La Crescent Public’s Comments (group member since Jan 21, 2022)

La Crescent Public’s comments from the La Crescent Public Library group.

1. Sam faces challenges because he has a rare genetic disorder. His mother instilled in him that these red eyes were not rare but extraordinary and a gift from God. Talk about the effect this had on Sam and the importance of how it did or did not help shape him. Is this sentiment still popular today - if you are a mother would handle Sam's condition differently?

2. In school, Sam was bullied, ostracized and made to feel like an outsider. Discuss bullying and its impact on children and on Sam in particular. How do we handle bullying differently today? Discuss how the adult Sam confronted David Bateman, the same bully he faced in school and has to decide whether or not to be the doctor for David's daughter. What would you have done?

Share your thoughts about our July book club read, Now Is Not the Time to Panic.

1. Why do you think Zeke and Frankie are so drawn to one another, and bond so quickly? Their relationship ultimately ends very abruptly; are these related?

2. This novel is firmly set in the 90's. Did the elements of nostalgia draw you further into the story or detract from it?

3. This book brings up some big questions about who is the owner of an artistic work. How do you feel about the ownership of art? Does it belong more to the artist, or the consumer of the art?

Join us for book club! Our June pick is Verity by Colleen Hoover. Share your thoughts on the book (try to avoid spoilers if you can) in the comments or join us at the library on June 17th at 10am or 6pm to discuss.

Get started:
1. What were you expecting from the book to start with? Did the book meet your expectations? If not, what was different?
2. What were your initial impressions of Verity and Lowen? How do the two women compare?

Join us in person or online for book club! We meet to discuss at the library on Monday, April 15th at 10am. Or share your thoughts in the comments below! Here are a few questions to get started:

1. The story begins with Young-sook as an old woman, gathering algae on the beach. What secrets or clues about the past and the present are revealed in the scenes that take place in 2008? Why do we only understand the beginning of the novel only after we have finished it?

2. When Young-sook and Mi-ja are fifteen, Young-sook’s mother says to them: “You are like sisters, and I expect you to take care of each other today and every day as those tied by blood would do” (p. 13). How are these words of warning? The friendship between Young-sook and Mi-ja is just one of many examples of powerful female relationships in the novel. Discuss the ways in which female relationships are depicted and the important role they play on Jeju.

Join us in person at the library on March 18th at 10am to discuss, or share your thoughts in the comments! Here's some questions to get started:

1. The novel centers around Frida’s “one very bad day”.
What are the stressors in Frida’s life that make this bad
day not only possible but likely? In other words, what
odds are stacked against her?

2. Throughout the book, Frida thinks regularly about “the
house of her mind.” What does this phrase mean to
you? How does it take on new meaning for Frida over
the course of the book?

Join us for a book discussion at the library at 10am on February 26th, or share your thoughts with us in the chat here. Here are some questions to get you started!

1. What are your first impressions of the novel? If asked, what would you say this novel is about?

2. Again and again we see how black cake provides an emotional core to the Bennetts. What recipes/foods are important to your family? Are there stories you tell about their origins and connections?

We're starting 2024 off with a non-fiction read that members are saying is hard to put down! Our January selection is Hidden Valley Road by Robert Kolker. Join us in person on January 22nd to discuss at 10am in the library, or share your thoughts in the comments here! A few questions to get started:

1. In HIDDEN VALLEY ROAD, each of the Galvin boys who are diagnosed with schizophrenia show different symptoms. How does schizophrenia present differently in each of the Galvin boys?

2. How does the Galvin family adapt when the boys develop schizophrenia? Do any of the family members handle it better or worse than others?

Join us in person for book club discussion on December 18th at 10am in the library, or share your thoughts here! Here's some questions to get started:

1. As this story begins, Anna Kate has put her life on hold to move to Wicklow, Alabama. She’s been uprooted from everything familiar and hassettled in a small, two-stoplight town where she knows no one. Though she initially has regrets about the move, she is determined to
stay put. Have you ever been in a similar situation? If so, how did you adjust to your new surroundings?

2. Natalie wants to become an independent, strong woman, but she is embarrassed and ashamed that she still needs financial assistance from her parents. Doc tells her that asking for help is a sign of strength not weakness. Have you ever been in a position where you needed help and asked for it? Could you relate to Natalie’s emotions? Do you agree with Doc?

Karen wrote: "Hi There - I am kind of confused. Since I am in CA, I believe I am 2 hours ahead of schedule, so that means I will need to be at this discussion at 8 a.m. for November.

In reference to this group..."

Hi Karen,

Our online discussions are just for folks to leave their own book reviews/thoughts on the book. There is no formal time where we all meet online and no zoom link. You can chime in whenever/wherever you are and let us know what you thought of the book.

We'll also take suggestions for other book club titles you think would be great to discuss. It does depend on how many physical copies are in our library system though since we do have a local group that meets in person.

If you're looking for more of an online chat type of group, I would check with your own local library to see if they have one or are interested in starting one. Otherwise, you can also search groups on Goodreads and find larger, more national, ones that may be able to do this. Unfortunately, we are a small library with only 4 staff, and only 2 of them are FT, so we can't monitor this space as much as we'd like to. We will read your thoughts and comments and reply as we can! And we hope more members will participate online as our group grows.

