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“1984” by George Orwell
Tuesday, October 7, 1:15 p.m.
Place: Java Love on Church Street in Montclair
As part of MPL’s celebration of Banned Book Week this year, we’ll be discussing this frequently challenged classic about a doomed love affair under totalitarian government that gave rise to the term “Orwellian.” Some credit it with helping to end the Cold War. More recently, “1984” surged up the bestseller charts to #10 after President Trump’s inauguration in January 2025—not bad for a book published in 1949!
George Orwell, whose real name was Eric Blair, was an English novelist, essayist, and critic best known for his books “Animal Farm” and “1984.” Beyond his literary career, Orwell worked as an officer for the India Imperial Police Force and fought in the Spanish Civil War. He died in 1950 at age 46 after suffering from tuberculosis for many years.
“Loved and Missed” by Susie Boyt
Tuesday, November 15, 1:15 p.m.
Main Library, Classroom
When your beloved daughter is lost in the fog of addiction and you make off with her baby in order to save the day, can willpower, a warm heart and a daring creative zeal carry you through? This marvelously absorbing contemporary novel, full of insight and compassion, delights as much as it disturbs.
Susie Boyt is the author of 7 novels and the memoir “My Judy Garland Life,” which was shortlisted for the PEN Ackerley Prize, staged at the Nottingham Playhouse, and serialized on BBC Radio 4. She is also a director at the Hampstead Theatre. She lives in London with her family.
“Time of the Child” by Niall Williams
December 10, 1:15 p.m.
Main Library, Tower Room
A warm-hearted, unusual novel about a holiday season that transforms a small rural Irish town. In the winter of 1962, as the town readies itself for Christmas, the local doctor and his unmarried daughter’s lives are turned upside down when a baby is left in their care. A New York Times bestseller.
Niall Williams was born in Dublin. He is the author of nine prizewinning novels including This Is Happiness was shortlisted for the Irish Book Awards Book of the Year and longlisted for The Walter Scott Prize. He lives in Kiltumper in County Clare, Ireland.
“Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers” by Jesse Q. Sutanto
Tuesday, August 12, 1:15 p.m.
Main Library, Classroom
Sixty-year-old Vera Wong enjoys nothing more than sipping a good cup of Wulong and doing ‘detective’ work on the internet (i.e, checking up on her son’s dating life). When she wakes up one morning and finds a corpse in the middle of her tea shop, she knows it’s going to take more than a strong Longjing to fix things. Never fear, Vera Wong is on the case! Winner of the 2024 Edgar Award for Best Paperback Original.
Jesse Q. Sutanto is divides her time between Jakarta, Singapore and Oxford. Jesse is currently based in Jakarta and has forty-two first cousins and thirty aunties and uncles, many of whom live just down the road. “Vera Wong’s Unsolicited Advice for Murderers” is her 10th novel.
“Sandwich” by Catherine Newman
Tuesday, July 15, 1:15 p.m.
Main Library, Classroom
A moving, hilarious, sometimes bawdy tale of one family’s yearly weeklong vacation on Cape Cod, full of time-honored rituals, unexpected secrets, and yes, great sandwiches. An instant New York Times bestseller.
Catherine Newman is The New York Times bestselling author of the memoirs “Catastrophic Happiness” and “Waiting for Birdy,” and the novels “We All Want Impossible Things,” and “Wreck” (forthcoming in October 2025). She lives in western Massachusetts.
“Last Night at the Telegraph Club” by Malinda Lo
Tuesday, June 17, 1:15 p.m.
Main Library, Classroom
A gripping historical novel about a Chinese-American girl’s coming out and coming of age in San Francisco amid the tensions of the McCarthy era. Perfect for Pride Month. Winner of the National Book Award, the Stonewall Book Award and the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature.
Malinda Lo is best known for her critically acclaimed New York Times bestselling young adult fiction. She also does research on diversity in young adult literature and publishing.
“When Angels Left the Old Country” by Sacha Lamb
Tuesday, May 20, 1:15 p.m.
Main Library, Classroom
At the turn of the century, a demon and an angel who are best friends leave their shtetl for New York City. This queer Jewish fairy tale will captivate the reader from the first beautifully written sentence. An unexpected choice for Jewish American Heritage Month.
Sacha Lamb is a 2018 Lambda Literary Fellow in young adult fiction, and has a degree in library and information sciences from Simmons University.
“How to Be a Good Creature” by Sy Montgomery
Tuesday, April 20, 1:15 p.m.
Main Library, Tower Room
A moving, original, sometimes funny look at the life of a renowned nature writer though her friendships with animals. To research her books, the author has traveled the world and encountered some of the planet’s rarest and most beautiful animals, from tarantulas to tigers. A New York Times bestseller.
In addition to researching films, articles, and 36 books, National Book Award finalist Sy Montgomery has been honored with a Sibert Medal, two Science Book and Film Prizes from the National Association for the Advancement of Science, three honorary degrees, and many other awards. She lives in Hancock, New Hampshire, with her husband, Howard Mansfield, and their border collie, Thurber.
“After Annie” by Anna Quindlen
Tuesday, March 18, 1:15 p.m.
Main Library, Tower Room
Annie Brown is a warm, funny, working mom, wife to a plumber, nurse’s aide in an assisted living facility, and the lifelong friend of a woman in recovery from alcoholism. Annie’s gift is for loving and appreciating her life as it is, including her acid-tongued mother-in-law and never having enough time or money. When Annie dies unexpectedly of an aneurysm, everyone around her must find their own way forward. A New York Times bestseller.
Anna Quindlen is a novelist and journalist whose work has appeared on fiction, nonfiction, and self-help bestseller lists. She is the author of 8 novels. Her memoir “Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake,” published in 2012, was a #1 New York Times bestseller. Her book “A Short Guide to a Happy Life” has sold more than a million copies. While a columnist at The New York Times she won the Pulitzer Prize.
“The Color of Water: A Black Man’s Tribute to His White Mother” by James McBride
Tuesday, February 18, 1:15 p.m.
Main Library, Tower Room
By the bestselling author of “The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store,” “Deacon King Kong” and the National Book Award-winning “The Good Lord Bird,” the incredible modern classic about James McBride’s white Jewish mother Ruth that launched his literary career. It spent two years on The New York Times bestseller list, sold more than 2 million copies worldwide, and been translated into more than 16 languages.
A critically acclaimed, bestselling author and saxophonist, James McBride is a former reporter for The Washington Post and People magazine, McBride holds a Masters degree in journalism from Columbia University. He lives in Lambertville, New Jersey, and New York City.