Introduction Meet Oskar Schell, an inventor, Francophile, tambourine player, Shakespearean actor, jeweler, pacifist, correspondent with Stephen Hawking and Ringo Starr. He is nine years old. And he is on an urgent, secret search through the five boroughs of New York. His mission is to find the lock that fits a mysterious key belonging to his [...]
Archive of posts tagged contemporary
Mule by Tony D’Souza
About the Book James and Kate are golden children of the late twentieth century, flush with opportunity. But an economic downturn and an unexpected pregnancy send them searching for a way to make do. A winter in the mountains of California’s Siskiyou County introduces a tempting opportunity. A friend grows prime-grade marijuana; if James transports [...]
Twisted Tree by Kent Meyers
Introduction Hayley Jo Zimmerman is gone. And the people of small-town Twisted Tree must come to terms with their loss, their place in it, and the secrets they all carry. As one girl’s story unfolds through the stories of those who knew her, Hayley Jo’s absence recasts the lives of others and connects them, her death rooting [...]
A Long, Long Time Ago and Essentially True by Brigid Pasulka
Introduction On the eve of World War II, in a place called Half-Village, a young man nicknamed the Pigeon falls in love with a girl fabled for her angelic looks. To court Anielica Hetmanská he offers up his “golden hands” to transform her family’s modest hut into a beautiful home, thereby building his way into [...]
The Power of Half by Kevin Salwen & Hannah Salwen
About the Book It all started when fourteen-year-old Hannah Salwen had a eureka moment. Seeing a homeless man in her neighborhood at the same instant she spotted a man driving a glistening Mercedes, she said, “Dad, if that man had a less nice car, that man there could have a meal.” Until that day, the [...]
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri
About The Namesake Major National Bestseller Best Book of the Year: New York Times, USA Today, Entertainment Weekly, Newsday, San Jose Mercury News New York Magazine Book of the Year “Dazzling . . . An intimate, closely observed family portrait. — New York Times “Lahiri handles issues of assimilation and belonging with her trademark [...]
Everything is Illuminated by Jonathan Safran Foer
Questions for Discussion We hope the following questions will stimulate discussion for reading groups and provide a deeper understanding of Everything Is Illuminated for every reader. 1. Everything Is Illuminated is a novel written in two voices: Alex’s account of the fictional character Jonathan Safran Foer’s journey to Ukraine, and Jonathan’s magical history of [...]
Save Your Own by Elisabeth Brink
About the Book “A smashing debut—hilarious, smart, and charming. Gillian Cormier-Brandenburg is one of the most original characters I’ve encountered in recent fiction, a winning mix of intellect, innocence, and anxiety. I fell in love with her, and I think you will, too.” —Stephen McCauley, author of Alternatives to Sex and The Object of [...]
Blindness by José Saramago
Blindness José Saramago ISBN:9780156007757 About the book: A city is hit by an epidemic of "white blindness" which spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations and raping women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides seven strangers-among [...]
East of the Mountains by David Guterson
East of the Mountains David Guterson ISBN:9780156011044 About the book: Ben Givens is a retired heart surgeon who has been diagnosed with terminal cancer. Deciding to take charge of his own demise, Ben travels into the wild country of Washington state with his two dogs and his father’s Winchester, to hunt one last time and [...]
