You might think that "book club" is a new Impact Austin activity. It's not, in fact! We gathered in 2007, 2008, and 2012 to learn from authors who wrote about philanthropy, and members attending received a copy of each book under discussion. In 2013, "Impact Austin Book Club" met as members only to discuss Creating Change through Family Philanthropy. Learn more about these books in our blog about Impact Austin's commitment to philanthropy education.
In September 2023, Impact Austin's Member Connections team launched a rejuvenated Book Club. It has been very successful! At each meeting, members were asked to share recommended books that others might enjoy. Read on to see the books that have been discussed and recommended.
JULY 2024 RECOMMENDATIONS for SUMMER READS
(Some well-loved duplications removed from list)
After Annie by Anna Quindlen
The Women by Kristin Hannah
Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand
Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
The Bookstore on the Beach by Brenda Novak
I Am Not Sidney Poitier by Percival Everett
North Woods by Daniel Mason
The Boy, The Mole, The Fox, and The Horse by Charlie Mackesy
The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
Book Lovers by Emily Henry
Happy Place by Emily Henry
The Guest List by Lucy Foley
Super Communicators by Charles Duhigg
The Fourth Turning is Here by Neil Howe
A Death in Cornwall by Daniel Silva
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles
Invisible Women by Caroline Criado Perez
A Psalm for the Wild Built by Becky Chambers
Everything Sad is Untrue by Daniel Nayeri
Rula Dean's LIttle LIbrary of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller
How to End A Love Story by Yulin Kwang
Anita Diamont Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
Clytemnestra by Costanza Casati
Tom Lake by Anne Patchett (Audible is better than reading this one)
Horse by Geraldine Brooks
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (he reads the Audible version)
Red Notice by Bill Browder
The Hidden Palace - sequel to The Golem and the Genie by Helene Wacker.
How to Win Friends and Influence People by Dale Carnegie
Poor Charlie's Almanac by Charlie Munger
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens
The Library by Sarah Stewart
Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd
The Lost City of the Monkey Guard by Douglas Preston
American Prometheus - Oppenheimer by Kai Bird
March by Geraldine Brooks
The Intuitionist by Coleson Whitehead
The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkings Reid
The Great Unexpected by Dan Mooney
Less by Andrew Sean Greer
Our Woman in Moscow by Beatriz Williams
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Grams
The Thing Around Your Neck by Chiminanda Ngozi Adiche
Bright Objects by Ruby Todd
House of Glass by Sarah Pekkanen
General recommendations Charles Todd - Ian Rutledge Inspector series, Bess Crawford series, The Thursday Murder Club series, Louise Penny Books, Check out narrator Leanne Moriarty on Audible, Kathryn Lee is also great
JANUARY 2024 RECOMMENDATIONS
The Maisie Dobbs mysteries by Jacqueline Winspear
America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt
Fifth Avenue Glamour Girl by Renee Rosen
The Wager: A Tale of Shipwreck, Mutiny, and Murder by David Grann
The Small Woman by Alan Burgess
Rebirth: A Fable of Love, Forgiveness, and Following your Heart by Kamal Ravikant
A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
Up The Down Escalator: Medicine, Motherhood, and Multiple Sclerosis by Lisa Doggett
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Flying Blind: The 737 MAX Tragedy and the Fall of Boeing by Peter Robison
Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murderers by Jessie Q. Sutano
How Women Rise: Break the 12 Habits Holding you Back from your Next Raise, Promotion, or Job by Sally Helgesen and Marshall Goldsmith
VentureGirls; Raising Girls to be Tomorrow's Leaders by Cristal Glangchai
The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
The Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah
Mr. Texas by Lawrence Wright
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois: A Novel by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
SEPTEMBER 2023 RECOMMENDATIONS
Up the Down Escalator by Lisa Doggett
Finding Me by Viola Davis
Spare by Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex
Bossy Pants by Tina Fey
The Flamenco Academy by Sarah Bird
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Watership Down by Richard Adams and Madeline Miller
Personal History: A Memoir by Katherine Graham
Polaris Rising by Jessie Mihalik
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
An Impossible Return by Caroline Laurent and Jeffrey Zuckerman
The Covenant of Water by Abraham Verghese
Brave Companions: Portraits in History by David McCullough
The Cabin Faced West by Jean Fritz
All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr
All I Ever Wanted by Kathy Valentine (GoGo's bass player and Austinite)
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
The Love Songs of W.E.B. Du Bois: A Novel by Honoree Fanonne Jeffers
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing
There were general recommendations for books by James Patterson, Nora Roberts, Isabel Allende, Kristin Hannah, Zora Neale Hurston.
Impact Austin's Book Club is part of the Member Connections initiative. We believe the member experience is enhanced when members gather to develop and strengthen both personal and professional relationships. Member Connections are specially curated events designed to enrich your experience by fostering a deeper sense of community, cultivating relationships and friendships among members, and building networks.
