RIVER'S EDGE READERS DECEMBER SELECTION "A THOUSAND SPLENDID SUNS"

 Monday, December 21, 2009 at 7:00 PM - "A Thousand Splendid Suns," by Khaled Hosseini

The River's Edge Readers continue this reading season with the "breathtaking story set against the volatile events of Afganistan's last thirty years - from the Soviet invasion to the reign of the Taliban to post-Taliban rebuilding - that puts the violence, fear, hope, and faith of this county in intimate, human terms.  It is the tale of two generations of characters brought jarringly together by the tragic sweep of war, where personal lives - the struggle to survive, raise a family, find happiness - are inextricable from the history playing out around them."

Join us Monday, December 21 at 7:00 PM.  Hardcover, paperback, large print and audio books are available for checkout at the library.

From Booklist
*Starred Review* Hosseini's follow-up to his best-selling debut, The Kite Runner (2003) views the plight of Afghanistan during the last half-century through the eyes of two women. Mariam is the illegitimate daughter of a maid and a businessman, who is given away in marriage at 15 to Rasheed, a man three times her age; their union is not a loving one. Laila is born to educated, liberal parents in Kabul the night the Communists take over Afghanistan. Adored by her father but neglected in favor of her older brothers by her mother, Laila finds her true love early on in Tariq, a thoughtful, chivalrous boy who lost a leg in an explosion. But when tensions between the Communists and the mujahideen make the city unsafe, Tariq and his family flee to Pakistan. A devastating tragedy brings Laila to the house of Rasheed and Mariam, where she is forced to make a horrific choice to secure her future. At the heart of the novel is the bond between Mariam and Laila, two very different women brought together by dire circumstances. Unimaginably tragic, Hosseini's magnificent second novel is a sad and beautiful testament to both Afghani suffering and strength. Readers who lost themselves in The Kite Runner will not want to miss this unforgettable follow-up. Kristine Huntley
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

JANUARY SELECTION:  "THE DAY THE WORLD CAME TO TOWN - 9/11 IN GANDER, NEWFOUNDLAND," by Jim DeFere

"Journalist Defede calls our attention to a sidelight of the events of September 11, when the town of Gander (pop. 10,000) was overwhelmed by more than 6,500 air travelers grounded when U.S. airspace was shut down. For a week, DeFede relates, the locals provided food, shelter and supplies and reassurance; "they placed their lives on hold for a group of strangers and asked nothing in return." Here the generous Newfoundlanders get due recognition. Photos. (Sept.)"
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

We welcome your suggestions for books to be discussed.  Books suggested for the 2009-2010 season are:

These is my Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine by Nancy Turner

The Pearl Diver, by Jeff Talarigo

Factory Girls:  From Village to City in a Changing China by Leslie T. Chang

You are Here:  Why We Can Find Our Way to the Moon, but get Lost in the Mall by Colin Ellard

Traffic:  Why We Drive the Way We Do (and What it Says About Us) by Tom Vanderbilt

The Omnivore's Dilemma:  A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Pollan

Zeitoun by Dave Eggers

In the President's Secret Service:  Behind the Scenes with Agents in the Line of Fire by Ronald Kessler

Cheap:  The High Cost of Discount Culture by Ellen Ruppel Shell

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle:  A Year of Food Life by Barbara Kingsolver

The Day the World Came to Town  - 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland, by Jim Defede

What's your suggestion????

We currently have one copy of each of the books listed above available for check out.  Feel free to "review" the selections.

The River's Edge Readers' meet at the Library the 3rd Monday of the month, September through May.  Everyone is welcome.