Take a Break
Book Club
FOR ADULTS AGES 18+
EVERY FOURTH Thursday AT 6:30 PM in the COMMUNITY ROOM
Come join your fellow community members for a lively discussion of both classic works and modern masterpieces. In addition to our discussion, we’ll have a little something extra each month, such as a craft, treat, or game that’s related to that month’s title.
Unless otherwise noted, a limited number of book club reading copies will be available for checkout from the circulation desk about a month prior to the meeting.
SCHEDULE
September 29, 2022—The Secret River
October 27, 2022—New Kid
November 17, 2022—The Kiss of Deception
No book club in December
January 26, 2023—Big Magic
February 23, 2023—The Phantom of the Opera*
March 30, 2023—Where Things Come Back
April 27, 2023—The Secret Life of Bees
May 25, 2023—Brown Girl Dreaming
June 29, 2023—Anxious People
No book club in July or August
*Our 2023 On the Same Page community reads book
Reading List
September 29, 2022
The Secret River
by Kate Grenville
In 1806 William Thornhill, an illiterate English bargeman and a man of quick temper but deep compassion, steals a load of …
Read the full synopsis
October 27, 2022
New Kid
by Jerry Craft
Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of …
Read the full synopsis
November 17, 2022
The Kiss of Deception
by Mary E. Pearson
In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she …
Learn More!
January 26, 2022
Big Magic
by Elizabeth Gilbert
Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Gilbert offers insights into the …
Read the full synopsis
February 23, 2023
The Phantom of the Opera
by Gaston Leroux
First published in French as a serial in 1909, The Phantom of the Opera is a riveting story that revolves around the young, Swedish Christine Daaé. Her father, a famous musician, dies, and …
Read the full synopsis
March 30, 2023
Where Things Come Back
by John Corey Whaley
Just when seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter thinks he understands everything about his small and painfully dull Arkansas town, it all …
Read the full synopsis
April 27, 2023
The Secret Life of Bees
by Sue Monk Kidd
Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her …
Read the full synopsis
May 25, 2022
Brown Girl Dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the …
Read the full synopsis
June 29, 2022
Anxious People
by Fredrik Backman
Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed …
Read the full synopsis
September 29, 2022, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
The Secret River by Kate Grenville
In 1806 William Thornhill, an illiterate English bargeman and a man of quick temper but deep compassion, steals a load of wood and, as a part of his lenient sentence, is deported, along with his beloved wife, Sal, to the New South Wales colony in what would become Australia. The Secret River is the tale of William and Sal’s deep love for their small, exotic corner of the new world, and William’s gradual realization that if he wants to make a home for his family, he must forcibly take the land from the people who came before him.
October 27, 2022, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Seventh grader Jordan Banks loves nothing more than drawing cartoons about his life. But instead of sending him to the art school of his dreams, his parents enroll him in a prestigious private school known for its academics, where Jordan is one of the few kids of color in his entire grade.
As he makes the daily trip from his Washington Heights apartment to the upscale Riverdale Academy Day School, Jordan soon finds himself torn between two worlds—and not really fitting into either one. Can Jordan learn to navigate his new school culture while keeping his neighborhood friends and staying true to himself?
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Bekka rated it ★★★★★.
Cathy rated it ★★★★ and said “This graphic novel may be aimed for a younger audience, but still gives adults plenty to think about when it comes to biases and inclusion. Thought provoking and thoroughly enjoyable!”
November 17, 2022, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
The Kiss of Deception by Mary E. Pearson
In a society steeped in tradition, Princess Lia’s life follows a preordained course. As First Daughter, she is expected to have the revered gift of sight—but she doesn’t—and she knows her parents are perpetrating a sham when they arrange her marriage to secure an alliance with a neighboring kingdom—to a prince she has never met.
On the morning of her wedding, Lia flees to a distant village. She settles into a new life, hopeful when two mysterious and handsome strangers arrive—and unaware that one is the jilted prince and the other an assassin sent to kill her. Deception abounds, and Lia finds herself on the brink of unlocking perilous secrets—even as she finds herself falling in love.
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Miranda rated it ★★★★★ and said “Loved this! I really liked not knowing who was who for the romance interests and trying to match up the different identities and figure out which was which. Pearson does a fantastic job keeping the identities separate from their actions, and for the first time ever I couldn’t decide who I would rather have Lia end up with. They were both wonderful options. It was great not knowing which one was the prince because if I had known, it may have tipped the scale in his direction. The characters were well defined and relatable, and the setting was vivid without being overly descriptive.”
