Don't Read By Your Shelf Book Club

Do you love talking about your new literary obsession? Are you interested in different genres but still trying to decide what to read? Are you looking to make new bookish friends? Then, the Don't Read By Your Shelf book club has got you covered!
Join us for Monthly meetings where we will read and discuss books from all different genres. From romance to science fiction, exciting fantasy to twisted mystery. We will cover it all!

Stop by the Richmond location circulation desk to grab a copy of each month's book pick.

May's book pick is Louisville's Alma Kellner Mystery by Shawn M. Herron.

Book Description:

A kidnapping, a brutal murder, an international manhunt, and a diabolical priest… This is the true story of the murder of eight-year-old Alma Kellner.


On a bitterly cold day in December of 1909, young Alma Kellner simply disappeared from the altar of St. John's Church in Louisville. Her body was found four months later near the site of the church, and news of the murder rocked the city. The manhunt for the suspect Louisville police Captain John Carney eleven thousand miles across the country, and even to South America, to return the killer to justice. While a man was tried and convicted to life in prison for the crime, suspicion lingers that the true culprit was the murderous and maniacal Catholic priest Hans Schmidt, the only priest to have ever been executed in the United States. Author Shawn M. Herron details the fascinating story of a tragedy that still remains a source of mystery to this day.