Adults

To understand Stieg's work, I said, one had to know who he really was.--pg. 185

I picked up this book yearning to learn more about the author who died before his novel legacy was even published. That fact in itself intrigued me; I just really wanted to learn more about Stieg Larsson's life from an unbiased source. With this relatively short biography, you get the straight facts--no beating around the bush, just the candid and honest facts--from the one constant presence in his life: Eva Gabrielsson.

I do not exactly know what I was expecting when I opened The Language of Flowers and started reading, but I do not think that I was expecting to be completely and utterly amazed and captivated by the story right from the very first paragraph:

For eight years I dreamed of fire. Tree ignited as I passed them; oceans burned. The sugary smoke settled in my hair as I slept, the scent like a cloud left on my pillow as I rose. Even so, the moment my mattress started to burn, I bolted awake. The sharp, chemical smell was nothing like the hazy syrup of my dreams; the two were as different as Carolina and Indian jasmine, separation and attachment. They could not be confused. (pg 3)

Please join us on Thursday, October 6th at 10:00 am in the first floor meeting rooms for our book discussion of Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese.

Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese was one of the best books I read when it came out in 2009. Now that we are going to have it for this month’s book discussion group, I get to enjoy it all over again. Verghese draws richly dramatic characters with Ethiopia having its own personality throughout the book. Multiple dynamics keep you on the edge of your seat, such as brotherly love, betrayal, illicit love affairs and even a shipboard drama, along with medical breakthroughs. But it all begins with the story of twins.

Think back to 2006. Do you remember the first time you heard that a group of astronomers had decided that Pluto was not a planet anymore? Remember that sad feeling of “Oh, poor Pluto” or maybe you got angry and thought, “Why are they picking on Pluto? What did Pluto do to anyone?” Now you have someone to blame. Meet Mike Brown, the astronomer who discovered “the tenth planet”, which ultimately led to the downfall of Pluto. In How I Killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming, Brown raises the question of what exactly is a planet. You think that the answer would be simple, but Brown raises several important arguments that might change your views on the former planet. How I killed Pluto and Why It Had It Coming made me wish

Visit the Friends Art Gallery outside the Library Theatre this month and enjoy paintings by local artist Joyce Kraft.

The art of Joyce Kraft Gallery

Sometimes it is nice to know that even the greatest minds in history have failed at love. In his new book, Great Philosophers Who Failed at Love, Andrew Shaffer reintroduces us to great historical figures, but with a new twist. For example, did you know that French philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre adopted his mistress as his daughter? Or that Henry Ward Beecher, one of the most famous ministers in America, was sued for having “criminal conversations” with another man’s wife? Shaffer’s book is brimming with juicy tidbits about scandals, murder, unrequited love, and maybe even a little mayhem. This light read will make you laugh and make you rethink everything you have ever been taught about some of the great figures in history.

The name is Baer, Bob Baer.

The Company We Keep by Bob and Dayna Baer, former CIA field operatives, reads like a Bond spy thriller. These two professionals are adventuresome, daring and self-confident. Their world is full of shades of grey. Life in the field is dirty and monotonous. There's no glamour in Tajikistan or Bosnia. Side trips to the Swiss Alps and the French Riviera lend a touch of Bond to their work. Learn more about Bob Baer's CIA career by reading his first book, See No Evil. -JR