2023 Schedule
This schedule is subject to change as deemed necessary.

The General vs. The President by H.W. Brands
"From master storyteller and historian H.W. Brands, twice a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize, comes the riveting story of how President Harry Truman and General Douglas MacArthur squared off to decide America's future in the aftermath of World War II. At the height of the Korean War, President Harry S. Truman committed a gaffe that sent shock waves around the world. When asked by a reporter about the possible use of atomic weapons in response to China's entry into the war, Truman replied testily, 'The military commander in the field will have charge of the use of the weapons, as he always has.' This suggested that General Douglas MacArthur, the willful, fearless, and highly decorated commander of the American and U.N. forces, had his finger on the nuclear trigger. A correction quickly followed, but the damage was done; two visions for America's path forward were clearly in opposition, and one man would have to make way. Truman was one of the most unpopular presidents in American history. Heir to a struggling economy, a ruined Europe, and increasing tension with the Soviet Union, on no issue was the path ahead clear and easy. General MacArthur, by contrast, was incredibly popular, as untouchable as any officer has ever been in America. The lessons he drew from World War II were absolute: appeasement leads to disaster and a showdown with the communists was inevitable--the sooner the better. In the nuclear era, when the Soviets, too, had the bomb, the specter of a catastrophic third World War lurked menacingly close on the horizon. The contest of wills between these two titanic characters unfolds against the turbulent backdrop of a faraway war and terrors conjured at home by Joseph McCarthy. From the drama of Stalin's blockade of West Berlin to the daring landing of MacArthur's forces at Inchon to the shocking entrance of China into the war, The General and the President vividly evokes the making of a new American era"-- Provided by publisher.
Wednesday, June 14  |  7:00 pm
Starbrooke Clubhouse  |  1212 Third St, Louisburg
Book selected by Jim G.

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Nora Seed finds herself faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, or realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist, she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.
Wednesday, July 12  |  6:00 pm
Timbercreek Bar & Grill  |  14 E. Amity St, Louisburg
Book selected by Gene S.

The Naked Ape by Desmond Morris
"A startling view of man, stripped of the facade we try so hard to hide behind."  In view of man's awesome creativity and resourcefulness, we may be inclined to regard him as descended from the angels, yet, in his brilliant study, Desmond Morris reminds us that man is relative to the apes--is in fact, the greatest primate of all.  With knowledge gleaned from primate ethnology, zoologist Morris examines sex, child-rearing, exploratory habits, fighting, feeding, and much more to establish our surprising bonds to the animal kingdom and add substance to the discussion that has provoked controversy and debate the world over. Natural History Magazine praised The Naked Ape as "stimulating . . . thought-provoking . . . [Morris] has introduced some novel and challenging ideas and speculations." "He minces no words," said Harper's.  "He lets off nothing in our basic relation to the animal kingdom to which we belong. . . He is always specific, startling, but logical."
Wednesday, August 9  |  7:00 pm
Starbrooke Clubhouse  |  1212 Third Street, Louisburg
Book selected by Marvin B.

The Deep Blue Good-By by John D. MacDonald
When a complete stranger informs Cathy Kerr that he knows the whereabouts of her imprisoned father's fortune, Travis McGee enters the picture.
Wednesday, September 13  |  6:00 pm
Timbercreek Bar & Grill  |  14 E. Amity St, Louisburg
Book mentioned in previous book the club read

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter M. Miller, Jr.
In the depths of the Utah desert, long after the Flame Deluge has scoured the earth clean, a monk of the Order of Saint Leibowitz has made a miraculous discovery: holy relics from the life of the great saint himself, including the blessed blueprint, the sacred shopping list, and the hallowed shrine of the Fallout Shelter. In a terrifying age of darkness and decay, these artifacts could be the keys to mankind's salvation. But as the mystery at the core of this groundbreaking novel unfolds, it is the search itself--for meaning, for truth, for love--that offers hope for humanity's rebirth from the ashes.
Wednesday, October 11  |  7:00 pm
Starbrooke Clubhouse  |  12121 Third Street, Louisburg
Book selected by Justin S.

The Quick and the Dead by Louis L'Amour
We'll be watching the 1987 movie of the same title.
Another thrilling adventure from the foremost storyteller of the authentic West!When Duncan McKaskel decided to move his family west, he knew he would face dangers, and he was prepared for them. He knew about the exhausting terrain, and he was expecting the punishing elements. What he worried about was having to use violence against other men-men who would follow him and try to steal the riches that he didn't even possess.Yet bandits were only part of McKaskel's worries. For a mysterious stranger, Con Vallian, had appeared one night and saved his life. But was Vallian's true interest Duncan's wife, Susanna? And, more important, how did she feel about him?As they push on into the wilderness, Duncan must discover who is the greater threat-the thieves outside his camp or the enigmatic stranger within. . . .
Wednesday, November 8  |  6:00 pm  |  Louisburg Library
Book selected by Holly M.

The Fall of Richard Nixon: A Reporter Remembers Watergate by Tom Brokaw
"The last year of the Nixon presidency was filled with power politics, legal jiu-jitsu and high-stakes showdowns, with head-shaking surprises every day. Tom Brokaw, the NBC News White House correspondent during the final year of Watergate, gives us a close-up, personal account of the players, the strategies, and the highs and lows of the scandal that brought down a president. Brokaw writes, 'Even now, almost half a century later, I am astonished by what the country went through, and I wanted to share press stories from the inside looking out -- what it was like to be on call 24/7, the twists and turns, the laughs and tensions during this historic time.'"-- Provided by publisher.
Wednesday, December 13  |  7:00 pm
Starbrooke Clubhouse  |  1212 Third Street, Louisburg
Book selected by Dave M.

Watch for the 2024 schedule!