Tomball Cypress Book Club

The book for November is a Non-Fiction about the true story of Elizabeth Packard, a mid-19th century wife and mother who fought for women's rights in America.

1860: As the clash between the states rolls slowly to a boil, Elizabeth Packard, housewife and mother of six, is facing her own battle. The enemy sits across the table and sleeps in the next room. Her husband of twenty-one years is plotting against her because he feels increasingly threatened - by Elizabeth's intellect, independence, and unwillingness to stifle her own thoughts. So Theophilus makes a plan to put his wife back in her place. One summer morning, he has her committed to an insane asylum.

The horrific conditions inside the Illinois State Hospital in Jacksonville, Illinois, are overseen by Dr. Andrew McFarland, a man who will prove to be even more dangerous to Elizabeth than her traitorous husband. But most disturbing is that Elizabeth is not the only sane woman confined to the institution. There are many rational women on her ward who tell the same story: they've been committed not because they need medical treatment, but to keep them in line - conveniently labeled "crazy" so their voices are ignored.

No one is willing to fight for their freedom and, disenfranchised both by gender and the stigma of their supposed madness, they cannot possibly fight for themselves. But Elizabeth is about to discover that the merit of losing everything is that you then have nothing to lose...

Looks like we collectively decided to skip the cozy holiday cheer this year — no snowflakes or mistletoe for us! Instead, we’re diving straight into the dark, twisty world of secrets and suspense with The Ghostwriter by Julie Clark. Who needs a cup of cocoa when you can have a cup of tension and a side of betrayal?

In 1975, the Taylor family was torn apart when two siblings were found dead—and the surviving brother, Vincent, was branded a killer. Fifty years later, Vincent is a famous horror novelist with one final story to tell.

Desperate and out of options, his estranged daughter, ghostwriter Olivia Dumont, agrees to help him write his last book—only to discover it’s not fiction at all. For the first time, Vincent is ready to reveal what really happened that night. And the truth may be more terrifying than any story he’s ever written.