For June the Kilbourn Public Library Book Club will be reading The Death of the Phoenix, the first volume in Ernest Meeder's Spirit of the Shark trilogy. 

In the East Indies during and after the Japanese occupation of the islands, a five-year-old boy named Kees journeys through the brutal world of the occupation and escapes into a new and civilized world.  When that new world proves to be as broken as the one he had fled, Kees grows discouraged.  With the help of some unexpected people, he learns to see the world from the perspectives of different cultures and religions. 

Join the discussion on this interesting book.  
Let us know what you think of  The Death of the Phoenix.

In May the library book club is reading Cecelia Ahern's There's No Place Like Here, the story of Sandy Shortt, a missing persons investigator who is also a little obsessive compulsive.  This imaginative novel encourages the reader to step outside of traditional plot lines and enter a world made up of missing people and possessions that have come together from all over the globe to start fresh.

One online reviewer says of this book, "There's No Place Like Here is unlike any book I have ever read.  Author Cecilia Ahern is a master storyteller, pulling readers in and not letting them go until they reach the conculsion of this amazing tale of yearning, loss and hope."

Let us know what you think of There's No Place Like Here.

Did you enjoy the book?  Why?  Why not?

What about the plot?  Did it pull you in?

How realistictic was the characterization?  Would you want to meet any of the characters?  Did you like them?  Hate them?

Did the book end the way you expected?

The book we have chosen for April's book read is When Madeline Was Young. Jane Hamilton, award-winning author of The Book of Ruth and A Map of the World brings us this rich and loving novel about a nontraditional family in the aftermath of a terrible accident.

When Aaron Maciver's beautiful young wife, Madeline, suffers a head injury in a bicycle crash she is left with the mental capacities of a six-year-old. In the years that follow, Aaron and his second wife care for Madeline with deep tenderness and devotion as they raise two children of their own.

We have extra copies of the book available at the library and on the bookmobile. Pick up a copy of this extraordinary book. Then let us know what you think.

What do you think about the author's choice of narrator? Does Timothy (Mac) provide us with an objective perspective of the family as a whole? How would you describe the narrator's tone as he guides us through his unusual family history?

This book emphasizes physical beauty as the key to being captivating. Is Madeline empowered by looks that match conventional definitions of beauty, or does her beauty make her a victim? What might her fate have been had she look more like Julia (without the girdle!)?

What are the conflicts and intensities that drive the diverse cast of characters in this novel?

The Kilbourn Public Library Book Club has chosen Kate Atkinson's novel, Behind the Scenes at the Museum for our March reading. Winner of the Whitbread Book of the Year in 1995, this dazzling debut novel is a deeply moving story of family heartbreak and happiness.

Ruby Lennox begins narrating her life at the moment of conception, and from there takes us on a whirlwind tour of the twentieth century as seen through the eyes of an English girl determined to learn about her famly and its secrets.

We have extra copies of the book available at the library. Pick up a copy and join us in reading this page turner. Then let us know what you think.

Although this novel is very much about a specific time and place, it has been embraced by audiences in twelve countries, in as many languages. What gives Behind the Scenes at the Museum such universal appeal?

What does Behind the Scenes at the Museum say about women's roles and opportunities in the family and in the world at large? What do the four generations of women in Ruby's family have in common?

This book generated controversy in England when a critic called it "anti-family." How would you defend the book against this charge? What other novels, now considered classics, might have had to face this sort of accusation?

The Kilbourn Public Library Book Club is reading The Girls of Murder City by Douglas Perry for its February selection. The Girls of Murder City is the untold true story of the murders that inspired the iconic musical Chicago.

With a thrilling, fast-paced narrative, award-winning journalist Douglas Perry vividly captures the sensationalized circus atmosphere that gave rise to the concept of the celebrity criminal and gave Chicago its most famous story.

The Girls of Murder City recounts two scandalous, sex-fueled murder cases and how an intrepid "girl reporter" named Maureen Watkins turned the beautiful, media-savvy suspects "Stylish Belva' and "Beautiful Beulah" into the talk of the town. It is a crackling tale that presents the freewheeling spirit of the Jazz Age and its sober repercussions.

Howard Blum, author of the New York times bestseller American Lightning says "Crime doesn't pay for the girls of Murder City, but it sure pays off for Douglas Perry's readers. This is a consistently page-turning, highly entertaining, and very intriguing story."

Let us know what you think.

The Kilbourn Public Library is starting out the year with The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski.

This stunning debut novel immerses readers in a living , breathing world that is both fantastic and utterly believable. David Wroblewski is a master storyteller, and his breathtaking scenes create a riveting family saga, a brilliant exploration of the limits of language, and a compulsively readable modern classic.

Copies of the book are available at the library. Pick up a copy and join the discussion.

Claude is a mysterious presence in this story. What does he want and when did he start wanting it?

How does Almondine's way of seeing the world differ from the human characters in this story?

Haunting is a prominent motif in The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. How many ghosts, both literal and figurative, are in this story? In what ways are the ghosts alike? Who is haunted, and by whom?

Do Edgar's own dog-training techniques and methods change over the course of the story? If so, how?

Let us know what you think of The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.

This month the Kilbourn Public Library Book Club is doing something special. Each member will be choosing from a selection of holiday books that are available at the library. We will read the book that we choose and tell others about it at the December meeting.

You can join in the fun! Read any holiday book you would like and let us know what you think about it. You can come to the library and pick up a holiday book here or read one you already have.

Share your thoughts about the book you read!

Happy Holidays!