2026-2027 Book Club Reading Schedule

 

Before the Coffee Gets Cold// Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Hello May! 🎕

Up next for June is Salt to the Sea, by Ruta Sepetys. We have several copies, but just in case you don't need a copy and you haven't already let me know, would you please leave me a quick note in the comments below so we can keep the call list updated? Thank you for your help! 

 

Speaking of June, we may plan to meet at Paul Miller Park for the summer months again, and we may kick that off with our June meeting. We'll keep an eye on the weather as the day gets closer and let you know!

 

A BIG thank you to everyone who nominated and voted this year~ this was our biggest voting year to date!! How fortunate we are to have such a fantastic group of readers! The new reading schedule for 2026-2027 is now ready and finalized~ bookmarks will be available at June's meeting and at the front desk, along with copies of the reading list, thereafter. I'll post it here in the blog as well for easy access and reference.

 

 

 

Onward!

 

 

 

In a small back alley in Tokyo, there is a cafe where we meet four visitors, each of whom is hoping to make use of the café’s time-traveling offer, in order to: confront the man who left them, receive a letter from their husband whose memory has been taken by early onset Alzheimer's, to see their sister one last time, and to meet the daughter they never got the chance to know.

But the journey into the past does not come without risks: customers must sit in a particular seat, they cannot leave the café, and finally, they must return to the present before the coffee gets cold . . . 

 

We all agreed this book was a quick read, and that was nice following James. Kawaguchi breaking the book into 4 different story lines was fun, the segment about the mother and daughter was a favorite. The general sense was that if you could put aside reality and believablity, and go along with the fantasy of it, this had a feel good vibe and was a fun read. We had good conversation about who we would want to visit from the past or future if this sort of cafe really did exist, at least as much as we discussed the book itself.

 

On the other hand, there were several members who either could not get into it, or did not finish it. The writing was cited as disjointed and choppy (though we acknowledge that could be possibly be due to translation), and even long-winded for such a short book. The characters didn't really have any depth or development, and the fantasy genre, for some, just reads strange in and of itself. 

 

Let us know what you think below! 👇

 

Did you enjoy Before the Coffee Gets Cold? Fans of the book also enjoyed, Days at the Morisake Bookshop, by Satoshi Yagisawa, I Who Have Never Known Men, by Jacqueline Harpman, and If Cats Disappeared from the World, by Genki Kawamura. 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?  No

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

                                                                                                                                             Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating:  3 stars

James// Percival Everett

Hello April! ☔

Up next for May is Before the Coffee Gets Cold, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi. We have several copies, but just in case you don't need a copy and you haven't already let me know, would you please leave me a quick note in the comments below so we can keep the call list updated?Thank you for your help! 

With all of the nominations in for next year's reading list, I am working to get them organized onto the ballot and out to you real soon. We will still plan to vote at our May 12th meeting, with the top 11 votes being our winners/selections. (We decided to use December's meeting as a time to come together to have a discussion about good books we've read (inside or outside of book club) and get some good recommendations from each other. With that in mind, we'll only vote in 11 books for next year's reading list, and we won't have a book club book to read for November 2026, but will get back to the reading list in December. Sorry if that's confusing~ please let me know if you have any questions!).

 

To the book!

 

When Jim overhears that he is about to be sold to a man in New Orleans, separated from his wife and daughter forever, he runs away until he can formulate a plan. Meanwhile, Huck has faked his own death to escape his violent father. As all readers of American literature know, thus begins the dangerous and transcendent journey by raft down the Mississippi River toward the elusive and unreliable promise of the Free States and beyond. 

For most of our members, this book was very well received. They really liked a book from Jim's fictional perspective, and very much preferred it, and Everett's writing, to The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. They liked the part about Jim being a self taught guy, that he shared those teachings with his wife and children, and that he toggled back and forth between the dialects, depending on the company he was keeping. We all liked Jim, we felt for him throughout the book, but we weren't sure what the point was of having him turn out to be Huck's father... especially since there really isn't a emotional, poignant moment of reunion... and the two didn't stick together in the end regardless (which was disappointing). 

On the other hand, those who weren't as charmed by the book, wondered out loud of maybe it was a mistake to read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn and James back-to-back. At least half of the book felt like the same story all over again, which was tedious. They didn't really feel like the book got interesting until the last few chapters, and then it ended terribly, with all kinds of open ended loose ends and questions. This group preferred James to Huckleberry Finn as well, but not by much.

Let us know your thoughts below! 👇

 

Did you love James? Fans of the book also enjoyed, The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans, My Friends, by Fredrik Backman, and Broken Country, by Clare Leslie Hall. 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 Adventures of Huckleberry Finn// Mark Twain

 

 

Hello March! 🍀

 

Up next for April is James, by Percival Everett. We have several copies, but just in case you don't need a copy and you haven't already let me know, would you please leave me a quick note in the comments below so we can keep the call list updated? Thank you for your help!  

 

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 me on or before our April 14th book club meeting. You can email them to amandaschaefer@hotmail.com, or give us a call at the library (346-4892), or even leave them with us at the front desk! 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 switching up the dedicated categories this year, and paring it down to 4. They will be Young Adult, Classic, Non-fiction, and Historical Fiction~ 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?

Immediately following our April book club meeting I'll be a busy bee getting the nominations organized and the ballots back out to you to look over. We will plan to vote at the May 12th meeting and away we go into a new year of reading!

One last thing, we also decided, with the hustle and bustle of the holidays, to use December's meeting as a time to come together to have a discussion about good books we've read (inside or outside of book club) and get some good recommendations from each other. With that in mind, we'll only vote in 11 books for next year's reading list, and we won't have a book club book to read for November 2026, but will get back to the reading list in December. Sorry if that's confusing~ please let me know if you have any questions!

 

Onward!

 

Thirteen-year-old Huckleberry Finn has had enough of "civilization." Tired of rules, manners, and suffocating expectations, Huck longs for the wild freedom of the Mississippi River. When he escapes his abusive father and encounters Jim—an enslaved man fleeing for his freedom—Huck embarks on a journey that will change his life forever. Together on a raft, they navigate the mighty Mississippi, facing dangerous waters and even more dangerous people. From cunning con men calling themselves the Duke and the King, to feuding families locked in deadly rivalry, each encounter tests their survival and challenges Huck's understanding of right and wrong. As their friendship deepens, Huck must confront the prejudices of his upbringing and make a choice that will define who he truly is. 

This book really averages out to be just "Meh" for us. One person really enjoyed it, five or six of us thought it was just ok, and a handful really didn't enjoy the book~ commenting it was hard to want to pick it up and get through it. One member said it was easier to listen to, rather than read (and wouldn't have finished it if they had attempted the printed book), and another confessed they read the abbreviated juvenile edition and still struggled to stay interested. 

Deciphering the dialect tripped us up a bit, and it wasn't all that easy to find a character (outside of Jim) we liked throughout the book, Huck included. In the end, our conversation broke off into many different tangents about all sorts of different things, a pretty good sign that this book was just ok for the group.

   

Did Huckleberry Finn have a greater impact on you than it did us? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below! 👇 

 

Did you love The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn? Fans of the book also enjoyed, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, by Mark Twain, James, by Percival Everett, and A Tale of Two Cities, by Charles Dickens. 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?  No

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

                                                                                                                                             Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating:  2 stars

The Boys// Ron Howard and Clint Howard

 

Hello February! 💘

Looking ahead to March, we have a few extra copies coming in of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, but just in case you don't need a copy and you haven't already let me know, would you please leave me a quick note in the comments below so we can keep the call list updated? Thank you for your help! 

 

To the book!

 

With the perspective of time and success—Ron as a filmmaker, producer, and Hollywood A-lister, Clint as a busy character actor—the Howard brothers delve deep into an upbringing that seemed normal to them yet was anything but. Their Midwestern parents, Rance and Jean, moved to California to pursue their own showbiz dreams. But it was their young sons who found steady employment as actors. Rance put aside his ego and ambition to become Ron and Clint’s teacher, sage, and moral compass. Jean became their loving protector—sometimes over-protector—from the snares and traps of Hollywood. By turns confessional, nostalgic, heartwarming, and harrowing, this is a dual narrative that lifts the lid on the Howard brothers’ closely held lives. 

We unanimously like the all the Howards, especially Rance and Jean. We commend the parents for being positive, present figures in their son's lives. For being dedicated advocates for them and for not helping themselves to their paychecks. We liked reading about a Hollywood family that loved and functioned in a healthy, wholesome manner~ it was refreshing and in stark contrast to most Hollywood memoirs. 

The majority also felt like while the style in which the book was written was neat, the book itself was too long~ all the intricate moving parts of each of Ron's acting jobs was really not necessary. We thought Ron could get a little long-winded and by the end, some of us thought the parts about Clint were too few. And it lacked any real talk of what married life has been like for Ron and Cheryl, and maybe a mention of how they have handled their own children's journey into acting and directing. To a handful, this retelling was a little too "squeaky clean" and they wondered if the whole truth might be a little more stained. It was also said that people who grew up watching "Happy Days" might enjoy the book a bit more than those who missed the hype. 

