Book Discussions
Mystery Book Discussion Group
This group meets monthly at the library. Books are available at the library approximately one month before the discussion date. All are welcome to join. Groups may be meeting remotely; contact the book group coordinator to find out the plan for their upcoming discussion.
Discussions are on Thursdays at 7:00 pm.
2024
January 18: The Third Victim, by Phillip Margolin
February 15: The Man in the Queue, by Josephine Tey
March 21: Iron Lake, by William Kent Krueger
April 18: Wild Justice, by Phillip Margolin
May 16: The Late Show, by Michael Connelly
June 20: The Sacred Bridge, by Anne Hillerman
July 18:The Life We Bury, by Allen Eskens
August 15:Medicus: A Novel of the Roman Empire, by Ruth Downie
September 19: A Borrowing of Bones, by Paula Munier
October 17: The Bookseller (Hugo Marston #1), by Mark Pryor
November 21: Murder as a Fine Art, by David Morrell
No meeting in December.
2025
January 16: A Gentleman’s Murder, by Christopher Huang
February 20: Slow Horses, by Mick Herron
March 20: The Holdout, by Graham Moore
April 17: Tale of Hilltop Farm (Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter #1), by Susan Wittig Albert
May 15: Billy Boyle, by James Benn
June 19: Deja Dead (Temperance Brennan #1), by Kathy Reichs
July 17: Faded Coat of Blue, by Owen Parry
Mystery book group coordinator: Maureen Parent, 802-434-2055, msparent@gmavt.net
(Mostly) Fiction Book Discussion Group
This group meets monthly at the library. Books are available at the library approximately one month before the discussion date. All are welcome to join. Groups may be meeting remotely; contact the book group coordinator to find out the plan for their upcoming discussion.
Discussions are on Tuesdays at 6:00 pm.
2024
January 9: Ask Again, Yes, by Mary Beth Keane
February 13: Such a Fun Age, by Kiley Reid
March 12: The Mercies, by Kiran Millwood Hargrave
April 9: Atlas of the Human Heart, by Brene Brown
May 14: The Music of Bees, by Eileen Garvin
June 11: The House in the Cerulean Sea, by TJ Klune
July 9: Goodnight, Irene, by Luis Alberto Urrea
August 13: A Woman is No Man, by Etaf Rum
September 10: Walking Home: Trail Stories, by Celia Ryker
October 8: Demon Copperhead, by Barbara Kingsolver
November 12: Firekeeper’s Daughter, by Angeline Boulley
December 10: Before the Coffee Gets Old, by Toshikazu Kawaguchi
2025
January 14: Under the Whispering Door, by T.J. Klune
February 11: The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store, by James McBride
March 11: Rage Becomes Her: The Power of Women’s Anger, by Soraya L. Chemaly
April 8: My Cousin Rachel, by Daphne du Maurier
Book group coordinator: Gwen Landis, 802-434-5012, gwennie1972@yahoo.com
Climate Action Book Discussion Group
A collaboration between the Richmond Climate Action Committee and the library, this group discusses books that focus on climate and environmental issues and stories.
Books discussed so far:
- Ministry for the Future, by Kim Stanley Robinson (November 2022)
- We Are the Weather: Saving the Planet Begins at Breakfast, by Jonathan Safran Foer (February 2023)
- Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge and the Teachings of Plants, by Robin Wall Kimmerer (May 2023)
- The Nutmeg’s Curse: Parables for a Planet in Crisis, by Amitav Ghosh (November 2023)
- The Heat Will Kill You First, by Jeff Goodell (February 2024)
- The Quickening: Creation and Community at the Ends of the Earth, by Elizabeth Rush (May 2024)
Next Discussion:
Playing God in the Meadow, by Martha Leb Molnar
November 13 at 6:30pm
Join us to discuss Playing God in the Meadow, an engaging memoir by Vermont author Martha Leb Molnar.
We’ll be talking about invasive species, including how we scientifically and emotionally approach them. As always, we’ll also discuss how climate change is affecting the lands and species around us.
About the Book:
After decades of fantasizing and saving, of working multiple jobs and embracing frugality in the midst of Manhattan, Martha Leb Molnar and her husband had found their parcel of land. Determined to turn an overgrown and unproductive Vermont apple orchard into a thriving and beautiful landscape, they decided to restore this patch of land to a pristine meadow and build a safe haven for their family and nearby wildlife.
Once they cleared the gnarled and dying trees away, Molnar was forced to wage war on the invasive species that had sprung up around the property. Propelled by the heated debates surrounding non-native species and her own complicated family history and migration, she was driven to research the Vermont landscape, turning to scientific literature, experts in botany and environmental science, and locals who have long tended the land in search of answers. At turns funny, thoughtful, and conversational, Playing God in the Meadow follows this big city transplant as she learns to make peace with rural life and an evolving landscape that she cannot entirely control.
Cookbook Club
Cookbook Club meets one Saturday a month at noon to share thoughts and dishes from the same cookbook.
2024 Schedule:
January 13 - Every Grain of Rice; Chinese Soul Food; and Mooncakes and Milk Bread
February 10 - Ethiopia, by Yohanis Gebreyesus
March 9 - Bean by Bean, by Crescent Dragonwagon
April 13 - Maple: 100 sweet and savory recipes featuring maple syrup, by Katie Webster
NO MEETING IN MAY
June 8 - Jubilee: Recipes from Two Centuries of African American Cooking, by Toni Tipton-Martin
July 13 - Simply Pho: A Complete Course in Preparing Authentic Vietnamese Recipes at Home, by Helen Le
August 10 - Aloha Kitchen: Recipes from Hawai’i, by Alana Kysar
September 14 - Grist: A Practical Guide to Cooking Grains, Beans, Seeds and Legumes, by Abra Berens
October 12 - Let’s Make Dumplings!: A Comic Book Cookbook, by Hugh Amano and Sarah Becan
November 9 - The Sioux Chef’s Indigenous Kitchen, by Sean Sherman
December 11 - Baking Yesteryear: The Best Recipes from the 1900s to the 1980s, by B. Dylan Hollis
Participants sign up for a recipe at least one week before the meeting. This group is capped at 15 participants each month. If you’d like to join or have any questions, email skrohn@richmondvt.gov.