In Other Worlds: Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Group

If you enjoy science fiction or fantasy novels, then this is the book group for you! We meet the third Wednesday of every month from 6:30-7:30 pm in Meeting Room B to discuss a science fiction or fantasy selection. Come join us and explore another world.

August 20 Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart September 17 Charmed Sphere by Catherine Asaro October 15 The Accidental Time Machine by Joe Haldeman
Contact Mandie Roberts 429-0130 for more info.

Staff Picks

Alison

Alone in the Kitchen with an Eggplant: Confessions of Cooking for One and Dining Alone, ed. by Jenni Ferrari-Adler. Penguin/Riverhead, 2007.

" 'A' is for dining alone, and so must I if a choice must be made between most people I know and myself." M.F.K. Fisher.

Eating is often a family or communal activity-a magazine article I once read indicated that people tend to gain weight when they begin a romantic relationship because so many things couples do together involve food-but what of those who aren't part of a couple or a family? This book is a series of essays by well-known personalities on the art of cooking and/or dining alone-for whatever reason! Some are humorous, some are somber, some include recipes from comfort food to exotic creations! Pull up a chair and grab a plate!

---

Amina

My Name is Red by Turkish author Orhan Pamuk, Nobel Prize in literature 2006.

The novel is set in 16th century Istanbul. A murder and a love story have shaken a small circle of Sultan’s painters and book illustrators. Meanwhile, a conflict is brewing between the artists that follow Eastern tradition and those influenced by European Renaissance paintings. A good choice for people who enjoy historical mystery novels and books about art.

---

Catherine

Anansi Boys by Neil Gaiman

This is a story of family relationships like no other! Charlie Nancy (a.k.a. “Fat Charlie”) can never live up to his father (who just happens to be a god, of sorts) or live down the maelstrom his father leaves in the wake of his passing. Uproariously funny, Anansi Boys is a combination of Monty Python- type humor, some West African folklore, Janet Evanovich-style murder mystery and bits of romance that seems to come from left field! No matter how hard you try you cannot anticipate how events will unfold in this story. Cheerfully sardonic, Gaiman makes the story of a seemingly ordinary so-and-so a rollicking adventure.

---

Jessica

Nervous by Zane

Zane is an author known for intriguing, sexy, can't-put-the-book-down novels, and Nervous is no exception. Nervous is about Jonquinette, an intelligent and shy young woman, and her other much more extroverted personality Jade. Jonquinette is at first unaware of Jade's presence, going about her normal life of school, church, and hanging out with friends-but she is troubled by having blackouts in her memory. During these blackouts, Jade takes control of Jonquinette and has sexual escapades with strangers around the city. Plagued by more and more blackouts in her memory, Jonquinette seeks help from a caring psychiatrist, which only seems to enrage Jade. Will Jonquinette be strong enough to vanquish Jade and get her life back? Read Nervous and find out!

---

Liz

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

This unique novel is told from the point of view of Jacob, a ninety year old looking back at his past life in the circus. He was just a young man when, as a result of tragic circumstances, he wound up working as a vet in a traveling circus. The book is full of colorful characters, such as Walter the midget clown and Marlena, the beautiful (but married) performer Jacob falls in love with. Gruen creates a distinctive setting that is enhanced by the photographs at the start of each chapter. A mix of both humor and drama, this is a very entertaining read.

---

Mandie

Prep by Curtis Sittenfeld

The clanging of slamming lockers, friends calling out to each other, the popular girls pausing to fluff their hair or put on lipstick, couples pressed scandalously close together, creating a din of social anxiety and teenage awkwardness. Most of us remember this time in our lives - most of us.

I didn't have a locker, I had a dorm room complete with a variety of roommates and décor over three years. I went to a boarding school and so does Lee Fiora, the main character in Curtis Sittenfeld's novel, Prep. The story begins with Lee, a girl from South Bend, Indiana, struggling to adapt to boarding school life her freshman year. There is a gaping rift between Lee and her other classmates - that of wealth. Lee comes from an average middle-class family (her father sells mattresses and owns his own chain of stores), and she is on a scholarship. Most of her classmates are from affluent families and are more concerned with what color cashmere is in this season than their academics.

The novel is an easy read, and the voice of a teenage girl is believable. The author won a writing contest for "Seventeen" magazine when she was sixteen, and has received several grants and awards since. This book dredged up bitter memories for me, but I think it's relevant read for anyone who remembers being a teenager, fighting to gain friends and win love. Young love and broken hearts echo in the lonely halls of the dorms at this prep school. Still, and ever still, the clock on the quad chimes out the hours, and shadows of students scuff their way across the slated courtyards.

---

Patricia

Quiet Strength by Tony Dungy with Nathan Whitaker

Colts fans, do you remember your thoughts when players and fans rushed the field in a frenzy of celebration at Super Bowl XLI? In his autobiography Quiet Strength, Coach Tony Dungy said treasured memories of his parents, wife, children, friends and faith overwhelmed him as he savored the victory, the first by an African American coach. Those themes summarize his story: faith, family, friends, and football. Tony Dungy was raised in a home where faith in Christ permeated every aspect of life and was the foundation for all decisions and life goals. As Dungy stated, "Although football has been a part of my life that I've really enjoyed, I've always viewed it as a means to do something more… to share my faith, to encourage and lift up other people." That said, his passion for football is evident in every detail of the tumultuous journey to the Super Bowl. Dungy was offered his first coaching position by Pittsburgh Steelers coach Chuck Noll, who became a lifelong mentor. Pittsburgh is also where Dungy met his wife, Lauren. Their devotion and respect for each other is especially poignant as they face the death of their eldest son, Jamie, by his own hand. Those moving passages honor Jamie's abbreviated life and reveal a grieving father's heart. Who is Tony Dungy? Read Quiet Strength and enjoy meeting the man yourself.

---

Sherri

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn


Proprietors of The Binewski Fabulon Carnival, Art and crystal Lil Binewski, decide to breed their own sideshow. With the help of drugs and pesticides they're successful. Their children , Artie the Aqua Boy, Olympia the bald, albino dwarf, Electra and Iphigenia the pianists Siamese twins, and Chick, the telepath are their main attractions. My favorite quote from the book is " What greater gift could you offer your children than to earn a living just by being themselves?" This book is fun (if you like that sort of thing), and twisted but also really thought provoking.

---