Library Book Club
The Library Book Club meets every 2nd Saturday at 9:30 am in the commons area of the Mountain Home Public Library.
New members are always welcome.
Beverages are provided by the library.
2026 Reading List
| The Women | Kristin Hannah | Historical Fiction / Vietnam War | Steve’s Picks (January) | Tells the story of Frances “Frankie” McGrath, a young nursing student who enlists in the Army Nurse Corps during the Vietnam War to be with her brother. The book follows her traumatic experiences in Vietnam, her deep friendships with fellow nurses, and her difficult return to a country that wants to forget the war and refuses to acknowledge her service, leaving her to grapple with trauma and a changed identity. | ||
| The Violin Conspiracy | Brendan Slocumb | Mystery / Crime Fiction / Bildungsroman | February – Black History Month | About a young Black violinist named Ray McMillian who discovers his family heirloom violin is a priceless Stradivarius. On the eve of a major international competition, the violin is stolen, and Ray must navigate the theft, fight legal battles from his own family and others who claim ownership, and overcome racism in the classical music world to get his violin back and prove himself as a musician. | ||
| Homer & Langley | EL Doctorow | Biographical Fiction | March – Disability Awareness Month | Based on the real-life Collyer brothers, recounting the lives of Homer (blind narrator) and Langley (a war-gassed recluse) as they hoard junk in their Harlem mansion, becoming accidental witnesses to American history from the Jazz Age through the 1980s, chronicling societal shifts through their bizarre, isolated world filled with junk, newspaper stacks, and intermittent visitors, culminating in their tragic, cluttered deaths. | ||
| Our Town | Thornton Wilder | Play | April | A 3-act play that follows the lives of the Gibbs and Webb families in the fictional town of Grover’s Corners between 1901 and 1913. The play is structured into “Daily Life,” “Love and Marriage,” and “Death and Eternity” and is narrated by a Stage Manager who interacts directly with the audience. Ultimately, it is a meditation on the passage of time, the beauty of ordinary life, and the importance of appreciating every moment, especially after a tragedy strikes the community. | ||
| A Bright New Boise | Sam Hunter | Play | Also April | Will, a man fleeing a scandal at his Evangelical church, who gets a job at a Boise, Idaho Hobby Lobby to reconnect with his estranged teenage son, Alex, who works there and doesn’t know him. The story unfolds in the store’s breakroom, a sterile sanctuary where this unlikely reunion, along with coworkers like the foul-mouthed manager Pauline and Alex’s adopted brother Leroy, grapples with faith, isolation, and the search for belonging amidst the absurdity of modern life and the looming threat of the Rapture. | ||
| Below the Edge of Darkness: A Memoir of Exploring Light & Life in the Deep Sea | Edith Widder | Memoir/ Science | May | Marine biologist Dr. Edith Widder’s memoir about her lifelong quest to understand bioluminescence, the light produced by deep-sea creatures, blending personal adventure with scientific discovery, overcoming personal challenges (like temporary blindness), developing new deep-sea technology, and advocating for ocean conservation. The book details her groundbreaking research, submersible dives into the dark ocean, encounters with incredible life forms, and the development of tools like the Sea Chamber for capturing giant squid, all while highlighting the mysterious beauty and fragility of the deep sea. | ||
| Forever | Pete Hamill | Historical Fantasy | June | About Cormac O’Connor, an Irish immigrant granted immortality in 1740s New York City, with the condition he never leaves Manhattan, allowing him to witness and experience over 250 years of the city’s transformation from a small settlement to a global metropolis, covering its diverse cultures, wars, growth, and culminating in the tragedy of 9/11, all while exploring themes of time, love, loss, and hope. | ||
| Testimony: The Memoirs of Dmitri Shostokovich | Edited by Solomon Volkov | Memoir | July | Dictated to musicologist Solomon Volkov and published posthumously in 1979, offers Shostakovich’s account of his life and career in the Soviet Union, revealing a complex, often tragic figure caught between artistic integrity and political oppression under Stalin, detailing his fraught relationship with Soviet culture, famous encounters, and the internal struggle of a genius navigating a repressive regime, forever changing perceptions of his music as coded dissent. | ||
| The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat | Edward Kelsey Moore | Literary Fiction | August | Is a warm-hearted novel about three lifelong best friends, Odette, Clarice, and Barbara Jean, known as “The Supremes,” who’ve met at Earl’s diner in Indiana since the 1960s to support each other through marriage, motherhood, heartbreak, and life’s challenges, focusing on their unbreakable bond as they face a particularly tough year involving infidelity, past trauma, and personal battles with wit and unwavering friendship. | ||
| Impeachment: An American History | Jon Meacham | History | September | Provides a synopsis of the three times a U.S. President faced impeachment proceedings: Andrew Johnson (for clashing with Congress over Reconstruction), Richard Nixon (who resigned before a House vote on Watergate-related charges), and Bill Clinton (impeached for perjury and obstruction in the Lewinsky scandal). The book explores impeachment as a political tool, contrasting its constitutional purpose to check power with its potential for partisan abuse, highlighting how these events tested American democracy, with none resulting in a successful presidential removal, but all leaving significant political marks. | ||
| The Frozen River | Ariel Lawhon | Historical Mystery | October | About 18th-century midwife Martha Ballard, who must investigate the suspicious death of a man found in the frozen Kennebec River in 1789. As she examines the body and connects the death to a recent rape accusation, her investigation puts her at odds with the powerful men in her community and threatens to expose long-hidden secrets. | ||
| A Council of Dolls | Mona Susan Power | Historical Fiction / Magical Realism | November – Native American Heritage Month | Following three generations of Yanktonai Dakota women—Cora, Lillian, and Sissy—across more than a century, from the 1880s to the 1960s. The story is framed by the women’s cherished dolls, which serve as companions, confidants, and conduits for their family’s history, experiences with trauma, and survival through periods like the Indian Wars and boarding schools. | ||
| Demon Copperhead | Barbara Kingsolver | Historical Fiction / Bildungsroman | December | Retells the story of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield in modern-day Appalachia. The plot follows the life of the narrator, Damon “Demon” Fields, from his birth in poverty to his struggles with foster care, child labor, addiction, and the opioid epidemic, and his attempts to find his identity and voice in a world that seems to have forgotten his community. The narrative is told in his own unsparing voice as he navigates the complex social and economic issues of his home in southern Appalachia. |
2025 Reading List
| January | Iron Coffins: A Personal Account of the German U-Boat Battles of WWII | Herbert A Werner | Memoir |
Iron Coffins: A Personal Account of the German U-boat Battles of World War II by Herbert A. Werner is a book that provides a detailed account of the U-boat war from the beginning to the end of World War II. The book is written from the perspective of a submariner who served on U-boats and eventually commanded his own. The book is considered unbiased and provides a fascinating insight into the war.
| February | Love & Whiskey | Fawn Weaver | Biography |
The book delves into the life and legacy of Nearest Green, the African American distilling genius pivotal in the creation of Jack Daniel’s. Set against the backdrop of Lynchburg, Tennessee, it weaves a thrilling blend of personal discovery, historical investigation, and the revelation of a long-overlooked story.
| March | The Women of Troublesome Creek | Kim Michelle Richardson | Historical Fiction |
19 year old Cussy delivers books, medicine, and advice to people in need, and faces prejudice, misogyny, and suspicion. She also confronts her widowed father’s attempts to marry her off.
| April | And Still I Rise | Maya Angelou | Poetry |
Maya Angelou’s poetry – lyrical and dramatic, exuberant and playful – speaks of love, longing, partings; of Saturday night partying, and the smells and sounds of Southern cities; of freedom and shattered dreams. ‘The caged bird sings/ with a fearful trill/ of things unknown/ but longed for still/ and his tune is heard/ on the distant hill/ for the caged bird/ sings of freedom.’
| May | They Fought Like Demons: Women Soldiers of the American Civil War | DeAnne Blanton & Lauren M Cook | Military Non-Fiction |
The book documents the experiences of over 240 women who fought in the war, including their reasons for enlisting, their experiences in combat, and how they were viewed by their fellow soldiers and the American public.
| June | A Gentleman in Moscow | Amor Towles | Historical / Political Fiction |
A Russian aristocrat is sentenced to house arrest for more than 30 years in a Moscow hotel during the post-Revolutionary era.
| July | The Whale | Samuel D Hunter | Psychological Drama |
This story is about a man who weighs 600 pounds and is a recluse in his apartment. He tries to reconnect with his estranged daughter, who is unhappy and sharp-tongued. The story is about finding beauty in unexpected places and a man’s last chance at redemption.
| August | The Ligh Eaters | Zoe Schlanger | Non-Fiction |
A non-fiction science book that explores the capabilities of plants and fungi. The book is a combination of science journalism, travelogue, and introspective journey.
| September | A Modest Proposal | Jonathan Swift | Satirical Essay |
The main point of A Modest Proposal is that to ease poverty among the Irish, they should sell their babies as food. He proposed this ridiculous idea to make a point about how wealthy landowners treat the Irish.
| October | Mad Honey | Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan | Novel |
The story follows the case of 18-year-old Asher Fields, who is charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Lily Campanello. Although initially convinced of his innocence, his mother, Olivia McAfee, can’t help being reminded of the similarities between Asher and her abusive ex-husband, Asher’s father. Through the story’s characters, Mad Honey explores themes of violence and abuse in relationships as well as gender expression and identity.
| November | My Name is Seepeetza | Shirley Sterling | Fiction / Bildungsroman |
At six years old, Seepeetza is taken from her happy family life on Joyaska Ranch to live as a boarder at the Kalamak Indian Residential School. Life at the school is not easy, but Seepeetza still manages to find some bright spots. Always, thoughts of home make her school life bearable. An honest, inside look at life in an Indian residential school in the 1950s, and how one indomitable young spirit survived it.
| December | Poverty, by America | Matthew Desmond | Non-Fiction |
Poverty, by America makes the case for changing how we conceptualize and understand poverty by drawing on extensive research from various fields including policy, economics, and sociology, in addition to Desmond’s own anecdotal experiences.
2024 Reading List
December | Killers of a Certain Age | Deanna Raybourn | Mystery |
November | Nightwings | Robert Silverberg | Science Fiction |
(Optional Additional Reading: Born with the Dead) | (Robert Silverberg) | (Fantasy Fiction) | |
October | Holy Holly: One Tiny Life | Debra Nelson Holm | Memoir |
September | Same Bed, Different Dreams | Ed Park | Literary Fiction/Satire |
August | Evening in the Palace of Reason | James R Gaines | Biography |
July | The Westing Game | Ellen Raskin | YA Fiction |
June | The Seven Daughters of Eve | Bryan Sykes | Science / Science Fiction |
May | Four Treasures of the Sky | Jenny Tinghui Zhang | Historical Fiction |
April | Poetry – In honor of National Poetry Month | Various | Poetry |
March | When Women Were Dragons | Kelly Barnhill | Magical Fiction |
February | Carry Their Bones | Erin Kimmerle | True Crime |
(Optional Additional Reading: The Nickel Boys) | (Colson Whitehead) | (Historical Fiction) | |
January | Steve Selection: The Eagle’s Claw | Jeff Shaara | Military Novel |