The January book selection is These Ghosts Are Family by Maisy Card.  

Stanford Solomon's shocking, thirty-year-old secret is about to change the lives of everyone around him.  Stanford has done something no one could ever imagine.  He is a man who faked his own death and stole the identity of his best friend.  Stanford Solomon is actually Abel Paisley.  And now, nearing the end of his life, Stanford is about to meet his firstborn daughter, Irene Paisley, a home health aide who has unwittingly shown up for her first day of work to tend to the father she thought was dead.  These Ghosts Are Family revolves around the consequences of Abel's decision and tells the story of the Paisley family from colonial Jamaica to present-day Harlem.

This “rich and layered story” (Kirkus Reviews) explores the ways each character wrestles with their ghosts and struggles to forge independent identities outside of the family and their trauma. The result is a “beguiling…vividly drawn, and compelling” (BookPage, starred review) portrait of a family and individuals caught in the sweep of history, slavery, migration, and the more personal dramas of infidelity, lost love, and regret.

 

Consider the title of the book.  Why do you think the author chose it?  Who--or what--do you think are the ghosts that the title refers to?

 

The book flips between life in Jamaica and New York, with a short stint in London.  How important is place and that place's history to the experiences of its characters?  Why do Irene and Victor move to New York?  Why does Debbie decide to visit Jamaica?  What binds these places together--the people currently living?  Or the painful history that connects the three places?

 

What do the Rastafarians represent in the context of the book?  

 

While Abel is the patriarch of the two modern families in the book, the early family history is traced through its mothers.  Discuss how this shaped the storytelling.  What does the book have to say about the role that women play in a family?  What brings women in these families together?  What drives them apart?

 

Louise grows up thinking that she's white, and is shocked when she learns that her mother, Florence, was a slave.  How does this knowledge change how she sees herself?  How does it change how others see her?

 

There's a dramatic scene in the middle of the book, where Debbie decides to destroy the journal of her ancestor, Harold Fowler, in order to drown out his voice in her head.  What did you make of Debbie's decision?

 

Why do you think the novel ends with the story of the three girls who were kidnapped at Vera's funeral?  What are these girls hungry for?  How does this fit into the other themes throughout the novel?

 

Let us know what you think of These Ghosts Are Family.

The Kilbourn Public Library Book Discussion Group is reading an assortment of Holiday Books for our December book discussion. We have a selection of Holiday Books available at the library or read one of your favorites! Let us know if you enjoyed the Holiday Book you read and why. Was this a book you had read before or did you read it for the first time? What did you like about the book? Were there things that you did not like? Did the book end the way you wanted it to? Why or why not? Would you recommend this book to others? Happy Holidays!

The book selection for November for the Kilbourn Public Library Book Discussion Group is Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank.

Beekeeper Holly McNee Jensen quietly lives in a world of her own on Sullivan's Island, tending her hives and working at the local island library.  Holly calls her mother The Queen Bee because she's a demanding hulk of a woman.  Her mother, a devoted hypochondriac, might be unaware that she's quite ill but that doesn't stop her from tormenting Holly.  Holly's escape is to submerge herself in the lives of the two young boys next door and their widowed father, Archie.

Queen Bee is a classic Lowcountry Tale--warm, wise and hilarious, it roars with humanity and a dropperful of whodunit added for good measure by an unseen hand.  In her twentieth novel, Dorothea Benton Frank brings us back to her beloved island with an unforgettable story where the Lowcountry magic of the natural world collides with the beat of the human heart.

What is it about bees and their ways that is so appealing to Holly?

To what (or whom) does the title refer?  Who is the "Queen Bee" in your life?

What is at the heart of Charlie and Leslie's marital strife?  Do they both try their best to make it work?

Is Archie a good father?  Why does Holly have such a natural maternal way with Tyler and Hunter?

In your opinion, did Archie really love Sharon, or was he just lonely and needed a wife?  Did he have genuine feelings for Holly?

