Our April discussion will be on the sci-fi classic, Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It is an award winning novel about a young boy sent to military academy to train for a war against an alien race. Card explores many philosophical questions about war, violence, and children. Copies will be available at and following the March discussion. The April discussion will be on Monday the 27th at 6:30 p.m. at the Eldridge branch.
Scott County Reads will be discussing the non-fiction book, Salt: Grain of Life by Pierre Lazlo on March 23rd at 6:30 p.m. We have one copy of the book left for anyone interested!
Salt tells the history of, well, salt and describes how this commodity has shaped human history. An interesting look at an unusual topic.
Scott County Reads book discussion group just finished a discussion of the book Eleanor Vs. Ike by Robin Gerber. The book is a work of fiction that explores the possibility of an election between Eleanor Roosevelt and Dwight D Eisenhower. We discussed if the events in the book could actually have happened or not. We also talked about what did happen in the election between Eisenhower and Stephenson, compared to the fictional election between Eleanor and Ike. Gerber did a great job blending facts with the fiction and we all had to do our homework when I came to distinguishing the two. All members of the group really enjoyed the book and would recommend it to fans of history and historical fiction.
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.
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."
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.
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.
