Bookends: March 2011

- Our next Book Group Mixer

- Participate in one of our Commnity Book Groups

- We've got great Events for Book Groups

- Read a few Staff Recommendations

- Try out this Book Group Tip from our staff 

 



Mark your calendar:
Our next Book Group Mixer is Wednesday, March 16th at 7:00

 

Enjoy wine and cheese while our staff shares their favorite book group reading recommendations and gives you a peek at upcoming releases. The evening will also feature a special discount coupon, a raffle, and many free giveaways. If you are in a book group, or looking to join one, this is an event you don't want to miss!

 



Participate in one of our Community Book Groups
  

Young Adult Literature Community Book Group

Wednesday, March 9th at 7:00 pm

 

Reading Selection: When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead

Facilitated by: Nancy Litvak

 

Are you a parent or grandparent who is curious about why the teen in your life is drawn to reading that one title over another? Are you yourself a fan and reader of young adult literature? Then we invite you to take part in our monthly reading group dedicated to young adult literature (literature broadly aimed at readers who are 12 and older). 

Our current reading selection, When You Reach Me by Rebecca Stead, is a staff favorite and was the winner of the 2010 Newbery Award. Sixth grader Miranda and her best friend Sal know how to navigate their New York City neighborhood. But then, things start going missing and odd notes begin to arrive that suggest that Miranda is the only one that can stop a death that hasn't yet occurred. Please join us for a group discussion of this compelling novel.

 

more about this event on our website 

 

 

Community Book Group

Tuesday, March 29th at 7:30 pm

 

Reading Selection: Murder in the Marais

Guest Speaker: Author Cara Black
Facilitated by: Julie Minnis

 

We will be reading and discussing Murder in the Marais, written by one of our favorite Francophile mystery writers, Cara Black. This mystery not only keeps you on the edge of your seat, but it begs for discussion!  

 

Aimee Leduc, a Parisian private investigator, has always sworn she would stick to tech investigation--no criminal cases for her. Especially since her father, the late police detective, was killed in the line of duty. But when an old Jewish man approaches Aimee with a top-secret decoding job on behalf of a woman in his synagogue, Aimee unwittingly takes on more than she was expecting.

 

more about this event on our website  

 



 

Great Events for Book Groups

 

Margaret George, Elizabeth I

Monday, April 11th at 7:30 pm

 

One of today's premier historical novelists, Margaret George dazzles here as she tackles her most difficult subject yet: the legendary Elizabeth Tudor, queen of enigma--the Virgin Queen who had many suitors, the victor of the Armada who hated war, the gorgeously attired, jewel- bedecked woman who pinched pennies. "Personal and political conflicts among such larger-than-life historical figures as Francis Bacon, Walter Raleigh, Francis Drake, and Will Shakespeare intertwine in George's meticulously envisioned portrait of Elizabeth I during the last 25 years of her reign," writes Publishers Weekly in a starred review. And Booklist (also in a starred review) adds: "Margaret George's mastery of period detail and her sure navigation through the rocky shoals of Elizabethan politics mean this lengthy novel never flags."

 

more about this event on our website 

 

 

swim back to meAnn Packer, Swim Back to Me 

Thursday, April 21st at 7:30 pm

 

Ann Packer, bestselling author of The Dive from Clausen's Pier, will join us to read and sign copies of Swim Back to Me--her new collection of burnished, emotionally searing stories, framed by two unforgettable linked narratives that express the transformation of a single family over the course of a lifetime. "A sterling collection," says Publishers Weekly.




Recommendations from our staff:

 

If you liked Invisible Cities by Italo Calvino, we think you will enjoy Infinite City by Rebecca Solnit

 

Invisible Cities 

by Italo Calvino

Some places exist only in the imagination even if evoked by an actual city (Venice?). This is an astonishingly creative and beautiful work of fiction that inspired Rebecca Solnit's Infinite City, a new work of nonfiction. Invisible Cities is one of my all-time favorites.  --TS

 

Infinite City: A San Francisco Atlas

by Rebecca Solnit

Some places can be reimagined in countless ways even if inspired by an actual city (San Francisco). This is a beautifully conceived and executed work of nonfiction that was inspired by Italo Calvino's masterful work of fiction, Invisible Cities. Infinite City

is one of my current favorites.  --TS  

 

 

If you liked Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick, we think you will enjoy The Windup Girl by Paulo Bacigalupi

 

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep

by Philip K. Dick

This classic SciFi vision of a dystopian future where Earth has been ravaged by a nuclear war would be a great selection for book groups. PKD raises wonderful questions about the boundaries and limits of technology and humanity, and what it really means to be human.  --Nici

 

The Windup Girl

by Paulo Bacigalupi

Here we have a dystopia brought about by biological warfare and resource depletion--and it is no less bleak that PKD's. Just as he questioned the nature of humanity using androids, Bacigalupi uses New People--genetically engineered humans--to ponder just how far our technology can take us and what our collective future will hold.  --Nici  

 



 

Book Group Tip: Let's Talk Themes

 

Most books have some pretty recognizable themes running through them. Authors often have a lesson they want to teach, a message they want to convey, or even just a question they want to explore and they address these ideas in a variety of ways. Similarities in the experiences of or problems faced by characters, reoccurring physical objects, and the relationships between characters are just some of the ways a theme can be woven into a text. My tip would be to agree ahead of time to have each member of the book group pick out a theme that they've noticed and list examples of this theme in the text. When your group meets to discuss the book, you can each go over the themes you identified and add to each others lists. Perhaps some members will see themes no one else notice, perhaps someone will point out parts of the story that fit your theme that you never considered, or perhaps contradictory themes will arise. Whatever the case, discussing the themes in a book is sure to be a good starting point.

 
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