Mockingbird// Katheryn Erskine

 

Hello July!🧨

 

We welcomed some new faces when we gathered at Paul Miller Park to discuss Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine. Susan has also reserved the large shelter (by the bathrooms) for our August 12th meeting, where we're slated to discuss Blood Sugar, by Sascha Rothchild. We will keep our eyes on the weather and send out a reminder email to everyone as the date gets closer~ if the weather doesn't cooperate, we'll plan to meet in the meeting room at the library. 

 

Speaking of Blood Sugar, we have very limited copies, with a handful more on the way from MN Link, but if you don't need a copy of this title, would you please take a minute to leave a comment down below to let me know? It helps us maximize our efficiency! Thanks! 

 

 

Without further ado!

 

 

In Caitlin’s world, everything is black or white. Things are good or bad. Anything in between is confusing. That’s the stuff Caitlin’s older brother, Devon, has always explained. But now Devon’s dead and Dad is no help at all. Caitlin wants to get over it, but as an eleven-year-old girl with Asperger’s, she doesn’t know how. When she reads the definition of closure, she realizes that is what she needs. In her search for it, Caitlin discovers that not everything is black and white—the world is full of colors—messy and beautiful. 

 

This book was a hit with almost everyone who attended. We really liked the writing and the way Caitlin's thoughts depicted. We adored Caitlin and the way she came at the world, some of us saying we'd like to be her friend. We liked Caitlin's father and had great empathy for how he managed the unimaginable losses they have both had to endure. We also really liked Caitlin's school counselor, how she interacted with Caitlin and how she calmly phrased key concepts in a way that seemed to reach her. There were parts where we laughed out loud, and  parts that tugged on our heart strings~ we liked moving through the story.   

 

What little con's we could scrape together were that we didn't really like the ending. We weren't able to follow how Caitlin and her father were ok with donating Devon's chest to the school~ especially with a loud, in-the-spotlight kind of reaction from the audience that we thought for sure would be all wrong for Caitlin. We rather felt that they would both, but Caitlin especially, would want to keep the chest, it having so much significant sentimental value. 

 

One of us found the book mostly sad, and wondered if integrating Caitlin in the mainstream of public education was the right thing, given the bullying she experienced. It lead to great discussion about personal experiences with the autism spectrum (did you know we don't use the term "Asperger's" anymore?), special needs children in the public school setting and the real world. 

 

 

Do you have anything to add? Leave it in the comments below! 👇 

 

Did you really enjoy Mockingbird? Fans of the book also enjoyed, Rules, by Cynthia Lord, Counting by 7's, by Holly Goldberg Sloan, and Fish in a Tree, by Lynda Mullaly Hunt. All of these titles are available within the Viking Library System~ reserve your copy today!    

 The votes are in!

Would we recommend this to a friend to read?  Yes

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?  Yes

                                                                                                                                             Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating:  4 stars

The Women// Kristin Hannah

                      

Hello Summer! 🌞

We welcomed back some familiar summer faces, and one new member, while meeting to discuss The Women, by Kristin Hannah. Going forward for the summer months, we are tentatively planning on meeting at Paul Miller Park in the large shelter (near the bathrooms). Susan has made the reservation for our July 8th meeting, and weather willing, that's where we'll plan to meet. I will be sure to send out a reminder email each month as the dates (and the weather for those dates) gets closer! 😄

 

Speaking of July, up next is Mockingbird, by Kathryn Erskine. We have limited copies, with a handful more on the way from MN Link, but if you don't need a copy of this title, would you please take a minute to leave a comment down below to let me know? It helps us maximize our efficiency! Thanks!

 

 

Onward!

 

 

Women can be heroes. When twenty-year-old nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears these words, it is a revelation. Raised in the sun-drenched, idyllic world of Southern California and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing. But in 1965, the world is changing, and she suddenly dares to imagine a different future for herself. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. But war is just the beginning for Frankie and her veteran friends. The real battle lies in coming home to a changed and divided America, to angry protesters, and to a country that wants to forget Vietnam.

 

This book was very well received by the vast majority of our members. They really liked and appreciated the research that must have gone into this book (though there were some that experienced the Vietnam war up close and commented on the parts Hannah didn't get right), and they liked that they learned something from reading it. The deeply meaningful friendships between Frankie, Barb, and Ethel were a particularly moving highlight. More than anything, this book, and it's discussion, inspired a wealth of stories and testimonies from our members that were personally touched, or knew someone personally affected by this war~ which made for the best kind of book club meeting. 

 

On the other hand, there were those who weren't quite as swept away by the book. It was said, and outlined, that Kristin Hannah definitely has a distinct style of writing... and for some, it's a little too Hallmark movie/neat and tidy endings tied with pretty bows. The Women was certainly no exception to this precedent. We struggled with "every good and bad thing that could happen, happens to just Frankie". We didn't buy the part about Rye commandeering a military issued helicopter to pop over quick to spend the night with his then girlfriend, Frankie, after she had a particularly hard day (who somehow got clearance to use the "for emergencies only" radio to "just hear his voice" following said hard day)... especially with no reprimand or discipline for either party after.

 

We thought the book was a little too long, and one of us was a little annoyed that Frankie continued to be so naive throughout the book about life and war and medicine and love, even after experiencing so much of all of those. 

   

 

Do you have anything to add? Leave it in the comments below! 👇 

 

Did you love The Women? Fans of the book also enjoyed, The Wedding People, by Alison Espach, The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon, and The God of theWoods, by Liz Moore. All of these titles are available within the Viking Library System~ reserve your copy today!    

 The votes are in!

Would we recommend this to a friend to read?  Yes

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?  Yes

                                                                                                                                             Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating:  4.5 stars

Hudson Bay Bound// Natalie Warren

 

Hello May! 🎕 We were o-so-fortunate to have Mrs. Warren join us today while we discussed her book, Hudson Bay Bound. She was a delightful guest and answered all of our questions thoroughly. What a treat!

 

Up next for June is The Women, by Kristin Hannah. We have several copies, including 2 large print versions, but if you don't need a copy of this title, would you please take a minute to leave a comment down below to let me know? It helps us maximize our efficiency! 

 

 

Without further ado~

 

 

The remarkable eighty-five-day journey of the first two women to canoe the 2,000-mile route from Minneapolis to Hudson Bay, featuring unrelenting winds, carnivorous polar bears, snake nests, sweltering heat, and constant hunger. Natalie Warren and Ann Raiho faced unexpected trials, some harrowing, some simply odd. But for the two friends, there was the occasional pitfall that tested both their character and their friendship. Warren’s account retraces the women’s journey from inspiration to Arctic waters, giving readers an insider view from the practicalities of planning a three-month canoe expedition to the successful accomplishment of the adventure of a lifetime. 

 

We tended to generally agree about this one~ no one loved it, and no one hated it... it was just ok. The writing was good, Warren could certainly make you feel the story~ but we still felt like something was missing. We didn't really buy that Natalie and Ann only had the one argument during the entire thing from planning to finish, or that the argument that she outlined was as minor as it was portrayed. Another example is there was a lot of time describing the people they met and the food they ate, but not a lot was said about hygiene: showers, washing clothes and sleeping bags, etc., which was largely missed by a few of us. We were also left curious about the finals costs of the trip.

 

There were places the writing felt redundant and our minds wandered, one member mentioned if part of that might be because we went from reading The Boys in the Boat, a book with lots of rowing, to Hudson Bay Bound, a book with lots of paddling. We speculated we maybe just spent too much time lately in boats! 😉

 

It sparked good conversation about personal stories from our members lives about canoe trips they, or their loved ones, had taken and it inspired two of us to look into learning more about canoeing. 

 

All that aside, again, Natalie Warren was a true joy to visit with and the meeting was a total success! Do you have anything to add to our discussion? Please do so down below! 👇

Did you really like Hudson Bay Bound? Fans of the book also enjoyed, Canoeing with the Cree, by Eric Sevareid, Murder on the Red River, by Marcie Rendon, and The Seed Keeper, by Diane Wilson. All of these titles are available within the Viking Library System~ reserve your copy today!    

 The votes are in!

Would we recommend this to a friend to read?  YES

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?  Yes

                                                                                                                                             Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating:  3.5 stars

2025-2026 Book Club Reading Schedule

 

The Boys in the Boat// Daniel Brown

Hello April! ☔ As promised, we closed the voting for next year's book club reading schedule at  the close of yesterday afternoon's meeting. This year's voting cycle has been the best one yet! So many of you sent in nominations and voted! Thank you! We truly believe we have the best book club members in all the land, we appreciate you!

 

Up next for our May selection is Hudson Bay Bound, by Natalie Warren. We only have a small handful of copies so far, though we do have another handful coming from MN Link that we'll get distributed once they arrive, but if you don't need a copy of this title, would you please take a minute to leave a comment down below to let me know? It helps us maximize our efficiency!

 

 

Onward!

 

It was an unlikely quest from the start. With a team composed of the sons of loggers, shipyard workers, and farmers, the University of Washington’s eight-oar crew team was never expected to defeat the elite teams of the East Coast and Great Britain, yet they did, going on to shock the world by defeating the German team rowing for Adolf Hitler. The emotional heart of the tale lies with Joe Rantz, a teenager without family or prospects, who rows not only to regain his shattered self-regard but also to find a real place for himself in the world. Drawing on the boys’ own journals and vivid memories of a once-in-a-lifetime shared dream, Brown has created an unforgettable portrait of an era, a celebration of a remarkable achievement, and a chronicle of one extraordinary young man’s personal quest. 

This book was very well received by almost everyone in attendance. They really liked Brown's writing, and thought the attention to detail with the character's he did highlight was very well done. We all really liked Joe and found him an inspiration. The final chapter with the short write up about each of the rowing team members was fantastic, as were the included pictures. The historical aspects woven into the book were also widely appreciated and gave members a sense of "what was going on in the world" surrounding the original story of the boys. In fact, it inspired one of our readers to do a little more digging into the time and place for some supplementary details. Nice!

 

On the other hand, for two of us, this book wasn't all that grand. These members agreed that Brown is a great writer and the depth of the handful of characters he shared was fantastic, however, they would have liked him to do the same portrayal of all 8 of the boys and their coaches. Where did each of them come from? What were their interrelationships like? How did they work through their differences, because surly, there were differences. They thought there was far too much time spent/focus on Germany and Hitler, a subject endlessly covered in a countless number of books. They thought all the details from every race that got them to the Olympics was monotonous in places and would have preferred a brief recap of any that weren't all that noteworthy. More or less, they thought the book was about 100 pages too long and a bit of a bore.   

What are your thoughts? Let us know down below! 👇

Did you enjoy The Boys in the Boat? Fans of the book also enjoyed, Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand, The Women, by Kristin Hannah (coming up in June!), and The Frozen River, by Ariel Lawhon. All of these titles are available within the Viking Library System~ reserve your copy today!    

 The votes are in!

Would we recommend this to a friend to read?  YES

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?  Yes

                                                                                                                                             Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating:  3.75 stars

 

The 7.5 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle// Stuart Turton

 

 

Hello March!🍀Yesterday we met to discuss The 7.5 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton. Up next for April's selection is The Boys in the Boat, by Daniel James Brown. We have a good handful of copies, but we'd like to remind our members to please be intentional about reading through the book club books and returning them to library in as timely a fashion as possible to help us be as efficient as we can in distributing the copies we are able to secure~ we appreciate your help! If you do not need a copy, and you haven't already let us know, would you please leave a comment below to update us? Thanks so much in advance!

 

Lastly, we collected the last of the nominations for this year's reading list last night, and we are busy bee's getting them sorted and organized onto the ballot. We'll get the finished ballot out to you most likely by the end of this week, and we'll plan to vote in our next 12 books at the April 8th book club meeting. I believe Susan will also be adding an online voting option for anyone who would prefer to vote that way, or anyone who can't make April's meeting. We'll get the word out when the link it up and running. In the meantime...

 

 

To the book!

 

 

Evelyn Hardcastle will be murdered at 11:00 p.m. There are eight days, and eight witnesses for you to inhabit. We will only let you escape once you tell us the name of the killer. Understood? Then let's begin...

Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until Aiden Bishop can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others.

 

This book, for everyone present, was a bust. We could all appreciate the premise, and were intrigued with the alternate concept of the prison system. We liked Turton's character development, and his writing in general, but so many of us were either hopelessly lost, or just surrendered altogether long before the halfway mark. We all agreed the book was a touch predictable, and far too long, with far too many characters and plot lines to try to keep straight. One member counted 42 different characters~ whew. It was said that one could read the first 100 pages, and then skip to the last 100 pages, and be better off than reading the book in its entirety. 

