Round Rock New Neighbors Book Blog

Author of Inspirational Books Lives in Round Rock

2012-02-10T19:38:00.001-06:00

Author Barbra Sonnen-Hernandez is a resident of Round Rock who has overcome grave illness and become a motivational writer and speaker during the past 4-5 years. To learn more about her and her writing, here is a link to her website: http://www.barbrasonnenhernandez.com/

January Meeting

2012-01-19T09:10:00.003-06:00

We had a nice turnout for our guest speaker, Jim Hornfischer, author of Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, Ship of Ghosts, and Neptune's Inferno. Jim became interested in WWII in the Pacific at a young age, due to his model-building and playing war games (such as Midway and CA) Jim graduated from Colgate in 1987 and went right into the book publishing field, where he soon became the go-to guy for books on the Pacific War. He moved to Austin in 1993.

More interested in surface warfare than either carrier battles or submarines, he was encouraged to write an account of the Battle of Samar (part of the larger engagement of Leyte Gulf), during which the heroic crews of tiny destroyers confronted the huge battleships and cruisers of the main Japanese battle fleet. This was published in 2004 as the Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors.

Jim now acts as an agent for other writers, including Fred Burton and George Friedman (of Stratfor), Rich Frank (working on a trilogy of the Pacific War), Ron Powers (Flags of Our Fathers), Annie Jacobson (Area 51), and others. He is also assisting Marcus Lutrelle (Lone Survivor) with his second book, Service.

We held out business meeting after Jim's presentation. Books nominated for March included One Thousand White Women (Fergus; it turns out we have already read this), Sarah's Key (Tatiana de Rosnay; previously nominated), and Molokai (Alan Brennert, about the leper colony in Hawaii). We voted decisively for Molokai. Our book for February is Into Thick Air. At that time, Patty will nominate for April.

Pat Cronk's Friend Has a New Book

2011-12-31T22:47:00.001-06:00

ABOUT THE BOOK:

    A Rare Thing is a story of redemption and forgiveness. In the small
New Mexico town of San Carlos in the 1950s and 60s, a motherless Chicano
youngster, Javier Jiménez, finds himself forced into an early manhood. The
boy's father, Nicolás, a Korean War veteran, loves and cares for his son
dearly. But as he drinks himself into the depths of alcoholism, he
struggles through life wallowing in self-pity.

    Javier tries his best to cope not only with his own loneliness but
the day-to-day hardships of living with an alcoholic father. Nicolás finds
his sobriety when he meets Ramona. He marries her, thinking that will
fulfill his needs, but his hopes are short lived, soon discovering he can't
escape his loneliness.

    Into this setting enters Deborah Perkins. She moves into Javier's
neighborhood. Javier and Deborah eventually fall in love, much to the
chagrin of Deborah's mother, who doesn't' share her husband's fascination
for Southwestern culture and believes her daughter can do much better than
what Javier has to offer.

    Tragedy strikes, and Javier moves to California to live with an aunt
and uncle. Deborah and he struggle to continue their relationship despite
the distance and Deborah's mother's prejudices. Confused and unsure of his
future, Javier leaves college to join the Army and ends up in Vietnam, where
he sees his fellow soldiers dying every day.

    Reminiscing about his father, he must face his own mortality, as he
grapples with his own identity. Nicolás's spirit appears at a critical
moment with words to give Javier strength. Contemplating the real
possibility of his death, he reconciles with himself, gaining strength from
visions of his father as a good man who had more than his share of bad luck.
Javier comes to grips with whether he has forgiven him for his frailties and
failure as a parent.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Rudy Apodaca, a native of New Mexico, lives with his wife, Nancy, in Austin,
Texas. He began his career as a trial attorney and practiced law in Las
Cruces, New Mexico for 22 years before serving as an appellate judge on the
New Mexico Court of Appeals for about 14 years, over two of those years as
Chief Judge. When he's not writing, he divides his time between providing
mediation/arbitration services, doing volunteer work, and spending time with
his children and grandchildren. He's the author of several essays. For
additional information, visit his website at www.rudyapodaca.com.

Us at our Holiday Party and Discussion

2011-12-15T11:29:00.001-06:00

These are the best of the few photos I took. I always feel that one can either do something or take pictures, and not both, and that's how it works for me. I like the bottom photo the most, though it's blurred. It was more of a fun moment.

Straight Man Adds Humor to our Holiday Party

2011-12-06T23:40:00.001-06:00

Happy holidays! If you missed our book club party, you missed a festive feast! Everyone liked the beginning, middle, and end of the party, whether or not they liked the book of the day. Thanks much to Veronica for hostessing, supplying us with a variety of drinks and keeping the coffee flowing! We all enjoyed the comfort and beauty of Veronica's home.

We did not all enjoy Straight Man, by Richard Russo. At the count, 4 liked the book, 4 did not like it, 2 hadn't finished it, and the rest were still eating and partying. There were lots of topics for discussion that this book evoked. Jennifer took us through a list of thought and interpretation questions. Some of these questions inspired us to identify key themes of the book, and others led us to simple answers from the story.

Choosing three themes, I will go with the title of the book, the midlife crisis, and the man on the railroad tracks. Apologies to the dogs, the marriages, Hank's father and mother, Occam's Razor, and the university for not delving further into them here. We touched on all of them at the meeting.

After some discussion, I felt that the main theme of the book was middle age. There was a short poem at the beginning of the final section of the book that, in the way of poems, evoked a mood. This was the underlying mood of what Hank, the main character was going through (although he acted out a much lighter mood) and what his father before him had experienced. For the purposes of this book, the poem could be interpreted to be specifically about the decline of a person's career as well as offering more universal application to life. The poem, by Stephen Spender, says

What I had not foreseen

Was the gradual day

Weakening the will

Leaking the brightness away

Several characters in the book were struggling at the apexes of their careers. The stresses and choices varied among the characters. Some knew they had reached as far as they could go, and others didn't, but the reader knew. Hank's one-week midlife crisis, full of theatrical craziness that made the book fun to read, left him healing from the sad and difficult feeling of this poem.

The apt title of the book, Straight Man, was reflected by the flippant remarks Hank seemed to think of at every juncture and sometimes by Hank's just plain acting flippantly. He made many editorial comments about his colleagues, to their faces and behind their backs, many of them sarcastic. Then, when the ducks were being killed, he gave "no comment" to the media, which essentially thumbed his nose at the entire situation and everyone concerned with it. According to Hank, the English faculty was always competing to give the straight line, so that someone could come back with a sarcastic remark. Hank's saying that everyone wanted to supply the straight line, when the reality was that everyone was competing to identify "straight" lines and make the sarcastic repartee, was one example of author Richard Russo's expertise in crafting the book.

The author created a complex story with developed characters, meaningful themes, and humor. Richard Russo deserves credit for this. Apparently, his writing style did win him a Pulitzer Prize, though not for this book. But his expertise at the craft of the novel was evident in Straight Man.

The man who let the train run over him haunted the main character and provided a contrast to the ways that Hank and others were coping with the difficulties in their lives. I think our book group's discussion of this topic says a lot about the book. One of us said that the railroad-track man literally "lost his head," clearly an allegorical theme in this story of people having to think fast and deal with immediate as well as continued stresses. Dennis mentioned that lying on the railroad tracks waiting would be a particularly miserable way to die, and Rutger grabbed that straight line and ran with it, cracking us all up by saying, "especially if the train is late!"

Infidel post small correction

2011-10-27T15:39:00.003-05:00

Posted by Pam Fuchs
Crossbones, by Nuruddin Farrah is actually Fiction, leaving Princess as the only nonfiction I found.
Another book I recommend; author born in Iran, she was raised in the U.S., but lived again as adult in Iran (with western perspectives, working for western company, for 2 years):

Honeymoon in Tehran: two years of love and danger in Iran

Autobiography.journalist for Time mag; born in Iran, raised in US; marries Iranian man who was raised in Germany; has son; they eventually move to England; in Iran has to continually report to Mr. X who has to know and approve of what she is working on.

We Are the Infidels

2011-10-20T21:19:00.001-05:00

The description of the life story of Ayaan Hirsi Ali, author of Infidel, is so full of unusual and extreme adventures that one needs to read the book to absorb it all, page by page. It is hard to imagine what the young woman experienced as a child and into her 20s and how she managed to rise above it and move so far beyond it that she now is in a visible position (well, visible in the media but somewhat under cover and behind security physically) working to help produce the change needed to save today's and tomorrow's Muslim girls and women from similar hardship. I thought that one of the most interesting ideas that we covered at our meeting was that, even with searching, members of our group uncovered very very few similar stories written and published by Muslim women. This underscores the uniqueness of Hirsi Ali's strength. The few books mentioned will be listed at the end of this post.

Hirsi Ali's face is on the cover of her book and in photos on Facebook, but she is under a fatwa and probably doesn't show her face in public often. Maybe she even wears traditional Muslim coverings on the streets of Washington, DC. Well, probably not, but there is a slight parallel one could draw between the hiding of Muslim women under wraps and the current hiding Hirsi Ali must be doing at times.

There are numerous news articles about her on the Internet, dating back to approximately 2006, when she arrived in the United States. Most recently, the news is that she was pregnant, due to deliver in October. Here is a link for an interview article from 2007:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/people/profiles/ayaan-hirsi-ali-my-life-under-a-fatwa-760666.html#

It is interesting to read a book by an author who is in the news. I hope to hear that Hirsi Ali is gaining followers and having successes in the future.

We seemed an island of order in the chaos of the noisy cafe Monday! Although there were more than 20 of us, everyone took turns contributing to the discussion, and everyone listened when someone was talking. Thanks to Pam for finding and nominating this book and working to keep our discussion moving and orderly!

As promised, here are the titles of the few books mentioned that are by/about the feminine Muslim experience: Crossbones, by Nuruddin Farrah; and Princess: A True Story about Life Behind the Veil in Saudi Arabia, by Jean Sasson. That's all, and without looking into it, I surmise that the author of Princess is Western. Other books mentioned on related topics include Kabul Beauty School: An American Woman Goes Behind the Veil, by Deborah Rodriguez and Kristin Ohlson; The Bookseller of Kabul, by Asne Seierstad and Ingrid Christopherson (also mentioned in the previous post in this blog); and a book about a woman in repressive Korean society, Ten Thousand Sorrows: The Extraordinary Journey of a Korean War Orphan, by Elizabeth Kim.

Book Club Member Finds Infidel Inspiring

2011-09-22T12:08:00.000-05:00

Submitted by Jay:
I finished reading the Infidel selection several weeks ago. I wish I had read it when it was first published. It answers many questions one might have about the author's life experiences in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and Holland. The main theme is universal, and one can easily draw parallels. The book is a page-turner. The ending is not exactly what I anticipated. After finishing the book, I've started reading The Looming Tower by Lawrence Wright, and The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad. Both of these books have certain common cultural elements.

A Bitter and Sweet Story, Aptly Named

2011-09-21T18:37:00.001-05:00

Although I found our September 19, 2011 book, The Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, by Jamie Ford, to be a straightforward story with few mysteries; I had read that book clubs love the book, so I looked forward to the discussion. Our group discussion often produces new insights into our books. The book did receive a thumbs up from everyone who had read it. I found this book to be a delightful read, as did most of us!

This discussion seemed to veer quickly away from the details of the book to greater societal and historical truths. Although Phyllis began the discussion with a question about the relationship between Henry and his father in the story, the group did not delve into that question. Instead we talked about general and specific group racism and other prejudicial behavior, particularly in light of war and the fear that comes from war. The treatment of the Japanese by the American people and the government during the 1940s was engendered by fear. Japan was indeed an enemy of the United States, and with the surprise attack on Pearl Harbor earned a reputation of being a dangerous and wily enemy. This then trickled down to the way Americans in the city saw all Japanese-Americans, even those who had been born and raised as Americans. Our discussion mostly focused on this situation and similar situations in history.

During WWII, German-Americans were also sent to camps in some cases, but those communities were not as dense and singular as the Japanese community in San Francisco, which is probably why their internment didn't become as famous. Someone mentioned that prejudice toward Japanese people was particularly easy to act on, because the Japanese look so much different from other Americans, as opposed to German-Americans. This led to some discussion about the differences among various Asian groups. German camps during the war in Colorado, Nevada, and California were not as well documented in history as the Japanese internment camps. Someone noted that the U.S. shipped German POWs to Texas and held them here during the war. German families had to lay low in Texas and probably throughout the Midwest during the war.

We had a mixture of opinions as to whether Henry's wife knew about or had a hand in Henry's father's request to intercept Henry's letters back and forth with Keiko. Some of us assumed that Ethel was at a lower level of the Post Office and never saw the letters; others figured that there were probably very few people working at the Post Office so that she probably did know about the interception. Regardless, her regard for Henry stemmed from his steadfast loyalty to Keiko.

We ended our discussion mentioning some of the ways that history is taught, and the prejudicial angles that are typically implied in textbooks. For example, what do the British children learn about the American Revolution? Most of us in our group are out of touch with what the current textbooks are teaching, but it seems they are edited to slant more toward what might be the current politically correct wishes as to what the truth had been, rather than the truth.

Patty mentioned that the Panama Hotel currently has a tourist area with a tearoom. You can ask for a tour to see the Japanese belongings that are still there and unclaimed.

Teddy Roosevelt book author at TX Book Festival + The Help book vs. movie

2011-09-21T10:20:00.003-05:00

I told a friend who is a Teddy Roosevelt enthusiast that The River of Doubt was nominated Monday. He told me Candice Millard, the author will be at the book festival this year. I checked website and she IS on the author list! As did Jennifer, my friend highly recommended the book.

Regarding our discussion of differences between The Help book vs. movie

Unlike Movie, in the Book Minnie is promised a permanent job with the Footes, it’s a guarantee that they won’t let Hilly convince them to fire her. What’s more, the Footes still need Minnie. Celia never learns to cook, never learns to clean… never gets her act together at all. She’s not just beneficently bestowing grace upon Minnie. She’s getting something out of it, too. The novel leaves you room to consider how unfortunate it was that black people had to rely on the whims of white people for their livelihood, but also that white people allowed themselves to become helpless as they relied on black labor to create their homes.

Unlike Movie, In the book, Mama Phelan (Skeeter's mother) is not so sympathetic.For one thing, she doesn’t even know Rachel exists. Constantine was raped by a former white boss and sent Rachel off before she came to work for the Phelans. Because of her mixed race, Rachel can pass for white, so when she shows up at the DAR meeting, everyone thinks she belongs there. Charlotte discovers what’s happening just as Rachel is applying for membership in the DAR… just as she’s trying to enter white society. This is the “crime” that makes Charlotte furious and that makes her kick Constantine to the curb. What’s more, unlike in the film, she never regrets her actions. She is mortally offended by the idea that a black woman would try to saunter into white society.

BOOK, Constantine's daughter is named Lulabelle. She gave her up for adoption when she was four years old because she looked white. MOVIE: She has a full grown daughter named Rachel who is black.

BOOK: Lulabelle shows up at the DAR meeting at Skeeter's house. She mingles with the 95 white women in attendance. She starts to fill in a form to join the group. Miss Phelan quietly asks her to leave and go through the back. She refuses and spits in her face. Miss Phelan tells Constantine that she can't have anything to do with her as long as she is living on the rent that they pay. Constantine is unwilling to leave her daughter so they move to Chicago together. MOVIE: Rachel shows up during the diner and wants to come in. She is told to go to the back door but she refuses and comes in the front. The president of the DAR can't believe she allows a black girl to disobey her like that. To save face she kicks her out and fires Constantine and tells her to leave as well.

BOOK: Miss Phelan sends a check to Constantine in Chicago for her birthday. Lulabelle sends it back along with the obituary for Constantine indicating she died three weeks after leaving Jackson. MOVIE: Skeeter's brother goes to Chicago to try and bring Constantine home but he discovers that she has died.

BOOK: Stuart gives Skeeter an engagement ring but before accepting she tells him about the book she is writing. He says He doesn't know her and can't marry her. He promises not to reveal her secret. MOVIE: Stuart comes home after the book is released and tells Skeeter he doesn't want to see her anymore.

For more, see:
http://thatwasnotinthebook.com/diff/the_help_book_2009_vs_the_help_movie_2011

Book Club Meeting of August 15, 2011

2011-08-15T15:50:00.004-05:00

Some announcements before the meeting:
1. Aug. 25th we will attend the movie of The Help, at Cinemark 14, Round Rock (near Ikea). Afterwards, we will meet for discussion at Steak & Shake.
2. Sept. 19th we will discuss The Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.
3. Oct. 15th we will discuss Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali.
Also nominated by Pam, but not selected, First They Killed My Father, by Loung Ung, and Escape, by Carolyn Jessop.
4. The Texas Book Festival is Oct. 22-23.
5. We will not meet in November.
6. Our December meeting will be the Christmas party, at a place to be determined.
7. Our meeting on Jan. 16th will include a presentation by Jim Hornfischer, the author of The Last Stand of the Tin Can Sailors, Ship of Ghosts, and Neptune's Inferno.

There was a lively discussion of The Lacuna. The members who read it all seemed to like the book, which had two separate story lines, united by the central character of Harrison Shepherd (a name Frida Kahlo considered unpronounceable). One story about Mexico, with Diego Rivera, Frida Kahlo, and Leon Trotsky, and the other story in the U.S., about the perception of the Communist Menace in this country. We discussed the various impacts on Harrison's life, including his mother, viewing the Bonus Army in D.C., life with the painters, the death of Trotsky, living in North Carolina during the war, and the Communist hearings. We had a good talk on the role of journalism and the media, both in the 50's and today. The general feeling was that the book was thought-provoking and captivating. Brief mentions at the end about some other books by Kingsolver.

