Going Peculiar for Summer...

First off, I have a correction to my last post. Gerald knows the publisher of The Glass Madonna, who ALSO happens to be the author! We all got to meet Donna Meredith last Saturday at the Clarksburg Library, listen to her discuss the Clarksburg glass industry (i actually missed the chat), and had our books signed. We finished our discussion of the book yesterday at the Bridgeport park. As someone who didn't grow up in WV, the historical references in the book were enlightening. The fictional story takes place in Clarksburg during the Vietnam War (and before). I learned a lot about the history of the town through this book. The characters are sometimes unredeemable (that's Cristina's favorite way to analyze characters), and more often than not, I wanted to jump into the pages of the book and slap some sense into the main character. In the end, readers are left pretty satisfied with the resolution. In all, someone with an interest in Clarksburg history who can tolerate a protagonist with battered woman syndrome (without wanting to jump into the book yourself) might enjoy The Glass Madonna.

Up next, we're leaving WV authors behind and taking a look at a literary debut. Ransom Riggs is the author of "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children," the tale of a young boy who decides to investigate some of the wild stories his grandfather told him about an orphanage he lived in during WWII. It sounds a little twisted, but after so much reality lately, I think we're due for a change of pace.

Hope you can join us next Tuesday @5 for our discussion of the first half of the book (:

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Continuing Theme: WV Authors

D'J know that the Breece D'J Pancake book was a rather huge disappointment? We unanimously agreed that we fully understand why the guy committed suicide. While a skillful architect of prose, Pancake's content reflected such a dark, pessimistic (yet, admittedly, sometimes realistic) view of his world that it's a wonder he made it to age 27. Some of his stories made you literally sick to your stomach and all left us sitting in a dark cloud of despair. Would I read another Pancake book if one were available? No.

We have not given up entirely on the genre of WV authors and in fact have decided to look a little closer to home. Gerald recently spoke with an old friend who mentioned that a Clarksburg author is returning home to make a public appearance later in June. We will begin reading her book titled "The Glass Madonna" for our next meeting. James & Law is said to have paper copies available, or you can download to your kindle. We're tentatively planning to go to the lecture and Hopefully get our copies signed.

Our meetings are no longer taking place at Panera Bread on a regular basis. We've started flitting around town, trying out new cafes and restaurants. Be sure to check here, email or call me for the next meeting spot. Next Tuesday @5 we will be meeting at Hank's Deli beside Home Depot. If the weather is nice, we plan to carpool over to the park behind Bridgeport HS to have a picnic book club. If you haven't joined us in awhile, kick your summer off with a (hopefully) good book, great food & even better friendship! Hope to see you there!

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