Book Order

We received and then gave away our copy of The Power of One, so must remember to re-order it. While I'm at it, just a note to remind everyone that our next book is Pilgrim by Timothy Findley which also requires ordering. Wouldn't it be great to have a local bookshop that miraculously had both of those titles? It may not exist. Looking forward to both of those.

Meantime, I've been reading a couple of Henning Mankell's Kurt Wallender mysteries. I heard an interview with Mankell recently - he was on the flotilla in Gaza that was attacked perhaps a month ago. I'm always amazed at how different an experience it is to read a work that's been translated. It feels something like approaching English from the side. Anyway, I recommend them, particularly the first of the two that RVPL has available - it's called Faceless Killers. I know, I'm ashamed. I followed the second book up by watching Ingmar Bergman's autobiographical film Fanny and Alexander last night - wow - also highly recommended. O those wonderfully artistic Swedes!

Happy reading, group!

Time to ponder

     Finished reading The Power of One today and perused the discussion questions at the back of the book. This might pertain to any novel:

     Do you think it's important to know exactly what, in a book like this, what is real and what is fictional?

Mmmm?

August 13 - The Power of One

First day of summer! I thought it might never arrive. Happy solstice, everyone ~

Sounds like only the most dedicated Bolano fans finished The Savage Detectives before the meeting. I confess: I gave it up after about 100 pp. Another one for the 'I swear I'll read this someday' shelf.

I think we still need to choose the next book (or three). Please send your suggestions.

The August 13 selection is The Power of One by Bryce Courtenay. Here's a portion of one review: "Set in a world torn apart, where man enslaves his fellow man and freedom remains elusive, THE POWER OF ONE is the moving story of one young man's search for the love that binds friends, the passion that binds lovers, and the realization that it takes only one to change the world. A weak and friendless boy growing up in South Africa during World War II, Peekay turns to two older men, one black and one white, to show him how to find the courage to dream, to succeed, to triumph over a world when all seems lost, and to inspire him to summon up the most irresistible force of all: the Power of One." 544 pp.

The Wanderer Returns

I don't mind spoilers. Give me reason to continue and finish The Savage Detectives. I've been unfaithful with other authors and writers.

See you all Friday evening.

Next Book & Meeting

Our next book will be Roberto Bolano's The Savage Detectives . That meeting is scheduled for Friday, June 18, at 7 p.m. at the Round Valley Public Library.

Please consider joining us for that discussion.

Hope to see you there!

Michael Frayn leads to Claire Tomalin leads to Dickens' mistress...

I read the interview on Frayn (to which Alan posted a link - thank you), and as one thing always leads to another, I looked around and read a bit about his wife, a journalist and biographer. I may be the last to know this, but she's written some very well-reviewed biographies that might be something our group would enjoy. Her subjects range from Nelly Ternan (C. Dickens' mistress!) to Samuel Pepys & Jane Austen.

If you get a free minute, check her out to see if any of her biographies sound like good book-group reading...

I'm just starting the Frayn novel myself. I read Jansson's Summer Book, which I highly recommend.

Any other good reading going on out there in gale-force wind land? It's spring now, right?

Headlong

     I shall have to remove my tongue from my cheek and re-think my ideas about just how long a short book should be . . . as long as it takes to tell the tale. Now I shall have to extract my tongue from the other cheek.

     For anyone interested here is an interview published in The Observer last year.