Kentucky novelist Sharon Lathan will be a guest speaker during this month’s Marshall County Public Library virtual book club discussion of her novel, “Mr. & Mrs. Fitzwilliam Darcy: Two Shall Become One”.
Lathan is the best-selling author of the Darcy Saga sequel series to Jane Austen’s “Pride & Prejudice” and lives in Bardstown, Kentucky. She writes full-time after retiring from her career as a registered nurse.
Teen Services Librarian Ashley Hayden will be hosting the online book discussion on Sep. 17, and said participants will have the opportunity to not only engage in a virtual discussion about the book with fellow readers throughout the day, but watch a full interview with Lathan answering their questions.
“I am so excited to interview her (Lathan) for our book club,” Hayden said. “I have been reading her books pretty much my entire adult life. If you love ‘Pride & Prejudice’ and have ever wondered what marriage could have been like for them, or just want a feel-good book to curl up with, this is for you.”
This book club session will be one of several monthly discussions the library has held virtually since March during its brief closure due to Covid-19. Even with building doors open to patrons once again, the virtual book club discussions continue, with a variety of genres and selections to choose from.
Library Director Tammy Blackwell said she had been toying with the idea of an online book club even before Covid-19, seeing it as an opportunity to meet the Marshall County community where they are.
“So many of us are too busy to devote an hour or more a month to attending a book club, but we do have time for a few minutes on social media here and there throughout the day,” Blackwell said. “The online book club gives the library and patrons ways to connect that is both safe and convenient.”
Previously, the library has chosen titles such as “The Bookwoman of Troublesome Creek” by Kim Michele Richardson, “The Woman in the Window” by A.J. Finn, “I’ll Be Gone in the Dark” by Michelle McNamara, “The Printed Letter Bookshop” by Katherine Reay, “The Hating Game” by Sally Thorne, “The Song of Achilles” by Madeline Miller and “Sorry I’m Late, I Didn’t Want to Come” by Jessica Pan.
“Quarantine had a lot of us feeling anxiety, stress, and loneliness,” Hayden said. “This month, I just wanted a book that always made me feel good. This series is absolutely one of my favorites.”
Readers can join this month’s book discussion and hear Lathan’s online interview by joining the library’s public Facebook group, MCPL Book Club. A link to the library’s social media accounts can also be found at marshallcolibrary.org. For additional information or questions, call the library at (270) 527-9969.