Were you surprised that Suzanne (aka Buster) and Momma got together?  Which character in Queen Bee do you think changed the most?

Have you ever been to the Lowcountry in South Carolina?  If not, has reading Queen Bee made you curious about this beautiful part of the country?

Let us know what you thought of Queen Bee!

 

 

The October book selection for the Kilbourn Public Library Book Discussion Group is Parkland by Dave Cullen.  Parkland is this year's Go Big Read book selection. Go Big Read started 11 years ago and has grown to be one of the largest college common reading programs.  It has united UW-Madison and local communities in reading and discussing timely topics, all with a goal of gaining a better understanding of each other and the issues.  Taking on the different voices and perspectives of the March for Our Lives Movement's key participants, Parkland is an in-depth examination of a pivotal moment in American culture.  Cullen guides us into the hearts of the Douglas students as they cope with the common concerns of students everywhere.  As a celebration of the passion exhibited by these astonishing students, who channeled their anger into a movement, this book explores hope after tragedy and is an inspiring call to action.

The Kilbourn Public Library is partnering with UW-Madison and the Madison Public Library to bring you online book discussions about this year's Go Big Read book, Parkland, by Dave Cullen.  These discussions will be happening on Wednesday, October 21 at 7 pm, Thursday, October 29 at 1 pm,  Tuesday, November 10 at 7 pm, and Wednesday, November 18 at 1 pm.  We will have the link to sign up for book discussions available on the Kilbourn Public Library website.

 

Who do you think is the intended audience of Parkland, and why? 

How do you think the book would be different if it had been written by the students themselves, rather than a third party?

Throughout the book, Cullen explores the different ways that Parkland students responded to the trauma they experienced.  How did their responses vary?  

Cullen also discusses the "weird hierarchy of victimhood " (92) among both students and parents.  Why do you think this happens?

Though Parkland focuses primarily on the activism of students, Cullen also draws attention to adult activism targeted towards gun safety.  How do the adult approaches to activism in the book differ from the way that the Parkland students approach activism?  How did the parents support their children's activism? 

The students of Parkland used social media extensively to spread their message, from the first time Cameron used #neveragain (42) through regularly posting tweets that drew millions of impressions(176).  What made their use of social media so successful, and what were the drawbacks?

Let us know what you think of Parkland by David Cullen.

 

 

The September book selection for the Kilbourn Public Library Book Discussion Group is The Dinner List by Rebecca Serle. At one point or another, we've all been asked to name five people, living or dead, with whom we'd like to have dinner. How do we choose the people we do? And what if that dinner was to actually happen? These are questions Rebecca Serle contends with in her utterly captivating novel.


When Sabrina arrives at her 30th birthday dinner she finds at the table not just her best friend, but also three significant people from her past, and well, Audrey Hepburn. As the appetizers are served, wine poured, and dinner table conversation begins, it becomes clear that there's a reason these six people have been gathered together. Delicious but never indulgent, sweet with just the right amount of bitter, The Dinner List is a romance for our times. Bon Appetit. (From the publisher.)


Who is on your own dinner list? And why?

What do you make of Sabrina and Tobias's relationship, or attempt at one? Why can't they seem to make each other happy?

What do we learn of Sabrina's difficult connection with her father?

What does Professor Conrad add to the party?

Same for Audrey Hepburn? What role does she play? How does she connect the different chapters in Sabrina's life?

One of the themes of The Dinner List is the way in which a tiny incident, one particular decision, which at first seems incidental, can end up having a large impact on our lives. How do you see this play out in The Dinner List--especially in Sabrina's life?

In what ways does the dinner party end up changing Sabrina, her perspective and her relationships, especially with Tobias and her father?

(Questions by LitLovers.)

Let us know what you think of The Dinner List!

    The Kilbourn Public Library Book Discussion Group book selection for August is All We Ever Wanted  by Emily Giffin.  In this thought-provoking novel a woman is forced to choose between her family and her most deeply held values.

