"Books to Go" for Book Clubs

Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons by Lorna Landvik

The story of five women who have been friends for over 30 years in the suburbs of Minneapolis. They have a book discussion group where not only books get read but stories, laughs and the ups and downs of life are shared.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie

Two boys, exiled to the countryside of China for “re-education,” discover a hidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translation.

Bee Season by Myla Goldberg

Nine year old Eliza Naumann, sweeps her school and district spelling bees, finally getting the attention of her father. This gifted family struggles with family and spiritual issues.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

When terrorists seize hostages at an embassy party, an unlikely assortment of people are thrown together, including American opera star and a her biggest fan, a Japanese CEO.

Best American Short Stories – 2004

This collection was chosen by guest editor Lorrie Moore, who teaches at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Forty percent of the stories first appeared in the New Yorker including selections from John Updike, Alice Munro, and Annie Proulx.

Buffalo for the Broken Heart by Dan O’Brien

Dan O’Brien describes his efforts to restore buffalo to his South Dakota ranch. He is a true storyteller who makes the people, the land and the reality of ranching come alive to the reader.

Dante Club, The by Matthew Pearl

A magnificent blend of fact and fiction set in 1865, this thriller is full of surprises based on a group of literary geniuses who unveil Dante’s remarkable visions.

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn

A funny yet moving story of one girl’s fight for freedom of expression.

Eventide by Kent Haruf

A follow up to “Plainsong,” the story of the McPheron brothers, two bachelor ranchers, and the rich cast of characters that surround them in the high plains of Colorado.

Fine Balance by Mistry Rohinton

Set in India in the 1970’s, four strangers find their lives becoming intertwined as the country goes through changes.

Five Quarters of Orange by Joanne Harris

A heart wrenching narrative of a woman who returns to the French village where she lived as a girl during the German occupation.

Founding Brothers by Joseph Ellis

Founding Brothers presents Jefferson, Washington, Franklin, Adams, Madison, Hamilton, and Burr in the anxious interplay of history.

Good Earth, The by Pearl S. Buck

A family saga of the household of Wang Lung who live as farmers in rural China. Besides facing the challenges of living off the land during hard times of famine and locusts, the generations of the family must learn how to live together.

Heart is a Lonely Hunter, The by Carson McCullers

The lives of five very different people are chronicled in an anonymous city in the South as they struggle to fit in and make their daily existence more meaningful.

Heartsong of Charging Elk, The by James Welch

A richly crafted novel of cultural crossing that is a triumph of historical imagination. Charging Elk, an Oglala Sioux, joins Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show and journeys from the Black Hills of South Dakota to the back streets of 19th century Marseille.

Impressionist, The by Hari Kunzru

An amusing satire of colonial India where an Anglo-Indian boy moves between tradition and a stiff, somewhat absurd British world.

Inn at Lake Devine, The by Elinor Lipman  

A young Jewish woman finagles an invite to a "Gentiles-only" inn and succeeds in entering the world that excludes her.

Jew Store, The by Stella Suberman

Suberman tells the story of her family's experience as the only Jews in a small Tennessee town during the 1920’s.

Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The story of a privileged young Amir coming of age in the last peaceful days of the monarchy in Afghanistan, then enduring revolution, invasion, and the struggle to triumph over violent forces.

This book teaches lessons focused on the
twelve core qualities that are at the heart
of the Native American philosophy and way of life.

Life of Pi by Yann Martel

Pi is trapped on a life raft with an adult Bengal tiger, the last survivor of this father's zoo. Martel struggles with the meaning of life as he tries to survive and keep his yearning for a sacred path.

Little Earthquakes by Jennifer Weiner

This is a hilarious story of three young women who find friendship as new mothers.

Look At Me by Jennifer Egan  

An emotional tale that takes you beyond what you can see.

Lying Awake by Mark Salzman

Sister John’s visions of God are making her ill and she faces a critical medical decision that could change her life forever.

My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult

Written with grace, wisdom and sensitivity, this novel is about a teen who was conceived as a bone marrow match for her sister Kate and what happens as she realizes the truth.

One Heart by Jane McCafferty

A moving tale of two sisters whose experiences often separate them but whose love for each other is deepened over a lifetime.

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus

This is a creative, fictional account of the participation of May Dodd and others in the controversial "Brides for Indians" program.

Orchard, The: A Memoir by Adele Crockett Robertson

Adele Crockett Robertson left her city job to save the family apple orchard during the Depression. She wrote in rich detail about all her struggles. Her daughter found her writings and published them.

Our Lady of the Forest by David Guterson

A provocative novel based on a teenage girl who claims to see the Virgin Mary. The story involves a priest searching for his own soul, self-examination by the teenager, and plenty of moments that explore the impact faith can have in our lives.

Passionate Nomad: The Life of Freya Stark  

The biography of Freya Stark, a British explorer, mapmaker, ethnographer, amateur archeologist and writer who ventured into the Middle East in the ‘20’s.

Pilot's Wife, The by Anita Shreve

Do you ever know the ones you love? A pilot’s wife unravels her husband’s past after his plane goes down.

Purple America by Rick Moody

A family tragedy featuring a New York publicist with a stutter and drinking problem who goes home to face the shadows and wounds of his past.

Reading Lolita in Tehran: a Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi

Every Thursday morning for 2 years in the Islamic Republic of Iran, a bold and inspired teacher secretly gathers 7 female students to read forbidden Western classics. A celebration of the power of literature amidst tyranny.

Secret Life of Bees, The by Sue Monk Kidd

A Southern story taking place in 1964 that focuses on 14-year-old Lily Owens and her nanny, Rosaleen, who take off together in search of a new life.

The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint by Brady Udall

A mailman runs over a young boy, who goes on to find ways to live a fulfilling life although he is impaired.

Time Travelers Wife, The by Audrey Niffenegger

Henry De Tamble is a Chicago librarian who has an unusual disorder - without warning he suddenly disappears and finds himself in the past or future. Told from two points of view, Henry and his wife, Clare, share insights into how a marriage can survive in this world of time travel uncertainty.

Traveling Mercies: Some Thoughts on Faith by Anne Lamott  

Biographical sketches on growing in faith.

Turtle Warrior, The by Mary Relindes

Set in rural northern Wisconsin, the story ranges over WW II to the Vietnam War, and the unsettled terrain of the human heart.

Victorine by Catherine Texier

A young school teacher in a quiet province of France marries and has two children. She falls desperately in love with another, and leaves her family for a new life in Indochina. This book is a struggle between duty and independence, tradition and freedom, longing and regret.

Waiting by Ha Jin

A military doctor in communist China tries to follow his heart for 18 years, with a twist at the end.

We Were the Mulvaney's by Joyce Carol Oates

Compelling novel of a family coming undone.

What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg

Explores the emotions and feelings of a mother and daughters reunited after 35 years.

Winter of Our Discontent, The by John Steinbeck

Ethan Hawley, a clerk in a grocery store owned by an Italian immigrant, has a wife who is restless and teenage children troubled by his inability to provide more. One day, Ethan takes a big turn away from his own strict standards.

Wooden Sea by Jonathan Carroll  

A fascinating chain of surprises, mysteries, misdirection and reversals.

Work of Wolves, The by Kent Meyers

This story unfolds in western South Dakota and explores life in the New West along with the relationship between native Americans and non-natives who face some of life’s hard decisions together.

Year by the Sea, A by Joan Anderson

A memoir about changes women face as their relationships change, their children grow up, and inner peace and reflection become more important.