Monday, September 17, 2012

New Library Book Club This Fall



A new book club is about to launch at the library, with an organizational meeting scheduled for 7 p.m. on Monday, September 24, in the large meeting room. Members will decide when and how often the group will meet and how many books will be discussed per year. Although there are other book clubs in the area, the library has not sponsored a book group for many years. And the Cloquet Library Reading Group plans to appeal to a wide range of readers, both men and women—high school students are welcome, too. New members may join at any time. The focus will be on contemporary fiction, but not necessarily the most recent best-seller. Instead, quality fiction that has proven itself for a few years will make up most of the selections, from which members will make the final choices. Plans are for at least one literary classic to be included in the mix, and at least one non-fiction work, for the coming year. Mark, our Adult Services Librarian, has selected the first book to be read and discussed, the somewhat off-beat and thought-provoking novel Life of Pi by French Canadian philosopher Yann Martel. The book has been taught at the high school level, so the prose isn't difficult – but the ideas lift this story of a shipwrecked boy from India to a higher plane. The film version of the novel will be coming out this fall, directed by Academy Award-winning director Ang Lee, so a portion of a later meeting will be devoted to comparing the film to the book.

No comments: