The Bertrand Bookstore has been in business for 281 years!
Thursday, June 27, 2013
The Oldest Bookstore in the World
http://bookriot.com/2013/06/26/the-oldest-bookstore-in-the-world-the-bertrand-bookstore-in-lisbon/
Monday, June 24, 2013
Thursday, June 20, 2013
The Great Gatsby
Thanks to everyone that came to the Book Club meeting last night. We had a small group, but it was a fascinating discussion on this classic. Next month we'll be discussing Stephen King's riveting thriller, The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon.
Since it was a small group last night, I'm going to post some of the points we discussed and perhaps the conversation can continue online?
1. Is the title "The Great Gatsby" appropriate to the novel? Is Fitzgerald being sincere? Sarcastic?
2. Is this a timeless story that can be transplanted in any time, or deeply engrained in the 1920s?
3. Is Nick a reliable narrator? Has Nick changed throughout the story or does he stay static?
What does the handshake between Nick and Tom mean at the end of the novel?
4. What do the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg represent? How about the green light?
What do either of these symbols have to say about the American Dream?
5. How are the four locations (West Egg, East Egg, Valley of Ashes, NYC) different?
6. What is Daisy to Gatsby?
7. How does Fitzgerald use weather/seasons to set the tone of his scenes? How about color?
8. Are any of the characters sympathetic?
9. What is the purpose of the Owl Eyed Man?
Why did he attend the funeral?
Since it was a small group last night, I'm going to post some of the points we discussed and perhaps the conversation can continue online?
1. Is the title "The Great Gatsby" appropriate to the novel? Is Fitzgerald being sincere? Sarcastic?
2. Is this a timeless story that can be transplanted in any time, or deeply engrained in the 1920s?
3. Is Nick a reliable narrator? Has Nick changed throughout the story or does he stay static?
What does the handshake between Nick and Tom mean at the end of the novel?
4. What do the eyes of Dr. Eckleburg represent? How about the green light?
What do either of these symbols have to say about the American Dream?
5. How are the four locations (West Egg, East Egg, Valley of Ashes, NYC) different?
6. What is Daisy to Gatsby?
7. How does Fitzgerald use weather/seasons to set the tone of his scenes? How about color?
8. Are any of the characters sympathetic?
9. What is the purpose of the Owl Eyed Man?
Why did he attend the funeral?
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
Monday, June 3, 2013
The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon for July?
The Goodwin Library Book Club will be meeting June 19th to discuss F. Scott Fitzgerald's timeless classic The Great Gatsby. Copies are available at the library! At the meeting, we can discuss some of the books we'd like to read for the rest of the year. To have copies ready for the next meeting, however, I wanted to have the July book selected and then we can work from there. I was considering The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King. The novel is a short, breezy summer read that takes place in New Hampshire and offers a lot to talk about through it's unique writing structure, unreliable narrator, and exciting tale of human perseverance and survival in the New Hampshire wilderness. Here's a synopsis of the novel from Amazon.com. Please let me know what you think! The July meeting will be July 17th at 6PM.
On a six-mile hike on the Maine-New Hampshire branch of the Appalachian
Trail, nine-year-old Trisha McFarland quickly tires of the constant
bickering between her older brother, Pete, and her recently divorced
mother. But when she wanders off by herself, and then tries to catch up
by attempting a shortcut, she becomes lost in a wilderness maze full of
peril and terror. As night falls, Trisha has only her ingenuity as a
defense against the elements, and only her courage and faith to
withstand her mounting fears. For solace she tunes her Walkman to
broadcasts of Boston Red Sox baseball games and follows the gritty
performances of her hero, relief pitcher Tom Gordon. And when her
radio's reception begins to fade, Trisha imagines that Tom Gordon is
with her -- protecting her from an all-too-real enemy who has left a
trail of slaughtered animals and mangled trees in the dense, dark
woods....
USA Today A delightful read, a literary walk in the woods, and not just for baseball fans.
The Wall Street Journal Impressive...A wonderful story of courage, faith, and hope. It is eminently engaging and difficult to put down.
New York Daily News A fast, scary read...King blasts a homer...[He] expertly stirs the major ingredients of the American psyche -- our spirituality, fierce love of children, passion for baseball, and collective fear of the bad thing we know lurks on the periphery of life.
The Wall Street Journal Impressive...A wonderful story of courage, faith, and hope. It is eminently engaging and difficult to put down.
New York Daily News A fast, scary read...King blasts a homer...[He] expertly stirs the major ingredients of the American psyche -- our spirituality, fierce love of children, passion for baseball, and collective fear of the bad thing we know lurks on the periphery of life.
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