Previous TBP Book Club Selections

These are the books we have read in past months of the TBP Book Club.  Visit each book's individual web page for more information about the book, the author, and related reading. Some of our book clubs are recorded and posted as MP3 Podcasts on our blog at: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/texastalkingbooks/?cat=20. Subscribe to the TBP blog to receive Book Club and other informative posts via email. 

Please contact a Reader's Advisory Librarian at 1-800-252-9605 or at tbp.ral@tsl.texas.gov with any questions or to RSVP to future Book Club discussions. All titles available from the TBP library. When you are ordering a title for TBP Book Club, let us know so we can get the title out to you as soon as possible. All selected titles are also available for download from BARD. Whether ordering or downloading, please let us know if you plan on joining our book club discussion.

September 2023 - Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor

Reexamines The Great Gatsby (DB 16147) through its female characters. Jay Gatsby is shot dead in his swimming pool. It appears to be a murder/suicide when the body of George Wilson, a local mechanic, is found in the woods nearby. Then a diamond hairpin is discovered, and three women fall under suspicion. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2022. DB 106770

---

July 2023 - Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto

When Meddelin Chan ends up accidentally killing her blind date, her mother calls for her meddlesome aunties to help get rid of the body. Unfortunately, the dead body is inadvertently shipped in a cake cooler to a wedding being planned by Meddy and her family. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2021.  DB 103081

---

June 2023 - Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift cleaning at the Sowell Bay Aquarium. Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors—until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2022. DB 107924; BR 24204

---

May 2023 - Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law by Mary Roach

Author of Grunt (DB 86098) analyzes the investigation and crafting of policy around human-wildlife interactions and conflicts. Roach highlights the work of animal-attack forensics investigators, human-elephant conflict specialists, bear managers, and "danger tree" faller blasters. She discusses the ways conservation efforts are influenced by human impact. Strong language and some violence. 2021. DB 105210; BR 23940; LB 13656

---

March 2023 - Wilder Girls by Rory Power

Teens Hetty, Byatt, and Reese go to extremes trying to uncover the dark truth about the Tox, a mysterious disease that has them in quarantine at their boarding school on a Maine island.  Violence and some strong language.  For senior high and older readers.  2019.  DB 96341

---

January 2023 - Goodbye to a River: A Narrative by John Graves

John Graves leads us through an exciting three-week trip down the Brazos River in this classic narrative.  An excellent history of the early inhabitants along the river is well woven into this engrossing book, with memories of events in Texas history that took place along that river.  Unrated.  DBC 26410

---

November 2022 - World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments by Aimee Nezhukumatathil

Poet shares twenty-eight essays exploring the impact of plants and animals on her perceptions of the world. In "Catalpa Tree," she reflects on growing up brown in a predominantly white town and the racism her mother experienced. Other species include the narwhal, axolotl, corpse flower, dragon fruit, and southern cassowary. Bestseller. 2020.  DB 100702; BR 23339

---

September 2022 - Personal Librarian by by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

In 1906, Belle da Costa Greene was hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library.  Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society, but she is African American passing as white.  Unrated.  Commercial audiobook.  Bestseller.  2021. DB 103929

---

July 2022 - Greenlights by Matthew McConaughey

Memoir from Academy Award-winning actor in films including Dazed and Confused and Dallas Buyers Club shares his experiences and his philosophy on life. He describes "greenlights" as the times when the universe gives us permission to try new things. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2020. DB 101312

---

June 2022 BONUS SUMMER READING PROGRAM BOOK CLUB DISCUSSION!

Gulf: The Making of an American Sea by Jack E. Davis

A history of the Gulf of Mexico, extending from the Pleistocene age until the twenty-first century.  Discusses the marine environment, its role in human society, and many of the individuals whose lives were intertwined with the Gulf.  2018 Pulitzer Prize for History. 2017.  DB 88197

---

May 2022 - Rules for Visiting by Jessica Francis Kane

When May Attaway is granted leave from her job as a university gardener, she decides to try to reconnect with friends she has neglected.  One by one, she seeks out four of them, and her outward quest for connection also becomes an inward journey of self-discovery. Some strong language. Commercial audiobook. 2019.  DB 95255; BR 22927

---

March 2022 - Finding Chika: A Little Girl, an Earthquake, and the Making of a Family by Mitch Albom

An inspirational biography of Chika Jeune, a Haitian orphan born just three days before the earthquake that decimated Haiti in 2010. Describes her life at an orphanage, her mysterious medical struggles, and the author’s fight to find a cure for her after taking her into his household. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller. 2019. DB 97729; LB 12661

---

January 2022 - The Time it Never Rained by Elmer Kelton

A cantankerous, independent-minded Texan, Charlie Flagg, fights to save his medium-sized ranch in Rio Seco during a drought.  His problems are compounded by ineffectual federal aid programs and difficulties with Mexican ranch workers.  Some strong language.  1973.  DB 49217; LB 03803

---

November 2021 - Hope of the Crow: Tales of Occupying Aging by Katherine Schneider

The author reflects on life with disabilities and aging through seven years of vignettes of her life. She describes her work as a grass-roots activist, her personal life, and her beliefs. 2020.  DB 101220; BR 23482

Dr. Schneider joined us for our discussion of Hope of the Crow.  Here’s an audio recording of our interview: Dr. Katherine Schneider HOPE OF THE CROW Q & A (MP3)

A transcript of our conversation with Dr. Schneider is here: DR. KATHERINE SCHNEIDER Q & A 11.16.21 (PDF)

---

September 2021 - Sam Houston and the Alamo Avengers: The Texas Victory that Changed American History by Brian Kilmeade

An account of America’s continued fight for Texas after the crushing massacre at the Alamo.  The author describes how that defeat galvanized Texans to ultimately win independence for the state.  Unrated. Commercial audiobook.  Bestseller.  2019.  DB 97726; LB 12663

---

July 2021 - What You Wish For by Katherine Center

Samantha Casey loves being an elementary school librarian in Galveston, Texas until her school gets a new principal: Duncan Carpenter, Samantha’s former crush.  Unfortunately, Duncan is not the fun-loving goof she once knew and is soon turning the school into a veritable prison with his safety concerns.  Unrated.  Commercial audiobook.  2020.  DB 99569

---

June 2021 - Bonus READ ACROSS TEXAS Book Club Discussion!

What Unites Us: Reflections on Patriotism by Dan Rather

Essays from the television journalist and his longtime collaborator that celebrate the values that tend to be shared throughout America, particularly those related to patriotism.  Topics discussed include public institutions such as parks and libraries, the drive for innovation, and more. Narrated by Dan Rather. Commercial audiobook. Bestseller.  2017. DB 90479; BR 22457

The Talking Book Program is participating in the Read Across Texas initiative sponsored by the Texas Center for the Book. In honor of this event, we will be hosting a bonus book club meeting so that our patrons can participate in this year’s event. For more information visit https://www.tsl.texas.gov/readacrosstexas.
 

---

May 2021 - The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead

1962. Elwood Curtis lives with his grandmother, works when not in school, and admires Dr. Martin Luther King.  But one innocent mistake sees him sentenced to reform school—the Nickel Academy.  There he meets Turner, whose skepticism challenges Elwood.  Their friendship has repercussions in the sadistic school.  Violence and strong language.  Commercial audiobook.  Bestseller.   2020 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction.  2019.  DB 95925; BR 22817; LB 12153

---

 March 2021 - The Body: A Guide for Occupants by Bill Bryson

Guides readers through the human body—how it functions, its remarkable ability to heal itself, and the ways it can fail.  Using facts—your body made a million red blood cells since you started reading this—and anecdotes, creates a deeper understanding of the miracle that is you.  Unrated.  Commercial audiobook.  Bestseller.  2019.  DB 96770; LB 12649

---

January 2021 - The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson

Kentucky, 1936.  Nineteen-year-old Cussy Mary Carter has been working as part of the Pack Horse Library Project, but her father hopes she’ll marry—despite the family trait of blue skin. In addition to her father’s hopes, Cussy must also face the prejudice of the community she serves. Some violence. 2019. DB 95243; LB 12752

---

November 2020 - Woman's Hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote by Elaine F. Weiss

An account of the battle to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment when, in 1920, Tennessee was the last state whose assent was needed.  Discusses the women fighting for ratification and the opposing forces, including politicians, liquor companies, and railroad magnates.  Some strong language.  Commercial audiobook.  2018.  DB 90697; LB 09425

---

October 2020 - Butterfly Yellow by Thanhha Lai

In the final days of the Vietnam War, Hang takes her little brother, Linh, to the airport, determined to find a way to safety in America. When Linh is ripped from her arms, Hang is left behind. Years later she is reunited with Linh, who remembers nothing. Commercial audiobook. For senior high and older readers. 2019.  DB 97144

Every year, the Library of Congress asks each state Center for the Book to select a title that represents the state’s literary landscape to highlight at the National Book Festival. The event showcases the importance of books and reading. The festival is sponsored by the Library of Congress and takes place during Labor Day weekend in Washington, D.C.

In honor of this event, the Texas Talking Book Program will host a Bonus Book Club meeting so that our patrons can participate in the Great Texas Read initiative. The Great Texas Read is an event sponsored by Texas Center for the Book.

---

September 2020 - The Dutch House by Ann Patchett

Through a canny investment at the end of World War II, Cyril Conroy lifts his family out of poverty.  His first order of business is to buy the lavish Dutch House.  But this purchase brings only heartache to his loved ones—including children Danny and Maeve.  Some strong language.  Commercial audiobook.  2019.  DB 96739; BR 22980; LB 12756

---

July 2020 - The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

Grieving widower Arthur eats lunch in the cemetery every day, to be near his wife's grave.  There he meets troubled teenage Maddy, and the pair form a friendship that helps them both out of their isolation.  Some strong language and some descriptions of sex.  Commercial audiobook.  2017.  DB 89990; BR 22155

---

May 2020 - The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

1974. Former Vietnam prisoner of war Ernt Allbright moves his family, including wife Cora and thirteen-year-old daughter Leni, north to Alaska.  While the weather is temperate, the family survives on the generosity of locals.  But when winter descends, Ernt's mental health fractures.  Unrated.  Commercial audiobook.  Bestseller.  2018.   DB 90090

---

March 2020 - The Friend: A Novel by Sigrid Nunez

A writing professor is mourning the suicide of her best friend and mentor, a famous author.  She takes responsibility for Apollo, her friend's huge Great Dane, finding in the dog someone to share her immense grief.  Some descriptions of sex.  Commercial audiobook.  Bestseller.  2018.  DB 90286

---

January 2020 - Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover

Memoir exploring the author's path from being raised in a fundamentalist, paranoiac Mormon family where she was homeschooled to eventually working her way to graduate degrees at Cambridge and Harvard.  Discusses hardships faced by the family, abuse at the hands of a sibling, and more.  Violence and strong language.  Bestseller.  2018.  DB 90188; BR 22656; LB 10807

---

December 2019 - My Name is Lucy Barton by Elizabeth Strout

In the hospital, recovering from what should have been a simple operation, Lucy Barton gets a visit from her estranged mother. While her mother shares gossip from home, Lucy thinks back on her past and their difficult relationship. Unrated. Commercial audiobook. 2016.  DB 83379

---

October 2019 - Kitchens of the Great Midwest by J. Ryan Stradal

Jesuit priest recalls his experience working with gangs in Los Angeles County for more than two decades.  Discusses ministering in jails and starting Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program that offers education, job training, tattoo removal, and employment.  Includes spiritual reflections and vignettes of his clients.  Some strong language.  Bestseller.  2010.  DB 82282

---

August 2019 - Bonus READ ACROSS TEXAS Book Club Discussion!

Tattoos on the Heart: The Power of Boundless Compassion by Greg Boyle

Jesuit priest recalls his experience working with gangs in Los Angeles County for more than two decades.  Discusses ministering in jails and starting Homeboy Industries, a gang-intervention program that offers education, job training, tattoo removal, and employment.  Includes spiritual reflections and vignettes of his clients.  Some strong language.  Bestseller.  2010.  DB 70899

READ ACROSS TEXAS encourages communities to engage in challenging, insightful and transformative conversations.  We invite libraries and organizations across Texas to participate in this effort by using books to open dialogue and explore what “knowing your neighbor” could mean within their communities.

For more information about Read Across Texas, visit https://www.tsl.texas.gov/readacrosstexas.

