Lots to catch up on.. first off I loved Barbara Kingsolver's novel
The Lacuna. I was really surprised by how much the story captivated me- really liked her Mexican descriptives. Now need to watch the movie
Frida. This month the DCRG read
Pope Joan by Donna Woolfolk Cross. It was pretty much a unanimous hit and spurred interesting conversation about the possibility of a female pope and Catholicism in the Dark Ages. Our current selection is
The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton, an author who, along with her other historical fiction titles, has been getting a lot of attention lately. A lot of book groups have Rebecca Skloot's
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks on upcoming lists. Lacks died in the 'colored' ward of John Hopkins in the 1950's and her cells subsequently harvested. These cells proved to be unmatched in their ability to thrive and HeLa cells made untold vaccines, experiments and breakthroughs possible. Her descendants were unaware of her scientific contribution for years and, ironically, some heirs today lack health insurance. Lots of interesting questions for discussion-it comes out in paperback March 8. Another recent paperback that also looks fascinating from the scientific aspect is
Asleep by Molly Caldwell Crosby. Crosby tackles the encephalitis lethargica plague that circled the globe from 1918 to 1927. Kenneth Slawenski's new bio
JD Salinger just hit the shelves- has gotten good reviews. Amy Beres raved so highly about Emma Donoghue's bestseller
Room that I immediately picked it up. This story about a woman kidnapped at age 19 and held captive in a 120 sq. ft. shed for seven years is told from the point of view of her five year old son, born hostage into the small world he calls 'room'. Donohue deftly handles a tough subject and I highly recommend it for book groups. I did read
The Sound of a Wild Snail Eating and found it to be very restful but glad it was brief. Just finished the second and third books in David Stahler's
True Sight trilogy (YA)-
The Seer and
Otherspace. So now I know the end of Jacob's story. Am esconced in
I Am Number Four. Sarah
plans on seeing the movie this weekend- can't wait for her review. James Patterson's latest Maximum Ride novel is out-
Angel. Guess which member of the flock this one focuses on?
Food, Girls and Other Things I Can't Have by Allen Zadoff is another YA title I liked and asks the question- is it possible to reinvent yourself in the middle of high school?
For a sleepy little town in the thick of the off-season Duck is awfully busy! The northern extension of the soundside Boardwalk is underway and contractor Todd Coyle is rolling! They're getting ready to make the turn at the water tower towards the final destination of the Waterfront Shops. The structure is beautiful and will tie the town together in a way only heretofore dreamed of! Waldt Construction is also busy over at the new Town Hall. The free standing meeting hall is in the framing process and drilling for geothermal wells has just finished. The entire facility is going to be super-green and a great example to anyone contemplating building in the new millenium. The Outer Banks Hospital 'Flights of Fancy' Gala was awesome! Lots of familiar Outer Bankers dressed to the nines enjoying good music, fantastic food and a resplendent silent auction. It was a nice way to break up the winter doldrums! Don't forget Blue Point is doing their 3/$33 wintertime special- three courses for thirty three clams. Men Dancing for a Cure- the first ever Outer Banks 'womanless beauty pageant'- was a SOLD OUT event.. 1=$17,000 was raised in this phenomenal Relay for Life fundraiser and yes, the crown in this pageant WAS bought- the 'gentleman' (I use the term loosely) who rounded up the most donations took home the crown- great event! I had a booth at the First Flight Middle School Career Fair.. wanted to encourage those kids who love to read and write by showing them what they could do with those passions- manage a bookstore! sell books! write book reviews! restaurant reviews! travel articles! and more...