December 7, 2023
205 East Main
Marcellus, Michigan 49067
Phone: 269-646-9654
Fax: 269-646-9603
Email: marcellusmichiganlibrary@gmail.com
Website: www.marcellus.michlibrary.org
MeLCat website: https://mel.org/welcome
First Thursday Book Club Meeting Minutes
December 7, 2023
The Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library’s First Thursday Book Club met on Thursday, December 7, 2023 from 12PM to 1PM in the library with nine members present. Members enjoyed yummy cookies and baked goods made by Book Club members. Everyone was very thankful for the delicious treats to snack on while chatting.
The Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library’s First Thursday Book Club meeting minutes are published in “files” on the Marcellus Twp Library Book Club Facebook site along with being on our website published in “Book Club Updates”. If you have not joined our Facebook page, please do!
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Books discussed:
The links under each book discussed below will take you directly to the Marcellus Township Wood Memorial Library’s Catalog entry or the MeLCat entry for that particular book, large print book, CD audiobook, Libby audiobook, or Libby eBook.
Title and Author: The Invisible Hour by: Alice Hoffman
Description: Alice Hoffman's new novel, “The Invisible Hour,” is about a young woman who runs away from a cult, discovers “The Scarlet Letter” in a public library, travels back in time almost 200 years, falls in love with Nathaniel Hawthorne and bears his baby.Through a journey of heartbreak, love, and time, Mia must abandon the rules she was raised with at the Community. As she does, she realizes that reading can transport you to other worlds or bring them to you, and that readers and writers affect one another in mysterious ways.
Genre: Historical Fiction
Availability:
In Library:
Book: https://marcellus.biblionix.com/catalog/?st=230AA94E09EF0B2893F231BC0096E470 MeLCat:
Book:
https://search.mel.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb43313704__Sthe%20invisible%20hour__Orightresult_ _U__X7?lang=eng&suite=gold
Audiobook:
https://search.mel.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb43705764__Sthe%20invisible%20hour__P0%2C1__Ori ghtresult__U__X7?lang=eng&suite=gold
Club member comment(s): member said they really enjoyed this particular book and they highly recommended everyone to read this!
Title and Author: Holly by: Stephen King
Description: Holly Gibney is a private investigator belonging to a detective agency by the name of Finders Keepers, which she shares with her partner, Pete. Holly is an odd woman who King fans will be familiar with if they've read his last few books, where Holly makes an appearance. In King's new novel, Holly is on her own, and up against a pair of unimaginably depraved and brilliantly disguised adversaries. When Penny Dahl calls the Finders Keepers detective agency hoping for help locating her missing daughter, Holly is reluctant to accept the case. Her partner, Pete, has Covid.
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Availability:
In Library: Not Available
MeLCat:
Book:
https://search.mel.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb43331084__Sholly%20stephen%20king__P0%2C3__Or ightresult__U__X2?lang=eng&suite=gold
Audiobook:
https://search.mel.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb43660281__Sholly%20stephen%20king__Orightresult __U__X4?lang=eng&suite=gold
Club member comment(s): Although this book is different from other Stephen King books, they really enjoyed it. Liked how King brought in characters from previous books. Recommended to others if they are a fan of Stephen King.
Title and Author: Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz by: Gail Crowther
Description: Based on in-depth research and unprecedented archival access, Three-Martini Afternoons at the Ritz is a remarkable and unforgettable look at two legendary poets and how their work has turned them into lasting and beloved cultural figures. The story of two of the greatest poets of the twentieth century. Sylvia Plath and Anne Sexton. The two meet at a workshop in Boston led by Robert Lowell, they form a friendship that spun way out of control fueled by jealousy, respect, and a rivalry that never ended.
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
Availability:
In Library: Not Available
MeLCat:
Book:
https://search.mel.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb41421004__Sthree%20martini%20afternoons%20__Orig htresult__U__X6?lang=eng&suite=gold
Club member comment(s): Member did like reading his for the most part. She recommends reading this after the holiday season due to tough topics. They mentioned it was difficult to read because of the topics, but they resonated with the book because of how/when they grew up.
Title and Author: The Clothes on Their Backs by: Linda Grant
Description: Vivien Kovacs, sensitive and bookish, grows up sealed off from the world by her timid Hungarian refugee parents. She loses herself in books and reinvents herself according to her favorite characters, but it is through clothes that she ultimately defines herself.
Genre: Domestic Fiction
Availability:
Library:
Book: https://marcellus.biblionix.com/catalog/?st=BC18538DC3DF198CB0657187E34F96A9 MeLCat:
Book:
https://search.mel.org/iii/encore/record/C__Rb11087883__Sthe%20clothes%20on%20their%20backs __Orightresult__U__X7?lang=eng&suite=gold
Club member comment(s): Member described this book as well-written and worth the read. They did recommend this to the other group members. They decided to donate their copy to the library!
Title and Author: A Mother Would Know by: Amber Garza
Description: When a young woman is found murdered a block away, suspicion falls on him immediately, without a shred of evidence. While Valerie fights to defend her son, she begins to wonder who she really invited into her home. It's a horrible thing for a mother to even think…but is it possible she's enabled a
monster? A mother questions everything she knows about her son when a local woman is found dead. Valerie has been forgetting things. Her daughter worries about her being on her own in her big Victorian house—one rumored to be haunted after a tragedy decades earlier—and truth be told, she is a little lonely.
Genre: Domestic Suspense
Availability:
Library:
Book: https://marcellus.biblionix.com/catalog/?st=855E3EE40DF5F48DF24878322A86302D MeLCat:
Club member comment(s): This member mentioned that they didn’t like any of the characters besides the dog…which was a very small part of the book! The only reason they finished the book was because it was very suspenseful and they HAD to know what happened. They did not particularly recommend this book to the other members.
