Thank you to everyone who participated in our discussion both in the comments section of SPC and the articles on the website and at our meeting over Zoom about A Woman is No Man by Etaf Rum.

This book club discussion was my last one as moderator. I don’t have the words to thank each and every one of you for your love and support during these past two and a half years. This club has been such a bright spot for me (and I know for many of you!) and the beautiful community we have built is 100% due to the amazing men and women that you all are. As I move on to my next chapter with OATS please join me in welcoming our new moderator, Saundra Woods. I hope you’ll stay in touch—I would love to hear from you! You can reach me at raltneu@oats.org. Thank you, thank you, thank you.  I will miss seeing you all on Zoom.

Now, it is time to select our next reading!

Each Tuesday, we’ll post a thread here on seniorplanet.org inviting you to comment on each section of the book. Then, during our final week of reading, we’ll host a group discussion over Zoom.

But first! We’ve put together a shortlist of engaging books suggested by our participants, Supporters, and staff. Now it’s up to you to pick which one we’ll read together next! Read on for details about each book, then take the poll at the end and tell us: What should the Senior Planet Book Club read next?

We’ll announce the result of the poll next Tuesday!

Have any feedback on book club? Tell us what you think in the comments below, join “The Book Club” Group on Senior Planet Community, or email supporters@seniorplanet.org!

The Books:

A Deadly Inside Scoop by Abby Colette

The Care and Feeding of Ravenous Hungry Girls by Anissa Gray

“The Mothers meets An American Marriage in this dazzling debut novel about mothers and daughters, identity and family, and how the relationships that sustain you can also be the ones that consume you. The Butler family has had their share of trials—as sisters Althea, Viola, and Lillian can attest—but nothing prepared them for the literal trial that will upend their lives. Althea, the eldest sister and substitute matriarch, is a force to be reckoned with and her younger sisters have alternately appreciated and chafed at her strong will. They are as stunned as the rest of the small community when she and her husband Proctor are arrested, and in a heartbeat the family goes from one of the most respected in town to utter disgrace. The worst part is, not even her sisters are sure exactly what happened. As Althea awaits her fate, Lillian and Viola must come together in the house they grew up in to care for their sister’s teenage daughters. What unfolds is a stunning portrait of the heart and core of an American family in a story that is as page-turning as it is important.” – GoodReads.com

“In this complex and emotionally resonant novel, debut author Jen Ferguson serves up a powerful story about rage, secrets, and all the spectrums that make up a person—and the sweetness that can still live alongside the bitterest truth. Lou has enough confusion in front of her this summer. She’ll be working in her family’s ice cream shack with her newly ex-boyfriend—whose kisses never made her feel desire, only discomfort—and her former best friend, King, who is back in their Canadian prairie town after disappearing three years ago without a word. But when she gets a letter from her biological father—a man she hoped would stay behind bars for the rest of his life—Lou immediately knows that she cannot meet him, no matter how much he insists. While King’s friendship makes Lou feel safer and warmer than she would have thought possible, when her family’s business comes under threat, she soon realizes that she can’t ignore her father forever.” – GoodReads.com

“Robinson’s latest essay collection is a call to arms. She tackles a wide range of topics, such as giving feminism a tough-love talk in hopes it can become more intersectional; telling society’s beauty standards to kick rocks; and demanding that toxic masculinity close its mouth and legs (enough with the manspreading already!), and get out of the way so true progress can happen.” – GoodReads.com

Take the poll!

Photo by Paul Schafer on Unsplash