Book Club Picks

Fiction

The Sunday Wife by Cassandra King

Dean (Willodean) is known to all as the perfect preacher’s wife, until she meets Augusta Holderfield. When Dean and her husband, the Reverend Ben Lynch, move to a new town, and a more prestigious church, the two women soon become close friends. With the help of her new friend, and to the dismay of her husband, Dean soon discovers her voice – and it resonates throughout the book. Told in true Southern style, it gives us a peek into the lives of a preacher and his wife. We soon discover that much smolders just beneath the surface.

Non-Fiction

Dancing With the Wind: A True Story of Zen in the Art of Windsurfing by Dr. Laurie Nadel

Laurie Nadel, psychologist, wife, mother, reporter, windsurfer and spiritual seeker, tells her story of how she learned to windsurf using Zen as a way of finding balance within herself. In this courageous story, she tells readers of her struggles with an illness that has no cure, and how Zen and windsurfing helped her to achieve what she could never imagine. Nadel’s courage is a testament to everyone who reads her story about our innate ability to overcome adversity. Often funny, sad and ever insightful, this book is an inspirational read.

Children’s Fiction

The Turtle Saver by Laurie Parker

The Turtle Saver tells the story of the effects of a good deed in a whimsical, rhyming format that will delight parents and children alike. Beginning with the motorist who comes to aid the turtle as he attempts to cross the road, the tale describes the chain of events that follow the kind-hearted deed. A story for parents to read their children – or for children to read to their parents – that is sure to be a hit.

Fiction

Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Just in time for Christmas! This story revolves around a typical middle-aged American couple, Luther and Nora Krank. After bidding farewell to their daughter, Blair, who is off to work for the Peace Corp, the couple realizes that they will be alone for Christmas. Seeing this as an opportunity, Luther books a 10-day cruise, shrugging off the opinions of his friends and neighbors, he decides, “we won’t do Christmas!” But all does not turn out well – the pressure to conform leads to tension and readers are left wondering whether or not the couple will follow through with their plan and board the plane, leaving Christmas behind them. This light and funny story takes a stab at the crazier side of Christmas!

Non-Fiction

Homesick by Sela Ward

In this heartfelt memoir by Ward, the 46-year-old star of the 1990s sitcom hits Sisters and Once & Again, gives readers a peek at the small town Mississippi girl. Ward grew up in Meridian, Miss. – and has now returned there to begin settling down with her husband and two children. Ward takes us back to her Mississippi roots, she introduces us to her family and friends and shares with us her struggles to balance her busy Hollywood life with the simplicity and charm of the Mississippi lifestyle. She tells the tale of how she went from a cheerleader and homecoming queen at the University of Alabama to a fashion model and television star. The charming story will tug at your heartstrings and make you reflect on what “home” really is to you. A portion of the proceeds from the book will go to a foundation for abused and neglected children founded by Ward last year in Meridian.

Children’s Fiction

The Christmas Humbugs by Colleen Monroe, illustrated by Michael Glenn Monroe

Christmas is just around the corner but someone is playing tricks! The Humbugs are looking for “cheerful houses” where they can cause some mischief this season! So, who are the Humbugs? Are they nasty creatures trying to wreck havoc on the holiday? Quite the opposite is true. The furry little creatures are testing the Christmas spirit to see how strong it is in you! Children will be delighted by these colorful creatures that are sure to reveal that the Christmas spirit is alive and well, no matter what they do to try to sabotage it!

Children’s Fiction

There Were Monkeys in my Kitchen by Sheree Fitch

A young Willa Wellowby wakes up one morning to discover monkeys in her kitchen! All sorts of monkeys – baboons, gorillas and chimpanzees! Filled with catchy rhymes and crazy antics, Canadian author Sheree Fitch delights children young in old with this delightful story. Fitch calls what she does “utter-ature” instead of “literature,” saying her work is more like the spoken word (from uttering) and about being heard. This story speaks to the age-old oral tradition of storytelling and Fitch does a captures the musicality of how words sound to children. Great for young readers and an all-around wonderful addition to the family library!

Non-Fiction

Romancing the Ordinary by Sara Ban Breathnach

Author Sarah Ban Breathnach believes that women are endowed with seven senses. Along with the five senses, Ban Breathnach says that women possess a keen sense of knowing and wonder. “Women were created to experience, interpret, revel in, and unravel the mysteries of life through their senses,” she says. In her latest release, Ban Breathnach offers tips to women on how to free their “esensual” selves. Women will delight in the author’s assortment of ideas on ways that they can recapture the art of self-nurturing. This book will strike a chord among women who have spent so much time sacrificing themselves for others – only to find that it isn’t always worth it. This fun and easy read will enchant readers and guide them on a path to rediscovering the sensual experiences of everyday life!

Fiction

I Don’t Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson

Allison Pearson’s debut novel is devastatingly funny and has hit the fictional world with a storm! The narrator of the book, Kate Reddy, is the manager at an aggressive brokerage firm in London, England, and the mother of two small children who is frantically trying to keep her house and family from falling apart. Though intoxicated by her high-powered career, Reddy is keenly aware of the sacrifices she has made to be successful. In this fast-paced novel, through some laugh-out-loud moments, we envelope the very contemporary dilemma of how to ‘do it all.”

Non-Fiction Title and Author:

Organizing the Good Life: A Path to Joyful Simplicity by Celia Rocks

Celia Rocks has captured moments of life that can so easily slip away in the clutter of our daily lives. Follow the author as she takes us on a quest to escape from her suffocating debt, learn how to simplify her life and find a satisfying career, all while finding time for what truly matters in her life! By learning how to be organized, Rocks shows us what we have been missing. This book will help you uncover peaceful existence among the chaos of your daily life.

Children's Fiction Title and Author:

Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff

Newbery Award winning title, Lily's Crossing, is a story of friendship and so much more. Set in 1944, just after D-Day, the story follows the main character, Lily, as she and her family spend the summer in Rockaway in a house by the Atlantic Ocean. When Lily meets Albert, a refugee from Hungary, they form a special friendship where secrets are shared while others are spared. Many lessons are learned as this friendship grows, and Lily's life will never be the same. Share this story with your young reader!

Fiction Title and Author:

Perfect Match by Jodi Picoult

What would you do to protect your child? This question and many others come up in this legal thriller that's sure to keep you up nights guessing how it will all turn out. Author Jodi Picoult engages us right from the beginning by setting the tone of the novel and giving us some insight into the main character's working mother guilt.