Tuesday, May 16, 2017

What Are Your "Beach Reads"?

It's that time again! We have yet to decide on books for the rest of the summer. Please take the survey here to let your choices be known for our upcoming titles: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/LD6NMTN

The top three books voted on will be our reads for July, August, and September.The survey will close on June 1st, so make sure to respond by then if you want a say in our next reads!
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Wednesday, April 19, 2017

Searching for a Lost City

In April, the South River Book Discussion Group members met to talk about the nonfiction book The Lost City of the Monkey God by Douglas Preston and to partake in a traditional Honduran treat of baked bananas (with coconut). Below are resources for those wishing to learn more about the intriguing expedition and discovery detailed in the book.

"One might say that modern  Honduran history began in 1873, when Jules Verne introduced Americans to the banana in his novel Around the World in 80 Days, where he praised it as being 'as healthy as bread and as succulent as cream.'" - The Lost City of the Monkey God

Author Bios & Interviews



Book Reviews



Discussion Questions



Miscellany



Further Reading

These are books mentioned by Preston throughout the text, containing additional historical context.
  • Annals of the Cakchiquels by Francisco Hernandez Arana Xajila
  • The Book of Chilam Balam of Chumayel (http://www.mayaweb.nl/mayaweb/chilam.pdf)
  • The Cost of Conquest: Indian Decline in Honduras Under Spanish Rule by Linda Newson
  • The Fish That Ate the Whale: The Life and Times of America's Banana King by Rich Cohen
  • Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
  • The Hot Zone by Richard Preston
  • Incidents of Travel in Central America, Chiapas, and Yucatan by John Lloyd Stephens
  • Jungleland: A Mysterious Lost City, a WWII Spy, and a True Story of Deadly Adventure by Christopher S. Stewart
  • Tales of a Shaman's Apprentice by Mark Plotkin
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Wednesday, March 22, 2017

The (Un)Luck of the Irish

For the month of March, book club members gathered to discuss the book Angela's Ashes. Beforehand, we watched the movie of the same name together. At the meeting, we were able to compare and contrast the two. Members also enjoyed an Irish bread pudding and tea as we discussed the book and movie as well as an "Irish potatoes" confection. Below are further resources for those interested in learning more about this book and the world depicted in it.


“We race around the playground and the twins laugh and make goo-goo sounds till they get hungry and start to cry. There are two bottles in the pram filled with water and sugar and that keeps them quiet for a while till they’re hungry again and they cry so hard I don’t know what to do because they’re so small and I wish I could give them all kinds of food so that they’d laugh and make the baby sounds. They love the mushy food Mam makes in a pot, bread mashed up in milk and water and sugar. Mam calls it bread and goody.” - Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Author Bios & Interviews


Book Reviews


 Discussion Questions


 Movie Tie-In

Irish History
Bits of Irish history are discussed throughout the book, especially by Malachy Sr. Below are links to some more information about names, groups, events, etc. mentioned.

“Dad is out looking for a job again and sometimes he comes home with the smell of whiskey, singing all the songs about suffering Ireland. Mam gets angry and says Ireland can kiss her arse. He says that’s nice language to be using in front of the children and she says never mind the language, food on the table is what she wants, not suffering Ireland. She says it was a sad day Prohibition ended because Dad gets the drink going around to saloons offering to sweep out the bars and lift barrels for a whiskey or a beer.”  - Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt


Irish Geography
McCourt vividly describes many places in his neighborhood growing up. More details on some of these locales can be found in the links below.

Limerick:
Outside of Limerick:

Irish Vocabulary & Expressions
  • boreen - narrow country road
  • brawn - meat from a pig's or calf's head that is cooked and pressed in a pot with jelly
  • cock o' the walk - someone who acts more important than others in a group
  • gansey - a seaman's knitted woollen sweater
  • omadhaun - fool, someone who is out of their senses, simpleton
  • poltroon - an utter coward
  • quiff - a piece of hair, especially on a man, brushed upward and backward from the forehead
  • wigs on the green - a fight, brawl or fracas, or to a difference of opinion that could lead to fisticuffs

“The master, Mr. Benson, said the government was going to give us the free lunch so we wouldn’t have to be going home in the freezing weather. He led us down to a cold room in the dungeons of Leamy’s School where the charwoman, Nellie Ahearn, was handing out the half pint of milk and the raisin bun. The milk was frozen in the bottles and we had to melt it between our thighs. The boys joked and said the bottles would freeze our things off and the master roared, Any more of that talk and I’ll warm the bottles on the back of yeer heads. We all searched our raisin buns for a raisin but Nellie said they must have forgotten to put them in and she’d inquire from the man who delivered. We searched again every day till at last I found a raisin in my bun and held it up.” - Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt

Literature & Poetry
In many respects, Frank is an autodidact who learns by the bits of reading he manages to snatch here and there. Listed below are some of the authors, books, and poems he notes in his memoir.

