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The Mile Square City Readers Book Club Half-Year Review, Part 2

1 Apr

The Mile Square City Readers Book Club has officially been around for one year! We celebrated this momentous occasion with book discussion (of course!) and cupcakes.

Here is roundup of the books we’ve read in the past six months. Click here to read about what we read in the club’s first six months. If you would like to keep up with the Mile Square City Readers Book Club, send an email to reference AT hoboken DOT bccls DOT org to join our mailing list.

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

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For Halloween, we chose a spooky book, and A Head Full of Ghosts did not disappoint! When the Barrett family’s oldest daughter Marjorie show symptoms of schizophrenia (or demonic possession) it dramatically affects the family, who become reluctant reality TV stars by selling their trauma to ease financial burdens. In addition to scares, this book brought ripe discussion about whether Marjorie was truly mentally ill or faking it, or if she was actually possessed by an evil entity. You can borrow this title through eLibraryNJ as an eBook, or as an audiobook from eBCCLS.

The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty by Vendela Vida

diver-clothes

The group agreed that what the narrator of The Diver’s Clothes Lie Empty, the November book, experiences is the ultimate traveler’s nightmare: losing their passport while abroad. After the narrator (whose name we never learn) reports her missing passport, the police in Casablanca give her one that belongs to someone else, whose identity she takes on. As the book unfolds, we learn why the narrator is quick to take on a new persona. This book is also available as an eBook in eLibraryNJ and eBCCLS and as an audiobook in Hoopla Digital.

Humans of New York: Stories by Brandon Stanton

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For December we chose to read the newest book by the creator of the popular Humans of New York blog. Humans of New York: Stories includes the trademark pictures of average folks in NYC that are published daily on the blog and social media, with the addition of stories from the photo subjects. Brandon Stanton realized the interviews were as important as the pictures and included more in this volume. In the discussion, we talked about the stories in the book that moved us the most. You can borrow this book as an eBook in eLibraryNJ and eBCCLS.

Walden by Henry David Thoreau

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Several book club members suggested Walden, which chronicled Henry David Thoreau’s choice to live self sufficiently near Walden Pond, as a way to start 2016 on an insightful note and decompress from the madness of the holidays. Thoreau built his home, planted crops to grow his own food, spent time outside of “society”, and learned about his natural surroundings. Listening to an audiobook adaptation makes the section where Thoreau discussed various animal noises extra entertaining. Walden can be borrowed as an eBook and audiobook from eLibraryNJ and Hoopla Digital.

Drinking Coffee Elsewhere by Z.Z. Packer

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In February the group read Drinking Coffee Elsewhere, a collection of short stories by Z.Z. Packer. It was consensus that the stories were beautifully written. The stories had connecting themes that tied them all together, and the characters were interesting to follow. The title story “Drinking Coffee Elsewhere” was the favorite. This book is also available as an audiobook through Hoopla Digital and as an eBook through the 3M Cloud Library.

Opening Belle by Maureen Sherry

opening-belle

The group found Opening Belle, a fictionalized account of a female managing director of a Wall Street bank leading up to the 2008 financial crisis, to be a quick and enjoyable read. While some found the character development lacking, it was agreed that the protagonist Belle definitely evolved throughout the story. The book also brought forth discussion on issues working mothers face, and the pressure to have a balanced home and professional life. In addition to print copies, you can read an eBook on one of the library’s lendable eReaders.

Thank you to our members who have joined our discussions and shared their opinions and stories for making our first year so wonderful!

We always welcome new members to the Mile Square City Readers book club, so grab a copy of The Widow by Fiona Barton from the second floor reference desk (or borrow one of our Kindles and iPads if you prefer digital books) and join our discussion of the book on Thursday April 28, 2016 at 7:30 PM.

