Book Discussion

The Glass Castle

by Jeannette Walls

Saturday, March 24

11:00 a.m.

This thought-provoking memoir is as gripping as it is uplifting. As children, the author and her siblings fended for themselves, eating out of trash cans and living by their wits, while their parents inhabited a bizarre dreamworld. Yet Walls presents a unique and sometimes upbeat portrait of her life with them. There's lots to talk about in this thoroughly American chronicle.

All are welcome to register for the discussion at the Reference Desk. Cardholders may pick up a copy of the book here.

Book Discussion

RESCHEDULED

One Thousand White Women
by Jim Fergus

Saturday, March 3
11 a.m. to noon
(Downstairs in the Open Room)

Due to your requests, we are rescheduling this program, which was cancelled due to snow. Please join us to discuss this engrossing novel, a favorite of reading groups. Loosely based on actual historical events, this is the story of May Dodd and a colorful assembly of pioneer women, who under the auspices of the U.S. government, travel to the western prairies in 1874 to intermarry among the Cheyenne Indians. Sports reporter and author Jim Fergus (A Hunter's Road) brings the Cheyenne and their mates vividly to life at a pivotal time in U.S. history.

Book Discussion

The Mayor of Casterbridge
by Thomas Hardy

Tuesday, November 22
7 to 8 p.m.

Please join us for this timeless classic. It is a tale of a man who is undone by his character defects, yet labors to redeem himself. Set in the fictional area of Wessex, Hardy's novels capture the essence of the rustic southwest region of England. His colorful, memorable characters and their fates are intricately linked to their natural environment.

Book Discussion

The Double Bind
by Chris Bohjalian
Wednesday, September 21
7 to 8 p.m.

The reading continues...
Now that the Adult Summer Reading Club and Booked for Lunch have ended, you can still get motivated to read by signing up and attending some great book discussions.

This spellbinding literary thriller, travels between the Roaring Twenties and the present, through Jazz Age Long Island and rural New England. A troubled homeless man's box of photographs holds the key to a deeply hidden secret that puts a young woman in jeopardy and into a cat and mouse game with pursuers who claim they want to save her.

Chris Bohjalian is a critically acclaimed bestselling author who takes readers on his most intriguing, most haunting, and most unforgettable journey yet.

Please sign up for the discussion at the Reference Desk where cardholders may pick up a copy of the book.

Book Discussion: The Piano Teacher

by Janice J.K. Lee

Wednesday, July 20
7 to 8 p.m.

Join us for this intriguing piece of historical fiction set in Hong Kong during WWII and ten years later. Seduced by the social life of the expatriate community, Claire Pendelton begins an affair with an enigmatic Englishman whose devastating past threatens the present. This standout debut has been hailed by critics for its adept pacing and unexpected twists. The Piano Teacher offers a lush examination of East-West relations and compelling characters.

Book Discussion

The Remains of the Day

by Kazuo Ishiguro

Monday, February 16, 2911

7:00 p.m.

Please join us to discuss this critically acclaimed novel set in postwar England. Winner of the Booker Prize, its story is told from the viewpoint of Stevens, the perfect English butler. At the end of his three decades of service at Darlington Hall, Stevens confronts his doubts about the true nature of the "great" man he served.

The New York Times Book Review proclaimed this to be "One of the best books of the year" when it was written in 1988, while the Boston Globe labelled it as "One of the best books of the decade." The book was later made into a movie, starring Anthony Hopkins, and produced by Merchant Ivory.

To attend this book discussion, please sign up at the Reference Desk.

Book Discussion: The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Saturday, January 22
11 a.m. to noon

Set in Sweden, Stieg Larson's international bestseller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo introduces a provocatively odd couple who investigate the forty year old disappearance of a young heiress. Mikael Blomkvist, a disgraced financial analyst, and Lisbeth Salander, a multipierced tattooed computer hacker, are a favorite of readers across the globe with Blomkvist reflecting the late author's own tumultuous career as a crusading journalist.

