Our Book Challenge Theme for January is a SPL Book Discussion Selection – books that are featured in one of our Book Discussions. 

We have six Book Discussion Groups here at Salina Public Library, hosted by Salina Public Library staff or one of our partner organizations. Each book group meets and discusses different types of books: Our Book Club to New Worlds group discusses sci-fi and fantasy books, our LGBTQ+ book group celebrates diverse authors and stories, our Fantastic Non-Fiction book group discusses engaging non-fiction titles, and our Monday Night Book Group discusses a range of titles for those interested in reading a variety of genres. We also have a book group in collaboration with the Salina Art Center, which features books celebrating and discussing art, as well as a Wellness Book Group hosted by the YMCA which focuses on books promoting health and wellness.  

Our Book Discussion selections include books from both current and previous book discussions and span a wide range of genres, themes, voices, and topics chosen to inspire thoughtful conversation and analysis. So whether you are interested in joining a book discussion group, want an engaging book to discuss with friends, or are simply on the lookout for your next good read, our Book Discussion selection has a discussion-worthy book for everyone. 

Remarkably Bright Creatures – Shelby Van Pelt
For fans of A Man Called Ove, a luminous debut novel about a widow’s unlikely friendship with a giant Pacific octopus reluctantly residing at the local aquarium–and the truths she finally uncovers about her son’s disappearance 30 years ago.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn – Betty Smith
Young Francie Nolan, having inherited both her father’s romantic and her mother’s practical nature, struggles to survive and thrive growing up in the slums of Brooklyn in the early twentieth century.

The Sunbearer Trials – Aiden Thomas
Chosen to participate in The Sunbearer Trials, where the loser is sacrificed to refuel the Sun Stones, Teo, the 17-year-old trans son of the goddess of birds, must compete against more powerful and better trained opponents for fame, glory and his own survival.


The Book of Charlie: Wisdom from the Remarkable American Life of a 109-year-old man. – David Von Drehle
When Washington journalist David Von Drehle moved to Kansas, he met a new neighbor who was more than a century old. Little did he know that he was beginning a long friendship—and a profound lesson in the meaning of life. 

Piranesi – Susanna Clarke
Living in a labyrinthine house of endless corridors, flooded staircases and thousands of statues, Piranesi assists the dreamlike dwelling’s only other resident throughout a mysterious research project before evidence emerges of an astonishing alternate world.


The Best Minds: A Story of Friendship, Madness, and the Tragedy of Good Intentions – Jonathan Rosen
An acclaimed author investigates the forces that led his closest childhood friend, a paranoid schizophrenic with brilliant promise who defied the odds and graduated from Yale Law School, to kill the woman he loved, in this exploration of the ways in which we understand — and fail to understand — mental illness.


Nevada – Imogen Binnie
Maria Griffiths, a young trans woman living in New York City, is trying to stay true to her punk values while working retail. When she finds out her girlfriend has lied to her, the world she thought she’d carefully built for herself begins to unravel, and Maria sets out on a journey that will most certainly change her forever.

World of Wonders: In Praise of Fireflies, Whale Sharks, and Other Astonishments – Aimee Nezhukumatathil
From beloved, award-winning poet Aimee Nezhukumatathil comes a debut work of nonfiction-a collection of essays about the natural world, and the way its inhabitants can teach, support, and inspire us.

Lavender House – Lev AC Rosen
While investigating the mysterious death of matriarch Irene Lamontaine, head of a famous soap empire, Andy Mills is seduced by the safety and freedom found in Lavender House, where a queer family lives honestly and openly, until he becomes a pawn in their deadly game.

Robot Dreams – Sara Varon
The enduring friendship between a dog and a robot is portrayed in this wordless graphic novel.