New Book Club: When Johnny Comes Marching Home

March 13, 2013March 18, 2013 / Jenn / Leave a comment

The March by E. L. Doctorow

Book clubs, to me, offer a great opportunity for people who are already interested or want to learn more about a particular genre or topic. I’m constantly amazed at the breadth of knowledge some of my members bring to book discussions. Learning from each other allows us to form, or even change, our own opinions.

I am pleased to offer “When Johnny Comes Marching Home: A Civil War Book Discussion” starting on Monday April 1st, in honor of the ongoing 150th anniversary of the American Civil War. When I ran this book group in spring 2011, I was pleased at the interest and enthusiasm of those who attended. I am offering it again as part of my spring 2013 Civil War programming. The April 1st meeting will kick-off the spring events.

Unlike last time, we will be reading fiction exclusively. While there is a plethora of excellent n0nfiction titles on the Civil War, I previously found members had a difficult time completing the books and even getting into them. We are lucky that the Civil War still inspires fiction authors to write splendid works that will provide much conversation.

Our schedule for this “mini” book group is:

April 1st, 7PM: March by E. L. Doctorow
May 6th, 7PM: Widow of the South by Robert Hicks
June 3rd, 7PM: Rebel by Bernard Cornwell
July 1st, 7PM: Gods and Generals by Jeff Shaara

Copies of these books are available in our lobby for checkout. I look forward to seeing you and discussing one of my favorite topics!

BOOK REVIEW: When Summer Comes By Brenda Novak

March 12, 2013May 1, 2015 / Linda / Leave a comment

This is a beautifully written contemporary story of two strangers who meet in the middle of the night. A cliche? Yes. But, the story is anything but a cliche. This is book three of the Whiskey Creek series. It’s a little helpful to read them in order, but they can also stand alone. Whiskey Creek is a wonderful, small town where most of the residents were born and raised there. This series centers mainly on a group of high school friends now in their 30’s.

We are introduced to a professional photographer, Callie, who is in need of a liver transplant. She has decided to keep her illness from family and friends and has moved from town to the farm of her late grandparents to sort out what’s left of her life.

Levi McCloud is a former martial arts champion and military vet now turn drifter. His motorcycle breaks down not far from Callie’s farm. While pushing the bike, he is viciously attacked by two dogs and seeks help at Callie’s door.

It was very interesting to watch these two characters’ relationship develop. The author weaves a touching, emotional story about taking risks, forgiveness and letting your heart lead the way to a better life. I thought I was going to encounter an overused, worn story line with predictable scenes, but instead was totally drawn into a dramatic, believable story that I just couldn’t put down.

Oscar Contenders – They were books first!

February 21, 2013February 21, 2013 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

Many of the best picture nominees this year are based on books – from serious non-fiction (Argo: How the CIA and Hollywood Pulled Off the Most Audacious Rescue in History by Antonio Mendez and Matt Baglio) to the classics (Victor Hugo’s Les Miserables) to literary fiction (Life of Pi by Yann Martel) to history (Spielberg’s Lincoln had roots in Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals) and to a well-reviewed quiet novel (Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick).

How many have you read? How do the movies compare to the books?

Why Do The Classics Matter?

February 20, 2013February 25, 2013 / Jenn / Leave a comment

You had to read them in high school, or maybe for a college English class. Some you may have liked, some you may have hated. There may have been titles you really wanted to read, but never quite got to. Some may have even been banned in your area of the country.

What are they? They are “the classics”.

Works of fiction that are considered classics have stood the test of time, have something important to say about their contemporary time period, or were a “first” of some kind. They are not daunting, or scary, or frightening to read.

Why read a classic? For all of the reasons listed above. Reading a classic tells you something about a particular time period, or the thoughts, feelings, prejudices, motives of contemporary people. They tell us something about us as people. You may find that we are not that different than some of these infamous literary characters.

Many of us have read only a small selection of the world’s greatest books. The Cheshire Cats Classics is a book club for people who want to delve deeper into the world of classics to discover people, places and things which have become a part of our culture.

Are you ready for another Pride and Prejudice movie?

February 13, 2013February 19, 2013 / cheshirelib / Leave a comment

The tale of Elizabeth Bennet’s push-and-pull affections toward Mr. Darcy have been endlessly imitated, adapted, modernized, and satirized. There have been three film adaptations, seven miniseries adaptations, a play, and even a Broadway musical. Now, author Jo Baker’s yet-to-be-released novel, Longbourne, which explores Austen’s story from the point of view of the servants in the Bennet household, has been optioned to be turned into a film by Focus Features and Random House Studio Films.