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… (note, a change for May…)
The selection for May is The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving.
In June, we will discuss The Island of Missing Trees by Elif Shafak.
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
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 topic for the meeting on May 1 is “Here and There; stories and voices of indigenous communities.” We will discuss Night of the Living Rez by Morgan Talty and There, There by Tommy Orange.
Previous Themes and Books
2024
“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
“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.
Green Books
Want to learn about sustainability? “Green Books” at NWPL is a book discussion group where we explore non-fiction writing about the environment and sustainability.
We thank Ben Kogan — a local musician and founder Reusable Solutions whose mission is to get the world to break free from fossil fuels and eradicate single-use plastic — for getting this group up and running.
This group is on hiatus as we evaluate meeting times and find a new facilitator.
Previous Book Discussions
October – Changing Landscapes: Exploring the Growth of Ethical, Compassionate, and Environmentally Sustainable Green Funeral Practices compiled and edited by Lee Webster
September – A Sand County Almanac by Aldo Leopold
August – no meeting
July – Less is More: How Degrowth Will Save the World by Jason Hickel
May & June – Biomimicry: Innovation Inspired by Nature by Janine M. Benyus
April –Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? by Bill McKibben
March – Cadillac Desert: The American West and Its Disappearing Water by Marc Reisner
February – Pretty Good House: A Guide to Creating Better Homes by Michael Maines
January – Eat Like a Fish: My Adventures Farming the Ocean to Fight Climate Change by Bren Smith2022
December – Our Only World by Wendell Berry
November – Entangled Life: How Fungi Make Our Worlds, Change Our Minds & Shape Our Futures by Merlin Sheldrake
October – Dirt to Soil: One Family’s Journey Into Regenerative Agriculture by Gabe Brown
September – Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer
August – Electrify: An Optimist’s Playbook for Our Clean Energy Future by Saul Griffith.
July – The Hidden Life of Trees: What They Feel, How They Communicate–Discoveries from a Secret World by Peter Wohlleben
June – Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming edited by Paul Hawken
April & May – Cradle to Cradle: Remaking the Way We Make Things by William McDonough and Michael Braungart<
March – Can I Recycle This?: A Guide to Better Recycling and How to Reduce Single-Use Plastics by Jennie Romer