Turkish Novelist Elif Shafak

Link to news on the 34 year old Turkish writer who was acquitted of charges of insulting Turkishness in one of her novels, The Bastard of Istanbul.

According to this article, Elif Shafak is a Turkish citizen, born in France and raised in Spain. She studied political science in Turkey and has held teaching positions in the United Kingdom, Turkey, and the United States.

2006 Selections

This blog is one year old this month. The club has been meeting since 2002. Wow!!!

Now here are our selections for 2006.

January 20
The Lion, the witch and the wardrobe by C. S. Lewis

February 17
All over but the shoutin’ by Rick Bragg

March 17
Zorro by Isabel Allende

April 21
Blind Obedience by Bill Boyd

May19

The Thing About Jane Spring by Sharon Krum

June 16
Death of a Dreamer by M. C. Beaton

July 21
Bud Not Buddy by Christopher Paul Curtis

August 18
Angels and Demons by Dan Brown

September 15
Reflections in the Nile by J. Suzanne Frank

October 20
Traitor’s Gate by Anne Perry

November 17
And I Alone Survived by Lauren Elder

J. Suzanne Frank time traveling series

Question: When there are four books in the series why is it called a trilogy?

I was looking for the books in the J. Suzanne Frank time traveling trilogy featuring Chloe and Cheftu for those who wanted to read beyond Reflections in the Nile. It turns out that there are four books.

Shadows on the Aegean is the second book set in the period of Joseph's sojourn in Egypt.

Sunrise on the Mediterranean is the third book set during the reign of King David.

Twilight in Babylon is the final installment and the setting is Ur.

Smithsonian article: September issue

Guess who is featured on the cover of this month's issue of the Smithsonian magazine. Hathshepsut! On the cover is the caption, Solving the Mystery of Egypt's Hatshepsut: Why Was Her Reign Erased From History.

Weren't we right on target when we chose Reflections in the Nile for our September discussion?

The title of the article by Elizabeth Wilson is, The Queen who would be King. Senenmut is mentioned in the article as her influential chief minister. There are different views as to whether or not they were lovers or if he were just her favorite minister and confidant.

October Selection: Traitor's Gate

Read Anne Perry's biography on her official website. She is the writer of Traitor's Gate our selection for next month

New in the bookstores

Yes it was only a matter of time. This can not be a big surprise... Mrs. Robin McGraw, wife of Dr. Phil McGraw, has written a book. As expected, there are mixed reviews by amazon readers.

The former husband of the infamous Debra Lafave who pleaded guilty to lewd and lascivious battery charges committed on her teenage student, has also written a book aptly titled, Gorgeous Disaster. No surprise here either. Read this interview in Newsweek with Owen LaFave .

Constitution Day, September 17

The Waycross College Library is celebrating Constitution Day all of next week. The attractive display has been set up for public viewing starting Sunday, September 17.

Jeopardy Champ

This should not be any big surprise. Jeopardy champ Ken Jennings has written a book, Brainiac: Adventures in the Curious Competitive, Compulsive World of Trivia Buffs.

Check out his blog.

Why did Beulah take a pistol to church?

I just finished reading a book by Clayton Sullivan with the very intriguing title Why Beulah Shot her Pistol Inside the Baptist Church. Beulah's language is conversational and raunchy in parts but it was an interesting story dealing with rural Mississippi life, marriage to an older man, domestic violence, and hypocrisy in the church. It was an easy read; I finished it in a few hours. I wanted to know why Beulah needed to fire a pistol in church so I could not put the book down.

I did not like the constant repetition. Beulah kept saying the same thing 3 or 4 different ways and this way annoying.

Non-stop reading this Fall

Look out for the release of new titles by big named authors between now and Thanksgiving: John Grisham, Stephen King, John le Carré, Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler, Mitch Albom, Isabel Allende, and Janet Evanovich and others.

Remember the family and friends of those who died on this date five years ago.

Atchafalaya

Here is another selection recommended by Charlotte, Atchafalaya Houseboat: My Years in the Louisiana Swamp by Gwen Roland. Link to the author's interview on NPR here.

Charlotte actually emailed the writer and within minutes got a response. Gwen informed her that she had a story called Basket Case that was just published in Delta Sky Magazine about her learning to make oak baskets at a living history village.

Enjoy the weekend. Don't forget The Mermaid Chair at 9:00PM tonight on Lifetime Channel.

Angels Fall

Charlotte is strongly recommending the book with the interesting title of Angels Fall by Nora Roberts. She loved the storyline.

Explore Ms. Roberts website! View the commercial! Read the excerpt!

Nora has another new book out already, Morrigan's Cross.

None Without Sin

I got a gift for the club. It is a book titled, None Without Sin, by Nat W. Clerk. I intend to read and pass on to club members. The writer lives in Atlanta.

Quills General Fiction Category

Remember to vote for your favorite books in the Quills General Fiction Category:

Black Swan Green:A Novel David Mitchell


The March: A Novel E. L. Doctorow

A Dirty Job: A Novel Christopher Moore

Suite Française Irene Nemirovsky

Water for Elephants: A Novel Sara Gruen

Quills Biography/Memoir Category

These are the nominees for the Quills award this year in the Biography/Memoir Category.

Dispatches from the Edge: A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival
Anderson Cooper

Marley & Me: Life and Love with the World's Worst Dog
John Grogan

Mockingbird: A Portrait of Harper Lee Charles J. Shields

The Tender Bar: A Memoir J. R. Moehringer