Truck along with the book club! The book we have chosen for April is Truck, A Love Story by New Auburn, Wisconsin author Michael Perry. On the surface, Perry's tale of restoring his 1951 pickup truck is both hilarious and heartfelt as we encounter the quirky yet endearing folks of New Auburn, Wisconsin. This book delivers a truckload of humor, heart and ...gardening tips? Perry lovingly portrays the people and places of his daily life, paying homage to small town America and to love found unexpectedly and all it brings.

This memoir is filled with eccentric characters, keen observations, and humorous storytelling. What aspect of Perry's book appealed to you: the truck repair, the romance, the gardening? Did you like the structure of the three story threads? Perry likes to showcase the ways that small town people are not all cut from the same cloth. Who are some of the locals in this book that are most memorable to you? Some readers think a dictionary beside them is a must while reading Perry. Does his expansive vocabulary impress or infuriate? Or did you even notice it? Let us know what you think!

The Library Book Club selection for March is Sail: a Novel by James Patterson. This book will captivate the reader from beginning to end. Since her husband died, Anne Dunne has struggled to bring her three children together for a family vacation, so she plans a summer sailing trip on her late husband’s sailboat. The Dunne family soon find themselves trapped in paradise and fighting for their lives. Lost at sea, injured and dysfunctional, the Dunne family’s struggles will pull most thriller readers through to the end in a single sitting or two.
This novel seeks to explore family dynamics in a thriller setting. Is the author able to create a family drama within the setting of the thriller genre? Did the book indeed keep you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end?
James Patterson is one America's bestselling authors and also one of the most prolific. If you have read other books by James Patterson do you feel he is able to keep his writing fresh?
Post a comment and let us know what you think.

You will LOVE the book club selection for February! In the Land of No Right Angles introduces the fiction of Daphne Beal. Beal is originally from Wisconsin.

Alex, a twenty-year-old American student, is spending the year in Nepal, backpacking and photographing. As a favor to Will--her American friend--she uses one of her Himalayan treks to seek out Maya, a young Nepali woman desperate to flee her traditional family to find work in Kathmandu. But helping Maya has unforeseen implications. Alex is soon embroiled in a strange triangle with Maya and Will, where the lines between friendship, love, and lust grow more tangled every day.

Over the course of the next eight years, Alex returns to Nepal: first to visit and to photograph, then in an attempt to help the troubled Maya. Moving between Kathmandu, New York, and the grim houses of prostitution along Falkland Road in Bombay, Alex begins to understand the pitfalls of trying to be both adventurer and savior in an unfamiliar world.

What specific themes did the author emphasize thoughout the novel? Do the characters seem real and believable? Did you like the book? Why or why not? Let us know what you think.

The Kilbourn Public Library Book Club is starting out 2009 with a book that focuses on the Midwest. This book is author Wendy Bilen’s search into her family history. In Finding Josie, Bilen gives us an illuminating history of her Grandmother, first growing up in North Dakota and later as a farm wife on a dairy farm outside of LaCrosse, Wisconsin. According to the Wisconsin Historical Press this book is more than a memoir or family history but instead a dual story that “illuminates the surprising ways our lives intersect with our ancestors”.
In Chapter 1 the author tells us "I am not looking for my grandmother because she is lost, but because I am." What is the author really after in her search through her grandmother's past? In what ways do the author's life and our lives intersect with our ancestors?

During December the members of the Kilbourn Public Library book club are reading a selection of holiday stories. Each member chose a different book and will tell other members about it at the December meeting. Do you have a favorite holiday book? Let us know what it is and why you like it. Happy Holidays!

In November the Library Book Club read A Widow For One Year by John Irving. A Widow for One Year offers a view of the life of Ruth Cole during three different periods of her life. Beginning at age 4, the author gives us insight into Ruth's bittersweet life and the life choices she makes. This multi-generational tale is a must read.

For October the library book club is reading a book from an author Publisher's Weekly calls a "master story teller and a daring writer" who gives his readers bright hope in a dark world. Life Expectancy by Dean Koontz is a suspense filled, humorous story that follows the life of Jimmy Tock. Jimmy's grandfather died the day Jimmy was born and in his grandfather's last lucid minutes he predicted five future dates that would be difficult for Jimmy. The novel pits good against evil and exemplifies the power of love and family.

Tell us what you thought of the book. Did you enjoy the book? Why? Why not? How about the plot--did it pull you in or did you feel you had to force yourself to read the book? Did the actions of the characters seem plausible? Did the book end the way you expected?