Past Selections

November-December 2025

The Shipping News by Annie Proulx. A vigorous, darkly comic, and at times magical portrait of a contemporary family set in Newfoundland. (Pulitzer Prize, 1994)

 

 

 

 

 

September-October 2025

Chesapeake by James A. Michener. Brings his grand epic tradition to bear on the four-hundred-year saga of America’s Eastern Shore, from its Native American roots to the modern age.

 

 

 

 

 

July-August 2025

Heart of Gold by Samuel Colabufo. Set on the shores of Oneida Lake, it is based on a real, but very strange RH Null blood type, and the chase to find its carriers.

 

 

 

 

 

 

May-June 2025

Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride. About a small, diverse community
centered around a Jewish-owned grocery store and the big events – love, death, murder,
kidnapping – that mark the lives of the people connected to it.

 

 

 

March-April 2025 - Conference Connection!

Haven by Ruth Gruber. The inspiring story of 982 Jewish and Christian refugees from Europe during World War II who found sanctuary in Oswego, NY in 1944.
Additional recommended reading: Holocaust Refugees in Oswego by Ann Callaghan Allen.

Join us at the Conference of Champions, Hilton Downtown Albany, April 4-6, for this book discussion during a breakout session led by the additional reading selection's author, Ann Callaghan Allen. The discussion will be followed by a visit to the nearby New York State Museum for an exhibit on the topic (as well as all of the other museum features!).

January-February 2025

The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown. Nine Americans from the University of Washington rowing team compete as prohibitive underdogs in the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

November-December 2024

The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny and Murder by David Grann. A page-turning story of shipwreck, survival, and savagery,  culminating in a court martial that reveals a shocking truth. “The most gripping sea yarn I’ve read in years. A tour de force of narrative nonfiction. Mr. Grann’s account shows how storytelling, whether to judges or readers, can shape individual and national fortunes – as well as our collective memories.” — Wall Street Journal

September-October 2024

The Lincoln Highway by Amor Towles. The story follows four boys who set out to travel the country in search of a fresh start. There’s train hopping and car stealing, and with that comes the inevitability of trouble sparked from both good and bad intentions. Each of these young men is chasing his dreams, but their pasts—whether violent or sad—are never far behind.
“Mischievous, wise and wildly entertaining.”Chris Batcheldor, New York Times Book Review

August 2024 - Special 1-Month Beach Read

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander McCall Smith. Divorced from an abusive husband and parentless when her beloved father dies, Precious Ramotswe uses the money from their cattle farm to buy a small building and start her own little detective agency in Botswana.
“I really enjoyed this book, I found it thoroughly entertaining. Sometimes, while reading, I'd get so involved with the case Mma Ramostwe was solving that I wouldn't leave my chair until the case got over.” Betsy Reed Editor, Guardian