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Book Groups
LIBRARY-SPONSORED BOOK GROUPS/MATERIALS:
— Book Club in a Bag!
— BookTalks at Bethany Branch
— B.Y.O.B(ooks) Club (at both the downtown and Walt Branch libraries)
— Just Desserts Mystery Discussion Group
— The Nebraska Heritage Book Club
— Once Upon a Crime – True Crime BookTalks — 
NON-LIBRARY BOOK GROUPS:
— “Great Books Reading and Discussion Group” (currently on hiatus)
— National Book Clubs (Oprah, Read With Jenna, Reese’s Book Club, etc.)
— Non-Library Book Clubs
BookTalks and Book Discussion Groups
In addition to our Preschool Storytimes and various youth-related book discussion activities, the Lincoln City Libraries offers several Book Talk and Book Discussion Groups for adult readers as well. All of the groups listed below are free and open to the public…simply drop in at one of our gatherings, or call the branch location where the meeting is taking place if you have additional questions!
— Mysteries discussed 
— Romance fiction discussed 
— Science Fiction discussed 
— Western fiction discussed
[ BOOKLIST ] — Online Booklist Available, as either a web page or PDF! [ PODCAST ] — Podcast Recording Available!
For more information on any of these book groups, contact the branch or location where the group meets. You can also view some booklists from past Book Talks.
>>> Submit your own community Book Discussion Group information! <<<
Book Club in a Bag!
Book Clubs and organizations now have the ability to check out the current year’s One Book – One Lincoln finalists , in a special format. For each title, the Book Club in a Bag will contain 10 copies of that book as well as some starter discussion questions. Book Club in a Bag selections will be able to be checked out for 8 weeks but with no renewals. You can find out what titles are available in the Book Club in a Bag program by searching in the library catalog under Subject: Book Club in a Bag. New titles will be added to this service on an annual basis.
Subscribe to the monthly Book Club Choices Booklist Newsletter, via the form below, to receive excellent reading suggestions for book groups in your e-mail each month.
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Subscribe to the Book Club Choices Booklist newsletter.
BookTalks at Bethany
Bethany Branch
1810 North Cotner Blvd.
Every Friday Morning, 10:30-11:30 a.m.
441-8550
Bethany BookTalks welcomes everyone for a morning of good books. Since 2001, speakers have presented a group of books, sometimes with a theme and sometimes not. These informal presentations allow for good conversation as well. The Bethany BookTalk group meets every Friday morning, beginning at 10:30 A.M., unless otherwise noted. Approximately 15-20 regular attendees.
Would you like to receive updates about the library BookTalk groups in your e-mail, such as announcements of upcoming talk themes, schedule changes and/or notices about new booktalk booklists on the BookGuide site? Visit our Sign-Up page, fill out our simple form, and you’ll start receiving book group alerts with the next message that is sent!
Date Program Description June 2 – August 25, 2023
Book Shares — No presenters until September — bring your favorite recent reads to share with fellow group members September 1, 2023
T.B.A. — Kate K., from the Eiseley Branch Library, will be today’s presenter September 8, 2023
Jen’s 5-Star Fiction — Jen J., from the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown, will be today’s presenter [ BOOKLIST ] September 15, 2023
Book Share — No presenter — bring your favorite recent reads to share with fellow group members September 22, 2023
NO BOOKTALK SESSION — Libraries will be closed for an annual staff training day September 29, 2023
T.B.A. — Lisa V., from the Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries, will be today’s presenter October 6, 2023
Karrie and Steph’s Awesome Booktalk — Karrie S. and Steph E., from the Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries, are today’s joint presenters.
October 13, 2023
Scott’s Grab Bag – Fall 2023 — Scott C., from the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown, and manager of the libraries’ BookGuide readers advisory pages, is today’s presenter. October 20, 2023
Book Share — No presenter — bring your favorite recent reads to share with fellow group members October 27, 2023
T.B.A. — Leanne D., from the Gere Branch Library, will be today’s presenter November 3, 2023
Historical Fiction — Chery B., from the Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries, will be today’s presenter November 10, 2023
NO BOOKTALK SESSION — Libraries will be closed for Veterans Day November 17, 2023
Gripping Graphic Novels — Jen J., from the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown, will be today’s presenter November 24, 2023
NO BOOKTALK SESSION — Libraries will be closed for the Thanksgiving holiday.
December 1, 2023
T.B.A. — Nathan H. and Traci B., both from the Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries, are today’s joint presenters December 8, 2023
The 2023 Booker Prize — Jodi R., from the Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries, is today’s presenter December 15, 2023
Susan’s Selections — Susan S., teen specialist at the Eiseley Branch Library, is today’s presenter
For examples of some of the titles/themes talked about at previous Bethany BookTalk meetings, and for booklists of titles discussed at past BookTalks, check out our Book Group Archives webpage!
Bring Your Own Books — B.Y.O.B(ooks). Club
Bennett Martin Public Library
136 S. 14th St. (4th Floor Auditorium)
Third Wednesday of Every Month, 6:30-7:30 p.m.
441-8530 (Public Service Desk at Bennett Martin Public Library downtown)
Would you like to gather with fellow book-lovers to discuss whatever you’ve been reading and enjoying lately, without the pressure of assigned reading?
The B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Books) Club is designed with you in mind. Based loosely on the concept of “literary salons” of days gone by, the idea behind this group is that it will appeal to readers who want to talk about what they’ve read or listened to, but who don’t necessarily want to be “told” what to read, or who don’t feel like they have the time to read something assigned in addition to everything else that’s already on your “to be read” list.
Each meeting will be “themed”, so participants can select a title to talk about that matches the monthly theme. You don’t actually have to bring the book with you.
Would you like to receive updates about the various library-sponsored book groups, in your e-mail, such as announcements of upcoming talk themes, schedule changes and/or notices about new booktalk booklists on the BookGuide site? Visit our E-mail Group Sign-Up page, fill out our simple form, and you’ll start receiving book group alerts with the next message that is sent!
