Starting the Year Off Right – January Reading

Oh my, it seems I have some blogging to do!  I’m very behind, and hereby make a New Year’s resolution to get this thing up to date ASAP.  (note to self:  next time maybe try going so far as to commit to a date)  In the meantime, the book we have chosen for January is an interesting way to start 2013.

mistakes

Carol Tavris and Elliot Aronson hold a big, no-holds-barred magnifying mirror up to our psyches and ask us to examine our propensities for self-deception, hypocrisy and rationalization. On the bright side, they also show us, if not how to overcome, then at least to admit to our failures. It should make for an interesting night. See you on January 31.

 

Books are not made to be believed, but to subjected to inquiry. When we consider a book, we musn’t ask ourselves what it says, but what it means…

Umberto Eco

 

New Books for March and April

The Paris Wife, by Paula McLain was chosen as our book for the month of March.   It’s time to brush up on our literature! This book was released last year, and tells the story of Ernest Hemingway from the unique perspective of his first wife, Hadley. In it, we are introduced to the Paris of the Lost Generation, and meet literary giants such as Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, Gertrude Stein and Ezra Pound through the eyes of Hadley. Hemingway was said to have quoted: “I wish I had died before I loved anyone but her.” 

That right there is a compelling enough reason for me to read the book.

The book for the month of April is Bill Bryson’s At Home: A Short History of Domestic Life.  Be warned! This is a big book.  Hopefully some downtime during March Break may give you opportunities to make a dent in it before the end of April. (I know – downtime? Ha!) Take notes while reading – there is much to digest and discuss in this book.   It defies categorization – not a novel, yet much more than just a dust-dry collection of facts.  I’m sure you’ll enjoy it, all the while being surprised that you do.

“The worst thing about new books is that they keep us from reading the old ones.”
Joseph Joubert