We Are Reading In July

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.