Date Program Description January 18, 2023
Reading Prompt — Your Favorite Book-to-Movie Adaptation [ BOOKLIST ]
February 15, 2023
Reading Prompt — A Book That Made You Blush [ BOOKLIST ] March 15, 2023
Reading Prompt — Favorite Pandemic Book [ BOOKLIST ] April 19, 2023
Reading Prompt — A Book From the Decade When You Were Born [ BOOKLIST ]
May 17, 2023
Reading Prompt — A Book You Had to Read, But Wished You Didn’t [ BOOKLIST ]
June 21, 2023
Reading Prompt — Your Favorite Book About Friendship [ BOOKLIST ]
July 19, 2023
Reading Prompt — A Book Starring an Animal [ BOOKLIST ]
August 16, 2023
Reading Prompt — Your Favorite Graphic Novel [ BOOKLIST ]
September 20, 2023
Reading Prompt — Your Favorite Book With a Rural Setting [ BOOKLIST ]
October 18, 2023
Reading Prompt — A Book You Wish Had Ended Differently <<<<< Our Next Discussion!!
November 15, 2023
Reading Prompt — A Book Published in 2023
For examples of some of the titles/themes talked about at previous B.Y.O.B(ooks). Club meetings, and for booklists of titles discussed at past meetings, check out our Bring Your Own Books Clubs – Archive webpage!
Bring Your Own Books — B.Y.O.B(ooks). Club
Walt Branch Library
6701 S. 14th St.
Third Thursday of Every Month, 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
441-4460
Would you like to gather with fellow book-lovers to discuss whatever you’ve been reading and enjoying lately, without the pressure of assigned reading?
The B.Y.O.B. (Bring Your Own Books) Club is designed with you in mind. Based loosely on the concept of “literary salons” of days gone by, the idea behind this group is that it will appeal to readers who want to talk about what they’ve read or listened to, but who don’t necessarily want to be “told” what to read, or who don’t feel like they have the time to read something assigned in addition to everything else that’s already on your “to be read” list.
Each meeting will be “themed”, so participants can select a title to talk about that matches the monthly theme. You don’t actually have to bring the book with you.
Would you like to receive updates about the various library-sponsored book groups, in your e-mail, such as announcements of upcoming talk themes, schedule changes and/or notices about new booktalk booklists on the BookGuide site? Visit our E-mail Group Sign-Up page, fill out our simple form, and you’ll start receiving book group alerts with the next message that is sent!
Date Program Description January 19, 2023
Reading Prompt — Your Favorite Book-to-Movie Adaptation [ BOOKLIST ]
February 16, 2023
Reading Prompt — A Book That Made You Blush — This meeting was cancelled due to the libraries being closed for a winter snowstorm
March 16, 2023
Reading Prompt — Favorite Pandemic Book [ BOOKLIST ] April 20, 2023
Reading Prompt — A Book From the Decade When You Were Born [ BOOKLIST ]
May 18, 2023
Reading Prompt — A Book You Had to Read, But Wished You Didn’t [ BOOKLIST ]
June 15, 2023
Reading Prompt — Your Favorite Book About Friendship [ BOOKLIST ]
July 20, 2023
Reading Prompt — A Book Starring an Animal [ BOOKLIST ]
August 17, 2023
Reading Prompt — Your Favorite Graphic Novel [ BOOKLIST ]
September 21, 2023
Reading Prompt — Your Favorite Book With a Rural Setting [ BOOKLIST ]
October 19, 2023
Reading Prompt — A Book You Wish Had Ended Differently <<<<< Our Next Discussion!!
November 16, 2023
Reading Prompt — A Book Published in 2023
For examples of some of the titles/themes talked about at previous B.Y.O.B(ooks). Club meetings, and for booklists of titles discussed at past meetings, check out our Bring Your Own Books Clubs – Archive webpage!
Just Desserts
Bennett Martin Public Library
136 S. 14th St. (4th Floor Auditorium)
Last Thursday of Every Month, January through October, 6:30-7:45 p.m.
441-8530 (Public Service Desk at Bennett Martin Public Library downtown)
The Just Desserts discussion group, focusing exclusively on Mystery Fiction, meets monthly at the Bennett Martin Public Library, downtown. This group meets the last Thursday evening of each month, January through October, 6:30 p.m. – 7:45 p.m. (socializing 6:30-6:45 — book discussion starts at 6:45)
A specific mystery novel (or author) is selected in advance for discussion during each meeting, although general discussion about mystery fiction may follow the discussion of the selected title. Since our theme is “Death and Desserts,” (i.e. The murderer got their “just desserts”), any and all participants are encouraged to bring a dessert (cookies, cake, pie, tarts, brownies, bars, cream puffs, etc.) to share with the other group members. (Decaf Coffee and juice will be provided.)
If you’d like to join us, or you would like to be added to an e-mail notification list for news about this group, you can e-mail us to let us know of your interest, at: the BookGuide e-mail address (BookGuide@lincoln.ne.gov), or fill out our sign-up form at our E-mail Group Signups page. To see a list of the mysteries discussed by the Just Desserts group in the past, visit our Just Desserts archives page…or you can print out a list of the titles discussed in the first ten years of Just Desserts. If you missed one of our past meetings and would like to contribute your own opinion about one of the books we discussed, visit the Just Desserts Blog, and leave a comment on one of the book entries, plus see each month’s list of “recommended reads” from group members!
In September, the Just Desserts group will be reading and discussing one of the best-reviewed suspense novels of 2022 — All Good People Here, by Ashley Flowers.
Here’s the plot description of All Good People Here from the jacket blurb:
“You can’t ever know for sure what happens behind closed doors.
Everyone from Wakarusa, Indiana, remembers the infamous case of January Jacobs, who was discovered in a ditch hours after her family awoke to find her gone. Margot Davies was six at the time, the same age as January–and they were next-door neighbors. In the twenty years since, Margot has grown up, moved away, and become a big-city journalist. But she’s always been haunted by the feeling that it could’ve been her. And the worst part is, January’s killer has never been brought to justice.
When Margot returns home to help care for her uncle after he is diagnosed with early-onset dementia, she feels like she’s walked into a time capsule. Wakarusa is exactly how she remembers — genial, stifled, secretive. Then news breaks about five-year-old Natalie Clark from the next town over, who’s gone missing under circumstances eerily similar to January’s. With all the old feelings rushing back, Margot vows to find Natalie and to solve January’s murder once and for all.
But the police, Natalie’s family, the townspeople — they all seem to be hiding something. And the deeper Margot digs into Natalie’s disappearance, the more resistance she encounters, and the colder January’s case feels. Could January’s killer still be out there? Is it the same person who took Natalie? And what will it cost to finally discover what truly happened that night twenty years ago?
Twisty, chilling, and intense, All Good People Here is a searing tale that asks: What are your neighbors capable of when they think no one is watching?”
Ashley Flowers online: Website | Twitter | Instagram | LinkedIn
All Good People Here page on publisher’s website
All Good People Here is available in the following formats: Regular Print (25) | E-book from Overdrive (12) | Downloadable Audio from Overdrive (12)
As we have traditionally done, for several years, our October meeting will be our once-a-year opportunity to look back at a classic mystery/suspense/thriller writer. For October 2023, the Just Desserts group will look back at the life and works of American mystery writer Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961). Hammett is regarded as one of the very best American mystery writers. In his obituary in The New York Times, he was described as “the dean of the… ‘hard-boiled’ school of detective fiction.” Most of Hammett’s early stories feature his unnamed private detective The Continental Op, which were later reprinted in story collections. Hammett’s first full-length novel was Red Harvest in 1929 (also a Continental Op story), and the author has gone on to have 5 novels published – and literally dozens of short stories. He is also well-known for creating the detective Sam Spade, featured in The Maltese Falcon, which Just Desserts used as one of our monthly discussion titles back in 2007, long before most of the group’s current members had joined. And lastly, he also created the more light-hearted (not “hard boiled”) socialites and mystery solvers, Nick and Nora Charles, in The Thin Man.
The 5 novels by Dashiell Hammett are:
- Red Harvest (1929)
- The Dain Curse (1929)
- The Maltese Falcon (1930) (a previous Just Desserts selection back in the club’s second year!)
- The Glass Key (1931)
- The Thin Man (1934)
Anyone wishing to participate in our October 2023 Just Dessert discussion should read ANY one or more of the five Hammett novels listed above (or another, if you’re lucky enough to find them), or any of the short story collections that gather his many shorter works. The libraries have limited numbers of copies of each Hammett book, however they are also commonly available in digital formats and in the new and used book market. Each participant will be given a chance, “round robin”-style, to talk about whichever title(s) they selected and read. After this first “Round Robin” about Dashiell Hammett novels and short stories, we’ll hold our traditional monthly “Round Robin”, in which everyone can describe whatever else they’ve been reading lately.
This link goes to the Dashiell Hammett page on FantasticFiction.com, where you can link to the plot descriptions of each of his books or collections.
This link goes to the detailed Wikipedia page for Dashiell Hammett.
Dashiell Hammett handout for Just Desserts members (coming soon!)
November and December 2023 hiatus assignment
During our traditional end-of-year holiday hiatus in November and December 2022, Just Desserts members are given the following reading suggestion: Coming Soon!
Thursday, January 25, 2024 — 6:30-7:45 p.m.
Our assigned author for our January 2024 meeting is one that has been popular with several of our group’s members in the past couple years, but for which the libraries don’t own enough copies of any individual title for the group to all read the same book together — Allison Brennan, who has written in several different series since her first book was published in 2005.
Brennan has written entries in 11 different series, all listed below. The libraries own most of these titles, many of them only in digital formats. Her writing style can be described as “intense thriller, with elements of romantic suspense.”
Predator series (2005-20060: The Prey (2005), The Hunt (2006), The Kill 2006).
Evil series (2007): Speak No Evil (2007), Hear No Evil (2007), Fear No Evil (2007)
7 Deadly Sins series (2007-20014): Deliver Us From Evil (2007 novella), Original Sin (2010), Carnal Sin (2010), Ghostly Justice (2011 novella), Mortal Sin (2014)
Prison Break trilogy (2008): Killing Fear (2008), Tempting Evil (2008), Playing Dead (2008)
F.B.I. trilogy (2009): Sudden Death (2009), Fatal Secrets (2009), Cutting Edge (2009)
Lucy Kincaid (2010-2022): Love is Murder (2011 novella), Love Me to Death (2010), Kiss Me, Kill Me (2011), If I Should Die (2011), Vacation Interrupted (2018 novella), Silence (2012), Stalked (2012), Reckless (2013 novella), Stolen (2013), Cold Snap (2013), Dead Heat (2014), Best Laid Plans (2015), No Good Deed (2015), Lost Girls (2016), Make Them Pay (2017), Two to Die For (2017), Breaking Point (2018), Too Far Gone (2018), Storm Warning (2019), Nothing to Hide (2019), Cut and Run (2020), No Way Out (2020 novella), Cold as Ice (2020), A Deeper Fear (2021 novella), Missing (2022)
River City series (2012-2015): Killing Justice (2012), Murder in the River City (2012), Aim to Kill (2015)
Moreno & Hart (co-written with Laura Griffin) (2013-2016): Crash and Burn (2013), Hit and Run (2014), Frost (2015 novella), Lost and Found (2016)
Max Revere series (2014-2018): Maximum Exposure (2014 novella), Notorious (2014), Compulsion (2015), Poisonous (2016), Shattered (2017), Abandoned (2018)
Quinn & Costa Thriller series (2020-present): The Third to Die (2020), Tell No Lies (2021), Wrong Victim (2022), Seven Girls Gone (2023)
Regan Merritt series (2021-present): The Sorority Murder (2021), Don’t Open the Door (2023)
Stand-Alone novels: North of Nowhere (2023)
In the list above, the Lincoln City Libraries currently any of the Allison Brennan titles that are hotlinked – either in regular print format, audiobook or digital formats. There are anywhere from 1 to 9 copies of each title available (most we only own 3 or less copies), so we will all definitely read different books by this author! Brennan has contributed e-Novellas in several of her series, which fit between the full-length novels – these may have been published out of sequence, but are shown in their continuity order in this list.
Just Desserts members wishing to attend and participate in this January 2024 meeting are encouraged to read ANY one or more of the novels listed by Allison Brennan. Each participant during our meeting will be given a chance to talk — Round Robin style — about the title(s) they selected, and/or whether or not they would recommend them for other readers. After this first “Round Robin” with Brennan’s novels, if time permits, we will hold our traditional monthly “Round Robin”, in which everyone can share something else they’ve read lately.
This link goes to the Allison Brennan page on FantasticFiction.com, where you can link to the plot descriptions of each book in her various series.
This link goes to the official Allison Brennan website.
