February 28th at 1:00 p.m. - Lunch 'N Books: A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

Join us on February 28 at 1:00 p.m. as we discuss A Place For Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza. As an Indian wedding gathers a family back together, parents Rafiq and Layla must reckon with the choices their children have made. There is Hadia, their headstrong, eldest daughter, whose marriage is a match of love and not tradition. Huda, the middle child, is determined to follow in her sister’s footsteps. Lastly, their estranged son, Amar, returns to the family fold for the first time in three years, to take his place as brother of the bride. What secrets and betrayals have caused this close-knit family to fracture? Can Amar find his way back to the people who know and love him best?

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

Discussion guide for A Place For Us.

February 19th at 7:30 p.m. - Evening Book Discussion/Author Skype: Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict

Join us on February 19 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss Carnegie’s Maid by Marie Benedict. The author will join us by Skype!

Clara Kelley is not the experienced Irish maid hired to work in one of Pittsburgh’s grandest households. She’s a poor farmer’s daughter with nothing in her pockets. But the other woman with the same name has vanished, so Clara is pretending to be her . . . if she can keep up the ruse. Carnegie’s Maid tells the story of a brilliant woman who may have spurred Andrew Carnegie toward philanthropy.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Discussion guide for Carnegie’s Maid.

January 15th at 7:30 p.m. - Evening Book Discussion: The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

Join us on January 15 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah. Ernt Allbright, a former POW, comes home from the Vietnam war a changed and volatile man. When he loses yet another job, he makes an impulsive decision: he will move his family north, to Alaska, where they will live off the grid in America’s last true frontier.

But as winter approaches and darkness descends on Alaska, Ernt’s fragile mental state deteriorates and the family begins to fracture. Soon the perils outside pale in comparison to threats from within. In their small cabin, covered in snow, blanketed in eighteen hours of night, Ernt’s wife and daughter learn the terrible truth: they are on their own. In the wild, there is no one to save them but themselves.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

Discussion guide for The Great Alone.

December 10th at 1:00 p.m. - Lunch 'N Books: Educated by Tara Westover

Join us on December 10 at 1:00 p.m. as we discuss Educated by Tara Westover. “Tara Westover was seventeen the first time she set foot in a classroom. Born to survivalists in the mountains of Idaho, she prepared for the end of the world by stockpiling home-canned peaches and sleeping with her “head-for-the-hills bag.” The family was so isolated from mainstream society that there was no one to ensure the children received an education, and no one to intervene when one of Tara’s older brothers became violent. As a way out, Tara began to educate herself, learning enough mathematics and grammar to be admitted to Brigham Young University. Her quest for knowledge would transform her, taking her over oceans and across continents, to Harvard and to Cambridge. Only then would she wonder if she’d traveled too far, if there was still a way home.”

Discussion guide for Educated.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

November 5th at 12:30 p.m. - Lunch 'N Books/Author Skype: Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen

Join us on November 5 at 12:30 p.m. as we discuss Waking Lions by Ayelet Gundar-Goshen. After the discussion, the author will join us by Skype!

Neurosurgeon Eitan Green has the perfect life–married to a beautiful police officer and father of two young boys. Then, speeding along a deserted moonlit road in Israel, after an exhausting hospital shift, he hits someone. Seeing that the man, an African migrant, is beyond help, he flees the scene. When the victim’s widow knocks at Eitan’s door the next day, holding his wallet and divulging that she knows what happened, Eitan discovers that her price for silence is not money. It is something else entirely, something that will shatter Eitan’s safe existence and take him into a world of secrets and lies he could never have anticipated.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

October 18th at 1:00 p.m. - Lunch 'N Books/Audio Call: The Secrets Between Us by Thrity Umrigar

Join us on October 18 at 1:00 p.m. for a discussion and special voice appearance by Thrity Umrigar. The author of Bombay Time, If Today Be Sweet, and The Weight of Heaven, Umrigar is as adept and compelling in The Secrets Between Us (the long-awaited sequel to The Space Between Us) — vividly capturing the social struggles of modern India in a luminous, addictively readable novel of honor, tradition, class, gender, and family. A portrayal of two women discovering an emotional rapport as they struggle against the confines of a rigid caste system, Umrigar’s captivating novel echoes the timeless intensity of Zora Neale Hurston’s Their Eyes Were Watching God, Betty Smith’s A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, and Barbara Kingsolver’s The Poisonwood Bible—a quintessential triumph of modern literary fiction.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

September 12th at 7:30 p.m. - Evening Book Discussion: The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott

Join us on September 12 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss The Ninth Hour by Alice McDermott. In Catholic Brooklyn during the early part of the twentieth century, decorum, superstition, and shame collude to erase the man’s brief existence. Yet, his suicide, though never spoken of, reverberates through many lives — testing the limits and the demands of love and sacrifice, of forgiveness and forgetfulness, even through multiple generations. Rendered with remarkable delicacy, heart, and intelligence, this novel is a crowning achievement of one of the finest American writers at work today.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

Click here for the discussion guide.

September 4th at 7:30 p.m. – Meet the Author: Rhiannon Navin

Our Evening Book Discussion recently had a fantastic discussion on Only Child by Rhiannon Navin. Several members wondered if we could skype with the author. We did one better! She will come in person to do a reading and answer any questions. Don't worry if you were unable to attend the July discussion. Copies will be available at the Reference Desk. It is a wonderful, timely and important book.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Please click here for the reading group guide for Only Child.

August 15th at 7:30 p.m. - Evening Book Discussion: Saints For All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan

Join us on August 15 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss Saints For All Occasions by J. Courtney Sullivan. Rich storytelling of two young girls who leave their home in Ireland for America, not yet ready for the world that awaits them. “This year’s best book about a family” – Washington Post.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

Discussion guide for Saints For All Occasions.

July 23rd at 1:00 p.m. - Lunch 'N Books: The Plot Against America by Philip Roth

Join us on July 23 at 1:00 p.m. as we discuss The Plot Against America by Philip Roth. The novel begins in 1940, with the election of Charles Lindbergh, who blamed the Jews for pushing America toward war with Nazi Germany. Lindbergh’s admiration of Hitler and his openly anti Semitic speeches cause increasing turmoil in the Roth household, and in nine-year-old Philip, as political events abroad overtake their lives. History will not let go, and as America is whipped into a deadly frenzy by demagogues, the Roths begin to expect the worst. The novel explores the convulsive collision of history and family.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Discussion guide for The Plot Against America by Philip Roth.

June 19th at 1:00 p.m. - Lunch 'N Books: Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng

Join us on June 19 at 1:00 p.m. as we discuss Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng. In Shaker Heights everything is planned. No one embodies this spirit more than Elena Richardson, whose guiding principle is playing by the rules. Enter Mia Warren, an enigmatic artist and single mother who arrives with her daughter Pearl, and rents a house from the Richardsons. Soon Mia and Pearl become more than tenants. But Mia carries with her a mysterious past and a disregard for the status quo that threatens to upend this community. Little Fires Everywhere explores the weight of secrets and the ferocious pull of motherhood.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Discussion guide for Little Fires Everywhere.

June 7th - Adult Summer Reading Kickoff With Author Judy Blundell

The Reader Services Department of the East Meadow Public Library is thrilled to announce the kickoff of our seventh annual Adult Summer Reading Club on Thursday, June 7th. Register for our reading club and meet Judy Blundell, author of The High Season, who will be joining us for a book talk and signing at 7:30 p.m. The High Season is set on Orient Point and promises to be the ultimate summer read! The registration for our reading club will be held in the lobby from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and at the kickoff party which will be from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. After June 7th, you can register anytime at the Reference Desk or online. Our reading club will provide members the opportunity to attend exciting book events along with a delightful party at the end of the program.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Please click here for more information on this not to be missed event!

Please click here for the reading group guide for The High Season.

May 17th at 1:00 p.m. - Lunch 'N Books: Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan

Join us on May 17 at 1:00 p.m. as we discuss Beneath a Scarlet Sky by Mark T. Sullivan, a novel based on the true story of a forgotten hero. Pino Lella, an Italian teenager, wants nothing to do with the war or the Nazis. When his family home in Milan is destroyed by Allied bombs, Pino joins an underground railroad helping Jews escape, and falls for Anna, a beautiful widow. Pino’s parents force him to enlist as a German soldier—a move they think will keep him out of combat. Yet, after Pino is injured, he is recruited to become the driver for Hitler’s man in Italy, General Leyers. Now, Pino spies for the Allies inside the German High Command. He endures the horrors of the war and the Nazi occupation by fighting in secret.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Discussion guide for Beneath a Scarlet Sky.

