What’s On Your Nightstand?
This is NOT your usual Book Club! There is no assigned reading…. We chat about books you’re currently reading, books you’ve loved, and the books you’ve always wanted to read.
Along with great book recommendations, our discussions have ranged from the design and appeal of book jackets, the e-book revolution, which books we reread and why, modern writers, the craft of writing, and the elements of great writing.
We all come away energized and eager for more. Drop-ins welcome!
WOYN was featured in a story on creative versions of the book group on the front page of The Wall Street Journal on November 8, 2023!
What’s On Your Nightstand meets at 10:30 on the 2nd Tuesday of each month. We usually offer a hybrid format – in person and via zoom. To join the group, contact facilitator Kathy Beaird.
Read Between the Lines
Want to talk about fiction? NWPL invites you to read between the lines!
We are fortunate to have Donna Steed facilitate the “Read Between the Lines,” a discussion group at Norman Williams Public Library with a focus on fiction.
The group meets monthly on the 4th Wednesday at 4 pm*. We offer a hybrid format – join us in person at the library OR log in via zoom. (Let us know so we can send the link.) Newcomers always welcome!
Donna is a retired Special Educator teacher/administrator who loves all books and has been involved with many different book clubs from Texas to London! She is a long time volunteer at NWPL, a board member of The Woodstock History Center, The Woodstock Garden Club, and member of The Friends of the Library.
* Occasionally, the date may change. Any adjustments will be noted on the Events Calendar.
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Upcoming…
The selection for December is Labyrinths by Jorge Luis Borges.
In January we will be discussing Loving Frank by Nancy Horan.
*NOTE: December meeting is a week early because of the holidays.
Previous Book Choices
2024 Books
January – Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story; Remaking a Life from Scratch by Erin French
February – West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
March – The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel
April – The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store: A Novel by James McBride
May – The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving
June – The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak
August – Pachinko by Min Jin Lee
September – The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
October –The Hare with Amber Eyes by Edmund de Waal
November – The World Set Free by H.G. Wells
November – Schmutz by Felicia Berliner
October – The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer
September – Anticipation by Melodie Winawer
August – The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton
July – Tomb of Sand by Gītāñjali Śrī, translated by Daisy Rockwell
June – no meeting
May – The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi
April – The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley
February – The Dinner by Herman Koch
January – The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
2022 Book Choices
November – The Reader by Bernard Schlink
October – The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
September – The Children’s Bible by Lydia Millet
August – A Book of Common Prayer by Joan Didion
July – On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
June – Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro
May – The Personal Librarian by Maria Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
April – The Patron Saint of Liars by Ann Patchett
March – Cloud Cuckoo Land by Anthony Doerr
Literary Pairs
Intrigued by how books relate to each other? Norman Williams Public Library invites you to join us for talk & treats!
Librarians Kathy Beaird and Lori Mitchell have teamed up to host “Literary Pairs,” a discussion of books that complement each other. Because there are two books to read for each meeting, this group will meet quarterly on the 1st Wednesday at 1 pm. Dessert will be provided!
If the subject piques your curiosity and it fits your schedule, please join us. Everyone is welcome!
Kathy has been in the book business (paid or unpaid) all her adult life and loved every minute of it. Lori has been matching readers and books for many years and has been happily ensconced at NWPL for the last seven.
The theme for the meeting on February 5 is “The Place I Call Home.” We will discuss Sweetland by Michael Crummey and Clear by Carys Davies.
Previous Themes and Books
2024
November – “There’s something to nothing” / A Woman in the Polar Night by Christiane Ritter and The Summer Book by Tove Jansson.
August – “Magnum Opus” / Things I Don’t Want to Know by Deborah Levy / The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon.
May – “Here and There; stories and voices of indigenous communities” / Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty and There, There by Tommy Orange.
February – “A single spark can start a huge fire” / When the Emperor Was Divine by Julie Otsuka / Our Missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
November – “Humor is a Superpower” / Born a Crime by Trevor Noah and Did Ye Hear Mammy Died by Seamus O’ReillyAugust – “Rural Life as Healing” / A Month in the Country by J. L. Carr and The Lost Garden by Helen Humphreys.
May – “Appalachian Experiences: Growing up in the shadows of the mountains” / Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver and Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith.
February – “Throwing the stones of silence” / Instructions for a Heatwave by Maggie O’Farrell, Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan.2022
May – Offbeat Narrators To Boggle Your Mind / 10 Minutes 38 Seconds in this Strange World by Elif Shafak, Nutshell by Ian McEwan
August – In the Blink of an Eye / Exit West by Moshin Hamid, Waiting for Snow in Havana by Carlos Eire
November – False Realities / The Turn of the Screw by Henry James, The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Read, Cook, Eat!
Do you like to read about cooking, experiment with recipes, share stories about food with others, and eat good food? If so, we invite you to help us launch “Read, Cook, Eat!”
In early 2025, we plan to meet monthly on the 3rd Tuesday at 6 pm.
Details may be found on the event listing page.
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Cookbook Selections
We have a holiday cookie – and other treats – exchange planned for the December meeting.
In January we will explore Nordic cooking. We are not featuring a single cookbook this month, rather encouraging everyone to explore the flavors of the region.
In February we plan to focus on Japanese cooking.
Previous Selections
2024
September – Sustainable Kitchen: Recipes and Inspiration for Plant-Based, Planet-Conscious Meals by Heather Wolfe & Jaynie McCloskey
October – Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking by Toni Tipton-Martin
November – Turkish recipes (no specific cookbook)
“One-off Book Discussions
Have you ever gotten to the end of a book and wanted–perhaps needed–to talk about it with someone else who has read it? Norman Williams Public Library is planning occasional “one-off” discussions as books that fit this category come to our attention.
Though all of the book groups at NWPL welcome readers to attend one or many meetings, these “one-off” gatherings will be book-initiated. Fiction, biography, history, or current events, we are open to all genres and topics. Please let us know if you have a suggestion!
We began on February 6 with The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese.