November’s Celebrity Book Club Picks

Bestsellers Club is a service that automatically places you on hold for authors, celebrity picks, nonfiction picks, and fiction picks. Choose any author, celebrity pick, fiction pick, and/or nonfiction pick and The Library will put the latest title on hold for you automatically. Select as many as you want! Still have questions? Click here for a list of FAQs.

It’s a new month which means that Jenna Bush Hager and Reese Witherspoon have picked new books for their book clubs! Oprah has also recently announced a new pick. Reminder that if you join Bestsellers Club, you can choose to have their selections automatically put on hold for you.


Jenna Bush Hager has selected Cursed Daughters by Oyinkan Braithwaite for her November pick.

Curious what Cursed Daughters is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

When Ebun gives birth to her daughter, Eniiyi, on the day they bury her cousin Monife, there is no denying the startling resemblance between the child and the dead woman. So begins the belief, fostered and fanned by the entire family, that Eniiyi is the actual reincarnation of Monife, fated to follow in her footsteps in all ways, including that tragic end.

There is also the matter of the family curse: “No man will call your house his home. And if they try, they will not have peace…” which has been handed down from generation to generation, breaking hearts and causing three generations of abandoned Falodun women to live under the same roof.

When Eniiyi falls in love with the handsome boy she saves from drowning, she can no longer run from her family’s history. As several women in her family have done before, she ill-advisedly seeks answers in older, darker spiritual corners of Lagos, demanding solutions. Is she destined to live out the habitual story of love and heartbreak? Or can she break the pattern once and for all, not only avoiding the spiral that led Monife to her lonely death, but liberating herself from all the family secrets and unspoken traumas that have dogged her steps since before she could remember?

Cursed Daughters is a brilliant cocktail of modernity and superstition, vibrant humor and hard-won wisdom, romantic love and familial obligation. With its unforgettable cast of characters, it asks us what it means to be given a second chance and how to live both wisely and well with what we’ve been given. – Doubleday

This title is also available in large print.


Reese Witherspoon has selected Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy for her November pick.

Curious what Wild Dark Shore is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon.

Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers, but with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants. Until, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman mysteriously washes ashore.

Isolation has taken its toll on the Salts, but as they nurse the woman, Rowan, back to strength, it begins to feel like she might just be what they need. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting herself, starts imagining a future where she could belong to someone again.

But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, they all must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late—and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.

A novel of breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love, even as the world around us disappears. – Flatiron Books

This title is also available in large print.


Oprah Winfrey has selected Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer for her latest pick.

Curious what this title is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

The bestselling, beloved author returns with her first novel in over a decade, an intimate and profoundly moving look at a long marriage and the ways in which a startling request can change a couple’s understanding of who they are, together and apart.

Eliot and his wife Claire have been happily married for nearly four decades. They’ve raised two children in their sleepy Connecticut town and have weathered the inevitable ups and downs of a long life spent together. But eight years after Claire was diagnosed with cancer, the end is near, and it’s time to gather loved ones and prepare for the inevitable.

Over the years of Claire’s illness, Eliot has willingly—lovingly—shifted into the role of caregiver, appreciating the intimacy and tenderness that comes with a role even more layered and complex than the one he performed as a devoted husband. But as he focuses on settling into what will be their last days and weeks together, Claire makes an unexpected request that leaves him reeling. In a moment, his carefully constructed world is shattered.

What if your partner’s dying wish broke your heart? How well do we know the deepest desires of those we love dearly? As Eliot is confronted with this profound turning point in his marriage and his life, he grapples with the man and husband he’s been, and with the great unknowns of Claire’s last days.

Ann Packer makes a triumphant return with this powerful novel that is tender and raw, visceral and unexpected. Emotionally vibrant and complex, Some Bright Nowhere explores the profound gifts and unexpected costs of truly loving someone, and the fears and desires we experience as the end of life draws near. – Harper

This title is also available in large print.


Join Bestsellers Club to have Oprah, Jenna, and Reese’s adult selections automatically put on hold for you!

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

“Perhaps the logical conclusion of everyone looking the same is everyone thinking the same.”
― Scott Westerfeld, Uglies

Uglies is the first book in the series of the same name written by Scott Westerfeld. Published in 2005, Uglies is perfect for fans of The Hunger Games, Divergent, and anyone interested in young adult dystopian novels.

