Island Senior: Mullis Center Book Club news

Wendy Waxman Kern — Contributed photo

The Mullis Center Book Club has a new coordinator. Now that Beth Helstien has retired from the San Juan Island Library (thank you Beth!), Wendy Waxman Kern, the library’s new Outreach and Technology Coordinator, will be facilitating the Mullis Center Book Club.

Wendy previously served as San Juan County’s 4-H Program Coordinator and has a rich background in community service. She has a deep love of books and language and formerly lived in Germany for 13 years. Wendy enjoys spending time with her family, which, she says, also includes reading.

The book club has voted and we now have a new list of books selected for the months of August through December. The club meets via Zoom on the second Monday of each month at 1:15 p.m. All are welcome. To participate, email Wendy at [email protected] for the Zoom meeting invitation.

Upcoming book selections include:

• August 8 – The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson – When her beloved library is threatened, library assistant and introvert June Jones is forced out of her comfort zone to join a dedicated band of patrons fighting to save their library.
• September 12 – Their Eye Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston – One of the most important and enduring books of the twentieth century, Their Eyes Were Watching God brings to life a Southern love story with the wit and pathos found only in the writing of Zora Neale Hurston.
• October 10 – All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doers – Beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize.
• November 14 – All that She Carried by Tiya Miles – A renowned historian traces the life of a single object handed down through three generations of Black women to craft a “deeply layered and insightful” (The Washington Post) testament to people who are left out of the archives. National Book Award Winner.
• December 12 – The Guest List by Lucy Foley – A wedding celebration turns dark and deadly in this deliciously wicked and atmospheric thriller reminiscent of Agatha Christie from the New York Times bestselling author of The Hunting Party.

The library tries to have several copies of our chosen book on hand including in large print and often has audio. I usually listen to the audio version and have been able to borrow them for free through the online service called Libby.

If you wish to learn how to access books through smartphones, tablets, or eReaders with the Libby app or Hoopla, bring your device in to the San Juan Island library during their Tech Café on Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to noon.

Says Wendy, “There are a few copies of The Last Chance Library, the August book club selection, ready for pickup at the Library. We also have bookmarks available to help you save the date and keep track of the titles at a glance.”

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