Hibernation Book Club: Long Reads for Short Days
Every other Tuesday from January through March at 5:30 p.m. in the Collins Room and via Zoom.
We will tackle one long classic novel every winter, dividing it up into shorter sections and meeting six times over the course of three months to work our through it.
This book group is moderated by Cindy Haiken, Readers’ Advisory Librarian. Registration is not required. Contact Cindy at chaiken@wallingfordlibrary.org for more details.
January 14, January 28, February 11, February 25, March 11 and March 25
Don Quixote by Miguel de Cervantes
Told in two parts written ten years apart and widely regarded as the world's first modern novel and one of the funniest and most tragic books ever written, Don Quixote chronicles the famous (mis)adventures of an aging man named Alonso Quijano from La Mancha, Spain, who becomes so obsessed with chivalric novels that he believes himself to be a knight errant named Don Quixote and sets out on his old horse Rocinante on a series of absurd quests, with his loyal squire, Sancho Panza by his side. The novel highlights the clash between fantasy and reality while satirizing the conventions of traditional chivalry stories.
Truth Be Told: Nonfiction Book Club
Thursdays every other month at 7:00 p.m. in the Collins Room and via Zoom
Join Educator Susan Gomes to discuss popular and timely nonfiction books. Registration is not required. Contact Readers’ Advisory Librarian Cindy Haiken at chaiken@wallingfordlibrary.org for more details.
January 23
Monsters: A Fan's Dilemma by Claire Dederer
March 27
Couldn't Keep It to Myself: Testimonies from Our Imprisoned Sisters by Wally Lamb and the Women of York Correctional Institution
May 29
Lost & Found: Reflections on Grief, Gratitude and Happiness by Kathryn Schulz
August 7
Hiroshima by John Hersey
September 25
The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson
December 4
Be Ready When the Luck Happens: A Memoir by Ina Garten
Classics Book Club
First Thursday of February, June & October at 6:30 p.m. in the Collins Room and via Zoom
Join Readers’ Advisory Librarian Cindy Haiken to discuss classic works of literature. Registration is not required. Contact Cindy at chaiken@wallingfordlibrary.org for more details.
February 6
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
June 5
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
October 23
Far from the Madding Crowd by Thomas Hardy
Mystery Book Club
First Wednesday (September-December, February-June) at 3:00 p.m. in the Community Room and via Zoom
Join author Carol Shmurak to discuss mystery books with a new theme each season. To participate, contact Carole at cshmurak@gmail.com and put “Wallingford Mystery Book Club” in the subject line.
Spring 2025: Mystery without Murder
Detective novels are almost always about murder. The loss of life focuses the reader's attention as no other crime can. Yet some of the most popular writers of the genre of the 20th and 21st centuries -- including grande dames Josephine Tey and Dorothy L. Sayers -- have written mysteries without murders. Here are five -- one from Tey and four from some contemporary authors.
February 5
The Franchise Affair by Josephine Tey
March 5
Suffer the Little Children by Donna Leon
April 2
Dog on It by Spencer Quinn
May 7
The Darling Dahlias and the Confederate Rose by Susan Wittig Albert
June 4
The Art Forger by B.A. Shapiro
Thursday Night Book Club
Third Thursday of every month at 6:30 p.m. in the Collins Room and via Zoom
Join Readers’ Advisory Librarian Cindy Haiken to discuss popular literature. Registration is not required. Contact Cindy at chaiken@wallingfordlibrary.org for more details.
December 19
Silverview by John le Carré