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Click here for a listing of upcoming book discussions including the books in each series. Series are running in:
Berlin - Lovers in Love
Concord - Food and Families
Durham - The Many Faces of God: Wrestling with Good and Evil
Freedom - Windows on the Muslim World
Grantham - Ultima Thule: Literature of the Far North
Hanover - Journeys to the Edge
Harrisville - Journeys to the Edge
Hillsboro - Mysteries on Both Sides of the Pond
Jaffrey - Yankee Crime
Littleton - Mysteries on Both Sides of the Pond
Moultonborough - Journeys to the Edge
Nashua - Yankee Crime
New London - Caring for Our Elders
Orford - New Hampshire Voices
Sutton Mills - Voices from the MacDowell Colony
Our NEW on-line book discussion catalog is available now.
Looking for a book discussion near you? View our Calendar page for a listing of upcoming programs, including book discussions, around the state.
Learn more about how to host a What is New Hampshire Reading book discussion series below. There are some important changes in the book discussion guidelines which are explained here.
Welcome to a year of reflection and reevaluation for What is New Hampshire Reading, the Council’s book discussion program available to libraries and partnering organizations. In 2007 the Humanities Council’s book discussion leaders shared conversations with myriad readers, asked provocative questions, and prompted audiences to consider alternate vantage points. Using the humanities as a focusing lens, they married, when possible, divergent points of view, explored images and themes, and enriched the reading and interpretation of literature.
Many small, dedicated reading discussion groups convened across the state, as evidenced by the many positive evaluations we received. Almost 90 groups met, a total of 1,160 participants and an average of 13 per group. We have crafted a few changes in What is New Hampshire Reading for the coming year to increase accessibility and encourage audience expansion.
* There is a new limit of four discussions per library per calendar year. We want to broaden the audiences we serve and boost attendance so we are encouraging folks who would like to offer more programs to partner with other community organizations.
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We are returning to a non-competitive, rolling application process and will accept applications on the 1st of each month. We will require 10 weeks lead time for effective publicity, so please plan your series and its timing carefully.
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A reading series with multiple books should have multiple book discussion scholars. In short, share a wealth of perspectives and vantage points with your community.
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We are updating What is New Hampshire Reading on-line content and adding a searchable database this month. The web page will include a forms library so all pertinent documents will be available including applications, evaluations, and both high and low resolution files of the Humanities Council’s logo for use in your promotional materials and on your website.
Our Speculate book discussion series focusing on science fiction and fantasy literature is now available through our book discussion catalog and the New Hampshire State Library Book Bag system. We invite you and your patrons to explore this fresh and exciting genre.
In 2008 we will not be launching a new reading series. For grant-savvy folks with new ideas, this is a promising time to try your hand at a reading discussion mini- or major grant which may include author visits and other events that expand on a series’ theme. Contact Rick Agran, Grants Officer, at 224-4071 x14 for more information or if you have any questions.
Catalog
Application
Any public library in New Hampshire can host book discussion programs through the New Hampshire Humanities Council. In addition, any community group or business can plan a book discussion series if they partner with their local public library. Typical sponsors are libraries, historical societies, businesses, professional organizations, senior centers, civic groups, service clubs, museums, arts groups, church groups and schools.
These programs are easy to organize and affordable. NHHC provides the books free of charge, helps you select a scholar who facilitates your discussion, and pays up to half of the cost of running the series. Your share of the cost involves some cash and some “in-kind contributions” – the equivalent of “wages” for your volunteers and free use of your meeting room, for example.
You can design your book discussion series with your participants in mind (members of your service club, for example), but all discussions must be free and open to the public.
Themes and books: You can choose from more than 50 discussion themes. Through the NH State Library, we lend copies of each book a month ahead of your program. This makes it easy for your participants to pick up and read the book before the discussion.
Each program is led by a scholar familiar with the author and book you will be discussing. The scholar’s role is to guide an open discussion of all aspects of the book; the scholar is also prepared to offer, within the discussion, information about the author and the book’s context, place in history and so on. Total program time is about an hour and a half, and programs are normally scheduled from two to four weeks apart.
How to apply - Download our Book Discussion Application
First, plan the details of your program. You can run a single one-book program, or a multi-book (up to four books) series. You can choose from a multitude of books and series in our What is New Hampshire Reading? catalog. Choose your booklist, meeting date(s) and scholar(s), and proceed as if your program will be accepted and funded.
1. Are the BOOKS available? Call the NH State Library’s Book Bag program (271-2616) to reserve the books. Books are delivered by library van to most libraries throughout the state.
To see how many copies of each book are available, visit the NH State Library Book Bag website. If your group is not a public library, please check with your partnering library to arrange receipt and return of the books for your group. Most programs will ask participants to pick up books at the library; others may prefer to distribute books at the workplace or other site.
2. Is the SCHOLAR available? Schedule the scholar(s) at least eight weeks ahead of time. Scholars are listed with each theme. A reading series with multiple books should have multiple book discussion scholars. In short, share a wealth of perspectives and vantage points with your community. Find the scholar's contact information in the catalog and contact her or him to see if they are available to facilitate your dicussion or series. You can choose one scholar for your entire series or different scholars for different discussions. Be aware that each scholar does not lead discussions on all of the books on the list. Be aware, also, of mileage costs and, if possible, choose scholars near you.
3. Submit your application form to NHHC . You will hear from us 2-3 weeks after the application deadline.
4. Be ready to meet your responsibilities as a book discussion sponsor:
 Publicize the program effectively (We can help you with this!)
Recruit participants (a minimum of 10 per program; 17-20 is ideal at each program)
Reconfirm the scholar(s)
Choose a coordinator from your library or organization who will:
* serve as contact for the scholar(s) and NHHC
* be present for each session, taking care of set-up and closing,
and crediting NHHC for its support
* pay the scholar (usually done at the end of the program)
* distribute and collect evaluation forms at each session
* return the final report and evaluation forms to NHHC within 2 weeks
after the
program
* return books on time
What is New Hampshire Reading - Download our Book Discussion Application
You may submit this form via U.S. mail or fax. Programs are not officially booked until NHHC approves your application. You will be notified of approval 2-3 weeks after the application deadline.
Non-library sponsors should either collaborate with their local public library or contact NHHC for assistance in planning a book discussion series.
Want to move beyond What is New Hampshire Reading
themes and books? Apply for a mini-grant!
NHHC offers up to $1,500 in the form of mini-grants for innovative projects, including creating a humanities-centered book discussion series. NHHC’s funding could include basic costs like buying books and paying a discussion leader, and activities such as author visits, film discussions and cultural exhibits related to the series. Also, see our Request for Proposals for new series featuring contemporary titles.
Thank you for your interest in hosting a book discussion program!
Questions? Please contact Rick Agran at 224-4071.
Hanover
Howe Library,
13 South St.
643-4120
Series: Journeys to the Edge
April 3, Thursday, 7 p.m.
West with the Night by Beryl Markham.
With the skill of someone who has filled long nights with stories, Markham recounts her adventures--discoveries, rescues, and narrow escapes, the glint of an airplane abandoned in the desert, the look of a lion about to pounce. Much more than a pilot's memoir, West With the Night is a wise, funny, and inspiring exploration of a life well lived. Discussion led by Suzanne Brown.
April 24, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Into the Wild by John Krakauer. Chris McCandless gives up a bright future, his college education, and material comfort to pursue a life of principle. He ends up dying, alone, in the backcountry of Alaska. The question Krakauer explores is "Why?" What is it that drives people like McCandless to drop out of society, take enormous risk, and willingly look death in the eye? Into the Wild captures the heart of the "Journeys to the Edge" theme as it sheds light on some of these questions. Discussion led by Suzanne Brown.
June 12, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Touching the Void by Joe Simpson. What is it that compels certain individuals to willingly seek out the most inhospitable climate on earth? To risk their lives in an attempt to leave footprints where few have gone before? Simpson's vivid narrative of a dangerous climbing expedition will convince even the most die-hard couch potato that such pursuits fall within the realm of the sane. Discussion led by Suzanne Brown.
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Moultonborough
Moultonborough Library
476-8896
Series: Journeys to the Edge
March 27, Thursday, 10 a.m.