Preview: Books to be Nominated in August 2011 for October Discussion

2011-07-27T08:42:00.005-05:00

[in alphabetical order] all available in paperback and as NOOK book

Escape by Carolyn Jessop, 2007; nonfiction/memoir;paperback 448 pgs. Also NOOK book.

Setting: FLDS community along Arizona-Utah border, 1986 thru early 2000’s. B&N Customer Rating 4.5 stars (222 reviews). Best seller 2007.

Barnes & Noble Overview [excerpts] : The dramatic first-person account of life inside an ultra-fundamentalist American religious sect, and one woman’s courageous flight to freedom with her eight children. When she was eighteen years old, Carolyn Jessop was coerced into an arranged marriage with a total stranger: a man thirty-two years her senior. Merril Jessop already had three wives. But arranged plural marriages were an integral part of Carolyn’s heritage: She was born into and raised in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (FLDS), the radical offshoot of the Mormon Church that had settled in small communities along the Arizona-Utah border.

Over the next fifteen years, Carolyn had eight children and withstood her husband’s psychological abuse and the watchful eyes of his other wives who were locked in a constant battle for supremacy. Carolyn’s every move was dictated by her husband’s whims. He decided where she lived and how her children would be treated. He controlled the money she earned as a school teacher. He chose when they had sex; Carolyn could only refuse—at her peril. For in the FLDS, a wife’s compliance with her husband determined how much status both she and her children held in the family. Carolyn was miserable for years and wanted out, but she knew that if she tried to leave and got caught, her children would be taken away from her. No woman in the country had ever escaped from the FLDS and managed to get her children...

First They Killed My Father: A Daughter of Cambodia Remembers by Loung Ung, 2006, Nonfiction/memoir; paperback 288 pages. Also NOOK Book. Setting: Cambodia 1975-1979, during Viet Nam war. B&N Rating 4.5 stars (72 reviews).

Barnes & Noble Overview [excerpts]: From a childhood survivor of Cambodia's brutal Pol Pot regime comes an unforgettable narrative of war crimes and desperate actions, the unnerving strength of a small girl and her family, and their triumph of spirit.

… Loung Ung lived in Phnom Penh, one of seven children of a high-ranking government official. She was a precocious child who loved the open city markets, fried crickets, chicken fights, and sassing her parents. …her beloved father knew Lounge was a clever girl.

When Pol Pot's Khmer Rouge army stormed into Phnom Penh in April 1975, Ung's family fled their home and moved from village to village to hide their identity, their education, their former life of privilege. Eventually, the family dispersed in order to survive. …As the Vietnamese penetrated Cambodia, destroying the Khmer Rouge, Loung and her surviving siblings were slowly reunited. …

Infidel, by Ayaan Hirsi Ali, 2008. Nonfiction/memoir. Paperback 384 pages. Also NOOK book. Setting: childhood in the 70’s/80’s in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, Kenya .Holland as an adult. B&N Rating 4 stars (147 reviews). Best seller 2007.

Barnes & Noble Overview [excerpts]: In this profoundly affecting memoir from the internationally renowned author of The Caged Virgin, Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells her astonishing life story, from her traditional Muslim childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya, to her intellectual awakening and activism in the Netherlands, and her current life under armed guard in the West. … Hirsi Ali recounts the evolution of her beliefs, her ironclad will, and her extraordinary resolve to fight injustice done in the name of religion. Raised in a strict Muslim family and extended clan, Hirsi Ali survived civil war, female mutilation, brutal beatings, adolescence as a devout believer during the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, and life in four troubled, unstable countries largely ruled by despots. In her early twenties, she escaped from a forced marriage and sought asylum in the Netherlands, where she earned a college degree in political science, tried to help her tragically depressed sister adjust to the West, and fought for the rights of Muslim immigrant women.

H.G. Manning to speak Aug 2 on his book "Unwavering Duty: Jefferson Davis"

2011-07-27T08:28:00.002-05:00

From Mickie Ross, Director Williamson Museum, Georgetown
Posted by Pam Fuchs

You are cordially invited to join us at 6:30 on Tuesday, August 2, as the Sons of Confederate Veterans hold their monthly meeting in the Museum. The guest speaker, H.G. Manning, will discuss his book, "Unwavering Duty: Jefferson Davis". Signed copies will be available for purchase at the meeting.

The book provides the reader with the final days of the Confederate government as Jefferson Davis and his cabinet members are forced to retreat from Richmond. It then follows the Confederate President through the surrender of the armies of General Lee and Johnston, the federal pursuit culminating in his capture and incarceration at Fortress Monroe. At this point, the book provides the 'what if' of history when the federal government, instead of pardoning Davis under the auspices of the 14th Amendment, decides to place him on trial for treason against the United States.

The Alchemist Turns to Gold in Our Hands

2011-07-20T12:01:00.010-05:00

Glossary for better understanding our discussion of The Alchemist, by Paulo Coelho:

Alchemy - Medieval science of changing base metal (lead) into gold.

Aphorism - A terse saying embodying a general truth (dare I say "pithy?").

Melchizadek - The king in The Alchemist, is mentioned in the Bible, in Genesis, as the righteous king of Salem, who blessed Abraham.

Methusaleh, who some of us (me) got mixed up with Melchizadek - Also in the Bible, listed as Noah's grandfather and the oldest person whose age is mentioned, at 969 years.

Mirage - A place in the desert that looks like an oasis but is not one, sometimes a mixture of heat waves and a very thirsty brain.

Oasis - A place in the desert where there is water: sometimes a lot of water and trees, sometimes just a little spring. I think this is correct, but a quick Google of the term turned up only the musical group "Oasis," the restaurant, and some lovely photos in the time I allotted.

Pithy - Meaningful and concise (perhaps like an aphorism). Like The Alchemist, by Paolo Coelho.

The Alchemist was fun to read and fun to discuss! What did we learn? What were we supposed to learn? We tended to try to offered pithy aphorisms to capture the meaning of the story. Some of the ideas mentioned in our discussion:

Follow your dreams.
A path toward a goal may take you elsewhere.
If you travel far and wide looking for fulfillment, your path may lead back to where you started.
In our life journeys, some of us may continue toward a goal, some may stop along the way, and some may go back around to their beginning.
If we have a goal, we need not fear achieving it, as there will probably be something else around the corner. This is a sticky question in the book. There is the question as to whether one can prolong one's life by procrastinating on one's goal, and this brings up other questions.
One should try to get the most possible from life and be content.
Sometimes something can be gained simply by asking, rather than by taking it forcefully or expending great effort to get it.
We're all alchemists, trying to make something better out of what we already are.
Gold can be made from common local materials. Just as lead can be made into gold via alchemy, a person can transform their life to great value from humble beginnings or even humble ends.

I became interested in what I believe was Pam's question about the significance of the book Santiago was reading at the beginning of the story. The King said this was a popular book but irritating in that it suggested that people believe that fate controls us, and that this is a lie that thwarts people from achieving their dreams. From what I could find, the boy never finished that book. Books were mentioned when the boy met the Englishman, but these were books about alchemy, a group of many books that were all trying to explain the words that could fit on one emerald. Then later, the Alchemist had books at his home. I didn't see anything further about the original book the boy was reading. Did you?

Personal sharing at the discussion, always among the most interesting parts of our meetings, included Marla's telling us that she has 9-10 copies of The Alchemist, in English and Spanish. Marla said she enjoyed reading the book better in Spanish but that she felt the meaning was the same. Marla has collected her copies of The Alchemist over some years and has enjoyed noticing different feelings and thoughts rereading the book at different junctures of her life.

Two years ago, Patty visited Egypt. She and her husband went on a special trip across the desert by car, accompanied by 2 guards, to look at the oldest Pyramid, which is far from the standard popular Pyramids that most tourists visit. Patty was awed by the Sahara.

Rutger's brother is a tour guide on the Sahara. See Rutger about signing up for a 2-week tour today! Can you imagine?

Neal Stephenson

2011-07-18T15:39:00.002-05:00

In our discussion of alchemy today, I mentioned the series of books by Neal Stephenson that might be of interest. They comprise the Baroque Cycle, made up of eight books published in three volumes. The volumes are titled Quicksilver, The Confusion, and The System of the World. These are historical novels set between the Restoration of the Stuart monarchy and the beginning of the 18th Century. The stories describe, among other things, the transition from alchemy to modern science. A wealth of historic characters populate the books, including many early scientists such as Newton, Boyle, Hooke, and Leibniz, plus many other political and prominent figures, such as Handel, Christopher Wren, Blackbeard, John Churchill, D'Artagnan, William Penn, Samuel Pepys, Charles II, William III, George I, etc. The principal alchemist is the mysterious Enoch Root. These books are so rich, and so well written, that they will captivate the enthusiastic reader for years. But don't be afraid to take them on; there is lots of fast-moving action, and something for every taste.

Did the Hummingbird Make a Mistake by Running Away?

2011-06-30T09:23:00.008-05:00

As the nominator of this month's book, The Hummingbird's Daughter, by Luis Alberto Urrea, I was trying to do three things at once during our book club meeting: (1) Lead the discussion, (2) Take notes for writing on the blog later and (3) Enjoy and be a part of the discussion. I was successful at number 3!

For an extra boost of fun, I brought a box of Jujubes candy, presumably but doubtfully similar to the jujubes that were a favorite treat of Tomas Urrea, the family patriarch in The Hummingbird's Daughter. The American Jujubes candy was created in the 1800s, so it is possible these were the jujubes mentioned in the book. In the 1800s, the candy would have been made with sugar; now they are made with corn syrup (progress in America). The candy was named after a tropical berry, but the berry is said to be nothing like the candy. I did not partake of the candies when we passed them around during our meeting. I waited until the next day, popped one in my mouth, enjoyed it carefully for a while, and finally bit down on it. When I opened my teeth, a piece of dental work came out! I had to go get it cemented back in at the dentist. I hope this didn't happen to anyone else at the meeting! If anyone wants a box of Jujubes, let me know! I don't know why, but I didn't throw them away...yet.

My notes about our discussion are minimal and scattered. I shall tell you here more about the interview with the author that I watched online and about the questions I prepared for the presentation, and will close with a few of the comments from the meeting.

Click on this link for the videotaped interview with Urrea. Toward the end, he does a reading from the book. I think it's an excellent author video. It provides insight into Urrea's personality as well as The Hummingbird's Daughter.

Urrea was born in Tijuana Mexico, the son of a Mexican father and a mother from a Virginia plantation. Urrea's love of words stems from his mother reading Dickens and Twain to him when he was a child. He didn't understand the words but loved it all anyway; I guess he was speaking Spanish. The family moved to San Diego when Urrea became ill. Later Urrea would hearken back to his Tijuana roots to write The Devil's Highway. Urrea was particularly disturbed by the contrast between the poverty in Tijuana and the wealth in San Diego, especially since you could see San Diego from the hilltops in Tijuana. Urrea's Devil's Highway was rejected by publishers for 10 years and then became a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

Urrea heard about his relative, Teresita, in family stories. He first read a book about her in 1985 and then began to research via news articles and word of mouth. For 20 years, he traveled and gathered information and studied with healers, preparing the book. Teresita has always been a figure of intrigue. Books have been published about Teresita in 1902 (by Lauro Aguirre who is prominent in The Hummingbird's Daughter), 1911, 1960, 1972, 1976, 1978; and The Hummingbird's Daughter in 2005.

The Hummingbird's Daughter covers the first 20 years of Teresita's life. On page 347 of the book, she is just becoming a grownup, around age 19. Thereafter, she grows up very quickly. Her coma occurred in 1889, and she was in El Paso by 1896. Urrea's sequel to The Hummingbird's Daughter follows Teresita's life further and is called Queen of America. It's due out in December of this year.

Questions for discussion that came to mind while reading the book were the following:

What parts of the story do you think are historical and what parts are fiction? Urrea answers this question on his interview, stating that all the mystical parts are true, via eyewitness reports and news articles. It is the daily life, food, clothing, and other settings that are fictional!

Have you seen any faith healing? A few of our book club members have had or seen experiences with faith healers. Oral Roberts was mentioned. Someone, I think Dennis, mentioned the term "magical realism." In the video interview, Urrea mentions this term, too, stating that southern American writers, Faulkner and Flannery O'Connor in particular, inspired Garcia Marquez and other Latin authors of magical realism.

Did you feel that the characters were well-developed? Were any stereotyped? This question had mixed answers in our discussion. Patty said the characters were somewhat vague but the book told the story of Mexico via the setting of the society of classes, ranch life among the classes, the mysticism among the Yaqui tribes, and the colonization by the Spaniards. Patty has a knack for picking up and crystallizing the broad historical lessons we learn from the novels we read! We discussed some of the characters' personalities and how well we felt we got to know them.

The Hummingbird's Daughter was well-liked! It is an amazing true story that is fun to imagine and very different from most people's lives. We had some criticism about a lack of depth for some of the characters. A few of us thought the book was written in a slightly hard-to-read style, with convoluted sentences. The beginning tended to be difficult, especially because of the several names for each character that is common among Spanish names. The use of Spanish words and phrases, deprecatory and lowbrow for the most part, without English translation raised a few eyebrows. Two members told me this book went right to the top of their lists of personal favorites! This made my day; nominators are always looking for that fine balance between good for discussion and fun to read!

Anybody planning to nominate Queen of America?

Literary Vitriol

2011-06-21T09:24:00.002-05:00

Couldn't resist posting this list of insults among famous authors. What I want to know is why Mark Twain kept reading Pride and Prejudice over and over!

http://flavorwire.com/188138/the-30-harshest-author-on-author-insults-in-history

Hummingbird Words

2011-05-24T10:59:00.005-05:00

If you are not fluent in Mexican Spanish, and wonder about some of the words in The Hummingbird's Daughter, you might refer to this entry in Wikipedia.

Thanks, Dennis. I'm going to add to this: here is the translation of the first non-off-color full sentence in Spanish that isn't translated: In the book, it starts with "Llegaron con el amancer,..." and it means, "Arrived with the dawn. No riding horses. Walking, leaping like deer, flying like vultures." You'll know which sentence when you get there in the book or if you have been there.

Also, you can use translate.google.com for some words and sentences.

Woodsburner Ignites Discussion

2011-05-17T00:17:00.009-05:00

On May 16th at 1:00 PM at Barnes & Noble, we discussedWoodsburner: A Novel, by John Pipkin, who lives in Austin. This novel won the Fiction First Novel Prize in 2009 and the Texas Institute of Letters award, plus outstanding reviews!

Before his move to Walden Pond in the mid-1800s, Henry David Thoreau accidentally started a forest fire. This historical novel creates a story of the impact of the fire on 4 fictitious characters living nearby at the time. The stories of each of the characters are told via separate chapters on each character. The chapters are intertwined, so that after reading about one character for a while, the reader is brought to another character who is undergoing a different adventure simultaneously with the first and other characters. The characters slowly become more and more intertwined.

We did a lot of thinking about the relationships between the characters and the relationship between these relationships and the way the chapters were organized. Two members had done some reading of several chapters about one character and then chapters about another, rather than reading the chapters in the order the author presented them. This didn't seem to hurt the story. Frank had talked with the author, inviting him to our discussion. Pipkin couldn't join us, but he did tell Frank some interesting facts about writing the book. One was that he used a spreadsheet to keep track of all the characters and everything that happened to them. This explained how he was able to keep the characters mostly separate but have them become involved with each other as the story progressed. No one found any errors in the sequencing.

Sandy presented the book by giving us a detailed summary to remind us of the main events and important aspects of each character. She fielded comments and questions, which often turned into topical discussions. When a discussion seemed to be dying down, she would fan the flames of a new discussion by continuing her summary.

The growing population in cities such as Concord in the 1800s had already caused enough changes (damage) to the environment that concerns had been aroused. Dennis mentioned that before the grand settling of America, it was said that squirrels could go from the Atlantic Ocean to the Mississippi River without touching the ground. This resounded with me, as lately for some reason I have been imagining our world when it was filled with animals and especially birds.

Some other topics we covered included Oddmund's dead tooth and his other teeth, which were unusually healthy. This reminded Frank that John Pipkin had also mentioned that even with all the research that has been done, movies and art tend to ignore or just get wrong the fact that teeth tended to be bad and ugly before the advent of modern dentistry. It is rare or missing in the media to see a guy who gets the girl have missing or rotten-looking teeth! Pipkin expressed this information in the story by mentioning that Thoreau had been losing teeth and coveted Oddmund's healthy teeth.

Phyllis suggested that Eliot was barely connected with the other characters and might be an extra, but we decided that the cards that Eliot introduced to Emma's husband played an important role in the demise of Emma's and his relationship. It was also amusing how Eliot realized that staging a fire every night at the end of his play might have drawbacks: destruction, smoke, ash, heat, etc. Eliot abandoned his play, and the sensationalist who owned the playhouse got away without getting what he deserved. Maybe they talked about it over coffee...

Several of us admitted to missing the false identity that Cyrus Woburn, Emma's husband, was using. He told Oddmund about it during the turtle episode, when he was drunk. I vividly remember the turtle episode! I happened to be buying a Koi for my pond this past weekend, and there were some cute turtles for sale, and I had a horrible flash on that chapter. So I guess maybe the turtle killing was so vivid that some readers tended to miss the confession Cyrus made. Cyrus had enough evidence of flawed character against him for the reader to cheer Emma's leaving him, even without remembering about his other wife! This filling in of the blanks during discussion is a nice reminder of the additions that our discussions make to our reading experience.

