Events and Programs

Join Us for Book Discussions

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Book Discussion of Reading Lolita in Tehran: A Memoir in Books by Azar Nafisi
This is the story of Azar Nafisi's dream and of the nightmare that made it come true. Every Thursday morning, for two years before she left Iran in 1997, Nafisi gathered seven young women at her house to read and discuss forbidden works of Western literature. All former students whom she had taught at the university, these women were unaccustomed to being asked to speak their minds, but soon they began to open up and to speak more freely, not only about the novels they were reading but also about themselves, their dreams and disappointments. Nafisi's account flashes back to the early days of the revolution, when she first started teaching at the University of Tehran, amid the swirl of protests and demonstrations. Azar Nafisi's tale offers a fascinating portrait of the Iran-Iraq war viewed from Tehran and offers a rare inside glimpse of women's lives in revolutionary Iran.
Wednesday, March 17, 6 p.m. at the Hawthorne Branch

Book Discussion of A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
A gothic tale set in 1907 Wisconsin told from two viewpoints: Ralph Truitt, a wealthy businessman who advertises for a wife for practical reasons, and Catherine Land, a beauty hungry for riches, posing as a dowdy daughter of a missionary.
Wednesday, March 17, 7 p.m. at the Central Library

Book Discussion of The Jungle by Upton Sinclair
"Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant lured by appealing advertisements, comes to Chicago to make money in the stockyards, but the reality is different from what he expects." - Novelist
Saturday, March 20, 1:30 p.m. at the South Madison Branch

Book Discussion of American Pastoral by Philip Roth
Tuesday, March 23, 6 p.m. at the Monroe Street Branch

Book Discussion of Jayber Crow by Wendell Berry
Jayber Crow, town barber from 1937 until 1969, is born in the environs of Port William, KY, but after the deaths of his parents and later, his guardians, he is sent to an out-of-town orphanage at the age of 10. Returning 13 years later, in the flood year of 1937, the solitary young man goes on to learn the comradely ways of the town.
Tuesday, March 23, 7 p.m. at the Pinney Branch

Book Discussion of Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay
Haunting and suspenseful, life-affirming and beautiful, "Sarah's Key" offers a compelling portrait of occupied Paris and reveals the taboos and silence that surround this little-known episode in French history.
Thursday, March 25, 1 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch

Book Discussion of Home Safe by Elizabeth Berg
Join us at the Alicia Ashman Branch Library for discussions of recently published fiction and nonfiction books. Also, share with the group information about other books read in the past month. This month's title is Home safe by Elizabeth Berg. Our next title will be available following the discussion, with extra copies available at the reference desk while supplies last.
Thursday, April 1, 3 p.m. at the Alicia Ashman Branch

Book Discussion of Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner
Join the Meadowridge Book Group for an informal discussion of Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner.
Wednesday, April 7, 6:30 p.m. at the Meadowridge Branch - Register online or call 266-6160

Sequoya Sleuths: Mystery Book Discussion of Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
Private detective Maisie Dobbs must investigate the reappearance of a dead man who turns up at a cooperative farm called the Retreat that caters to men who are recovering their health after World War I.
Wednesday, April 7, 7:00 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch

Book Discussion of The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay by Michael Chabon
Pick up the current selection at the library, The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay and Michael Chabon, and let's get together for a good time.
Thursday, April 8, 12 p.m. at the Lakeview Branch

Book Discussion of Touchstone by Laurie King
Once studied by British intelligence for his excruciating sensitivity to the world’s turmoil, Bennett Grey has withdrawn from the world–until an American Bureau of Investigation agent comes to assess Grey’s potential as a weapon in a new kind of warfare.
Thursday, April 8, 2 p.m. at the Central Library

Author Appearance: Agate Nesaule
Agate Nesaule will discuss her most recent novel, "In Love with Jerzy Kosinski."
Saturday, April 10, 1:30 p.m. at the Pinney Branch

Book Discussion of Mansfield Park by Jane Austen
Join us for discussions of a variety of books, both fiction and non-fiction. This month we will be discussing Mansfield Park by Jane Austen. Our next title will be available following the discussion with extra copies available at the reference desk while supplies last.
Tuesday, April 13, 7 p.m. at the Alicia Ashman Branch

Porchlight's Madison Cares Campaign: Book Discussion of The Soloist by Steve Lopez
When L.A. Times journalist Lopez encounters Nathaniel Ayers playing Beethoven on a battered violin beside a shopping cart of belongings, he knows it’s a newspaper column, at least. When he learns Ayers is a classically trained musician who left Juilliard in 1972 due to his schizophrenia, Lopez wants to know more-- and perhaps to help. Part of MPL's collaboration with Porchlight, the Madison organization that provides housing and support services to the homeless and mentally ill in our community. See more information about the partnership.
Saturday, April 17, 1:30 p.m. at the South Madison Branch

Book Discussion of The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard
On the night of the decade's worst blizzard, a local farm boy discovers the frozen body of a beautiful young woman in the snow. Seventeen years later, the "Virgin of Small Plains" has become a local myth. Strange miracles have visited those who faithfully tend to her grave and Small Plains becomes a haven for those hoping the Virgin will cure them. But soon strange and sinister events unfold. What really happened seventeen years ago? And why are some of the town's leading citizens so determined that the truth remain buried? This book, which has been praised as a can't-put-it-down-page-turner, was chosen for the 2009 state-wide "Kansas Reads" program.
Wednesday, April 21, 6 p.m. at the Hawthorne Branch

