NOTE: During the Library renovation, from June 2026 through January 2027, Book Club for Mortals will meet in the library of the Presbyterian Community Church of the Rockies at 1700 Brodie Ave. See below for detailed room information.

For August, we'll read Making the Best of What's Left (When We're Too Old to Get the Chairs Reupholstered) by Judith Viorst.

In a career that has spanned more than fifty years, Judith Viorst has captivated readers with her bestselling children’s books and collections of poetry reflecting on each decade of life. Now in her nineties, Viorst writes about life’s “Final Fifth”: those who are eighty to one hundred years old. Her signature blend of humor and vulnerability infuses personal anecdotes and observations, drawing you into her world of memories and candid conversations. She confesses, “I never ever send a text while driving, and not just because I don’t know how to text.” She discusses the afterlife (She doesn’t believe in it, but if it exists, she hopes her sister-in-law isn’t there). She complains to her dead husband (“I need you fixing our damn circuit breakers. I need you! Could you please stop being dead?”). And she explores the late-life meanings of wisdom and happiness and second chances and home. With a wit that defies age, Viorst navigates the terrain of loss. It’s a poignant dance between grief and levity that will resonate with those in their Final Fifth as well as anyone who has parents, relatives, or friends in their eighties and beyond.

Copies of the book will be available for checkout at the first-floor service desk in early August--register for the discussion, and you'll receive an email when the books are in. You can also search our collection for additional copies and formats (eBook, audiobook, large print, etc.).