Circle of Readers Book Discussion
When a bookshop patron commits suicide, his favorite store clerk must unravel the puzzle he left behind in this “intriguingly dark, twisty” (Kirkus Reviews) debut novel from an award-winning short story writer.
Lydia Smith lives her life hiding in plain sight. A clerk at the Bright Ideas bookstore, she keeps a meticulously crafted existence among her beloved books, eccentric colleagues, and the BookFrogs—the lost and lonely regulars who spend every day marauding the store’s overwhelmed shelves.
But when Joey Molina, a young, beguiling BookFrog, kills himself in the bookstore’s upper room, Lydia’s life comes unglued. Always Joey’s favorite bookseller, Lydia has been bequeathed his meager worldly possessions. Trinkets and books; the detritus of a lonely, uncared for man. But when Lydia flips through his books she finds them defaced in ways both disturbing and inexplicable. They reveal the psyche of a young man on the verge of an emotional reckoning. And they seem to contain a hidden message. What did Joey know? And what does it have to do with Lydia?
As Lydia untangles the mystery of Joey’s suicide, she unearths a long buried memory from her own violent childhood. Details from that one bloody night begin to circle back. Her distant father returns to the fold, along with an obsessive local cop, and the Hammerman, a murderer who came into Lydia’s life long ago and, as she soon discovers, never completely left.
AGE GROUP: | Adults (19-99) |
TAGS: | Discussion Groups |
The Merrillville branch library encompasses over 114,000 sq ft of electronic and print resources, and visual and musical collections. The library offers free WIFI, public internet computers, rooms for quiet study or small groups, and public meeting rooms. Our vast collections of Lake County history and genealogy sources make the Merrillville branch a popular destination for research by visitors from all around the country.
Merrillville branch has three fantastic floors of informational and recreational materials. The main floor contains our popular collection of new books, large-print material, magazines and newspapers, teen, anime, and an enormous selection of music and DVDs. Our Genealogy Room has numerous resources including microfilm of local newspapers, obituary indexes, and many other historical resources. Our Book Sale room, open during select hours Monday-Saturday, is full of unique finds.
The Upper Level includes tables for quiet study, a tremendous reference collection, our “Indiana Room” for specialized Hoosier historical research, and our locally known statue “The Reader” by artist Hermann Gurfinkel.
The entire lower level houses our bright and airy Children's Department where children will find fun games, books, music and magazines to fulfill their reading pleasure as well as attend engaging kids’ programs. This is also where our public meeting rooms are located, where our library events and programs are held.
