MIDTOWN August 2026 — The God of the Woods, by Liz Moore

📖 Why this book? 📖

ONE OF THE NEW YORK TIMES'S NOTABLE
BOOKS OF 2024
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST THRILLER OF
2024
A NEW YORK TIMES BEST CRIME NOVEL OF
2024
PEOPLE MAGAZINE'S #1 BOOK OF THE YEAR
ONE OF NPR'S "BOOKS WE LOVE" 2024
ONE OF TIME MAGAZINE'S "100 MUST-READ BOOKS OF 2024"
"A long novel that at first is hard to put down. By page 200, impossible." —
Stephen King

"Extraordinary... Reminds me of Donna Tartt's 1992 debut, The Secret History... / was so thoroughly submerged in a rich fictional world, that for hours I barely came up for air." - Maureen Corrigan, Fresh Air,
NPR
"This expertly paced thriller …..has the kineticism of a well-crafted miniseries. " —
The New Yorker

"Riveting from page one to the last breathless word." - Rebecca Makkai, New York Times bestselling author of I Have Some Questions For You
"Brilliant, riveting.. an epic mystery, a family saga and a survival guide... loved this book." - Miranda Cowley Heller, #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Paper Palace

Hard to find a book? Suggest a title or use Zip Books at your local library.

💠 What can I expect? 💠

We will meet in-person after hours in Time Tested Books. Front door will be unlocked, and staff will point the way.

💬 We catch up socially;
🧊 we recommend a book or author, and
📕 we start our book discussion at 7pm.

👜 WHAT DO I BRING? 👜

◾️A snack or drink to share
◾️$5 (cash or Venmo *8913)
◾️And you could bring your book 😄

✴️ Event Fee Details ✴️

The $5 is split between our access to this Meetup platform and our access to the meeting location.

You can venmo me (https://venmo.com/u/Rebecca-Bon *8913) or bring cash.

However❕We would never want you to miss a book club discussion because of the $5, so please message me if you have any concerns

(Heads up: Time-Tested Books can run a bit warm after hot downtown days like these. 😅)

Thanks, and see you all soon!

📚 ** BOOK SUMMARY ** 📚

When a teenager vanishes from her Adirondack summer camp, two worlds collide
Early morning, August 1975: a camp counselor discovers an empty bunk. Its occupant, Barbara Van Laar, has gone missing.

Barbara isn't just any thirteen-year-old: she's the daughter of the family that owns the summer camp and employs most of the region's residents. And this isn't the first time a Van Laar child has disappeared. Barbara's older brother similarly vanished fourteen years ago, never to be found.
As a panicked search begins, a thrilling drama unfolds. Chasing down the layered secrets of the Van Laar family and the blue-collar community working in its shadow, Moore's multi-threaded story invites readers into a rich and gripping dynasty of secrets and second chances. It is Liz Moore's most ambitious and wide-reach-ing novel yet.