This article was written by Therese Horstketter,an Adult Services Associate at the Manitowoc Public Library.
You’ve gotta love books!
And if you love books, you usually love talking about them.
Book discussions really only take two people, and I’ve had plenty of those. But, in 2021, I was very fortunate to pair up with Tina Prigge of “Coolest Coast” fame to begin a monthly program to talk books. It takes place during “Coffee on the Coast” and our time together is called “Book Banter.” We meet online via our computer screens and share a small handful of book titles each session. Sometimes the titles have already been perused, and sometimes they’re suggestions of upcoming and potentially amazing reads.
This actually started accidentally. We got together to discuss books via “Coffee on the Coast” during COVID on occasion, and since we enjoyed it so much, we decided to make it a monthly visit. We take about a half-hour each installment and usually discuss 5 or 6 books. We welcome public comments since we’re livestreaming if you’ve read a certain book we’re discussing, or enjoy the work of an author we make note of. We’ve even received a comment from a fan on vacation in Portugal that was still taking in the program even though they were half-a-world away.
I am so lucky to get to work with Tina! Besides being half of “Coolest Coast” with her husband, Jason Prigge, and all of the promotion they do for our community, Tina still finds time to read. I think she could be described as a voracious reader. And she’s great with bringing out good descriptions of the books that really make readers want to get these books in their hands.
I love watching her listen to the story of a book she hasn’t read that unfolds while I’m mentioning it. Her eyes get steadily bigger, and before we’re done with our visit, she has several new books placed on hold with Libby, the eBook service that’s available FREE via MPL’s website. I’m surprised that I haven’t completely lost her sometimes mid-episode—to find out that she’s ducked-out early to start reading something new while we’re still online. Really, Tina is a wonderfully-calm presence, who still remains fully-involved with the book talks, and me, and other readers.
Therese Horstketter
I really enjoy having patrons walk by after one of our book features with a book in their hands that I’ve recommended, who turn to me and say “It better be good!” And it’s even better when someone stops to mention how much they’ve enjoyed a book we shared on “Book Banter.”
Some of my favorite “Banter” books have been:
The Kind Worth Killing: a book full of twists and turns as two people meet in an airport and actually decide who is worth killing.
The Last Flight: two women, each with a life they would like to leave behind, decide to switch plane tickets, and then one of the planes goes down.
Other People’s Houses: four families comprise a neighborhood and Frances is the carpool mom for most rides. However, she’s not the only one privy to secrets and mistaken about others.
The Dreamers: a college student comes home one evening and cannot be woken up. Her eyes move, but there’s no other response. And there’s a pandemic that isolates the town she’s in.
Nothing to See Here: one very well-to-do college friend invites another, who is out of sorts, to move in with her family and help raise her twin stepchildren, who, incidentally, spontaneously combust.
Beneath the Flames: based on the author’s true life career as a firefighter, this fictional account pulls you into that world and its characters.
The Husband’s Secret: a woman finds a note addressed to her, in her attic. It’s from her husband, with the direction to open it after he is dead. He is still very much alive—what would you do?
We Begin at the End: self-proclaimed outlaw Duchess Day Radley, age 13, is the center of this story, with a mother unable to care for her, a recently freed convict, and a sheriff that completes a trio of hurting adults.
Our Souls at Night: a beautiful, thoughtful, heartbreaking story of 2 casual neighbors, seniors who have both lost their spouses, and their efforts to make life contain a bit more of what it previously held.
Lights out in Lincolnwood: what happens when a family of 4 and their neighbors finds all of their power off? No lights, refrigeration, TV, phones, cars. How fast do human connections and support dissolve or how long do they hold together in this New Jersey suburb?
Razorblade Tears: one black man, one white man, the fathers to two men that married each other and then were brutally murdered. The two fathers, not always understanding or supporting their sons’ choices, now move together to try to solve what the police have not.
I hope that one of these books appeals to you! And for more recommendations and literary conversations, please join myself and Tina on the 4th Wednesday of every month at 2 PM for Book Banter on the Coolest Coast via “Coffee on the Coast!”