In the Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick. This is a vivid account of the 19th-century maritime disaster that engaged the popular imagination of the time with its horrors of castaways and cannibalism. Just west of the Galapagos Islands, the Nantucket whale ship Essex was struck on November 20, 1820, by an 85-foot bull sperm whale. For three months the 20 men who escaped the Essex drifted in three smaller open boats, enduring squalls, attacks by sharks and another whale, starvation, madness, and despair. Discussion led by Jennifer Lee.
April 24, Thursday, 10 a.m.
Touching the Void by Joe Simpson. What is it that compels certain individuals to willingly seek out the most inhospitable climate on earth? To risk their lives in an attempt to leave footprints where few have gone before? Simpson's vivid narrative of a dangerous climbing expedition will convince even the most die-hard couch potato that such pursuits fall within the realm of the sane. Discussion led by Suzanne Brown.
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Berlin
Berlin Fortier Library at New Hampshire Community College
2020 Riverside Drive
(Co-hosted by the Berlin Public Library)
752-1113
Series: Lovers in Love
April 30, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte. Bronte's only novel, Wuthering Heights remains one of literature’s most disturbing explorations into the dark side of romantic passion. Heathcliff and Cathy believe they’re destined to love each other forever, but when cruelty and snobbery separate them, their untamed emotions literally consume them.
Set amid the wild and stormy Yorkshire moors, Wuthering Heights, an unpolished and devastating epic of childhood playmates who grow into soul mates, is widely regarded as the most original tale of thwarted desire and heartbreak in the English language. Discussion led by Ingrid Graff.
May 21, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons. A hilarious parody of D. H. Lawrence and Thomas Hardy's earthy, melodramatic novels, the deliriously entertaining Cold Comfort Farm is "very probably the funniest book ever written" (The Sunday Times). Discussion led by Ingrid Graff.
June 18, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Love in the Time of Cholera by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. Library Journal offers the following description of this modern classic: "While delivering a message to her father, Florentino Ariza spots the barely pubescent Fermina Daza and immediately falls in love. What follows is the story of a passion that extends over 50 years, as Fermina is courted solely by letter, decisively rejects her suitor when he first speaks, and then joins the urbane Dr. Juvenal Urbino, much above her station, in a marriage initially loveless but ultimately remarkable in its strength. Florentino remains faithful in his fashion; paralleling the tale of the marriage is that of his numerous liaisons, all ultimately without the depth of love he again declares at Urbino's death. In substance and style not as fantastical, as mythologizing, as the previous works, this is a compelling exploration of the myths we make of love." Discussion led by Craig Doherty.
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Durham
Durham Public Library, Mill Road
868-2390
Series: The Many Faces of God: Wrestling with Good and Evil
March 28, Friday, 10:30 a.m.
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky.
This is the first in a three-part book discussion series titled “The Many Faces of God.” The poverty-stricken Raskolnikov commits murder only to face the consequences not only from society but from his conscience in this seminal story of justice, morality, and redemption from one of Russia’s greatest novelists. Discussion led by Jennifer Lee.
April 25, Friday, 10:30 a.m.
Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad. Written several years after Conrad's grueling sojourn in the Belgian Congo, the novel tells the story of Marlow, a seaman who undertakes his own journey into the African jungle to find the tormented white trader Kurtz. . Discussion led by Jennifer Lee.
May 30, Friday, 10:30 a.m.
Short Stories of Nathaniel Hawthorne. From the author who gave us The Scarlet Letter and The Houes of the Seven Gables, here is a comprehensive selection of his best short stories, including " Endicott and the Red Cross" and " Young Goodman Brown." Discussion led by Laurie Quinn.
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Orford
Orford Free Library, Rt. 25A
353-9166
Series: New Hampshire Voices
April 4, Friday, 6:30 p.m.
Black Ice by Lorene Cary. How does a person retain his or her identity upon entering an unfamiliar and challenging world? In 1971, Lorene Cary left her black Philadelphia neighborhood to enroll on scholarship at St. Paul’s School, an elite boarding school in Concord, New Hampshire, whose student body had formerly been limited to privileged white males. As a high school student and later as a teacher at St. Paul’s, Cary struggled to balance success with self, where she was with who she was. Black Ice is her memoir: reflective, funny, inspirational and compelling. Discussion led by Suzanne Brown.