Nina Browning is living the good life after marrying into Nashville's elite.  Her husband's tech business is booming, and her adored son, Finch, is bound for Princeton. 

Tom Volpe is a single dad working multiple jobs.  His adored daughter, Lyla, attends Nashville's most prestigious private high school on a scholarship.  But amid the wealth and privilege, Lyla doesn't always fit in.

Then one devastating photo changes everything.

Finch snaps a picture of Lyla passed out at a party, adds a provocative caption, and sends it to a few friends.  The photo spreads like wildfire, and before long an already divided community is buzzing with scandal and assigning blame. 

In the middle of it all, Nina finds herself relating more to Tom's reaction than to her own husband's--and facing an impossible choice.  (From the publisher.)

Think about the title, All We Ever Wanted.  How do you think it relates to the overall story?  How does it apply to each of the characters in the book?

Both Nina and Kirk have different ideas about what the "right path" is for Finch.  How do you think each parent justifies their actions?

Tom is furious about the transgression against his daughter, and believes she deserves justice.  How do Tom's responsibilities as a parent come into conflict with the ethics of respecting Lyla's wishes?

As the book progresses, Nina finds herself siding with Tom's values rather than her husband's.  Do you feel that Nina is betraying her family by aligning with Tom?  Is she betraying herself if she does not stick to her beliefs?  Whom does she owe her loyalty to more?

In chapter eleven, Melanie tells Nina that it's a mother's responsibility to stand by her child "no matter what."  Do you agree with this assertion?

Why do you think Lyla is so willing to trust and even begin dating Finch?  As you were reading, did you believe Finch's claim that Polly stole his phone and took the picture of Lyla?  If so, was there a point at which you began to doubt Finch?

This book poses the question of what lengths one should go to in order to protect one's family versus preserve one's values.  What would you have done in Nina's position?  In Tom's?

In the epilogue, Lyla tells Finch that Nina "saved" them both.  What do you think she means?  Do you think this is an accurate statement?
(Questions issued by the publishers.)

Let us know what you think of All We Ever Wanted.

The Kilbourn Public Library Book Discussion Group is reading Pay It Forward by Catherine Ryan Hyde for the July selection.  Pay It Forward is a wondrous and moving story about Trevor McKinney, a twelve-year-old boy in a small California town who accepts the challenge that his teacher gives his class, a chance to earn extra credit by coming up with a plan to change the world for the better--and to put that plan into action. 

The plan that Trevor comes up with is so simple--and so naive--that when others learn of it they are dismissive.  What is his idea? Trevor chooses three people for whom he will do a favor, and then when those people thank him and ask how they might pay him back, he will tell them that instead of paying him back they should each pay it forward by choosing three people for whom they can do favors, and in turn telling those people to pay it forward.  It's nothing less than a human chain letter of kindness and good will.  But will it work?

In the end, Pay It Forward is the story of seemingly ordinary people made extraordinary by the simple faith of a child. (From the publisher.)

When Trevor first presents his Pay-It-Forward plan many dismiss it.  Why?  Would you have dismissed Pay-It-Forward?

Eventually, Pay-It-Forward begins to work, creating a chain reaction and becoming a Movement.  Why does the concept take hold?  What is it about the plan that inspires people?

The story is told through various point-of-view devices:  first-and third-person narrators, book excerpts, interview transcripts, journal entries, and central character shifts.  Do Hyde's narrative techniques work?  Do they enhance the story or make it confusing?  Why might she have chosen to structure the novel in the way she did?

What about the book's ending?  Sad, yes, but satisfying?  Does Trevor become a martyr?  Would you have preferred a different ending?

Do you personally follow the Pay-It-Forward philosophy?  Does this book inspire you--make you more aware of what you, individually, or all of us, collectively, could do --to improve the world?

Is this a religious book?

Let us know what you think of Pay It Forward.