Book Discussions
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ADULT BOOK DISCUSSIONS
Curl Up with the Classics
First Tuesdays, 10 am - 11 am
Join with fellow book lovers as we look at books from a period in our history that were particularly creative and productive. Registration required to receive the zoom link. This program is sponsored in memory of Marie Schleicher.
January The Awakening by Kate Chopin
A boundary-pushing story of a Louisiana housewife who loses herself and yearns for independence from her husband and children. The 19th century critics panned Chopin's realism and questioning of societal expectations in this moving novel.
February Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
Fair and long-legged, independent and articulate, Janie Crawford sets out to be her own person—no mean feat for a black woman in the '30s. Janie's quest for identity takes her through three marriages and into a journey back to her roots.
March The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins
The Woman in White is a gripping Victorian mystery novel that tells the story of a young art teacher who becomes entangled in a web of deception and madness. Filled with suspense and unexpected twists, the novel explores themes of identity, love, and the power of the human spirit.
April My Antonia by Willa Cather
The reminiscences of a New York lawyer, Jim Burden, about his boyhood in Nebraska, particularly a young Bohemian girl named Antonia Shimerda, are set against the backdrop of the American assimilation of the immigrant.
Curl Up with the Classics - MOBY DICK
First Thursdays, 6:30 - 7:30 PM
Moby Dick, by Herman Melville, will be our featured reading in three installments. Discussion for each reading selection will be via zoom or at the library. Registration required to receive the zoom link.
Reading for discussion on January 2 – Chapters 1 – 38
Reading for discussion on February 6 – Chapters 39 – 97
Reading for discussion on March 6 – Chapters 98 – 135 & Epilogue
Fredricksen Reads
Fourth Mondays, 7 pm - 8 pm
The books we're reading are award winners (The Booker Prize) or have been featured in the public space as a good read. Join us as we discuss these literary gems. Even if you have not had time to read the book, you are welcome to attend. Ages 18+. Books selected for Fredricksen Reads will be listed on the Fredricksen Library online events calendar. Registration required to receive the zoom link.
December How to Build a Boat by Elaine Feeney
A boy’s irrepressible dream finds expression through a community propelled by love out of grief. Lyrical and compassionate, this novel is about the courage of conviction and the power of the imagination to transform—and how sometimes the best way to break free of old walls is to build something beautiful within them. Long listed for the Booker Prize in 2023.
January This Other Eden by Paul Harding
Inspired by the true story of Malaga Island, an isolated community off the coast of Maine and how it became one of the first racially integrated towns in the Northeast. The story features an unforgettable cast of characters amidst a story of resistance and survival. Harding is a Pulitzer Prize winning author; this book was short-listed for the Booker Prize in 2023.
February Simpatia by Rodrigo Blanco Calderon
Set in the Venezuela of Nicolas Madura, Ulises Kan navigates political and domestic upheaval including a mass exodus of the intellectual class who have been leaving their pets behind. Following the death of his father-in-law, General Martin Ayala, Ulises discovers he has been entrusted to transform Los Argonautas, the great family home, into a shelter for abandoned dogs. The terms of the will also stipulate that he must be successful within four months or the rescue will be forced to shutter. Betrayal, intrigue and shadowy federal agents threaten Ulises in his quest to make good on the inheritance. Long listed for the Booker Prize in 2024.
