’s yearning, her determination, her will to dream, occupy the emotional center in both the novel and the painting. A Piece of the World is a story for those who want the mysterious made real” —The New York Times Book Review

“Another winner from the author of Orphan Train. In this beautifully observed fictional memoir, Kline uses Andrew Wyeths’ iconic painting ‘Christina’s World’ as the taking-off point for a moving portrait of the artist’s real-life muse. Book of the week.” —People

“A gorgeous read.” —Real Simple

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Christina Baker Kline is the author of five novels. She lives outside of New York City and on the coast of Maine.

Jan 2018 | Paperback | 384 pp | $16.99 | 9780062356277 | William Morrow Paperbacks

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Christina Olson’s life is limited by her parents, her illness, and the realities of a rural life in the first half of the 20th century. But she does make decisions that affect the course of her life. What are some of the major consequences of Christina’s choices?

2. Consider Christina’s relationship with her parents and her relationship with Mamey. What does Mamey offer Christina that her parents do not? What are the limitations of that relationship? How do Christina’s brothers have different relationships with both Mamey and their parents?

3. How do the poems of Emily Dickinson engage with the themes of this novel?

4. How might Christina’s life have been different if Walton had actually married her?

5. What does Christina’s behavior toward her brother reveal about her character?

6. What is it about Andy that compels Christina to share her very private world with him? Why does she allow him to paint her, and why does she like being a model more than Al does?

7. What draws Andy toward Christina? How are they similar? How does Betsy’s relationship with each influence the other relationship?

8. Discuss the ways in which Andrew Wyeth’s iconic painting “Christina’s World” interacts with this story. How did your familiarity (or lack of familiarity) color your reading of the novel?

9. Which parts of Christina’s life seem based on biographical fact? What parts do you think the author added? Did your reading of Kline’s Author’s Note at the end of the novel change the way you thought about any aspect of the book? What about seeing the painting at the end?

10. Would you characterize Christina as an unlikeable narrator?

11. Is A Piece of the World a “New England” novel? To what extent do the characters and the setting take into account their New England roots?

12. The majority of historical fiction revolves around important or influential figures—Christina, by contrast, lives a ‘quiet, ordinary life.’ How does Kline extract drama and complexity in Christina’s character?

PRECIOUS AND GRACE: NO. 1 LADIES’ DETECTIVE AGENCY

Alexander McCall Smith

In this latest installment of the beloved and best-selling No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, Precious Ramotswe and Grace Makutsi help a young woman on a quest to find someone from her past.

Changes are afoot at the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency, where Mma Makutsi, who has recently been promoted to co-director, has been encouraging Mma Ramotswe to update to more modern office practices. However, an unusual case will require both of them to turn their attention firmly to the past. A young Canadian woman who spent her early childhood in Botswana requests the agency’s help in recovering important pieces of her life there. With only a faded photograph—and, of course, some good old-fashioned detective skills—to guide them, Precious and Grace set out to locate the house that the woman used to live in and the caretaker who looked after her manyyears ago. But when the journey takes an unexpected turn, they are forced to consider whether some lost things may be better off unfound.

Busy as she is with this challenging investigation, Mma Ramotswe can always be relied on to come to the aid of her friends who seem to have a special knack for landing in hot water. With Mma Makutsi by her side, Mma Ramotswe dispenses help and sympathy with the graciousness and warmth for which she is so well-known, and everyone is led to surprising insights into the healing power of compassion, forgiveness, and new beginnings.

“Hooked. In thrall. That’s what the reader will be … Endearing, amusing, and speckled with truths.” —The Dallas Morning News

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Alexander McCall Smith is the author of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series, the Isabel Dalhousie series, the 44 Scotland Street series, the Portuguese Irregular Verb series, and the Corduroy Mansions series.

May 2017 | Paperback | 240 pp | $15.00 | 9781101972816 | Anchor Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. McCall Smith says friendship is at the heart of Precious and Grace and that, “Friendship is one of the greatest of literary themes, but hard to write about. Embarrassment, sentiment, get in the way.” What do you think about his depiction of friendship in the novel? What other books have you loved with friendship as the main theme? How do those friendships compare to the one between Precious and Grace?

2. Discuss the chapter titles of this book. What does the first one, “A Good Friend Is Like a Hill” mean or refer to? What about “Trust Your Nose”?

3. Why does Mma Ramotswe enjoy reminiscing and talking about the past and how it was “the time of cattle; the time of bicycles rather than cars; the time when the arrival of the day’s single plane was an event; the time of politeness and courtesy.”? (33) How do her reminiscences fit in with the overall themes of the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective Agency series?

4. Another theme of the novel is accepting people who see things differently than you. Mma Ramotswe contemplates this idea: “You could love those people who looked at things so differently, because you realized that they were not trying to make life hard for you by being what they were, but were simply doing their best.” (90) How does this thought connect with Charlie and with the events in the book? How does it help her solve Susan’s case?

5. “Nothing was cheap, she thought, even the things that were said to be free. Love itself was not cheap … Freedom was not cheap—its price tag was watchfulness and courage. Even fresh air, the air we breathed each day, had its price tag, it seemed.” (78) Do you agree with this quote. How does it relate to Mr. J.L.B. Matekoni and Mma Ramotswe?

6. Comment on Mma Ramotswe’s thoughts on forgiveness at the end of the book: “Anger, and its close cousin revenge, had come off second best to forgiveness and to the realization that current unhappiness is not always helped by delving into the past, but can be dealt with by other, more productive means.” (226) How does this view connect to difficulties presented in your life and events in your community or in the world?

THE READERS OF BROKEN WHEEL RECOMMEND

Katarina Bivald

A New York Times Bestseller, Amazon Best Book of the Month, The International Bestseller, An Indie Regional Bestseller, A National Indie Bestseller, #1 Indie Next Pick, #2 LibraryReads Pick

Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen …

Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her book-loving pen pal, Amy. When she arrives, however, she finds Amy’s funeral guests just leaving. The residents of Broken Wheel are happy to look after their bewildered visitor—there’s not much else to do in a dying small town that’s almost beyond repair.

You certainly wouldn’t open a bookstore. And definitely not with the tourist in charge. You’d need a vacant storefront (Main Street is full of them), books (Amy’s house is full of them), and … customers.

The bookstore might be a little quirky. Then again, so is Sara. But Broken Wheel’s own story might be more eccentric and surprising than Sara thought.

A heartwarming reminder of why we are booklovers, this is a sweet, smart story about how books find us, change us, and connect us.

“Heartwarming …” —People

“A manifesto for booksellers, booklovers, andfriendship … one of these books you want to live in for a while.” —Nina George, New York Times bestselling author of The Little Paris Bookshop

“Charmingly original … sweet, quirky.” —The Washington Post

“Warm-hearted” —Woman’s Day

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Katarina Bivald lives outside of Stockholm, Sweden. This is her first novel. She grew up working part-time in a bookshop.

January 2016 | Paperback | 400 pp | $16.99 | 9781492623441 | Sourcebooks

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Sara and Amy develop a close relationship through exchanging letters. Have you ever had a pen pal? How might a friendship conducted entirely through writing be different than an in-person relationship?

2. Even though we never met Amy in person, we get to know her through her letters to Sara. How did her letters influence your understanding of Amy and Sara’s relationship?

3. How might Sara’s visit have been different if Amy had been alive when she arrived?

4. Why do you think everyone in Broken Wheel felt so responsible for looking after Sara when she arrived?

5. Broken Wheel is a dying town, and a bookstore brings it back to life. How accurately do you think The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend portrays small town America? Have you ever been to or lived in a place like Broken Wheel?

6. There is a strong rivalry between Broken Wheel and Hope. How do you think the residents of Hope viewed the people of Broken Wheel? How were their perceptions changed once the bookstore opened?

7. Sara arranges the books in her shop through unconventional genre names, including “Sex, Violence and Weapons” and “For Friday Nights and Lazy Sundays.” What are some creative categories you might use to group your favorite books together?

8. Why do you think Sara was so reluctant to return to Sweden? What was missing from her life that she found in Broken Wheel?

9. Why do you think Caroline and Josh felt so much pressure to keep their relationship a secret?

10. The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend focuses on how books can change lives. How have books affected your life? Is there one book in particular that changed the way you see the world?

11. If you were to open a bookstore, what are some of the books you would absolutely have to have for sale?

12. Where do you think Sara, Tom, and the rest of the residents of Broken Wheel will be in five years? What do you think will have changed, and what will stay the same?

THE RIVER AT NIGHT

Erica Ferencik

An Oprah.com Page-Turning Novels Pick

A Bustle Most Anticipated Thriller Novel of 2017

An Entertainment Weekly “Must List” Pick

A “raw, relentless, and heart-poundingly real” (Ruth Ware, New York Times bestselling author) thriller set against the harsh beauty of the Maine wilderness, The River at Night charts the journey of four friends as they fight to survive the aftermath of a white water rafting accident.

Winifred Allen needs a vacation.

Stifled by a soul-crushing job, devastated by the death of her beloved brother, and lonely after the end of a fifteen-year marriage, Wini is feeling vulnerable. So when her three best friends insist on a high-octane getaway for their annual girls’ trip, she signs on, despite her misgivings.

What starts out as an invigorating hiking and rafting excursion in the remote Allagash Wilderness soon becomes an all-too-real nightmare; a freak accident leaves the women stranded, separating them from their raft and everything they need to survive. When night descends, a fire on the mountainside lures them to a ramshackle camp that appears to be their lifeline. But as Wini and her friends grasp the true intent of their supposed saviors, long-buried secrets emerge and lifelong allegiances are put to the test. To survive, Wini must reach beyond the world she knows to harness an inner strength she never knew she possessed.

With intimately observed characters and visceral prose, The River at Night “will leave you gasping, your heart racing, eyes peering over your shoulder to see what follows from behind” (Mary Kubica, New York Times bestselling author). This is a dark exploration of creatures—both friend and foe—that you won’t soon forget.

“This book takes ‘page-turner’ to a whole new level.” —Bustle

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Erica Ferencik is a graduate of the MFA program in Creative Writing at Boston University. Her work has appeared in Salon and The Boston Globe, as well as on National Public Radio.

August 2017 | Paperback | 320 pp | $16.00 | 9781501143205 | Scout Press Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. “The woods on either side grew dense, impenetrable, alive with their own logic and intelligence”. (38) Discuss how nature, specifically the woods and the river, act as a character in the novel.

2. The book opens with a quote by Henry David Thoreau. Consider the quote in relation to Simone and Dean, as well as the relationships between Pia, Rachel, Sandra, and Wini. Why do you think the author chose to start the novel with this quote?

3. Concerns about aging and the passing of time come up frequently in The River at Night. Why do you think age becomes a factor in Pia’s encounter with Rory? Why does age matter in terms of Rory’s expertise as a guide?

4. The women use Pia and Rory’s sexual encounter to unearth some frustrations they have with one another. Discuss the strength of their bonds and how a trip like this may have forced them to reconcile previous tensions more than a less stressful vacation would have.

5. Wini, Pia, Rachel, and Sandra have strikingly different personalities. Which of the women do you relate to the most? The least?

6. On page 51, the characters learn that the river is largely on public property. Sandra goes so far as to say, “Nobody owns a river, right?” Is there an underlying message about conservation and environmentalism in the novel? Discuss what other ways a river, forest, or public park might be “owned.”

7. In Chapter 7, just before the women truly commence their trip, Wini remembers her last camping experience. Discuss how the loss of her brother affects Wini’s life and how this flashback weaves its way into the rest of the novel.

8. Discuss the two major deaths in this novel. How are they different? What strikes you most about Rory’s passing? About Sandra’s? Do you think that either could have been prevented?

9. As the antagonist of the story, Simone can be seen as ruthless, deadly, and potentially crazy. One could argue, however, that Simone is just another survivor in the novel. Do you think the author means for her to be more than the villain? Why or why not?

10. Traveling with a group (or a partner) can often strengthen a friendship. Do you think the trip brought these women closer together?

SALT HOUSES

Hala Alyan

From a dazzling new literary voice, a debut novel about a Palestinian family caught between present and past, between displacement and home.

On the eve of her daughter Alia’s wedding, Salma reads the girl’s future in a cup of coffee dregs. She sees an unsettled life for Alia and her children; she also sees travel, and luck. While she chooses to keep her predictions to herself that day, they will all soon come to pass when the family is uprooted in the wake of the Six-Day War of 1967.

Salma is forced to leave her home in Nablus; Alia’s brother gets pulled into a politically militarized world he can’t escape; and Alia and her gentle-spirited husband move to Kuwait City, where they reluctantly build a life with their three children. When Saddam Hussein invades Kuwait in 1990, Alia and her family once again lose their home, their land, and their story as they know it, scattering to Beirut, Paris, Boston, and beyond. Soon Alia’s children begin families of their own, once again navigating the burdens (and blessings) of assimilation in foreign cities.

Lyrical and heartbreaking, Salt Houses is a remarkable debut novel that challenges and humanizes an age-old conflict we might think we understand—one that asks us to confront that most devastating of all truths: you can’t go home again.

“Moving and beautifully written, Alyan’s debut chronicles three generations of a Palestinian family as they face two life-altering displacements – the first after 1967’s Six-Day War, and the second following Saddam Hussein’s 1990 invasion of Kuwait.” —Entertainment Weekly

“Spring’s most powerful novel … mystical, compelling … sweeping.” —Town & Country

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Hala Alyan is an award-winning Palestinian American poet and clinical psychologist whose work has appeared in numerous journals including the Missouri Review, Prairie Schooner, and Colorado Review. She resides in Manhattan.

May 2017 | Hardcover | 320 pp | $26.00 | 0544912586 | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. As readers, we follow this family through several major real-world events: the Six-Day War, Saddam Hussein’s invasion of Kuwait, the 9/11 attacks. How does viewing history through the prism of these individual lives change the way you think of those historical events?

2. Salma’s garden in Nablus (i.e., Palestine) is described throughout the novel as various characters enjoy, remember, or mourn for it. Does the garden function as a symbol of something larger in this book? What does it represent to you?

3. On page 132, Alia overhears her husband Atef say, of Alia and her daughter Souad, “I’ve never seen two people more alike.” In what ways are Alia and Souad alike? Did you find their relationship to be believable, as a mother and daughter?

4. The multigenerational scope of this novel gives readers a chance to watch characters grow from children to parents themselves. Do you think Souad’s parenting style reflects any particular aspects of how she was raised by Alia and Atef?

5. Alia and Atef each secretly have a “favorite” child, though they would never admit it — just as Salma has a soft spot for her youngest, Alia. Did you find this to be a realistic portrayal of how parents feel about their children — and do you understand why each of these parents favored the particular child they did?

6. What was your impression of Abdullah, Riham’s stepson? Were you anticipating a different trajectory for his character?

7. What parallels do you see between Mustafa, the middle child between a quiet older sister and a spirited younger one, and Karam, who occupies a similar place in his family?

