FML Book Groups

How Do We Choose?

2012-01-25T13:55:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-25T13:44:00.000-08:00

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

Land of Little Rain-Mary Austin

2011-12-29T11:47:00.000-08:00

The 2nd Wednesday Book Group has chosen "Land of Little Rain" by Mary Austin as its next read. We will meet on Wednesday, January 11th @ 1pm to discuss Austin's work. This is Austin's first book and was published in 1903. The book is available through Project Gutenberg, just click here to read it on your computer.

Ramona by Helen Hunt Jackson-December 14th @ 1 pm

2011-11-15T13:56:00.000-08:00

We are reading "Ramona" by Helen Hunt Jackson for the next book group meeting. We will be meeting in the Russell Room @ 1pm. Available for free as a downloadable e-book from Project Gutenberg, "Ramona" is often compared to Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin" for its attempt to influence social policy.

Several movies, as well as a TV series, were produced. A clip from the D.W. Griffith production is available for viewing is available via YouTube .

Discussion questions for "Ramona" are available here in a handout made available by StoryLines America. Please join us for what could be an interesting conversation!

"Daughter of Fortune" by Isabel Allende November 9, 2011

2011-10-12T16:26:00.000-07:00

Please join us for our next Falmouth Memorial Library Book Group meeting, Wednesday, November 9th @ 1pm.

Book Discussion Questions provided by the publisher:

1. Eliza thinks that the facts of her birth don't matter: "It is what you do in this world that matters, not how you come into it," she claims. Ta Ch'ien, on the other hand, cannot imagine "his own life apart from the long chain of his ancestors, who not only had given him his physical and mental characteristics but bequeathed him his karma. His fate, he believed, had been determined by the acts of his family before him." How do these different beliefs determine the way Tao Chi'en and Eliza make decisions about their lives? What are your own feelings about ancestry and self-determination?
2. Eliza grows up under the influence of a number of strong individuals--Mama Fresia, Rose, Jeremy Sommers and his brother, John. What does she learn from each of people? How do their differing philosophies contribute to Eliza's experience of the world? How do they shape her personality?
3. In 19th century Chile, a married woman could not travel, sign legal documents, go to court, sell or buy anything without her husband's permission. No wonder Rose doesn't want to get married! How would the lives of the women you know be different under those conditions? What are the consequences in a society that limits the freedoms of a segments of its citizens?
4. What do you think Allende means by referring to Eliza as a "daughter of fortune?" How are the different definitions of the word "fortune" significant in Eliza's story and the novel as a whole?
5. How is Tao Chi'en a "son" of fortune? What are the crucial turning points in his life, and where do they lead him? To what extent is he responsible for his own good and bad fortunes?
6. "At first the Chinese looked on the foreigners with scorn and disgust, with the great superiority of those who feel they are the only truly civilized beings in the universe, but in the space of a few years they learned to respect and fear them." writes Allende about the arrival of Western peoples into Hong Kong. How is this pattern of suspicion, fear, and resigned acceptance repeated throughout the novel? How does Allende illustrate the confusion of clashing cultures in Valparaiso, on board Eliza's ship, and in California? Do you think people of today are more tolerant of other cultures than they were 150 years ago?
7. While Eliza is vulnerable in California because of her sex, Tao Chi'en's prospects are limited because of his race. How do both characters overcome their "handicaps?" What qualities help them make their way in a culture that is foreign and often unwelcoming?
8. What do details such as Mama Fresia's home remedies and her attempts to "cure" Eliza of her love for Joaqu’n, or Tao Chi'en's medical education and his habit of contacting his dead wife say about the role of the spiritual in the everyday life? Must the spiritual and the secular remain separate? What about the spiritual and scientific worlds?
9. How have the novel's characters - Rose or Jacob Todd, for instance - managed to create opportunities out of the obstacles they've faced? What do you think Allende is saying about the role that fate plays in our lives, and about our capacity to take control over our own destinies? How are we all sons or daughters of fortune?

"The Thousand Mile Summer" by Colin Fletcher

2011-07-29T11:59:00.000-07:00

Join us at 1pm on Wednesday, August 10th for a discussion of Colin Fletcher's "The Thousand Mile Summer" In 1958 Fletcher, author of the well known, "The Complete Walker" walked the length of California and wrote our August selection about his adventures on the trail.

Fletcher was a well known backpacker who wrote about several of his treks through America. Fletcher was born in Wales in 1922 and died in California in 2007.

Please join our discussion of Fletcher's experiences and how they translate onto the written page. This is just the beginning of our California Dreaming selections.

A New Year!

2011-07-13T16:34:00.000-07:00

It's a new year for the Falmouth Memorial Library Wednesday Book Group. We start with a new selection of books on with our July meeting. We met today to discuss Nevada Barr's "High Country". The theme for this year is California. We are looking for new members to join anytime. We meet the 2nd Wednesday of every month Next month we will be reading Colin Fletcher's "The Thousand Mile Summer".

"March to Quebec" by Kenneth Roberts

2011-05-25T16:34:00.000-07:00

Our next 2nd Wednesday Book Group meeting will be Wednesday, June 8th at 1pm. We are reading Maine author, Kenneth Roberts' book, "March to Quebec".

Please join us. We're always looking for new members!

Harriett Beecher Stowe---"Uncle Tom's Cabin"

2011-04-28T12:39:00.000-07:00

We hope you will join us for the next meeting of our 2nd Wednesday of the Month book group! We will be discussing "Uncle Tom's Cabin" by Harriet Beecher Stowe. Although Stowe was born in Connecticut, she did move to Brunswick, Maine when her husband accepted a job at Bowdoin College.

Check out the links to the right for additional biographical information on this widely praised writer.

Book Chat Cafe

2011-04-28T12:10:00.000-07:00

We hope you will join us for our newest "book group", Book Chat Cafe. We meet the 2nd Saturday of each month @ 10am. There is no reading list. Just bring a few of your more recent favorite reads and we'll chat about them! I've already picked up three titles of books I want to read.

Our next meeting is Saturday, May 14th @ 10am. We will be "playing" with your library's new e-readers! Come see what all the excitement is about and meet others in our community who love to read and share.

"Poets and Writers" Magazine

2011-03-15T11:12:00.000-07:00

Your library has a wide variety of magazines available for check out. We've had "Poets and Writers" magazine for a few years. If you're interested in the art and craft of writing, stop by your library's Periodical Room. "Poets and Writers" is published bimonthly and contains great articles about and for writers and poets. Since the month of April is National Poetry Month, what better time than now to check out writing resources and start creating with words yourself.

April is Poetry Month--Remember to Bring Your Poem this week!

2011-03-07T13:13:00.000-08:00

Next month's Book Group Meeting is all about Maine Poetry. Please remember to bring a copy of the poem you've chosen to read in April to our March 9th meeting. I will photocopy and distribute the poems to everyone at the March 9th meeting.

Another Book Group?

2011-02-24T12:10:00.000-08:00

Yes, the Falmouth Memorial Library has started another book group which will meet on the Second Saturday of every month, @ 9:30am. The next meeting will be Saturday, March 12th.

Where's the list? What do I need to read?

No list, no required reading. Drop by, grab a cup of coffee and a muffin and relax. We'll talk about books, what we like to read and why. We'll play around with some of the new e-readers. Just basically ponder the written word, or the spoken word for that matter. Please join us. What's a story without sharing it?

"Peyton Place" by Grace Metalious

2011-02-09T12:23:00.000-08:00

Join us on Wednesday, March 9th at 1pm for our next Falmouth Memorial Book Group meeting. We will be discussing the novel by Grace Metalious, "Peyton Place". Check out the links to the right about Grace Metalious to see why this New Hampshire author is listed in our Maine Focus reading list!

"The Country of the Pointed Firs" by Sarah Orne Jewett

2011-02-07T13:06:00.000-08:00

Please join the Falmouth Memorial Library's Book Group as we discuss Sarah Orne Jewett's "The Country of the Pointed Firs".

We meet every second Wednesday of each month @1pm.

This month we will also try fitting in some discussion of John Irving's "The Cider House Rules" as we were snowed out last month!

"A Short History of Portland"

2011-01-20T12:36:00.000-08:00

Allan Levinsky, author of "A Short History of Portland" will be discussing his book at the Falmouth Memorial Library, on Friday, February 4th @ 1pm. The FML Book Group is hosting this event for the library. The public is more than welcome and refreshments will be served. Please join us!

Today, Wednesday January 12th-The Library is Closed

2011-01-12T04:31:00.000-08:00

The library is closed today due to the Northeaster whipping outside. We hope all our patrons are home safe and warm.

Since the library is closed today, the Book Group will not be meeting to discuss "The Cider House Rules". We will try and squeeze in a short discussion about the book next month when we meet again (weather permitting).
Next month we will be discussing Sarah Orne Jewett's book "The Country of Pointed Firs". Please join us.

"The Cider House Rules" by John Irving

2011-01-06T12:20:00.001-08:00

Join us on Wednesday, January 12th for the monthly book group. This month group members are reading "The Cider House Rules" by John Irving.

Readers Guide questions made available by the publisher, Random House:

1. The rules posted on the cider house wall aren't read or understood by anyone living there except Mr. Rose, who makes -- and breaks -- his own set of rules. What point is John Irving making with the unread rules?
2. What rules, both written and unwritten, do other characters follow in the novel? Did most characters violate their own rules? Who stays the most true to his or her rules?
3. Dr. Larch makes the interesting statement that because women don't legally have the right to choose, Homer Wells does not have a moral claim in choosing not to perform abortions. Do you find Larch's argument compelling? Do you think Homer was ultimately convinced or that he needed an escape from Ocean View?
4. In order to set future events on what he believes to be the correct path, Larch alters the history of the orphanage to create a false heart murmur for Homer and changes various school transcripts to create Dr. Fuzzy Stone. What other doctoring of history does Larch do? Do you think Homer, as Dr. Fuzzy Stone, will continue the tradition?
5. St. Cloud's setting is grim, unadorned, and unhealthy, while Ocean View is healthy, wide open, and full of opportunities. In what ways do the settings of the orphanage and the orchards belie their effect on their residents? What did you make of Homer bringing the apple trees to St. Cloud's?
6. As you were reading, what did you expect Melony to do to Homer when she finally found him? Though Homer forgets about Melony for many years, do you think she had more of an impact on his future than Candy did?
7. Larch's introduction to sex comes through a prostitute and her daughter, and his introduction to abortion is given by the same women. Sex with Melony, the picture of the pony, and abortions performed by Larch introduces Homer to the same issues, yet Homer doesn't maintain sexual abstinence as Larch does. Why do you think this is? Do you think Larch substitutes ether for sex?
8. Violence against women forms a thread throughout the novel; Melony fights off apple pickers, Grace receives constant beatings from her husband, and Rose Rose suffers incest. Does the author seem to be making a connection between violence and sex? How do the women's individual responses to violence reflect their personalities?
9. The issues of fatherhood are complex--as seen in Larch's relation-ship with Homer, and Homer's relationship with Angel -- but being a good father or good parent is stressed throughout. According to the novel, what are some of the ingredients that make a good father? Is truthfulness one of them?
10. Candy's "wait and see" philosophy contrasts with Larch's constant tinkering with the future to suit his desires. Based on his personality, is Homer better suited to waiting or to working?
11. Herb Fowler's sabotaged condoms are one example of how people and rules in Ocean View are actually the opposite of what they seem. What other examples can you recall?
12. 12. Near the end, Homer's meeting with Melony is a turning point, spurring him to reveal the truth about Angel's parentage and to return to St. Cloud's, where he can be "of use." While reading, did you want to learn more about Melony's adventures during the intervening years or less? Which character do you think drove the novel's momentum?
13. If you saw the film adaptation of The Cider House Rules, discuss the aspects of the story that you think were stronger in the novel, and the portions of the film that were especially potent. What are your feelings about film adaptations of novels in general, and about the adaptation of this novel in particular? 14. What did you find to be particularly effective or well done in Irving's writing? If you've read other Irving novels, name some of the themes that he carries over from novel to novel.

E.B. White

2010-11-16T12:35:00.000-08:00

Our next book group meeting is Wednesday, December 8th @ 1pm. What are we reading? ...any of E.B. White's childrens' books.

What surprised our group was finding out that White only wrote three childrens books; Stuart Little (1945), Charlotte's Web (1952), and Trumpet of the Swan (1970).

And what is White's connection to Maine? He summered here as a child and moved his family from New York to Maine where he lived for twenty-eight years on a small farm in North Brooklin, Maine. Check out this Mapquest map to locate North Brooklin in Hancock County, Maine.

"Strong for Potatoes" --Cynthia Thayer

2010-10-29T08:03:00.000-07:00

Check out Macmillan's readers guide for our next selection, "Strong for Potatoes" by Cynthia Thayer. Readers Guide

What is the connection this month to Maine? Thayer lives with her family on Darthia Farm, an organic farm, in Gouldsboro, Maine. Her website is http://www.darthiafarm.com/.

"Strong for Potatoes" was Thayer's first novel. We hope you join us when we discuss her book at our November 10th meeting @ 1pm.

"The Shipping News" Discussion Questions

2010-09-13T11:16:00.000-07:00

We're following a Maine theme this year. What's the connection with Maine and "The Shipping News"?

The following questions are provided by the publisher:

1. Proulx describes Quoyle as "a great damp loaf of a body." What kind of man is Quoyle? How does Proulx's sublime, comic style make you feel about him?

2. When Quoyle writes for the Mockingburg Record he never seems to understand the dynamics of journalism, yet in writing "The Shipping News" he transforms The Gammy Bird and eventually becomes managing editor of the paper. Discuss some of the other changes Quoyle experiences from the beginning of the novel to the end.

3. As Quoyle arrives in Newfoundland, he hears much of his family's past. In fact, there is an old relative, "some kind of fork kin," still alive in Newfoundland. Why does Quoyle avoid Nolan -- seem angry at the old man from the start? Is the reason as simple as Quoyle denying where he came from, especially after learning the details of his father's relationship with the aunt?

4. Proulx tells us the aunt is a lesbian, yet never makes a specific issue out of the aunt's sexual orientation. Does this fact add dimension to the story for you? Does it add to the aunt's character? We, as readers, assume that characters are heterosexual without needing to hear specifically about their sexual life. Does the matter-of-course way Proulx treats the aunt's sexuality help make the reader a less judgmental critic?

5. Discuss Quoyle's relationship with Petal Bear. Can you justify his feelings for her? Even after her death, she continues to have a strong hold on him, and her memory threatens to squelch the potential of his feeling for Wavey Prowse. Is this because Quoyle doesn't understand love without pain? Both Quoyle and Wavey have experienced abusive relationships previously. How do they treat each other?

6. Newfoundland is more than the setting for this story, it is a dreary yet engaging character onto itself. Does the cold weather and the rough life add to your enjoyment of the book?

7. Do you think the chapter headings from The Ashley Book of Knots, The Mariner's Dictionary, and Quipus and Witches' Knots add to the atmosphere of the book? Did their humor illustrate some of Proulx's points, or did they simplify some of her issues? Notice especially the headings for chapters 2, 4, 28, 32, 33, and 34.

"The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" by Stephen King

2010-08-06T13:38:00.000-07:00

Our book group really enjoyed "On Writing" by Stephen King and we look forward to sharing our views on King's "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon". Join us on Wednesday, August 11th at 1pm. I am sure there will be plenty of discussion, since this is not a typical King story.

Our Maine Focus

2010-06-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

Here we go again! It's a new year for the Falmouth Memorial Book Group. We're starting fresh in July with a new focus....Our Maine Focus. All the books we are reading have some Maine connection and each month we will focus on that connection. We hope to add new members this year, please contact Andi Jackson-Darling @ library@falmouth.lib.me.us or at 781-2351 if you have any questions.

So, what's our first book? The group decided to pick Stephen King for both July and August. In July we will be discussing "On Writing" King's memoir. We will be reading King's "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon" for our August 11th selection. Please join us for our first meeting of the group's new year on Wednesday, July 14th @ 1pm.

Announcement for the May 12th Book Group

2010-03-12T12:54:00.000-08:00

Just a reminder to all FML Book Group members....we will be reading Jane Austen's "Mansfield Park" for May and watching the movie as well! Please be sure to view the movie and read the book before coming to the May 12th meeting. We will be discussing both the book and movie.

Discussion Questions provided by ReadingGroupGuides.com

1. Mansfield Park was written after a silence of more than a decade. During this period, Austen moved several times, saw the deaths of her father and a potential suitor, and became the dependent old maid we find so often among her more pitiable characters. The Napoleonic Wars continued; England embarked on imperialistic adventures. Austen followed both with interest. Do you see evidence of these things in the novel?

2. At the heart of its plot, Mansfield Park has three sisters. What kind of family life do you imagine would account for Mrs. Bertram and Mrs. Norris and Mrs. Price? Find something good to say about Mrs. Norris.

3. Fanny is an Austen heroine who, throughout the course of the book, has nothing to learn. In this she stands in sharp contrast to Emma Woodhouse. Do you like Fanny as well as you like Emma? Less? More?

4. In one of the book's most famous scenes, Fanny sits wilted in the heat at the Rushworth's estate, while the other characters come and go around her. Discuss the ways this epitomizes the entire plot of the book.

5. The various roles played in The Lover's Vows often result in Austen characters who are, under the cover of the play, allowed to act in ways more congruent with their real natures than polite society permits. They perform themselves.Meanwhile, William H. Galperin suggests that, when Fanny Price insists she cannot act, she is actually demonstrating her "inability to know one is always acting." Galperin speaks of "a fundamental duplicity in which one literally performs one's inability to act."Think about this until your head explodes.

6. Plato has suggested that one cannot be both a good actor and a good citizen. What do you imagine he meant? Discuss the relevance of this to Mansfield Park.

7. In most books, the villains are identifiable through their mistreatment of the hero/heroine. In Mansfield Park, the Crawfords are among the tiny handful of people who see the value of Fanny Price. Are they ever unkind to her?Why is Fanny so little moved by their interest and esteem?In your opinion, is any of this esteem genuine?

8. The Crawfords are superficially the most attractive characters in the book. Where do their virtues become vices? Answer the same question with regard to Fanny and Edmund.

9. Kingsley Amis said, "Edmund and Fanny are both morally detestable and the endorsement of their feelings and behavior by the author . . . makes Mansfield Park an immoral book." Do you agree? Is there any difference in your mind between Austen herself and the book's narrator?

10. Earlier Austen novels suggest a society in positive transformation; earlier heroines struggle towards the possibility of improvement. In contrast, Mansfield Park is about a society threatened with transformation. Fanny Price makes no positive movement. She protects Mansfield Park by her resistance, by her refusal to change. In the end, the society represented by the estate of Mansfield Park will not and cannot be saved? What in that society seemed valuable to you? Is there anything to regret about its loss?

"The Colour" by Rose Tremain

2010-03-12T12:47:00.000-08:00

Our next book group meeting will be Wednesday, April 14th at 1pm. Please pick up a copy of April's selection "The Colour" and join us in the discussion. We will also be reading and discussing poems in celebration of Poetry Month!

Discussion questions from the publisher:

Consider the concept of Englishness in the novel, and how you feel Tremain deals with the idea of 'reassembling' little pieces of England in New Zealand.
How does Tremain handle the presence of the Maoris in the novel, in relation to the English people who have descended upon them?
Many of the characters are driven by the force of escapism, an over-powering urge to leave all that is behind them and find a brave new utopia in New Zealand. Who do you think is most driven by this romantic notion, and is Tremain critical of this in any way?
Compare Tremain's treatment and characterisation of the indigenous Maoris, and their desire for greenstone, with that of Joseph's, and the other gold-diggers, whom she describes as 'Men like moths, going towards a golden light' (p148).
How does the 19th century notion of Goldrush relate to our modern day? Consider whether you can think of any contemporary examples where the Goldrush mentality - and all its social and cultural effects - is still manifest in our society.
'Without desire, nothing is made.' (p138). How important is this line to the overall story? Consider the concept of desire and the different forms it takes on in the novel.

March 10th Book Group Meeting-"House of the Spirits"

2010-02-22T11:28:00.000-08:00

We meet again on Wednesday, March 10th @ 1pm in the library's Russell Room. Please feel free to join us. If you need to obtain a copy of our selected title, please contact the library @ 781-2351 and have your Falmouth Memorial Library card number ready!

SUGGESTED TOPICS FOR DISCUSSION(provided by http://www.booksattransworld.co.uk

1. The way in which Allende writes about the women gives this novel an extraordinary power. In what ways does Allende explore the evolution of the feminine consciousness over the generations (beginning with Clara, and ending with Alba) throughout the novel and how does she express her concern for the position of women in Latin American society?

2. 'I wanted to show that life goes in a circle, events are intertwined, and that history repeats itself there is no beginning and no end'. How do Allende's comments shed light on this novel?

3. Are you able to feel any sympathy for Esteban Trueba despite his boorish tyrannical ways? Do you see him as a despicable monster or as a product of his time and social class?

4. Although The House of the Spirits is a profoundly political novel, Allende's narrative voice and characterisation is so rich that it never read likes a political tract. Would you agree with this and, if so, how do you think Allende achieves this?

5. What other books have you read that explore political events and social injustice, using metaphor and allegory in such a way?

6. The novelist Barbara Trapido wrote 'Alongside the grim ''outer'' narrative of power struggle, corruption and brutality, it presents an alternative ''inner'' version of history: a feminine sub-culture of extrasensory understanding. If this sounds a shade polemical it is wholly redeemed by a fine humour in the telling'. Does this strike you as an accurate assessment of this novel?

7. What other elements of this novel struck you as particularly effective and moving?

Book Group This Wednesday

2010-02-09T08:27:00.000-08:00

The FML Book Group meets this Wednesday, February 10th at 1pm. We have read "The Flame Trees of Thika" by Elspeth Huxley.

Book group members, remember April is Poetry Month so bring in your selection no later than our March 10th meeting!

January 13, 2010 Book Group Meeting

2009-12-29T11:44:00.000-08:00

Since our December meeting was canceled due to bad weather, we will discuss both "The Zookeeper's Wife" and our December selection, "The Piano Teacher"

See you on Wednesday, January 13th @ 1pm!

"The Zookeeper's Wife" by Diane Ackerman

2009-12-29T11:15:00.000-08:00

There is no available reader's guide for our January selection, "The Zookeeper's Wife". However, you might want to check out the following link to a video of the author, Diane Ackerman, discussing her book.

Diane Ackerman on "The Zookeeper's Wife

Also, come to the book discussion on Wednesday, January 13th @1pm with some questions of your own.

Here's one to start you off:

1. How did the way Ackerman structured her book affect your overall feeling of the Zabinski's story?

Winter Cancellations

2009-12-08T08:06:00.000-08:00

Please note, if we have winter weather that results in the closing of the library, the Falmouth Memorial Library Book Group will be canceled. There will be no rescheduling of the canceled meeting, the group will meet the following month as scheduled. Any questions? Please call Andi @ 781-2351 or post a comment on our blog!

"The Piano Teacher"

2009-11-30T07:10:00.000-08:00

Join us for our next FML Book Group Meeting on Wednesday, December 9th @ 1pm!

The following questions are provided by the publisher:

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

Why does Claire steal from the Chens? Why does she stop doing it?
Part of Claire’s attraction to Will is that he allows her to be someone different than she had always been. Have you ever been drawn to a person or a situation because it offered you the opportunity to reinvent yourself?
The amahs are a steady but silent presence throughout the book. Imagine Trudy and Will’s relationship and then Claire and Will’s affair from their point of view and discuss.
Trudy was initially drawn to Will because of his quiet equanimity and Will to Claire because of her innocence. Yet those are precisely the qualities each loses in the course of their love affairs. What does this say about the nature of these relationships? Would Will have been attracted to a woman like Claire before Trudy?
What is the irony behind Claire’s adoration of the young Princess Elizabeth?
Were Dominick and Trudy guilty of collaboration, or were they simply trying to survive? Do their circumstances absolve them of their actions?
Mary, Tobias’s mother, and one of Will’s fellow prisoners in Stanley, does not take advantage of her job in the kitchen to steal more food for her son. Yet she prostitutes herself to preserve him. Is Tobias’s physical survival worth the psychological damage she’s inflicting?
Did Trudy give her emerald ring and Locket to Melody? How much did Melody really know?
How do Ned Young’s experiences parallel Trudy’s?
Did Will fail Trudy? Was his decision to remain in Stanley rather than be with her on the outside—as he believes—an act of cowardice?
Would Locket be better off knowing the truth about her parentage?
What would happen if Trudy somehow survived and came back to Will? Could they find happiness together?

Next Selection: "A Mercy" by Toni Morrison

2009-10-15T15:09:00.000-07:00

Our next meeting takes place on Wednesday, November 4th @ 1pm. Please note the change of date (we're meeting a week early due to Veteran's Day) and time (we're now meeting 1pm to about 2:30pm)!

We hope to see you in November.

Questions from the publisher for "A Mercy" by Toni Morrison

1. Florens addresses her story to the blacksmith she loves and writes: "You can think what I tell you a confession, if you like, but one full of curiosities familiar only in dreams and during those moments when a dog's profile plays in the steam of a kettle" (page 3). In what sense is her story a confession? What are the dreamlike "curiosities" it is filled with?
2. Florens writes to the blacksmith, "I am happy the world is breaking open for us, yet its newness trembles me" (page 5), and later, "Now I am knowing that unlike with Senhor, priests are unlove here" (page 7). In what ways is Florens's use of language strikingly eccentric and poetic? What does the way she speaks and writes reveal about who she is and what her experience has been?
3. What does A Mercy reveal about Colonial America that is startling and new? In what ways does Morrison give this period in our history an emotional depth that cannot be found in text books?
4. A Mercy is told primarily through the distinctive narrative voices of Florens, Lina, Jacob, Rebekka, Sorrow, and, lastly, Florens's mother. What do these characters reveal about themselves through the way they speak? What are the advantages of such a multivocal narrative over one told through a single voice?
5. Jacob Vaark is reluctant to traffic in human flesh and determined to amass wealth honestly, without "trading his conscience for coin" (page 28). How does he justify making money from trading sugar produced by slave labor in Barbados? What larger point is Morrison making here?
6. How does Jacob's attitude toward his slaves/workers differ from that of the farmer who owns Florens's mother?
7. When Rebekka falls ill, Lina treats her with a mixture of herbs: devil's bit, mugwort, Saint-John's-wort, maidenhair, and periwinkle. She also considers "repeating some of the prayers she learned among the Presbyterians, but since none had saved Sir, she thought not" (page 50). What fundamental differences are suggested here between the practical, earth-based healing knowledge of Lina and the more ethereal prayers of the Presbyterians? What larger role does healing play in the novel?
8. Rebekka knows that even as a white woman, her prospects are limited to "servant, prostitute, wife, and although horrible stories were told about each of those careers, the last one seemed safest" (pages 77–78). And Lina, Sorrow, and Florens know that if their mistress dies, "three unmastered women … out here, alone, belonging to no one, became wild game for anyone" (page 58). What does the novel as a whole reveal about the precarious position of women, European and African, free and enslaved, in late-17th-century America?
9. Rebekka says she does not fear the violence in the colonies—the occasional skirmishes and uprisings—because it is so much less horrifying and pervasive than the violence in her home country of England. In what ways is "civilized" England more savage than "savage" America?
10. What role does the love story between Florens and the blacksmith play in the novel? Why does the blacksmith tell Florens that she is "a slave by choice" (page 141)?
11. When Florens asks for shelter on her journey to find the blacksmith, she is taken in by a Christian widow and her apparently "possessed" daughter Jane, whose soul she is trying to save by whipping her. And Rebekka experiences religion, as practiced by her mother, as "a flame fueled by a wondrous hatred" (page 74). How are Christians depicted in the novel? How do they regard Florens, and black people generally?
12. Lina tells Florens, "We never shape the world... The world shapes us" (page 71). What does she mean? In what ways are the main characters in the novel more shaped by than shapers of the world they inhabit?
13. Why does Florens's mother urge Jacob to take her? Why does she consider his doing so a mercy? What does her decision say about the conditions in which she and so many others like her were forced to live?
14. The sachem of Lina's tribe says of the Europeans: "Cut loose from the earth's soul, they insisted on purchase of its soil, and like all orphans they were insatiable. It was their destiny to chew up the world and spit out a horribleness that would destroy all primary peoples" (page 54). To what extent is this an accurate assessment? In what ways is A Mercy about the condition of being orphaned? What is the literal and symbolic significance of being orphaned or abandoned in the novel?
15. Why does Morrison choose to end the novel in the voice of Florens' s mother? How does the ending alter or intensify all that has come before it?
16. Why is it important to have a visceral, emotional grasp of what life was like, especially for Africans, Native Americans, and women, in Colonial America? In what ways has American culture tried to forget or whitewash this history?
17. Did you see the stunning twist at the novel's conclusion coming? If so, when and why? If not, why do you think it blindsided you?
18. How do the stories of the women in A Mercy serve as a prequel to the stories of the women in Beloved, which is set two centuries later?

Our Time has Changed!

2009-09-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

Starting with the October 14th meeting, our book group will start meeting 1pm to 2:30pm. The book we will be discussing on the 14th is Corrie ten Boon's "The Hiding Place". Please join us!

Discussion Questions for September 9th Meeting

2009-08-21T13:31:00.000-07:00

Reminder: We're reading two books this month!

The following are discussion questions provided by the publisher:

Women of the Silk:

1. One of Gail Tsukiyama's talents is her ability to reveal a whole world and a culture though subtle details. This novel opens with a very graphic scene, in which Pei's mother gives birth to yet another daughter. How does this one scene introduce the dynamics in Pei's family-and thus a Chinese family-to its audience? What details are important and what larger issues do they signify?

2. The theme of the Chinese family remains in the foreground of the novel throughout. Once Pei arrives at the girls' house how does her own experience in her family compare to the other girls' experiences? Mei-li's family, for example?

3. Once Pei arrives at the girls' house she is struck by the fact that all the girls there look the same-same hairstyle, same clothes. How does this homogeneity affect Pei? For example, examine the scene where Pei looks at herself in the mirror for the first time after being dressed like the others.

4. What are the dynamics between the girls at the silk house? For example, how does Moi affect the girls? How do they regard Chen-Li?

5. On page 90, Lin's mother is described as having lost her "voice" after her husband's death. What implications does this statement have? How does it relate, for example, to Pei's later statement that her own family remained "silent"-meaning they never responded to Pei's letter, nor did they ever come to visit her.

6. Compare the hairdressing ceremony with the wedding ceremony of Lin's brother. How are they similar or different, and what do they symbolize?

7. What drives Pei to participate in the hairdressing ceremony and join "the sisterhood?"

8. What does the ending scene, with Pei leaving for a "new life" in Hong Kong, suggest? How does it affect the way you view the novel and Pei's progress?

The Language of Threads

1. When Pei and Ji Shen first arrive in Hong Kong, they meet the rickshaw boy, Quan, who takes them to their boarding house. How does he represent the bustling city of Hong Kong and what role does he play in both Pei and Ji Shen's life?

2. Discuss how the sisterhood was able to thrive in Hong Kong after the demise of the silk villages in China. How were they able to remain a unionized faction?

3. Why is Pei determined that Ji Shen get an education rather than immediately become a domestic servant? How does this put a strain on their relationship?

4. Pei first goes to work for a Chinese family, which ends in disgrace. She then goes to work for an English woman, Mrs. Finch, whom she grows to love. What are some of the distinctions in each household and how does Pei cope in each?

5. Discuss how Pei, Ji Shen, and Mrs. Finch become a tight-knit family of their home despite social differences.

6. Discuss Mrs. Finch's internment at Stanley camp. How did they function within the camp? How do Pei and Ji Shen make her imprisonment more comfortable?

7. Ji Shen becomes involved with a man named Lock and the black market in Hong Kong during the occupation. In what ways does Pei try to get her out of it? Does she succeed?

8. Why do you think Pei refuses Lin's brother Ho Yung's offer of marriage?

9. After the war and Mrs. Finch's death, Pei becomes an invisible mender or seamstress rather than returning to work as a domestic servant. How does her new business turn her life around?

10. Pei's friend Lin remains a powerful memory throughout the book. The past is never far from her mind. How does the bond between her and Pei effect the way Pei lives her life?

Kate Braestrup

2009-08-09T15:53:00.000-07:00

I was lucky to hear author Kate Braestrup speak at a library conference a year or so ago. She is an amazing speaker! Whether or not you've read the book "Here If You Need Me", try the audiobook. Braestrup's descriptions of her life are at times humorous, sad, but always riveting .

If you haven't tried listening to an audiobook, now's the perfect time to try one out! You can also use your Falmouth Memorial Library card to download audiobooks, free to your computer! Ask us or check out the Overdrive Website . You can also reach this site via our homepage, look for the download audiobooks logo!

"Here if You Need Me" Discussion Questions

2009-08-09T15:50:00.000-07:00

Here are the book discussion questions for "Here If You Need Me" by Kate Braestrup. These questions were supplied by the publisher.

Book Club Discussion Questions

1. Kate Braestrup admits that before serving as chaplain to the Maine Warden Service, she had little idea of what the position entailed, joking that people ask her "What does a warden service chaplain do? Bless the moose?" (p. 62) Did you know the role that game wardens play prior to reading Here If You Need Me? Were you in a situation that required the Warden Service, would you want the assistance of a chaplain?

2. In the Author's Note, Kate writes that her favorite definition of the Greek word Logos is "story." Of the many stories Kate tells in Here If You Need Me from her role as Warden Service chaplain, which was your favorite?

3. When Kate was a child, she believed she experienced a vision of Jesus Christ from her family's car, only to find a few days later it was a fiberglass statue placed in a memorial garden. Have you ever encountered an unexplainable situation? Like Kate, did you eventually find the explanation?

4. Early on Kate writes "I love my uniform. Quite apart from whatever unwholesome sartorial fetish this may reflect, my uniform is so useful." (p. 64) Do you share a similar feeling about an aspect of your profession? If so, what is the cause of the attachment?

5. Although Drew was employed as a Maine State Trooper, Kate writes he had planned to begin a second "career" as a minister. Have you ever considered changing professions? If so, what new occupation would you choose?

6. Upon her decision to become an ordained minister, Kate's brother writes to her expressing his skepticism about religion. How are these email interchanges important to Kate in how she regards her own faith?

7. At one point Kate writes "that's where I still feel most religious; when I'm out in the woods." (p. 186) Discuss the role nature plays in her memoir, both as it impacts her profession and her faith.

8. Kate offers several plausible definitions of the word "miracle", then asserts that "a miracle is not defined by an event. A miracle is defined by gratitude." (p. 181) Do you agree with this interpretation? Did reading Here If You Need Me alter the way in which you view miracles in any way?

9. Near the memoir's end, Kate concludes "I can't make those two realities—what I've lost and what I've found—fit together in some tidy pattern of divine causality. I just have to hold them on the one hand and on the other, just like that." Do you agree with Kate's resolution?

10. At one point Kate offers proof that God has a sense of humor, and despite the tragic events described in the memoir, there are many humorous moments as well. How does humor serve Kate and the wardens she works with in their professional capacities? What was your favorite funny moment?
(Questions issued by publisher.)

Great Books Discussion

2009-06-02T05:40:00.000-07:00

The Great Books Discussion group is up and running! The table was full and all the selections were scooped up for this session. If you're interested in joining a Great Discussion Book Group, please contact Andi @ the library 781-2351 or library@falmouth.lib.me.us

Discussion Questions for June 10th

2009-06-02T05:37:00.000-07:00

The following are readers group discussion questions provided by the publisher:

1. What was it like to read a novel composed entirely of letters? What do letters offer that no other form of writing (not even emails) can convey?

2. What makes Sidney and Sophie ideal friends for Juliet? What common ground do they share? Who has been a similar advocate in your life?

3. Dawsey first wrote to Juliet because books, on Charles Lamb or otherwise, were so difficult to obtain on Guernsey in the aftermath of the war. What differences did you note between bookselling in the novel and bookselling in your world? What makes book lovers unique, across all generations?

4. What were your first impressions of Dawsey? How was he different from the other men Juliet had known?

5. Discuss the poets, novelists, biographers, and other writers who capture the hearts of the members of the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. What does a reader’s taste in books say about his or her personality? Whose lives were changed the most by membership in the society?

6. Juliet occasionally receives mean-spirited correspondence from strangers, accusing both Elizabeth and Juliet of being immoral. What accounts for their judgmental ways?

7. In what ways were Juliet and Elizabeth kindred spirits? What did Elizabeth’s spontaneous invention of the society, as well as her brave final act, say about her approach to life?

8. Numerous Guernsey residents give Juliet access to their private memories of the occupation. Which voices were most memorable for you? What was the effect of reading a variety of responses to a shared tragedy?

9. Kit and Juliet complete each other in many ways. What did they need from each other? What qualities make Juliet an unconventional, excellent mother?

10. How did Remy’s presence enhance the lives of those on Guernsey? Through her survival, what recollections, hopes, and lessons also survived?

11. Juliet rejects marriage proposals from a man who is a stereotypical “great catch.” How would you have handled Juliet’s romantic entanglement? What truly makes someone a “great catch”?

12. What was the effect of reading a novel about an author’s experiences with writing, editing, and getting published? Did this enhance the book’s realism, though Juliet’s experience is a bit different from that of debut novelist Mary Ann Shaffer and her niece, children’s book author Annie Barrows?

13. What historical facts about life in England during World War II were you especially surprised to discover? What traits, such as remarkable stamina, are captured in a detail such as potato peel pie? In what ways does fiction provide a means for more fully understanding a non-fiction truth?

14. Which of the members of the Society is your favorite? Whose literary opinions are most like your own?

15. Do you agree with Isola that “reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones”?

Change in Title

2009-06-02T05:36:00.000-07:00

For the June 10th meeting, the group changed their minds about "The Stolen Child" and decided to read " The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society". Please join us for ice tea and talk on Wednesday, june 10th @ 2pm!

Great Books Discussion Group Starts June 1st

2009-05-12T08:30:00.000-07:00

Our Great Books Discussion Group begins Monday, June 1st 10am to 12pm. The group will be discussing a collection titled "And Justice for All". Led, by Steffi Greenbaum, this group will meet approximately every other week for 12 weeks discussing this anthology that marks the 50th anniversary of the United Nations' Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Please contact Andi at the library if you are interested in joining!

Discussion Questions for "Animal Dreams" by Barbara Kingsolver

2009-04-16T13:44:00.001-07:00

Please join us for our next book discussion on Wednesday, May 13th @ 2pm. Everyone is welcome! We're reading "Animal Dreams" by Barbara Kingsolver.

The following are discussion questions provided by the publisher:

1. Why are Hallie and Codi different? What happened that caused them to take such different life paths? How and why does Codi change? Why does she become more engaged with the world?

2. One theme of the novel is the relationship between humans and the natural world. What does the novel have to say about the difference between Native American and Anglo American culture in relation to nature? How do creation stories, such as the Pueblo creation legend and the Garden of Eden story, continue to influence culture and behavior?

3. How do you feel about Doc Homer? What kind of parent was he, and why? In what ways did his strange point of view serve as a vehicle for the novel's themes of memory, amnesia, and identity?

Great Books Discussion Group Informational Meeting

2009-04-03T08:08:00.000-07:00

There will be a Great Books Book Group informational meeting on Monday, April 13th @ 10am. Please join us to hear our group leader's ideas for the new book group!

Questions? Call Andi @ 781-2351 or library@falmouth.lib.me.us.

Read Around Maine Selections

2009-03-09T08:03:00.000-07:00

This month (March) we're reading "Any Bitter Thing" by Monica Wood. April's selection is Stephen King's "The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon". Please join us for this fun online book group. You can join in from home, just add your comments to the ongoing blog at http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/blogs/bookclub/037516.html

On Line Book Group

2009-02-27T12:24:00.000-08:00

If you can't attend our monthly book group, how about participating in "Read Around Maine"? This online book group is available at the Portland Press Herald website. So far, participants have read "Olive Kitteridge" by Elizabeth Strout and "One Man's Meat" by E. B. White. You can even vote here for upcoming choices from the Literary Map of Maine.

I hope you'll join is in reading books that are set in Maine, rather real or imagined. Keep checking back here, I hope to start visiting some of the sites described in the books listed.

2009-02-27T12:20:00.000-08:00

Questions and Topics for Discussion For "Breakfast with Buddha" by

Roland Merullo The following discussion questions were provided by the publisher:

1. How do the first scenes of Otto with his family set the stage for what happens in the rest of the novel?

2. In what ways does Otto change over the course of the story? What key moments during the trip play a part in his evolution?

3. How would you describe Cecelia? Is she, as Otto says, “as flaky as a good spanakopita crust”? Is there some substance to her?

4. Do you believe Cecelia changes over the course of the story, or do you think it’s only Otto’s opinion of her that changes? Share specific scenes that support your view.

5. Which events or remarks in the novel convince you that Rinpoche is a legitimate spiritual teacher? Were there situations where you doubted his authenticity?

6. Humor is often employed a way of making us relate to a particular situation. How does the author use humor in this way? Are there particular passages that were especially funny to you? If so, why?

7. The book is partly about “meaning of life” issues, but it also has a lot to say about contemporary American society. What does Otto see and hear that makes him encouraged or discouraged about the state of American life?

8. Discuss the role landscape plays in the story.

9. Jeannie, Anthony, and Natasha are minor characters in the novel, but how do they serve to round out Otto’s character? How do they influence your feelings about Cecelia and Rinpoche?

10. Amish country, the Hershey’s factory, a bowling alley, a baseball game, taking an architectural tour of Chicago, playing miniature golf, swimming in a Minnesota lake, why do you suppose the author chose these kinds of activities? Discuss the purpose each activity serves in the story. What would the book have been like had these activities not been included?

11. When Otto comes across the metaphor of the piano-playing boy in Rinpoche’s book, he says, “If I had been editing the book, I would have written in the manuscript margins, ‘Work this,’ meaning that the author should take the general idea and sharpen it, make it clearer to the reader” (page 174). Yet Otto can’t get the the plight of the piano-playing man out of his mind. Why do suppose that is? What aspect of the metaphor is unsettling to Otto? Do you find it unsettling? If so, why?

12. How would you characterize what Otto experiences after sitting with Rinpoche for two hours in silence (page 237)? Have you ever experienced the pleasure of a quiet mind? Was it similar or dissimilar to Otto’s reaction?

13. Do you believe Rinpoche is changed by the end of the trip with Otto? If so, to what degree is Otto responsible for that change?

14. Do you believe the ending of the novel was the best ending for this story? If the story were to continue, where should it go from here?

February Questions for Wednesday, Feb. 11th

2009-02-09T16:34:00.000-08:00

The following questions are provided by the publisher for "One Thousand White Women":

Reading Group Discussion Questions for ONE THOUSAND WHITE WOMEN The Cheyenne are often referred to as "savages," even by the women who voluntarily travel to live among them. During this time period, what is it that makes the Cheyenne savage, and the white "civilized"? Are there ways in which you would judge the Cheyenne in the novel are more civilized than the whites? Are there ways in which you consider them less civilized? Were you surprised that Little Wolf, the Cheyenne chief, was so aware and seemingly resigned to the fact that his culture was doomed? How does this differ from our attitudes and assumptions as United States citizens? Did you admire May Dodd's rebelliousness? Did you find it shocking that she would leave her children behind? Do you consider her a sympathetic character? Did you find it believable that the US government might undertake a covert project such as the "Brides for Indians" program? Do you think the author had more modern history in mind when he developed this idea? Were you surprised by elements of the Cheyenne Culture as depicted here? Do you think that the Cheyenne culture was respectful of women? Consider what might seem contradictory elements--for example, it is a matrilineal society, and yet warriors could have multiple wives. Compare what the Cheyenne culture valued in women compared with what white culture at the time valued in women. Contrast Captain Bourke's fiancée, Miss Lydia Bradley, with May Dodd. In what way do May and Lydia represent different types of women? In what ways have cultural expectations of women changed since this time period, and in what ways have they remained the same? Did you find it believable that the white women embraced the Cheyenne culture, and willingly married with them? Compare your concept of romantic love, and married love, with the relationship that develops between May and Little Wolf. Were you surprised by the violence among tribes as depicted here? Did it contrast with your understanding of Native American cultures? What similarities were there between the violence among tribes, and the violence between whites and Native Americans? While depicting the slaughter of Native American culture, Jim Fergus also portrays the imminent decimation of the natural landscape. Consider both tragedies. Were they equally inevitable? Are they equally irreversible?

"A Conspiracy of Paper"

2009-01-12T12:38:00.000-08:00

The following questions are provided by the publisher: I will provide copies at our meeting on Wednesday, January 14th!

1. Do you think Weaver should have constantly bailed Miriam out of trouble? What do you think about him not getting the girl in the end? Did you want to see them together or was the books' ending more believable?

2. Did this novel make you change your sentiments about the current stock market? Did it make you want to become more cautious in your own investments? Did you read it as a cautionary tale?

3. For many centuries orthodox Jewish communities have lived inside European societies but also outside of them. In what ways did Lienzo's fear harm his son? In what ways did it protect him? Do you think the Jews of the eighteenth-century London did themselves a service or disservice by closing themselves off?

4. The "gentlemen" at Sir Owen's club put Weaver in the uncomfortable position of having to speak for his entire culture. Have you ever been in a situation where you were the only minority (religious, racial, economic, etc.)? How did it feel to have a group looking at you as the spokesperson for your community? Can you think of any modern parallels?

5. Instead of praising his son, Benjamin, for defending the elderly Mrs. Cantas from anti-Semites, Lienzo strikes him? What did you think of Lienzo's behavior? What would it be like to live in constant fear of drawing attention to your community? Can you think of any modern parallels?

6. Who do you think was more honorable in his ways of doing business: the criminal Jonathan Wild, or Nathan Adelman? Why?

