The following is a list of books that either have already been read by this group or will be read in the future. I list these by year starting from this year. The date below the author's name is the date of the meeting. And for your own interest, those that the group unanimously loved, are emboldened.
2013:
The Twelve Tribes of Hattie
written by Ayana Mathis
March 4, 2013
The End of Your Life Book Club
written by Will Schwalbe
April 1, 2013
Defending Jacob
written by William Landay
May 6, 2013
Light Between Oceans
written by H.L. Stedman
June 3, 2013
Cellist of Sarajevo
written by Steven Galloway
July 8, 2013 (special date)
Wild (memoir)
written by Cheryl Strayed
August 5th, 2013
Maine
written by J. Courtney Sullivan
September 9th, 2013 (2nd Monday of the month)
Balzac and the little Chinese Seamstress
written by Dai Sijie
October 7th, 2013
2012:
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks(note this is a non-fiction title that reads like fiction)
written by Rebecca Skloot
January 3, 2012
The Tiger's Wife
written by Tea Obreht
February 1, 2012
An Irish Country Doctor
written by Patrick Taylor
March 7, 2012
Note: This marks the 3rd year of this group!
It's also a community event to celebrate St. Patrick's Day
Local Event:
Literacy Volunteers of Greater Waterbury
March 18th, 2012 @ 12:30pm
"In Their Own Words: An Afternoon with authors
Diana Meier and Frank Delaney
See the organization's website for details!
Middlesex
written by Jeffrey Eugenides
April 4, 2012
Untouchable
written by Scott O'Connor
May 2, 2012
GROUP OUTING (Chris Almeida):
Geraldine Brooks
JCC Hartford
Wednesday May 9th, 2012 @ 7:30pm
Ticket price: $20.00
860.231.6316
State of Wonder
written by Ann Patchett
July 4, 2012
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet
written by Jaime Ford
August 1, 2012
The Death of Vishnu
written by Manil Suri
September 5, 2012
Book club outing
Love, Anthony Book Tour-Lisa Genova
RJ Julia's, Madison CT
Thursday, October 3rd, 2012
Time: TBA
The Lacuna
written by Barbara Kingsolver
November 7, 2012
The Secret Scripture
written by Sebastian Barry
December 5, 2012
2011:
Say You're One of Them
written by Uwem Akpan
January 6, 2011
The Piano Teacher
written by Janice Y. K. Lee
February 3, 2011
The Book of Illumination
written by Mary Ann Winkowski and Maureen Foley
March 3, 2011
NOTE: The Lisa Genova event at RJ Julia's was postponed and is now scheduled for Wednesday, March 9th, 2011 at 7pm. I will not be in attendance. However, there will be other book club members meeting up at the venue.
Cutting for Stone
written by Abraham Verghese
April 7, 2011
Book Club outing:
Regal Brass Mill Cinemas. Water For Elephants.
Wednesday, April 27th, 2011. 7:20pm.
We are meeting at the theater at 7pm. The film is 2 hours in length.
Amaryllis in Blueberry
written by Christina Meldrum
May 5, 2011
When We Were Strangers
written by Pamela Schoenewaldt
June 2, 2011
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
written by Ken Kesey
July 7, 2011
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
written by Helen Simonson
August 4, 2011
Room
written by Emma Donohue
September 6, 2011
The Brief Wonderous Life of Oscar Wao
written by Junot Diaz
October 4, 2011
Two outing opportunities:
For those who would like to attend either event please e-mail the moderator of this group and I'll get you in touch with each other. I will be attending the Baldacci event with several book club members but will not be able to go to the Watertown Library event.
1. The Friends of the Watertown Library is proud to present well-known novelist Mary-Ann Tirone Smith, author of Girls at a Tender Age. Tuesday, October 13th, 2011 at 7:00 pm Walker Hall - Taft School (Stone building on Deforest Street next to First Congregational Church Offices). Book signing after presentation. Donations accepted at the door. Call Watertown Library Association for details. (860) 945- 5360.