THE SECOND MRS. HOCKADAY

Susan Rivers

When Major Gryffth Hockaday is called to the front lines of the Civil War, his new bride is left to care for her husband’s three-hundred-acre farm and infant son. Placidia, a mere teenager herself, living far from her family and completely unprepared to run a farm or raise a child, must endure the darkest days of the war on her own. By the time Major Hockaday returns two years later, Placidia is bound for jail, accused of having borne a child in his absence and murdering it. What really transpired in the two years he was away? A love story, a story of racial divide, and a story of the South as it fell in the war, The Second Mrs. Hockaday reveals how this generation—and the next—began to see their world anew.

“Suspenseful and satisfying.” —People

“Mesmerizing … Placidia’s voice is penetrating and her observations about the singular truths of war are vivid and illuminating.” —Atlanta Journal-Constitution

“Taut, almost unbearable suspense … This galvanizing historical portrait of courage, determination, and abiding love mesmerizes and shocks.” —Booklist (starred review)

“Told through exquisitely crafted letters and diary entries, the delicious pacing leads to revelations both intriguing and unnerving. I was sorry to reach the end of this stunning debut.” —Diane Chamberlain, author of The Silent Sister

“With The Second Mrs. Hockaday, Susan Rivers viscerally evokes a bygone era without sentimentality. Her deeply sympathetic characters cope with the hard truths of slavery and war, maintaining their humanity and capability for redemption throughout. A thoroughly engrossing and affecting read.” —Alice LaPlante, author of A Circle of Wives

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Susan Rivers lives and writes in a small town in upstate South Carolina. She earned an MFA in fiction writing from Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina. The Second Mrs. Hockaday is her first novel.

November 2017 | Paperback | 288 pp | $15.95 | 9781616207366 | Algonquin Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. The story is told in documents—letters, inquest reports, and diary entries—rather than a continuous narrative from one point of view. What do you think the writer intended to achieve by using this approach to the story? What was the effect on you as a reader?

2. Placidia agrees to marry Major Gryffth Hockaday after knowing him for less than a day. What do you think motivates her to accept his proposal?

3. Discuss the role played in the novel by the ghost of the first Mrs. Hockaday. Why do you think she haunts Holland Creek? What does her relationship with Placidia tell you about the second Mrs. Hockaday?

4. Placidia seems to have a close relationship with her father, Quincey Valois Fincher, but her perception of him changes when she discovers that he fathered a child with a slave girl while Placidia’s mother was alive and allowed that child to be sold away. Recent genetic evidence shows that many of our country’s founding fathers, including Thomas Jefferson and George Washington, maintained “shadow” families of mixed-race descendants on their plantations. How do you think high-society Americans in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries rationalized the sexual exploitation of enslaved African American women?

5. Many people in Holland Crossroads believe that Placidia murdered her infant son before burying him on the farm. Placidia denies harming the baby. What version of events do you believe?

6. Discuss Gryffth Hockaday’s state of mind as you interpret it from his letters to Placidia. How do his views on the war appear to change? How does he view his responsibility to Placidia?

7. Placidia’s grown son, Achilles Hockaday, is repeatedly instructed by his father to burn the copy of David Copperfield that contains Placidia’s wartime diary. Discuss Achilles’s decision to read his mother’s diary. Would you have done the same?

8. Placidia’s final entry in her diary is also the conclusion of the novel. Do her final words and images leave you hopeful? Sad? Enlightened? Conflicted? What do you think she means by the statement “Paradise … costs too much”? (254)

THE SPY: A NOVEL OF MATA HARI

Paulo Coelho

In his new novel, Paulo Coelho, bestselling author of The Alchemist and Adultery, brings to life one of history’s most enigmatic women: Mata Hari.

When Mata Hari arrived in Paris she was penniless. Within months she was the most celebrated woman in the city.

As a dancer, she shocked and delighted audiences; as a courtesan, she bewitched the era’s richest and most powerful men. But as paranoia consumed a country at war, Mata Hari’s lifestyle brought her under suspicion. In 1917, she was arrested in her hotel room on the Champs-Élysées, and accused of espionage.

Told in Mata Hari’s voice through her final letter, The Spy is the unforgettable story of a woman who dared to defy convention and who paid the ultimate price.

“[The Spy is a] masterful new novel.” —Bookpage

“Coelho, whose books have sold more than 200 million copies worldwide, has taken the Mata Hara story and fashioned it into a short dynamo of a novel” —The Los Angeles Times

“A striking novel … By the end, readers will believe they’ve read [Mata Hari’s] actual letters.” —Publisher’s Weekly

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: One of the most influential writers of our time, Paulo Coelho is the author of many international best sellers, including The Alchemist, Aleph, Eleven Minutes, and Manuscript Found in Accra. Translated into 81 languages, his books have sold more than 165 million copies in more than 170 countries. He is a member of the Brazilian Academy of Letters and has received the Chevalier de l’Ordre National de la Légion d’Honneur. In 2007, he was named a United Nations Messenger of Peace.

June 2017 | Paperback | 192 pp | $15.00 | 9780525432791 | Vintage

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. The narrative structure of The Spy shifts among the perspectives of Mata Hari, her attorney, and factual source documents. What does this assert about subjectivity in recounting historical events? How is the true version of the events leading up to Mata Hari’s execution complicated throughout the novel?

2. Discuss the significance of the epigraph. How does it act as a presage of tone for the novel? How does Coelho’s choice to begin the book with an account of Mata Hari’s death establish mood and setting?

3. On page 20, Mata Hari states, “All the men I’ve known have given me joy, jewelry, or a place in society, and I’ve never regretted knowing them.” How does this attitude run against expected feminine behavior? How do men react to her reach for power, success, and material wealth? How do men function in her efforts to fulfill her dreams?

4. Discuss the evolution of Mata Hari’s relationship with her husband. When they first meet, how does she view marriage as an institution? How does she contend with her husband’s abuse? How is their marriage affected by the death of their son?

5. Describe Mata Hari’s choice to rename herself. What is the significance of her renaming? How does this assertion of a new identity allow her to explore different aspects of her personality?

6. How does Mata Hari describe dance? How is cultural appropriation discussed throughout the novel?

7. On page 87, Mata Hari asserts, “For me, love and power were the same thing.” When is this conflation demonstrated most vividly during the novel? How do masculine figures in her life contend with her grasp for power? When does Mata Hari’s power become most problematic? With whom does she share real affection?

8. The tension between private and public selves is explored throughout The Spy. How is Mata Hari’s view of herself enhanced, satisfied, or complicated by her public stature? How does her public presentation differ from the reality of her existence toward the end of her life?

9. While incarcerated, Mata Hari writes, “Though at the moment I am a prisoner, my spirit remains free.” (103) How does she define freedom? Does the tone of her personal account indicate any sense of guilt or regret at her actions?

SWIMMING HOME

Mary-Rose MacColl

From the author of the international bestseller In Falling Snow, a beautifully written, heartwarming novel of a young woman swimmer in 1925

London, 1925: Fifteen-year-old Catherine Quick longs to feel once more the warm waters of her home, to strike out into the ocean off the Torres Strait Islands in Australia and swim, as she’s done since she was a child. But now, orphaned and living with her aunt Louisa in London, Catherine feels that everything she values has been stripped away from her.

Louisa, a London surgeon who fought boldly for equality for women, holds strict views on the behavior of her young niece. She wants Catherine to pursue an education, just as she herself did. Catherine is rebellious, and Louisa finds it difficult to block painful memories from her past. It takes the enigmatic American banker Manfred Lear Black to convince Louisa to bring Catherine to New York where Catherine can train to become the first woman to swim the English Channel. And finally, Louisa begins to listen to what her own heart tells her.

“At once chilling yet strangely beautiful … MacColl’s narrative is fortified by impeccable research and her innate ability to create a powerful bond between readers and characters. Well done.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mary-Rose MacColl’s first novel, No Safe Place, was runner-up in the Australian Vogel Literary Award. Her first nonfiction book, The Birth Wars, was a Finalist in the Walkley Awards for Journalism and in the Queensland Premier’s Awards for Nonfiction and for Science Writing. In Falling Snow is her fourth novel and her American debut. She divides her time between Brisbane, Australia, and Banff, Canada, with her husband and son.

June 2017 | Paperback | 432 pp | $16.00 | 9780143129967 | Penguin Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. In Swimming Home, the author incorporates historical fact into her fiction. How does this technique enhance the reading experience? What other novels have you read recently which also combine fact and fiction?

2. Two of the themes of the novel concern the birth of women’s competitive swimming, and opportunities for equality for women through education and employment. How are these themes connected?

3. Dr. Louisa Quick is an intelligent and accomplished surgeon professionally yet struggles to personally connect with others, including her niece, Catherine. Why? How did this change throughout the novel?

4. Louisa is a strong advocate for the rights of women to choose their own paths yet she has trouble accepting Catherine’s choices. Do you think Louisa was right to make decisions for Catherine? What do you learn about Louisa’s initial protective nature of Catherine?

5. Swimming Home includes vivid sensory detail about Queensland and London. Did you notice this detail while you were reading? What did these details provide and how did they evoke and enhance the locations and the story?

6. The scenes set at Catherine’s home in the Torres Strait islands explore the treatment of the Torres Strait Islander people by the non-indigenous government policies and enforced social strata. How did these politics become part of the overall story? How did they relate to other themes in the book? How do you feel about historic political information being incorporated into fiction?

7. How does Catherine’s role and personality change throughout the book? How does the past motivate her purpose for the future?

SWING TIME

Zadie Smith

A New York Times bestseller

Finalist for the National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction

An ambitious, exuberant new novel moving from North West London to West Africa, from the multi-award-winning author of White Teeth and On Beauty

Two brown girls dream of being dancers—but only one, Tracey, has talent. The other has ideas: about rhythm and time, about black bodies and black music, and what constitutes a tribe, or makes a person truly free. It’s a close but complicated childhood friendship that ends abruptly in their early twenties, but never quite forgotten.

Tracey makes it to the chorus line but struggles with adult life, while her friend leaves the old neighborhood behind, travels the world as an assistant to a famous singer, Aimee, observing close up how the one percent live.

But when Aimee develops grand philanthropic ambitions, the story moves from London to West Africa, where diaspora tourists travel back in time to find their roots, young men risk their lives to escape into a different future, the women dance just like Tracey—the same twists, the same shakes—and the origins of a profound inequality are not a matter of distant history, but a present dance to the music of time.

“Swing Time uses its extraordinary breadth and its syncopated structure to turn the issues of race and class in every direction…We finally have a big social novel nimble enough to keep all its diverse parts moving gracefully toward a vision of what really matters in this life when the music stops.” —Ron Charles, The Washington Post

“Smith’s most affecting novel in a decade, one that brings a piercing focus to her favorite theme: the struggle to weave disparate threads of experience into a coherent story of a self…” —Alexandra Schwartz, The New Yorker

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Zadie Smith is the author of the novels White Teeth, The Autograph Man, On Beauty, NW, and Swing Time.

September 2017 | Paperback | 464 pp | $17.00 | 9780143111641 | Penguin Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. The title, Swing Time, is a reference to the 1936 Fred Astaire-Ginger Rogers musical of the same name. How do you see the title connecting to themes throughout the book? How does it connect to the different shifts and periods of time, too?

2. The narrator tells the stories of the four other women while remaining in the background, unnamed. Even when watching Swing Time, she realizes that the dancer she watches is the shadow. Why do you think the narrator stayed unnamed? Did you trust her?

3. Zadie Smith, like the narrator, is the daughter of a Jamaican mother and an Irish father, and also grew up in a housing project in England. Authors of fiction often draw on real life experiences. Does this information lend more credibility or authority for you to the telling of the story? Does it change how you perceived anything?

4. Many characters in the book are identified or defined by their race and class. Roots are also important in New York, London and Africa. How do you see the definitions of race and class changing or dictating the lives of Aimee, Hawa, Tracey, and the narrator’s mother? What do you think of Hawa’s brother’s conversation about class in their community versus in New York, where he saw contempt?

5. The idea of not fitting into a specific race or class populates the book. Strangers ask if the narrator will grow up confused or question how she will choose between her parents’ cultures. The narrator feels like she is strange to both her mother and father, “a changeling belonging to neither one of them”. How does this affect the narrator?

6. What do you think Tracey hoped people would now understand about the narrator when she sent the video and wrote, “Now people will know who you really are.”?

7. The boys on the bridge are referred to a few times. On page 160, the narrator’s mom says, “They didn’t have a chance”. The narrator reflects that this was “a sentence moving in two directions.” What did she mean by that? On page 450, the narrator says: “I left him and chose the bridge. Ignoring both barriers, walking straight down the center, over the river, until I reached the other side.” How has the narrator’s sense of choice changed at this point? What meaning is behind this action? Where else do you see the theme and power of choice in the novel?

TEMPORARY PEOPLE

Deepak Unnikrishnan

Winner of The Restless Books Prize for New Immigrant Writing

In the UAE, foreign nationals constitute over eighty percent of the population. Brought in to construct and serve the towering monuments to wealth that punctuate the skylines of Abu Dhabi and Dubai, this labor force is not given the option of citizenship. Some ride their luck to good fortune. Others suffer different fates. Until now, the humanitarian crisis of the so-called “guest workers” of the Gulf has barely been addressed in fiction. With his stunning, mind-altering debut novel Temporary People, Deepak Unnikrishnan delves into their histories, myths, struggles, and triumphs.

Combining the linguistic invention of Salman Rushdie and the satirical vision of George Saunders, Unnikrishnan presents twenty-eight linked stories that careen from construction workers who shapeshift into luggage and escape a labor camp, to a woman who stitches back together the bodies of those who’ve fallen from buildings in progress, to a man who grows ideal workers designed to live twelve years and then perish — until they don’t, and found a rebel community in the desert. With this polyphony of voices, Unnikrishnan maps a new, unruly global English and gives personhood back to the anonymous workers of the Gulf.

“The author’s crisp, imaginative prose packs a punch, and his whimsical depiction of characters who oscillate between two lands on either side of the Arabian Sea unspools the kind of immigrant narratives that are rarely told. An enchanting, unparalleled anthem of displacement and repatriation.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Unnikrishnan writes brilliant stories with a fresh, passionate energy … Important work. Work of the future. This man will not be stopped.” —Deb Olin Unferth, author of Revolution

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Deepak Unnikrishnan is a writer from Abu Dhabi. He has studied and taught at the Art Institute of Chicago, and currently teaches at New York University Abu Dhabi. Temporary People is his first novel.

March 2017 | Paperback | 224 pp | $17.99 | 9781632061423 | Restless Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. The word “Pravasi” appears several times in Temporary People—it means immigrant or migrant. How do immigration and migration play out in the book? How would you relate the stories in the book to what’s happening in the news regarding immigration today?

2. Many people in the Persian Gulf work menial jobs without the rights of citizenship. Which chapters of Temporary People struck you as a particularly effective depiction of these workers, and why? Which aspects of their lives did you identify with or were the most surprised by?

3. What do you think of the book’s title? How does the book play with the idea of “temporariness”?

4. Temporary People depicts supernatural scenarios—such as sentient elevators and talking cockroaches—as well as scenes that are more firmly grounded in reality. Why do you think the author chose to go beyond realism in the book, and what effect do those surreal scenarios have on the reading experience?

5. What do you think about the way that language is used in the book? Pick a few moments that stand out to you and discuss.

