Friday Night Lights: A Town, a Team, and a Dream, by H. G. Bissinger
The bestselling story of life in the football-driven town of Odessa, Texas, explores how the town's passion for the team inspires--and sometimes shatters--the young men who wear the Panther uniform.
Angels & Demons, by Dan Brown
The world’s well-known Harvard simbologist, Robert Langdon, is called upon to analyze a mysterious symbol. He finds the symbol represents the reappearance of an ancient secret brotherhood – the Illuminati. The symbol signifies the Illuminati’s final stage in its long-awaited vengeance against the Catholic Church, its worst enemy. Langdon is joined by Italian scientist, Vittoria Vetra, to assist him in ceasing the treacherous plan of the Illuminati.
Independence Day, by Richard Ford
Frank Bascombe has high hopes for his Fourth of July weekend: a search for a house for deeply hapless clients relocating to Vermont; a rendezvous on the Jersey shore with his girlfriend; then up to Connecticut to pick up his larcenous and emotionally troubled teenage son and visit as many sports halls of fame as they can fit into two days. Frank's Independence Day, however, turns out not as he'd planned.
Confederates in the Attic: Dispatches from the Unfinished Civil War, by Tony Horwitz
Propelled by his boyhood passion for the Civil War, prize-winning war correspondent Horwitz embarks on a search for places and people still held in thrall by America's greatest conflict. His adventures include participating with a group of hardcore reenactors, and a marathon trek from Antietam to Gettysburg to Appomattox.
The Known World, by Edward P. Jones
Henry Townsend, a black farmer, bootmaker, and former slave owns his own plantation - as well as of his own slaves. When he dies, his widow, Caldonia, succumbs to profound grief, and things begin to fall apart at their plantation. Slaves begin escaping under the cover of night, and families who had once found love beneath the weight of slavery begin to betray one another.
No Country for Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy
Set along the frontier between Texas and Mexico, this story follows Llewelyn Moss as he sets out to hunt antelope near the Rio Grande but finds men shot dead and a generous amount of money. Sheriff Bell then realizes how much Moss and his wife need protection. This story is one of war amongst a society and the ties of love, blood, and duty.
Life of Pi, by Yann Martel
Pi Patel is the son of a zookeeper and at the age of sixteen his family and the zoo animals move from India to North America on board a Japanese cargo ship. When the ship sinks, Pi is left alone a lifeboat with a Bengal tiger and his will to find their way to land. A favorite book club choice.
The Things They Carried, by Tim O’Brien
Includes a collection of fictional episodes pertaining to the Vietnam War. It takes place in the characters childhoods in the jungles of Vietnam and then their lives after returning to America twenty years later.
The Plot Against America, by Philip Roth
In this fictional story, Roth recounts what life was like for his Newark family during the years of the presidency of Charles A. Lindbergh following the 1940 presidential election. Lindbergh’s win during the 1940 election made the Jewish population fill with fear. Lindbergh held the Jews liable for pushing America towards the war with Nazi Germany and accepted the policies of Adolf Hitler. A popular read for groups reading works by Jewish authors.
Empire Falls, by Richard Russo
Miles Roby was once known in Empire Falls, Maine as a young man smart enough to escape. But his ill mother needing care made him drop out of college and come back home. Twenty years later, he is still in this town that has gone downhill.
, by H. G. Bissinger
, by Dan Brown
, by Richard Ford
, by Tony Horwitz
, by Edward P. Jones
, by Cormac McCarthy
, by Yann Martel
, by Tim O’Brien
, by Philip Roth
, by Richard Russo
