The West Valley Book Club will be discussing Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen for our next meeting on Wednesday, Dec. 8 at 6:30pm in the Community Room. We've tackled some heavy subjects these past few months in our previous picks, so in an effort to lighten things up for the holidays, we've selected this heartwarming tale filled with family, love, and a dash of magic:

Welcome to Bascom, North Carolina, where everyone has a story to tell about the Waverleys. There's the house that’s been in the family for generations, the walled garden that mysteriously blooms year round, and the wild rumors of dangerous loves and tragic passions. Caterer Claire Waverley has everything she thinks she needs, until one day she wakes to find a stranger has moved in next door and a vine of ivy has crept into her garden... and Claire’s carefully tended life is about to run gloriously out of control.

You can read more about this novel on Sarah Addison Allen's site, including some fun extras for those that have already read the book, such as deleted scenes, recipes, tall tales featured in the story, etc. You can also check out her 2010 release The Girl Who Chased the Moon, available in our catalog in print and e-book format.

Join the West Valley Book Club in November as we discuss The Inheritance of Loss by Indian-born author Kiran Desai. This Booker Prize-winning novel is a cross-cultural story of love, loss, and hope:
 

In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas lives an embittered judge who wants only to retire in peace, when his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, arrives on his doorstep. The judge’s cook watches over her distractedly, for his thoughts are often on his son, Biju, who is hopscotching from one gritty New York restaurant to another. Kiran Desai’s brilliant novel, published to huge acclaim, is a story of joy and despair. Her characters face numerous choices that majestically illuminate the consequences of colonialism as it collides with the modern world.

Our next Book Club meeting will be held in the West Valley Community Room on Wednesday, Nov. 10 at 6:30pm. Please join us for some lively literary conversation!