Palm Desert Reads Book Club

The Palm Desert Reads Book Club is dedicated to fostering a welcoming and intellectually stimulating environment for adults and older adults. Our book club provides a space for lifelong learners to come together, share their love of literature, and engage in meaningful discussions. Through the exploration of diverse genres and authors, we aim to spark curiosity, build connections, and enrich the lives of our members, encouraging both personal growth and social interaction.  

The Library will have a limited number of copies available for the book club to check out. The books are on a first-come, first-serve basis. For more information, talk to a staff member.

If there are no copies left and you would like to put this item on hold with the library, check our catalog here: 

Physical book: Frozen River

eBook: Frozen River

eAudiobook: Frozen River

Our December pick is: The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhorn

A gripping historical mystery inspired by the life and diary of Martha Ballard, a renowned 18th-century midwife who defied the legal system and wrote herself into American history.

Maine, 1789: When a man is found entombed in the frozen Kennebec River, Martha Ballard is summoned to examine the body and determine cause of death.

As the local midwife and healer, Martha is good at keeping secrets. Her diary is a record of every birth, death and debacle that unfolds in the town of Hallowell. In that diary she has also documented the details of an alleged rape committed by one of the town’s most esteemed gentlemen – the same man who has now been found dead in the ice. 

While certain townspeople are eager to put both matters to rest, Martha suspects that the two crimes are linked, and that there is more to both cases than meets the eye. Over the course of one long, hard winter, whispers and prejudices mount, and Martha’s diary lands at the center of the scandal, threatening to tear both her family and her community apart.   
The Frozen River is a thrilling, tense and tender story of an unsung heroine who refused to accept anything less than justice on behalf of those no one else would protect.