Book Club Blog

The vote are In 2012

2012-01-31T17:21:00.002-05:00

Thank you to every one who took the time to vote for the book club this year. Its so interesting to see what you have all picked and not picked !

So here is the list for the rest of the year, listed on the month we will be discussing it.

February: One Thousand White Women by Jim Fergus
March: Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo
April: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese
May: Emily Post : Daughter of a Gilded Age by Laura Claridge
June: Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier
July: The Sea The Sea by Iris Murdock
August: Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley
September: Blind Women, Sleeping Women by Harukumi Murakami
October: The Lady of Snakes by Rachel Pastan
November: Molokai by Alan Brennert
December: The Women by T.C Boyle
January: A Covert Affair by Jennet Conant

In a huge error I managed to miss a couple of book suggestions from my list, Elaine I am very sorry. Please take into consideration Code Talkers by Chester Nez and Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotey. If either of these appeal to you let me know and we can switch out some of the other titles.

I look forward to seeing you all next week.

Happy Reading

Ellie

Its Time to Vote : 2012

2012-01-09T17:56:00.002-05:00

Hi every one,

Its that time of the year when you get to pick the next 12 months books. Pick the 12 that interest you the most and either post a comment here, email me or leave a note at the Library for me.

Book List

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

Last Orders By Graham Swift

Moloka'i by Alan Brennert

The lacuna by Barbara Kinsolver

The Women a Novel by T.C. Boyle

Bridge of sighs by Richard Russo

American Pastoral by Phillip Roth

Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett

Possession by A.S Byatt

Cutting for stone by Abraham Verghese

The Sea the Sea by Iris Murdock

Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman by Harukumi Murakami

Sweetness at the bottom of the pie by Alan Bradley

The Dress Maker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemac Lemmon

A Convert Affair by Jennet Conant

Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain

Emily Post : Daughter of a gilded age by Laura Claridge

Happy Voting

Ellie

Book Club Meeting

2011-12-27T17:37:00.002-05:00

Hi Every One

Just a quick reminder that we will be meeting on Monday the 9th of January at 7pm. I hope you all have a very Happy New Year.

Happy reading

Ellie

Happy Holidays

2011-12-21T19:56:00.002-05:00

Have a great holidays every one

Happy reading

January : Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostavo

2011-12-08T19:44:00.002-05:00

Hi Every one,

Here is a brief synopsis of this months book, I hope you can all join me on January 9th 2012 for the discussion. Also we will be talking about 2012 book picks for the year so please get your requests into me soon so I can do the research. Email me at erock@redlibrary.org or you can leave a note for me at the Library.

Psychiatrist Andrew Marlow, devoted to his profession and the painting hobby he loves, has a solitary but ordered life. When renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient, Marlow finds that order destroyed. Desperate to understand the secret that torments the genius, he embarks on a journey that leads him into the lives of the women closest to Oliver and a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism.

Kostova's novel travels from American cities to the coast of Normandy, from the late 19th century to the late 20th, from young love to last love. The Swan Thieves is a story of obsession, history's losses, and the power of art to preserve human hope. Review provided by amazon

Happy Reading

Ellie

Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah thornton

2011-11-07T20:05:00.003-05:00

Hello,

Great talk tonight here about the Seven days in the Art world. Thank you for all coming even though most of you didn't particularly like the book !
The idea behind Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton is to demystify the Art world. She takes an intimate look at Christies auction house in London, the people and the drama that make up the Turner prize, a visit to Takashi Murakami's studio in Tokyo and finishes up at the Biennale in Venice. The book focuses on the sociology of art and how today's concept of art is defined and shaped by action houses, art houses, schools, fairs. prizes and of course media. She divided the book into chapters that each focused on a different area in the art world, and while I think the topic fascinating and intriguing I did find the book some what frustrating in that it left me with questions that were not answered. For example what does she think of modern contemporary art ? Has money effected what is being produced and its quality ? Does moneys corrosive influence matter and how is the relationship different now from artisans and there patrons of the past?
Sarah is a journalist and this style of writting comes through in the book, which at times felt heavy and hard going to read. I apperciated that it was written as non-fiction but it felt at times like reading a news article. We wished that she had written the book for the general population, as we often felt disconnected from the references to unknown artists and huge egos! however there were some resounding moments that we all liked. In the chapter about Christies she decribes the peple sitting in the acution room with such clarity that I am sure there are people out there wondering ... Is that me ? Also the mention that art would only sell if it could fit in a New York elevator, wasn't brown and only featured women ! We also loved the concept that contemporary art was extremely popular because its mainly athesist, non-religion. It had never occurred to me that art popularity could be ruled by a religious genre.

Over all an interesting incite, that left me needing more information

Here is the link to the review that I found in the Guardian that I though was really good.

Guardian review

Happy reading

Ellie

Skeletons on the Sahara by Dean King

2011-11-07T17:42:00.002-05:00

In October we read Skeletons on the Sahara by Dean King. It is a memoir of Connecticut captain James Riley, originally published in 1817, telling the story of the wreck of the merchant brig Commerce on the west coast of Africa. His tale of suffering at sea and of enslavement, death and redemption on the Sahara was stunningly detailed and nuanced.

“An absorbing account of misfortune and fortitude, “Skeletons” is the story of Captain James Riley and his crew, whose merchant ship was wrecked off the northwest coast of Africa in 1815. They survived captivity at the hands of Arab slave traders and a trek across the Sahara.”
– New York Times Book Review

The book group as a whole were mix about whether they liked it or not. It had many aspects that were really fascinating such as the peoples ability to continue living in such a dramatic landscape and such diverse conditions and still remaining a team. But there were many moments that were just to barbaric or horrifying such as having to drink camel urine and the brutal conditions of slavery.

A facinating read, even though it was not always enjoyable !

Ellie

Post Birthday World By Lionel Shriver

2011-11-07T17:26:00.002-05:00

In this novel Lionel Shriver delivers an entertaining look at the implications, for better or worse, of whom we choose to love. Using an upbeat parallel-universe structure, The Post-Birthday World follows one woman's future as it unfolds under the influence of two drastically different men.

Children's book illustrator Irina McGovern enjoys a quiet and settled life in London with her partner, fellow American expatriate Lawrence Trainer, a smart, loyal, disciplined intellectual at a prestigious think tank. To their small circle of friends, their relationship is rock solid. Until the night Irina unaccountably finds herself dying to kiss another man: their old friend from South London, the stylish, extravagant, passionate top-ranking snooker player Ramsey Acton. The decision to give in to temptation will have consequences for her career, her relationships with family and friends, and perhaps most importantly the texture of her daily life.

Hinging on a single kiss, this enchanting work of fiction depicts Irina's alternating futures with two men temperamentally worlds apart yet equally honorable. With which true love Irina is better off is neither obvious nor easy to determine, but Shriver's exploration of the two destinies is memorable and gripping. Poignant and deeply honest, written with the subtlety and wit that are the hallmarks of Shriver's work, The Post-Birthday World appeals to the what-if in us all.

review from book browse.

I loved this book, it was so fun to see the character follow two separate story lines. It reminded me allot of the movie Sliding doors with Gweneth Paltrow. I had previously read 'We need to talk about Kevin' and was ready for an author who fresh and interesting and I was not disapointed.

I hope you all enjoyed the read.

Ellie

Book Club

2011-11-07T17:11:00.001-05:00

Sorry for being so slack on the blogger the last couple of months, we have been super busy with the Halloween Scavenger Hunt, Huge new book and dvd delivery for the children's room and a everyone taking holidays!

So keep posted for a back dated report on the past meetings and what is up and coming.

Thanks for sticking around and happy reading

Ellie

September Meeting

2011-08-22T17:52:00.002-04:00

Hello everyone,

Just a quick reminder that the September book club will be on Monday the 12th of September at 7pm. I have ordered more copies of Post Birthday World and Will let you all know when they come in.

Happy reading

Ellie

Curious incident of the dog at midnight, July 2011

2011-07-19T17:39:00.002-04:00

The Curious Incident of the Dog at Midnight, is a murder mystery of sorts-- told by an autistic fifteen-year-old called Christopher John Francis Boone. He is mathematically gifted and socially hopeless, raised in a working-class home by parents who can barely cope with their child's quirks. He takes everything that he sees (or is told) at face value, and is unable to sort out the strange behavior of his elders and peers.

