Reading Adventure: "How To Read A Book" by Monica Wood

Plot Twist: The Universe Just Picked Our November Book for Us!
While hunting for this month’s read, I stumbled upon a déjà vu moment—a book with the exact same cover as last year’s pick. Coincidence? Nah. It’s a sign. Either we’re destined for a great read, or the literary gods are messing with us. Either way, I’m taking it as a cosmic nudge.

A charming, deeply moving novel about second chances, unlikely friendships, and the life-changing power of sharing stories.

Violet Powell, a twenty-two-year-old from rural Abbott Falls, Maine, is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher.

Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest.

Frank Daigle, a retired machinist, hasn’t yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed.

When the three encounter each other one morning in a bookstore in Portland—their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways.

This book illuminates the decisions that define a life and the kindnesses that make life worth living.

288 pgs
Up Lit/Contemporary

• Sara Josepha Hale Award (2024)