Deb’s Comments (group member since Jul 12, 2011)

Deb’s comments from the Topeka & Shawnee Co. Public Library group.

What would you suggest for someone looking to read something to go along with the upcoming Independence Day celebration?

For a younger reader or a family wanting to read something together I'd suggest the classic n by Johnny Tremain by Esther Forbes: This classic for younger readers tells the story of a fourteen-year-old silversmith apprentice who becomes a dispatch rider and meets many Boston patriots involved in the struggle for independence. Disney produced a movie version of this novel in 1957 which was one of my childhood favorites.

So what's on everyone's reading list for July?

I plan on reading Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln by Doris Goodwin to coincide with the showing of the film Lincoln that they will be showing at the Kansas History Center on Friday, July 10th. Lincoln is always a fascinating person to read about and I'm looking forward to both the book and the film!

Hello everyone!
I hope you have signed up for Summerfest and are working on your summer reading goals and earning prizes!
http://tscpl.org/summerfest

Do you have some books that you are going to read for sure this summer? I've taken my inspiration from some of the fun events we are having around town, such as the Sundown Movie Festival at the Kansas History Museum of History which is showing the movie Little Women this Friday (June 5th).
Little Women is one of my all time favorite books, and I would like to use this as an excuse to read Marmee and Louisa by Eva LaPlante which tells the story of Louisa's relationship with her mother--who was the inspiration for "Marmee" in Little Women.
I've got more reading suggestions, tied in with local events, listed on the library's website at http://tscpl.org/books-movies-music/f...

I'm traipsing across the Arabian desert and into the palace of King Herod Antipas in A.D. 30 by Ted Dekker. I'm enjoying the adventure and learning a little bit about ancient history (and camels) along the way.
I'm looking forward to reading Calling Me Home soon as well (It's our book group pick). The premise of looking back at a love who got away--because it was a forbidden interracial romance--sounds intriguing.

Time to chime in with what you are reading.

I'm reading:

Life by Keith Richards. I'm not much of a fan but he tells a fascinating story. And Johnny Depp does an excellent job of narrating the audio version.

I would have sworn I was listening to a novel as I followed the saga of Abdul, a “trash-picker”, and his neighbors–all of whom live in Annawadi, a slum that sits right next to the airport in Mumbai, India. But there really is an Abdul, and there really was a one-legged woman named Fatima that lived next door to him. The bare facts of their life stories–a conflict that leads to a fiery death and an unjust imprisonment–are compelling enough. But the way the story is told–with vivid descriptions of the events and thoughts of the people involved, and with their own words–brings it to life in a way that usually only seems to happen in novels.

But this isn’t fiction, it’s real, and falling in love with the characters and wanting them to succeed in finding “the full enjoy” of life comes with a price. That price is seeing how the cruel realities of life often interfere with hopes and dreams. Even Manju, the best and brightest of Annawadi’s teenagers, faces maddening obstacles as she strives to become the first Annawadian to graduate from college. She teaches the children of the slum rudimentary classes in English–but some of those children will fall prey to disease, drugs, hunger, or the violence of the street and never make it to adulthood, much less to a life outside of the slum. And all the while, the presence of the hotel and nearby airport are felt acutely by the residents, who not only take advantage of the refuse that they leave behind but also observe lavish parties and feel threatened by a possible airport expansion that could leave them without even the Annawadi slum to call home.

I highly recommend this book to all who are interested in the human condition. It is a powerful read that will inform you of the social realities of our modern world–but it will feel like you are doing nothing more than reading a novel at times. If you listen to the audiobook version like I did you also to hear it wonderfully narrated by Sunil Malhotra who does a wonderful job giving each person a distinctive and fitting voice (not to mention effortlessly saying all of those Indian words that I would trip over). Another bonus is an interview with the author on the last CD in which you get to hear more about how she conducted the extensive research it took for her to write this moving story. This would also be an excellent choice for book discussion groups who could discuss how it gives us insight on our modern world and how reading about the various struggles of the people profiled affected them

“From the time I entered the world there were always dead bodies,” relates Kate Mayfield in The Undertaker’s Daughter, her memoir of growing up in a funeral home in the small Southern town of Jubilee, Kentucky. Downstairs meant cloying flowers, solemn hymns and tearful mourners as Jubilee’s deceased made their short journey from embalming room to the chapel. Upstairs the family lived in quiet consideration of the dead and those who mourned them.

Profoundly respectful of the dead, Kate’s father still found ways to involve his children in his trade. Kate played with casket boxes, helped choose exquisite handmade shrouds from the Shroud Lady (and secretly longed to wear one herself), dusted the caskets and wandered with her father through the cemetery. But Kate also saw tiny baby caskets being delivered, shuddered at the horrors of the embalming room and sometimes felt a lingering presence beside the open caskets.

Of course oftentimes the living were more terrifying than the dead. With its strict social hierarchy and racial segregation, Jubilee could be difficult for both father and daughter to navigate. Equally difficult for Kate were the family secrets and demons that haunted her father and followed him to his grave. Either way, both the living and the dead have something interesting to say in The Undertaker’s Daughter.

TSCPL staff Review written by Julie Nelson and posted at:

http://tscpl.org/books-movies-music/w...

Ah, April. Green grass, flowering trees, and National Poetry Month! The season of growth, new life, and awakening is a perfect time to dig into poetry with readings, displays, and (of course) plenty of books.

Want to hear real live poets reading their work, and join in during open mic? Come out on April 15, from 7-8:30pm, for an open mic reading followed by featured poets Israel Wasserstein, Dennis Etzel Jr., and Megan Kaminski. Check out the event blog for all of the details.

Are you a teen poet? Join our library’s Open Mic Night: Poetry Edition, hosted in The Edge Teen Room on April 29 at 4 pm. Call 580-4565 for more info.

Thursday, April 30, is Poem in Your Pocket day! Grab your regional poetry bookmarks from the poetry display in media, or find them stashed in poetry collections out in the stacks.

Excerpted from a blog post by Miranda Ericsson, for more go to:
http://tscpl.org/books-movies-music/g...

First of all--I dislike the new "movie tie in" cover.

Second of all --I haven't seen the movie yet. Should I?

Third of all -- here is what some of our other group members have thought about it:

https://www.goodreads.com/group/show_...

I've only just started it so it'll be a while before I post my own review. Feel free to share your own thoughts or reviews!

There is tension in the hills of West Virginia--and it isn't just because of post Civil War resentment. No, the tension here is between Ewan Mckay--a young Irish immigrant and his Uncle Hugh who wants him to manage the brickworks he is buying. The two decide to purchase the brickmaking operation from a Civil War widow and her daughter, Laura. Ewan is keen to make the business successful so that he can care for his younger sisters, but his uncle's gambling is a constant worry. He finds an unexpected ally in Laura, however, who loved visiting the brickworks with her father and who is a skilled bookkeeper. She wants to see the brickworks become successful once again--and Ewan wants to get to know her better. As Ewan tries to win Laura's heart and make the brickworks successful he is deeply discouraged by all of the obstacles--including a rival suitor for Laura's hand--that block his path to success.
The well developed tension between the characters kept me from wanting to put this book down and I wondered how Ewan and Laura were going to manage to get together and also save the business. I also appreciated the details about brickmaking and and how the historical happenings of the time period and place were woven into the story. Laura shined as a strong female character and the Irish background of Ewan's family was captured well. Their Irish brogue and customs added quite a bit of liveliness to the story, as did the impish nature of Ewan's sisters. This all made for a very memorable read and I will definitely be interested to read more of the series.

Hello Book Group in a Bag users,

We are writing to ask for your help in choosing what titles to add to our collection in 2015. Our budget will allow us to add 10 titles, and we have prepared a list of 20 titles for you to give us your feedback on. You can do that via the survey monkey link below:

https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/YK5B2B3

Feel free to share this survey link with all of your book group members. If need be, we will take survey submissions in print—just drop them off at the reference desk of the library before the deadline.

All survey submissions must be submitted by March 5th.

Please keep in mind that we are also adding the following titles soon, due to the generosity of Book Group in a Bag users who have given donations for these new kits:

Defending Jacob by William Landay

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

More information about how your group could make a gift toward the purchase of a book kit is available at http://bgib.tscpl.org/guide/wish-list/

Thanks so much for your help,

Deb Bryan
Book Group in a Bag Team Leader

I'm shocked to hear the news that Harper Lee is publishing a "new" novel (it's one she wrote decades ago, at the time she wrote To Kill a Mockingbird).

Story: http://www.theguardian.com/books/2015...

I'll be so curious and anxious to read it!!!!!!!

Will it be as good as To Kill a Mockingbird? It's hard to imagine that it can/will be! But it is a "sequel" that feature the same characters (Scout is all grown up!)

I'm hoping it doesn't disappoint, in that I (along with many others) probably have some firm ideas about what Scout and the other characters are like and I wouldn't want to see them too different than what I imagine.

What does everyone else think about this literary news bomb?

I'm listening to The Color Purple right now. It's certainly a powerful story full of emotional punches to the gut. I'm enjoying hearing the story of these characters play out and I hope Celie grows and is able to find some happiness in the end.

Would you say this book is only for readers of Westerns, or does it have a more universal appeal?
I wouldn't hesitate at all to give it to someone who doesn't like Westerns. The story line is a classic quest type tale, and the characters are definitely memorable. In fact, as I thought about this it is starting to remind me of a fantasy story. Is that too far fetched?

Great comments Melanie!

I always pick a short book for December, and this one certainly fit the bill. It was a quick read, but quite delightful. The main character has an obsession with To Kill a Mockingbird--because her mother's tattered copy of the book is her only connection to her. She loves to read her mother's scribbled notes in the margin of the book. But then on her 16th birthday her Dad, who never even talks about her Mom, gives her a copy of her diary. She is thrilled to see that her mother talks about To Kill a Mockingbird, and that she even wrote to the author, Harper Lee. The diary makes Erin even more determined to put her secret plan into action. She wants to travel to Monroeville, Alabama where Harper Lee lives and somehow try to meet her. Erin loves to write, just like her Mom did, but her Dad and brothers only seem to care about sports and don't understand her need to know her mother. She thinks that somehow this journey will help her find the connections she seeks. So off she goes, on a Greyhound bus, where she meets some interesting folks along the way and eventually finds what she is looking for--sort of.
My thoughts and questions:
(Spoiler alert, only read these if you've read the book or don't care about finding out how it ends!)

I did find parts of the story far-fetched. It was really great that all the people on the bus were so supportive and helped her in her quest but that was the hardest part for me to believe, did anyone else have doubts about that?
Here are some other questions that came to mind:
*Have you ever gotten to read a diary, journal, or letters from a ancestor like Erin did? How did it make you feel about that person?
*Could this have worked with any other book? Could a future "Erin" go on the same journey to meet J.K. Rowling, for example?
*The author had a debate with her editor about whether or not Erin should actually meet Harper Lee. Did that need to happen for the book to end well?
*Has a book ever inspired you to travel anywhere?

Usually I don't get a book ready this quickly, but once I started this one I couldn't put it down! The escape scene was particularly riveting, there were so many things that could have gone wrong. Were any of you surprised by how that turned out, or were you expecting it to totally backfire?

I hate to admit it as the discussion leader, but I'm finding the book to be a bit dull so I'm just slogging through it.
Though I could make a long list of the things I dislike about Henry Ford now!
I've also enjoyed a bit of the things I'm learning. I also had to check out a book about the Diego Rivera Detroit Industrial murals which I will bring to the discussion.

I'm reading (listening to) The Eighty-Dollar Champion: Snowman, the Horse That Inspired a Nation

It's great! A true story about a man who buys a horse that was going to go to the kill lot for $80 and amazing things happen. The audiobook version is narrated by Bronson Pinchot who is doing an amazing job, especially when he's called upon to give the person speaking an accent. And it's also a little look at the history of horses in the US and what life was like in the late 1950's.

Melanie wrote: "I just finished reading Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and had a hard time putting it down. Friendship and love. Family pride. Those in our lives that will do everything ..."

Glad to hear you are liking it so well...makes me look forward to reading it for book group!