Tally Youngblood is about to turn 16 and she couldn’t be more excited. In Tally’s world, every 16 year old is required to have a surgery that turns them pretty. Tally is ready to leave the wrong side of town, turn pretty, and join her best friend in New Pretty Town. This mandatory plastic surgery will alter everything about Tally, turning Uglies into Pretties and eliminating any issues of jealousy, insecurity, suffering, and inequality across the world.

Sounds too good to be true, right? Enter Shay, who wants to leave before her surgery and run to the Smoke, a band of rebels who are opposed to everything that Pretty Town stands for. Tally can’t understand why Shay would want to leave, but circumstances soon drastically change for Tally, leaving her with no choice but to hunt down Shay. This book was rich with symbolism and had me on the edge of my seat, thinking about the consequences of a society so caught up on beauty and appearances that they are willing to sacrifice anything for the chance to be pretty.

“What you do, the way you think, makes you beautiful.”
― Scott Westerfeld, Uglies

Interested in this book? Uglies is the December See YA Book Club pick. We will be discussing this book on Wednesday, December 3rd at 6:30pm at our Eastern Avenue branch. For more information about future See YA book picks, visit our website.

Books in the Uglies series

  1. Uglies (2005)
  2. Pretties (2005)
  3. Specials (2006)
  4. Extras (2007)

See YA Book Club

Join our adult book club with a teen book twist. See why so many teen books are being turned into movies and are taking over the best seller lists.

Registration is not required. Books are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Eastern Avenue library. We meet the first Wednesday of the month at Eastern at 6:30pm. Stop by the service desk for more information.

Wednesday March 4th session will be meeting in the Story Room.

December 3 – Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

January 7 – She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran

February 4 – Better than the Movies by Lynn Painter

March 4 – The Last Cuentista by Donna Barba Higuera

April 1 – Looking for Smoke by KA Cobell

May 6 – If You Could See the Sun by Ann Liang

June 3 – Shut Up, This is Serious by Carolina Ixta

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant

The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant has been on my to-read list for one reason only — I love the cover! Attraction to a cover is a good enough reason to give a book a try, but once I got into this historical fiction story, I’m glad I finally moved it to the front of the line.

The Boston Girl is the Brown Bag Book Club pick for the Wednesday, November 26 discussion at 1pm at Eastern. Join us and share your thoughts on the book. Here are some highlights from my reading of the book:

It’s 1985 and 85-year-old Addie is telling her story to her granddaughter. Settle in.

The Boston Girl really starts in 1915, when, at the age of 15, Addie Baum is brought into the fold of the Saturday Club in the Boston North End neighborhood’s Salem Street Settlement House. Clearly intelligent and eager to learn, the group’s chaperone Miss Chevalier introduces Addie to the institution’s book clubs and evening lectures. Addie is even asked to join the Saturday Club for a week’s summer vacation at Rockport Lodge on Cape Ann, a retreat for lower- and working-class girls to experience the seaside. While there, friendships are cemented and Addie experiences her first taste of romance.

Addie’s home life is tumultuous in comparison. Her parents are immigrants from Russia who work in factories and take in mending to make ends meet. Addie lives in a one room apartment with her parents and older sister Celia. Her other sister, Betty, is not spoken of since she had the audacity to move out of the family home unmarried. To an Americanized family, a woman in her 20s working in a department store and living at a boarding house isn’t something to be ashamed of, but for the Baum parents she is seen as selfish.

But family dynamics continuously change as Celia gets married and Addie starts working for her kindly brother-in-law Levine. Levine also makes sure Betty is included in family celebrations and holidays, bringing new ideas to the family that help them continue to assimilate to American culture.

Through difficult family circumstances, Addie finds relief, comfort and support in her friends. They encourage her to continue in school, help her find jobs and find dates.

Historical moments are seen through the eyes of this average young adult. The 1918 flu pandemic strikes the family; she dates a shell-shocked soldier from World War I and Addie later has a brush with Betty Friedan.

Chapters are short, sometimes filled with family drama and heartache. Other chapters filled with hope and the power of female friendship. The novel is conversational. After all, it is the story a grandmother is telling her granddaughter. A glimpse at life in the 1910s and 1920s Boston, seen through the eyes of one young woman. Her life isn’t extraordinary, but it is interesting and Addie is a character worth spending with. The Boston Girl by Anita Diamant will remind readers that even an ordinary life is a life worth telling.

The Boston Girl is available as part of the Davenport Library’s Book Club collection, in regular print, large print, as a Book on CD in Rivershare, and as an eAudiobook on the Libby app through Bridges.

Rez Ball by Byron Graves

Byron Graves’ debut novel, Rez Ball, tells the story of a young basketball player determined to prove to his Ojibwe community that he  has what it takes to take the high school basketball team to the state championships for the first time ever.

Tre Brun, a sophomore at Red Lake Reservation high school, spends any free time he has playing basketball. Haunted by memories of his big brother Jaxon who recently died in a tragic accident, Tre decides he is going to try out for the varsity basketball team. He hopes to help take the team all the way to their first state championship. When Jaxon’s former teammates offer to help Tre on this new journey, he decides this must be fated. With one of his friends filming Tre for a future documentary, his dreams of playing in the NBA become even more solid. At home, Tre is constantly reminded of Jaxon and how much he doesn’t measure up to him, but Tre hopes that using his skills on the basketball court will allow him to match Jaxon’s talent. Tre knows he cannot mess up. The team has almost made it to state many times, but after decades of just misses, they actually have a chance with Tre this year. They have to win state, for Jaxon and for the whole rez.

This was a heartbreakingly gorgeous read. Graves portrays the ugly times, alongside the beautiful moments, but paces the story in a way to keep readers wanting more from start to end. This is a realistic look at balancing grief and legacy while trying to be your own person. As a non-basketball player, I can say that the basketball scenes were very well-written and easy to follow. This is a five star read for me!

This title is also available in large print.

Interested in this book? Rez Ball is the November See YA Book Club pick. We will be discussing this book on Wednesday, November 5th at 6:30pm at our Eastern Avenue branch. For more information about future See YA book picks, visit our website.

See YA Book Club

Join our adult book club with a teen book twist. See why so many teen books are being turned into movies and are taking over the best seller lists.

Registration is not required. Books are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Eastern Avenue library. We meet the first Wednesday of the month at Eastern at 6:30pm. Stop by the service desk for more information.

November 5 – Rez Ball by Byron Graves

December 3 – Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

“What’s wrong with me? … I might seem like the ideal student: homework always in early, every extra credit and extra curricular I can get my hands on, the good girl and the high achiever. But I realized something just now: it’s not ambition, not entirely. It’s fear. Because I don’t know who I am when I’m not working, when I’m not focused on or totally consumed by a task. Who am I between the projects and the assignments, when there’s nothing to do? I haven’t found her yet and it scares me. Maybe that’s why, for my senior capstone project this year, I decided to solve a murder.”
― Holly Jackson, A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

Every community has a story that haunts the residents. The town of Fairview is not exception to this. Five years ago, popular high school senior Andie Bell went missing and her boyfriend, Sal Singh, was accused of her murder. Not long after Andie went missing, Sal killed himself, leaving the community bereft with questions and her family without a body. It was all anyone could talk about for years. Now five years later, senior Pippa Fitz-Amobi has decided to reopen the Andie Bell case as her senior capstone project. Pip believes that Sal was innocent and that the only way to find the real killer is to do her own investigation. This means digging for answers to a case that everyone else believes is closed. With the help of Sal’s younger brother, Pip reexamines this closed case. It doesn’t take long before Pip ruffles someone’s feathers enough that they start threatening her. This case takes a dangerous turn for all those involved.

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is the first book in the series of the same name by Holly Jackson. This series debut was intriguing from the start. Pip is smart and driven to solve this case, sometimes to the detriment of her own safety. Each character in this story is well-developed, while the plot wasn’t too predictable. The plot twists were unexpected. I also enjoyed that the author was able to weave in multiple storylines without it becoming too convoluted and confusing. All in all, a great read for both teens and adults.

Good Girl’s Guide to Murder series

  1. A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder (2019)
  2. Good Girl, Bad Blood (2020)
  3. As Good as Dead (2021)

Interested in this book? A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is the October See YA Book Club pick (it was also made into a series on Netflix!). We will be discussing this book on Wednesday, October 1st at 6:30pm at our Eastern Avenue branch. For more information about future See YA book picks, visit our website.

See YA Book Club

Join our adult book club with a teen book twist. See why so many teen books are being turned into movies and are taking over the best seller lists.

Registration is not required. Books are available on a first-come, first-serve basis at the Eastern Avenue library. We meet the first Wednesday of the month at Eastern at 6:30pm. Stop by the service desk for more information.

October 1 – A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson

November 5 – Rez Ball by Byron Graves

December 3 – Uglies by Scott Westerfeld

The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore

“This world was a terrible place. It gave you people to love and then took them away before you stopped loving them. It made you mean and angry and cruel to those who needed you most. It ground you down until it was all you could do to get through the day. But most of all, it tried to convince you that you were alone in your suffering.”
― Lucy Gilmore, The Lonely Hearts Book Club

Sloane Parker is a cheerful librarian in her small town. When she brushes up against Arthur McLachlan, an old man with the power to send the other librarians scurrying away, Sloane takes an instant liking to him. She looks forward to Arthur’s daily visits to the library when she can spar and listen to his insults. Arthur’s visits are consistent and regular every day at the same time. When he doesn’t show up one day, Sloane is instantly concerned. When his absence continues, Sloane is torn. She wants to check up on Arthur, but to do so would put her job in jeopardy. Desperate, Sloane decides to check on Arthur to put her anxiety at bay.

When Sloane arrives at Arthur’s house, she is shocked to see that Arthur has suffered from a medical emergency and is not happy with his care home staff. Sloane inserts herself into Arthur’s life and soon realizes that there are other misfits in her orbit and in Arthur’s life willing to intervene. Sloane starts a book club as a form of intervention for Arthur that eventually becomes a safe space for Sloane and her band of lonely misfits. This group of lonely hearts starts to bond, helping each other and making sure Arthur takes care of himself.

Lucy Gilmore has written complex characters with deep storylines and even deeper issues. This story is heartwarming highlighting quality character development and superb writing quality. The Lonely Hearts Book Club is split into multiple points of view which allows readers to learn more about characters’ actions. This book pulled on my heart strings with its incredible insight, easy readability, and sharp wit. I can’t wait to read more by this author.

Oprah’s Latest Book Club Pick: Familiaris by David Wroblewski

Join Simply Held to have certain celebrity book club picks automatically put on hold for you: Reese Witherspoon, Jenna Bush Hager, and Oprah Winfrey. While Reese and Jenna generally announce a new title each month, Oprah’s selections are more sporadic. She has announced her newest selection: Familiaris by David Wroblewski. Reminder that if you join Simply Held, you can choose to have these titles automatically put on hold for you.

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Oprah Winfrey has selected Familiaris by David Wroblewski.

Curious what Familiaris is about? Check out the following description provided by the publisher.

The follow-up to the beloved #1 New York Times bestselling modern classic The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, Familiaris is the stirring origin story of the Sawtelle family and the remarkable dogs that carry the Sawtelle name.

It is spring 1919, and John Sawtelle’s imagination has gotten him into trouble … again. Now John and his newlywed wife, Mary, along with their two best friends and their three dogs, are setting off for Wisconsin’s northwoods, where they hope to make a fresh start—and, with a little luck, discover what it takes to live a life of meaning, purpose, and adventure. But the place they are headed for is far stranger and more perilous than they realize, and it will take all their ingenuity, along with a few new friends—human, animal, and otherworldly—to realize their dreams.

By turns hilarious and heartbreaking, mysterious and enchanting, Familiaris takes readers on an unforgettable journey from the halls of a small-town automobile factory, through an epic midwestern firestorm and an ambitious WWII dog-training program, and far back into mankind’s ancient past, examining the dynamics of love and friendship, the vexing nature of families, the universal desire to create something lasting and beautiful, and of course, the species-long partnership between Homo sapiens and Canis familiaris. – Blackstone Publishing

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Join Simply Held to have Oprah, Jenna, and Reese’s adult selections automatically put on hold for you!

The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

Are you an adult who likes to read young adult books? If so, join the See YA Book Club! In June, we met to discuss The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White. More information about See YA can be found at the bottom of this blog post. Let’s get back to The Chaos of Stars!

Isadora is a normal teen. Well, except for the fact that she is the mortal human daughter of the immortal ancient Egyptian gods Isis and Osiris. As a sixteen-year-old, Isadora is annoyed with the drama from her family who can’t even remember her name. When Isis starts having dark dreams that portend deadly chaos in the future, she offers Isadora the opportunity to move to California to live with her brother. Isadora is ecstatic to finally escape her family. California, however, turns out to be more complicated and menacing than anyone expected. While in California, Isadora finds friends, meets a boy she really likes, and confronts her ideas of what she wants out of life vs what her parents expect. She spends her time working, hanging with her friends, and hating her family. As much as Isadora wishes she could escape her family and hopes she has done so by living in California, Egypt continually calls to her. The trouble she thought she left behind comes back deadlier than ever, forcing Isadora to decide what she really wants out of life.

I adored all the tidbits of mythology dropped in the story, which left me hoping for a sequel (sadly, this is a stand-alone title). Isadora is angry and angsty and at times heartless and annoying, but if you step back, you see that she is going through normal teenage growing pains on top of having to deal with a family of gods and goddesses.

This was a relaxing, easy read for me, but I was left wanting more: more information about the Egyptian gods and mythology, more character development. Isadora also adapted very quickly to the modern world, which I felt was unrealistic, but also interesting to watch her learn more about the world outside her family. I also recognize that as an adult, I am not the target audience for this book. While adult Stephanie wanted more, teen Stephanie would have adored and devoured this book.

More Information about See YA

Join our adult book club with a teen book twist. See why so many teen books are being turned into movies and are taking over the best seller lists.

Books are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Eastern Branch. We meet the first Wednesday of the month at Eastern at 6:30pm.

The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris

Are you wanting to read something outside your comfort zone? Book clubs are an excellent way to expand your reading palette! Lucky for you, the Davenport Public Library has a wide number of different book clubs for you to join. My latest read, The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris, is the April selection for See YA, an adult book club that reads young adult titles.

The author includes a content warning on her website regarding the heavy topics covered in The Cost of Knowing. These topics include: racism, anxiety, depression, poverty, anti-Black violence, self-harm, parental & sibling death, and mentions of slavery and police brutality. If any of these are triggering to you, feel free to scroll to the bottom of this blog post to learn what the next book is that See YA will be discussing. If you’ve decided to give this book a try, below is a brief description to tell you more.

Alex Rufus is trying. He has been through a lot in his sixteen years of life. Right now he’s juggling his job at the local ice cream shop, his relationship with his girlfriend Talia, and protecting his younger brother Isaiah. In his quest to be perfect in all aspects of his life, Alex finds himself struggling, falling short of almost everyone’s expectations of him.

One major hindrance is that Alex can see the future. Every single time he touches an object or person, he is thrust into a vision of that thing. He sees the future of his car, his hoodie, the ice cream scoop he uses at work, and his future with Talia. That one freaks him out the most. In his vision of Talia, they are on the verge of breaking up with her looking at him with the most hatred in her eyes that he has ever seen. Alex spends his time cursing these visions, wishing that they would stop distracting him so that he could live an anxious-free ordinary life.

Alex’s desire to get rid of these visions increases when touching a photograph calls forth a vision of his younger brother Isaiah’s fast approaching death. Everything changes. Alex is desperate to find a way to break himself from these visions and change the future. Wanting more time with Isaiah, time that he knows he won’t get, he reaches out, bringing up memories of the past while looking for more ways of connection. Growing up as young Black men in America, Alex and Isaiah have had to wrestle with their pasts and their futures, but with such a short amount of time left, Alex is willing to try anything to win this battle against time and death.

This title is also available as a CD audiobook.

See YA (2024)

Join the adult book club with a teen book twist. See why so many teen books are being turned into movies and are taking over the bestseller lists. Registration is not required. Books are available on a first-come, first-served basis at the Eastern Branch. The club meets the first Wednesday of the month at the Eastern Branch at 6:30pm. You can find more information about See YA by visiting LibCal, our online event calendar.

If you’re interested in joining See YA, we will be meeting Wednesday, April 3rd at 6:30pm at the Davenport Public Library | Eastern Avenue Branch to discuss The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris.

April 3: The Cost of Knowing by Brittney Morris
May 1: Juliet Takes a Breath by Gabby Rivera
June 5: The Chaos of Stars by Kiersten White

Together We Read

If you use Libby through the library, you can participate in Together We Read, a book club connecting readers in the United States! The current title is One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris. This book will be available until March 6th with no waitlists or holds.

Curious what One Summer in Savannah is about?

A compelling debut that glows with bittersweet heart and touching emotion, deeply interrogating questions of family, redemption, and unconditional love in the sweltering summer heat of Savannah, as two people discover what it means to truly forgive.

It’s been eight years since Sara Lancaster left her home in Savannah, Georgia. Eight years since her daughter, Alana, came into this world, following a terrifying sexual assault that left deep emotional wounds Sara would do anything to forget. But when Sara’s father falls ill, she’s forced to return home and face the ghosts of her past.

While caring for her father and running his bookstore, Sara is desperate to protect her curious, outgoing, genius daughter from the Wylers, the family of the man who assaulted her. Sara thinks she can succeed—her attacker is in prison, his identical twin brother, Jacob, left town years ago, and their mother are all unaware Alana exists. But she soon learns that Jacob has also just returned to Savannah to piece together the fragments of his once-great family. And when their two worlds collide—with the type of force Sara explores in her poetry and Jacob in his astrophysics—they are drawn together in unexpected ways. – Sourcebooks

Looking for more information? Try the following: