Our book last night was At Home: a short history of private life by Bill Bryson. By taking the reader on a room-by room tour of his own mid-Victorian English home, the author provides background and history of many things we take for granted, such as window panes, plumbing, central heating, sewage systems and the reason salt and pepper are on every table. Extrapolating from the common facets of daily life, he explains how the great scientific and social discoveries of the nineteenth century led to the development of a social safety net, the discovery of vitamins and minerals, the revolution in food preservation, the lives and need for servants, the development of public parks and gardens, and much more. With so many topics on the table, the conversation was lively and varied. All who attended enjoyed the book very much.
Our next book, The Endurance: Shackleton’s legendary Antarctic expedition by Caroline Alexander, will be discussed on Thursday, January 26, 2012 at 7:00 pm. The book is available at the Circulation desk. Happy holidays to all.
No comments:
Post a Comment