Hawthorne Bookish Sort Book Club

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Hawthorne Bookish Sort Book Club illustration with steaming coffee in a mug with an open book in the background

The Bookish Sort Book Club meets the first Thursday of each month at 4:30 p.m. in the Hawthorne Branch Meeting Room. Join us for lively discussions of fiction and nonfiction titles selected by participants in this vibrant, member-led group!


The Bookish Sort Book Club met on Thursday, Nov. 2 at 4:30 p.m. at the Hawthorne Branch Library, with six of us attending, to discuss Hidden Figures, led by Joyce King.

As you might imagine, we had an interesting discussion of Hidden Figures. Several people mentioned their work/school experiences as women during the 50s and 60s, which were similar to those of the people discussed in the book. We talked about the role of the federal government in facilitating racial and gender changes in the workplace as shown in this book. The “glass ceiling" in the environment of these women continuing today was also a topic of our discussion. Looking on the bright side, we applauded the Nobel Prize winner Katalin Kariko with Drew Weissman on Oct. 2, for their discoveries that led to the development of effective vaccines against COVID-19. I am not doing justice to the broad topics of our discussion including the treatment of minorities in our society, expectations and opportunities for women and minorities, the parenting role, and much more. You had to be here to experience the interesting discussion of the group with such broad backgrounds. 


Upcoming Meeting: Thursday, Dec. 7 at 4:30 p.m. - Discussant: Candy

For our December meeting, discussant Candy will choose a holiday-themed reading which she will read aloud, followed by discussion. As there is no reading that needs to be completed prior to the meeting, this is a perfect time to join us! Happy holidays!

Jan. 4 - A Woman of No Importance by Sonia Purnell - Discussant: Joy


Events of interest:

Tuesday, Nov. 14 at 6:45 p.m.: Santa Fe Audubon Chapter program on cardinals by Debbie Seving at Trinity Episcopal Parish Hall, 204 SR 26, downtown Melrose. 

Saturday, Dec. 9 from 5 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.: Holiday Open House at the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park. Holiday decorations in the farmhouse, refreshments, holiday music, and more. Admission to the event is free with the park entry fee.

Saturday, Jan. 13 at 1:30 p.m.:  Writer’s talk at the Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings Historic State Park. Marisella Veiga, Famous Florida Recipes: Centuries of Good Eating in the Sunshine State. A modern revision of Lowis Carlton’s beloved classic. Marisella Veiga, an award-winning journalist and short story writer, is also the author of We Carry Our Homes with Us: A Cuban-American Memoir.  Book signing and food sampling at 1:30; presentation with questions and answers at 2 p.m..  Admission to the event is free with the park entry fee. 

Here are some links to discover new titles and authors.

  • LibraryThing: Catalog your books online A community of 2,800,000 book lovers. LibraryThing connects you to people who read what you do. LibraryThing is an app and website for cataloging your books and getting recommendations and has been a social cataloging site for book lovers since 2005.

  • NPR: Books We Love Great reads thoughtfully curated by NPR. What would you like to read? Mix and match the filters below and the years above to explore more than 3,200 recommendations from NPR staff and trusted critics.

Send Cameron (cburris@aclib.us) any news or announcements you would like to see added to this blog.

2013
Hawthorne Book Club Selections for 2013
DateTitleAuthor
September 5The YearlingMarjorie Kinnan Rawlings
October 4South Moon UnderMarjorie Kinnan Rawlings
November 7The Last RunawayTracy Chavelier
December 5Their Eyes Were Watching GodZora Neale Hurston

                          

 2014
Hawthorne Book Club Selections for 2014
DateTitleAuthor
January 2Housekeeping: A NovelMarilynne Robinson
February 6The Occupation of Eliza GoodeShelley Fraser Mickle
March 6Gone GirlGillian Flynn
April 3Killing Mister WatsonPeter Matthiessen
May 1Queen of OctoberShelley Fraser Mickle
June 5The Elegance of the HedgehogMuriel Barbary
July 3People of the Book: A NovelGeraldine Brooks
August 7The Professor and the MadmanSimon Winchester
September 4ArtifactsMary Anna Evans
October 2Devil in the White CityErik Larson
November 6Women of the SilkGail Tsukiyama
December 4The Boys in the BoatDaniel James Brown

 

2015

 

Hawthorne Book Club Selections for 2015
DateTitleAuthor
January 8The Monuments MenRobert M. Edsel
February 5South of BroadPat Conroy
March 5The Hunting DogsJohn Horst
April 2The Bookman's Tale: A Novel of ObsessionCharlie Lovett
May 7Olive KitteridgeElizabeth Stout
June 4Middlesex: A NovelJeffrey Eugenides
July 9The GoldfinchDonna Tartt
August 6The Girl on the TrainPaula Hawkins
September 3Immortal Life of Henrietta LacksRebecca Skloot
October 1Isaac's StormErik Larson
November 5Literary Potluck 
December 3The Short and Tragic Life of Robert PeaceJeff Hobbs

 

2016
Hawthorne Book Club Selections for 2016
DateTitleAuthor
January 7The Storied Life of A. J. FikryGabrille Zevin
February 4All the Light We Cannot SeeAnthony Doerr
March 3To Kill a Mockingbird/Go Set a WatchmanHarper Lee
April 7The Shipping NewsAnnie Proulx
May 5TracksRobyn Davidson
June 2The Razor's EdgeW. Somerset Maugham
July 7Water for ElephantsSara Guren
August 4Still LifeLouise Penny
October 19And The Good News IsDana Perino
November 3Literary Potluck 
December 1The Human, the Orchid, and the OctopusJacques Cousteau and Susan Schiefelbein
   