Book Discussion of The Believers by Zoe Heller
A NYC family comes further unhinged with the hospitalization of their husband/father. For fans of black humor and snappy dialogue.
Wednesday, April 21, 7 p.m. at the Central Library

Book Discussion of River of Doubt: Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey by Candace Millard
A year after Roosevelt lost a third-party bid for the White House in 1912, he decided to chase away his blues by accepting an invitation for a South American trip that quickly evolved into an ill-prepared journey down an unexplored tributary of the Amazon known as the River of Doubt.
Tuesday, April 27, 7 p.m. at the Pinney Branch

Sequoya Sleuths: Mystery Book Discussion of Case Histories by Kate Atkinson
Private detective Jackson Brodie finds his own need for resolution sparked by three investigations, including that of two sisters who discover a shocking clue to the disappearance of their third sister thirty years earlier.
Wednesday, May 5, 7:00 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch

Porchlight's Madison Cares Campaign: Book Discussion and Film Screening: The Soloist by Steve Lopez
When L.A. Times journalist Lopez encounters Nathaniel Ayers playing Beethoven on a battered violin beside a shopping cart of belongings, he knows it’s a newspaper column, at least. When he learns Ayers is a classically trained musician who left Juilliard in 1972 due to his schizophrenia, Lopez wants to know more-- and perhaps to help. Part of MPL's collaboration with Porchlight, the Madison organization that provides housing and support services to the homeless and mentally ill in our community. See more information about the partnership.
Friday, May 14, 6:30 p.m. at the Alicia Ashman Branch - Register online or call 824-1780

Porchlight's Madison Cares Campaign: Book Discussion of The Soloist by Steve Lopez
When L.A. Times journalist Lopez encounters Nathaniel Ayers playing Beethoven on a battered violin beside a shopping cart of belongings, he knows it’s a newspaper column, at least. When he learns Ayers is a classically trained musician who left Juilliard in 1972 due to his schizophrenia, Lopez wants to know more-- and perhaps to help. Part of MPL's collaboration with Porchlight, the Madison organization that provides housing and support services to the homeless and mentally ill in our community. See more information about the partnership.
Tuesday, May 25, 7 p.m. at the Pinney Branch

Porchlight's Madison Cares Campaign: Book Discussion and Film Screening: The Soloist by Steve Lopez
When L.A. Times journalist Lopez encounters Nathaniel Ayers playing Beethoven on a battered violin beside a shopping cart of belongings, he knows it’s a newspaper column, at least. When he learns Ayers is a classically trained musician who left Juilliard in 1972 due to his schizophrenia, Lopez wants to know more-- and perhaps to help. Part of MPL's collaboration with Porchlight, the Madison organization that provides housing and support services to the homeless and mentally ill in our community. See more information about the partnership.
Wednesday, June 2, 6:30 p.m. at the Meadowridge Branch

Sequoya Sleuths: Mystery Book Discussion of In a Dry Season by Peter Robinson
When a drought drains the local Thornfield Reservoir, uncovering a long-drowned small village and the skeleton of a murder victim from the 1940s, Detective Alan Banks and Detective Sergeant Annie Cabot must investigate the decades-old crime and unmask an evil secret from the past.
Wednesday, June 2, 7:00 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch

Porchlight's Madison Cares Campaign: Book Discussion and Film Screening: The Soloist by Steve Lopez
When L.A. Times journalist Lopez encounters Nathaniel Ayers playing Beethoven on a battered violin beside a shopping cart of belongings, he knows it’s a newspaper column, at least. When he learns Ayers is a classically trained musician who left Juilliard in 1972 due to his schizophrenia, Lopez wants to know more-- and perhaps to help. Part of MPL's collaboration with Porchlight, the Madison organization that provides housing and support services to the homeless and mentally ill in our community. See more information about the partnership.
Wednesday, June 16, 7:00 p.m. at the Sequoya Branch

Porchlight's Madison Cares Campaign: Book Discussion and Film Screening: The Soloist by Steve Lopez
When L.A. Times journalist Lopez encounters Nathaniel Ayers playing Beethoven on a battered violin beside a shopping cart of belongings, he knows it’s a newspaper column, at least. When he learns Ayers is a classically trained musician who left Juilliard in 1972 due to his schizophrenia, Lopez wants to know more-- and perhaps to help. Part of MPL's collaboration with Porchlight, the Madison organization that provides housing and support services to the homeless and mentally ill in our community. See more information about the partnership.
Wednesday, July 14, 7 p.m. at the Central Library

Porchlight's Madison Cares Campaign: Book Discussion and Film Screening: The Soloist by Steve Lopez
When L.A. Times journalist Lopez encounters Nathaniel Ayers playing Beethoven on a battered violin beside a shopping cart of belongings, he knows it’s a newspaper column, at least. When he learns Ayers is a classically trained musician who left Juilliard in 1972 due to his schizophrenia, Lopez wants to know more-- and perhaps to help. Part of MPL's collaboration with Porchlight, the Madison organization that provides housing and support services to the homeless and mentally ill in our community. See more information about the partnership.
Wednesday, July 21, 6 p.m. at the Hawthorne Branch

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