The Palmdale City Library, 700 E. Palmdale Blvd., will host at 6:45 p.m. May 17 the next meeting of the African American Book Club to discuss “Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person” by television producer Shonda Rhimes. The next evening at 7:00, the Mystery Book Discussion Group will discuss “The Cold, Cold Ground” by Adrian McKinty.
Rhimes, executive producer of the hit shows “How To Get Away With Murder,” “Grey’s Anatomy” and “Scandal,” has released what critics are calling a “poignant, hilarious and deeply intimate” call to arms for women. She reveals how simply saying “yes” has changed her life and how it can change yours, also.
Rhimes has been on a book tour for the past few months and the book has received positive reviews. Among the most popular quotes from the work are:
—“There is no list of rules. There is one rule. The rule is: There are no rules. Happiness comes from living as you need to, as you want to. As your inner voice tells you to.”
—“Don’t let what he wants eclipse what you need. He is very dreamy, but he is not the sun. You are.”
—“They tell you: Follow your dreams. Listen to our spirit. Change the world. Make your mark. Find your inner voice and make it sing. Embrace failure. Dream. Dream and dream big.”
—“You can quit your job. I can’t quit being a mother. I’m a mother forever. Mothers are never off the clock, mothers are never on vacation.”
—“Who you are today…that’s who you are. Be brave. Be amazing. Be worthy. And every single time you get the chance? Stand up in front of people. Let them see you. Speak. Be heard.”
McKinty’s book is set in Northern Ireland in the early 1980s. Belfast is on the verge of civil war after the Thatcher government flooded the city with British soldiers and in the middle of the chaos is Sean Duffy, a young Catholic detective who is searching for a serial killer targeting gay men in the almost entirely Protestant Royal Ulster Constabulary. As a Catholic cop, Duffy is suspected by both sides, but during his investigation he discovers that one of the victims was a member of the IRA. Critics say the book is an excellent depiction of Belfast during the days of violence between Catholics and Protestants at the height of violence in Northern Ireland.
The African American Book Club meets on the third Tuesday of each month; mystery lovers will meet on the third Wednesday of each month. New members are welcome at each meeting.
The library is open from 10 a.m.. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturday and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sunday.
For more details, call (661) 267-5600 or visit
