The perfect book for a book discussion is one that's not too easy, not too hard, that will hold the interest of a diverse group of readers and will also inspire a lively discussion. For additional book club resources the Canton Public Library offers a wide variety of  Book Club in a Bag kits.

Set in an Edwardian country house in 1912, the popular PBS series Downton Abbey centers on the Crawley family, their servants and their life at their grand country home. However, the death of the Crawley heir aboard the Titanic, sets in motion a succession of changes for both the family and the servants. The second season — which began on PBS on January 8 — has moved forward to the years 1916-17 and portrays the effect that World War I has on all of their lives. This Emmy Award winning series is written by Julian Fellowes and stars Hugh Bonneville, Maggie Smith, and Elizabeth McGovern. If you enjoy this period of history try some of the following titles.

Books

The American heiress: a novel by Daisy Goodwin — Traveling abroad with her mother at the turn of the twentieth century to seek a titled husband, beautiful, vivacious Cora Cash suddenly finds herself Duchess of Wareham, married to Ivo, the most eligible bachelor in England.

Below Stairs — The Classic Kitchen Maid's Memoir That Inspired "Upstairs, Downstairs" and "Downton Abbey" by Powell, Margaret — The remarkable true story of a woman who served in one of the great houses of England as a kitchen maid.

U. S. Army Corporal Frank Woodruff Buckles lived to be 110, the last of nearly 5 million U.S. veterans of a dimly remembered war — a generation now laid to rest. Buckles, who fibbed his way into the Army at 16, was a rear-echelon ambulance driver in war-ravaged France, miles behind the battlefront. (Source: Washington Post)

Tuesday, December 7^th, 7:00-8:30PM at Harlan Hatcher Graduate Library, Gallery in Room 100 (use Diag entrance) — 913 S. University Ave., Ann Arbor, MI

Blaine Pardoe, author of Lost Eagles: One Man’s Mission to Find Missing Airmen in Two World Wars

Pardoe tells the complex story of Frederick Zinn, a man who brought peace and closure to countless families who lost airmen during both world wars. Zinn created the techniques still in use to determine the final fate of airmen missing in action. The presentation will be followed by a book sale and signing, courtesy of Nicola’s Books.

Pardoe is an accomplished author who has published dozens of military fiction novels and other books, including the widely acclaimed Cubicle Warfare: Self-Defense Tactics for Today's Hypercompetitive Workplace.

Part of the University of Michigan Press Author Series.

"In war, there are no unwounded soldiers." -José Narosky.
Some of these mystery stories take place in a time of war, some in its aftermath. No one is unscathed…

Blood Alone by James R. Benn

Bitterroot by James Lee Burke

Thirteenth Night: a Medieval Mystery by Alan Gordon