Posted by Candice on Friday, Jul 28, 2017
B.Y.O.Book, the Library's books-in-bars book club, has some new events coming up! Grab a book, then pull up a chair to discuss it with us, while enjoying some food and drink at a great, local restaurant. Find more information and register for events by clicking on the links below.
August 15, at The Mill, 6 p.m., we'll talk about Carson McCullers' The Heart Is a Lonely Hunter
September 19, at Basta Pizzeria Ristorante, 6 p.m., we'll talk about Elena Ferrante's My Brilliant Friend
October 24, at Share Wine Bistro & Small Plate Lounge, 6 p.m., we'll talk about Jeff Speck's Walkable City: How Downtown Can Save America, One Step at a Time
A limited number of each title will be available at the Info Desk on the 2nd floor of the Iowa City Public Library for checkout; there are also copies in the Library's print, audio, and digital collections. Please call the Info Desk at 356-5200 for more information, or email candice-smith@icpl.org
This is a great book to get cozy with, taking place in none other than Agatha Christie's vacation home! That link sets the tone, a nice, clipped-accented British mystery set during the WWII bombings of London. Strong, winning heroines abound, with the well-meaning but troubled Bridey, the mysterious and sophisticated Gigi, and a host of others who serve as reminders of just how much women picked up the slack during the war, and various ways they also suffered. The relocation of children to the countryside--to protect them from the falling bombs--allows the book's characters to shelter in what should be a more idyllic location, but the sadness, death, and mystery follow them there, in more ways than one. Particularly poignant is the mother who keeps her child in London with her, with unforeseen consequences. -Candice