If you are a reader who likes books with thought-provoking situations, characters with depth, and topics that you can discuss endlessly, check out what local book clubs are reading as a clever way to find your next great read.
To get you started, below are four brief reviews of books that are the August selections for Whatcom County Library System monthly book clubs. Anyone is welcome to attend, no registration necessary.
The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons
At 85, Eudora Honeysett, suffering the indignities of old age, decides to set her affairs in order and take matters into her own hands. That is, until she meets her new neighbor, exuberant, sparkling 10-year-old Rose. The next thing Eudora knows, rather than undertaking her plans to end it all, Rose, Eudora and a recently widowed neighbor, Stanley, are filling their days with all shades of adventure, opening a space in Eudora to examine her own childhood growing up during WWII. The Lynden Library will be discussing this charming, feel-good read in the Lynden Library meeting room at their Wednesday, August 14, 4:30-6pm Award Winning Book Club.
The Marriage Portrait by Maggie O’Farrell
For those who appreciate facts in their fiction, this historical novel will transport you to 1550s Renaissance Italy and the tragic history of the young duchess Lucrezia de’ Medici. Wedded to the Duke of Ferrara, Modena, and Reggio after the death of her older sister, Lucrezia is thrown into the intrigues of courtly life and quickly realizes that her primary purpose is to provide the duke with an heir and that without succeeding to do so, she likely won’t live very long. This fascinating story of a young woman fighting for her autonomy and very survival will be discussed by the Blaine Library Books and Bites book club on Friday, August 16 from 1-2:30pm in the Blaine Library meeting room.
Gathering Moss by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Kimmerer follows her perennial favorite, Braiding Sweetgrass, with Gathering Moss: A Natural and Cultural History of Mosses. Reveal the myriad ways mosses are intertwined with other lives in their environment, these linked personal essays also have the power to awaken a new appreciation for and awareness of human’s intricate relationship with nature. There are two opportunities to join the Foothills Book Club at the Deming Library for what will likely be a lively conversation: Tuesday, August 20 at 7pm or Thursday, August 22 at 2pm.
Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson
The family tradition of their mother’s special black cake made from fruit, rum and spices was a staple of Benny and Byron’s childhoods and a link from their lives in California to their Caribbean heritage. When their mother passes away, she leaves them one final black cake along with a mysterious recorded message. The siblings are unprepared, however, for the secrets and stories that the message reveals and how this new information challenges everything they thought they knew about their family and themselves. Readers will meet in the Ferndale Library meeting room on Wednesday, August 21 from 2:30-4pm to discuss this poignant multi-generational story.
Book clubs hosted by public libraries and bookstores don’t require membership, so are an easy way to test the waters and see if participating in a book club discussion is something you enjoy. Whatcom County Library System also hosts several “low commitment” book clubs where, instead of everyone reading the same book, attendees read books on a shared topic or simply share what they have been reading. To learn more, visit the WCLS Events Calendar at wcls.org and filter by Book Group.
Also, check out the WCLS Book Club Picks page (www.wcls.org/book-club-picks/) which features highly discussable book club titles hand-selected quarterly by librarians for your reading pleasure.
Lisa Gresham is collection services manager for the Whatcom County Library System – visit us in-person or online to experience The Power of Sharing.
(Originally published in Cascadia Daily News, Tuesday, August 13, 2024.)