Girl with a Pearl Earing - February 2008

A book club for those of us without the time to go to meetings. Take our suggestion for the month. You can reserve your copy through SAILS Library Network Here. Read along. Post comments to this blog if you'd like to answer the questions below with your thoughts.

Now reading - Girl with a Pearl Earing by Tracy Chevalier

Questions to ask:

1. Do you think Griet was typical of other girls her age? In what ways? How did she differ? Did you find her compassionate or selfish? Giving or judgmental?

2. In many ways, the primary relationship in this novel appears to be between Griet and Vermeer. Do you think this is true? How do you feel about Vermeer's relationship with his wife? How does that come into play?

3. Peering into 17th century Delft shows a small, self-sufficient city. Where do you think the many-pointed star at the city's center pointed toward? What was happening elsewhere at that time?

4. Discuss the ways religion affected Griet's relationship with Vermeer. His wife? Maria Thins?

5. Maria Thins obviously understood Vermeer's art more than his wife did. Why do you think this was the case? Do you think she shared Griet's talents?

6. Do you think Griet made the right choice when she married the butcher's son? Did she have other options?

7. How is Delft different to or similar to your town or city? Are the social structures comparable

8. Though Girl with a Pearl Earring appears to be about one man and woman, there are several relationships at work. Which is the most difficult relationship? Which is the most promising?

Into the Wild - January 2008

Into the Wild - January 2008
Now Reading: Into the Wild by Jon KrakauerNo meeting required. Pick up a copy of this book in front of the circulation desk as our suggestion for the month. If you'd like to chime in post a comment to this blog.

Questions to Ask:1. Why did McCandless reject his parents' lifestyle?

2. What do you think of McCandless's decision to discard his identity and past life without a backward look? Would you do the same thing if you were in his place, or do you think it would be important to discuss your decision with your family first, even if you were certain that they would try to dissuade you?

3. Pretend that you could speak for McCandless. What would you have to say to Krakauer, his biographer. To his parents?

4. What do you think you would want to say to McCandless if you were his father? If you were his...

5. If you've seen the movie - how would you compare the two?

All Souls - December 2007

All Souls - December 2007
Now Reading: All Souls: A family story from Southie by Michael Patrick MacDonald Copies are available for checkout. No meeting required. Just take this book as a suggested read this month and enjoy. Chime in with your thoughts on these questions by posting comments.This book an eye-opener to the truth about the “best place in the world”: the Old Colony housing project of Southie in the 70's. If you grew up here you've heard or been a part of the mandatory bussing in the 70's, and heard all about Southie & the Irish mob. If you are not here is a chance to catch up on what Southie was like back in the day, from someone who was there.Questions to ask as you read:1. Describe the tone in which All Souls opens. How does it shift throughout the memoir?2. In his opening chapter MacDonald speaks of the seductiveness and threat of Southie myths. Describe those myths. In what ways is All Souls an act of demythologizing, and to what extent does it romanticize Southie?3. What distinguishes Ma? How is she at once recognizable and unique? What do we learn about the challenges facing, and the resources available to a single mother in poverty?4. To what sort of masculinity do the young men of the neighborhood aspire without father figures? How do Whitey Bulger and his ilk exploit and perpetuate this absence?5. What contributed to the intolerance exhibited by many in Southie during busing, and how did it differ in kind and degree from racism elsewhere?6. What does Southie mean to MacDonald at the close of the memoir?

I Don't Know How She Does it? - November 2007

Now Reading: I Don't Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson
Copies are available for checkout. No meeting required. Just take this book as a suggested read this month and enjoy. If you want to chime in make a comment to this blog.
Questions to ask:1. How are we meant to pass our days?
2. How are we to reconcile the two passions, work and motherhood, that divide our lives?
3. How does the opening sequence, along with the "Must Remember" list that follows it, work to set the comic pacing for the novel [pp. 3–10]? How successful is the opening chapter in getting the reader to sympathize with Kate and her daily challenges?
4. When Kate arrives late for work, she needs to come up with what her friend Debra calls "a Man's Excuse" [p. 15]—something that does not have to do with sick children or an absent nanny, preferably something involving car repairs or traffic. Is Pearson accurate in describing a business world that has little patience for the out-of-office responsibilities of working mothers?

The Good Earth - October 2007

Now Reading - The Good Earth by Pearl Buck
an epic story of a farmer and his family struggling to get by in early twentieth century China.
Discussion Questions:
1. When The Good Earth was published, some critics called it a universal story. Is is still universal now? What is a "universal story?"
2. Do the events that unfold in The Good Earth make the title a true statement or an ironic one? In what ways?
3. Practices such as infantcide or taking a concubine are very foreign and seomtimes distressing for western readers. How does Buck help you to understand the complexity of these practices? Can you think of things we do that may be considered strange to others?
4. What do you think of the character of O-lan, his wife? What kind of power does she hold in the family?
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