Book Discussion Group
Join us the first Wednesday of every month at 7:00pm at the Tualatin Public Library Community Room for an hour of lively book discussion. Our book discussion group is an informal and relaxed gathering, with a respectful, congenial, and inquisitive atmosphere.
Every member of the group takes two to three minutes to give their overall impression of the book. If they wish they can rate the book from zero to five with five being the highest and most favorable rating. After everyone has given their opening summary, the group is ready to engage in a more thorough discussion. Everyone will be given an opportunity to participate in the discussion, however participation is not a requirement. Listeners are welcome!
September's Book (Discussion September 1, 2010)
The Lost City of Z: A Tale of Deadly Obsession in the Amazon by David Grann
- The publisher comments, "A grand mystery reaching back centuries. A sensational disappearance that made headlines around the world. A quest for truth that leads to death, madness or disappearance for those who seek to solve it. The Lost City of Z is a blockbuster adventure narrative about what lies beneath the impenetrable jungle canopy of the Amazon.
- After stumbling upon a hidden trove of diaries, acclaimed New Yorker writer David Grann set out to solve "the greatest exploration mystery of the twentieth century": What happened to the British explorer Percy Fawcett and his quest for the Lost City of Z?
- In 1925 Fawcett ventured into the Amazon to find an ancient civilization, hoping to make one of the most important discoveries in history. For centuries Europeans believed the world's largest jungle concealed the glittering kingdom of El Dorado. Thousands had died looking for it, leaving many scientists convinced that the Amazon was truly inimical to humankind. But Fawcett, whose daring expeditions helped inspire Conan Doyle's The Lost World, had spent years building his scientific case. Captivating the imagination of millions around the globe, Fawcett embarked with his twenty-one-year-old son, determined to prove that this ancient civilization - which he dubbed "Z" - existed. Then he and his expedition vanished.
- Fawcett's fate - and the tantalizing clues he left behind about "Z" - became an obsession for hundreds who followed him into the uncharted wilderness. For decades scientists and adventurers have searched for evidence of Fawcett's party and the lost City of Z. Countless have perished, been captured by tribes, or gone mad. As David Grann delved ever deeper into the mystery surrounding Fawcett's quest, and the greater mystery of what lies within the Amazon, he found himself, like the generations who preceded him, being irresistibly drawn into the jungle's "green hell." His quest for the truth and his stunning discoveries about Fawcett's fate and "Z" form the heart of this complex, enthralling narrative."
Upcoming Books to be Discussed:
- October 6, 2010
Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich - November 3, 2010
Mountains beyond Mountains: the Quest of Dr. Paul Farmer, a Man Who Would Cure the World by Tracy Kidder - December 1, 2010
This is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper - January 5, 2011
A Lion Called Christian: the True Story of the Remarkable Bond Between Two Friends and a Lion by Anthony Bourke - February, 2011
The Irresistible Henry House by Lisa Grunwald
Past Readings:
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June 2, 2010
- March 3, 2010
March by Geraldine Brooks - February 3, 2010
Fool by Christopher Moore - January 6, 2010
My Abandoment by Peter Rock - December 2, 2009
Travels with Charley by John Steinbeck - November 4, 2009
American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld - October 7, 2009
That Old Cape Magic by Robert Russo - August 5, 2009
She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb - July 1, 2009
Winter of Our Discontent by John Steinbeck - June 3, 2009
Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Diaz - May 6, 2009
Seabiscuit: an American Legend by Laura Hillenbrand - April 1, 2009
Stubborn Twig by Lauren Kessler - March 4, 2009
Skylight Confessions by Alice Hoffman - February 4, 2009
Bridge of Sighs by Richard Russo - January 7, 2009
Call of the Wild by Jack London - December 3, 2008
Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen - November 5, 2008
Wild Swans by Jung Chang - October 1, 2008
The Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell - September 3, 2008
The Brothers K by David James Duncan - August 6, 2008
House of Many Gods by Kisana Davenport - July 2, 2008
Tree of Smoke by Denis Johnson - June 4, 2008
The Bedford Boys by Alex Kershaw - May 7, 2008
Selected Poetry - April 2,2008
Gentlemen of the Road by Michael Chabon - March 5, 2008
All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren - February 6, 2008
The Book of Joe by Jonathan Tropper - January 9, 2008
Life is so Good by George Dawson and Richard Glaubman - December 5, 2007
The Whistling Season by Ivan Doig - November 7, 2007
The Fifties by David Halberstam - October 5, 2007
Into the Forest by Jean Hegland - September 5, 2007
Cane River by Lalita Tademy - August 1 , 2007
Snow Flower and the Secret Fan by Lisa See - July 11, 2007
The Highest Tide by Jim Lynch - June 6, 2007
The History of Love by Nicole Krauss - May 2, 2007
Cathedral by Raymond Carver - April 4, 2007
Cold Sassy Tree by Olive Ann Burns - March 7, 2007
Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark - February 7, 2007
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby - January 3, 2007
Ragtime by E.L. Doctorow
Shop Class as Soulcraft, An Inquiry Into the Value of Work by Matthew Crawford
Windless Summer by Heather Sharfeddin
May 5, 2010
East of Eden by John Steinbeck
April 7, 2010
Homestead by Jane Kirkpatrick
