Evening Book Club

Tuesday February 8, 7pm *virtual*

Raft of Stars by Andrew J. Graff

It’s the summer of 1994 in Claypot, Wisconsin, and the lives of ten-year-old Fischer “Fish” Branson and Dale “Bread” Breadwin are shaped by the two fathers they don’t talk about.  One night, tired of seeing his best friend bruised and terrorized by his no-good dad, Fish takes action. A gunshot rings out and the two boys flee the scene, believing themselves murderers. They head for the woods, where they find their way onto a raft, but the natural terrors of Ironsforge gorge threaten to overwhelm them.  Four adults track them into the forest, each one on a journey of his or her own. Sheriff Cal, who’s having doubts about a life in law enforcement; Tiffany, a purple-haired gas station attendant and poet looking for connection; Fish’s mother Miranda, full of fierce faith; and his granddad, Teddy, who knows the woods like the back of his hand.

This timeless story of loss, hope, and adventure runs like the river itself amid the vividly rendered landscape of the Upper Midwest.

*email askalbany@cityofalbany.net for virtual meeting details

Noon Book Club
Tuesday, February 15 at 12pm

That Wild Country by Mark Kenyon

From prominent outdoorsman and nature writer Mark Kenyon comes an engrossing reflection on the past and future battles over our most revered landscapes–America’s public lands.  Every American is a public-land owner, inheritor to the largest public-land trust in the world. These vast expanses provide a home to wildlife populations, a vital source of clean air and water, and a haven for recreation.  Part travelogue and part historical examination, That Wild Country invites readers on an intimate tour of the wondrous wild and public places that are a uniquely profound and endangered part of the American landscape.

Book Club Bags

Already in a book club?  You can checkout sets of books from APL’s previous book club selections.  Each bag contains 8-12 copies of the book and check out for 8 weeks.

Questions about APL book clubs?  Email us at librarywebteam@cityofalbany.net