Book Club

Senior Planet Book Club: Vote For Our Next Book!

Thank you to everyone who participated in our discussion both in the comments section of SeniorPlanet.org and at our meeting over Zoom about “The Vanishing Half” by Britt Bennett.

Now it is time to select our next reading!

Each Tuesday, we’ll post a thread on SeniorPlanet.org inviting your comments on the next section of the book and then we’ll host a discussion over Zoom the final week of reading the book together.

But first! We’ve put together a shortlist engaging books suggested by our members and staff. Now it’s up to you 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 in addition to how you can access a copy of the chosen book next Tuesday!

Have any feedback on book club? Tell us what you think in the comments or email membership@seniorplanet.org!

The Books:

Heart of Fire: An Immigrant Daughter’s Story by Mazie K. Hirono

“From Mazie Hirono, the first Asian-American woman and the only immigrant serving in the U.S. Senate, the intimate and inspiring story of how a girl born in rural Japan went on to become a hero on the left (The Washington Post ) – and of the mother whose courageous choices made her journey possible. This intimate and inspiring memoir traces her remarkable life from her upbringing in Hawaii, where the family first lived in a single room in a Honolulu boarding house while her mother worked two jobs to keep them afloat; to her emergence as a highly effective legislator whose determination to help the most vulnerable was grounded in her own experiences of economic insecurity, lack of healthcare access, and family separation. Finally, it chronicles her evolution from dogged yet soft-spoken public servant into the fiery critic and advocate we know her as today.” – GoodReads.com

Please Like Me (But Keep Away) by Mindy Kaling

“Freaked out by her fortieth birthday, the creator and executive producer of Never Have I Ever reflects on the importance of good friends—and the mortifying obligations it takes to keep them.Yes, Mindy Kaling is the genial Hollywood celebrity who posted twelve selfies from a single Oscar party, but that smile took work. In this hilariously honest essay, Mindy reflects on the social anxiety that she traces back to the slices of white cheese her parents served at her ninth birthday party. Little has changed in thirty years—least of all the fear of being judged forever. It’s probably best to just back away.” – GoodReads.com

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

“Klara and the Sun, the first novel by Kazuo Ishiguro since he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, tells the story of Klara, an Artificial Friend with outstanding observational qualities, who, from her place in the store, watches carefully the behavior of those who come in to browse, and of those who pass on the street outside. She remains hopeful that a customer will soon choose her.” – GoodReads.com.

Kindred by Octavia Butler

“The first science fiction written by a black woman, Kindred has become a cornerstone of black American literature. This combination of slave memoir, fantasy, and historical fiction is a novel of rich literary complexity. Having just celebrated her 26th birthday in 1976 California, Dana, an African-American woman, is suddenly and inexplicably wrenched through time into antebellum Maryland. After saving a drowning white boy there, she finds herself staring into the barrel of a shotgun and is transported back to the present just in time to save her life. During numerous such time-defying episodes with the same young man, she realizes the challenge she’s been given.” – GoodReads.com

Take the poll!

What book should the Senior Planet Book Club read next?

Photo by Paul Schafer on Unsplash

COMMENTS

14 responses to “Senior Planet Book Club: Vote For Our Next Book!

    1. Hi Tammie, just a clarification: are the books not owned by your library, or are they wait listed? If they’re wait listed, is an audio version or e-book available? I prefer an actual book, but I will read an e-book if I have to. I really really dislike (most) audios.

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