Late one night, Christopher comes across his neighbor's poodle, Wellington, impaled on a garden fork. Wellington's owner finds him cradling her dead dog in his arms, and has him arrested. After spending a night in jail, Christopher resolves--against the objection of his father and neighbors--to discover just who has murdered Wellington. He is encouraged by Siobhan, a social worker at his school, to write a book about his investigations, and the result, with quirky illustrations, with each chapter given its own prime number--is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Christopher narrates his story with a detachment from his thoughts and emotions. Examining them in a logical way, which helps him understand that he is different.

Some of my favorite comments from the meeting this month:

“I kept waiting for somebody to die” We have read a lot of books lately where there is a death at the end.

“The book was painful to read, a brilliant voice but excruciating to witness”

“This is a left brain functioning book – exhausting for a artist (right brain user)”

Next months book is something a little light-hearted for the summer, Ghost in Love by Jonathon Carroll. We will be meeting on Monday the 1^st of august at 7:00pm. I have copies at the desk if anyone still needs one.

I look forward to hearing you comments

Stefan Zweig

2011-06-14T19:31:00.002-04:00

Great meeting last night, so lovely to hear all of your thoughts. I have to say that I am so happy that so many of you enjoyed the book so much.

Looking forward to seeing you next month for the Mark Haddon Novel Curious Incident of the Dog at Midnight.

Ellie

Next Meeting

2011-05-03T19:15:00.002-04:00

Just a quick notice to remind every body that the next meeting will be on June 13th as I will be away the first week in June.

Assuming that I don't fall into a Volcano or get eaten by a Bear I'll be looking forward to seeing you all then.

Ellie

Book List for the rest of the year

2011-04-19T19:14:00.005-04:00

Hi Every One,

So every one who wanted to vote has sent me their requests for the books to read and we now have a complete list to read until January and then we can start all this craziness again!

Before I list them, just for clarification the month next to the book is the month we will be discussing the title.

September : The Post Birthday World By Lional Shriver
October : Skeletons of the Sahara by Dean King
November : Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton
December : Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Scott Andrew Selby
January : Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

I hope you are all please with the choices !

Looking forward to hearing your thoughts on them all, Happy reading

Ellie

April meeting

2011-04-05T19:05:00.003-04:00

For those of you who are wondering what is next on the list: (to be discussed on the first monday of the month listed next to the title)

April: The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdrich
May: Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
June: The Post office Girl by Stefan Zweig
July: The Curious Incident of the Dead Dog in the Night Time by Mark Hadden
August: The Ghost in Love by Jonathon Carroll

This months book for discussion was The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdich. Caught up in the post-civil-war slaughter of an Ojibwa village, cavalryman Scranton Roy notices a baby bound to the back of a dog, hoping to escape his own atrocity he follows and rescues the baby. What follows is a densely inter woven story of Roy and the Ojibwa babies mother, and their family up to the present day. The novel is almost like a collection of snapshots in time narrated by different people, even a dog at one point. Erdrich manages to mix story telling with poetry and humor, to ask one of the oldest human enigmas: Is there a grand design behind our experience, or simply random chance or chaos. Although the novel had many great features, we felt as a group that it was a little disjointed and somewhat frustrating in that Erdich jumps through time frequently and introduces to many characters. We felt that if the book had come with an introduction or perhaps a picture of a family tree that it may have made the book more enjoyable and less hard work.

Happy reading, I'll shoot out an email when the next book comes in hopefully this week.

Ellie

Votes for Sept thru Dec please

2011-03-08T19:44:00.002-05:00

Seven Days in the Art World by Sarah Thornton

Art and business, personal quests and personality cults, big bucks and the triumph of concept over beauty, being cool and in the know—these are the cardinal points in the contemporary art world. Enter Thornton, an art historian and sociologist with moxie and a brilliant game plan. Willing to ask obvious questions, she infiltrates the seven circles of this competitive realm. An astute observer and stimulating storyteller whose crisp sentences convey a wealth of information, Thornton marvels at the military precision of a Christie’s auction and the wild improvisation of an art-school critique. On to Art Basel, a major international art fair where the “hard buy” rather than the hard sell is the rule since an artist’s reputation is tied to those who own his or her work. Thornton witnesses the final stage in the judging and presentation of the Turner Prize, watches editors at work at Artforum, attends the coveted Venice Biennale, and spends a dizzying day with the wizardly artist-entrepreneur Takashi Murakami. Thornton’s uniquely clarifying dispatches from the art front glimmer with high-definition profiles of artists, dealers, critics, and collectors, and grapple with the paradoxes inherent in the transformation of creativity into commodity.

Flawless: Inside the Largest Diamond Heist in History by Scott Andrew Selby

In February 2003, thieves broke into the Diamond Center in Antwerp—one of the most secure diamond facilities in the world—and absconded with merchandise worth, according to some reports, in the neighborhood of $500 million. This excellent true-crime account lays out the heist in precise detail (although some elements of the crime, such as how the crooks got through a combination-locked vault door, remain shrouded in mystery). The thieves, led by notorious Italian jewel thief Leonardo Notarbartolo, were a clever bunch—this was an audacious, complex, and well-planned operation—but they also made some really dumb mistakes, like throwing away bags of trash with incriminating evidence inside them. Fans of caper books and movies will be in seventh heaven here, not only for the detail-rich descriptions of the crime but also for the narrative style. This is an exciting and suspenseful story, and it reads like the best caper fiction, with lively characters and some surprising twists. Readers familiar with Donald E. Westlake’s Dortmunder novels will note many common elements here (except this heist itself actually works). Comparisons to Ocean’s Eleven are obvious, too, although the less-tricked-up, more procedural The Score is perhaps a more appropriate filmic companion. A must-read for true-crime fans.

Priceless: How I Went Undercover to Rescue the World's Stolen Treasures by Robert K. Wittman

Former FBI agent Wittman, who created the agency's Art Crime Team and pursued a lifelong interest in antiques and collectibles, goes undercover to hobnob with infamous art thieves. The ineffective, the stupid, the clever, and the dangerous; Wittman befriends them all, in order to betray them, a fact that causes him a certain amount of angst. Among other challenges are bumbling agency bureaucrats and government turf wars when attempting to recover stolen art abroad. A fatal car accident that Wittman was involved in early in his career shaped his perspective: "I understood that because someone made a mistake in judgment, it didn't make him evil. My newfound ability to see both sides of a situation-to think and feel like the accused-was invaluable." Wittman keeps the narrative interesting, and reveals himself as something of a renegade: "Under the FBI's strict undercover rules, you're only supposed to work one case at a time. I never followed that rule." Keep the lies to a minimum, he advises, and avoid working in your home town.

The Blind Assassin: A Novel by Margaret Atwood

The Blind Assassin is a tale of two sisters, one of whom dies under ambiguous circumstances in the opening pages. The survivor, Iris Chase Griffen, initially seems a little cold-blooded about this death in the family. But as Margaret Atwood's most ambitious work unfolds--a tricky process, in fact, with several nested narratives and even an entire novel-within-a-novel--we're reminded of just how complicated the familial game of hide-and-seek can be:

What had she been thinking of as the car sailed off the bridge, then hung suspended in the afternoon sunlight, glinting like a dragonfly, for that one instant of held breath before the plummet? Of Alex, of Richard, of bad faith, of our father and his wreckage; of God, perhaps, and her fatal, triangular bargain.

Meanwhile, Atwood immediately launches into an excerpt from Laura Chase's novel, The Blind Assassin, posthumously published in 1947. In this double-decker concoction, a wealthy woman dabbles in blue-collar passion, even as her lover regales her with a series of science-fictional parables. Complicated? You bet. But the author puts all this variegation to good use, taking expert measure of our capacity for self-delusion and complicity, not to mention desolation. Almost everybody in her sprawling narrative manages to--or prefers to--overlook what's in plain sight. And memory isn't much of a salve either, as Iris points out: "Nothing is more difficult than to understand the dead, I've found; but nothing is more dangerous than to ignore them." Yet Atwood never succumbs to postmodern cynicism, or modish contempt for her characters. On the contrary, she's capable of great tenderness, and as we immerse ourselves in Iris's spliced-in memoir, it's clear that this buttoned-up socialite has been anything but blind to the chaos surrounding her.

Russian Winter: A Novel by Daphne Kalotay

A mysterious jewel holds the key to a life-changing secret, in this breathtaking tale of love and art, betrayal and redemption.

When she decides to auction her remarkable jewelry collection, Nina Revskaya, once a great star of the Bolshoi Ballet, believes she has finally drawn a curtain on her past. Instead, the former ballerina finds herself overwhelmed by memories of her homeland and of the events, both glorious and heartbreaking, that changed the course of her life half a century ago.

