Evening Book Group

What We Are Reading in February

2011-01-17T17:21:00.000-08:00

Day for Night by Frederick Reiken. For information on the author and his works, see his website. Here is a review of the book in the Book Lady's Blog.

What We Are Reading in January

2010-12-28T14:21:00.000-08:00

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak. For biographical information, interviews, and discussion information, check out the author's website.

What We Are Reading in December

2010-11-29T12:21:00.000-08:00

Point Omega by Don DeLillo. Interestingly this is the first author we have read in recent months who does not have a website. The author has been awarded the American Book Award, the Pen/Faulkner Award, and could be a future Noble Prize contender. Check out this Times article for one of his very rare interviews. And check out the review in the Guardian.

What We Are Reading in November

2010-10-18T16:54:00.000-07:00

By Fire By Water by Mitchell James Kaplan. Mr. Kaplan is a Mt. Lebanon resident. We are very fortunate to have him come to the library November 15 to discuss his new book. For more information on him and the book, check out his website.

What We Are Reading in October

2010-09-20T17:14:00.000-07:00

The Coral Thief, by Rebecca Stott. The book, set in post-revolutionary France, is the author's second novel. She has also written academic books on Victorian Literature. See her website for more biographical information and reviews of her work.

What We Are Reading In September

2010-08-16T15:12:00.000-07:00

Shadow of the Wind by Carlo Ruiz Zafon. Check out his website. He has provided fun extras, such as a set of walking tour maps for locations set in the book.

What We Are Reading in August

2010-07-19T17:10:00.000-07:00

Th German Bride, by Joanna Hershon. Hershon is an author of three books and a collection of short stories. She has taught at creative writing at Columbia University. Check out her web site here.

What We Are Reading in July

2010-06-21T17:31:00.000-07:00

Daemon by Daniel Suarez is a high-tech thriller. Author Daniel Suarez is an independent consultant who designs software systems for a wide range of industries. Check out his web-site here for information on the book and the author. One interesting aspect of this book is the use of disaffected youth who are gamers. Many who are not gamers hold the belief that gaming is unhealthy for a wide variety of reasons. Here is a presentation by Jane McGonigal on TED.com that may shed light on why gaming may not be entirely negative. In fact she challenges us to consider : "Gaming can make a better world". Check out her presentation filmed February 2010

What We Are Reading in June

2010-05-18T10:54:00.000-07:00

The Woodsburner by John Pipkin. This is Pipkin's first novel and a winner of several awards. From the reviews I have read, I believe this should be a interesting read. Check out his web site for reviews and more information about him.

Check comments for reactions to the book

What We Are Reading In May

2010-04-19T17:31:00.001-07:00

We are reading People of the Book by Geraldine Brooks. Several members of the book group voted for this one and have already read it. Brooks won the 2006 Pulitzer Prize for March. Find out more about the author by checking out her web site. Her site includes a readers guide and map for the Book.

Check comments for reactions to the book.

What We Are Reading In April

2010-03-15T14:16:00.000-07:00

On April 19 we will be discussing A Walk In the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson. This is the One Book, One Community selection for the Allegheny County Library Association. I listened to this book while I was driving from Pittsburgh to western North Carolina. As the book is about the Appalachian Trail and I was driving along side much of it, this was a perfect listen. It is funny and informative. These days, most authors have their own web site. Bryson has two: UK Books At Transworld and U.S. Random House.

A summary of the Book Group reactions are entered following the discussion under comments.

What We Are Reading in March

2010-02-15T17:10:00.000-08:00

A Mad Desire to Dance by Elie Wiesel. Most will know Wiesel's memoir Night. See a biography and information on his humanitarian works in the Elie Wiesel Foundation for Humanity website. Check the New York Times for a review of his latest book, Mad Desire to Dance.

Comments by the group leader are entered in the comments section at the bottom of the post.

What We Are Reading in February

2010-01-19T12:24:00.000-08:00

On Monday, February 15, we will meet to discuss: The Year that Follows by Scott Lasser. For a blog review of the book, check out January Magazine. This is Scott Lasser's third book. You can read more about him on his blog. One interesting tidbit I learned from Contemporary Authors, Lasser was a bond trader when his first book, Battle Creek was published, and he has an MFA and an MBA.

What We Are Reading in January

2009-12-21T16:50:00.000-08:00

Blond Roots by Bernadine Evaristo. Long listed for the Orange Prize (click for details), this book is a satire on the slave trade where Africans enslave Europeans over a 400 year period. To read more about the author and find reviews of the book see the author blog.

Book To Film: No Country For Old Men

2009-12-15T06:30:00.000-08:00

Our book selection for November was No Country For Old Men. We viewed and discussed the film with Elaine Wertheim last night in our Book To Film program.

