The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick
Reading Period: July 31 - October 2
By 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan is living the American woman's dream. She has a husband, three children, a station wagon, and a home in Concordia. On paper, she has it all. So why doesn't that feel like enough? Margaret is thrown for a loop when she first meets Charlotte Gustafson, Concordia's newest and most intriguing resident. As an excuse to be in the mysterious Charlotte's orbit, Margaret concocts a book club get-together and invites two other neighborhood women—Bitsy and Viv—to the inaugural meeting. As the women share secrets, cocktails, and their honest reactions to the controversial bestseller The Feminine Mystique, they begin to discover that the American dream they'd been sold isn't all roses and sunshine—and that their secret longing for more is something they share.
Be sure to check out our upcoming virtual author talks! There will be new events added each month.
Did you miss an author talk you were looking forward to? Don't worry - you can watch the recordings! Check it all out here.
There are three reasons we hope you'll be excited to participate in One Book OCL:
Increase your connection to the Ocean County Library community: Our facilitated book club will broaden your connection to new ideas while also introducing you to members of your community from across industries, generations, and geographies. The connections and friends you make may help you find your next opportunity or assist you in reaching your goals.
Embrace lifelong learning and growth: Get exposed to titles you might not typically read. Gain new perspectives through engaging and thought-provoking online discussions. Increase your access to dynamic learning and personal growth opportunities when it fits your individual schedule.
Reading is good for you: Reading can reduce stress, help you sleep better, and improve your relationships. Did we mention it also makes you smarter? Reading increases your verbal intelligence, reasoning ability, emotional intelligence, and your creativity. It has even proven to defend against Alzheimer’s.
We plan to start the book club by reading one book every two to three months. The texts selected will be a variety of fiction and non-fiction and should take an average of nine hours to read cover to cover. If you have between 1 and 2 hours a week to read, you should be fine.
Participation is free for everyone with an Ocean County Library card! Don't have a card? Sign up online for a free Library card here.
The book club will have a moderator from PBC Guru who manages the forum where discussions occur online. The moderator will pose questions to the book club, share relevant articles and facilitate conversation about topics in the book. Members will be encouraged to post and share as well. This format allows for ongoing conversation and makes it easy for readers to connect with each other through the forum.
Ocean County Library cardholders will have access to an eBook through Freading for each book selection. For more information on how to download the book from Freading click here.
The titles will also be available in print and audiobook through our library website, and digitally through OverDrive and hoopla.
All other participants or library patrons who prefer a different format can get a physical or digital copy through another preferred provider/retailer.
Professional Book Club (PBC) Guru is a book club management company that works with businesses, alumni associations and professional societies. We are teaming up with PBC to put this program in place for patrons and the community. You can check out their website at www.pbc.guru if you want to see more of what they do.
NOTIFY A FRIEND