There were many points, themes, and historical facts in this book! The characters had all kinds of issues! Apparently research uncovered that Thoreau didn't write about the fire. even in hiw own journal, for 6 years. The author made a case for Thoreau trying to blame the fire on everything and everyone in his life except himself, even stretching to think to himself that if he had liked New York City and stayed there, the fire would not have occurred. Caleb covered the religion themes - most that can be imagined. Sexual orientation, effects of childhood trauma, women's rights, materialism, environmental issues...we decided that there was "something for everyone" in Woodsburner!

Among those who read the book, approximately half enjoyed reading it. Among those who did not "like" the book, critiques included wordiness and excessive inclusion of historical facts that detoured away from the interesting story. Those who did like the book were impressed with the quality of the prose. No right answer, but Woodsburner is good material for discussion!

Author Visit: Fred Burton, Author of Chasing Shadows

2011-05-16T23:31:00.002-05:00

Note: This was not our regular meeting, but it was a special event related to us.

On May 11th, 2011, Fred Burton (who visited our group to talk about his book Ghost last spring) spoke at the Round Rock New Neighbors luncheon. Frank introduced Fred and sold books while Fred signed them. Our book club was well-represented by members of RRNN and book club members not affiliated with RRNN.

Burton has published a new book in April, called Chasing Shadows: A Special Agent's Lifelong Hunt to Bring a Cold War Assassin to Justice. Fred told us about the murder of the Israeli father of one of his classmates when he was in high school and how that political murder went unsolved until Fred reopened the file on it and worked on solving it. The book recounts the story of the murder, how it affected Fred, and how Fred worked to bring justice for the family involved.

Fred answered questions from the audience, covering such topics as the Mexican cartels, Al Kaeda after the death of Osama Bin Laden, the Chinese viewpoint, Iran, and the media.

The Power of One Packs a Wallop!

2011-04-24T17:21:00.006-05:00

No surprise that "Who liked the book?" brought a unanimous response from those who finished The Power of One, by Bryce Courtenay. Almost everyone at the meeting had read the book! Those who hadn't may have been convinced to read it now and are in for a treat.

Thanks to Billie for nominating this book! It is one of my favorite books ever, a pleasure to read.

I (Claudia) led the discussion, mostly using a list of questions from the Random House Reader's Circle web page. First I read some notes about the author. I found these particularly interesting because they indicated that the book was semi-autobiographical. Courtenay lived in a small country town called Barberton in South Africa and was sent to boarding school at age 5. There was a "Doc" in his life who was a German music teacher who liked to drink and taught Courtenay wonders of nature. Courtenay was banned from South Africa because he was caught educating Africans on weekends in his private school. He moved to Australia and became the most famous Australian writer.

My first question to the group was one of my own: was Peekay too perfect? The answer from Linda was that in spite of Peekay's almost unrealistic achievements, the author was able to keep the reader seeing Peekay as an underdog throughout the book. The reader liked Peekay because he seemed to be motivated to do things by the right reasons. The boxing theme carried through because it was an opportunity for "small" to defeat "big." Peekay's treatment of the African Blacks was based on his early experiences loving and respecting Black individuals. Author Courtenay's ability to sustain the mood carried through the book and kept it refreshing and exciting for the reader.

The published questions were solid questions, asking which characters influenced Peekay the most (we said Doc and Geel Peet), and why Grandpa Chook was so important to Peekay (Pam said because he was Peekay's only friend and represented stability from home after the shakeup Peekay had undergone losing his Nanny and being sent away). We had mostly short answers for the questions. In answer to a question as to what really happened between the witch doctor and Peekay, Marla shared an episode in her son's life where the power of suggestion proved its strength.

It seemed to me that we noted the best qualities of the book when Phyllis said she had not read the book and asked us to tell her why she should read it. The Power of One hooks the reader almost immediately, sustains the interest via an engaging narrative and deeply developed characters, presents challenging adventures for the main character, and never loses the momentum until the end...when the mood is still there, whether or not the sequel was originally planned.

Our typically critical-of-endings group seemed satisfied with the ending. Some of us were pleasantly surprised at the end, as we had not expected or required the tying up of that particular loose end in Peekay's life. In considering whether the ending of The Power of One changed Peekay's life and what happened to him in the future, we opened the choice for each of us as to whether to read the sequel, Tandia. The book is available but out of print, so we will not be reading it as a group.

Orange Prize Short List

2011-04-12T05:06:00.002-05:00

The Orange Prize for Fiction, the UK’s only annual book award for fiction written by a woman, today announces the 2011 shortlist. Celebrating its sixteenth anniversary this year, the Prize celebrates excellence, originality and accessibility in women’s writing from throughout the world.

* Emma Donoghue (Irish) - Room; Picador; 7th Novel
* Aminatta Forna (British/Sierra Leonean) - The Memory of Love; Bloomsbury; 2nd Novel
* Emma Henderson (British) - Grace Williams Says it Loud; Sceptre; 1st Novel
* Nicole Krauss (American) - Great House; Viking; 3rd Novel
* Téa Obreht (Serbian/American) - The Tiger’s Wife; Weidenfeld & Nicolson; 1st Novel
* Kathleen Winter (Canadian) - Annabel; Jonathan Cape; 1st Novel

Behind Enemy Lines Sparks Discussion About WWII

2011-03-29T22:56:00.010-05:00

Author, Holocaust survivor, and World War II French spy Marthe Cohn is currently 91 years of age. Her book, Behind Enemy Lines: The True Story of a French Jewish Spy in Nazi Germany, revisits the years before and during the war in France, where Marthe lived, and in Germany, where Marthe sneaked across the border to spy for the Allies. Cohn first published her story in 2002. The book has been quietly gaining in popularity, and the author has been making some appearances at libraries and bookstores. Of course, at 91, Cohn will not go on the kind of book tour that would generate the kind of fame she deserves.

Marthe Cohn was a smart and brave young woman, living in a time and place where she had unique opportunities to display wit and bravery. Talk about reaching one's potential! Cohn had amazing adventures before and during the war! Amazing but horrifying, set in the crucible of what may have been the worst years in history.

Our book discussion group was lucky to find this gem of a true story! This happened because a relative of Jay was on an airplane with Cohn and told Jay about the book.

Behind Enemy Lines was another winner for our group, with everyone at our meeting glad they read the book! Jay compared Behind Enemy Lines with The Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, saying that Behind Enemy Lines provided more of the in-depth information about the daily lives of the public during the war that we had felt was interesting but not developed enough in Potato Peel Pie.

Phyllis and Sandy raised some questions: How was Cohn able to travel extensively by herself as a young woman during the war, and how did she get such important and dangerous assignments? I think we decided that the answers were a combination of factors, kind of a perfect storm. Cohn was smart and kept trying to join the resistance even when rejected. She was bilingual, without an accent in either language, in a war between 2 countries speaking different languages. As Frank said, during a war, whoever is available to do a job is used. During World War II, people were all living in extenuating circumstances. Many were fleeing from one place to another, looking for loved ones, joining the resistance, or working quietly for one side or the other. Marthe Cohn herself noted that at the end of the war, she seemed to be in a "hotbed of spies," where no one trusted anyone and everyone seemed to be trying to get useful information from everyone else.

The book was a page turner and couldn't have been more interesting if it were a fictitious spy thriller! Of course, often the true stories trump fiction. After reading the book, our discussion brought the book to life, not so much by revisiting the facts presented in the book but via the sharing of personal experiences that was inspired by reading the book and attending the meeting.

Usually, I try to express some of the thoughts our readers had about the book. This time, I will summarize a few of the comments from our group's personal memories. Rutger was 8 years old when the Gestapo came into his home and took his father, who had started a Dutch organization to help people keep their faith during the war. Luckily, he lived and was freed after 4 years (I think that was what Rutger said.) Jennifer's parents decided to leave Germany to get away from the war. The way she seemed to put it was that people didn't know exactly what was going on, but they knew it was bad. Jennifer's parents put their new furniture in a cart and walked to Czechoslovakia. When they arrived, Hitler had also arrived, so they turned around and walked back. Some of Jennifer's relatives fought in the German army, but only because they would have been killed if they had objected. After the war, the repercussions reached far and wide. Pam's mother in Round Rock lost friends and felt somewhat shunned because she had a German surname. More of us shared stories of our elders' reactions to the war.

Please note that if I ever share anything online that you said at book discussion but that you don't want to be printed online, let me know and I will take it off the blog!

In closing, other books and a movie that was mentioned that might be interesting to those who particularly enjoyed this book and discussion were The Tin Drum, by Gunter Grass (Dennis, I read the book but the group didn't read it for discussion); books by and about Dietrich Bonhoeffer; Armageddon, by Leon Uris; Sarah's Key, by Tatiana de Rosnay; and the movie Hanna's War. An as yet unpublished book by Erik Larson (Isaac's Storm) may also be of interest, as it's called In the Garden of Beasts: Love, Terror, and an American Family in Hitler's Berlin.

Addendum: I found Marthe Cohn on Facebook! I sent her a message including a copy of the above blog entry. She sent a reply, and I then asked her whether it would be OK to publish it. She said it would. So here is her response to my message and her reading of the above blog entry:

Hello Claudia: I just read your Blog with great interest. I seldom open my Facebook site as I am still awfully busy at my age and still travel extensively. I prefer to communicate by e-mail at: majorlcohn@aol.com which I check several times /day. If your group or you would like to ask me questions, I would answer them. The best way is to send me the questions by e-mail and then call me for the discusssion (no charge). I have done it for other book clubs which are not rich enough to invite me to their book club meetings (I am often invited). I am very glad you sent your Blog to my site, I have so little time to update it. By the way, my book was first published in 2002 (hardback version) in English and 2005 in French by PLon (see my site on Wikipedia, Google and Amazon). The publisher never organized a signing tour, the press agent was totally incompetent -she later lost her job, not because of me- Through the years, I have given several hundred conferences in the US and in Europe (even at the Sorbonne in Paris and in a mansion in Potsdam, Germany, last December & January). Thank you for your interest in my story of so long ago. Marthe Cohn

Author Series in Austin

2011-03-16T21:26:00.004-05:00

A series of author discussions is beginning in Austin at Lambert's Downtown Barbecue. The authors will be interviewed by Texas Monthly staff. Seats are limited and are first offered for Texas Book Festival members and subscribers to Texas Monthly. For more information, here is the link for the website.

http://www.texasbookfestival.org/pdfs/tbf_txmo_authors_release.pdf

Thanks to Carla for letting us know about this!

The Book Surgeon (art) - check this out ...Pam

2011-03-12T09:10:00.001-06:00

http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/the-book-surgeon-15-pieces

WAAAYYYY cool - book sculptor - check it out!

2011-03-07T12:17:00.002-06:00

Beautiful artwork made from old books: http://www.mymodernmet.com/profiles/blogs/the-book-surgeon-15-pieces
Pam

Discussing The Help Brings Back Memories

2011-02-23T10:05:00.009-06:00

Although we started to discuss characters in The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, the discussion soon turned to sharing about our distant past experiences with racism. The shared stories were fascinating! Some of these experiences highlighted "color blindness," mostly among ourselves or others as children. Some comments told about encounters we had at young ages with black people we liked and admired. Others involved racism as we saw it practiced by our elders, mostly before the 1960s. Some sharing stemmed from life in small towns in Texas. A little was about today's problems with racism, but not much. Is that because there is much less racism now than there was during the time of The Help? That would be another topic. Maybe next month...

The author's statement at the end of the book explains the origins of the book; the author was raised with a black maid. Jennifer, who presented the book to us, told us that because there was only one bath tub in the Stockett house, the maid shared the tub...but had to bathe in her clothes. That disturbs me! Stockett encountered some anger about the book, including some from her own relatives and some from readers who objected to her writing from a black point of view. One black maid who worked for Stockett's family at some time saw herself in the book and is currently suing the author. If anyone sees any follow-up on this case, please let our book group know!

The discussion started with the question of what motivated Hilly. Candy suggested she was scared, and Sandy thought she was just mean and manipulative. There was some agreement that she was intimidated by Skeeter's college degree.

We thought about whether these maids in the real world would love the children they cared for, as in the book. We questioned whether "the pie" was a realistic form of revenge. Not sure why, but we didn't dwell on "the pie."

We only briefly touched on the literary quality of The Help. Consensus was that this was an excellent book, especially for a first-time author!

The Help has been on the NY Times Best Seller list for close to 100 weeks! A movie is planned for release this summer.

Not just Hard Times; I bet Dickens would have said Desperate Times

2011-01-28T16:05:00.003-06:00

Recent news about library funding brought to mind a fiction title from a couple of years ago: When Will There Be Good News? Our acting library director, Michelle Cervantes, heard some dismal details today when she attended the Central Texas Library System meeting in Bastrop. Example: funding for both interlibrary loan service and the state summer reading program for children is slated to be discontinued.

Naturally, as a librarian I have cause to form opinions about such things. However, I'm also a budget-minded taxpayer who thinks that promoting literacy and sharing materials are core expectations--not to mention practical ways to maximize our resources and help make Texas a desirable place to live. As the economy has worsened, the library has seen steadily increasing traffic as citizens seek ways to sharpen their skills, acquire new employment, and save money; funds for the databases they use for these purposes would also be slashed.

I checked out the txla link in Claudia's message and was happy to find that, as you scroll down the page, you can access a convenient tool to find your legislators' names and addresses--along with suggested text to use. From what I'm hearing, constant and vocal support from citizens will be needed for the next several weeks. Also, the upcoming Legislative Day on February 16 is a vital opportunity fto demonstrate your advocacy for libraries: www.txla.org/legislative-day.

Since financial support at all levels is a concern in these economic times, here's link to Round Rock's mayor and city council, with email access: www.roundrocktexas.gov/home/index.asp?page=200. Our brand-new City Manager, Steve Norwood, doesn't have a link on the City page yet; his email is snorwood@round-rock.tx.us.

On a totally different--and cheerier note--I think our upcoming discussion title, The Help, is a winner!

Proposed Budget Cuts Endanger Public Libraries in Texas

2011-01-27T17:27:00.005-06:00

txla.org/take-action

With the creation of the first draft of the state budget, they are threatening to cut the state funds to the libraries...again. The Round Rock Library has posted requests that we lobby and write to our elected representatives. The link above to the Texas Library Association website will help you send some emails to your representatives very quickly. I ended up with another window, which gave me a letter to send to the Lt. Governor via paper mail. It really is quick and easy! You do have to put in your name and address, but it's not going to endanger you online. I do tend to give one of my "extra" email addresses to these political cause websites, because they sometimes start sending requests for more of me than I want to give.

Bonnie and Clyde Had Fancy Clothes and Short Lives

2011-01-20T13:25:00.004-06:00

It was "...death for Bonnie and Clyde," and we were as fascinated with it as the general public was when it all happened! Go Down Together: The True, Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde, by Jeff Guinn, was a well-written, well-researched detailed accounting of Clyde Barrow and Bonnie Parker; or is it better said Bonnie Parker and Clyde Barrow? Everyone at our meeting had read the book, and everyone liked it! This is highly unusual for our group! I can think of at least 17 of us who were there. Why was this violent true story so well received by our group? Please don't tell me it was because it's Texas history...Rather, let's recap some of what was said at the meeting!

Some of the appeal was the Texas, and therefore familiar, aspect. We had a report from Joyce's 84-year-old aunt, who said that West Dallas was and still is an unpleasant place. She wasn't in Texas during the years when Bonnie and Clyde were rampaging, but soon after, she saw the "death car" on exhibit. Frank asked us who would pay to see the death car now, and the response was muted. But...if it were easily available, I'll bet we could get a field trip going! Linda's grandfather had a friend who ran a store at that time. Bonnie and Clyde were customers there when they were passing through. This storekeeper said they were always polite and that Bonnie was hardened-looking rather than cute. It was interesting to imagine Bonnie and Clyde driving thousands of miles in and near Texas in those days, without any Interstate highways, without any fast food and bagged snacks to carry in the car, in cars that needed gas often and new tires perhaps even more often!

Someone said Clyde was smart and would have been rerouted by a social program today; but someone else countered that idea with the argument that many people in West Dallas lived in poverty without turning to crime. Someone suggested that Bonnie and Clyde were stupid to visit their families as often as they did; and the police were stupid to not catch them sooner, since everyone knew they visited their families often. Pat noted that many small-town police forces consisted of volunteers with other jobs rather than full-time paid forces.

Patty said she couldn't help but feel some sympathy for Bonnie and Clyde, mostly because of their devotion to their families, and because they didn't seem to mean or want to be killers and never really warmed up to the task. Clyde did seem to be unfairly targeted by the police and couldn't have been expected to hold a job, the way the police were so often making him take time off for investigations. Mary wondered where the photos of the Barrows and Parkers came from, when photos were an expensive luxury in those days.

Bringing the conversation to the present, Rutger mentioned the influence of the gap between the rich and the poor on incidence of crime. Phyllis said that law enforcement now has instant and thorough communication everywhere, thus keeping everyone informed of current status. Dennis mentioned that even today, a crime against a law enforcement officer is less likely to go unresolved or unpunished than many other crimes. Emily mentioned gun control as involving a paradox between government keeping us safe or allowing us our freedom.

We also talked about the popular movie and the media that constantly surrounded Bonnie and Clyde's real escapades and the crimes they were blamed for but didn't commit. Bonnie and Clyde were folk heroes, for whatever reason, and they were glamorized by the news media at the time (it sold papers) and by the Hollywood movie in the 1960s. But they didn't really seem to have much fun.

Timely Movie Note

2011-01-19T08:37:00.002-06:00

Paging through the latest issue of The New Yorker last night, I spotted a review for You Only Live Once (1937):

"This early version of the Bonnie and Clyde story, starring Sylvia Sidney and Henry Fonda (neither has ever been better), is perhaps the finest of Fritz Lang's American movies, and certainly one of the finest American melodramas of the thirties. In this version, the young outcasts are seen as innocent victims of the indifference and cruelty of society..."

