Just the Facts: Book Discussion Recap from April 25th

Spring at last! Many thanks to the thirteen people who passed up an evening in the sun to attend the book discussion. Their presence, as always, was much appreciated.

The book under discussion last night was Mrs. Adams in Winter: a journey in the last days of Napoleon by Michel O’Brien. During the last years of the Napoleonic Wars, John Quincy Adams, future president and son of John Adams, was named the ambassador to Russia after having served in the same position in Prussia. He and his wife, Louisa, lived for several years in St. Petersburg with their youngest son. In 1814, John Quincy was directed by his government to travel to Ghent, Belgium on order to negotiate a treaty with the British to end the War of 1812. His wife and son were to follow and meet him in Paris in early 1815 in an overland journey that was to last some forty days. At that time, it was unheard of for a woman to travel without her husband or a close male relative and the book is the story of that journey. It is in some ways a travelogue, but is also the story of Louisa’s life and her marriage and a history of those chaotic times. Some people loved the book, some didn’t, but the conversation was lively and interesting, covering the role of women and wives in the past and present, the job of postilion, military families, and much more.

Our next book, Lincoln at Gettysburg: the words that remade America by Gary Wills, will be discussed on Thursday, May 23, 2013 at 7:00 pm. The book is available at the Circulation Desk in the library.

2013 Pulitzer Prize Winner in General Nonfiction: Devil in the Grove

For a distinguished and appropriately documented book of nonfiction by an American author that is not eligible for consideration in any other category.
Awarded to "Devil in the Grove: Thurgood Marshall, the Groveland Boys, and the Dawn of a New America," by Gilbert King, a richly detailed chronicle of racial injustice in the Florida town of Groveland in 1949, involving four black men falsely accused of rape and drawing a civil rights crusader, and eventual Supreme Court justice, into the legal battle.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: "Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity," by Katherine Boo, an engrossing book that plunges the reader into an Indian slum in the shadow of gleaming hotels near Mumbai’s airport, revealing a complex subculture where poverty does not extinguish aspiration; and "The Forest Unseen: A Year's Watch in Nature," by David George Haskell, a fascinating book that, for a year, closely follows the natural wonders occurring within a tiny patch of old-growth Tennessee forest.

- from the Pulitzer Prizes Citation

2013 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Poetry: Stag's Leap

For a distinguished volume of original verse by an American author.
Awarded to "Stag's Leap," by Sharon Olds, a book of unflinching poems on the author’s divorce that examine love, sorrow and the limits of self-knowledge.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: "Collected Poems," by the late Jack Gilbert, a half century of poems reflecting a creative author’s commitment to living fully and honestly and to producing straightforward work that illuminates everyday experience with startling clarity; and "The Abundance of Nothing," by Bruce Weigl, a powerful collection of poems that explore the trauma of the Vietnam War and the feelings that have never left many of those who fought in the conflict.

- from the Pulitzer Prizes Citation

2013 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Biography or Autobiography: The Black Count

For a distinguished and appropriately documented biography or autobiography by an American author.
Awarded to "The Black Count: Glory, Revolution, Betrayal, and the Real Count of Monte Cristo," by Tom Reiss, a compelling story of a forgotten swashbuckling hero of mixed race whose bold exploits were captured by his son, Alexander Dumas, in famous 19th century novels.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: "Portrait of a Novel: Henry James and the Making of an American Masterpiece," by Michael Gorra, an elegant and enlightening book that brings together the complicated life of a great author and the evolution of his great novel, "The Portrait of a Lady;" and "The Patriarch: The Remarkable Life and Turbulent Times of Joseph P. Kennedy," by David Nasaw, a monumental work that tells the story of the relentless tycoon who created a dynastic family that helped shape modern American history and also suffered immense tragedy.

