Seven of us met in July for an excellent discussion of The Age of Miracles by Karen Thompson Walker. When the earth slows its rotation, the days getting slowly longer and the nights following suit, Julia is grappling with the usual problems of a thoughtful middle school age child. It is a lovely book, at times bleak, at times hopeful.
Other books that folks are reading and recommending are:
The Ordinary Acrobat by Duncan Wall (a former student at Brentwood High!)
The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole