Library Book Club: Theo of Golden 16NOV

4K

Please join us MONDAY, November 16, at 5:30 PM at the FI Library for a discussion of Allen Levi’s novel, Theo of Golden.

EVERYONE IS WELCOME! Have you read this book? Come chat with us!
Bring a friend along, whether they’ve read the book or not.
If so inclined, do BYOB and bring a nibble to share.

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Fishers Island Library
MONDAY, November 16, 2026 @ 5:30-7:00
Set in Oxford, England, 1951 
400 pages, 4.41 Goodreads Rating
Genres: Literary Fiction, Contemporary
Find the story behind the author and the book HERE

“Theo visits the local coffeehouse, where ninety-two pencil portraits hang on the walls, portraits of the people of Golden done by a local artist. He begins purchasing them, one at a time, and putting them back in the hands of their “rightful owners.” With each exchange, a story is told, a friendship born, and a life altered.

A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen, Theo of Golden is a beautifully crafted novel about the power of creative generosity, the importance of wonder to a purposeful life, and the invisible threads of kindness that bind us to one another.” ~ Goodreads

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How to become a Fishers Island Library Book Club member?
Just come to a meeting, and you will be added to the contact list, or contact Abby McCall or Ann Banks, Easy! “Bring a friend who’s read the current book or someone who is interested in joining us. There’s always room for more readers at the library.” — Abby

Book Club books are chosen by various members. Find who’s picking what next. The group generally meets at the Library, now (GENERALLY) on the 4th Wednesday of the month, with a few exceptions. Why the 4th Wednesday – so as not to conflict with other regularly scheduled meetings.

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Exciting Plans for 2026

Date	Book	Selector
THURSDAY, January 22	The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater	Jane Ahrens	The author visited us at the Library this evening!
March 5	Master, Slave, Husband, Wife by Ilyon Woo	Staley Sednaoui	Absolutely amazing true life story! Date moved due to the Feb Blizzard
March 25	The Girl Bandits of the Warsaw Ghetto by Elizabeth Hyman	Rosanna Anderson	5 courageous Polish Jewish girls – leaders of the resistance to the Nazi oppressors – in their own voices from their journals
April 22	Strangers: A Memoir of Marriage by Bella Burden	Diane Baker	A true story, this time from Martha’s Vineyard & NYC
May 27	Happy All The Time by Laurie Colwin	Abby McCall	A witty, charming story about two best friends, who fall in love with very different women, in 1970s NYC
June 24	Death Comes for the Archbishop (1927)	Sarah Malinowski	A tale of friendship set amidst the stark beauty of the Southwest
July 22	Declaring Independence: Why 1776 Matters by Edward J. Larson	The Group Regulars	On the 250th anniversary of American independence, this study of the ideas and battlefield sacrifices of 1776–by a Pulitzer Prize–winning scholar–could not be more timely.
August 26	Whistler by Ann Patchett	The Group Regulars	Whistler is a story about two adults looking back over the choices they made and the choices that were made for them. Excellent writing and a compelling story.
September 23	Wild Dark Shore by Charlotte McConaghy	Terry McNamara	Breathtaking twists, dizzying beauty, and ferocious love, Wild Dark Shore is about the impossible choices we make to protect the people we love…
October 28	The Oxford Guide to Scandal & Lies by Kate Westbury	Abbie McCall & Group	“A delightfully fresh take on historical mystery, done with cleverness and style. Ginevra and Sidney are some of the most likeable characters I’ve met in a long time.” ~ author Kristen Perrin
Thursday, November 19	Theo of Golden by Allen Levi	Abbie McCall & Group	NEW DATE due to Thanksgiving “A story of giving and receiving, of seeing and being seen.” ~ Goodreads
December 23	No ‘homework’ just a gathering		Date to be confirmed.

The book choice for January 2027 is The Calamity Club by Kathryn Stockett. Assigned in November, with December a ‘no Book Group homework’ month.

Book Club members volunteer to suggest books one to two months ahead to read in these months. If you want to help pick a book for a month, please contact Abby McCall. Find all our book title selections below in the book galleries. Other book recommendations are at the bottom of this page.

Please be sure to bring your calendars so that everybody can pick a month this year to choose a book that inspires them. As always, the library has copies of the books if needed. As we make our monthly choices, the library has or can get copies of all the books. You can also get them via LIBBY with your library card and on tape. Many are on Audible.

2026 Book Club Choices:

We had so much fun meeting and chatting with author Maggie Stiefvater in January to discuss her book THE LISTENERS and all sorts of things. Thank you all for coming!

Anyone who missed the February meeting – in which we discussed MASTER, SLAVE, HUSBAND, WIFE – missed an intimate and thoughtful discussion of America during the tense years leading up to the Civil War. Critically, this true story was told through the lens of an enslaved couple who escaped captivity in Georgia to travel north to Philadelphia, and eventually Canada and also to England, dressed as a white farmer and her enslaved servant. Their story was truly unbelievable and absolutely riveting. Not to mention terrifying. 

March found us discussing THE GIRL BANDITS OF THE WARSAW GHETTO with a few new readers. So nice! An amazing book, written with so much taken directly from the girls’ and others’ own journals and interviews. What tenacity and courage these Polish Jewish women and men showed in the face of their Nazi oppressors!

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2025 Book Club Choices:

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Library Book Club selections in the past (A few covers are missing):

Please invite friends who might also be interested. 

There are many book lovers on the island, and bringing the group together is so nice. The more readers, the better, and some people are unable to join on any given month. Please feel free to forward this to anyone else you can think of. All are welcome.

• We convene our Book Club on the 4th Wednesday of each month whenever possible.
• Feel free to BYOBeverage and a snack to share if you like.
• For those of you who prefer e-books, please use the library’s app on its website.
• If you want to buy gently used books—as opposed to borrowing from the library or listening to them on tape—you might try ordering from Thriftbooks.com or AbeBooks.com. The BAM bookstore in Waterford also has reduced-price books, many of which are recycled.

Live-brary Card/Libby App

A Fishers Island Live-brary Card and the Libby App allows one (one may need a NYS address) to become a member of the Suffolk County/New York Library system and borrow digital and audiobooks for free. All our book club books thus far have been available to borrow online or in an audible format.

Fishers Island Library website: http://www.filibrary.org

Other recommendations by FI Library Book Club members: