The Summit County Library’s Book to Film Club has met every second Thursday of the month since 2014, and Library Director Daniel Compton looks forward to kicking off 2026 with a discussion of Richard Osman’s fittingly titled thriller, “Thursday Murder Club.” Osman’s 2020 mystery follow s four retirees who solve cold-case murders for fun and wind up investigating a fresh whodunit. Filmmaker Chris Columbus turned the pages into a film, starring Helen Mirren, Ben Kingsley and Pierce Brosnan, which was released earlier this year, according to Compton. “Since we don’t have the rights to screen the film at the library, we are asking people to screen it at home because it’s available on Netflix,” he said. “Then we’ll get together on Zoom to discuss the book.” The discussion will start at 5 p.m. on Jan. 8, and anyone can register online at summit.events.mylibrary.digital, by emailing Compton at [email protected] or by calling 435-615-3900.  All the books that have been selected for the Books to Film Club are available for check out digitally through the Libby app or in-person at The Summit County Library, Compton said. “This one was a little tricky,” he said. “I couldn’t put it out there without a wait time because it is still so popular in the Libby consortium. So, I think there are maybe 1,000 to 2,000 holds on this one statewide.” The library has a number of physical copies, and people can purchase the book online or at local bookstores, according to Compton. Richard Osman’s “The Thursday Murder Club” is in the crosshairs of the Summit County Library’s Book to Film Club. The club will discuss the book and Chris Columbus’ film of the same name on Jan. 8 via Zoom. Credit: Photo courtesy of Amazon “I did warn the club that they may have to read the physical copy of this one,” he said. Compton, who celebrated his 20th anniversary with the library last September, does extensive preliminary research before presenting book choices to the club. “I try to find films and books that have both received good reviews, which is not always easy,” he said. “Sometimes the books get good reviews, and the film gets terrible reviews and vice versa. So I try to find some that have pretty good reviews for both. Then I put it out to the group, and  they vote. And then we move forward.” Osman’s book caught Compton’s eye some time ago. “I knew about the book, and it had done really well in the library,” he said. “It’s a fun story that really hits our demographic. While we don’t have people who aren’t that old in the group, we do have some senior citizens in the group.” Things started to heat up when the club heard there was going to be a film adaptation, and then everyone went into full boil when they heard about the cast, Compton said. “It was all heavy hitters, and we really got excited,” he said. The film hit the theaters in August, and Compton gave the club a heads up prior to the release. “I asked them to be patient because we are definitely going to do it,” he said.  Summit County Library’s Book to Film Club’s origin lies in a book club that Compton and then Kimball Junction Branch Manager Joe Frazier started in 2013. “For some reason, we weren’t getting a huge turn out,” Compton said. “After that, and I don’t know how we came up with this idea, but we thought we could have a discussion about a book that has been made into a movie and then screen the movie.” Most of the time, the screenings and discussions take place in the Kimball Junction Branch auditorium, but on rare occasions, Compton asks club members to screen the film at home and then hosts the discussion online. “Even if people don’t want to read the book, they can watch the movie, and we do have some people in the group who do that,” he said. “They don’t read the book but come and watch the film and participate.” While Compton likes reading the books and watching the films, he enjoys the discussions. “We have people from a wide variety of backgrounds — some who have lived all over the world,” he said. “So it’s a fun group and they bring interesting perspectives to the table. We usually get some good insights from people.” The dedication of longtime club members remains the biggest reason Compton has continued to host the club. “We still have some of our original members show up,” he said. “I love the diversity of the group, and I love the chance to have meaningful discussions about books and the films. Even though we’re not watching the film together this time, I still believe we’ll have a great discussion over Zoom.”  Summit County Library’s Book to Film Club Discussion: ‘Thursday Murder Club’ When: 6 p.m. on Thursday Where: Zoom Registration: summit.events.mylibrary.digital Phone: 435-615-3900 Web: thesummitcountylibrary.org The post Book to Film Club investigates the ‘Thursday Murder Club’ appeared first on Park Record. ...read more read less