Good Reads for Adults

Book Discussions 2008-2009

The Orland Park Public Library hosts a monthly book discussion group for adults during the months of September through May. A copy of the current book can be picked up at the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor of the library. Discussions take place Tuesdays at 10:00 a.m., Wednesdays at 1:00 p.m., and Thursdays at 7:00 p.m. Please call the Reference Desk at (708) 428-5151 for more details.

The River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candice Millard
September 16, 17, & 18, 2008
A 1912 election defeat prompted Theodore Roosevelt to seek out the most punishing physical challenge to overcome the setback. With his son Kermit and Brazilian Colonel Candido Rondon, he descended an uncharted tributary of the Amazon River through treacherous rain forest and accomplished a feat that changed the map of the western hemisphere.

Orland Park Reads: Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
October 14, 15, & 16, 2008
Lovers Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Borthwick Cheney, each married with children, were hounded in Chicago for their scandalous relationship. In the midst of it all, they managed to create a life of peace in Wisconsin until an unexpected tragedy destroyed their world.

The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff
November 18, 19, & 20, 2008
A sea monster, fondly referred to as Glimmy, surfaces dead in Lake Glimmerglass in Templeton, New York, on the same day that Willie Upton returns to her hometown and off-beat mother Vivienne. While researching city history to learn the name of her birth father, Willie uncovers other monsters that aren't nearly as harmless as Glimmy.

Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog by John Grogan
December 16, 17, & 18, 2008
The Grogans, a family in the making, adopt Marley, a large yellow Labrador to prepare themselves for children. Marley turns out to be a mischievous dog, naughtier than a child could ever be, but with a heart of gold.

Terrorist by John Updike
January 20, 21, & 22, 2009
Ahmad, the son of an Irish-American mother and Egyptian father who disappeared when he was three, lives in a slumping factory town in New Jersey. As a high school student, Ahmad finds a job in a furniture store where he is manipulated to set his sights on a terrorist act.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards
February 17, 18, & 19, 2009
Tragic consequences ensue when Dr. David Henry delivers his own twins and recognizes Down syndrome in his second child at her birth. He makes an instant decision about the baby to protect his wife Norah, which forever alters the course of their lives.

The Zookeeper's Wife: A War Story by Diane Ackerman
March 17, 18, & 19, 2009
A Warsaw zookeeper and his family saved the lives of over three hundred Jews victimized by the Nazi regime in a determined effort to do right by their fellow man. These extremely organized underground resistance activists stand with zoo animals in stark contrast to the animals Hitler unleashed.

Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
April 14, 15, & 16, 2009
Life for 11-year-old severely asthmatic Reuben Land consists of dreaming of cowboys and pirates until his older brother Davy kills two teenagers who threaten their family. Davy escapes from a Minnesota jail cell on horseback during his trial, leaving Reuben, his sister Swede, and their father Jeremiah at a loss for what to do next.

The Host by Stephenie Meyer
May 19, 20, & 21, 2009
The people of Earth have been invaded by aliens who control the minds and bodies of humans, but Melanie Stryder refuses to give in to her captor. She is driven to make her way back to her brother and the man she loves, even if it means befriending the alien who shares her body as an unwilling ally.

Seduction in the Stacks

The Orland Park Public Library hosts a monthly romance book discussion group for adults during the months of September through May. A copy of the current book can be picked up at the Reference Desk on the 2nd floor of the library. Discussions take place Fridays at 7:00 p.m. Please call the Reference Desk at (708) 428-5151 for more details.

Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë
September 19, 2008
When Mr. Lockwood has an encounter with the spirit of Catherine Linton at the home of the unsociable Heathcliff, he hears the story of the tempestuous love affair between Catherine and Heathcliffe.

The Seducer by Madeline Hunter
October 17, 2008
Leaving the cloistered life of her school, sheltered beauty Diane Albret journeys to the home of her guardian, the charismatic Daniel St. John, a legendary rake and a man who possesses a dark secret about her lost past, a mystery that could imperil both their lives.

Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen
November 21, 2008
Two sisters, one practical and conventional and the other emotional and sentimental, find that only through compromise of their mutual differences can they get along.

Once a Gentleman by Candice Hern
December 19, 2008
When it is learned that Prudence and Nicholas Parrish spent the night working together unchaperoned, Nicholas decides to do the honorable thing and marry her. Although Prudence loves him, she knows that their relationship will never be more than friendship. It's only after the wedding that Nicholas begins to see Prudence in a different light.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory
January 23, 2009
Anne, her sister Mary and their brother George are all brought to the king's court at a young age, as players in their uncle's plans to advance the family's fortunes. Mary, the sweet, blonde sister, wins King Henry VIII's favor when she is barely 14 and already married to one of his courtiers. Their affair lasts several years, and she gives Henry a daughter and a son. But her dark, clever, scheming sister, Anne, insinuates herself into Henry's graces, styling herself as his adviser and confidante. Soon she displaces Mary as his lover and begins her machinations to rid him of his wife, Katherine of Aragon. This is only the beginning of the intrigue that Gregory so handily chronicles.

Love Only Once by Johanna Lindsey
February 20, 2009
Kidnapped and seduced by the handsome Nicholas Eden, lovely Regina Ashton falls for her captor, but scandal, danger, and tragic misunderstandings threaten their relationship, in a tale set in Regency England.

Villette by Charlotte Brontë
March 20, 2009
When Lucy Snowe teaches in Brussels, she falls in love with a professor.

My Favorite Witch by Annette Blair
April 17, 2009
Kira is a white witch with a genius for organizing special events. When disabled star hockey player Jason Goddard meets her, she has just dumped her jock fiance after finding him in bed with her sister the month before the wedding. So she's muttering spells and he gets entirely the wrong impression. Her friend and landlord, Betsy, has paired them together, in hopes that they can bring new money to support the charitable endeavor, St. Anthony's Home for Boys.

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
May 22, 2009
Wealthy Mr. Darcy and spirited Elizabeth Bennett dislike each other at first sight, and each must contend with their pride and prejudices while Elizabeth's mother plots economically advantageous marriages for all her daughters.