6. How did the book alter your impressions of life in the United Arab Emirates?

7. The two stories entitled “Blattella Germanica” include accounts of the same events, with many of the same observations, but with a different narrative voice and framing. Why do you think the author chose this repetition? What is its effect?

8. Storytelling, writing, and the nature of narrative are subjects of the stories in Temporary People. How does the author’s toying with the idea of storytelling challenge ideas about truth, objectivity, and the purpose of fiction?

9. In the book’s opening and closing stories, travelers moving through airports take improbably proportioned objects into their bodies. What might these surreal components suggest about the migrant experience—what they bring with them, give up, and become?

10. Are there other books you would compare to Temporary People? Who would you recommend Temporary People to who might not ordinarily be drawn to pick it up?

US & THEM

Bahiyyih Nakhjavani

Lili and Goli have argued endlessly about where their mother, Bibijan, should live since the Iranian Revolution. They disagree about her finances too, which remain blocked as long as she insists on waiting for her son—still missing but not presumed dead yet—to return from the Iran-Iraq war. But once they begin to “share” the old woman, sending her back and forth between Paris and Los Angeles, they start asking themselves where the money might be coming from. Only their Persian half-sister in Iran and the Westernized granddaughter of the family have the courage to face up to the answers, and only when Bibijan finally relinquishes the past can she remember the truth.

A story mirrored in fragmented lives, Us & Them explores the ludicrous and the tragic, the venal and the generous-hearted aspects of Iranian life away from home. It is a story both familial and familiar in its generational tensions and misunderstandings, its push and pull of obligations and expectations. It also highlights how “we” can become “them” at any moment, for our true exile is alienation from others.

“A glitteringly poignant novel” —Ruth Padel, author of Where the Serpent Lives, Judge of 2016 International Man Booker Prize

“Sensitive, subtle, evocative. Bahiyyih Nakhjavani weaves threads of silk with her words, skillfully filling in the silences within and between cultures.” —Elif Shafak, author of The Bastard of Istanbul

“With Swiftian wit and prose both pithy and poetic, Us & Them offers a searingly honest satirical image of Iranian society and its large diaspora.” —Abbas Milani, Hamid and Christina Moghadam Director of Iranian Studies, Stanford University

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Bahiyyih Nakhjavani grew up in Uganda, was educated in the United Kingdom and the United States, and now lives in France. She is the author of The Woman Who Read Too Much (Redwood Press, 2015), The Saddlebag (2001), and Paper (2005).

April 2017 | Hardcover | 272 pp | $25.00 | 9781503601581 | Redwood Press

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. The author offers a warning on the copyright page: “This is a work of fiction and so the reader is warned against it … It is also a satire and so the reader is encouraged to laugh at it, except when disposed to weep, since every effort has been made to distort, to pervert, and to exaggerate the truth in these pages.” Why might the author have felt the need to offer such a caution? What does it say about the author’s motivations for this book that she chose to write this as a satire? Does she succeed in her aims?

2. How do the opening and closing chapters, respectively titled “Us” and “Them,” frame the story as a whole?

3. The novel moves through Los Angeles, Paris, Tehran, Australia, Germany, and elsewhere. Why is it written as a series of interconnected stories? How does the non-linear structure impact the novel and the way the story unfolds? How does the use of “we” instead of “I” as the voice of the narrator(s) illuminate—or obscure—the novel’s themes?

4. Bibi, Lili, Goli, Fathi, and Delli represent three generations of women. What are each woman’s defining characteristics? Do they grow and develop throughout the story or do they mostly remain the same? How do they relate to the men in the story—the General, Ali, and Mehdi?

5. Describe the role of money in the novel. How does it impact each character? How are money and power dynamics interwoven? Does money have unique significance to migrant communities, or does it impact non-migrants in the same way?

6. Upon arriving in America, Bibi muses, “Maybe we can escape being either/or, this or that, us or them.” (80) Do you think this is true? Have you ever experienced the feeling of needing to be “either/or?” How did that unfold in your life?

7. How do you typically perceive migration? Does this story agree with or challenge your ideas on migrant and diaspora communities? Did this novel make you think differently about worldwide migration?

THE VENGEANCE OF MOTHERS: THE JOURNALS OF MARGARET KELLY & MOLLY MCGILL

Jim Fergus

The stunning sequel to the award-winning novel One Thousand White Women

9 March 1876

My name is Meggie Kelly and I take up this pencil with my twin sister, Susie. We have nothing left, less than nothing. The village of our People has been destroyed, all our possessions burned, our friends butchered by the soldiers, our baby daughters gone … Do not underestimate the power of a mother’s vengeance …

So begins the fictional Journal of Margaret Kelly, a woman who participated in the U.S. government’s “Brides for Indians” program in 1873, a program to attain “peace” between the United States and the Cheyenne Nation by giving 1,000 white women as brides in exchange for three hundred horses. These “brides” were mostly fallen women; no one expected the program to work, and the women themselves thought of it simply as a chance at freedom. But many of them fell in love with their Cheyenne spouses and had children with them…and became Cheyenne themselves.

The Vengeance of Mothers explores what happens to the bonds between wives and husbands, children and mothers, when society sees them as “untouchables.” What does it mean to be white, to be Cheyenne, and how far will these women go to avenge the ones they loved and lost? With vivid detail and keen emotional depth, Jim Fergus brings to light a time and place in American history and fills it with unforgettable characters who live and breathe with a passion we can feel even today.

“It’s a gripping tale, a history lesson infused with both sadness at the violence perpetuated against the Cheyenne and awe at the endurance of this remarkable group of women.” —Booklist

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jim Fergus is an award-winning writer whose work has appeared in numerous national magazines and newspapers. He is the author of several books of fiction and nonfiction. His novel, One Thousand White Women, was named Best Book of the West and has sold more than one million copies in the U.S. and France. Jim divides his time between southern Arizona, northern Colorado, and France.

September 2017 | Hardcover | 352 pp | $26.99 | 9781250093424 | St. Martin’s Press

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. What did you know about Native American and Cheyenne history in the 19th Century—either from your own studies, or as portrayed in popular film/television—before reading this novel?

2. The author has told us that the novel is based on a “kernel of historical record” and that he imagined what could have happened. Are these characters believable and relatable, given the extraordinary circumstances in which they find themselves?

3. Discuss the nature of fact versus fiction in the world of this novel. You may wish to compare it with other novels and/or dramatic portrayals you’ve experienced.

4. What can we learn about our world—and ourselves—from the story told in The Vengeance of Mothers?

THE WOMEN IN THE CASTLE

Jessica Shattuck

Three women, haunted by the past and the secrets they hold …

Set at the end of World War II, in a crumbling Bavarian castle that once played host to all of German high society, a powerful and propulsive story of three widows whose lives and fates become intertwined—an affecting, shocking, and ultimately redemptive novel that was an instant New York Times bestseller from Jessica Shattuck.

Amid the ashes of Nazi Germany’s defeat, Marianne von Lingenfels returns to the once-grand castle of her husband’s ancestors, an imposing stone fortress now fallen into ruin following years of war. The widow of a resister murdered in the failed July 20, 1944 plot to assassinate Adolf Hitler, Marianne plans to uphold the promise she made to her husband’s brave conspirators: to find and protect their wives, her fellow resistance widows.

Written with devastating emotional power Jessica Shattuck’s evocative and utterly enthralling novel offers a fresh perspective on one of the most tumultuous periods in history. Combining piercing social insight and vivid historical atmosphere, The Women in the Castle is a dramatic yet nuanced portrait of war and its repercussions that explores what it means to survive, love, and, ultimately, to forgive in the wake of unimaginable hardship.

“If you love historical fiction, this is your must-read book: It’s captivating, fascinating, and incredibly faithful to the events as they happened, and Jessica Shattuck reveals an entirely new side of what it’s like to be a woman in wartime.” —Newsweek

“Moving … surprises and devastates.” —The New York Times Book Review

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Jessica Shattuck is the award-winning author of The Hazards of Good Breeding, which was a New York Times Notable Book and finalist for the PEN/Winship Award, and Perfect Life. Her writing has appeared in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Glamour, Mother Jones, Wired, and The Believer, among other publications. She lives with her husband and three children in Brookline, Massachusetts.

March 2017 | Hardcover | 368 pp | $26.99 | 9780062563668 | William Morrow
January 2018 | Paperback | 368 pp | $16.99 | 9780062563675 | William Morrow

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Compare and contrast the three women of the novel: Marianne, Benita, and Ania. How did their backgrounds—class, family, education—define each of them and affect their outlook toward the Nazis and one another? Did Marianne’s privilege make it easier for her to be an active resister? Why was Benita dazzled by the Nazi’s pageantry? How did Ania’s childhood influence her feelings toward Hitler?

2. Would the three women have been friends if not for the war? How do the events and aftermath of the war shape their perceptions of themselves? Though they have numerous differences, what characteristics do they share? While the war brought these women into each other’s lives, was it ultimately what bound them together?

3. Do you think the confidence and self-certainty that enabled Marianne to survive also blinded her to her own failings—and to the goodness in those who did not seem to measure up to her rigid standards? Was she a good protector and friend to Benita and Ania?

4. How did Benita’s beauty both help and hurt her? How did reading Connie’s final letter influence the tragic choice she makes? Why did Benita feel that love, for her generation, was dead?

5. Think about Ania. Do you think she was like most ordinary Germans of the period? How did she hide her past from Marianne and Benita? How did the revelation about her past affect her relationship with Marianne? Do you think Ania was ashamed of the choices she made?

6. At the end of the war, each woman was in a different place, physically and emotionally. What ordeals did these widows face? What choices were they forced to make to survive? How did the years of fighting—and their nation’s defeat—change daily life for Germans like Marianne, Benita, Ania, and their children?

7. The Women in the Castle offers a different look at World War II as it explores the lives of ordinary Germans. How does Jessica Shattuck’s novel challenge our perceptions and notions of Germans during and after the war? Were women like Marianne, Benita, and Ania victims in their own way? How responsible are individuals for their leaders? What about resisters like Marianne and her circle? Why do you think she saw the true monster that Hitler was when many others did not?

ANIMALS STRIKE CURIOUS POSES

Elena Passarello

A New York Times Editor’s Choice

In Animals Strike Curious Poses, Elena Passarello channels her own potent sense of natural wonder into sixteen wondrous essays about legendary animals of history, constructing a bestiary that informs, astonishes, and delights. Passarello’s menagerie spans nearly 40 millennia, from Yuka, the 39,000-year-old wooly mammoth recently pulled from Siberian permafrost to Cecil, the beloved lion killed for sport in Zimbabwe in 2015. The collection celebrates the vibrancy of the human imagination as it approaches the animal other: Albrecht Durer’s sixteenth century woodcut Rhinocerus; Mozart’s collaborative compositions with a starling; Edison’s experiments with electricity in the era of the first circus elephants.

“I’ve spent decades reading books on the roles animals play in human cultures, but none have ever made me think, and feel, as much as this one. It’s a devastating meditation on our relationship to the natural world. It might be the best book on animals I’ve ever read. It’s also the only one that’s made me laugh out loud. … [Passarello is] a master of the essay form.” —Helen Macdonald for The New York Times Book Review

“Fiercely fun.” —Marie Claire

“Stunning. … a feast of surprising juxtapositions and gorgeous prose.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)

“This phenomenal collection documents the lives of particular animals from a wide range of species. … Passarello treats her subjects with dextrous care, weaving narratives together in a way that investigates, honors, and complicates her subjects. … A consistently original, thoroughly researched, altogether fascinating compendium.” —Booklist (starred review)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Elena Passarello is an actor, a writer, and recipient of a 2015 Whiting Fellowship in nonfiction. Her first collection with Sarabande Books, Let Me Clear My Throat, won the gold medal for nonfiction at the 2013 Independent Publisher Awards. She lives in Corvallis, Oregon.

February 2017 | Hardcover | 200 pp | $19.95 | 9781941411391 | Sarabande Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. The essays in this collection are ordered chronologically and span roughly 39,000 years. Each one describes a different human relationship with an animal (or animals). As you read the collection, do you get the sense that humans have changed in the way they interact with animals over time? If so, how? If not, why?

2. In “Harriet”, Passarello incorporates the tools of fiction alongside historical research as she writes from the imagined perspective of Darwin’s tortoise Harriet. Why do you think she made that choice? How does this impact the way you read the essay?

3. Passarello uses a variety of prose styles throughout the collection. Consider the effect of rhythm and sound in an essay like “Sackerson” by reading a passage aloud. How does Passarello’s writing style contribute to the subjects and themes of her essays?

4. In “Jumbo II,” Passarello juxtaposes the history of circus elephants with the history of electrocution. What argument might she be making through this juxtaposition?

5. All of the essays in Animals Strike Curious Poses feature animals that were named by humans. How does the act of naming alter the relationship between humans and the animals they name?

6. “Lancelot” is the only essay in the collection in which the author discusses her own life. In it, she describes a formative childhood memory: going to the circus to see the creature falsely billed as ‘The Living Unicorn.’ “There’s a distinct possibility that every time I write about an animal, I’m only writing about him,” Passarello writes, “which might also mean, horrifyingly, that I’m only writing about myself.” Consider this quote in the context of the collection. Do you think Passarello is really just writing about herself, or more broadly, the human animal? If so, what is she trying to say?

7. Harambe was a 17-year-old Western lowland gorilla kept at the Cincinnati Zoo. In 2016, a three-year-old boy climbed into Harambe’s enclosure. The zoo staff, fearing for the boy’s life, shot and killed the gorilla. What might the Passarello essay “Harambe” look like?

BEING MORTAL: MEDICINE AND WHAT MATTERS IN THE END

Atul Gawande

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post, The New York Times Book Review, NPR, and The Chicago Tribune

Medicine has triumphed in modern times, transforming the dangers of childbirth, injury, and disease from harrowing to manageable. But when it comes to the inescapable realities of aging and death, what medicine can do often runs counter to what it should.

Through eye-opening research and gripping stories of his own patients and family, Atul Gawande reveals the suffering this dynamic has produced. Nursing homes, devoted above all to safety, battle with residents over the food they can eat and the choices they are allowed to make. Doctors, uncomfortable discussing patients’ anxieties about death, fall back on false hopes and treatments that are actually shortening lives instead of improving them.

Gawande, a practicing surgeon, examines his profession’s ultimate limitations and failures as life draws to a close. Riveting, honest, and humane, Being Mortal shows how the ultimate goal is not a good death but a good life-all the way to the very end.

“Being Mortal, Atul Gawande’s masterful exploration of aging, death, and the medical profession’s mishandling of both, is his best and most personal book yet.” —The Boston Globe

“American medicine, Being Mortal reminds us, has prepared itself for life but not for death. This is Atul Gawande’s most powerful—and moving—book.” —Malcolm Gladwell

“Illuminating.” —Janet Maslin, The New York Times

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Atul Gawande is author of three bestselling books: Complications, a finalist for the National Book Award; Better; and The Checklist Manifesto. He is a surgeon at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, a staff writer for The New Yorker, a professor at Harvard Medical School and Harvard School of Public Health and a recipient of a MacArthur Fellowship.

