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Smithfield Public Library, 14 Water Street, Smithfield, PA (2026)

03/31/2026

Cathy Chabanik led the March Reading Circle in discussing Kristin Hannah’s ‘Magic Hour’. The book received a rating from the group of 3.7 of four stars. While most members awarded the maximum of four stars, others stated that they were put off by elements that were either unbelievable or overly romantic in what could have been a very good read. The story revolved around a feral child, and Cathy presented the group with some background of incidents of the discovery of real-life ‘raised by wolves’ individuals. Most in the group felt that the author did a good job of spinning a narrative that centered around the relationship between the protagonist and the child. Hosting this month were Fran Rider and Rita Kennison, who provided chipped ham sandwiches, pasta salad, pastries and chips. Our next meeting will take place on April 29. We will be discussing ‘The Chicken Sisters’ by KJ Dell’Antonia. Most who are familiar with reality TV will have background references to the premise of this story….a feud between two restaurants that plays out on national television. The Reading Circle members are looking forward to discussing this one. Will you read along?

03/01/2026

Jeanne Fike led the discussion of Barbara Kingsolver’s multi-award winning novel, “Demon Copperhead “. Inspired by “David Copperfield”, this novel tackles some of society’s most troubling issues of poverty, opioid addiction, and the fails of the foster care system. We gave it 3.5 out of four stars (seven of ten members who finished the book awarded it four stars, and some stated that they would have gone to five if our scale allowed.) It evoked one of the club’s most emotional discussions.
To lighten the mood, we celebrated our librarian’s birthday and our book club’s twenty-second anniversary with cupcakes. Thanks to Mary Beth, we also had gifts for everyone! Janice Woods cohosted.
Janice also gave a report on the activities that are being organized in our county and community in celebration of our country’s two hundred fiftieth birthday. Smithfield Stepping Forward is planning an Easter Egg Hunt on Palm Sunday, and it will incorporate the character Fiona Fayette, who is the mascot for our countywide celebration. The Chamber of Commerce meets monthly to discuss how various communities can participate. Our Reading Circle is brainstorming ways to be involved.
We will meet again on March 25 when we will discuss Kristin Hannah’s ‘Magic Hour’. Won’t you read along?

01/03/2026

Our book club’s annual Christmas party/discussion was held at the home of member Janice Woods and her husband Mike. Mike, as usual, outdid himself by providing the main course of pork and sauerkraut for our ‘feast’. Others in the group provided sides of cheesy potatoes, broccoli salad and cranberry jello salad, vegetables with dip, cookies and so much more.
We had a lively discussion about the book, ‘The Light We Lost’ by Jill Santopolo. We even took a quiz provided by Janet Daugherty that told us whether we were on ‘Team Darren’ or ‘Team Gabe’. We awarded the novel 3.3 out of four stars. Some were put off by the main character’s head over hills attraction to Gabe, while others found her devotion believable. Our next selection is ‘Demon Copperhead’ by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Barbara Kingsolver. Inspired by Charles Dickens’ ‘David Copperfield’, it tells the story of young Damon, who is a lost boy and a victim of institutional poverty. He braves the perils of foster care, addiction, child labor in a system that abandons those who depend upon it. Our next meeting will take place on January 28 at 1:30 in the library.

12/06/2025

At our November meeting, held December 3 due to the Thanksgiving Holiday, our Reading Circle members talked about ‘The Dictionary of Lost Words’ by Pip Williams. A novel that fictionalizes the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary, the story follows Esme, a motherless girl who begins collecting words while spending her early life in the Scriptorium with her father, a lexicographer. The story is set during the women's suffrage movement and World War I. Esme finds that many words that relate to the underserved and to women, specifically, are being discarded, so she begins to compile her own collection of forgotten words.
Our readers were divided on the merits of this book, with a few members expressing that they did not finish reading it. Others said that the story had a slow beginning, but it picked up the pace and held their interest afterward. Altogether, we rated it 3.25 stars out of four.
Our discussion was animated, and so were our readers. A special Santa’s helper provided gifts for everyone, and she, along with Kay Wyda served a great meal of subs, pistachio salad and cookies.
Our next meeting will take us away from the library to gather for our annual Christmas party. We will discuss Jill Santopolo’s ‘The Light We Lost’. It is described as ‘a new tearjerker’ and perfect for fans of ‘Me Before You’, which our readers enjoyed.

