Online Book Club: July Picks

Posted by Staff

We've selected three great reads for June. If you would like to join our book discussions, head over to Goodreads - we would love to hear your comments!

Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophesies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.  According to the world's only completely accurate book of prophecies, written in 1655,  the world will end on a Saturday. Next Saturday, in fact. Just before dinner.  So the armies of Good and Evil are amassing, Atlantis is rising, frogs are falling, tempers are flaring. Everything appears to be going according to Divine Plan. Except a somewhat fussy angel and a fast-living demon—both of whom suspect the other side has it right—are not actually looking forward to the coming Rapture. 

The Spy Who Came In From the Cold by John Le Carre'.

 In this classic, le Carre's created a world unlike any previously experienced in suspense fiction. With unsurpassed knowledge culled from his years in British Intelligence, le Carre brings to light the shadowy dealings of international espionage in the tale of a British agent who longs to end his career but undertakes one final, bone-chilling assignment. 

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.  Henrietta Lacks, as HeLa, is known to present-day scientists for her cells from her cervical cancer. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her slave ancestors, yet her cells, taken without her knowledge, have led to amazing advances in medical research and have been bought and sold by the billions.  This book details the dark history of experimentation on African Americans, discusses the birth of bioethics, leading to questions about ownership over our cells and DNA.

Online Bookclubs - June 2014

Posted by Staff

We've selected three great reads for June. If you would like to join our book discussions, head over to Goodreads - we would love to hear your comments!

Speculative Fiction:  A Connecticut Yankee In King Arthurs’s Court by Mark Twain.  Time travel with Twain’s wit.  A 19^th century American travels back to 6^th century England in this comic social satire.

Prize-Winning Fiction:  We Have Always Lived In The Castle by Shirley Jackson. A novel full of a macabre and sinister humor, with an amiable narrator who is one of the great unhinged heroines of literature. 

Page-Turning Non-Fiction:  A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson.  The author takes you along on his hike down the Appalachian Trail; history, ecology, and humor abound.

Online Bookclub: May 2014

Posted by Staff

We've selected three great reads for May. If you would like to join our book discussions, head over to Goodreads - we would love to hear your comments!

Prize-Winning Fiction: Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell.  Eleanor... Red hair, wrong clothes. Standing behind him until he turns his head. Lying beside him until he wakes up. Making everyone else seem drabber and flatter and never good enough...Eleanor.  Park... He knows she'll love a song before he plays it for her. He laughs at her jokes before she ever gets to the punch line. There's a place on his chest, just below his throat, that makes her want to keep promises...Park.  Set over the course of one school year, this is the story of two star-crossed sixteen-year-olds—smart enough to know that first love almost never lasts, but brave and desperate enough to try

Page-Turning Non-Fiction: The Burn Journals by Brent Runyon.  I don’t want to get out of bed.I’m so stupid.I did so many things wrong.I don’t know what to do.I’m going to be in so much trouble.What am I going to do?I’m completely screwed.In 1991, fourteen-year-old Brent Runyon came home from school, doused his bathrobe in gasoline, put it on, and lit a match. He suffered third-degree burns over 85% of his body and spent the next year recovering in hospitals and rehab facilities. During that year of physical recovery, Runyon began to question what he’d done, undertaking the complicated journey from near-death back to high school, and from suicide back to the emotional mainstream of life.

Speculative Fiction: The Giver by Lois Lowry.  Jonas' world is perfect. Everything is under control. There is no war or fear or pain. There are no choices. Every person is assigned a role in the Community. When Jonas turns twelve, he is singled out to receive special training from The Giver. The Giver alone holds the memories of the true pain and pleasure of life. Now, it is time for Jonas to receive the truth. There is no turning back

Book Discussion Kits: Part 3, grades 3-5

Posted by Staff

Our Youth Department has created a series of book discussion kits for our patrons to check out and use.  Each kit contains 10 copies of the book, a series of discussion questions and a box in which to carry everything.  The kits can be checked out for three weeks with two renewals. The person checking out the kit is responsible for all items and they must be returned together. Although the kits were prepared with educators in mind, they are a perfect fit for bookclubs and family book discussions.  This selection of titles is appropriate for ages 8-12.  Request one today!

The Mother-Daughter Book Club by Heather Vogel Frederick (topics: interpersonal relations, mothers and daughters, reading , clubs; target age 8-12).  When the mothers of four sixth-grade girls with very different personalities pressure them into forming a book club, they find, as they read and discuss "Little Women," that they have much more in common than they could have imagined.

Beezus and Ramona by Beverly Cleary  (topics: sisters, family; target age 8-12).  Big sister Beezus (Beatrice) Quimby tries to be patient with her four-year-old little sister, Ramona, but it isn't easy, not when Ramona powders her nose with marshmallows and invites her nursery school class to a party at her home without mentioning it to her family. Every big sister can relate to the trials and tribulations Beezus must endure. Old enough to be expected to take responsibility for her little sister, yet young enough to be mortified by every embarrassing plight the precocious preschooler gets them into, Beezus is constantly struggling with her mixed-up feelings about the exasperating Ramona.

Charlotte’s Web by E.B. White (topics: animals; target age 8-12)

Wilbur, the pig, is desolate when he discovers that he is destined to be the farmer's Christmas dinner until his spider friend, Charlotte, decides to help him.

Online Bookclub: April 2014

Posted by Staff

We've selected three great reads for April. If you would like to join our book discussions, head over to Goodreads - we would love to hear your comments!

Prize-Winning Fiction:   A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra.  In a small rural village in Chechnya, eight-year-old Havaa watches from the woods as Russian soldiers abduct her father in the middle of the night and then set fire to her home. When their lifelong neighbor Akhmed finds Havaa hiding in the forest with a strange blue suitcase, he makes a decision that will forever change their lives. He will seek refuge at the abandoned hospital where the sole remaining doctor, Sonja Rabina, treats the wounded.  For Sonja, the arrival of Akhmed and Havaa is an unwelcome surprise. Weary and overburdened, she has no desire to take on additional risk and responsibility. But over the course of five extraordinary days, Sonja’s world will shift on its axis and reveal the intricate pattern of connections that weaves together the pasts of these three unlikely companions and unexpectedly decides their fate. 

Page-Turning Non-Fiction:   The Monster of Florence by Douglas Preston and Mario Spezi.  Bestselling author Douglas Preston presents a gripping account of crime and punishment in the lush hills surrounding Florence, Italy.  In 2000, Douglas Preston fulfilled a dream to move his family to Italy. Then he discovered that the olive grove in front of their 14th century farmhouse had been the scene of the most infamous double-murders in Italian history, committed by a serial killer known as the Monster of Florence. Preston, intrigued, meets Italian investigative journalist Mario Spezi to learn more. This is the true story of their search for--and identification of--the man they believe committed the crimes, and their chilling interview with him. And then, in a strange twist of fate, Preston and Spezi themselves become targets of the police investigation. Preston has his phone tapped, is interrogated, and told to leave the country. Spezi fares worse: he is thrown into Italy's grim Capanne prison, accused of being the Monster of Florence himself. Like one of Preston's thrillers,The Monster Of Florence, tells a remarkable and harrowing story involving murder, mutilation, and suicide-and at the center of it, Preston and Spezi, caught in a bizarre prosecutorial vendetta

Speculative Fiction:The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night. Woven through the story is a competition between magicians, young love, and the suggestion that the circus is something very different from what it appears to be.

Book Discussion Kits: Part 2, books for Grades 3-5

Posted by Staff

Our Youth Department has created a series of book discussion kits for our patrons to check out and use.  Each kit contains 10 copies of the book, a series of discussion questions and a box in which to carry everything.  The kits can be checked out for three weeks with two renewals. The person checking out the kit is responsible for all items and they must be returned together. Although the kits were prepared with educators in mind, they are a perfect fit for bookclubs and family book discussions.  This selection of titles is appropriate for Grades 3-5.  Request one today!

