Book Groups at the Library
Virtual, International Murder Mystery—we have something for everyone. Interested in starting a new book group? Let us know!
Virtual Book Club
This online book club meets on the third Saturday of the month at 4:00 p.m.
September 20: The Peach Seed by Anita Gail Jones
On a routine trip to the Piggly Wiggly in Albany, Georgia, widower Fletcher Dukes smells a familiar perfume, then sees a tall woman the color of papershell pecans with a strawberry birthmark on the nape of her neck. He knows immediately that she is his lost love, Altovise Benson. Their bond, built on county fairs, sit-ins, and marches, once seemed a sure and forever thing. But their marriage plans were disrupted when the police turned a peaceful protest violent.
Before Altovise fled the South, Fletcher gave her a peach seed monkey with diamond eyes. As we learn via harrowing flashbacks, an enslaved ancestor on the coast of South Carolina carved the first peach seed, a talisman that, ever since, each father has gifted his son on his thirteenth birthday.
Giving one to Altovise initiated a break in tradition, irrevocably shaping the lives of generations of Dukeses. Recently, Fletcher has made do on his seven acres with his daughter Florida’s check-ins, his drop biscuits, and his faithful dog. But as he begins to reckon with long-ago choices, he finds he isn’t the only one burdened with unspoken truths.
An indelible portrait of a family, The Peach Seed explores how kin pass down legacies of sorrow, joy, and strength. And it is a parable of how a glimmer of hope as small as a seed can ripple across generations.
2025 Book Club Selections
September 20: The Peach Seed by Anita Gail Jones
October 18: Someone Else’s Bucket List by Amy T Matthews
November 15: Salt Houses by Hala Alyan
December 20: The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
You can request a book, or ebook from the Mid-Hudson library system. Please call the library with any questions: 845-657-2482
International Murder Mystery Book Club
This book club meets in person at the library on the 3rd Monday of each month at 2 p.m., led by Henrietta Shannon.
September 15: The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vasquez - Brazil
In the city of Bogotá, Antonio Yammara reads an article about a hippo that had escaped from a derelict zoo once owned by legendary Colombian drug kingpin Pablo Escobar. The article transports Antonio back to when the war between Escobar’s Medellín cartel and government forces played out violently in Colombia’s streets and in the skies above. Back then, Antonio witnessed a friend’s murder, an event that haunts him still. As he investigates, he discovers the many ways in which his own life and his friend’s family have been shaped by his country’s recent violent past. His journey leads him all the way back to the 1960s and a world on the brink of change: a time before narco-trafficking trapped a whole generation in a living nightmare.
2025 Book Club Selections
September 15: The Sound of Things Falling by Juan Gabriel Vasquez - Brazil
October 20: Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent - England
November 17: Thirty-Three Teeth by Colin Cotterill - Laos
December 15: Hold Your Breath China by Qiu Xialong - China
Defending Democracy Book Club
In-person book club meeting the first Tuesday of each month at 5:30 p.m., led by author David Corbett.
October 7: The Project: How Project 2025 is Reshaping America by David A. Graham
So, what is Project 2025, exactly? Who wrote it, and what does it mean for everyday Americans, across the political spectrum, now and in the years to come?
Project 2025 is the intellectual blueprint for the new administration, Graham argues, and its tenets should not be legible only to policy wonks. Authoritative yet highly accessible, The Project demystifies it for those whose lives it will affect most.
2025
October 7: The Project: How Project 2025 is Reshaping America by David A. Graham
November 4: Democracy Awakening: Notes on the State of America by Heather Cox Richardson
December 2: Prequel: An American Fight Against Fascism by Rachel Maddow
2026
January: No group meeting this month
February 3: The Origins of Totalitarianism by Hannah Arendt
March 3: Attack From Within: How Disinformation is Destroying America by Barbara McQuade
April 7: Last Best Hope: America in Crisis and Renewal by George Packer
May 5: Who Is Government: The Untold Story of Public Service edited by Michael Lewis