2017
Hawthorne Book Club Selections for 2017
DateTitleAuthor
January 5Major Pettigrew's Last StandHelen Simonson
February 2Cross CreekMarjorie Kinnan Rawlings
March 2Grapes of WrathJohn Steinbeck
April 6The SympathizerViet Thanh Nguyen
May 4Life of PiYann Martel
June 1Little Paris BookshopNina George
July 6Lab GirlHope Jahern
August 3SummerEdith Wharton
September 7*cancelled due to Hurricane Irma* 
October 5The WhipKaren Kondazian
November 2Literary Potluck & Choosing Book Club Name, The Bookish Sort Book Club 
December 7The Dark Flood RiseMargaret Drabble

 

2018
Hawthorne Book Club Selections for 2018
DateTitleAuthor
January 4The WidowFiona Barton
February 1*no meeting* 
March 1A Man Called Ove: A NovelFredrick Backman
April 5H is for HawkHelen MacDonald
May 3Our Souls at NightKent Haruf
June 7The Handmaid's TaleMargaret Atwood
July 5The SelloutPaul Beatty
August 2The Road to Jonestown: Jim Jones and Peoples TempleJeff Guinn
September 6Philomena: A Mother, Her Son, and A Fifty-Year SearchMartin Sixsmith
October 4My Cousin RachaelDaphne du Maurier
November 1Literary Potluck 
December 6PlainsongKent Haruf

 

2019
Hawthorne Book Club Selections for 2019
DateTitleAuthor
January 3The Bite of HistoryCaroline Anaya 
February 7BarracoonZora Neale Hurston
March 7Why I Live at the P. O. [group read]Eudora Welty
April 4American Philosophy: A Love StoryJohn Kaag
May 2Princess Ruth: Love and Tragedy in HawaiiJo Ann Lordahl
June 6Gentleman from MoscowAmor Towles
July 11VarinaCharles Frazier
August 1The Book ThiefRichard Flanagan
September 5 *cancelled due to Hurricane Dorian* 
October 3Poetry - each member brought a poem to share 
November 7Literary Potluck 
December 5A Christmas Memory [group read]Truman Capote

 

2020
Hawthorne Book Club Selections for 2020
DateTitleAuthor
January 2Joy SchoolElizabeth Berg
February 6Where the Crawdads SingDelia Owen
March 5House on Mango StreetSandra Cisneros
April 2*COVID-19 Closure* 
June 4State of Wonder (via Zoom)Ann Patchett
July 2Beekeeper of Aleppo: A Novel (via Zoom)Christy Lefteri
August 7Angela's Ashes (Zoom)Frank McCourt
September 3News of the World (Zoom)Paulette Jiles
October 1Underground Railroad (Zoom)Colson Whitehead
November 5I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (Zoom)Maya Angelou
December 3A Child's Christmas in Wales (Zoom)Dylan Thomas

 

2021
Hawthorne Book Club Selections for 2021
DateTitleAuthor
January 7Zoo Station (Zoom)David Downing
February 4The Cellist of Sarajevo (Zoom)Steven Gaolway
March 4A Promised Land (Zoom)Barack Obama
April 1Guests on Earth (Zoom)Lee Smith
May 6A Long Way from Chicago (Zoom)Richard Peck
June 3The Great Alone (Zoom)Kristin Hannah
July 1The Indigo Girl (Zoom)Natasha Boyd
August 5The Overstory: A Novel (Zoom)Richard Powers
September 2The Snow Child (Zoom)Eowyn Ivey
October 7The Vanishing Half (Zoom)Brit Bennett
November 4The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek (Zoom)Kim Richardson
December 2The Best Christmas Pageant Ever (Zoom)Barbara Robinson

 

2022
Hawthorne Book Club Selections for 2022
DateTitleAuthor
January 2Klara and the Sun (Zoom)Kazuo Ishiguro
February 3The Nightingale (Zoom)Kristin Hannah
March 3Don't Let's Go to the Dogs Tonight (Zoom)Alexandra Fuller
April 7The Warmth of Other Suns (Zoom)Isabelle Wilkerson
May 5The Madness of Crowds (resuming in-person meetings)Louise Penny
June 2The Lincoln HighwayAmor Towles
July 7Nomadland: Surviving America in the 21st CenturyJessica Bruder, Karen White, et al.
August 4Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in AmericaBarbara Ehrenreich
September 1The Midnight Library: A NovelMatt Haig
October 6American DirtJeanine Cummins
November 3The Liar's DictionaryEley Williams
December 1Memory of a Large ChristmasLillian Smith

 

2023
Hawthorne Book Club Selections for 2023
DateTitleAuthor
January 5BewildermentRichard Powers
February 2Silent SpringRachael Carson
March 2Ecology of a Cracker ChildhoodJanisse Ray
May 4Midnight's ChildrenSalman Rushdie
June 1Strength in What RemainsTracy Kidder
July 6Remarkably Bright CreaturesShelby Van Pelt
August 3The TestamentsMargaret Atwood
September 7Meeting Cancelled 
October 5BoothKaren Joy Fowler
November 2Hidden FiguresMargot Lee Shetterly
December 7TBA 

 

2024
Hawthorne Book Club Selections for 2024
DateTitleAuthor
January 4A Woman of No ImportanceSonia Purnell
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   
   

 

Interested in other book clubs? The Alachua County Library District has several. You can find more information on our Book Clubs page.

By CameronB on November 7, 2023