READS-TO-GO

Santa Has a Surprise for You!

2011-12-21T10:07:00.005-05:00

A new RTG kit!--A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan. In a review, Janet Maslin of the New York Times has this to say:

Ms. Egan uses goon as a synonym for time, as in: "Time’s a goon, right? You gonna let that goon push you around?" Taking some of her inspiration from Proust’s "In Search of Lost Time" as well as some from "The Sopranos," she creates a set of characters with assorted links to the music business and lets time have its way with them. Virtually no one in this elaborately convoluted book winds up the better for wear. But Ms. Egan can be such a piercingly astute storyteller that the exhilaration of reading her outweighs the bleak destinies she describes.

A Visit from the Goon Squad author, Jennifer Egan, was the winner of a Pulitzer Prize in April. And, it was announced that A Visit from the Goon Squad will be made into an HBO series in near future!

The kit is hosted by the Keene Public Library and is available on a first come, first served basis. Keene is hosting three kits and has decided that taking advance reservations doesn't work for the library. Please call Gail Zachariah at 352-0157 if you have questions.

Image courtesy Open Clip Art Library.

One More Kit!

2011-12-14T10:29:00.002-05:00

Due to a generous grant by New Hampshire Library Association, READS-TO-GO has another title to offer! It's Room by Emma Donoghue.

If you haven't heard about Room, it's the story of a young woman who was abducted and held capture for years. The woman has had a child by her abductor and she tries, to the best of her ability, to raise him in one small room.

To say this is a discussable book is an understatement! It should result in many thought provoking sessions around the state!

The kit is being hosted by the Lincoln Public Library. Call Carol Riley at 745-8159 to book the kit for your group.

Announcing...

2011-11-22T18:45:00.000-05:00

The Emperor's Guest: Coming of Age Behind Barbed Wire During WW II in Indonesia by Titia Bozuwa, is now a kit. Titia Bozuwa gives a riveting account of her husband Gijs's WW II experiences. Gijs, whose father was Commander of the Royal Dutch Air Force in the Dutch East Indies, is separated from his family and interned with adults where he remains for the duration of the war.

This kit is sponsored by Gafney Library in Sanbornville. Titia Bozuwa is a New Hampshire resident and is happy to speak to library groups! Contact Beryl Donovan at Gafney Library, 522-3401, to arrange to borrow the kit, or to be put in contact with the author.

We're On a Roll!

2011-10-20T14:38:00.004-04:00

We have three new READS-TO-GO kits! Today I'm going to be announcing only two of those kits because I'm awaiting official notification from the hosting library of the third.

Without further ado:

French, Tana. Faithful Place.

Sponsored by the Friends of the Canaan Town Library and hosted at the Canaan Town Library. Call Amy Thurber at 523-9650.

Janet Maslin in a New York Times review commented, "Perhaps Ms. French’s training as an actor at Trinity College contributes to her three-dimensional characterizations of every last person in this book."

Waldman, Ayelet. Red Hook Road.

Sponsored through a generous grant from New Hampshire Library Association and hosted at the Madison Library. Call Mary Cronin at 367-8545.

Novelist Pat Conroy had this to say, "It took me out of my home on the coast of South Carolina, placed me in the town along Red Hook Road, and changed me the way good books always do."

--Diane

Our Mission Statement

2011-09-19T18:55:00.005-04:00

There was a bit of discussion today on our Facebook page about our mission statement. We discovered that it isn't posted on the blog, so without further ado, here it is:

READS-TO-GO is a program of the Reference and Adult Services (READS) section of New Hampshire Library Association.

Its mission is to provide kits of highly discussable, recently published books. Kits include books and other materials necessary to assist adult book discussion groups throughout the state, and the libraries that serve them.

--Diane

The Reviews are Coming In

2011-07-14T15:43:00.002-04:00

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan opens tomorrow and the reviews are already coming in. The first one I read wasn't exactly complimentary! Read it and decide for yourself! Here's a small sampling:

The film version isn’t content to leave well enough alone. It gives us Lily and Snow Flower, but it also grafts on--apparently for viewers too antsy to sit through a period piece--a parallel, contemporary story.

Say what? I'm so tired of the parallel story device and I'm sorry to hear that it's been tacked onto Snow Flower and the Secret Fan! I thought it diminished the power of Water from Elephants, which would have worked quite well without the old-guy-in-a-nursing-home-remembering-when storyline. Wasn't the traveling circus story of love, violence, betrayal enough? Sure it was! [Another novel with an unnecessary parallel story was The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean. Have you read that one? What did you think?]

--Diane

Coming Soon to a Theater Near You

2011-07-11T09:00:00.001-04:00

This book by Lisa See was wildly popular with book groups a few years back. Interest is sure to be rekindled with the release of the filmed version at select theaters this Friday, and nationwide within the next three weeks.

The RTG kit for Snow Flower and the Secret Fan is hosted by Rye Public Library.

--Diane

Dress Up Your Book Group

2011-06-29T15:25:00.004-04:00

I always enjoy hearing about what book groups do besides read and discuss books. There are those groups that eat book-related treats, there are other groups that inbibe, there are groups that take field trips (one local group has visited England together). I read the following in the Los Altos (CA) Town Crier:

Occasionally, the group will host a meeting with a theme based on the time period or subject matter of the book. For example, when the group read "The Wednesday Sisters," set in 1970s Palo Alto, members dressed in ’70s attire and ate pigs in a blanket and ants on a log (celery, peanut butter and raisins).

Can you see your group dressing up? It might be fun to select books with a view to dressing up. For example, you could read Swamplandia! by Karen Rusell and everyone would dress as alligators!

--Diane

Image courtesy Clipart ETC.

Announcing...

2011-06-22T11:54:00.002-04:00

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson is now a READS-TO-GO kit!

The kit was donated by the Friends of the Rye Public Library and is hosted at the Rye Public Library. Rye P.L. prefers the kits to be requested by phone; call 964-8401.

Personally speaking, this was a fun read and is full of discussion opportunities. Your book group should love it--and what a perfect excuse for an English tea party! Or some Pakistani desserts!

--Diane

Just In Time for Summer Reading!

2011-06-14T16:49:00.003-04:00

Announcing our latest kits: The Help by Kathryn Stockett and The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. These two kits have been generously donated by the Manchester City Library Foundation and are hosted at the Manchester City Library.

The Help has been on the Publisher's Weekly Fiction Bestsellers list for 96 weeks, as of June 13th. Amazing!

Your group may want to hear what the listeners of The Diane Rehm Show on NPR had to say about The Help.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, though not as long on the bestsellers list, was published to great critical acclaim and was named by more than 60 critics as one of 2010's best books.

Here's an informative video of Skloot discussing her writing process:

To reserve either kit please contact Eleanor Croteau at 624-6550 ext 332, ecroteau@manchesternh.gov.

The RTG committee has yet another title to announce shortly. Stay tuned!

--Diane

Page 69 Test

2011-05-23T12:30:00.006-04:00

Back in 2006 the Campaign for the American Reader blog did a post on the page 69 test.

Marshall McLuhan suggested that you should choose your reading by turning to page 69 of a book and, if you like it, read it.

Since then, The Page 69 Test blog has been set up and has been applying the test to novels. The Page 99 Test blog was later set up to deal with nonfiction titles.

The two blogs have recorded the testing of hundreds of books. Take a look around the two sites if your discussion group is looking for titles for future sessions. After the discussion compare your group's opinion of page 69 (or 99) to the tester's opinion.

If your group is having a hard time coming up with a next title to read, bring several suggested titles to the group and have group members each read page 69. Make a decision based upon everyone's opinion of page 69. It could make for some interesting pre-book discussion discussion!

[For more information on the page 69 test, read this article from the U.K.'s newspaper, The Guardian.]

--Diane

thoughts on Nonfiction Book Group titles from Citizen Reader

2011-05-16T12:23:00.003-04:00

One of my favorite book bloggers is Citizen Reader. She reads and writes about both fiction and nonfiction, but tends to prefer nonfiction. This is a welcome change, as most book blogs focus on fiction or genre. CR (as her readers affectionately call her) also contributes to The Reader's Advisory Online, and has also written and co-written a couple of books on the subject, so she knows what she's talking about. CR recently put up a list of books she'd recommend for Nonfiction Book Groups. Has anyone read any of these or used them in your book groups? What do you think of using Three Cups of Tea due to the most recent controversy? Or Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother? What do you use in your NF book groups?

PS. CR also does something called a Book Menage a few times a year, which is an online book club where participants read two books and then discuss them online over a week long period. It's loads of fun, and highly recommended. Here's a link to the most recent titles; discussion begins May 23rd.

NH Library Association Conference Review

2011-05-10T15:58:00.007-04:00

Thanks to the planners of this year's conference that was held last Thursday and Friday in Manchester. It was fun and informative!

The READS-TO-GO committee led a roundtable discussion: "Read Any Good Books Lately?" Each of the five committee members brought a list of four titles to recommend to the attendees. We didn't even get through the list! And, we barely had time to discuss participants favorites. As that tee-shirt saying goes, "So many books, so little time."

The complete list of recommendations is included as a PDF under Reproducibles for Libraries, which is found on the right-hand side of the blog.

The RTG committee also put together a "Bag-o-Books" raffle for the READS table. It consisted of a bag filled with gently-used books, a coffee mug and a bag of coffee.

The committee has applied for a grant to fund 10 new kits. We asked people filling out raffle tickets to note if their libraries were willing to host a kit. We got 26 tickets that indicated a library was definitely interested in hosting, 25 indicated "may be," and 13 that were not interested. (Quite a number of these said that their libraries were already hosting a kit--for future reference, a library can host more than one kit if the ILL librarian is willing to handle the extra work. My library, is currently hosting three.)

Congratulations to our winner--Mystery Woman! The drawing was held at lunch. I didn't have a pen at hand to write down the winner's name and library, so that information is now lost to me, sorry.

--Diane

A Quote of Note

2011-04-27T15:07:00.003-04:00

Book clubs are the front porch of yesterday. They are the backyard neighbors we used to have. Book club feeds our souls, anchors friendships and provides a timeless hook to hang our hats.

~ Linda Friedel ~

Photo by Russell Lee courtesy Library of Congress.

--Diane

Water For Elephants: the movie.

2011-04-22T12:01:00.006-04:00

Have you seen the trailer for the film version of Water For Elephants yet? It stars Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson. Renewed interest in this title is likely, so contact the Gordon-Nash Library in New Hampton at 603.744.8061 to find out if this READS-To-Go kit is available for your book group!

A Little Controversy Is Always Good

2011-04-19T19:09:00.002-04:00

Always good for a writer, that is. Challenge something and interest and sales automatically go up. The author of Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations--One School at a Time, Greg Mortenson, has been taken to task by the television program 60 Minutes.

Mortenson has responded to accusations of inaccuracy in his book, and so has his publisher, Viking Press.

For as long as there is a bit of uncertainty as to the "truth" of Mortenson's story, interest in the book will be intensified. If your book group hasn't already read Three Cups of Tea, contact Bedford Public Library, 472-2300 or Barrington Public Library, 664-9715, to see if either of our two READS-TO-GO kits are available.

--Diane

And Yet Another!

2011-04-13T14:28:00.004-04:00

Thanks to Moultonborough P. L., The Post Mistress by Sarah Blake is now a READS-TO-GO kit!

If you're not familiar with the title, you can read The New York Times review by Janet Maslin by clicking here.

The book has been a bestseller in the U.S. and has been sold to publishers in thirteen other countries. I haven't heard about plans for a movie, but I'm sure there are actresses just salivating over the thought of playing any of the strong women in the story!

--Diane

One More Kit!

2011-04-06T09:29:00.004-04:00

Our newest kit has just been added to the program. It is Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder and it's being hosted by the Howe Library in Hanover.

Ron Suskind, in a New York Times review of Strength in What Remains wrote:

The transaction between writer and subject can easily be stage-managed for marketplace effect — moments overplayed to guide readers to tears or elation or preordained insights — and prose often takes on the weight of sentimentality, the great enemy of good writing, as J. D. Salinger put it, giving something "more tenderness than God gives to it."

What happened in this case? While reporting his 2003 best seller, Mountains Beyond Mountains, a fitfully earnest book about a character almost impossible to love too much — Dr. Paul Farmer, leader of a global campaign to eradicate preventable disease — Kidder stumbled across a spectral African refugee who had signed on with the doctor’s organization, Partners in Health, as a bit player, a guy helping out, answering e-mail, "performing any jobs that needed doing." His name was Deogratias, or "thanks be to God" in Latin.

Strength in What Remains is Deo’s story.

Suskind reassures us that Kidder tells Deo's story without the "weight of sentimentality."

This is Kidder’s great feat, one that has eluded him in some of his later work: trusting the reader enough to present characters in the full splatter of unsettling complexity.

The Howe Library will take holds if the kit is checked out, but will not take advance bookings. Give them a call at 643-4120.

--Diane

Another New Kit!

2011-03-30T11:11:00.005-04:00

Announcing the addition of Shanghai Girls by Lisa See! This kit was donated by the member libraries of Merri-Hill-Rock Co-op and is being hosted by the Chester Public Library.

