Book clubs plan January meetings

With short, chilly days, plenty of leftovers and holiday vacation time, this is the perfect time of year to curl up with a warm beverage and a good book. Why not use the next couple of days to get caught up on your reading before local book clubs convene in January?

Here’s what’s up for discussion at next month’s meetings:

The Flathead County Library Book Club will discuss Karl Marlantes’ “What it is Like to Go to War” Jan. 8.

In the book, Marlantes examines how to better prepare young soldiers for war. War is as old as humankind, but past warriors were prepared for battle by ritual, religion and literature — which also helped bring them home. Marlantes outlines how poorly prepared today’s young warriors of both genders are for the psychological and spiritual aspects of battle.

The book club meets the second Tuesday of each month at 5 p.m. in the main library’s basement conference room. The library is located at 247 First Ave. E., Kalispell.

For more information, call the library at 758-5819 or contact Marylane Pannell at 257-5793 or kuhlpan@cyberport.net.

The Montana History Book Club will discuss “Frontier Soldier: An Enlisted Man’s Journal of the Sioux and Nez Perce Campaigns,” by William Zimmer Jan. 10.

In the journal, an observant and opinionated cavalry private offers an inside look at a soldier’s life during the Indian Wars of the 1870s. Pvt. William F. Zimmer participated in the closing campaign of the Great Sioux War and fought at the Battle of the Bear’s Paw Mountains, which led to Chief Joseph’s famous surrender.

The group meets at 6:30 p.m. the second Thursday of each month in the Museum at Central School’s basement conference room. The museum is located at 124 Second Ave. E., Kalispell.

For more information, stop by the museum, visit www.yourmuseum.org or call 756-8381.

The Bad Rock Book Discussion Group will talk about “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak Jan. 10.

The novel tells the story of Liesel Meminger, a girl living outside of Munich, German, during World War II. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing and encounters something she can’t resist: books.

The book club meets the second Thursday of the month at 7 p.m. at Bad Rock Books, 615 Nucleus Ave., Columbia Falls. Treats are provided.

For more information, call Carol Rocks at 892-0515.

The Flathead Valley Community College Reading Group will discuss “Caleb’s Crossing” by Geraldine Brooks at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 23.

Bethia Mayfield is a restless and curious young woman growing up in Martha’s Vineyard amid a band of pioneering English Puritans in the 1600s. At age 12, she meets Caleb, the young son of an Indian chieftain, and the two forge a secret bond that draws each into the alien world of the other.

The book discussion group, which is open to the public, meets monthly (except during the summer) to discuss selected novels. The only cost involved is purchasing the books.

For more information or to sign up, call Sharon Randolph at 756-3981.