Friday, January 23, 2009
Next Book
It sounds good to me! Are we just waiting on Barbara to join to start the discussion? Has anyone started reading yet? I stopped so I would not forget everything from the beginning.
Tuesday, January 20, 2009
How about this one
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russel (405 pages)
From Publishers Weekly: An enigma wrapped inside a mystery sets up expectations that drove difficult to fulfill in Russell's first novel, which is about first contact with an extraterrestrial civilization. The enigma is Father Emilio Sandoz, a Jesuit linguist whose messianic virtues hide his occasional doubt about his calling. The mystery is the climactic turn of events that has left him the sole survivor of a secret Jesuit expedition to the planet Rakhat and, upon his return, made him a disgrace to his faith. Suspense escalates as the narrative ping-pongs between the years 2016, when Sandoz begins assembling the team that first detects signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life, and 2060, when a Vatican inquest is convened to coax an explanation from the physically mutilated and emotionally devastated priest. A vibrant cast of characters who come to life through their intense scientific and philosophical debates help distract attention from the space-opera elements necessary to get them off the Earth. Russell brings her training as a paleoanthropologist to bear on descriptions of the Runa and Jana'ata, the two races on Rakhat whose differences are misunderstood by the Earthlings, but the aliens never come across as more than variations of primitive earthly cultures. The final revelation of the tragic human mistake that ends in Sandoz's degradation isn't the event for which readers have been set up. Much like the worlds it juxtaposes, this novel seems composed of two stories that fail to come together. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
My library friend said that all the people her book club really like this, even if at first they were skeptical. Apparently it led to some good discussions. It is a little long, but it might worth a thought? I won't be offended if it is not picked, and I will let you all know how it is if I read it!
From Publishers Weekly: An enigma wrapped inside a mystery sets up expectations that drove difficult to fulfill in Russell's first novel, which is about first contact with an extraterrestrial civilization. The enigma is Father Emilio Sandoz, a Jesuit linguist whose messianic virtues hide his occasional doubt about his calling. The mystery is the climactic turn of events that has left him the sole survivor of a secret Jesuit expedition to the planet Rakhat and, upon his return, made him a disgrace to his faith. Suspense escalates as the narrative ping-pongs between the years 2016, when Sandoz begins assembling the team that first detects signs of intelligent extraterrestrial life, and 2060, when a Vatican inquest is convened to coax an explanation from the physically mutilated and emotionally devastated priest. A vibrant cast of characters who come to life through their intense scientific and philosophical debates help distract attention from the space-opera elements necessary to get them off the Earth. Russell brings her training as a paleoanthropologist to bear on descriptions of the Runa and Jana'ata, the two races on Rakhat whose differences are misunderstood by the Earthlings, but the aliens never come across as more than variations of primitive earthly cultures. The final revelation of the tragic human mistake that ends in Sandoz's degradation isn't the event for which readers have been set up. Much like the worlds it juxtaposes, this novel seems composed of two stories that fail to come together. Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.
My library friend said that all the people her book club really like this, even if at first they were skeptical. Apparently it led to some good discussions. It is a little long, but it might worth a thought? I won't be offended if it is not picked, and I will let you all know how it is if I read it!
Monday, January 12, 2009
Next book!
I talked to my library friend about books. She is in two or three book clubs and she did her project on book club books. She sent me a list of about 6 books and a few sound pretty good. I will post the titles and descriptions soon!
Friday, January 9, 2009
Duh!!!
I guess you would click on that little link on the top right that says new post.
Barbara, Mom, and Mary have not subscribed to the blog yet so I'm just testing stuff out. When they get on I'll get going on the name and the next book.
Barbara, Mom, and Mary have not subscribed to the blog yet so I'm just testing stuff out. When they get on I'll get going on the name and the next book.
Monday, January 5, 2009
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