---

July 2019 - Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman

Socially awkward and perpetually cranky, Eleanor works a boring office job and avoids dealing with other people whenever possible.  She begins to open up after she develops a crush on a local musician and also becomes friendly with Raymond, the new IT guy.  Strong language.  Commercial audiobook. 2017.  DB 87829; LB 09081

---

May 2019 - God Save Texas: A Journey Into the Soul of the Lone Star State by Lawrence Wright

An examination of the history, culture, demographics, economics, and politics of Texas in the early twenty-first century, along with personal reflections by the author of The Looming Tower (DB 63287; BR 17079).  Unrated.  Commercial audiobook.  2018.  DB 90876; LB 09378

---

March 2019 - Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Elena Richardson and her family lead an orderly existence in Shaker Heights, Ohio, until Mia and her daughter rent a house from them.  When a neighbor tries to adopt a baby, Elena and Mia end up on opposing sides of the custody battle.  Some strong language and some descriptions of sex.  Commercial audiobook.  2017. DB 89018; BR 22149

---

January 2019 - American Wolf: A True Story of Survival and Obsession in the West by Nate Blakeslee

Examination of the return of wolves to Yellowstone National Park, focusing on biologist Rick McIntyre and matriarch wolf O-Six.  Discusses the impact of wolves on the Yellowstone ecosystem, O-Six’s celebrity in the early days of social media, and the sentiment of area hunters and ranchers.  Unrated.  Commercial audiobook.  2017.  DB 89975

---

November 2018 - Before We Were Yours: A Novel by Lisa Wingate

The five Foss children are left alone at home in 1930s Mississippi and subsequently kidnapped by notorious child dealer Georgia Tann.  In the present day, Avery Stafford meets elderly May--who used to be Rill Foss and is the sister of Avery’s Grandma Judy.  Avery investigates her family’s history.  Unrated.  Commercial audiobook.  2017.  BR 21971; DB 88202

---

September 2018 - Hidden Figures: The American Dream and The Untold Story of The Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly

Daughter of a NASA engineer profiles the black women who worked for NASA, and its predecessor NACA, as human computers.  Discusses their lives prior to joining NACA/NASA, the challenges they faced due to gender and race discrimination, and their impact on the space program.  Basis for the 2016 movie.  2016.  BR 21798; DB 86234

---

July 2018 - My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry: A Novel by Fredrik Backman

Seven-year-old Elsa is acknowledged as weird.  The grandmother she lives with is flat-out crazy, but she shares tales of the fairyland of Miamas.  When her grandmother dies, Elsa is entrusted with delivering letters of apology and learns about her place in the world.  Translated from the original 2013 Swedish edition.  2014.  DB 83204

---

May 2018 - News of the World by Paulette Jiles

1870. Captain Kidd rides across Texas delivering the news of the day.  He is asked to take ten-year-old Johanna Leonberger, recently rescued from a Kiowa tribe, to her family near San Antonio.  The captain must deal with Johanna's inability to reacclimate to white culture.  Some violence and some strong language.  2016.  BR 21741; DB 86668

---

March 2018 - Hillbilly Elegy by J. D. Vance

Memoir of growing up in the Ohio Rust Belt in a family culture rooted in Scots-Irish Appalachia.  Explores political themes affecting these community cultures through the lens of personal and familial experiences.  Discusses what it took to go from nearly failing high school to graduating from Yale Law School.  Some strong language.  Bestseller.  2016.  DB 85796; LB 08948

---

January 2018 - Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit by Michael Finkel

 

In 1986, twenty-year-old Christopher Knight drove to Maine and disappeared into the forest.  He did not speak to another human being until he was arrested for stealing food nearly thirty years later.  Discusses his survival in the wilderness in the intervening decades.  Unrated.  Commercial audiobook.  Bestseller.  2017.  DB 87555

---

November 2017 - Did You Ever Have a Family by William Clegg

The night before her daughter’s wedding, June Reid loses her entire family when a fire destroys their home.  Numb, she takes off across the country.  But June is not the only one affected by the tragedy, and multiple stories weave together a picture of the disaster.  Some strong language.  Bestseller.  2015.  BR 21238; DB 82942

---

October 2017 - The Road to Character by David Brooks

The author of The Social Animal (DB 72914) looks at the lives of ten famous men and women known for having overcome personal weakness to achieve outward success and inner worth.  Each exemplifies humility, hard work, and devotion to a cause.  Commercial audiobook.  Bestseller.  Some violence, some strong language and some descriptions of sex.  DB 81325; LB 08536

---

August 2017 - Friendswood by Rene Steinke

Friendswood, Texas, is a small Gulf Coast town of church suppers, oil rigs on the horizon, hurricane weather, and high school football games.  When a local disaster threatens the peace, it pulls on the common thread that runs through the community.  The town learns that the actions of a few can change the lives and well-being of many.  Strong language and some descriptions of sex.  2014.  DBC 02749; DR 04195; LB 07975

---

June 2017 - The One-Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared by Jonas Jonasson

Sweden.  On his one-hundredth birthday, former demolitions expert Allan Karlsson escapes from an old folks’ home, steals a suitcase filled with money, and begins a madcap adventure running from criminals and the police.  Originally published in Swedish in 2009.  Some strong language.  2012.  DB 75820; LB 07275

---

April 2017 - The Boys in the Boat by Daniel Brown

Recounts the accomplishments of nine working-class athletes from the University of Washington who beat elite teams at home and abroad and won the gold medal for rowing at the 1936 Nazi-orchestrated Berlin Olympics.  Bestseller.  2013.  BR 21495; DB 77138; LB 08692

---

March 2017 - You Know When the Men are Gone by Shiobhan Fallon

There is an army of women waiting for their men to return in Fort Hood, Texas.  Through a series of loosely interconnected stories, Fallon takes the readers onto the base, inside the homes, into the marriages and families not seen by the public.  When the men are gone, babies still cry, telephones ring, Saturday morning cartoons screech, but without the men, there is a sense of muted silence, a sense of muted life.  Strong language, violence and some descriptions of sex.  2011.  DBC 07274; DT 07103; LB 06752

---

February 2017 - Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Working-class English girl Louisa “Lou” Clark is hired as an aide to wealthy Will Traynor, a former mogul who has been paralyzed since a road accident.  Lou tries to keep the embittered Will engaged with the world, while Will encourages Lou to expand her horizons.  Some strong language.  Bestseller.  2012.  DB 76161

---

November 2016 - Go Set a Watchman by Harper Lee

Twenty years after the events of To Kill a Mockingbird (DB 77672), Jean Louise Finch (once known as Scout) returns home to Maycomb, Alabama.  She confronts the racism of her hometown in the 1950s, including the views of Atticus, the father she idolizes. Some strong language.  Bestseller.  2015.  DB 81896

---

August 2016 – The Revenant by Michael Punke

Missouri River tributaries, 1823. When a trapper is mauled by a grizzly, he is left behind with two volunteers who soon abandon him.  Deserted, defenseless, and enraged, he vows to survive--and exact his revenge. Based on the real life of fur trapper Hugh Glass. Someviolence and some strong language. 2002.  DB 59088

---

July 2016 – The Rosie Project by Graeme C. Simsion

Socially stunted geneticist Don Tillman embarks on an endeavor he calls the Wife Project.  As he quantifies the qualities of a perfect wife, he encounters Rosie, who seeks Don's help in identifying her real father.  Some strong language and some descriptions of sex.  Bestseller.  2013.  BR 20455; DB 78150

---

May 2016 - The Family Romanov: murder, rebellion and the fall of Imperial Russia by Candace Fleming and  Paul Michael

Recounts when Russia's last tsar, Nicholas II, inherited the throne in 1894, and how he was unprepared to do so.  Details how the Romanov family lived a life of opulence as World War I raged outside their door and political unrest grew into the Russian Revolution.  Commercial audiobook.  For senior high and older readers.  2014.  DB 79654

---

March 2016 – All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

When Paris is invaded by the Nazis, Marie-Laure LeBlanc's father evacuates her to St. Malo to stay with her great-uncle.  Blind since the age of six, Marie-Laure must learn the town by the scale model her father has left.  Then, the Germans arrive.  Violence and descriptions  of sex.  Bestseller.  2014.  BT 03886; DB 75192; LB 08913

---

January 2016 – Midnight Plan of the Repo Man by W. Bruce Cameron

Former college football star Ruddy McCann has become a repo man, bar bouncer, and car thief.  One day Ruddy hears the voice of a dead realtor in his head demanding help in finding his murderers.  But soon the voice begins demanding Ruddy clean up his act--and his apartment.  Some strong language.  2014.  BR 21922; DB 80722

---

November 2015 - The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman

---

September 2015 - Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed