Our books for 2009 (January - August)

January - Eat, Pray, Love
February - The Appeal
March - Infidel

Here are the five books we selected that will pick up after March and take us through August:

The Senator's Wife by Sue Miller
Wonderful Tonight by Patty Boyd
Out Stealing Horses by Per Patterson
Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore
A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas

We'll figure out the order in which we'll read these five books at Carolyn's in January. Thanks everyone for making such great suggestions and ultimately, tough choices.
Happy reading!

What were your faves in 2008?

What were your favorite books read this past year? Book club picks and/or books you read on your own.

This may help us as we select our books for 2009.

Here's what we read in '08:

• A Thousand Splendid Suns
• There’s a Slight Chance I May be Going to Hell
• Friday Night Knitting Club
  
• Kabul Beauty School
• Water for Elephants
• Age of Innocence
• The Lace Reader
  
• Three Cups of Tea
• The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

Cheers!

It's not going to be easy

Here's a preview of the list we'll use a week from today to select our next five books. Click on the title for information about that book:

A Three Dog Life by Abigail Thomas

Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore

Marley and Me by John Grogan

Matrimony by Joshua Henkin

Modoc: The True Story of the Greatest Elephant That Ever Lived by Ralph Helfer

No One Belongs Here More Than You by Miranda July

Out Stealing Horses by Per Patterson

Run by Ann Patchett

The Accidental Tourist by Anne Tyler

The Eyre Affair by Jasper Fforde

The Middle Place by Kelly Corrigan

The Road by Cormac McCarthy

The Secret Lives of the Kudzu Debutantes by Cathy Holton

The Senator’s Wife by Sue Miller

White Oleander by Janet Fitch

Wonderful Tonight by Patty Boyd

Elizabeth Gilbert discusses Eat, Pray Love

Well, ladies, I think this is as close as we're going to come to Elizabeth Gilbert joining us at our January book club gathering.

Books = Gifts

Give Books as Gifts

Why a book is the best gift for this holiday season!

• It comes fully charged.
• It costs less than a bottle of champagne (the real stuff).
• You can buy 10 hardcover books for the price of an iphone.
• It costs less than a movie (with popcorn).
• It's around the same price as a DVD, but the experience lasts longer.
• It can change someone's life.
• It can make someone laugh.
• Batteries are not required.
• It's a thoughtful gift.
• It's a personal gift.
• You get one-stop shopping—your bookstore has the right gift for everyone on your list.
• It weighs much less than a fruitcake.
• It's more original than a tie or a sweater.
• It's a gift of escape, fun, romance, adventure.
• It's easy to find.
• It's easy to wrap.
• And you can never have too many!

via Reading Group Choices

Friday Finds

Friday Finds via Should Be Reading.

The idea is to share, every Friday, a book or books you’ve recently discovered that sound really good!

If you have a blog, please leave a link in the comments so we can check out your finds. If you don't have a blog, tell us about your Friday Finds in a comment.

My Friday Find:

Alex & Me: How a Scientist and a Parrot Discovered a Hidden World of Animal Intelligence--And Formed a Deep Bond in the Process by Irene Pepperberg

I first read about Alex, the amazingly intelligent gray parrot, in newspaper accounts after he died unexpectedly a year or so ago. The relationship between Alex and his researcher seemed intriguing and here's the book! I learned about the book from two sources: a NYT book review and at IndieBound listed as an indie bestseller.

Publisher comments:

On September 6, 2007, an African Grey parrot named Alex died prematurely at age thirty-one. His last words to his owner, Irene Pepperberg, were "You be good. I love you."

What would normally be a quiet, very private event was, in Alex's case, headline news. Over the thirty years they had worked together, Alex and Irene had become famous—two pioneers who opened an unprecedented window into the hidden yet vast world of animal minds. (more)

Teaser Tuesdays

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share two or three “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

Give the title of the book and the page you’re getting your “teaser” from... that way people can pick up some great book recommendations.

~avoid spoilers~

Here we go:

Alone together, I enjoy our companionable silence, but it creeps me out to sit in public, propped in our chairs like a pair of mummies. At a nearby table there's always a couple in their late seventies, holding their menus with trembling, spotted hands.

When You Are Engulfed In Flames by David Sedaris p. 234

"Older, wiser, smarter and meaner..." - Kirkus Reviews

Please leave a comment with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teaser’ sentences in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks!

Musing Mondays

Question*:

How do you feel about wide-spread reading phenomena - Harry Potter, for instance, or the more current Twilight Saga? Are these books so widely read for a reason, or merely fads or crazes? Do you feel compelled to read - or NOT to read - these books because everyone else is?

I tend to believe cultural phenomena lack quality and substance. I have not read any Harry Potter or the Twilight series. I once attempted to watch a Harry Potter movie but drifted off to sleep. However, I bought the Potter series for my 10 yr old (at the time) nephew at the recommendation of a school librarian -- he devoured them! I suspect I would have liked them as well when I was 8 - 9 years old.

The only book I've read that would qualify as a reading phenomenon is The Da Vinci Code. I read it purposefully to be a part of the world-wide popular culture. We actually kicked off our book club with Da Vinci Code for this reason: it was almost certain to be the book most of us had already read and for anyone who hadn't read it yet, we could get a copy to them pronto. Plus, it was an easy, quick, entertaining read.

So, I have a mixed response to reading, film and TV phenomena. I usually resist them but I can understand the rationale that it is a way to have a connection with the broader culture (community).

Your thoughts?

* [Monday Musings brought to you via Just One More Page.]

November's recap

Hi ladies. Here is a recap of the meeting on the 21st! We had a good crowd - we missed Carolyn and were happy to welcome Kimberly!

Our next meeting will be on Sunday, December 14th at 2:00 pm at Barbara's house. Please bring a wrapped gift book (under $15) for an exchange. Also, please bring something yummy to share. We will be voting on our next few books, so if you have any good ideas (2-3) for a book for us to consider, please send them to Sherry. We will be voting much the same way we did last time, but feel that each chosen book should have at least 4-1/2 votes!

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly was discussed. We talked about the feeling the book left us with (uplifting, personal, incredible people); why we thought it was written (he wanted to share his personal story rather than leave a legacy, he was a communicator so needed to continue communicating); we thought about caretakers in facilities and their thoughts and concerns; we lauded the behavior and dedication of the speech therapist; and a bunch of other stuff, which my brain won't wrap around right now (comments anyone else???)

It was great to see you all. Looking forward to December!
Carol

Friday Finds

Friday Finds via Should Be Reading

The idea is to share, every Friday, books that you’ve recently discovered (never heard of before) that sound really good!

If you have a blog, please leave a link in the comments so we can check out your finds. If you don't have a blog, tell us about your Friday Finds in a comment.

My Friday Find:

Praying for Sheetrock by Melissa Gay Greene. I found this book on Entertainment Weekly's New Classics list of 100 of the best reads from 1983 to 2008. It is #44. I also found Blindness by José Saramago on this list at #12.

Publisher Comments:

In the 1970s, a corrupt old-time sheriff and his courthouse gang rules McIntosh County on the flowery coast of Georgia and preyed on the Yankee tourists passing through on their way to Florida. It appeared that the civil rights movement had entirely bypassed the county; the minority white citizenry held all political and economic power. Then the police shooting of an unarmed black man inspired Thurnell Alston, an unemployed father of four, to protest. "The man will stand up," his neighbors said of Alston. He quoted the U.S. Constitution, invited young, white legal-aid lawyers into the county, and forever changed his corner of the rural South...before tragedy in his private life swept him from the stage.

Awards include the Robert F. Kennedy Book Award and a National Book Award and National Book Critics Circle Award Finalist.

Reviews:

"A beautifully written and absolutely authentic picture of the rural South." Kirkus Reviews

"This book needs to be read by everyone who does not know the deep South and by those who think all of our racial problems were corrected in the 1960s. Young adults of all races would find this more enlightening than many history books." John W. King, Library Journal

"By turns inspiring and sad, [the] story is told with dramatic skill by Atlanta journalist Greene." Publishers Weekly

"A monumental social history...Through a combination of oral history and interpretive narrative, Greene has created a work of great drama, a chorus of voices that is both disturbing and inspiring." The Boston Globe

Tuesday's Teaser

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share two or three “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

Give the title of the book and the page you’re getting your “teaser” from... that way people can pick up some great book recommendations.

~avoid spoilers~

Here's mine:

"Intense irritation set in almost immediately as I waited in the blazing sun in front of the hospital. The usual characters milled about: a clove-smoking teenager sat reading a hardcover book; an old man shuffled across the street taking random, huge steps. A goddamned mime, in jeans and a T-shirt with a white painted face, headed straight toward me." p. 33

Lopsided. How having breast cancer can be really distracting by Meredith Norton

"A hilarious and wickedly irreverent look at life with cancer"

Novel Adventures Book Giveaway

Now here's an adventurous book giveaway! CBS has a new web show called Novel Adventures. And you have a chance to win the entire series of books featured on this new show. Go here to see the nine great books.



Check out Bookshipper or Peeking Between the Pages or Booking Mama for the details. Good luck!

Perenial Book Club Favorites

These titles are long-time favorites of indie booksellers, book group leaders, and readers…

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver, Steven L. Hopp, and Camille Kingsolver

The God of Animals by Arn Kyle

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan

On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar

A Thousand Splendid Suns* by Khaled Hosseini

Three Cups of Tea* by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin

Source: IndieBound

* Books we've already read for our book club

Tuesday's Teaser

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

Here's mine:

We lost her for a few seconds while she gazed into the eyes of the doll, as little girls sometimes do. After a few more strokes [of the doll's hair], Melissa took the doll's arm between her fingers and made it wave to us.

Turning Stones - My Days and Nights with Children at Risk by Marc Parent p. 272

Fall-Winter Top Ten Picks for Reading Groups

Here are the Fall/Winter Top Ten recommended books for reading groups from indie booksellers:

1. Away by Amy Bloom

2. In the Woods* by Tana French

3. Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

4. Run by Ann Patchett

5. The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz

6. The Man in The White Sharkskin Suit by Lucette Lagnado

7. What Was Lost by Catherine O'Flynn

8. The Pirate's Daughter by Margaret Cezair-Thompson

9. The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon

10. The Latehomecomer by Kao Kalia Yang

* This is the only book I've read from this list.

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!


This week's teaser is:

"But I could not see the astronauts. Unless the astronauts were floating in the sky exactly above the rotting deck, I would have no hope of seeing them, because our house was surrounded by tall pine trees pressing in on all sides."

A Wolf at the Table: A Memoir of My Father by Augusten Burroughs, p. 134

Best Memoirs 2007

mem⋅oir

Origin:
1560–70; mémoire; memoria; see memory

The Christian Science Monitor's list of the memoirs receiving the highest marks from their reviewers:

ABOUT ALICE, by Calvin Trillin
Calvin Trillin's moving tribute to his wife of almost 40 years is a slender, graceful volume that most readers will find hard to read without tears.

STEALING BUDDHA'S DINNER, by Bich Minh Nguyen
This is the touching, funny account of a young Vietnamese immigrant's obsession with American snack foods – symbols to her of assimilation into US life.

ONCE UPON A COUNTRY, by Sari Nusseibeh with Anthony David
Palestinian intellectual Sari Nusseibeh lays out his legacy and his ideals as a Middle Easterner who dares to continue to hope for peace in his region.

PEELING THE ONION, by Günter Grass, translated by Michael Henry Heim
Nobel Prize-winner Günter Grass's memoir includes his account of his days in the Nazi Waffen-SS.

LITTLE HEATHENS, by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
This generous-hearted account of the author's life on an Iowa farm with her Puritanical grandparents during the Depression is full of unexpected joy.

