CJE SeniorLife’s Winter Virtual Book Club

Date: December 20, 2023
Book Title: Small Things Like These
Book Author: Claire Keegan

Register for this book review on December 20 >>>

It is 1985 in a small Irish town. During the weeks leading up to Christmas, Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and family man faces his busiest season. While delivering an order to the local convent, Bill makes a discovery which forces him to confront both his past and the complicit silences of a town controlled by the church.

This book can be bought on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also purchase the book directly through your favorite independent bookstore (check for curbside pickup options) or purchase online at Bookshop.org, an online bookshop that financially supports independent bookshops locally and nationwide. It can also be borrowed from the Chicago Public Library.

Date: January 17, 2024
Book Title: The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
Book Author: Michael Finkel

Register for this book review on January 17 >>>

For centuries, works of art have been stolen from all over the world, but no one has been quite as successful at it as the master thief Stéphane Breitwieser. Carrying out more than 200 heists over nearly 10 years, Breitwieser, along with his girlfriend, stole more than 300 objects, until it all fell apart in spectacular fashion.

This book can be bought on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also purchase the book directly through your favorite independent bookstore (check for curbside pickup options) or purchase online at Bookshop.org, an online bookshop that financially supports independent bookshops locally and nationwide. It can also be borrowed from the Chicago Public Library.

Date: February 21, 2024
Book Title: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women 
Book Author: Lisa See

Register for this book review on February 21 >>>

Tan Yunxian—born into an elite family, yet haunted by death, separations, and loneliness—is being raised by her grandparents to be of use. From a young age, Yunxian learns about women’s illnesses, alongside a young midwife-in-training, Meiling. The two girls vow to be forever friends, but when Yunxian is sent into an arranged marriage, her mother-in-law forbids her from seeing Meiling and from helping the women and girls in the household. Yunxian is to act like a proper wife and stay forever within the walls of the family compound.

This book can be bought on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also purchase the book directly through your favorite independent bookstore (check for curbside pickup options) or purchase online at Bookshop.org, an online bookshop that financially supports independent bookshops locally and nationwide. It can also be borrowed from the Chicago Public Library.

Date: March 20, 2024
Book Title: Evergreen
Book Author: Naomi Hirahara

Register for this book review on March 20 >>>

It’s been 2 years since Aki Ito and her family were released from Manzanar detention center and resettled in Chicago. Now the Itos have finally been allowed to return home to California, but thousands of people live in dismal refugee camps while they struggle to find new houses and jobs in over-crowded Los Angeles. Little Tokyo is rocked by a murder and when the cops start sniffing around Aki’s home, she begins to worry that the violence tearing through her community might threaten her family.

This book can be bought on Amazon and Barnes and Noble. You can also purchase the book directly through your favorite independent bookstore (check for curbside pickup options) or purchase online at Bookshop.org, an online bookshop that financially supports independent bookshops locally and nationwide. It can also be borrowed from the Chicago Public Library.