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Mifflin County Library has a book discussion group that meets on one Wednesday per month in the afternoon. Our group has a good time discussing the details of the books they read.
In July, they discussed Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans by Joann Demaio and in August, the book to be discussed is The Dearly Beloved by Cara Wall. If you are interested in joining, please give us a call.
If Wednesday afternoons aren't convenient for you, there are lots of book discussion groups online. Facebook and Goodreads have several but did you know that our own Digital Library has a book discussion group?
Our Digital Library is found at centralpalibraries.overdrive.com or on the Libby app. The book group or club is called Big Library Read. Anyone who wishes can check out the book, read it and join in the discussion. (By the time you read this article, the Big Library Read will be over but it will be available again).
Big Library Read is advertised at "the first global ebook club" and is sponsored by Overdrive (the company that we buy our eBooks from) and the Professional Book Nerds who work there. The eBook is available without waiting and in most cases is available as an audiobook.
There are discussion questions that the participant can answer in the form of a chat. And then other readers will respond. There is also a live interview with the various authors whose books have been chosen for the Big Library Read.
This quarter's book is The Girl in His Shadow by Audrey Blake. Audrey Blake is a newer author; she has two novels to her credit. She is recommended to fans of Marie Benedict and fans of historical fiction.
The Girl in His Shadow is about orphaned Nora Beady in 1870s London. Nora is raised by Dr. Croft after the death of her parents. Dr. Croft is a surgeon and since Nora was raised to learn needlework and draw, Dr. Croft uses Nora to assist him with suturing patients after surgery and drawing anatomical dissections. Of course, it has to be all hush-hush. Women aren't allowed or encouraged to do this kind of thing.
I'm not very far in the book but I am very glad that I live today and not back then. In the book, the doctors are talking about whether or not they should cauterize a wound or use leeches. Ick! And, the doctors are learning how to use ether by practicing on each other!
Nora is more-skilled than Dr. Croft but she has to remain in the background while Dr. Croft takes all the credit for Nora's work. After all, she is the girl in his shadow. Until the new surgical resident Dr. Gibson comes into the picture.
I'm going to try to pay more attention to the books in the Big Library Read club. This is more of a quarterly book group, not monthly, which I think I will prefer. In the meantime, I'll go back and read one of the previous titles.
I'm looking forward to the author interview. We do not own the physical book of The Girl in His Shadow. Let us know if this is something you'd like to read.
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Susan Miriello is the Executive Director of the Mifflin County Library. She is currently reading The Girl in His Shadow by Audrey Blake.