Fall 2022 – Winter 2023 Book Picks

Check out the Falmouth Public Library’s new Narrative Nonfiction Book Club picks for the upcoming Fall ’22 and Winter ’23 session!  Come pick up a copy and join us to share your thoughts as we read across the genres of nonfiction, from history to adventure, memoir/biography, and beyond with books that read like a novel.

We meet on the 1st Thursday of every month from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM. The group will meet in the Hermann meeting room and for those who wish to join us from home, you can join us via Zoom. The Zoom link will be provided upon registration.

To register, click on the date you wish to attend and fill out the registration form. If you have any questions, please contact the Adult Services department at 508-457-2555 x 7, info@falmouthpubliclibrary.org or text 833-209-9922.

October 6, 2022:
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants by Robin Wall Kimmerer

“As a botanist, Robin Wall Kimmerer has been trained to ask questions of nature with the tools of science.  As a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation, she embraces the notion that plants and animal are our oldest teachers.  In Braiding Sweetgrass, Kimmerer brings these two lenses of knowledge together to take us on a journey that is every bit as mythical as it is scientific, as sacred as it is historical, as clever as it is wise.”

November 3, 2022:
Lost Girls: An Unsolved American Mystery by Robert Kolker

“One late spring evening in 2010, Shannan Gilbert – after running through the oceanfront community of Oak Beach screaming for her life – went missing.  No one who had heard of her disappearance thought much about what had happened to the twenty-four-year-old – until seven months later.  Lost Girls is a portrait of unsolved murders in an idyllic part of America, of the underside of the Internet, and of the secrets we keep without admitting to ourselves that we keep them.”

December 1, 2022:
Travels with George: In Search of Washington and His Legacy by Nathaniel Philbrick

“Weaving history and personal reflection into one narrative, Philbrick argues for Washington’s unique contribution to the forging of America by retracing his journey as a new President through the former colonies.  He paints a picture of 18th century America as divided and fraught as it is today, and he comes to understand how Washington entranced, compelled, enticed, and stood up to the many different kinds of citizens he met on his journey.”

January 5, 2023:
Remember: The Science of Memory and the Art of Forgetting by Lisa Genova

“In Remember, neuroscientist and acclaimed novelist Lisa Genova delves into how memories are made and how we retrieve them.  You’ll learn whether forgotten memories are temporarily inaccessible or erased forever and why some memories are built to exist for only a few seconds (like a passcode) while others can last a lifetime (your wedding day). And you’ll see how memory is profoundly impacted by meaning, emotion, sleep, stress, and context.” 

February 2, 2023
The Mosquito: A Human History of our Deadliest Predator by Timothy C. Winegard

“Across our planet since the dawn of humankind, this nefarious pest, roughly the size and weight of a grape seed, has been at the frontlines of history as the grim reaper, the harvester of human populations, and the ultimate agent of historical change.  Driven by surprising insights and fast-paced storytelling, The Mosquito is the extraordinary untold story of the mosquitos’ reign through human history and her indelible impact on our modern world order.”

March 2, 2023:
Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner

“An unflinching, powerful memoir about growing up Korean American, Michelle Zauner proves herself far more than a dazzling singer, songwriter, and guitarist.  With humor and heart, she tells of growing up one of the few Asian American kids at her school in Eugene, Oregon; of struggling with her mother’s particular, high expectations of her; of a painful adolescence; and of treasured months spent in her grandmother’s tiny apartment in Seoul.”