1.Which book should we read for our 2025/26 One Book, One Community?

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn
From the bestselling author of The Diamond Eye and The Rose Code comes a gripping novel of secrets, friendship, and loyalty set in a Washington, DC, boardinghouse during the McCarthy era.
In 1950, the women of Briarwood House live quietly—until mysterious widow Grace March moves in and draws them into an unexpected bond. But Grace and her new friends—an elegant Brit, a gangster’s girl, a former baseball star, and a zealous Red Scare devotee—all harbor secrets. As tensions rise and a shocking act of violence strikes, the women must confront who they can truly trust.
The Briar Club is a haunting, powerful tale of female resilience in times of fear and change.

The Queens of Crime by Marie Benedict
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Mystery of Mrs. Christie comes a thrilling tale of five legendary women crime writers who band together to solve a real-life murder.
London, 1930. Dorothy L. Sayers leads a secret society of Agatha Christie, Ngaio Marsh, Margery Allingham, and Baroness Orczy—determined to prove their worth in a male-dominated field. When a young nurse is found murdered in France under mysterious circumstances, the “Queens of Crime” launch their own investigation. But as they close in on the truth, the killer sets their sights on Sayers, threatening to expose her darkest secret.
Inspired by real events, The Queens of Crime is a gripping story of mystery, sisterhood, and defiance in the golden age of detective fiction.

Swift River by Essie Chambers
In the summer of 1987, Diamond Newberry is learning to drive—and uncovering long-buried family secrets.
Seven years after her father disappeared, Diamond and her mother still hitchhike through Swift River, where Diamond is the only Black resident and often mocked for her weight. As her mother moves to declare Pop legally dead, a letter from a long-lost relative reveals a powerful legacy of African American Newberry women. Spanning generations, their stories of love, loss, and resilience help Diamond understand her identity—and may change the course of her future.