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Book groups are open to anyone, just read the book and come to the meetings, which are generally held in the library conference room. To see what kits are available, go to Books in a Bag to see the complete list and descriptions.
Great Ideas Schedule lists all of the upcoming Great Ideas topics and discussion times.
Second Mondays, 7:00 PM
May 14 - The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King
In the kingdom of Delain, a young prince must struggle against powerful forces to gain his rightful inheritance. A tale of archetypal heroes and sweeping adventures, of dragons and princes and evil wizards, here is epic fantasy as only Stephen King could envision it.
June 11 - The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Set during the Great Depression, this book traces the migration of an Oklahoma Dust Bowl family to Californiaand their subsequent hardships as migrant farm workers. It won a Pulitzer Prize in 1940. The work did much to publicize the injustices of migrant labor. The narrative chronicles the struggles of the Joad family's life on a failing Oklahomafarm, their difficult journey to California, and their disillusionment once they arrive there and fall prey to a parasitic economic system. The insularity of the Joads--Ma's obsession with family togetherness, son Tom's self-centeredness, and daughter Rose of Sharon's materialism--ultimately gives way to a sense of universal community.
Last Mondays, 7:00 PM
May 21 - When the Killing's Done (title is subject to change) by T. C. Boyle
Principally set on the wild Channel Islands off the coast of California, T.C. Boyle's novel is a gripping adventure with a timely theme. Alma Boyd Takesue is a National Park Service biologist spearheading the efforts to save the islands' native creatures from invasive species. Her antagonist, Dave LaJoy, is a local businessman who is fiercely opposed to the killing of any animals whatsoever and will go to any lengths to subvert her plans. As their confrontation plays out in a series of scenes escalating in violence, drama, and danger, When the Killing's Done relates a richly humane tale about the dominion we attempt to exert, for better or worse, over the natural world.
June 25 - My Own Country by Abraham Verghese
Nestled in the SmokyMountainsof eastern Tennessee, the town of Johnson Citysaw its first AIDS patient in August 1985. Working in Johnson Citywas Abraham Verghese, a young Indian doctor specializing in infectious diseases who became, by necessity, the local AIDS expert. Out of his experience comes a startling, ultimately uplifting portrait of the American heartland.
First Thursdays, 2:00 PM
June 7 - The God of Small Things by Arundhati Roy
Equal parts powerful family saga, forbidden love story, and piercing political drama, it is the story of an affluent Indian family forever changed by one fateful day in 1969. The seven-year-old twins Estha and Rahel see their world shaken irrevocably by the arrival of their beautiful young cousin, Sophie. It is an event that will lead to an illicit liaison and tragedies accidental and intentional, exposing “big things [that] lurk unsaid” in a country drifting dangerously toward unrest. Lush, lyrical, and unnerving, The God of Small Things is an award-winning landmark that started for its author an esteemed career of fiction and political commentary.
July 5 - The Sum of Our Days by Isabel Allende
In this heartfelt memoir, Isabel Allende reconstructs the painful reality of her own life in the wake of tragic loss—the death of her daughter, Paula. Recalling the past thirteen years from the daily letters the author and her mother, who lives in Chile, wrote to each other, Allende bares her soul in a book that is as exuberant and full of life as its creator. She recounts the stories of the eccentric and eclectic tribe she gathers around her that becomes a new kind of family. Narrated with warmth, humor, candor, and wisdom, The Sum of Our Days is a portrait of a contemporary family, bound together by the love, fierce loyalty, and determination of a beloved, indomitable matriarch.
5/8/12