For nearly thirty years, Nell has kept a childhood promise to never reveal what she and Evie found tucked inside a copy of Jane Eyre in their mother's bookcase—a record of Evie's birth naming a stranger as her mother. But lately, Nell has been haunted by hazy memories of their early life in Mississippi, years their reclusive mother, Hazel, has kept shrouded in secrecy. Evie recalls nothing before their house on Clay Mountain in North Carolina, but Nell remembers abrupt moves, odd accommodations, and the rainy night a man in a dark coat and a hat pulled low climbed their porch steps with a very little girl—Evie—then left without her.
In dual storylines, Nell, forty-two in 1971, reaches into the past to uncover dangerous, long-buried secrets, and Becca, a young mother in the early 1930s, presses ahead, each moving toward 1934, the catastrophic year that would forever link them.
Be sure to check out our upcoming virtual author talks! There will be new events added each month.
Did you miss an author talk you were looking forward to? Don't worry - you can watch the recordings! Check it all out here.
There are three reasons we hope you'll be excited to participate in One Book OCL:
Increase your connection to the Ocean County Library community: Our facilitated book club will broaden your connection to new ideas while also introducing you to members of your community from across industries, generations, and geographies. The connections and friends you make may help you find your next opportunity or assist you in reaching your goals.
Embrace lifelong learning and growth: Get exposed to titles you might not typically read. Gain new perspectives through engaging and thought-provoking online discussions. Increase your access to dynamic learning and personal growth opportunities when it fits your individual schedule.
Reading is good for you: Reading can reduce stress, help you sleep better, and improve your relationships. Did we mention it also makes you smarter? Reading increases your verbal intelligence, reasoning ability, emotional intelligence, and your creativity. It has even proven to defend against Alzheimer’s.
We plan to start the book club by reading one book every two to three months. The texts selected will be a variety of fiction and non-fiction and should take an average of nine hours to read cover to cover. If you have between 1 and 2 hours a week to read, you should be fine.
Participation is free for everyone with an Ocean County Library card! Don't have a card? Sign up online for a free Library card here.
The book club will have a moderator from PBC Guru who manages the forum where discussions occur online. The moderator will pose questions to the book club, share relevant articles and facilitate conversation about topics in the book. Members will be encouraged to post and share as well. This format allows for ongoing conversation and makes it easy for readers to connect with each other through the forum.
Ocean County Library cardholders will have access to an eBook through Freading for each book selection. For more information on how to download the book from Freading click here.
The titles will also be available in print and audiobook through our library website, and digitally through OverDrive and hoopla.
All other participants or library patrons who prefer a different format can get a physical or digital copy through another preferred provider/retailer.
Professional Book Club (PBC) Guru is a book club management company that works with businesses, alumni associations and professional societies. We are teaming up with PBC to put this program in place for patrons and the community. You can check out their website at www.pbc.guru if you want to see more of what they do.
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