Musings of Maureen

A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss

2012-02-28T09:32:00.003-08:00

Thursdays With Maureen met this month to discuss A Conspiracy of Paper by David Liss. Many of our members go to sunnier locales to forget the dreary, cold Indiana winters. The four members attending all agreed we had a good discussion and because the group was so small we got to know each other a little more. We talked about everything ranging from the actual book we were supposed to discuss to travel in Tanzania, Savannah and Charleston, working as a CASA volunteer and finding satisfaction in retirement.

Some who attend book clubs do not want to deviate from the book but to me book clubs are also about meeting new people and making friends. Everyone has their own story so why not count that as part of the discussion?

One member didn't have time to read this month's selection but the other three agreed it was good but rather long. This was the author's first novel. He was supposed to be writing his dissertation on 18th century British literature and culture but got caught up in this fictional story. He never did finish that dissertation.

The author's web site describes the book as follows: "Benjamin Weaver is an outsider in eighteenth-century London: A Jew among Christians; a ruffian among aristocrats; a retired pugilist who, hired by London’s gentry, travels through the criminal underworld in pursuit of debtors and thieves. ...Weaver becomes entangled with a crime... involving the mysterious death of his estranged father, a notorious stock-jobber. ...Weaver uncovers the beginnings of a strange new economic order based on stock speculation – a way of life that poses great risks for investors, but real dangers for Weaver and his family. An enthralling historical thriller, a Conspiracy of Paper will leave readers wondering just how much has changed in the stock market in the last three hundred years…"

We all agreed that this was a worthwhile book although the mystery part of it got bogged down and became a little hard to follow. One of the characters is a real person and Benjamin Weaver is based upon a real fighter who is credited with starting modern day boxing. The story occurs in 1719 right before the very real first stock market crash.

The setting is fantastic. You, as a reader, feel as if you are walking the streets of 18th century London, the smells, the people, the taverns all come alive. The author definitely knows how to evoke this particular time and place. It was especially interesting due to the recent problems in the stock market. We all would definitely say check it out!

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

2012-02-24T08:12:00.004-08:00

This month's selection for Between The Lines book group was The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. This is a author and science writer Rebecca Skloot's debut book and took more than 10 years to research and write. It has been named by more than 60 critics as one of the best books of 2010. "...a triumph of science writing...one of the best nonfiction books I have ever read" says WIRED.COM. The book is being made into an HBO movie produced by Oprah Winfrey and Alan Ball.

According to her website, Rebecca Skloot is an award winning science writer specializing in narrative science writing. She has a B.S. in biological sciences and an MFA in creative nonfiction. She financed her degrees by working in emergency rooms, neurology labs, veterinary morgues and martini bars. She has taught creative writing and science journalism and currently gives talks on subjects ranging from bioethics to book proposals at conferences and universities nationwide.

The author's web site describes the book as follows: Henrietta Lacks was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more. Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health insurance.

Several members did not read the book as it seemed a little formidable. Also, the premise that Henrietta's cells were used without her consent didn't seem compelling to some. That was unfortunate because the discussion was livelier than most. Even the non-readers participated.

This is a great book for discussion as it brings up several issues especially medical ethics and the racial politics of medicine. One reader questioned whether the author was using the family for her own benefit as the scientists had used Henrietta. Another responded that Skloot has donated to a foundation established for Henrietta's children and that this was a story that needed to be told. A few of our members are retired nurses and they in particular offered insight into the evening's issues.

I hate to admit that I was one of the members who did not read this book. I have since recommended it to my other book club and we have put it on this year's list. This is a "multilayered story about faith, science, journalism, and grace . . . Skloot tells a rich, resonant tale of modern science, the wonders it can perform and how easily it can exploit society's most vulnerable people"—Publishers Weekly, Starred Review.

Between The Lines book group highly recommends this book - check it out!

