Book Groups

In this urban fantasy werewolves have recently come out to the world. When the FBI asks for help catching a serial killer, Anna Cornick and her mate head to Boston to consult and hopefully create some positive PR for the wolves. Things become complicated when the fey and witches become involved.

In an off beaten part of Kyoto there exists the Kokoro Clinic for the Soul, which can only be found by people who are struggling in their lives and are in genuine need of help. Those in need are prescribed cats. Often puzzled at first, patients find themselves profoundly changed by the playful, occasionally challenging, yet endearing cats.

This timely young adult graphic novel weaves together two timelines to reveal how art, in the face of political upheaval and nearly insurmountable adversity, can become our greatest lifeline. “A touching and tender graphic novel exploration of grief, family, and the vital importance of artistic expression” (Publishers Weekly).

People have been captivated by Huck and Jim and their journey on the Mississippi River for 140 years. Readers and writers alike have found in its pages the fodder for discussions on such topics as the nature of childhood, the evils of slavery, and the restrictions of conventional society.

On Wednesday afternoons, when all his classmates go to Hebrew school or Catechism, Holling stays in Mrs. Baker’s classroom where they read Shakespeare. As Holling navigates the world of bullies, girls, and parents, he gains confidence by standing up for himself with the help of the Bard’s inventive cursing.

This is a brilliant, action-packed reimagining of The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, both harrowing and ferociously funny, told from the enslaved Jim’s point of view. Author Ann Patchett says: “James is funny and horrifying, brilliant and riveting…who should read this book? Every single person in the country.”

A group of gnomes live inside a human-run department store with their days measured by the seasons of Christmas, spring, and summer sales. No one remembers what it is like outside until a small group of gnomes from outside the store walls arrives in time to find a new home when the store goes out of business. A story filled with Pratchett’s unique and silly style.

A magical story of love at first sight filled with fairies, love triangles, and humor, as well as such well-known lines as “Lord, what fools these mortals be!”

A young poet reflects on his 3,000-mile journey from El Salvador to the U. S. when he was 9 years old. He faced perilous boat trips, pointed guns, arrests, relentless desert treks, and deceptions during two months along with a group of strangers who became a family of necessity. Read what Oprah Daily calls “a monumental accomplishment.”

Author of the acclaimed novels The Remains of the Day and Klara and the Sun, Ishiguro tells a story set in late 1990s England, in a parallel universe in which humans are cloned and raised expressly to “donate” their healthy organs and thus eradicate disease from the normal population. This is an epic ethical horror story, told in devastatingly poignant miniature.

This young adult novel features Nina and Oli, teenagers from different worlds. Nina and Oli have no idea the other exists. But a catastrophic event on earth, along with an odd illness that falls on Oli’s best friend, help to drive the worlds together in ways they haven’t been in centuries.

This story follows Marianne and Connell in their on-again off-again relationship over time in Ireland. A story that Esquire says is “beautifully observed…crackles with vivid insight into what it means to be young and in love,” and why book critic Maureen Corrigan states that “Sally Rooney could write a novel about bath mats and I’d still read it. She’s that good.”