In February, the Just Desserts group will be reading and discussing the latest best-seller from American mystery/suspense author, Riley Sager, who has had seven best-selling suspense novels published since his first in 2017. Sager’s output has been psychological suspense with a hefty dose of thriller. His latest (2023), The Only One Left, falls within that popular sub-genre.
Here’s the plot description of The Only One Left from the jacket blurb:
“At seventeen, Lenora Hope
Hung her sister with a ropeNow reduced to a schoolyard chant, the Hope family murders shocked the Maine coast one bloody night in 1929. While most people assume seventeen-year-old Lenora was responsible, the police were never able to prove it. Other than her denial after the killings, she has never spoken publicly about that night, nor has she set foot outside Hope’s End, the cliffside mansion where the massacre occurred.
Stabbed her father with a knife
Took her mother’s happy lifeIt’s now 1983, and home-health aide Kit McDeere arrives at a decaying Hope’s End to care for Lenora after her previous nurse fled in the middle of the night. In her seventies and confined to a wheelchair, Lenora was rendered mute by a series of strokes and can only communicate with Kit by tapping out sentences on an old typewriter. One night, Lenora uses it to make a tantalizing offer—I want to tell you everything.
“It wasn’t me,” Lenora said
But she’s the only one not dead
As Kit helps Lenora write about the events leading to the Hope family massacre, it becomes clear there’s more to the tale than people know. But when new details about her predecessor’s departure come to light, Kit starts to suspect Lenora might not be telling the complete truth—and that the seemingly harmless woman in her care could be far more dangerous than she first thought.“Riley Sager online: Website | Twitter | Instagram | FantasticFiction
The Only One Left page on publisher’s website
The Only One Left is available in the following formats: Regular Print (15) | E-book from Overdrive (9) | Downloadable Audio from Overdrive (11). This title currently has a moderately-long holds list on it – In order to get a copy before our February 2024 discussion, we suggest placing a hold for yourself early.
The Nebraska Heritage Book Club
Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors (host)
Bennett Martin Public Library (meetings take place in 4th floor Conference Room)
4th Friday of Every Month (see descriptions for exceptions), Noon-1:00 p.m.
136 S. 14th St.
441-8516 (Heritage Room phone #) or heritage@lincoln.ne.gov (e-mail)
The Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors at Bennett Martin Public Library is pleased to be the new official host of the The Nebraska Heritage Book Club (formerly The Nebraska History Book Club)!
For several years, this group met at the Nebraska History Museum (15th & “P”). This group was formed to discuss books about Nebraska history, highlighting the books on the Nebraska150books.org booklist. Everyone is welcome. Come when you can!
This group has now relocated their monthly meetings from the Jane Pope Geske Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors, on the 3rd floor of the downtown library, to the 4th floor Conference Room at Bennett Martin Public Library. The group meets on the 4th Friday of every month, from Noon to 1:00 p.m., for the discussion of books by Nebraska authors or with a Nebraska history theme. A specific novel, story collection or non-fiction title is selected in advance for discussion during each meeting.
Visit the archive of past Nebraska Heritage Book Club selections.
Friday, September 29, 2023 — Noon-1:00 p.m. <<<<< Our Next Discussion!!
(one week later than usual — libraries closed for Staff In-Service Training Day on September 22nd!)
The title for discussion at the September meeting is The Mystery of Hunting’s End by Mignon G. Eberhart.
Here’s the description of this 1930 book:
“The Sand Hills of Nebraska, where Mignon G. Eberhart lived as a newlywed, inspired the setting of this 1930 chiller. Smack in the middle of the rolling desolation is Hunting’s End, a weekend lodge owned by the rich Kingery family. To that place socialite Matil Kingery invites a strange collection of guests–the same people who were at the lodge when her father died of “heart failure” exactly five years ago. She intends to find out which one of them murdered him.
Posing as another guest is the dapper young detective Lance O’Leary. At his recommendation Matil has engaged Nurse Sarah Keate to care for Aunt Lucy Kingery at Hunting’s End–not a pleasant assignment, as it turns out. Gathered at the lodge, Matil’s guests are shut off from the outside by a November snowstorm. A collie named Jericho mopes around, and a stray cat seems to herald new, clearly unnatural deaths. What a trap to spring on people used to good wine and fresh-cut flowers at dinner!
Nurse Keate is the same sharp-eyed, stiletto-tongued, strong-stomached Nightingale and sleuth who was introduced in The Patient in Room 18 and While the Patient Slept (available in a Bison Books edition). She helped establish Mignon G. Eberhart as a mainstay of the golden age of detective fiction.”
This title is the 2023 One Book One Nebraska selection, so this month’s gathering will be an official One Book One Nebraska book discussion! This title is also being discussed at the library’s Just Desserts mystery book club discussion on April 27th, 2023.
See our Nebraska Author Mignon G. Eberhart page here on BookGuide!
Friday, October 27, 2023 – Noon-1:00 p.m.
The title for discussion at the October meeting is Amber Ruffin and Lacey Lamar’s You’ll Never Believe What Happened to Lacey: Crazy Stories About Racism.
Here’s the description from the introduction to this 2021 book:
” Writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers Amber Ruffin writes with her sister Lacey Lamar with humor and heart to share absurd anecdotes about everyday experiences of racism. Now a writer and performer on Late Night with Seth Meyers and host of The Amber Ruffin Show, Amber Ruffin lives in New York, where she is no one’s First Black Friend and everyone is, as she puts it, “stark raving normal.” But Amber’s sister Lacey? She’s still living in their home state of Nebraska, and trust us, you’ll never believe what happened to Lacey. From racist donut shops to strangers putting their whole hand in her hair, from being mistaken for a prostitute to being mistaken for Harriet Tubman, Lacey is a lightning rod for hilariously ridiculous yet all-too-real anecdotes. She’s the perfect mix of polite, beautiful, petite, and Black that apparently makes people think “I can say whatever I want to this woman.” And now, Amber and Lacey share these entertainingly horrifying stories through their laugh-out-loud sisterly banter. Painfully relatable or shockingly eye-opening (depending on how often you have personally been followed by security at department stores), this book tackles modern-day racism with the perfect balance of levity and gravity.”
Friday, November 17, 2023 – Noon-1:00 p.m. — one week earlier than usual due to the Thanksgiving holiday closing next week!
The title for discussion at the November meeting is Bess Streeter Aldrich’s short story Another Brought Gifts, available in several of her short story collections including “Journey Into Christmas”, or as a free audiobook online.
December 2023 – No meeting this month
Friday, January 26, 2024 – Noon-1:00 p.m.
The title for discussion at the January meeting is Willa Cathers’s novel A Lost Lady.
Here’s the description of this 1923 book:
” Marian Forrester is the symbolic flower of the Old American West. She draws her strength from that solid foundation, bringing delight and beauty to her husband, an elderly railroad pioneer, to the small town of Sweet Water where they live, to the prairie land itself, and to the young narrator of her story, Neil Herbert. All are bewitched by her brilliance and grace, all are ultimately betrayed. For Marian longs for ‘life on any terms’, and in fulfilling herself, she loses all she loved and all who loved her.”
Once Upon a Crime — True Crime BookTalks
Eiseley Branch
1530 Superior Street
2nd Tuesday of Every Month, 6:30-7:45 p.m.
441-4250
Do you enjoy reading about true crime narratives and local mysteries? Are some of your favorite authors Ann Rule, Truman Capote, Jon Krakauer and Joe McGinniss? Did you love The Devil in the White City, Helter Skelter, I’ll Be Gone in the Dark, Mindhunter or Zodiac? Then this is the book group for you! On the 2nd Tuesday of each month, join other “true crime” aficionados for a BooksTalk-style presentation. There will not be assigned reading for this program. Instead, Maddie will regale you with tales of murder, thievery and other “true crimes” on an assigned topic, and attendees will be invited to share what they have enjoyed in that reading genre.
Do you love True Crime and local mysteries? Join us for all things criminal the second Tuesday of every month at Eiseley Branch Library where we discuss current crime obsessions. Bring your favorite stories to share, and get sentenced to FUN. So join us, on the Second Tuesday of each month, in the evening from 6:30-7:45 p.m., and indulge your darker reading interests.
Would you like to receive updates about the Bethany BookTalks Group, the Once Upon a Crime group, the Let’s Get Books Together group, or the Just Desserts group, in your e-mail, such as announcements of upcoming talk themes, schedule changes and/or notices about new booktalk booklists on the BookGuide site? Visit our E-mail Group Sign-Up page, fill out our simple form, and you’ll start receiving book group alerts with the next message that is sent!
Date Program Description September 14, 2021
And You Thought Your Copay was Bad: Medical Crimes — Hillary U. will be tonight’s main presenter. [ See this month’s Booklist handout ] October 12, 2021
Cornhusker Crimes: Nebraska Crime Stories — Maddie O. will be tonight’s main presenter. [ See this month’s Booklist handout ] November 9, 2021
Want to Skip the Holidays? Fake Your Death — Wyatt P. will be tonight’s main presenter. [ See this month’s Booklist handout ] December 14, 2021
Open Crime Share — no presentation tonight, attendees are encourage to come and share their own recent “true crime” reads.
January 11, 2022
Cancelled February 8, 2022
Marriage and Murder: Crimes of Passion — This month’s meeting was held on Zoom. [ No handout prepared for this online meeting ] March 8, 2022
Forget the Luck of the Irish – March Madness: Irish Crimes — [ See this month’s Booklist handout ] April 12, 2022
Blood Red Carpet: Hollywood Crimes [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
May 10, 2022
All in the (Manson) Family: Cult Crimes [ See this month’s Booklist handout ] June 14, 2022
To Err is Human, But to Arr is Pirate: Pirate Crimes [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
July 12, 2022
With Friends Like These: Friends Who Kill [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
August 9, 2022
Satanic Panic [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
September 13, 2022
Campus Crimes: Crimes on School Campuses [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
October 11, 2022
Serial Killers [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
November 8, 2022
No meeting in November due to it falling on Election Day
December 13, 2022
Crimes of the Jazz Age [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
January 10, 2023
True Crime and Indigenous Justice [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
February 14, 2023
Crimes of Passion, Part 2 [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
March 14, 2023
Wicked Women with guest presenter Jen J. [ See this month’s Booklist handout ] April 11, 2023
National Park Crimes [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
May 9, 2023
Stranger Than Fiction: True Stories Behind Movie Crimes [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
June 13, 2023
Poisonings [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
July 11, 2023
1960s Crimes [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
August 8, 2023
Falsely Accused [ See this month’s Booklist handout ]
September 12, 2023
Prohibition Ambition
October 10, 2023
Halloween Homicides <<<<< Our Next Discussion!!
November 14, 2023
All in the Family
National Book Clubs
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The Oprah Book Club |
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Read With Jenna Book Club Picks |
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Reese’s Book Club at Hello Sunshine |
Plus these no-longer-active National Book Clubs:
- ALA Book Club Central (2017-2019)
- The Masterpiece Theatre Book and Film Club (2002-2011)
- Read This! with Good Morning America
- Reading With Ripa ( Kelly Ripa of Live With Regis & Kelly )
- The Real Simple Book Club (2008-2014)
- The Today Show
- USA Today
Reading and Writing Nebraska [R 028.9 Kru], by Mel Krutz (for The Nebraska Center for the Book) is available for public use in the reference room at the Bennett Martin Public Library (14th & “N” St.), as well as the Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors. This newly-compiled 2004 volume lists over 60 additional book discussion groups in the Lincoln area, with address, telephone and e-mail contact information for each group. Many listings also give a description of the types of materials dicussed by each group, and their meeting frequency.If you’ve got a book group that’s open to the general public, free-of-charge, and you’d like to be included in our list of local Book Discussion Groups here, please visit our Book Groups Survey page and fill out a brief form giving us some information about your group.
Aldersgate Book Club
Where We Meet: Aldersgate United Methodist Church
8320 South St.
Members volunteer to host a meeting at their home or at the church in the Fellowship Hall. The host provides a dessert/snack and drinks. Contact the Church Office for details about location of upcoming meetings. Contact the group (see below) to inquire about joining them!
When We Meet: Monthly — The daytime group meets at 1:30 p.m. on the first Wednesday of the month. The evening group meets at 7:00 p.m. on the third Tuesday of the month Group Contact: Contact the church office to learn more about what we’re reading, 402-489-1510; [e-mail inquiry form] e-mail: aldersgatelinc@gmail.com [http://aldersgatelinc.org/book-club/] (e-mail form not available)
We Discuss: A mix of fiction and non-fiction. Group Description: We enjoy discussing books that we can compare to our own experiences. Other Notes: We usually read the One Book – One Lincoln nominees. We have also recently read Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe, The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver, La’s Orchestra Saves the World by Alexander McCall-Smith, Ahab’s Wife by Sena Jeter Naslund and Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson. Boisterous Women, Wine & Books – Lincoln Chapter
When and Where We Meet: Monthly — times, dates and locations seem to vary — group no longer active on Meetup.com but they do have a current Facebook group page. Group Contact: This group’s organizer is Nia M. The Facebook group page is private but the group itself is public. We Discuss: Upcoming titles for discussion: Group Description: Formed via online meeting organization site Meetup.com in December of 2019. Here is a book club for women in Lincoln and Omaha, Nebraska and pretty much as far as you are willing to drive to Lincoln! We are a group of friendly and boisterous women who love reading all types of books, having fun, and drinking an assortment of beverages. If you’re in the area and looking to meet new women, make friends, talk about the newest authors you’ve found, etc. then check us out. We read a combination of books including Young Adult Fiction, Fantasy and Science Fiction novels, NY Times Bestsellers, Dystopian novels, and more. If there’s something you want to read we’re always interested to hear about it!
Some examples of past books this group has read and discussed include: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah; Because We Are Bad by Lily Bailey; The Glass Castle by Jeanette Walls; The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton; With the Fire On High by Elizabeth Acevedo; The Radium Girls: The Dark Story of America’s Shining Women by Kate Moore; In the Dream House by Carmen Maria Machado; The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware; Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippincott; Hunger: A Memoir (of My Body) by Roxane Gay; Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter; Wool by Hugh Howey.
Cliffhangers Book Club
Where We Meet: Meadowlark Coffee and Espresso
1624 South St.When We Meet: Monthly — 9:00 a.m. – 11:00 a.m., the third Saturday of every month, starting in the Spring of 2018 Group Contact: Erin Bauer – austengirl72@gmail.com — click here for the group’s Facebook group page We Discuss: Group Description: Love heart-pounding suspense and page turners you can’t put down? Enjoy books with twists and turns that keep you guessing? Then this is the book club for you! Join us for coffee or tea as we discuss bestselling thriller and suspense novels, new and old. Other Notes: Upcoming Discussions: Dec 15 2018 – Unraveling Oliver by Liz Nugent; Jan 19 2019 – The Woman in the Window by A.J. Finn; Feb 16 2019 – Force of Nature by Jane Harper; Mar 16 2019 – You Will Know Me by Megan Abbott; Apr 20 2019 – The Butterfly Garden by Dot Hutchinson; May 18 2019 – Then She Was Gone by Lisa Jewel; Jun 15 2019 – Her Every Fear by Peter Swanson.
Past Discussions: Apr 21 2018 – The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson, May 19 2018 – Bird Box by Josh Malerman; Jun 16 2018 – The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware; Jul 21 2018 – The Dry by Jane Harper; Aug 18 2018 – It’s Always the Husband by Michele Campbell; Sep 22 2018 – The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters; Oct 20 2018 – The Broken Teaglass by Emily Arsenault; Nov 17 2018 – Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn.
Read, Meet & Eat Book Club
When and Where We Meet: Monthly — times, dates and locations seem to vary — check the group’s Meetup.com page for the most up-to-date information Group Contact: This group’s organizer is Emily. The group is closed, but you can ask to join at their Meetup.com profile page. We Discuss: Upcoming titles for discussion: Group Description: Formed via online meeting organization site Meetup.com in August 2016, Read, Meet & Eat started a book group as part of their activities in 2016. This is a book club for anybody interested in reading books and meeting new people over a burger and a beer. All books are welcome as are all people. Come join us for an intellectual discussion (or not!) on the book of the month we jointly choose. Visit the site (via links above) for additional information. Some examples of past books this group has read and discussed include: The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro; Lives of the Monster Dogs by Kirsten Bakis; The Underground Railroad by Colson Whitehead; Exit West by Mohsin Hamid; Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng; Lab Girl by Hope Jahren; Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley; American Pain by John Temple; Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez; Manhattan Beach by Jennifer Egan; An American Marriage by Tayari Jones; A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving; Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover; A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles (Feb 2019)
Something Different
When and Where We Meet: Monthly — We meet the first Thursday of every month, at 9:30 a.m. at the 52nd & “O” St. Barnes & Noble. Group Contact: This group’s organizer is Phyllis, and she can be reached by phone at 402-483-2601 or by e-mail. We Discuss: Upcoming titles for discussion: May 2018: Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann; June 2018: Lonesome Dreamer by Timothy G. Anderson (Anderson will be attending this meeting to meet readers); July 2018: Where’d You Go, Bernadette?; August 2018: The Woman Who Smashed Codes by Jason Fagone. Group Description: We’re a book club that believes in reading “Something Different” for every monthly meeting. Over the past 12 years, we’ve read fiction, non-fiction, autobiographies, mysteries, historical fiction, current best sellers – basically, anything that interests us. One of our recent additions has been the selection of a “companion” book for the monthly choice. This book is roughly connected to the main selection, either to add insight to the topic under discussion; or an understanding of the historical time period; or an additional glimpse of the subject matter. For the complete, extensive, list of what this group has read and discussed, dating back to 2002, check out their official web site.
Star Base Andromeda: Lincoln’s Science Fiction Club
When and Where We Meet:
See Star Base Andromeda’s Book Discussions page for current schedule and title information (website currently inactive though group continues to meet on Zoom during COVID-19).
Group Contact: Scott Clark, email: starbaseandromeda@yahoo.com
We Discuss: Upcoming Titles for Discussion: [unknown]
We exclusively discuss Science Fiction and Fantasy literature, with occasional dips into Horror. We alternate between established “classics” of these genres (pre-1980), and works by prominent contemporary authors (1980s to the present).
