Reading Leaders Book Club

Thursday, January 15, 2026

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central; 5:00 pm Mountain; 4:00 pm Pacific; 3:00 pm Alaska)

January: The Attic Child by Lola Jaye

This poignant dual-narrative novel weaves together the lives of two children confined to the same attic nearly a century apart. Through its emotionally resonant storytelling, it explores themes of identity, trauma, and resilience offering a powerful testament to the human spirit’s ability to endure and heal across generations.

Thursday, February 19, 2026

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central; 5:00 pm Mountain; 4:00 pm Pacific; 3:00 pm Alaska)

February: Frostbite by Nicola Twilley

Discover the fascinating story of how refrigeration revolutionized the way we eat, live, and impact the planet. In Frostbite, Nicola Twilley explores the science, history, and culture behind cooling technology — from icy innovations that transformed food preservation to the environmental and social consequences that continue today. This thought-provoking read will change the way you think about the cold!

Thursday, March 19, 2026

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central; 5:00 pm Mountain; 4:00 pm Pacific; 3:00 pm Alaska)

March: The Names by Florence Knapp

A sweeping, multi-generational novel that explores identity, legacy, and the power of naming. Knapp traces how choices made in one generation ripple through the next, examining family bonds, secrets, and the ways we define ourselves within history and tradition.

Thursday, April 16, 2026

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central; 5:00 pm Mountain; 4:00 pm Pacific; 3:00 pm Alaska)

April: Malas by Marcela Fuentes

Set along the Texas-Mexico border, Malas is a vibrant coming-of-age story that centers on friendship, family, and the cultural expectations placed on young women. Fuentes blends humor and heart as she explores identity, rebellion, and belonging within a tight-knit community.

Thursday, May 21, 2026

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central; 5:00 pm Mountain; 4:00 pm Pacific; 3:00 pm Alaska)

May: When the Cranes Fly South by Lisa Ridzen

This lyrical and intimate novel follows characters navigating love, loss, and longing in a small rural community. With themes of migration, resilience, and hope, Ridzen paints a quiet yet powerful portrait of people searching for meaning and connection.

Thursday, June 18, 2026

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central; 5:00 pm Mountain; 4:00 pm Pacific; 3:00 pm Alaska)

June: Isola by Allegra Goodman

Inspired by historical events, Isola tells the story of a young woman cast away from society and forced to survive in isolation. Goodman explores faith, endurance, betrayal, and self-discovery in a richly imagined narrative about survival against the odds.

Thursday, July 30, 2026*

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central; 5:00 pm Mountain; 4:00 pm Pacific; 3:00 pm Alaska)

July: Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Tolstoy’s classic novel of love, fidelity, and society follows Anna’s tragic romance alongside the intersecting lives of aristocratic families in 19th-century Russia. A profound exploration of morality, happiness, and human complexity, it remains one of literature’s most enduring works.

*Postponed date

Thursday, August 20, 2026

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central; 5:00 pm Mountain; 4:00 pm Pacific; 3:00 pm Alaska)

August: Buckeye by Patrick Ryan

In this deeply personal novel, Ryan examines family, identity, and coming of age in the American Midwest. Through moments of humor and vulnerability, Buckeye reflects on faith, sexuality, and the complicated ties that bind us to home.

Thursday, September 17, 2026

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central; 5:00 pm Mountain; 4:00 pm Pacific; 3:00 pm Alaska)

September: Paper Girl: A Memoir of Home and Family in a Fractured America by Beth Macy

Journalist Beth Macy shares a powerful memoir about her working-class upbringing, her family’s struggles, and the broader economic and political shifts that reshaped communities across America. It’s a candid reflection on resilience, class, and the meaning of home.

Thursday, October 15, 2026

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central; 5:00 pm Mountain; 4:00 pm Pacific; 3:00 pm Alaska)

October: Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut

A genre-defying classic, Vonnegut’s novel follows Billy Pilgrim, a soldier who becomes “unstuck in time” after surviving the bombing of Dresden. Blending satire, science fiction, and autobiography, the novel examines war, trauma, fate, and free will with dark humor and poignancy.

Thursday, November 19, 2026

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central; 5:00 pm Mountain; 4:00 pm Pacific; 3:00 pm Alaska)

November: Under Story by Chloe Benjamin

Set at an isolated research station in Antarctica, this imaginative novel follows biologist Laurel Salter as a mysterious discovery draws her back toward the past she hoped to escape. Blending science, mystery, and a moving love story, Benjamin explores grief, second chances, and our connections to one another and the natural world.

Thursday, December 17, 2026

7:00 pm Eastern (6:00 pm Central; 5:00 pm Mountain; 4:00 pm Pacific; 3:00 pm Alaska)

December: Exit Party by Emily St. John Mandel

In a future Los Angeles recovering from the collapse of the United States, a man’s disappearance from a party sends Ari Waker searching for answers. Weaving mystery, alternate realities, and fractured timelines, Mandel explores freedom, surveillance, and the resilience of people navigating a world transformed.