Try out our Friends Book Groups!

In 2024, the Friends added a new member benefit - Friends-only book groups! The afternoon and evening book groups meet every other month. You don't need to register, just show up! Copies of the books are held at Delaware, Orange and Liberty branches specifically for our groups.

Do you want to try it out but want to bring a non-Friend friend? (Tongue twister time!) Feel free! Non-members can attend one book club session for free, and then join the Friends of DCDL if they want to continue to participate.

SEPTEMBER AFTERNOON BOOK GROUP

Tuesday, September 22nd @ 2PM at the Powell Chamber Office

Discussing: Good People: A Novel by Patmeena Sabit

September's selected title is a story of an Afghan immigrant family. This mystery reads like a literary game of ping pong, compelling readers to reconsider what might have happened even on the previous page. Yes, dear reader, YOU need to piece together the pieces of this puzzle.

In this debut novel that's told through a kaleidoscope of perspectives, a tragedy thrusts one family into the court of public opinion as the media -- and their own community -- dissect every aspect of their lives.

As one reviewer wrote, "Zorah Sharaf could do no wrong. Zorah Sharaf brought shame upon her family. What’s the truth? That depends on who you ask." What do YOU think?

OCTOBER EVENING BOOK GROUP

Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson

Tuesday, October 27th @ 6:30pm at Vittoria's (10241 Sawmill Parkway, Powell, OH 43065)

About the Book

Reclusive literary legend M. M. “Mimi” Banning has been holed up in her Bel Air mansion for years, but now she’s writing her first book in decades and to ensure timely completion her publisher sends an assistant to monitor her progress. Mimi reluctantly complies—with a few stipulations: No Ivy Leaguers or English majors. Must drive, cook, tidy. Computer whiz. Good with kids. Quiet, discreet, sane.

When Alice Whitley arrives at the Banning mansion, she’s put to work right away—as a full-time companion to Frank, the writer’s eccentric nine-year-old, a boy with the wit of Noël Coward, the wardrobe of a 1930s movie star, and very little in common with his fellow fourth graders.

As she gets to know Frank, Alice becomes consumed with finding out who his father is, how his gorgeous “piano teacher and itinerant male role model” Xander fits into the Banning family equation—and whether Mimi will ever finish that book.

Full of heart and countless only-in-Hollywood moments, Be Frank With Me is a captivating and heartwarming story of an unusual mother and son, and the intrepid young woman who finds herself irresistibly pulled into their unforgettable world.

About the Author

Julia Claiborne Johnson is the author of the bestselling Be Frank with Me, a finalist for the American Bookseller’s Association Best Debut Novel Award. She grew up on a farm in Tennessee before moving to New York City, where she worked at Mademoiselle and Glamour magazines. She now lives in Los Angeles with her comedy-writer husband and their two children.

Vicky Schmarr - Afternoon Book Group Facilitator

Joy Kelch - Evening Book Group Facilitator

BOOKS WE HAVE READ