Art of Racing in the Rain, Garth Stein Enzo, a lab-terrier mix, wishes he could speak, and after experiencing his narration readers of this bittersweet novel will forever wonder what profound thoughts their own pets are pondering. Belonging to Denny, an aspiring race-car driver, Enzo spends many hours watching both the races and weather reports on television. When Denny’s wife is diagnosed with cancer and he is forced to fight for custody of his daughter, his life slowly and painfully unravels. As he bears witness to Denny’s tragedies, Enzo reveals himself as a canine cognoscente, philosophizing about love, lies, loyalty, loss, betrayal, persistence, and believing in oneself. Community programs could explore racing through venues like the Saratoga Automobile Museum, which has an exhibit on racing in New York, and the Albany/Saratoga Speedway in Malta, or could provide information about Hospice and its services. Canine-related events could explore such topics such as therapy dogs, pet adoption, animal shelters, training, etc.

City of Thieves, David Benioff Bored with writing about his own life, a screenwriter decides instead to co-opt the story of his Russian grandfather, a purported WWII hero. Asked to clarify details about his wartime exploits, the grandfather quips “You’re a writer. Make it up.” What follows is a harrowing and darkly funny coming-of-age tale set against one of history’s most brutal backdrops. On a whim, a Russian Army colonel in besieged Leningrad offers to spare two young prisoners—the virginal schlemiel Lev and the dashing deserter Kolya—from execution if they can bring him a dozen eggs. Their quest to fulfill this mission among Leningrad’s starving citizens is simultaneously heroic and absurd. Exploring the horrors of war and the unlikely camaraderie that it engenders, City of Thieves tweaks the ideas of memory, truth, and imagination. A screenwriter himself, Benioff is a masterful storyteller and scenarist, lending the novel a compelling, cinematic quality. Community programs could cover WWII history; Jewish-Russian culture; autobiography, memoir, and oral history; black humor; and odd couples and unlikely friendships.

The Guernsey Literary & Potato Peel Pie Society, Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows  When Juliet Ashton, a post-WWII London writer in search of topic, receives a surprise letter from a Guernsey Island bookseller, an unlikely correspondence begins. A series of letters between Juliet, her editor, and the quirky inhabitants of a Guernsey village not only reveal details about the writers’ personalities, but also shed light on the atrocities of life under the Nazi occupation of the island during World War II. For readers familiar with this largely forgotten episode, the letters reveal a clearer picture of the harshness of daily life under such conditions; those unaware of the occupation will get an unforgettable history lesson. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is an engaging, enjoyable novel that offers charming and hilarious characters, heart-wrenching sadness and suffering caused by brutal acts of war, and, best of all, an explanation of the rather long and unusual title!Community events could include such themes as WWII; German occupation in Europe; survival skills in wartime; the importance of memorializing the past; the lost art of letter writing; pen pal communication between WWII generation and children; underground movements; the importance of book groups; and the process of writing.   

Mudbound, Hillary Jordan This captivating debut won the 2006 Bellweather Prize, created by Barbara Kingsolver to honor a novel that eloquently addresses an issue of social justice. Six alternating voices tell the stories of two families – the McCallans and the Jacksons – on a Mississippi farm that becomes “mudbound” (or isolated) following the rain.  While Memphis city girl Laura McAllan tries to adjust to raising children and the isolation of farm life, her husband Henry’s true love is his land. They share their small shack with Henry’s racist father. Henry’s brother Jamie, haunted by his tour as a WWII bomber, comes and goes in a frenzy of depression, alcoholism, and rage.
Sharecroppers on the McAllan land, Florence and Hap Jackson, are proud of their son Ronsel, who escaped the farm to serve in a Negro tank battalion.  Returning from the war, Ronsel encounters a land as bound by racism as the one he left behind. With an equally strong sense of place and character – both rendered in all of their beauty and repulsiveness – Mudbound examines themes of land, race, and love and how together, they can prove an explosive combination. Community programs could focus on race relations; WWII history, particularly African-American regiments; poverty and post-traumatic stress; respect for and devotion to the land; the evolution of women's issues; and family relationships.

Outliers, Malcolm Gladwell  Statistically, “outlier” describes a phenomenon that is an unlikely or unexpected deviation from the norm. In Malcolm Gladwell’s fascinating book, outliers are people “who, for one reason or another, are so accomplished and so extraordinary and so outside of ordinary experience that they are as puzzling to the rest of us as a cold day in August.” This engrossing study examines how various individuals and groups have become successful, either due to intelligence, hard work, being in the right place at the right time, or even being born on the right day. Each chapter presents a different success story, offering an opportunity for thought-provoking discussion. Topics range from Bill Gates, to how birth dates might predict success for athletes, to how much practice it really takes to be successful at a particular task. Community programming could focus on local "outlier" success stories of past and present; emerging "outliers" in our local schools; and the history of Saratoga Springs as an "outlier" community with the ability to consistently re-invent itself in the face of economic downturns. Discussions could explore the difference between scientific evidence and observational evidence, and experimental schools and education programs.