A Thousand Splendid Suns book discussion

Reading Public Library presents . . .

A Book Discussion





When: Wednesday, February 20, 2008
7:00 – 8:00 p.m.

Where: Reading Public Library
100 South 5th Street, Reading, PA

RSVP: The program is free, but pre-registration is requested.

To sign up, call 610-655-6355, or visit the Reference Desk
at Reading Public Library, 100 South Fifth St., Reading, PA.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows

The Reading Public Library presents...

a Book Discussion


Thursday Oct 18th 2007
6:30 PM

City Espresso
124 S. 5th Street
Reading, PA 19602

To sign up,
call 610-655-6355, or visit the Reference Desk

James Oliver Rigney, Jr. (Robert Jordan) 1948 - 2007

May you shelter in the palm of the Creator’s hand, and may the Mother’s last embrace welcome you home.”

For over 15 years I have been reading, rereading or anticipating the next release date of Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. The universe he created was so intricately detailed that it seemed encumbered by the pages (and pages) of words describing it. The series is a great example of the the world building potential inherant in the fantasy genre but it also employs the much overused bildungsroman style that many fantasy authors seem to enjoy. When the protagonist is young and niave from a sleepy, backwater village, it's useful for the author to describe the sights and sounds as experienced by our wide-eyed soon to be actualized hero.

That being said, Robert Jordan has created a universe, full and robust, that will always hold a portal in my imagination.

While waiting for someone to finish A Memory of Light , we do have other fine examples of the fantasy genre to keep us occupied. The Malazan Book of the Fallen series, by Steven Erikson, is a gritty military story arc occupied by grizzled veteran soldiers, many of whom are missing various limbs, ethically dubious "good guys," and gods disguised as fools possessing a refreshingly dry wit. The Bonehunters, Book six of an anticipated 10 books was just released yesterday.

Another hefty series I've come to enjoy is George R. R. Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice. A Dance with Dragons, the fifth of seven books, is currently in the works. Martin's universe is modeled after medieval Europe, with knights in armor bearing coats of arms, small kingdoms with ruling families sharing complex genealogies warring with each other, and a good deal of political intrigue. There's not a lot of magic, but there are dragons. Martin also indiscriminately kills off his protagonists, while the "bad guys" are not always punished for their crimes.

Malazan Empire

George R. R. Martin

Adult Summer Reading Program - And the winner is...

Congratulations to Valerie Bush for winning the grand prize of two tickets to an event at the Sovereign Center!





Thanks to everyone who took part in the program. We had 200 participants this year reading a total of 2181 books!

Thanks also to our generous sponsors:
Sovereign Center
Reading Phillies
Target
Alebrije Restaurant
Sam's Club
City Espresso
Reading Public Library

ASRP Comments

The Wild and Scenic Rivers of America by Tim Palmer
There is hope for the lifelines of our economy and the natural world.

Up Close and Personal by Fern Michaels
Trinity Henderson was conceived for the sole purpose of using her bone marrow to save her sister's life. Her mother, and I use the term loosely, gives Trinity to her forman and his wife to raise and never acknowledges Trinity as her daughter. Trinity suffers at the hands of her spoiled older sister and evil mother (you'll love hating this character). At age 15 someone or something causes Trinity to run away from home. Now 15 years later, friends from her childhood are searching for her. If they can find her before she turns 30, she'll inherit her biological father's fortune. Of course, if she's not found, her "mother" will inherit everything! Boo, Hiss!! Joing the search to find Trinity in Ferms Michaels' new book.

The Protector's War by S. M. Stirling
Good series.

The Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson
Liked the reincarnation theme.

Murder Shoots the Bull by Anne George
A lighthearted fun mystery - easy to read and to follow.

Vanishing Acts by Jodi Picoult
Full of surprises and intriguing characters.

A Load of Old Bones by Suzette A. Hill
Very British - Funny!

The Well-Tended Perennial Garden by Rosemary Alexander
Fab reference book.

Desperate Duchess by Eloisa James
James sets her story in 1780s England. As with her previous books, you soon realize this will be another "series" of stories about English duchesses or noble women wishing to become duchesses: just how manycharacters included in this book will have their stories told, only Eloisa James knows. If however, as in this book, her fiture characters play chess, I will surely nod off from boredom. Accoeding to James, the Georgian period was an exciting time for chess; many games of strategy and skill were played in private by men and women in their bedrooms. In this story, James spent so much time "playing chess" with her characters that the true hero and heroine (both non-chess players) took secondary positions. Once these two characters became an item, the story moved along rapidly. If you're a chess afficionado you'll enjoy the chess matches depicted; otherwise, skip the games and go straight to the sex scenes!

How to Sell Collectibles on eBay by Jennifer A. Ericsson
Helpful on a lot of question I had.

Fresh Disasters by Stuart Woods
Not enough story.

Sin Querer Queriendo: Memorias by Roberto Gomez Bolanos
Me gusto mucho el libro!

White House Chef by Walter Sheib
Fascinating! Loads of tidbits of Presidents and their families living in the White House. Lots of recipes - although none worth making - ingredients would be hard to find. Sad and scary memories of cooking during 9/11 which was very interesting. Great book!

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult
I liked this one very much and am glad it was our book club selection.

Hell Hath No Curry: A Pennsylvania Dutch Mystery with Recipes by Tamar Myers Oh, that Magdalena! Tamar Myers has written another funny, intriguing story.

ASRP Comments

Set Sail for Murder by Carolyn Hart
Enjoyable - will go back and read entire series.

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows by J.K. Rowling
Great ending to a great series. Enjoyed thoroughly. Glad one of my predictions was wrong! Was right about other two.

The Execution Channel by Ken Macleod
The future is now!

High Noon by Nora Roberts
Excellent – Started out a little slow but my opinion is this is her best yet! Interesting plot.

Few authors can handle romance and suspense as successfully as Nora Roberts does, and she certainly

Edith Wharton by Hermione Lee
Best biography book on Wharton by far!

Eye of the Beholder by David Ellis
Fantastic! Gripping.

Up in Honey’s Room by Elmore Leonard
A must read!

The Diana Chronicles by Tina Brown
Well worth the wait! Enjoyed it more than Andrew Morton’s.

Lucrezia Borgia and the Mother of Poisons by Roberta Gellis
Gives you great descriptions of life in the 1500s and how Lucrezia got a reputation she may not have deserved.

Vineyard Stalker by Philip R. Craig
I enjoyed the latest J. W. Jackson mystery. Philip Craig’s writing reminds me of times I spent on the Vineyard in the past. He will be missed in future summers.

The Art of Detection by Laurie R. King
Very enjoyable. Never knew of the forts that guarded San Francisco Harbor - great mystery.

The Hunt Club by John T. Lescroart
A new set of characters for Lescroart, with cameo appearances by a couple of the old. Good plot but story could have told in less space.

The Big Bad Wolf by James Patterson
Top notch Alex Cross tale... but he didn't catch the wolf. Maybe next time.

Darcy's Story by Janet Aylmer
Magical.

Liked it a lot. Was neat to hear the story from his point of view.

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of Mary Dodd by Jim Fergus
Arouses more sympathy for our Native Americans.

Raintree: Inferno by Linda Howard
Raintree: Haunted by Linda Winstead Jones
Raintree: Sanctuary by Beverly Barton

Three special friends from Alabama, authors Howard, Jones and Barton, brainstormed over a period of four years to create this trilogy of good wizards, the Raintree, vs. evil wizards, the Ansara, and their final battle for dominance in modern day America...
Each book involves a separate member of the Raintree royal family and his/her fight against a renegade group of evil wizards from the Ansara clan. The stories take place during the same time in June... the week before the summer solstice when the wizards gain extra power... sot he general story line and dialogue overlap (would have loved being a part of the authors' power lunches to iron out the wrinkles in plot lines, etc.)
Now, where this trilogy differs from others I've read is that Howard's Book 1 Inferno and Jones' Book 2 Haunted end as cliffhangers! You must read Book 3 Sanctuary to see how the stories end. So, I recommend you check out all three books, and start with Linda Howard's Inferno before reading the Jones and Barton books. If you're into paranormal romance, you'll enjoy this series.

wikiHow

Here’s a website I recently stumbled upon while searching for, I must confess, reviews on anti-dandruff shampoos. It’s called wikiHow and it is an endeavor “to build the world’s largest, highest quality how-to manual.” One of the reasons I became a librarian is my desire to know how to do everything, so this could possibly be my Bible.
The project currently 23,076 articles on range of categories such as Arts & Entertainment, Cars & Other Vehicles, Finance & Business, Family Life, Home & Garden, Relationships, Sports & Fitness, and Teenagers. Do you want to know how to get out of debt? Are you dying to know how to cause a straw wrapper to wriggle like a worm? How to side manual (A side manual is when you ride your skateboard on two wheels, but on the side, not the back)? It’s all right here.
A reservation to consider is, as with any collaborative effort on the Internet such as Wikipedia or any other wiki, the inherent fact that anyone is able to add or edit the entries. Are the authors of the entry qualified to instruct you in the best, most efficient manner of, for example, making chainmail, applying false eyelashes, or shining stainless steel appliances? You decide.