I can't recall whether this is the same film Frank mentioned. At any rate, the viewpoint of this story certainly mirrors some of the group's comments. We've already missed the Jan. 12-14 showing at the MOMA (what a great road trip that would have been), but Netflix does offer it.

Round Rock Reads! update now on library's website

2010-12-16T13:13:00.002-06:00

For the latest and most complete information about next month's Round Rock Reads! activities, check out this link on Round Rock Public Library's library's website
http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/home/index.asp?page=10&recordid=2132

We're looking forward to sharing a noted speaker, a documentary film, great refreshments, and a spirited discussion with you.

HW Brands speaks at Georgetown Library Jan 13 2011

2010-12-11T18:05:00.002-06:00

H.W. Brands
Georgetown Public Library
January 13, 2011 - 2pm
Library Community Rooms

from Pam

Wishes and Hopes Fulfilled at Book Group Holiday Party

2010-12-07T20:54:00.007-06:00

We had a delightful party and discussed the delightful Wishin' and Hopin', by Dusty Springfield. No, we sang that and discussed the book by Wally Lamb. Everyone enjoyed the book except one reader, who said she stopped after the episode with the dirty joke on TV because it was just too ridiculous...but later I heard her thinking out loud that she might finish the book.

Thanks again to Jennifer for hostessing in your beautifully decorated home!

The highlight of the party - the hot dishes! We had some great recipes at the party - thanks Pam for posting yours. Whoever wants to post theirs is welcome to post or let me know and I'll help you post it.

The other highlight of the party was the photos many of us brought from when we were approximately 10 years old and in 5th grade. It was fun to guess which photo belonged to which person. I guessed a few right, and I guessed a few wrong. But we all were cute!

Intellectual exercise to get back in shape, in case you enjoyed the fun of this book too much: Wally Lamb's literary heroes and influences were supposedly Joseph Campbell and Heinrich Zimmer. Can you spot the influences in any of Lamb's work?

Pam's Frozen Potato Casserole

2010-12-07T10:23:00.001-06:00

From Pam Fuchs
30 oz package Ore-Ida frozen hash brown potatoes, partially thawed
1/2 - 8 oz cream cheese (next time I'd use the whole thing-why not!)
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
1 C. milk or more, to desired consistency (I started with 1 C then added more after 45 min)
finely chopped onions (I omitted)
1 C grated cheese (optional - I used cheddar)

Blend cream cheese & mushroom soup. Stir in milk, onions and 1/2 the cheese.
Lightly 13x9 baking dish. Place taters in bottom. Pour soup mixture over all. Cover.
Bake 350 for 45 minutes, STIR and test doneness of potatoes. If done, sprinkle with remaining cheese and bake uncovered until cheese melts. If not done, re-cover and cook longer.

Her Name was Falon, not Ellen

2010-10-19T14:11:00.004-05:00

Everyone enjoyed reading My Name is Falon, by Kim Wiese, although most of us had some reservations and some criticisms of the book. The author is local. Although she couldn't attend our group, she sent some historic information. She said the Highland "clearances" took place beginning around 1740 and going on for some decades.

Although the author researched extensively to write the book, several of our astute members found errors or limitations to the historical material. Dennis mentioned the most blatant anachronism, that rifles were not around at the time of the story; "muskets" would have been more appropriate. There was some agreement that the story might have been richer if the author had researched more. Many of us felt that the story was simple, thin, and lightweight; with shallow, somewhat stereotyped characters and some interactions and story lines not fully developed or concluded. Although we noticed these weaknesses, rather than disliking the book, we wanted more.

It seemed that this meeting brought more observations than conversations. We didn't have much of arguing or going off on tangents. There wasn't much discussion centering on how the book relates to today (which is often where the tangents begin), although Carla did mention that she could relate this story to today's immigrants.

Observations:

Several of our longstanding members noticed that this story reminded them of a book we read in 2002, True Women, by Janice Woods Windle. I didn't think of that, though I did read both books; there are always admirable surprises from our members!

Emily, our newest member, noticed that there was a lot of redemption in the story - all the characters were redeemed in some way after their errors. We thought this might have stemmed from the author's earlier writing inspirational stories.

The point of view of this book differed from most, in that the Alamo aspect was experienced by people far from the Alamo and receiving the news days later by word of mouth, rather than the story taking place at the Alamo.

Janice suggested this book might be better for a high-school student, and someone suggested junior high. This is not meant to be silly; the book had a lot of merit as a historical novel but was a little light for us.

This brings me to the Texas Book Festival...because I volunteered there at an event for an author who writes historical novels for preteens/teenagers: Laurie Halse Anderson. How's that for changing the subject? I wanted to say that at our meeting we had some interesting sharing about experiences at the TBF. At least 6 of us had been there, all going to different discussions. This TBF had beautiful weather and a huge attendance! We hope it was a huge success for all concerned!

The TBF discussion was actually at the beginning of the meeting. At the end, we brainstormed as to the best books about Texas. Here are a few:

Lone Star Nation - H.W. Brands
Raven's Bride: A Novel of Eliza Allen and Sam Houston - Elizabeth Crook
Texas - James Michener
Capture - Scott? Pam, please let me know and I'll put in the author
Gates of the Alamo - Stephen Harrigan
Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry
Anything by J. Frank Dobie

Never Let Me Go opening today

2010-10-08T11:46:00.003-05:00

The film version of Ishiguro's novel, Never Let Me Go, is opening today. It stars Carey Mulligan as (adult) Kathy, Keira Knightly as (adult) Ruth, and Andrew Garfield as (adult) Tommy. Apparently the film is a little more revealing than the book was, probably to its detriment. As I recall, not everyone enjoyed the book (though I did), so maybe you might like the movie better.

Keep Talkin' Happy Talk

2010-09-23T21:28:00.006-05:00

James Michener's Tales of the South Pacific was different from the play most of us were familiar with, South Pacific! There was some surprise at the depth and breadth of the stories Michener used to create his first novel, particularly compared with the play, which essentially covered only 2 of the 19 stories from the book.

This book didn't have the feel of a first novel, but it was Michener's first and, as Patty told us, probably his most important novel, because it bought him the opportunity to be a writer for the rest of his life. Although James Michener was a Quaker and thus was not obligated to fight the war, Michener enlisted because he wanted to fight against Hitler. He landed in the South Pacific islands as a Naval Supply Officer. He worked during the days and at night typed notes about his days, his colleagues, and adventures real and maybe imaginary. Tales of the South Pacific was published in 1946. A fortuitous effort by Richard Rogers, Oscar Hammerstein, and Producer Leland Howard brought the play, South Pacific, to Broadway in 1949. Michener decided not to be greedy when he was offered a lump sum for the rights to his book, and he asked instead for a mere 1% of the profits. The play was made into a movie by director Josh Logan in 1958. Michener's 1% made him rich enough to quit his day job and dedicate as much time as he wanted to his writing.

Patty summarized some interesting aspects of Michener's memoir, The World Is My Home. She said if she had known about this interesting memoir before nominating, she would have chosen it instead of the Tales!

Jay told us that as a child Michener had a collection of postcards depicting many famous works of art, which led to his collection of postage stamps from around the world, and his lifelong love of art, starting with his collection of Japanese prints, and culminating with his donation of many 20th century works to what is now known as the Blanton Museum of Art at the University of Texas.

Patty asked us, "Was Tales of the South Pacific a novel, a book of short stories, or a travelogue?" I liked the answer Carla provided: all of the above!

Someone noticed a similarity between this book and the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society: the beauty of these faraway lands at war was appreciated by the soldiers who were stationed there.

There was a mixture of opinions about James Michener's books in general. Those of us who have read many of his books seemed to agree that some books were a lot better than others. There were complaints that Michener wrote too many words, too much detail, and too many ideas. But no one said they didn't enjoy reading Michener's first novel.

Round Rock Reads about Bonnie & Clyde

2010-08-30T13:50:00.004-05:00

Round Rock has it's Sam Bass history; maybe that's why the outlaws Bonnie & Clyde appeal to our local readers. For Round Rock Reads, the 2011 book will be Go Down Together: The True Untold Story of Bonnie and Clyde, by Jeff Guinn. Library events will begin in January.

At our September 20th meeting, our group will be deciding whether to consider the Round Rock Reads book to be our January selection. We'll probably have an opportunity to have that meeting cosponsored with the Round Rock Public Library as we did last year with Isaac's Storm. That was a dynamic meeting!

Comments?

South Pacific

2010-08-19T13:56:00.002-05:00

KLRU will rebroadcast this performance several times. The next most convenient time is on Sunday, August 22 at 2 pm. Of course you could always Tivo or record at one of the less viewer friendly times. Don't expect the musical to take the place of the book. I don't see much similarity between the two, though both are good in their own way.

Epistolary Novel Liked By All

2010-08-19T10:36:00.005-05:00

Dear Frank,

Although you weren't able to be at our meeting this month, the Barnes & Noble staff took care of all our needs, including extra chairs, coffee, cookies, and putting away the chairs.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, was the first book in a long time that received all hands up when I asked, "How many liked the book?" Generally, everyone enjoyed reading the book. We identified some especially clever aspects and (of course) offered some critiques as we talked about the book in general and then addressed specific questions under Carla's guidance.

Praise included the sheer pleasure of reading the book. The word "delightful" was used. Members said that the characters were easy to get to know and that they seemed real. The historical facts about the German occupation added depth and enriched the story without overpowering it with researched detail. The themes of reading and the book club in the story were of interest to us all! We liked the evidence of the characters being changed by joining the book club and reading. We saw that reading helped the individuals escape from the daily difficulties surrounding the German occupation and war, and we noted that discussing the books helped the characters get to know each other.

As we got to know the characters, some of us developed the feeling that there were very few other people on Guernsey. To us, it was as if the Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society were the only people around. When someone brought up this idea, I realized that in my mind, Dawsey's land was along a road, and Elizabeth's place was along a road, and everyone else in the story had a home in the area, but there wasn't much between these homes besides greenery and some rolling hills. We had a good laugh over that idea. It wasn't so much a critique of the book as a shared experience of it.

Another perceptive comment we appreciated was Pam's noticing that through the letters the reader was given each character's perspective on each topic. There were several times in the book when this was particularly effective in giving the reader the full story on an issue or topic. The only main character who never wrote a letter was Remy. We decided that Remy was important in that she brought the news about Elizabeth's imprisonment, heroics, and death; and that she added tension to the romance between Dawsey and Juliet.

Questions raised included the following: "Who will play Juliet in the movie? (Maybe Amy Adams?)" Did letters from Oscar Wilde really appear in Guernsey? I couldn't find anything corroborating this online. The only thing I found was a blogger who noted that at the time the letters in Potato Peel Pie were supposedly written, Wilde was indeed not using the signature that was used to identify him in the story. Was Elizabeth too good to be possible? Heroics aside, we decided that Elizabeth was a lot like Juliet: independent, caring, and unconventional.

The character Isola received special mention as a favorite. Many of us had particularly noted her statement, "Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad books." There was some disagreement among us as to the veracity of the statement!

Related media mentioned: Movie - The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, about a boy helping a Jewish boy during WWII. Epistolary book and movie: 85 Charing Cross Road.

Frank, we suggest that this would be a "delightful" book for you and Judy to read aloud. We really think both of you would be pleasantly surprised, as some of us were. We can't promise you any blatant violence in this story, but there is the aftermath of WWII.

Respectfully, Claudia

Put This on Your Calendar!

2010-08-18T08:02:00.002-05:00

Thanks to Carla for sending this in!
Book Launch & Signing for Tom Grimes' Mentor: A Memoir
All sales from this event benefit the Texas Book Festival
Please join the Texas Book Festival at Barnes & Noble in Austin, TX:

Friday, August 27
7:00 pm
Barnes & Noble/ Arboretum / 10000 Research Blvd
Seating will be first come, first served
Refreshments Available
Grimes directs the MFA program in Creative Writing at Texas State University and he has twice been a finalist for the PEN/Nelson Algren Award. His work has been selected as a New York Times Notable Book of the Year.

SUPPORT THE FESTIVAL
by shopping at B&N
A percentage of your purchases made at any B&N store in the country and online will benefit TBF. Offer valid all day 8/27/10 through the end of business 8/31/10.
Present this email or use #10268449 when checking out.

Actress Lands Girl With Dragon Tatoo - Link is Fixed

2010-08-18T07:51:00.009-05:00

Thanks, Carla, for sending this in. Click here for the story.
There will probably be more news about this movie!
Sorry the link didn't work at first, but now it should.

Musical !

2010-08-18T05:43:00.001-05:00

A performance of South Pacific at Lincoln Center will be aired tonight (Wed, 18th) on KLRU-TV. Great songs, get your "Glee" on.

The Edible Book Festival

2010-07-29T09:34:00.002-05:00

These are clever! It's nice to see a book-related event!
http://library.duke.edu/about/depts/preservation/edible-09-images.html#

A Plea to Frank

2010-07-26T13:01:00.002-05:00

Even though Frank declared he would not read the "potato peel" book, I hope he does. I have found it charming and the characters delightful. Especially in the early part, my wife wondered why I kept laughing out loud.

We Escape Into the Criminal Mind

2010-07-25T13:42:00.007-05:00

Those of us who were bold and ventured into the crime noir books by Jim Thompson (1906-1977) found a surprisingly interesting collection of page-turners. It was as if we each had a little devil sitting at the top of our book, turning those pages so we couldn't stop reading until we reached the end of the story! Although we didn't relate directly to the situations of the characters in these books, we could relate to the ambiance of the books being from a simpler time of writing and adventure across the United States. Reading these books reminded me of teenage times of reading an exciting story, being transported to the scene of the story, and not caring whether the story was uplifting or instructional. The characters in these books had to scatter from the crime scene and meet each other at designated seedy motels later, regardless of how many witnesses they had to kill along the way...and all this without cell phones!

Regarding the author, we learned that he had a hard life during his early years and never did achieve fame and fortune, even though he published 27 novels and acted as a screenwriter, presumably for some of the film adaptations of his novels. Thompson's books did not stay in print during his life but were brought back posthumously. Sigh.

The drinking and hard living that Thompson wrote about were obviously aspects of life that he was familiar with. Jan suggested that Thompson might have had what we now call bipolar disorder, but we didn't generally feel that the author was psychotic, even though some of his characters were. The sheriff in The Killer Inside Me had a psychosis involving rage and killing that the author may have derived from real medical research. There was a back story in the book, about some childhood trauma that happened between the character and a childhood caregiver. In some ways this make the book seem more modern than it is.

The stories made sense, and the characters performed necessary actions, such as killings, based on the situations they had gotten themselves into. Many got what they deserved! There were nuances of morality scattered through these stories. Sometimes the characters expressed their own morality from a first-person narrative, as in the case of the sheriff in The Killer Inside Me; he fought against that killer and tried so valiantly to control himself, the reader almost wanted him to get away. Mostly, the reader wanted him to stop killing people, whether by conquering his demons or getting caught. The scene where he slid and tripped in the blood was one of the most violent I have read.

In After Dark My Sweet, the characters were created as likeable. They planned a simple kidnapping, but things went wrong and people were killed. In The Getaway, conniving characters ran into double crossers who trumped their own double-crossing actions. No one in that book could trust anyone else, and the ending had everyone living in a somewhat self-perpetuated hell where no one could trust anyone.

We noticed some common themes. The characters wanted to get out of the criminal business but somehow were kept in it, usually by their own choices. These choices were sometimese ones the characters didn't want to make, such as having to kill someone who came along at the wrong time and witnessed their guilt. Sometimes the characters wanted to choose the lawful path but just didn't have the strength at the moment of opportunity to get out when the gettin' was good. In The Getaway, they did want to rob the bank, but they didn't mean to kill anyone. Once the killing started, the characters kept hoping to get away from the killing, to where they could be free and stop the killing. In The Grifters, the guy kept saying he would stay with small con jobs and not get into a big extended situation, but he just couldn't help himself. He didn't even start saying it until he was already in over his head. In all, or most, of the stories, planned crimes snowballed out of control, and then characters were doomed.

Some of us had watched one or two of the movies from these books. The movies didn't seem to stimulate anywhere near as much discussion as the books; I guess the movies just weren't as good as the books! These movies have remained popular, as the books have, and there was even a remake of The Killer Inside Me released in June - oh, no, another example of our group choosing a book and finding out later that it is being made into a movie!

How many of these books could we take? Among 14 of us, we read 17 books, not including Dennis, who had read all or most of them. Some of us hadn't read any, and some had read 2 and 3. Some had tried and put books down before finishing, and some had felt that crime noir just wasn't worth the time it would take to read it. It's a testament to our group's open-mindedness that people will come to the meeting to listen and will freely admit to choosing to not read the book. We have all had the experience of being glad we read a book for the group that we wouldn't have normally read, but we also have our limits!

Time to vote for RR Reads selection - thru July 31st

2010-07-14T11:37:00.002-05:00

Go the library's website and see the link under Library Spotlight.

http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/library/

Some really good selections [Frank and I are on the committee :-) ]
Pam

Dennis Perfects Nominating

2010-07-08T09:55:00.002-05:00

When Dennis nominated, he brought a bunch of books by each of 3 authors. We chose to read books by Jim Thompson for July 19th.

25 Best Book Club Choices

2010-07-04T09:53:00.006-05:00

25 Best Book Club Choices: from Abe Books 7/3/10 Article by Beth Carswell

Our group has read or nominated a few of these. A few might not be of interest to us, and a few might be good candidates for our near future...

