The Book Discussion Group currently meets the second Wednesday of each month, at 10:15 AM in the Library’s Dorothy Herron Room, where there is space for social distancing. (Note that the schedule may change depending on COVID-19 status.) Anyone who loves to read and talk about books is welcome to join in.
Bonnie Holmes and Dolores Philpot coordinate the current group of about 30 participants. They start suggesting books during the spring of each year and compile a list of candidates by June, then vote on them and identify final choices by July. They don’t necessarily read best-sellers but look for books that will generate discussion, and may even be controversial.
| Date | Book |
|---|---|
| Jan 13 | Last Bus to Wisdom by Ivan Doig |
| Feb 10 | Emma by Jane Austen |
| Mar 10 | A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles |
| Apr 14 | The Third Rainbow Girl by Emma Copley Eisenberg |
| May 12 | Neither Snow nor Rain: A History of the U.S. Postal Service by Devin Leonard |
| Jun 9 | Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind by Yuval Noah Harari |
| Jul 14 | The Silence by Don DeLillo |
| Aug 11 | The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty |
| Sep 8 | An Indigenous Peoples’ History of the United States by Roxanne Dunbar-Ortiz |
| Oct 13 | Days Without End by Sebastian Barry |
| Nov 10 | The Women of the Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell |
| Dec 8 | Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler |
How the Book Discussion Group Began
When Barbara and Wayne Zurl moved to Maryville in 1994, Barbara looked in vain for a book discussion group. When she approached Kathy Pagles at the library, Kathy said, “Why don’t you start one?” So Barbara did and invited several friends to join her in discussing Amy Tan’s The Joy Luck Club. That first meeting was in May of 1994.
Barbara continued as facilitator of discussions for the next six years. She always did an excellent job of researching the book and the author, and insured that discussions stayed focused. All ideas were accepted as valid, especially when there was disagreement. When Barbara moved on to co-ordinate the Ex Libris program of reaching out to assistive living facilities, the members took over, obtaining books on their own and rotating discussion leadership duties.
