Book Discussion Group

September 15

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

Description: Originally published in 1943, this classic and controversial story of gifted architect Harold Roark, his struggle against conventional standards, and his violent love affair brilliantly addresses a number of universal themes, in a special edition commemorating the centennial of the author's birth. By the author of Atlas Shrugged.

October 20

Pick your favorite novel by Archer Mayor

November 17

In the Woods by Tana French

Description: Twenty years after witnessing the violent disappearances of two companions from their small Dublin suburb, detective Rob Ryan investigates a chillingly similar murder that takes place in the same wooded area, a case that forces him to piece together his traumatic memories. Reprint.

December 15

Three Cups of Tea by G. Mortenson & D. Relin

Description: Traces how the author, having been rescued and resuscitated by Himalayan villagers after a failed attempt to climb K2, worked to build schools that would particularly benefit the young girls who were forbidden an education by Taliban restrictions, an endeavor for which his life has been repeatedly threatened.

January 19

The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard

Description: Seventeen years after the discovery of an unidentified female murder victim, whose brutalized body is found outside Small Plains, Kansas, the young girl's grave has become the source of a series of strange miracles and legends, until the return of prodigal son Mitch Newquist, along with a devastating tornado, threatens to bring old secrets to light.

February 16

The Given Day by Dennis Lehane

Description: An epic tale set at the end of World War I follows the experiences of a family whose lives mirror the political unrest of an America caught between its well-patterned past and an unpredictable future.

March 16

Omnivores Dilemma by Michael Pollan

Description: An ecological and anthropological study of eating offers insight into food consumption in the twenty-first century, explaining how an abundance of unlimited food varieties reveals the responsibilities of everyday consumers to protect their health and the environment.

April 20

Family Man by Elinor Lipman

Description: Reunited with his long-lost stepdaughter by an ex-wife's hysterical plea for help, gay lawyer Henry Archer allows the young woman to move into his basement, where she reluctantly poses as the girlfriend of a down-on-his-luck former sitcom star.

May 19

First Family by David Baldacci

Description: Summoned by First Lady Jane Cox to rescue her niece from kidnappers, investigators Sean King and Michelle Maxwell are pushed to the limit in a search that is hampered by the highest levels of government security and Michelle's personal demons.