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery

2012-02-16T07:53:00.000-08:00

Another book our program director, Dina, wants torecommend is The Elegance of theHedgehog by Muriel Barbery. It was discussed and recommended as a favorite book at the 2012 RoadScholar program she attended. (Road Scholar, Adventures in Lifelong Learning, is a program created by Elderhostel, Inc.).

Editorial Reviews says this book is very different, but is filled with wisdom and heartwarmingcharacters.

The New York Times says "...it is a best seller in France and severalother countries and belongs to a distinct subgenre: the accessible book thatflatters readers with its intellectual veneer…Renee's story is addressed to noone (that is, to us), while Paloma's takes the form of a notebook crammed withwhat she labels "profound thoughts." Both create eloquent littleessays on time, beauty and the meaning of life…Even when the novel is mostessayistic, the narrators' kinetic minds and engaging voices...propel us ahead".

This book was first published in 2008 and has been on numerous book club recommendation lists. We are highlighting it now in case you missed it. Dina has started recommending this book to patrons and is considering using it for one of her book club's selections this year. Check it out for yourself!

The Lantern by Deborah Lawrenson

2012-02-16T07:30:00.000-08:00

Dina,our program director, just read a book that she is eager to share withothers.

TheLanternby Deborah Lawrenson "has shades of Daphne de Maurier and Hitchcock" says USAToday. The review goes on to say "The scent of lavender seems to waft from thepages of The Lantern, a hypnotic tale of suspicion set in the south ofFrance. The Lantern is a worthy addition to novels "written in thetradition" of Daphne du Maurier.” The Lantern has beenshortlisted in the Epic Romantic Novel category for the Romantic Novelists'Association's 2012 Awards.

Whilereading it Dina said "I was mentally transported to the house andsetting. I could smell the flowers so fragrant coming up from thepages. I was pulled in right away as the mystery unfolded".

Dinaalso recommends checking out the author's blog atdeborah-lawrenson.blogspot.com/

A Charming Historical Mystery Series

2012-02-14T09:52:00.000-08:00

I've been immersed in three centuries in the past couple of days. With all the coverage of singer Whitney Houston's death and then the exciting six Grammy wins for the new sensational young singer Adele, I'd say that about covers the 20th and 21st century. So, it's time to step into the 19th century and applaud author Charles Finch's charming mystery series.

30 year old Charles Finch is a graduate of Yale and Oxford. He is the author of the Charles Lenox mysteries. His first novel, A Beautiful Blue Death, was nominated for an Agatha Award and was named one of Library Journal's Best Books of 2007, one of only five mystery novels on the list. He was born in New York and currently lives in Oxford, England.

"The best sort of historical mystery - clever, charming, full of period detail, and a delight to read" says David Liss, historical novelist and author of the New York times bestselling The Whiskey Rebels.

The series in order is:

     A Beautiful Blue Death
     The September Society
     The Fleet Street Murders
     A Stranger in Mayfair
     A Burial at Sea

There is also a Kindle short story entitled An East End Murder which I haven't read.

The protagonist, Charles Lenox, is of the upper-crust in Victorian England when gentlemen of his standing are not supposed to work. He becomes an amateur detective and is quite good at it. He's intelligent, determined and decent. The series is fresh and rich in historical information. You will feel yourself walking the gas lit streets of Victorian London right along side Charles.

If you love the TV PBS series Downton Abbey, the Queen's corgis, Sherlock Holmes and all things English check out this series!

Between The Lines Book Club

2012-02-13T16:18:00.000-08:00

Our library's first book club was started about six years ago. Our patron, Dawn Cance, is a retired librarian who asked our program director if she could start a library book club. She generously donated her time as moderator for five years. She has now passed the "job" on to another volunteer patron, Marty Diller.

Marty Diller

The club has been instrumental in helping many members new to the area make friends and feel a part of the community. We have had as many as 17 members with some coming and going as they winter in Florida or Arizona.

We have become a tight knit group and the club is currently closed to new members. It seems the best number of members for a good discussion is between 8 and 10. If everyone attends the discussions it can get rather loud and rambunctious but they are always enjoyable. We've tried various ways to get the discussion back on topic with varying degrees of success. It seems some want to stick to the book while others don't mind a more rambling discussion. But, no matter, we all love our book club and wouldn't think of missing this time with friends.