7. Near the end of the book, Adelman says to Weaver about the murder of Sir Owen, "You need only to believe, Mr. Weaver." And Benjamin answers, "Like the new finance . . .it is true only so long as we believe it is true." What do you think the author is trying to say about the future of the stock market by letting Weaver believe someone he knows is unreliable?

8. Have you ever been caught up in a mania like the South Sea Bubble? What did it teach you about fads? Would you allow it to happen again?

9. As a child, Benjamin idolized boxers for their ability to fight. Compare his physicality to his relatives' intellectual and financial pursuits. Do you think Weaver's attraction to boxing was a response to the precariousness of his community?

10. At the end of the book the powerful Adelman comes out on top. Yet he is a member of a disempowered group. Do the many conspiracies in this book ultimately benefit the disenfranchised, or the powerful?

11. Discuss the title A Conspiracy of Paper. Do you think the author used the word "paper" to evoke written histories and novels as well as money? Do you believe that history is written by those who come out on top? How do you think "paper" will fare in our increasingly electronic age?

"Reading Lolita in Tehran" Discussion Questions for December 10, 2008 Book Group Meeting

2008-12-04T12:51:00.001-08:00

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS for "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi
These questions are provided by the publisher:

1. On her first day teaching at the University of Tehran, Azar Nafisi began class with the questions, “What should fiction accomplish? Why should anyone read at all?” What are your own answers? How does fiction force us to question what we often take for granted?

2. Yassi adores playing with words, particularly with Nabokov’s fanciful linguistic creation upsilamba (18). What does the word upsilamba mean to you?

3. In what ways had Ayatollah Khomeini “turned himself into a myth” for the people of Iran (246)? Also, discuss the recurrent theme of complicity in the book: that the Ayatollah, the stern philosopher-king, “did to us what we allowed him to do” (28).

4. Compare attitudes toward the veil held by men, women and the government in the Islamic Republic of Iran. How was Nafisi’s grandmother’s choice to wear the chador marred by the political significance it had gained? (192) Also, describe Mahshid’s conflicted feelings as a Muslim who already observed the veil but who nevertheless objected to its political enforcement.

5. In discussing the frame story of A Thousand and One Nights, Nafisi mentions three types of women who fell victim to the king’s “unreasonable rule” (19). How relevant are the actions and decisions of these fictional women to the lives of the women in Nafisi’s private class?

6. Explain what Nafisi means when she calls herself and her beliefs increasingly “irrelevant” in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Compare her way of dealing with her irrelevance to her magician’s self-imposed exile. What do people who “lose their place in the world” do to survive, both physically and creatively?

7. During the Gatsby trial Zarrin charges Mr. Nyazi with the inability to “distinguish fiction from reality” (128). How does Mr. Nyazi’s conflation of the fictional and the real relate to theme of the blind censor? Describe similar instances within a democracy like the United States when art was censored for its “dangerous” impact upon society.

8. Nafisi writes: “It was not until I had reached home that I realized the true meaning of exile” (145). How do her conceptions of home conflict with those of her husband, Bijan, who is reluctant to leave Tehran? Also, compare Mahshid’s feeling that she “owes” something to Tehran and belongs there to Mitra and Nassrin’s desires for freedom and escape. Discuss how the changing and often discordant influences of memory, family, safety, freedom, opportunity and duty define our sense of home and belonging.

9. Fanatics like Mr. Ghomi, Mr. Nyazi and Mr. Bahri consistently surprised Azar by displaying absolute hatred for Western literature — a reaction she describes as a “venom uncalled for in relation to works of fiction.” (195) What are their motivations? Do you, like Nafisi, think that people like Mr. Ghomi attack because they are afraid of what they don’t understand? Why is ambiguity such a dangerous weapon to them?

10. The confiscation of one’s life by another is the root of Humbert’s sin against Lolita. How did Khomeini become Iran’s solipsizer? Discuss how Sanaz, Nassrin, Azin and the rest of the girls are part of a “generation with no past.” (76)

11. Nafisi teaches that the novel is a sensual experience of another world which appeals to the reader’s capacity for compassion. Do you agree that “empathy is at the heart of the novel”? How has this book affected your understanding of the impact of the novel?

Discussion Questions for "Three Cups of Tea"

2008-10-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS for "Three Cups of Tea"
These questions are provided by the publisher:

1. There is a telling passage about Mortenson’s change of direction at the start of the book: “One evening, he went to bed by a yak dung fire a mountaineer who’d lost his way, and one morning, by the time he’d shared a pot of butter tea with his hosts and laced up his boots, he’d become a humanitarian who’d found a meaningful path to follow for the rest of his life.” What made Mortenson particularly ripe for such a transformation? Has anything similar happened in your own life?

2. Relin gives a “warts and all” portrait of Mortenson, showing him as a hero but also as a flawed human being with some exasperating traits. Talk about how Relin chose to write about Mortenson’s character—his choice of details, his perspective, the way he constructs scenes. Is Mortenson someone you’d like to get to know, work with, or have as a neighbor or friend?

3. At the heart of the book is a powerful but simple political message: we each as individuals have the power to change the world, one cup of tea at a time. Yet the book powerfully dramatizes the obstacles in the way of this philosophy: bloody wars waged by huge armies, prejudice, religious extremism, cultural barriers. What do you think of the “one cup of tea at a time” philosophy? Do you think Mortenson’s vision can work for lasting and meaningful change?

4. Have you ever known anyone like Mortenson? Have you ever had the experience of making a difference yourself through acts of generosity, aid, or leadership?

5. The Balti people are fierce yet extremely hospitable, kind yet rigid, determined to better themselves yet stuck in the past. Discuss your reactions to them and the other groups that Mortenson tries to help.

6. After Haji Ali’s family saves Greg’s life, he reflects that he could never “imagine discharging the debt he felt to his hosts in Korphe.” Discuss this sense of indebtedness as key to Mortenson’s character. Why was Mortenson compelled to return to the region again and again? In your opinion, does he repay his debt by the end of the book?

7. References to paradise run throughout the book—Mortenson’s childhood home in Tanzania, the mountain scenery, even Berkeley, California, are all referred to as “paradise.” Discuss the concept of paradise, lost and regained, and how it influences Mortenson’s mission.

8. Mortenson’s transition from climbing bum to humanitarian hero seems very abrupt. However, looking back, it’s clear that his sense of mission is rooted in his childhood, the values of his parents, and his relationship with his sister Christa. Discuss the various facets of Mortenson’s character—the freewheeling mountain climber, the ER nurse, the devoted son and brother, and the leader of a humanitarian cause. Do you view him as continuing the work his father began?

9. “I expected something like this from an ignorant village mullah, but to get those kinds of letters from my fellow Americans made me wonder whether I should just give up,” Mortenson remarked after he started getting hate mail in the wake of September 11. What was your reaction to the letters Mortenson received?

10. Mortenson hits many bumps in the road—he’s broke, his girlfriend dumps him, he is forced to build a bridge before he can build the school, his health suffers, and he drives his family crazy. Discuss his repeated brushes with failure and how they influenced your opinion of Mortenson and his efforts.

11. The authors write that “the Balti held the key to a kind of uncomplicated happiness that was disappearing in the developing world.” This peaceful simplicity of life seems to be part of what attracts Mortenson to the villagers. Discuss the pros and cons of bringing “civilization” to the mountain community.

12. Much of the book is a meditation on what it means to be a foreigner assimilating with another culture. Discuss your own experiences with foreign cultures—things that you have learned, mistakes you have made, misunderstandings you have endured.

13. Did the book change your views toward Islam or Muslims? Consider the cleric Syed Abbas, and also the cleric who called a fatwa on Mortenson. Syed Abbas implores Americans to “look into our hearts and see that the great majority of us are not terrorists, but good and simple people.” Discuss this statement. Has the book inspired you to learn more about the region?

