Book Club
ARA READERS BOOK CLUB
Carol Szot - 207-384-5153 or carolszot@comcast.net
Book Club members pick their books of choice and lead discussions of their recommendations. Book selections are posted well in advance. We're a wonderfully diverse group, and it's always a treat to share new and different tastes and reviews of the same material.
When: 3rd Tuesday of the month (year-round), 1:00 PM.
Where: We meet in the Community Room of the Durham Police Station in Durham but will use Zoom if necessary for January & February to avoid winter weather issues.
2026
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Jan 20: How to Read a Book (Monica Wood) — Leader: Carol Szot
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Feb 17: The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison) — Leader: Susan Wagner
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Mar 17: A Walk in the Woods (Bill Bryson) — Leader: Sandy Caldwell
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Apr 21: Co-Intelligence (Ethan Mollick) — Leader: Drew Christie
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May 19: Sunflower Boys (Sam Wachman) — Leader: Mary Ellen Siudut
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Jun 16: Pauper Auction (Mary Kronenwetter) — Leader: Mary Caldwell
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Jul 21: We Do Not Part (Han Kang) — Leader: Susan Wagner
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Aug 18: Orange is the New Black (Piper Kerman) — Leader: Sandy Caldwell
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Sep 15: Breaking the Barnyard Barrier (Linda Rhodes) — Leader: Peg Higgins
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Oct 20: The Fire We Carry (Rebecca Nagle) — Leader: Drew Christie
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Nov 17: Madam Secretary (Stephanie Dray) — Leader: Mary Ellen Siudut
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Dec 15: Grandma Gatewood's Walk (Ben Montgomery) — Leader: Nancy
2025 Book Selections
12/16/25, Small Things Like This by Claire Keegan, discussion leader Drew Christie
11/18/25, Daughters of Mars by Thomas Keneally, discussion leader to be determined
10/21/25, Homegoing by Yaa Gyasi, discussion leader Mary Ellen Siudut
9/16/25, The Demon of Unrest by Erik Larson, discussion leader Carol Szot
8/19/25, Pachinko by Min Jin Lee, discussion leader to be determined
7/15/25, A Beautifully Foolish Endeavor by Hank Green, discussion leader to be determined
6/17/25, On Call by Anthony Fauci, discussion leader Mary Caldwell
5/20/25, Native Son by Richard Wright, discussion leader Bill deVries
4/16/25, Conclave by Robert Harris, discussion leader Sherry Evans
3/18/25, The Overstory by Richard Powers, discussion leader Nancy Walker
2/18/25, At Home by Bill Bryson, discussion leader Sandy Caldwell
1/21/25, An Absolutely Remarkable Thing by Hank Green, discussion leader Mary Ellen Siduit
2024 Book Selections
The Lemon Tree by Sandy Dolan
Peg Higgins, Discussion Leader
A Piece of the World by Christine Baker Kline
Deb Longo, Discussion Leader
Alan Brennert, Molokai
Sharon Zumpfe, Discussion Leader
Glassworks by Olivia Wolfgang-Smith
Drew Christie, Discussion Leader
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Susan Wagner, Discussion Leader
Fever in the Heartland by Timothy Egan
Bill DeVries, Discussion Leader
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Carol Chamberlain, Discussion Leader
Warmth of Other Suns by Isabel Wilkerson
Carol Szot, Discussion Leader
The Underworld by Susan Casey
Pat Laska, Discussion Leader
Migrations: A Novel by Charlotte McConaghy
Sherry Evans, Discussion Leader
Necessary Trouble by Drew Gilfin Faust
Drew Christie, Discussion Leader
2023 Book Selections
O Pioneer by Willa Cather (on Zoom)
leading discussion—-Carol Chamberlain
Empire of Pain by Patrick Radden Keefe
leading discussion—-Carol Szot
The Other Doctor Gilmer by Benjamin Gilmer,
leading discussion—-Robin Glasser
The Pioneers by David McCullough
leading discussion—-Peggy Higgins
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
leading discussion—-Pat Laska
The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich
leading discussion—-Drew Christie
Simple Passion by Annie Ernaux
leading discussion—-Dorothy Healy
Lessons from the Edge by Marie Yovanovitch
leading discussion—-Susan Wagner
Paradise Falls by Keith O’Brien
leading discussion—-Nancy Walker
The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles
leading discussion—-Debbie Forster
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
leading discussion--Robin Glasser
A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner
leading discussion--MaryEllen Siudut/Cszot