- from the Pulitzer Prizes Citation

2013 Pulitzer Prize Winner in History: Embers of War

For a distinguished and appropriately documented book on the history of the United States.
Awarded to "Embers of War: The Fall of an Empire and the Making of America's Vietnam," by Fredrik Logevall, a balanced, deeply researched history of how, as French colonial rule faltered, a succession of American leaders moved step by step down a road toward full-blown war.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: "The Barbarous Years: The Peopling of British North America: The Conflict of Civilizations, 1600-1675,” by Bernard Bailyn, a luminous account of how the British colonies took root amid raw brutality, often with terrible consequences for the settlers as well as the native population; and "Lincoln’s Code: The Laws of War in American History," by John Fabian Witt, a striking work examining how orders issued by President Lincoln to govern conduct on battlefields and in prisons during the Civil War have shaped modern laws of armed conflict.

- from the Pulitzer Prizes Citation

2013 Pulitzer Prize Winner in Fiction: The Orphan Master's Son

For distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life.
Awarded to "The Orphan Master's Son" by Adam Johnson, an exquisitely crafted novel that carries the reader on an adventuresome journey into the depths of totalitarian North Korea and into the most intimate spaces of the human heart.

Also nominated as finalists in this category were: "What We Talk About When We Talk About Anne Frank," by Nathan Englander, a diverse yet consistently masterful collection of stories that explore Jewish identity and questions of modern life in ways that can both delight and unsettle the reader; and "The Snow Child," by Eowyn Ivey, and enchanting novel about an older homesteading couple who long for a child amid the harsh wilderness of Alaska and a feral girl who emerges from the woods to bring them hope.

- from the Pulitzer Prizes Citation

The Orphan Master's Son is also available as an audiobook

National Poetry Month: She Walks in Beauty

She Walks in Beauty: a woman's journey through poems
Collected verses by some great poets and organized into an intimate telling of the milestones and experiences of a woman's life.

This title is also available in print

Just the Facts: Book Discussion Recap from March 28th

Seventeen people, including a few new faces, ventured out into a late March evening last night to attend the book discussion. Many thanks to all who attended.

The book under discussion last night was Catherine the Great: portrait of a woman by Robert K. Massie. It is a biography of the 18th century Russian empress who ruled an empire stretching from Europe to the Far East. Catherine began life as the daughter of a very minor German prince. At age fourteen, she was selected by Frederick the Great of Prussia and Empress Elizabeth II of Russia to come to St. Petersburg and become the wife of Peter, Elizabeth’s German nephew and heir. The marriage was a nightmare and, years later, after Elizabeth’s death and Peter’s ascension to the throne, Catherine orchestrated a coup d’état, imprisoned Peter, and established herself as empress. She was to rule for 34 years, governing Russia, expanding her territories, taking lovers, waging war, conducting foreign policy, buying art, corresponding with Voltaire and Diderot and generally modernizing a huge and backward empire. The book is wonderful, presenting decades of world history without losing the humanity of the participants. Our discussion was lively and interesting, covering Russian history, the Romanovs, the English monarchy, Scottish independence, Napoleon, ethnic minorities and much more. It was an enjoyable evening.

Our next book, Mrs. Adams in Winter: a journey in the last days of Napoleon by Michael O’Brien, will be discussed on Thursday, April 25, 2013 at 7:00 pm. The book is available at the Circulation Desk.

April is National Poetry Month!

Started by the Academy of American Poets in 1996, National Poetry Month is now held every April, when schools, publishers, libraries, booksellers, and poets throughout the United States band together to celebrate poetry and its vital place in American culture. Thousands of organizations participate through readings, festivals, book displays, workshops, and other events.

Join in the celebration this month and throughout the year by reading and listening to some of the greatest poems ever written, performed by the poets themselves or by some of the most talented actors of our generation.
Click here to see 30 ways to celebrate National Poetry Month

Book Review: Fall of Giants

Title: Fall of Giants: book one of the Century trilogy
Author: Ken Follett
Name: Dianne G.
Review: Good historical novel with engaging characters. Long book to get through but looking forward to next one.
Rating: 4 out of 5