My Afternoon Book Group schedule for the first half of 2026....

Hello book buddies!  Hope you are all having a nice weekend!  We are having a cold, icy, sleety, snowy time.  Not my favorite type of weather at all.  Have I said I like spring a lot?  And I'm so ready for it?  Well, I am.  We're just not equipped for cold events like this and also few people know how to drive in it.  I know - this too shall pass.  

I thought I would share what the other book group that I attend is planning for January-June of 2026.  We've already had our January meeting, but I'll talk a bit about that discussion at the end of the post.  This group is the one that I call 'The Afternoon Book Group' - it's in the afternoon on the 3rd Tuesday of the month.  And, yes, it's one that I worked with when I was a library employee.  A very nice lady took it over when I left the library staff and she's still leading it.  Barbara is great!  Here's the first of half of 2026 plan.  Oh, and since a couple of the months have themes with several books that the members can select from, I won't be adding pictures and blurbs to all of them.  I will put a star (*) by the one I'm planning on reading.  

January - Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

A sweeping, tenderhearted love story, Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash tells the story of two families living through World War II on opposite sides of the Atlantic Ocean, and the shy, irresistible young woman who will call them both her own.

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February - Come meet the author!

Jennifer Marchman joins us as we discuss The Mender Trilogy, a historical time travel series set in 1899's Texas.  The books are The Mender, The Captive, and The Guardian.

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March - A River Runs Through It

Select one of the 'river' books:

The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhorn - **

Swift River by Essie Chambers

The River is Waiting by Wally Lamb

Go As A River: A Novel by Shelley Read

Long Bright River: A Novel by Liz Moore

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April - How To Read a Book: A Heartfelt Novel of Redemption and Unlikely Friendships in a Small Town by Monica Wood

A charming, deeply moving novel about second chances, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of sharing stories.

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May - Reader's Choice

Select one of these books to read and come tell us how it resonated with you:

The Correspondent by Virginia Evans - **

The Ornithologist's Field Guide to Love by India Holton

When Two Feathers Fell From the Sky by Margaret Verble

The Wedding People: A Novel by Alison Espach

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June - Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy

A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon.

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What do you think?  Have you read any of these books and do you have thoughts on them?  I'm looking forward to trying perhaps more than one on the months where there is a choice.  We shall see.  

The group did have a good discussion of Beyond That, The Sea last Tuesday afternoon.  I liked the book a lot, but there are some who do not like when chapters are narrated by rotating people and they have a hard time keeping track.  That didn't seem to be a problem though.  Some had listened to the book and said the narration was good as well.  Many of us had not realized that children were evacuated to the US from England during the Second World War.  The author had done a lot of research and she shared many things with us that we weren't necessarily all that familiar with.  We learned a lot.  Have you read Beyond That, The Sea?  Share what you thought about it if you have.  This was Laura Spence-Ash's debut book.  I haven't found notice as yet of a second book for her, but our group is hoping for one.  

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A long post, I know.  Thanks for sticking with me to the end.  I'll be back on Wednesday with a 'Waiting on...' post.  Take care, friends!  Stay warm!  I'll be trying to do the same.  Ha!