Chemist Elizabeth Zott is not your average woman. In fact, Elizabeth
Zott would be the first to point out that there is no such thing as an
average woman. But it's the early 1960s and her all-male team at
Hastings Research Institute takes a very unscientific view of equality.
Except for one: Calvin Evans; the lonely, brilliant, Nobel–prize
nominated grudge-holder who falls in love with—of all things—her mind.
True chemistry results.
But like science, life is unpredictable. Which is why a few years later
Elizabeth Zott finds herself not only a single mother, but the reluctant
star of America's most beloved cooking show Supper at Six. Elizabeth's
unusual approach to cooking ("combine one tablespoon acetic acid with a
pinch of sodium chloride") proves revolutionary. But as her following
grows, not everyone is happy. Because as it turns out, Elizabeth Zott
isn't just teaching women to cook. She's daring them to change the
status quo.
Laugh-out-loud funny, shrewdly observant, and studded with a dazzling cast of supporting characters, Lessons in Chemistry is as original and vibrant as its protagonist.
Here you can find information on the many titles housed in the Millcreek Community Center Library's book club collection. We have summaries of each book, as well as links to our catalogue, and other resources for reading groups. All titles can be checked out singly or as a set to anyone with a Salt Lake County Library card.
Thursday, July 27, 2023
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Tuesday, October 25, 2022
The Mother Code by Carole Stivers
It's 2049, and the survival of the human race is at
risk. Earth's inhabitants must turn to their last resort: a plan to place genetically engineered children inside the cocoons of large-scale
robots—to be incubated, birthed, and raised by machines. But there is yet one hope of preserving the human order—an intelligence programmed
into these machines that renders each unique in its own right—the Mother Code.
Kai is born in America's desert southwest, his only
companion his robot Mother, Rho-Z. Equipped with the knowledge and
motivations of a human mother, Rho-Z raises Kai and teaches him how to
survive. But as children like Kai come of age, their Mothers transform
too—in ways that were never predicted. When government survivors decide
that the Mothers must be destroyed, Kai must make a choice. Will he
break the bond he shares with Rho-Z? Or will he fight to save the only
parent he has ever known?
In a future that could be our own, The Mother Code explores what truly makes us human—and the tenuous nature of the boundaries between us and the machines we create.
Thursday, January 27, 2022
The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris
Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is
tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the
isolation and microaggressions, she's thrilled when Harlem-born and bred
Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They've only just
started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of
uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left
in the dust.
Then the notes begin to appear on Nella's desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.
It's hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as
Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she
soon realizes that there's a lot more at stake than just her career.
A whip-smart and dynamic thriller and sly social commentary that is
perfect for anyone who has ever felt manipulated, threatened, or
overlooked in the workplace, The Other Black Girl will keep you on the edge of your seat until the very last twist.
Friday, January 7, 2022
The Book of Longings by Sue Monk Kidd
In her mesmerizing fourth work of fiction, Sue Monk Kidd
takes an audacious approach to history and brings her acclaimed
narrative gifts to imagine the story of a young woman named Ana. Raised
in a wealthy family with ties to the ruler of Galilee, she is rebellious
and ambitious, with a brilliant mind and a daring spirit. She engages
in furtive scholarly pursuits and writes narratives about neglected and
silenced women. Ana is expected to marry an older widower, a prospect
that horrifies her. An encounter with eighteen-year-old Jesus changes
everything.
Their marriage evolves with love and conflict, humor and pathos in
Nazareth, where Ana makes a home with Jesus, his brothers, and their
mother, Mary. Ana's pent-up longings intensify amid the turbulent
resistance to Rome's occupation of Israel, partially led by her brother,
Judas. She is sustained by her fearless aunt Yaltha, who harbors a
compelling secret. When Ana commits a brazen act that puts her in peril,
she flees to Alexandria, where startling revelations and greater
dangers unfold, and she finds refuge in unexpected surroundings. Ana
determines her fate during a stunning convergence of events considered
among the most impactful in human history.
Grounded in meticulous research and written with a reverential approach to Jesus's life that focuses on his humanity, The Book of Longings
is an inspiring, unforgettable account of one woman's bold struggle to
realize the passion and potential inside her, while living in a time,
place and culture devised to silence her. It is a triumph of
storytelling both timely and timeless, from a masterful writer at the
height of her powers.
Friday, May 24, 2019
Star of the North by D. B. John
Star of the North opens in 1988, when a Korean American teenager is kidnapped from a South Korean beach by North Korean operatives. Twenty-two years later, her brilliant twin sister, Jenna, is still searching for her, and ends up on the radar of the CIA. When evidence that her sister may still be alive in North Korea comes to light, Jenna will do anything possible to rescue her - including undertaking a daring mission into the heart of the regime. Her story is masterfully braided together with two other narrative threads. In one, a North Korean peasant woman finds a forbidden international aid balloon and uses the valuables inside to launch a dangerously lucrative black-market business. In the other, a high-ranking North Korean official discovers, to his horror, that he may be descended from a traitor, a fact that could mean his death if it is revealed.
As the novel progresses, these narrative strands converge and connect in surprising ways, ultimately building to an explosive and unforgettable climax.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
The Dog Stars by Peter Heller
A riveting, powerful novel about a pilot living in a world filled with loss—and what he is willing to risk to rediscover, against all odds, connection, love, and grace. Hig survived the flu that killed everyone he knows. His wife is gone, his friends are dead, he lives in the hangar of a small abandoned airport with his dog, his only neighbor a gun-toting misanthrope. Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt

Wednesday, May 29, 2013
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
Orphaned while onboard ship from Ireland, seven-year-old Lavinia arrives
on the steps of a tobacco plantation where she is to live and work with
the slaves of the kitchen house. Under
the care of Belle, the master’s illegitimate daughter, Lavinia becomes
deeply bonded to her new adopted family, even though she is forever set
apart from them by her white skin. Thursday, December 20, 2012
All Other Nights by Dara Horn
How is tonight different from all other nights? For Jacob Rappaport, a Jewish soldier in the Union army during the Civil War, it is a question his commanders have already answered for him -- on Passover, 1862, he is ordered to murder his own uncle in New Orleans, who is plotting to assassinate President Lincoln. After this harrowing mission, Jacob is recruited to pursue another enemy agent, the daughter of a Virginia family friend. But this time, his assignment isn’t to murder the spy, but to marry her. Their marriage, with its riveting and horrifying consequences, reveals the deep divisions that still haunt American life today.

