Book Bites Meeting Rescheduled

The Book Bites November meeting for The Help has been rescheduled for December 3 at 4:00. Same time, same place, new facilitator for both the online and in-person book clubs. I'm Kenya Johnson and I'm very excited about coming on board with the Book Bites book club. I have enjoyed reading The Help and can't wait for the in-person discussion on Friday.

See you there!!

Heartbreakingly Real

The fact that segregation in the South was horrible and inhumane is not something new. But Kathryn Stockett writes The Help in such a way that we are there, with these poor black families, in the midst of the Civil Rights movement. Walking in Aibileen's shoes and hearing just how cold and vicious the white people were, shocks me over and over. I am ashamed to be one of the majority!

Aibileen and Minnie's plight - to stay safe and employed - is fascinating. Miss Skeeter and her budding romance is amusing and uplifting. Poor Miss Celia, who provides one of my favorite storylines in the book, worries me. Oh and Skeeter's mother, she worries me to no end . . . this is not going to end well, is it?

And - THE FOOD!! Fried okra, pork chops, caramel cake, peach cobbler, chicken and dumplings . . . the book makes me miss my grandmother's kitchen so much! Do things like this draw you in, as well?

Introduction to The Help by Kathryn Stockett

In The Help, Kathryn Stockett uses her voice to create three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town. These ladies also change the way women — mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends — view one another. There is Skeeter, a white college graduate, whose search for answers brings together some unlikely friends. Aibileen, a proud black maid who is raising her 17th white child for her employer's family. And lastly, there is Minny, Aibileen's best friend, a short sassy woman whose tongue continues to get her in trouble despite her amazing culinary skills. These women weave together a deeply moving novel about the old South and the women who lived in it, through good times and bad. The Help is filled with poignancy, humor, and hope.

Let's give it a try, everyone :)

Book Bites Meeting Canceled

I apologize for the in-house Book Bites meeting being canceled on Friday, October 29th. Staff scheduling is constantly fluctuating at the library and this has necessitated a change in mediator for our book club in-house. I will still be in charge of the Book Bites Blog and Book Bites on Facebook but another librarian will be taking over meetings held at the library. Next month's meeting, on Friday, November 19th at 4pm, will be held as scheduled.

We can't wait to see you there!

Goodbye, Camel Bookmobile

Wow! I did not see some of this coming! The romance, the future of the kids cut short . . . not to mention the life of Scarboy and his father cut short! Some aspects of the book were very predictible: Fi's all-American preachiness, the resistance of the tribe, and the tribes return to a nomadic lifestyle. I was happy to find some surprises in this novel, especially when I was only so-so on the overall writing quality and style. The end of the book became something of a page turner for a bit but in the end, I was disappointed with the quick departure of the tribe. I know getting the kids off to America with Fi might have been a bit neat and tidy but it would have been gratifying for me, none the less. I just hate that every possibility in the book ended up with a negative resolution.

I know some of you were not able to get into the book enough to finish it. Let's try The Help by Kathryn Stockett - I believe we will all be much more satisfied with this one.

A Romance in the Air?

Well, at first I thought the Camel Bookmobile was going to be pretty slow and almost completely about the silly American in a foreign land. I was surprised to find so much budding romance in the story! The interaction between Jwahir and Abayomi is interesting but not as intriguing as Fi and Matani. These make the story feel fuller and not so preachy. Do you think Masha Hamilton should have included the romances or if the relationships give the book too much fluff and diversion from the story?

Welcome to Africa!

Has anyone else finished part 1 of The Camel Bookmobile? Masha Hamilton has a unique way of jumping from character to character as the 'chapters' of her book. At first, I was slow to warm up to the book because I didn't get enough on Fiona. As I read a bit more and got to know the characters a little, though, I really started to focus more on the families that Fiona is delivering books to. I am starting to like the flow of the chapters and I am ready to see what kind of trouble Fiona is going to cause in this socio-economic area she really knows nothing about. Leave it to an American to go in thinking she knows best! Did you have another impression of the book?

Reminder - Book Bites Upcoming Meeting

Don't forget - Friday, September 24th, is the first Book Bites meeting. We are meeting in the auditorium from 4-5 pm. We will be having some fabulous cookies and coffee - so stop by to discuss Water for Elephants!

Introduction to The Camel Bookmobile - October's Selection

When Fiona Sweeney tells her family she wants to do something that matters, they do not expect her to go to Africa to help start a traveling library. But that is where Fiona chooses to make her mark: in the arid bush of northeastern Kenya, among tiny, far-flung communities, nearly unknown and lacking roads and schools, where people live daily with drought, hunger, and disease.

In The Camel Bookmobile, Fi travels to settlements where people have never held a book in their hands. Though her motives are good, Fi doesn't understand the people she seeks to help. Encumbered by her Western values, she finds herself in the midst of several struggles within the community of Mididima. There the bookmobile's presence sparks a feud between those who favor modernization and those who fear the loss of the traditional way of life in the African bush.

The Camel Bookmobile is a powerful saga that challenges our fears of the unknown. It follows an American librarian who travels to Africa to give meaning to her life, and ultimately loses a piece of her heart. In the end, this compelling novel shows how one life can change many, in spite of dangerous and seemingly immutable obstacles.

So as soon as we finish Water for Elephants - let's jump in to this one!!

October and November's Selections

The monthly selections for Book Bites have been updated for October and November. Following the general likes of the members thus far, I have changed these books to more contemporary classics instead of the older ones that had been chosen originally. If you started Their Eyes Were Watching God by Hurston already, I apologize, it is a great book, so - enjoy! Otherwise, Monday I'll be posting an introduction to The Camel Bookmobile by Masha Hamilton so we can get the first set of chapters to read between September 25th and October 1st.