Copies of this remarkable crime novel are available for those wishing to participate in the book discussion. Please sign up at the Reference Desk.

Book Discussion: A Trip to the Stars

Wednesday, September 22
7 to 8:30 p.m.

Written by poet Nicholas Christopher, this unique coming-of-age tale and love story shows us what happens when we lose what matters most. In 1965, a young boy and his aunt become separated when the child is kidnapped by a wealthy uncle. Despite this unnerving event, mysterious ties continue to link the two over the next fifteen years that they are apart.

Spanning several continents, A Trip to the Stars is seeped in mystery, romance, and intellectual adventure. Sign up for the discussion and pick up a book at the Reference Desk.

Book Discussion: Blue Highways

Wednesday, June 30, 2010

7 to 8 p.m.

Don't forget to join us for a discussion of Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat-Moon. Traveling around the perimeter of the United States, Heat-Moon discovers true adventure on the nation's back roads--from towns like Remote, Oregon; Simplicity, Virginia; and even parts of Long Island. This classic tale is hailed as a masterpiece in American travel writing.

It also kicks off the theme for the adult summer reading club, Riverhead Reads: America the Beautiful. You may sign up immediately for the book discussion at the Reference Desk. Register for the reading club beginning Saturday, June 19, or check this blog for more information.

Book Discussion: Local History

New date!
Saturday, August 28, 2010
10 a.m. to noon
Stage Room

Mark your calendars for the new date of the local history book discussion. As an exciting addition to the program, local historian Richard Wines will join us. Mr. Wines will speak about the history of Community Volunteerism in the Riverhead area. This will be followed by a group discussion. Sign up for the program and pick up a copy of the suggested reading, Journey Through Time: The Riverhead Bicentennial 1792 -1992, edited by Barbara Austen, at the Adult Reference Desk.

Check the upcoming July/August newsletter for more information about this and other reading programs. In the meantime, sign up for the next book discussion, Blue Highways: A Journey into America by William Least Heat-Moon. This will be held Wednesday, June 30, 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. In this classic true story, Heat-Moon recounts his unforgettable adventures traveling the nation's backroads, including through parts of Long Island. A true American experience.

Book Discussion: River of Doubt

River of Doubt:
Theodore Roosevelt's Darkest Journey
by Candice Millard

Tuesday, April 20
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.

This national bestseller, by first-time author Candice Millard, tells the dramatic tale of former president Theodore Roosevelt's expedition down an uncharted tributary of the Amazon. Roosevelt and his men endured starvation, Indian attack, disease, drowning, and a murder perpetrated by one of their own men. This is a powerful non-fiction thriller that is sure to provoke a lively discussion.

Book Discussion: Amagansett

Amagansett

by Mark Mills

Saturday

March 20, 2010

11 a.m.

A national bestseller and former Long Island Reads selection, this suspenseful drama offers the best in historical fiction. When a Basque fisherman casts his nets in the treacherous waters of the Atlantic, he pulls in the body of a beautiful young woman. Screenwriter Mills expertly fashions the dynamic history of Long Island's south shore in this clash between the rich summer people and the dispossessed immigrant fishermen and Native Americans. Set in the post-World War II era, the story skillfully combines a poignant love story with a solid police procedural. Praised by critics.

Book Discussion: Three Cups of Tea

Saturday, January 23, 2010
11 a.m. to noon
Children's Program Room

The widely acclaimed Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin is an astonishing, uplifting story of a homeless mountaineer and his remarkable humanitarian campaign, set in the Taliban's backyard. Those wishing to attend the book discussion should sign up at the Reference Desk. You may order a book as well.

Mortenson's books, including Stones Into Schools, are also included on the preferred reading list for the Adult Winter Reading Club, Riverhead Reads: Making a Difference Globally and in Your Community. Library cardholders may check with the Reference Desk for program details.

Book Discussion: The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Wednesday, November 18, 2009
7 p.m.

This remarkable tale about the English Channel island of Guernsey began during the German occupation in WWII. When a group of Guernsey residents were discovered breaking curfew, they made the excuse that they were members of a book group. Thus began The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society.