Title and Author: “The Comfort of Crows” by Margaret Renkl
Description: The Comfort of Crows is a howling love letter to the world, the story of what we've lost and what we can save and the abundance of wonder in our own backyard. Margaret Renkl is a singular, spectacular writer, and this book, like life itself, is a cause for celebration.
Genre: Biography & Autobiography
Availability:
Library:
Book: https://marcellus.biblionix.com/catalog/?st=BC837ECB95EBACB4E43C83660BD1CD4E
MeLCat: N/A
Club member comment(s): This member said that if you read this book, it will change your view of your surroundings–especially nature. Every essay they read, they stopped to really think about what the author wrote. This member read this book slowly because they really wanted to enjoy every page. They highly recommended everyone to read this.
Title and Author: “The Mistletoe Matchmaker” by Felicity Hayes-McCoy
Description: It's Christmas in Ireland, and when Cassie Fitzgerald arrives from Toronto to visit her grandparents, she learns that it's never too late to come home. The days are turning colder, preparations are under way for the Winter Fest, and everyone is hoping for a little holiday magic on the Finfarran peninsula.
Genre: Relationship Fiction
Availability:
Library:
Book: https://marcellus.biblionix.com/catalog/?st=F906926F0F8046EE8E4FCA3487A41715
MeLCat:
Club member comment(s): This member mentioned that they didn’t particularly like this book. Tried reading the next book in the series and wasn’t too fond of that either!
Title and Author: “The Month of Borrowed Dreams” by Felicity Hayes-McCoy
Description: On the Finfarran Peninsula on Ireland's west coast, the blue skies and warmer days of summer are almost here. At the Lissbeg Library, Hanna Casey has big plans for the long days ahead. Beginning with the film adaptation of Brooklyn, she’s starting a cinema club, showing movies based on popular novels her friends and neighbors love. But the drama that soon unfolds in this close-knit seaside village rivals any on the screen. Just when Lissbeg begins to feel like home, an unexpected twist leaves Hanna’s daughter, Jazz, reeling and may send her back to London. Aideen worries that her relationship with Conor won't survive the pressures of their planned double wedding with overbearing Eileen and manipulative Joe. Saira Khan throws herself into helping a troubled new arrival to Finfarran. Hanna enjoys getting closer to Brian until her ex-husband Malcolm returns, threatening her newfound contentment. As the club prepares for the first meeting of the summer, they’ll all face difficult choices. But will they get the happy endings they deserve?
Genre: Romance, Domestic Fiction
Availability:
Library:
Book: https://marcellus.biblionix.com/catalog/?st=48F866EAAFFF17DDB2AAA52C4C4BBEEB
MeLCat:
Club member comment(s): Member said this book was okay, but left them with questions at the end of the book. Club member preferred this one over the other one she read. (See previous book.)
Title and Author: “In Five Years” by Rebecca Serle
Description: Dannie is living the life she's always wanted: a great career as a corporate lawyer, about to be engaged to her boyfriend of two years, and everything is going exactly as she's planned. On the night of her engagement, she falls asleep and seemingly catches a glimpse of her life five years in the future.
Genre: Fiction & Literature
Availability:
Library:
Book: N/A
MeLCat:
Club member comment(s): This member said they did enjoy the book, however, it didn’t end like they had wanted it to! Did not recommend it.
Title and Author: “The Dinner List” by Rebecca Serle
Description: The Dinner List follows the story of Sabrina, who upon arriving at her thirtieth birthday dinner discovers four unexpected guests have joined the party - her late father, her former college professor, her ex-boyfriend and silver screen star Audrey Hepburn.
Genre: Romance, Magical Realism
Availability:
Library:
Book: N/A
MeLCat:
Club member comment(s): Member mentioned that this book just didn’t flow. Hard time reading/finishing for that reason. Wouldn’t recommend others to read it.
Title and Author: “The House I Loved” by Tatiana De Rosnay
Description: Rose Bazelet is determined to fight against the destruction of her family home until the very end; as others flee, she stakes her claim in the basement of the old house on rue Childebert, ignoring the sounds of change that come closer and closer each day.
Genre: Historical Fiction & Domestic Fiction
Availability:
Library:
Book: https://marcellus.biblionix.com/catalog/?st=7EC7B7AA0E3D6BC4FD52B5BFEE032751
MeLCat:
Club member comment(s): This member picked this book up through “Blind Date With A Book”. They mentioned this isn’t a book they would normally pick, but they really enjoyed it. Successful “Blind Date With A Book”! This member did say they had to look some words up due to this taking place in the 1850’s, but they learned new things!
Title and Author: “Iron Flame” by Rebecca Yarros
Description: Everyone expected Violet Sorrengail to die during her first year at Basgiath War College—Violet included. But Threshing was only the first impossible test meant to weed out the weak-willed, the unworthy, and the unlucky. Now the real training begins, and Violet's already wondering how she'll get through.
Genre: Romance, Fantasy
Availability:
Library:
Book: N/A
MeLCat:
Book: Available, but all copies are checked out.
Club member comment(s): Book Club member ended up buying this second book because they enjoyed the first one so much. Didn’t quite meet their standards; very disappointed in how the story went. Member wishes they built on to the characters more! They don’t regret reading it, but they will not read it again.
Our next Book Club meeting will be on January 4th, 2023 at 12PM! We really hope to see everyone there!!
Morgan Ludlow
Program Coordinator
Library Assistant