September 2017 | Paperback | 304 pp | $16.00 | 9781250076229 | Picador

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Why do we assume we will know how to empathize and comfort those in end-of-life stages? How prepared do you feel to do and say the right thing when that time comes for someone in your life?

2. What do you think the author means when he says that we’ve “medicalized” mortality?

3. What surprising facts did you discover about the physiology of aging?

4. Did you read Alice Hobson’s story as an inspiring one, or as a cautionary tale?

5. What does it mean to you to treat someone with serious infirmities as a person and not a patient?

6. What realities are captured in the story of Lou and his daughter, Shelley, regarding home care? What conflicts did Shelley face between her intentions and the practical needs of the family and herself?

7. What do you fear most about the end of life? How do you think your family would react if you told them, “I’m ready”? How do we strike a balance between fear and hope, while still confronting reality?

8. Our society seems to favor attempts to “fix” health problems, no matter the odds of their success. Why is it so difficult for doctors and families to refuse or curtail treatment? How should priorities be set?

9. What is your attitude toward old age? Is it something to avoid thinking about, or a stage of life to be honored? Do you think most people are in denial about their own aging?

10. Discuss the often-politicized end-of-life questions raised in the closing chapters. If you had to make a choice for a loved one between ICU and hospice, what would you most want to know from them? What would you be willing to endure for the possibility of more time?

11. As the author learns the limitations of being Dr. Informative, how did your perception of doctors and what you want from them change? What would you want from your doctor if you faced a serious illness?

12. How was your reading affected by the book’s final scene, as Dr. Gawande fulfills his father’s wishes? How do tradition and spirituality influence your concept of what it means to be mortal?

THE BEST OF US: A MEMOIR

Joyce Maynard

From New York Times bestselling author Joyce Maynard, a memoir about discovering strength in the midst of great loss.

In 2011, when she was in her late fifties, beloved author and journalist Joyce Maynard met the first true partner she had ever known. Before they met, both she and Jim had believed they were done with marriage, and even after they married, Joyce resolved that no one could alter her course of determined independence. Then, just after their one-year wedding anniversary, her new husband was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. During the nineteen months that followed, as they battled his illness together, Joyce discovered for the first time what it really meant to be a couple—to be a true partner and to have one.

This is their story. Charting the course through their whirlwind romance, a marriage cut short by tragedy, and Joyce’s return to singleness on new terms, The Best of Us is a heart-wrenching, ultimately life-affirming reflection on coming to understand true love through the experience of great loss.

“Profound, heart wrenching, inspiring, full of joy and tears and life.” —Anne Lamott

“My heart broke and soared on every page. Everyone needs to read this book.” —Ann Hood

“The Best of Us is so candid, so deeply moving, so powerful … A testament to human resilience.” —Elle

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Joyce Maynard is the author of sixteen books including the novels To Die For and Labor Day (both adapted for film) and the bestselling memoir At Home in the World. Her essays and columns have appeared in dozens of publications and numerous collections. She is a frequent performer with The Moth, a fellow of the MacDowell Colony and Yaddo, and founder of the Lake Atitlan Writers’ Workshop. She is the mother of three grown children, and makes her home in Lafayette, CA.

September 2017 | Hardcover | 448 pp | $27.00 | 9781635570342 | Bloomsbury USA

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. In order to survive the daily trials of cancer treatment, Joyce and Jim are forced to rely on hope. Explore how Joyce and Jim harness the power of hope throughout this memoir. Discuss the points in the memoir where Joyce’s hope is tested and how her hopefulness is sustained or diminished in the face of struggle.

2. As a caretaker and partner to someone with cancer, it is common to experience bouts of anger. How do Joyce and Deborah balance their anger and their love? In your opinion, is their anger selfish, justified, or both? Discuss how these women manage their anger in the face of what they perceive to be the greatest injustice of their lives.

3. When she met Jim, Joyce was reluctant to recommit to marriage. Jim revived her belief in marriage as an extended romance. But it was the challenging moments that were transformative. Compare and contrast Joyce’s understanding of marriage at the beginning of the story and at the end. How does this memoir challenge or reinforce the traditional notion of a “good” marriage?

4. The commitment to preserving her individuality is a cornerstone of Joyce’s personality. How does Joyce maintain her individuality while still being a devoted wife and caregiver? Discuss how Joyce attempts to return to her life alone after Jim’s death. How does one reconnect with themselves after a tragedy?

5. The adoption and subsequent rehoming of Adenach and Layla is Joyce’s greatest source of shame. In your opinion, why was Joyce’s situation so unsuitable? Explore how, and if, Joyce comes to terms with her decision. Explore how the pain of this loss, Joyce’s greatest until Jim’s death, differs from the pain of losing a spouse.

6. Explore the ways that Jim and Joyce come to terms with the finality of death. In what ways does Joyce prepare for Jim’s death and what effects of loss are unpredictable? Discuss the point, if any, that this memoir makes about the nature of death and fatal illness. How does Joyce grapple with being the one left behind?

CUZ: THE LIFE AND TIMES OF MICHAEL A.

Danielle Allen

Michael Alexander Allen, baby cousin of an extended family, was first arrested at fifteen for an attempted carjacking. Tried as an adult and sentenced to thirteen years, Michael served eleven. Three years after his release, he was shot and killed. Why? Why did this gifted young man, who dreamed of being a firefighter and a writer, end up dead? Why did he languish in prison? And why at fifteen was he in an alley in South Central LA, holding a gun while trying to steal someone’s car? “Cuz” means both “cousin” and “because.” Danielle Allen grew up with Michael and, in 2006 when Michael got out, was cousin-on-duty, shouldering the responsibility to support his fresh start, while juggling the demands of her own promising academic career. In this Ellisonian story of a young African American man’s coming-of-age in late twentieth-century America, and of the family who will always love Michael, we learn how we lost a generation.

“A literary and political event like Toni Morrison’s Playing in the Dark, Danielle Allen’s Cuz is an elegiac memoir and socialjeremiad born out of the tragedy of mass incarceration.” —Henry Louis Gates Jr.

“What starts as a personal memoir, an effort to resurrect from oblivion a beloved cousin who died young, modulates in Allen’s hands into a cool, reasoned, but ultimately devastating indictment of the War on Drugs and the sentencing regime it has given birth to.” —J. M. Coetzee

“Unforgettable … The pacing is brisk and novelistic, but the message is large and clear: we need urgently to reform the system through which we process juveniles who commit crime, because the current system perpetuates the very injustices it was designed to address.” —Andrew Solomon

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Danielle Allen is the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University and author of Our Declaration. She lives in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

September 2017 | Hardcover | 256 pp | $24.95 | 9781631493119 | Liveright Publishing

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Reflecting on the day she retrieved Michael from prison, Danielle writes “to know something intellectually is so very different from feeling it in your flesh.” How does “intellectual” knowledge and this more visceral knowledge that Danielle describes, interact throughout the memoir?

2. What role does place and the city of Los Angeles play in this story? How did the family’s return to Los Angeles affect Michael?

3. There are several instances throughout the text where Michael’s own voice or writing is used. Locate a few examples and discuss how they’re used and what we learn through hearing from Michael directly.

4. When Danielle describes Michael’s love for Bree, she writes “Michael had made his defining life’s choice.” She also describes the relationships Michael forged throughout his time in prison, and the many invisible forces at work in the penal system. Which forces or relationships do you think were most instrumental in shaping Michael’s life?

5. In an essay for one of his college courses, Michael compares his experience in prison to that of Dante’s portrayal of hell in Inferno. There are many likenesses, Michael observes, but concludes “the biggest and most important difference in the Inferno and my hell called prison, is that I have a way out.” Does this statement ring true? Why or why not? In what other ways does Michael’s experience mirror the experience of hell?

6. When Danielle visits Michael in prison, she describes the many rules and codes of behavior expected of both visitors and inmates. How do these codes—both spoken and unspoken—affect Danielle’s interactions with Michael?

7. Michael finds a kind of freedom in firefighting. Describe his experience in this literal inferno, as it compares to his experience in prison. How is it freeing, and why?

8. The story of Michael’s life does not unfold linearly, but moves back and forth in time. Did you appreciate this experience as a reader? What does it tell you about Michael’s experience? About the nature of grief?

EVICTED: POVERTY AND PROFIT IN THE AMERICAN CITY

Matthew Desmond

Winner of the 2017 Pulitzer Prize for General Nonfiction

In Evicted, Harvard sociologist and MacArthur “Genius” Matthew Desmond follows eight families in Milwaukee as they struggle to keep a roof over their heads. Hailed as “wrenching and revelatory” (The Nation), “vivid and unsettling” (The New York Review of Books), Evicted transforms our understanding of poverty and economic exploitation while providing fresh ideas for solving one of 21st-century America’s most devastating problems. Its unforgettable scenes of hope and loss remind us of the centrality of home, without which nothing else is possible.

“Astonishing … Desmond is an academic who teaches at Harvard—a sociologist or, you could say, an ethnographer. But I would like to claim him as a journalist too, and one who, like Katherine Boo in her study of a Mumbai slum, has set a new standard for reporting on poverty.” —Barbara Ehrenreich, The New York Times Book Review

“I’ve come to think of Evicted as a comet book — the sort of thing that swings around only every so often, and is, for those who’ve experienced it, pretty much impossible to forget. It regally combines policy reporting and ethnography, following eight families in Milwaukee as they struggle to find that most basic human necessity: shelter. After reading Evicted, you’ll realize you cannot have a serious conversation about poverty without talking about housing. You will also have the mad urge to press it into the hands of every elected official you meet. The book is that good, and it’s that unignorable. Nothing else this year came close.” —Jennifer Senior, The New York Times Critics’ Top Books of 2016

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Matthew Desmond is the John L. Loeb Associate Professor of the Social Sciences at Harvard University and co-director of the Justice and Poverty Project. A former member of the Harvard Society of Fellows, he is the author of the award-winning book, On the Fireline, coauthor of two books on race, and editor of a collection of studies on severe deprivation in America. In 2015, Desmond was awarded a MacArthur “Genius” grant.

February 2017 | Paperback | 448 pp | $17.00 | 9780553447453 | Broadway Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Many people have very codified perceptions of “people who get evicted” and suspect that those people are largely responsible for their circumstances. Did you feel this way before reading Evicted? Did your opinions change after reading the book?

2. In Evicted, author Matthew Desmond takes a narrative approach to an important topic and follows the stories of several real people. Which person’s story were you most drawn to and why?

3. Although eviction is the central issue, affordable housing interacts intimately with many other social issues. For example: Do parents who have trouble finding safe housing for their children deserve to have their children taken away and put in foster care? Would affordable housing make it easier for addicts/recovering addicts to enroll in programs that increase chances of rehabilitation? What other issues does eviction affect in this book and in the world in general?

4. How does race factor into the types of struggles faced by the individuals profiled in Evicted? What about being a woman? Or a single parent?

5. How did tenants such as Crystal and Arleen rely on friends and extended kin networks to get by? Why do you think agencies such as Aid to Families with Dependent Children seek to limit kin dependence?

6. Landlords repeatedly turned down Pam and Ned’s rental applications because they have children. Why do you think families with children were not considered a protected class when Congress passed the Fair Housing Act in 1968? Do you think it is fair for landlords to charge tenants with children surcharges and children-damage deposits?

7. Why did Doreen choose not to call Sherrena when the house was in need of repair? Do you agree that “The house failed the tenants, and the tenants failed the house”? (256) What effects does living in such a home have on a person’s psychological and emotional health?

8. Many Americans still believe that the typical low-income family lives in public housing. Unfortunately, the opposite is true; only 1 in 4 families who qualify for any kind of housing assistance receive it. Desmond proposes a universal housing voucher program. What do you think of that idea?

9. The government spends more money on homeowner tax benefits for affluent families than on housing assistance to poor families. How would you address this issue?

THE GENERAL’S NIECE: THE LITTLE-KNOWN DE GAULLE WHO FOUGHT TO FREE OCCUPIED FRANCE

Paige Bowers

Based on interviews with family members, former associates, prominent historians, and never-before-seen papers, The General’s Niece is the first English-language biography of Charles de Gaulle’s niece, confidante, and daughter-figure, Geneviève. Paige Bowers leads readers through the remarkable life of this young woman who risked death to become one of the most devoted foot soldiers of the French Resistance. Beginning with small acts of defiance such as tearing down swastikas and pro-Vichy posters, she eventually ferried arms and false letters of transit to fellow résistants and distributed the nation’s largest underground newspaper, until she was finally arrested and sent to the infamous Ravensbrück concentration camp. The General’s Niece reveals the horrors the young de Gaulle witnessed and endured there that could have broken her spirit but instead inspired her many remaining years of activism on behalf of former prisoners and of France’s neediest citizen.

Finally emerging from the shadow of her famous uncle, the life of this little-known de Gaulle adds a fascinating layer to the history of the second world war, including the French resistance, the horrors of and unshakeable bonds formed at Ravensbrück, and the issues facing postwar France and its leaders.

“This stirring biography is a worthy epitaph for a woman who passionately believed that France should never forget its cherished values of justice and fraternity.” —Ronald C. Rosbottom, author of When Paris Went Dark

“This book reminds one that a compassionate humanity is possible even in the face of unimaginable brutality. The General’s Niece is essential reading.” —Rosemary Sullivan, author of Stalin’s Daughter

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Paige Bowers is a news and features writer whose work has appeared in TIME, USA Today, The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, People, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Atlanta Magazine, and others. A lifelong Francophile, she earned a master’s degree in modern European history in 2012 and teaches continuing education classes at Louisiana State University about French history and culture.

June 2017 | Hardcover | 272 pp | $26.99 | 9781613736098 | Chicago Review Press

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. The author notes that resistance took many forms, from small, passive acts to larger, more violent ones. What does resistance mean to you, and what sort of acts would you be willing to commit in order to fight for a cause in which you believed? In what ways is the resistance movement from World War II similar to the present-day resistance related to Donald Trump’s presidency? In what ways is it different? How has the role of women in resistance evolved since the 1940s?

2. What was it about Geneviève’s upbringing that gave her a unique perspective on the German threat, and then made her ideally suited for resistance activities during wartime? Do you believe that her journey toward resistance was inevitable because of her last name? If not, what was it about her that led her to participate in the resistance? Based on what you’ve read, was there such a thing as a typical resister?

3. Do you believe Geneviève and her famous uncle, General de Gaulle, had a typical niece-uncle relationship? In what ways were Geneviève and her uncle Charles similar? In what ways were they different? How were their paths toward service to France complementary and how were they contradictory? What role do you think gender played?

4. In the second part of the book, the author draws from wide-ranging testimonies about the experiences of female prisoners at Ravensbrück. What are the challenges of using testimony from detainees who had survived this imprisonment? Do you think the author overcame these challenges, and if so, why? Furthermore, what are the challenges of trying to find humanity in some of the jailers and guards? Do you believe the author helped you have an understanding of why some of the Ravensbrück workers not only decided to work there but also committed some of the acts they did?

5. After the war, how easy was it for women deportees to put their lives back together? What unique challenges did they face? In what ways did the group ADIR provide them the wide-ranging support and camaraderie they needed?

6. How did Geneviève de Gaulle’s experiences at Ravensbrück shape her understanding of poverty and inspire her commitment to fighting it? In what ways was her devotion to ATD Quart Monde similar to her experience as a resister during World War II? How did her experience with ATD Quart Monde shape the way you currently view the challenges of fighting poverty?

IT’S NOT YET DARK: A MEMOIR

Simon Fitzmaurice

A luminous memoir and #1 bestseller upon its release in Ireland, a young filmmaker gives us “a story of courage, of heart, of coming back for more, of love and struggle and the power of both” (Joseph O’Connor).

In 2008, Simon Fitzmaurice was diagnosed with ALS, or Lou Gehrig’s disease. He was given four years to live. In 2010, in a state of lung-function collapse, Simon knew with crystal clarity that now was not his time to die. Against all prevailing medical opinion, he chose to ventilate in order to stay alive.

In It’s Not Yet Dark, the young filmmaker, a husband and father of five small children, draws us deeply into his inner world. Told in simply expressed and beautifully stark prose, it is an astonishing journey into a life that, though brutally compromised, is lived more fully than most, revealing at its core the potent power love has to carry us through the days.

Written using an eye-gaze computer, It’s Not Yet Dark is an unforgettable book about relationships and family, about what connects and separates us as people, and, ultimately, about what it means to be alive.

“Beautifully written. Utterly life-affirming.” —Alan Rickman

“Sparsely and beautifully written … the human spirit and will to live shines out of these pages … By the time you reach the end of this book, with tears of admiration, sadness and frustration in your eyes, the question is no longer why wouldyou want to live … but how couldyou not.” —Irish Independent

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Simon Fitzmaurice is an award-winning writer and film director. His films have screened at film festivals all over the world and won prizes at home and abroad. His short film The Sound of People was selected to screen at the prestigious Sundance Film Festival. His first feature film, My Name Is Emily, was just released in both the UK and the United States. He lives in Greystones with his wife, their five children, and their basset hound.

Aug 2017 | Hardcover | 176 pp | $23.00 | 9781328916716 | Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. “It’s not important that you know everything about where I come from. About who I am. It’s not important you know everything about ALS, about the specifics of the disease, about what it’s like to have it. It’s only important that you remember that behind every disease is a person. Remember that and you have everything you need to travel through my country.” (92) How do these “directions” from Simon affect how you think about him and his situation? How might they change how you interact with people who are ill?

2. “Society is predicated on the idea that we all have the same wants and needs. But that’s only when you reduce us to the same. What’s different about us is just as important.” (100) Why does Simon think people’s differences are so important? He writes about his discouragement with the health care system deciding what is right for all people with ALS. How does that frustration relate to this quote?

3. Alan Rickman said It’s Not Yet Dark is “beautifully written” and “utterly life-affirming.” Did you find this to be true? Given the subject matter, did you have any concerns or expectations for how you would feel reading the book? Were your expectations accurate?

4. What does Simon mean by “seeing yourself” on page 111? How do you think his lifestyle and having ALS might allow him to understand or see himself differently from others?

5. The idea of choice is so important in this book. On page 151, Simon explains: “I can let this life crush me. Bearing down on me until I am dead. Or I can bear the weight. … I must decide. To live or die.” On page 156, he says, “But we don’t choose what moves us, what drives us. It chooses us. Just like ALS chose me. … It’s up to you what you choose to do about it.” How has Simon’s life effected how he considers his choices? Is his understanding of choice similar to your own?

6. On page 156, Simon describes the moments when he and Ruth realize the “strangeness” of their lives, but then any sadness passes, and they return to their new lives. What does this say about Simon and Ruth, and also about the resiliency of people to adapt in order to live?

7. “There is a certain sickness to always wanting a happy ending, if the desire for it is driven by a fear of seeing things as they are… But there is another impulse, much deeper than fear. The will to live…To not give up.” (160) Do you agree with Simon? Is this specific to Simon’s story? Is it a common story?

THE LOST CITY OF THE MONKEY GOD: A TRUE STORY

Douglas Preston

#1 New York Times bestseller

#1 Wall Street Journal bestseller

For five hundred years, legends have told of an ancient, lost city hidden in the Honduran rainforest—a place so sacred that those who dared disturb it would fall ill and die.

In 2012, Douglas Prestonjoined ateam of scientists on their quest to find the White City, climbing aboard a rickety plane whose historic flight would change everything. Using a space-age technology that could map terrain under the densest jungle canopy, that flight revealed tantalizing evidence of not just a city but an entire lost civilization. But when the expedition finally reached the ruins, battling torrential rains and venomous snakes in the world’s densest jungle, tragedy struck: Preston and others contracted a mysterious—and incurable—disease.

The Lost City Of The Monkey God is the true, eyewitness account of one of the great discoveries of the twenty-first century—a story of ancient curses, modern technology, a vanished culture, and a stunning medical mystery.

“High adventure at its best, and all true.” —Erik Larson

“Nuanced and sublime.” —The New York Times Book Review

“As great adventure stories go, this one ticks all the boxes.” —The Washington Post

“A very entertaining book.” —The Wall Street Journal

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Douglas Preston has worked as a writer and editor for the American Museum of Natural History and taught writing at Princeton University. He has written for The New Yorker, Natural History, National Geographic, Harper’s, Smithsonian, and The Atlantic. The author of several acclaimed nonfiction books—including the bestseller The Monster of Florence—Preston is also the co-author with Lincoln Child of the bestselling series of novels featuring FBI agent Pendergast.

Sept 2017 | Paperback | 336 pp | $15.99 | 9781455540013 | Grand Central Publishing

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. The legend of the Ciudad Blanca has been around for more than five centuries, and in that time, generations of adventurers have risked their lives in search of it. What do you think the appeal is of this kind of quest? What is it about the idea of discovering a lost city that maintains such a perennial grip on the human imagination?

2. Preston offers a colorful history of the men who had tried to find the Ciudad Blanca over the centuries—many of whom came back with vivid accounts of their discoveries. Do you believe that any of them came across the same city that Preston and Elkins and the expedition found in T1, and if so, who?

3. In 1940, The New York Times ran a front-page article announcing that “City of Monkey God Is Believed Located” by swashbuckling explorer Theodore Morde. However, Preston’s research reveals a shocking new twist to this seventy-five-year-old story. How does this new information change our understanding of the history of the legend of the lost city? Why do you think Morde’s original account remained unchallenged so long?

4. Do you think the team underestimated the challenges that they would face, by themselves in the jungle? Why or why not? If offered the opportunity to go on a similar adventure, would you want to go yourself?

5. After Elkins, Preston, and the team emerge from the jungle and announce their findings, a conflict breaks out in the archeological community. What is the source of the disagreement, and do you think either side is correct?

6. What can the discovery of the city at T1 teach modern-day archeologists about the past? What are the biggest surprises that surround this discovery? Does it change the way we understand any of the history of the New World?

7. Do you believe in the curse of the Lost City of the Monkey God? Why or why not?

THE RADIUM GIRLS: THE DARK STORY OF AMERICA’S SHINING WOMEN

Kate Moore

New York Times bestseller

Indie Regional bestseller

Indie Next Pick

LibraryReads Pick

The incredible true story of the women who fought America’s Undark danger

The Curies’ newly discovered element of radium makes gleaming headlines across the nation as the fresh face of beauty, and wonder drug of the medical community. From body lotion to tonic water, the popular new element shines bright in the otherwise dark years of the First World War.

Meanwhile, hundreds of girls toil amidst the glowing dust of the radium-dial factories. The glittering chemical covers their bodies from head to toe; they light up the night like industrious fireflies. With such a coveted job, these “shining girls” are the luckiest alive—until they begin to fall mysteriously ill.

But the factories that once offered golden opportunities are now ignoring all claims of the gruesome side effects, and the women’s cries of corruption. And as the fatal poison of the radium takes hold, the brave shining girls find themselves embroiled in one of the biggest scandals of America’s early 20th century, and in a groundbreaking battle for workers’ rights that will echo for centuries to come.

“Current nonfiction obsession! … powerful, disturbing, important history.” —New York Times bestselling author Karen Abbott

“The story of real women at the mercy of businesses who see them only as a potential risk to the bottom line is haunting … the glowing ghosts of the radium girls haunts us still.” —NPR Books

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kate Moore is a Sunday Times bestselling author, editor, and ghostwriter. In 2015, she directed a critically acclaimed play about the Radium Girls called These Shining Lives. She lives in the UK.

April 2017 | Hardcover | 496 pp | $26.99 | 9781492649359 | Sourcebooks

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. The Radium Girls is filled with both triumph and tragedy. Which part of the story affected you the most, and why?

2. Is there a figure in The Radium Girls that resonates more strongly with you than others? If so, what part of their story or character stood out?

3. Even after radium was proved poisonous, and the illness verified as work-related, the radium companies stood fast by their convictions. Why do you believe they were so resilient, and can you imagine modern companies behaving with such similar ruthlessness?

4. How do you believe the radium companies, and the press, would have reacted differently to the scandal had the workers been male? Considering the time period, how did their gender help and hinder their case?

5. How do you think today’s world would be different had The Radium Girls not fought back against the radium companies?

6. It takes over 1,500 years for the effects of radium to wear off. This means that the bodies of the women and parts of the towns in which they worked remain poisonous to this day. Despite the harrowing implications, why do you feel this story hasn’t been widely explored?

7. The Radium Girls is told mostly through the eyes of the radium-dial workers, their families, and friends; however, previous research never focused on their personal journeys. How did it change your appreciation of or engagement with the story to know the smaller, personal details of the girls’ lives? Is there another historical event where you’ve noticed women being pushed to the sidelines?

8. Although radium can be seen as an evil entity in the book, it’s also been used for the greater good. Explore how radium has changed the world in a positive way. Do you feel it was worth the sacrifice?

9. Besides radium, what other world-altering discoveries can you think of that both led to advancement, and also tragedy?

10. How were you inspired by the strength of the “shining girls”, and how can you carry that onwards to incite change in your own life?

A ROOM IN ATHENS: A MEMOIR

Frances Karlen Santamaria

First published in 1970, A Room in Athens is the remarkable journal of a free-spirited, young American woman abroad in Greece with her writer husband in 1964.

Inspired by the sixties’ vogue for the exuberant land of Zorba and Lawrence Durrell, they seek an Aegean idyll–but their plans threaten to go awry when she learns she is pregnant. Settling in Athens, she gives birth to a boy at the country’s only natural-childbirth clinic—an underground refuge ruled by a mysterious Madame Kladaki. Afterward, as a new mother in a strange land, she struggles to reconcile the myth of Greece, ancient and modern, with contemporary Athens, even while their idyll recedes.

In 1974, A Room in Athens was excerpted in the landmark anthology Revelations: Diaries of Women. This new edition, with an Introduction by the author’s son, unlocks a little-known gem in women’s memoir literature for a new generation.

“A true account of [a] timeless drama set in unfamiliar surroundings (Greece) amidst curious customs, language difficulties, and endless misunderstandings. [Karlen Santamaria] observed what was happening to her with genuine feeling and sensitivity.” —Harper’s

“Written with charm, humor, and a certain telling simplicity.” —Library Journal

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Frances Karlen Santamaria (1937–2013) was born in Cleveland, Ohio, attended Antioch College, and lived in New York City. A fiction writer and diarist, she was debilitated by multiple sclerosis in her early forties. A Room in Athens was her only published work before her illness. She was married twice and had five children.

October 2016 | Paperback | 176 pp | $15.00 | 9780989835299 | Tatra Press

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. What drives the author and her husband to travel from America to Europe, and, particularly, to Greece? What do they expect to find? What do they expect to escape? Would young American travelers today have similar expectations? How have Americans’ points of reference changed in the intervening years?

2. Is the author’s decision to undertake a lengthy and arduous European trip while pregnant wise? Foolish? Adventurous?

3. How do the Greeks see natural childbirth and the role of women in society, according to Madame Kladaki’s assistant, Miss Eleadou? How does Miss Eleadou perceive Greek society in general in relation to that of America?

4. The author describes the experience of childbirth as difficult and painful. How does the reality of childbirth, and her husband’s decision to leave in the midst of her ordeal, compare to her expectations and hopes?

5. At the clinic, Karlen Santamaria describes herself as lonely and confides that she wished her husband’s visits were longer. Are her frustrations with him valid? How are his feelings toward their child similar or different than hers?

6. What aspects of Greek culture does the author, as an American, single out to embrace or criticize? If you were in her position, do you think you would have similar feelings?

7. In the chapter “The Briss,” she states, “I realized how much we have changed in the past three months; how much I have learned about loving.” (141) What has she learned about love? About different kinds of love? How have her perspectives on family, marriage, and motherhood changed by the end of the book? How different would the book be if it were written today?

8. On the meaning of travel, the English writer G.K. Chesterton observed: “The whole object of travel is not to set foot on foreign land; it is at last to set foot on one’s own country as a foreign land.” How does the author see America differently on her return?

THOUSAND-MILER: ADVENTURES HIKING THE ICE AGE TRAIL

Melanie Radzicki McManus

In thirty-six thrilling days, Melanie Radzicki McManus hiked 1,100 miles around Wisconsin, landing her in the elite group of Ice Age Trail thru-hikers known as Thousand-Milers. In prose that is alternately harrowing and humorous, McManus takes you with her on an “into-the-wild” Ice Age experience through Wisconsin’s forests, prairies, wetlands, farms, and far-flung small towns.

Follow along as she worries about wildlife encounters, wonders if her injured feet will ever recover, and searches for an elusive fellow hiker known as Papa Bear. Woven throughout her account are details of the history of the still-developing Ice Age Trail—one of just eleven National Scenic Trails—and helpful insights and strategies for undertaking a successful thru-hike.

“Recommended Summer Travel Book Read, among “four books [that] top my to-read pile.” —The New York Times Book Review, Cheryl Strayed, author of Wild

“Thousand-Miler weaves together practical advice, hiker profiles and cultural tales the author collected while setting a record for completing the more than 1,000-mile Ice Age National Scenic Trail across Wisconsin in 36 days. The most touching chapter features veterans and the emotional need to ‘walk off the war’ before transitioning back to home life.” —The Minneapolis Star Tribune

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Melanie Radzicki McManus has been a news reporter at a Green Bay radio station, a press secretary at the Wisconsin State Capitol, and editor of two Wisconsin publications. Since 1994, McManus has worked as a freelance writer and editor, specializing in travel and fitness. She has won numerous awards for her writing, most notably the prestigious Lowell Thomas Gold and Grand Awards for travel journalism.

October 2016 | Paperback | 240 pp | $20.00 | 9780870207907
Wisconsin Historical Society Press

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. As the book opens Chinese philosopher Lao Tzu reminds us—and Melanie—that “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step.” Besides the first step, what were some critical “single steps” that marked McManus’s thousand-mile journey?

2. How was McManus transformed by her trail experience—what lessons did she learn, practical and otherwise?

3. Would you rather drive the support vehicle or hike the trail? Why?

4. How did being a woman shape Melanie’s experiences on the trail?

5. The journey has many challenges, and Melanie is honest about how she responds in the moment—portraying herself at times as grumpy, fearful, frustrated, discouraged. Does her honesty about her experience suggest that you, too, could survive and even enjoy a thru-hike experience? Or does it dissuade you from attempting a similar endeavor?

