Anyone making a quick search on the Internet could easily conclude that the author of our book selection for August, (Nickel and Dimed in America), Barbara Ehrenreich, is as controversial as the books she writes.
Visiting the author's web site, you will be greeted with announcement of her newest release, Bright Sided, a book about the effects of positive thinking in America. Elsewhere on her site is a list of the books she has published, many of them along the same lines as Nickel and Dimed, in exposing realities within American culture. Also on her web site is a link to her blog, where she voices her opinion on topical subject matter. There is also access to a forum of internet conversation about her books.
Barbara's biography is presented in Wikipedia, identifying her as a "widely read columnist and essayist . . . the author of nearly 20 books." She is also described as an "American feminist, democratic socialist, sociologist, and political activist."
Not all authors are considered for quoting from, but that is not the case for Ms. Ehrenreich. It is easy to find several web sites with numerous quotes taken from her writing, some of the sites allow visitors to comment. See an example of this on Goodreads.com
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
Monday, August 16, 2010
Library Day at the Fair
 |
This means that if you present a valid public library card at the gate that day when you buy a ticket, you will receive a discount on the price of admission!The Fair also promises discounts on Midway and Kidway rides that same day, all-day. Read more on the Fair's web site at: http://www.mnstatefair.org/tickets_discounts/admission.html
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
An August Update
Diane has generously offered her home as meeting place for this month's meeting. It will be held on August 24th, just two weeks from today. The meeting will begin at 6:30 p.m. with a pot luck - please bring a dish to share.
The book selection for the month is: Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich. Freda will be conducting the discussion.
This will be our last meeting of the summer, (already!), and only days away from the State Fair. Meetings will resume in September at the library.
The book selection for the month is: Nickel and Dimed, by Barbara Ehrenreich. Freda will be conducting the discussion.
This will be our last meeting of the summer, (already!), and only days away from the State Fair. Meetings will resume in September at the library.
Monday, August 2, 2010
Featured Book for July
During the month of July, the book club selection was Still Alice, by Lisa Genova. The book is about a woman who develops Alzheimer's disease. She is a university professor. So there is the reality: Alzheimer's can happen to anybody.
In my own life, I have experienced the illness in close relatives twice. In the first, I was caregiver for my mother. In those days we didn't have the volume of information that is available now on the internet. The Alzheimer's Association, (at www.alz.org), now has a web site that is very comprehensive and even includes a helpline phone number that is 24/7.
A memory walk to raise money is being organized for September 25th out of Bloomington, Minnesota. Sign-ups for people to walk or for donations can be made through the Alzheimer's Association web site.
Visit the author's web site, www.lisagenova.com, for information on the author, Still Alice, and news about the author's newest book, Left Neglected, due out in January 2011. This web site also contains access to a discussion forum with ongoing conversations about the book and the illness.
In my own life, I have experienced the illness in close relatives twice. In the first, I was caregiver for my mother. In those days we didn't have the volume of information that is available now on the internet. The Alzheimer's Association, (at www.alz.org), now has a web site that is very comprehensive and even includes a helpline phone number that is 24/7.
A memory walk to raise money is being organized for September 25th out of Bloomington, Minnesota. Sign-ups for people to walk or for donations can be made through the Alzheimer's Association web site.
Visit the author's web site, www.lisagenova.com, for information on the author, Still Alice, and news about the author's newest book, Left Neglected, due out in January 2011. This web site also contains access to a discussion forum with ongoing conversations about the book and the illness.
Thursday, July 15, 2010
Some Summer Reading Suggestions
I know I haven't written anything on this blog for awhile, but I've been so busy reading! The long, hot, days of summer are made for relaxing with a good book. So, if you are looking for some ideas on what to take on that vacation, here are some suggestions.
Two of the books I've recently finished were by authors I was introduced to through the book club. I read Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult, an author whose writing has a way of involving the reader in the characters' lives, people who seem real enough to be neighbors on the same block. This book took on the sensitive subject matter of a high school shooting in a relatively small town. The event exposes the frailty within human relationships, and the many ways our lives are intermingled. This book was hard to put down once I started to read it.
