Holiday News

With Thanksgiving just behind us, the book club choice for the month of December is You Better Not Cry: Stories for Christmas, by Augusten Burroughs.

There are two changes to the meeting for December. Note the change in date to Tuesday, December 14th. Kelly has again offered to host our group for the annual holiday meeting. We will meet at her home at 6:30. Please bring an appetizer or treat to share.

The November meeting was held to plan the reading list for the upcoming year. For those thinking ahead, (or while shopping find some really good coupons from bookstores), here are the selections for the first few months:

• January - Queen of the Road, by Doreen Orion
• February - Wives of Henry Oades, by Johanna Moran
• March - The Tall Pines Polka, by Lorna Landvik
• April - A Private History of Awe, by Scott Russell Sanders

More snow is on the way! Stay warm and happy reading!

A Piece of History Comes to Life

Memoirs are a popular form of non-fiction reading. Now there is one that has been one hundred years in the making.

What? How can that be?

Recently published is The Autobiography of Mark Twain, an unedited memoir left by the author, with the strict instructions that it not be published for a century after his death. Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens, Mark Twain died of a heart attack on April 21, 1910, at the age of 74. An excerpt from the book as presented by Newsweek reveals the content contains writings of personal anecdotes and stories of experiences in his life.

A note of interest: Mark Twain's birth coincided with the arrival of Halley's Comet in 1835. Later in his life, it was his expressed desire to "go out with Halley's Comet." His death occurred one day following the comet's return and closest approach to Earth. (See wikipedia for more details.)

Our Opinions of Olive in October

Last Tuesday night we met to discuss the book, Olive Kittredge, by Elizabeth Strout. We had a good turnout of readers, and two new women joined the group.

Reactions to the book were mixed, although there was no one who totally disliked it. Many in the group commented on the great writing, the fully developed characters, and the well defined visuals that made the story come alive. These remarks were counterbalanced by several people describing the story as dark and depressing.

Or, I should say, stories, since the book is written as separate tales within every chapter instead of as one continual plotline. Many of us found that to be confusing. Many of us found the abrupt endings to the chapters frustrating.

Our conversations about Olive herself allowed for a lot of laughter in our meeting. We all admitted to knowing someone who was as brash as she seemed to be. Some of us saw a little of ourselves in parts of her. And the author did a good job of showing us Olive's tender side, so that little by little, as we began to know Olive better, we began to understand and like her more.

This was the first book we have chosen in our club that some readers found a second reading to be more meaningful, and others are planning to reread the book for a deeper understanding.

Read more about the author at her web site: http://elizabethstrout.com
View the awarding of the Pulitzer Prize for this novel at: http://www.pulitzer.org/citation/2009-Fiction

Time to Help the Library

Be part of helping the Washington County Library system grow and prepare for the future.

Until November 14th, the library is seeking your input through an easy, seven (with multiple parts) questionnaire, online or by paper copy at any county branch. You can rate the importance of the library's current programs and help with the Strategic Planning for the future.

This is an easy way for you to voice your opinion on what direction the library should go. You will find a link to the survey on the Washington County Library web site, or here: www.co.washington.mn.us/info_for_residents/library/.

And, by the way, the survey does include a question on the importance of a book club . . . .

A Famous Cat Close to Home

Remember the book we read about the library cat? It was Dewey, a small town cat that touched the world. And then we talked about Oscar, a famous cat who could predict when people would die. Well, it turns out that we have a similar cat right here in our midst.

According to a story printed in the Pioneer Press (Sept. 27, 2010), there is a cat named Ollie who lives as the official pet of Gilbert House, an Episcopal Church Home here in St. Paul. This cat, too, is known to provide a presence of peace when a resident of the home has reached the end of their life.

Could it be an inherent trait in some animals? Doctor Dosa, who wrote the book about Oscar, thinks that Ollie is not that unusual. Cats have long been thought to have special traits, but not all of them are as perceptive as these two.

Read more from the newspaper's web site: St. Paul cat seems to know when nursing home residents will die, by Molly Guthrey. If you want you can add your views to an ongoing conversation, with the ability to read comments made by other readers, or leave one of your own.

Nobody Liked Hillie

It is easy to see why The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, is such a popular book. Ten of us met on Tuesday night for a discussion of it. Everyone present either 'liked' or 'loved' the book, with two members who were unable to attend expressing their 'loved' opinions by proxy.

We passed the time quickly at our meeting, as the book contained so many dimensions for us to discuss. Our conversation included topics of civil rights, prejudice, poverty, and morality, to handy kitchen tips and super-sized hair curlers of the sixties.

In discussing the characters we found that a lot of us differed on having a favorite character in the book. Top among the most well liked were Aibileen, Minny, and Skeeter. We found Celia to be a sympathetic one. But nobody liked Hillie.

Visit the author's web site at: www.kathrynstockett.com
See the Official Book web site at: us.penguingroup.com

Surprising Facts About Books

Question:

What do the books:

• The Diary of a Young Girl, by Anne Frank
• Gone With the Wind, by Margaret Mitchell, and
• The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

have in common?

The Surprising Answer:

They are all books that at one time or another have been banned from schools, libraries, or bookstores.

Today is right in the middle of Banned Books Awareness Week, September 25th thru October 2nd of this year. "Banned Books Week is an annual awareness campaign that celebrates the freedom to read, draws attention to banned and challenged books, and highlights persecuted individuals." (Taken directly from Wikipedia. Emphasis mine.)

Half Price Books provides a link from their web site to DeleteCensorship.org, where you can learn more about the hundreds of books that have been considered improper to read at different times and places. You are likely to find several of your favorites and wonder why they are listed.

For example, Huck Finn was banned due to the informal style of dialogue the author used. Concord, Massachusetts considered it "trash and suitable only for the slums."

Even the dictionary itself has at one time been considered improper reading material. On the list of objectionable books was The American Heritage Dictionary, banned by a library in Missouri and a school board in Alaska. The book's offensive material was some of the words it contained. Words like 'bed', 'knocker', and 'balls.'

I don't know. All of that seems sort of tame by today's standards.