Jackie & Me by Dan Gutman  With his ability to travel through time by using baseball cards, Joe goes back to 1947 to meet Jackie Robinson. In the process, the color of his skin changes for the trip.

Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume.  Living with his little brother, Fudge, makes Peter Hatcher feel like a fourth grade nothing. Whether Fudge is throwing a temper tantrum in a shoe store, smearing smashed potatoes on walls at Hamburger Heaven, or scribbling all over Peter's homework, he's never far from trouble. He's a two-year-old terror who gets away with everything {u2014} and Peter's had enough. When Fudge walks off with Dribble, Peter's pet turtle, it's the last straw. Peter has put up with Fudge too long. How can he get his parents to pay attention to him for a change?

The Baby Sitter’s Club by Ann M. Martin   This book in the popular series, follows the adventures of Kristy and the other members of the Baby-sitters Club as they deal with crank calls, uncontrollable two-year-olds, wild pets, and parents who do not always tell the truth.

Lunch Lady and the League of Librarians by Jarrett Krosoczka  The school lunch lady, a secret crime fighter, sets out to stop a group of librarians bent on destroying a shipment of video games, while a group of students known as the Breakfast Bunch provides back-up.

We also have kits featuring young adult novels.

Online Bookclubs: March 2014

Posted by Staff

We've selected three great reads for March. If you would like to join our book discussions, head over to Goodreads - we would love to hear your comments!

Prize-Winning Fiction: The Good Lord Bird by James McBride.  Henry Shackleford is a young slave living in the Kansas Territory in 1857, when the region is a battleground between anti- and pro-slavery forces. When John Brown, the legendary abolitionist, arrives in the area, an argument between Brown and Henry’s master quickly turns violent. Henry is forced to leave town—with Brown, who believes he’s a girl. Over the ensuing months, Henry—whom Brown nicknames Little Onion—conceals his true identity as he struggles to stay alive. Eventually Little Onion finds himself with Brown at the historic raid on Harpers Ferry in 1859—one of the great catalysts for the Civil War. An absorbing mixture of history and imagination, and told with McBride’s meticulous eye for detail and character, The Good Lord Bird is both a rousing adventure and a moving exploration of identity and survival.

Page-Turning Non-Fiction:  The Devil's Highway: A True Story by Luis Alberto Urrea.  In May 2001, a group of men attempted to cross the Mexican border into the desert of southern Arizona, through the deadliest region of the continent, the "Devil's Highway." Three years later, Luis Alberto Urrea wrote about what happened to them. The result was a national bestseller, a Pulitzer Prize finalist, a "book of the year" in multiple newspapers, and a work proclaimed as a modern American classic.

Speculative Fiction: Feed by M.T. Anderson. For Titus and his friends, it started out like any ordinary spring break trip to the moon. But that was before the crazy hacker caused all their feeds to malfunction, sending them to the hospital to lie around with nothing inside their heads for days.  And it was before Titus met Violet, a beautiful, brainy teenage girl who has decided to fight the feed and its omnipresent ability to categorize human thoughts and desires. Following in the footsteps of George Orwell, Anthony Burgess, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr., M. T. Anderson has created a not-so-brave new world — and a smart, savage satire that has captivated readers with its view of an imagined future that veers unnervingly close to the here and now.

Book Discussion Kits: Part 1, Young Adult Titles For Everyone

Posted by Staff

Is your book discussion club looking for something interesting to read?  How about trying books written for the Young Adult audience?  Don't be tempted to think they are all about vampires and hormones.  On the contrary, many YA novels deal with serious topics and are very well written.  One benefit for older readers is that the books are quick reads compared to those for older audiences.  A good reason to read more than one!  

Our Youth Department has created a series of book discussion kits for our patrons to check out and use.  Each kit contains 10 copies of the book, a series of discussion questions and a box in which to carry everything.  The kits can be checked out for three weeks with two renewals. The person checking out the kit is responsible for all items and they must be returned together. Although the kits were prepared with educators in mind, the are a perfect fit for bookclubs and family book discussions.  Request one today!

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak  Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel--a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.  Made into a film in 2013.

Chains by Laurie Halse Anderson  As the Revolutionary War begins, thirteen-year-old Isabel wages her own fight...for freedom. Promised freedom upon the death of their owner, she and her sister, Ruth, in a cruel twist of fate become the property of a malicious New York City couple, the Locktons, who have no sympathy for the American Revolution and even less for Ruth and Isabel. When Isabel meets Curzon, a slave with ties to the Patriots, he encourages her to spy on her owners, who know details of British plans for invasion. She is reluctant at first, but when the unthinkable happens to Ruth, Isabel realizes her loyalty is available to the bidder who can provide her with freedom.

The Giver by Lois Lowry  Given his lifetime assignment at the Ceremony of Twelve, Jonas becomes the receiver of memories shared by only one other in his community and discovers the terrible truth about the society in which he lives.  Made into a film to be released summer of 2014

A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L’Engle  Meg Murry and her friends become involved with unearthly strangers and a search for Meg's father, who has disappeared while engaged in secret work for the government.

Online Bookclubs: February 2014

Posted by Staff

We've selected three great reads for February and, coincidentally, two are set in North Korea.  If you would like to join our book discussions, head over to Goodreads - we would love to hear your comments!

Prize-Winning Fiction:  TheOrphan Master’s Son by Adam Johnson.  An epic novel that follows a man’s journey through icy waters, tunnels & eerie spy chambers in the mysterious dictatorship of North Korea.

Page-Turning Non-Fiction:  NothingTo Envy: Ordinary Lives in North Korea by Barbara Demick.  A finalist for numerous book awards, this book provides a remarkable view into North Korea, as seen through the lives of six ordinary citizens.

Speculative Fiction:  Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne.  Revisit the thrills of Victorian-era scientific discovery in this classic believed by many to be Verne’s best work.  Follow the explorers from Iceland to amazing discoveries below the surface of the earth.

Our January 2014 Online Bookclub Titles - We're going to Alaska!

Posted by Judy T., Jacob D. & Alana T.

We've selected three great reads for January and, just for fun, they are all set in Alaska.  If you would like to join our book discussions, head over to Goodreads - we would love to hear your comments!

Prize-Winning Fiction: Ordinary Wolves by Seth Kantner. From the opening pages of Ordinary Wolves, the voice of Cutuk tells a story from America's last frontier. He lives with his brother, sister, and father, Abe--"our best friend, no dad at all"--in an igloo in remote Alaska. Outside, caribou, bears, moose, and ravens move under frozen pastel skies. A day s journey away, in the I�upiaq village, live Cutuk's adopted family, the Wolfgloves.

Page-Turning Non-Fiction Pick: Pilgrim's Wilderness: A True Story of Faith and Madness on the Alaska Frontier by Tom Kizzia. Into the Wild meets Helter Skelter in this riveting true story of a modern-day homesteading family in the deepest reaches of the Alaskan wilderness – and of the chilling secrets of its maniacal, spellbinding patriarch.

Speculative Fiction Pick: The Yiddish Policeman's Union by Michael Chabon. In a world in which Alaska, rather than Israel, has become the homeland for the Jews following World War II, Detective Meyer Landsman and his half-Tlingit partner Berko investigate the death of a heroin-addled chess prodigy.

