Barron Park Reading Group

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt Fiction suggested by Lisa After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget […]

West with Giraffes: A Novel by Lynda Rutledge Fiction suggested by Joyce From Joyce – Inspired by a true story, “West with Giraffes” transports us to the vivid landscape of 1938 America, where a 17-year-old protagonist embarks on an awe-inspiring cross-country journey, driving two giraffes and discovering his own identity along the way. … novel that […]

Joan: A Novel of Joan of Arc by Katherine Chen Fiction suggested by Sharon Joan of Arc is transformed into a flesh-and-blood young woman: reckless, steel-willed, and brilliant. Meticulously researched, a sweeping narrative of her life. from Amazon – 1412. France is mired in a losing war against England. Its people are starving. Its king is […]

The Dictionary of Lost Words by Pip Williams Fiction suggested by Lynnie Growing up, Esme realizes that words relating to women’s and common folk’s experiences often go unrecorded. So she begins her own dictionary of lost words. From Amazon – Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood […]

Absolution: A Novel by Alice McDermott Fiction suggested by Barbara From Barbara – 1963 Saigon: shy newlywed happy young woman meets another ex-pat wife who is “helping” Viet poor or sick children by giving them gifts including Barbie dolls and some adult things, all behind their husband’s backs. Cross-cultural themes. 1963 Saigon, Vietnam, the complicated […]

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows Fiction suggested by Joyce In WWII a book club born as an alibi when its members were discovered breaking curfew by the Germans occupying their island. Charming, funny, deeply human. From Amazon – 1946: London is emerging from the shadow of […]

Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr Fiction suggested by Shirley From the author of “All the Light We Cannot See”, a story about children on the cusp of adulthood in worlds in peril, finding resilience and hope.  From Amazon – In the 15th century, an orphan named Anna lives inside the formidable walls of Constantinople. […]