One memorable discussion includes the memoir A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel. We thought it would be a good choice because of the Indiana connection; however, no one really cared for this book except one lady. She is from a small town in Indiana and said this book really spoke to her. We all chuckle any time this title is brought up and she always defends the book. So, you see, if one person gets something out of the discussion and was introduced to a book that makes a difference to that person then the reading and discussion are worthwhile.

Beach Mystery Reads

2012-02-13T16:11:00.000-08:00

What is it about vacations? I have just returned from two weeks at a beach and am surprised that I didn't read more. I brought along South of Broad by Pat Conroy, The Tower, The Zoo and The Tortoise by Julia Stuart and several classics that I loaded on my I-Pad for free.

So, there I was, all set to enjoy time to catch up on novels and classics and what did I read? Mysteries that I found laying around the condo where we were staying.

First up was John Sanford's Bad Blood. Over the course of just three novels, the detective Virgil Flowers hasbecome one of the most beloved new characters in crime fiction. This book is certainly not for the squeamish but there is something about Virgil Flowers that kept me wanting to know more.

Next up was ex-crime beat reporter, Michael Connolly's The Overlook featuring Harry Bosch. In his first case since he left the LAPD’s Open Unsolved Unit for the prestigious Homicide Special squad, Harry Bosch is called out to investigate a murder that may have chilling consequences for national security. Turns out to not be quite as it seems.

I'm not sure I would pick up another John Sanford book but after watching the DVD The Lincoln Lawyer starring Matthew McConaughey as Mickey Haller, a cynical defense attorney, and reading The Overlook I am definitely a Michael Connelly fan. I would love to visit Harry Bosch again in the new book The Drop.

I just hope I have more beach time one of these days!

"The History of Love" by Nicolas Krauss

2012-02-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

The Reader’s Garden book club discussed The History of Love by Nicolas Krauss on January 24, 2012. Ann led the discussion as she loved the book. Many liked it but felt it needed a study guide to understand it.

The beginning of each chapter shows icons that tell you who is speaking. The heart icon is Leo Gursky. The compass is 10 year old Alma (there are many females named Alma in the book). The book icon is the original History of Love author speaking. The Hebrew letters before a paragraph is Bird speaking.

If you can get all the parts straight, the story has humor and depth. We were fascinated as to how the author could have put it all together. We recommend this book for other groups. We had a great discussion.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See is our next selection. We have not read any books by Lisa See and she has written quite a few. We will discuss this book on February 28, 2012 at 6:30 pm by the fireplace. Melody will lead the discussion. If you are interested in getting a copy and joining us please contact the library.

Future dates that Reader’s Garden meets are March 27, 2012 to discussHomer and Langley by E. L. Doctorow and April 24, 2012 to discuss Sarah’s Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.

Why don't you check out one of our book clubs? The Reader's Garden book discussion group is facilitated by Dina Ferree, our program director. We can guarantee that you'll learn something and meet some interesting people in person and in the books!

Author Rebecca Makkai's Visit - June 12, 2012

2012-02-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Author Rebecca Makkai will be visiting the Carnegie Public Library of Steuben County on Tuesday June 12, 2012 at 6:30 pm in the large meeting room. Rebecca is a Chicago-based writer whose first novel, The Borrower was published in 2011. It is a Booklist Top Ten Debut, an Indie Next pick, anO Magazine selection, and one ofChicago Magazine's choices for best fiction of 2011. Her short fiction has been chosen forThe Best American Short Stories for four consecutive years (2008, 2009, 2010 and 2011), and appears regularly in journals likeTin House, Ploughshares,New England Review andShenandoah.

Rebecca Makkai’s first story, at the age of three, was printed on the side of a cardboard box and told from the viewpoint of her stuffed Smurf doll. Sadly, her fiction has never since reached such heights of experimentalism. Rebecca holds an MA from Middlebury College’s Bread Loaf School of English and a BA from Washington and Lee University. Her short fiction has been anthologized inThe Best American Short Stories 2011, 2010, 2009 and 2008, The Best American Non-required Reading 2009, New Stories from the Midwest andBest American Fantasy, and featured on Public Radio International’s Selected Shorts and This American Life.

Rebecca is married and has two young daughters. For the past eleven years she has taught at a Montessori school. She is currently at work on her second novel,The Happensack, the story of a haunted house and a haunted family, told in reverse.

Join us in welcoming Rebecca Makkai at our library on June 12, 2012.

"Olive Kitteridge" Discussion

2012-01-21T11:52:00.000-08:00

The Between The Lines Book Club discussed Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout at this month's meeting. Many commented that Olive was not a very likable character but they would recommend the book. This is a collection of 13 short stories all of which feature Olive in some respect. Some stories directly involve her; in others she is an incidental character. It is almost like a study of a neighborhood - some neighbors you know in one way, while other people know that person in a completely different light.

This month's moderator, Sue, asked us at the beginning of the discussion to write down a one word description of Olive. After some discussion, she then asked us what word we used to describe Olive. It was an interesting exercise for two reasons - one, it showed how very different some of us viewed Olive (although most felt she was domineering and rude); two, it gave each of us a chance to make a contribution to the discussion, even those of us who are quieter and tend not to comment much.

Olive Kitteridge won the Pulitzer Prize For Fiction in 2009 and was a finalist for the 2008 National Book Critics Circle Award. Some commented they were unsure why the book had won such a prestigious award. The consensus was that it was a unique way of presenting short stories. Why not check it out for yourself?!

Classics Then and Now Book Club

2012-01-19T08:40:00.000-08:00

Marty Miller

Marty Miller just started officiating our newest library book club in October, 2011. The book selections focus on women authors and the classics. They meet the first Tuesday of each month from 1:00 to 2:30 p.m. at the library. They have already had some very stimulating discussions.

It is a relaxed group and new members are always welcome. One unique aspect of this club is that you can come and go as you please. You do not have to be committed to attending every meeting. It is very informal.

Current Selection

The current selection is House of Mirth by Edith Wharton. Copies are available at the front desk if you would like one. The next meeting is February 7, 2012 and you are welcome to be a part of the discussion.

Future selections include: Ceremony by Leslie Silko, The Handmaiden's Tale by Margaret Atwood, The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers, Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison and Black Water by Joyce Carol Oates.

Hope to see you there!

2012 Winter Reading Program is Starting!

2012-01-13T10:57:00.000-08:00

Our Adult Winter Reading Program is starting Monday, January 16, 2012!

It is easy to enter to win great prizes. You must be at least 18 years old to participate, use your library card and read only library books. Just read three library books ("real" books, audio books or our Overdrive e-books). Fill out an entry form with the titles to the three books you've read and you're entered in the drawing. You can enter multiple times as long as you keep reading.

The reading program is an annual initiative of the Library aimed at encouraging leisure reading among adults. It is sponsored by area businesses and Friends of The Library.It begins Jan. 16 and ends March 8, 2012.

There are five prize packages this year that include best-selling books. You may be the winner of one of these wonderful prizes:

a book bag filled with books and an Indiana State Park Pass sponsored by Friends of The Library;
a $30 gift certificate from The Hatchery Restaurant;
a $20 gift certificate from Lake Shore Design;
a $20 gift certificate from Throops Florist and Greenhouse; and,
a $20 from American Made Shopper.

The five winners will be drawn on March 9. Good Luck and warm up with a good book this winter!

2012-01-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

War Horse by Michael Morpurgo

Have you seen the movie War Horse yet? It is anexcellent movie directed by Steven Spielberg. Comments are always “oh no, it’s too sad” but really, you are missingout if you don’t see it and be sure to see it on the big screen. The panoramic views of the Englishcountryside are stunning. You will feellike you are almost there. Also(note-spoiler alert) there is a happy ending. So, even though you may shed a few tears the movie is well worth yourtime.

There is also a successful stage play of the samename. Winner of 5 Tony Awards® including BestPlay! A spectacular hit in London, it is thestory of an English boy whose beloved horse is sold to the cavalry and shippedto Franceduring WW I. Years later the boy, now a young man, embarks on an odyssey tobring him home.

The story is based on a children’s novel byBritish author Michael Morpurgo. It wasfirst published in the United Kingdom in 1982. MichaelMorpurgo is an English author, poet playwright and librettist best known forhis children’s literature. He is known for "magicalstorytelling" and for recurring themes such as the triumph of an outsideror survival, for characters' relationships with nature, and for vivid settingssuch as the Cornish coast or World War I.

Hazel Rochman from Booklist says that while parts of the book may besentimental, it “brings close the fury of the thundering guns, the confusion,and the kindness of enemies who come together in No Man's Land to save thewounded horse”. The horse’s “ability to understand the language wherever heis--England, France, Germany--reinforces the novel'santiwar message, and the terse details speak eloquently about peace”.

Our library does not presently own a copy of thisimaginative work but that’s where the Indiana Evergreen system is sohelpful. Ask us to obtain a copy for youor just go to your account at our web site at http://www.steuben.lib.in.us,and place a copy on hold. The book willbe delivered to our library in just a few short days. We do have an audio version read by John Keating which is available. Check it out!

2012-01-11T06:00:00.000-08:00

Reader’s Garden was started in October of 2009 by library staffer, Dina Ferree. They meet the 4^th Tuesday of each month at 6:30 pm. Our first book selection was Katherine Howe’s debut novel The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane. It was well received by the group. Katherine Howe will visit the library on Saturday June 2 at 1:00 pm to discuss her second book The House of Velvet and Glass. The House of Velvet and Glass will be released April 10, 2012.

The library has a book discussion group kit of The Physick Book available to check-out with 8 copies and a study guide with questions.


Author Katherine Howe

Over the years some of our most lively and memorable discussions included: One Thousand White Women: the Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows, The Help by Kathryn Stockett and The Poet of Tolstoy Park by Sonny Brewer (which is available in a book discussion group kit).

On January 24 we will discuss The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. Nicole is the author of Man Walk’s into a Room, Great House, and the international bestseller The History of Love. Her books have been translated into more than thirty-five languages. She lives in Brooklyn, New York. Amazon review: The History of Love is a hauntingly beautiful novel about two characters whose lives are woven together in such complex ways that even after the last page is turned, the reader is left to wonder what really happened. In the hands of a less gifted writer, unraveling this tangled web could easily give way to complete chaos. However, under Krauss's watchful eye, these twists and turns only strengthen the impact of this enchanting book.

If you would like to join The Reader's Garden book club please contact the library 665-3362x24. We would be happy to have you!

2012-01-10T08:50:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the newest blog at Carnegie Public Library!

Welcome to our new book discussion blog. We envision this blog to be a forum fordiscussion about what’s new in books, book clubs, e-readers, and ideas for yourbook club. We will also be postingsummaries of our own four book club discussions. We welcome your comments and hope you willhave many.

Carnegie Public Library currently has four book clubs with alittle bit of a different focus in each group. A couple of these groups have openings and new members are welcome. If you are interested in starting your ownbook discussion group here please contact Dina, our program director. The library will advertise for new memberswhich is a wonderful way to meet new people. We will provide the group with all the books needed. The library is a member of the IndianaEvergreen system which gives us access to over a hundred library collections soobtaining multiple copies of a title is easy. All that is needed to be a memberof one of the library’s book discussion groups is a library card in goodstanding.

Are you a member of a private book club at home or throughwork? Why buy a book each month for your book club when your library is righthere. We encourage you to inquire about our Book Discussion Group Kitsavailable for checkout with your library card. Multiple copies of the title are included in the kit together with astudy guide.

We hope you will find these postings interesting and helpful and that you visit often!