11/03/2025

The Smithfield Reading Circle discussed ‘The Most Fun We Ever Had’ during our monthly meeting. Many of our members took exception with author Claire Lombardo’s explicit description of intimate moments and her choice of language. Those readers gave the book two out of four stars. Other readers said that they were able to look beyond those aspects and found the writing style exceptionally interesting, and gave it a 3.75 rating. The novel felt too long (around six hundred pages) for most of the readers, but several admitted to getting caught up in the family saga. The well developed characters and strong plot elements were mentioned as strong points. While this book about an extremely dysfunctional family had everyone rolling our collective eyes, we all admitted to finding the character Jonah Brandt as the family’s glue and a breath of fresh air. Our discussion leader provided some very thought provoking questions, and the book club members had some lively responses. Overall, we gave the novel 2.9 stars. Our hostesses Fran Rider and Rita Kennison offered a Halloween menu of Frog Eye Salad, spooky deviled eggs, and Trick or Treat cups along with pizza (as they said in the book ‘because everyone likes pizza’).
Next month our regular meeting date falls on the day before Thanksgiving, so our gathering will take place on December 3. We’ll be discussing ‘The Dictionary of Lost Words’ by Pip Williams. It is focused on the power of words as it explores the archives of the ‘Oxford English Dictionary’ and its missing components of words that have been neglected. The main character, Esme, begins to collect words related to women and ‘common folk’. Set at the height of the women’s suffrage movement, and inspired by actual events, this book reveals the parts of history neglected by the men who wrote it. The story promises to be quite different from our last read!

09/27/2025

Our Reading Circle gathered on September 24. The meeting began with Janice Woods
discussing her attendance at the Fayette County PA 250 Planning Meeting. She outlined events
and celebrations happening across Fayette County that will take place over the next several
months in honor of America’s 250th birthday. Some discussion was held as to the role that our
Reading Circle members could take in the activities. She emphasized that there was no need
for ‘reinventing the wheel’ in becoming involved, as many communities will be plugging in 250
celebration components into already existing planned activities such as Christmas events and
patriotic parades.
Our readers next discussed our current selection. Our ratings for this novel, Tracy Chevalier's
“Remarkable Creatures”, were extremely diverse, with some readers saying that they had not
read it, and others rewarding it four out of four stars, for an average of 3.2 stars. The book
explores the unlikely friendship of two fossil hunters in 19th century England. Mary Anning, a
poor, but very talented fossil hunter and Elizabeth Philpot, a middle-class spinster, shared a
common interest. These real-life characters defy class and gender barriers to discover ancient
marine reptile fossils. Jeanne Fike led our discussion, in which several members of our group
expressed surprise of the boldness of both characters, given the restrictions on their gender at
the time.
We enjoyed a luncheon hosted by Mary Lou Jennings and Judy Cowell that featured
sandwiches, broccoli salad, ambrosia salad and cookies.
Our next meeting will take place on October 29, when we will discuss “The Most Fun We Ever
Had” by Claire Lombardo. It is described as “Rich, engrossing…spiked with sisterly malice…”.
It should be an interesting read!

09/02/2025

Our readers found the August book selection, ‘Then She Was Gone’ by Lisa Jewell,to be intriguing but disturbing. A few members mentioned that they were compelled by the storyline to read to the end, but that the book was upsetting. We had quite a lively discussion, along with an internet search for fact checking. We gave the book 3 out of 4 stars.
Our hostesses, Linda Smith and Cathy Chabanik, served Jambalaya (mentioned in the book, although the setting was in England), tea cakes and carrot cake.
We next are reading ‘Remarkable Creatures’ by the author of ‘The Girl with the Pearl Earring’, Tracy Chevalier. The story’s description according to the Los Angeles Times is ‘Engrossing…an illuminating story of women finding fulfillment in shared passions and the bonds of friendship’ We will meet on September 24, at 1:30 in the library.

08/12/2025

Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray coauthored ‘The Personal Librarian’, and it was their author notes at the book’s conclusion that added to our discussion led by Cathy Chabanik. The two women gave insight into the protagonist’s character, a black woman who ‘passed’ in a very segregated society. As personal librarian to J. P. Morgan, one of the world’s wealthiest men, Belle Da Costa Green defied turn of the century expectations and left a lasting legacy. Our readers offered several accounts of their own experiences that affirmed racial and gender stereotypes. Overall, we rated it 3.35 out of four stars.
Janice Woods and Janet Dougherty offered refreshments along with some historical insights into what menu items could be found in early twentieth century ‘high society’ tables. Turtle soup was a must, so much so that turtles nearly became extinct. (We had mock turtle soup.) We also had chicken noodle soup, reflecting the upper class choice of serving chicken, which was a delicacy that few could afford. Our dessert was chocolate pudding and chocolates. We toasted with mock champagne!
Everyone is looking forward to our next gathering, which will take place on the last Wednesday of August. We will discuss ‘Then She Was Gone’, a psychological thriller by Lisa Jewell. It tells the story of Laurel Mack, who is trying to put her life back together after her youngest child disappeared. We hope that you will read along!l