(Please excuse the changes in font and the line after the Atonement entry. The blog editing software is difficult to use.)

The Art of Racing in the Rain

Garth Stein

Atonement

Ian McEwan

The Bite of the Mango
Mariatu Kamara

The Book of Negroes
Lawrence Hill

The Book Thief
Markus Zusak

City of Thieves
David Benioff

The Gargoyle
Andrew Davidson

The Golden Spruce
John Vaillant

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
Rebecca Skloot

In the Heart of the Sea
Nathaniel Philbrick

In the Time of the Butterflies
Julia Alvarez

Let The Great World Spin
Colum McCann

Life of Pi
Yann Martel

Little Bee
Chris Cleave

Lullabies for Little Criminals
Heather O'Neill

My Cousin Rachel
Daphne Du Maurier

The Mysteries of Pittsburgh
Michael Chabon

Never Let Me Go
Kazuo Ishiguro

Seabiscuit
Laura Hillenbrand

Sea of Poppies
Amitav Ghosh

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Alan Bradley

To Kill a Mockingbird
Harper Lee

The White Tiger
Aravind Adiga

The Year of Magical Thinking
Joan Didion

Zeitoun
Dave Eggers

-posted by Claudia

Book-ish New Yorker item you may enjoy

2010-06-29T15:28:00.002-05:00

This entertaining article from the current New Yorker magazine is a nice footnote to People of the Book. Entitled "Marginal", it highlights an actual (New York Public Library) rare book expert and another facet of archival interest: marginalia.

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/2010/06/28/100628ta_talk_frazier

People of the Book Takes Us on Adventures in History

2010-06-27T21:12:00.009-05:00

Most of us enjoyed the stories in The People of the Book, that author Geraldine Brooks used to create a fictitious but engaging history of the real illuminated Haggadah known as the Sarajevo Haggadah. Two Austin women (Amy and Traci, friends of mine) who haven't been to our group but who had read the book and wanted to discuss it joined us, both adding wonderful interesting comments to our discussion! Please keep in mind that your friends might want to join us and that anyone is invited to our meetings any time.

As usual, we went beyond the obvious stories in our discussion. Jennifer led the discussion with a list of questions.

The first question asked us to compare and contrast the perspectives of Hannah and Ozren, regarding Ozren's sick child. Ozren seemed more fatalistic, whereas Hannah wanted to do everything possible to help the child. We could easily understand Hannah's feeling as coming from the American culture of fixing everything. We decided that Ozren's background of war and death and strife in Bosnian colored his way of coping with his son's illness.

Another question involved Rabbi Ayreh and Father Vistorni. Vistorni asked Ayreh to tell the printer that a book was not acceptable to the Church, but Ayreh refused. Among Ayreh's possible reasons for this was one that a visitor to our group, Amy, suggested. Because Jews feel that books are sacred, the Rabbi would be averse to doing anything that would lead to destruction of a book.

We covered 9 questions. Then, as we often do, we critiqued the end of the book! Some of us felt this time that the book had an extra ending added on. Could this have been because of a suggestion by an editor? The critique was that the ending went on and on, and that the beginning of the book and the characters involved with this ending, Amitai and Werner, had not been developed enough to merit such important roles at the end of the book. Those of us who criticized the ending felt that the theft of the book at the end did not add to the quality of the story and that the book could have ended with the final chapter on Lola.

There is a copy of the Sarajevo Haggadah available for $350. There are a few photos from the book that you can look at following this link: http://www.amazon.com/Sarajevo-Haggadah-Eugen-Werber/dp/9958100886/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1277691567&sr=8-5

The Source, the library, & etc.

2010-06-23T13:42:00.002-05:00

First of all, thanks to the alert attendees at Monday's discussion who knew that The Source is by James Michener, not Irving Stone! It's a memorable book that I'd recommend for those who particularly enjoyed the layers of historical lore (and potential for misunderstanding by future societies) in People of the Book. That format, rather than any particular episode or character, was what I appreciated most about People.

Two reminders about upcoming/ongoing events at Round Rock Public Library: Aravind Adiga's The White Tiger is July's choice for adult book club discussion. You have two options for sessions on Tuesday, July 6. The 2:00 discussion will meet in the back room at Star Co., a nifty cafe venue just down the street from the library (114 E. Main). The 7:00 session can be found in Meeting Room B at the library. White Tiger won the 2008 Man Booker Prize and has generated a great deal of comment. You'll understand why when you read it.

Also, the library's adult summer reading program (open to RRPL cardholders) runs through August 9. Since you read anyway, why not enjoy the fun of documenting your literary activity and entering the prize drawing? Prizes include two $100 Best Buy gift cards and a few other nice awards. This year's theme is "Connect to Your World: Read" and you are welcome to count books that you purchase, already own, etc.; titles don't have to be checked out at the library in order to qualify.

Still Photos of Isaac's Storm

2010-05-31T12:59:00.003-05:00

I couldn't get the movies to appear larger, but the photos are great/moving. ...Pam Fuchs

http://www.randomhouse.com/features/isaacsstorm/greatstorm/survey.html

What Makes a Book a Good One for Discussion?

2010-05-24T22:04:00.001-05:00

This is from an email from 1/29/05. I didn't write it, and I don't know where it came from. So, credit goes to whoever!

Probably the most important criteria are that the book be well written and that it explores basic human truths. Good books for discussion have three-dimensional characters who are forced to make difficult choices, under difficult situations, whose behavior sometimes makes sense and sometimes doesn’t.

Good book discussion books present the author’s view of an important truth and sometimes send a message to the reader.

During a book discussion, what you’re really talking about is everything that the author hasn’t said—all those white spaces on the printed page. For this reason, books that are heavily plot driven (most mysteries, westerns, romances, and science fiction/fantasy) don’t lend themselves to book discussions. In genre novels and some mainstream fiction (and often in nonfiction), the author spells out everything for the reader, so that there is little to say except, “I loved the book” or “I hated it” or “Isn’t that interesting.”

(Incidentally, this “everything that the author hasn’t said” idea is why poetry makes such a rich topic for discussion.)

Other good choices for discussion are books that have ambiguous endings, where the outcome of the novel is not clear. For example, there is no consensus about what actually happened in Tim O’Brien’s In the Lake of the Woods, Sara Maitland’s Ancestral Truths, or James Buchan’s The Persian Bride.

It’s important to remind the group that not every member is going to like every book the group chooses. Everyone may read the same book, but in fact, every member is reading a different book. Everyone brings her own unique history, memories, background, and influences. Everyone is in a different place in his life when he reads the book. All of these differences influence the reader’s experience of the book and why she may like or dislike it.

There are also pairs of books that make good discussions. These can be discussed at one meeting or read and discussed in successive months. Some examples include A Dangerous Friend by Ward Just and The Quiet American by Graham Greene, The Hours by Michael Cunningham and Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf, and The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and King Leopold’s Ghost by Adam Hochschild.

Finally, there are some books that raise so many questions and issues that you just can’t stop talking about them. These may not be enjoyed by everyone in the group, but they’re bound to lead to spirited discussions: Ernest Gaines’s A Lesson Before Dying, Russell Banks’s The Sweet Hereafter, Andre Dubus III’s The House of Sand and Fog, [and] Frederick Busch’s Girls.

We Asked Fred Burton Many Questions

2010-05-17T22:28:00.008-05:00

Fred Burton, author of Ghost: Confessions of a Counterterrorist Agent visited our book club at Barnes & Noble on May 17, 2010. This was the most exciting author visit we have had! I took 8 pages of notes! How am I going to get them into a readable blog posting? Well, I'm going to try. Disclaimer: I am not an expert on this topic, and I may have misunderstood Fred or missed important points. I may have some of this just plain wrong! Please correct me or disagree by making comments, using the "comments" link below the post.

In 1986, Fred Burton was one of 3 men who were the first officials in the Counterterrorism Division of the Diplomatic Security Service of the U.S. Department of State. In his book, Burton describes a number of episodes in chasing, capturing, and losing terrorists in the '80s and '90s...all before 9-11-2001.

I think one of the main questions on everyone's mind was how Fred was able to write this book without giving away secrets and/or getting into trouble for giving away secrets. Fred answered this question for us before we asked it: He said he did not give away sources, methods, or names of undercover agents. He said he did confer with some friends who had experience writing about espionage, so he know what he could safely include in the book. The manuscript for Burton's book was looked at by the government, and almost nothing was changed.

Fred told us that there is a lot of political intrigue involved with international fighting of terrorism. Each country has its own interests, even though some countries have some interests in common. This often thwarts attempts to get information about specific terrorist activities. Fred said that one of the more positive outcomes from 9-11 is that there is more global cooperation in fighting terrorism.

Another roadblock was and is a lot of red tape among the United States governmental agencies. Fred said that when he was working for DSS, there were literally hours of arguing among the FBI, CIA, and the DSS as to who would who would ambush the suspects, who would interview them, and who would write the report. Currently, there are so many guidelines for undercover agents that many agents are frustrated. Homeland Security, according to Fred, is broken. The New York City Police Department (NYPD) and the Los Angeles Police are currently more successful at antiterrorism, because they have fewer restrictions and are extremely well manned. This is good, as the terrorists tend to target locations with a lot of population.

The biggest problems (I think he said) are the lack of HUMINT (human intelligence) and the inability to interpret any intelligence we get. It is extremely difficult to get a spy into the networks of terrorist organizations, primarily because they tend to be divided into family groups and/or groups of close friends. With such limited intelligence, of course it is hard to interpret it.

Some of Fred's answers to questions from the audience: (Some answers actually answered several questions, so your specific question might not be listed here verbatim.)

How did they catch the man who recently failed with the car bomb in New York City? There are hundreds of men who have similar backgrounds and U.S./Pakistan ties. Pakistan sometimes helps us, if it's in their interests. Also, the NYPD is a very effective agency, which stayed on top of the situation. If I missed a link in there while taking notes, feel free to correct me with a comment.

Is the press hurting things by broadcasting information as to how a bomb would better be made? No, the press is small compared with the real dangers. Bombs are not hard to make and can be effective once they are perfected and practiced. The "underwear" bomb was almost successful, except that the guy's sweat inactivated it, but it would be easy to get one of that kind of bomb to do a lot of damage. The creators of this bomb have not been found and may be making more. This is why we need to get x-ray screening at our airports. However, the bad guys can get into the air traffic system by starting at small airports that have less sophisticated screening.

Afghanistan? We have failed in Afghanistan, partly due to the extreme differences in cultures. They don't want or need our help, and we should cut our losses and theirs by getting out. The Taliban will probably rule Afghanistan, and the drug industry will continue to flourish. The country is in a state of chaos, with no order except some in Kabul. President Karzai has little real power and may be involved in the drug trafficking. Wikipedia says he is sometimes called "Mayor of Kabul" rather than President of Afghanistan. Here is a link to the Wikipedia article. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hamid_Karzai

Iran? Whoa! Bad! Iran has "...the most sophisticated intelligence in the world..." according to Fred Burton. They have penetrated everywhere except Israel (see below). They have taken advantage or our openness and have trumped us every time we have tangled with them. They have stolen our technology and enrolled many of their citizens at our universities. They have a thriving propaganda machine that helps them create sentiment against us in their country and in the world.

Iran as it affects Israel? Iran wants nuclear strike capability and they are focused on Israel. It would take 12 minutes for a bomb to go from Iran to Israel. Ever have problems with a neighbor? Iran hates us because we support Israel. Israel is fighting for its very existence (for a change) against Iran getting "the bomb." Fred Burton doesn't see how the U.S. can help Israel in a war emergency.

Saudi Arabia? The Saudi future is in danger because of dwindling oil supplies. Their system is headed toward collapse.

The News Media? All inaccurate and biased.

How Can We Protect Ourselves? Fred said, "I don't go to malls!" That says it all. The terrorists will continue to target heavily populated areas, using small bombs. Stolen medical waste can be used to create "dirty" bombs. Al Qaeda likes New York City. The Washington DC subway, particularly the Pentagon and Foggy Bottom (!) are likely targets. Someone can leave a bomb on a subway and walk out - no need for suicide. Wall Street and the White House and our nuclear plants are well protected. The issue(s) will continue.

Our government tends to suppress hearings involving security breaches and terrorism. Partly because Homeland Security is ineffective, the hearings are minimized and postponed. It seems the government would rather we got riled up about other latest news than issues of Homeland Security weakness. I sometimes feel that our news gives away too much information, but I guess Fred would counter that the terrorists already have all that information and more. So, if you want to do something, you can email/contact Janet Napolitano, Secretary in charge of Homeland Security http://www.dhs.gov/index.shtm, or Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House of Representatives and ask that the public be given the full story on hearings and that hearings be performed and given full attention.

Other Media Mentioned: Fred mentioned that the movie Syriana was based on the life of a friend. He mentioned Body of Lies, book by David Ignacious and also movie. Fred said our intelligence technology is even more sophisticated than that depicted in the movie! Fred will publish a new book soon, telling the story of the investigation of the assassination of Joe Alon.

Do you have anything to add about Iran or anything that was touched upon at the discussion? There seemed to be a lot of interest in the entire presentation, and I suspect anything anyone has learned about any of these topics through reading would be welcomed by the rest of our group!

In closing, I will say that we all are grateful to Frank for bringing Fred to us and to Fred for his visit and for answering our questions! In response to a question about what he considers the take-home message of his book, Ghost, Fred Burton said he recorded how the events affected him and that he hopes his readers will judge for themselves.

Author Visit: Fred Burton, Author of Ghost

2010-05-17T22:25:00.004-05:00

How to Read The People of the Book

2010-05-14T13:26:00.006-05:00

The Barnes & Noble press release about The People of the Book is a good introduction and offers some good advice for getting the most out of this powerful book that we will discuss on June 21st:

Before you give yourself up to the sweep and scope of People of the Book, the captivating novel from Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks, grab some paper and a pen. You’ll be glad you did. From the opening chapter to the closing page, Brooks crams so many people, places, and events into her ambitious and intricate account of a Jewish prayer book that she leaves you longing for a scorecard.

Brooks starts out easy. It’s 1996 and Hannah Heath, an expert in rare books, has been lured from her laid-back life in Australia to Sarajevo, “where they just stopped shooting at each other five minutes ago.” Hannah’s job is to conserve and analyze the world-famous Sarajevo Haggadah, one of the earliest illuminated Jewish texts. The ancient manuscript, filled with images so rich and beautiful that it is now a priceless artifact, has appeared, vanished, and reappeared numerous times in its 500-year history. Its most recent rediscovery in war-torn Sarajevo, where a Muslim librarian has saved this Jewish holy book, is nothing short of a miracle.

Though Brooks’s book is a work of fiction, the Sarajevo Hagaddah itself is quite real. The author first learned of it during her stint covering the Bosnian war for The Wall Street Journal. When the manuscript suddenly resurfaced, speculation about where it had been, and how and by whom it has been saved over the course of its lifetime, fueled her imagination. With scant information to get in her way, Brooks was free to blend existing fact with her own lively fancy.

Our Invented Countries

2010-04-25T16:57:00.003-05:00

Thanks to Barbara's well-planned guidance, our discussion of My Invented Country, by Isabel Allende, was different from usual, or should I say more different than usual. Our discussions are always different! This time, instead of digging into the book, we talked about our own memories. Barbara, who nominated My Invented Country and led our discussion, asked us whether we had a place or time in our past that was a nostalgic home for us in the same way that Allende's "invented" Chile was for her. This sparked a wonderful sharing of memories!

The memories of places that triggered nostalgic feelings for us had one thing in common, or at least almost all of them did: a sense of freedom. The memories were of childhood wanderings and explorations. Some of us remembered life in a small town, where we felt at home and could go out on foot or bicycle and go to homes of relatives or friends. Some of us lived in places where all or a large percentage of people knew each other. Since the memories tended to be from childhood, they probably involved some of each person's first tastes of freedom and independence. It seems natural to have enjoyed these feelings as a young preteen. Do modern kids get any freedom at those special ages? If not, do they miss getting those feelings, or do they just get them later, when they start going out on their own during their mid or late teens? I suppose it is the latter, as the human spirit does enjoy feelings of freedom at various junctures.

Some of us had experienced going back to places of nostalgia, in some cases many years after leaving them. We agreed that the old aphorism "You can never go home again" has a lot of truth in these cases. The place seems different to us even if it hasn't changed. Going back is likely to result in the understanding that our memories of a place and time are subjective. When we reached this conclusion in our discussion, we felt that we had reached the same place that Allende had in her writing: the place where we realized that our memories of a place represent an invented country! Pam suggested that Allende's social commentary and all of what she seemed to represent as factual were subjective views. We went on to entertain the possibility that Allende knew this and that this was the reason she called the book My Invented Country. I thought that was an excellent thought and interpretation, as well as admirable thinking on Allende's part!

The more "usual" parts of the discussion touched on some of the details of the memoir, and of course, critiquing! We discussed Allende's claims that Chileans are more aware of class than race, but we noticed that the upper classes as described by Allende tended to be those people who had lighter colored skin, with the Europeans holding the top social rankings. Some of us found the book to be too choppy. Rather than taking us in to a historical time and place and keeping us there until finishing the story, as do Allende's wonderful novels, this book seemed to take us in occasionally but then spit us out, back to our reality, as a new, unrelated topic was suddenly introduced. Someone suggested that Allende did this on purpose, ie, she wrote in the choppy manner to imitate the way the memory tends to work. Others of us felt that she just wrote the book quickly and didn't edit it to make it flow better.

