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Book Notes
1/10/08
At the January meeting of the “1st Tuesday @ 2” book club,
each member discussed a book of her own choice. However, for February's
discussion it was decided that we will all be reading Alan Brennert's epic
novel, “Moloka'i”.
Set in Hawaii more than a century ago, “Moloka'i” is a true-to-life
chronicle of
Hawaii and the leper colony that once existed there. Through the lively
character,
Rachel, Brennert shows the history of the Kalaupapa settlement, the
treatment of those afflicted with leprosy (Hansen's disease) and the history
of Hawaii itself. The
misconceptions about the spread of the disease and ostracism of innocent
families are
brought to life through episodes about Rachel's family and those of her
friends at
Kalaupapa. “Moloka'i” was a one of five finalists for the 2007 One Book
One Lincoln
selection and is sure to bring an interesting discussion February 5th.
With any luck, the Library's back door will once again be usable to
all of us by
then! I know how inconvenient it has been this last week not being able to
enter through the back door. The extra moisture this fall and this winter's
freezing temperatures have caused the expanding ground to raise the cement
behind the library too high to open the door without causing damage. Warm
weather will hopefully remedy this situation. In the meantime, we are back
to using only the library's front door. This just gives us one more reason
to wish for sunshine and warm temperatures doesn't it?
1/3/08
I am inspired by so many of our library patrons! They
never prejudge a book. They
will read anything that I recommend to them. And, after reading it, they
always find
something interesting to share. They have made me strive to be a better
reader.
Yes, it's true. I am not the reader I would like to be. Many great
books are still
waiting for me to read them. It's not that I don't want to be deeply
engrossed in
something worthwhile, it's the elusive “Time” that I seem to find lacking.
Because of
this limitation, I have become a picky reader. I am guilty of the worst
library
sin...”judging a book by its cover”.
This is why I love a good Book Club. Belonging to a Book Club
validates my time
spent reading. It becomes justifiable to leave the dishes in the sink while
the water
gets colder, the clothes wrinkling in the dryer, the dust bunnies playing on
the
stairs...just until I finish this page...this chapter...this book.
Yesterday I finished reading our January Book Club discussion title,
“The Kite
Runner” by Khaled Hosseini. I had never picked it up before other than to
hand it to
another library patron. Its cover did not appeal to me, the story was about
two boys
somewhere over in a foreign county, something to do with kites... and war.
I have
recommended it to many of our readers, of course, but it “wasn't for me”.
I put “The Kite Runner” on our suggested list for 2008 discussion
titles because I
knew this would force at least a few of us out of our comfort zone. I would
read this
book even if it took me the entire month of January to do it. It took me
the weekend.
I now realize the Khaled Hosseini has a gift and he is sharing it with
all of us.
This author has taken a place that for many of us is simply viewed as being
filled with
the atrocities of war for as far back as we can remember, with a religion
that we don't
fully understand, and he has personalized it.
His sparse prose allows the story to flow effortlessly through your
mind. Yes, the
setting is Afghanistan. It is about Amir and Hassan, two boys sharing more
than just a childhood of games. It is also a story that finds us all. Who
among us has never made a mistake or committed an act that didn't bring
regret?
Amir, as a young boy is thrown into a situation larger than himself. He
makes
choices that his conscience must live with, and later forces himself to take
a chance at
redemption. The setting is a culture so unfamiliar to most of us that it is
greatly
through the talents of this author that we are able to see the humanity it
possesses.
Monday Night Book Club
The "Monday Night" book club met December 17th. After enjoying apple cider and a variety of holiday treats, a list of titles and authors were discussed, voted on and a list for 2008 is now available as follows:
January 28th : The Kite Runner by Hosseini
February 25th : The Other Woman by Green
March 31 : Atonement by McEwan
April 28 : Secret Life of Bees by Kidd
May 19 : Goodnight Nebraska by McNeal
June/July : Paint the Wind by Spellman
This should give you an opportunity to be aware of future dates and titles. The library will have multiple copies of these titles available on a first come first served basis so stop in today to reserve your copy!