 

What do you think? Did we miss anything? Let us know in the comments below! 👇 

 

Did you really like The Boys? Fans of the book also enjoyed, In Pieces, by Sally Field, Cher: The Memoir Part 1, by Cher, and Being Henry, by Henry Winkler. 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?  No

 
Would we recommend this to another book club for discussion?  No

                                                                                                                                             Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating:  3 stars

 

 

Broken Ice// Matt Goldman

 

Hello November! 🦃

What beautiful weather we had, and a fantastic turnout, despite needing to switch our dates around to accommodate the holiday~ thank you to everyone who came!

Looking ahead to December, we have a few extra copies coming in of The Indifferent Stars Above, but just in case you don't need a copy and you haven't already let me know, would you please leave me a quick note in the comments below so we can keep the call list updated? Thank you for your help! 

 

Onward!

 

Nils Shapiro has been hired to find missing Linnea Engstrom, a teenager from the small northern hockey town of Warroad, MN. Most of Warroad is in Minneapolis for the state high school hockey tournament, and Linnea never returned from last night's game. Linnea's friend Haley Housch is also missing--and soon found dead. Shot through the arm with an arrow at the Haley Housch crime scene, only the quick work of medical examiner Char Northagen saves Nil's life. Nils should be in the hospital recovering from his near fatal injury, but he knows that the clock is ticking. Linnea could be anywhere, and someone doesn't want her found. Is Linnea a victim, or is she playing a dangerous game? As bodies start piling up, the clues lead Nils and Ellegaard north to Warroad, a small, quiet town with many secrets to hide.

My, this was a quick meeting! We all basically collectively agreed that this book was just OK. It was a quick, easy read that didn't really move us any which way. 

Most of us felt like there were a few too many people to keep track of, and we didn't really like the main character, Nils. In places his injury made sense, but it was largely understated throughout. We didn't understand the dynamic he had with his ex-wife, or the abandoned building he lived in, and we thought he tried too hard, in too many places, to be funny. It got old by the end.

For positives, we enjoyed the nurse the most, and some of us were very familiar with the places Goldman described in the book, which is always fun.

 

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below! 👇 

 

Did you enjoy Broken Ice? Fans of the book also enjoyed, Apostle's Cove, by William Kent Krueger, Pretty Girl Gone, by David Housewright, and Saving Emma, by Allen Eskens. 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?  No

                                                                                                                                             Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating:  3 stars

 

The God of the Woods// Liz Moore

 

Welcome October! 🍂

It was kind of nice meeting back at the library's meeting room on a brisk, rainy Tuesday afternoon to discuss our latest read. We will plan to continue to meet back at the library now for the foreseeable future... or at least until the weather warms again! 

We have several copies of Broken Ice coming in, but just in case you don't need a copy and you haven't already let me know, would you please leave me a quick note in the comments below so we can keep the call list updated? Thank you for your help! 

 

To the book!

 

Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing. Barbara isn’t just any thirteen-year-old: she’s the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region’s residents. And this isn’t the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara’s older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found. As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds.  

The overall response to this book was positive~ no one really loved it, but no one hated it either. We thought Moore did a great job with character development and the premise for the story was a good one. We believed her characters, even though we didn't necessarily like them all.

The handful of criticisms we collected were that, for some, the book seemed a little long. A couple people said there were too many characters that got tricky to keep straight as the story unfolded. Also, there were a couple unnecessary plot lines, possibly red herrings, that only added to the character count and the length of the book. 

Another small group of readers enjoyed the book right up to the ending where it all seemed to fall apart. Would 13-year-old rich, privileged Barbara really be ok living all alone on an island for five years until she became a legal adult... even with the presumed regular help/visits from TJ? Would Judy, a police investigator, really row out into the water, discover 13-year-old Barbara alone on the island, and row away again, taking Barbara at her word that she's OK... and never tell anyone/intervene? 

A few of us would have liked one more page, just to know how everything shook out for TJ, Barbara, Alice and Judy. We wondered if now that the truth was known, could it have meant that Barbara and Alice could have healed their relationship? Could Alice heal and move forward in a healthy direction with her rotten husband and father-in-law in prison for their crimes?

 

 

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below! 👇 

 

Did you love The God of the Woods? Fans of the book also enjoyed, The Wedding People, by Alison Espach, Broken Country, by Clare Leslie Hall, and All the Colors of the Dark, by Chris Whitaker. 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?  No

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

                                                                                                                                             Rate the book 1-5 stars, with 1 being the lowest rating:  3 stars