Miscellany

Further Reading

Books by Frank McCourt:
  • Angela's Ashes: A Memoir
  • 'Tis: A Memoir
  • chapter in Yeats Is Dead! A Mystery by 15 Irish Writers
  • Teacher Man: A Memoir
  • Angela and the Baby Jesus (adult & children's editions)
  • A Couple of Blaguards (with Malachy McCourt)
Books by Malachy McCourt (Jr.):
  • Voices of Ireland: Classic Writings of a Rich and Rare Land
  • Singing My Him Song 
  • A Monk Swimming: A Memoir 
  • Danny Boy: The Legend of the Beloved Irish Ballad 
  • The Claddagh Ring: Ireland's Cherished Symbol Of Friendship, Loyalty And Love 
  • Bush Lies in State 
  • Harold Be Thy Name: Lighthearted Daily Reflections for People in Recovery
  • Through Irish Eyes: A Visual Companion to Angela McCourt's Ireland 
  • History of Ireland 
  • Essay in The Face in the Mirror: Writers Reflect on Their Dreams of Youth and the Reality of Age
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Monday, March 6, 2017

To Be Read...

UPDATED WITH NEW DATES (as of 4/3/17)

 Your survey answers are in and thus our next few months' worth of reading is ready!

March 20 & 21: We will be comparing and contrasting a book and its movie adaptation. [NONFICTION]

On Monday, we'll be showing the movie version of Angela's Ashes at 6pm.

Then on Tuesday, we will gather together at 7pm to discuss both the book and its movie adaptation. Join us on either day or for both!




April 20 at 7pm: Lost City of the Monkey God: A True Story by Douglas J. Preston

Summary: A five-hundred-year-old legend. An ancient curse. A stunning medical mystery. And a pioneering journey into the unknown heart of the world's densest jungle. Suspenseful and shocking, filled with colorful history, hair-raising adventure, and dramatic twists of fortune, "The Lost City of the Monkey God" is the absolutely true, eyewitness account of one of the great discoveries of the twenty-first century. [NONFICTION]

Year Published: 2017

Length: 326 pages


May 18 at 7pm: Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnik

Summary: In 1995, Adam Gopnik and his family left their familiar home in New York City and headed to the glamorous, historically rich, and romantic city of Paris, France. Here, Gopnik presents a personal memoir about his time in the City of Light and what it was like to be an American family in Paris. [NONFICTION]

Year Published: 2000

Length: 338 pages




June 22 at 7pm: The Charm Bracelet by Viola Shipman

Summary: Through an heirloom charm bracelet three women will rediscover the importance of family, love, faith, friends, fun and a passion for living as the magic of each charm changes their lives.

Year Published: 2016

Length: 298 pages



Can't wait to hear your thoughts on these books at an upcoming meeting!
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Wednesday, February 22, 2017

Love Is in the Air...

For February, book club members read biographies about famous couples in honor of this romantic month. Each person read a book of her or his choosing and reported back to the group. This way we all learned a lot about famous couples throughout history. We also found there was plenty of room for debate about historic figures and their thoughts and motivations. Books were passed around so that everyone could look at the photographs and other images included with each title.

While we discussed the books, members also enjoyed some festive refreshments with strawberry heart treats (made using the petit hearts pan from the library's new collection of circulating cake pans), European pastries, and tea. One member also made bookmarks for everyone decorated with hearts and proverbs.


Members chose to read the following books. Below each one are some takeaways from that title.

- The Silent Woman: Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes by Janet Malcolm (1994)

  • This book provided a good framework for much of our discussion. The author muses on the meaning of biography and how unbiased a biographer can actual be. Fiction is arguably "truer" than nonfiction because everything exists in the author's imagination and is written as such, whereas with nonfiction we are beholden to various interpretations and opinions as to watch actually happened. With biographies of subjects who are gone, we have to question who has permission to speak for the dead and what is true versus what is speculation. With these particular subjects, we questioned Sylvia Plath's mental state and the idea of Ted Hughes being painted as the "bad guy" in the story.
  • The New York Times book review of this title: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/03/27/books/the-importance-of-being-biased.html?pagewanted=all

- Eleanor and Hick: The Love Affair that Shaped a First Lady by Susan Quinn (2016)

  • This is one of those "hidden histories" you don't learn about in your school textbook. This book uses published and unpublished memoirs/autobiographies and letters to explore the close relationship Eleanor Roosevelt had with reporter Lorena Hickok, a relationship that may have romantic. We listened to some snippets of the letters exchanged between the two to draw our own conclusions about the nature of that relationship. This book was interesting for also providing lots of historical context beyond the relationship between the two, including recovery from the Great Depression, the 1939 World's Fair, and life during World War II.
  • The New York Times book review of this title: https://www.nytimes.com/2016/10/16/books/review/eleanor-and-hick-susan-quinn.html?_r=0