The novel by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows uses the format of letters, written post-WWII, from the warm-hearted, eccentric inhabitants of Guernsey to a writer who finds inspiration for her next book in the correspondence. All from fully formed characters, the letters recount both humorous and horrific wartime events.

You won't want to miss this is a favorite among discussion groups. Sign up online at the Reference Desk or register online.

Book Discussion: The Professor and the Madman

Tuesday, October 20
7:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Open Room

Join us for a discussion of this international bestseller: The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary by Simon Winchester. An extraordinary tale of madness and genius, this marvelous true story tells of the obsessions of two men who were primarily responsible for the creation of the Oxford English Dictionary. It explores not only the dark side of the human psyche but chronicles the making of a masterpiece. Remarkably readable and well researched. Please sign up online or register at the Public Information Desk or at the Reference Desk.

Book Discussion - A Fine Balance

A Fine Balance : a novel
by Rohinton Mistry

Wednesday, September 23, 2009
7 - 8 PM
Riverhead Free Library Open Room

Life in an unnamed Indian city couldn't be worse when four people join forces in order to survive. Dina, a seamstress who is losing her sight, two tailors and Maneck, a student, share a cramped apartment and learn that compassion and cooperation make it possible to create a bond, shaping their dire circumstances into something bearable and dramatically changing themselves for the better.

Book Discussion: Welcome to Shirley

Welcome to Shirley: A Memoir From an Atomic Town
by Kelly McMasters
Wednesday, August 19
7 - 8 p.m.
Riverhead Free Library Open Room

In this unforgettable story of working-class Long Island, author Kelly McMasters offers a rare glimpse into the town of Shirley where she grew up. Plagued by one disaster after another, the town's residents are forced to cope with the untimely deaths of loved ones trapped in the middle of a cancer cluster. Searching for answers, McMasters probes beneath the surface and links the tragedy to Brookhaven National Laboratory. Whether or not you agree with the conclusions, McMasters' methodical research and deliciously engaging voice are sure to promote a lively discussion. Please sign up at the Reference Desk for this event. Everyone is welcome.

Book Discussion: Travels With Charley

The late Nobel prize-winning author John Steinbeck left the safety of his Sag Harbor home in 1960 and set out on a cross-country adventure that became the subject of the book Travels With Charley. This travel memoir records the author's emotions and experiences as he rediscovers his native land with his beloved poodle, Charley. Despite his fragile health, Steinbeck realizes that he still has the strength and resources to be on his own.

There's still time to sign up at the Reference Desk for this book discussion, held Wednesday, July 15, 2009, at 7 p.m. We look forward to your participation.

Book Discussion: Riverhead: The Halcyon Years

Local History Event
Saturday, May 30, 2009
10 a.m. thru noon
Stage Room

This year for the popular annual local history program, area resident Judge Thomas M. Stark will help lead a discussion about his book, Riverhead: The Halcyon Years 1861 -1919. Participants will compare and contrast their own past and present experiences in Riverhead with those in the book. The event will be filmed for the library's archives.

Anyone interested may register at the library's Adult Reference Desk where they will also sign a release form giving permission for us to film those attending the event. Refreshments will be served, and everyone is welcome. Riverhead cardholders may pick up or order a copy of the book at the Reference Desk. Join us and bring a friend as we make history together!

Book Discussion: Wait Till Next Year

Wait Till Next Year : A Memoir
by Doris Kearns Goodwin
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
7 to 8 p.m.
Riverhead Free Library Open Room

Join us for a discussion of Wait Till Next Year, the Long Island Reads selection for 2009. Long Island Reads is an island-wide reading initiative in which people from all over the island read and discuss the same book every spring. In her memoir, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Doris Kearns Goodwin recalls growing up on Long Island in the 1950s in a close-knit neighborhood filled with Brooklyn Dodger fans. For more information on the discussion, contact the adult reference desk at the library. All are welcome.