Library director, Tim Sheehan, says he will take reserves by phone (887-3404) or email (chesterpubliclibrary@gmail.com).

Check out Lisa See's website where you'll find lots of interesting information about Shanghai Girls, including an awesome slideshow!

--Diane

PBS Masterpiece Book/Film Club guides available online.

2011-03-28T15:31:00.006-04:00

PBS Masterpiece has recently posted a collection of Book and Film Discussion guides to their website:

"You love to read and watch movies. Why not combine your passion for both with a Masterpiece Book & Film Club? Gather with friends — in a library, at home, in a café — to talk about books, films, costumes, actors, and more.

A Masterpiece Book & Film Club combines the appeal of a book club with the opportunity be a film critic. It's also a great way to get to know people in a new town or to meet like-minded people. Best of all, it's fun!"

You can read more about forming a Masterpiece Book and Film Club here.

Maine Isn't All That Far Away

2011-03-28T10:50:00.004-04:00

For those of you who are close to the Maine border, I'd like to tell you about the Maine Festival of the Book. It is taking place this weekend, April 1-3, in Portland, and there are some great writers who will be appearing including, Stewart O'Nan, Julia Glass, and Paul Harding.

--Diane

Logo courtesy Maine Reads

Coming in July

2011-03-23T09:00:00.000-04:00

The filmed version of Lisa See's Snow Flower and the Secret Fan will be out on July 15, just about the time it gets really hot in NH! It'll be nice to cool off at the theater and see what kind of job director Wayne Wang does in adapting the book.

I remember this title being white hot for book groups back about five years ago. Watch the trailer here, then see about booking the RTG kit for your book group, since without a doubt, there will be renewed interest in it come July.

--Diane

Musings

2011-03-21T11:49:00.002-04:00

The other day I stopped reading a book I had received in bound galley form

definition: Bound galleys are generally produced after a manuscript has been typeset but before proofreading, and are used by publicists to send to book reviewers, distributors and book clubs that like to see a copy of the book three or four months before its official publication date.

It had sounded like a sure hit for book discussion groups, but, after reading more than a third of it, I could take no more. It was poorly written. Plain and simple. The author, someone who is not a first time published writer, but is a first time novelist, needs a few more lessons in creating a believable plot and characters.

It may well be highly discussable: two of the characters are handicapped and institutionalized, and are an interracial couple, a third character is someone who has led a fairly isolated life prior to the novel's events, and, there is an innocent baby, but, I couldn't justify the time necessary to finish reading it.

How about you, do you stop reading if your book group's choice is, in your opinion, poorly written? And, if you stop reading, do you still go to the book discussion? Discussing the quality of an author's writing is, after all, still discussion.

--Diane

Book Club Guide to Graphic Novels

2011-03-17T11:28:00.005-04:00

Just recently, Booklist published a very handy guide to Using Graphic Novels in Book Clubs.

Along with discussing the various ways graphic novels can serve to diversify and deepen book group membership and discussion, they also give us a starter list of titles that should fire up a good discussion. Among these is Persepolis, which is available as a Reads-To-Go kit, hosted by Tracy Memorial in New London.

What do you think of using graphic novels in book groups?

--Beth

Announcing Another RTG Title!

2011-02-15T12:07:00.004-05:00

The latest RTG kit is A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. This book seems to be one you either love or hate, which, of course makes it highly discussable!

Ron Charles, in a review for the Washington Post, describes the book this way:

The novel is deliciously wicked and tense, presented as a series of sepia tableaux, interrupted by flashes of bright red violence. The whole thing takes place in a fever pitch of exquisite sensations and boundless grief in a place where "the winters were long, and tragedy and madness rose in the pristine air." The word "alone" spreads through these pages like mold in the cellar, until it's everywhere.

The stillness and whiteness of the Wisconsin setting eventually give way to the lush depravity of St. Louis, lined with music halls and opium dens. Much of this section takes place in "a tented, brocaded bedroom, like a palace abandoned before a revolution."

It certainly sounds intriguing, doesn't it?

The kit is being hosted by the Wiggin Memorial Library in Stratham.

--Diane

Inane?

2011-02-07T12:49:00.003-05:00

The power of inane conversation is widely misunderstood in our society. Calming hormones are released when people come together, sit around (often in organic circles) and just hang out. Think of a book club. How much time is actually spent discussing the book? Maybe a fraction of the evening, but the experience is so valuable that people continue to gather month after month for years on end.

~ Kari Henley ~

Do you think this trivializes book discussion groups? Is your book group one that engages in "inane conversation"?

--Diane

Image courtesy Open Clip Art Library

Lisa Genova

2011-01-18T11:36:00.003-05:00

Lisa Genova, author of a RTG kit Still Alice, will be at Gibson's this Thursday night to promote her newly released title, Left Neglected:

Lisa Genova, Left Neglected
Thursday, January 20, at 7 PM

Lisa Genova, the author of the bestselling novel, Still Alice, is back with another superb novel of damage and recovery. Sarah Nickerson is like any other career-driven supermom in Welmont, the affluent Boston suburb where she leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband Bob, faithful nanny, and three children--Lucy, Charlie, and nine-month-old Linus.

A self-confessed balloon about to burst, Sarah miraculously manages every minute of her life like an air traffic controller. Until one fateful day, while driving to work and trying to make a phone call, she looks away from the road for one second too long. In the blink of an eye, all the rapidly moving parts of her jam-packed life come to a screeching halt.

A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world, and for once, Sarah relinquishes control to those around her, including her formerly absent mother. Without the ability to even floss her own teeth, she struggles to find answers about her past and her uncertain future.

Now, as she wills herself to regain her independence and heal, Sarah must learn that her real destiny--her new, true life--may in fact lie far from the world of conference calls and spreadsheets. And that a happiness and peace greater than all the success in the world is close within reach, if only she slows down long enough to notice...

This event is presented in partnership with The New England Handicapped Sports Association (NEHSA), and a portion of our sales this evening will go to aid them in their efforts.

Let us know if you've read Genova's latest and what you think of its suitability for book group discussion.

The Book Club Spectrum

2011-01-14T10:01:00.004-05:00

Here's an interesting article for prospective book club participants, it's slightly tongue-in-cheek, but there is much truth to it: The Book Club Spectrum: Choosing One Right For You by Deborah Goldstein.

Goldstein states:

Finding the right book club for you is like finding the right mattress. You have to know your sleep number to sleep well, and you have to know your book club level to enjoy whatever it is that particular book club aims to enjoy.

--Diane

Another "Best Books of 2010" List

2010-12-29T11:41:00.006-05:00

This one, is from NPR and is entitled, "Book Club Picks: Give 'Em Something to Talk About." The list is compiled by Lynn Neary, herself a member of a book group, who has had some successful recommendations, and, one notable dud.

You may be interested to note that the RTG committee already has two of her recommendations under consideration, Faithful Place by Tana French, and The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman.

Do you have a favorite book from 2010 that you think would "give 'em something to talk about"? Here's my recommendation: What is Left the Daughter by Howard A. Norman. I've read many many books this year in my role as a RTG committee member, and this is by far, my favorite!

List your favorites of 2010 in the comments section below.

--Diane

Is Your Book Group Anywhere Near Concord, NH?

2010-12-20T06:36:00.004-05:00

If so, you may be interested in this letter forwarded to RTG by Deb Baker, Events Coordinator at Gibson's:

Dear readers,

I’m thrilled that my first novel, FINNY, was published by Random House this year, and that Gibson's has invited me to come talk about it with readers and book clubs on Monday, January 24, at 7 pm. The novel is a love story and coming-of-age tale about a defiant young woman named Finny Short, whose relationship with her childhood love leads her on a remarkable adventure, spanning twenty years and two continents.

There have been great reviews of the book recently in the New York Times, the Baltimore Sun, the London Financial Times, and the Boston Globe, in addition to a number of other papers. You can see the reviews and more information on the novel at my website: www.justinkramon.com.

I feel particularly fortunate that book clubs have enjoyed my novel so much. I've made in-person visits to over 50 clubs since the novel came out, and I'd be delighted if your club might consider choosing FINNY as your January read. Even if you haven't had a chance to finish the book before the 24th, please come by to say hi.

Looking forward to meeting you on the 24th.

All best,

Justin Kramon

If you have questions, you can contact Deb Baker at 224-0562 or gibsonsevents@yahoo.com.

If anyone has read Finny, what did you think? Is it a good discussion group choice? Please leave your thoughts in the comments below.

--Diane

Social Networking for Book Groups

2010-12-15T13:41:00.004-05:00

Book groups can share with other groups and their own members by participating in Book Movement.

Through Book Movement you can list favorite discussable books, rate them, find questions and links related to the books, etc. There's even information on forming a book club from Nancy Pearl.

The best part? It's free!

--Diane

Be a Sponsor!

2010-11-29T07:45:00.001-05:00

If your library or book group has leftover funds that you'd like to use up before the end of the year, consider sponsoring a READS-TO-GO kit. For approximately $180. you can provide 15 copies of a book, with discussion questions, in a sturdy canvas bag, to book groups around the state of New Hampshire. The name of the sponsoring group is included on a bookplate in every book.

Right now we have two titles which are popular, have been discussed by the RTG committee, and are waiting for generous sponsors to step up.

Please contact Diane Mayr, dmayr[AT]nesmithlibrary[DOT]org, if you are interested in sponsorship.

A bit of disappointing news: the publishing date for the wildly popular, The Help by Kathryn Stockett has been moved yet again. The new date is now 12/06/11--a whole year from now! By time it's released most every group will have read and discussed it! It's this year's "HOT" book group title as anyone who handles ILL requests can tell you.

--Diane

Not All of Us Are Dorothy Parker

2010-11-01T13:00:00.004-04:00

That's the conclusion drawn by one author at the end of a book group encounter. Writer, Melanie Benjamin writes of her book group experience-from-hell, and the way instantaneous communication can hurt!

Now, I'm not saying that, back in the day, Hemingway and Fitzgerald and Wolfe didn't get letters from readers complaining about their books. But it took some time and effort back then; a person had to write a letter, find a stamp, walk to the post office. Now, we're seeing every reader's impulsive thought, unfiltered. Even when they're not addressed to us specifically -- for I doubt that the average person who comments on Amazon or on Twitter is considering the fact that the author might be reading, as well--we see them. All of them. In all their impulsive, unfiltered, permanent-record glory.

Remember book group leaders, if you have members who don't know how to be gracious in their criticism, then perhaps your group should rethink "live" author visits.

Disappearing Men

2010-10-18T10:18:00.008-04:00

Okay, I'm willing to bet that nine out of ten book groups in our fair state, do not include male participants. The proportion of men may be higher in groups sponsored at public libraries, but among private groups, men are virtually absent.

This article, "Why Do Men Disappear When the Women's Book Club Shows Up?" by a writer from the Journal & Courier, a Lafayette, Indiana newspaper, does not really provide an explanation for the phenomena, but it is written from a male perspective.

Perhaps, though, men do not think that book discussion groups are for them since many discussions involve talking about "feelings." READS-TO-GO has a number of titles that appeal to men and don't necessarily involve feelings, but, are highly discussable none-the-less. Here are a few:

Bourdain, Anthony. Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly. Hosted by Hollis Social Library.

Card, Orson Scott. Ender's Game. Hosted by Rodgers Memorial Library, Hudson.

Kluger, Steve. Last Days of Summer. Hosted by Kelley Library, Salem.

Krakauer, Jon. Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith. Hosted by Wilmot Public Library.

Kurson, Robert. Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II. Hosted by Lane Memorial Library, Hampton.

Larsson, Stieg. The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo. Hosted by Hooksett Public Library.

McCarthy, Cormac. The Road. Hosted by Manchester City Library.

Roach, Mary. Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers. Hosted by Nesmith Library, Windham.

Ruiz Zafon, Carlos. Shadow of the Wind. Hosted by Hopkinton Town Library.

The RTG committee always welcomes suggestions of discussable recently published books for possible inclusion in future kits.

--Diane

One More Kit!

2010-10-04T12:29:00.008-04:00

Our latest kit is now ready to go! It is Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese and is hosted in Bristol at the Minot-Sleeper Library. The kit was sponsored through the generosity of the Friends of Minot-Sleeper Library.

Cutting for Stone, despite its length, 688 pages, is already a popular choice for book discussion groups. "Verghese's achievement is to make the reader feel there really is something at stake--birth, love, death, war, loyalty," says Aida Edemariam writing for The Guardian.

The kit is booked by a Bristol book group through November, but, if your group wants to be put on the waiting list for a future date, please contact the Minot-Sleeper Library directly at 744-3352.

Anyone Read This?

2010-09-30T09:46:00.004-04:00

One book that is certainly getting a lot of buzz is Room by Emma Donoghue.

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma, it is the prison where Old Nick has held her captive for seven years. Through determination, ingenuity, and fierce motherly love, Ma has created a life for Jack. But she knows it's not enough...not for her or for him. She devises a bold escape plan, one that relies on her young son's bravery and a lot of luck. What she does not realize is just how unprepared she is for the plan to actually work.

Told entirely in the language of the energetic, pragmatic five-year-old Jack, ROOM is a celebration of resilience and the limitless bond between parent and child, a brilliantly executed novel about what it means to journey from one world to another.

Despite its horrifying premise, and the fact that the main character is only five years old, people are raving about this book, including reviewers from The New York Times and The Guardian. Other reviewers, such as one from the Los Angeles Times are not as enthusiastic.

If you've read Room, let us know what you think about it in the comments below.

Emma Donoghue has a page on her website devoted to Room where you'll find book trailers, a discussion guide, links to author interviews, and more.

Without even having read it (we have multiple holds on our copy here in Windham), It's a pretty safe bet that once this comes out in paperback, it will be a hot book discussion group title. Stay tuned.

ATTENTION: Book Discussion Groups

2010-08-20T14:36:00.004-04:00

ReadingGroupGuides, a site devoted to book discussion groups, is celebrating its tenth anniversary with a contest for book groups. Have your group decide on its top ten favorite titles and your group could win a $200 gift certificate! Hurry because the form has to be submitted by Tuesday, 8/31!

--Diane

READS-TO-GO: The Eco-Friendly Book Group Choice

2010-08-18T14:42:00.003-04:00

Source: Newsweek, "Back Story: Books vs. E-Books"
http://www.newsweek.com/2010/08/03/back-story-books-vs-e-books.html

--Diane

Announcing...

2010-08-09T09:15:00.001-04:00

Our newest kit is Little Bee by Chris Cleave! We're now up to 65 kits (64 titles, we have 2 kits of Three Cups of Tea).

Little Bee is a book you don't want to miss. You'll find yourself experiencing a new country through the eyes of an illegal immigrant, Little Bee. You'll feel the pressures on Sarah, a modern woman, who is pulled by the demands of family and career. You'll laugh and you'll cry! (As cliched as that line is, it is true for this book!)

Read a review from The New York Times here.

Your group may want to read it soon, because the announcement of it being made into a film, starring Nicole Kidman, was recently made.

Little Bee's author, Chris Cleave, has one of the most book-group-friendly book sites I have come across. Check it out here.

The kit is being hosted by the Baker Free Library in Bow, 224-7113.

--Diane Mayr

Our Latest Kit Title--

2010-07-09T11:00:00.000-04:00

Is Mudbound by Hillary Jordan.

The kit is hosted by the Bartlett Public Library, 374-2755. The Bartlett Public Library's book club gets first crack at the kit--they are meeting mid-September! Call the library to discuss future availability.

To learn more about the author, there is an extensive blog interview here.

--Diane

What's In a Name?

2010-07-06T17:29:00.003-04:00

Plenty, I guess. I found not one, but several sites online, which have directions for naming your book group! The most extensive set of instructions I came across was at eHow.com. Who knew it was such a big deal?

After you've considered eHow's suggested methods, you may want to do a search at the Reader's Circle site to see what clubs in your area have named themselves, or, you can simply put in a random zip code to search for unique names that you could borrow. Think punny or practical for your name choices, the sky's the limit.

--Diane

Book Club Tweets

2010-06-10T10:21:00.003-04:00

No, this is not about a cartoon character's choice for a book club snack, it's about what is being billed as possibly the world's largest book club--One Book, One Twitter. You can read more about it here.

And what book is being read and discussed in 140 characters? Neil Gaiman's American Gods.

Considering that the book club has been in operation for a nearly a month, I'd have to say that it's not an immediate success. A look at Barnes & Noble rankings this morning shows the e-book at 2,999, the mass market paperback at 5,333, the trade paperback at 14,210, and the hardcover at 42,624.

The RTG won't be considering American Gods for inclusion as a kit title since the book came out nine years ago. I do, however, want to applaud the person who came up with the idea of using an older book! (Rant time: Salon, the online magazine, has started a book club. Its choice for the first title to be discussed? The Passage by Justin Cronin. Today is June 10, The Passage had a pub date of June 8--that was 2 days ago! Another point worth noting--the book is 784 pages long!)

--Diane

Four New Kits Added!

2010-05-24T10:28:00.009-04:00

We are pleased to announce the addition of four new kits to the READS-TO-GO program! They are:

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist, and Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker, form an unlikely team that discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through one of Sweden's wealthiest families, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism, and, an unexpected connection between themselves.

Host Library: Hooksett Public Library, 485-6092.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.

Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families,left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.

Host Library: Bethlehem Public Library, 869-2409.

My Life in France by Julia Child.

In her own words, here is the captivating story of Julia Child’s years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found "her true calling." From the moment the ship docked in Le Havre in the fall of 1948 and Julia watched the well-muscled stevedores unloading the cargo to the first perfectly soigné meal that she and her husband, Paul, savored in Rouen en route to Paris, where he was to work for the USIS, Julia had an awakening that changed her life.

Host Library: Ossipee Public Library, 539-6390, no online catalog.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah.

Host Library: Nashua Public Library, 589-4600.

--Diane

NHLA Annual Conference--Part 2

2010-05-18T19:05:00.007-04:00

The READS-TO-GO committee facilitated a discussion at the conference, "Read Any Good Books Lately?" There were about two dozen participants. Each of the five members of the committee got the exchange going by talking briefly about a book she had read within the past year and particularly enjoyed. The audience was then invited to mention books they loved. From that point on titles flowed freely. It was a fun and informative hour!

The RTG committee's recommendations may be found under "Reproducibles for Libraries" on the right hand side of the blog. Our scribe, Diane Gilson, took notes, and the complete list of titles, recommended by the whole group, will be made available shortly. It too, will be found under "Reproducibles for Libraries."

--Diane

NHLA Annual Conference

2010-05-17T15:56:00.011-04:00

The New Hampshire Library Association Annual Conference took place last week up at Attitash. READS-TO-GO had set out forms for people to complete if they wished to offer a suggestion for a RTG kit title. We tried to sweeten the pot by offering a chance to win, Food & Wine Magazine's 2010 Annual Cookbook. The lucky winner is Marilyn Swan of Effingham. Congratulations, and thanks for your suggestion, Marilyn!

Our titles criteria were: books have to be current (original copyright date within the last 2 years), are highly discussable, and are not already part of the kit program.

We received 20 suggestions, but only seven of the titles are going to be on the committee's "Under Consideration" list. The seven are in red. Here are the suggestions made:

The Bone People by Keri Hulme (F, 1986)--this title is much too old.

The Cellist of Sarajevo by Steven Galloway (F, 2008, pb. 3/09).

Eaarth by Bill McKibben (NF, 2010).

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson--this title was recently added as a RTG kit.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer--already in a RTG kit--three people mentioned this, and one commented, "More than one bag." There is a regional group in NH that is doing this title as a multi-community project, so there will probably be many, many copies of this title available in the state before too long. With this in mind, we will not consider adding a second bag. (The book choice hasn't been announced to the general public, therefore I won't mention the group.)

The Help by Kathryn Stockett (F, 2009, pb. scheduled for 1/11)--four people mentioned this, and one commented, "Even though it's still in hardcover." The RTG committee will stick to its original requirement that a title be available in paperback. There are several reasons for this, but the two most important are: 1. the additional sponsor cost (approx. $180 per kit in paperback versus $230 in hardcover); 2. the weight of 15 books (at 464 pages each) would require two bags and would put a burden on our van delivery people. RTG committee members have already read this one, so, as soon as it is available in paperback, we will have it in a kit! (As my late mother used to say, "Patience is a virtue, possess it if you can.")

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter & Sweet by Jamie Ford--this title was recently added as a RTG kit.

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot (NF, 2010, no pb. scheduled at this point)

Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif (F, 2000)--too old.

The Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell (NF, 2008, pb. scheduled for 10/10).

The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister (F, 2009, pb. 1/10)

Still Alice by Lisa Genove--already a RTG kit.

Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder (NF, 2009, pb. 5/10).

This World We Live In by Susan Beth Pfeffer (F, 2010)--this is the third in a YA series, and thus is outside our mission of providing books for adult discussion groups.

A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini (F, 2007, pb. 11/08)--no longer current.

--Diane

Suggestions For NH ILL Librarians

2010-04-26T14:07:00.006-04:00

Since there are so many active book groups in the state, perhaps those libraries that host a RTG kit might consider sending a message out to the ILL list when there is a lull in requests and the library finds that its kit is just collecting dust on the shelf. For example, the Nesmith Library has 2 kits that are waiting patiently for a ride on the van, one of which is The Book of Getting Even by Benjamin Taylor:

Gabriel Geismar, the gay son of an overbearing Jewish rabbi in New Orleans, escapes to college in the 1970s where he meets the Hundert twins, Daniel and Marghie, both of who fall in love with him, and is taken into the bosom of the Hundert family, finding more understanding and acceptance with Nobel prize-winning physicist Gregor Hundert and his wife than he ever did in his own household.

The other is Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach. (Call 432-7154 if interested in either title.)

I was told at a recent READS board meeting, that The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time, by Mark Haddon, has been shelf-sitting in Bedford.

Despite his overwhelming fear of interacting with people, Christopher, a mathematically-gifted, autistic fifteen-year-old boy, decides to investigate the murder of a neighbor's dog and uncovers secret information about his mother.

Call 472-3023.

Also on the shelf is Truth and Beauty: A Friendship, by Ann Patchett, in Nashua.

Ann Patchett and Lucy Grealy met in college in 1981, and after enrolling in the Iowa Writer's Workshop began a friendship that would be as defining to both of their lives as their work. In her critically acclaimed memoir, Autobiography of a Face, Lucy Grealy wrote about the first half of her life. In Truth & Beauty, the story isn't Lucy's life or Ann's life but the parts of their lives they shared together. This is a portrait of unwavering commitment that spans 20 years, from the long cold winters of the Midwest to surgical wards to book parties in New York. Through love, fame, drugs and despair, this is what it means to be part of two lives that are intertwined.

Call 589-4635.

Alternately, if you're in need of something, in a hurry, for a group to read, why not send a message to the ILL list saying, "Help! Are there any RTG kits available?" It's silly for us to have kits unused!

Please sign up to receive notifications by email of new posts to this blog (on the right hand side of this page). Besides the list we maintain here, you can also go to the NHU-PAC and use "READS-TO-GO kits" as your search term (under "title") for a list of current titles.

--Diane

Has Anyone Read Tinkers?

2010-04-21T10:40:00.004-04:00

Tinkers, by Paul Harding, a short first novel, only released in paperback by a small press, Bellevue Literary Press, won the 2010 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction! It's a real literary Cinderella story! You can read/listen to the story here.

Here's the publisher's description of the book:

An old man lies dying. As time collapses into memory, he travels deep into his past where he is reunited with his father and relives the wonder and pain of his impoverished New England youth. At once heartbreaking and life affirming, Tinkers is an elegiac meditation on love, loss, and the fierce beauty of nature.

No one on the RTG committee has read it, but it is now on our list of titles to consider. The trouble is, most library book distributors are out of stock, and the publisher is rushing additional copies into print, thus, it may be a while before we can read it! If you've read it, we welcome your opinion, especially about its "discussability."

--Diane

Another Source for Finding Titles for Your Book Club

2010-04-08T09:43:00.007-04:00

Flashlight Worthy Book Recommendations has put up a list of "Great Book Club Recommendations" here.

The lists cover a variety of subjects from books for mother-daughter groups, to best books about love, to dystopian novels.

Flashlight Worthy describes itself as providing, "handpicked book recommendations on dozens of topics." I've added the site to the "Other Book Discussion Resources" on the righthand side of the blog, so check it out for titles on almost any subject your group might be interested in.

--Diane

Happy St. Patrick's Day--You're in Luck!

2010-03-16T19:53:00.003-04:00

We've just added another RTG kit for your book group to enjoy! It's Breakfast With Buddha by Roland Merullo.

Otto Ringling is a straightlaced publishing executive with two kids, a lovely wife, a fine home in a fancy New York suburb, and a nagging suspicion that something’s missing. How, then, does he end up on traveling through Middle America with a berobed Mongolian monk? Ah. The real question to ask is, Why?

When his sister tricks him into taking her guru on a trip to their childhood home, Otto, a confirmed skeptic, is not amused. Six days on the road with an enigmatic holy man who answers every question with a riddle is not what he’d planned. But in an effort to westernize his passenger-and amuse himself-he decides to show the monk some “American fun” along the way. From a chocolate factory in Hershey to a bowling alley in South Bend, from a Cub’s game at Wrigley Field to his family farm near Bismarck, Otto is given the remarkable opportunity to see his world-and more important, his life-through someone else’s eyes. Gradually, skepticism yields to amazement as he realizes that his companion might just be the real thing.

Booklist, 9/01/07:

The skillful Merullo, using the lightest of touches, slowly turns this low-key comedy into a moving story of spiritual awakening.

Kirkus Reviews, 7/15/07:

...the author here provides a realistic framework that plays to his strengths as an astute observer of society and sympathetic analyst of individual psyches.

Library Journal, 9/01/07:

Especially well written, Merullo's second visionary novel (after Golfing with God) captures the spiritual struggle for true belief and inner peace with wit, clarity, and subtle reality.

Publisher's Weekly, 7/16/07

Merullo...delivers a comic but winningly spiritual roadtrip novel.

Breakfast With Buddha is being hosted by the Thornton Public Library, 726-8981.

The Second Time This Has Come Up...

2010-03-08T09:03:00.002-05:00

My last post consisted of a quote about a book club being like a cult in a Dan Brown novel. Now I've come across this statement by a London woman, Alyson Rudd, about her being invited to join a book club,

I was being asked to join a secret society.

C'mon, already! Actually, though, the article had some rather good things to say about book clubs such as this:

In some respects a book club sounds counterintuitive. Reading is a solitary pursuit, an opportunity to shut out the world of work or the drone of the television. For years I would, after devouring a great novel, feel low upon finishing it. It was worse than the end of a holiday. I had been part of a whole new world, a separate society, an individual’s trials and tribulations, murder and redemption or love and hate and then, with the turn of a final page, it was gone.

Book clubs are a cure for that sudden onset of depression. Instead of feeling lost upon finishing a captivating novel, you feel a buzz of anticipation. What did the rest of the gang make of it? You do not have to foist the book you have just enjoyed upon someone and have to wait for them to decide to read it.

Read the rest of "How a Book Club Changed My Life" here.

By the way, the book that Alyson Rudd mentioned is being discussed this week by The Times Book Club, One Day by David Nicholls, won't be released over here until June. I think the RTG committee may have to give it a read since Rudd says,

One Day is a perfect choice for a book club because it prompts a need in the reader to share the experience. It is not a book you snap shut with a satisfied sigh and move on. Whether you are moved, angered or baffled you simply must find out what others thought about it.

--Diane

Book Club Woes

2010-03-05T13:41:00.003-05:00

I just wanted to share this tidbit from the Washington Post's "Ask Amy."

Book clubs can be terrifying. Some of them are run like a mysterious cult in a Dan Brown novel. Once you get in, you can never really get out.

Read the rest here.

--Diane

New Kits!

2010-02-25T11:12:00.005-05:00

This month we have TWO new kits to announce! The first is Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian. In a Los Angeles Times review, the book is described this way:

The spark for Chris Bohjalian's 12th novel, Skeletons at the Feast, set during the last days of World War II in German-occupied Poland, came from diary entries written by a young German woman from 1920 to 1945, which were shared by the woman's grandson. Bohjalian's subsequent research into the period and interviews with German refugees and Holocaust survivors convinced him that a compelling story could be told.

His novel reflects varied points of view in the last, hellish months as the Third Reich is crumbling under attacks by Soviet forces from the east and Allied forces from the west. There is 18-year-old Anna, daughter of a well-heeled Prussian farmer and his pro-Reich wife. Her family supported Hitler in the early days, when the Fuehrer promised to reclaim German lands given to Poland after World War I; the family continues to fight for the Reich even when it seems hopeless.

The kit is hosted at the Nashua Public Library.

The second kit added this month is Still Alice by Lisa Genova. From a review in Book Page:

First-time novelist Lisa Genova self-published Still Alice before the book was picked up by Pocket Books. But the knowledge she has gained from earning a doctorate in neuroscience and serving as an online columnist for the National Alzheimer's Association, shines throughout this debut, a realistic portrayal of an intelligent, independent woman facing early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

It's painful to witness scene after scene of forgetting, particularly as Alice awaits and then denies her diagnosis. But through those incidents, Alice's plight evokes the reader's sympathy and understanding. Still Alice tracks her mental decline over a two-year period, revealing how early-onset Alzheimer's affects Alice's relationships, career and sense of self. During the disease's rapid progression, she becomes more and more dependent on her husband and three grown children to guide her through each day. Once-mundane tasks become to-do list fodder. Alice makes notes to remind herself to take medication every morning and evening. She's even prone to forget to teach classes.

The Still Alice Kit is hosted by the Fitzwilliam Town Library.

There's plenty for your book group to discuss with these two new kit titles--enjoy!

--Diane

Just a Few Reminders

2010-02-12T14:35:00.006-05:00

READS-TO-GO kits contain paperback books. We do not add a title to the program until the paperback has been released. We realize that The Help, by Kathryn Stockett, is in great demand right now, but it will not be made into a kit just yet. Originally the paperback release date was scheduled for the spring of 2010, now we've found that it has been pushed to January 2011! These things are out of our control! Please remember that if a book is discussable today, it will still be discussable a year from now.

If a library agrees to host a kit, it must be willing to purchase the books and process the kit quickly so that the kit can start circulating as soon as possible.

While we appreciate receiving offers of used books that your book group would like to donate, they may not fit into our guidelines. If the title is not current (published in paperback within the last 2 years), or if we already have the title in a kit, we probably won't add it to our program. If in doubt, please write to us at reads-to-go@comcast.net and ask.

The READS-TO-GO committee is composed of five volunteers in different locations and with differing schedules, so we ask for your patience when you are expecting a response from us.

Happy Reading!

--Diane

Okay, Book Group People--What Do You Think?

2010-02-10T10:49:00.002-05:00

Do you feel slammed or amused? Comments welcomed!

--Diane

Drumroll Please!

2010-01-25T15:05:00.004-05:00

Announcing our newest READS-TO-GO kit: The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

The kit is hosted by Kelley Library in Salem. There has been a little delay in having it appear in the NHU-PAC, so, for right now, don't look for it there. Faithful readers of this blog have first crack at booking it! Call Kelley Library at 898-7064. Ask for Elizabeth or Paul in Reference.

Caryn James begins her New York Times review of the book:

Will Americans embrace a heroine who skulks like a spy among the intelligentsia, an apparently unlettered concierge who secretly disdains Husserl’s philosophy, adores Ozu’s films and is so passionate about Tolstoy she named her cat Leo? Or will Muriel Barbery’s studied yet appealing commercial hit be a purely European phenomenon, exposing a cultural fault line?

The Elegance of the Hedgehog, a best seller in France and several other countries, belongs to a distinct subgenre: the accessible book that flatters readers with its intellectual veneer.

From the number of recent interlibrary loan requests coming through for this title, I'd say it is a book discussion group hit!

Maybe a little French philosophy is just what your group needs! Don't forget to serve up some French pastries, too!

--Diane

Favorite Quotes

2010-01-13T12:18:00.002-05:00

At one time, in my library book discussion group, we had a participant who would bring in the book being discussed with the pages of her favorite quotes marked. Some months, her book looked a little like a porcupine with all the adhesive notes sticking out of the pages.

Other participants soon followed suit and bookmarked their favorite quotes. This often resulted in some pretty interesting discussions aside from those generated by the packaged questions.

For example, here's a quote from one of our kit titles, Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks:

If we balanced the time we spent contemplating God, and why He afflicted us, with more thought as to how the Plague spread and poisoned our blood, then we might come nearer to saving our lives.

While these thoughts were vexing, they brought with them also a chink of light. For if we could be allowed to see the Plague as a thing in Nature merely, we did not have to trouble about some grand celestial design that had to be completed before the disease would abate. We could simply work upon it as a farmer might toil to rid his field of unwanted tare, knowing that when we found the tools and the method and the resolve, we would free ourselves, no matter if we were a village full of sinners or a host of saints.

Can you see the discussion that might evolve from this quote?

Think about asking your group to bookmark their favorite quotes for your next meeting.

--Diane

Looking for Something Different?

2010-01-06T09:00:00.002-05:00

Here's a RTG kit that you may not have considered for your group: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. The publisher summarizes the plot this way:

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister.

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives.

Ender's Game earned the praise of the New York Times Book Review and other review sources. It also won the prestigious Hugo (1986) and Nebula (1985) Awards for best novel. Library Journal called it "both a gripping tale of adventure in space and a scathing indictment of the militaristic mind."

This book is particularly appealing to young adults, so please consider it also for your teen book groups. RTG's mission doesn't encompass a young adult audience, but some titles in our program do have a broader appeal.

Ender's Game is hosted at the Rodgers Memorial Library in Hudson.

--Diane

Another Kit!

2009-12-28T10:57:00.008-05:00

The 2009 Pulitzer Prize winner for fiction, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, is now a RTG kit. The kit will reside at the Minot-Sleeper Library in Bristol.

Perhaps your book group would enjoy listening to an interview with the author. WBUR's Tom Ashbrook spoke with Strout on On Point shortly after she won the Pulitzer. You can read another interview here.

--Diane

Can You See Any of These Becoming a RTG Kit?

2009-12-14T09:00:00.000-05:00

Salon, the online magazine, asked several writers for their favorite books of 2009. It was interesting to read of the varied titles and the reasons writers had for choosing them. Check it out for yourself.

Here, without commentary, is the list of suggested titles:

Aridjis, Chloe. Book of Clouds.
Cohen, Alice Eve. What I Thought I Knew.
Crumb, R. Book of Genesis.
Eagleman, David. Sum: 40 Tales From the Afterlives.
Eggers, Dave. Zeitoun.
Eisler, Barry. Fault Line.
Holmes, Richard. Age of Wonder.
Hornby, Nick. Juliet, Naked.
Keegan, Nicola. Swimming.
Marlon, James. The Book of Night Women.
Munro, Alice. Too Much Happiness: Stories.
Olmstead, Robert. Far Bright Star.
Stuever, Hank. Tinsel: A Search for America's Christmas Present.
Walls, Jeannette. Half Broke Horses.
Walter, Jess. The Financial Lives of the Poets. (2 picked this title)
Welch, Amanda, Dan, Diana, and Liz. The Kids Are All Right: A Memoir.
Wray, John. Lowboy.

Have you read any of the titles? If so, do you think they'd be good for a discussion group?

--Diane

Reading Women

2009-12-07T08:34:00.002-05:00

Just over the border, in Methuen, MA, a reference librarian at the Nevins Memorial Library, Nanci Milone Hill, has put together a resource for librarians, and book group leaders, looking for books to suggest to book groups composed of women.

A post on the Booklist Book Buzz Blog mentions the forthcoming (5/10) book from Greenwood Publishing Group. The book, Reading Women: A Book Club Guide for Women’s Fiction, will cover 100 titles of women’s fiction, romance, and chick lit--genres that are often overlooked as being "too lightweight" for book group discussions.

Until the book is released, you may want to check out some of Hill's tweets. She goes by the name, bookwoman3966.

Book Covers

2009-11-30T09:00:00.002-05:00

One question that can always be added to any book discussion is, "If you knew nothing about this book, and you saw the cover on display in the library, would you pick it up?"

This one question can then lead to all sorts of additional questions such as:

Does the cover accurately depict the contents of the book?

Who does the cover appeal to? Is this the book's intended audience?

What does the placement and font size of the author's name tell you?

Do you think the jacket artist is male or female? Why?

What would you do differently?

I came across an extremely interesting discussion on trends in cover design on the First Things blog. It could be the basis for an interesting library program, or for a discussion in a book group.

The Book Cover Archive, "for the appreciation and categorization of excellence in book cover design," is a look at more than 1,000 book covers! The site also provides links to other places to go for information on book cover design.

--Diane

Independent Bookstores

2009-11-23T08:30:00.000-05:00

Many book groups want to discuss books that have not yet been released in paperback versions, case in point, The Help by Kathryn Stockett. Until a book is available in paperback, you will not find it in a READS-TO-GO kit, and chances are, if it's that popular, not enough copies will be available to interlibrary loan.

So what do you do if the group insists upon reading The Help now? Encourage the group to support its local independent bookstores. Click on the logo below to find bookstores in your area.

Since it doesn't look like The Help will be out in paperback until June of 2010, you may want to interest the group in any of the great titles that are already available as READS-TO-GO kits!

--Diane

Discussion Companions

2009-11-16T09:14:00.005-05:00

Sometimes a group likes to explore more than one point of view on a subject, or likes to further explore a topic. Here are a few titles to combine with some of our RTG kits:

Kit: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time: A Novel by Mark Haddon.
Companion reading: Look Me in the Eye: My Life with Asperger's by John Elder Robinson.
Haddon's book is a work of fiction about a teen with autism. Robinson's is an autobiographical look at a person who has Asperger's (a form of autism).

Kit: Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.
Companion reading: Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman.
Both these novels are about women who possess extra-ordinary powers.

Kit: A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel.
Companion reading: She Got Up Off the Couch: And Other Heroic Acts from Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel.
The second book continues Kimmel's story of her childhood and focuses on her mother.

Kit: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.
Companion reading: The Keeper's Son by Homer H. Hickam.
Two novels of World War II and citizen interaction with the enemy.

Kit: Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island by Linda Greenlaw.
Companion reading: Stern Men by Elizabeth Gilbert.
Island living and lobstermen--real and fictional.

--Diane

ANNOUNCING OUR NEWEST TITLES!

2009-11-10T17:24:00.006-05:00

Five new titles have been added to the READS-TO-GO program:

All the titles are fiction. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein and In the Woods by Tana French are both hosted at Portsmouth Public Library. The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz was donated by the Friends of the Lee Public Library and is hosted at the Lee Public Library. Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum was donated by the Hillstown Co-op and is hosted at the Amherst Public Library. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen was donated by the Exeter Area GFWC and is hosted at Exeter Public Library.

Many thanks to all the donors and hosting libraries!

