Sonoma Valley Library chooses 2019 book club titles

‘Sonoma Reads’ launches with ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ on Jan. 24|

The Sonoma Valley Library is gearing up for the sixth year of the 'Sonoma Reads' book discussion group for 2019. The group meets monthly at 2 p.m. in the library's Forum Room. The first meeting of 2019 is on Thursday, Jan. 24 at 2 p.m. to discuss 'The Talented Mr. Ripley,' by Patricia Highsmith. See the schedule below for exact dates. All discussions are on a drop-in basis, free and open to the public.

The book selection includes both fiction and non-fiction titles chosen by a committee of librarians from throughout Sonoma County.

'We have a dedicated core of regular book-lovers who attend and others who pop in as time and interest allows,' said Lisa Musgrove, library manager. 'This means there is always lively conversation.'

The books are available for check out a month in advance. Here's an overview of the schedule provided by the library:

Thursday, Jan.24

'The Talented Mr. Ripley'

by Patricia Highsmith

Since his debut in 1955, Tom Ripley has evolved into the ultimate bad boy sociopath. A dark reworking of Henry James's 'The Ambassadors,' 'The Talented Mr. Ripley' serves as an unforgettable introduction to this smooth confidence man, whose talent for murder and self-invention is chronicled in four subsequent Ripley novels.

Thursday, Feb. 28

'The Underground Railroad'

by Colson Whitehead

A magnificent chronicle of a young slave's adventures as she makes a desperate bid for freedom in the antebellum South.

Thursday, March 28

'Kindred'

by Octavia Butler

The visionary author's masterpiece pulls us – along with her black female hero – through time to face the horrors of slavery and explore the impacts of racism, sexism and white supremacy then and now.

Thursday, April 25

'Going Clear'

by Lawrence Wright

Lawrence Wright uses his extraordinary investigative skills to uncover the inner workings of the Church of Scientology.

Thursday, May 23

'Hunger'

by Roxane Gay

New York Times bestselling author Roxane Gay has written with intimacy and sensitivity about food and bodies, using her own emotional and psychological struggles as a means of exploring our shared anxieties over pleasure, consumption, appearance and health.

Thursday, June 27

'The Last Painting of Sara De Vos'

by Dominic Smith

The Dutch golden age is re-imagined through a haunting landscape painting and three interwoven characters, timelines and locales. Dominic Smith mesmerizes while he grapples with the demands of the artistic life, showing how the deceits of the past can forge the present.

Thursday, July 25

'Antelope Woman'

by Louise Erdrich

'Antelope Woman' illuminates how history affects the contemporary descendants of families who are the products of two cultures, Ojibwe and white, which sit in uneasy relationship to one another.

Thursday, Aug. 22

'Fortune Smiles'

by Adam Johnson

Throughout six stories, Adam Johnson delves deep into love and loss, the influence of technology, and how the political shapes the personal, giving voice to the perspectives we don't often hear.

Thursday, Sept. 26

'The Night Circus'

by Erin Morgenstern

Waging a fierce competition for which they have trained since childhood, circus magicians Celia and Marco unexpectedly fall in love and share a fantastical romance that manifests in fateful ways.

Thursday, Oct. 24

'Lost at Sea'

by Jon Ronson

Jon Ronson writes about the dark, uncanny sides of humanity with clarity and humor. 'Lost at Sea' reveals how deep our collective craziness lies, even in the most mundane circumstances.

Wednesday, Nov. 21

'Lucky Boy'

by Shanthi Sekaran

A heart-wrenching novel that gives voice to two mothers: a young undocumented Mexican woman and an Indian-American wife whose love for one lucky boy will bind their fates together.

Thursday, Dec. 26

'Ministry of Utmost Happiness'

by Arundhati Roy

The Ministry of Utmost Happiness transports us across a subcontinent on a journey of many years. It takes us deep into the lives of its gloriously rendered characters, each of them in search of a place of safety – in search of meaning, and of love.

The Sonoma Valley Library is located at 755 W. Napa St.

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