Book Clubs

Spring Branch-Memorial Library--The Page Turners

Submitted by Aleksandra T on Tue, 09/27/2016 - 6:44pm

Train to Crystal CityTitle to be discussed: The train to Crystal City by Jan Jarboe Russell.  Date of meeting: October 11,  6:30 p.m.  Summary: "From 1942 to 1948, trains delivered more than 10,000 civilians to Crystal City. The trains carried Japanese, German, Italian immigrants and their American-born children. The only family internment camp during World War II, Crystal City was the center of a government prisoner exchange program called "quiet passage." During the course of the war, hundreds of prisoners in Crystal City, including their American-born children, were exchanged for other more important Americans behind enemy lines in Japan and Germany. Focusing her story on two American-born teenage girls who were interned, author Jan Jarboe Russell uncovers the details of their years spent in the camp; the struggles of their fathers; their families; subsequent journeys to war-devastated Germany and Japan; and their years-long attempt to survive and return to the United States. Combining big-picture World War II history with a little-known event in American history that has long been kept quiet, "The Train to Crystal City" reveals the war-time hysteria against the Japanese and Germans in America, the secrets of FDR's tactics to rescue high-profile POWs in Germany and Japan, and how the definition of American citizenship changed under the pressure of war."

The Tuesday Evening Book Club will discuss The Train to Crystal City by Jan Jarboe Russell on October 11th @ 7:00pm

Submitted by Gavin S on Tue, 09/20/2016 - 1:00am

Persons who love to read and discuss what they have read join in informal conversation. Everyone is welcome. The October selection will be the 2016 Gulf Coast Reads book The Train to Crystal City by Jan Jarboe Russell

The dramatic and never-before-told story of a secret FDR-approved American internment camp in Texas during World War II, where thousands of families--many US citizens--were incarcerated.

TEEN BOOK CLUB

Submitted by Donatta C. on Wed, 09/07/2016 - 2:27pm

The Teen Book Club meets Tuesday, September 13 at 5:30 p.m.  Join us for a great discussion of The Brothers Torres by Coert Voorhees.  This is an awesome novel with a fantastic main character.  If you haven’t had a chance to read the book, come anyway to discuss your favorite books and authors.  As always, snacks will be provided.

The Tuesday Evening Book Club will discuss Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng on September 13th @ 7:00pm

Submitted by Gavin S on Tue, 08/23/2016 - 1:00am

Persons who love to read and discuss what they have read join in informal conversation. Everyone is welcome. This September selection will be Everything I never told you by Celeste Ng. 

Summary

"If we know this story, we haven't seen it yet in American fiction, not until now. . . . Deep, heartfelt." -The New York Times Book Review "Lydia is dead. But they don't know this yet."

So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue.

Book Club, Friday, August 19 @ 2 pm

Submitted by Janet G on Mon, 08/15/2016 - 4:10pm

If you're watching the Summer Olympics, you may wonder, how do athletes who earn the coveted gold medals become champions?  What special qualities do they possess?  Join Crosby Book Club on Friday, August 19, as we discuss The Boys in the Boat, an inspiring story of the American rowing team, who triumphed at the 1936 Olympics held in Nazi Germany. 

Spring Branch-Memorial Library--The Page Turners

Submitted by Aleksandra T on Wed, 08/10/2016 - 1:20pm

Rainwater by Sandra BrownTitle to be discussed: Rainwater by Sandra Brown.  Date of meeting: Tuesday, September 13, 6:30 p.m.  Summary: "In the midst of the Great Depression, Ella Barron strenuously works to keep her Texas boardinghouse up and running. Between cooking, cleaning, and caring for her misbehaving child, Ella struggles to get by. However, when the enigmatic David Rainwater shows up out of the blue, looking for room and board, Ella happily takes him in. But when Conrad Ellis and his gang of hoods threaten violence, Ella and Rainwater are put to the test."

Spring Branch-Memorial Library--The Page Turners

Submitted by Aleksandra T on Tue, 08/02/2016 - 2:51pm

A man called OveTitle to be discussed: A man called Ove by Fredrik Backman.  Date of meeting: August 9, 6:30 p.m.  Summary: "Meet Ove. He's a curmudgeon--the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him "the bitter neighbor from hell." But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn't walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove's mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents' association to their very foundations."

The Tuesday Evening Book Club will discuss The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters on August 9th @ 7:00pm

Submitted by Gavin S on Tue, 07/19/2016 - 1:00am

Persons who love to read and discuss what they have read join in informal conversation. Everyone is welcome. The August selection will be The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters. 

Summary

It is 1922, and London is tense. Ex-servicemen are disillusioned; the out-of-work and the hungry are demanding change. And in South London, in a genteel Camberwell villa-a large, silent house now bereft of brothers, husband, and even servants-life is about to be transformed as impoverished widow Mrs. Wray and her spinster daughter, Frances, are obliged to take in lodgers.

Book Club, Friday, July 15 @ 2 pm

Submitted by Janet G on Tue, 07/12/2016 - 12:05pm

Crosby Branch Book Club will meet Friday, July 15, at 2 pm, to discuss The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper, by Phaedra Patrick.  In this story, Arthur, a lovable 69 year old widower, copes with the loss of his wife by clinging to his routine...that is, until he embarks on a surprising, life-changing journey.  

New members are welcome! 

Spring Branch Memorial Library--The Page Turners

Submitted by Aleksandra T on Thu, 06/23/2016 - 10:38am

Page TurnersTime of meeting: July 12, 6:30 pm.  The Page Turners will be having a Readers’ Choice, during which they will give a 5-minute synopsis of a chosen title for the group as a selection for the coming year.  

They invite everyone to come to the meeting to suggest a title for their consideration.

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