BOOK GROUP SELECTIONS

2003
September         The Secret Life of Bees  by Sue Monk Kidd at Soleil Restaurant

2005
September         The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers
 

October              Object Lessons  by Anna Quindlen at PRUMC

2006
January                A Good Man is Hard to Find by Flannery O’Connor led by Dr. Margaret W. Pepperdene
 

February              Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
 

March                   Atonement by Ian McEwan
 

April                      Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why by Laurence Gonzales led by Susan Lockhart @ M.B.                                  Lyle’s Home
 

May                       A Reading of Katherine Anne Porter led by Dr. Margaret W. Pepperdene
 

September          Kate Vaiden by Reynolds Price @ Tillie Carter’s
 

October               The Devil and the White City by Erick Larson; led by Carolyn Clarke and Sophia Bauerle
 

November           Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray at South of France Restaurant

2007
January                "Reading Flannery O'Connor" led by Dr. Margaret W. Pepperdene
 

February              Blue Calhoun by Reynolds Price; led by Ryan Sample, a student of Price's at Duke, and teacher at                                     The Westminster Schools held at Park Place
 

March                   The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards; led by Carolyn Curry at South of France
 

April                      My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
 

September         Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides; led by Lucy Molinaro
 

October               Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen; led by Gloria Payne @ South of France
 

November          The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls @ South of France

2008  (We began meeting at The Colonnade in January)
January                The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory; led by Carol Wilson
 

February              Frankenstein by Mary Shelley; led by Jane Saral, former teacher of British Literature at The                                                 Westminster Schools
 

March                   March by Geraldine Brooks; led by Lasley Gober of The Westminster Schools
 

April                      "T.S. Eliot" led by Carolyn Curry; discussion led by Dr. Pepperdene rescheduled to October
 

May                       Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert; led by Tina Edwards
 

September         Angle of Repose by Wallace Stegner; led by Lasley Gober of The Westminster Schools
 

October               The Wasteland by T.S. Eliot; led by Dr. Margaret Pepperdene
 

November          The Complete Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi; led by Rachel Trousdale, Assistant Professor of                                               English, Agnes Scott College (joint meeting with ASC Readers’ Connection)

2009
January                In the Time of the Butterflies by Julia Alvarez; led by Dr. Kristin Hunter, Dean of Girls and English                                       Teacher at The Westminster Schools
 

February              Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte; led by Jane Saral, former teacher of British Literature at The                                        Westminster Schools
 

March                   The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackermann; led by Lucy Molinaro
 

April                      Loving Frank: A Novel by Nancy Horan; led by Carol Wilson
 

May                       A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Husseini led by Edna Kopetz
 

September          People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks; led by Carolyn Curry
 

October               Einstein’s Dreams by Alan Lightman; by invitation of ASC’s Reader’s Connection; led by ASC                                               faculty member Chris DePree
 

November           And If I Perish: Frontline U.S. Army Nurses in World War II by Evelyn Monahan and Rosemary                                             NeidelGreenley; led by the authors with introduction by Edna Kopetz

2010
January                The Help by Kathryn Stockett; led by Carolyn Wasser
 

February              Sin in the Second City: Madams, Ministers, Playboys, and the Battle for America's Soul by Karen                                       Abbott; led by Terri Roland with the author via phone conference.
 

March                   Molokai by Alan Brennert; led by Carol Wilson

                               The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery Discussion led by Julia Knowlton, professor of                                       French; at the invitation of ASC’s Reader’s Connection
 

April                      Bound South: A Novel by Susan Rebecca White; led by the author; introduction by Margaret                                              VanDeman Blackmon
 

May                       Olive Kittredge by Elizabeth Strout; led by Lucy Molinaro
 

September          Year of Wonder by Geraldine Brooks; led by Carolyn Curry
 

October               Outcasts United by Warren St. John; led by Toby Emert, ASC Associate Professor of Education and                                   Director of Teacher Education
 

November           Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford; led by Sharon Pauli

2011
January                Persuasion by Jane Austen. Christine S. Cozzens, Professor of English and Director of The Center                                       for Writing and Speaking at Agnes Scott College, led our discussion.
 

February              Still Alice by Lisa Genova led by Terri Roland
 

March                   Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls led by Fran Plunkett
                               

                               Letters from Yellowstone by Diane Smith, discussion led by John F. Pilger, Wiliam R. Kenan Jr.                                             Professor of Biology; at the invitation of ASC’s Reader’s Connection at St.Philip’s Cathedral
 

April                      Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide by Nicholas D. Kristof,                                     Sheryl WuDunn led by Lucy Molinaro
 

May                      as the sycamore grows by Jennie Miller Helderman led by the author
 

September         The Secret Life of the Grown-Up Brain: The Surprising Talents of the Middle-Aged Mind by Barbara                                 Strauch, led by Margaret VanDeman Blackmon
 

October               The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot led by Dr. Roland Pattillo, HeLa Conference                                  Director & Professor, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Morehouse School of Medicine
 

November           Bossypants Tina Fey led by Carolyn Wasser

2012
January                Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty, led by Dr. Pearl McHaney of Georgia State University
 

February              The Book of Marie by Terry Kay, led by the author
 

March                   Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese, led by Terri Roland (as rescheduled)
 