In my humble opinion, the discussion was better than the book! I have read and thoroughly enjoyed at least 3 of Isabel Allende's novels, but I was disappointed in My Invented Country. The book group discussion made the reading seem much more worthwhile, due to both the interesting personal anecdotes among the group and also the insights that were offered. This was one of those cases where I wouldn't have read the book if it weren't for the book club, and where I was ever so glad I attended the discussion!

Would Jude Have Surpassed Obscurity if He Had Married Sue?

2010-03-22T14:25:00.005-05:00

Jude the Obscure was, apparently from our discussion, more miserably sad than most of Thomas Hardy's writings. This is an important concept for anyone who has not read any other Hardy books. I am one of those people; I had listened to an audio version of Jude the Obscure a few years ago and lost all interest in further adventures with Thomas Hardy. After our meeting Monday, I am interested in reading, or at least willing to entertain the thought of reading, Return of the Native. Our discussions bring out lots of take-home messages!

We had some enrichment materials at the meeting. Patty brought some photos from a literary tour through England that she took some years ago; she had visited Hardy's home and places of interest to the book. Linda had read F. B. Pinion’s Thomas Hardy: His Life and Friends about Jude the Obscure that said that there were three titles to the story that Hardy thought about using. The story was published in serialized form. We don't know exactly where Jude the Obscure came in as title, but the 3 previous titles were The Simpletons, Hearts Insurgent, and The Recalcitrants. I was somewhat surprised at the idea of The Simpletons. Was Hardy referring to Sue and Jude or maybe to everybody else? Were Sue and Jude free thinkers and intellectuals, or were they stupid? It certainly was frustrating to watch them suffer because of their stubborn decision to stay together without marrying. Nora went over Thomas Hardy's biography with us, showing how the story had autobiographical aspects. Probably the most blatant was that Hardy and his first wife lived together estranged, which was somewhat unusual, and he remarried, which was also unusual.

Themes that we identified in Jude the Obscure included marriage, religion, education, social classes, treatment of women as men's possessions, and feelings. The story gave us a historical vignette of the social structure of English small (and large) town society, and that structure wasn't pretty. We saw the dichotomy between religion and doctrine and the resulting hypocrisy. All of those who spurned Jude and Sue in the name of religion were blatantly ignoring the basic tenets of religion, such as charity. Someone pointed out that in the beginning of the story, Jude was the one who took religion literally, and Sue was more interested in education, and at the end Sue became hyper-religious and Jude had become less religious; so there was almost a changing of places on the issue of religion between them. We enjoyed the character Annabelle, always exemplifying the lower classes, poor upbringing, lack of education, and self-serving conniving. Phillotson was also an interesting character; someone noted that he was unusual in his leniency toward Sue, as he could have easily taken over her life and treated her as a possession as was the custom in that place and time. Perhaps Phillotson's leniency was an alter-ego form for Hardy, whose wife remained in his home, though not communicating much with him. Perhaps he often considered setting her free but couldn't bring himself to do it.

As often happens at our meetings, we time-traveled from the England of the 1800s of the book to modern times, and we talked about the restrictions society still places on individuals, e.g., those who are born in poverty tend to stay there. We talked about American society being much more open, with fewer class distinctions than English society even today, but we also noted that people in society tend to spend most of their social time involved with people of a similar socioeconomic background and level. We also marveled about those special individuals who, against all odds, rise far from their roots in life and achieve fame and fortune and even do good works.

This book was controversial in its time. It was mentioned that a number of people sent ashes to Hardy, representing their burning of his book. I suspect they sent ashes of the day's newspapers and kept the book to read again secretly!

submitted by Claudia
--

Movie - Girl With the Dragon Tatoo

2010-03-19T12:33:00.003-05:00

Our new member J has sent me a link for an interesting review of the new Swedish movie of Girl With the Dragon Tatoo. Here is the link: Review

Online Forum for My Invented Country

2010-03-19T12:19:00.002-05:00

As you read Allende's memoir, if you want to say anything about it, please create a comment. Click on "Comments" below this post and on the right side. Write your name onto your comment, please, if you choose "anonymous" for posting if you are not going to use your email address. Not sure any more whether you need a gmail address to leave a comment.

Correction: Round Rock Library's adult book club

2010-03-18T14:21:00.004-05:00

Hi, everyone,

At the group's last meeting (Jude the Obscure) I announced that Blindness by Jose Saramago would be the next book club selection for Round Rock Public Library, the first Tuesday in April.

Blindness will indeed be the next title discussed, but the date is now the first Tuesday in May: May 4. The library will be closed March 29-April 4 in order to label books for a new checkout system. Access to materials would be limited in this interval, so now you'll have a more favorable opportunity to obtain and read the work of this Nobel prize-winning author.

Forthcoming adult book club sessions at Round Rock Public Library will feature these titles:

June 1: Lincoln's Melancholy by Joshua Shenk

July 6: The White Tiger by Aravind Adiga

August 3: Japanland: A Year in Search of Wa by Karin Muller

Session times are 2:00 and 7:00: your choice.

Further details will appear on the library's home page: www.roundrocktexas.gov/library. We also invite you to visit the library's Readers Exchange blog. You can click on recent posts under "Library Blogs" on the library's home page.

Thanks!

Linda S.

Jude the Obscure Forum

2010-03-01T11:11:00.003-06:00

Are you enjoying Jude the Obscure? Something you like about it? Something you don't like? This is a place to comment. Maybe we can have some "conversations" online here before the meeting.

To comment: At the bottom of the post, click on the line that says "comments." It might say "0 comments" or maybe "5 Comments" or some other number. Then you can leave your comment and choose "anonymous." Or sign in if you know how to sign in to Blogger. (Or ask me if you want to know how to sign in to Blogger.)

Just 2 caveats: (1) Please don't spoil the story for anyone. (2) Put your name into your comment, so we know who wrote it.

-submitted by Claudia

"Men That Hate Women" (Warning: This Post Contains Spoilers about a Mystery)

2010-02-21T16:42:00.006-06:00

In Sweden, the book was titled, "Men That Hate Women." We read it as "The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo." This was the first of three books that author Stieg Larsson wrote before he died from a heart attack. The story was interesting, exciting, and unique. Everyone at the meeting said they had enjoyed the book!

The style of this book was a little different from many modern novels. The author switched back and forth to different characters, but he generally switched during a calm part of the story, rather than creating a cliffhanger and then switching. Exciting twists and turns of the story were completed, if not totally resolved. Some of us felt that this made the story easier to follow. It was a complex story with numerous characters, places, events, and points of view. The fact that it was exciting and yet reasonably easy to follow added to the pleasure of reading the story.

One of our members felt that Blomqvist's noncommittal relationships with women, along with the depravity of some of the villains of the story, indicated that the author had a negative attitude toward women. Most others disagreed, feeling that the Blomqvist character was realistic rather than negative. Also, we mentioned the statistics at the beginnings of chapters about crime against women, which seemed to show that the author was trying to promote awareness of these problems of in society.

We didn't have many unanswered questions with this story. However, I raised a question which we were unable to resolve during the meeting. I suggested that there might have been an inconsistency, in that no one recognized Martin in the photo that showed his distinctive jacket with the red patches. Looking back at the book, I found that Blomqvist had showed the photo to Frode, and Frode had not known who it was. Blomqvist planned to show the photo to Henrik but had not gotten a chance before Anna, Henrik's housekeeper, recognized the jacket in the photo as belonging to Martin.

Another question I had was why Salander had destroyed so much evidence. I don't think she was trying to save the Vanger family. Was it merely selfish, in not wanting a big story to potentially involve her? Did she feel that it would be best that the families of these unfortunate women ever found out what had happened? I think the implication was that it was because she was in love with Blomqvist and wanted to save him from having to disclose the embarrassing episode in Martin's torture chamber. Any other ideas?

Angels & Demons Event at UT & Online

2010-01-29T10:09:00.004-06:00

Here is the information about the program - click on the link to find out how to watch the webcast online. (Thanks to Cindy T. for this info.)

NEW! Upcoming Hot Science – Cool Talks event to feature Angels & Demons book discussion.
Chat with Physics researchers about Dan Brown's book Angels & Demons.
Book discussion participants will be eligible for door prizes! Topics of discussion will center around questions such as:

* What are some of the more outrageous ways in which Angels and Demons portrays antimatter?
* What exactly is antimatter? How exotic a substance is it? How long have we known about it?
* When we actually create antimatter, do we create it 'out of nothing'?
* When antimatter annihilates matter what happens? Are we worried about a future bomb?

Hot Science – Cool Talks
"Angels & Demons: Physics, Antimatter & Armageddon" by Dr. Sacha Kopp
Assistant Professor of Physics, The University of Texas at Austin

Friday, February 19, 2010 at 7:00 pm (Central Time)
Pre-lecture activities begin at 5:45 pm, come early and get involved!
Welch Hall (WEL) Rm. 2.224
FREE to the public

DESCRIPTION: Physicists from all over the world, searching for new particles, types of matter and even extra dimensions of space are on the verge of tomorrow's scientific discoveries. It is no wonder Hollywood borrows from this amazing science to keep movie goers on the edge of their seats. Join ESI and Dr. Sacha Kopp as we discuss antimatter, Armageddon and more.
More details can be found at http://www.esi.utexas.edu/outreach/ols/lectures/Kopp

SCHEDULE: Friday, February 19, 2010
5:45-6:30 pm: Angels & Demons Book Discussion, WEL 2.304
5:45-6:30 pm: Interactive exhibits, WEL Main Corridor
5:45-6:30 pm: Teacher Workshop on Physics Lesson Plans, WEL 2.246
6:40-6:55 pm: Physics Circus Grand Finale, WEL 2.224
7:00-8:15 pm: "Angels & Demons: Physics, Antimatter and Armageddon", WEL 2.224

Biggest Group Ever Discusses Isaac's Storm

2010-01-24T12:37:00.006-06:00

If you are in the photo above, I hope you don't mind being caught reading and put on the Internet! We took over most of the Barnes & Noble cafe for our discussion of Isaac's Storm, by Erik Larson. We had lots of guests because Isaac's Storm is also the Round Rock Reads book for this year. As I understood it, the Round Rock Public Library advertised our meeting as one of their Round Rock Reads events. Library staff members, including the wonderful Director, Dale Ricklefs; library book club members; and unaffiliated readers all joined us for our discussion of Isaac's Storm last Monday! I counted at least 4 librarians among us. We had a lively discussion, with lots of people participating. Frank let the discussion with a list of questions, which was an effective way or keeping everyone organized, interested, and on topic.

Usually we end up with more questions than answers, but Isaac's Storm was a history book, so it provided some answers. As always, we read between the lines and talked about the unstated. To the question, "Why didn't Isaac make a firmer commitment to warn Galveston of the dangerous storm?" we first answered that the bureaucracy of the National Weather Service made it difficult to forecast the storm when fair weather and other forecasters seemed otherwise in"cline"d. We noted that Isaac's ego got in the way twice; once in the avoidance of being wrong and once in defying his brother in a competitive spirit. Mostly, though, we decided that, as the book said, weather forecasting was inexact and he just didn't know the extent of the oncoming hurricane.

We traveled beyond Galveston in our discussion, to Houston, New Orleans, the East Coast, Haiti, and everywhere with fault lines or tides. It seemed that the question, "Are we better prepared now for similar emergencies?" broadened our discussion beyond the book. If you didn't attend the discussion, you can guess some of what might have been said about Haiti, Katrina, and the future. If you were there, you probably enjoyed the stimulating comments.

A descendent of two of the nuns from the orphanage was at our discussion! She is telling us her family story in the second photo at the top of this posting. The nuns were her great aunts. The story of the 10 nuns who tied the children together with ropes to save them is one of the most poignant parts of the history of the storm. Reading the book, you know the nuns died trying with all their strength to save the children.

I thought this large group discussion went extremely well! With Frank officiating from the lectern, people could raise their hands and take turns speaking; and since the group was orderly and quiet, we could also chime in occasionally in a conversational manner as we usually do. The combination seemed to work for everyone. We covered a variety of topics via the questions. I don't think we completed all the questions; do we ever?

Williamson Museum Book Club reads Liars Club in February

2010-01-19T10:55:00.002-06:00

At yesterday's (Jan 18) RRNN/B&N book club, Liar's Club: A Memoir, by Mary Karr, was nominated but not selected. For those who voted for Liar's Club, that book will be discussed Tue February 16th, 7-8pm, 2nd floor GTown Public Library by the Williamson [County] Museum 'Books for Texans' book club. ...For more information about that book club or to see of that club's book selections for January thru June, 2010 - http://www.williamsonmuseum.org/Books_for_Texans_Book_Club_WM.htm

Posted by PamF

History Channel Movie of Isaac's Storm

2010-01-10T22:17:00.006-06:00

The Round Rock Public Library showed the TV documentary version of Isaac's Storm on Tuesday, January 19th, from 7:00 to 9:00 PM. Troy Kimmel, local TV meteorologist, gave a talk about weather events and safety.

This was a wonderful event, complete with refreshments! A full room of approximately 60 people attended. The movie is from the History Channel and is excellent. It uses actual photos. They are still photos, but they are intertwined with video simulations to create a spellbinding movie about Isaac's Storm.

You can see the movie on YouTube. I thought I saw a full-length video of it available on YouTube, but now all I see are sections. So, you might have to watch it in sections. It's good, though!

There is a review of the TV documentary at IMDB: Click Here

Everybody Loves "Pillars" Except Those Reading it for a Deadline

2009-12-07T21:02:00.004-06:00

Our holiday party at Jennifer's beautiful home was a great success! The house was very festive, decorated for Christmas in a warm and welcoming way. We were cozy with a fire in the fireplace, while the grey outdoors was drizzly and cold. We have such a wonderful group; our party is always a high point of the holidays. To me, the book club party means the holiday season is underway!

Pillars of the Earth is long, but most everyone there had read it; and at least 4 of us have read the equally long (and equally wonderful) sequel, World Without End. It was the favorite or at least a favorite book of most of us! A couple of people felt that the book was long or wordy. Unfortunately, even though this book was nominated at our September meeting, thus giving us a slightly longer interval than usual before the discussion in early December; this was not really long enough for busy people to relax and enjoy the book. One of us read it in a week last week! She said she didn't do anything but read the book! I think this book is most appreciated when it is read at a leisurely pace. There are parts that are a little slow, but if you have time to put the book down for a while during those parts, you always look forward to getting back into it. As one member said, the slow pace of the bookmatches the slow pace of life in the 1100s and helps you become immersed in it. With the high level of detail, you can really escape into the 1100s reading this book.

Jennifer had an inspiration for presenting this book: she had written discussion questions on note cards, and she had us each pick one randomly. The cards were numbered. We went through the numbers, and whoever had the card read it and commented on the question. Then everyone else chimed in on that question. I thought it worked well, and I encourage anyone presenting a book to use this method!

My question asked why William was so respectful to his mother when he was so disrespectful to all other women. That opened the door to me to comment about William's terrible and, in my opinion, sick, attitude toward women. She was also a skewed person, skewed toward everything ruthless! I suppose William's attitude can be blamed somewhat on his overbearing mother. There was another question later about William's death, when we could all comment about how glad we were to see him die a painful death that gave everyone who knew him a little bit of revenge!

Interesting discussion! If anyone wants to add anything, please comment!

Books for Texans Book Club - join now to vote for next 6 months books!!

2009-12-03T13:50:00.004-06:00

Posted by Pam Fuchs.
I love our book club, but if you have a particular interest in books related to Texas, fiction and nonfiction, now's the time to ALSO join [free] the Books for Texans Book Club. Meets monthly, 3rd Tuesday at the Georgetown Public Library. Sponsored by the Williamson Museum.

The reason to get involved now is because you have until Monday 12/7 to submit 2 recommendations for books the group would read Jan thru Jun 2009, then vote for your 6 favorites from the compiled of all recommendations; the top-6-most-vote-getting books will be read during those months.

If you read this after 12/7 but before 12/15, you still have an opportunity to attend the 12/15 meeting and vote.

More details:
The next Books for Texans meeting will be held on Tuesday, December 15, in the Hewlett Room at the Georgetown Public Library at 7:00 p.m. December's book selection is "True Women" by Janice Woods Windle. Refreshments will be special offerings from the "True Women Cookbook".

Book Recommendation Deadline

The deadline to recommend books for the next 6 months is Monday, December 7. Mickie Ross will put all of the recommendations together in an email early next week and we will vote at the December meeting. If you are not able to attend the meeting, you can send your vote by email to mross@williamsonmuseum.org before 6:00 pm on December 15. Below is the information on how the book selection process works.

Step 1: Submit suggestions.
Our first step is getting input on what you would like to read January thru June. We hope each of you will propose up to two books for consideration. If you have already submitted forms, we will include them in our considerations.

To submit suggestions:
- Use the Book Recommendation Form [at williamsonmuseum.org, click on Books for Texans Book Club ]and complete as much information as possible about each book. Email your forms to mross@williamsonmuseum.org no later than Monday 12/7.

Step 2: Email list of suggested books to members.
This list, with information about each book, will be emailed the week before the meeting. Members will have time to review and consider which books they wish to vote for.

Step 3: Vote on book choices.

Each member will vote for 6 books - on or before December 15th.
Voting will take place at the December 15th meeting. The 6 books with the most votes will be the winners.

Step 4: Winning book choices announced.
Winners will be announced at the December 15th meeting. The winner with the least number of pages will be our January read. Museum staff will determine the order of the remaining 5 months of books and email list.

Requirements for books proposed:
1. Must be about Texas and can be fiction or nonfiction.
2. Must be readily available and paperback.

