Friday, November 14, 2008

December 2008 Discussion


To get into the holiday spirit, Scott County Reads book group read and discussed The Autobiography of Santa Claus on December 22nd. Jeff Guinn wrote the novel that is based partly on the real St. Nicholas, but mostly on the fictional character of Santa Claus. He describes his life from 280 A.D. to the present and adds in some other famous historical figures along the way.
Guinn has followed up this novel with How Mrs. Claus Saved Christmas and The Great Santa Search.

Tuesday, October 28, 2008

November 2008 discussion


Our next book discussion will be on November 24th at 6:30pm in the First Amendment Room. Books are available now. Our selection is The Summer of 1787: The Men Who Invented the Constitution by David Stewart.

Here's what one reviewer from Publisher's Weekly says-
"Briskly written, full of deft characterizations and drama, grounded firmly in the records of the Constitutional Convention and its members' letters, this is a splendid rendering of the document's creation. All the debates are here, as are all the convention's personalities... Stewart, a constitutional lawyer in Washington, D.C., ignores the recent decades' penetrating scholarship about the Constitution's creation in favor of a fast-paced narrative of a long, hot summer's work."

October 2008 discussion


Our next book discussion will be on The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon. Stop by the library to pick up your copy and join us on October 27th at 6:30pm in the First Amendment Room. The book is about Christopher, an autistic teenager who attempts to solve the mystery of the neighbor's murdered dog. It has been described as a funny and touching novel.

August 2008 discussion


Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult tells the story of a school shooting from different perspectives. Readers will get to know each of the main characters in the story, their family history, and their view of what happened that day.
The shooter, Peter grew up being bullied and ignored by parents who were still grieving the loss of their oldest son. Josie, the most popular girl at school and daughter of another main character, is your typical high school girl who tries hard to fit in, but isn't very happy in her skin. She witnesses the shooting first hand. You also get perspectives from Josie's mother Alex, Peter's parents, a policeman at the scene, and the defense attorney.
Picoult often writes books that seem to be stripped from the headlines, but she does her research and always writes real and compelling stories. The book can be slow moving at times, especially through the trial, but the very real emotional characters should keep you hooked.

June 2008 discussion


Join us as we discuss Water for Elephants on June 30th at 6:30pm.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen is about 91 yr old Jacob, who recalls his past working for a second-rate circus during the Great Depression. Many interesting characters and situations make Jacob's life one worth reading. Stop by the library to pick up your copy now.

Click to hear a passage from the book
Gabcast! Reading 2.0 #5

May 2008 discussion


Join us for our Book Discussion on June 2nd at 6:30pm
We will be discussing The World is Flat by Thomas Friedman

What Friedman means by claiming 'the world is flat' is that barriers to communication have diminished and access to people, places, products, and ideas is easier than ever. His book discusses this phenomena, how it developed and what the future holds.

Listen to an interview with author Friedman here

Read the author's blog which expands on his ideas and experiences

April 2008 discussion


Join Scott County Reads for our next book discussion on April 28th at 6:30pm.

Click on the Gabcast player to hear the first page of the book

Gabcast! Reading 2.0 #4

March 2008 discussion


Join us for our Scott County Reads book discussion on March 24th.

We will be discussing The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson. In this humorous memoir, Bryson recalls his childhood growing up in Des Moines the 1950s.



Check out a review here


February 2008 discussion


Our next book discussion will be on February 25th at 6:00pm. We are discussing Tom Perotta's book, The Abstinence Teacher. Tom was an Oscar- nominee in the "Writing - Adapted Screenplay" category for his adaptation of his novel Little Children.
The Abstinence Teacher is about a teacher who questions her school when they try to get her to teach abstinence only sex education. Come to the Scott County Library in Eldridge to pick up your copy and join us on the 25th for a lively discussion!

Listen to an excerpt from the book. Gabcast! Reading 2.0 #3 - Abstinence Teacher

The Abstinence Teacher by Tom Perrotta
Discussion on February 25th at 6pm






Summary from Tom's site-

Stonewood Heights is the perfect place to raise kids. It's got the proverbial good schools, solid values and a healthy real estate market. It's the kind of place where parents are involved in their children's lives, where no opportunity for enrichment goes unexplored.

Ruth Ramsey is the human sexuality teacher at the local high school. She believes that "pleasure is good, shame is bad, and knowledge is power." Ruth's younger daughter's soccer coach is Tim Mason, a former stoner and rocker whose response to hitting rock bottom was to reach out and be saved. Tim belongs to The Tabernacle, an evangelical Christian church that doesn't approve of Ruth's style of teaching. And Ruth in turn doesn't applaud The Tabernacle's mission to take its message outside its doors.

Adversaries in a small-town culture war, Ruth and Tim instinctively mistrust each other. But when a controversy on the soccer field pushes the two of them to actually talk to each other, they are forced to take each other at something other than face value.

The Abstinence Teacher exposes the powerful emotions that run beneath the surface of modern American family life and explores the complex spiritual and sexual lives of ordinary people.


Click here for Tom Perotta's website!

January 2008 discussion

CLICK HERE FOR A GOOGLE BOOKS PREVIEW FROM BOLT OF FATE: BENJAMIN FRANKLIN AND HIS ELECTRIC KITE HOAX BY TOM TUCKER


Gabcast! Reading 2.0 #2 - Bolt of Fate by Tom Tucker

An excerpt from the book Bolt of Fate about Benjamin Franklin's famed kite- lightning experiment.



STOP BY THE LIBRARY TO PICK UP YOUR COPY NOW
DISCUSSION OF THE BOOK WILL BE AT 6:30PM ON JANUARY 28TH AT THE SCOTT COUNTY LIBRARY IN ELDRIDGE. JOIN US FOR REFRESHMENTS.