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July 29, Book Club Meeting
Please be reminded of our July Book Club Meeting this Friday at 12:00 noon (calendar invite will follow this email). We will meet in person at Hughes Trigg Student Center 1st floor at the entrance outside of The Market – if the blue sofa/chairs are available, we will meet there. Bring your lunch. Cookies will be provided.
The #1 New York Times bestselling worldwide sensation with more than 12 million copies sold, hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “a painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature.”
Where the Crawdads Sing, by Delia Owens, is at once an exquisite ode to the natural world, a heartbreaking coming-of-age story, and a surprising tale of possible murder. Owens reminds us that we are forever shaped by the children we once were, and that we are all subject to the beautiful and violent secrets that nature keeps.
2022 Book Club List of Reads
Below is the list of great reads we tackled this spring and our selections for this coming fall. Check back for the summer selections.
November 25, 2022
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI
By: David Grann
October 28, 2022
Devil in the White City
By: Eric Larson
September 30, 2022
To Be Determined! Check Back!
August 26, 2022
To Be Determined! Check Back!
July 29, 2022
To Be Determined! Check Back!
June 24, 2022
To Be Determined! Check Back!
May 27, 2022
Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story
By: Erin French
April 29, 2022
The Vanishing Half
By: Brit Bennet
March 25, 2022
Sometimes I Lie
By: Alice Feeney
February 25, 2022
Once Upon a River
By: Diane Setterfield
January 28, 2022
Small Great Things
By: Jodi Picoult
Upcoming Reads – SMUSA Book Club
The SMUSA Book Club is wrapping up the academic year and has three great reads set to finish strong!
- Friday, March 25 – Sometimes I Lie by Alice Feeney
- Friday, April 29 – The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennet
- Friday, May 27 – Finding Freedom: A Cook’s Story by Erin French
All meetings are at Noon via Zoom. You can register for the events by visiting the SMUSA Upcoming Events Page. The Zoom links will be sent out to all registrants the morning of the event. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Diana Vineyard (vineyard@smu.edu).
My name is Amber Reynolds. There are three things you should know about me:
- I’m in a coma.
- My husband doesn’t love me anymore.
- Sometimes I lie.
Amber wakes up in a hospital. She can’t move. She can’t speak. She can’t open her eyes. She can hear everyone around her, but they have no idea. Amber doesn’t remember what happened, but she has a suspicion her husband had something to do with it. Alternating between her paralyzed present, the week before her accident, and a series of childhood diaries from twenty years ago, this brilliant psychological thriller asks: Is something really a lie if you believe it’s the truth?
Friday, March 25, 2022 at Noon via Zoom.
Once Upon A River is about – the Vaughans, the Armstrongs, and Lilly White – who have each lost a young girl. When the story of the miracle involving a young girl at the Swan Inn begins to make its way from town to town, each of these families hope that this young girl is their own. The story explores each of the claims on the young girl, the motivations and histories of these claimants, and many of the townspeople who are drawn to the young girl and the mystery behind her apparent miracle.
Friday, February 25, 2022 at Noon via Zoom
We hope everyone had a safe and joyful holiday, and are ready for some stimulating and fun discussions. In anticipation of African American History Month, we’re excited to begin the new year with a thought-provoking novel that tackles race, prejudice, and justice with “incredible empathy, intelligence, and candor,” and one you will find difficult to put down. Small Great Things, by Jodi Picoult.
We kick off our club this year on Friday, January 28 at Noon on Zoom. We look forward to you joining the Staff Association Book Club this year!
In A Wild Winter Swan (Gregory Maguire), the author of Wicked turns his unconventional genius to Hans Christian Andersen’s “The Wild Swans,” transforming this classic tale into an Italian-American girl’s poignant coming-of-age story, set amid the magic of Christmas in 1960s New York.
This will be our last meeting for 2021 so mark your calendars and plan to join us on Friday, November 19, 5:30 PM (new time), for a fun discussion, holiday cheer, giveaways, and your book suggestions for 2022! And you have an option to join by zoom OR in-person. Email us for more information about the in-person option at bookclub@mail.smu.edu.
Book Club Drawing Winners!
The following avid readers and SMUSA Book Club members were the happy recipients of drawing prizes for attending monthly Book Club Meetings!
Cathy Geist was the winner of a copy of A Thousand Splendid Suns!
Jennifer Culver was the winner of a copy of The Last Thing He Told Me!
Samantha Dodd was the winner of a SMU Mustang Tote Bag!
Angela Holliday was the winner of a SMU Mustang Tote Bag!
Arthi Krishnan was the winner of a copy of The Last Thing He Told Me!
Join the SMUSA Book Club on Friday, July 28 at noon in the Texana Room (Fondren Library West) as we discuss Daisy Jones & the Six.












