July Book Club

We're going to non-fiction for the month of July and it's a real adventure story in tracing the travels of one Percy Fawcett, a British explorer who was determined to discover the lost city of El Dorado in the dense Amazon jungle of Brazil. The only problem is that Fawcett and his small band of explorers disappered and were never heard from, nor found, again. The Lost City of Z is author David Grann's attempt to solve "the greatest exploration mystery of the 20th century" and he tells a fascinating tale of just what it takes to explore the Amazon and the jungle's "green hell." The book club will meet on Wednesday, July 21st at 6:30pm (one week later than usual!) Please join us if you can.

June Book Club

In June we'll be reading some fiction that is based on a contemporary topic with global relevance. And just so we're clear about this, the word "fundamentalist" should not only be applied strictly to those of Muslim faith, but in this case the book "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" deals with the choices and life experiences of a muslim man in the western world. It's a short read at 184 pages, but surely a topic and global reality worth exploring and talking about. The Reluctant Fundamentalist was written by Pakistani author Mohsin Hamid in 2007 and will hopefully provide an engrossing level of conversation when next we meet on Wednesday June 9th at 6:30pm, as always. See you then.

March Book Club Title

We're going back to fiction, contemporary fiction, for the March gathering of our book club. Specifically, we'll be reading The White Tiger: A Novel by Aravind Adiga. According to the publisher: "Balram Halwai is a complicated man. Servant. Philosopher. Entrepreneur. Murderer. Over the course of seven nights, by the scattered light of a preposterous chandelier, Balram tells us the terrible and transfixing story of how he came to be a success in life—having nothing but his own wits to help him along." So hopefully this gives a little taste of this novel of one man's version of contemporary India that won the Man Booker Prize in 2008. It'll be a good time when next we meet on Wednesday, March 10th at 6:30pm. Join us if you can.

Author Event at West Valley February 25th

We're lucky here at West Valley library when Silicon Valley Reads rolls around because we've gotten some great author programs over the years. Typically they are well-attended and this year we have another event to offer. Jonah Raskin, author of Field Days: A Year of Farming, Eating, and Drinking Wine in California will be here on Thursday, February 25th at 6:30pm to talk about his book and hopefully shed some fascinating light on farming and food topics here in Northern California. Locavores and really anyone interested in contemporary food topics should find much value in writers like Mr. Raskin, and his visiting our branch library is an event that we're fortunate to be able to present. Come check it out and take advantage of the unique offerings that Silicon Valley Reads enables us to present to our community.

January Book Clubs

We have a new book club forming at West Valley library in January of 2010, as well as our regular established group that keeps on readin' and talkin'. The new book club is known as "A Mysterious Past" and they read, specifically, historical mysteries. Their title for January will be The Alchemist's Apprentice by Dave Duncan. So if you're interested in joining the readers of "A Mysterious Past" then by all means mark your calendars for their gathering on Tuesday, January 12th at 6:00pm.

Now, our regular ongoing book club has also picked it's January read and it will be a novel written in 1951 by Graham Greene entitled "The End of the Affair." Get your copy today because the next meeting of the West Valley book club is coming soon on Wednesday, January the 13th at 6:30pm as always. So now that we have two(!) book clubs, you've just doubled your pleasure if you're a reader. Somebody remind me to invite the Doublemint Twins.

December Book Club

Folks, the pressure was mighty to read a light-hearted "holiday" type of book. Well, it looks like we've got one in the form of "The Christmas Sweater" by author Glenn Beck. Yup, the same author (and TV commentator) of such heartwarming titles as "Arguing with Idiots" and "America's March to Socialism." Apparently, Mr.Beck has a soft spot for Christmas parables and so we're in for some serious holiday sentiment at our December book club meeting. According to the publisher, this is a book "Based on a deeply personal true story, "The Christmas Sweater" is a warm and poignant tale of family, faith and forgiveness that offers us a glimpse of our own lives -- while also making us question if we really know what's most important in them." Just don't ask me to watch "It's a Wonderful Life" because that, undoubtedly, would put this librarian over the edge of holiday sanity. Come join us at the next meeting on Wednesday the 16th of December at 6:30pm, as always.

November Book Club Title

The book we'll be reading and discussing for our November meeting will be a contemporary piece of fiction entitled "Tethered" by Amy MacKinnon. This is the story of an undertaker's assistant and the unique world she occupies both personally and occupationally. The book has been noted for it's impressive writing style and Booklist magazine says about this debut novel: "MacKinnon’s fascination with the inner workings of her uncle’s funeral business inspired this haunting, gracefully rendered debut." Sounds like a good read appropriate for this time of the calendar year. Come by and check it out as it promises to be another intriguing evening with some local readers. The book club meets again on Wednesday the 18th of November at 6:30pm.

October Book Club Pick

For the month of October we'll be reading a piece of fiction by Anne Tyler entitled "Digging to America." Now, I personally don't know much about Anne Tyler or her latest book, but here's what Library Journal had to say about it: “The author’s 17th novel exemplifies her skill at depicting seemingly quiet and unremarkable lives with sympathy and humor . . . A touching, well-crafted tale of friendship, families, and what it means to be an American.” Sound enticing enough for you? Well, just read the book like the rest of us and get on over here Wednesday the 14th of October at 6:30pm for our next meeting. Sounds like a plan, don't it?

September Book Club

As summer winds down and we begin to feel the last legs of yet another season we are also shifting into another book club selection that returns us to the realm of non-fiction. This month we'll be reading "Into the Wild" by Jon Krakauer, a title that is immensely thought-provoking and gripping at the same time. Jon Krakauer has written some terrific pieces of non-fiction over the years, but this title is particularly well-suited to the discussion and thoughtful conversation that a good book club will foster. In fact, it's not often that I can personally recommend the filmed version of a book, but Sean Penn directed a marvelous version of "Into the Wild" in 2007 and if you have some extra time, check it out as well if you're so inclined. All right, the next meeting of our book club meets on Wednesday the 9th of September at 6:30pm, as always.

