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.

In the News

Check out the Riverhead Free Library's newsletter for information about a bus trip to Amish Country (Lancaster, Pennsylvania) on Wednesday, October 21, 2009. Sign up today at the Public Information Desk.

Visit our October 2009 book display to learn more about the Amish, or to read a good Amish mystery or romance. Here are a few samples . . .

The real-life horrific shooting of ten Amish schoolgirls in Nickel Mines, Pennsylvania, in 2006, stunned the larger world. Amish Grace: How Forgiveness Transcended Tragedy by Donald B. Kraybill, Steven M. Nolt, and David L. Weaver-Zercher explores the many questions about religious beliefs that allowed the Amish to forgive so quickly.

A Prayer for the Night: An Ohio Amish Mystery comes from popular Amish writer P.L. Gaus, who deftly balances the pace and practices of Amish life in northern Ohio against the unfolding urgency of a hostage situation. Gaus is praised by reviewers for his "refreshing authenticity" in this account of rumschpringe, that indefinite period during which Amish teens are permitted to immerse themselves in the modern world before deciding if they want to embrace traditional ways.

Those who like sweeter stories may want to try The Parting, a novel by Beverly Lewis, noted for her award-winning Amish stories. The first part of the three-book series (The Courtship of Nellie Fisher), The Parting ignites a clash between the old and the new. Well-drawn characters, a romance, and the exploration of Amish traditions and a relationship with God all lend depth to this popular series.

Yellow Barn: Fall/Winter Hours 2009

The Yellow Barn hours are being extended! We will remain open this fall/winter 2009 on Mondays and Fridays from 8:30 to 10 a.m., weather permitting. A variety of political and history books, particularly about the WWII era, are available for purchase. Or, stock up on children's shows on video tape for only 25 cents apiece.

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.

In the News

Even today books are banned by certain institutions or in other venues for political, religious, sexual or social reasons. Beginning in 1982, the American Library Association (ALA) has celebrated Banned Book Week annually during the last week of September. The goal of this weeklong event is to keep the concept of literary freedom in the forefront of Americans' minds. Look for our display of books that have been banned throughout the ages, and select your own banned book to read!

Here are just a few of them...

Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence was inspired by the long-standing affair between Lawrence's German wife and an Italian peasant who eventually became her third husband. This fictionalized account is the story of Constance Chatterley, who, while trapped in an unhappy marriage to an aristocratic mine owner whose war wounds have left him paralyzed and impotent becomes involved with a gamekeeper. Many critics consider it Lawrence's best novel.

Candide by Voltaire tells the story of a naive youth who is conscripted, shipwrecked, and tortured by the Inquisition without losing his will to live. Voltaire is a brilliant satirist and one of the most influential figures of the eighteenth century Enlightenment. Highly readable, this is a book you will long remember.

Famed and recently deceased author John Updike was a prolific novelist, poet, and short story writer, and winner of the Pulitzer Prize in Fiction. Rabbit, Run, his second novel, is about a high-school basketball star who on an impulse, at the age of twenty six, deserts his wife. Set in a small urban area of southeastern Pennsylvania in 1959, the story portrays the potentially tragic clash between religion and morality.

Where the Fur Flies

"My horses not only taught me riding but they also made me understand many a wisdom of life besides." Words of Alois Podhajsky of the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, Austria. "The world's past has been born [sic] on his back. We are his heirs; he is our inheritance." From: "Ode to the Horse" How true this is if you love horses. Horses have played an important role in the history of the world.

Enjoy the many different books and media we have to offer. Here are a few of my favorites.

Hollywood Hoofbeats: Trails Blazed Across The Silver Screen by Petrine Day Mitchum.
You will have fun identifying horses from your favorite TV shows and silver screen movies. Tricks of the trade are also discussed such as the proper way to teach a horse to fall on cue. These behind-the-scenes portraits of the horses, their trainers, owners, and co-stars will bring you to a 'galloping good read.'

Mary White. Mary White lived from 1904-1920. She was the daughter of William Allen White, a well known Kansas state journalist. This film is based on the story that he wrote as a tribute to his daughter, an equestrian, whose outlook on life is was refreshing. You don't even need to be a horse lover to enjoy this.

Horseplay: A Novel by Judy Reene Singer. Judy Van Brunt catches her husband in another relationship. She decides she has had enough. She quits her job and heads south to work on a horse farm. There, she shares an apartment with three other women and a teenager. Working with horses and her friends outweights any problems. Those who love horses will enjoy this light, funny story.

My Horses, My Teachers by Alois Podhajsky. This story is a literary monument to Podhajsky's equine teachers and companions of a lifetime. It is full of love, humor, sadness and devotion to his four-legged friends. Not only did the Lippizaners fulfill his life, but the thoroughbreds helped him to win a bronze medal in the 1936 Olympics.

Full Cry by Rita Mae Brown. This is the third novel in the foxhunting series with Jane Arnold, master of the foxhounds. She leads us into another intricate, witty, who-done-it murder with the Jefferson Hunt Club members.

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.