 Two
book
discussion groups, one for fiction selections
and another for non-fiction selections, meet once
a month. Scheduled discussions are:
Fiction
- 2008 and 2009
My
Name is Red by Orhan Pamuk, August 27th - At
once fiendishly devious mystery, a beguiling love
story, and a brilliant symposium on the power
of art, My Name is Red is a transporting
tale set amid the splendor and religious intrigue
of sixteenth-century Istanbul. The Sultan has
commissioned a cadre of the most acclaimed artists
in the land to create a great book celebrating
the glories of his realm. Their task: to illuminate
the work in the European style. But because figurative
art can be deemed an affront to Islam, this commission
is a dangerous proposition indeed. And when one
of the chosen miniaturists disappears, the only
clue to the mystery lies in the half-finished
illuminations thenselves. Part fantasy and part
philosophical puzzle, My Name is Red is
a kaleidoscopic journey into the intersection
of art, religion, love, sex, and power.
Water
for Elephants by Sara Green, September 24th -
Ninety-something-year-old
Jacob Jankowski remembers his time in the circus
as a young man during the Great Depression, and
his friendship with Marlena, the star of the equestrian
act, and Rosie, the elephant who gave them hope.
Mornings
on Horseback by David McCullough, October 22nd
- The brilliant
biography of the young Theodore Roosevelt. Hailed
as a masterpiece by Newsday, it is the
story of a remarkable little boy -- seriously
andicapped by recurrent and nearly fatal attacks
of asthma -- and his struggle to manhood.
Can't
Wait to Get to Heaven by Flannie Flagg, November
19th - Strange
things begin to happen when Mrs. Shimfissle, an
eighty-year-old woman, falls out of a fig tree
in her own front yard, in a novel about one woman's
offbeat experience in the hereafter.
- There is
no fiction book discussion scheduled in December
-
The
Third Angel by Alice Hoffman, January 23rd- Charts
the lives of three London women, each in love
with the wrong man. Meanwhile, a fourth woman
spends decades searching for the Third Angel -
the angel on earth who will renew her faith.
True
Fires by Sysan Carol McCarthy, February 25th -
A Florida
family is accused of an offense so dangerous it
instantly strips them of their basic civil rights
and leaves them in mortal danger at the hands
of people they once called friends - they are
a white family accused of being black.
A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini, March 25th - Chronicles
three decades of Afghan history in a deeply moving
account of family and friendship.
Luncheon of the Boating
Party by Susan Vreeland, April 22nd - Uses
the figures in Renoir's painting as the starting
point for their narrations about art, gusto, and
hedonism of the era, as well as their lives, loves,
losses, and triumphs.
The Friday Night Knitting
Club by Kate Jacobs, May 27th - Gathering
for their weekly knitting club at a small yarn
shop on Manhattan's Upper West Side, a group of
friends share such challenges as raising children,
navigating the ups and downs of their careers,
and pursuing uncertain relationships.
Finn by Jon Clinch, June
24th - A novel inspired by Mark Twain's
classic tales explores the mysterious life and
strange death of Huckleberry Finn's infamous father,
describing Finn's fearsome father, the Judge;
his brother, the sickly, sycophantic Will; and
young Huck.
Angelica by Arthur Phillips,
July 22nd - In 1880s London, a chilling
sexual spectre makes its way through the Barton
house, terrorizing them.
The Emperor's Children by
Claire Messud, August 26th - Three friends
on the verge of their thirties - beautiful, sophisticated
Marina Thwaite; Danielle, a quiet TV producer;
and Julius, a freelance writer - make their way
through New York City until Marina's idealistic
cousin, Bootie, arrives to complicate their lives.
Then We Came to the End
by Joshua Ferris, September 23rd - The
remaining employees at an office affected by a
business downturn spend their time enjoying secret
romances, elaborate pranks, and frequent coffee
breaks, while trying to make sense of their only
remaining "work", a mysterious pro-bono
ad campaign.