April                      The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff, led by Sarah Robinson
 

May                       The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, led by Dr. Kristin Hunter of The Westminster Schools 

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June – August   Summer break

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September          The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton, led by Dr. Cathy Fuller, ASC undergrad and professor at GSU
 

October                The River of Doubt by Candice Millard, led by Sharon Pauli
 

November           The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery led by Mary Ann Blessing
 

2013
January                My Nightlife is 24/7 by Fionna Page led by the author
 

February              Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross led by Terri Roland
 

March                   A Titanic Love Story: Ida and Isidor Straus by June Hall McCash led by the author
 

April                      The Social Animal: The Hidden Sources of Love, Character, and Achievement by David Brooks led                                    by Margaret Blackmon
 

May                       John Adams by David McCollough led by Sallie LaBadie
 

June – August   Summer break
 

September          Girl with a Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, led by Carolyn Curry
 

October               The Starboard Sea by Amber Dermont
 

November           The Paris Wife by Paula McLain, led by Karrey Davis
 

2014
January                Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't StopTalking by Susan Cain led by Margaret                                       Blackmon
 

February              The Unvanquished by William Faulkner led by Dr. Thomas McHaney
 

March                   The Book Thief by Markus Zusak, led by Carolyn Wasser
 

April                      Suffer and Grow Strong: The Life of Ella Gertrude Clanton Thomas 1834-1907 by Carolyn Curry led                                 by the author
 

May                       A Conversation with Natasha Trethewey, the U.S. Poet Laureate Consultant in Poetry, featuring her                                 poetry collection Native Guard (2006)
 

June – August    Summer break
 

September          The Round House by Louise Erdrich; Led by Lucy Molinaro
 

October                Shorter's Way by Grace Hawthorne; Led by the author
 

November           Moonrise by Cassandra King; Led by the author
 

2015
January                The Gifts of Imperfection by Brene Brown; Led by Terri Roland
 

February              The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt; Led by Lee Drury
 

March                   All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren; Led by Lasley Gober
 

April                      All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr; Led by Mary Ben Christiansen
 

May                       The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom; Led by Kathie Layton
 

June – August   Summer break
 

September          The Temple Bombing by Melissa Fay Green with discussion led by the author
 

October               Mr. Owieta's Guide to Gardening: How I Learned the Unexpected Joy of a Green Thumb and an                                       Open Heart by Carol Wall with discussion led by her husband Dick Wall
 

November           Wherever There Is Light by Peter Golden with discussion led by the author

2016
January                The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah with discussion led by Terri Roland
 

February              North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell with discussion led by Jim Diedrick ASC professor
 

March                   Creating Well-Being: Four Steps to a Happier, Healthier Life by P. Hays with discussion led by                                              Jennifer Hughes ASC professor

 

April                      The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd with discussion led by Carolyn Curry
 

May                       The End of Innocence by Allegra Jordan with discussion led by the author
 

June – August   Summer break
 

September          The King Who Made Paper Flowers by Terry Kay with discussion led by the author
 

October               Middlemarch by George Eliot with discussion led by Jim Diedrick ASC professor
 

November           Untying the Moon by Ellen Malphrus with discussion led by the author

2017

(From 2017 forward, listings reflect book discussions led by the author unless otherwise noted.)

January                Lilac Girls by Martha Hall Kelly led by the author

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February              Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith with discussion led by Debra Hughes Dobkins ’97, Ph.D and                                     dean of the Women’s College at Brenau University
 

March                   Twain’s End by Lynn Cullen led by the author
 

April                      A Lowcountry Heart: Reflections on a Writing Life  by Pat Conroy, led by his wife and author,                                            Cassandra King
 

May                       Lamb in His Bosom by Carolyn Miller led by Professor Pearl McHaney of GSU
 

June – August   Summer break
 

September         The Cigar Factory: A Novel of Charleston by Michele Moore
 

October               Cardinal Hill: A Novel by Mary Anna Bryan (Author) and graduate of Agnes Scott College
 

November           The Underdogs by Melissa Fay Greene

2018
January                Over the Plain Houses by Julia Franks
 

February              Kismetwali and Other Stories by Reetika Khanna Nijhawan
 

March                   Shadow of the Lions by Christopher Swann
 

April                      A Path Revealed: How Hope, Love, and Joy Found Us Deep in a Maze Called Alzheimer’s

                               by Carlen Maddux
 

May                       Burial for a King: Martin Luther King Jr.'s Funeral and the Week that Transformed Atlanta and                                            Rocked the Nation  by Rebecca Burns

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June – August     Summer break

 

September        Flight Path by Hannah Palmer

 

October             The Hidden Light of Northern Fires by Daren Wang

 

November          Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

 

2019

 

January               The Swan House by Elizabeth Musser

 

February             The Night the Lights Went Out by Karen White

 

March                  Memory & Complicity by Eve Hoffman

 

April                     The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle

 

May                      The Only Woman in the Room by Marie Benedict

 

June – August     Summer Break

 

September        Unmarriageable by Soniah Kamal

 

October               Empress by Ruby Lal

 

November          Becoming Mrs. Lewis by Patti Callahan