How Do We Choose?

The 2nd Wednesday Book Group chooses their books each year based on a theme.    Many book group guides suggest picking titles as you go throughout the year to allow flexibility.  We go against the grain and choose our titles for a whole year. 

And, we've already chosen next year's (July 2012 to June 2013) theme; Russia!  The book group will be submitting suggestions of books about Russia, stories written by Russian authors and this year we are even adding movies that deal with Russia.  If you'd like to get in on the action, drop Andi a note here at the library.  She can be reached at 781-2351 or at library@falmouth.lib.me.us.

"Crossing to Safety" by Wallace Stegner

The following are discussion questions from Litlovers.com
1. Given the difference between their upbringings (social class), what is the basis of friendship between these two couples? What does each couple gain from the friendship? Is it an equal or unequal relationship?
2. Talk about the nature of the two marriages, how they differ. The Langs' marriage seems to be the one most under the microscope here, the most complicated of the two marriages.
3. Then there's Charity—clearly the most complex character of the four. Do you like her, despise her? What drives her?
4. What are Charity's expectations of Sid? Does she desire academic status? Does she want him to realize his full potential or live up to his best self? What does she want from him?
5. Why does Sid stay with Charity? What do you think will happen to him after she dies? Will he choose to go on without her?
6. Stegner is very much a nature writer, using the natural beauty of Vermont as a sort of back drop to his human drama. In what way might he be making a comparison between the immutable natural world and mutable human world?
(Questions by LitLovers.http://www.litlovers.com/reading-guides/13-fiction/230-crossing-to-safety-stegner?start=3  Accessed 1/25/12