The art of the book club is alive and well in the County. Each month, over 350 book club members get their books through interlibrary loan. If you are in a book club and would like to request multiple copies of your group’s selection, call Jennifer at (613) 476-5962 to arrange for the service.

Every year, we ask the book clubs for their favourites. This can be the best-written, or the book that sparked the most discussion. We use the answers to compile our “best of the book clubs” list. It is always an interesting mix – nonfiction, fiction, and poetry. A sneak peek of the titles follows.

This year’s titles include Grey Bees by Andrey Kurkov. It tells the story of Sergey Sergeyich, a Ukrainian beekeeper.

“The humble pleasure he derives from tending to his bees and his determination simply to endure another difficult day make for a subtly inspirational tale. A gentle story of survival in a war-scarred land,” says Kirkus Review.

Sarah Polley is an award-winning Canadian actor and director. Her Run Toward the Danger is a terrific memoir, with reflections on her professional life as well as more personal topics.

The Sweetness of Water by Nathan Harris is “a historical page-turner about social friction so powerful it ignites a whole town,” according to NPR. “It joins the conversation on race and reckoning with history.”

The full list is in the January library newsletter.

A new book club starts in January at the Picton Branch Library. Organized by Karen Overbye, the group will read and discuss picks from the Amnesty International book club, starting with The Sleeping Car Porter by Suzette Mayr.