HERE IF YOU NEED ME: A TRUE STORY, by Kate Braestrup
Kate Braestrup tells how, after her husband's tragic death, she stepped up to fulfill his dreams and became a chaplain serving search-and-rescue workers in Maine.

DOWN THE NILE, by Rosemary Mahoney Little
Rosemary Mahoney serves up an intelligent, touching, and evocative travelogue of her solo, 120-mile journey down the Nile in a rowboat.

BROTHER, I'M DYING, by Edwidge Danticat
Haitian immigrant Edwidge Danticat has written a moving tribute to her father and uncle, the two men who raised her and loved each other and yet spent most of their adult lives on separate shores.

HOW STARBUCKS SAVED MY LIFE, by Michael Gates Gill
After losing his job, home, wife, and health, Michael Gates Gill, a son of privilege, turned to Starbucks for a job and discovered how to put his life back together even as he steamed milk and poured lattes.

THE FLORIST'S DAUGHTER, by Patricia Hampl
Patrica Hampl's tender, thoughtful account of her parents' lives (and her own life by their sides in St. Paul, Minn.) is a journey through two questions: "Who are these people" and "How is it that I never got away?"

SOLDIER'S HEART: READING LITERATURE THROUGHPEACE AND WAR AT WEST POINT, by Elizabeth D. Samet
Elizabeth Samet has penned an intelligent, sensitive meditation on her work: teaching literature to West Point cadets.

Source: here.

Cats and Books

One of the season's bestselling books is Dewey, the Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World, by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter. Many are expecting this book to reach the popularity of Marley & Me. Themes in the book include more than the life and times of Dewey -- it is the story of a small town in Iowa during some tough times.

Dewey was discovered in the Spencer library’s overnight drop box in January 1988, a time when Iowa was in the midst of an economic chill that had gripped the nation. Spencer is a town that hasn’t changed much since the 1930s, with a downtown of family-owned stores in connecting two- and three-story brick buildings, a second-run movie theater and The Hen House, which sells decorating items to farmwives.

Seems Dewey is credited with increasing patronage of the library from 60,000 visitors a year to 100,000, including a film crew from Japan. Looks like I'm not the only one who will go out of my way to visit a library, bookstore or any other environment where there's a friendly, well-loved cat in charge of things. I had the pleasure of a very friendly encounter with a beautiful gray with green-eyes cat at Camino nursery just yesterday. It just added to the already great experience of being at wonderful, locally-owned nursery on a gorgeous October day.

This book is definitely on my TBR list.

Book Groups Top Ten from Powell's

Book Groups Top Ten for Wednesday October 22, 2008


1. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
2. The Road by Cormac McCarthy
3. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver and Steven L. Hopp and Camille Kingsolver
4. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
5. Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks
6. The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga
7. The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon
8. The Gathering by Anne Enright
9. Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
10. Run by Ann Patchett

Source: here.

In the Blink of an Eye - November's Book

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly

An excerpt from Thomas Mallon's review for the New York Times:

''It is a simple enough system,'' he explains. ''You read off the alphabet . . . until, with a blink of my eye, I stop you at the letter to be noted. The maneuver is repeated for the letters that follow, so that fairly soon you have a whole word.'' Fairly soon! Less soon when the amanuensis anticipates and makes mistakes: ''One day when, attempting to ask for my glasses (lunettes), I was asked what I wanted to do with the moon (lune).''

Bauby allows that his ''communication system disqualifies repartee,'' but it does beautiful service to all sorts of physical and emotional description. ''There comes a time,'' he explains, ''when the heaping up of calamities brings on uncontrollable nervous laughter,'' but in this strong, slim volume the author displays a writerly control equal to his honesty: ''One day . . . I can find it amusing, in my 45th year, to be cleaned up and turned over, to have my bottom wiped and swaddled like a newborn's. I even derive a guilty pleasure from this total lapse into infancy. But the next day, the same procedure seems to me unbearably sad, and a tear rolls down through the lather a nurse's aide spreads over my cheeks.'' There are scenes in Bauby's narrative -- his discovery, in a windowpane, that he is not just ''reduced to the existence of a jellyfish'' but ''also horrible to behold'' -- that one might be inclined to describe as unbearably sad, if ''unbearable,'' thanks to this book, were not a word one will never again use quite so loosely.

Paperback Dreams

Sadly, Cody's in Berkeley didn't survive since the making of this documentary.
Do you have a favorite independent bookstore?

FREE Author Event - Firoozeh Dumas

"A hilarious collection of essays … [that] easily translates to the experiences of immigrants from any part of the world … . The book brings us closer to discovering what it means to be an American." —San Jose Mercury News

"Charming … funny … This is a gentle life story by an author who clearly loves her fellow man, and who is dedicated to pointing out the deliciously absurd aspects of both American and Iranina culture; as such, it is a joyful success." —Newsday

Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Time: 7:00 pm - 8:45 pm
Location: Sacramento State University Union Ballroom
Cost: Free and open to the public
Parking: Free parking in Parking Structure III, 6th floor only; campus map (PDF)

More info here.

I like soup, do you like soup?

Here's an excerpt from an interview with the author of "The Lace Reader," Brunonia Barry:

"And as I listened to this group of women who have been meeting for almost ten years now to discuss their favorite books, I was reminded of May's Circle of women, the ones who make lace together on a fictional island not far from the mouth of this harbor, and I felt the privilege of being invited into this special group who have become friends over the years, not before the book club began as you might expect, but because of its existence. As one of the members explained, "Our lives are completely different, our interests seldom overlap. But when we get lost in a story, we almost become the characters, and for those few shared hours of discussion, we are the same."

Read more here.

Fall Bestsellers by Astrological Sign

Aries
Aries likes to be where the action is, and if there aren't any thrills and chills on a particular day, the easily bored Aries can find satisfaction in a book. Smoke Screen is a must-read combining all those ingredients that symbolize the red planet: fire, heroic action, and men in uniform. There's plenty of suspense in Sandra Brown's latest novel set in the romantic Southern town of Charleston, South Carolina.

Taurus
Taurus, with a faithful and strong love nature entwined with a desire for the good life, will relish The Choice by Nicholas Sparks. It's about love lost, love found, and decisions we hope we never have to make. The protagonist, Travis Parker, has everything a red-blooded Taurus could want: money, loyal friends, and a great job. As sometimes happens, it all gets turned upside-down with love in the picture, and he is forced to face a difficult choice.

Gemini
For you twins who can't decide whether to walk, run, or write the great American novel, here is a book about both: What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami. This masterful yet guardedly private writer appeals to the Gemini need for duality. Murakami, who sold his jazz bar to devote himself to writing and began running to keep fit, presents a compelling statement on the connection between writing and running.

Cancer
Because Cancer's soul is so attached to the past, the haunting tale The Gargoyle by Andrew Davidson will bring the reader face-to-face with one of life's deepest mysteries: past lives. In this haunting novel, a burn victim is visited by a dark-haired beauty; this intriguing visitor believes that she and the narrator were lovers in Germany around 1300 A.D. and spins tales of their passionate affair. The book will hold Cancer enthralled while planting seeds of an even deeper past to explore.

Leo
What Leo can resist the glitz of the old-fashioned circus? Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen brings to life the world of ringmasters, elephants, and sideshows. This gem of a novel also addresses the often unscrupulous practices under all the glamour of the big top. The mayhem that is part of the everyday life of the greatest show on Earth is revealed. It's a must-read for Leo, who is, after all, still a child at heart.

Virgo
The loyalty-first Virgo will be singing the accolades of The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini. This book is about an Afghan-American who returns to Kabul to learn how a childhood friend has fared during the turmoil of his native land. This tale of redemption will pluck at the heartstrings of any Virgo - or for that matter, anyone - who harbors a secret regret or feels he or she has at one time or another let down a close friend as in this case. This novel probes the question of how far we are willing to go for redemption.

Libra
Love the One You're With by Emily Giffin will appeal to Libra, the ultimate romantic of the Zodiac. Libra natives love the comfort and security of relationships but have those sometime moments when they are not quite sure whether they have made the right choice. This tale of a gal and her two loves will be compelling. The heroine has made a decision and has to come to terms with whether it was indeed the right one, and she might just help answer a few questions that all Librans hold deep in their heart of hearts.

Scorpio
Scorpio's well-known secretive nature, natural detecting skills, and innate talent for seeing deception when it appears have all the makings of a detective or a spy. Moscow Rules by Daniel Silva is the story of Gabriel Allon, who isn't a full-time spy, just an occasional one. He's an art restorer working intermittently for the Israeli secret service. Gabriel uncovers an arms sales plot by the Russians. Scorpio will love playing Sherlock while reading this novel.

Sagittarius
Sagittarius is on the eternal quest for meaning in life, so Sag natives will relish The Shack by William P. Young. It tells the tragic story of a man whose daughter was abducted. He later receives a strange, handwritten invitation, apparently from God, to an isolated shack. Arriving at the shack, he wrestles with a timeless question: where is God in a world so filled with unbearable pain?

Capricorn
Capricorn has a rich inner life with some deep dreams, including fame. Although there are many famous Capricorn personalities, especially film stars, most of the natives of this sign are in tune with their own need for upward mobility. Tribute by Nora Roberts is the story of how difficult it is to keep a low profile. The story of a former child star who chooses obscurity but then finds herself right back in the public eye is about destiny and a great read for Capricorn.

Aquarius
Aquarius is the forward-thinking sign, and a post-apocalyptic world is more than just a farfetched idea to these natives. The Road by Cormac McCarthy is the story of a father and son who travel together through post-apocalyptic America, a visually stunning picture of how it looks at the end to two pilgrims on the road to nowhere. Uppermost in the mind of the father is to find a remnant of humanity in some of the survivors of this unspeakable horror for the son he will leave behind.

Pisces
Pisces loves nothing better than to get lost in a novel, not necessarily a reality-based story. Living daily life is enough reality for these escape artists to handle. This is why Brunonia Barry's The Lace Reader, a book that probes the secrets of a family of women who foresee the future, will be so compelling to the sensitive and psychic Pisces. It could be that reading this novel will encourage these water babies to use their own personal inner radar and tackle a few secrets that have haunted their own families.

Source: MSN Astrology

I must be a Virgo/Aquarius when it comes to reading. The Scorpio pick doesn't fit me at all.

Lit Flick - The Secret Life of Bees

Coming soon...

Friday's Random Questions

What was the last book you bought?

Name a book you have read MORE than once.

Do you prefer Fiction or Non-Fiction?

[What say you? Give your answers in comments.]

YEA!

Hey Everyone - I finally got the book & will be reading it this weekend up w/all the extended Jumper family on the annual Deer Hunt weekend. Look forward to seeing you all next week on Friday! :)

October's Book - The Lace Reader

Excerpt from a review by Ron Charles (Washington Post):

... a moderately entertaining story of three generations in a setting rich with Wiccan wisdom and deadly misogyny. One of the pleasures that runs through The Lace Reader is Barry's witty depiction of Salem. If you haven't been there, it's hard to imagine how completely the town's beauty is upstaged by the crassness of businesses that celebrate and profit from the murder of accused witches in the late 17th century. Barry has a kinder take on her hometown than I do, but she captures the way it remains suspended between past and present, tragedy and kitsch.

Excerpt from an interview on NPR:

Barry and Ward began by thinking local. The Lace Reader is set in Salem, Mass., and the picturesque seaside town plays a major role in the story. They went to independent bookstores and asked for the names of local book clubs that might be interested in reading a first-time author.

"The first two book clubs got just straight pages of the book ... in a box," Ward says. "We didn't have any real printed books yet."

Hilary Emerson Lay, manager of the Spirit of '76 bookstore in Marblehead, Mass., calls Barry and Ward's marketing efforts "revolutionary." She says Barry was genuinely interested in hearing how readers reacted to the book, and believes that the author's involvement with local book clubs helped generate a genuine interest in The Lace Reader.

