Community College Invites Public To Book Discussion Group

Provided by Bucks County Community College:

Delve into fascinating books this fall by dropping in on the Bucks County Community College Book Discussion Group. The free, informal gatherings take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month during the academic year on the college’s Newtown campus.

Michael Hennessey, the literature professor who convenes the meetings, says group members come from a variety of backgrounds, but share a love of reading, In fact, the titles are suggested by group members at the last meeting of each semester.

“There’s not much conflict over the titles we choose,” said Hennessey, who has led the group discussions for more than a decade. “We certainly often disagree about the value or worth of some titles and some characters, but it’s always a civil discussion.”

At the next meeting, on Thursday, November 12, the group will be talking about All the Light We Cannot See, a novel by Anthony Doerr. Set in Germany and France before World War II, the book focuses on the lives of a 14-year-old blind French girl who flees to the countryside when her father disappears from Nazi-occupied Paris, and a German orphan who is a member of the Hitler Youth.

The final meeting of the semester, on Thursday, December 10, will focus on The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. The novel follows the cantankerous owner of a small, quirky bookstore, who is despondent after losing his beloved wife, and over ever-declining book sales.  But when someone leaves a baby at his store, the baby steals A.J.’s heart and unleashes a dramatic transformation in him and in the bookstore.

At the December meeting, the group will decide on the titles for the spring semester meetings, from January through June.

Founded in 1988, the Bucks County Community College Book Discussion Group meets from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month in room 114 of the Rollins Center. The campus is located at 275 Swamp Road, Newtown, Pa. For weather closing information, call 215-968‑8000 or visitwww.bucks.edu.  For more information, contact Michael Hennessey at 215-968-8164 or Michael.Hennessey@bucks.edu.