Joining a book club is a great way to connect with your neighbors and find a community of fellow readers. Gunnison County Libraries facilitates book clubs in both Gunnison and Crested Butte locations. They are free and open to anyone to join.
How it works: Book clubs meet on a recurring basis, every month, to discuss a title the group has all read, often over light snacks. Copies of books are placed on hold for book club participants and are available to check out at the library. Titles for the next month’s meeting are announced a month before. They will also be available in e-edition, audiobook, large print, etc.
Books-N-Bars
*Books-N-Bars is on a brief hiatus - stay tuned for future book club dates*
For those who like to imbibe in books, beverages or both! This group meets every 2nd Thursday of the month from 5:30-7 pm at local watering holes. They read mainly contemporary fiction, with a few non-fiction titles every once in a while.
Thursday, June 8 at 5:30 pm @ Ryce Asian Bistro - 120 Elk Ave, Crested Butte, CO 81224
"Bewilderment" by Richard Powers
From the author of "The Overstory" comes a new novel that shares soaring descriptions of the natural world, its tantalizing vision of life beyond, and an account of a father and son's ferocious love. At its heart lies the question: How can we tell our children the truth about this beautiful, imperiled planet?
Thursday, July 13, 5:30 pm @ Bonez - 130 Elk Ave, Crested Butte, CO 81224
"Crossing to Safety" by Wallace Stegner
Hailed as a contemporary classic, this novel traces the lives, loves, and aspirations of two couples who move between Vermont and Wisconsin, and is a work of quiet majesty, deep compassion, and powerful insight into the alchemy of friendship and marriage.
Thursday, August 10, 5:30 pm @ Thai Chili 78 - 425 Elk Ave, Crested Butte, CO 81230
"The Measure" by Nikki Erlick
When every person, all over the globe, receives a small wooden box bearing the same inscription and a single piece of string inside, the world is thrown into a collective frenzy, in this novel told through multiple perspectives that introduces an unforgettable cast of characters.
Caregiver Conversations
Monthly book discussions about raising children, facilitated by Louise Perry, MSW. Lunch is provided at each gathering, as participants converse about parenting-related topics of interest. Groups meets every 2nd Wednesday from 11:30 am-12:30 pm.
Wednesday, August 9 from 11:30 am-12:30 pm at Gunnison Library
Read & discuss: "Good Inside: A Guide to Becoming the Parent You Want to Be" by Becky Kennedy
Dr. Becky shares her parenting philosophy, complete with actionable strategies, that will help parents move from uncertainty and self-blame to confidence and sturdy leadership. Offering perspective-shifting parenting principles and troubleshooting for specific scenarios-- including sibling rivalry, separation anxiety, tantrums, and more--"Good Inside" is a comprehensive resource for a generation of parents looking for a new way to raise their kids while still setting them up for a lifetime of self- regulation, confidence, and resilience.
Lunch provided, RSVP to ellen@gunnisoncountylibraries.org
Wednesday, October 11 from 11:30 am-12:30 pm at Gunnison Library
Read & discuss: “How to Talk so Kids will Listen, and Listen so Kids will Talk” by Adele Faber
About the book:
Internationally acclaimed experts on communication between parents and children, Adele Faber and Elaine Mazlish “are doing for parenting today what Dr. Spock did for our generation” (Parent Magazine). Now, this bestselling classic includes fresh insights and suggestions as well as the author’s time-tested methods to solve common problems and build foundations for lasting relationships, including innovative ways to: Cope with your child’s negative feelings, such as frustration, anger, and disappointment — Express your strong feelings without being hurtful — Engage your child’s willing cooperation — Set firm limits and maintain goodwill — Use alternatives to punishment that promote self-discipline — Understand the difference between helpful and unhelpful praise — Resolve family conflicts peacefully. Enthusiastically praised by parents and professionals around the world, the down-to-earth, respectful approach of Faber and Mazlish makes relationships with children of all ages less stressful and more rewarding.
Lunch provided, RSVP to ellen@gunnisoncountylibraries.org
Wednesday, November 8 from 11:30 am-12:30 pm at Gunnison Library
Read & discuss: “The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read: (and Your Children Will Be Glad That You Did)” by Phillipa Perry
About the book:
This book is about how we have relationships with our children, what gets in the way of a good connection and what can enhance it
The most influential relationships are between parents and children. Yet for so many families, these relationships go can wrong and it may be difficult to get back on track.
