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.
Showing posts with label Strong Female Characters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Strong Female Characters. Show all posts
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.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's
home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for
the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library
card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
In this remarkable debut based on actual events, as a team of male scholars compiles the first Oxford English Dictionary, the daughter of one of them decides to collect the "objectionable" words they omit.
Esme is born into a world of words. Motherless and
irrepressibly curious, she spends her childhood in the Scriptorium, a
garden shed in Oxford where her father and a team of dedicated
lexicographers are collecting words for the very first Oxford English Dictionary. Young Esme's place is beneath the sorting table, unseen and unheard. One day a slip of paper containing the word bondmaid
flutters beneath the table. She rescues the slip, and when she learns
that the word means "slave girl," she begins to collect other words that
have been discarded or neglected by the dictionary men.
As she grows up, Esme realizes that words and meanings relating to
women's and common folks' experiences often go unrecorded. And so she
begins in earnest to search out words for her own dictionary: the
Dictionary of Lost Words. To do so she must leave the sheltered world of
the university and venture out to meet the people whose words will fill
those pages.
Set during the height of the women's suffrage movement and with the Great War looming, The Dictionary of Lost Words
reveals a lost narrative, hidden between the lines of a history written
by men. Inspired by actual events, author Pip Williams has delved into
the archives of the Oxford English Dictionary to tell this highly original story. The Dictionary of Lost Words is a delightful, lyrical, and deeply thought-provoking celebration of words and the power of language to shape the world.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's
home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for
the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library
card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
Set in Appalachia and the Midwest at the turn of
the twentieth century, this exquisite debut novel paints an intimately
rendered portrait of one resilient farm family's challenges and hard-won
triumphs--helmed by an unforgettable heroine. Growing
up on their hardscrabble farm in rural Kentucky, fifteen-year-old
Albertina "Bertie" Winslow has learned a lot from her mama, Polly. She
knows how to lance a boil, make a pie crust, butcher a pig, and tend to
every chore that needs doing. What she doesn't know, but is forced to
reckon with all too soon, is how to look after children as a mother
should ...
When Polly succumbs to a long illness, Bertie takes on
responsibility for her four younger siblings and their dissolute,
unreliable daddy. Yet no matter how hard she tries to hold the family
together, the task is overwhelming. Nine-year-old Dacia, especially, is
resentful and stubborn, hinting at secrets in their mama's life.
Finally, Bertie makes the only choice she can--breaking up the family
for its own survival, keeping the girls with her, sending the boys off
to their grown brothers, long gone from home.
Ever pragmatic,
Bertie marries young, grateful to find a husband willing to take on the
care of her sisters, and eventually moves to the oil fields of Kansas.
But marriage alone cannot resolve the grief and guilt she carries over a
long-ago tragedy, or prepare her for the heartaches still to come. Only
by confronting wrenching truths can she open herself to joy--and learn
how to not only give, but receive, unfettered love.
Inspired by stories told by the author's mother and aunts, All the Forgivenesses is as authentic as it is lyrical--a captivating novel of family loyalty, redemption, and resilience.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
An extraordinary story set in the first century about a woman who
finds her voice and her destiny, from the celebrated number one New York Times bestselling author of The Secret Life of Bees and The Invention of Wings.
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.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's
home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for
the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library
card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
The daring, dazzling, and highly anticipated follow-up to the New York Times bestseller The Song of Achilles.
In the house of Helios, god of the sun and mightiest of
the Titans, a daughter is born. But Circe is a strange child - not
powerful, like her father, nor viciously alluring like her mother.
Turning to the world of mortals for companionship, she discovers that
she does possess power - the power of witchcraft, which can transform
rivals into monsters and menace the gods themselves.
Threatened, Zeus banishes her to a deserted island, where she hones her
occult craft, tames wild beasts and crosses paths with many of the most
famous figures in all of mythology, including the Minotaur, Daedalus and
his doomed son Icarus, the murderous Medea, and, of course, wily
Odysseus.
But there is danger, too, for a woman who stands alone, and Circe
unwittingly draws the wrath of both men and gods, ultimately finding
herself pitted against one of the most terrifying and vengeful of the
Olympians. To protect what she loves most, Circe must summon all her
strength and choose, once and for all, whether she belongs with the gods
she is born from, or the mortals she has come to love.
With unforgettably vivid characters, mesmerizing language and page-turning suspense, Circe is
a triumph of storytelling, an intoxicating epic of family rivalry,
palace intrigue, love and loss, as well as a celebration of indomitable
female strength in a man's world.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's
home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for
the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library
card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
A spellbinding debut novel about the trailblazing poet Forugh Farrokhzhad, who defied Iranian society to find her voice and her destiny
“Remember the flight, for the bird is mortal.”—Forugh Farrokhzad
All through her childhood in Tehran, Forugh is told that Iranian daughters should be quiet and modest. She is taught only to obey, but she always finds ways to rebel—gossiping with her sister among the fragrant roses of her mother’s walled garden, venturing to the forbidden rooftop to roughhouse with her three brothers, writing poems to impress her strict, disapproving father, and sneaking out to flirt with a teenage paramour over café glacé. It’s during the summer of 1950 that Forugh’s passion for poetry really takes flight—and that tradition seeks to clip her wings.
Forced into a suffocating marriage, Forugh runs away and falls into an affair that fuels her desire to write and to achieve freedom and independence. Forugh’s poems are considered both scandalous and brilliant; she is heralded by some as a national treasure, vilified by others as a demon influenced by the West. She perseveres, finding love with a notorious filmmaker and living by her own rules—at enormous cost. But the power of her writing grows only stronger amid the upheaval of the Iranian revolution.
Inspired by Forugh Farrokhzad’s verse, letters, films, and interviews—and including original translations of her poems—Jasmin Darznik has written a haunting novel, using the lens of fiction to capture the tenacity, spirit, and conflicting desires of a brave woman who represents the birth of feminism in Iran—and who continues to inspire generations of women around the world..
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
An irresistible debut set in London during World War II about an adventurous young woman who becomes a secret advice columnist— a warm, funny, and enormously moving story for fans.
London, 1940. Emmeline Lake is Doing Her Bit for the war effort, volunteering as a telephone operator with the Auxiliary Fire Services. When Emmy sees an advertisement for a job at the London Evening Chronicle, her dreams of becoming a Lady War Correspondent suddenly seem achievable. But the job turns out to be working as a typist for the fierce and renowned advice columnist, Henrietta Bird. Emmy is disappointed, but gamely bucks up and buckles down.
Mrs. Bird is very clear: letters containing any Unpleasantness must go straight in the bin. But when Emmy reads poignant notes from women who may have Gone Too Far with the wrong men, or who can't bear to let their children be evacuated, she is unable to resist responding. As the German planes make their nightly raids, and London picks up the smoldering pieces each morning, Emmy secretly begins to write back to the readers who have poured out their troubles.
Prepare to fall head over heels for Emmy and her best friend, Bunty, who are gutsy and spirited, even in the face of a terrible blow. The irrepressible Emmy keeps writing letters in this hilarious and enormously moving tale of friendship, the kindness of strangers, and ordinary people in extraordinary times.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's
home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for
the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library
card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
A searing, electrifying debut novel set in India and America, for readers of Rupi Kaur, about the extraordinary bond between two girls driven apart by circumstances but relentless in their search for one another.
Poornima and Savitha have three strikes against them. They are poor. They are driven. And they are girls.
When Poornima was just a toddler, she was about to fall into a river. Her mother, beside herself, screamed at her father to grab her. But he hesitated: "I was standing there, and I was thinking…She's just a girl. Let her go…That's the thing with girls, isn't it…You think, Push. That's all it would take. Just one little push."
After her mother's death, Poornima has very little kindness in her life. She is left to take care of her siblings until her father can find her a suitable match. So when Savitha enters their household, Poornima is intrigued by the joyful, independent-minded girl. Suddenly their Indian village doesn't feel quite so claustrophobic, and Poornima begins to imagine a life beyond the arranged marriage her father is desperate to secure for her. But when a devastating act of cruelty drives Savitha away, Poornima leaves behind everything she has ever known to find her friend.
Her journey takes her into the darkest corners of India's underworld, on a harrowing cross-continental journey, and eventually to an apartment complex in Seattle. Alternating between the girls' perspectives as they face ruthless obstacles, Girls Burn Brighter introduces two heroines who never lose the hope that burns within them.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's
home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for
the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library
card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
The year is 1739. Eliza Lucas is sixteen years old when her father leaves her in charge of their family’s three plantations in rural South Carolina and then proceeds to bleed the estates dry in pursuit of his military ambitions. Tensions with the British, and with the Spanish in Florida, just a short way down the coast, are rising, and slaves are starting to become restless. Her mother wants nothing more than for their South Carolina endeavor to fail so they can go back to England. Soon her family is in danger of losing everything.
Upon hearing how much the French pay for indigo dye, Eliza believes it’s the key to their salvation. But everyone tells her it’s impossible, and no one will share the secret to making it. Thwarted at nearly every turn, even by her own family, Eliza finds that her only allies are an aging horticulturalist, an older and married gentleman lawyer, and a slave with whom she strikes a dangerous deal: teach her the intricate thousand-year-old secret process of making indigo dye and in return—against the laws of the day—she will teach the slaves to read.
So begins an incredible story of love, dangerous and hidden friendships, ambition, betrayal, and sacrifice.
Based on historical documents, including Eliza’s letters, this is a historical fiction account of how a teenage girl produced indigo dye, which became one of the largest exports out of South Carolina, an export that laid the foundation for the incredible wealth of several Southern families who still live on today. Although largely overlooked by historians, the accomplishments of Eliza Lucas influenced the course of US history. When she passed away in 1793, President George Washington served as a pallbearer at her funeral.
This book is set between 1739 and 1744, with romance, intrigue, forbidden friendships, and political and financial threats weaving together to form the story of a remarkable young woman whose actions were before their time: the story of the indigo girl.
To find a discussion guide for this book in the NoveList Plus database, go to the Library's website, click on Novelist under "We Recommend" → "Book Services". Click on "Book Discussion Guides" in the right sidebar on NoveList's
home page. Then, either enter the title in the Search box or search for
the title alphabetically. (You will need your Salt Lake County Library
card number to access this resource outside a county library.)