It was in Russia that she discovered the magic of the theater; that she fell in love with the poet Viktor Elsin; that she and her dearest companions—Gersh, a brilliant composer, and the exquisite Vera, Nina’s closest friend—became victims of Stalinist aggression. And it was in Russia that a terrible discovery incited a deadly act of betrayal—and an ingenious escape that led Nina to the West and eventually to Boston.

Nina has kept her secrets for half a lifetime. But two people will not let the past rest: Drew Brooks, an inquisitive young associate at a Boston auction house, and Grigori Solodin, a professor of Russian who believes that a unique set of jewels may hold the key to his own ambiguous past. Together these unlikely partners begin to unravel a mystery surrounding a love letter, a poem, and a necklace of unknown provenance, setting in motion a series of revelations that will have life-altering consequences for them all.

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

The Swan Thieves revisits certain themes and strategies of The Historian, chief among them an academic hero who is drawn into a quest for knowledge about the central mystery, only to develop an obsession that becomes the driving force of the plot. Each chapter marks a point of view shift from the previous one, with the narrative shared among a variety of characters telling the story in a variety of ways. The events range from the present moment back to the 19th century of the painters Beatrice de Clerval and her uncle Olivier Vignot, whose intertwined lives, letters, and paintings are at the heart of the story.This time out, Kostova's central character, Andrew Marlow, has a license to ask prying questions as he unravels the secrets and pursues the truth, because he is a psychiatrist. (Before Freud, genre quest novels depended on sleuths like Sherlock Holmes to play this role.) Even though Marlow comes across as a sensible, trained therapist, after only the briefest of encounters with his newly hospitalized patient, the renowned painter Robert Oliver, Marlow develops an obsessive desire to solve the mystery of why Oliver attempted to slash a painting in the National Gallery. Marlow is himself a painter, and the Oliver case has been given to him because of his knowledge of art. But Oliver is uncooperative and mute, though he conveniently gives Marlow permission to talk to anyone in his life before falling silent. Oliver's inexplicable behavior, which includes poring over a stolen cache of old letters written in French, triggers what I can only call a rampant countertransference response in Marlow, whose overwhelming obsession becomes a strange and frequently far-fetched journey of discovery as he persists to the point of trespass and invasion. Is this the crossing of the ultimate border promised by the ARC's jacket copy, the enactment of the fantasy of one's therapist developing an obsessive fascination that blots out all other reality?Less urgent in its events than The Historian, The Swan Thieves makes clear that Kostova's abiding subject is obsession. Legions of fans of the first book have been waiting impatiently, or perhaps even obsessively, for this novel.

The Post-Birthday World: A Novel Lionel Shriver

The smallest details of staid coupledom duel it out with a lusty alternate reality that begins when a woman passes up an opportunity to cheat on her longtime boyfriend in Shriver's latest (after the Orange Prize–winning We Need to Talk About Kevin). Irina McGovern, a children's book illustrator in London, lives in comfortable familiarity with husband-in-everything-but-marriage-certificate Lawrence Trainer, and every summer the two have dinner with their friend, the professional snooker player Ramsey Acton, to celebrate Ramsey's birthday. One year, following Ramsey's divorce and while terrorism specialist "think tank wonk" Lawrence is in Sarajevo on business, Irina and Ramsey have dinner, and after cocktails and a spot of hash, Irina is tempted to kiss Ramsey. From this near-smooch, Shriver leads readers on a two-pronged narrative: one consisting of what Irina imagines would have happened if she had given in to temptation, the other showing Irina staying with Lawrence while fantasizing about Ramsey. With Jamesian patience, Shriver explores snooker tournaments and terrorism conferences, passionate lovemaking and passionless sex, and teases out her themes of ambition, self-recrimination and longing. The result is an impressive if exhausting novel

Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival by Dean King

Some stories are so enthralling they deserve to be retold generation after generation. The wreck in 1815 of the Connecticut merchant ship, Commerce, and the subsequent ordeal of its crew in the Sahara Desert, is one such story. With Skeletons on the Zahara: A True Story of Survival, Dean King refreshes the popular nineteenth-century narrative once read and admired by Henry David Thoreau, James Fenimore Cooper, and Abraham Lincoln. King’s version, which actually draws from two separate first person accounts of the Commerce's crew, offers a page-turning blend of science, history, and classic adventure. The book begins with a seeming false start: tracing the lives of two merchants from North Africa, Seid and Sidi Hamet, who lose their fortunes—and almost their lives—when their massive camel caravan arrives at a desiccated oasis. King then jumps to the voyage of the Commerce under Captain Riley and his 11-man crew. After stops in New Orleans and Gibraltar, the ship falls off course en route to the Canary Islands and ultimately wrecks at the infamous Cape Bojador. After the men survive the first predations of the nomads on the shore, they meander along the coast looking for a way inland as their supplies dwindle. They subsist for days by drinking their own urine. Eventually, to their horror, they discover that they have come aground on the edge of the Sahara Desert. They submit themselves, with hopes of getting food and water, as slaves to the Oulad Bou Sbaa. After days of abuse, they are bought by Hamet, who, after his own experiences with his failed caravan (described at the novels opening), sympathizes with the plight of the crew. Together, they set off on a hellish journey across the desert to collect a bounty for Hamet in Swearah. King embellishes this compelling narrative throughout with scientific and historical material explaining the origins of the camel, the market for English and American slaves, and the stages of dehydration. He also humanizes the Sahrawi with background on the tribes and on the lives of Hamet and Seid. This material, doled out in sufficient amounts to enrich the story without derailing it makes Skeletons on the Zahara a perfectly entertaining bit of history that feels like a guilty pleasure.

The Shadow of the wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The time is the 1950s; the place, Barcelona. Daniel Sempere, the son of a widowed bookstore owner, is 10 when he discovers a novel, The Shadow of the Wind, by Julián Carax. The novel is rare, the author obscure, and rumors tell of a horribly disfigured man who has been burning every copy he can find of Carax's novels. The man calls himself Laín Coubert-the name of the devil in one of Carax's novels. As he grows up, Daniel's fascination with the mysterious Carax links him to a blind femme fatale with a "porcelain gaze," Clara Barceló; another fan, a leftist jack-of-all-trades, Fermín Romero de Torres; his best friend's sister, the delectable Beatriz Aguilar; and, as he begins investigating the life and death of Carax, a cast of characters with secrets to hide. Officially, Carax's dead body was dumped in an alley in 1936. But discrepancies in this story surface. Meanwhile, Daniel and Fermín are being harried by a sadistic policeman, Carax's childhood friend. As Daniel's quest continues, frightening parallels between his own life and Carax's begin to emerge. Ruiz Zafón strives for a literary tone, and no scene goes by without its complement of florid, cute and inexact similes and metaphors (snow is "God's dandruff"; servants obey orders with "the efficiency and submissiveness of a body of well-trained insects"). Yet the colorful cast of characters, the gothic turns and the straining for effect only give the book the feel of para-literature or the Hollywood version of a great 19th-century novel.

A heartbreaking work of staggering genius by Dave Eggers

Literary self-consciousness and technical invention mix unexpectedly in this engaging memoir by Eggers, editor of the literary magazine McSweeney's and the creator of a satiric 'zine called Might, who subverts the conventions of the memoir by questioning his memory, motivations and interpretations so thoroughly that the form itself becomes comic. Despite the layers of ironic hesitation, the reader soon discerns that the emotions informing the book are raw and, more importantly, authentic. After presenting a self-effacing set of "Rules and Suggestions for the Enjoyment of this Book" ("Actually, you might want to skip much of the middle, namely pages 209-301") and an extended, hilarious set of acknowledgments (which include an itemized account of his gross and net book advance), Eggers describes his parents' horrific deaths from cancer within a few weeks of each other during his senior year of college, and his decision to move with his eight year-old brother, Toph, from the suburbs of Chicago to Berkeley, near where his sister, Beth, lives. In California, he manages to care for Toph, work at various jobs, found Might, and even take a star turn on MTV's The Real World. While his is an amazing story, Eggers, now 29, mainly focuses on the ethics of the memoir and of his behavior--his desire to be loved because he is an orphan and admired for caring for his brother versus his fear that he is attempting to profit from his terrible experiences and that he is only sharing his pain in an attempt to dilute it. Though the book is marred by its ending--an unsuccessful parody of teenage rage against the cruel world--it will still delight admirers of structural experimentation and Gen-Xers alike

Cutting for stone by Abraham Verghese

That Abraham Verghese is a doctor and a writer is already established; the miracle of this novel is how organically the two are entwined. I’ve not read a novel wherein medicine, the practice of it, is made as germane to the storytelling process, to the overall narrative, as the author manages to make it happen here. The medical detail is stunning, but it never overwhelms the humane and narrative aspects of this moving and ambitious novel. This is a first-person narration where the first-person voice appears to disappear, but never entirely; only in the beginning are we aware that the voice addressing us is speaking from the womb! And what terrific characters--even the most minor players are given a full history. There is also a sense of great foreboding; by the midpoint of the story, one dreads what will further befall these characters. The foreshadowing is present in the chapter titles, too--‘The School of Suffering’ not least among them! Cutting for Stone is a remarkable achievement.--John Irving

Snow Flower and the secret fan By Lisa See

See's engrossing novel set in remote 19th-century China details the deeply affecting story of lifelong, intimate friends (laotong, or "old sames") Lily and Snow Flower, their imprisonment by rigid codes of conduct for women and their betrayal by pride and love. While granting immediacy to Lily's voice, See (Flower Net) adroitly transmits historical background in graceful prose. Her in-depth research into women's ceremonies and duties in China's rural interior brings fascinating revelations about arranged marriages, women's inferior status in both their natal and married homes, and the Confucian proverbs and myriad superstitions that informed daily life. Beginning with a detailed and heartbreaking description of Lily and her sisters' foot binding ("Only through pain will you have beauty. Only through suffering will you have peace"), the story widens to a vivid portrait of family and village life. Most impressive is See's incorporation of nu shu, a secret written phonetic code among women—here between Lily and Snow Flower—that dates back 1,000 years in the southwestern Hunan province ("My writing is soaked with the tears of my heart,/ An invisible rebellion that no man can see"). As both a suspenseful and poignant story and an absorbing historical chronicle

The Sealed Leter by Emma Donoghue

In 1864 London, after a separation of seven years, Helen, now the wife of Vice-Admiral Codrington, bumps into her old friend Emily Faithful, now a well-known feminist and independent printer. As Donoghue (Slammerkin) deliciously unspools the twisted roots of their intimacy, Emily soon finds herself party to Helen's clandestine affair and snared in the sensational divorce proceedings that ensue (and which are based on an actual case from the period). Donoghue's elegantly styled, richly woven tale absorbs the everyday lives of Victorian women (rich, poor, working, home-bound, feminist, adulteress) and men (officer, lawyer, minister, adulterer, even an amateur detective) in a colorful tapestry of spiraling intrigue, innuendo, speculation and mystery. Characters indulge in pleasures at which Victorian novels could only hint, and which Donoghue renders with aplomb. Period details—etiquette, typesetting, dress, medical treatments, public amusements, shipping and jurisprudence—are rendered with a spare exactitude organic to the story. Donoghue's latest has style and scandal to burn.

Perdita by Paula Byrne

This compelling and richly researched book presents a fascinating portrait of Mary Robinson–darling of the London stage, mistress to the most powerful men in England, feminist thinker, and bestselling author. Though one of the most flamboyant free spirits of the late eighteenth century, Mary led a life that was marked by reversals of fortune. After being abandoned by her father, Mary was married, at age fifteen, to Thomas Robinson, whose dissipation landed the couple and their baby in debtors’ prison. On her release, Mary rose to become one of the London theater’s most alluring actresses, famously playing Perdita in The Winter’s Tale for a rapt audience that included the Prince of Wales, who fell madly in love with her. Never one to pass up an opportunity, she later used his ardent love letters for blackmail. After being struck down by paralysis, apparently following a miscarriage, she remade herself yet again, this time as a popular writer who was also admired by the leading intellectuals of the day.

Filled with triumph and despair and grand accomplishments, the amazing life of “Perdita” is marvelously captured in this stunning biography.

Hunting Unicorns by Bella Pollen

She'd rather be covering a war, but American television journalist Maggie Munroe is sent to England instead to "revisit Brideshead in the twenty-first century" by putting together a story on the aristocracy. To gain access to stately homes, she's put in touch with Rory Jones, who runs Stately Locations, an agency that helps impoverished lords develop commercial opportunities on their estates. Maggie doesn't know that Rory himself is the reluctant heir to an earldom and a huge pile of architecture. Her determination to do more than a puff piece leads her on a wrongheaded investigation of Nazi ties in one family--his family. Inevitably the brash, commitment-phobic Maggie and the drily witty, slightly hapless Rory (picture Hugh Grant) get over their squabbles and yield to their mutual attraction. Narrated alternately by Maggie and by Rory's brother Daniel (whose demise in the first chapter gets him a front-row seat from which to observe Rory's life), this quirky comedy melds romance with a P. G. Wodehouse view of England's upper crust

A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick

Set in 1907 Wisconsin, Goolrick's fiction debut (after a memoir, The End of the World as We Know It) gets off to a slow, stylized start, but eventually generates some real suspense. When Catherine Land, who's survived a traumatic early life by using her wits and sexuality as weapons, happens on a newspaper ad from a well-to-do businessman in need of a "reliable wife," she invents a plan to benefit from his riches and his need. Her new husband, Ralph Truitt, discovers she's deceived him the moment she arrives in his remote hometown. Driven by a complex mix of emotions and simple animal attraction, he marries her anyway. After the wedding, Catherine helps Ralph search for his estranged son and, despite growing misgivings, begins to poison him with small doses of arsenic. Ralph sickens but doesn't die, and their story unfolds in ways neither they nor the reader expect. This darkly nuanced psychological tale builds to a strong and satisfying close.

Johnathon Livingstone Seagull by richard Bach

Most gulls don't bother to learn more than the simplest facts of flight--how to get from shore to food and back again," writes author Richard Bach in this allegory about a unique bird named Jonathan Livingston Seagull. "For most gulls it is not flying that matters, but eating. For this gull, though, it was not eating that mattered, but flight." Flight is indeed the metaphor that makes the story soar. Ultimately this is a fable about the importance of seeking a higher purpose in life, even if your flock, tribe, or neighborhood finds your ambition threatening. (At one point our beloved gull is even banished from his flock.) By not compromising his higher vision, Jonathan gets the ultimate payoff: transcendence. Ultimately, he learns the meaning of love and kindness. The dreamy seagull photographs by Russell Munson provide just the right illustrations--although the overall packaging does seem a bit dated (keep in mind that it was first published in 1970). Nonetheless, this is a spirituality classic, and an especially engaging parable.

A Death in the Familly by James Agee

Published in 1957, two years after its author's death at the age of forty-five, A Death in the Family remains a near-perfect work of art, an autobiographical novel that contains one of the most evocative depictions of loss and grief ever written. As Jay Follet hurries back to his home in Knoxville, Tennessee, he is killed in a car accident-a tragedy that destroys not only a life, but also the domestic happiness and contentment of a young family. A novel of great courage, lyric force, and powerful emotion, A Death in the Family is a masterpiece of American literature.

Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe

The first two-thirds of "Things Fall Apart" is an affectionate description of the culture of an Ibo clan told from an insider's viewpoint, focusing on the life of Okonkwo, one of his tribe's most respected leaders. The customs and religion of the Ibo village are described with sympathy and simplicity, creating a sense of nostalgia for a way of life completely exotic to Western sensibilities, but making the reader feel the force and logic of a traditional culture seen from within. This idyllic description is clouded by the reader's awareness of the culture's fragility, a foreboding sense of pity and of looming disaster. Disaster comes, of course, in the shape of white missionaries. In the last part of the story, evangelizing Christians and English colonial administrators establish themselves in the Ibo village, and act to corrode and unravel the traditional life of the Ibo people. An escalating series of misunderstandings and conflicts between the whites and natives lead to the inevitable tragic ending. In the last paragraph of the novel, the perspective shifts suddenly to that of the English colonial adminstrator, and ends with one of the most powerful and affecting last lines of any novel I've read

Glass Room By Simon Mawer

The story begins with great promise, as Jewish newlyweds Viktor and Liesel Landauer meet with architect Rainier von Abt, not just an architect but "a poet...of light and space and form," who builds their dream home, a "modern house...adapted to the future rather than the past, to the openness of modern living." World events, however, are about to overtake 1930s Czechoslovakia. Viktor, like most in the community, dismisses rumors of impending pogroms-"The only people who hold the German economy together are the Jews"-but once the signs of Nazi occupation become impossible to ignore, the Landauers must abandon their beloved home. In a bizarre twist of fate, however, Liesel insists on rescuing single mother Katra, unaware that Katra is Viktor's new mistress. As the world spins into chaos, the highly symbolic Landauer house is the only constant; though it shifts identities more than once, the house remains "ageless," a place "that defines the very existence of time." Mawer's writing and characters are rich, but his twisty plot depends too often on unbelievable coincidences, especially in the conclusion.

Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi

An inspired blend of memoir and literary criticism, Reading Lolita in Tehran is a moving testament to the power of art and its ability to change and improve people's lives. In 1995, after resigning from her job as a professor at a university in Tehran due to repressive policies, Azar Nafisi invited seven of her best female students to attend a weekly study of great Western literature in her home. Since the books they read were officially banned by the government, the women were forced to meet in secret, often sharing photocopied pages of the illegal novels. For two years they met to talk, share, and "shed their mandatory veils and robes and burst into color." Though most of the women were shy and intimidated at first, they soon became emboldened by the forum and used the meetings as a springboard for debating the social, cultural, and political realities of living under strict Islamic rule. They discussed their harassment at the hands of "morality guards," the daily indignities of living under the Ayatollah Khomeini's regime, the effects of the Iran-Iraq war in the 1980s, love, marriage, and life in general, giving readers a rare inside look at revolutionary Iran. The books were always the primary focus, however, and they became "essential to our lives: they were not a luxury but a necessity," she writes.

Threaded into the memoir are trenchant discussions of the work of Vladimir Nabokov, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Jane Austen, and other authors who provided the women with examples of those who successfully asserted their autonomy despite great odds. The great works encouraged them to strike out against authoritarianism and repression in their own ways, both large and small: "There, in that living room, we rediscovered that we were also living, breathing human beings; and no matter how repressive the state became, no matter how intimidated and frightened we were, like Lolita we tried to escape and to create our own little pockets of freedom," she writes. In short, the art helped them to survive

Olive Kitterage by Elizabeth Strout

Thirteen linked tales from Strout (Abide with Me, etc.) present a heart-wrenching, penetrating portrait of ordinary coastal Mainers living lives of quiet grief intermingled with flashes of human connection. The opening Pharmacy focuses on terse, dry junior high-school teacher Olive Kitteridge and her gregarious pharmacist husband, Henry, both of whom have survived the loss of a psychologically damaged parent, and both of whom suffer painful attractions to co-workers. Their son, Christopher, takes center stage in A Little Burst, which describes his wedding in humorous, somewhat disturbing detail, and in Security, where Olive, in her 70s, visits Christopher and his family in New York. Strout's fiction showcases her ability to reveal through familiar details—the mother-of-the-groom's wedding dress, a grandmother's disapproving observations of how her grandchildren are raised—the seeds of tragedy. Themes of suicide, depression, bad communication, aging and love, run through these stories, none more vivid or touching than Incoming Tide, where Olive chats with former student Kevin Coulson as they watch waitress Patty Howe by the seashore, all three struggling with their own misgivings about life. Like this story, the collection is easy to read and impossible to forget. Its literary craft and emotional power will surprise readers unfamiliar with Strout

Hard Rain Falling By Don Carpenter

Don Carpenter’s Hard Rain Falling is a tough-as-nails account of being down and out, but never down for good—a Dostoyevskian tale of crime, punishment, and the pursuit of an ever-elusive redemption. The novel follows the adventures of Jack Levitt, an orphaned teenager living off his wits in the fleabag hotels and seedy pool halls of Portland, Oregon. Jack befriends Billy Lancing, a young black runaway and pool hustler extraordinaire. A heist gone wrong gets Jack sent to reform school, from which he emerges embittered by abuse and solitary conﬁnement. In the meantime Billy has joined the middle class—married, fathered a son, acquired a business and a mistress. But neither Jack nor Billy can escape their troubled pasts, and they will meet again in San Quentin before their strange double drama comes to a violent and revelatory end.

James Tiptree, Jr: The double Life of Alice B Sheldon by Julie Phillips.

Journalist Phillips has achieved a wonder: an evenhanded, scrupulously documented, objective yet sympathetic portrait of a deliberately elusive personality: Alice Sheldon (1915–1987), who adopted the persona of science fiction writer James Tiptree Jr. Working from Sheldon's (and Tiptree's) few interviews; Sheldon's professional papers, many unpublished; and the papers of Sheldon's writer-explorer-socialite mother, Phillips has crafted an absorbing mélange of several disparate lives besides Sheldon's, each impacting hers like a deadly off-course asteroid. From Sheldon's sad poor-little-rich-girlhood to her sadder suicide (by a prior pact first shooting her blind and bedridden husband), Sheldon, perpetually wishing she'd been born a boy, made what she called "endless makeshift" attempts to express her tormenting creativity as, among others, a debutante, a flamboyant bohemian, a WAC officer, a CIA photoanalyst, and a research scientist before producing Tiptree's "haunting, subversive, many-layered [science] fiction" at 51. Sheldon masked her authorship until 1976, and afterward produced little fiction, feeling that a woman writing as a man could not be convincing. Through all the ironic sorrows of a life Sheldon wished she hadn't had to live as a woman, Phillips steadfastly and elegantly allows one star, bright as the Sirius Sheldon loved, to gleam.

Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

From Library Journal

"I wasn't born and raised to be a Kyoto geisha....I'm a fisherman's daughter from a little town called Yoroido on the Sea of Japan." How nine-year-old Chiyo, sold with her sister into slavery by their father after their mother's death, becomes Sayuri, the beautiful geisha accomplished in the art of entertaining men, is the focus of this fascinating first novel. Narrating her life story from her elegant suite in the Waldorf Astoria, Sayuri tells of her traumatic arrival at the Nitta okiya (a geisha house), where she endures harsh treatment from Granny and Mother, the greedy owners, and from Hatsumomo, the sadistically cruel head geisha. But Sayuri's chance meeting with the Chairman, who shows her kindness, makes her determined to become a geisha. Under the tutelage of the renowned Mameha, she becomes a leading geisha of the 1930s and 1940s. After the book's compelling first half, the second half is a bit flat and overlong. Still, Golden, with degrees in Japanese art and history, has brilliantly revealed the culture and traditions of an exotic world, closed to most Westerners.

April Book Club

2011-03-08T19:41:00.001-05:00

Book Club meeting next month on Monday 4th at 7pm, potential rain date Monday the 11th. I have plenty of copies here for any one who needs one. Happy reading I look forward to hearing your thoughts.

Here is a brief synopsis: As Louise Erdrich's magical novel The Antelope Wife opens, a cavalry soldier pursues a dog with an Ojibwa baby strapped to its back. For days he follows them through "the vast carcass of the world west of the Otter Tail River" until finally the dog allows him to approach and handle the child--a girl, not yet weaned, who latches onto his nipples until, miraculously, they begin to give milk. In another kind of novel, this might be a metaphor. But this is the fictional world of Louise Erdrich, where myth is woven deeply into the fabric of everyday life. A famous cake tastes of grief, joy, and the secret ingredient: fear. The tie that binds the antelope wife to her husband is, literally, the strip of sweetheart calico he used to yoke her hand to his. Legendary characters sew beads into colorful patterns, and these patterns become the design of the novel itself.

March book Club

2011-02-08T19:20:00.004-05:00

This March book club will be reading The Shadow of the wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

The novel, set in post–Spanish Civil War Barcelona, concerns a young boy, Daniel Sempere. Just after the war, Daniel's father takes him to the secret Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a huge library of old, forgotten titles lovingly preserved by a select few initiates. According to tradition, everyone initiated to this secret place is allowed to take one book from it, and must protect it for life. Daniel selects a book called The Shadow of the Wind by Julián Carax. That night he takes the book home and reads it, completely engrossed. Daniel then attempts to look for other books by this unknown author, but can find none. All he comes across are stories of a strange man – calling himself Laín Coubert, after a character in the book who happens to be the Devil – who has been seeking out Carax's books for decades, buying them all and burning them.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments.

Ellie

The Votes are in and the next 6 picks are ...

2011-01-24T18:24:00.003-05:00

Hi Every one,

Thank you for taking the time to read my blurbs and vote for the next 6 months books to read.
Isn't it funny how some books were runaway favorites and others received no votes at all. I was really hoping that people would vote for Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden I love the story and the magical yet crazy life these women had to live. Any way enough of my wistfulness and on to the list.

February: The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruis Zafon
March: The Antelope Wife by Louise Erdrich
April: Of Love and Other Demons by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
May: The Post office Girl by Stefan Zweig
June: The Curious Incident of the Dead Dog in the Night Time by Mark Hadden
July: The Ghost in Love by Jonathon Carroll

I hope that you found something on the list that you like and want to read. Don't forget to come to the next meeting on Monday the 7th of February when we will be discussing new books to add to the list as well as The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro.

Happy reading

Ellie

February book choice

2011-01-04T19:01:00.003-05:00

Hi Every one

We will be reading Remains of the day by Kazuo Ishiguro for the February book club.

A compelling psychological study and a portrait of a vanished social order. Stevens, an elderly butler who has spent 30 years in the service of Lord Darlington, ruminates on the past and inadvertently slackens his rigid grip on his emotions to confront the central issues of his life. Glacially reserved, snobbish and humorless, Stevens has devoted his life to his concept of duty and responsibility, hoping to reach the pinnacle of his profession through totally selfless dedication and a ruthless suppression of sentiment.

looking forward to seeing you at the meeting on Monday the 7th at 7pm

Ellie

Next meeting

2010-12-30T17:15:00.001-05:00

Hi every one jsut a quick reminder that we will be meeting on Monday at 7pm to discuss Midwives by Chris Bohjalian and also to pick the books for the next 12 months !

I hope to see you here

Happy Holidays and a great New Year

Ellie

Januarys Book

2010-12-07T19:08:00.002-05:00

In Midwives, Chris Bohjalian chronicles the events leading up to the trial of Sibyl Danforth, a respected midwife in the small Vermont town of Reddington, on charges of manslaughter. It quickly becomes evident, however, that Sibyl is not the only one on trial--the prosecuting attorney and the state's medical community are all anxious to use this tragedy as ammunition against midwifery in general; this particular midwife, after all, an ex-hippie who still evokes the best of the flower-power generation, is something of an anachronism in 1981. Through it all, Sibyl, her husband, Rand, and their teenage daughter, Connie, attempt to keep their family intact, but the stress of the trial--and Sibyl's growing closeness to her lawyer--puts pressure on both marriage and family. Bohjalian takes readers through the intricacies of childbirth and the law, and by the end of Sibyl Danforth's trial, it's difficult to decide which was more harrowing--the tragic delivery or its legal aftermath. ( book review from Amazon.com)

I have plenty of copies for anyone that still needs one. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts, happy ready and have a great holidays

Ellie

The People of the book

2010-12-07T17:35:00.002-05:00

Hi Every one

Thank you so much for braving the chilly weather and coming out last night to discuss Geraldine Brooks novel The people of the book.

Geraldine Brooks has once again written a very through and thought provoking novel. She was inspired to write after reading about the Sarajevo Haggadah a mysterious codex.

One of the earliest Jewish religious volumes to be illuminated with images, the Sarajevo Haggadah survived centuries of purges and wars thanks to people of all faiths who risked their lives to safeguard it. In the hands of Hanna Heath, an impassioned rare-book expert restoring the manuscript in 1996 Sarajevo, it yields clues to its guardians and whereabouts: an insect wing, a wine stain, salt crystals, and a white hair. Hanna pursues its secrets scientifically, and finds that some interests will still risk everything in the name of protecting this treasure. A complex love story, thrilling mystery, vivid history lesson, and celebration of the enduring power of ideas
People of the Book is filled with unforgettable voices from the past, but it is Hanna’s voice—edgy, contemporary—that makes People of the Book a compulsively readable adventure story that transcends the usual boundaries of historical fiction. (Mari Malcolm)

I think I can speak for all of the group in saying that every one loved the book. It was fascinating and intriguing and so well researched. For a topic that could be overwhelming with information I have to say that it was beautifully written and a pleasure to read. Elaine commented that if you had read the book from back to front (starting with the last chapter and working back like a hebrew text) that the story would have evolved in order instead of starting at the end and finishing at the beginning. Lori thought that perhaps the cover could have been a little more inspiring and had hoped that it would have had a copy of the girl in the saffron scarf on it instead of the insect wing. On a funny note Rose found a wine stain on her book ! on the very section that discusses the wine stain in the Haggadah (we wondered if this had been deliberate?). We all loved the intricacy of description especially those of the illustrations and the processes behind the paint brushes and colors.

For more information about the actual events The New Yorker chronicles the original books amazing adventures.

For those of you who didn't make it or have already forgotten what we are reading next ... we will be reading Midwives by Chris Bohjalian. The meeting will be on January 3rd 2011 at 7pm. We have also decided to choose the books in advance for the whole year, which will hopefully reduce the amount of times that we are left with no books because of erratic ILL. So I will be coming with a list of 24 books for us to whittle down to 12.

I look forward to seeing you all there

Ellie

December title

2010-11-22T19:38:00.002-05:00

Hi every one

just in case you missed the last meeting we will be reading The People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks.

One of the earliest Jewish religious volumes to be illuminated with images, the Sarajevo Haggadah survived centuries of purges and wars thanks to people of all faiths who risked their lives to safeguard it. Geraldine Brooks, has turned its history into a rich, thrilling story that retraces its journey. In the hands of Hanna Heath, an impassioned rare-book expert restoring the manuscript in 1996 Sarajevo, it yields clues to its guardians and whereabouts: an insect wing, a wine stain, salt crystals, and a white hair. While readers experience crucial moments in the book's history through a series of fascinating, fleshed-out short stories, Hanna pursues its secrets scientifically, and finds that some interests will still risk everything in the name of protecting this treasure. (amazon review Mari Malcolm)

The next meeting will be on Monday the 6th of December at 7pm

Happy reading

Ellie

November 2nd

2010-11-01T18:49:00.000-04:00

Book Club Tonight, I'm looking forward to seeing you all there.

happy reading

Ellie

Updated Suggested Reading List

2010-10-06T20:00:00.001-04:00

Patricia:

*
Pillars of the earth, Ken Follett
*
The people of the book, Geraldine Brooks

Jennifer:

*
Death in Venice, Thomas Mann
*
Magic Mountain, Thomas Mann
*
Rivals by Doris Kearns Goodwin
*
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
*
The private patient, P D James

Jennifer:

* A thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini
* Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
* The march of folly: from troy to Vietnam by Barbara W. Tuchman
* Girl in Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland

Martha

* Salt: A history by Mark Kurlansky
* Our Town by Thornton Wilder
* The Billionaire's Vinegar by Benjamin Wallace

Sybil

* Three cups of tea, Greg Mortenson
* The places in between by Rory Stewart

Pam

* The beekeepers apprentice, Laurie R King
* A prayer for Owen meany, John Irving
* In Defense of Food: an Eaters Manifesto by Michael Pollan
* Animals make us human by Temple Grandin
* The Downhill Lie by Carl Hiaasen

Nina

* Snow flower and the secret fan, Lisa See
* Secret life of bees, Sue Monk Kidd
* Plum Spooky by Janet Evanovich
* Cant wait to get to heaven by Fannie Flagg
* Cyrano de Begerac by Edmond: Rostand

Ellie

* Interpreter of Maladies, Jhumpa Lahiri
* St Agnes Stand, Thomas Eidson
* Of Love and Other Demons, Gabriel Garcia Marquez
* The Time Travelers Wife. Audrey Niffengger
* The Interpretation of Murder, Jed Rubenfeld

Lori

* The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

Rose

* The Dead by James Joyce

Mary

* The peculiar sadness of lemon cake by Amiee Bender
* Midwives by Chris Bohjalian

Jeff

* No.1 Ladies Detective Agency by Alexander Mcall Smith
* The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright

Octobers Meeting

2010-10-06T19:47:00.000-04:00

Hi Every one

Thank you to every one who braved the wet and windy evening to come to book group this week. As I'm sure you all remember the book that we were supposed to be reading didn't come in from ILL so we discussed things that we had read lately and really enjoyed.

I always find it fascinating to listen to people talk about books that they have really loved and Monday night was no exception.

Rose had just finished reading A gate to the stairs by Laurie Moore a brittly witty and lurkingly dark, portrait of a Midwest college town through the eyes of Tassie Keltjin, a student from the country whose mind has been lit up by learning but who spends nearly all this story out of class, as a nanny for a couple who have adopted a toddler. Tassie's a bit of a toddler herself (and an ideal narrator because of it), testing the world as if through her teeth, and she finds the world stranger and more deeply wounded the more she learns of it.

Mary talked about Secrets of Eden by Chris Bohjalin a novel about domestic violence, with wonderfully emotional characters that are well developed and interesting to read about. Each character in the book gets a chapter of their own, which gives you a really interesting insight to the persons way of thinking and how they have experienced what has happened.

Elaine spoke about Isabel Allende's novel Zorro. A historical look at Spanish and American history, following the travels of Zorro and his adventures. The book was quick moving and very exciting, what was particularly nice was the addition of a map so thatyou could visualize the journey.

I talked about St Agnes Stand by Thomas Eidson. Set in 1858 in the New Mexico desert Nat Swanson the protaganist is on the run from a vengeful posse, in the hope of a new life in California. In a dry river bed he spots an overturned wagon surrounded by Apaches. What follows is a facinating series of events featuring a Nun who can shoot a gun and play poker and an embattled man who confront their fates together inorder to save a small child. I love this story, and its descriptions of the environment.

Next month we will be reading Forever by Pete Hamill, I have copies behind the desk for anyone who needs one. We will be meeting on Monday the 1st of November at 7pm, I look forward to seeing you all there and hearing your thoughts.

Happy Reading

Ellie Rock

Next Meeting

2010-09-27T18:14:00.003-04:00

Hi Every one

As you may have noticed the books for the next meeting still have not arrived ! So I am proposing something a little different this time around. What I thought was we could all give a brief synopsis on our most favorite or recently read book instead. I know this is unusual but it would be a shame to have a meeting with no books to discuss.

I hope that you are all game !

Happy Reading

Ellie

Book Club in September

2010-09-16T19:22:00.002-04:00

Thank you to everyone that came to the book club on Monday, What a marvelous turnout and glorious food. Notes on the meeting and our thoughts on Julia to follow.

Happy reading

Ellie

September Book Club

2010-08-18T17:29:00.003-04:00

Hi Every One

Just a quick reminder that Septembers book club will be meeting on Monday 13th as we are closed for Labor day on the first Monday. We will be discussing the Biography on Julia Child, Appetite for Life by Noel Riley Fitch. I will be bringing some Julia Child inspired snacks, please feel free to get creative and bring something along.

I look forward to seeing you, and hearing your thoughts

Happy Reading
Ellie

August Book CLub Notes

2010-08-02T20:58:00.002-04:00

Hi Every one

Thank you all for coming, what a great book we had up for discussion this month. A.S. Byatt's Booker Prize winning novel Possession has a wonderful mix of romance,historical, mystery and academia.

The focus of the story being on Maud Bailey and Roland Michell, two scholars who are both researching poets. After Roland finds a draft of a letter (which he then purloins from the library he found it in) from Randolph Ash to an unknown lady the search begins, who is this lady ? and could this help Roland with his research on the poet ? This is how Maud and Roland meet and thus begins the adventure within the story.

Byatt uses a wonderful series of Poems and Letters between Ash and LaMotte (the unnamed lady in the original letter) to add depth and fluidity to the story, each chapter began with a poem or segment from a letter drawing the reader into the entwined romances and also there mysteries. What was so lovely was that the poets were completely fictional, Byatt created them and in doing so could use them to portray the time period and its influences. Both poets had a very individual style, Ash's poems were open and sparse and Lamotte's were simplistic and showed obvious patterns of rhythm and rhyme. There were also many references to to great poets and authors throughout the book and we all thought that it would have been nice to have studied this a little further to get the full impact of all the nuances. For example Roland "Purloins" the original papers from the library, this is a direct reference to Poe's "The Purloined Letters" which was said to have been the first example of the detective fiction genre.

Although some of us thought that the poetry was burdensome, and the novel somewhat wordy (it runs a hefty 555 pages) it was generally agreed that after the first 100 pages we had all been taken into the story and wanted to continue and find out what would happen next. What we also found was that the poetry held the story together, creating a branch from the modern day back into the past. Although it would have been nice to have had a study guide to use as reference along side it as many of us were rusty when it comes to reading and understanding poetry.

Possession was a great title and the author went to great lengths to utilize it within the book from wide and varied angles,
such as :

the possession of the letters
being possessed by something
being possessed from a distance
trying to be independent from possession
lovers and how they can possess you
greed and how it can possess a person

The main themes of the book focused on religion, feminism and evolution. All important topics back in the Victorian times that Ash and LaMotte lived in, which were also reflected in the modern time with Roland and Maud.

Overall I think we all loved the book for its wonderful story and the fact that it challenged us to read in areas that we were not so familiar with.

For any one that is interested I still have copies behind the desk and I have also ILL a study guide to help with Historical references and poem commentary.

Next months book will be Appetite for Life a Biography about Julia Child. We will be meeting on the 13th of September at 7pm I look forward to hearing your thoughts

Happy Reading

Ellie Rock

Book Club in August

2010-06-30T19:09:00.002-04:00

Hi everyone

We will be reading Possession, a romance by A.S Byatt a novel of mystery romance and comedy. Byatt won a Booker Prize for this novel that is full of wit intellectual and emotion. I have ordered in copies from Inter Library Loan and they should be in next week.

Looking forward to seeing you all, next week

Happy Reading

Ellie

The Elegance of the hedgehog

2010-06-29T17:55:00.002-04:00

Hi Everyone

Next book club meeting will be on Monday the 12th of July at 7pm. We will be reading The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

I look forward to hearing your thoughts

Happy reading

Ellie

Admissions June 7th at 2010

2010-06-07T18:06:00.003-04:00

Hi Every one

We are discussing Jean Hanff Korelitz book Admission tonight at 7pm

Happy Reading

Ellie

Thank you so much to all those who made it to the event on Sunday. Jean Hanff Korelitz gave a wonderful reading of her book and we had a great turn out, what a wonderful way to raise money for our Library. Thanks once again

Out Stealing Horses

2010-05-10T17:34:00.000-04:00

Hi Every one,

So lovely to see you all on Monday. For those of you who couldn't make it or who need a quick recap on what we discussed at the book group meeting here are so brief notes.

The novel begins in a remote part of eastern Norway with an elderly widower. Trond Sander moves into a sparse house hoping to spend time in quiet reflection, something that he has always yearned for. A brief encounter with his neighbor causes Trond to contemplate the summer of 1948. Trond's thoughts focus on one afternoon when he and a friend depart on an adventure which ends traumatically and scars him emotionally for the rest of his life.

Petterson's writing style is amazingly still and his sentences though long are full of quiet emotion. The group liked his writing style and compared it to that of Cooper who also was fond of using long sentences. Petterson created a mental and physical description of the landscape without resorting to exhaustive passages of scenery which was very refreshing. The juxtaposition between the childhood reflection and the current day was enjoyable and kept up the pace of the story. However some of the readers found this back and forth style a little confusing. The novel shows a realistic process of how someone deals with loss during different phases of life.

Over all we decided that though the book was interesting and well written it would probably not be well remembered because of its quiet still nature.

We have chosen to read Admission by Jean Hanff Korelitz for Junes book club and I look forward to hearing what you all have to say. We will be meeting at 7pm on Monday the 7th of June.

Ellie Rock

P.s The Friend of Hopewell Library are organizing an author event with a book signing and reading by Jean Hanff Korelitz on June 13 from 4:30-6:30. Tickets are $40 and all proceeds will be for the benefit of Hopewell Public Library. Tickets are avaliable from www.friendsofhopewelllibrary.com or from the Library. We thank you for your support.

Meeting on Monday

2010-04-28T12:02:00.002-04:00

Hi Every one

I hope that you have all enjoyed reading this months book, don't forget that we are meeting next Monday at 7pm to discuss and I am really looking forward to hearing what you think of the story.

Hope to see you there

Happy Reading

Ellie

Book Group Meeting

2010-04-07T17:16:00.001-04:00

Hi Every one

Thank you for coming to Book Club on Monday it was so lovely to see you all. For those of you who couldn't make it last night or have forgotten already this is what we talked about.

This last month we have been reading The Given Day by Dennis Lehane. This epic novel is set in Boston, and starts after the Boston Red Sox's won the world Series in 1919. The prologue of the book cleverly features all of the themes ( race, politics, class, family, immigration, nepotism and corruption) that are in the book leaving you with an understanding of what to expect from the beginning of the novel.

Lehane uses influential figures of the time such as Babe Ruth to add flavor and atmosphere. But he also used Babe's character as a break from the politics and painted a picture of the bubble he created for himself to keep reality out.

It was interesting to read about this period in time that featured so many major events that changed society. The clamp down on civil liberty, prohibition,Terrorism, the Spanish influenza epidemic and of course the Boston Police Strike of 1919

Whilst the majority of the readers enjoyed the book many felt that some of the descriptions and fight scenes were to epic and could have done with better editing, at 702 pages the novel is really quite long. It must also be said that some felt the story lacked depth and complexity suggesting that it would make a great grade B movie !

However we were all left wondering why the book used the title The Given Day and wondered what the relevance of the title was for Lehane.

Once again a lovely meeting and I look forward to seeing you all next month.

Happy Reading

Ellie

May Book Club

2010-04-06T18:55:00.002-04:00

HI Every One

The next book we will be reading is Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson.

Trond’s friend Jon often appeared at his doorstep with an adventure in mind for the two of them. But this morning was different. What began as a joy ride on “borrowed” horses ends with Jon falling into a strange trance of grief. Trond soon learns what befell Jon earlier that day—an incident that marks the beginning of a series of vital losses for both boys.

Set in the easternmost region of Norway, Out Stealing Horses begins with an ending. Sixty-seven-year-old Trond has settled into a rustic cabin in an isolated area to live the rest of his life with a quiet deliberation. A meeting with his only neighbor, however, forces him to reflect on that fateful summer.

I look forward to hearing all of your thoughts and comments when we meet next month.

The next book club will be Monday the 3rd of May at 7:00pm

Happy reading

Ellie

2010-03-05T14:05:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone

I feel at last that the Winter is finally coming to an end, so i am hoping that you can all find time in your busy schedules to come to Book Group next month. We will be reading The Given Day by Denis Lehane. I currently have two copies behind the desk and more are winging there way over via Inter Library Loan.

The Given Day is set in Boston at the end of the First World War, capturing the political and social unrest of a nation caught at the crossroads between past and future. There is a cast of unforgettable characters that tell the story of two families--one black, one white--swept up in a maelstrom of revolutionaries and anarchists, immigrants and ward bosses, all engaged in a battle for survival and power.

Lehane uses some of the most influential figures of the era--Babe Ruth, Woodrow Wilson; Massachusetts governor Calvin Coolidge; and an ambitious young Department of Justice lawyer named John Hoover to keep the story flowing from one event to the next.

Coursing through some of the pivotal events of the time--including the Spanish Influenza pandemic--and culminating in the Boston Police Strike of 1919, The Given Day explores the crippling violence and irrepressible exuberance of a country at war with, and in the thrall of, itself.

The Next Book Group will be meeting on April 5th at 7pm, I look forward to seeing you all and hearing your thoughts.

Happy Reading

Ellie

February Book Club

2010-01-19T17:32:00.002-05:00

Hi Every One

We have decided to read the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Marie Ann Shaffer and Annie Burrows at the next Book club meeting.
The story begins in January 1946, a writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society is a wonderful story about love, war and the support that can be found in good books and with good friends.
I look forward to seeing you all and hearing your thoughts.

The Meeting will be on February 1st at 7pm.

Happy reading

Ellie

selected stories alice munro

2009-12-10T12:10:00.001-05:00

Hi Everyone

Just a brief note to say that after some discussion at the Book group on Monday we have decided to continue reading Selected Stories by Alice Munro until the next meeting to give it total justice. I am trying to get some more copies in and will let you know if any turn up !!!

An updated list of books to read will follow with the next email

In the mean time have a very wonderful Festive holiday and happy reading

The next meeting will be January 11th at 7pm

Ellie Rock

Witches of Eastwick and Widows of Eastwick

2009-10-07T18:44:00.003-04:00

Hi Every one, I know its been a while since the last post, but the summer holidays and having a baby created a delay to my blog. I hope that you all enjoyed your summer reading, and thank you for the great turn out on Monday and the wonderful discussion.

For those of you who didn't make it on Monday we had a wonderful discussion about the Witches of Eastwick and the Widows of Eastwick. The general consensus was that nobody would recommend these books to anyone unless they were particular fans of John Updike or had a very low opinion of women. However there appeared to be plenty of opinions on the books and its characters.

The main subjects of the novels are the fallout of sex and adultery and how it causes friction in relationships and also the development and change in society and how it affected a womans roles and social arrangments in the Sixties and Seventies. It's quite obvious that John Updike has a very low opinion of women and he reflects this in the novels. He suggests that women loose all sense of reality when they have been liberated and empowered presenting them as jealous and vindictive witches.The stories were perhaps weighed down by the epic descriptions that appeared in the middle of conversations and went on for several pages (I personally found this quite pleasing but the majority felt it dragged the story and made keeping up with the dialogue confusing).

The group found the discussion of aging something that they could all relate to.

In conclusion they were good but not great novels and the "Rabbit" series also by John Updike were considered much better.

After much discussion we have picked "Loving Frank" by Nancy Horan for the next book group meeting, which will be on the 2nd of November at 7pm. I have ordered copies on the inter library loan and will let you know when they come in, we also have one copy available at the library now if any one is interested.

I Look forward to seeing you all and hearing your thoughts

Happy reading

Ellie

Summer Reading

2009-07-09T10:56:00.004-04:00

Over the summer the book group will be reading the Witches of Eastwick and the Widows of Eastwick by John Updike.

In the first novel John Updike astutely recognizes the modern American suburb, with its hypocritical social mores and superstitions, as a rich literary setting. Into this milieu he introduces the fantastical and invents a tale of what life would be like for three divorced and bored housewives, who happen to be witches, living in such a place -- the fictitious Eastwick, Rhode Island -- in the late 1960's.

In the second novel Thirty years after the witches worked their black magic on their enemies, earning the enmity of many of its citizens, they decide to return to Eastwick for a summer vacation. The three women have all been widowed and there attitudes have changed.

The next book group will be meeting on the ~~last monday the 28th of September~~ monday the 5th of October at 7pm I look forward to seeing you all there. Have a great summer, and if you need more reading suggestions there is a list at the desk at the library.

Ellie

July 6th Book group

2009-06-02T18:19:00.003-04:00

The next book group will be meeting on the 6th of July at 7pm
The book on discussion is Blackberry wine. Joanne Harris, shifts her focus from her first novel Chocolat about food to drink, choosing a half-dozen bottles of homemade plonk as the catalyst for her "layman's alchemy." The story is narrated by a bottle of Fleurie 1962: "A pert, garrulous wine, cheery and little brash, with a pungent taste of blackcurrant!"

I have plenty of copies behind the desk for anyone that needs one and i look forward to hearing your thoughts and reviews at the next meeting

In the meantime happy reading

Ellie

June Book Choice

2009-04-28T19:16:00.002-04:00

The next months book club pick is A prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving.

A Prayer for Owen Meany is a novel by American writer John Irving. It tells the story of John Wheelwright and his best friend Owen Meany growing up together in a small New England town during the 1950-60s. Owen is quite a remarkable boy in many ways; he believes himself to be God's instrument and journeys on an extraordinary path of death, birth, love, disclosure and sacrifice.

This looks like an intriguing book and i lookforard to hearing all your thoughts.

I have copies behind the Library desk if anyone needs one

Looking forward to seeing you on June 1st at 7pm

Ellie

April Book Club Choice

2009-04-01T11:45:00.003-04:00

The next months book choice is The March of Folly by Barbara W. Tuchman

Twice a winner of the Pulitzer Prize, author Barbara Tuchman tackles the presence of folly in governments through the ages. Defining folly as the pursuit by governments of policies contrary to their own interersts, despite the availability of feasible alternatives, Tuchman details four decisive turning points in history that illustrate the very heights of folly in government: the Trojan War, the breakup of the Holy See provoked by the Renaissance Popes, the loss of the American colonies by Britain's George III, and the United States' persistent folly in Vietnam. THE MARCH OF FOLLY brings the people, places, and events of history magnificently alive for today's reader.

This looks like an exciting and informative read and i look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments

Ellie

Next Meeting

2009-03-16T18:45:00.002-04:00

The next book club meeting will be:

Monday 30th March 2009 at 7pm

We will be discussing 'The Art of Racing in the Rain' by Garth Stein, and also potential books for the next months ahead reading selection. New comers are very welcome

I look forward to hearing your reviews, if you have any questions in the mean time please contact me at erock@njstatelib.org.

Ellie

Book Group

2009-02-24T18:22:00.004-05:00

Welcome to everyone who joined us for the first book group this week, i had worried that there wouldn't be enough to say as this was the first meeting and we had no book to discuss, but there were certainly no problems there.

We have decided to read " The art of racing in the rain" by Garth Stein, for anyone that couldn't make the meeting or who would like to come next month, please let me know if you need a copy of the book as we are borrowing them from another library.

The book is a heart-wrenching but deeply funny and uplifting story of family, love, loyalty, and hope, The Art of Racing in the Rain is a beautifully crafted and captivating look at the wonders and absurdities of human life . . . as only a dog could tell it. I hope that you all enjoy it !

Looking forward to hearing all of your reviews next month

Ellie

Book Lists

2008-05-01T13:57:00.000-04:00

The Hopewell Public Library has a growing collection of books available in multiple copies.
These titles are ideal for book clubs. We will continue to purchase titles that may be used by clubs but they will also be available for use by individual patrons of the library.
This blog will list the book titles and authors and will include a brief description of each book.
You may call the library to reserve these titles and we encourage you to do so. The Library's phone number is 466-1625.