Book Discussion Groups
| Central |
Black Oak |
Cedar Lake |
Dyer-Schererville |
Forty-First |
Griffith |
Highland |
Hobart |
Lake Station-New Chicago |
Munster |
St. John |
BOOKreMARKS | Book Club to Go
BOOKreMARKS | Book Club to Go
Central Library Circle of Readers
Thursday, January 14, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 769-3541, ext. 340.
| Time: | 6:15 pm |
| Selection: | The Big Year: A Tale of Man, Nature, and Fowl Obsession |
| Author: | Mark Obmascik |
| Synopsis: | Who could guess that the gentle sport of bird-watching would grow into a cut-throat competition? Follow the exploits of three obsessed birders, each determined to observe more species in one year than anyone else and thereby win the Big Year Birding Championship of North America. |
| Where: | Central Library, 1919 W. 81st Ave., Merrillville, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Lani Peterson |
Thursday, February 11, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 769-3541, ext. 340.
| Time: | 6:15 pm |
| Selection: | The Right Stuff |
| Author: | Tom Wolfe |
| Synopsis: | Last July marked the 40th anniversary of the first moon landing. Tom Wolfe’s classic story of America’s manned space program and its first astronauts vividly evokes the exhilaration and awe of that magical time. |
| Where: | Central Library, 1919 W. 81st Ave., Merrillville, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Lani Peterson |
Thursday, March 11, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 769-3541, ext. 340.
| Time: | 6:15 pm |
| Selection: | The Reluctant Mr. Darwin: An Intimate Portrait of Charles Darwin and the Making of His Theory of Evolution |
| Author: | David Quammen |
| Synopsis: | Why was Darwin so seemingly reluctant to publish his revolutionary theory of evolution? This book offers a fascinating portrait of the sensitive scientist and an illuminating look at his masterwork, The Origin of Species. |
| Where: | Central Library, 1919 W. 81st Ave., Merrillville, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Lani Peterson |
BOOKreMARKS - What's BOOKreMARKS?
Month of January 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, email BOOKreMARKS.
| Selection: | Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation |
| Author: | Cokie Roberts |
| Synopsis: | Roberts sings the praises of the remarkable women who helped win the Revolution. These are fascinating accounts that were left out of our school text books. |
| Where: | Online sent to your email! |
Month of February 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, email BOOKreMARKS.
| Selection: | Mrs. Mike |
| Author: | Benedict Freedman |
| Synopsis: | The story is about love and courage in the Canadian wilderness. |
| Where: | Online sent to your email! |
Month of March 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, email BOOKreMARKS.
| Selection: | Slaughterhouse-Five |
| Author: | Kurt Vonnegut |
| Synopsis: | A great American classic created from Vonnegut’s experiences as a prisoner of war; philosophical, witty, sad, and powerful. |
| Where: | Online sent to your email! |
Cedar Lake Books and Chat
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 374-7121.
| Time: | 6:30 p.m. |
| Selection: | The Audacity of Hope |
| Author: | Barack Obama |
| Synopsis: | The President illuminates his interpretation of a wide variety of issues, analyzing the history behind them, what has been done and what he thinks should be done. He details significant accomplishments by members of and past Presidents of both parties and offers a thoughtful analysis of the political process, especially of compromises forced on politicians by special interest groups, fund raising and the media. |
| Where: | Cedar Lake Library, 10010 West 133rd Avenue, Cedar Lake, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Linda Johnsen |
Wednesday, February 18, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 374-7121.
| Time: | 6:30 p.m. |
| Selection: | A Three Dog Life |
| Author: | Abigail Thomas |
| Synopsis: | This memoir describes the author’s life as she rebuilds it following a terrible accident. Her husband, Rich, was hit by a car, and sustained terrible brain damage that left him subject to rages, terrors, and hallucinations. It is about her new life of great change in a new family composed of three does, new friendships and hobbies and dealing with the guilt of institutionalizing her husband. It is also about her relationship with Rich, who lives in the eternal present, but who eerily makes profound statements. |
| Where: | Cedar Lake Library, 10010 West 133rd Avenue, Cedar Lake, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Linda Johnsen |
Wednesday, March 18, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 374-7121.
| Time: | 6:30 p.m. |
| Selection: | One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd |
| Author: | Jim Fergus |
| Synopsis: | In this lively depiction of the American West May Dodd begins her adventure under a government program in which women are brought west as brides for the Cheyenne. This is the story of her marriage, her love for two men, and how she is caught between two worlds. |
| Where: | Cedar Lake Library, 10010 West 133rd Avenue, Cedar Lake, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Linda Johnsen |
Dyer-Schererville Between the Lines
Wednesday, January 27, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 322-4731.
| Time: | 7:00 p.m. |
| Selection: | The Tenderness of Wolves |
| Author: | Stef Penney |
| Synopsis: | When her teenage son disappears in the aftermath of a brutal murder, a determined mother sets out from her snow-covered nineteenth-century settlement to find him, hampered by vigilante groups and the harrowing forces of nature. |
| Where: | Dyer-Schererville Library, 1001 W. Lincoln Hwy, Schererville, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Chris Rettig |
Thursday, January 28, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 322-4731.
| Time: | 10:15 a.m. |
| Selection: | The Tenderness of Wolves |
| Author: | Stef Penney |
| Synopsis: | When her teenage son disappears in the aftermath of a brutal murder, a determined mother sets out from her snow-covered nineteenth-century settlement to find him, hampered by vigilante groups and the harrowing forces of nature. |
| Where: | Dyer-Schererville Library, 1001 W. Lincoln Hwy, Schererville, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Chris Rettig |
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 322-4731.
| Time: | 7:00 p.m. |
| Selection: | Never Let Me Go |
| Author: | Kazuo Ishiguro |
| Synopsis: | Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth were once classmates at a private school in the English countryside where students were cloned solely to serve as organ donors. At age 31, Kathy looks back on the love, loss, and betrayal they experienced. |
| Where: | Dyer-Schererville Library, 1001 W. Lincoln Hwy, Schererville, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Chris Rettig |
Thursday, February 25, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 322-4731.
| Time: | 10:15 a.m. |
| Selection: | Never Let Me Go |
| Author: | Kazuo Ishiguro |
| Synopsis: | Kathy, Tommy, and Ruth were once classmates at a private school in the English countryside where students were cloned solely to serve as organ donors. At age 31, Kathy looks back on the love, loss, and betrayal they experienced. |
| Where: | Dyer-Schererville Library, 1001 W. Lincoln Hwy, Schererville, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Chris Rettig |
Forty-First
Monday, January 25, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-980-5180.
| Time: | 4:00 p.m. |
| Book Buddies Selection: | Life As We Knew It |
| Author: | Susan Beth Pfeffer |
| Synopsis: | Through journal entries sixteen-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon, causing worldwide tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions. Join us for an informal discussion of Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer, and dessert. |
| Where: | Forty-First Avenue Library, 3491 W. 41st Ave, Gary, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Lucy Crosslin |
Monday, February 22, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-980-5180.
| Time: | 4:00 p.m. |
| Book Buddies Selection: | Dreamers of the Day |
| Author: | Mary Doria Russell |
| Synopsis: | A forty-year-old Ohio schoolteacher takes the trip of a lifetime to Egypt and the Holy Land. Arriving in time for the 1921 Cairo Peace Conference, she meets Winston Churchill and T. E. Lawrence who are about to invent the nations of Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Israel, and Jordan. Join us for informal discussion of Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell, and dessert. |
| Where: | Forty-First Avenue Library, 3491 W. 41st Ave, Gary, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Lucy Crosslin |
Monday, March 29, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-980-5180.
| Time: | 4:00 p.m. |
| Book Buddies Selection: | The Shack |
| Author: | William P. Young |
| Synopsis: | Four years ago Mackenzie Allen Philips' youngest daughter was abducted and evidence showed that she may have been murdered in a shack in the Oregon wilderness. Now he's received an invitation to re-visit the shack, apparently from God. Join us for informal discussion of the novel The Shack by William P. Young, and dessert. |
| Where: | Forty-First Avenue Library, 3491 W. 41st Ave, Gary, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Lucy Crosslin |
Griffith
Monday, January 11, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-838-2825.