Join Our On-Line Bookclubs! We Want To Hear From You

Posted by Staff

The Edwardsville Public Library is starting a series of on-line bookclubs.  We'll be reading and commenting on two formats: our Facebook Events pages and Goodreads Discussions.  We have three genres and three books per month.  Our discussions are organized around reading a book gradually through the month - that way, you don't have to have finished the book to share your thoughts. We hope you'll enjoy the bookclubs, read some great books and make some friends.

Prize-Winning Fiction: Hotel On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.  A Chinese-American boy and Japanese-American Girl become friends during the early years of WWII.  The realities of the home front come vividly to life, along with questions about family, loyalty and patriotism.







Speculative Fiction: Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick.  In the future, owning an animal is a status symbol.  For those who can't afford the real thing, there are corporation who make perfect copies... even copies of people.  Inspired the 1982 movie, Bladerunner.

Page-Turning Non-Fiction: In the Heart of the Sea: The Tragedy of the Whaleship Essex by Nathanial Philbrick.  The true story of the events that inspired the novel, Moby Dick.  Stories of survival on the high seas always prove to be adventurous, but this is not the Swiss Family Robinson.  After the Essex is sunk by an 80-ton sperm whale, the remaining crew is left with three small boats, limited supplies and nearly 2000 miles between them and solid ground.

Bookclub on the Blog: November, December and January Selections

Posted by the EPL Bookclub

A Visit From the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.  This is the first fiction book we've read with a PowerPoint chapter!  It is a very inventive, challenging read and has a log to say about relationships in the modern world. Selected as one of the New York Times best books of 2010.

The Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama.  This debut novel is set around a thriving arranged-marriage bureau in contemporary India.  A very light, quick read, but fun.

Any title by Daniel Woodrell.  The author, Ozark born and bred, is true to his roots fictionalizing the characters, tragedies and comedies his has witnessed.  The reader feels as though he has truly experienced a hair-raising visit to the Ozarks.







Join us for our next meeting (7-8 PM, light snacks provided). Upcoming selections for our bookclub:
February 13  Lock Artist by Steve Hamilton
March 12  An Object of Beauty by Steve Martin
April 9  Turn of Mind by Alice Laplante
May 14  Caleb’s Crossing by Geraldine Brooks

Bookclub on the Blog: September & October Selections

Posted by EPL Bookclub

September's Discussion: Free Fire by C. J. Box
Joe Pickett, a Wyoming game warden, recently dismissed from his job, has been asked to investigate a lawyer who killed four campers in Yellowstone National Park, but was set free because the crime was committed in a remote free fire zone where no one has jurisdiction. As he investigates, he discovers a sinister conspiracy involving some of the unique natural resources within Yellowstone.  An engaging read.

October's Discussion:  Lyrics Alley by Leila Aboulela
The book gave a glimpse of life in the Sudan in the 1950's.  The story of the disfunctional family was somewhat of a soap opera, but the book was a worthwhile read.







November's selection is Marriage Bureau for Rich People by Farahad Zama.  The book disscussion group will meet Monday 11/14 at 7 PM.  Join us to disscuss your favorite reads and get ideas for new ones.

Bookclub on the Blog: August's Selection

Posted by the EPL Bookclub

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

The debut novel by Helen Simonson follows Major Ernest Pettigrew and his unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, a Pakistani shopkeeper from his local village.  They are mourning the death of family (he a brother, she her husband), and both share a love of good books.  Although in the beginning it seems these are the only two things linking the two characters, as their friendship develops, we see they have much more in common.  The plot encompasses family relationships, prejudice and the importance of love.  

"This was a charming story from beginning to end.  Many colorful characters."

"Thumbs up to Major Pettigrew!"

"A gentle love story about a 'country curmeudgeon' and a lovely Pakistani widow - and yet so much richer than that!  This debut author is someone to watch."

Bookclub on the Blog: June Selection

Posted by EPL Bookclub

Request Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

"A riveting story of two women who become friends as they collect fossils on the beach.  Based on true people, this story will make you want to learn more about Mary Anning and visit the fossils at the Natural History Museum in London".

"An interesting look at two women and the culture of early 1800's England, these women are able to overcome the sometime oppressive ideas of the day about a woman's place in society.  Each gives her life meaning by pursuing a passion for fossil hunting".

"A refreshingly different type of book.  Based on real people".

"Very well written.  A captivating story that keeps you turning the pages".

"Tracy Chevalier blends fact and fiction exceedingly well.  She writes about two brave, exceptional women who are separated by class and education but bound by friendship and a passion for fossils".

Bookclub on the Blog: May Selection

Posted by the Edwardsville Public Library Bookclub

Posted by the Edwardsville Public Library Bookclub

This month's book was Stiff by Mary Roach. With the preponderance of forensics shows on TV, most of us have an idea of what happens to a body after death.  But how close to the truth are we, really?  In this book, the author describes the wide of variety of uses of cadavers donated to science.  Covering topics like ballistics testing, medical experimentation and plane crash investigations, the author presents the information with a balance of humor and seriousness. 

Comments from bookclub members:
"Lots of interesting factual information!  Thoroughly enjoyed reading this book."

"Very blunt.  Nice style of writing.  Very interesting and scientific."

"If you're interested in what happens to your body ofter you die, you may want to read this book.  Informative and at times humorous, as well as honest."

"Liked the authors sense of humor, but thought the book read too much like a text book.  I didn't finish it."

"I loved the author's writing style - kept the subject matter from being overwhelming.  This book will make you think about your will.  Also, forget about your seat cushion as a flotation device - not going to happen!"

Next month's selection is Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier.  Join us June 13 @ 7 PM for snacks and a lively discussion!

Bookclub on the Blog - April Selection

Posted by The Edwardsville Library Bookclub

This month's book was Dewey the Small Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron with Bret Witter.

The Story begins on a bitterly cold morning at the library in Spencer, Iowa.  The staff notice strange noises coming from the bookdrop.  When they open the box, they find a tiny, emaciated ginger kitten that soon becomes the library mascot.  The author narrates her experiences as library director, the life of Dewey, and the history and background of her hometown.

The Library Bookclub gives it a thumbs up for an enjoyable, light read.  The consensus was that this is a gentle, nostalgic look at life in a small town library.

The book was a best-seller and spawned a series of children's books (Dewey: There's A Cat in the Library, Dewey's Christmas at the Library and Dewey the Library Cat: A True Story), a book of Dewey-esque short stories (Dewey's Nine Lives: the Legacy of the Small Town Library Cat Who Inspired Millions), and an upcoming movie.

Next month's bookclub selection is Stiff by Mary Roach.  Join us May 9th @ 7PM for a lively discussion and great snacks.

Bookclub on the Blog: March Selection

Posted by Edwardsville Public Library Bookclub

The Library Bookclub met March 14th to discuss Crow Lake by Mary Lawson,  New York Times Notable Book and Today's Book Club Selection

Canadian writer Mary Lawson's debut novel tells a story of love, death, and redemption. The tale is told from the point of view of Kate Morrison, now a biology professor living away from her childhood home, Crow Lake.  Kate receives an invitation to her nephew's 18th birthday, which causes her to think back to her childhood, the death of her parents, and a variety of relationships from her youth.  Kate is still strongly affected by the events of her childhood and must come to terms with past events before she can move forward with her current life.

C.H. says: "An enjoyable easy read.  Well written.  Mary Lawson makes her characters come to life so you are able to relate to them".

X says: "Mary Lawson has told a wonderful story with warmth and compassion.  Highly recommend it!"

D.H. says: This author conveys a beautiful sense of place - the wild terrain of Northern Ontario.  I loved the great-grandmother who had 14 children and a bookrest on her spinning wheel."

The Library bookclub meets April 11 at 7PM to discuss Dewey the Library Cat: A True Story by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter.  Join us for a lively discussion and some snacks, or stop by the blog next month for a synopsis.