March 15, 2012 Book Discussion

Join us at 7pm on Thursday, March 15, 2012, when Rosemary Irwin leads our discussion of Doris Kearns Goodwin's TEAM OF RIVALS: THE POLITICAL GENIUS OF ABRAHAM LINCOLN.

Acclaimed historian Doris Kearns Goodwin illuminates Lincoln's political genius in this highly original work, as the one-term congressman and prairie lawyer rises from obscurity to prevail over three gifted rivals of national reputation to become president.

On May 18, 1860, William H. Seward, Salmon P. Chase, Edward Bates, and Abraham Lincoln waited in their hometowns for the results from the Republican National Convention in Chicago. When Lincoln emerged as the victor, his rivals were dismayed and angry.

Throughout the turbulent 1850s, each had energetically sought the presidency as the conflict over slavery was leading inexorably to secession and civil war. That Lincoln succeeded, Goodwin demonstrates, was the result of a character that had been forged by experiences that raised him above his more privileged and accomplished rivals. He won because he possessed an extraordinary ability to put himself in the place of other men, to experience what they were feeling, to understand their motives and desires.

February 16, 2012 ** BOOK DISCUSSION **

Join us on Thursday, February 16, when Kathryn Hill leads our discussion of Ann Patchett's Bel Canto from 7:00 to 9:00 pm

Somewhere in South America, American soprano Roxanne Coss is just finishing her recital in the Vice president's home when terrorists arrive, holding the international business people and diplomats hostage. Captors and their prisoners settle into a routine, with the opera diva captivating them all as she does her daily practicing.

JANUARY 19, 2012 BOOK DISCUSSION

Join us when Carolyn Smith leads our discussion of Yoko Ogawa's THE HOUSEKEEPER AND THE PROFESSOR at 7pm.

First published in Japanese in 2003, this gem won the prestigious 2004 Yomiuri Prize and in 2006 was adapted for film (The Professor's Beloved Equation). The story evolves around a young housekeeper and her ten-year-old son, who have an esoteric link to a retired university professor through "amicable numbers." Ogawa (The Diving Pool) deliberately avoids any hint of romance between the two adult protagonists. Instead, she delves into the educational process between the housekeeper, a high school dropout, and the professor, a mathematical genius. With a prose style justly acclaimed as gentle yet penetrating, Ogawa gives mathematical theories from Eratosthenes to Einstein a titanic wink; under her pen, they no longer are solely a topic of conversation among academics but a tool that facilitates conflict resolution, communication between commoner and intellectual, and appreciation for the nobility and individuality of everyday objects; they also help us establish our worth in a chaotic world. This novel evokes the joy of learning, and, with its somewhat eccentric yet lovable protagonists, is a pleasure to read.--School Library Journal

December 15, 2011 Book Discussion

No books to read in December! But, we will still get together to recommend books: current hits, overlooked gems, classics to revisit---anything goes. And, of course, there will be cookies ;)

November 17, 2011 BOOK DISCUSSION

Join us on Thursday, November 17th, 7-9pm, when Kathleen Wakefield, a published poet and library staff member, will help us explore the world of poetry -- literally. She will prepare a handout of international poetry from Japan to Poland and Ireland (and other countries) for us to read and discuss. You can pick up a copy at the check-out desk anytime after October 20th.

October 20, BOOK DISCUSSION

Join us at 7pm on Thursday, October 20th, when Nancy Thomas leads our discussion on Tracy Chevalier's REMARKABLE CREATURES.

This is the story of Mary Anning, who has a talent for finding fossils, and whose discovery of ancient marine reptiles such as that ichthyosaur shakes the scientific community and leads to new ways of thinking about the creation of the world.

In danger of being an outcast in her community, she takes solace in an unlikely friendship with Elizabeth Philpot, a prickly London spinster with her own passion for fossils. The strong bond between Mary and Elizabeth sees them through struggles with poverty, rivalry and ostracism, as well as the physical dangers of their chosen obsession. It reminds us that friendship can outlast storms and landslides, anger and jealousy.

SEPTEMBER 15, 2011 BOOK DISCUSSION

Join us on Thursday, September 15, at 7PM when we discuss David Michaelis's acclaimed biography of cartonnist Charles Schulz. Title: SHULZ AND PEANUTS.

Describing "the obvious-but-brilliant Chip Kidd-designed cover" and observing that "everyone, it seems, feels a personal connection to Peanuts", Michaelis's biography "parses Schulz's particular combination of Midwestern reserve and steely determination and the strip's still-surprising balance of exuberance and misery, reminding us what a colossal cultural force PEANUTS became, especially in the 1960s....recognizing that the true, sometimes inexplicable drama of Shulz's life took place when he sat down every day for 50 years to trace Linus's wobbly strands of hair, fill in Snoopy's black nose and, time and again, letter the words Good grief. "--Tom Nissley