 

In the end, we discussed book nominations and wrapped things up early~ sometimes that's just the way it goes when we are all in agreement about a book, good or bad. 

Did we get it wrong? Let us know below! 👇

 

Did you love The 7.5 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle? Fans of the book also enjoyed, Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone, by Benjamin Stevenson, How to Solve Your Own Murder, by Kristen Perrin, and The Midnight Feast, by Lucy Foley. All of these titles are available within the Viking Library System~ reserve your copy today!    

 

 The votes are in!

Would we recommend this to a friend to read?  Unanimously, NO!

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?  Again, unanimously, NO! 

                                                                                                                                             Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating:  1.5 stars

 

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes// Caitlin Doughty

 

💓Happy Valentine's Day!💓 February's read was Smoke Gets in Your Eyes, by Caitlin Doughty. Coming up next for March's meeting is The 7.5 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, by Stuart Turton. We have a good handful of copies, but we'd like to remind our members to please be intentional about reading through the book club books and returning them to library in as timely a fashion as possible to help us be as efficient as we can in distributing the copies we are able to secure~ we appreciate your help! If you do not need a copy, and you haven't already let us know, would you please leave a comment below to update us? Thanks so much in advance!

While I have you, it's that time of year again to start getting your nominations in for next year's reading list! We'd like to ask that you turn your nominations into us on or before our March 11th book club meeting. You can email them to either Susan (susanhl@perhamlibrary.org), or myself (amandaschaefer@hotmail.com), or give us a call at the library (346-4892), or leave them in the comments below, or even leave them with us at the front desk! So many options! 

 In an effort to keep our final nomination ballots to a reasonable size, we are putting a limit of 5 nominations total for each of our members. Additionally, we are sticking with the same 5 dedicated categories this year of Young Adult, Memoir, Mystery, Minnesota Author and Classic~ however you do not need to nominate titles into these categories, but you will be required to vote for at least one book from each of these dedicated genres when the time comes. Sound good? Let us know if you have any questions below~ happy nominating!

 

Onward!

 

Caring for dead bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, Caitlin soon becomes an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. She describes how she swept ashes from the machines (and sometimes onto her clothes) and reveals the strange history of cremation and undertaking, marveling at bizarre and wonderful funeral practices from different cultures.

Her eye-opening, candid, and often hilarious story is like going on a journey with your bravest friend to the cemetery at midnight. She demystifies death, leading us behind the black curtain of her unique profession. And she answers questions you didn’t know you had: Can you catch a disease from a corpse? How many dead bodies can you fit in a Dodge van? What exactly does a flaming skull look like?

This is nothing like what we normally read, and it was a total success! (Man, we all really love it when a book we wouldn't pick for ourselves ends up being a winner.) Some of us weren't sure we liked Caitlin in the beginning~ she seemed a bit cheeky and flippant about what we feel is mostly a delicate and solemn subject, but by the end of the book, she grew on us. It was clear by books end that she was really after trying to make death less taboo, give the reader what felt like some updated information on what some of the end-of-life options are (and advocate for a few more ways to handle death and the dead), and to encourage us to preplan our final wishes, or at the very least, make our loved ones aware of them... preferably in writing.  

We were glad we read it, we all learned something along the way. This book can't help but stir up personal stories of loss, and a good portion of our meeting was sharing those stories with the group. We are thankful that there are people in the world who find their fit working in the funeral industry in one form or fashion, and even more so that there are people like Doughty who want to try to make it a little less hands off~ with more options to choose from.   

The few criticisms we could scrape together would be even though this was a shorter read, it still felt about 50 pages too long... but if you asked us where we'd trim it, we can't be sure. Some of us still aren't sure about Caitlin, we found her to be an intelligent misfit, but maybe a little dead inside.. we think we like her, but we probably wouldn't be friends. Lastly, some of the content was hard to read, but we could agree that was to be expected, given the title.  

 

How did this book leave you? Let us know below! 👇

 

Did you really like Smoke Gets in Your Eyes? Fans of the book also enjoyed, Stiff, by Mary Roach, All the Living and the Dead, by Hayley Campbell, and The Anthropocene Reviewed, by John Green. All of these titles are available within the Viking Library System~ reserve your copy today!    

 

 The votes are in!

Would we recommend this to a friend to read?  YES!

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?  YES! 

                                                                                                                                             Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating:  4 stars