"Quot libros, quam breve tempus."
Join us Sunday evenings from 6:30 to 8 PM in our library for an engaging discussion.
JANUARY AND FEBRUARY 2012
- January 22, 2012: Anna Karenin by Leo Tolstoy. Books 1-4
- February 26, 2012: Anna Karenin by Leo Tolstoy. Books 5-8
In 1872 the mistress of a neighboring landowner threw herself under a train at a station near Tolstoy's home. This gave Tolstoy the starting point he needed for composing what many believe to be the greatest novel ever written. In writing Anna Karenina he moved away from the vast historical sweep of War and Peace to tell, with extraordinary understanding, the story of an aristocratic woman who brings ruin on herself. Rich in incident, powerful in characterization, the novel also expresses Tolstoy's own moral vision.
March 2012
- March 25, 2012: The PreHistory of the Far Side by Gary Larson
If you have ever wondered how Gary Larson started coming up with ideas for "The Far Side," this book offers a retrospective back to Gary's childhood days. From the beginning the cartoons were not for everyone" Gary's perspective is unique, funny and definitely "outside the box." The Far Side is one of the greatest comics ever created. You will love this collection for its explanations.
APRIL 2012
- April 22, 2012: The Blue Orchard by Jackson Taylor
Through a series of circumstances a poor white country lass becomes a nurse and is employed by a black doctor who performs abortions. The human tale is one thing, based on the life of the author's grandmother; but this is also the history of Harrisburg, Pa., from the '20s through the '50s. It is exceedingly well researched and beautifully written.
MAY 2012
- May 20, 2012: Nine Lives by William Dalrymple
From the author of The Last Mughal ("A compulsively readable masterpiece"--The New York Review of Books), an exquisite, mesmerizing book that illuminates the remarkable ways in which traditional forms of religious life in India have been transformed in the vortex of the region's rapid change--a book that distills the author's twenty-five years of travel in India, taking us deep into ways of life that we might otherwise never have known exist.
JUNE 2012
- June 24, 2012: The Cathedral of the World by Forrest Church
As a Universalist theologian, Church speaks with particular eloquence to the challenge of our times, the dangerous dysfunction of theological parochialism. Modern universalism must witness against fundamentalists on the left as well as those on the right.
JULY 2012
- July 22, 2012: American Gospel by Jon Meacham
Historian and Newsweek editor Meacham's third book examines over 200 years of American history in its quest to prove the idea of religious tolerance, along with the separation of church and state, is "perhaps the most brilliant American success." Meacham's principal focus is on the founding fathers, and his insights into the religious leanings of Jefferson, Franklin, Adams and Co. present a new way of considering the government they created.
AUGUST 2012
- August 26, 2012: The Lemon Tree by Sandy Tolan
This is a tale of a simple act of faith between two young people - one Israeli, one Palestinian - that symbolizes the hope for peace in the Middle East.
SEPTEMBER 2012
- September 23, 2012 Infidel by Ayaan Hirsi Ali
In this profoundly affecting memoir from the internationally renowned author of "The Caged Virgin, " Ayaan Hirsi Ali tells her astonishing life story, from her traditional Muslim childhood in Somalia, Saudi Arabia, and Kenya, to her intellectual awakening and activism in the Netherlands, and her current life under armed guard in the West.
OCTOBER 2012
- October 28, 2012: Toward a True Kinship of Faiths by The Dali Lama
No country, no culture, no person today is untouched by what happens in the rest of the world. Technological innovation, environmental degradation, economic gain & loss, nuclear weapons, instant communications have all created unprecedented familiarity among the world's many cultures. With this historic development, the Dalai Lama understands that the essential task of humanity in the 21st Century is to cultivate peaceful coexistence.
NOVEMBER 2012
- November 25, 2012: Join us to select the books for 2013.
For questions and more information contact: Richard Bronakoski at richbro@ix.netcom.com or call 717-766-0665