Group Description: This general-interest Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror club meets weekly Tuesday night meetings, and occasional Sunday afternoon events. We have a Book Discussion night approximately every six weeks. Membership in the club is not necessary to participate in Book Discussions, and guests are always welcome. Books we’ve discussed since we began having “Book Discussion” meetings include: 1999: Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke; I, Robot by Isaac Asimov. 2000: Neuromancer by William Gibson; The Parafaith War by L.E. Modesitt; Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert Heinlein; Marrow by Robert Reed. 2001: Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury; Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes; FlashForward by Robert Sawyer; Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement. 2002: The Boat of a Million Years by Poul Anderson; Newton’s Cannon by J. Gregory Keyes; Tangled Up in Blue by Joan D. Vinge; Interstellar Pig by William Sleator; At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft; The Lathe of Heaven by Ursula K. Leguin; Darwin’s Radio by Greg Bear. 2003: Lincoln’s Dreams by Connie Willis; The Dying Earth by Jack Vance; Perdido Street Station by China Mieville; The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester; Revelation Space by Alistair Reynolds; Unicorn Variations by Roger Zelazny. 2004: The Vor Game by Lois McMaster Bujold; Protector by Larry Niven; Coraline by Neil Gaiman; City by Clifford Simak; Rats and Gargoyles by Mary Gentle. 2005: The Crossroads of Time by Andre Norton, The Thief of Always by Clive Barker, Little Fuzzy by H. Beam Piper, The Forever War by Joe Haldeman, Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. 2006: The Man Who Folded Himself by David Gerrold, collection Sister Emily’s Lightship and Other Stories by Jane Yolen, The Long Tomorrow, by Leigh Brackett, the anthology Beyond Singularity, The Big Time by Fritz Leiber. 2007: In the Garden of Iden by Kage Baker, Eye in the Sky by Philip K. Dick, The Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon, The Humanoids, by Jack Williamson, Accelerando by Charles Stross, More Than Human by Theodore Sturgeon. 2008: There Will Be Dragons by John Ringo, The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison, “Farewell to the Master” by Harry Bates (the story which became the film The Day the Earth Stood Still), Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson, Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr. (Alice Sheldon), Fledgling by Octavia Butler, Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys, Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watership Down by Richard Adams. 2009: Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, Hunter’s Run by George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois and Daniel Abraham, Minority Report by Philip K. Dick, Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg, Little Brother by Cory Doctorow, Voyage of the Space Beagle by A.E. van Vogt, Undertow by Elizabeth Bear, What Mad Universe by Fredric Brown. 2010: Declare by Tim Powers, The Best of Cordwainer Smith by Cordwainer Smith, The Yiddish Policemen’s Union by Michael Chabon, The Space Merchants by Frederik Pohl and C.M. Kornbluth, Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman, Time and Again by Jack Finney, The Practice Effect by David Brin, Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus by Mary Shelley. 2011: World War Z by Max Brooks, Babel-17 by Samuel R. Delany, The Dervish House by Ian McDonald, Roadside Picnic by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, Timescape by Gregory Benford, The Skylark of Space by E.E. “Doc” Smith, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins, A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency by Douglas Adams. 2012: To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Philip Jose Farmer, A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham, A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, Kirinyaga by Mike Resnick, Deathbird Stories by Harlan Ellison, Player of Games by Iain M. Banks, Non-Stop (a.k.a. Starship) by Brian Aldiss, The Bookman by Lavie Tidhar, The Halloween Tree by Ray Bradbury, The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper and Among Others by Jo Walton. 2013: A Case of Conscience by James Blish; The Quantum Thief by Hannu Rajaniemi; The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle; Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh; The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle; Spin by Robert Charles Wilson; 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne; Redshirts by John Scalzi; Brave New World by Aldous Huxley; The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume One: 1929-1964 edited by Robert Silverberg (Dec 2013 – our 100th book discussion!). 2014: The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson, The Ship Who Sang by Anne McCaffrey; After the Golden Age by Carrie Vaughn (Apr); Bug Jack Barron by Norman Spinrad; Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro; 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke; Ancillary Justice by Ann Leckie; Year of the Quiet Sun by Wilson “Bob” Tucker; The Magicians by Lev Grossman; The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein. 2015: Beaker’s Dozen by Nancy Kress; The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien; The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell; The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick; Mort by Terry Pratchett; First Men in the Moon by H.G. Wells; The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North; Make Room, Make Room by Harry Harrison; House of Leaves by Mark Danielewski; Wild Seed by Octavia Butler. 2016: Fly by Night by Frances Hardinge; The Chrysalids by John Wyndham; The Dog Said Bow-Wow by Michael Swanwick; Lest Darkness Fall by L. Sprague de Camp; The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu; Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny; Planetfall by Emma Newman; The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner; Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King; Nerves by Lester Del Rey. 2017: A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge; The Andromeda Strain by Michael Crichton; Transcendental by James Gunn; Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang by Kate Wilhelm; Blindsight by Peter Watts; A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle; Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang; The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Leguin; Soldier of the Mist by Gene Wolfe. 2018: Dragon’s Egg by Robert L. Forward; Annihilation by Jeff Vandermeer; The Shrinking Man by Richard Matheson; Black Hole (a graphic novel) by Charles Burns. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess; Unnatural Issue by Mercedes Lackey; Way Station by Clifford Simak; Ties of Power by Julie Czerneda; Star Maker by Olaf Stapledon.
Other Notes: Our format is that everyone participating in the discussion should have read the pre-selected book before the meeting. We try to have at least 3 to 4 books selected in advance. Please see Star Base Andromeda Web site for the current reading/discussion schedule, or our Book Discussions page for information about our past, present and upcoming selections. (site currently offline) Approximately 5-15 regular attendees. Third Tuesday Mystery Book Club
Where We Meet: Braeda Fresh Express Cafe
4231 S. 33rd St. (33rd & Pioneers)
When We Meet: 6:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m.. the 3rd Tuesday of every month. Group Contact: Facebook Group page for the Lincoln Third Tuesday Mystery Book Club, restarted anew in March 2017. (Not to be confused with the earlier Third Tuesday Mystery Book Club of Lincoln FB group page, which is no longer active).
We Discuss: Upcoming titles for discussion include — [unknown].
Group Description: This group of mystery fans, which formerly met at Lee Booksellers, has continued since the demise of that Lincoln bookstore, enjoying mysteries and thrillers each month at the Braeda Fresh Express Cafe at 33rd and Pioneers Blvd.
