Moke Hill READS Book Club

Oct 12, 2017 by contributor

NEXT MEETING:  Tuesday November 7 — 7 PM, Moke Hill Library/Archives

November 7, 2017.  The Nest, by Cynthia D’Aprix Sweeney.  A warm, funny and acutely perceptive debut novel about four adult siblings and the shared inheritance that has shaped their lives. Years of simmering tensions reach a breaking point as Melody, Beatrice, and Jack Plumb gather to confront their charismatic and reckless older brother, Leo, whose recent accident endangers the joint trust fund that they are mere months away from receiving. The author brings a remarkable cast of characters to life to illuminate what money does to relationships, what happens to our ambitions over the course of time, and the fraught yet unbreakable ties we share with those we love.

December 5, 2017.  The Chrysalids, by John Wyndham.  A classic Sci-Fi from 1955, David lives in a post-apocalyptic world after a devastating global nuclear war several thousand years before.  His homeland is dominated by genetic fundamentalists who purge all human, plant, and animal life that deviates from a pre-war standard. Born with unusual mental powers, David and his friends flee to the Fringes and beyond where alternative communities developed. The story resonates as much today with the rise of religious and scientific dogmatism as when it was written during the cold war.

January 2, 2018.  My Family and Other Animals, by Gerald Durrell.  When the widow Durrell and her four children could no longer endure the damp, grey English climate, they impulsively sold all and established themselves on the Greek island of Corfu.  The family’s adventures from 1935-39 is delightfully recounted by the youngest son, Gerald, who at age 10 was a budding naturalist, incorporating toads, geckoes, geese, bats, and puppies into the home. His memoir recounts hilarious escapades of family members and eccentric hangers-on and — the best news — this book is Part One of a trilogy.

Moke Hill Reads Book Club:  First Tuesday of every month. No commitment, No attendance taken, No restrictions, No membership, No dues. For everyone interested in good books and discussions about them. Sponsored by the Mokelumne Hill Friends of the Library. Send your email address or watch for announcements on mokehill.org and other news sources. Contact Janet Dock:  janetdock@me.com