2025 BOOK CLUB SELECTIONS

January 28 Devil in the White City by Erik Larsen

February 25         The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Christopher Murray 

March 25              Violeta by Isabel Allende 

April 29                  Goodnight Irene by Luis Urrea 

May 27                   Whiskey Tender: A Memoir by Deborah Jackson Taffa 

June 24                  The Women, by Kristen Hannah  

July 29                    Theo of Golden by Allen Levi  

August 26               The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin  

September 30         Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey by Kathleen Rooney  

October 28              James  by  Percival Everett 

November 25          All Fours by Miranda July  

December 30          Anthropology of Turquoise by Ellen Meloy  

January 27, 2026   Eventide by Kent Haruf

February - The Personal Librarian 

A remarkable novel about J. P. Morgan’s personal librarian, Belle da Costa Greene, the Black American woman who was forced to hide her true identity and pass as white in order to leave a lasting legacy that enriched our nation, from New York Times bestselling authors Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray.

In her twenties, Belle da Costa Greene is hired by J. P. Morgan to curate a collection of rare manuscripts, books, and artwork for his newly built Pierpont Morgan Library. Belle becomes a fixture in New York City society and one of the most powerful people in the art and book world, known for her impeccable taste and shrewd negotiating for critical works as she helps create a world-class collection.

But Belle has a secret, one she must protect at all costs. She was born not Belle da Costa Greene but Belle Marion Greener. She is the daughter of Richard Greener, the first Black graduate of Harvard and a well-known advocate for equality. Belle’s complexion isn’t dark because of her alleged Portuguese heritage that lets her pass as white—her complexion is dark because she is African American.

The Personal Librarian tells the story of an extraordinary woman, famous for her intellect, style, and wit, and shares the lengths she must go to—for the protection of her family and her legacy—to preserve her carefully crafted white identity in the racist world in which she lives.