Please feel free to recommend or request a particular book for the book club to read - suggestions are always welcome!

So Much to Talk About - Where Do I Begin?

So much happened in Chapter 13 - Chapter 18, I don't even know where to start.

Sometimes the nursing home scenes are so sad! I feel so bad for the old Jacob – and that is how it is for so many people, treated like they are no longer individuals and like they are children.

And Camel – poor Camel!! I had never heard of Jake Leg before . . . but I looked it up and it is just as described in the book. Jacob and Walter are so good to him!

How about August? He is crazier and meaner than I ever thought he was! Christopher Waltz is going to do an amazing job with this role in the movie version. He was the perfect pick - he can place a "nice" mean guy so well!

This is a great link for info on the movie version of Water for Elephants:
http://waterforelephantsfilm.com/

MMMM . . . Makes Me Hungry!

Sara Gruen really uses some incredibly colorful descriptions for everything from the various people and places in the circus (like that cooch tent) to the food! Whenever she starts describing Jacob heading into the meal tent, to eat with Marlena and August, the food sounds sooo good. Now, sometimes I am starting to feel like the author spends a little too much time with descriptions and needs to focus more on the story. It almost feels like she is stalling at points and I have to fight the urge to skim a little. Any thoughts on this?

Twitter & Facebook

Finally, our Twitter and Facebook pages are up and running! Follow Book Bites and post your comments from your favorite social media sites! Use the Follow Me button on the bottom left of the blog site for Book Bites on Twitter. Or just search Book Bites on Facebook - and your connected!

Just Beginning . . .

HMMM ... not quite sure what I think about the book yet. I really like Jacob in the nursing home. He is funny in his crabby ways! His perspectives on his family, the nursing home, his failing body, and the love of his life - in retrospect - are so interesting and heartbreaking, too. I feel almost cheated with the death in the Prologue, though. I wish I didn't have any clue that August was going to meet this demise later in the novel! Do you think this would've been good to have as a shocker later in the book?

Discussion Chapters

Between now and next Friday, September 3rd, we will begin reading and discussing the first 6 chapters of Water for Elephants. The following chapters will then be up for discussion each week:

Ch.6 - Ch.12: Sept. 4th - Sept. 10th
Ch.13 - Ch.18: Sept. 11th - Sept. 17th
Ch.19 - Ch.25: Sept. 18th - Sept. 24th

See the discussion page (on the left) for more information on the discussions. Feel free to chime in at anytime. Happy reading!

Introduction to Water for Elephants

As a young man, Jacob Jankowski was tossed by fate onto a rickety train that was home to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. It was the early part of the great Depression, and for Jacob, now ninety, the circus world he remembers was both his salvation and a living hell. A veterinary student just shy of a degree, he was put in charge of caring for the circus menagerie.

It was there that he met Marlena, the beautiful equestrian star married to August, the charismatic but twisted animal trainer. And he met Rosie, an untrainable elephant who was the great gray hope for this third-rate traveling show. The bond that grew among this unlikely trio was one of love and trust, and, ultimately, it was their only hope for survival.

Sound good? Let's start reading . . .

Awards for Water for Elephants

Is Water for Elephants a contemporary classic? Maybe we'll all have a better opinion on this after we read it for the September meeting. Meanwhile, here is a list of the many awards this novel has brought home:

* 2006 Quill Award nominee for General Fiction
* 2007 Alex Awards selection
* Entertainment Weekly Best Novel of 2006 nominee
* New York Times Best Seller list for 12 weeks in 2006
* Book Sense #1 pick for June 2006
* Winner of the 2007 BookBrowse award for most popular book
* The paperback hit #1 on the New York Times Best Seller list on July 8, 2007

Books are in!!

Five brand new paperback copies of Water for Elephants have come in to the library. Check the shelf or ask a reference librarian to reserve your copy now. You have plenty of time to read the book before September 24th - but it is never to early to begin. Sara Gruen's book is a true pleasure to read.

Water for Elephants - The Movie!

Need another good reason to read Water for Elephants? They are making the book into a film! Robert Pattinson and Reese Witherspoon are currently filming in California and the movie should hit theaters sometime in 2011.

September's Book Bites' Selection

September’s Book Club selection will be Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen. Join us on September 24th at 4pm for some afternoon refreshments while we discuss this best selling novel!

This 2006 book is about young veterinary student, Jacob Jankowski, who leaves college and joins a second-rate circus during the Great Depression. Amidst a world of freaks and misfits, Jacob finds himself in love with a beautiful young circus star and an unusual friendship with an untrainable elephant name Rosie. The story is told from Jacob’s memories, as a 93 year old man, living in a retirement home.

Stop by the library to borrow your copy of this heart warming book.

Our Newest Book Club

Do you like to read books? Are you up for an interesting reading suggestion? Do you wonder why some good (and not so good) books are considered classics? Do you like to share your reading opinions with others? Then you are invited to join the Pasadena Public Library’s newest book club, Book Bites, which will begin meeting at the main branch once a month beginning in late September. We will be reading a selection of contemporary classics and seeing what the fuss is all about. Stop by for refreshments and a great book discussion!

Can’t meet up at the library? Don’t worry! We will also be hosting an online discussion of the monthly reading selection here, on our new Book Club Blog. So there will be two ways to share your opinions and see what insight others may bring on some much talked about books.

Book Bites will meet at the main library, on the last Friday of each month at 4:00pm. The first meeting will be September 24th at 4pm.

If you have any questions, contact Susan Garza at 713.477.0276. We look forward to seeing you there!