Join the Northwood/Nottingham Book Discussion Group and share the joy of reading with others who like to read as much as you do.  The group alternates meetings, in Northwood one month and in Nottingham the next month.  New members are always welcome!  Call the library at 942-5472 for more information.

The next Northwood/Nottingham Book Discussion will take place on Wednesday, April 26, 6:30pm, at the Chesley Memorial Library, in Northwood. We will be discussing Broken for You by Stephanie Kallos.

Well-crafted plotting and crackling wit make this debut novel by Seattle author Kallos a delight to read and a memory to savor. The compelling story highlights the losses and disjointedness of life and the many paths back to healing for those who seek the way. Margaret Hughes lives alone in a Seattle mansion, divorced from her husband after the death of their son. She talks to her father's priceless antique porcelain collection and spends her days dusting. Wanda Schultz, abandoned as a child by her parents, cannot accept the rejection of her lover, Peter, whose solitary postcard brings her across the country in search of him. When cancer sends Margaret a wake-up call, she opens her home and her heart: first to Wanda and then to a flood of other new "family" members as she learns to interact with people and eventually to atone for a past crime she only gradually understands. But the clever plot and luminous characters are not all that place this novel at the head of the class. Ghostly characters only Margaret sees and heaps of broken porcelain provide powerful metaphors for the sins of the past and the need for personal sacrifice. Book groups will enjoy discussing the layers of meaning, the stylistic nuances, and the powerful message of hope secreted in these pages