| Time: | 1 p.m. |
| Book Chat Selection: | The Highly Effective Detective |
| Author: | Richard Yancey |
| Synopsis: | With the money Teddy Ruzak inherits from his mother, the overweight man decides to start his own business. Failing to become a policeman, he’s been a security guard for years; now is the time to break out and get into detective work, the reason he was first drawn to law enforcement. He soon gets his first case-who drove the mysterious black SUV that mowed down a row of baby geese crossing the street? 1st in series. Join us for an informal discussion of the mystery The Highly Effective Detective by Richard Yancey, and chocolate dessert. |
| Where: | Griffith Library, 940 N. Broad St., Griffith, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Mark Furukawa |
Monday, January 25, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-838-2825.
| Time: | 1 p.m. |
| Griffith Gab Selection: | Dry: A Memoir |
| Author: | Augusten Burroughs |
| Synopsis: | You may not know it, but you've met Augusten Burroughs. You've seen this ordinary guy on the street, in bars, or at a restaurant. But when the ordinary person had two drinks, Augusten had twelve and unlike the ordinary guy, he never made it home at night. Then comes a stint in rehab where dreams of group therapy with Robert Downey, Jr. are shattered. Join us as we discuss what leads the author to this point in his life and what happens after his thirty days in rehab are up and he must return to his same drunken Manhattan life-and live it sober. |
| Where: | Griffith Library, 940 N. Broad St., Griffith, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Bob Mele |
Monday, February 8, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-838-2825.
| Time: | 1 p.m. |
| Book Chat Selection: | To Kill a Mockingbird |
| Author: | Harper Lee |
| Synopsis: | Eight-year-old Jean Louise, nicknamed Scout, tells about growing up as the daughter of a widowed lawyer, Atticus Finch, in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama during the 1930's. She and her older brother Jem happily occupy themselves with resisting "progressive education," bedeviling the neighbors, and stalking the local bogeyman--until their father's courageous defense of a black man falsely accused of rape introduces them to the problems of race prejudice and brings adult injustice and violence into their childhood world. Join us for an informal discussion of the novel To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee, and chocolate dessert. |
| Where: | Griffith Library, 940 N. Broad St., Griffith, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Mark Furukawa |
Monday, March 8, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-838-2825.
| Time: | 1 p.m. |
| Book Chat Selection: | Dead Cat Bounce |
| Author: | Sarah Graves |
| Synopsis: | Jacobia Tiptree and her fifteen year old son, Sam, have moved to a small town in Maine in order to escape a harassing ex-husband. Jake buys an old-fashioned house which is about to fall down around her ears. Slowly, she's fixing it up. A dead body is found in the storeroom, which causes some "hurry up" floor work. Jake has worked as a money expert and finances aren't a problem. Everything else is. 1st in series. Join us for an informal discussion of the mystery Dead Cat Bounce by Sarah Graves, and chocolate dessert. |
| Where: | Griffith Library, 940 N. Broad St., Griffith, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Mark Furukawa |
Highland
Thursday, January 12, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-838-2394.
| Time: | 2 p.m. |
| Fiction Book Discussion Selection: | Broken for You |
| Author: | Stephanie Kallos |
| Synopsis: | Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos is the story of a lonely, elderly lady whose friendship with a female boarder brings healing. |
| Where: | Highland Library, 2841 Jewett Avenue, Highland, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Kathy Deal |
Thursday, January 21, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-838-2394.
| Time: | 2 p.m. |
| Inspirational Book Discussion Selection: | This Present Darkness |
| Author: | Frank Peretti |
| Synopsis: | This Present Darkenss by Frank Peretti is the story of a small town experiencing spiritual warfare. |
| Where: | Highland Library, 2841 Jewett Avenue, Highland, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Kathy Deal |
Thursday, January 28, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-838-2394.
| Time: | 7 p.m. |
| Mystery Book Discussion Selection: | Occam's Razor |
| Author: | Archer Mayor |
| Synopsis: | Occam's Razor by Archer Mayor finds homicide detective Joe Gunther investigating two separate murders that seem to be connected to a local politician. |
| Where: | Highland Library, 2841 Jewett Avenue, Highland, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Kathy Deal |
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-838-2394.
| Time: | 2 p.m. |
| Fiction Book Discussion Selection: | The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society |
| Author: | Mary Ann Shaffer |
| Synopsis: | Discuss The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, the story of a book club born as an alibi for the residents of Guernsey during World War II. |
| Where: | Highland Library, 2841 Jewett Avenue, Highland, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Kathy Deal |
Thursday, February 18, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-838-2394.
