Please join us to discuss Sara Gruen’s romantic page turner, Water for Elephants. Gruen’s bestselling novel is an enticing blend of history, adventure, mystery, memoir, and love story which is revealed as the nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski recounts the wild and wonderful years he spent during the Great Depression with the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. The novel is Sara Gruen at her best with old fashioned storytelling that is both well researched and compelling. Who hasn’t wanted to run away and join the circus, if only for an afternoon? Please feel free to bring your lunch. 

While tending to her ailing Chinese mother LuLing, American-born Ruth discovers a sheaf of papers—her mother's story—written in Chinese. Ruth finds a translator and discovers in the pages what her mother, now afflicted with Alzheimer’s disease, cannot tell her. LuLing's story alternates with Ruth's, revealing the secrets of three generations of women, from a small village in China to contemporary San Francisco.

In a far future, where interstellar trade has devolved into legitimized piracy, the Zantiu-Braun Corporation sends an elite troop of Skins, nearly invulnerable soldiers, to the planet Thallspring to collect their periodic dividends. The residents of Thallspring, however, have different ideas, as well as a secret weapon that has the potential to change not only the future but the past as well. Peter F. Hamilton’s Fallen Dragon was nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award Best Novel of 2002.

When a movie crew commandeers the small town of Hampstead, Kansas, the tiny police force is hardpressed to guard the location sites. The death of a stunt woman whose jump into a haystack fatally reveals a hidden pitchfork adds significantly to the trouble for Hampstead’s chief of police, Susan Wren. As Susan becomes embroiled in the mercurial personalities involved in the production, she is surprised to learn that her most experienced officer (and love interest), Ben Pankhurst, was once married to Laura Edwards, the star of the picture. Taking him off the case, she must rely on her less trained deputy, Yancy, who has been providing security for the company. Learning that Laura has been receiving threatening notes, Susan wonders if the pitchfork was really meant for her.

As one of twelve children in the family, James McBride did not have a lot of time to ponder race and identity while growing up in a poor Brooklyn housing project. He knew that his deceased father was a black man from North Carolina and that his mother was “light-skinned.” In this combined autobiography and tribute to his mother, McBride reveals the true story of Ruth McBride’s background while lauding her accomplishments in raising twelve successful children. Join us to discuss this complex and moving memoir.

Life can be hard for a Greek god in the 21st century. Artemis, goddess of the hunt, has become a professional dog walker; Apollo is a T.V. psychic and Dionysus, god of wine, runs a night club. To make matters worse these deities may be losing their immortality. Discover what happens when mere mortals Alice and Neil stumble into the Greek Gods rundown London hovel and then join the discussion on how these two modern people measure up to the Greek heroes of old.

The tale of three friends at the same crossroads in their lives, as they try to get their lives together and look to God for answers. The author is a freelance reporter and inspirational writer based in Richmond, and her book is sure to resonate with readers. Readers are invited to stop by and join in the discussion.

This first novel is both quirky and humorous, and tells the story of a very interesting twenty-four hour period in the life of octogenarian Paul Jacobson. Once he is placed in a retirement home on the Big Island, Hawaii, he discovers a body in the laundry chute, and becomes the prime suspect. What makes his day even more complicated is that he cannot remember anything upon awakening from sleep, as he suffers from shortterm memory loss. With the help of his granddaughter and some new friends, Paul goes on a hunt for the real murderer. We hope you will read this entertaining debut novel and join in our discussion.