Rare Reads

rare readsWelcome to the new Rare Reads book group page. Just like the old blog, this page will feature polls to choose the next month’s book, 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 and have two sessions, one at 2pm and one at 6pm. Just attend whichever is more convenient to you. Can’t make it? Join the discussion here!

Our next meeting is Tuesday, May 16 at 2pm or 6pm and we will be discussing Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel. New members always welcome!

This year, we asked members of our group to give us suggestions on what we should read. The challenge was the suggest a book that was under 5 years old, one that they had personally enjoyed and that was fiction (we sneaked one nonfiction in!). Here is what we are reading this year:

October: Our Souls at Night by Kent Haruf
November: Wonder by R.J. Palacio
December: The Girl You Left Behind by Jojo Moyes
January: The End of Your Life Book Club by Will Schwalbe
February: A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler
March: The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
April: The One-in-a-Million Boy by Monica Wood
May: Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel
September: Lincoln in the Bardo by George Saunders

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

Follow Topsham Public Library’s board Rare Reads Book Discussion Group on Pinterest.

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

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?

This month we discussed…

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes. Have you read it? What did you think? Are you a fan of her other books?

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

This month the Rare Reads book group discussed Wonder by R.J. Palacio. It was very well received and proved to be fertile discussion material. We were also joined by members of Facing Maine, a nonprofit that is a voice for those with facial disfigurement. Have you read Wonder? Share your thoughts here.