Another author, Bill Bryson, we had read as a group some time ago with the selection of A Walk in the Woods. This time I chose The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, a book described as a memoir of the author. While it had some of the same sense of humor that made reading 'Woods' so fun, it did not have the same sense of adventure, and in the end I was a bit disappointed.
However, I had picked up a copy of Marley and Me, by John Grogan, a bestseller about "life and love with the world's worst dog." Who doesn't like puppies? Anyway, I had not seen the movie based on the book, but while reading it thought that I would like to. This was an engaging story, not only about the dog, but about the family that grows up around the pet, a pet that seems bent on creating disruption and havoc. You can expect some examples of love and loyalty within the pages of this book.
So, happy summer! happy reading!
Two of the books I've recently finished were by authors I was introduced to through the book club. I read Nineteen Minutes, by Jodi Picoult, an author whose writing has a way of involving the reader in the characters' lives, people who seem real enough to be neighbors on the same block. This book took on the sensitive subject matter of a high school shooting in a relatively small town. The event exposes the frailty within human relationships, and the many ways our lives are intermingled. This book was hard to put down once I started to read it.
Another author, Bill Bryson, we had read as a group some time ago with the selection of A Walk in the Woods. This time I chose The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid, a book described as a memoir of the author. While it had some of the same sense of humor that made reading 'Woods' so fun, it did not have the same sense of adventure, and in the end I was a bit disappointed.
However, I had picked up a copy of Marley and Me, by John Grogan, a bestseller about "life and love with the world's worst dog." Who doesn't like puppies? Anyway, I had not seen the movie based on the book, but while reading it thought that I would like to. This was an engaging story, not only about the dog, but about the family that grows up around the pet, a pet that seems bent on creating disruption and havoc. You can expect some examples of love and loyalty within the pages of this book.
So, happy summer! happy reading!
Monday, June 28, 2010
June Meeting
Hi Everyone. I missed the June meeting, and the discussion of Suite Francaise, by Irene Nemirovsky, so I have little to report about it.
Maybe someone who had been to the meeting could leave a comment of how it went?
Otherwise, we are starting into the July book-of-the-month selection, which will be: Still Alice, by Lisa Genova. This had been previously scheduled to be the book for June, so if you read it in advance, you will be that much more ahead!
For July we will be having to make some alternate accommodations for meeting, since our usual room will be unavailable. Stay tuned for more info as things become settled.
Maybe someone who had been to the meeting could leave a comment of how it went?
Otherwise, we are starting into the July book-of-the-month selection, which will be: Still Alice, by Lisa Genova. This had been previously scheduled to be the book for June, so if you read it in advance, you will be that much more ahead!
For July we will be having to make some alternate accommodations for meeting, since our usual room will be unavailable. Stay tuned for more info as things become settled.
Thursday, June 3, 2010
May Meeting Follow-up
Our book for the month of May was Year of Wonders, by Geraldine Brooks. Nine members were present for a great discussion of the novel, best described as an historical fiction about the bubonic plague.
Having not attended the meeting, I am not able to provide many details about the discussion. If you are interested in knowing more about the book, I would refer you to the author's website: www.geraldinebrooks.com/wonders.html. While you are there, be sure to read more about the author, who began a career in journalism before rethinking her future goals after being jailed for doing her job.
A previous book on our club's reading list was the novel, March, which was written by the same author, and many in the group found to be entertaining.
Having not attended the meeting, I am not able to provide many details about the discussion. If you are interested in knowing more about the book, I would refer you to the author's website: www.geraldinebrooks.com/wonders.html. While you are there, be sure to read more about the author, who began a career in journalism before rethinking her future goals after being jailed for doing her job.
A previous book on our club's reading list was the novel, March, which was written by the same author, and many in the group found to be entertaining.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)