November 2025

This month, we will be reading the classic Grapes of Wrath, by John Steinbeck.  This book was first published in 1939, and Steinbeck was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for this book.  Contra Costa County Library commentary includes this: 

Steinbeck's Pulitzer Prize-winning epic of the Great Depression chronicles the Dust Bowl migration of the 1930s and tells the story of one Oklahoma farm family, the Joads, driven from their homestead and forced to travel west to the promised land of California. Out of their trials and their repeated collisions against the hard realities of an America divided into haves and have-nots evolves a drama that is intensely human yet majestic in its scale and moral vision, elemental yet plainspoken, tragic but ultimately stirring in its human dignity.

Good news! There are 6 copies currently available in the Contra Costa Library and audio books available through Hoopla.  

Our next meeting will be November 21st, with Lisa facilitating the discussion, and Mae bringing the books. Light supper at Sheila's house at the usual time. 

TAKE NOTE!!!  The December meeting has been moved to December 19th. 

October 2025

Our October meeting will be on Friday, October 24th, which is the Fourth Friday. 

Lisa will be bringing book selections, and Kim will facilitate our meeting. 

We will be reading If You Lived Here, You'd Be Home by Now,: Why We Traded the Commuting Life for a Little House on the Prairie by Christopher Ingraham. Note that Contra Costa County Library has no copies of this book -- However there are many many copies in LINK+.  Order your copy TODAY!!!  Mine arrived within a week, but it is never a good idea to wait too long.  Note: there are e-books and audio books available.

Our book this month is nonfiction, and this summary is adapted from the book jacket: 

Chris and Briana Ingraham were having a difficult time making ends meet as they tried to raise their twin boys in the East Coast suburbs. When he stumbled upon a ranking of America's 3,000+ counties from ugliest to most scenic, he scrolled to the bottom of the list and wrote the words "The absolute worst place to live in America is (drumroll please) ... Red Lake County, Minn." The story went viral, and the residents of Red Lake County challenged him to actually visit their community. Here he tells of experiencing the intensity and power of small-town gossip, his struggles to find a decent cup of coffee, winters with temperatures dropping to forty below zero, and some truths about small-town life that the coastal media usually miss.

As usual, the meeting will be at Sheila's house, and a light dinner will be served. 

By the way, the books we did NOT select were  The Dollhouse, Fiona Davis and The Bookish Life of Nina Hill, Abbi Waxman

September 2025

 This month, we will be reading The Museum of Ordinary People, by Mike Gayle. Kirkus says,"In this 'pure, unadulterated feel-good' and warmhearted novel, an old set of encyclopedias leads a young woman to a curious museum and one profoundly moving lesson: that every life is an extraordinary life. " 

The Libby description adds "Inspired by an abandoned box of mementos, The Museum of Ordinary People is a poignant novel about memory and loss, the things we leave behind, and the future we create for ourselves."

There are still copies available on library shelves in the Contra Costa County Library System. 

We will meet on the Fourth Friday - September 26, back at Sheila's house for a light dinner. Fran will lead the discussion from the head of the table.  Kim has selected books from which to choose October books - Sheila will present those books for Kim. 

August 2025

Our next meeting will be August 22, 2025, at the usual 5:30pm. Show up at Sheila's house and we will have a light dinner.  

This month, we will be reading Twist, by Colum McCann. This novel is about an Irish journalist who is assigned to report on the complex work of repairing the underwater cables that carry the word's information.  This is a 2025 book, and to our amazement, there are eight copies available right now in the Contra Costa Library. Fran already has her copy, Denise bought hers because she wanted to read it so desperately, and Sheila already has one on hold. So place your hold - TODAY!!! 

We have some complications in the book group schedule, so take note... 

Fran will bring the books next month (August) Kim will be out of town for the September meeting but will send the books for selection. After that, Lisa will bring books in October, Mae in November, and Sheila in December.  And of course, after bringing the books, that person leads the discussion the following month. 

July 2025

We will be meeting on Friday, July 25th, at the now usual time of 5:30PM. We will continue to meet at Sheila's house, with a light dinner provided. 

This month, we are reading How It All Began, by Penelope Lively. Penelope Lively has written over 18 books for children and over 15 titles for adults. This book, written in 2011, is her 12th novel. This book explores the far-reaching effect of happenstance, as individual circumstances shift, lives change, and the known is perceived in an altogether new light.. 

A diverse cast of richly embroidered acquaintances and strangers find their lives irrevocably altered by a specific event, which many of them haven't even heard about. It is sort of a book illustrating the six degrees of separation.

While there are three copies in the Contra Costa Library, they are all currently checked out, and there are holds on them. However, there are other options. There are 42 LINK+ libraries that own this book. Order the book NOW if you choose to use LINK+.  Also, AbeBooks has over 25 copies at $3.78 with free shipping - a very affordable option. You can find them HERE.   Whatever you do, be sure to get the correct book, by Penelope Lively - there are a number of books out there with the same title.

Also, note that this is our THREE HUNDREDTH (300th) book!!! 

Because Donna will not be joining us next month, Denise has volunteered to bring books instead. So Denise will bring the books and Sheila will lead the discussion.  

June 2025

This month we will be meeting on June 27th, 2025 at 5:30pm. Note that we will meet at Sheila's house.

Mae will lead the discussion, and Sheila will bring book selections for July.

We will be reading The Backyard Bird Chronicles, by Amy Tan. "Amy Tan brings together selections from nine personal journals filled with sketches and handwritten notes of naive observations about birds spotted in her northern California. This is the second Amy Tan book we have read.

There are 3 copies currently available in the Contra Costa Library, and a number more will be due in the next week. Place your holds now!!

May 2025

Next month we meet on the 5th Friday, May 30th
We are reading Bright Lights Big Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews
Review off Amazon:

When fall rolls around, it’s time for Kerry Tolliver to leave her family’s Christmas tree farm in the mountains of North Carolina for the wilds of New York City to help her gruff older brother & his dog, Queenie, sell the trees at the family stand on a corner in Greenwich Village. Sharing a tiny vintage camper and experiencing Manhattan for the first time, Kerry’s ready to try to carve out a new corner for herself.

Fran leads, Mae brings books

See you all next month!

April 2025

This meeting is our 25th anniversary book group meeting. Denise will be our facilitator, and Fran will bring book selections for May.  We will meet in Friday, April 25 at 5:30PM.  

We will be reading There, There, by Tommy Orange.  Here is a very very brief summary from Publisher's Weekly:  "Orange's commanding debut chronicles contemporary Native Americans in Oakland, as their lives collide in the days leading up to the city's inaugural Big Oakland Powwow." 

March 2025

 

Our next meeting is Friday, March 28th.  Denise will bring the book selections and Lisa will lead our discuwssion. 

We are reading Rules for Visiting, by Jessica Francis Kane  A quick description by the Contra Costa Library said

 "Reclusive gardener May Attaway is inspired by her love of classic literature to embark on an odyssey to reconnect with four once-close friends through simple activities and digital encounters that unexpectedly catapult her into viral fame."  

 

February 2025

This month we will be reading Sandwich, by Catherine Newman. This is one of those stories that takes place at the beach house. The protagonist is "sandwiched" between her half-grown kids and her aging parents.  There are over 50 copies in the Contra Costa County Library system, and 18 of them are available right now!!  

We will be meeting on February 28th. Kim will be our facilitatress, and Lisa will bring our book selections. 

Take note that April will be our 25th anniversary.