April 25, Friday, 6:30 p.m.
Our Town by Thornton Wilder. Winner of the Pulitzer Prize and much popular acclaim, Our Town is a double-layered work, possessing a simple storyline which overlies the deep and universal themes of birth, love and death. Set in the small New Hampshire village of Grover’s Corners, the play follows two families through a period of many years, artfully expressing their everyday interactions within the larger patterns of their lives. Discussion led by Suzanne Brown.
June 13, Friday, 6:30 p.m.
Amoskeag: Life and Work in an American Factory City by Tamara Hareven and Randolph Langenbach. Amoskeag belongs to the literature of testimony,offering up insight on work experiences, family practices, patterns of sociability, the pleasures and miseries of life and labor in Manchester's mills. Discussion led by Suzanne Brown.
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Jaffrey
Jaffrey Public Library, 38 Main Street
532-7301
Series: Yankee Crime
April 3, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Bellows Falls by Archer Mayer. Lieutenant Joe Gunther is called upriver to help out the police chief of hard-luck Bellows Falls. The case involves a cop who supposedly propositioned the long-suffering wife of charismatic local drug dealer Norm Bouch. But appearances are deceiving. The more Gunther digs, the less innocent the young cop begins to look, and the more it appears Norm Bouch is pulling the strings on a classic — and rapidly criminal — frame-up. Discussion led by William Stroup, Keene State College.
April 24, Thursday, 7 p.m.
A Stranger in the Kingdom by Howard Mosher. Mosher has earned both critical acclaim and a wide readership for his vivid historical portraits of northern New England residents in his fictional Kingdom County, Vermont. A Stranger in the Kingdom tells the unforgettable story of a brutal murder in a small town and the devastating events that follow. The town’s new preacher, a black man, finds himself on trial more for who he is than for what he might have done in this powerful drama of passion, prejudice, and innocence suddenly lost . . . and perhaps found again. Discussion led by Eric Bye.
May 15 , Thursday, 7 p.m.
Flashpoint by Linda Barnes. Library Journal hailed Flashpoint as an “intelligent mystery,” and Publishers Weekly praised its strong sense of “turf” -- Boston. As hard-edged private investigator, Carlotta Carlyle uncovers the truth behind the murder of an elderly client, and as a good-hearted woman, she deals with a homeless young friend, her hapless roommate, and an old boyfriend. Discussion led by William Doreski.
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Concord
Concord Public Library, 45 Green Street
225-8590
Series: Food and Families
April 16, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
The Tummy Trilogy
by Calvin Trillin. Throughout the 1970s Trillin crossed and recrossed the continent. He dined in every manner of restaurant, sampling all kinds of native cuisine. He tirelessly sniffed out plain but great joints where the local people loved to eat. “[Don’t take me to the] place you took your parents on their twenty-fifth wedding anniversary, [but] the place you went the night you came home after fourteen months in Korea.” As a result of such hard-nosed pursuit of good food, this “Walt Whitman of American eats” produced three delightful books chronicling his gastronomic journey, and they have now been collected into The Tummy Trilogy. Discussion led by Suzanne Brown, Dartmouth College.
May 14 , Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Stuffed: Adventures of a Restaurant Family by Patricia Volk. Publisher's Weekly says Volk's "...delightful memoir is not so much about food as about family 'your very own living microcosm of humanity, with its heroes and victims and martyrs and failures, beauties and gamblers, hawks and lovers, cowards and fakes, dreamers, its steamrollers, and the people who quietly get the job done.' In a series of vignettes remarkable for their humor and insight, she portrays her father's father, Jacob Volk, who invented the wrecking ball and made a fortune in the demolition business; her mother's father, Herman Morgen, who opened a sandwich shop on Broadway and eventually owned 14 restaurants in New York City; and her mother, grandmothers, aunts and uncles.' Discussion led by Jennifer Lee.
