Chapter One Book Group
Chapter One is a community of friends committed to enriching our lives through shared experience of the written word and meaningful discussion. The group was established in January 2008 and is currently celebrating its sixteenth year.
Each month, Chapter One dives into a new book selected directly from group nominations. Selections can vary as much as our members.
The group continues to meet and celebrate literature each month in the Chillicothe area of Ohio.
August 2025
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Fantasy
Published in 2022
Legends & Lattes is a warm, cozy fantasy novel that trades epic quests and battles for something more unexpected: the quiet pursuit of a dream. After years of adventuring, Viv, a battle-hardened orc mercenary, decides to retire and open the first coffee shop in the bustling city of Thune — a place where no one even knows what coffee is. With grit, charm and a little help from new friends, Viv sets out to build something entirely new for herself, turning swords into spoons and conflict into community.
A gentle tale of reinvention and found family, Legends & Lattes celebrates small joys and the healing power of change. Baldree blends the fantastical with the familiar, offering a story that’s part high fantasy, part slice-of-life comfort read. Full of heart, flavorful descriptions and rich character dynamics, it’s a reminder that even in a world of magic and monsters, sometimes the greatest adventure is starting over.
This meeting for discussion of Book #212 is currently scheduled for August 9 at 5 PM.
September 2025
Shoeless Joe by W.P. Kinsella
Fiction / Magical Realism
Published in 1982
Shoeless Joe is a lyrical and magical novel that explores the power of dreams, memory and redemption. Set in the cornfields of Iowa, the story follows Ray Kinsella, a devoted baseball fan who hears a mysterious voice whisper, “If you build it, he will come.” Driven by faith and wonder, Ray builds a baseball field on his farm, a decision that draws the legendary Shoeless Joe Jackson — and other long-gone players — back into the world of the living. As the field becomes a place where past and present meet, Ray sets off on a journey to find reclusive author J.D. Salinger, believing the writer is somehow connected to the field’s magic.
With its blend of nostalgia, baseball lore and spiritual yearning, Shoeless Joe is a deeply heartfelt novel about second chances and the enduring power of belief. Kinsella weaves together themes of family, forgiveness and the American mythos, using baseball as a metaphor for the dreams we dare to pursue. Both whimsical and profound, the novel reminds readers that sometimes the most extraordinary things can happen when we listen to the quiet callings of the heart.
This meeting for discussion of Book #213 is currently scheduled for September 6 at 5 PM.