Discussion Questions for "Kabul Beauty School"

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Please read the book before reading the discussion questions! These questions are provided by the publisher:

1. We so often think of ourselves as more socially advanced than Middle Eastern nations. What does it say about this assumption that the author was treated by a preacher husband in the US the same way that Nahhida, wife of a Taliban member, is treated in Afghanistan?

2. Did Debbie take a chance of repeating her abusive history by marrying a relatively unknown man from a culture with a reputation for mistreating women?

3. Were you shocked when she revealed that her husband had another wife?

4. Why do you think Debbie was so emotional upon meeting Sam's father? Would you have been eager to meet him or preferred not to? Were you surprised at his reaction?

5. As a mother of two, was Debbie irresponsible in taking risks like crossing the Khyber pass and confronting her neighbors? Should she have gone to Afghanistan at all, knowing the conditions in the country?

6. Debbie's "bad" neighbors were potentially dangerous. What would you have done in her situation? How would the ineffectiveness of the local police make you feel?

7. Was it foolish for Debbie to continue running the beauty school in the face of government interference and hostility?

8. Debbie goes to Afghanistan in order to change the lives of women there and give them greater power in their personal lives, a mission that she has fulfilled for many women. How have these women changed her?

9. Does the example of a strong self-sufficient woman Debbie sets for the Afghan women provide them with helpful inspiration or does it set a dangerous precedent, encouraging them to model behaviors and aspirations that might be dangerous to them in their environment?

10. Would you have let a known Taliban member, and opium addict at that, stay under your roof in order to help his wife? How dangerous do you think this decision really was?

11. Why do you think Hama was unable to follow through and accept the generous offer of a place to live and a new life in the US?

12. How would you have reacted if your son offered to marry Hama? Would you have encouraged him? Argued against it?

13. How do you think American women are similar to and, at the same time, different from the Afghan women Debbie befriended and works with?

14. Did it surprise you to read about some of the frank discussions and depictions of sex among the Afghan women at the beauty salon and the wedding that Debbie attended?

15. Do you think it was wise for Debbie to help Roshanna escape detection as a non-virgin on her wedding night? Would you have chosen to interfere? Why or why not?

"Eat Pray Love" Discussion Questions

2008-09-08T09:54:00.000-07:00

Please join us for our first discussion of the 2008/09 year, "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. We meet the second Wednesday of every month at 2pm. All are welcome.

The following are discussion questions courtesy of the publishers:

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Gilbert writes that “the appreciation of pleasure can be the anchor of humanity,” making the argument that America is “an entertainment-seeking nation, not necessarily a pleasure-seeking one.” Is this a fair assessment?

2. After imagining a petition to God for divorce, an exhausted Gilbert answers her phone to news that her husband has finally signed. During a moment of quietude before a Roman fountain, she opens her Louise Glück collection to a verse about a fountain, one reminiscent of the Balinese medicine man’s drawing. After struggling to master a 182-verse daily prayer, she succeeds by focusing on her nephew, who suddenly is free from nightmares. Do these incidents of fortuitous timing signal fate? Cosmic unity? Coincidence?

3. Gilbert hashes out internal debates in a notebook, a place where she can argue with her inner demons and remind herself about the constancy of self-love. When an inner monologue becomes a literal conversation between a divided self, is this a sign of last resort or of self-reliance?

4. When Gilbert finally returns to Bali and seeks out the medicine man who foretold her return to study with him, he doesn’t recognize her. Despite her despair, she persists in her attempts to spark his memory, eventually succeeding. How much of the success of Gilbert’s journey do you attribute to persistence?

5. Prayer and meditation are both things that can be learned and, importantly, improved. In India, Gilbert learns a stoic, ascetic meditation technique. In Bali, she learns an approach based on smiling. Do you think the two can be synergistic? Or is Ketut Liyer right when he describes them as “same-same”?

6. Gender roles come up repeatedly in Eat, Pray, Love, be it macho Italian men eating cream puffs after a home team’s soccer loss, or a young Indian’s disdain for the marriage she will be expected to embark upon at age eighteen, or the Balinese healer’s sly approach to male impotence in a society where women are assumed responsible for their childlessness. How relevant is Gilbert’s gender?

7. In what ways is spiritual success similar to other forms of success? How is it different? Can they be so fundamentally different that they’re not comparable?

8. Do you think people are more open to new experiences when they travel? And why?

9. Abstinence in Italy seems extreme, but necessary, for a woman who has repeatedly moved from one man’s arms to another’s. After all, it’s only after Gilbert has found herself that she can share herself fully in love. What does this say about her earlier relationships?

10. Gilbert mentions her ease at making friends, regardless of where she is. At one point at the ashram, she realizes that she is too sociable and decides to embark on a period of silence, to become the Quiet Girl in the Back of the Temple. It is just after making this decision that she is assigned the role of ashram key hostess. What does this say about honing one’s nature rather than trying to escape it? Do you think perceived faults can be transformed into strengths rather than merely repressed?

11. Sitting in an outdoor café in Rome, Gilbert’s friend declares that every city—and every person—has a word. Rome’s is “sex,” the Vatican’s “power”; Gilbert declares New York’s to be “achieve,” but only later stumbles upon her own word, antevasin, Sanskrit for “one who lives at the border.” What is your word? Is it possible to choose a word that retains its truth for a lifetime?

What We'll Be Reading Next

2008-08-13T13:12:00.000-07:00

Today we closed out the summer portion of our reading group and we finished picking the titles for the upcoming 2008/09 year.

Titles for 2008/09
September 10, 2008 "Eat Pray Love" Elizabeth Gilbert
October 8, 2008 "Kabul Beauty School" by Deborah Rodriquez
November 12, 2008 "Three Cups of Tea" by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
December 10, 2008 "Reading Lolita in Tehran" by Azar Nafisi
January 14, 2009 "Conspiracy of Paper" by David Liss
February 11, 2009 " One Thousand White Women: the Journals of May Dodd" by Jim
Fergus
March 11, 2009 "Breakfast with Buddha" by Roland Merullo
April 8, 2009 Our Annual Poetry Reading. Bring your chosen poem to the March 11th
meeting for distribution to other group members.
May 13, 2009 "Animal Dreams" by Barbara Kingsolver
June 10, 2009 "The Stolen Child" by Keith Donohue

Please join us at 2pm on any or all of the above meeting dates!

A Change in Plans.....

2008-06-12T10:32:00.000-07:00

Our book group met yesterday and decided to "step it UP"! We will be reading "Strong Poison" by Dorothy Sayers AND "The Big Sleep" by Raymond Chandler for our July 9th meeting. And at our August 13th meeting, we will be discussing "Cover Her Face" by P.D. James along with another classic "The Sleeping Murder" by Agatha Christie! Please feel free to join us for any or all of our meetings.

Reading This Summer

2008-05-15T08:27:00.000-07:00

This summer our monthly afternoon book group will continue meeting and reading. In the past, we've taken the summer months off, but this year we thought it would be fun to do some lighter reading. Our list was confirmed at yesterday's meeting and is:

June 11th "Track of the Cat" Nevada Barr
July 9th "Strong Poison" Dorothy Sayers
August 13th "The Big Sleep" Raymond Chandler (we're watching the movie too!)
Sept. 10th "Cover Her Face" P.D. James

Join us for any or all of our summer meetings for great discussions and iced tea!

Want to Join?

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Interested in joining a library sponsored book group? Contact Andi Jackson-Darling at 781-2351.

Falmouth Memorial Library Book Group

2007-04-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

This blog was created for members of Falmouth Memorial Library's book group. We meet on a monthly basis from September to May.

The group decided to start the next series with Lisa See's "Snowflake and the Secret Fan" We will be chosing our other 7 selections soon, using See's book to create a Reading Map.

Please feel free to post your comments. Better yet, please join us on Wednesday, May 9th at 2:00pm!