Desert Queen: the Extraordinary
Life of Gertrude Bell, Adventurer, Advisor to
Kings, Ally of Lawrence of Arabia by Janet Wallach,
October 28th - The story of an adventurous
woman who abandoned Victorian England, journeyed
deep into the Middle East, and gained friendship
and respect from Arab leaders.
Body Surfing by Anitha Shreve,
November 18th - A young widow is torn
between two brothers she meets during one New
England summer.
- There is
no fiction book discussion scheduled in December
-
Non-Fiction
- 2008
The Reluctant Fundamentalist
by Hamid Mohsin, January 11th
- A daring, fast-paced monologue of a young Pakistani
man telling his life story to a mysterious American
stranger. It's a controversial look at the dark
side of the American Dream, exploring the aftermath
of 9/11, international unease, and the damgerous
pull of nostalgia.
Wolf of the Deep by Stephen
Fox, February 14th - When you think of
Confederate Civil War heroes the names of Lee
and Jackson come to mind. Stephen Fox makes a
convincing case that Confederate Navy Capt. Raphael
Semmes should be added to that list, at least
because of his brilliant seafaring skills. Fox's
account of Semmes's life focuses on his amazing
22-month command as captain of the most famous
Confederate privateer, Alabama. Under
Semmes's command the Alabama roamed the
world's waterways for nearly two years, seizing
or sinking nearly 70 Union ships until June, 1864
when the Alabama was sunk by the U.S.S.
Kearsarge off the coast of France.
The Places in Between by
Rory Stewart, March 13th - In 2002, in
the midst of war and a typically harsh winter,
Rory Stewart embarked on the seemingly insane
undertaking of walking across Afghanistan. That
it was madness was explained to him, but he was
not to be dissuaded, especially since the journey
was part of the larger scheme that he had already
accomplished: to tranverse the muslim world on
foot by way of Iran, Pakistan, India, and Nepal.
Thankfully, he lived, and nearly as marvelous
a reason for celebration is the book that resulted.
The Coldest Winter by David
Halberstam, April 10th - Up until now
the Korean War has received scant attention from
historians. The Coldest Winter changes
that. Halberstam gives us a masterful narrative
of the political decisions and mistakes on both
sides. He charts the disasterous path that led
to the massive invasion of Chinese forces near
the Yalu that caught Douglas MacArthur by surprise.
He provides vivid portraits of all the major figures
-- Eisenhower, Truman, Acheson, Kim and Mao. Danid
Halberstam died at the age of 73 in a car accident
in California on April 23, 2007, just after completing
The Coldest Winter.
Brothers in Battle, Best
of Friends by William Guarnere, May 8th - William
"Wild Bill" Guarnere and Edward "Babe"
Heffron were members of an elite paratrooper unit
of the 101st Airbourne Division called Easy Company.
The unit was called upon for every high-risk operation
of the war, including D-Day, Operation Market
Garden in Holland, the Battle of the Bulge, and
the capture of Hitler's Eagle's Nest in Berchtesgaden.
Both fought side-by-side until Guarnere lost his
leg in the Battle of the Bulge and was sent home.
United by their experience, the two reconnected
at the war's end and have been the best of friends
ever since.
The Great Upheaval by Jay
Winik, June 12th - As the 1970s began,
America was struggling to survive at home and
abroad, and the world was in the grip of a revolutionary
fervor stretching from Philadelphia to Paris --
with fatal results. While a fragile United States
struggled to survive, Russia towered as a vast
imperial power and France plunged into bloody
revolution. In The Great Upheaval, acclaimed
historial Jay Winik masterfully illuminates how
their fates combined in one extraordinary moment
to change the course of civilization and bequeath
us the nation -- indeed, the world -- we've inherited.
All
meetings are held at 2 o'clock in the Library
ground floor meeting room. Anyone may attend these
free discussions. Participants are urged to read
the book or listen to the recorded version before
the meeting.
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