All the light we cannot see: a novel by Anthony Doerr — When Marie Laure is six, she goes blind, and her father builds her a model of their neighborhood, so she can memorize it with her fingers and navigate the real streets. When the Germans occupy Paris, father and daughter flee to Saint-Malo on the Brittany coast. In Germany, an orphan boy, Werner, grows up with his younger sister, Jutta, both enchanted by a crude radio Werner finds. He becomes a master at building and fixing radios, a talent that wins him a place at an elite and brutal military academy and, ultimately, makes him a highly specialized tracker of the Resistance. Werner travels through the heart of Hitler Youth to the far-flung outskirts of Russia, and finally into Saint-Malo, where his path converges with Marie-Laure. Please join us at noon on January 14.

Lunch and a Book meets the second Thursday of the month from 12:00-1:00PM.  No registration required, participation encouraged.

All the light we cannot see: a novel by Anthony Doerr — January 14

The girl on the train by Paula Hawkins — February 11

The invention of wings: a novel by Sue Monk Kidd — March 10

Shanghai girls: a novel by Lisa See — April 14

Sidney Chambers and the shadow of death by James Runcie — May 12

Station eleven by Emily St. John Mandel - Set in the eerie days of civilization's collapse, Station Eleven tells the story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of actors roaming the scattered outposts of the Great Lakes region, risking everything for art and humanity. Together, this small troupe moves between the settlements of an altered world, performing Shakespeare and music for scattered communities of survivors. Written on their caravan, is a line from Star Trek: "Because survival is insufficient." Join us on Thursday November 12 at noon.

Us by David Nicholls ?? After almost 30 years of marriage, Connie tells Douglas that she thinks she wants a divorce. But she can't bring herself to cancel their month-long tour of European capitals experiencing the world's greatest works of art with their son Albie. Douglas is privately convinced that this trip will rekindle the romance in the marriage, and may even help him to bond with Albie. Us is the story of a man trying to rescue his relationship with the woman he loves and learning how to get closer to a son who's always felt like a stranger. Join us Thursday, September 10 at noon.

The fault in our stars by John Green ?? Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten. The Fault in Our Stars brilliantly explores the funny, thrilling, and tragic business of being alive and in love. Join us Thursday, June 11 at noon.

The all-girl filling station's last reunion: a novel by Fannie Flagg ?? Spanning decades, generations, and America in the 1940s and today, The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion is a fun-loving mystery about an Alabama woman today, and five women who in 1943 worked in a Phillips 66 gas station, during the WWII years. Like Fannie Flagg's classic Fried Green Tomatoes, this is filled to the brim with Flagg's trademark funny voice and storytelling magic. Join us Thursday May 14 at noon.

Join us Thursday, April 9 at noon as we discuss:

The end of night: searching for natural darkness in an age of artificial light by Paul Bogard ?? A deeply panoramic tour of the night, from its brightest spots to the darkest skies we have left. A starry night is one of nature's most magical wonders. Yet in our artificially lit world, most of us no longer experience true darkness. Paul Bogard restores our awareness of the spectacularly primal, wildly dark night sky and how it has influenced the human experience across everything from science to art.

Join us Thursday, January 8 at noon as we discuss:

Bootstrapper: from broke to badass on a northern Michigan farm by Mardi Jo Link ?? It's the summer of 2005, and Mardi Jo Link's dream of living the simple life has unraveled into debt and heartbreak. She and her husband of nineteen years have just called it quits, leaving her with serious cash-flow problems and a looming divorce. Link makes a seemingly impossible resolution: to hang on to her century-old farmhouse in northern Michigan and continue to raise her three boys on well water and wood chopping and dirt. Armed with an unfailing sense of humor and three resolute accomplices, Link confronts blizzards and foxes, learns about Zen divorce and the best way to butcher a hog, dominates a zucchini-growing contest and wins a year's supply of local bread, masters the art of bargain cooking, wrangles rampaging poultry, and withstands any blow to her pride in order to preserve the life she wants.