April 23rd at 1:00 p.m. - Lunch 'N Books: Spaceman by Mike Massimino – The 2018 Long Island Reads Choice

Join us on April 23 at 1:00 p.m. as we discuss Spaceman by Mike Massimino. Have you ever wondered what it would be like to find yourself strapped to a giant rocket that’s about to go from zero to 17,500 miles per hour? Or to look back on Earth from outer space? Or to stand in front of the Hubble Space Telescope, wondering if the emergency repair you’re about to make will ruin humankind’s chance to unlock the universe’s secrets? Mike Massimino has been to space and back. Spaceman invites us into a rare, wonderful world where science meets the most thrilling adventure, revealing just what having “the right stuff” really means.

Discussion Guide for Spaceman.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

April 17th at 6:30 p.m. – Meet the Author/Evening Book Discussion: The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman

Join us on April 17 at 6:30 p.m. as we discuss The Life She Was Given by Ellen Marie Wiseman. From this acclaimed author comes a vivid, daring novel about the devastating power of family secrets – beginning in the poignant, lurid world of a Depression-era traveling circus, and coming full circle in the transformative 1950s.

On a summer evening in 1931, Lilly Blackwood glimpses circus lights from the grimy window of her attic bedroom. Lilly is never allowed to explore the meadows around Blackwood Manor. Yet, on this unforgettable night, Lilly is taken outside for the first time – and sold to the circus sideshow.

More than two decades later, nineteen-year-old Julia Blackwood has inherited her parents’ estate and horse farm. For Julia, home was an unhappy place, and she hopes that returning might erase painful memories. Instead, she becomes immersed in a mystery involving a hidden attic room and photos of circus scenes featuring a striking young girl.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Click here for more information on this special program.

Please click here for the reading group guide for The Life She Was Given.

March 20th at 6:30 p.m. – Meet the Author/Evening Book Discussion: Pachinko by Min Jin Lee

NATIONAL BOOK AWARD FINALIST * NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW TOP TEN OF THE YEAR * NEW YORK TIMES NOTABLE BOOK OF 2017 * USA TODAY TOP TEN OF 2017

Join us on March 20 at 6:30 p.m. as we discuss Pachinko by Min Jin Lee. In this gorgeous, page-turning saga, four generations of a poor Korean immigrant family fight to control their destiny in 20th century Japan, exiled from a home they never knew.

Richly told and profoundly moving, Pachinko is a story of love, sacrifice, ambition, and loyalty. From bustling street markets to the halls of Japan’s finest universities to the pachinko parlors of the criminal underworld, Lee’s complex and passionate characters – strong, stubborn women, devoted sisters and sons, fathers shaken by moral crisis – survive and thrive against the indifferent arc of history.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Please click here for the reading group guide for Pachinko.

February 20th at 7:30 p.m. - Evening Book Discussion: Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate

Join us on February 20 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate. Based on one of America’s most notorious real-life scandals—in which Georgia Tann, director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country. This riveting, wrenching, and ultimately uplifting tale reminds us how, even though the paths we take can lead to many places, the heart never forgets where we belong.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

Click here for the discussion guide.

January 30th at 7:30 p.m. – Meet the Author: Tova Mirvis

Join us on January 30 at 7:30 p.m and meet Tova Mirvis, who will be discussing her latest work, The Book of Separation. In this memoir, she describes how she left both Orthodox Judaism and her marriage, and followed her inner compass to forge a new life for herself and her children while seeking her own path to happiness.

The author will be signing two copies of the book, which will be raffled off at the end of the program – everyone attending will receive a FREE raffle ticket!

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Please click here for the reading group guide for The Book of Separation.

Please click here for more information on this not to be missed event!

January 9th at 7:30 p.m. – Meet the Author: A.J. Finn Discusses The Woman in the Window

Join us on January 9 at 7:30 p.m. and meet A.J. Finn, author of The Woman in the Window, the most widely acquired debut novel of all time and soon to be a major motion picture from Fox Studios. It’s a twisty, powerful Hitchcockian thriller about an agoraphobic woman who believes she witnessed a crime in a neighboring house.

Books will be available for purchase and signing at the end of the program. In addition, two lucky raffle winners will each receive a free copy!

