NNO Book Club: Light from Uncommon Stars

This is the in-person event. There is also an online version of this event scheduled for 7:30 pm this same date.

With any book club, group themes emerge in the books the group does and does not like. For this group – we dig books that have rich and interesting characters, demographic diversity in both author and characters, and if a book can explore complex themes and be fun to read? We are there! This month’s selection has had really positive reviews and seems to hit a lot of our favorite sorts of themes. Of course, by in large, I do NOT pre-read the books for this group so the impression I’ve gotten from the summary and reviews may be wrong. Let’s find out!

***Book summary from Goodreads***
2021 Goodreads Reader Choice Finalist for Best SciFi

Good Omens meets The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in this defiantly joyful adventure set in California's San Gabriel Valley, with cursed violins, Faustian bargains, and queer alien courtship over fresh-made donuts.

Shizuka Satomi made a deal with the devil: to escape damnation, she must entice seven other violin prodigies to trade their souls for success. She has already delivered six.

When Katrina Nguyen, a young transgender runaway, catches Shizuka's ear with her wild talent, Shizuka can almost feel the curse lifting. She's found her final candidate.

But in a donut shop off a bustling highway in the San Gabriel Valley, Shizuka meets Lan Tran, retired starship captain, interstellar refugee, and mother of four. Shizuka doesn't have time for crushes or coffee dates, what with her very soul on the line, but Lan's kind smile and eyes like stars might just redefine a soul's worth. And maybe something as small as a warm donut is powerful enough to break a curse as vast as the California coastline.

As the lives of these three women become entangled by chance and fate, a story of magic, identity, curses, and hope begins, and a family worth crossing the universe for is found.

***This month's restaurant selection***
Updated 06/11/23: GUYS, I have been through it for this event. First, I published the same location as June. Then I updated and said it would be at Beachwood Seafood Kitchen. Thank goodness I went to check the menu and add a link. Beachwood stopped doing brunch on Saturday.
SO – third times the charm? I HOPE. We will be meeting at Oishi Sushi Bar. Looks like they offer lunch specials on Saturdays as well. They also have a few Thai and Japanese entrees for those that are not into sushi or fish. Full menu here: https://www.oishisushithaioldsmar.com/

***Not sure about book club or never been to one before? ***
Read the book (or some of the book). Come to the Meetup. Eat yummy food and chat with folks about what you thought about the book. REPEAT!

***Not sure where to get the book? ***
All books we select have a decent number of copies (at least 3-4 across all formats) at both the Hillsborough and Pinellas County Library. And, of course, you can always buy a copy.

***Didn’t finish/hated this book?***
Come to the Meetup anyway! If you didn't finish - just be aware, there will be spoilers. If you hated it, come and rant! In my experience, the books that generate the best conversations and the books we really love are rarely the same books.