Thank You for Taking Reading Group Choices'
Annual Favorite Books Survey!
The results and winners will be announced in June!
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Fresh Fiction Ideas for Discussion
Orhan's Inheritance by Aline Ohanesian
 A #1 Indie Next Pick, A Library Journal Editor’s Pick, A Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers Selection
When Orhan’s brilliant and eccentric grandfather, who built a dynasty out of making kilim rugs, is found dead, submerged in a vat of dye, Orhan inherits the decades-old business. But his grandfather has left the family estate to a stranger thousands of miles away, Seda, an aging woman in a retirement home in Los Angeles. Over time, Orhan begins to unearth the story that eighty-seven-year-old Seda so closely guards—a story that, if it’s told, has the power to undo the legacy upon which Orhan’s family is built and could unravel Orhan’s own future.
The Walls Around Us by Nova Ren Suma
 The Walls Around Us is a ghostly story of suspense told in two voices—one still living and one dead. On the outside, there’s Violet, an eighteen-year-old dancer days away from the life of her dreams when something threatens to expose the shocking truth of her achievement. On the inside, within the walls of a girls’ juvenile detention center, there’s Amber, locked up for so long she can’t imagine freedom. Tying these two worlds together is Orianna, who holds the key to unlocking all the girls’ darkest mysteries.
Wishful Thinking by Kamy Wicoff
 Wishful Thinking follows Jennifer Sharpe, a divorced mother of two with a problem just about any working parent can relate to: her boss expects her to work as though she doesn’t have children, and her children want her to care for them as though she doesn’t have a boss. But when, through a fateful coincidence, a brilliant physicist comes into possession of Jennifer’s phone and decides to play fairy godmother, installing a miraculous time-travel app called Wishful Thinking, Jennifer suddenly finds herself in possession of what seems like the answer to the impossible dream of having it all.
Visible City by Tova Mirvis
 With enormous empathy and a keen observational eye, Mirvis introduces a constellation of characters we all know: twenty-somethings unsure about commitments they haven’t yet made; thirty-somethings unsure about the ones they have; and sixty-somethings whose empty nest summons regret and doubt. From its lavish ghost subway stations to its hidden stained glass windows, Visible City conjures a New York teeming with buried treasures, casualties of a metropolis always in flux—not unlike its inhabitants, who must confront their own hidden desires and, eventually, weigh the comforts of stability against the urge for change.
A Sister to Honor by Lucy Ferriss
 Afia Satar is studious, modest, and devout. The daughter of a landholding family in northern Pakistan, Afia has enrolled in an American college with the dream of returning to her country as a doctor. But when a photo surfaces online of Afia holding hands with an American boy, she is suddenly no longer safe—even from the family that cherishes her. Rising sports star Shahid Satar has been entrusted by his family to watch over his sister, Afia, from the dangerous customs of America. Shahid was the one who convinced their parents to allow her to come to the United States. He never imagined he’d be ordered to cleanse the stain of her shame. |
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Fresh YA Idea for Discussion
Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures
by Kate DiCamillo, Illustrator K.G. Campbell
 Holy unanticipated occurrences! A cynic meets an unlikely superhero in the Newbery award winning novel by master storyteller Kate DiCamillo.
It begins, as the best superhero stories do, with a tragic accident that has unexpected consequences. The squirrel never saw the vacuum cleaner coming, but self-described cynic Flora Belle Buckman, who has read every issue of the comic book Terrible Things Can Happen to You!, is the just the right person to step in and save him. What neither can predict is that Ulysses (the squirrel) has been born anew, with powers of strength, flight, and misspelled poetry — and that Flora will be changed too, as she discovers the possibility of hope and the promise of a capacious heart. From #1 New York Times best-selling author Kate DiCamillo comes a laugh-out-loud story filled with eccentric, endearing characters and featuring an exciting new format — a novel interspersed with comic-style graphic sequences and full-page illustrations, all rendered in black-and-white by up-and-coming artist K. G. Campbell.
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In honor of National Shakespeare Day, April 23rd, we are hosting a special contest. 10 Lucky Winners will each receive this wonderful book package celebrating the life of William Shakespeare!
This package includes: The Shakespeare Book, a definitive and beautiful guide, which was just published in March by DK; the exciting novel, The Millionaire and the Bard, which will be published in May (you'll be ahead of your reading group getting into this one!); The Nine Lives of William Shakespeare, an extremely interesting analysis, which creatively imagines Shakespeare's possible lives; the fun and creative novel, William Shakespeare's The Phantom of Menace, which is not just for Star Wars fans; and last but not least, two works by Shakespeare himself!
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Happy Poetry Month!
We are so glad to provide this poetry list. There are so many wonderful books coming out right now related to poetry. Yes, there are beautiful collections of poetry, but there are also essays on poetry, novels with poet characters, and books written in lyric prose.
We had a really hard time (harder even than usual!), narrowing down our list, but we ended with 20. There are fiction, nonfiction, poetry, young adult, and picture books. There are translations, and books that include photos and illustrations. These books question and inspire readers of all ages. A majority of these books are new, but there are a couple older titles we couldn't pass up—their messages are too important and timeless.
Poetry is an important part of all cultures, and it is an important form of writing and reading. We hear from many readers that they don't choose poetry books because they don't know how to read poetry. But many of the poets represented here are showing you that you don't need to "know how to read" their books, as long as you enjoy them, and are effected by them in some way. So, we hope you try!
"—Mommy, my fish is going to die! Come quickly! Leon is going to die of boredom! Arthur’s mommy looks at him. She closes her eyes, she opens her eyes ... Then she smiles: —Hurry, give him a poem!"
—This is a Poem That Heals Fish
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Congratulations to Our April Little Free Library Winner!
Tanya from Crystal, Minnesota
To continue our support of The Little Free Library Organization, we have created a program with LFL where library stewards from around the world can enter a monthly contest to win the books featured in our themed book lists. Our April LFL winner is in Crystal, Minnesota, and will receive books from our book-loving list of Bookish Books.
My neighborhood consists mainly of adults (and a few kids) who all love to read! The neighbors across the street are stewards of a community LFL in one of the local parks, and my husband and I are stewards of a LFL in our front yard. We get lots of walkers, especially at lunchtime, who walk along our street towards the park at one end and the nature trail at the other. We don't have any special themes, just a big love of books. We had a grand opening party and our neighborhoods all brought books to donate, and I keep finding more and more in the LFL and in big bags at our door. It's so great to live in a neighborhood with others who love books! We would all (the whole neighborhood) love to read these books about books. My mom and brother-in-law both have plans to put up LFLs in their yards, so I would donate some of these, along with others from my stash, as "LFL-warming" presents.
My husband built our LFL out of leftover supplies from a previous project. He modified the plans of a birdhouse design I had found. We live in an neighborhood full of mid-century modern homes, so I wanted a LFL that reflected our neighborhood.
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April's Spotlight Book Club
Bookers
Our Book Club met for the first time on September 21, 1989. Originally, after we really became organized, the group decided to call ourselves "The Happy Bookers" as a play off of the popular book of the day Happy Hooker. Later some ladies objected to that although we had a lot of laughs from everyone who heard us tell them our Book Club name. So we are now just Bookers. We have a bit more uniqueness than being a very long-lived Book Club. We are all members of the Lake Gaston Ladies Club. In fact, Bookers is just one of currently 23 Activity Groups of the LGLC. All of us live around Lake Gaston. There are 5 counties in 2 states (Virginia & North Carolina) encompassing Lake Gaston. The LGLC now has 449 members. Bookers has spawned one of the other Activity Groups, Stage One. That Activity Group writes and performs a play once a year. Bookers size has waxed and waned over the years (our group was as large as 70 members one year), but we have stayed together through our love of reading and discussing and sharing books. We've met in homes, church fellowship halls, and now one of the local fire department's bingo halls.
Our mission statement is: "The purpose of the Happy Bookers is to share a mutual love of books and reading, as well as other aspects of cultural arts and education."
Become one of our Spotlight Book Clubs:
Email us at info@readinggroupchoices.com with a picture of your book group and description of what makes your reading group unique. If your book club is chosen, we will send you and your group a box of books to share!
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 Reading Group Choices 2015 is available for purchase as an ebook or print book on our website. We hope you enjoy the variety of books we have recommended this year. As always, thank you to our readers for your continued support, interest, and passion for books!
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