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

December 11th at 1:00 p.m. – Lunch 'N Books: News of the World by Paulette Jiles

Join us on December 11 at 1:00 p.m. as we discuss News of the World by Paulette Jiles. In the aftermath of the Civil War, an aging itinerant news reader agrees to transport a young captive of the Kiowa back to her people in this exquisitely rendered, morally complex, multilayered novel of historical fiction. From the author of Enemy Women, this novel explores the boundaries of family, responsibility, honor, and trust.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Please click here for the reading group guide for News of the World.

November 20th at 1:00 p.m. – Lunch 'N Books: The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See

Join us on November 20 at 1:00 p.m. as we discuss The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane by Lisa See. Li-yan is a member of the Akha hill tribe whose way of life is still tied to the land. She grows up picking tea leaves each season with her family and lives without electricity or running water in a hut. Set to follow in her mother’s path as a midwife, Li-yan works hard in school hoping to be the first in her village to qualify for upper level schooling that would open up other possibilities. Fate however intervenes through pregnancy, and two different men destined to change her life, one through love, the other through the business of tea.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Please click here for the reading group guide for The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane.

November 14th at 7:30 p.m. - Evening Book Discussion and Skype With Author: The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson

Join us on November 14 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson. At 8:30 p.m. there will be a skype with the author.

With empathy, grace, humor, and piercing insight, the author of Someone Else’s Love Story pens a powerful, emotionally resonant novel of the South that confronts the truth about privilege, family, and the distinctions between perception and reality–the stories we tell ourselves about our origins and who we really are.

After a one night stand with Batman results in an unexpected pregnancy and a family scandal calls her back to Alabama, Leia, a 38 year old graphic novel writer/artist, is forced to look at her life and everything she holds dear in a different light. And what is the secret her grandmother is keeping? Pregnancy seems to be the least of her problems!  This is a beautifully written, poignant yet humorous story with characters that will stay with you after you finish the book.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Please click here for additional information on this program.

Please click here for the reading group guide for The Almost Sisters.

October 25th at 1:00 p.m. – Lunch 'N Books: Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue

Join us on October 25 at 1:00 p.m. as we discuss Behold the Dreamers by Imbolo Mbue. Jenda Jonga moves to Manhattan from Cameroon. After landing a job as a driver with a wealthy Lehman Brothers magnate, Jenda brings his wife and son to NY, feeling sure that he is heading for the American Dream. Yet, the great recession is taking hold. When overhearing his employer’s phone conversations, Jenda knows that there will be great changes and challenges in his life

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Please click here for the reading group guide for Behold the Dreamers.

October 17th at 7:00 p.m. - Evening Book Discussion and Skype With Author: The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi

Join us on October 17 at 7:00 p.m. as we discuss The Pearl That Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi. At 8:15 p.m. there will be a skype with the author.

In Kabul, 2007, with a drug-addicted father and no brothers, Rahima and her sisters can rarely attend school or leave the house. Their only hope lies in an ancient custom which allows young Rahima to dress and be treated as a boy until marriageable age. As a boy, she can attend school and chaperone her sisters. A century earlier, her great-great grandmother, left orphaned, saved herself the same way. The story interweaves the tales of these two women separated by a century.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Please click here for the reading group guide for The Pearl That Broke Its Shell.

September 12th at 7:30 p.m. - Evening Book Discussion: The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper

Join us on September 12 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss The Rainbow Comes and Goes by Anderson Cooper. A charming, intimate and fascinating collection of correspondence between broadcaster and #1 New York Times bestselling author Anderson Cooper and his mother, the celebrated Gloria Vanderbilt. Both a son’s love letter to his mother in her final years and an unconventional mother’s life lessons for her grown son, The Rainbow Comes and Goes offers a rare window into their close relationship and fascinating lives. In these often hilarious and touching exchanges, they share their most private thoughts and the hard-earned truths they’ve learned along the way. Throughout, their distinctive personalities shine through—Anderson’s darker outlook on the world is a brilliant contrast to his mother’s idealism and unwavering optimism.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

Click here for the discussion guide.

August 21st at 7:30 p.m. - Evening Book Discussion: Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult

Join us on August 21 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult. With richly layered characters and a gripping moral dilemma that will lead readers to question everything they know about privilege, power, and race, this novel is the stunning page-turner from Jodi Picoult.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

Click here for the discussion guide.

Register For The Adult Summer Reading Club Before It's Too Late!