6. Melanie chooses the trail name Valderi. What memories does the name evoke for her? What would you choose as your trail name, and why?

7. Did Melanie need to set a thru-hiking record in order to be successful? Why or Why Not?

8. At the beginning of her hike, Melanie relishes the opportunity for solitude. “The feeling is isolating, yet incredibly peaceful— so peaceful I want to bottle it up so I can pour it around myself when I’m back home and life gets too frenzied.” Yet throughout the trip she eagerly seeks out a character called Papa Bear. How do the author’s feelings about solitude and about her busy life at home change over the course of her hike?

9. Why was finding Papa Bear so important? Was he, in the end, the most important character she found on the trail? If not, who was?

10. Each time McManus got lost on the trail she found her way to a new discovery, new friend or new insight. How did unplanned and unexpected moments affect her journey, practically and otherwise?

WITNESSES OF THE UNSEEN: SEVEN YEARS IN GUANTANAMO

Lakhdar Boumediene & Mustafa Ait Idir

This searing memoir shares the trauma and triumphs of Lakhdar Boumediene and Mustafa Ait Idir’s time inside America’s most notorious prison. In 2001, they were arrested in Bosnia, wrongly accused of participating in a terrorist plot. Instead of being freed, they were flown blindfolded and shackled to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, where they were held in outdoor cages as the military prison was built around them.

For the next seven years, they endured torture, harassment, force-feedings, and beatings, not knowing if they would ever see their families again. They had no opportunity to argue their innocence until 2008, when the Supreme Court issued a landmark ruling in their case, Boumediene v. Bush, confirming Guantanamo detainees’ constitutional right to challenge their detention. Weeks later, the federal judge who heard their case, stunned by the absence of evidence against them, ordered their release. Now living in Europe and rebuilding their lives, Lakhdar and Mustafa share a story that every American ought to know.

“An intense, important readfor anyone interested in the American government’s misguided efforts at Guantanamo.” —Kirkus Reviews

“Anurgent, compelling story [and] a revealing and moving look at what the U.S. government tried desperately to hide.” —David Cole, Professor, Georgetown Law, and National Legal Director, ACLU

“A must-read for all people of conscience.” —Shakeel Syed, Former Executive Director, Islamic Shura Council

ABOUT THE AUTHORS: Lakhdar Boumediene was the lead plaintiff in the Supreme Court case Boumediene v. Bush. Prior to his seven-year internment in Guantanamo Bay, he was an aid worker for the Red Crescent Society in Bosnia. He now lives in France with his wife and children.

Mustafa Ait Idir was a co-plaintiff in Boumediene v. Bush. Before his internment, he worked for Qatar Charities in Bosnia and was widely recognized as a talented athlete and coach. Reunited with his wife and children, he is now a computer science teacher at a secondary school in Sarajevo.

April 2017 | Hardcover | 288 pp | $24.00 | 9781503601154 | Redwood Press

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. How much did you know about Guantanamo Bay before reading this book? After reading, what do you think about the incarceration of suspected terrorists at Guantanamo? Did reading this story change your views at all?

2. What are your thoughts and views on the American justice system? How do you feel about the fact that Lakhdar and Mustafa had no right to challenge their imprisonment in court for so long?

3. Lakhdar writes, “I was happy when interrogations started. I knew that America was a country that believed in democracy, freedom, and the rule of law. I was convinced that once I answered their questions, they would see that I was innocent…. They would let me go.” (89) What were your thoughts when you read this paragraph?

4. How do Lakhdar and Mustafa react differently to their interrogations and imprisonment? How do you think you might react if you were wrongfully imprisoned?

5. Elements of this book can be difficult to read and process. What emotions did you feel while reading Lakhdar and Mustafa’s story—sadness, anger, disgust, indignation, contempt, something else? How might that emotional reaction influence your views on what American policy ought to be in the future?

6. Even if Lakhdar, Mustafa, and the rest of the “Algerian Six” had been guilty, do you believe they would have deserved the treatment that they received? Why or why not?

7. While the authors express a great deal of anger at specific individuals, they are fairly magnanimous toward American citizens in general. Did that surprise you?

8. Mustafa comments that “Guantanamo robbed me of my identity as an athlete.” (114) He ends his story by saying, “I would humbly plead and pray that we, all of us, find a way to recognize the basic humanity in one another.” (235) Discuss the themes of identity and humanity in the book. How does the treatment of the prisoners, both before and during their time in Guantanamo, affect their sense of identity and humanity? Why are identity and humanity so important in our lives?

AHIMSA

Supriya Kelkar

New Visions Award Winner

In 1942, after Mahatma Gandhi asks Indians to give one family member to the freedom movement, ten-year-old Anjali is devastated to think of her father risking his life for the freedom struggle.

But it turns out he isn’t the one joining. Anjali’s mother is. And with this change comes many more adjustments designed to improve their country and use “ahimsa”—non-violent resistance—to stand up to the British government. First the family must trade in their fine foreign-made clothes for homespun cotton, so Anjali has to give up her prettiest belongings. Then her mother decides to reach out to the Dalit community, the “untouchables” of society. Anjali is forced to get over her past prejudices as her family becomes increasingly involved in the movement.

When Anjali’s mother is jailed, Anjali must step out of her comfort zone to take over her mother’s work, ensuring that her little part of the independence movement is completed.

Inspired by her great-grandmother’s experience working with Gandhi, New Visions Award winner Supriya Kelkar shines a light on the Indian freedom movement in this poignant debut.

“Young Anjali’s journey of awakening opens windows upon the complex history of India’s independence struggle.” —Uma Krishnaswami, author of Book Uncle and Me and Step Up to the Plate, Maria Singh

“This is an eye-opening tale of dramatic events and richly diverse characters who discover that, with time, determination, and ahimsa, young people can solve real problems in the world.” —Cynthia Levinson, author of The Youngest Marcher

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Supriya Kelkar was born and raised in the Midwest. She learned Hindi as a child by watching three Bollywood films a week. After college she realized her lifelong dream of working in the film industry when she got a job as a Bollywood screenwriter. Ahimsa, inspired by her great-grandmother’s role in the Indian freedom movement, is her debut middle-grade novel.

October 2017 | Hardcover | 320 pp | $18.95 | 9781620143568 | Tu Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. What is ahimsa? How is ahimsa central to Hinduism and the Indian freedom movement?

2. What was the Quit India movement? What groups of people were involved? How was it started and what was the goal?

3. What does it mean to “give one family member to the freedom fight”? Has your own family ever made sacrifices to support a larger social movement, or can you imagine a circumstance in which you would?

4. One of the first things Anjali must do when her mother joins Gandhi’s movement is get rid of her foreign-made clothes in favor of homespun cotton. Why might someone want to give up foreign-made clothes today, and how hard do you think it would it be to do?

5. How does Anjali’s mother challenge traditional gender roles? How is she confined by them?

6. How does Anjali confront and overcome her own prejudices? Can you think of a time when you were challenged on an assumption or prejudice that you held?

7. Keshavji speaks of two fronts of the independence movement for India: standing up to the British, and becoming more equal internally in India. Why was it important for Indians to become more united and equal as a part of the freedom movement?

8. What parallels do you see between Gandhi’s nonviolence movement and the Civil Rights movement in the United States?

9. How did Hindu-Muslim tensions play a role in the partition of India? What implications of this tension do we see today?

10. Describe the relationship between Captain Brent and Anjali. How does Captain Brent show respect for Anjali? How does Anjali use ahimsa to defend Captain Brent?

11. What do you think became of Mohan after he left the city? How do you feel about him leaving?

12. What similarities do you see between the way Dalit people were treated in India and the way impoverished people are treated in the United States?

13. Do you think that the United States has a caste system?

AS YOU WISH

Chelsea Sedoti

If you could make one wish that was guaranteed to come true—what would you wish for? Eldon’s about to make the biggest decision of his life in this fresh, emotional, and captivating novel from the author of The Hundred Lies of Lizzie Lovett.

In the sandy desert of the Mojave, Madison is a small town on the road between nothing and nowhere. It’s not an exciting place to live, but Eldon’s not about to wish to be somewhere else. Because in Madison, everyone gets one wish on their eighteenth birthday—and that wish always comes true.

Some people wish for money, some people wish for love, but no one wishes for happiness. In Madison, wishing is happiness. Except Eldon has seen how wishing has hurt the people around him. His parents’ marriage is strained, his sister is a virtual ghost in their house, his ex-girlfriend is dating his ex-friend … Where does he even begin? Can he make their lives better? Can he be happy if the people around him aren’t? What even is happiness?

One thing is for sure: Eldon has only twenty-five days to figure it out—and the rest of his life to live with the consequences.

“Profoundly thought-provoking, endlessly entertaining, and totally awesome. I wish I could read it again for the first time.” —Lance Rubin, author of Denton Little’s Deathdate

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Chelsea Sedoti lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. Her short stories have been published in Pantheon Magazine and Balloons Lit Journal. She went to school for film and worked as a videographer before switching to writing. Chelsea spends her time rock climbing, baking, and exploring the Mojave Desert.

January 2018 | Hardcover | 432 pp | $17.99 | 9781492642312 | Sourcebooks Fire

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Throughout As You Wish, Eldon seeks out the perfect wish—a wish that he’ll be happy with for the rest of his life. Do you think “the perfect wish” actually exists?

2. Have you ever gotten exactly what you wished for? If so, how did it turn out?

3. What are things you would have wished for five years ago? What might you regret about those wishes now? What would you wish for if you had to make a wish today?

4. Madison, Nevada, the town where As You Wish takes place, is near Area 51. In a world where wishing is real, does alien life seem farfetched? Which is easier to believe in, wishes or aliens?

5. The golden rule of wishing is to never let outsiders know it exists. What lengths do you think Madison residents would go to in order to keep their secret? How far would you go?

6. How much did Madison’s remote location influence the culture surrounding wishing? How might it have differed in a more populated area of the country?

7. Though wishing seems to give people more opportunities, Eldon doesn’t see it that way. In what ways might wishing limit the choices people have?

8. Occasionally, a wish impacts someone other than the wisher. Do you feel that it would ever be okay to make a wish that influences the course of another person’s life?

9. Many people use their wishes to alter themselves, in ways both big and small. What could be some consequences of this? Would you ever wish to change something drastic about yourself?

10. Do you agree with the final choice Eldon makes in regards to his wish? How would your decision have differed from his?

BANG

Barry Lyga

Readers of This Is Where It Ends, Hate List, and Forgive Me, Leonard Peacock will appreciate this heartbreaking novel about living with your worst mistake, from New York Times bestselling author Barry Lyga.

A chunk of old memory, adrift in a pool of blood.

Sebastian Cody did something horrible, something no one—not even Sebastian himself—can forgive. At the age of four, he accidentally shot and killed his infant sister with his father’s gun.

Now, ten years later, Sebastian has lived with the guilt and horror for his entire life. With his best friend away for the summer, Sebastian has only a new friend—Aneesa—to distract him from his darkest thoughts. But even this relationship cannot blunt the pain of his past. Because Sebastian knows exactly how to rectify his childhood crime and sanctify his past. It took a gun to get him into this.

Now he needs a gun to get out.

Unflinching and honest, Bang is the story of one boy and one moment in time that cannot be reclaimed, as true and as relevant as tomorrow’s headlines.

“Affecting, and unfortunately timely, Bang is a read that’s worth your inevitable heartbreak.” —Entertainment Weekly

“Lyga captures the heartbreak of Sebastian’s situation with sensitivity and compassion, exploring how a life can be unfairly defined by just one action, how it’s tragically easy to ignore humanity in favor of a headline, and just what communication, love and sharing the truth can do, especially when it comes to forgiving oneself.” —The New York Times

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Barry Lyga is the author of several acclaimed young adult novels, including Bang, After the Red Rain, the I Hunt Killers trilogy, and his debut, The Astonishing Adventures of Fanboy and Goth Girl. Barry lives and writes in New York City.

April 2017 | Hardcover | 304 pp | $17.99 | 9781478915393
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. What were your first impressions when you started reading? Why is the first-person narrator so powerful for this story?

2. Why is the book divided into “History,” “Present,” and “Tomorrow”? What effect does this narrative structure have on the story while reading? What other unique narrative features did you notice?

3. What is the importance of Sebastian’s friendship with Aneesa? How is it different from his friendship with Evan? Why is the timing of his new friendship with Aneesa significant?

4. Sebastian describes his room as “a museum to the old, to things I love.” How does his room contrast with the rest of his house? How does he treat memories differently than his family? Why does Sebastian say his sister is in the memory hole, and does it affect how he treats his own things?

5. Why does Sebastian wait so long to tell Aneesa about his sister? Do you think it was a good idea?

6. This book is described as “ripped from the headlines.” Why is this story so important for people to read? What impact did it have on you emotionally?

7. Sebastian admits that he never believed the adage, “Time heals all wounds,” but has found a different kind of solution. Why is that phrase so commonly used as advice? Do you agree with Sebastian?

8. Why do we see the newspaper article at the end? Does it complete the story for the reader? Why or why not?

BECK

Mal Peet & Meg Rosoff

From Carnegie Medal–winning author Mal Peet comes a sweeping coming-of-age adventure, both harrowing and life-affirming.

Born of a brief encounter between a Liverpool prostitute and an African soldier in 1907, Beck finds himself orphaned as a young boy and sent overseas to the Catholic Brothers in Canada. At age 15 he is sent to work on a farm, from which he eventually escapes. Finally in charge of his own destiny, Beck starts westward, crossing the border into America and back, all while the Great Depression rages on. What will it take for Beck to understand the agonies of his childhood and realize that love is possible?

“A gritty and inspiring survival story, Peet’s final novel, completed by Rosoff after his death, has the stoic quality and soul of a Steinbeck tale … Harrowing but hopeful, it’s a memorable portrait of a boy struggling to love, be loved, and find his way against overwhelming odds.” —Publishers Weekly

“This final novel from the deceased Peet, completed by Rosoff, is a not-quite-YA, not-quite-adult historical fiction story of hardship after hardship … The book itself is incredibly ambitious, as was Rosoff’s task offinishing it. Beck is a passive character in his own life, but in the moments when he pushes himself to take action, readers will finally get some satisfaction. A heartbreaking, painful work that gives hope to the restorative power of true human connection.” —School Library Journal

“Whether a hardened heart can—or should—leave itself vulnerable to love is brilliantly explored in this powerful, vividly told, beautifully written collaboration.” —Shelf Awareness for Readers (starred review)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Mal Peet (1947–2015) was a critically acclaimed and award-winning writer. Besides his young-adult fiction, he wrote several illustrated books for younger children with his wife, Elspeth Graham.

Meg Rosoff is the author of How I Live Now, winner of the Michael L. Printz Award. She received the Carnegie Medal, the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award and was named a National Book Award Finalist. Rosoff completed Mal Peet’s unfinished novel, a promise she made him before he died. She lives in London.

April 2017 | Hardcover | 272 pp | $17.99 | 9780763678425 | Candlewick Press

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. When Beck first leaves the Sisters of Mercy orphanage, he is amazed at the world outside of the doors. What do the discoveries suggest about his upbringing with his mom and in the orphanage?

2. Beck is described as mixed race in the novel. How do others perceive Beck’s racial identity? Throughout his journey, do the perceptions of Beck change based on the location and/or race of the individuals he is meeting?

3. Beck escapes from homes rooted in religion to a place where bootlegging is taking place. How do the settings and people differ? What does Beck learn from Bone and Irma?

4. How are Grace’s and Beck’s family histories similar? How are they different? Think about the following quote: “She cared little for the opinion of society, but understood that the affliction of mixed blood meant she was barely tolerated by those possessed of racial purity.” (158) What does this quote tell us about Grace?

5. By the time Beck arrives at Grace’s home, he speaks very little. Why does he adopt this approach when encountering new people?

6. Grace shares wisdom with Beck by stating, “Nah-ah says that if you lose your own people you need to gather new ones around you; otherwise you turn ghost.” (174) Is Beck a ghost? Has he found new people? Why or why not?

7. In your opinion, what causes Beck to tell Lester his story after so many years of silence? Consider whether you agree with Lester when he says: “Your life don’t get bigger on the road. It shrinks and shrinks till it’s so small all you can see is that little square ahead of you and that bottle beside you on the seat.” (238) Is it too late for Beck? What does Beck begin to miss on the road?

8. Read the author’s note from Meg Rosoff and the afterword written by Elspeth Graham-Peet. What do they tell you about Mal Peet and Meg Rosoff?

9. Mal Peet once said, “I see genres as generating sets of rules or conventions that are only interesting when they are subverted or used to disguise the author’s intent. My own way of doing this is to attempt a sort of whimsical alchemy, whereby seemingly incompatible genres are brought into unlikely partnerships.” Which genres are involved with this novel?

THE HATE U GIVE

Angie Thomas

Eight Starred Reviews and a #1 New York Times Bestseller

Angie Thomas’s searing debut about an ordinary girl in extraordinary circumstances addresses issues of racism and police violence with intelligence, heart, and unflinching honesty.

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter is thrust into the national spotlight after her childhood friend is killed by a white police officer after a routine traffic stop. As she works through her grief and her relationships with family and friends, she must navigate the vastly different worlds of her suburban private school and her poor, urban neighborhood. This gripping debut echoes conversations about police brutality dominant in the news and moves readers beyond Twitter hashtags.

“Stunning.” —John Green

“Absolutely riveting!” —Jason Reynolds

“This story is necessary. This story is important.” —Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

“Heartbreakingly topical.” —Publisher’s Weekly (starred review)

“A marvel of verisimilitude.” —Booklist (starred review)

“A powerful, in-your-face novel.” —The Horn Book (starred review)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Angie Thomas was born, raised, and still resides in Jackson, Mississippi. She is a former teen rapper whose greatest accomplishment was an article about her in Right On! Magazine. She holds a BFA in creating writing. The Hate U Give is her first novel.

September 2018 | Paperback | 464 pp | $9.99 | 9780062498540 | Balzer and Bray

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Chapter 2 begins with Starr flashing back to a talk her parents had with her about what precautions to take when encountering a police officer. (20) Have you had a similar conversation with people you love about what to do when stopped by the police? Reflect upon or imagine this conversation.

2. Thomas frequently uses motifs of silence and voice throughout the book. Find instances in the book where silence or voice and speech are noted, and talk about the author’s possible intentions for emphasizing these motifs.

3. At the police station, after Starr details the events leading up to the shooting, the detective shifts her focus to Khalil’s past. Why do you think the detective did this? Discuss Starr’s reaction to this “bait”. (102–103)

4. Once news of Khalil’s shooting spreads across the neighborhood, unrest arises: “Sirens wail outside. The news shows three patrol cars that have been set ablaze at the police precinct … A gas station near the freeway gets looted … My neighborhood is a war zone.” (136–139) Respond to this development and describe some parallels to current events.

5. How do you think Starr would define family? What about Seven? How do you define it?

6. Chris and Starr have a breakthrough in their relationship—Starr admits to him that she was in the car with Khalil and shares the memories of Natasha’s murder. (298–302) Discuss why Starr’s admission and releasing of this burden to Chris is significant.

7. How and why does the neighborhood react to the grand jury’s decision? (Chapter 23) How does Starr use her voice as a weapon, and why does she feel that it is vital that she does?

8. Starr pledges to “never be quiet”. (444) After reading this book, how can you use your voice to promote and advance social justice? Reflect on how you and your community discuss and address inequality.

I AM ALFONSO JONES

Tony Medina (author), Stacey Robinson (illustrator) & John Jennings (illustrator)

Alfonso Jones can’t wait to play the role of Hamlet in his school’s hip-hop rendition of the classic Shakespearean play. He also wants to let his best friend, Danetta, know how he really feels about her. But as he is buying his first suit, an off-duty police officer mistakes a clothes hanger for a gun, and he shoots Alfonso.

When Alfonso wakes up in the afterlife, he’s on a ghost train guided by well-known victims of police shootings, who teach him what he needs to know about this subterranean spiritual world. Meanwhile, Alfonso’s family and friends struggle with their grief and seek justice for Alfonso in the streets. As they confront their new realities, both Alfonso and those he loves realize the work that lies ahead in the fight for justice.

In the first graphic novel for young readers to focus on police brutality and the Black Lives Matter movement, as in Hamlet, the dead shall speak—and the living yield even more surprises.

“Incredibly enlightening.” —Nikki Giovanni

“I can’t say enough how important, beautiful, heartbreaking, and tremendous a book this is. Read it. Gift it to a young person in your life. Shout it from the rooftops. I Am Alfonso Jones is a crucial part of the conversation and it demands to be heard.” —Daniel José Older, author of Shadowshaper

ABOUT THE CREATORS: Tony Medina is a Pushcart Prize–nominated poet, a professor of creative writing at Howard University, and is the author of eight beloved books for young readers, as well as multiple volumes of poetry for adults.

Stacey Robinson is an assistant professor of graphic design at the University of Illinois and an Arthur A. Schomburg Fellow.

John Jennings is the illustrator of the New York Times-bestselling graphic novel adaptation of Kindred by Octavia Butler. He is a professor at the University of California, Riverside.

October 2017 | Paperback | 176 pp | $18.95 | 9781620142639 | Tu Books

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Why does the author begin with the climax? What impact does this have on the story?

2. Alfonso’s story is told in a nonlinear fashion. What insights does this offer into his life and character? Why might the author have chosen to tell Alfonso’s story in this way?

3. How do the elements of class, gender, and race play out in Alfonso’s life? How are these elements connected to the Black Lives Matter movement?

4. Why do you think the graphic novel format was used to tell this story? What do readers gain by experiencing the story visually as well as through words?

5. The book begins with a quotation from Hamlet, and Hamlet is woven into many parts of the story. Why do you think Hamlet was chosen? What parallels do you see between Hamlet’s story and Alfonso’s?

6. How does the author draw from recent events and history to build Alfonso’s story? Do you think this story is a realistic portrayal of current events? Why or why not?

7. What message does this story send about the way the media sensationalizes information? How are Alfonso’s family and friends impacted by the media coverage of his death?

8. Why was Alfonso’s father put in jail, and how is Alfonso’s life trajectory altered as a result? What about his mother’s life?

9. After Alfonso is killed, he ends up on a train. Why is he there, and who is with him? What do you think needs to happen for Alfonso and his friends’ train journey to end?

10. How is the police officer who killed Alfonso portrayed in the book? Do you think he feels remorse? Why or why not?

11. After Alfonso dies, Danetta starts organizing protests. What impact does this have on Danetta? How does receiving Alfonso’s letter change her?

12. What is the significance of the title, I Am Alfonso Jones? How does the Black Lives Matter movement give Alfonso a voice?

13. Do you feel that the ending is hopeful? Why or why not? What role do we have as readers in this story?

INVICTUS

Ryan Graudin

Dr. Who meets Guardians of the Galaxy in this thrilling sci-fi novel by acclaimed author Ryan Graudin.

Seventeen year-old Farway Gaius McCarthy was born outside of time. The son of a time-traveling recorder from the future and a Gladiator living in Rome in 95 A.D., Far’s birth defies the laws of nature. All set to follow in his mother’s footsteps, Far has been preparing his whole life for a chance to time travel. That is until he fails his final exam, and is kicked out of the program. With no prospects for the future, Far takes a position as Captain working for a man who runs a black market operation.

During a heist, Far meets a mysterious girl named Eliot. A girl who always seems to be one step ahead of him. Eliot has secrets—big ones—that will effect Far’s life and everyone he holds dear. As Far learns that his birth has caused time and universes to unravel, he will have to find a way to set everything right before time runs out.

In this heart-stopping adventure, Ryan Graudin has created a world that defies time and space.

“Graudin weaves the past and future seamlessly together into an epic canvas spanning generations. An incredibly intricate, brilliantly paced, masterfully written journey.” —Marie Lu, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Young Elites

“I’ve loved all of Ryan Graudin’s books, but I love this one the most. Time-traveling thieves skipping through history! Mind-bending in the best way.” —Laini Taylor, New York Times bestselling author of Daughter of Smoke & Bone and Strange the Dreamer

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Ryan Graudin was born in Charleston, SC, with a severe case of wanderlust. When she’s not traveling, she’s busy photographing weddings, writing, and spending time with her husband and wolf-dog. She is the author of The Walled City, Wolf by Wolf, and Blood for Blood.

September 2017 | Hardcover | 464 pp | $18.99 | 9780316503075
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. After he fails his exam, Far is faced with the opportunity to become a time-traveler on the black market. Is it worth the moral compromise to become a thief in order to achieve his dreams? Would you make the same choice if your life-long dream came to a screeching halt?

2. The time travelers of 2354 are able to vacation in any time and era they could imagine. Where would you go if you were able to bend space and time? What artifact from history would you steal?

3. The corps maxim is “The future’s hope is in the past.” What does it say about the society of 2354 that they are so obsessed with history? What will future historians have to say about our current era?

4. Invictus is told from the perspective of many narrators. How did that affect your experience of reading the book?

5. Far’s world is turned on its head after meeting Eliot. How would the story change if he hadn’t let her on the ship?

6. Each of the crew members of the Invictus have their own distinct personalities and quirks. How did that help them work together? How did it get in their way? Which character did you most identify with?

7. “Invictus” is also the name of a poem by William Ernest Henley, the first stanza of which is quoted in the book:

Out of the night which covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I thank whatever gods may be
For my unconquerable soul.

How does this stanza apply to the book?

THE KNIFE OF NEVER LETTING GO

Patrick Ness

Todd Hewitt is the only boy in a town of men. Ever since the settlers were infected with the Noise germ, Todd can hear everything the men think, and they hear everything he thinks. Todd is just a month away from becoming a man, but in the midst of the cacophony, he knows that the town is hiding something from him—something so awful that Todd is forced to flee with only his dog, whose simple, loyal voice he hears as well. With hostile men from the town in pursuit, the two stumble upon a strange and eerily silent creature: a girl. Who is she? Why wasn’t she killed by the germ like all the females on New World? Propelled by Todd’s gritty narration, readers are in for a white-knuckle journey in which a boy on the cusp of manhood must unlearn everything he knows in order to figure out who he truly is.

“Perhaps the most impressive of the recent crop [of dystopian YA].” —The New Yorker

“A read-alone, stay-up-way-too-late book for older readers looking for the combination of being scared and being stirred to gallop to the end.” —Chicago Tribune

“Crack dramatic and comic timing … unforgettable … penetrating … The cliffhanger ending is as effective as a shot to the gut.” —Booklist (starred review)

“This riveting SF thriller is action-packed, with edge-of-your-seat chase scenes, a monstrous villain who just won’t die, and moments of both anguish and triumph … Emotionally intense … haunting page-turner.” —KLIATT

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Patrick Ness is the author of the critically acclaimed and best-selling Chaos Walking trilogy, as well as the Carnegie Medal–winning A Monster Calls, inspired by an idea from Siobhan Dowd. Among the numerous awards he has received are the Guardian Children’s Fiction Prize, the Booktrust Teenage Prize, and the Costa Children’s Book Award. Born in Virginia, he lives in London.

June 2014 | Paperback | 512 pp | $10.99 | 9780763676186 | Candlewick Press

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Think about the title of the book: The Knife of Never Letting Go. On page 84, Todd says, “But a knife ain’t just a thing, is it?” What does the knife symbolize? What happens to the knife in the end? What do you think this signifies?

2. Todd tells us on pages 18 and 19 that he has had little education. How does Todd’s lack of education and knowledge affect his journey. How does the denial of education allow totalitarian governments (like that in Prentisstown) to control their citizens?

3. On pages 20–22, Todd refers to the Noise that fills his life. Where did this Noise come from? On page 391, Todd describes Noise as “Informayshun, all the time, never stopping, whether you want it or not.” And on page 42, he says, “The Noise is a man unfiltered, and without a filter, a man is just chaos walking.” What in our lives might we consider Noise? What positive and negative impact do you think Noise has on our lives?

4. On page 26, Todd tells us that Old World (Earth) was full of “corrupshun and sin.” On page 163, Hildy says, “Old World’s mucky, no one is happy till everyone’s miserable.” Is Patrick Ness making a statement about the world in which we currently live? What do you think of his assessment?

5. Throughout the book, Ness explores gender roles. In an interview he said, “The gender roles were more a way of exploring my theory about how bad we are as a species at handling difference. If something is different, it’s either better (in which case we need to destroy it) or worse (in which case we need to exploit it). That was more a plea to accept difference as merely difference.” How would you respond to Ness’s comments?

6. At the beginning of the book, Todd tells us that Manchee was an unwanted birthday present. On page 333 Todd says, “I rub the ears of my … ruddy great dog that I never wanted but who hung around anyway … and who’s right there when I need pulling back from the darkness I fall into and who tells me who I am whenever I forget.” The two become true friends and companions. How does Manchee show his devotion to Todd? What part does Manchee play in Todd’s ethical dilemma?

7. One of the themes is that “war makes monsters of men” (430). What occurs in the story that proves this to be true? What present-day examples either support or negate this idea?

RAYMIE NIGHTINGALE

Kate DiCamillo

A 2016 National Book Award Finalist

Two-time Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo returns to her roots with a moving, masterful story of an unforgettable summer friendship.

Raymie Clarke has come to realize that everything, absolutely everything, depends on her. And she has a plan. If Raymie can win the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition, then her father, who left town two days ago with a dental hygienist, will see Raymie’s picture in the paper and (maybe) come home. To win, not only does Raymie have to do good deeds and learn how to twirl a baton; she also has to contend with the wispy, frequently fainting Louisiana Elefante, who has a show-business background, and the fiery, stubborn Beverly Tapinski, who’s determined to sabotage the contest. But as the competition approaches, loneliness, loss, and unanswerable questions draw the three girls into an unlikely friendship—and challenge each of them to come to the rescue in unexpected ways.