--Diane

Kits Containing a Large Print Copy

2009-11-04T13:25:00.019-05:00

READS-TO-GO requires that one of the 15 books in a kit be a large print copy. Sadly, not every book is released in a large print version, and not every large print book stays in print long enough to be added to a kit. Such is the business of publishing, but it means that the majority of our kits don't contain a large print copy.

For those book groups that require a large print copy, here is a list of kit titles that can meet that need:

The Art of Racing in the Rain
The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao
Burning Marguerite
Eye Contact
Faithful Place
Garden Spells
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
The Help
Here If You Need Me: A True Story
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
In the Woods
Little Bee
The Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand
The Memory Keeper's Daughter
My Sister's Keeper
Olive Kitteridge
Out Stealing Horses
Red Hook Road
A Reliable Wife
Room
Sarah's Key
Shanghai Girls
Skeletons at the Feast
Still Alice
Strength in What Remains
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations--One School at a Time
The Time Traveler's Wife
A Visit from the Goon Squad
Water for Elephants

The following kit has 14 regular print copies and one audio version:

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II

The above kit is the ONLY one containing an audio. The RTG committee had many discussions about including an audio edition in a kit. We decided against it for a number of reasons:

Cost--audios tend to be priced higher than books. An audio version may cost two or three times more depending on vendor (and may have to be special ordered from a vendor that a library does not normally deal with).

Audios require tracking--someone has to make sure all disks are returned and are undamaged. If one or more are damaged, then there is the replacement problem to deal with.

Audios are fragile and may be easily damaged in a bag with 14 books.

Not every title comes in an audio version.

--Diane

Photo by Travelin' Librarian

A Little Levity...

2009-10-29T11:27:00.002-04:00

This from an independent bookstore's blog: "Top 10 Reasons Book Club Is like Church."

I found the link on the Shelf-Awareness daily newsletter. I have the Monday through Friday newsletter delivered to my inbox; if you're a librarian, you might want to consider subscribing, too. It's well worth it to keep track of upcoming releases and media promotions, and, it doesn't cost a penny.

--Diane

The Red Tent Revisited

2009-10-26T11:28:00.005-04:00

Five or six years ago, The Red Tent by Anita Diamant was a "hot" book discussion group title. The title was made into a book bag at the start of the RTG program because of its popularity, but, that popularity has died down considerably. If your group had wanted to discuss it and was unable to get enough copies in the past, now you can add the book back on your list. To refresh your memory, here's how the author describes The Red Tent on her website:

Booksense Book of the Year, 2001

The Red Tent retells the story of Dinah, which is found in the Biblical book of Genesis, Chapter 34. This episode, usually known as the "Rape of Dinah" has been a difficult passage for bible readers for centuries because of the murderous behavior of Jacob's sons. In Genesis, Dinah does not say a single word; what happens to her is recounted and characterized as rape by her brothers. In my retelling of the story, Dinah finds her voice. The Red Tent is told entirely from her perspective and the point of view of the women around her.

The kit is hosted by the Wiggin Memorial Library in Stratham. Contact the ILL librarian at ill@wigginml.org to check availability.

As with all kits, The Red Tent comes with discussion questions to get you started. Another question to consider adding is this, "Rabbi J. Avram Rothman, in an article entitled, 'The Red Tent: If You Knew Dina Like I Know Dina' states,

Only sheer audacity would enable an author to rewrite the history of a nation's seminal figures, tarnishing the name of Judaism's noble ancestors. They were fallible, but they were giants. Even historical fiction must be based on history. And in this, she fails.

What do you think about this statement? Is it wrong for a writer of fiction to portray a character with 21st. century sensibilities? Has Diamant failed?"

National Reading Group Month

2009-10-19T14:39:00.003-04:00

Did you know that October is National Reading Group Month? Learn how to take part in the celebrations by visiting the National Reading Group Month website. Also visit the site for suggested titles for your book group.

--Diane

Looking for a Creepy Read?

2009-10-15T15:27:00.006-04:00

Perhaps your book group is looking for something a little bit creepy to read this Halloween season? If so, why not try Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach? It is currently available from the Nesmith Library. Give Lois a call at 432-7154 to borrow the kit.

Here's an interesting bit from a New York Times interview, "Stray Questions for: Mary Roach":

Whose books are generally shelved around yours in bookstores? How does it feel to be sitting between them?

When my first book--Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers--came out, Borders shelved it in Medical Reference. Stiff is not a reference book. There is no practical medical advice except, like, Never remove your head for more than nine minutes. My husband kept saying, "You’ve got to do something about this, you’ve got to call them!" So I do. I call up Borders headquarters in Minneapolis and I ask to speak to Guy Who Decides Where Books Get Shelved. Of course, there is no guy. The receptionist asks for the title of my book, she checks a list, and she puts me through to Guy Who Deals with Medical Reference. What I don’t know at the time is that this man has taken a liking to my book. He spends his days with Healing Your Sinuses and Dr. Jensen’s Guide to Better Bowel Care. Stiff is high art to him. It is because of this fine man that Stiff becomes a Borders "Original Voices" book. These books are displayed on their own special shelf in the stores. This is a great boon and honor, not to mention a welcome furlough from Medical Reference. But at the time I call, I know nothing of this man’s deeds. I fill his voicemail box with a whingeing ignoramus request to be moved to, what, Sewing Craft? Gardening? A few hours later my publicist e-mails me. There is panic in the land. Damage control is underway. "Mary," it concludes, "please don’t ever call Borders headquarters again."

As far as I know, Stiff is still shelved in Medical Reference. I told this story to a Borders employee a while back. "That’s not so bad," she said. "We put The Perfect Storm in Commercial Fishing."

To read another New York Times article, this one by Mary Roach, click here.

Try serving your group a few Halloween treats to go along with Stiff. I'd recommend the "Carrot Finger-Food" or one of the other recipes from FamilyFun. Have a great time!

--Diane

Oprah's Choice

2009-10-08T13:22:00.003-04:00

Say You're One of Them by Uwem Akpan is Oprah's latest book club choice. Have any of you read it? If so, please let us know what you think, and if you think it will be the next "hot" book that NH libraries will be clamoring for.

Libraries that are members of the American Library Association get free copies through the generosity of the Oprah's book club choice publishers.

If your library takes part in the ALA/Oprah program, please consider donating your extra copies if RTG decides to add Say You're One of Them to our kit choices.

--Diane

Weigh In on Our Dilemma

2009-09-28T14:39:00.004-04:00

There have been many requests recently for multiple copies of The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery for book discussion groups.

The RTG committee has been discussing adding this title as a kit, but none of us has been able to read it, and we haven't heard of anyone who actually LIKES the book. Have any of you read the book or attended a group discussion of the title? (Nesmith Library's copy has been out 25 times since we got it in February and I haven't been able to read it myself yet!)

Our reticence comes from our experience that those who do not like a book generally don't finish it and tend to skip the discussion. If half the group doesn't show up, is it still worthwhile? Personally, I think "Did you like this book? If not, why?" is a great discussion question!

There are discussion questions available from the publisher, so finding questions is not the problem.

Please weigh in, and let us know what you think! You can comment below or contact us here.

--Diane Mayr and the READS-TO-GO committee

Pass the Popcorn!

2009-09-21T14:30:00.005-04:00

Is your book discussion group getting a little stale? Why not schedule a book-to-film discussion? Come together for a discussion of one of these READS-TO-GO titles one week, then rent or borrow the DVD and meet again to view it and compare it to the book:

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Sijie Dai. The movie was directed by the author.

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards. The film stars Dermot Mulroney and Gretchen Mol.

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri. The movie was filmed in New York and Calcutta, India.

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi. This animated flick features the voices of Sean Penn and Gena Rowlands.

If your group doesn't want to view a film, pick a book that hasn't yet been filmed, and in your discussions, decide who should play the main characters if it were being filmed. It's a surefire way of getting a discussion going!

Don't forget to serve popcorn--everything goes better with popcorn!

Welcome to the New READS-TO-GO Site

2009-09-01T12:34:00.002-04:00

The READS-TO-GO committee has put together this site to provide you with information about the READS-TO-GO book discussion kit program. Look around and let us know what you think--we welcome your comments and suggestions!

Only about Half of the Titles that READS-TO-GO Has to Offer!

2009-08-24T14:36:00.008-04:00

Announcing Our Newest Kit

2009-08-21T12:07:00.003-04:00

Julie and Julia, by Julie Powell, is now contained in a RTG kit being hosted by Ossipee Public Library.

Frequently Asked Questions

2009-08-21T11:42:00.010-04:00

What is in a kit?

A kit consists of a sturdy canvas bag, 15 paperback copies of the title (one of which may be a large print version, in paper or hardcover, depending upon availability), discussion questions, a sign-out sheet, and a discussion group flyer.

Which libraries can sponsor a kit?

Libraries must participate in the New Hampshire Interlibrary Loan Program, and have a van stop.

How long can a kit be checked out?

The standard length of time a kit may be checked out is eight weeks. However, the host library has some discretion to extend the borrowing period. It may not, however, reduce the borrowing time to less than eight weeks.

How can book clubs borrow an RTG kit?

Kits are circulated through the ILL system. Book club representatives should contact their local public library. A library card is required to check out kits.

How can libraries reserve a kit?

Reserves are based on demand and are left to the discretion of the host library. If you would like to reserve a kit, please contact the host library to discuss reserve options.

What are the criteria for adding a book to the list?

Additions must be current and available in paperback (the large print copy may be in hardcover). The book should present opportunities for discussion and have discussion questions available. Any candidate for addition to the list will be reviewed by the RTG Committee before being added.

What if all the books in a kit are not returned?

All kits must be returned to the host library by the due date. If missing items are not returned within two weeks of the due date, the host library will bill the borrowing library for the missing items.

What if a copy of a book is lost or damaged?

If a book is lost or damaged, contact the host library to discuss replacement options. In all cases of lost or missing items, the borrowing library assumes the cost of replacements. (Patron responsibility is left to the discretion of the borrowing library.)

Are RTG kits renewable?

Kits are renewable at the discretion of the sponsoring library, based on demand.

I have a suggestion/question, or I would like to sponsor a RTG kit, whom do I contact?

Contact a RTG committee member:

Diane Mayr, chairperson, Nesmith Library, Windham
(Click here to send an email.)
Sarah Basbas, West Side Community Library branch of Manchester City Library
Claudia Mayer, Manchester City Library
Elizabeth Nerbonne, Rochester Public Library
Tricia Ryden, Wiggin Memorial Library, Stratham

Sponsoring a Kit--Libraries

2009-08-21T11:30:00.004-04:00

If your library is interested in sponsoring a READS-TO-GO kit, please contact Diane Mayr to discuss available titles. (See also information found under Sponsoring a Kit--Book Clubs)

Once you have been assigned a title you purchase the books. You will need 14 trade paperbacks and 1 large print copy (preferably paperback, but hardcover if a paperback is not available) of the title. If a large print edition is not available, then purchase 15 trade paperbacks. Expect the cost to be approximately $180 (actual cost depends on the list price and the discount the library receives; the one large print book may cost a bit more).

You will be sent, via the state van, a RTG canvas bag, bookplates, a luggage tag, a plastic slash pocket to hold discussion questions, a sign out sheet and a brochure for the book discussion group.

In order for RTG books to be readily distinguishable from other library materials, the RTG committee has developed a set of processing instructions, which will be sent to you as well. Discussion questions and other materials will be made available so that you can download them should you need them.

Borrowing a Kit--Libraries

2009-08-21T11:21:00.003-04:00

To borrow a READS-TO-GO Kit, all you do is follow normal NH interlibrary loan request procedures. All kits are listed in the NHU-PAC (do a keyword or title search using the term "READS-TO-GO kit"). However, before promising a discussion group a particular title for a particular month, we suggest first checking to see if the desired kit is available.

You may check the host library's online catalog, or directly contact the ILL person at the host library. The host library will tell you how to proceed, i.e., whether a NHU-PAC request is required or if a verbal/email request is sufficient.

It is important that the borrowing library instruct its book discussion group that the kit must be returned on time so that other groups in the state can enjoy it, too!

READS-TO-GO History

2009-08-21T11:20:00.005-04:00

The purpose of READS-TO-GO is to offer the opportunity for New Hampshire libraries to support and encourage the formation of book discussion groups with the intent to connect people through reading. Our plan is to accomplish this by providing access to book discussion kits for use by libraries and the communities they serve.

The concept of READS-TO-GO originated from the READS Roundtable Discussions, "The Nuts and Bolts of Book Groups," which were held in March of 2006. As a result of those discussions it was clear that librarians felt there was a need for Book Discussion kits composed of "hot" new titles that could be circulated throughout the state to support book discussion groups held in libraries as well as local book discussion groups.

A steering committee was formed in September of 2006 charged with the task of developing the READS-TO-GO program. An initial list of 25 titles was developed. This list contained a variety of titles--fiction, nonfiction, memoir, speculative fiction, graphic novel. The "hottest" title at that time for book discussion groups, The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards, became kit #1.

After eight months of concentrated effort the READS-TO-GO program was launched at the NHLA Spring conference.

By October 1, 2007, there were 33 kits in the program. By October 1, 2008 there were 42. By October 1, 2009 there were 56. Due to the success of the program we have exceeded our original plan of adding approximately 5 new kits per year!

Who said RTG committee meetings were all business?

The committee meets on a quarterly basis, with additional meetings held as needed. Minutes from RTG meetings may be found on the READS website.

We hope the information on this site will address any questions you may have about the program as well as provide downloadable materials that you can print for use in your library or book group.

Sponsoring a Kit--Book Clubs

2009-08-21T10:46:00.001-04:00

If your book club (or other organization) is interested in sponsoring a RTG book discussion kit, here is some information you need to know:

The READS-TO-GO committee reads and discusses newly published titles all year long. Those titles that they think will be in great demand, are highly discussable, and are available in paperback, are added to a master list.

The committee also monitors NH interlibrary loan activity to see which titles appear to be "hot" book club choices. After committee discussion these titles may also be added to the master list.

When a group decides to sponsor a kit, the group representative should contact the local public library. The librarian will contact the RTG committee which will assign a title from the master list.

The librarian will order 15 copies of the assigned title and process the kit. Expect the cost to be approximately $180 (actual cost depends on the list price and the discount the library receives; the one large print book may cost a bit more).

A group is free to suggest titles for a kit it would like to sponsor, but the RTG committee reserves the right to refuse a title that does not fall within its guidelines.

Your group's generosity will be noted on a bookplate that is affixed to each book in the kit and groups all over NH will be grateful for your gift!

Borrowing a Kit--Book Clubs

2009-08-21T10:45:00.001-04:00

To borrow a READS-TO-GO Kit, contact your local public library and ask the interlibrary loan librarian to place an ILL loan request for the desired kit.

Due to the popularity of some of the kits, the title you want may not be immediately available. Please let your interlibrary loan librarian know if you are willing to wait. Also, it would help if you had a backup title or two!

Reproducibles for Libraries

2009-08-21T10:05:00.002-04:00

Book Discussion Kit Titles: Fiction

2009-08-21T10:02:00.055-04:00

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein.

Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by listening very closely to the words of his master, Denny Swift, an up-and-coming race car driver. Through Denny, Enzo has gained tremendous insight into the human condition, and he sees that life, like racing, isn't simply about going fast. Using the techniques needed on the race track, one can successfully navigate all of life's ordeals.

Host Library: Portsmouth Public Library, 427-1540.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Sijie Dai.

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress tells the story of two hapless city boys exiled to a remote mountain village for re-education during China’s infamous Cultural Revolution. There the two friends meet the daughter of the local tailor and discover a hidden stash of Western classics in Chinese translation. As they flirt with the seamstress and secretly devour these banned works, the two friends find transit from their grim surroundings to worlds they never imagined.

Host Library: Philip Read Memorial Library, Plainfield, 675-6866, no online catalog.

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett.

Somewhere in South America, at the home of the country's vice president, a lavish birthday party is being held in honor of Mr. Hosokawa, a powerful Japanese businessman. Roxanne Coss, opera's most revered soprano, has mesmerized the international guests with her singing. It is a perfect evening -- until a band of gun-wielding terrorists breaks in through the air-conditioning vents and takes the entire party hostage. But what begins as a panicked, life-threatening scenario slowly evolves into something quite different, as terrorists and hostages forge unexpected bonds and people from different countries and continents become compatriots.

Host Library: Plaistow Public Library, 382-6011.

The Book of Getting Even by Benjamin Taylor.

Son of a rabbi, budding astronomer Gabriel Geismar is on his way from youth to manhood in the 1970s when he falls in love with the esteemed and beguiling Hundert family, different in every way from his own. Over the course of a decade-long drama unfolding in New Orleans, Philadelphia, New York, Chicago, and the Wisconsin countryside, Gabriel enters more and more passionately and intimately into the world of his elective clan, discovering at the inmost center that he alone must bear the full weight of their tragedies, past and present.

Sponsor: Steerforth Press, Hanover, NH.
Host Library: Nesmith Library, Windham, 432-7154.

Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo.

When his sister tricks him into taking her guru on a trip to their childhood home, Otto Ringling, a confirmed skeptic, is not amused. Six days on the road with an enigmatic holy man who answers every question with a riddle is not what he'd planned. But in an effort to westernize his passenger—and amuse himself—he decides to show the monk some "American fun" along the way.

Host Library: Thornton Public Library, 726-8981.

The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz.

Oscar is a sweet but disastrously overweight ghetto nerd who—from the New Jersey home he shares with his old world mother and rebellious sister—dreams of becoming the Dominican J.R.R. Tolkien and, most of all, finding love. But Oscar may never get what he wants. Blame the fukú—a curse that has haunted Oscar’s family for generations, following them on their epic journey from Santo Domingo to the USA. Encapsulating Dominican-American history, The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao opens our eyes to an astonishing vision of the contemporary American experience and explores the endless human capacity to persevere—and risk it all—in the name of love.

Sponsor: The Friends of the Lee Public Library.
Host Library: Lee Public Library, 659-2626.

Burning Marguerite by Elizabeth Inness-Brown.

Waking to the chill of a snow-cloaked morning, carpenter James Jack Wright finds ninety-four-year-old Marguerite Deo lying dead in the woods outside his cabin. As he confronts the mystery of her death--why would Marguerite, his "Tante" since his infancy, walk out into the cold winter night?--an unexpected tale unfolds, moving from the present back to James Jack's childhood, to New Orleans during the Depression and World War II, and finally to a windswept New England island at the turn of the century.

Host Library: Somersworth Public Library, 692-4587, no online catalog.

Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister by Gregory Maguire.

From Gregory Maguire, the acclaimed author of Wicked, comes his much-anticipated second novel, a brilliant and provocative retelling of the timeless Cinderella tale.

Far more than a mere fairy-tale, Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister is a novel of beauty and betrayal, illusion and understanding, reminding us that deception can be unearthed--and love unveiled--in the most unexpected of places.

Sponsor: Friends of the Dunbar Free Library.
Host Library: Dunbar Free Library, Grantham, 863-2172.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time by Mark Haddon.

Christopher Boone is a fifteen and has Asperger's, a form of autism. He knows a great deal about math and very little about human beings. When he finds his neighbor's dog murdered he sets out on a terrifying journey which will turn his world upside down.

Host Library: Bedford Public Library, 472-2300.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.

When the past catches up to him—nearly destroying him—Marion Stone must entrust his life to the two men he thought he trusted least in the world: the surgeon father who abandoned him and his twin brother, Shiva, who betrayed him.

Sponsor: Friends of the Minot-Sleeper Library
Host Library: Minot-Sleeper Library, Bristol, 744-3352.

The Dogs of Babel by Carolyn Parkhurst.

When his wife dies in a fall from a tree in their backyard, linguist Paul Iverson is wild with despair. In the days that follow, Paul becomes certain that Lexy's death was no accident. Strange clues have been left behind: unique, personal messages that only she could have left and that he is determined to decipher. So begins Paul's fantastic and even perilous search for the truth, as he abandons his everyday life to embark on a series of experiments designed to teach his dog Lorelei to communicate.

Host Library: North Hampton Public Library, 964-6326.

The Elegance of the Hedgehog by Muriel Barbery.

Life, art, literature, philosophy, culture, class, privilege, and power, seen through the eyes of a 54-year old French concierge and a precocious but troubled 12-year-old girl.

Host Library: Kelley Library, Salem, 898-7064.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.

The Earth is under attack and the survival of the human species depends on a military genius who can defeat the alien "buggers." Recruited for military training, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin’s childhood ends the moment he enters his new home: Battle School.

Host Library: Rodgers Memorial Library, Hudson, 886-6030.

Eye Contact by Cammie McGovern.

Two children vanish in the woods behind their elementary school. Hours later, nine-year-old Adam is found alive, the sole witness to his playmate's murder. But because Adam has autism, he is a silent witness. Only his mother, Cara, can help decode his behavior for the police. As the suspense ratchets, Eye Contact becomes a heart-stopping exploration of the bond between a mother and a very special child.

Host Library: Franklin Public Library, 934-2911, no online catalog.

NEW Faithful Place by Tana French.

Rosie Daly and Frank Mackey were ready to run away to London together, but Rosie never showed up. Twenty-two years later, the suitcase belonging to Rosie is found behind a fireplace in a run-down house on Faithful Place. Frank Mackey, now a detective, returns to Faithful Place only to become entangled once again...

Sponsor: Friends of the Canaan Town Library.
Host Library: Canaan Town Library, 523-9650.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.

The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.

Sponsor: Exeter Area GFWC.
Host Library: Exeter Public Library, 772-3101.

The Ginger Tree by Oswald Wynd.

In 1903, a young Scotswoman named Mary Mackenzie sets sail for China to marry her betrothed, a military attache in Peking. But soon after her arrival, Mary falls into an adulterous affair with a young Japanese nobleman, scandalizing the British community. Casting her out of the European community, her compatriots tear her away from her small daughter. A woman abandoned and alone, Mary learns to survive over forty tumultuous years in Asia, including two world wars and the cataclysmic Tokyo earthquake of 1923.

Sponsor: Merri-Hill-Rock Co-op.
Host Library: Sandown Public Library, 887-3428.

Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.

Mikael Blomkvist, a crusading journalist, and Lisbeth Salander, a twenty-four-year-old pierced and tattooed genius hacker, form an unlikely team that discovers a vein of nearly unfathomable iniquity running through one of Sweden's wealthiest families, astonishing corruption in the highest echelons of Swedish industrialism, and, an unexpected connection between themselves.

Host Library: Hooksett Public Library, 485-6092.

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows.

January 1946: writer Juliet Ashton receives a letter from a stranger, a founding member of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. And so begins a remarkable tale of the island of Guernsey during the German occupation, and of a society as extraordinary as its name.

Host Library: Wilmot Public Library, 526-6804

NEW The Help by Kathryn Stockett.

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. Aibileen is a black maid, raising her seventeenth white child. Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. These women come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk.

Sponsor: Manchester City Library Foundation.
Host Library: Manchester City Library, 624-6550 ext 332.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford.

Henry Lee comes upon a crowd gathered outside the Panama Hotel, once the gateway to Seattle’s Japantown. It has been boarded up for decades, but now the new owner has made an incredible discovery: the belongings of Japanese families,left when they were rounded up and sent to internment camps during World War II. As Henry looks on, the owner opens a Japanese parasol.

Host Library: Bethlehem Public Library, 869-2409.

In the Woods by Tana French.

As dusk approaches a small Dublin suburb in the summer of 1984, mothers begin to call their children home. But on this warm evening, three children do not return from the dark and silent woods. When the police arrive, they find only one of the children gripping a tree trunk in terror, wearing blood-filled sneakers, and unable to recall a single detail of the previous hours.

Host Library: Portsmouth Public Library, 427-1540.

Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger.

Last Days of Summer is the story of Joey Margolis, neighborhood punching bag, growing up goofy and mostly fatherless in Brooklyn in the early 1940s. A boy looking for a hero, Joey decides to latch on to Charlie Banks, the all-star third baseman for the New York Giants. But Joey's chosen champion doesn't exactly welcome the extreme attention of a persistent young fan with an overactive imagination. Then again, this strange, needy kid might be exactly what Banks needs.

Host Library: Kelley Library, Salem, 898-7064.

Little Bee by Chris Cleave.

Little Bee, a young Nigerian refugee, has just been released from the British immigration detention center where she has been held under horrific conditions for the past two years, after narrowly escaping a traumatic fate in her homeland of Nigeria. Alone in a foreign country, without a family member, friend, or pound to call her own, she seeks out the only English person she knows. Sarah is a posh young mother and magazine editor with whom Little Bee shares a dark and tumultuous past.

Host Library: Baker Free Library, Bow, 224-7113.

Loving Frank by Nancy Horan.

In 1903, Mamah and her husband, Edwin Cheney, had commissioned the renowned architect to design a new home for them. During the construction of the house, a powerful attraction developed between Mamah and Frank, and in time the lovers, each married with children, embarked on a course that would shock Chicago society and forever change their lives.

Host Library: Keene Public Library, 352-0157. Please note: Keene does not take reservations on their kits.

NEW Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson.

The Major leads a quiet life valuing the proper things that Englishmen have lived by for generations: honor, duty, decorum, and a properly brewed cup of tea. But then his brother's death sparks an unexpected friendship with Mrs. Jasmina Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper from the village. Drawn together by their shared love of literature and the loss of their respective spouses, the Major and Mrs. Ali soon find their friendship blossoming into something more. But village society insists on embracing him as the quintessential local and her as the permanent foreigner. Can their relationship survive the risks one takes when pursuing happiness in the face of culture and tradition?

Sponsor: Friends of the Rye Public Library.
Host Library: Rye Public Library, 964-8401.

The Man Who Ate the 747 by Ben Sherwood.

J.J. Smith, Keeper of the Records for The Book of Records, is an ordinary man searching for the extraordinary. In a tiny windswept town in the heartland of America J.J. discovers a world record attempt like no other: Piece by piece, a farmer is eating a Boeing 747 to prove his love for a woman.

Host Library: Effingham Public Library, 539-1537, no online catalog.

March by Geraldine Brooks.

From Louisa May Alcott's beloved classic Little Women, Geraldine Brooks has taken the character of the absent father, March, who has gone off to war, leaving his wife and daughters to make do in mean times. As March recovers from a near mortal illness, he must reassemble his shattered mind and body and find a way to reconnect with a wife and daughters who have no idea of the ordeals he has been through.

Sponsor: Friends of the Amherst Town Library.
Host Library: Amherst Public Library, 673-2288

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards.

On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy. Yet when his daughter is born, he sees immediately that she has Down's syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret.

Host Library: Minot-Sleeper Library, Bristol, 744-3352.

The Memory of Running by Ron McLarty.

By all accounts, especially his own, Smithson "Smithy" Ide is a loser. An overweight, friendless, chain-smoking, forty-three-year-old drunk, Smithy's life becomes completely unhinged when he loses his parents and long-lost sister within the span of one week. Rolling down the driveway of his parents' house in Rhode Island on his old Raleigh bicycle to escape his grief, the emotionally bereft Smithy embarks on an epic, hilarious, luminous, and extraordinary journey of discovery and redemption.

Host Library: Keene Public Library, 352-0157. Please note: Keene does not take reservations on their kits.

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides.

A breathtaking story of Calliope Stephanides and three generations of the Greek-American Stephanides family who travel from a tiny village overlooking Mount Olympus in Asia Minor to Prohibition-era Detroit, witnessing its glory days as the Motor City, and the race riots of l967, before they move out to the tree-lined streets of suburban Grosse Pointe, Michigan. To understand why Calliope is not like other girls, she has to uncover a guilty family secret and the astonishing genetic history that turns Callie into Cal, one of the most audacious and wondrous narrators in contemporary fiction.

Host Library: Manchester City Library, 624-6550.

Mudbound by Hillary Jordan.

A gripping and exquisitely rendered story of forbidden love, betrayal, and murder, set against the brutality of the Jim Crow South.

When Henry McAllan moves his city-bred wife, Laura, to a cotton farm in the Mississippi Delta in 1946, she finds herself in a place both foreign and frightening. Laura does not share Henry's love of rural life, and she struggles to raise their two young children in an isolated shotgun shack with no indoor plumbing or electricity, all the while under the eye of her hateful, racist father-in-law. When it rains, the waters rise up and swallow the bridge to town, stranding the family in a sea of mud.

Sponsor: Friends of the Bartlett Public Library.
Host Library: Bartlett Public Library, 374-2755, no online catalog.

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult.

By age thirteen, Anna has undergone countless surgeries, transfusions, and shots so that her older sister, Kate, can somehow fight the leukemia that has plagued her since childhood. The product of preimplantation genetic diagnosis, Anna was conceived as a bone marrow match for Kate--a life and a role that she has never challenged...until now. Like most teenagers, Anna is beginning to question who she truly is. But unlike most teenagers, she has always been defined in terms of her sister--and so Anna makes a decision that for most would be unthinkable, a decision that will tear her family apart and have perhaps fatal consequences for the sister she loves.

Host Library: Manchester City Library, 624-6550.

The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri.

An engineer by training, Ashoke adapts far less warily than his wife, who resists all things American and pines for her family. When their son is born, the task of naming him betrays the vexed results of bringing old ways to the new world. Named for a Russian writer by his Indian parents in memory of a catastrophe years before, Gogol Ganguli knows only that he suffers the burden of his heritage as well as his odd, antic name.The Namesake is a fine-tuned, intimate, and deeply felt novel of identity.

Host Library: Concord Public Library, 225-8670.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout.

At times stern, at other times patient, at times perceptive, at other times in sad denial, Olive Kitteridge, a retired schoolteacher, deplores the changes in her little town and in the world at large, but she doesn’t always recognize the changes in those around her: a former student who has lost the will to live; Olive’s own adult child, who feels tyrannized by her irrational sensitivities; and her husband, Henry, who finds his loyalty to his marriage both a blessing and a curse.

Host Library: Minot-Sleeper Library, 744-3352.

One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd by Jim Fergus.

One Thousand White Women is the story of May Dodd and a colorful assembly of pioneer women who, under the auspices of the U.S. government, travel to the western prairies in 1875 to intermarry among the Cheyenne Indians. The covert and controversial "Brides for Indians" program, launched by the administration of Ulysses S. Grant, is intended to help assimilate the Indians into the white man's world. Toward that end May and her friends embark upon the adventure of their lifetime.

Host Library: Thornton Public Library, 726-8981.

Out Stealing Horses by Per Petterson.

We were going out stealing horses. That was what he said, standing at the door to the cabin where I was spending the summer with my father. I was fifteen. It was 1948 and one of the first days of July.

Trond’s friend Jon often appeared at his doorstep with an adventure in mind for the two of them. But this morning was different. What began as a joy ride on "borrowed" horses ends with Jon falling into a strange trance of grief. Trond soon learns what befell Jon earlier that day—an incident that marks the beginning of a series of vital losses for both boys.

Host Library: Gilford Public Library, 524-6402.

NEW The Postmistress by Sarah Blake.

On the eve of the United States's entrance into World War II in 1940, Iris James, the postmistress of Franklin, a small town on Cape Cod, does the unthinkable: She doesn't deliver a letter.

In London, American radio gal Frankie Bard is working with Edward R. Murrow, reporting on the Blitz. One night in a bomb shelter, she meets a doctor from Cape Cod with a letter in his pocket, a letter Frankie vows to deliver when she returns from Germany and France, where she is to record the stories of war refugees desperately trying to escape.

Sponsor: Moultonborough Public Library Annual Book Sale.
Host Library: Moultonborough Public Library, 476-8895.

NEW Red Hook Road by Ayelet Waldman.

In the aftermath of a devastating wedding day, two families, the Tetherlys and the Copakens, find their lives unraveled by unthinkable loss. Over the course of the next four summers in Red Hook, Maine, they struggle to bridge differences of class and background to honor the memory of the couple, Becca and John.

Sponsor: New Hampshire Library Association.
Host Library: Madison Library, Madison, 367-8545.

The Red Tent by Anita Diamant.

The red tent of the title is the place where women were sequestered during their cycles of birthing, menses, and illness. It is here that Dinah hears the whispered stories of her four mothers—-Jacob’s wives Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah—-and tells their tales to us in remarkable and thought-provoking oratories. Familiar passages from the Bible take on new life as Dinah fills in what the Bible has left out—the lives of women. Dinah tells us of her initiation into the religious and sexual practices of the tribe; Jacob’s courtship with Rachel and Leah; the ancient world of caravans, farmers, midwives, and slaves; her ill-fated sojourn in the city of Sechem; her years in Canaan; and her half-brother Joseph’s rise in Egypt.

Host Library: Wiggin Memorial Library, Stratham, 772-4346.

NEW A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick.

He placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for "a reliable wife." She responded, saying that she was "a simple, honest woman." She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved.

Host Library: Wiggin Memorial Library, Stratham, 772-4346.

The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

A father and his son walk alone through burned America. Nothing moves in the ravaged landscape save the ash on the wind. It is cold enough to crack stones, and when the snow falls it is gray. The sky is dark. Their destination is the coast, although they don't know what, if anything, awaits them there. They have nothing; just a pistol to defend themselves against the lawless bands that stalk the road, the clothes they are wearing, a cart of scavenged food—and each other.

Sponsor: NH's ALA member libraries through the generosity of Oprah's Book Club.
Host Library: Manchester City Library, 624-6550.

NEW Room by Emma Donoghue.

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the entire world. It is where he was born and grew up; it's where he lives with his Ma as they learn and read and eat and sleep and play. At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Sponsor: New Hampshire Library Association
Host Library: Lincoln Public Library, 745-8159.

The Samurai's Garden by Gail Tsukiyama.

The daughter of a Chinese mother and a Japanese father, Tsukiyama uses the Japanese invasion of China during the late 1930s as a somber backdrop for her unusual story about a 20-year-old Chinese painter named Stephen who is sent to his family's summer home in a Japanese coastal village to recover from a bout with tuberculosis. Here he is cared for by Matsu, a reticent housekeeper and a master gardener. Over the course of a remarkable year, Stephen learns Matsu's secret and gains not only physical strength, but also profound spiritual insight.

Host Library: Baker Free Library, Bow, 224-7113.

Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay.

Paris, July 1942: Sarah, a ten year-old girl, is brutally arrested with her family by the French police in the Vel’ d’Hiv’ roundup, but not before she locks her younger brother in a cupboard in the family's apartment, thinking that she will be back within a few hours.
Paris, May 2002: On Vel’ d’Hiv’s 60th anniversary, journalist Julia Jarmond stumbles onto a trail of long-hidden family secrets that connect her to Sarah.

Host Library: Nashua Public Library, 589-4600.

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon.

Barcelona, 1945—just after the war, a great world city lies in shadow, nursing its wounds, and a boy named Daniel awakes on his eleventh birthday to find that he can no longer remember his mother’s face. To console his only child, Daniel’s widowed father, an antiquarian book dealer, initiates him into the secret of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library tended by Barcelona’s guild of rare-book dealers as a repository for books forgotten by the world, waiting for someone who will care about them again. Daniel’s father coaxes him to choose a volume from the spiraling labyrinth of shelves, one that, it is said, will have a special meaning for him.

Host Library: Hopkinton Town Library, 746-3663.

NEW Shanghai Girls by Lisa See.

May and Pearl, two sisters living in Shanghai in the mid-1930s, are beautiful, sophisticated, and well-educated, but their family is on the verge of bankruptcy. Hoping to improve their social standing, May and Pearl s parents arrange for their daughters to marry Gold Mountain men who have come from Los Angeles to find brides.

Sponsor: Merri-Hill-Rock Co-op.
Host Library: Chester Public Library, 887-3404.

Sister of My Heart by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni.

For the Chatterjees, an upper-caste Calcutta family fallen on hard times but tenaciously remaining in their decaying mansion of mystery and faded glory, storytelling is a lifeline cast from aunt to niece, mother to daughter, cousin to cousin, past to present, and, in the book's climax, continent to continent.

Host Library: Monroe Public Library, 638-4736, no online catalog.

Skeletons at the Feast by Chris Bohjalian.

In January 1945, in the waning months of World War II, a small group of people begin the longest journey of their lives: an attempt to cross the remnants of the Third Reich, from Warsaw to the Rhine if necessary, to reach the British and American lines.

Host Library: Nashua Public Library, 589-4600.

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See.

In nineteenth-century China, in a remote Hunan county, a girl named Lily, at the tender age of seven, is paired with a laotong, an "old same," in an emotional match that will last a lifetime. The laotong, Snow Flower, introduces herself by sending Lily a silk fan on which she’s written a poem in nu shu, a unique language that Chinese women created in order to communicate in secret, away from the influence of men. As the years pass, Lily and Snow Flower send messages on the fan and compose stories on handkerchiefs, reaching out of isolation to share their hopes, dreams, and accomplishments. Together they endure the agony of footbinding and reflect upon their arranged marriages, their loneliness, and the joys and tragedies of motherhood.

Host Library: Rye Public Library, 964-8401.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova.

Alice Howland, happily married with three grown children and a house on the Cape, is a celebrated Harvard professor at the height of her career when she notices a forgetfulness creeping into her life. As confusion starts to cloud her thinking and her memory begins to fail her, she receives a devastating diagnosis: early onset Alzheimer's disease. Fiercely independent, Alice struggles to maintain her lifestyle and live in the moment, even as her sense of self is being stripped away.

Host Library: Fitzwilliam Town Library, 585-6503.

Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum.

For fifty years, Anna Schlemmer has refused to talk about her life in Germany during World War II. Her daughter, Trudy, was only three when she and her mother were liberated by an American soldier and went to live with him in Minnesota. Trudy's sole evidence of the past is an old photograph: a family portrait showing Anna, Trudy, and a Nazi officer, the Obersturmfuhrer of Buchenwald.

Sponsor: Hillstown Co-op.
Host Library: Amherst Public Library, 673-2288.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger.

Audrey Niffenegger's innovative debut, The Time Traveler's Wife, is the story of Clare, a beautiful art student, and Henry, an adventuresome librarian, who have known each other since Clare was six and Henry was thirty-six, and were married when Clare was twenty-three and Henry thirty-one. Impossible but true, because Henry finds himself periodically displaced in time, pulled to moments of emotional gravity from his life, past and future. His disappearances are spontaneous, his experiences unpredictable, alternately harrowing and amusing.

Host Library: Dover Public Library, 516-6050.

NEW A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan.

Bennie Salazar, a punk rocker in his teenage years, is facing middle age as a divorced and disheartened record producer. His cool, competent assistant, Sasha, keeps everything under control—except for her unconquerable compulsion to steal. Their diverse and diverting memories of the past and musings about the present set the stage for a cycle of tales about their friends, family, business associates, and lovers.

Host Library: Keene Public Library, 352-0157. Please note: Keene does not take reservations on their kits.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.

Nonagenarian Jacob Jankowski reflects back on his wild and wondrous days with a circus. It's the Depression Era and Jacob, finding himself parentless and penniless, joins the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. There he meets the freaks, grifters, and misfits that populate this world. He introduces us to Marlena, beautiful star of the equestrian act; to August, her charismatic but twisted husband (and the circus's animal trainer); and to Rosie, the seemingly untrainable elephant Jacob cares for. Beautifully written, with a luminous sense of time and place, Water for Elephants tells of love in a world in which love's a luxury few can afford.

Sponsor: Friends of Gordon-Nash Library.
Host Library: Gordon-Nash Library, 744-8061, no online catalog.

Year of Wonders: A Novel of the Plague by Geraldine Brooks.

When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of the fateful year of 1666, as she and her fellow villagers confront the spread of disease and superstition. As death reaches into every household and villagers turn from prayers to murderous witch-hunting, Anna must find the strength to confront the disintegration of her community and the lure of illicit love.

Host Library: Laconia Public Library, 524-4775.

Contact the READS-TO-GO Committee

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Please feel free to suggest a title for a future kit or comment on the program. If some aspect of the program needs improvement, let us know. If you have other ideas to make the program better, let us know. The success of the READS-TO-GO book discussion kit program depends on you!

Click here to contact us.

Many thanks from the READS-TO-GO committee.

Discussion Questions

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Book Discussion Kit Titles: Nonfiction and Biography

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Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver.

Author Barbara Kingsolver and her family abandoned the industrial-food pipeline to live a rural life—vowing that, for one year, they’d only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it themselves, or learn to live without it.

Host Library: Concord Public Library, 225-8670.

Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell by Janet Wallach.

Gertrude Bell (1868-1926) explored, mapped, and excavated the world of the Arabs. Recruited by British intelligence during World War I, she played a crucial role in obtaining the loyalty of Arab leaders, and her connections and information provided the brains to match T. E. Lawrence's brawn. After the war, she played a major role in creating the modern Middle East and was, at the time, considered the most powerful woman in the British Empire.

Host Library: Griffin Free Public Library, Auburn, 483-5374, no online catalog.

Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia by Elizabeth Gilbert.

Elizabeth Gilbert tells how she made the difficult choice to leave behind all the trappings of modern American success (marriage, house in the country, career) and find, instead, what she truly wanted from life. Setting out for a year to study three different aspects of her nature amid three different cultures, Gilbert explored the art of pleasure in Italy and the art of devotion in India, and then a balance between the two on the Indonesian island of Bali.

Host Library: Derry Public Library, 432-6140.

NEW The Emperor's Guest: Coming of Age Behind Barbed Wire During WW II in Indonesia by Titia Bozuwa.

Gijs, a sixteen-year-old, whose father is Commander of the Royal Dutch Air Force in the Dutch East Indies, is separated from his family and interned by the Japanese for the duration of World War II.

Host Library: Gafney Library, Sanbornville, 522-3401.

A Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana by Haven Kimmel.

When Haven Kimmel was born in 1965, Mooreland, Indiana, was a sleepy little hamlet of three hundred people. Nicknamed "Zippy" for the way she would bolt around the house, this small girl was possessed of big eyes and even bigger ears. In this witty and lovingly told memoir, Kimmel takes readers back to a time when small-town America was caught in the amber of the innocent postwar period–people helped their neighbors, went to church on Sunday, and kept barnyard animals in their backyards.

Sponsor: READS.
Host Library: Amherst Public Library, 673-2288.

The Glass Castle: A Memoir by Jeannette Walls.

When sober, Jeannette's brilliant and charismatic father captured his children's imagination, teaching them physics, geology, and how to embrace life fearlessly. But when he drank, he was dishonest and destructive. Her mother was a free spirit who abhorred the idea of domesticity and didn't want the responsibility of raising a family. The Walls children learned to take care of themselves. They fed, clothed, and protected one another, and eventually found their way to New York. Their parents followed them, choosing to be homeless even as their children prospered.

Host Library: Pembroke Town Library, 485-7851, no online catalog.

Here If You Need Me: A True Story by Kate Braestrup.

Ten years ago, Kate Braestrup and her husband Drew were enjoying the life they shared together. They had four young children, and Drew, a Maine state trooper, would soon begin training to become a minister as well. Then early one morning Drew left for work and everything changed. On the very roads that he protected every day, an oncoming driver lost control, and Kate lost her husband. Stunned and grieving, Kate decided to continue her husband's dream and became a minister herself.

Sponsor: One Book One Valley.
Host Library: Nesmith Library, Windham, 432-7154.

NEW The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot.

Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor black tobacco farmer whose cells—taken without her knowledge in 1951—became one of the most important tools in medicine, vital for developing the polio vaccine, cloning, gene mapping, in vitro fertilization, and more. Henrietta’s cells have been bought and sold by the billions, yet she remains virtually unknown, and her family can’t afford health insurance.

Sponsor: Manchester City Library Foundation.
Host Library: Manchester City Library, 624-6550 ext 332.

Julie and Julia: My Year of Cooking Dangerously by Julie Powell.

Julie Powell is 30 years old, living in a tiny apartment in Queens and working at a soul-sucking secretarial job that's going nowhere. She needs something to break the monotony of her life, and she invents a deranged assignment. She will take her mother's worn, dog-eared copy of Julia Child's 1961 classic Mastering the Art of French Cooking, and she will cook all 524 recipes -- in the span of one year.

Host Library: Ossipee Public Library, 539-6390, no online catalog.

Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain.

When Chef Anthony Bourdain wrote "Don't Eat Before You Read This" in The New Yorker, he spared no one's appetite, revealing what goes on behind the kitchen door. In Kitchen Confidential, he expanded that appetizer into a deliciously funny, delectable shocking banquet that lays out his 25 years of sex, drugs, and haute cuisine.

Host Library: Hollis Social Library, 465-7721.

The Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island by Linda Greenlaw.

After seventeen years at sea, Greenlaw decided it was time to take a break from being a swordboat captain. She felt she needed to return home--to a tiny island seven miles off the Maine coast with a population of 70 year-round residents, 30 of whom are her relatives. She would pursue a simpler life; move back in with her parents and get to know them again; become a professional lobsterman; and find a guy, build a house, have kids, and settle down.

Host Library: Hampton Falls Free Library, 926-3682.

The Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography by Sidney Poitier.

In this luminous memoir, a true American icon looks back on his celebrated life and career. His body of work is arguably the most morally significant in cinematic history, and the power and influence of that work are indicative of the character of the man behind the many storied roles. Sidney Poitier here explores these elements of character and personal values to take his own measure—as a man, as a husband and a father, and as an actor.

Sponsor: NH's ALA member libraries through the generosity of Oprah's Book Club.
Host Library: Dunbarton Public Library, 774-3546, no online catalog.

My Life in France by Julia Child.

In her own words, here is the captivating story of Julia Child’s years in France, where she fell in love with French food and found "her true calling." From the moment the ship docked in Le Havre in the fall of 1948 and Julia watched the well-muscled stevedores unloading the cargo to the first perfectly soigné meal that she and her husband, Paul, savored in Rouen en route to Paris, where he was to work for the USIS, Julia had an awakening that changed her life.

Host Library: Ossipee Public Library, 539-6390, no online catalog.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood by Marjane Satrapi.

In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah's regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran's last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

Host Library: Tracy Memorial Library, New London, 526-4656.

Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II by Robert Kurson.

For John Chatterton and Richie Kohler, deep wreck diving was more than a sport. In the fall of 1991, not even they were prepared for what they found 230 feet below the surface, in the frigid Atlantic waters sixty miles off the coast of New Jersey: a World War II German U-boat, its ruined interior a macabre wasteland of twisted metal, tangled wires, and human bones–-all buried under decades of accumulated sediment.

Host Library: Lane Memorial Library, Hampton, 926-3368.

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach.

For 2,000 years, cadavers---some willingly, some unwittingly---have been involved in science's boldest strides and weirdest undertakings. In this fascinating, ennobling account, Mary Roach visits the good deeds of cadavers over the centuries and, in so doing, tells the engrossing story of our bodies when we are no longer with them.

Host Library: Nesmith Library, Windham, 432-7154.

NEW Strength in What Remains by Tracy Kidder.

Deo arrives in the United States from Burundi in search of a new life. Having survived a civil war and genocide, he lands at JFK airport with two hundred dollars, no English, and no contacts. He ekes out a precarious existence delivering groceries, living in Central Park, and learning English by reading dictionaries in bookstores. Then Deo begins to meet the strangers who will change his life, pointing him eventually in the direction of Columbia University, medical school, and a life devoted to healing.

Host Library: Howe Library, Hanover, 643-4120. (Please note: Howe will take holds if it’s checked out, but will not take advance bookings.)

Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism and Build Nations--One School at a Time by Greg Mortenson.

Three Cups of Tea is the true story of one of the most extraordinary humanitarian missions of our time. In 1993, a young American mountain climber named Greg Mortenson stumbles into a tiny village high in Pakistan’s beautiful and desperately poor Karakoram Himalaya region. Sick, exhausted, and depressed after a failing to scale the summit of K2, Mortenson regains his strength and his will to live thanks to the generosity of the people of the village of Korphe. Before he leaves, Mortenson makes a vow that will profoundly change both the villagers’ lives and his own—he will return and build them a school.

Kit #1 Sponsor: Hillstown Co-op.
Host Library: Bedford Public Library, 472-2300.
Kit #2 Host Library: Barrington Public Library, 664-9715.

Truth and Beauty: A Friendship by Ann Patchett.

Ann Patchett and Lucy Grealy met in college in 1981, and after enrolling in the Iowa Writer's Workshop began a friendship that would be as defining to both of their lives as their work. In her critically acclaimed memoir, Autobiography of a Face, Lucy Grealy wrote about the first half of her life. In Truth & Beauty, the story isn't Lucy's life or Ann's life but the parts of their lives they shared together. This is a portrait of unwavering commitment that spans 20 years, from the long cold winters of the Midwest to surgical wards to book parties in New York.

Host Library: Nashua Public Library, 589-4600.

Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer.

At the core of Krakauer's book are brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a commandment from God to kill a blameless woman and her baby girl. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this appalling double murder, Krakauer constructs a multi-layered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, polygamy, savage violence, and unyielding faith. Along the way he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America's fastest growing religion, and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief.

Sponsor: Wilmot Library Book Group.
Host Library: Wilmot Public Library, 526-6804.

Without a Map: A Memoir by Meredith Hall.

Meredith Hall’s moving but unsentimental memoir begins in 1965, when she becomes pregnant at sixteen. Shunned by her insular New Hampshire community, she is then kicked out of the house by her mother. Her father and stepmother reluctantly take her in, hiding her before they finally banish her altogether. After giving her baby up for adoption, Hall wanders recklessly through the Middle East. She returns to New England and stitches together a life that encircles her silenced and invisible grief. When he is twenty-one, her lost son finds her. Hall learns that he grew up in gritty poverty with an abusive father—-in her own father’s hometown. Their reunion is tender, turbulent, and ultimately redemptive.

Host Library: Lane Memorial Library, Hampton, 926-3368.

Alphabetical List of All Titles

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Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life NF
Art of Racing in the Rain F
Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress F
Bel Canto F
Breakfast With Buddha F
Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao F
Book of Getting Even F
Burning Marguerite F
Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister F
Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time F
Cutting for Stone F
Desert Queen: The Extraordinary Life of Gertrude Bell NF
Dogs of Babel F
Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything across Italy, India, and Indonesia NF
Elegance of the Hedgehog F
Emperor's Guest: Coming of Age Behind Barbed Wire During WW II in Indonesia NF
Ender's Game F
Eye Contact F
Faithful Place F
Garden Spells F
Ginger Tree F
Girl Named Zippy: Growing Up Small in Mooreland, Indiana NF
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo F
Glass Castle: A Memoir NF
Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society F
Help F
Here If You Need Me: A True Story NF
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet F
Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks NF
In the Woods F
Julie and Julia: 365 Days, 524 Recipes, 1 Tiny Apartment Kitchen NF
Last Days of Summer F
Little Bee F
Lobster Chronicles: Life on a Very Small Island NF
Loving Frank F
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand F
Man Who Ate the 747 F
March F
Measure of a Man: A Spiritual Autobiography NF
Memory Keeper's Daughter F
Memory of Running F
Middlesex F
Mudbound F
My Life in France NF
My Sister's Keeper F
Namesake F
Olive Kitteridge F
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd F
Out Stealing Horses F
Persepolis NF
Postmistress F
Reliable Wife F
Red Hook Road F
Red Tent F
Road F
Room F
Sarah's Key F
Samurai's Garden F
Shadow Divers: The True Adventure of Two Americans Who Risked Everything to Solve One of the Last Mysteries of World War II NF
Shadow of the Wind F
Shanghai Girls F
Sister of My Heart F
Skeletons at the Feast F
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan F
Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers NF
Still Alice F
Strength in What Remains NF
Time Traveler's Wife F
Those Who Save Us F
Three Cups of Tea: One Man's Mission to Fight Terrorism
and Build Nations--One School at a Time NF
Truth and Beauty: A Friendship NF
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith NF
Visit from the Goon Squad F
Water for Elephants F
Without a Map: A Memoir NF
Year of Wonders F