Thank you for your enthusiasm. Keep reading! Keep finding books and literary spaces you love!

Join us in person for our November book club discussion on Monday, November 20th at 10am in the library! OR, chime in the comments below! Here's some questions to get you started...

1. What does the title, How Not to Drown in a Glass of Water, mean to you? How does it resonate throughout the novel?

2. How do you understand Fernando’s decision to leave home and break off all contact with Cara? Do you sympathize with his actions? What do you think Fernando and Cara’s future together might look like?

Karen wrote: "Do I need to be a local to belong to this group? I haven't heard from anyone since I joined.

Also, I notice you said you could join in the comments online for book discussion. Would that be via h..."

Hi Karen,

Anyone can join! Share your comments about the book here. We'll do a recap book review following our in person book club next week. What did you think? Did you enjoy the book? What were the standout parts for you or what did it make you think about?

Join us in person to discuss our October book club selection, The Librarian of Burned Books, on October 16th at 10am in the library. Or join us in the comments online!

What do you learn about the history of book banning?

What's the last banned book you've read? Did you like it? Why or why not?

Join us in person at the library on August 21st at 10am to discuss in person, or join us here! Let's get started!

1. The Midnight Library is different for each person who enters it. Nora experienced it as a library because of the meaningful relationship she had with Mrs. Elm, her childhood school librarian. Later, we learn that Huge experienced it as a video store, with a cherished uncle instead of a librarian. What do you think your Midnight Library would be? And who would be there?

2. Nora experiences a number of alternate lives in which she achieves a great deal of success in one area of her life at the expense of all the rest, be it in music, swimming or polar exploration. Do you think it’s possible to reach fame and fortune in a single field and still maintain balance with other areas of your life?

Join us in person for a book discussion at the library on July 17th at 10am or join us in the chat below!

1. The Museum is founded with the intention of bringing justice to those who have never been held accountable for their atrocities. Is this mission statement fulfilled?

2. The foursome have spent their entire adult lives in the service of the Museum only to be betrayed by the organization to which they have given so much. How does their betrayal drive their actions?

Join us in person at the library on June 19th at 10am or share your thoughts in the comments!

1. What the Fireflies Knew poignantly reveals the heartbreaking realization that loved ones can be flawed and that the perfect family we all dream of looks different up close. How does KB navigate this reality throughout the book?

2.
For any child, moving and uprooting their lives can be traumatic. For KB, this happens after her father’s death, and after her mother’s disappearance. How can this trauma be seen manifesting in other areas of KB’s life?

1. A thousand years before our story begins… So starts the story of Folklore, introducing the sisters Neng and Lee. Neng is running away to be with the man she loves, Blong, only to discover that he is already married. And so, Neng strikes a deal with a spirit. Did the opening hook you? What about the fateful outcome of Neng did you find most tantalizing or distressing? What might you have done in the same situation?

2. The charm necklace Sia’s mother-in-law gives to her is a gift to ward off bad dreams and is enchanted with words. “Charms should be enchanted with words, otherwise they’ll just be another item, and useless. … Words are powerful. They can bring change, healing, and curses. So, be careful how you speak.” In what ways did you find words, stories, negotiations, and cleverness to shape the book? What other expressions about the power of words can you think of, and how do they compare/contrast? Do you think words have power?

Join us online or in person on March 20th at 10am in the library to discuss our March book club selection. Here are a few questions to get started:

1) What did you think about Nella’s choice to start offering poison to women to kill the men who have wronged them?

2) Were you familiar with mudlarking prior to reading this novel? Would you ever try it out?

3) The story features two timelines—one follows Nella and Eliza in eighteenth century London, while the other follows Caroline in present day London. Do you like the dual timeline format? How did it help slowly reveal the mystery?

Join us January 23rd to discuss True Biz by Sara Novic. We meet in person at the library at 10am, or you can discuss online! See some starter questions below:

1. If you’re part of the hearing community, how much did you know about the Deaf community and culture prior to reading this novel? What are some key aspects that you learned?

2. Out of the three main storylines—Charlie, Austin and February—which one were you most engaged with? Who do you think had the weakest storyline?

Join us for our library book club! This November, we're reading The Great Believers by Rebecca Makkai. Discuss with us in person at the library on monday, November 21st at 10am or online in the chat! Copies of the book available at the desk. Just ask!

Here's some questions to get started:

1. Yale’s group of friends is very close. In a sense, they are his “chosen family.” How is this explored in the book? How does each character relate to their family, biological and chosen? Do you have a “chosen family,” and if so, what brings you all together?

2. How has the culture changed regarding LGBTQ+ voices and stories since the 1980s?

Join us in person or discuss online our October book club selection, The Personal Librarian!

1. After a shared and knowing glance with a serving woman at a society party.... "why does she serve, while I am served? Why is it that the relative whiteness of my skin has given me this chance at privilege? It seems incomprehensible, but it is thus." Belle has several such moments with the serving staff at different parties. What are they seeing in Belle that her white friends and colleagues didn't see?

2. What about the relationship between Belle and Bernard Berenson? What drew them together? What forced them apart? Was he a cad? Was she naive?