Up Coming Meeting

Just a reminder that we will have Tea on September 19th, discussing the book
Three Cups Of Tea. Hope to see you all on the 19th. Lynn

book to loan

Reading ahead? I have "Eat, Pray, Love" available to loan out. Let me know if you would like to borrow it.

Priscilla

Donate books to Partners in Care

Partners in Care* has opened a new thrift store at 2883 Cold Springs Road (near Dr. Sands office & the DMV). They are slowly but surely building a decent used books section and could really use our support. Donations are accepted at the thrift store Mon. - Sat. beginning at 9:30 a.m through 4:30 p.m.

If you have a book or two you'd like to donate, bring the books to our next gathering and I'll take the books to the thrift store as a donation from our book club.

* Partners in Care is a non-profit community agency devoted to the improvement of health care for seriously ill persons in El Dorado County.

Two ways to support your library

It has been three years since Measure L - the $15 a year property tax - failed in the election and the library lost an important part of its funding. We would like to ask you to help your library by "paying the tax anyway". Your donation of $15 or more would really help. An easy way to make a donation is by going to our web site http://www.eldoradolibrary.org/, and clicking on "Make a Donation" to your library.

Another way to help the library and have some fun is to attend our Third Annual Wine for Words Event...
The El Dorado County Main Library in Placerville will be hosting our Wine for Words Event on Sunday, September 28th from 4pm to 8pm. Best selling author John Lescroart will be speaking about his new book “Betrayal”. The evening will begin at 4pm with wine tasting from five local wineries: Ursa Vineyards, DK Cellars, Madrona Vineyards, Wofford Acres Vineyards and Fenton Herriott Vineyards. Each guest will receive a special event wine glass. At 5pm a catered dinner by Diane Wilkinson will be served.

For more information please call the library at 530-621-5540. You may also visit the library website at http://www.eldoradolibrary.org/. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Library.

book to loan

I have a copy of "The Diving Bell and the Butterfly" to lend. This is our book for November. Shoot me an email if you're interested.

Sherry

book to loan

Three Cups of Tea is available for anyone who needs to borrow it! Just let me know...
Great to see you all - it was a good meeting!

Carol

Lisa See: How Book Clubs Have Changed

"The single biggest change I've seen and the one I love most --- and maybe this will sound funny coming from a writer --- is that the book is usually secondary to the experience of women talking to each other. Often women tell me that they spend about twenty minutes talking about the book and the rest of the meeting talking about life. I understand that. We're all so busy, yet we all desire companionship and a place to let down our hair. When and where else do we get to be with other women to boast, complain, commiserate, and laugh at silly stuff?"

~ Lisa See, author of Snow Flower and the Secret Fan and Peony in Love.

"Three Cups of Tea" for September

Sacramento Public Library has selected "Three Cups of Tea" for its One Book program. The two public events featuring author Greg Mortenson are sold out. There is still one program that's open:

PROGRAM AVAILABLE On Thursday, October 2, 6 p.m., the Library and the Bee Book Club will co-host a special program featuring, Three Cups of Tea co-author, David Relin at the Central Library. The seating is limited – first come, first served. Book sales and signing will follow the program. (read more)

“Three Cups of Tea is one of the most remarkable adventure stories of our time. Greg Mortenson’s dangerous and difficult quest to build schools in the wildest parts of Pakistan and Afghanistan is not only a thrilling read, it’s proof that one ordinary person, with the right combination of character and determination, really can change the world.” -Tom Brokaw

"A stunningly simple story of how to make peace" -Bloomsbury Review

"Fascinating...one only hopes U.S. policymakers read Mortenson's book" -Philadelphia Inquirer

"Astonishing tale of compassion - and of promise kept" -Time Magazine Asia Book of the Year

"Laced with drama, danger, romance, and good deeds" -Christian Science Monitor

Our Next Six Books

Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson

The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry

The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Jean-Dominique Bauby

Eat, Pray, Love by Elizabeth Gilbert

The Appeal by John Grisham

Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali