last hour book club
6:00 - 7:00 PM , every other thursday
Meet Rachel, the newest keeper of our book club.
She's 34, a self-proclaimed "everything but picky" reader, and she's lived more lives than a barn cat. She has one teenager, two dogs, and a whole lot of experience behind her. Right now she's on sabbatical from hauling loads as a truck driver so she can study for her level 3 sommelier certification. Somebody's got to know their way around a good pour!
Rachel reads the classics and enjoys reading authors in just about every genre. Lately she's been deep into Break Room by Miye Lee. Her nonfiction pick is The Royal Art of Poison by Eleanor Herman, which is exactly the kind of bedtime reading we trust a woman with a wine certification to recommend!
Pull up a chair, bring your dog-eared paperback, and come join her. Building community IS self care, and the Circle is the best place to do it.
Autumn 2026 Pick:
Longlisted for the PEN/Hemingway Award for Debut Novel and the Carnegie Medal for Excellence | Shortlisted for The Center for Fiction First Novel Prize | Selected as One of Barack Obama’s Favorite Books of the Year!
In this New York Times bestseller and Today show Read with Jenna Book Club Pick, one lapse in judgment lands a young mother in a dystopian government reform program where custody of her child hangs in the balance, in this “surreal” (People), “remarkable” (Vogue), and “infuriatingly timely” (The New York Times Book Review) debut literary fiction novel.
Frida Liu, a hardworking Chinese American mother, is pushed to the edge. She doesn’t live up to the expectations set by her immigrant parents or her wellness-obsessed husband. Only with Harriet—cherubic and beloved—does she find a measure of fulfillment…until she has a very bad day.
In this close-to-future dystopia, the state targets mothers like Frida: mothers who check their phones, let their children walk home alone, or make one parenting error. Because of one mistake, Frida is sent to a government-run institution—a Big Brother–style reform school for “good mothers,” where every move is monitored, and even her love is judged.
For custody to be returned, she must prove that a flawed mother can be redeemed and learn to be “good.” Filled with dark wit and emotional urgency, The School for Good Mothers is an intense, captivating novel that scrutinizes upper-middle-class parenting, systemic surveillance of women, and the violence exacted by both the state and one another. It offers a transgressive exploration of motherhood, resilience, guilt, and the force of love.
Using spare, compelling prose, Jessamine Chan crafts an unforgettable, modern classic that resonates with readers of The Handmaid’s Tale and 1984, while centering a richly drawn woman navigating class, race, and motherhood under the gaze of an unyielding system.
RSVP required.
6:00 - 7:00 pm
October 15, 29
November 12
December 3
Lughnasadh Pick: RESTORING THE KINSHIP WORLD VIEW BY WAHINKPE TOPA (FOUR ARROWS) & DARCIA NARVAEZ, PHD.
Restoring the Kinship Worldview shares the wisdom of 28 Indigenous leaders, offering reflections on reciprocity, ceremony, community, and our sacred relationship with the natural world. Grounded in Indigenous knowledge, this collection invites readers to embrace a more connected, compassionate way of living while honoring our shared responsibility to future generations. A thoughtful and hopeful read for anyone seeking a deeper relationship with the Earth and one another.
October 1 & 8
Limited to ten members. RSVP Required.
6:00 - 7:00 pm