"A Redbird Christmas" by Fannie Flagg

In A Redbird Christmas, healing is a central motif in this novel. Who gets healed in this book -- and in what ways? And, more importantly, what enables healing to occur? What is Flagg suggesting about the power of community?

For more information about the author, check out:

http://fannieflaggbooks.com/bios/fannie-flagg

"The Lifeboat" by Charlotte Rogan

Are people more likely to revert to traditional male/female roles in crisis situations?  What traditional male/female traits might help a person survive?

For further information about the author, check out:

http://charlotterogan.com/

"The Chatham School Affair" by Thomas H. Cook

Henry Griswald: How do the events of the story affect or change him? What is his secret and why has he kept it all these years? Why did Henry return to Chatham given the tragedy that took place there and the fact that he had resented the town as a child?

For further information about the author, check out:
http://mysteriouspress.com/authors/thomas-h-cook/default.asp

For an interview with the author (The Great Unknown Thomas H. Cook by Ali Karim in January magazine):
http://januarymagazine.com/profiles/cook.html

"Save Me" by Lisa Scottoline

What do you think of Rose's lawyers' strategy?  Did you agree or disagree with it?  Why or why not? Do you think there were just passing the blame, or do you think the school had a responsibility in what happened? Do you think that litigation is another form of bullying? 

To learn more about the author, check out:

http://scottoline.com/About/index.html

"In a Dry Season" by Peter Robinson

In Peter Robinson's "In a Dry Season" (#10 of the Inspector Banks series), each character seems to be grappling with an issue in their past, as well as in their current lives -- Banks, Annie, Vivian.  Does this help give depth and development to their characters and explain their intentions and their interactions?

 

 

 

For further information about the author, check out:

 

http://www.inspectorbanks.com/

 



"Live by Night" by Dennis Lehane

Throughout the story, Joe Coughlin insists that he isn't a gangster, he's an outlaw. How does he define each? Do you think they are different? If Joe isn't a gangster, who is?

Joe believes his father—"a pillar of the City on the Hill, the Athens of America, Hub of the Universe"—was more criminal than he could ever be, thanks to a lifetime of "payoffs and kickbacks and graft." Is he right? Does Joe's honesty about himself make him nobler—or just more honest—than his father?

 

For further information about the author, check out:

 

http://www.dennislehane.com/imprint

Wayne Public Library Adult Summer Reading 2013

 

Groundbreaking Reads - Summer 2013

Wayne Residents Ages 18 & up come and join the Summer Fun with our Groundbreaking Summer Reading Program starting Monday, July 1, 2013 at 9:00 a.m. and ending Tuesday, September 3, 2013 at 9:00 p.m.

Guidelines for participating:

You may read a book or listen to an audiobook, write a short summary (Not less than 30 words please) and tell us if it was Groundbreaking or not!

You may post your summary to the Wayne Discussion Blog via the link on the library homepage or write your summary on an entry form and place it in the Groundbreaking Entry Form Box by visiting the Groundbreaking Summer Reading Station at the Main Library or the Preakness Branch Library.

The person with the most well written summaries on September 3, 2013 will win the Groundbreaking Prize and there will be a second place runner –up Earth shattering Prize as well! The more summaries you write the better your chances of winning!

Here’s what you need to do to blog about your book!

1) Find a great book to read!

2) Read it

3) Write a good summary (no less than 30 words) and tell us if it was Groundbreaking or Not!

4) Visit our Blog from the Groundbreaking Reads link on www.waynepubliclibrary.org

5) Look for the Groundbreaking Summer Reading Logo

6) Scroll down just a bit

7) Click on  Post a Comment

8) Type in your Name, Library card # and Phone number, book title, author and your summary and if it was Groundbreaking or not!

9) Type in the Word Verification

10) Select anonymous

11) Then Publish

12) Your review will not actually get published until it is reviewed/approved by our librarian. She will then print out your entry and place it in the Groundbreaking Entry Form Box, and then remove your name, card number and phone number and publish your summary on our Blog.

Remember! The more you read and write the better your chances of winning!

Two Prizes will be awarded this year! Winners will be notified on September 5th!

"The Ha-Ha" by Dave King

What do you think happens after the book ends? Do all the characters have a chance at happiness?  Have their chances improved since the beginning of the novel?

For further information about the author, check out:

http://www.davekingwriter.com/

"Before I Go to Sleep" by S.J. Watson

Did you like the ending of the book? Did it represent closure for you? What about Christine?  Do you think she will remember what happened to her when she wakes up?

For further information about the author, check out:

http://www.sjwatson-books.com/

"The Murder Book" by Jonathan Kellerman

How effective was the author's use of plot twists and red herrings? Were you able to predict certain things before they happened, or did the author keep you guessing until the end of the story?
 

For more information about the author, check out:

http://jonathankellerman.com/

"Midwives" by Chris Bohjalian

Did Sibyl's final diary entry change any of the opinions you formed during the course of reading about the trial?  If you had any firm ideas about home versus hospital birth, have they been changed by reading this book? Do you think that lay midwives should be allowed to practice? Would you trust yourself to the care of a midwife, or would you go to a hospital for delivery by a doctor?

For further information about the author, check out:

http://www.chrisbohjalian.com/

The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

Recovering from a painful loss, Eva Ward travels to Cornwall and the centuries-old Trelowarth House where she once spent happy summers. One morning, she hears unfamiliar voices in the next room, and on a walk she encounters a mysterious man who seems to be from another time. At first she attributes these oddities to symptoms of grief, but when the “hallucinations” continue to occur and she actually converses with the stranger in her bedroom, Eva concludes she has traveled back 300 years. Though she can’t control her comings and goings between the past and present, she begins to fall in love with Daniel Butler, a dashing man with a dangerous secret. As Eva investigates local annals, she learns some of what Daniel faced, but she’s unsure whether she can or should interfere in historical events—or if she can or should find a way to stay with him forever. Told in first person and with understated sensuality, the story of Eva and Daniel’s devotion and dilemma will keep readers avidly engaged.

 If you could travel back in time to the past, where would you go?  Claire traveled back in time as well, do you think she was aware of Eva's traveling into the past all along or just when Eva was injured?

"Crocodile on the Sandbank" by Elizabeth Peters

Amelia Peabody is an unique character -- a female in the Victorian era and she was given an education and the means to pursue her interests.  Would her character have succeeded at a different time in history?

For more information about the author, check out:
http://www.mpmbooks.com/

For interviews with the author, check out:
http://archive.archaeology.org/0503/abstracts/mertz.html

http://www.powells.com/ink/elizabethpeters.html

http://news.shelf-awareness.com/msgget.jsp?mid=1937676

"Killing Floor" by Lee Child

"Killing Floor" is the first of the Jack Reacher series by Lee Child.  Is his character 'too good to be true'?  He has military training which serves him well in combative situations.  Would he really have let his guard down while in NYC, thinking about his brother, thus having a close call with the men lying in wait for him?

For more information about the author, check out:

http://leechild.com/