Pember Library

The book club will be discussing “The Book Thief” by Markus Zusak.

“Trying to make sense of the horrors of World War II, Death relates the story of Liesel–a young German girl whose book-stealing and story-telling talents help sustain her family and the Jewish man they are hiding, as well as their neighbors.”

The Book Club will be reading The colossus of New York : a city in thirteen parts by Colson Whitehead.

“The Colossus of New York captures the city’s inner and outer landscapes in a series of vignettes, meditations, and personal memories. Colson Whitehead conveys with almost uncanny immediacy the feelings and thoughts of longtime residents and of newcomers who dream of making it their home; of those who have conquered its challenges; and of those who struggle against it cruelties.” “Whitehead’s style is as multilayered and multifarious as New York itself: Switching from third person, to first person, to second person, he weaves individual voices into a jazzy musical composition that perfectly reflects the way we experience the city. There is a funny, knowing riff on what it feels like to arrive in New York for the first time; a lyrical meditation on how the city is transformed by an unexpected rain shower; and a wry look at the ferocious battle that is commuting. The plaintive notes of the lonely and dispossessed resound in one passage, while another captures those magical moments when the city seems to be talking directly to you, inviting you to become one with its rhythms.” “The Colossus of New York is a portrait of life in the big city. Ambitious in scope, gemlike in its details, it is at once an paralleled tribute to New York and the ideal introduction to one of the most exciting writers working today.”–BOOK JACKET.

We are reading any book by John Updike. Those available at the Pember are:

The Best American short stories of the century. New York : Houghton Mifflin, c1999.
Updike, John. A child’s calendar. New York : Holiday House, 1999.
Updike, John. A helpful alphabet of friendly objects : poems. New York : A. Knopf, 1995, c1994.
Updike, John. Licks of love : short stories and a sequel. New York : Alfred Knopf, 2000.
Updike, John. Odd jobs : essays and criticism. New York : Knopf, 1991.
Updike, John. Seek my face. New York : Knopf, 2002.
Updike, John. Terrorist. New York : Alfred A. Knopf, 2006.

We can order other books through interlibrary loan if the title you are looking for is not available here.