Book Club Information: July & August

OK, first things first ... there will be NO book club meeting in July due to vacations, traditions, whatever you choose to call it, but hopefully everyone will encounter some alternative summer fun in place of our regular meeting time.

Now then, we will gather again the second Wednesday of August when we get together to read "Charming Billy" by Alice McDermott. This novel won the National Book Award for fiction in 1998 and here's a rather enticing excerpt of a review from salon.com to get you interested: "... McDermott's "Charming Billy," circles repeatedly and tantalizingly around the ghostly form of Billy Lynch, the late sentimentalist, chatty raconteur, writer of sweet letters and drunk extraordinaire whose wake is the occasion for a chorus of reminiscing relatives and friends. Set in New York City's outer boroughs and Long Island from the '40s through the '80s, the novel is an exquisite portrayal of dream and delusion, the limits of community and, most pointedly, the cruel narcissism behind the alcoholic's grin."

Again, take July off, go dip your toes in a cool body of water or sip your favorite summertime beverage as we will not be getting together for the book club next month. When August 12th rolls around, I want to see you there ready to talk about what promises to be a "charming" novel. Sorry for the egregious pun. See you then.

Summer reading around the corner

Summertime is just around the corner and with it comes Summer Reading Celebration at San José Public Library. It’s time to kick back, read, and enjoy a book (or several) of your own choosing. “Be Creative @ your library” is the theme for children from birth through grade 5, while teens in grades 6 through 12 are invited to “Express Yourself @ your library.” This year all registration and recordkeeping will take place online, so there are no paper logs to keep track of. The ability to download eBooks and audiobooks from the library’s digital media collection makes it possible to participate even when out of town. In addition, participants will be able to set their own reading goal. A free book and a pizza coupon await those who reach their goal (while supplies last). Free activities increase at all San José libraries throughout the summer months providing ample opportunity for fun and relaxation. There will also be a summer reading program for adults: “Master the Art of Reading. For more information as summer draws near, visit SJLibrary.org/src.htm.

June Book Club Selection

For the month of June we'll be reading a prolific writer in Bill Bryson. In the words of one editorial review "Bill Bryson was born in the middle of the American century—1951—in the middle of the United States—Des Moines, Iowa—in the middle of the largest generation in American history—the baby boomers." His latest title is "The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid" and it's a look back at what growing up in the 1950's in Midwest America meant to him and, likely, to anybody else who happens to remember America in the post-World War II years. Truly, a unique period in the history of the United States if ever there was one. Bryson's writing is always infused with a tremendous sense of humor and these memoirs, like most of his books, draw you into his world and keep you entertained with an everpresent and slight, dopey grin on your face for the duration of his personal recollections. The book club next meets on Wednesday, June 10th at the regular time of 6:30pm. We hope to see you there.

May Book Club Selection

Ahhh, springtime... the glorious rebirth of dormant flora, the morning air filled with the chirping of enthused songbirds ... beauty abounds. It is an easy thing to be seduced by beauty, wouldn't you agree? But the problem with Dorian Gray is that he is a man seduced by his own beauty and corrupted by the notions of an ignoble mentor. The Picture of Dorian Gray, by Oscar Wilde has come to be recognized as a classic of Western literature and a memorably creative work of Gothic horror. We'll be reading this unique novel, the only novel ever published by Oscar Wilde, the original king of contemporary and furious wit, for our May book club meeting. The next meeting will be on Wednesday, May 13th at 6:30pm as usual. It would be a shame if you missed the occasion.

Beauty has as many meanings as man has moods. -Oscar Wilde

April Book Club Selection

We'll be reading a piece of fiction entitled "Montana, 1948" by Larry Watson for our April book club meeting. Literary review magazine Kirkus Reviews writes "Watson (author) offers a lean, gaunt narrative rich with implication about a 12-year-old boy who witnesses the anguish of his sheriff father, who is forced to arrest his own brother for rape ... A literary page-turner, morally complex and satisfying in its careful accumulation of detail and in its use of landscape to reveal character." This is a quick read, a mere wisp of a book at 175 pages, but our next book club meeting will be on Wednesday, April the 8th(@ 6:30pm), so we have but a mere 3 weeks before our next gathering. Hopefully we'll see you there to talk literature together.

March Book Club Selection

In March we will visit a well-known title of American literature. Betty Smith's A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was published in 1943 and has steadily remained placed in the list of well regarded American fiction of the 20th Century. The New York Public Library has named it as one of the "books of the century" and it likely has a place on other lists of notable American titles. Join us on Wednesday the 18th of March as we get together for our next meeting. Hope to see you there!

January Book Club Selection

For the first month of 2009 we will be reading a fabulous piece of fiction by a talented young American writer. The writer is David Benioff and his 2nd novel is City of Thieves, our choice for the January read. The Washington Post wrote about it: “City of Thieves is a coming-of-age story brilliantly amplified by its worn-torn backdrop. Benioff’s finest achievement in City of Thieves has been to banish all possible pretensions from his novel, which never wears its research on its sleeve, and to deliver a rough-and-tumble tale that clenches humor, savagery, and pathos squarely together on the same page.” It's a fast-paced story that will have you hooked from the first few pages with it's smart prose and manages to also educate the reader about an epic period and place in Russian history during World War II. Come share your impressions of this great read at our next book club meeting on Wednesday, January the 14th at 6:30 pm. We'll see you then.