-Written by Kerry Weinstein, Reference Librarian

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Selections from the Hoboken Public Library’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club Part 6: 1984, The Golden Compass, and The Left Hand of Darkness

25 Mar

This is the third year of the library’s Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club and we’ve read some great books so far including 1984, The Golden Compass and The Left Hand of Darkness.  In April we will be discussing Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers, in May we will discuss Larry Niven’s Protector, and in June we will discuss Jules Verne’s 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea.  I hope you will join us and help plan the books we will be reading for the rest of the year.  Email hplwriters AT gmail DOT com to be added to our mailing list for the group.  You can see previous book club posts here.

George Orwell’s 1984

1984
In January, we rang in the New Year with the dystopian classic 1984 by George Orwell.  We watched the more recent of the two film adaptations that was released in 1984 and starred John Hurt.  Several members of the group had read the book multiple times and it was agreed that repeated readings are beneficial to pick up the many layers of the novel.  Even if you have not read the novel or seen the film you are probably familiar with the character of Big Brother, an omniscient entity watching out for the smallest infraction even if it is something merely thought and not said aloud.  1984 looks at a society where the basic human bonds of familial love, friendship, and romance begin to breakdown.  Some of the group felt the first section of the book moved a little slowly, but it picked up as the main character gradually rebels against the society he is forced to be a part.  Also for those fascinated by linguistics the idea of “Newspeak,” where language is increasingly reduced to the point of absurdity in order to prevent inappropriate thoughts from being even possible, was fascinating and led to a discussion about the way different languages and cultures express concepts uniquely.  The group felt that 1984’s warning about the possibilities for the future are still important today.

Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass

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In February we read one of my favorite fantasies, Philip Pullman’s The Golden Compass.  The group also viewed the recent film adaptation starring Nicole Kidman.  I brought in my replica alethiometer and models of some of the vehicles from the film.  In The Golden Compass, the characters’ souls take the form of daemons which they are able to have as a constant companion for comfort and advice.  I would love to have one and it is fun to imagine if you lived in that universe to think of what form your daemon would take (typically the animal reflects the person’s attitude and personality).  The group enjoyed the book and some of the other members planned to or had read the other books in the trilogy.  Although the group felt the movie lacked some of the complexity of the book, because of time constraints and the desire to make it more child friendly, they still enjoyed both works.  The group members especially liked how the characters in The Golden Compass were multifaceted and were not simply divided into good and evil as in some fantasy works.

Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness

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In honor of Women’s History Month, we read Ursula K. Le Guin’s The Left Hand of Darkness, a classic science fiction work with a thought-provoking look at gender.  On the planet Gethen the inhabitants can, during a short period time, be either male or female, but typically exist in an androgynous state.  They are visited by an envoy from the Ekumen, a sort of league of planets all of which of whose inhabitants are divided up into male and female genders.  The Left Hand of Darkness looks at how people would have evolved and interacted in such an environment.  Many of the group felt that the book was more concept than plot driven.   Besides the gender issues that the book brought up, some of the discussion also revolved around Le Guin’s depiction of the cold winter climate on the planet.

Although the group felt The Left Hand of Darkness would make an interesting movie, since it had not yet been adapted as a major motion picture they had picked out the film Tank Girl to view, which stars a strong female protagonist adapted from a comic book series.  The group liked the unique visual aspects of the film which included animation and comic book stills along with the live action.  It was agreed female action heroes and super heroes are only now becoming more celebrated and may have been partially why the movie was not more successful in 1995, when it first came out.

I hope you’ll check out these great science fiction and fantasy works which are all are available in print from the Hoboken Public Library or as an eBook on one our eReaders for loan at the reference desk.  The movies are all available from BCCLS libraries on DVD.

Hope to see you for our discussion of Mary Poppins on Monday April 25 at 6 PM!  There will be a special movie screening beforehand starting at 4 PM (email hplwriters AT gmail DOT com for more details).  The Mile Square City Readers Book Club will meet on Thursday March 31 at 7:30 PM to discuss Opening Belle by Maureen Sherry.  You can get a copy of Mary Poppins or Opening Belle from the Reference Desk.

-Written by Aimee Harris, Head of Reference

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