06/30/2025

“When the Jessamine Grows” by Donna Everhart was discussed at the Smithfield Reading Circle’s June meeting. A story that depicted the division of the North and South Civil War citizenry received one of the most diverse ratings ever awarded by our book club. Some found the topic disturbing, and others thought it thought provoking and educational. We awarded it 3.3 stars out of four. Despite the gravity of the topic, our leader Janet Daugherty had her hands full in keeping the giggling group on task. She did a great job in leading the discussion, even giving some interesting information about sorghum, which was mentioned often in the book. Our three hostesses, Katy, Maryann and Sarah, provided hot dogs, deviled eggs, cole slaw, chips and blueberry and cherry pie. (Katy told how they had butchered hogs, dug potatoes, gathered eggs and picked berries.)
Our next book for discussion will be ‘The Personal Librarian’ by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray. It tells the story of Belle da Costa Greene, a black woman who becomes one of the most powerful people in the art and book world. Belle’s secret, that she is black and not of dark skinned Portuguese descent, provides the platform for the conflict that shapes her story. We will meet on the last Wednesday of July in the library.

06/05/2025

Our May discussion of ‘Sisters of Fortune’ was led by Linda Smith, who tasked us to delve into the deep story of the Titanic. Although readers know the fate of the "unsinkable" luxury ship, in ‘Sisters of Fortune’, historical mystery author Anna Lee Huber has woven details about the real-life sisters into a fascinating novel. Our group seemed to agree that the book had a slow start, but that it made up for it later. We gave it 3.5 out of four stars. Although there was no lack of first class menu items listed in the book, such as roast squab and plover eggs with caviar, hostesses Mary Lou Jennings, Fran Rider and Rita Kennison opted for more modest fare of barbecue meatballs, pastry wrapped mini hot dogs, cheesy topped cucumbers, chocolate covered strawberries and chocolate eclairs. Titanic punch complete with an iceberg was served as a palate cleanser. Our next book up for review will be Donna Everhart’s ‘When the Jessamine Grows’. This historical novel is set in Civil War North Carolina where the heroine, Joetta McBride, remains committed to her principles of neutrality. Our group seems to find historical fiction a favorite genre, so this book is promising. We will meet on the last Wednesday of June in the library.

05/04/2025

The Smithfield Reading Circle discussed ‘First Lie Wins’ by Ashley Elston at their April meeting. The book is about Evelyn Porter, a woman who has just moved in with her successful boyfriend, Ryan. The story soon reveals that Evelyn Porter doesn't really exist. Our readers expressed that they were hoping that Evi and Ryan would end up together, even after finding out that Ryan was an assignment she was given from her mysterious employer.
Most of the readers found that the main character was likable, and were surprised that they were rooting for her although she skirted the law at every turn. Janice Woods, discussion leader challenged the group to respond to several questions exploring sentiments about the characters. The book received 3.5 out of four stars.
Our lunch, hosted by Mary Beth and Katie, featured chicken and ham salad sandwiches, veggie and fruit trays, crab dip, and cookies. Absolutely delicious!
Next month we will explore ‘Sisters of Fortune’. Written by Anna Lee Huber, it is a novel that is based on the true story of three young sisters who traveled on RMS Titanic. It tells how each sister contemplates her future as the vessel glides through the sea until fate intervenes, and lives are forever changed.
We will meet in the library at 1:30 on May 28.

04/19/2025

3.7 stars out of four was what our Reading Circle gave ‘The Frozen River’ by Ariel Lawhon. Set in Maine, 1789, the story unfolds when Martha Ballard is summoned to examine a body, and determine cause of death, of a man entombed in the ice of the Kennebunk River. As a midwife and healer, she has access to every birth and death, crime and unsavory event that happens in the community. She has kept a diary of such happenings and earlier, documented the details of an alleged r**e committed by two of the town’s most respected gentlemen. Martha Ballard was a real life midwife, and her diary does exist. Ariel Lawhon captured much of the story, and our readers were impressed by the amount of research that must have been conducted by this bestselling author of historical fiction. Some, however, thought it unrealistic.
We had a delicious meal that reflected the story’s theme, although much more palatable and sumptuous!
Next up is ‘First Lie Wins’ by Ashley Elston. It is described as ‘an edge-of-your-seat read that’s as emotionally moving as it is gripping’. We will discuss this on April 30 in the library.

Smithfield Public Library

03/31/2026

03/01/2026

01/03/2026

12/06/2025

11/03/2025

09/27/2025

09/02/2025

08/12/2025

06/30/2025

06/05/2025

05/04/2025

04/19/2025

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