| Time: | 2 p.m. |
| Fiction Book Discussion Selection: | One Perfect Day |
| Author: | Mary Ann Shaffer |
| Synopsis: | Author Lauraine Snelling delivers an emotional punch in her contemporary novel, One Perfect Day, the story of two women whose faith and family are tested by an event. |
| Where: | Highland Library, 2841 Jewett Avenue, Highland, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Kathy Deal |
Thursday, February 25, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-838-2394.
| Time: | 7 p.m. |
| Mystery Book Discussion Selection: | A Cold Day for Murder |
| Author: | Dana Stabenow |
| Synopsis: | When a National Park ranger is reported missing and the man sent to find him disappears as well, former investigator Kate Shugak is called in to crack the case. |
| Where: | Highland Library, 2841 Jewett Avenue, Highland, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Kathy Deal |
Tuesday, March 9, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-838-2394.
| Time: | 2 p.m. |
| Fiction Book Discussion Selection: | The Time It Never Rained |
| Author: | Elmer Kelton |
| Synopsis: | Elmer Kelton's novel, inspired by an actual event, a drought in 1950's Texas, follows Charlie Flagg's family as they fight to make their ranch survive until it rains. |
| Where: | Highland Library, 2841 Jewett Avenue, Highland, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Kathy Deal |
Thursday, March 18, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-838-2394.
| Time: | 2 p.m. |
| Fiction Book Discussion Selection: | Winter Haven |
| Author: | Athol Dickson |
| Synopsis: | When Vera receives news that her runaway brother has died, she travels to Maine to seek answers from the community where he lived. |
| Where: | Highland Library, 2841 Jewett Avenue, Highland, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Kathy Deal |
Hobart Book Chat
Tuesday, January 19, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-942-2243.
| Time: | 10:30 a.m. |
| Book Chat Selection: | Shy Boy: The Horse That Came In From The Wild |
| Author: | Monty Roberts |
| Synopsis: | Shy Boy: The Horse That Came In From The Wild by Monty Roberts will be discussed and compared to the movie version Horse Whisperer. |
| Where: | Hobart Library, 100 Main St., Hobart, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Carol Daumer Gutjahr |
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-942-2243.
| Time: | 10:30 a.m. |
| Book Chat Selection: | Peony In Love |
| Author: | Lisa See |
| Synopsis: | Join us for a discussion of Lisa See's book Peony In Love. |
| Where: | Hobart Library, 100 Main St., Hobart, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Carol Daumer Gutjahr |
Lake Station-New Chicago
Call the Library at 219-962-2409 for more information on upcoming Book Discussions.
Munster
Thursday, January 29, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-836-8450.
| Time: | 1:30 p.m. |
| Thursday Afternoon Book Club Selection: | The Virgin of Small Plains |
| Author: | Nancy Pickard |
| Synopsis: | Seventeen years after the discovery of a female murder victim near Small Plains, Kansas, the girl's grave has become the source of strange miracles and legends, until the return of prodigal son Mitch Newquist threatens to bring old secrets to light. |
| Where: | Munster Library, 8701 Calumet Avenue, Munster, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Chris Retseck |
Thursday, February 25, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-836-8450.
| Time: | 1:30 p.m. |
| Thursday Afternoon Book Club Selection: | The Hatbox Baby |
| Author: | Carrie Brown |
| Synopsis: | A baby born three months early is brought to the Century of Progress Exposition in Chicago in 1933 by his father, who hopes the Fair's famous baby doctor will save the infant's life. |
| Where: | Munster Library, 8701 Calumet Avenue, Munster, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Chris Retseck |
Thursday, March 25, 2010
For more information or to reserve a copy of this title, call 219-836-8450.
| Time: | 1:30 p.m. |
| Thursday Afternoon Book Club Selection: | The Girls |
| Author: | Lori Lansens |
| Synopsis: | At the approach of her thirtieth birthday, Rose Darlen attempts to pen her autobiography while remembering the joys and challenges of her life with conjoined twin sister, Ruby. |
| Where: | Munster Library, 8701 Calumet Avenue, Munster, IN - Map and Directions |
| Discussion Leader: | Chris Retseck |