Richmond Reads- A Community One Book Program
Richmond Reads is a community one-book program designed specifically for the Richmond Memorial Library community. The goal of the program is for the community to join together in reading the chosen title, and then to participate in subsequent discussions and programs.
About the Book
Margaret Ryan never really meant to start a book club . . . or a feminist revolution in her buttoned-up suburb.
By 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan is living the American woman’s dream. She has a husband, three children, a station wagon, and a home in Concordia–one of Northern Virginia’s most exclusive and picturesque suburbs. She has a standing invitation to the neighborhood coffee klatch, and now, thanks to her husband, a new subscription to A Woman’s Place–a magazine that tells housewives like Margaret exactly who to be and what to buy. On paper, she has it all. So why doesn’t that feel like enough?
Margaret is thrown for a loop when she first meets Charlotte Gustafson, Concordia’s newest and most intriguing resident. As an excuse to be in the mysterious Charlotte’s orbit, Margaret concocts a book club get-together and invites two other neighborhood women–Bitsy and Viv–to the inaugural meeting. As the women share secrets, cocktails, and their honest reactions to the controversial bestseller The Feminine Mystique, they begin to discover that the American dream they’d been sold isn’t all roses and sunshine–and that their secret longing for more is something they share. Nicknaming themselves the Bettys, after Betty Friedan, these four friends have no idea their impromptu club and the books they read together will become the glue that helps them hold fast through tears, triumphs, angst, and arguments–and what will prove to /be the most consequential and freeing year of their lives. (from publisher summary)
2026 Richmond Reads Title: The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick
2026 Author Visit:
Thursday, October 15 at 7 pm at Richmond Memorial Library
How to read the book:
Borrow the book at the library in regular or large print, or on Libby and Hoopla as an eBook or Audiobook.
Copies of the book are available to purchase at the library through our bookselling partner, Author's Note Book Store as well as on their website or in store.
The Book Club for Troublesome Women: $20.51
Select other titles by the author also available:
Esme Cahill Fails Spectacularly, The Restoration of Celia Fairchild, A Single Thread
About the Author - Marie Bostwick
Marie Bostwick is the New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of more than twenty works of uplifting contemporary and historical fiction.
Translated into a dozen languages, Marie’s novels are beloved by readers across the globe. Her 2009 book, A Thread of Truth, was an “Indie Next Notable” pick. Three of her books were published as Reader's Digest “Select Editions.” Marie lives in Washington state with her husband and a beautiful but moderately spoiled Cavalier King Charles spaniel. (bio from publisher)
Learn more at mariebostwick.com
Past Selections
2019-2025
2019- Southernmost by Silas House
2022- The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
2023- Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls
2024- The Last Ranger by Peter Heller
2025- The Lion Women of Tehran by Marjan Kamali
2020- Nothing More Dangerous by Allen Eskens
2021- The Music of Bees by Eileen Garvin
Richmond Reads Program Committee
Samantha Stryker - Program Coordinator
Sue Briggs
Leslie DeLooze
Cindy Hagelberger
Jennifer Reardon
Rita Nan Tresco
Support the Program
Richmond Reads is funded by The Richmond Memorial Library and the Friends of the Richmond Memorial Library.
Donations to the program are gratefully accepted by cash or check made to The Friends of Richmond Memorial Library with a designation for Richmond Reads.