Some of our past books for discussion: October: A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick; November: The Killing Way by Tony Hays; December: The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters; January 2011: In the Shadow of Gotham by Stefanie Pintoff; February 2011: The Calling by Inger Ash Wolfe; March 2011: A Small Death in the Great Glen by A.D. Scott; April 2011: The Murdered House by Pierre Mangan; May 17: The Sixth Lamentation by William Brodrick; Jun 21: Crazy Eights by Elizabeth Gunn; July 19: The Case of the Missing Servant by Tarquin Hall; Aug 16: The Eye of Jade by Diane Wei Ling. Oct 2011: Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter by Tom Franklin; Dec 2011: Field of Blood by Denise Mina; Jan 2012: Jacquot and the Waterman by Martin O’Brien; Feb 2012: Hunting Ivory by Suzanne Arruda; [March through July 2012 information not available.]; Aug 2012: A Trust Betrayed by Candace Robb; Sep 2012: Jade Lady Burning by Martin Limon; Oct 2012: Keeper of Lost Causes by Jussi Adler-Olsen.; Nov 2012: The Holy Thief by William Ryan; Dec 2012: Shoofly Pie by Tim Downs; Jan 2013: The Illusion of Murder by Carol McCleary; Feb 2013: Portello by Ruth Rendell; Mar 2013: The Bookseller by Mark Pryor; Apr 2013: The Instruments of Death by Imogen Robertson; May 2013: The Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton;Jun 2013: Killed at the Whim of a Hat by Colin Cotterill. Sep 2013: The Hynpotist by Lars Kepler; Oct 2013: Detective Inspector Huss by Helene Tursten; Nov 2013: Expats by Chris Pavone; Dec 2013: Death of a Red Heroine by Xiaulong Qui; Mar 2014: The Damage Done by Hilary Davidson; Apr 2014: Live by Night by Dennis Lehane; May 2014: Unpardonable Crime by Andrew Taylor; Jun 2014: Snow White Must Die by Nele Neuhaus; Jul 2014: The Midwife’s Tale by Sam Thomas; Aug 2014: Pot Thief Who Studied Pythagoras by Michael Orenduft; Sep 2014: Raggedy Man by Clyde Curley; Oct 2014: Under a Silent Moon by Elizabeth Haynes; Nov 2014: The Yard by Alex Grecian; Dec 2014: Norwegian by Night by Derek B. Miller; Jan 2015: A Murder at Rosemunde’s Gate by Susanna Calkins. Aug 2015: The Redbreast by Jo Nesbo; Sep 2015: Messenger of Athens by Anne Zouroudi; Aug 2016: Murder Most Malicious by Alyssa Maxwell; Sep 2016: Under Tower Peak by Bart Paul; Oct 2016: Language of the Dead by Stephen Kelly; Nov 2016: Lethal Investments by K.O. Dahl; Dec 2016: Bones of Contention by Jeanne Matthews; Jan 2017: Dinosaur Feather by Sissel-Jo Gazan; Feb 2017: Murder is a Fine Art by David Morrell, Mar 2017: Hangman’s Daughter by Oliver Poetzsch, Apr 2017: Delivering the Truth by Edith Maxwell; May 2017: Collecting the Dead by Spencer Kope; Jun 2017: The Killing Kind by Chris Holm; Jul 2017: Rubbernecker by Belinda Bauer; Aug 2017: The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney; Sep 2017: All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda; Oct 2017: His Bloody Project by Graeme Macrae Burnet; Nov 2017: The Anatomist’s Wife by Anne Lee Huber; Dec 2017: The Ex by Alafair Burke; Jan 2018: A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn; Feb 2018: The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware; Mar 2018: In Farleigh Field by Rhys Bowen; Apr 2018: The Zig-Zag Girl by Elly Griffiths; May 2018: The Truth About the Harry Quebert Affair by Joel Dicker; Jun 2018: Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann (Non-Fiction); Jul 2018: Chemistry of Death by Simon Beckett; Aug 2018: The Dry by Jane Harper; Sep 2018: Snowblind by Ragnar Jonasson; Oct 2018: A Lady in the Smoke by Karen Odden.
Thursday Afternoon Book Group
Where We Meet: St. Mark’s United Methodist Church
8550 Pioneers Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68520 – Lower Fellowship Hall
When We Meet: 1:00-2:30 p.m. on the first Thursday of each month (year-round) [website for St. Mark’s UMC] Group Contact: Dennis Hanneman, e-mail form at:
We Discuss: A mixture of fiction and non-fiction
Group Description: Thursday Afternoon Book Group picks a new book each month to read and discuss.
Other Notes: Titles are selected in advance for an entire year. Here are some 2016 selections: January 7: Gray Mountain by John Grisham; February 4: The Promise of a Pencil by Adam Braun; March 3: Death Zones & Darling Spies by Beverly D. Keever (a One Book One Nebraska selection); April 7: Wish You Well by David Baldacci; May 5: Being Mortal by Atul Gawande (later announced as the One Book – One Lincoln selection); June 2: House Divided by Mike Lawson; July 7: The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown; August 4: Tamarack County by William Kent Krueger; September 1: Code Talker by Joseph Bruchac; October 6: At the Water’s Edge by Sarah Gruen; November 3: (unknown); December 1: All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr. This group appears to have gone dormant.
Wednesday Morning Book Discussion Group
Where We Meet: St. Paul United Methodist Church
1144 “M” St. – Room 155/157When We Meet: 10:00 A.M. the 4th Wednesday of each month
(August through May, excluding December)
Group Contact: Judy Jensen, 420-6370 or jensenjkay(at)yahoo.com We Discuss: We read and discuss group selected fiction, non-fiction, biographies, a classic, a title authored by a Nebraskan and the One Book – One Lincoln winning title. We read 9 books per year. We strive to experience literature that will expand our horizons in learning about others in order that we can make a difference perhaps in our little corner of the world. Many of the titles we read can be found in the church’s library.
Group Description: We are a very enthusiastic small group, who love reading and discussing books with each other. Although we are sponsored by the church, we do not read only religious books (in fact very few) and our membership is not limited to church members. In fact, several are not, and I’m sure anyone would feel comfortable there.
Other Notes: Members select books for the upcoming year at a Spring meeting. Members come with lists of books they’re interested in, and the group selects from among those. Coffee and cookies are served at each meeting, and a little social and get acquainted time is allowed.
