Jamaican Poet and Novelist

Kei Miller, Jamaican poet and writer, was brought to my attention by friend on Facebook. Will certainly put this book, The Last Warner Woman, on my list of Must Read books.  I remember those "Warner Men and Women" on the JOS buses.  They warned that we should repent since the end was near. 

Book club Meeting in Waycross

We enjoyed our book club meeting today at a new venue, Matt's Italian Restaurant and Pizzeria.  The spinach and mushroom pizza was delicious. Everyone had a lot to say about the book, Snow Falling on Cedars.    Our book next month is Eye of the Crow.


I have just finished reading, with my online book club, the first few pages of  a pre-pub book, The Brink of Fame by Irene Fleming.  So far it appears interesting. I will add this to my list of books to read.

Theme of Snow Falling on Cedars

The story has to do with prejudice; the bigotry shown towards Japanese Americans  about10 years after World War 11 ended.   In my opinion the theme is right there on page 418.  It has to do with the battle of  fate, coincidence, and accident versus reason.  Reason won but the game changer was truth.  It was truth that won a victory for one of the protagonists in the story, the proud, stoic Kabuo Miyamoto.   Very good storyline, steamy love scenes, graphic description  of an autopsy and of the war, good use of  imagery but there was an overabundance of descriptive details which slowed the action. 

I was a little disappointed that the much described  island of San Piedro, devoted to fishing and strawberry farming, did not actually exist outside the imagination of the writer.  I don't know the meaning of the symbolism used, the snow and cedars, but there were constant references to both through out the story.  May be the cedars had to do with the quiet, patient, strength of Kabuo.  I would have liked to have known if Kabuo got his 7 acres in the long run but that is not clear.

I see on wikipedia that the novel was a bestseller in 1995 and a movie has been made based on it.

Reading Snow Falling on Cedars in the Summer

Our selection for the hot summer month of June is Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson.  The setting is San Piedro Island and this is post-World War 11. This story starts of with a court scene and then goes back to when "the incident" took place.

In the first few pages, we meet in the courtroom, the accused man, Kabuo Miyamoto; the judge, Llewellyn Fielding; and a local reporter, Ishmael Chambers. We learn that the deceased is a fisherman named, Carl Heine, and that Kabuo is also a fisherman, a Japanese American, and a former school mate of Ishmael. This writer is very detailed.  There is a lot of detailed description of San Piedro Island, the lonely life of the fishermen, and about the dead man, including his genitalia, as he is being examined by Horace Whaley, the coroner.  On page 56 and I have just read a bit of information that makes me see why, of all the fishermen, Kabuo is the one accused of murder. Carl has a blow to his head that looks like a kendo strike, as in Japanese stick fighting.  I am now on page 60 and the story is back into the courtroom.

I think it's about to get really interesting.  I'll let you know later.

eBooks in the Library

So what do librarians, watchdogs of freedom to read and promoters of equal access to library materials, think about eBooks? It was recently reported that more eBooks are sold on amazon now than regular hardcover and paperbacks.  Also, Ebscohost databases will soon have journal and eBook content in their search results.   There is an eBook revolution going on and 2011 is supposed to be the Year of the eBook.  Here is an interesting article on Library Journal and an educational video on a free digital library, by Librarian Brewster Kahle.  I like his quote on universal access, "the best we have to offer within reach."  I have not yet jumped on the band wagon to buy a Kindle or a Nook.

Summer Reading: New York

I just finished reading New York by Edward Rutherford.  It took me several days.  The story started with the early Indian and Dutch New York ancestry and ended with post September 11th period and a message about Imagination and Freedom.  It covered several families but focused mainly on the The Masters of New York. I liked how the families linked up in future generations.  I would have liked the slave Hudson to have had a descendant going into the 21st century with the Masters and O'Donnell families.The American Revolution was the weakest part for me but generally I enjoyed reading about the wide range of historical highlights - the prejudices against the Jews, the Irish, the Italians, and the Draft Wars of the 19th century.

Connect with Julie Garwood

Julie Garwood is a social networking author. This is my latest email from the writer Julie Garwoood.  Check out all the ways you can connect with her :

Dear Readers,

Finally, all of my books are joining the digital age and are becoming ebooks.
If you'd like to order the latest releases, click here.

Castles, For the Roses, Guardian Angel, and Prince Charming are now available for download. As a bonus for ordering any one of these, you'll get a sneak peak at my next book, The Ideal Man.

Saving Grace, The Bride, and The Gift can be pre-ordered for a June delivery.

The Secret, The Wedding, and The Prize will be available in July.

And you can now pre-order The Ideal  Man, which will be released on August 9.

For current updates, please join me on my Facebook Page or Twitter @JulieGarwood.

All the best,

Best Library Blogs

This year I voted for the Best Library Blog Awards.  See all the categories and the judges for  Salem's 2011 Best Library Blogs.  These are last year's Salem winners:  link here.
 
I also came across this site for Top 25 Librarian Bloggers. 

There is also this link to Ten Librarian Blogs to read in 2010. 

Some  of those listed on 100 Best Librarian Blogs of the Future are on the list of nominees for a Salem Best Library Blog Award, for example, I voted for Librarians Matter.  I like the May 17 post about What is a library? What do Librarians do?

Controversial James Frey on Oprah

Did you miss the Oprah show with guest James Frey as I did?  Well read about Mr. Frey's new book with a controversial portrayal of Jesus.  No wonder Mr. Harold Camping is predicting the end of the world and no wonder there are people who actually believe him.

Shock and awe, just like sex, sells.

Book Club Selections

 We have decided.  The following is a list of books that we will read and discuss at our meetings from June through September:

June:  Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
July: Eye of the Crow:The Boy Sherlock Holmes: His First Case by Shane Peacock
August: The Passage by Justin Cronin
September: East of the Sun by Julia Gregson.

What Do You Have for Summer Reading?

We have several suggestions for the book club. Hmm, what will we decide on this Friday at our meeting? Will it be Confederates in the Attic by Tony Horwitz,1999? Could it be The Undertaker's Wife by Loren Estleman ,2010;  Snow Falling on Cedars by William Cooper, 1995;  the young adult fiction, Eye of the Crow: The Boy Sherlock Holmes; or the one that I enjoyed reading some months ago, East of the Sun by Julia Gregson? May be we will tackle all five books.