Pleasant Valley Library Online Book Group discussion

Leave your thoughts and comments about The Book of Speculation here!

"Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives alone on the Long Island Sound in his family home, a house perched on the edge of a cliff that is slowly crumbling into the sea. His parents are long dead, his mother having drowned in the water his house overlooks.

One day, Simon receives a mysterious book from an antiquarian bookseller; it has been sent to him because it is inscribed with the name Verona Bonn, Simon's grandmother. Simon must unlock the mysteries of the book, and decode his family history, before fate deals its next deadly hand.

The Book of Speculation is Erika Swyler's gorgeous and moving debut, a wondrous novel about the power of books, family, and magic."

I'm pretty excited about this one.

I just picked it up from the library. Sounds interesting.

I am half way through the book and very much enjoying it. Can't wait to see what happens next!

I have an ARC to finish tonight then I'll start this one. I'm excited!

Wow, 3 days into the month and people are already finishing it! Now I can't wait to get started :D

The ending surprised me! Great book!

I am enjoying the book too! The author weaves in and out of storylines effortlessly. Interesting characters keep me intrigued. I'm halfway so I have some theories but hope to be surprised at the end!

Ok I just finished The Book of Speculation. It was a total departure for me, but I thoroughly enjoyed all the mystery and intrigue. Each character was suspect as the book progressed, and I loved how the author wove the past with the present. This was a good recommendation, thanks!

Some spoilers!

I'm so glad we picked this book. I figured out what was causing the family curse pretty quickly, but that was okay. I LOVED how this book focused on books and libraries because (I'm sure you're shocked), that's right up my alley. I also really enjoyed how the book shifted between the past and the present. Evangeline and Amos' relationship was one of the saddest things I've ever read. It was so tragic and it didn't need to be.

One thing I Googled when I was reading the book was the Long Island town named in the book. I was really curious about where it was located because the book mentioned a ferry from Connecticut, and my brother lives right by the ferry stop in Long Island. It turns out the author created a fictional Long Island town for her book and used aspects from real towns to shape the one she created. I thought that was pretty cool, but I was also slightly disappointed I couldn't actually visit the library.

The book I read right before this was The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. If you liked The Book of Speculation, I highly recommend The Night Circus. It has a lot of the same themes and is beautifully written.

I loved the Hudson Valley mentions!
I'm about halfway done right now but hoping to finish it tonight. Definitely not my usual read but I'm glad I gave it a try.

Nicole wrote: "I loved the Hudson Valley mentions!
I'm about halfway done right now but hoping to finish it tonight. Definitely not my usual read but I'm glad I gave it a try."

I really liked that too! It helped me place where things were happening.

Reading this book. I was reminded of magic realism (Isabelle Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez). I liked the details about living near the sea, working in the library, and life in the circus. Very believable and well research. I was really rooting for them all. Good read!

Shirley wrote: "Reading this book. I was reminded of magic realism (Isabelle Allende, Gabriel Garcia Marquez). I liked the details about living near the sea, working in the library, and life in the circus. Very be..."

Magic realism! I was trying so hard to think of how to describe this type of book. and that's perfect.