SDL Book Club 

SDL's book discussion group meets the first Wednesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. 

Share your love of books with others who enjoy reading!

May 7 at 5:30

The Borrowed Life of Frederick Fife by Anna Johnston

A warm, life-affirming debut about a zany case of mistaken identity that allows a lonely old man one last chance to be part of a family. "Would you mind terribly, old boy, if I borrowed the rest of your life? I promise I'll take excellent care of it." Frederick was born with an extra helping of kindness in his heart. If he borrowed your car, he'd return it washed with a full tank of gas. The problem is there's nobody left in Fred's life to borrow from. At eighty-two, he's desperately lonely, broke, and on the brink of homelessness. Fred's luck changes when, in a bizarre case of mistaken identity, he takes the place of Bernard Greer at the local nursing home. Now he has a roof over his head, three meals a day, and, most importantly, the chance to be part of a family again. All he has to do is hope that his poker face is in better shape than his prostate and that his look-alike never turns up. As Fred navigates life in Bernard's shoes, he learns about the man's past and what it might take to return a life in better condition than he found it. 

June 4 at 5:30

The Women by Kristin Hannah  

Women can be heroes. When nursing student Frances "Frankie" McGrath hears these unexpected words, it is a revelation. Raised on idyllic Coronado Island and sheltered by her conservative parents, she has always prided herself on doing the right thing, being a good girl. But in 1965 the world is changing, and she suddenly imagines a different choice for her life. When her brother ships out to serve in Vietnam, she impulsively joins the Army Nurse Corps and follows his path. As green and inexperienced as the men sent to Vietnam to fight, Frankie is overwhelmed by the chaos and destruction of war, as well as the unexpected trauma of coming home to a changed and politically divided America.

Previous Book Club Discussion Titles

If you enjoyed these books, check out SDL's Reader's Advisory for more suggestions. 

• All The Children Are Home by Patry Francis
• All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
• The Art of Racing In The Rain by Garth Stein
• Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys 
• The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman
• The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett by Annie Lyons
• Chariot On The Mountain by Jack Ford
• The Christmas Train by David Baldacci
• Clock Dance by Anne Tyler
• The Doll Maker by Harriet Arnow
• The Dry Grass of August by Anna Jean Mayhew
• Educated: a memoir by Tara Westover
• Florence Gordon by Brian Morton
• The Fountains of Silence by Ruta Sepetys
• Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
• Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart. Based on true events. Read the series.
• The Grapes of Wrath by Jon Steinbeck
• The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
• The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows 
• Harry's Tree by Jon Cohen
• The Help by Kathryn Stockett
• Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
• Hostage by Clare Mackintosh
• House of Eve by Sadeqa Johnson
• How The Penguins Saved Veronica by Hazel Prior
• The Invention Of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd 
• Iona Iverson's Rules For Commuting by Clare Pooley 
• The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
• Lessons In Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
• Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
• A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman 
• The Monogram Murders: A New Hercule Poirot Mystery by Sophie Hannah
• The Martian by Andy Weir
• Midnight In The Garden of Good and Evil by John Berndt
• Miss Cecily's Recipes For Exceptional Ladies by Vicky Zimmerman 
• Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles
• Mockingbird Summer by Lynda Rutledge
• The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie
• No One Ever Asked by Katie Ganshert
• The Only Woman In the Room by Marie Benedict
• The Other Einstein by Marie Benedict
• The Persian Pickle Club by Sandra Dallas
• The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
• Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
• The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
• Sea Biscuit: an American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand  Read the book. Watch the DVD.
• Seven Days Of Us by Francesca Hornak 
• Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult
• The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin 
• The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg
• Things Past Telling by Sheila Williams
• The Things That Keep Us Here by Carla Buckley
• The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman
• To Kill A Mockingbird - Lee Harper
• A Tree Grows In Brooklyn by Betty Smith
• The Truth According To Us by Annie Barrows
• Tuesdays With Morrie by Mitch Albom
• Unbroken: a World War II story of survival, resilience and redemption by Laura Hillenbrand
• Until I Come Back For You by P. A. White
• Vinegar Girl by Anne Tyler 
• Wade In The Water by Nyani Nkruman
• A Walk In the Woods by Bill Bryson
• Water For Elephants by Sara Gruen
• The Women of Copper Country by Mary Doria Russell