Build a Better World, the Adult Summer Reading Club is in full swing, join the fun before it's too late! We have wonderful programs coming up, if you haven't registered there's still time. Read and review books, attend programs, and earn raffle tickets for our great party on August 15th!

Last day to register is August 1st. Last day to submit reviews, event tickets and tic-tac-toe cards is August 9th.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

July 18th at 6:30 p.m. – Meet the Author/Evening Book Discussion: The Dollhouse by Fiona Davis

Join us on July 18 at 6:30 p.m. as we discuss Fiona Davis’s The Dollhouse. This stunning debut novel pulls readers into the lush world of New York City’s glamorous Barbizon Hotel for Women, where a present-day journalist becomes consumed with uncovering a dark secret buried deep within the Barbizon’s glitzy past. Ms. Davis will discuss The Dollhouse and debut her new book The Address to be published on August 1st. She will then raffle copies of her new book to a few lucky winners!

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Please click here for the reading group guide for The Dollhouse.

July 11th at 12:30 p.m. – Lunch 'N Books: The Hours Count by Jillian Cantor

Join us on July 11 at 12:30 p.m. as we discuss The Hours Count by Jillian Cantor. This spellbinding historical novel is about a woman who befriends Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, and is drawn into their world of intrigue. The Rosenbergs are a seemingly ordinary couple who are the only Americans ever put to death for spying during the cold war.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Please click here for the reading group guide for The Hours Count.

June 27th at 7:30 p.m. - Evening Book Discussion: Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman

Join us on June 27 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss Britt-Marie Was Here by Fredrik Backman. The bestselling author of A Man Called Ove returns with this heartwarming story about a woman rediscovering herself after a personal crisis. Insightful and touching, this is a sweet and inspiring story, about truth and transformation.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

Click here for the discussion guide.

June 6th - 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. - Adult Summer Reading Club "Build a Better World" Registration

The East Meadow Public Library Reader Services Department is excited to announce our sixth annual Adult Summer Reading Club. It is a great way to learn about new titles to read during the lazy days of summer and a chance to participate in fun book programs! Just sign up and then submit any titles you have read during the summer months.

Sign up June 6 in the library lobby from 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (after 5 p.m. sign up at the Reference Desk). Also, starting June 6, you may sign up online at https://tinyurl.com/keogynt . Can't make it? After this date, you can register anytime at the Reference Desk or online. Please choose to either enroll and review online or to enroll and submit reviews at the Reference Desk. Registration ends August 1st.

June 2 at 6:30 p.m. - Adult Summer Reading Club "Build a Better World" Kickoff With Featured Author Benjamin Ludwig

The Reader Services Department of the East Meadow Public Library is thrilled to announce the kickoff of our sixth annual Adult Summer Reading Club on Friday, June 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. Register for our reading club and meet Benjamin Ludwig, author of Ginny Moon, who will be joining us for a book talk at 7:00 p.m. Ginny Moon is one of this summer’s most anticipated new books. This extraordinary debut novel is about an autistic teenager who desperately wishes to be reunited with her troubled birth mother in spite of having found the perfect foster home. It’s a story of an outsider trying to find a place to belong and about making sense of a world that just doesn’t seem to add up. Benjamin Ludwig will be signing copies of his book which will be for sale after the program.

Can’t make this event but would still like to join our summer reading club? On June 6 between 11:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., sign up in the lobby (after 5 p.m. sign up at the Reference Desk). Also, starting June 6, you may sign up online at https://ny.evanced.info/eastmeadow/sr/homepage.asp?ProgramID=19.

Our reading club will provide members the opportunity to attend exciting book events along with a delightful party at the end of the program. Our reading club is open to Nassau County library cardholders 21 and older.

May 4th at 7:30 p.m - Meet the Author - Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

Join us on May 4 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss this New York Times bestseller inspired by the life of a real World War II heroine. This remarkable debut novel reveals the power of unsung women to change history in their quest for love, freedom, and second chances. Martha Hall Kelly will be signing copies of her book which will be for sale after the program.

April 21st at 1:00 p.m. - Lunch 'N Books: Dead Wake by Erik Larson

Join us on April 21 at 1:00 p.m. as we discuss Dead Wake by Erik Larson. On May 1, 1915, with World War I entering its tenth month, a luxury ocean liner as richly appointed as an English country house sailed out of New York, bound for Liverpool, carrying a record number of children and infants. This is the true story of the submarine attack on the Lusitania, the lives and deaths of some of its passengers, and the sinking of the largest and fastest ocean liner of its time.

Discussion Guide for Dead Wake

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

Starting April 1st - Online Book Club – Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly

We are thrilled to announce we will be beginning our first online Book club with Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly starting April 1st. We are also very excited that the author will be joining us on Thursday, May 4th at 7:30 p.m. to talk about her book!

To join our online book group, please follow these simple steps:

1. If you are not a member of Goodreads you must create an account at goodreads.com

(After joining you will receive an e-mail asking you to verify your e-mail address – please do so in order to participate in the discussion by clicking the link provided.)

2. Log into Goodreads and click on Community on top and Choose Groups.

3. In the search box type: EMPL Online Book Discussion.

4. Click Join and type in your library barcode when requested. Once we approve your membership please read the rules of the group.

5. Starting April 1st questions will be posted to promote discussion. At least two questions will be posted a week until the author visit.

Copies of the book are available at the Reference Desk. Please read the book and join us.

If you have any questions, please contact Janine Walsh at jwalsh@eastmeadow.info or at 794-2570 ext 262.

March 30th at 12:30 p.m. - Lunch 'N Books: 1984 by George Orwell

Join us on March 30 at 12:30 p.m. as we discuss 1984 by George Orwell. The year 1984 has come and gone, but George Orwell’s prophetic, nightmarish vision, written in 1948, of the world we were becoming, is more timely than ever. 1984 is still the great modern classic of “negative utopia”- a startlingly original and haunting novel that creates an imaginary world that is completely convincing, from the first sentence to the last four words.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236

March 21st at 7:30 p.m. – Evening Book Discussion: Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne

Join us on March 21 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne, a terrifying psychological thriller with a twisting plot. Moving to a tiny Scottish island a year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, Angus and Sarah are shattered when their surviving daughter claims they have mistaken her identity and that she is actually the twin they believed dead.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

February 15th at 7:30 p.m. – Evening Book Discussion/Author Visit: Forgiving Maximo Rothman by A.J. Sidransky

Join us on February 15 at 7:30 p.m. as author A.J. Sidransky discusses his powerful work, Forgiving Maximo Rothman. Sidransky gives us a captivating story, transporting us from a seemingly straightforward murder in present-day Washington Heights, to the plight of World War II Jewish refugees in the Dominican Republic and life in the Soviet Union. The story effortlessly entwines these different periods and places.

Reserve your copy today!

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

Forgiving Maximo Rothman Discussion Questions

January 17th at 7:30 p.m. – Evening Book Discussion: The Good House by Ann Leary

Join us on January 17 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss The Good House by Ann Leary. Hildy Good lives on the rocky coast of Boston. Her nights have become lonely ever since her daughters, convinced their mother was drinking too much, sent her off to rehab. Now she's in recovery more or less. Hildy finds a friend in Rebecca McAllister. but ends up trying to protect her friend from a potential scandal. Soon, Hildy is forced to protect her own reputation as well.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

The Good House Discussion Questions

New Book Club in a Bag - The Rent Collector by Camron Wright

Our newest Book Club in a Bag is The Rent Collector by Camron Wright. The book, based on actual accounts, follows a Cambodian family as they struggle to lead a meaningful life. It is a wonderfully complex book which has many themes to discuss. Please call Janine Walsh at 794-2570 x262 to reserve a six week slot for your book group. The bag comes complete with 10 copies of the book, historical context, questions, author biography and a DVD of the documentary the book is based on, River of Victory. With all this, your book discussion is sure to be a success!

November 15th at 7:30 p.m. – Evening Book Discussion: The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

Join us on November 15 at 7:30 p.m. as we discuss The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain. In The Silent Sister, Riley MacPherson has spent her entire life believing that her older sister Lisa committed suicide as a teenager. Now, over twenty years later, her father has passed away and while she is cleaning out his house, she finds evidence to the contrary. Lisa is alive . . . alive and living under a new identity. But why exactly was she on the run all those years ago, and what secrets are being kept now? As Riley works to uncover the truth, her discoveries will put into question everything she thought she knew about her family.

For more information, please call the Reader Services Department at 516-794-2570 ext. 236.

Silent Sister Discussion Questions