Have you ever wondered what book clubs are all about? They offer a great opportunity to meet interesting people, read a variety of amazing books and share your thoughts about a favourite read. Book club titles also give you the opportunity to read outside of your usual choices.
Here’s a list of some of our most popular book club titles from 2016:
The most popular was All the Light we Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. Set during the occupation of France during the Second World War, this is the story of two compelling characters. Marie-Laure is a brave and inquisitive French girl who went blind at age six and Werner is a German orphan who has a knack for gadgets and science. The book does a brilliant job of portraying the bleakness and tragedy of war, and the many different ways it can affect people’s lives. It’s the sort of story that sticks with you long after you’ve read it.
Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline is a fascinating story based on the orphan trains of the 1920s and ’30s, a time when orphaned immigrant children in America’s large cities were shipped off in trains like cattle to Midwesterners who needed farmhands. Foster teen Molly is performing community-service work for elderly widow Vivian and, as they go through Vivian’s cluttered attic, they discover that their lives have much in common.
The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawking features a tangled mystery that unfolds when the main character, Rachel, devastated by her recent divorce, spends her daily commute fantasizing about the “perfect” couple that lives in a house her train passes every day. One morning, she sees something shocking happen there and finds herself entangled in the mystery that unfolds. This is a good read for those who like a fast-paced, dark psychological thriller.
My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante is a compelling coming-of-age story about two teenage girls growing up in the inner city of Naples. Both choose different paths since one goes on to high school and the other leaves school. The two girls change as they learn how to make their own decisions and go their separate ways. This is a beautifully-written account of the two girls as well as a community rising from the cruel poverty and hatred left from war.
The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is told in alternate voices — that of Sarah and that of Hetty (a.k.a. “Handful”), one of the family’s slaves. At the beginning of the book, Handful and her mother Charlotte, a slave who functions as the family’s seamstress, live together in slave quarters over the stable. Sarah’s parents give Handful (then age 10) to Sarah as a gift for her 11th birthday. Sarah is repulsed by slavery, remembering that at age four, she witnessed a slave being whipped, and she refuses this gift. Her mother believes that slavery is part of “their tradition.” Sarah doesn’t see it that way and attempts to grant Handful her freedom. This inspiring read illustrates the inner strength of these two women.
The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman gives insight into how grief can lead people to make poor decisions. Lighthouse keeper Tom Sherbourne and his wife, Isabel, live in isolation on an island. Isabel has lost two children to miscarriages and the third pregnancy results in a stillborn baby. She is devastated and not coping well. When a boat turns up with a live baby and her dead father, it seems like a miracle to her. Isabel persuades Tom to keep the baby but he is torn between what his wife wants and the dilemma of knowing that the baby’s mother is suffering from the loss of a husband and child. This moving story reveals how the decision he makes has overwhelming consequences.
Call the Nurse by Mary J. MacLeod is a memoir that shares the unique experiences of a nurse in rural Scotland. This is a lively and humorous portrayal of both the hardships and the humour of island life. MacLeod gives us great insight into what life was like in 1970’s in the western Hebrides. Readers who like books such as James Herriot’s All Creatures Great and Small and Jennifer Worth’s Call the Midwife will enjoy reading this.
Try reading some of these titles and find out why so many people have enjoyed these books. If you’d like more information about book clubs, please chat with library staff about setting up a club or joining one.
A Good Read is a column by Tri-City librarians that is published on Wednesdays. Susan Clark works at Port Coquitlam’s Terry Fox Library.
