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Spartan Book Club

Spartan Book Club

Connect with Spartans and friends in a vibrant online community united by a love of reading. Join engaging discussions on a variety of topics — from the comfort of your own space. It’s easy to participate; simply borrow the book from your library or purchase a copy.

With a new book selection every two months and the flexibility to join or skip sessions as you like, this offers a fun, low-pressure way to stay connected with and inspired by fellow Spartans.

Join the Club
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Current Book: “How to Read a Book” by Monica Wood - "The perfect pick to really light a fire under my book club, and yours....A reminder that goodness, and books, can still win in this world."                       —New York Times Book Review

About the Club

There are no meetings — participate whenever and wherever it’s convenient for you! As long as you have internet access, you can join the discussion. See the details below to learn more about how the program works.

  • This is a flexible, online forum moderated by the professionally managed book club organization, PBC Guru.
  • Discussions, networking and questions take place in a private forum, with weekly emails guiding the conversation.
  • Members can join discussions, share insights and participate by borrowing or purchasing the book.
  • A new book is selected every two months through a group vote, but participation is optional.
  • Even if you’ve read the book before, engaging with the Spartan community offers fresh perspectives and meaningful discussions.
Join the Club

Have a suggestion for a book you'd like us to consider reading? Email Elizabeth Wheeler. Our preferred genres are fiction, historical fiction, mystery/thriller, biography and history.

When three people encounter each other one morning in a bookstore, their lives begin to intersect in transformative ways. Violet Powell is being released from prison after serving twenty-two months for a drunk-driving crash that killed a local kindergarten teacher. Harriet Larson, a retired English teacher who runs the prison book club, is facing the unsettling prospect of an empty nest. Frank Daigle has yet come to grips with the complications of his marriage to the woman Violet killed. “How to Read a Book” is an unsparingly honest and profoundly hopeful story about forgiveness, letting go of guilt, seizing second chances and the power of books to change our lives.

Monica Wood is a novelist, memoirist and playwright. She is a recipient of the Maine Humanities Council Carlson Prize for contributions to the public humanities as well as the Maine Writers and Publishers Alliance Distinguished Achievement Award. Her previous works include the novels — “The One-in-a-Million Boy,” “Any Bitter Thing”, “Ernie’s Ark” and “My Only Story” — and a memoir, “When We Were the Kennedys.”

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Are you a Spartan Author?

We’d love to hear from you! We're compiling a list of Spartan authors and their book(s) to share. To provide your information, email Elizabeth Wheeler.

In fairness to all Spartan authors, please understand that we currently do not plan to feature any Spartan authors as a book club selection.