May 28 , Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Bruculinu, America: Remembrances of Sicilian-American Brooklyn
by Vincent Schiavelli. Familiar character actor Vincent Schiavelli brings to life the stories of his
childhood in a Sicilian section of Brooklyn (called Bruculinu by its denizens)
and tales from his parents and grandparents times in the earlier part of the
century with humor and boundless affection. And of course, Schiavelli remembers
the food, the everyday family suppers and the elaborate holiday feasts, the
rituals of cooking and eating that punctuated each day. He includes 70 recipes
-- most passed down from his immigrant grandfather, who had once been a monzù (master chef) to a baron in Sicily -- from Spaghetti with Meatballs to Hearts of Artichoke Salad, Roasted Leg of Lamb with Pecorino and Bread Crumbs to Sweet Ricotta Turnovers. Discussion led by Jennifer Lee.
June 11, Wednesday, 7 p.m.
Tender at the Bone: Growing Up at the Table by Ruth Reichl. New York Times restaurant critic Ruth Reichl shares lessons learned at the hands (and kitchen counters) of family members and friends throughout her life, from growing up with her taste-blind mother to the comfort of cream puffs while away at boarding school on "Mars" (Montreal seemed just as far away) to her most memorable meal, taken on a mountainside in Greece. Discussion led by Suzanne Brown, Dartmouth College
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Freedom
Freedom Public Library, 38 Old Portland Road
539-4868
Series: Windows on the Muslim World
April 17, Thursday, 7 p.m.
An Unexpected Light: Travesl in Afghanistan by Jason Eliot. Part historical evocation, part travelogue, and part personal quest, An
Unexpected Light is the account of Elliot's journey through Afghanistan, a
country considered off-limits to travelers for twenty years. Aware of the risks
involved, but determined to explore what he could of the Afghan people and
culture, Elliot leaves the relative security of Kabul. He travels by foot and on
horseback, and hitches rides on trucks that eventually lead him into the
snowbound mountains of the North toward Uzbekistan, the former battlefields of
the Soviet army's "hidden war." Here the Afghan landscape kindles a recollection of the author's life ten years earlier, when he fought with the anti-Soviet mujaheddin resistance during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan. Weaving different Afghan times and visits with revealing insights on matters ranging from antipersonnel mines to Sufism, Elliot has created a narrative mosaic of startling prose that captures perfectly the powerful allure of a seldom-glimpsed world. Discussion led by Jennifer Lee.
May 8 , Thursday, 7 p.m.
Nine Parts of Desire: The Hidden World of Islamic Women by Geraldine Brooks. Geraldine Brooks spent two years as a Middle East news correspondent. She learned a lot about what it's like
for Islamic women today. Brooks takes us through the women's back
door entrance of the Middle East for an unusual and provocative view.
Discussion led by Janice Alberghene.
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Nashua
Nashua Public Library, 2 Court Street
589-4610
Series: Yankee Crime
April 17, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Primary Storm
by t. Discussion led by William Doreski. In fictional but familiar Tyler Beach, NH, writer Lewis Cole is charged with the attempted assassination of a candidate during our primary. As he tries to clear his name, he uncovers a web of conspiracy and takes us into the frightening world of the “civilian righter-of-wrongs.” This week’s discussion is led by William Doreski.
May 8 , Thursday, 7 p.m.
Flashpoint
by Linda Barnes. Library Journal hailed Flashpoint as an “intelligent mystery,” and Publishers Weekly praised its strong sense of “turf” -- Boston. As hard-edged private investigator, Carlotta Carlyle uncovers the truth behind the murder of an elderly client, and as a good-hearted woman, she deals with a homeless young friend, her hapless roommate, and an old boyfriend. Discussion led by Maren Tirabassi.
May 27, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
A Stranger in the Kingdom by Howard Mosher. Mosher has earned both critical acclaim and a wide readership for his vivid historical portraits of northern New England residents in his fictional Kingdom County, Vermont. A Stranger in the Kingdom tells the unforgettable story of a brutal murder in a small town and the devastating events that follow. The town’s new preacher, a black man, finds himself on trial more for who he is than for what he might have done in this powerful drama of passion, prejudice, and innocence suddenly lost . . . and perhaps found again. Discussion led by Jennifer Lee
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Hillsboro
Fuller Public Library, 29 School Street
464-3595
Series: Mysteries on Both Sides of the Pond
April 24, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agathat Christie. Combining murder with rumor, gossip, and numerous “red herrings” as clues, this is one of Christie’s most controversial mysteries. A widow’s suicide has raised questions of blackmail and parallels the murder of Roger Ackroyd, rumored to be her secret lover. Discussion led by Paul Goodwin.
May 15 , Thursday, 7 p.m.
First Light by Philip R. Craig and William G. Tapply. This debut of the first Brady Coyne/J.W. Jackson story is written by two acclaimed crime novelists and fishing buddies who know Martha’s Vineyard intimately. Told in alternating chapters by each author’s protagonist, the suspenseful search for two missing women evolves through a story studded with local island lore, a love of fishing, and details of parenting young children, meal preparation (three recipes are included), and persistent investigation. Discussion led by Olivia Smith.
June 5, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
St. Alban's Fire by Archer Mayor. Booklist says, "Mayor's long-running Joe Gunther series continues to display this multitalented
author's ability to construct compelling plots and build full-bodied characters.
Second in command at the Vermont Bureau of Investigation, Gunther finds his
latest adventure in the rural farming community of St. Albans. When the Cutts'
family barn is burned down, all the dairy cows inside are killed--as is teenager
Bobby Cutts. As he starts to investigate, Gunther discovers other suspicious
fires in the area, although none of those caused any deaths. Was Bobby in the
barn by accident? What do the fires have in common?" Discussion led by Clia Goodwin.
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New London
Kearsarge Council on Aging, 37 Pleasant St.
526-4888
Series: Caring for Our Elders
May 2, Friday, 8:30 a.m.
No More Words by Reeve Lindbergh. In 1999 the renowned aviator and beloved writer Anne Morrow Lindbergh, the victim of a series of strokes, moved to her daughter Reeve’s farm in Vermont. In her nineties, Mrs. Lindbergh was frail and had nearly lost her ability to talk. In No More Words, Reeve offers a moving and compassionate memoir of caring for her mother as Anne became increasingly debilitated and alienated from the world around her. This discussion is led by Alice Fogel.
May 16 , Friday, 8:30 a.m.
As We are Now by May Sarton. Sarton’s novel in the form of a diary tells of Caroline Spencer, a 76-year-old retired schoolteacher who has suffered a heart attack and been deposited by relatives in a nursing home. Subjected to subtle humiliations and petty cruelties, she fights back with all she has, and, in a powerful climax, wins a terrible victory. This discussion is led by Maren Tirabassi.
May 30, Friday, 8:30 a.m.
The Spectator Bird by Wallace Stegner. Joe Allston is a retired literary agent whose parents and only son are dead, and who feels that he has been a mere spectator through life. Than a postcard from a friend causes him to return to the journals of a trip he took to his mother’s birthplace to search for his roots; memories of that journey reveal tha t he is not quite spectator enough. Winner of the National Book Award. This discussion is led by Sandra LeBeau, Colby-Sawyer College.
Sutton Mills
Sutton Free Library, Main Street
927-4927
Series: Voices from the MacDowell Colony
May 13, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Wind of the White Dresses by Mekeel McBride.
This is the first in a two-part book discussion series titled “Contemporary Voices from the MacDowell Colony” led by Patrick Anderson, Colby-Sawyer College. This series explores the work of authors who write in different styles on a broad range of subjects and developed some of their finest work at the MacDowell Colony in Peterborough. McBride is a widely-acclaimed poet who teaches at UNH.
May 27, Tuesday, 7 p.m.
Monkeys by Susan Minot.
Minot’s novel is a collection of nine stories which together make tell the story of the Vincents, a New England family with seven children, a Catholic mother and Brahmin-background father. The stories cover twelve years in the life of the children, their mother’s “monkeys,” during which a tragic accident alters their lives. This discussion is led by Patrick Anderson, Colby-Sawyer College.
Harrisville
Harrisville Public Library, 7 Canal St.
827-2962
Series: Journeys to the Edge
June 19, Thursday, 7 p.m.
The Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing. Sir Ernest Shackleton's voyage in 1914 to explore the South Pole ended when
his ship Endurance was crushed by ice. Lansing recounts this suspenseful
survival adventure: the captain and crew survived for months on floating ice in
the harsh Antarctic climate before escaping in a lifeboat. Julia M. DiStefano leads this month's discussion.
July 17, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson. This superlative journalistic narrative tells of two deep-sea wreck divers
who in 1991 dove to a mysterious wreck lying at the perilous depth of 230 feet,
off the coast of New Jersey. Both had a philosophy of excelling and pushing
themselves to the limit; both needed all their philosophy and fitness to proceed
once they had identified the wreck as a WWII U-boat. Shadow Divers follows their
seven-year search for the U-boats identity. This month's discussion is led by Kristen Laine.
August 14, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Into the Wild
by Jon Krakauer. Chris McCandless gives up a bright future, his college education, and
material comfort to pursue a life of principle. He ends up dying, alone, in the
backcountry of Alaska. The question Krakauer explores is Why? What is it that
drives people like McCandless to drop out of society, take enormous risk, and
willingly look death in the eye? Into the Wild captures the heart of the
"Journeys to the Edge" theme as it sheds light on some of these questions. This month's discussion is led by Mark Long.
Littleton
Littleton Public Library, 92 Main St.
444-3959
Series: Mysteries on Both Sides of the Pond
June 26, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Scent of Evil
by Archer Mayor. Introspective and deliberate in his methods the Vermont author's hero, Lt.
Joe Gunther of the Brattleboro, VT police, finds himself with a murdered
stockbroker who had a penchant for drugs, sex, and a Brattleboro police
officer's wife. Faced with a killer who appears to be one step ahead of the
Lieutenant, the convoluted plot keeps readers guessing as more murders occur.
"Whodunit?" This month's discussion is led by Julia M. DiStefano.
July 24, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Trouble in Paradise by Robert B. Parker. Chief Jesse Stone of Paradise, Massachusetts is the typical hard-boiled hero
in a world of tough guys where women are judged by their looks and men by their
fierceness of character. In this taut thriller, the boozy Chief must battle his
own demons concurrently with battling a gang of ruthless thieves. Frumie Selchen leads this month's discussion.
August 28, Thursday, 7 p.m.
Cover Her Face by P.D. James. Time magazine has called James "a worthy successor to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie." Scotland Yard's Chief Inspector Adam Dalgliesh has a house full of suspects in the murder of a young housemaid who used her body and brains to try and better her social station. Clia Goodwin leads this discussion.
September 25, Thursday, 7 p.m.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd: A Hercule Poirot Mystery by Agatha Christie. Combining murder with rumor, gossip, and numerous "red herrings" as clues, this is one of Christie's most controversial mysteries. A widow's suicide has raised questions of blackmail and parallels the murder of Roger Ackroyd, rumored to be her secret lover. This month's discussion is led by Marion Schafer.
Grantham
863-2621
Series: Ultima Thule: Literature of the Far North
June 19, Thursday, 7 p.m. at Grantham Town Hall, 350 Route 10 South
Arctic Dreams: Imagination and Desire in a Northern Landscape by Barry Lopez. The masterpiece of one of the most widely acclaimed writers working today, Arctic Dreams is an unforgettable study of the Far North, the marvelous and mysterious land of stunted forests and frozen seas, of muskox and narwhal, where sunrise and dusk are seasonal rather than daily phenomena. Lopez offers a thorough examination of this obscure world -- its terrain, its wildlife, and the history of the Eskimo natives and intrepid explorers who have arrived on its icy shores. This month's discussion is led by Suzanne Brown, Dartmouth College..
August 19, Tuesday, 7 p.m. at Grantham Methodist Church, Route 10 South
Smilla's Sense of Snow by Peter Høeg. In this international bestseller, Peter Høeg successfully combines the pleasures of literary fiction with those of the thriller. Smilla Jaspersen, half Danish, half Greenlander, attempts to understand the death of a small boy who falls from the roof of her apartment building. Her childhood in Greenland gives her an appreciation for the complex structures of snow, and when she notices that the boy's footprints show he ran to his death, she decides to find out who was chasing him. As she attempts to solve the mystery, she uncovers a series of conspiracies and cover-ups and quickly realizes that she can trust nobody. Her investigation takes her from the streets of Copenhagen to an icebound island off the coast of Greenland. What she finds there has implications far beyond the death of a single child. The unusual setting, gripping plot, and compelling central character add up to one of the most fascinating and literate thrillers of recent years. Patrick Anderson, Colby-Sawyer College, leads this month's discussion.
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