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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.