I’ve talked about it before, but the University Bookstore in Mill Creek is such a good resource for book groups it bears repeating. In fact, if you are looking to join a group there are several options to pick from through the store. Do tell.

The Main Street Book Club which features “The best in contemporary titles” meets the last Wednesday of each month at 6:30PM. You would still have time to read the August (meets Aug 22nd) selection — The Art of Fielding by Chad Harbach. Paperback • Fiction • $11.99*

“The book confounded my expectations, in that it wasn’t strictly about baseball. Baseball is used literally and figuratively in this book, as a focus for multiple story lines, each in its own way dealing with the challenges of learning how to live with one’s imperfections and failures. I loved the characters, the metaphor, the baseball.” — Excerpt from a review/recommendation staff member, Kerry.

@thecreek Book Club is the group for you, if you are looking for “The best in young adult fiction, open to readers 16 and older.” They meet the first Monday of each month at 7PM. You might have to pull some all-nighters to get it read in time, but the August selection for the August 6th meeting is Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey. Paperback • Young Adult Fiction • $9.99*

“Charlie Bucktin, a bookish thirteen year old, is startled one summer night by an urgent knocks on his bedroom window. His visitor is Jasper Jones, an outcast in their small mining town, and he has come to ask for Charlie’s help. Jasper takes him to his secret glade, where Charlie witnesses Jasper’s horrible discovery, in the simmering summer where everything changes, Charlie learns why the truth of things is so hard to know, even harder to hold in this heart.”

If you want to catch up with the next one, the book for September 10th is Rampant by Diana Peterfreund.

The Odd Shelf Book Club offers up History → Memoir → Cultural Criticism discussing the best in new & classic non-fiction. They meet the second Thursday of each month at 6:30PM.  Again, August 9th is just around the corner, so you may have to get going on it, but the selection is Hit Lit: Cracking the Code of the Twentieth Century’s Biggest Bestsellers by James W. Hall Paperback • Books About Books • $16.00*

What do Michael Corleone, Jack Ryan and Scout Finch have in common? Creative writing professor and thriller writer James W. Hall know. Now, in this entertaining, revelatory book, he reveals how bestsellers work, using twelve twentieth century blockbusters as case studies — including The Godfather, Gone With the Wind, To Kill a Mockingbird and Jaws. Hit Lit is a must-read for fiction lovers and aspiring writers alike, and makes us think anew about why we love the books we love.”

This is being added to my list for sure. Coming Attractions: September 13th The Disappearing Spoon by Sam Keane Paperback • Chemistry • $14.99* & on October 11th The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin Paperback • Self-help • $14.99*

Creek Classics Book Club is just like it sounds. These are the books that have stood the test of time. One classic title per season & they meet once a season. The Fall meeting is Tuesday, September 4th @ 6:30PM. The next selection is Log From the Sea of Cortez by John Steinbeck. Paperback • Travel Literature • $16.00*

“In 1940, John Steinbeck and his friend, biologist Ed Ricketts ventured into the Gulf of California to search for marine invertebrates along the beaches. This exciting day-by-day account of their trip drawn from the longer work, Sea of Cortez, is a wonderful combination of science, philosophy, and high speed adventure that provides a fascinating portrait of Steinbeck and Rickets.”

*It should be noted that the prices for the books are the regular list price, but as book club selections you will save 20% when purchased at the Mill Creek store.

Reviews & summaries quoted above are from the University Bookstore materials.