The Sonoma Valley Library hosts “Sonoma Reads” book discussions throughout the year. An open group meets monthly at 2 p.m. in the Library’s Forum Room. The first meeting of 2016 is on Thursday, Jan. 28 at 2 p.m. to discuss “I’ll Give You the Sun” by Jandy Nelson.
The book group’s selections include both fiction and non-fiction titles chosen by a committee of librarians from throughout Sonoma County.
At the Feb. 25 discussion of “The Sea Wolf and Selected Stories” there will be guest Jonah Raskin. He will join the group to present information about Jack London and the Sea Wolf. Raskin’s participation is in recognition of the centennial year of the death of Jack London, in 2016.
The books are available for check-out from the library a month in advance. Contact Lisa Musgrove at 996-5217 or lmusgrove@sonoma.lib.ca.us, or see the website, http://www.sonomalibrary.org/bookgroup/Sonoma_spring.html for more information. This program is supported by the Sonoma County Library Foundation.
Thursday, Jan. 28 – “I’ll Give You the Sun” by Jandy Nelson
Fraternal twins and burgeoning artists Jude and Noah are inseparable until puberty hits and they find themselves competing for boys, a spot at an exclusive art school and their parents’ affections.
Thursday, Feb. 25 – “The Sea-Wolf and Selected Stories” by Jack London
“The Sea-Wolf” (1904) has been billed as a psychological adventure novel. The book’s protagonist, Humphrey van Weyden, is a literary critic who is a survivor of an ocean collision and comes under the dominance of Wolf Larsen, the powerful and amoral sea captain who rescued him. Its first printing of 40,000 copies was sold out before publication.
Thursday, March 24 – “The Accidental Universe” by Alan P. Lightman
Alan Lightman explores the emotional and philosophical questions raised by recent discoveries in science. He looks at the dialogue between science and religion; the possibility that our universe is simply an accident; the manner in which modern technology has separated us from direct experience of the world; and our resistance to the view that our bodies and minds can be explained by scientific logic and laws.
Thursday, April 28 – “A Tale for the Time Being” by Ruth L. Ozeki
In Tokyo, 16-year-old Nao has decided there’s only one escape from her aching loneliness and her classmates’ bullying. Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox. As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao’s drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future.
Thursday, May 26 – “Inherent Vice” by Thomas Pynchon
Reluctantly investigating a kidnapping threat against his ex-girlfriend’s billionaire beau, Doc Sportello tackles a bizarre tangle of nefarious characters before stumbling on a mysterious entity that may actually be a tax shelter for a dental group.
Thursday, June 26 – “The Rosie Project” by Graeme C. Simsion
The art of love is never a science: Meet Don Tillman, a brilliant yet socially inept professor of genetics, who’s decided it’s time he found a wife. He designs the Wife Project to find his perfect partner: a 16-page, scientifically valid survey to filter out the drinkers, the smokers, the late arrivers.
Thursday, July 28 – “Someone” by Alice McDermott
When readers first meet Marie Commeford, she is 7 years old. From a chance encounter with a hapless neighbor girl that same day, to her parents’ deaths, through World War II and Marie’s marriage and children, to her brother’s sudden departure from the priesthood, the novel moves from one emotionally rich touch point to the next in a nonlinear narrative.
Thursday, Aug. 25 – “White Teeth” by Zadie Smith
An epic set in post-World War II London, “White Teeth” tells the story of two families, whose tortured lives capture the optimism and absurdity of the past half-century.
Thursday, Sept. 22 – “This is Where I Leave You” by Jonathon Tropper
Judd Foxman’s wife, Jen, has left him for his boss, but after the death of his father and a week of sitting shivah with his dysfunctional family presided over by their mother – a celebrated parenting expert despite her children’s difficulties – the mourning period brings each of the family members to unexpected epiphanies about their own lives and each other.
Thursday, Oct. 27 – “Station 11” by Emily St. John Mandel
A dark novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse, “Station 11” tells the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity.
Wednesday, Nov. 23 – “Just Kids” by Patti Smith
Smith’s coming-of-age story reveals her relationship with artist Robert Mapplethorpe. Part romance, part elegy, “Just Kids” is about friendship and the artist’s calling.
Thursday, Dec. 23 – “Americanah” by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
A story of love and race centered around a young man and woman from Nigeria who face difficult choices and challenges in the countries they come to call home.
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