Whitewater, subs, more in April books

Whitewater, submarines and the Flathead Valley factor into April’s book club selections.

Following is a list of clubs meeting throughout the month around the Flathead Valley. All are open to the public:

The Flathead County Library Book Club meets April 9 to discuss “Grand Ambition” by Lisa Michaels.

Newlyweds Glen and Bessie Hyde intend to set a record when they run the rapids of the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. When they fail to reach their destination on time, Glen’s father mounts a desperate search to find them. Michaels’ debut novel is based on a true story.

The meeting starts at 5 p.m. in the conference room at the main library in Kalispell.

For more information, contact Marylane Pannell at kuhlpan@cyberport.net or 257-5793.

The Montana History Book Club meets April 11 to discuss “Looking Back: A Pictorial History of the Flathead Valley, Montana” by Kathryn L. McKay.

The book, a Northwest Montana Historical Society publication, features more than 320 historical photographs of the Flathead Valley. McKay, a Columbia Falls historian, offers an overview of the valley’s history from the 1880s to the 1950s.

The group meets at 6:30 p.m. at the Museum at Central School, 124 Second Ave. E., Kalispell. Books are available in the museum gift shop.

For more information, call Diane Etter at 752-0204 or the museum at 756-8381.

The Flathead Valley Community College Reading Group discusses Gail Tsukiyama’s “The Samurai’s Garden” April 17.

Stephen is a Chinese painter sent to his family’s summer home in a Japanese coastal village to recover from tuberculosis. Over the course of a year, Stephen learns spiritual insight from Matsu, a housekeeper, gardener and samurai of the soul.

The group meets at 6:30 p.m. The meeting is open to the public, and the only cost involved is the purchase of the books.

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

Bad Rock Books Discussion Group talks about “Mutiny,” by David Hagberg and Boris Gindin, at its April 18 meeting.

The book tells the real-life story behind “The Hunt for Red October,” the blockbuster Tom Clancy novel that became a movie of the same name. “Mutiny” offers an eye-opening look at the Soviet Union during the height of the Cold War, as told by a man who lived through it all.

The group meets at 7 p.m. at Bad Rock Books on Nucleus Avenue in Columbia Falls. All are welcome. Treats are provided.

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

Whitefish Library Book Discussion Group talks about “Red Star Rogue: The Untold Story of a Soviet Submarine’s Nuclear Strike Attempt on the U.S.,” by Kenneth Sewell and Clint Richmond, April 24.

In 1968, a nuclear-armed Soviet submarine sank off Hawaii, hundreds of miles closer to American shores than it should have been. Evidence suggests the sub sank while attempting to fire a nuclear missile, most likely at the naval base at Pearl Harbor.

The meeting starts at 6 p.m. in the library meeting room; everyone is welcome. Books may be available for checkout.

For more information, call the library at 862-9914.