- No Ordinary Time, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II by Doris Kearns Goodwin (1995)
  • This book dovetailed nicely with the one above. Similarly, the book was not just about the couple's relationship but also filled with lots of historical detail, as is typical with this author loved by many. There is not one love letter included in this book for as the book makes clear, this relationship was not about love with "fireworks" (except perhaps in the very beginning). FDR's affairs (and some of Eleanor's side relationships as well) are explained, and it is apparent how the two lead separate lives. But they still had similar goals in their political lives and it becomes obvious how the two worked together to progress those goals, especially for social programs. 
  • The New York Times book review of this title: http://www.nytimes.com/1994/09/19/books/books-of-the-times-a-monumental-presidency-and-the-telling-details.html

- I Love You, Ronnie: The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan by Nancy Reagan (2002)
  • This is a quick and easy read that is a sweet love story. You don't need to like Ronald Reagan as a president to enjoy this title. The book mostly just contains love letters but there are also some facts for context, including those about Reagan's political life and about the public outreach/education the couple did related to illnesses they had (cancer and Alzheimer's disease). The book also includes photographs of the actual letters.
  • The New York Times book review of this title: http://www.nytimes.com/books/00/10/22/bib/001022.rv104246.html

- The Good Shufu: Finding Love, Self, and Home on the Far Side of the World by Tracy Slater (2015)

- The Lincolns: A Scrapbook Look at Abraham and Mary by Candace Fleming (2008)
  • While technically considered a juvenile title, this book is appealing to an adult audience as well. It is rife with information, much of which are historical details you missed out on in school. The book contains many vignette-style individual stories with interesting factoids, and the many photographs were lovely to look at while reading. While many know a lot about Honest Abe, this book provided a great deal of information about Mary Todd as well that most of us hadn't known about before. This title provided plenty of fodder for book club members to discuss Mary's mental state at various points of her life and how history has potentially maligned her reputation.
  • Kirkus Reviews book review of this title: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/candace-fleming/the-lincolns-2/

- James and Dolley Madison: America's First Power Couple by Bruce Chadwick (2014)

  • Like with several other couples we learned about, these two were total opposites from their upbringings to their personalities. This book talked a lot about the social scene in Washington, D.C. at the time, which was still being developed. In particular, it described the elaborate parties thrown by the Madisons and how a person was considered one of the "right people to be" if he or she got an invite from the fashionable First Lady. This book helped highlight Dolley's role in promoting James Madison and making his political career successful. 
  • Kirkus Reviews book review of this title: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/bruce-chadwick/james-and-dolley-madison/

- Victoria and Albert: Their Love and Their Tragedies by Richard Hough (1996)

  • Again, we learned that this historic couple was sometimes at polar opposites from one another. The relationship started as one that appeared more as a political alliance than a great romance, but the pair grew to love each other deeply and after Albert's death, Victoria mourned him for the rest of her life. This book provides a lot of history about the monarchy in Europe at the time and shows how Victoria became the "grandmother of royalty."
  • Kirkus Reviews book review of this title: https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/richard-hough/victoria-and-albert/

- In This Together: My Story by Ann Romney (2015)
  • It was interesting to read this book in Ann Romney's own words. It is a tender love story, where it becomes obvious the role she played in her husband's political campaigns. There are many details included here that didn't come out when Mitt Romney was on the national scene as a presidential candidate. For instance, we learned about Ann Romney's struggle with multiple sclerosis and the money donated by the couple for research on neurological disorders.
  • The Boston Globe book review of this title: https://www.bostonglobe.com/arts/books/2015/09/30/ann-romney-book-photos-show-personal-life/PiuOCfuq8ATYx7WmH5J4lL/story.html

Have you read any of these or any other couples' biographies? What did you think of them?
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Wednesday, January 25, 2017

Springing Ahead

While we have our book titles picked out for the next couple of months, we still need to decide on what to read in the spring. Select your top two book choices in this survey, and the ones with the most votes will be our next reads. Please complete the survey by Wednesday, February 1. Can't wait to find out what we'll be reading this spring!
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Wednesday, January 18, 2017

What Defines Elegance? And Other Philosophical Musings

To start off the new year, book discussion group members read Muriel Barbery's The Elegance of the Hedgehog. This book is set in a chic Parisian apartment, where a grumpy, disillusioned middle-aged concierge and an highly intelligent, suicidal preteen tenant both share their thoughts with the reader via journals. Philosophical thoughts, literature, and the ridiculous movements of their neighbors all fill the pages of their journals. A seismic change happens in both their lives when a new tenant arrives in the building.


At our discussion meeting, opinions were varied on the book, although most seemed to enjoy it overall. Members sipped tea and munched on French chocolate cake with plum coulis as they shared their feelings on this title. Below are some resources for those looking to learn more about the book.


Author Bios & Interviews


Book Reviews



Discussion Questions



Movie Tie-In



 Miscellany

The Elegance of the Hedgehog is full of references to art, literature, culture, and other everyday beauties in life. Here are links for more information about just a few of those references. Feel free to add others in the comments below!
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