The Kilbourn Public Library Book Discussion has chosen the book Room by Emma Donoghue for the March selection.

To five-year-old Jack, Room is the world...It's where he was born, it's where he and his Ma eat and sleep and play and learn.  At night, his Ma shuts him safely in the wardrobe, where he is meant to be asleep when Old Nick visits.

Room is home to Jack, but to Ma it's the prison where she has been held for seven years.  Through her fierce love for her son, she has created a life for him in this eleven-by-eleven-foot space.  But with Jack's curiosity building alongside her own desperation, she knows that Room cannot contain either much longer.

Room is a tale at once shocking, riveting, exhilarating--a story of unconquerable love in harrowing circumstances, and of the diamond-hard bond between a mother and her child.

Why do you think the author chose to tell the story of Room through Jack and not through an omniscient, third-person narrator?

Which elements of Jack's developmental delays and/or his integration issues surprised you most?

Did you find yourself wanting to know more about Old Nick?  If so, why do you think this is?

Let us know what you think of Room.

Our February book selection is Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua.  At once provocative and laugh-out-loud funny, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother ignited a global parenting debate with its story of one mother's journey in strict parenting.  Amy Chua argues that Western parenting tries to respect and nurture children's individuality, while Chinese parents typically believe that arming children with skills, strong work habits and inner confidence prepares them best for the future.

Achingly honest and profoundly challenging, this book is one of the most talked about books of our times. Pick up a copy of this book at the library and let us know what you think.

What is your overall reaction to Battle Hymn of the Mother Tiger?  Are you appalled or impressed, in agreement, disagreement...or something else?

Is this a parenting manual?  Are Western parents too soft on, or too permissive toward, their children?  Does Amy Chua offer an alternative parenting model?

Do you agree or disagree with Chua's criticisms of various aspects of Western culture---Facebook and junk food being two examples?

What do you predict for Chua's daughters?  Do you think they will raise their childen with the same strict standards their mother applied to them?

The Kilbourn Public Library Book Club is reading A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick for January.  USA Today calls this book "A killer debut novel...Suspenseful and erotic...(A) chillingly engrossing plot...Good to the riveting end."

He placed a notice in a Chicago paper, an advertisement for "a reliable wife."  She responded, saying that she was "a simple, honest woman."  She was, of course, anything but honest, and the only simple thing about her was her single-minded determination to marry this man and then kill him, slowly and carefully, leaving her a wealthy widow, able to take care of the one she truly loved.

What Catherine Land did not realize was that the enigmatic and lonely Ralph Truitt had a plan of his own. And what neither anticipated was that they would fall so completely in love. 

Filled with unforgettable characters, and shimmering with color and atmosphere, A Reliable Wife is an enthralling tale of love and madness, of longing and murder.

The novel's setting and strong sense of place seem to echo its mood and themes.  What role does the wintry Wisconsin landscape play?

Catherine imagines herself as an actress playing a series of roles, the one of Ralph's wife being the starring role of a lifetime.  Where in the novel might you see a glimpse of the real Catherine Land?  Do you feel that you ever get to know this woman, or is she always hidden behing a facade?

Did you have sympathy for any of the characters?  Did this change as time went on?

Let us know what you think!

This month the Kilbourn Public Library is doing something special for the December book club get together. We will be choosing from a selection of holiday books to read. Members will read their chosen book and we will have a short discussion on the titles we read.


We will also be watching the movie Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close. The movie is based on the book of the same name that we read for our November selection.

Anyone is welcome to join in this holiday book reading and movie night. Stop by the library or bookmobile and pick a holiday book to read. Or just come and watch the movie with us. We will be meeting on Monday, December 17 at 6:00 p.m. and Wednesday, December 19 at 1:30 p.m. Join us for book discussion, a movie and snacks.

What is your experience with movies with book tie-in? Would you rather read the book first or watch the movie? 
Do you have know of any movies made from a book that you thought were really well done or any that you thought were very poorly done?

What is your favorite holiday themed book?

Let us know what you think!
Happy Holidays.

The Kilbourn Public Library Book Club has chosen Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer for its November book selection.  Boston Globe calls this book--"Energetic, inventive, and ambitious...an uplifting myth born of the sorrows of 9/11."

Nine-year-old Oskar Schell has embarked on an urgent, secret mission that will take him through the five boroughs of New York.  His goal is to find the lock that matches a mysterious key that belonged to his father, who died in the World Trade Center on the morning of September 11.  This seemingly impossible task will bring Oskar into contact with survivors of all sorts on an exhilarating, affecting, often hilarious, and ultimately healing journey.

Oskar is an unusually precious child.  Do you find him sympathetic or annoying?  Or both?

Were there any passages or scenes that you remember well or particularly liked?

Do you find the illustrations, scribblings, over-written texts, etc. a meaningful, integral part of the work?  Or do you find them distracting and gimmicky?  Why are they there?

Let us know what you think.

The Kilbourn Public Library Book Club will be reading Death Comes to Pemberley by P.D. James for its October selection.  This book is a rare meeting of literary genius:  P.D. James, long among the most admired mystery writers of our time, draws the characters of Jane Austen's beloved novel Pride and Prejudice into a tale of murder and emotional mayhem.

It is 1803, six years since Elizabeth and Darcy embarked on their life together at Pemberley, Darcy's magnificent estate.  Their peaceful, orderly world seems almost unassailable.  Elizabeth has found her footing as the chatelaine of the great house. They have two fine sons, Fitzwilliam and Charles.  Elizabeth's sister Jane and her husband, Bingley, live nearby;  her father visits often;  there is optimistic talk about the prospects of marriage for Darcy's sister Georgiana.  And preparations are under way for their  much-anticipated annual autumn ball.

Then, on the eve of the ball, the patrician idyll is shattered.  A coach careens up the drive carrying Lydia, Elizabeth's disgraced sister, who with her husband, the very dubious Wickham, has been banned from Pemberley.  She stumbles out of the carriage, hysterical, shrieking that Wickham has been murdered.  With shocking suddenness, Pemberley is plunged into a frightening mystery. 

Inspired by a lifelong passion for Austen, P.D. James masterfully re-creates the world of Pride and Prejudice, electrifying it with the excitement and suspense of a brilliantly crafted crime story as only she can write.

Good crime writers like P.D. James embed clues early on in their stories. What seemingly inconsequential clues are dropped that later turn out to be decisive in solving the mystery.  How cleverly does James bury her clues?

Mystery writers also like to throw in red-herrings.  Are there any false clues in Death Comes to Pemberley that fooled you, leading you to expect a different outcome?

Is Death Comes to Pemberley a good mystery?  Is it a good sequel to Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice?

Let us know what you think!

During September the library book club members are reading biographies of their choice.  Why read biographies?  Biographies are a good way to:  discover fascinating people;  rediscover people we think we know well;  reassess infamous characters;  get the story behind legendary characters;  learn history through the life of an individual;  experience adventure from the safety of one's armchair; enjoy a good book.

So grab a biography and let us know all about it!

What made you want to read the book you chose?

Did you learn anything new about this person or did anything in the book change your opinion about him/her?

What is the subject's most admirable quality?  Is this someone you would want to know or have known?

What did you find to be the most interesting or surprising events in this book?

If this person impacted history, what may have been different without his or her presence?

What did you learn about the time period in which the book is set that you did not previously know?

Were you glad you read this book?  Would you recommend it to a friend?