In The Book You Wish Your Parents Had Read (and Your Children Will Be Glad that You Did), renowned psychotherapist Philippa Perry shows how strong and loving bonds are made with your children and how such attachments give a better chance of good mental health, in childhood and beyond.
She’ll help you to:
– Understand how your own upbringing may be impacting upon your parenting style
– Contain, express, accept and validate your own and your child’s feelings
– Understand that all behaviour is communication
– Break negative cycles and patterns
– Accept that you will make mistakes and what to do about them
Almost every parent loves their children, but by following the refreshing, sage and sane advice and steps in this book you will also find yourselves liking one another too.
Lunch provided, RSVP to ellen@gunnisoncountylibraries.org
Gunny GoodReads
Traditional book club that meets once a month to discuss books over light snacks. They read contemporary fiction, with a taste for the suspense or thriller genre and meet on the fourth Wednesday of every month from 3:30-4:30 pm (some changes due to holidays).
Wednesday, June 28 from 4-4:45 pm
Read & discuss: "We all want impossible things" by Katherine Newman
As Edith, her best friend of forty-two years who is dying of ovarian cancer, spends her last days at a hospice near her, Ashley, stumbling around into heartbreak, helps Edith celebrate her life as they reminisce, hold on, and try to let go.
Wednesday, July 26 from 4-4:45 pm
"The Love of my Life" by Rosie Walsh
A love story wrapped in a mystery: an up-all-night page-turner with a dark secret at its core
Wednesday, August 23 from 4-4:45 pm at Gunnison Library
Read & discuss: "What happened to you? Conversations on trauma, resilience, and healing" by Bruce D. Perry
Through deeply personal conversations, Oprah Winfrey and Dr. Bruce Perry explore how what happens to us in early childhood influences the people we become. They challenge us to shift from focusing on "What's wrong with you?" or "Why are you behaving that way?" to asking "What happened to you?"
Wednesday, September 27 from 4-4:45 pm at Gunnison Library
Read & discuss: "Squeeze Me" by Carl Hiaasen
It's the height of the Palm Beach charity ball season: for every disease or cause, there's a reason for the local luminaries to eat (minimally), drink (maximally), and be seen. But when a prominent high-society dowager suddenly vanishes during a swank gala, and is later found dead in a concrete grave, panic and chaos erupt. Kiki Pew was notable not just for her wealth and her jewels--she was an ardent fan of the Winter White House resident just down the road, and a founding member of the POTUSSIES, a group of women dedicated to supporting their President. Never one to miss an opportunity to play to his base, the President immediately declares that Kiki was the victim of rampaging immigrant hordes. This, it turns out, is far from the truth.
The truth might just lie in the middle of the highway, where a bizarre discovery brings the First Lady's motorcade to a grinding halt (followed by some grinding between the First Lady and a love-struck Secret Service agent). Enter Angie Armstrong, wildlife wrangler extraordinaire, who arrives at her own conclusions after she is summoned to the posh island to deal with a mysterious and impolite influx of huge, hungry pythons . . .
Carl Hiaasen can brighten even the darkest of days and Squeeze Me is pure, unadulterated Hiaasen. Irreverent, ingenious, and highly entertaining, Squeeze Me perfectly captures the absurdity of our times.
Wednesday, October 25 from 3:30-4:30 pm at Gunnison Library
Read & discuss: "Signal Fires" by Dani Shapiro
An ancient majestic oak stands beneath the stars on Division Street. And under the tree sits Ben Wilf, a retired doctor, and ten-year-old Waldo Shenkman, a brilliant, lonely boy who is pointing out his favorite constellations. Waldo doesn’t realize it but he and Ben have met before. And they will again, and again. Across time and space, and shared destiny.
Division Street is full of secrets. An impulsive lie begets a secret—one which will forever haunt the Wilf family. And the Shenkmans, who move into the neighborhood many years later, bring secrets of their own.. Spanning fifty kaleidoscopic years, on a street—and in a galaxy—where stars collapse and stories collide, these two families become bound in ways they never could have imagined.
Summer Hiking Book Club
Every 1st Wednesday of the month, community members will convene at Gunnison or Crested Butte libraries to discuss a book of the month along the trail over a local hike. Members will set off from the library or caravan to the trailhead together. Participants are responsible for their own water, gear/equipment, and safety. The library will supply book discussion facilitation and copies of the book to read beforehand.
Please check back for Summer 2024's details!
Wednesday, June 14 from 11:30 am-12:30 pm at Gunnison Library
Wednesday, July 12 from 11:30 am-12:30 pm at Gunnison Library