Rare Reads

rare readsWelcome to the new Rare Reads book group page. Just like the old blog, this page will feature polls, news and a place to discuss! Keep checking for updates and add as a new bookmark/favorite on your browser.

Rare Reads is a book group that discusses unusual and interesting popular fiction (and sometimes nonfiction) at Topsham Public Library. We meet on the third Tuesday of every month at 6pm. Just attend whichever is more convenient to you. Can’t make it? Join the discussion here!

After that, our next meeting is Tuesday, April 17 at 6pm and we will be discussing  Get in Trouble by Kelly Link. New members always welcome!

This year (from October onwards), we are going to take the Bookriot.com Read Harder Challenge 2017. Here’s a pdf version of the challenge with this year’s books on it: Rare Reads Read Harder Challenge 2017.

Here’s this year’s list:

September: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

October: Pink Chimneys by Ardeana Hamlin

November: Wonder Woman (Various volumes by various authors.) (We’ll screen the movie too!)

December: A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab

January: Life on Mars: Poems by Tracy K. Smith

February: The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie

March: Tolstoy and the Purple Chair by Nina Sankovitch

April: Get in Trouble by Kelly Link

May: The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead

Use Pinterest? Click the book covers to check out the books on Goodreads:

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From Our Blog (click the post title to read, see images and comment)

Pink Chimneys by Ardeana Hamlin

This month, the Rare Reads book group discussed a local favorite, Pink Chimneys. Have you read it? What did you think?

Summer Reading Lists 2017

Are you beginning to wonder if the sun still exists or if summer will ever arrive? I am. But don’t despair! Whether the days are dreary or the sun finally appears, there are book challenges and book suggestions to get us through our darkest days. The following link is for the Read Harder Challenge. The... Read more »

Interview with Monica Wood

This month, we discussed One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood. The book proved to be a record holder of its own in our group by being the first book that EVERYONE really liked. Here’s an interview with Monica Wood from one of our group members, Stephanie: http://stephdoyon.blogspot.com/2016/04/the-one-in-million-monica-wood.html

The Nightingale

Yesterday, we discussed The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah. Here’s a video of an interview with the author talking about her inspiration for the book:

A Spool of Blue Thread

Yesterday the group discussed A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler. Have you read it? What did you think? How did you feel when the significance of the spool of blue thread is revealed? Did the “thread” of blue running through the book feel satisfying to you?