Amanda Eyre Ward Visits

2009-10-23T14:18:00.006-05:00

Ward
We had a good turnout for a fun visit with Amanda Eyre Ward Monday. Amanda's books are unique and well-written. She hasn't yet been pigeon-holed to a specific genre. She says she'd like her books to be considered "literary fiction." Works for me!

Amanda told us about her reading and writing habits, how she got started writing, and her current goals. She says she structures her books by envisioning scenes and noting just the scene on an index card. Then she writes up the scenes and arranges them later. She says she knows that her books skip around, but that's just how she writes. She has created her style and it has stayed with her.

She did the work to become a writer. She has always been an avid reader and continues to read several hours most days. She took a prestigious and excellent writing class during her undergraduate years at Williams College. She has written a number of short stories and honed some of them for her newest book, Love Stories in This Town. She also wrote a long novel that didn't work; she says it just went on and on with nothing happening. Ward works hard to get her books "right," and she likes a good editor to make lots of suggestions for changes. She wants the reader to feel that everything converges at the end of her books. She currently is working on a book that already has an ending, but she says that hasn't made the book easier to finish. She says it takes her approximately 3 years to write a book. I think it's important for us to remember these lessons as we meet authors who make it look easy to write a good book and get it published.

Amanda Eyre Ward is a very bright and interesting young woman! She was delightfully open with us, answering all sorts of questions we asked. We wish her lots of luck finishing and publishing her newest book and also on that movie option that has Sandra Bullock starring in Sleep Toward Heaven!

Southwestern University Writer's Voice Lecture

2009-10-15T22:14:00.006-05:00

">This is the link for the annual "Writer's Voice" lecture at Southwestern University. This year the writer is Tobias Wolff, and the lecture is on the evening of November 10th. Some of our book club members have gone to some of these lectures. The writer spends a week teaching writing classes among the students; the lecture is open to the public. The lecture is free, but you do need to reserve tickets in advance.

www.amazon.com

Texas Book Festival

2009-10-14T23:12:00.006-05:00

The Texas Book Festival will be Saturday and Sunday October 31 and November 1. We always talk about this event at our book club meetings. Everyone who goes enjoys it! The festival is such a wonderful literary event! It's fun to be among crowds of people who love books and reading! The Capitol building and grounds require your walking shoes but reward you for your efforts. The Capitol has marble floors, shiny wood, and comfortable chairs. Listening to a panel of authors talk to you while you sit in a swiveling chair in the Senate Chamber where famous Texan politicians have sat is an experience to savor!

Outside, you walk across the Capitol lawns to the street, and there are big tents set up. There is a children's area with several tents. My favorite children's author this year is Rosemary Wells. I remember reading her cute picture books with my children(she'll be speaking at a different location, though). In another big tent, cookbook authors will prepare recipes and give out samples all day. You'll find our Frank in the cooking tent this year! (Frank may not have chosen it, but I think he'll enjoy it!) There is a music tent with live music all day (of course, this is Austin)! Then there are the sales tents, with many books on sale. Do some advanced planning (advance planning? Which do you say?) and bring your holiday gift list with you to get great gifts for great prices! The main event is the tent where all the books by all the attending authors are sold, and the adjoining "signing tent," where the authors will be signing their books after their presentations.

Authors whose books we have read who will be speaking at the festival include David Liss (we read The Coffee Trader, and he has a new book), Amanda Eyre Ward who will meet with us on October 19th, Margaret Atwood, Barbara Ehrenreich (we read Nickel & Dimed, and she has a new book), Jonathan Safran Foer (Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close and new book Eating Animals). Look how well-read our book club is! Did I miss any of our authors who are going to be there?

Several of us in the book club will be volunteering at the book festival, too! I hope to see you there!

To see this year's author listing and schedule, go to texasbookfestival.org

Posted by Claudia

Everybody's Antonia

2009-09-25T21:27:00.007-05:00

Last Monday (September 21), we discussed Willa Cather's My Antonia, often considered Cather's masterpiece. Almost everyone enjoyed reading the book. We had two suggested questions to ponder before reading My Antonia: (1) What does this book show about the time and place of the story? and (2) Why was this book popular at the time it was published?

On the first question, ideas we discussed included that the book showed the contrast between farm life and town life and that the book revealed some of the troubles that immigrants had to overcome. This book may have presented the most realistic picture available of the difficulties of the immigrants, especially those who attempted to work the land. Immigrants in this story came to America after giving their life savings to someone who promised them land. Probably many fraudulent deals were made. The immigrants in My Antonia were farming in cold Nebraska, where, as one of our members mentioned, there are 2 seasons: winter and muddy.

On the second question, I didn't get any specific notes about answers. I think we got off on tangential questions instead of answering that one. We talked about whether Antonia was a heroic character and found a contradiction in her character. She was strong and worked hard and succeeded in her life in many ways, but she was also always "owned" by people; hence the title "My" Antonia. First she belonged to her father, then Jim, her brothers, Donovan, and her husband and maybe even her brood of children. Even Mrs. Stevens at the end seemed to claim Antonia as her own. We also talked about the romance in the book, debating whether it was really a romance; there were arguments on both sides.

Our My Antonia was interesting and insightful as are all our discussions. It never ceases to amaze me how much more I feel in touch with a book after we all put our heads together over it. My Antonia was not a complex book, but we ferreted out all the subtleties. I felt like we had thoroughly gathered all the meaning this book had to offer.

So, do you think this was the precursor to Little House on the Prairie?

Unbridled Criticism of Dan Brown's Writing

2009-09-19T16:22:00.007-05:00

Posted by Claudia.
This article from a newspaper in the UK is called, The Lost Symbol and The Da Vinci Code Author Dan Brown's 20 Worst SentencesIf you don't like Dan Brown's writing, you'll enjoy this article. Click here to read it.

Book discussions scheduled for the RR Reads "also rans"

2009-09-16T10:06:00.007-05:00

Posted by Pam Fuchs
Isaac's Storm received the most votes from Round Rock Reads voters. Events related to it will be in January.

The RR Library will host book discussions of the "also rans" at 2 pm AND 7 pm as follows - all are on Tuesdays:

Oct 6: Beautiful Things That Heaven Bears

Nov 3: Not for Sale

Feb. 2: Articles of War

Mar. 2: Shoeless Joe (timing coincides with upcoming baseball season)

Article about Frank

2009-08-25T12:13:00.008-05:00

A very complimentary article appears in the Metro section of the Austin American Statesman for Monday August 24th about Frank Campbell, our fearless facilitator. The article is about the wonderful notes Frank writes for the summer movie program at the Paramount Theater. When Frank writes these notes about the movies, does he express his opinion about each movie? Read the article to find out! Click here to link to the article:

Never Let Me Go - Who Wrote the Title?

2009-08-25T12:11:00.002-05:00

If the author wrote the title for Never Let Me Go, there is a possibility that he meant for the main meaning of the book to involve the idea that Madam expresses toward the end of the book, that a new scientific order is encroaching on our humanity. If the editor wrote the title, it was probably to emphasize the reader's feeling a bit sorry for the children in the book, who grow up with no hope of much of a life. Our book discussion last week covered these ideas and many more!

On polling, approximately half of the members present "liked" the book. Criticisms included an inability to care about any of the characters and a dull, plodding story. Praise included a page-turner that unfolded with lots of surprises.

We had what I considered to be an interesting difference in interpretation, which showed how insightful our book discussions are. Dennis thought that the kids in the book were clones of probably wealthy people who had paid money and would use the clones' organs for themselves as needed. I disagreed, citing the adventure the kids in the book had when they went to look for Ruth's "similar," and there was discussion among them about their probably being clones of people who were failing in society. Someone else (sorry, I didn't remember who) suggested that the discussion among the kids in the book might have indicated their interpretation but that the author could have been implying that the kids were wrong. Then Pam piped up with a suggestion that we may have been analyzing the book in more detail than the author did!

We have great discussions, don't we! We discuss books that a lot of us don't like, but I think everyone occasionally is very pleasantly surprised by how much they do like or gain from one of our choices. And I also think that sometimes there are some changes of opinion after the discussion as to the likability of a book.

Love Stories in This Town

2009-08-16T18:59:00.003-05:00

Elissa Harbert, Claudia's daughter

I greatly enjoyed reading Amanda Eyre Ward's collection of short stories, Love Stories in This Town. The stories are all thoroughly engaging, and they ring with the truth of real life. Ward's language is both familiar and evocative, pulling you into the minds of her characters and the complexities of their circumstances. I was relieved that the stories are not sentimental tearjerkers, as so many short stories tend to be. Many have a tinge of realistic sadness, but they explore all sorts of emotions, often lingering on quiet moments of contentment. Her tales of the glee of new love and the joys of a strong marital relationship make the book a true pleasure to read.

The first half of the book is a set of unconnected stories about women and the men and children they love. Reading each story in the first half feels like being in the middle of a great novel. You quickly become comfortable with the characters, and their situations are clear and multi-dimensional almost from the first page of each story. I enjoyed all six of the stories in part one, but especially "The Stars Are Bright in Texas," which is one of the most honest and poignant stories in the collection.

The second part of the book is a set of episodes in the life of a young woman named Lola. Although each story is told from a different perspective, they have a strong feeling of continuity and evolution as the character grows and changes. By the end of the book, I desperately wanted to continue reading about Lola and her family, and Ward suggests in the concluding interview that she hopes to wrote a novel about Lola at some point. Let's hope she does!

I believe you will all enjoy this clever and welcoming set of stories. I was quite impressed with the book and plan to read more of Ward's writings. She's very talented and her characters touch my heart.

Cedar Park Library Book Discussion Group FYI

2009-07-31T17:09:00.004-05:00

Meets 2nd Tuesday at 1:00 pm
8/11 The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
9/8 Loving Frank by Nancy Horan
10/13 One Ranger by H. Joaquin Jackson
11/10 Pigs in Heaven by Barbara Kingsolver
posted by PamF

Ada Is Not Autobiographical

2009-07-24T14:54:00.007-05:00

Ada turned out to be even more of a challenge than the longer Team of Rivals we tackled last month! Although Ada is not excessively long, it is packed with word play, foreign languages, and references to persons, places, and things encompassing the vast range of esoterica that is the expression of the brilliant author, Vladimir Nabokov.

I was expecting to learn that Vladimir Nabokov had some kind of perverted past that caused him to write such stories as Lolita and Ada. When Dennis introduced the book on Monday, we learned instead that Nabokov was married in his early 20s and had a lifelong close marriage. Nothing remarkable from his life has been conclusively tied to the Lolita or Ada plots. Nabokov did occasionally joke that his wife was really his sister, after Ada was written.

Another important aspect of Nabokov's history was that the popularity of Lolita, published in 1955, made him rich. At our meeting, after hearing this, Nora suggested that perhaps in writing Ada, Nabokov was trying to capitalize on the popularity of Lolita by using some of the same ingredients in the hopes of achieving another great success.

Ada is considered as science fiction by some people, because of the theme of the alternative world, Terra. And wasn't there Exterra, too? I couldn't find it leafing through the book. That book is so full of capital letters, it's hard to scan it looking for a word!

In another astute comment, one of our fascinating members suggested that the characters in Ada were archetypical and representative of the passions they illustrated, rather than meant to be real. (Great thought, I apologize for neglecting to write down who said it and then forgetting - how about creating a comment below to claim it?)

This book had a compelling love story plot that was somewhat hard to follow because of all the references to outside topics and the skipping around of the time line. Patty suggested that the book needed an editor. I suggested that the book was so erudite and complex that no one was smart enough to edit it besides Nabokov and apparently his wife, who helped him edit. The website Dennis mentioned in the posting from May 19th (Some Hints for Ada) has much detail about every chapter and line of Ada, but even it is unfinished. There is so much to Ada, it is nearly impossible for anyone to cover it all!
-submitted by Claudia

Notes from a first-timer

2009-07-21T08:27:00.004-05:00

What a wonderful group you have! I learned a great deal from the Ada discussion yesterday, jotted down several ideas for future reading, and enjoyed meeting everyone. The La Frontera Barnes & Noble is a perfect venue, and Frank does such a fine job hosting. My only regret was that, since the meeting occurred in the middle of the workday, I couldn't very well take time to shop there either before or after the meeting, and the displays are soooo tempting. But there's nothing wrong with taking mental notes for the next off-duty visit, is there?

A few follow-ups:
Round Rock Public Library's Reader's Exchange blog: http://roundrocktexas.gov/cc/blogs/exchange/default.aspx (you can also just Google round rock readers exchange or go into the City website at http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/ and look for the "Our Blogs" link on the left side of the page, near the bottom) This particular blog was only begun a few weeks ago. It's attracting decent viewing numbers, but we'd love to have more comments.

More info about Round Rock Reads! 2010 can be found at these links below (and I was apparently confusing some other book with "Beautiful Things..." when I described it as a story collection--sorry).
http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/home/index.asp?page=1602
Round Rock Leader article about RRR!:
http://www.rrleader.com/main.asp?Search=1&ArticleID=22226&SectionID=1&SubSectionID=1&S=1

We hope you'll all vote for the title of your choice. Having said that I advocated strongly for a fiction selection this year and did nominate one, I'll admit to also having nominated Isaac's Storm. Clearly, I am conflicted! But Erik Larson's nonfiction style is so readable that it may as well be fiction... All five choices offer engrossing reading, and we believe that our slate of titles represents a wide range of options. One of these will ultimately reflect the reading mood of the community this year, and it's always interesting to see what that preference is.

Library book discussions for July and August:
http://www.roundrocktexas.gov/home/index.asp?page=1603

One last thing: recalling Betty's suggestion that the group choose a Russian work--Ivan Turgenev's Fathers and Sons could work nicely.

Nabokov Bibliography

2009-07-16T12:17:00.003-05:00

Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle
Bend Sinister
The Defense
Despair
The Enchanter
The Eye
The Gift
Glory
Invitation to a Beheading
King, Queen, Knave
Laughter in the Dark
Lectures on Don Quixote
Lectures on Literature
Lectures on Russian Literature
Lolita
Lolita: A Screenplay
Look at the Harlequins!
The Man from the USSR & Other Plays
Mary
Nikolai Gogol
Pale Fire
Pnin
Poems and Problems
The Real Life of Sebastian Knight
Speak Memory: An Autobiography Revisited (aka Conclusive Evidence)
Stikhi
The Stories of Vladimir Nabokov
Strong Opinions
Transparent Things
The Waltz Invention
trans. The Song of Igor’s Campaign: An Epic of the Twelfth Century
trans. Three Russian Poets

Convalescent Reading

2009-07-05T16:16:00.002-05:00

While Frank was resting his ankle, he put his reading muscles to work. We all know there's nothing like a good book to help pass the down-time and make us feel better. Before listing these books, Frank cautioned me that "the list is heavy on spy thrillers, mysteries, and crime novels." Although as a group we have read only a few books that would fit in these genres, some of us would enjoy some of these stories. There might be a seed here for a future book club discussion! Here are Frank's feel-good choices:

ASSIGNMENT: SUMATRA by Edward S. Aarons. 1970s spy thriller featuring agent Sam Durell. A long running series that started in the 1950s and ran through the late '70s/early '80s.

BEAR ISLAND by Alistair MacLean. British adventure writer who gave us THE GUNS OF NAVARONE, ICE STATION ZEBRA, WHERE EAGLES DARE, etc.

SO RICH, SO LOVELY, AND SO DEAD by Harold Masur. Late 1950s murder mystery featuring a defense attorney as the crime solver, ala Perry Mason.

SCREAM STREET/STRANGLEHOLD: This was a late 1950s Ace Double Paperback which featured two short crime novels in one volume. Ace published many double volumes in the '50s and '60s featuring science fiction, mystery and western novels sandwiched together.

AMBER NINE by John Gardner. 1960s British spy thriller featuring a reluctant assassin. Gardner later wrote several James Bond novels in the 1980s and '90s.

DISGUISED AS CLARK KENT by Danny Fingeroth. Nonfiction examination of the role Jews and Jewish culture played in the development of the American comic book and the superhero genre. Many of the early comics creators were Jewish, as you will recall from THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF KAVALIER AND KLAY.

FAKE I.D. by Jason Starr. Modern noir novel about a loser trying to get rich quick by committing robbery and murder.

HELMET FOR MY PILLOW by Robert Leckie. Tough, hard-nosed memoir of one Marine's experiences in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

RIDE THE NIGHTMARE by Richard Matheson. Mid-1950s crime thriller by the author of THE SHRINKING MAN, HELL HOUSE, WHAT DREAMS MAY COME and I AM LEGEND. NIGHTMARE was filmed as an hour-long episode of ALFRED HITCHCOCK PRESENTS.

THE GREEN EAGLE SCORE by Richard Stark (Donald Westlake). Tough caper novel starring professional thief Parker. Stark's Parker series has been filmed as POINT BLANK, starring Lee Marvin and PAYBACK starring Mel Gibson.

CASINO MOON by Peter Blauner. Crime novel about "made guys" (aka The Mob) in Atlantic City and one man's attempts to leave the "family business" and make it big on his own through, again, crime and murder.

NOBODY MOVE by Denis Johnson. Fast paced noir with spot-on dialogue about lowlifes chasing a big score in and around Bakersfield, California. Johnson won the National Book Award for his Vietnam War novel TREE OF SMOKE.

DIE TRYING by Lee Child. The second Jack Reacher novel in a series that now numbers 13. Reacher is part Clint Eastwood/part Sherlock Holmes. Fast paced and action packed, a true page-turner in every sense of the word.

And the book I'm reading aloud to Judy right now is SUNNYSIDE by Glen David Gold, author of CARTER BEATS THE DEVIL (which our group read). This is an epic work of historical fiction concerning Charlie Chaplin, the American Silent Film industry and World War I. Reminiscent of RAGTIME.

