June Events for Adults @ Hayward Public Library

Mystery & Suspense
Tuesday, June 1st @ 11:30 a.m., Le Paradis Bakery (D St. and Mission) and 6:30 - 7:45 p.m., Main Library

In Lisa Scottoline's legal thriller/mystery, Lady Killer, Mary DiNunzio, a South Philadelphia attorney, good Catholic girl and dutiful daughter, takes on a case involving her old high school nemesis, Trish Gambone, the leader of the "Mean Girls," who used to bully Mary mercilessly. Trish has turned in desperation to Mary, the all-around most-likely-to-achieve-sainthood good girl, for help in coping with her abusive and possibly mob-connected boyfriend, Bobby Mancuso. Trish rejects Mary's practical advice, but once Trish disappears, Mary finds herself under pressure from the rest of the Mean Girls to find Trish. Then a body is found, the Feds move in on Bobby, and Mary is neglecting her legal practice while desperately chasing leads all over South Philly and falling in love with a very inappropriate man!

Discussion facilitated by Heidi.Ontiveros@hayward-ca.gov, 510-881-7975.

Mostly Literary Fiction
Monday, June 14th @ Noon, Peet's Coffee (B St. and Mission) and 6:30-7:45 p.m., Main Library

We will discuss Franny and Zooey, two interrelated stories by J.D. Salinger (1919-2010). The stories, originally published in The New Yorker magazine and later in book form in 1961, concern Franny and Zooey Glass, two members of the family that was the subject of most of Salinger's short fiction. Franny is an intellectually precocious late adolescent who tries to attain spiritual purification by obsessively reiterating the "Jesus prayer" as an antidote to the perceived superficiality and corruptness of life. In the second story, Franny's brother, Zooey, attempts to heal her by pointing out that her constant repetition of the "Jesus prayer" is as self-involved and egotistical as the egotism against which she rails.

Discussion facilitated by Sally.Thomas@hayward-ca.gov, 510-881-7700. Not able to attend meetings but want to discuss this book with others? Join GoodReads.com and participate in online discussions! You must have an account on GoodReads.com to participate. Contact Sally for more information.

Autobiography & Memoir
Wednesday, June 16th @ 6:30 - 7:30 p.m., Main Library

On December 10, 1996, Jill Bolte Taylor, a 37-year-old Harvard-trained brain scientist, experienced a massive stroke in the left hemisphere of her brain. As she observed her mind deteriorating to the point that she could not walk, talk, read, write, or recall any of her life-all within four hours-Taylor alternated between the euphoria of the intuitive and kinesthetic right brain, in which she felt a sense of complete well-being and peace, and the logical, sequential left brain, which recognized she was having a stroke and enabled her to seek help before she was completely lost. It would take her eight years to fully recover. For Taylor, the stroke was a blessing and a revelation. In My Stroke of Insight, Taylor provides a valuable recovery guide for those touched by brain injury and an inspiring testimony that inner peace is accessible to anyone.

Discussion facilitated by Abbe.Kalos@hayward-ca.gov, 510-881-7941.