First the book: It is rare for the entire book group to like a book AND have a lengthy discussion; because when the entire group does like it, the discussion is truncated; what is there to talk about after all when you are in agreement? I, however, was fully prepared to dislike this book. I knew it was going to be bloody, and while I like edgy and gritty, I am uncomfortable with gratuitous violence. I also have little patience with sentimentality, but while the book is a morality play, it is told without too much sanctimoniousness. Although I did get a teeny bit weary with the monologues of the Sheriff. After all, all generations believe the members of younger generations are more immoral, less mannerly than theirs, and believe they are the causes of the end of the world as we know it. The vernacular (missing punctuation and west Texas speech) captures the characters perfectly. Speaking of characters; while I was reading the book, I heard Tommy Lee Jones' voice clear as day. For a better review than I could ever provide, see the link to metacritic.com

The movie: The casting was a work of perfection. One could not avoid reading about the film given the Oscar wins and press it garnered. So when I read the book, I saw the faces and heard the voices of the actors; I would believe it if McCarthy had written the book with Tommy Lee Jones in mind for Sheriff Tom. I rarely see movies in which I have read the book. Invariably, I am disappointed. This was the best adaptation I have ever seen. I could write a review, but I would not do it justice. Of all the reviews I read, the best is written by A.O. Scott in the New York Times.

For our book selections for the next several months, see our Reader's Connection.

What We Are Reading in December

2009-12-07T16:51:00.000-08:00

All Shall Be Well; And All Shall Be Well; And All Manner of Things Shall Be Well by Tod Wodicka. Described by a reviewer for the New York Times as "tender and oddball", this is a first novel for the author. Book discussion is Monday, December 21 at 7pm.

And don't forget our film viewing and discussion of No Country for Old Men Monday, December 14 at 6:30pm.

What We Are Reading In November

2009-10-27T12:20:00.000-07:00

On November 16 we will discuss the book: No Country For Old Men, by Cormac McCarthy. A lot of information can be found on the Official Web Site of the Cormac McCarthy Society. Including his biography, discriptions of his books, and more. There are several reviews to be found of the book, including the New York Times, The Guardian, etc. These links are provided by metacritic.com.

BOOK TO FILM: No Country For Old Men
We have a special Book to Film treat to offer in addition to the book discussion in the month of December. We will have a viewing and discussion on the film No Country For Old Men on December 14. Elaine Wertheim will show and lead the discussion of the film starting at 6:30. To prepare yourselves, here are a few links to film reviews:
Rolling Stone
New York Times

What we are reading for October

2009-10-06T12:48:00.000-07:00

The October book is Map of Home by Randa Jarrar. What I really like about choosing books for the book group, is finding books that people may never hear about, that are contemporary, and which deal with issues of our time. Randa Jarrar is a novelist and translater who grew up in Kuwait and Egypt. Her novel Map of Home won the Arab American Book Award in 2009.

Some of the books I have chosen lately are by authors who have their own web sites. In most cases these are very young authors, but not always. I find this ability for artists to promote themselves and their work exciting and very interesting; it provides a view into the author that we might not have had before. For instance Ms. Jarrar's web site includes a link to a review of her book. The reviewing source is a blog called Electronic Intefada which "is a not-for-profit, independent publication committed to comprehensive public education on the question of Palestine, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, and the economic, political, legal, and human dimensions of Israel's 40-year occupation of Palestinian territories."

What We Are Reading In September

2009-09-04T08:36:00.000-07:00

The group will meet on Monday, September 21 to read Sea of Poppies by Amitav Ghosh . The book is about the opium trade set in 1838 and is the first of a trilogy of books featuring the ship Ibis. For a review of the book click here.

Ghosh is one of the most well known Indians writing in English today. He has won several literary prizes including: The Kiriyama for the Hungry Tide, the Prix Medici Etranger for The Circle of Reason, The Sahitya Akademi (India's most prestigious literary award) for The Shadow Lines, The Calcutta Chromosome won the Arthur C. Clarke Award in 1997, and the Glass Palace won the Grand Prize for Fiction at the Franfurt International e-book Awards in 2001. This information was taken from his blog and website. For more click here.

As I read this book, I find that a lot of the dialog is difficult to follow since so much of it is in the vernacular. Here is a web site that may be useful while reading: Hobson Jobson

What We Are Reading In August

2009-07-21T11:53:00.000-07:00

Lavinia by Ursula K. Le Guin. I love it when authors have their own website. Check it out. It even has excerpts and reviews of her books. Join us August 17 at 7pm for our book discussion.

We Are Reading In July

2009-06-15T17:15:00.000-07:00

Ms. Hempel Chronicles by Sarah Shun-Lien Bynum. This book was a National Book Award finalist in 2004. Book Forum has a review of this book. Here is a website for the book. I love the section that includes music.

We Are Reading In June

2009-05-19T06:24:00.000-07:00

Fair and Tender Ladies by Lee Smith. I have found her website which provides her official biography, list of her publications, etc. The Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County have provided an interview of Ms. Smith.

We Are Reading in May

2009-04-20T17:36:00.000-07:00

Our May book is Dreamers of the Day by Mary Doria Russell. This is the third book by Russell the EBG has read. Our first was her debut novel The Sparrow and the sequel Children of God.
See Mostly Fiction Book Reviews for a bibliography, biography and review of this book

What we are reading in April

2009-04-02T12:38:00.000-07:00

The Giver by Lois Lowry. This is the One Book One Community choice this year. For more information on the book and programs provided by ACLA, go the the One Book One Community website.

We Are Reading in March

2009-02-24T11:20:00.000-08:00

We are reading What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn. Awarded the Costa First Novel Award and long listed for the Booker and the Orange Prize in 2007, this book is a mystery about a girl's disappearance. For a review of this book, see Vulpes Libris a literary blog. The reviewer describes it as, "splendid in so many ways. A page-turning, compelling story, as well as witty, touching, and altogether wonderful." Vulpes Libris also has an interview of the author.

We are reading in February

2009-01-26T14:29:00.000-08:00

We are reading Last Night at the Lobster by Stewart O'Nan. O'Nan, born in Pittsburgh has won several literary awards including the Drue Heinz Prize for Literature, 1993. Recently, O'Nan was interviewed in the Hot Metal Bridge, the literary magazine of the University of Pittsburgh, which publishes fiction, poetry, nonfiction, criticism, and art twice yearly (fall and spring). A review for February's book can be found in BookForum

Discussion: Everybody liked the book about a guy's last day at the Red Lobster Restaurant. I was surprised since some of the critics were bored with the level of detail provided on running a restaurant. The story is poignant and the main character is lovingly drawn: Manny is doing his best to make the last day at the Red Lobster a success inspite of a Christmas season snowstorm, bitter employees, and his own demotion. Manny maintains his dignity throughout.

We Are Reading for January

2008-12-16T11:17:00.001-08:00

Join us January 19 for a discussion of Anne Enright's The Gathering. A winner of the Man Booker Prize in 2007, this is not a book for the faint of heart. Given the technical term a "weepy", the book deals with some depressing material, but is beautifully written. For more information on the Man Booker prize and past winners, click here.
The Discussion:
Not many readers liked this book. Many found it unrelentingly grim., but found the discussion useful to understand it better. Critics say this book is excruciatingly Irish, and readers found her writing difficult to follow. She does jump around a bit. She reminds me of other short story writers.

We are Reading for December

2008-11-24T12:47:00.000-08:00

In honor of the the 250 Anniversary of the City of Pittsburgh, we are reading In Sunlight, In a Beautiful Garden by Kathleen Cambor. This is a fictionalized account of the Johnstown Flood. This is a beautifully written novelization of the town and occupants of Johnstown. The author effortlessly wove the true events and people together with fictionalized characters and storylines. For more information about the 1889 flood, check the website of the Johnstown Flood Museum. In addition, check out other materials about the flood from the library. The library has a copy of David McCullough's book The Johnstown Flood , as well as the documentary dvd by the same title and narrated by Richard Dreyfuss.

We are Reading for November

2008-10-20T17:17:00.000-07:00

For November we read The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta. Perrotta is also the author of the book Little Children that was made into a film in 2006 and nominated for three oscars.

To find links to reviews, and more information about the author, click here for the author's web site.

Many issues were covered in this little book concerning sexual mores. Many of the book group members did not like the characters and could not relate to them. However, I was impressed by the way the author made the characters engaging in spite of how flawed they were.

I have been seeing as a theme in contemporary books lately, is that middle aged women who say something daring, outrageous, or impertinent are the catalyst for the rising action in the story-line. I wonder if anyone has any thoughts on this.

We are Reading for October

2008-10-06T10:04:00.000-07:00

The Tender Bar: A Memoir by J. R. Moehringer. Moehringer, a national correspondent won the Pulitzer Prize for Feature Writing in 2000. Take a look at the article he wrote that won the Pulitzer.

You can learn more about the author by visiting his web site.

This is a coming of age story about a fatherless boy looking for male role models to fill the void left by his absent father. The family he creates are those he finds in the local pub. Led by his Uncle Charlie and his fellow bartenders of Dickens/Publicans, Moehringer's family of men are portrayed lovingly and somewhat sentimentally. I found the book poignant and his story a testament to overcoming one's dysfunctional family.

Our Reading List Schedule

2008-09-18T10:24:00.000-07:00

Click on the following link and you will see what we will be reading

http://www.booksite.com/texis/scripts/bookletter/showlist.html?sid=5649&list=CNL1

We Read and discussed in September

2008-09-09T12:35:00.000-07:00

The Rest of Her Life by Laura Moriarty. This book had a very good review in Kirkus Reviews. It is a follow-up from her debut novel The Center of Everything. This book follows a family following a fatal car accident

The group as a whole seemed to like the book. We agreed the main character (mother: Leigh), was a bit socially challenged but once we read the back story, it was clear, she did not receive the parenting that her own children received. All the characters were finely drawn, although I thought the father less so. Perhaps because we were reading from the perspective of the lead character whom we all agreed was fairly self-absorbed. This was a very interesting character study of a family a tragedy that effects an entire town.