3 Members Read ALL of Team of Rivals!

2009-06-22T22:53:00.003-05:00

Kudos to Barbara and Dennis, who read the whole book for this meeting! Both seemed to enjoy the book. I couldn't devote the time these past 2 months, and I was disappointed that I had to miss some of this reading experience. I listened to an abridged version, a 9-hour edition. During most of the audiobook, I sat with the book in my lap and read along. Sometimes I read parts of the book that were left out of the audio version. The book was well written, and a lot of it was fascinating! There was much insight into the historic characters and the details of their lives. The human aspects of these political people (and rivals indeed) were amazingly similar to the way people are today!

Sandy, who nominated the book, had read it when she heard Barack Obama say that if he became President and had to choose 2 books to bring to the White House, this would be one of them. For our meeting, Sandy had prepared a lot of detailed summary and analysis. This made the meeting very interesting for all of us and certainly helped those who were not able or willing to take on the challenge of this read. Thanks, Sandy!

Team of Rivals

2009-06-15T21:39:00.002-05:00

I really enjoyed the Lincoln book, but I wish more people had shown up for the meeting. A few other comments: Nevada Barr was the author I was trying to think of, and Flashback is her novel set on the Dry Tortugas National Park (read her books in the order she wrote them, for maximum enjoyment). Sandy's shoes were really cute (did everyone notice?). The Nabokov books (Ada) are on our endcap, ready for purchase. The Ishiguro books (Never Let Me Go) are on order. And I hope Frank gets well soon. --Dennis

A Short History of a Small Place

2009-06-09T09:01:00.005-05:00

Having to leave early, I didn't feel like I had closure as to our discussion of this book, but now, stopping to think, I probably heard most of the main ideas. We seemed to enjoy the general attitude of the book, with the quirky characters and the stream-of-consciousness writing; but we didn't seem to feel it was worth taking the time to read every word. And, because the main aspect of the book is in the actual experience of reading it, rather than in a plot, the book didn't lend itself well to skimming or speedreding. So, it seemed a larger number of us than usual had not finished the book. Do those who skim or speedread "finish" a book that does have a plot?

I received a forwarded joke this past week that reminded me of this book. Here it is:

Title: Lawyers Should Never ask a Mississippi Grandma a Question if They Aren't Prepared for the Answer

In a trial, a Southern small-town prosecuting attorney called his first witness, a grandmotherly, elderly women to the stand. He approached her and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know me? She responded, "Why, yes, I do know you, Mr. Williams. I've known you since you were a boy, and frankly, you've been a big disappointment to me. You lie, you cheat on your wife, and you manipulate people and talk about them behind their backs. You think you're a big shot when you haven't the brains to realize you'll never amount to anything more than a two-bit paper pusher. Yes, I know you."

The lawyer was stunned. Not knowing what else to do, he pointed across the room and asked, "Mrs. Jones, do you know the defense attorney?"

She again replied, "Why yes, I do. I've known Mr. Bradley since he was a youngster, too. He's lazy, bigoted, and he has a drinking problem. He can't build a normal relationship with anyone, and his law practice is one of the worst in the entire state. Not to mention he cheated on his wife with three different women. One of them was your wife. Yes, I know him."

The defense attorney nearly died.

The judge asked both counselors to approach the bench and, in a very quiet voice, said, "If either of you idiots asks her if she knows me, I'll send you both to the electric chair."

Some hints for Ada

2009-05-19T18:00:00.003-05:00

Part of the fun of reading Ada is figuring out all the wordplay, puns, literary allusions, double and triple entendres, and all the rest, purely on your own. But if you really need some help, you might take a look at AdaOnline, which has the first 26 chapters annotated. I must say, though, that every time you figure out one of Vlad's little puzzles, it is a satisfying thrill.

Still No Solution if You Can't See the Whole Blog

2009-05-19T09:07:00.004-05:00

I tried changing the screen resolution today to see whether the left-side sidebar on the blog would disappear. It was still there. I have no idea why some of you can't see the whole blog page. This blog website is the most simple and standard. I don't know how many blogs are on blogspot, but I'm sure it's in the millions! There's nothing listed on the help pages about this, so it's not a common problem...or maybe I just didn't use the right keywords. Can anyone figure it out?

Judge Ken Anderson Tells Us More About Dan Moody

2009-05-07T12:06:00.011-05:00

We had a good group assembled to visit with Judge Anderson last week. Several spouses were there (I think of them as "spice") plus a friend or two. Anderson told us how he decided to write the book, Dan Moody: Crusader for Justice. It was when Judge Ken Anderson saw a portrait of Governor Dan Moody and thought to himself, "hmm, here is a man who went from District Attorney to Governor, and I am a D.A.;" that he became interested in Dan Moody's story. Scouring local libraries, Anderson learned that no biography had been written about Dan Moody, so he set out to fill that vacuum.

We readers always enjoy hearing authors tell how they write. Anderson said he read 7 years of newspapers on microfilm (dizziness notwithstanding) to get information about Moody. Without a biography, the daily news was the best place to learn about the career of the D.A./Governor. Then there were trial transcripts to read. Anderson compiled this dry material to create a very readable account of the history surrounding Moody. Anderson also created a book for children, called You Can't Do That, Dan Moody, which then became a play that is still performed at the Georgetown Courthouse. If you're interested, look for it next September.

We asked the author some questions and learned more about Moody and the strategic attorney work he performed to almost singlehandedly achieve the downfall of the KKK nationally plus clean up the corrupt Texas government. There may be some who feel that the Texas government can always use a little cleanup; but in the case of the Fergusons, a lot of cleanup was needed. Led by Patty, we requested that Judge Anderson consider writing a biography of the Ferguson's. Several of us found them fascinating!

It's always a special occasion when we have an author visit, and we thank Ken Anderson for his time with us.

If you love to read about Texas, note that there is a local book discussion group called "Books for Texans." Here's a link - click on Books for Texans Book Club They meet on the third Tuesday at 7:00 PM at the Georgetown Public Library. Several of us are members of that group. As the blogmaster, I guess I am allowed to say that from this New Yorker's point of view, our own RRNN Book Discussion Group reads just enough books about Texas to not be too many.

Read if you pay for a library card

2009-03-25T09:38:00.004-05:00

From Pam:
I live just outside RR city limits and paid $25 for a 1-year RR library card that is expiring 3/31. Claudia mentioned something about Austin offering a free library, so I called them and confirmed that indeed I can (and plan to) get a free Austin library card, then 60 days later get a TexShare card with which I can get library cards from other participating libraries (including RR). [This is new since Oct 2008. Austin still offers a non-resident card, but now non-resident is defined as an address other than Texas.]

Books Nominated (through 2008), But Not Read

2009-03-24T09:07:00.002-05:00

Lindbergh A. Scott Berg

Turtle Moon Alice Hoffman

Six Wives of Henry VIII Alison Weir

Forgive Me Amanda Eyre Ward

The Bonesetter’s Daughter Amy Tan

House of Sand and Fog Andre Dubus III

The Plague Tales Ann Benson

Ex Libris Anne Fadiman

Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant Anne Tyler

Back When We Were Grownups – (twice) Anne Tyler

The Time Traveler’s Wife Audrey Niffenegger

Bead on Trouble Barbara Burnet Smith

Prodigal Summer Barbara Kingsolver

Change Me Into Zeus’s Daughter Barbara Robinette Moss

Five Fortunes Beth Gutcheon

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn Betty Smith

Only the River Runs Free Bodie Thoene

Demon-Haunted World Carl Sagan

Book Charlotte Bronte began… Charlotte Bronte and ?

Emma Brown Clare Boylan

The Road Cormac McCarthy

The Piano Tuner Daniel Mason

The Maltese Falcon Dashiel Hammett

A Child Called “It” Dave Pelzar

A Conspiracy of Paper David Liss

I Capture the Castle Dodie Smith

Same Time Next Year Dolores Kern Goodwin

Pope Joan - (twice) Donna Woolfolk Cross

The Long Loneliness Dorothy Day

The House of Mirth Edith Wharton

The Ladies Man Elinor Lipman

Mister Posterior & the Genius Child Emily Jenkins

A Lesson Before Dying Ernest J. Gaines

Under the Tuscan Sun Frances Mayes

One Hundred Years of Solitude - (twice) Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Evening Song Gail Godwin

Charlie Wilson’s War George Crile

Earth Abides George R. Stewart

Timescape Gregory Benford

The Roaring 2000s Harry S. Dent

Beautiful Stranger Hope Donahue

Disgrace J.M. Coetzee

On the Road Jack Kerouac

L.A. Confidential James Ellroy

All Creatures Great and Small James Herriot

Whiteout James Vance Marshall

Lady Bird - (twice) Jan Jarboe Russell

These High Green Hills Jan Karon

Sense & Sensibility Jane Austen

Emma Jane Austen

The Short History of a Prince Jane Hamilton

The Train to Estelline Jane Roberts Wood

Daughters of Memory Janis Arnold

April 1865 Jay Winik

Clan of the Cave Bear Jean Auel

Middlesex Jeffrey Eugenides

Good in Bed Jennifer Weiner

White Night Jim Butcher

My Sister’s Keeper Jodi Picoult

A Flash of Green John D. MacDonald

Corrections Jonathan Franzen

The Fortress of Solitude Jonathan Lethem

Los Alamos Joseph Kanon

Damage Josephine Hart

Yellow Jack Josh Russell

Inside the Mind of Scott Peterson Keith Ablow

Pillars of the Earth Ken Follett

Plainsong Kent Haruf

The New Birth Order Book Kevin Leman

Boone’s Lick Larry McMurtry

Like Water for Chocolate Laura Esquivel

Imagining Argentina Lawrence Thornton

Peace Like a River Leif Enger

Snow Flower & the Secret Fan Lisa See

The Cowboy and his Elephant Malcolm MacPherson

Stolen Lives Malika Oufkir

Cat’s Eye Margaret Atwood

Oryx & Crake Margaret Atwood

Hannah’s Sisters Marianne Fredriksson

Simon’s Family Marianne Fredriksson

Evidence of Things Unseen Marianne Wiggins

Roughing It Mark Twain

The Opposite Shore Maryanne Stahl

Anil’s Ghost Michael Ondaatje

Walk on Water Michael Ruhlman

Tuesdays With Morrie Mitch Albom

The 5 People You Meet in Heaven Mitch Albom

Neverwhere Neil Gaimon

Plum Island Nelson DeMille

Liberty Falling Nevada Barr

The Smoke Jumper Nicholas Evans

A Long Way Down Nick Hornby

Appetite for Life: Biography of Julia Child - (twice) Noel Riley Fitch

My Dream of You Nuala O’Faolain

Almost There Nuala O’Faulain

The Ginger Tree Oswald Wynd

Easy Riders, Raging Bulls Peter Biskind

River Town Peter Hessler

Modoc Ralph Helfer

The Shell Seekers Rosamunde Pilcher

Night of the Radishes Sandra Benitez

Carmelo Sandra Cisneros

Yakota Officer’s Club Sarah Bird

Charlotte Gray Sebastian Faulks

How We Die: Reflections on Life’s End Sherwin B. Nuland

Main Street Sinclair Lewis

Broken for You Stephanie Kallos

The Gates of the Alamo - (twice) Stephen Harrigan

While I Was Gone Sue Miller

Lavendar Lies Susan Wittig Albert

A Beautiful Mind Sylvia Nash

Sister Carrie Theodore Dreiser

Left Behind Tim LaHaye

A Leaf in the Bitter Wind Ting-Xing Ye

The Wonderful Country Tom Lea

Shape Shifter Tony Hillerman

The Virgin Blue Tracy Chevalier

The Lady & the Unicorn – (twice) Tracy Chevalier

Ladybird Vassily Sigarev

The Emigrants Vilhelm Moberg

A Room of One’s Own Virginia Woolf

I Know This Much is True Wally Lamb

Blue Highways William Least Heat Moon

Bound for Glory Woody Guthrie

Riders of the Purple Sage Zane Grey

And Then There Were None - Discussion Recap

2009-03-22T13:32:00.005-05:00

Whenever you look at this blog, please don't forget to scroll down a bit to see all the new posts and comments. Each new post supersedes the one before it; so I sometimes feel badly posting "on top" of anyone else's postings.

Who is the best-selling author of all time? Agatha Christie! Lots of mystery lovers out there. After Pat told us about Agatha Christie's biography, we dug into the story and the characters and unearthed all the questions and answers. I think the general consensus was that the book was fun to read and enough of a page turner to hold our interest but wasn't going to be anyone's favorite. This story is known as one of Christie's best.

We found the story to have a mix of predictability and surprise. There was a pattern, with the deaths and the disappearances of the Indian figurines. But you couldn't be sure at the end what would happen. After learning the solution to the mystery, you could see that it made sense on several levels; but none of would have guessed based on the information given in the story.

Someone commented that one of the ways in which this mystery was "old-fashioned" was that there was no blood or gore.

The open question at the end was: did the characters deserve the punishment they received?

Good Books That I Won't Nominate

2009-03-20T21:33:00.002-05:00

This placeholder is for books that you like, but that you feel are inappropriate for nomination; too specialized, too strange, too kinky, too expensive or hard to get, or for any other reason. Just add a reference for the book in a comment!

Scratch Beginnings = opposing opinion of Nickel & Dimed

2009-03-14T15:26:00.004-05:00

Did you see 20 20 last night? John Stossel interviewed Adam Shepard, 25, who did an experiment starting with $25 in Charleston South Carolina - and did well! He had read Nickel & Dimed in college and wanted to "discover for himself if the American Dream is still alive". He wrote a book about his experience - 'Scratch Beginnings'. I never read Nickel & Dimed, but I think I'll try Scratch Beginnings, i.e. the positive perspective.
Posted by Pam Fuchs
P.S. I posted this as a comment to Claudia's Nickel & Dimed post, but it doesn't "appear", so am posting again.

EyreWard's Novels

2009-03-14T15:18:00.003-05:00

Was under the weather so didn't make the last book club discussion of Forgive Me. I would have made the count "four" who didn't like it. I REALLY didn't like it. Guess I'm back to my need to care about a character - Nadine's selfishness made her too unlikable. I immediately decided to give EyreWard another try since we're trying to get her to come visit with us - so I read Sleep Toward Heaven. That one I liked very much, both the characters and the story line/development. ...Pam Fuchs

Forgive Me Needs No Forgiveness

2009-02-18T11:19:00.005-06:00

With a show of hands as to who "liked" this book, my quick count was 3 who didn't and 13 who did.

Dennis, who posted on this blog after reading all of Amanda Eyre Ward's books, said that the other 2 books were happier and more pleasant to read because of that.

This started a discussion of the somewhat driven and dark character of Nadine. We summarized Nadine as self-centered and/or centered on her job, placing her job and ambition before her concerns with relationships or even with her own safety. We characterized Nadine as afraid of relationships but not physical danger. Someone noted that Nadine left everyone in her life. It was through the events of this story that Nadine finally stopped leaving people.

I thought the most interesting aspect of our discussion of Forgive Me was that we had trouble making any criticism stick. When someone mentioned that the writing, particularly at the beginning of the book, was choppy, someone else suggested that the author had done this purposely to express Nadine's anxiety and the frightening beating that starts the reader turning the pages of the book. When someone complained that Nadine's decision to trade her driven lifestyle for hearth and home was out of character, the group found ample precedent in what we knew about Nadine. There was the flashback to the comfortable family of Nadine's ex-boyfriend that she very much appreciated when she visited; the plans she and Maxim had made before his death, and the natural instincts that tend to be part of the pregnancy package. Without any of these, the change might have seemed insincere, but with them all, it fit.

Another instance where the author had carefully laid ground for what might seem an implausibility was when Nadine showed up to rescue Harry just in the nick of time! We found that this was not just a coincidence. I can't find all the passages without rereading too much to ever get this message posted; but there seemed to be evidence in the book that Nadine had planned to be there. Carla mentioned that even when children are secretive, and perhaps especially then, parents are watchful and may know what is happening. Part of the redemption and forgiveness in the story took place when Nadine did manage to be there when her son needed her. This contrasted with her missing Maxim's death and Thola's and not helping Evalina's cause with her original newspaper article.

Our discussion answered questions some of us asked and answered some questions that others didn't realize were questions! We uncovered reasons for characters' actions and reasons for things that happened seemingly beyond the characters' control. The answers were all in the book, but they were hidden in the text that bounced from one place and time to another.

Forgive Me was a page turner with a lot of depth! The group was enthusiastic about the idea of inviting the author, Amanda Eyre Ward, to join us for a discussion of her books later this year. She has a new book of short stories scheduled for release this summer, so we may aim for early fall.

Yes You Can Search This Blog

2009-02-18T11:08:00.003-06:00

In the upper left corner, there is a search box! If you put in "how to use this blog," you will get the very first post, which tells you how to create your own post. (You do have to know the password. Email me if you don't know it, or find it in the email I sent to you). If you search a book title that we have discussed, you should retrieve the posting(s) that tell about our discussion.

Article about Nickel & Dimed

2009-02-16T22:06:00.005-06:00

Remember reading Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich? We read and discussed it in May of 2005. It's about the working poor. The author worked various nonskilled jobs and tried to live on her earnings and then wrote the book. She had a rather scathing section on working at WalMart.

In a blog recently (Feb 1), someone wrote about some time he spent working at WalMart. He pans Nickel and Dimed. You might find his article interesting. And then, perhaps even more interesting...you know how we have a comments section after each post on this blog? Well, 341 people have written comments on the blog post that this man wrote!

In case you want to fall into the Internet hole and read a while, here's a link to the blog post http://www.boingboing.net/2009/02/01/life-at-walmart.html