“With its short, vibrant chapters and clear, gentle prose, this triumphant and necessary book conjures the enchantments of childhood without shying away from the fraught realities of abandonment, abuse and neglect.” —The New York Times Book Review

“From start to finish, Raymie feels her soul alternately shrinking and expanding like an indecisive balloon as she and her new entourage navigate the waters of friendship and heartbreak, love and loss, life and death.” —Shelf Awareness (starred review)

“As in her previous award-winning books, DiCamillo once again shows that life’s underlying sadnesses can also be studded with hope and humor, and does it in a way so true that children will understand it in their bones. And that’s why she’s Kate the Great.” —Booklist (starred review)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Kate DiCamillo is one of America’s most beloved storytellers. She is a two-time Newbery Medalist and a former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Born in Philadelphia, she grew up in Florida and now lives in Minneapolis, where she faithfully writes two pages a day, five days a week.

April 2016 | Hardcover | 272 pp | $16.99 | 9780763681173 | Candlewick Press

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. Raymie recites a nursery rhyme every time she thinks about her father’s leaving. (3) Why do you think she continues to think of the nursery rhyme? How might a nursery rhyme make her feel better? Why does it anger her mother that Raymie recites the rhyme?

2. Why do you think Raymie calls Mrs. Sylvester when she is feeling down? How does it help Raymie feel better?

3. On page 73, Isabelle tells Raymie that “good deeds are pointless.” Do you agree with Isabelle? Why or why not?

4. There are hints throughout Raymie Nightingale about Beverly’s home life, such as the way her mother reacts when she picks up Beverly from baton class (34), as well as the bruise under Beverly’s eye (80) and her chipped front tooth (118). What do these things tell us? How do they help explain the way Beverly acts?

5. Louisiana and her grandmother often steal food in order to have something to eat, but Louisiana says it’s okay because they are stealing to survive. Do you agree or disagree?

6. When the girls are at the Golden Glen, both Beverly and Louisiana do something brave: Beverly holds Alice Nebbley’s hand when Alice asks, and Louisiana lets the yellow bird out of its cage. What do these actions tell you about the two girls’ personalities?

7. How would you describe the tone of Raymie’s voice at the beginning of the book as compared to the end? How does her tone change throughout the story?

8. In addition to Beverly and Louisiana, many characters are part of Raymie’s journey, including Mr. Option, Mrs. Sylvester, Mrs. Borkowski, Mr. Staphopoulos, Isabelle, Martha, Ruthie, Louisiana’s grandmother, Bunny/Buddy, the yellow bird, and the janitor. Which characters do you think affect Raymie the most, and why?

9. Kate DiCamillo uses foreshadowing throughout the novel to give hints about the ending of the book — for example, Louisiana saying, “We’ll rescue each other” (87), Louisiana thinking Raymie’s last name is Nightingale, and Raymie receiving the light from Mrs. Borkowski in her dream (208). Did you catch these hints while you were reading? What was each hint foreshadowing?

THIS IS WHERE IT ENDS

Marieke Nijkamp

The New York Times Bestseller

Goodreads YA Best Book of the Month

BuzzFeed YA Book You Should Be Reading

Bustle 2016 Most Anticipated YA Novel

Book Riot 2016 Book You Should Mark Down Now

10:00 a.m.: The principal of Opportunity High School in Alabama finishes her speech, welcoming the entire student body to a new semester and encouraging them to excel and achieve.

10:02 a.m.: The students get up to leave the auditorium for their next class.

10:03 a.m.: The auditorium doors won’t open.

10:05 a.m.: Someone starts shooting.

This explosive, emotional, page-turning debut about a high school held hostage for fifty-four harrowing minutes is told from the perspective of four teens—each with their own reason to fear the boy with the gun.

“This Is Where It Ends takes place over the course of just 54 heart-pounding minutes, but it tells a story that will stay with you much longer …” —Bustle

“Gritty, emotional, and suspenseful …” —BuzzFeed

“Compelling.” —Book Riot

“You’ll finish this book in a single evening, guaranteed.” —Paste

“Heart pounding and heart wrenching.” —Julie Murphy, author of Dumplin’

“As long as there are Newtowns and Columbines there will be a desperate need for gripping, well-written, and poignant novels like this one.” —Todd Strasser, author of Give a Boy a Gun and Fallout

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Marieke Nijkamp is a storyteller, dreamer, globetrotter, geek. She holds degrees in philosophy, history, and medieval studies, and is a founding member of We Need Diverse Books, DiversifYA, and YA Misfits. She lives in the Netherlands.

January 2016 | Hardcover | 288 pp | $17.99 | 9781492622468 | Sourcebooks Fire

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. There are many different kinds of relationships in this novel: family, friendship, romantic. How do these relationships inform what is at stake for each of the main characters?

2. Each character reacts differently to the shooting. Choose two characters and describe how they responded. Do you agree with the decisions they made? How might you have acted differently?

3. This Is Where It Ends is interspersed with texts, social media posts, and blog excerpts. How do you think technology has affected the way we experience and respond to tragedy?

4. Family is very important to Sylv, so much so that she’s willing to give up her dream to take care of her mother. If you were in her shoes, would you do the same? Why or why not?

5. Sylv tries to save Steve and Asha because “we’re all responsible for each other.” What does Sylv mean by this? Do you agree?

6. Autumn and Sylv keep secrets from each other. Do you think this helps or hurts their relationship? Do you agree with their decisions or would you have encouraged them to speak up?

7. Autumn doesn’t feel as if she belongs in Opportunity. She tells Sylv, “If I stay here, I don’t think I’ll matter.” What does she mean by this?

8. While speaking of Autumn’s mother, Autumn’s father says, “Dance took everything from her.” Is that the case for Autumn too? What did dance give her?

9. Early in the novel, Tomás has the opportunity to escape the school. Instead, he chooses to try to help his classmates. Discuss Tomás’s decision. What would you have done?

10. When Fareed is on the phone with the police, Tomás comments that Fareed suppresses his accent so he won’t be marked as a suspect. Do you think that was necessary? Do you think that is fair?

11. Claire and Chris feel helpless as they wait for news about what is happening inside the school. In your opinion, was it more difficult for the characters inside the auditorium or those waiting to hear about their loved ones? Why?

THE WILD ROBOT

Peter Brown

A New York Times Bestseller

An Entertainment Weekly Best Middle Grade Book of the Year

An Amazon Best Book of the Year Top Pick

Can a robot survive in the wilderness?

When robot Roz opens her eyes for the first time, she discovers that she is alone on a remote, wild island. She has no idea how she got there or what her purpose is—but she knows she needs to survive. After battling a fierce storm and escaping a vicious bear attack, she realizes that her only hope for survival is to adapt to her surroundings and learn from the island’s unwelcoming animal inhabitants.

As Roz slowly befriends the animals, the island starts to feel like home—until, one day, the robot’s mysterious past comes back to haunt her.

From bestselling and award-winning author and illustrator Peter Brown comes a heartwarming and action-packed novel about what happens when nature and technology collide.

“Brown has written a lively tale that is sure to engage young readers.” —The New York Times

“Roz may not feel emotions, but young readers certainly will as this tender, captivating tale unfolds.” —The Washington Post

ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Peter Brown is the author and illustrator of many bestselling children’s books, including Children Make Terrible Pets and The Curious Garden. He is the recipient of a Caldecott Honor for Creepy Carrots!, two E.B. White Read Aloud Awards, a New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Book Award, and a Children’s Choice Award for Illustrator of the Year. Roz’s adventures continue in The Wild Robot Escapes, publishing in 2018.

January 2018 | Paperback | 304 pp | $7.99 | 9780316382007
Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

CONVERSATION STARTERS

1. How does Roz survive? Why is Roz especially good at adapting?

2. Why do the island’s animals call Roz “unnatural” and “a monster”? (51) How does she win them over? In what ways is it scary to be different?

3. Though robots “don’t really feel emotions” (8), Roz feels something. What does Roz feel? How do Roz’s feelings compare with how animals and people experience emotion?

4. How does Roz become a mother? One of the other gosling moms says, “You’ll never be the perfect mother, so just do the best you can” (99). How is this advice helpful and true?

5. Why do the bears Nettle and Thorn attack Roz? (140–143) Why does Roz save Thorn? (144)

6. Why can’t Roz and Brightbill stop wondering about the button on the back of Roz’s head? Were you scared when Brightbill pushed it? (157–160)

7. Why does Roz declare her home “a safe place for all”? (180)

8. Thinking about her purpose in life, Roz muses, “Perhaps I am simply meant to help others.” (192) How does Roz go from asking for help to being the helper? How is asking for help an act of courage? How is it a means of survival? What do you think your purpose in life might be?

9. How are animal instincts like computer programs?

10. What does Roz mean when she thanks her friends and family for teaching her “how to live”? (217) What does she mean when she later says that the animals taught her “to be wild”? (262)

11. Why do the island animals come to Roz’s defense at the novel’s end? Why does Roz leave the island?

12. How do nature and technology clash in the novel? How do they coexist?

13. How do the illustrations shape your reading of the story? Which illustration do you like best, and why?

14. What does The Wild Robot suggest about the meaning of home?

BOOK GROUP FAVORITES FROM 2016

In 2017, we asked thousands of book groups to tell us what books they read and discussed during 2016 that they enjoyed most. The top titles were:

FICTION

NONFICTION

YOUNG ADULT

Me Before You
Jojo Moyes | Penguin Books

Being Mortal
Atul Gawande
Metropolitan Books

The Book Thief
Markus Zusak | Knopf

The Invention of Wings
Sue Monk Kidd | Penguin Books

H is for Hawk
Helen Macdonald | Grove Press

Wonder
R.J. Palacio
Knopf Books for Young Readers

Station Eleven
Emily St. John Mandel | Vintage

The Boys in the Boat
Daniel James Brown
Penguin Books

The Thing About Jellyfish
Ali Benjamin
Little, Brown Young Readers

The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend
Katarina Bivald | Sourcebooks

Can’t We Talk About Something More Pleasant?
Roz Chast | Bloomsbury USA

We Were Liars
Emily Lockhart | Delacorte Press

Euphoria
Lily King | Grove Press

Liar, Temptress, Soldier, Spy
Karen Abbott | Harper Perennial

Salt to the Sea
Ruta Sepetys | Philomel Books

Everything I Never Told You
Celeste Ng | Penguin Books

Dead Wake
Erik Larson | Broadway Books

Anna and the Swallow Man
Gavriel Savit | Ember

Girl Waits With Gun
Amy Stewart
Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Keep Moving
Dick Van Dyke | Weinstein Books

Library of Souls
Ransom Riggs | Quirk Books

The Girl From the Train
Irma Joubert | Thomas Nelson

Unbroken
Laura Hillenbrand | Random
House Paperbacks

The Evolution of Calpurnia Tate
Jacqueline Kelly
Macmillan Children’s

Orphan Train
Christine Baker Kline
William Morrow

My Grandfather Would Have Shot Me
Jennifer Teege | The Experiment

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender
Leslye Walton | Candlewick Press

The Girl on the Train
Paula Hawkins | Riverhead

The Glass Castle
Jeannette Walls | Scribner

Crenshaw
Katherine Applegate
Macmillan Children’s

The Paris Architect
Charles Belfoure
Sourcebooks Landmark

The Rainbow Comes and Goes
Anderson Cooper &
Gloria Vanderbilt
Harper Paperbacks

The Carnival at Bray
Jessie Ann Foley
Elephant Rock Books

The Storied Life of AJ Fikry
Gabrielle Zevin | Algonquin Books

The Underground Girls of Kabul
Jenny Nordberg | Broadway Books

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children
Ransom Riggs | Quirk Books

Please visit ReadingGroupChoices.com between January 1 and April 1, 2018 to enter our 2017 Favorite Books Contest by telling us about your favorite books of 2017. You will be entered for a chance to win bookstore gift certificates to use towards your meetings plus books for each person in your group, compliments of our publishing partners.

READING GROUP CHOICES’ ADVISORY BOARD

Charlie Mead owned and managed Reading Group Choices from 2005 until 2014. He sold the business to Mary Morgan in April 2014. Charlie’s business partner and wife, Barbara Drummond Mead, co-owned and managed the business until her passing in 2011. From 1972 to 1999, Charlie served at Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) and Compaq Computer Corporation, both now part of Hewlett Packard, most recently as vice president of communication accounts worldwide. In 1999, Charlie became vice president of Sales of Interpath Communications Corporation, an Internet infrastructure company, until the company’s sale in 2000. From 2000 to 2005, Charlie owned and managed Connxsys LLC, a communications consulting firm.

Donna Paz Kaufman founded Reading Group Choices in 1994 to connect publishers, booksellers, libraries, and readers with great books for group discussion. Today, the bookstore training and consulting group of Paz & Associates is fully dedicated to assisting people around the globe open, manage, and sell their independent bookstores. To learn more about Paz & Associates, visit PazBookBiz.com.

Mark Nichols was an independent bookseller in various locations from Maine to Connecticut from 1976 through 1993. After seven years in a variety of positions with major publishers in New York and San Francisco, he joined the American Booksellers Association in 2000 and just retired in 2017. He is on the Board of James Patterson’s ReadKiddoRead.com, and has edited two volumes with Newmarket Press: Book Sense Best Books (2004) and Book Sense Best Children’s Books (2005).

John Mutter is editor-in-chief of Shelf Awareness, the daily e-mail newsletter focusing on books, media about books, retailing and related issues to help booksellers, librarians and others do their jobs more effectively. Before he and his business partner, Jenn Risko, founded the company in May 2005, he was executive editor of bookselling at Publishers Weekly. He has covered book industry issues for 25 years and written for a variety of publications, including The Bookseller in the U.K.; Australian Bookseller & Publisher; Boersenblatt, the German book trade magazine; and College Store Magazine in the U.S. For more information about Shelf Awareness, go to its website, shelf-awareness.com.

Megan Hanson’s background includes extensive customer service work, experience coordinating marketing campaigns for the Madrid-based NGO Colegas, plus serving as a Community Literacy Coordinator for the Madison non-profit Literacy Network. Since 2012, she has been working for the internationally-recognized non-profit Little Free Library, helping them to develop and scale to meet demand. Her focus is on digital marketing, data and web management, product development and customer service.

René Martin is the Events Director/Publicist at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh, NC. “Nancy Olson, who owned and operated Quail Ridge Books & Music from 1981 until it was sold in 2013, hired me in 2000. I knew nothing about the book business, but said yes, it would be fun. And it has been! Sixteen years later I now know a little more about the book business, and love being the events coordinator/publicist for Quail Ridge Books. We now host almost 300 events a year. My goal is to make QRB a model publicity department, and we have a beautiful, new store in which to make that happen.”

Nicole Sullivan opened BookBar, a community bookstore wine bar in 2013. Immediately recognizing a need to connect readers with book clubs in their area, she then founded bookclubhub.org in 2014. BookBed, an author bed & breakfast located just above the book store opened its doors in Fall of 2015. Additionally, she has funneled her passion for helping others to create successful bookstore / bar & cafe models through her work as a consultant with Paz & Associates. Nicole proudly serves as co-President and founder of her neighborhood business association, Tennyson Berkeley Business Association (TBBA) and as Treasurer of her local maintenance district for the city of Denver.