Leslie rated it ★★★★.
January 26, 2023, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
Big Magic: Creative Living Beyond Fear by Elizabeth Gilbert
Readers of all ages and walks of life have drawn inspiration and empowerment from Elizabeth Gilbert’s books for years. Gilbert offers insights into the mysterious nature of inspiration. She asks us to embrace our curiosity and let go of needless suffering. She shows us how to tackle what we most love, and how to face down what we most fear. She discusses the attitudes, approaches, and habits we need in order to live our most creative lives. Balancing between soulful spirituality and cheerful pragmatism, Gilbert encourages us to uncover the “strange jewels” that are hidden within each of us. Whether we are looking to write a book, make art, find new ways to address challenges in our work, embark on a dream long deferred, or simply infuse our everyday lives with more mindfulness and passion, Big Magic cracks open a world of wonder and joy.
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Cathy rated it ★★★★★ and said “Thank you, Liz Gilbert, for giving me permission to be me. I read this as a library book. I bought it two hours ago so that I can re-read, highlight, and write in the margins. Yes, I liked it that much.”
Bekka rated it ★★★★ and said “Really an interesting and inspiring book! I very much enjoyed this.”
February 23, 2023, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
The Phantom of the Opera by Gaston Leroux
This is our selection for this year’s community reading event On the Same Page.
Free copies will be given away starting in mid-January.
First published in French as a serial in 1909, The Phantom of the Opera is a riveting story that revolves around the young, Swedish Christine Daaé. Her father, a famous musician, dies, and she is raised in the Paris Opera House with his dying promise of a protective angel of music to guide her. After a time at the opera house, she begins hearing a voice, who eventually teaches her how to sing beautifully. All goes well until Christine’s childhood friend Raoul comes to visit his parents, who are patrons of the opera, and he sees Christine when she begins successfully singing on the stage. The voice, who is the deformed, murderous ‘ghost’ of the opera house named Erik, however, grows violent in his terrible jealousy, until Christine suddenly disappears. The phantom is in love, but it can only spell disaster.
Leroux’s work, with characters ranging from the spoiled prima donna Carlotta to the mysterious Persian from Erik’s past, has been immortalized by memorable adaptations. Despite this, it remains a remarkable piece of Gothic horror literature in and of itself, deeper and darker than any version that follows.
March 30, 2023, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley
Just when seventeen-year-old Cullen Witter thinks he understands everything about his small and painfully dull Arkansas town, it all disappears. . . .
In the summer before Cullen’s senior year, a nominally-depressed birdwatcher named John Barling thinks he spots a species of woodpecker thought to be extinct since the 1940s in Lily, Arkansas. His rediscovery of the so-called Lazarus Woodpecker sparks a flurry of press and woodpecker-mania. Soon all the kids are getting woodpecker haircuts and everyone’s eating “Lazarus burgers.” But as absurd as the town’s carnival atmosphere has become, nothing is more startling than the realization that Cullen’s sensitive, gifted fifteen-year-old brother Gabriel has suddenly and inexplicably disappeared.
While Cullen navigates his way through a summer of finding and losing love, holding his fragile family together, and muddling his way into adulthood, a young missionary in Africa, who has lost his faith, is searching for any semblance of meaning wherever he can find it. As distant as the two stories seem at the start, they are thoughtfully woven ever closer together and through masterful plotting, brought face to face in a surprising and harrowing climax.
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Miranda rated it ★★★★★.
May 25, 2023, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement. Touching and powerful, each poem is both accessible and emotionally charged, each line a glimpse into a child’s soul as she searches for her place in the world. Woodson’s eloquent poetry also reflects the joy of finding her voice through writing stories, despite the fact that she struggled with reading as a child. Her love of stories inspired her and stayed with her, creating the first sparks of the gifted writer she was to become.
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Bekka rated it ★★★★ and said “This deceptively simple book is quite powerful. I really enjoyed the stories told here, and feel a real kinship with Ms. Woodson and her family. We have a lot in common! The poems really touched me. The writing is excellent, and this is a book both kids and parents can enjoy. Highly Recommended!!”
Cathy rated it ★★★★.
April 27, 2023, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
The Secret Life of Bees
by Sue Monk Kidd
Set in South Carolina in 1964, The Secret Life of Bees tells the story of Lily Owens, whose life has been shaped around the blurred memory of the afternoon her mother was killed. When Lily’s fierce-hearted black “stand-in mother,” Rosaleen, insults three of the deepest racists in town, Lily decides to spring them both free. They escape to Tiburon, South Carolina–a town that holds the secret to her mother’s past. Taken in by an eccentric trio of black beekeeping sisters, Lily is introduced to their mesmerizing world of bees and honey, and the Black Madonna. This is a remarkable novel about divine female power, a story women will share and pass on to their daughters for years to come.
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Susan rated it ★★★★★.
Cathy rated it ★★★★.
June 29, 2023, at 6:30 pm in the Community Room
Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
Viewing an apartment normally doesn’t turn into a life-or-death situation, but this particular open house becomes just that when a failed bank robber bursts in and takes everyone in the apartment hostage. As the pressure mounts, the eight strangers begin slowly opening up to one another and reveal long-hidden truths.
First is Zara, a wealthy bank director who has been too busy to care about anyone else until tragedy changed her life. Now, she’s obsessed with visiting open houses to see how ordinary people live—and, perhaps, to set an old wrong to right. Then there’s Roger and Anna-Lena, an Ikea-addicted retired couple who are on a never-ending hunt for fixer-uppers to hide the fact that they don’t know how to fix their own failing marriage. Julia and Ro are a young lesbian couple and soon-to-be parents who are nervous about their chances for a successful life together since they can’t agree on anything. And there’s Estelle, an eighty-year-old woman who has lived long enough to be unimpressed by a masked bank robber waving a gun in her face. And despite the story she tells them all, Estelle hasn’t really come to the apartment to view it for her daughter, and her husband really isn’t outside parking the car.
As police surround the premises and television channels broadcast the hostage situation live, the tension mounts and even deeper secrets are slowly revealed. Before long, the robber must decide which is the more terrifying prospect: going out to face the police, or staying in the apartment with this group of impossible people.
Ratings and Reviews from the Librarians
Cathy rated it ★★★★★ and said “I’m developing a serious literary crush on Fredrik Backman. Some authors can make you laugh. Some authors can make you cry. Some authors can make you contemplate the nature of humanity. Some authors can make you delve into your own core. There are even some authors that have the skills for a combination of these. I know know no other author that can make you do them all simultaneously. Backman is a master! As stated in the opening paragraphs, this is a book about idiots. But it proves that we’re all idiots. And it shows that we’re all wonderful, lovable, messed up and brilliant idiots. It is a book full of anguish and hope and lots and lots of love.“
Bekka rated it ★★★★ and said “Another excellent read by Fredrik Backman! I enjoy his characters so much. They are realistic people with real problems placed in sometimes crazy situations. I enjoy seeing how each copes with their issues and how they come together to solve what look like unsolvable problems. Highly Recommended!”
New Temporary Hours of Operation
Due to staffing shortages and until further notice our temporary hours will be:
- Monday: 9:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Tuesday - Wednesday: 9:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Thursday: 11:00 am – 8:00 pm
- Friday: 10:00 am – 6:00 pm
- Saturday: 10:00 am – 2:00 pm
- Sunday: CLOSED
Closures in 2023
- January 2 – New Year’s
- January 16 – Martin Luther King, Jr., Day
- February 20 – President’s Day
- March 24 – Staff Development Day
- April 1 – Closed for Maintenance
- May 27-29 – Memorial Day
- June 19 – Juneteenth
- July 4 – Independence Day
- September 2-4 – Labor Day
- September 28 - Library Conference (LCEI)
- October 7 – Closed for Maintenance
- November 10-11 – Veteran’s Day
- November 22 – Closing at 5:00 pm
- November 23-25 – Thanksgiving
- December 23-26 – Christmas
- December 30-31, 2023 – New Year’s
- January 1, 2024 – New Year’s Day
Address
73 North Center
Rexburg, Idaho 83440
We are located on Center Street, just north of Main Street, by the Historic Rexburg Tabernacle.
Contact Us
(208) 356-3461
24 Hour Phone Renewal: (208) 356-6658
askmadisonlibrary@madisonlib.org