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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.

MAY AFTERNOON BOOK GROUP

Tuesday, May 26th @ 2PM at the Powell Chamber Office

Discussing/comparing: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain and James by Percival Everett

Although we may be familiar with Huck Finn's adventures, James reimagines the events from the perspective of the enslaved man, who is renamed James.  The book follows James as he escapes to avoid being sold, joining Huck Finn on a journey down the Mississippi River, and offering a new take on the classic story. 

James received widespread acclaim, winning the 2025 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction and the National Book Award. 

Hopefully, you'll have time to read both titles.  For your reading convenience, the books have been scheduled to be available for pick-up at different times.

In fact, currently Adventures of Huckleberry Finn is available for pick-up at Delaware, Orange Drive-up Window, and at Powell.  

Although Liberty only has one copy available right now, more copies should be arriving soon.

Expect copies of James to be available in April at DCDL branches.  That'll give us plenty of time to read before our May 26th session.

JUNE EVENING BOOK GROUP

Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

Tuesday, June 23rd @ 6:30pm at Cap City Diner (6644 Riverside Drive, Dublin, OH 43017)

About the Book

Covering a half-century of the lives of two couples and their families, Buckeye is set in the fictional town of Bonhomie, Ohio.  At once sweeping and intimate, Buckeye is about how life even in small town America is not insulated from the effects of massive world events. Beginning with World War II and ending in the 1980s, Ryan tells us the story of the uniquely American 20th century through the eyes of Margaret and her husband Felix, and Becky and her husband Cal, who become inextricably intertwined.

The book is a character-driven saga praised for its heartfelt, funny, and realistic portrayal of love, war, family, and the secrets that bind and divide people, weaving personal drama with major American historical events. 

About the Author

Patrick Ryan was born in Washington, D.C., and grew up in Florida. He’s a graduate of Florida State University and Bowling Green State University’s Creative Writing Program in Ohio.

His first book, the linked story collection Send Me, was published by Dial Press in 2006 and was chosen for Barnes and Noble’s Discovery Series. His second story collection, The Dream Life of Astronauts, was published by Dial Press in 2016, was named one of the Best Books of the Year by the St. Louis Times-Dispatch, LitHub, and Electric Literature, and was long-listed for The Story Prize. He’s also published three books for young adults: Saints of Augustine (HarperTeen, 2007), In Mike We Trust (HarperTeen, 2009), and Gemini Bites (Scholastic Press, 2011).

His novel Buckeye, published by Random House in September of 2025, became a New York Times bestseller, a Read with Jenna pick, Amazon’s Best Book of 2025, a Barnes & Noble National Book Club Selection, a finalist for Barnes & Noble’s Book of the Year, and a Book-of-the-Month Club Selection. Buckeye is published by Bloomsbury in the U.K. and currently has seventeen international publishers.

Vicky Schmarr - Afternoon Book Group Facilitator

Joy Kelch - Evening Book Group Facilitator

BOOKS WE HAVE READ

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