Barron Park Reading Group

Alone in America: Search for Companionship by Louise Berkinow Non-fiction from Barbara K US culture encourages isolation.

Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout Fiction suggested by Shirley from Amazon – … evokes a teenager’s alienation from her distant mother—and a parent’s rage at the discovery of her daughter’s sexual secrets. In most ways, Isabelle and Amy are like any mother and her 16-year-old daughter, a fierce mix of love and loathing exchanged […]

Ariadne: A Novel by Jennifer Saint Fiction suggested by Sharon Defying the gods, Ariadne betrays her father and country to help Theseus kill the Minotaur. But will her decision lead to happiness? And what of her sister Phaedra? From Amazon – Ariadne, Princess of Crete, grows up greeting the dawn from her beautiful dancing floor and […]

At Home: A Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson Non-fiction suggested by Janice Walking through his own house, a former rectory in England, Bryson explores daily life in the 19th century. How things like electricity, ice, cookbooks, glass windows, and salt and pepper transformed the way people lived. Each room becomes a starting […]

Autism in Heels: The Untold Story of a Female Life on the Spectrum by Jennifer Cook O’Toole Non-fiction suggested by Janice from Amazon – An intimate memoir reveals the woman inside one of autism’s most prominent figures, Jennifer O’Toole. At the age of thirty-five, Jennifer was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome, and for the first time […]

Before I Go to Sleep by S. J. Watson Fiction suggested by Nancy From Amazon: The New York Times bestseller, now available in paperback—a disturbing psychological thriller, reminiscent of Shutter Island and Memento, in which an amnesiac desperately tries to uncover the truth about who she is and who she can trust. “The best debut […]

Begin Again: James Baldwin’s America and Its Urgent Lessons for Our Own by Eddie S. Glaude Jr. Non-fiction suggested by Janet From Amazon –We live, according to Eddie S. Glaude Jr., in a moment when the struggles of Black Lives Matter and the attempt to achieve a new America have been challenged by the election […]

Being Esther by Miriam Karmel Fiction suggested by Barbara In spare, unsentimental prose, one of literature’s finest portraits of the last months of a woman’s life. Sad and amusing, unpretentious and ambitious, Karmel’s prose brings understanding and tremendous empathy to the character of Esther Lustig, a woman who readers will recognize and embrace. Born to […]

Bringing Up Bébé: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting by Pamela Druckerman Non-fiction suggested by Romie Journalist and new mother notices that French children sleep through the night by three months, eat braised leeks, play by themselves while their parents sip coffee, yet are still boisterous, curious, and creative. Why? How? Find […]

Britt-Marie Was Here: A Novel by Fredrik Backman Fiction suggested by Verna The New York Times bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry “returns with this heartwarming story about a woman rediscovering herself after a personal crisis…fans of Backman will find another winner in these […]