FICTION BOOK CLUB

Our selection for September is The Awakening by Kate Chopin. This is the story of a New Orleans wife's search for love outside a stifling middle-class marriage, the novel portrays the mind of a woman seeking fulfillment of her essential nature.
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First published in 1899, The Awakening occasioned a shocked and angry response from reviewers all over the country. The book was taken off the shelves of the St. Louis mercantile library and its author was barred from the fine arts club. Today, it remains a first-rate narrative with superb characterization.
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We hope that you will join us for a discussion of this powerful story on September 10th at 7:30 p.m. in the B&N Cafe.
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Jane

Religion Book Club

With the return of Jeff to our bookstore, comes the return of the Religion Book Club.

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I am excited to announce that this discussion group will be meeting on the fourth Thursday of each month at 8:00 p.m.; the first meeting is September 24th in the B&N Cafe, Cedar Hill.

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Jeff's selection for September is C. S. Lewis's Till We Have Faces.

"This tale of two princesses - one beautiful and one unattractive - and of the struggle between sacred and profane love is Lewis’s reworking of the myth of Cupid and Psyche and one of his most enduring works. A novel, of the struggle between unselfish faith and selfish pride, of the spirit and the flesh."

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This book is available in paperback at Barnes & Noble.

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I hope that you will put this date on your calendar and plan to join us in September.

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Jane

THIRD MONDAY DETECTIVES

Our meeting this month was to discuss P.D. James' Cover Her Face. We all liked the book and would like to read the second in this series to see what happens between one of the minor characters and the police detective Dalgleish. Some of our members were surprised by the identity of the killer, but one or two more astute detectives figured it out before the unmasking at the conclusion of the book.
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We did discuss whether or not we did the author and ourselves justice by reading only the first novel of a series. The characters are introduced to us but not fully developed as they are over time. We base our opinions on that first book, perhaps cheating ourselves out of some delightful and satisfying characters and plots. That is a question for each of us as readers and, since we as a group do not read all of a series, must ultimately be decided by us individually.
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Our selection for the month of September is The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett.
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This is a hard-boiled mystery from 1930 and set the standard for this genre of detective fiction. And, who better to bring Sam Spade to life than Humphrey Bogart. This is a classic in every way and can still be enjoyed today for its superb writing and rich characters.

Synopsis from B&N
This mystery novel, generally considered to be Dashiell Hammett's finest work, appeared in serial form in Black Mask magazine in 1929 and was published as a novel the following year. Some critics have said that the Biblical invocation "The love of money is the root of all evil" sums up Falcon's theme.
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Detective Sam Spade's partner Archer is hot on a case, and as his partner, Spade must find the killer. The investigation becomes enmeshed with a search for The Maltese Falcon, a statue rumored to be of "incalculable" value. Spade's life is endangered and he is nearly destroyed by what turns up.
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We hope that you can join our Third Monday Detectives in discussing this novel at our next meeting on September 21st at 10:00 a.m. We have such a wonderful time discussing the current selection, other authors and novels, and getting to know one another that our laughter spreads throughout the bookstore. How delightful!!!

Jane

HISTORY BOOK CLUB

We had a great session last night, despite the absence of some members who are on vacation or having grandchildren. Tanya says she forgot that only really big geeks read such thick and serious books in the middle of the summer! That's us, ambitious to the end.
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There was a very lively discussion both on point and tangential. I first thought we'd wrap up around 9pm, but we went on until they closed up the store at 10pm! We promise next time to keep it to the allotted hour.

Very much looking forward to discussing part two of the book! That will be Thursday, August 27th at 7:30 p.m.

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Tanya/Jane

THIRD MONDAY DETECTIVES

Eight of us turned out this rainy Monday morning to discuss Donna Leon's Death at La Fenice. I had been able to find and print pictures of the Venetian opera house as well as a picture of the main character from the German TV series. We all agreed that we liked the plotline, Ms. Leon's writing style, and Guido Brunetti very much. We'd all like to read more of this series.

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We are looking forward to reading the selection for August, P. D. James' Cover Her Face (Adam Dalgliesh Series #1). One of our members has read the entire series and highly recommended it to the group.

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The synopsis on BN.com says, "Sally Jupp was a sly and sensuous young woman who used her body and her brains to make her way up the social ladder. Now she lies across her bed with dark bruises from a strangler’s fingers forever marring her lily-white throat. Someone has decided that the wages of sin should be death...And it is up to Chief Inspector Adam Dalgliesh to find out who that someone is. "

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We hope that you can join us for the discussion of this who-done-it on Monday, August 17th at 10:00 a.m. in the Cafe.

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Jane

KNITTING BOOK CLUB

We met Monday evening with completed washcloths, current knitting and crocheting projects and Jane Austen's Persuasion. What a delightful hour. Leslie is a wonderful leader who is always prepared to help us get the most out of any book, especially Jane Austen's novels.

Persuasion is Rebecca's favorite, she re-reads it every year. David was a first-time reader and didn't particularly like the book. We beat him up gently! I love this one with it's mature and believable characters.

Our selection for August/September is Sense and Sensibility . This is a long book, so we decided to divide it into two parts: August will cover the novel until the sisters go to London; September will cover the remainder of the novel.

We've begun no new knitting projects. (I, the novice knitter, will continue to knit washcloths until I run out of yarn!) Leslie and Rebecca are knitting socks, David a scarf, and Bobbie is crocheting a top. What are your currently knitting?

Please join us for the discussion of Sense and Sensibility, Part I, on August 10th at 7:00 p.m. in the B&N Cafe.

Jane

FICTION BOOK CLUB

Leslie's selection for August is The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho.

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Brazilian author Paulo Coelho broke sacred ground -- and crossed over into worldwide fame as an author -- with this symbolic masterpiece. This is the 20th anniversary printing of this novel.

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Santiago, an Andalusian shepherd boy, has a dream about finding a treasure in the pyramids of Egypt. A gypsy woman and an old man claiming to be a mysterious king advise him to pursue it. "To realize one's destiny is a person's only obligation," the old man tells him. "And, when you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it."

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Please join us August 13th at 7:00 p.m. in the B&N Cafe for the discussion of this thought-provoking novel.

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Jane