Book Clubs at White Plains

Light of Day Book Club

The Light of Day Book Club meets on the third Tuesday of each month from 3:00 to 4:30 pm in the CLC library, excluding December. Members take turns choosing the monthly book selection and facilitating the meeting for that month. Our book choices cover a wide variety of genres – both religious and secular, fiction and nonfiction. Everyone is welcome to join us!

Contact bookclub@wpumc.com to be added to the mailing list.

Tuesday, September 15, 2026 —The Sunflower House, by Adriana Allegri.
Family secrets come to light as a young woman fights to save herself, and others, in a Nazi-run baby factory—a real-life Handmaid’s Tale—set during World War II. A tale of one woman’s determination to resist and survive, but also a love story. The threads of this poignant and heartrending novel weave a tale of loss and love, friendship and betrayal, and what we are willing to do in order to save ourselves.

Tuesday, October 20, 2026 —The Correspondent, by Virginia Evans.
Filled with knowledge that only comes from a life fully lived, The Correspondent is about the power of finding solace in literature and connection with people we might never meet in person. It is about the hubris of youth, the wisdom of old age, and the mistakes and acts of kindness that occur during a lifetime.

Tuesday, November 17, 2026 —Theo of Golden, by Allen Levi.
One spring morning, a stranger arrives in the small southern city of Golden and visits a local coffee shop. No one knows where he has come from, or why. His name is Theo. And he asks a lot more questions than he answers. A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is a beautifully crafted novel about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder, and the invisible threads of kindness that bind us to one another.

Upcoming Selections

These books are some of the book choices for the coming year, but no meeting dates have been set yet. Many of the books have waiting lists at the Wake County Public Library, so it is suggested you put them On Hold now in anticipation of future meetings.

Joyful, Anyway: Finding Delight in Impossible Times, by Kate Bowler.
You can’t always be happy, but you can be joyful anyway. After surviving a stage-four cancer diagnosis at age 35, Duke professor Kate Bowler knew she was supposed to be grateful. But she still ached, until she found out joy is the cure. And once she went looking for joy, she found out how it can surprise us even in the middle of pain and longing.

Ruth, by Kate Riley.
In this quiet, emotionally moving novel, the arc of a woman’s life in a devout, insular community challenges our deepest assumptions about what infuses life with meaning. Ruth is raised in a Christian commune without private property or tolerance for questions. Is she happy? Can this actually be happiness? Ruth immerses us in an experience that challenges our most fervent beliefs.

Braving the Truth: Essential Essays for Reckoning with and Reimagining Faith, by Rachel Held Evans.
Bestselling author Rachel Held Evans inspired a generation of questioning and evolving believers, even after her sudden death in 2019. This new book is a gift from the past, a collection of some of her most impactful essays, now in print for the first time.

Abide with Me, by Elizabeth Strout.
After the tragic death of his young wife, a New England minister, struggles to hold together his life, his family, and his town, all while dealing with his personal anger, grief, and loss of faith. A startlingly beautiful novel about love and abandonment, faith and hypocrisy, and the peril of family secrets.

The Seed Keeper, by Diane Wilson.
A haunting novel spanning several generations, The Seed Keeper follows a Dakhóta family’s struggle to preserve their way of life, and their sacrifices to protect what matters most. Weaving together the voices of four indelible women, this book tells a beautifully told story of reawakening our past.

Whistler, by Ann Patchett.
A moving, luminous novel that reminds us of the sweetness and impermanence of life and the power of connection to defy time – how people in your life may cause you pain but you love them, and they love you, and that’s enough.

Summer Nights Book Club

2024 was the last year for the Summer Nights Book Club. Starting in 2025 our summer meetings will also be during the day, continuing the Light of Day schedule year-round.