All are welcome to join lively discussions of books selected annually by regular participants. Readers are welcome to sit in on a session to meet the group. We meet the third Tuesday of every month in the Collins Room, Ipswich Library, from 6:30-7:45 PM. Registration is not required. We read mainly current fiction but are open to any suggestions from readers. Each month, Ipswich Library staff order the books from the Merrimack Valley Library Consortium and make copies available in multiple media. Discussions are animated and book selections can be eclectic. Topics can include the book’s merits, its relation to other books, and lessons conveyed. The author’s life and body of works are often included.

For more information contact: Pam Whitmore at pam_whitmore@yahoo.com or 814-572-6594

This month's books is: The Story of a Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon

About the book:

"In 1968, Lynnie, a white woman with a disability, and Homan, a deaf African-American man, are languishing in a mental institution. After Lynnie becomes pregnant, she escapes with Homan and they are taken in by Martha, a widow who owns a farmhouse. When authorities find them, Homan escapes and Lynnie is captured, while Martha hides Lynnie's newborn baby. Over the next 40 years, Lynnie, Homan, Martha, and baby Julia lead divided lives."