2. "Mark My Words: A Conversation with David Baldacci, John Grisham and Jodi Picoult." Wednesday, October 19, at 8:00pm at Yale University's Woolsey Hall, 500 College Street (at Grove), New Haven, Connecticut
November 1, 2011
Meeting cancelled due to storm/power outage
Let the Great World Spin
written by Colum McCann
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
2010:
The Antelope Wife
written by Louise Erdrich
January 7th, 2010
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
written by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
February 4, 2010
The Help
written by Kathryn Stockett
March 4th, 2010
The Big Read Event:
A Lesson Before Dying
written by Ernest Gaines
April 1, 2010
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
written by Muriel Barbery
May 6, 2010
The Human Stain
written by Philip Roth
June 3, 2010
The Handmaid's Tale
written by Margaret Atwood
July 1, 2010
A Thousand Splendid Suns
written by Khaled Hosseini
August 5, 2010
The Book Thief
written by Marcus Zusak
September 2, 2010
Book club outing:
On Sept. 23rd, we met Sara Gruen, the author of Water for Elephants and (her newest) Ape House. The event took place at The First Congregational Church in Madison and was RJ Julia Booksellers' sponsored.
The Thirteenth Tale
written by Diane Setterfield
October 7, 2010
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
written by Stieg Larsson
November 4, 2010
Bridge of Sighs
written by Richard Russo
December 2, 2010
alternate location: Thai Palace, Wolcott
2009:
First Meeting:
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
written by David Wroblewski
March 5, 2009
Still Alice
written by Lisa Genova
April 2, 2009
March
written by Geraldine Brooks
May 7, 2009
Bel Canto
written by Ann Patchett
June 4, 2009
Water, Stone, Heart: A Novel
written by Will North
July 1, 2009
(guest facilitator: Chrissy)
The River King
written by Alice Hoffman
August 6, 2009
Love in the Time of Cholera
written by Gabriel Garcia Marquez
Sep 2, 2009
Book Club outing:
We met Lisa Genova on Wed., Oct 14th, 2009 at The First Congregational Church in Watertown. Linda Merriman, Program Chair of The Friends of Watertown Library could not have been nicer in making sure that we had great seating, etc.
The Shadow of the Wind
written by Carlos Ruiz Zaffon
November 5, 2009
The Life of Pi
written by Yann Martel
December 3, 2009Jeffrey Eugenides
Monday, October 17, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Local Authors Event at B&N Waterbury Oct 19th, 2011 6-9pm
An Evening with Local Authors
Wednesday, October 19, 2011
6:00-9:00 p.m.
(Move your mouse over the titles to see reviews and detailed information about each of these titles!)
(Move your mouse over the titles to see reviews and detailed information about each of these titles!)
Featured Authors:
Kady Cross
Teen Fantasy & Adventure
Dr. Robert Farrell
Science Fiction
Joan Lownds
True Crime
Antonio Marques Jr.
Biography/Inspiration
Jeff McBride
New Age
Help us Celebrate Local Talent!
These books are available in store and on bn.com.
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Election process 2011
I think it's important that when people show up as participants, they enjoy the process immediately. I want them to feel they can make the club their own. One of the things that I think encourages people to feel 'at home' is their ability to have a say in what's going on therefore I am going to try a pilot program out for the selection of books for this group. I am opening up the selection process to the entire group. However, there will be a criteria to be followed in the selection of our books.
1. Because fiction provides everything one needs in order to have an intelligent discussion (as opposed to needing a foundation for the understanding of the book's concepts), as the name of the book club implies, I have chosen to confine the group to (mostly) novel reading. The novel must fall under the category of literary fiction. If it is commercial fiction let it be so *only* because it is widely read (like The Help or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).
2. The title should be available both as a bound and digital copy through Barnes & Noble.
3. While not every novel will be socially relevant, historicism is an important and exciting way to be introduced to a story and its characters. Of course there are also books which teach you little about a real place or time in a land's history but whose author is so brilliant that you become enmeshed in the time and place that is pure invention (such as The Handmaid's Tale).
4. Please consider writers who have won literary awards or who are known to handle the written word with grace and particularly good effect. In one of the articles I've written for this blog, I mention a small group of sites that I feel are extremely useful in researching books. I have found them in my travels as a bookseller and as a writer. Please consider utilizing these sites. If you discover any others and would like to share them with us, please send me an email.
5. Length should not (generally) exceed 400 pages (see the revision on this below). This seems a reasonable length. Dragon Tattoo and Bridge of Sighs were too long for most people to complete.
Note: As of May 5th, 2011, we decided that the group would begin paying closer attention to the books we choose. We will more easily be able to explore themes, plot twists, narrative techniques, characters and literary devices only through the kinds of novels where writers have been elected or have been granted major literary awards. Other changes: Every other meeting we'll be choosing two months' worth of reading, the page length of the books elected may be beyond 400 pages but only when wedged between average length books. Election is now by vote. Each person will bring one book selection they want to see read in the group, they'll allow the group to peruse the book, cover, etc. (or a printed summary from home or from customer service). Please try to come a few minutes early to group so you can find the book in the store or have customer service print a summary out for the group. At the beginning or end of the meeting, we will choose the two most popular books. This process will be revisited in a few months to see how we like it.
Read on!
1. Because fiction provides everything one needs in order to have an intelligent discussion (as opposed to needing a foundation for the understanding of the book's concepts), as the name of the book club implies, I have chosen to confine the group to (mostly) novel reading. The novel must fall under the category of literary fiction. If it is commercial fiction let it be so *only* because it is widely read (like The Help or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo).
2. The title should be available both as a bound and digital copy through Barnes & Noble.
3. While not every novel will be socially relevant, historicism is an important and exciting way to be introduced to a story and its characters. Of course there are also books which teach you little about a real place or time in a land's history but whose author is so brilliant that you become enmeshed in the time and place that is pure invention (such as The Handmaid's Tale).
4. Please consider writers who have won literary awards or who are known to handle the written word with grace and particularly good effect. In one of the articles I've written for this blog, I mention a small group of sites that I feel are extremely useful in researching books. I have found them in my travels as a bookseller and as a writer. Please consider utilizing these sites. If you discover any others and would like to share them with us, please send me an email.
5. Length should not (generally) exceed 400 pages (see the revision on this below). This seems a reasonable length. Dragon Tattoo and Bridge of Sighs were too long for most people to complete.
Note: As of May 5th, 2011, we decided that the group would begin paying closer attention to the books we choose. We will more easily be able to explore themes, plot twists, narrative techniques, characters and literary devices only through the kinds of novels where writers have been elected or have been granted major literary awards. Other changes: Every other meeting we'll be choosing two months' worth of reading, the page length of the books elected may be beyond 400 pages but only when wedged between average length books. Election is now by vote. Each person will bring one book selection they want to see read in the group, they'll allow the group to peruse the book, cover, etc. (or a printed summary from home or from customer service). Please try to come a few minutes early to group so you can find the book in the store or have customer service print a summary out for the group. At the beginning or end of the meeting, we will choose the two most popular books. This process will be revisited in a few months to see how we like it.
Read on!
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
B&N Community - The Need for Fiction
Today we welcome Garth Stein, author of the bestselling and beloved The Art of Racing in the Rain, and the just-released Young Adult novel Racing in the Rain: My Life as a Dog. In this inspiring guest post, Garth makes an impassioned argument for the value of reading fiction. His thoughtful words are directly in line with our Read Forever campaign, and we're pleased to present them here on Unbound.
The Need for Fiction
A couple of months ago, I was reading my copy of Scientific American Mind, and I came across an article which was especially provocative. It was about narcissism.
The article said that in the past 30 years, college students’ self-reported empathy has declined rapidly, and during the same time period, their self-reported narcissism has reached new heights. In addition, Americans, as a society, have become socially isolated, more likely to live alone, and less likely to join groups. This isolation has precipitated a drop in empathy, which makes perfect sense, of course. The less we interact with other people, the less we understand their points of view.
Granted, the data used in the article was taken from the Interpersonal Reactivity Index, which is a 28-question test designed to glean one’s empathetic responsiveness by grading (on a scale of 0-4) one’s responses questions such as: “In emergency situations, I feel apprehensive and ill-at-ease,” or “Becoming extremely involved in a good book or movie is somewhat rare for me.”
I’m very skeptical of these kinds of personality tests. I remember my sister taking them before she had brain surgery for her epilepsy, and we went over some of the questions together: True or False: “My neck spots with red often.” True or False: “I have to urinate no more often than others.”
This is how the exacting science of psychology makes sense of our world.
Whatever the methods, suffice it to say that the data gathered from this particular test indicate that we have become, over the past 30 years, a nation of self-obsessed, cold-hearted loners.
Here’s where the article gets interesting. Guess what else has declined precipitously since 1980? Americans who read literature for pleasure. We are now below the 50% mark for the first time ever. With the sharpest decline occurring among college students.
The conclusion of this article--which you have likely already concluded for yourself--is that there is a direct correlation between reading fiction and empathy.
A novel is like a puzzle. As soon as we start reading it, we begin trying to figure it out. We compare our own reactions to certain situations with the reactions of the characters in the story. When these reactions differ, we are compelled to put ourselves into the shoes of other people, and see things from a different perspective. The more often we do this, the easier it is for us to see universal truths and gain insight into the human condition--not just our personal condition, but the condition of other people in this world. This is empathy.
Reading is not a passive form of entertainment. Reading demands the full attention of the reader, and it demands that the reader participate in the experience. In a sense, the act of reading becomes a social act. The reader must give up something in order to read. A reader must give attention and time; he must focus on something outside of himself, which in turn, will reveal something about himself.
Fiction is not supposed to be a photograph; it is not a realistic snap-shot of life. Fiction is highly impressionistic. It is an orchestrated, choreographed representation using both realistic and un- or hyper-realistic elements. It allows us to manipulate situations to maximize the dramatic impact, and therefore to provoke the greatest catharsis in our readers.
Because we can control all the elements at work, fiction can bring order to a world that usually appears chaotic. And once immersed in the ordered world of a particular fiction, we can make sense of things because we are seeing them from a new perspective. And this is the key....
We know all the stories. We’ve read them in centuries of books, seen them on stage, watched them on TV and in the movies. Another family drama is just another family drama. Where it becomes different is in the perspective offered by the writer. A unique angle, a different way of looking at the same old story, so that the impact of the drama can be played out fresh and new, and so can have the power to transform the reader.
Because what is writing, what is literature if it is not transformative? I believe that every writer has an obligation, a moral imperative, to provoke a reaction in his reader. We are asking our readers to give us their time and their attention; we have a responsibility to put their time and attention to good use! We need to at least attempt to make the reading of our fictional world a transformative experience.
When we lose our empathy, we become inwardly-focused on a superficial level, and we become more narcissistic. We accept the injustices and the imbalances we see around us as a given. We say things like “Sometimes bad things happen to good people,” and we diminish our own ability to change the world. We simply stop trying
I think we all have an obligation to be idealists--not just writers and artists, but all people. We all should be instigators and provocateurs. We should believe that what we think, what we say, and what we do matters. We should trust the extent of the impact we have on the world around us. We all must stand up and change the things we see that need to be changed, and not just wait around for others to do it for us.
Reading fiction makes you a more empathetic person, better able to listen to the words of those you disagree with, better able to put yourself into the shoes of those with whom you differ, better able to see the world from a different perspective.
And if fiction has the power to transform a single reader, fiction has the power to transform the entire world.
We need fiction. Now more than ever.
NOOK owners: go to shop and search for “Garth Stein” to download his books.
article written by JeremyCesarec
Thursday, June 17, 2010
My Job As Facillitator
In order to create the best possible book club experience, there are several things I feel are an important part of my job as a facilitator.
Firstly, I have done a great deal of research in the past before selecting books. Now that the group is selecting the books I hope that we all will do a little investigating as well. I ask myself the following questions:
Is this book written by someone who is respected in the community of literature? Is this the kind of book where the writing is so luscious it would make a good writer jealous? Are there many themes to be investigated? Will we run out of topics within an hour and a half? Will the average reader of literary fiction find this book enjoyable? Is this the kind of book that lends itself to unpredictable turns of discussion?
I turn to several sources when I do this research:
Reading Group Guides, Lit Lovers, Enotes, Reading Group Choices and Good Reads
I also look at reviews on bn.com, amazon.com and occasionally I'll glance at web sites such as AdLit.org, ALA and BookExpoAmerica.com. There are many, many sites out there if you are interested in investigating literature, publishing trends and the like.
Secondly, I invite people who I come into contact with at the bookstore especially at the cash registers when I am checking them out. Based on what they are purchasing, I know whether or not they might enjoy joining our discussion. I try my best to invite people who I feel appreciate literary fiction, who are sharp and who are friendly and courteous. However, the club is open to the general public.
I take my job as a facilitator seriously. I am there in large part to ensure that we are staying on track with the discussion, that we don't go too far over the time alotted for our meetings, and that everyone who participates feels they have had the opportunity to join in during the discussion.
It is also my job to keep a degree of order during the discussions. This can be a challenge. I ask that we, as a group, be as mindful as possible of the fact that no one can hear another person's point if others are talking at the same time.
At times we will choose books whose themes are explosive and/or controversial. During these discussions I monitor more closely. If I cut you off politely, it may be because I feel you are stumbling too closely into a place that will be offensive to a member or to the group at large. Please don't get insulted or raise your voice over me when I do so. My job is to ensure that the discussions be comfortable and rewarding for all involved.
Also, it is important that we provide enough time and space for everyone to participate. If you notice that there are what I term "spaces" or "silences," where no one is speaking, this is a rich time of productivity when new trains of thought are being developed. If you are the type of person who is not comfortable with these occasional silences, this type of group discussion format may not be right for you. The point isn't to prove how much you know, it's to be a part of a team of people who encourage each other and enhance their reading experience by thinking out loud together.
Keeping on track with relevant topics is also important. We really need to stick to only those ideas that have been brought up in the book. While I appreciate all that we know individually, it is my job to make sure that no one's eyes glaze over as someone begins a diatribe.
As a guideline, the cap for this group is fifteen people per discussion not including me.
Also, you don't have to show up every month to be considered a member. In fact we have many members who appear when they can/have the time, when the book that has been selected is of interest to them or when they have already read a book and would like to revisit with others the excitement of that read.
Please come to me with questions or concerns. I am here to make this a fun and interesting experience.
Firstly, I have done a great deal of research in the past before selecting books. Now that the group is selecting the books I hope that we all will do a little investigating as well. I ask myself the following questions:
Is this book written by someone who is respected in the community of literature? Is this the kind of book where the writing is so luscious it would make a good writer jealous? Are there many themes to be investigated? Will we run out of topics within an hour and a half? Will the average reader of literary fiction find this book enjoyable? Is this the kind of book that lends itself to unpredictable turns of discussion?
I turn to several sources when I do this research:
Reading Group Guides, Lit Lovers, Enotes, Reading Group Choices and Good Reads
I also look at reviews on bn.com, amazon.com and occasionally I'll glance at web sites such as AdLit.org, ALA and BookExpoAmerica.com. There are many, many sites out there if you are interested in investigating literature, publishing trends and the like.
Secondly, I invite people who I come into contact with at the bookstore especially at the cash registers when I am checking them out. Based on what they are purchasing, I know whether or not they might enjoy joining our discussion. I try my best to invite people who I feel appreciate literary fiction, who are sharp and who are friendly and courteous. However, the club is open to the general public.
I take my job as a facilitator seriously. I am there in large part to ensure that we are staying on track with the discussion, that we don't go too far over the time alotted for our meetings, and that everyone who participates feels they have had the opportunity to join in during the discussion.
It is also my job to keep a degree of order during the discussions. This can be a challenge. I ask that we, as a group, be as mindful as possible of the fact that no one can hear another person's point if others are talking at the same time.
At times we will choose books whose themes are explosive and/or controversial. During these discussions I monitor more closely. If I cut you off politely, it may be because I feel you are stumbling too closely into a place that will be offensive to a member or to the group at large. Please don't get insulted or raise your voice over me when I do so. My job is to ensure that the discussions be comfortable and rewarding for all involved.
Also, it is important that we provide enough time and space for everyone to participate. If you notice that there are what I term "spaces" or "silences," where no one is speaking, this is a rich time of productivity when new trains of thought are being developed. If you are the type of person who is not comfortable with these occasional silences, this type of group discussion format may not be right for you. The point isn't to prove how much you know, it's to be a part of a team of people who encourage each other and enhance their reading experience by thinking out loud together.
Keeping on track with relevant topics is also important. We really need to stick to only those ideas that have been brought up in the book. While I appreciate all that we know individually, it is my job to make sure that no one's eyes glaze over as someone begins a diatribe.
As a guideline, the cap for this group is fifteen people per discussion not including me.
Also, you don't have to show up every month to be considered a member. In fact we have many members who appear when they can/have the time, when the book that has been selected is of interest to them or when they have already read a book and would like to revisit with others the excitement of that read.
Please come to me with questions or concerns. I am here to make this a fun and interesting experience.
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