The Overdue Brew

The Big Read is Almost (really) Here

2010-02-17T19:08:00.000-05:00

Hi Book Party Friends,

The Big Read Kick-Off Party is just around the corner. The Kick-Off will include a reading of the first chapter by a few of our City Council Members, a 20s - 40s era costume contest, and music. We'll also have refreshments, full schedules of the month's events.

If you're looking for costume ideas stop by the library and we'll give you the CODE WORD for a 50% off discount on full priced merch from Mother Fletcher's.

If you're finished with your copy of The Maltese Falcon and you're not interested in keeping it, please bring it to the Kick-Off party to pass along to another Big Read goer.

We're also having a volunteer fair this Saturday February 20th at 2:00 PM if you'd be interested in volunteering at any of the upcoming events. We need greeters, and announcers, and people to facilitate book discussions.

Looking forward to seeing you soon!

The Tender Bar

2010-01-03T14:52:00.000-05:00

It's getting close to our next meeting! Sarah, is having a hard time getting into The Tender Bar (See comment posted on the Thanksgiving Poll). How's everyone else coming along?

I haven't started yet. I couldn't get my hands on a copy - but I think there's one waiting for me at the Library!

Thanksgiving poll

2009-12-02T14:45:00.000-05:00

Dear Readers,

What did you do more of over the Thanksgiving holiday?

Read?

Eat?

Shop?

Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk

2009-11-20T17:03:00.000-05:00

Meeting Date: November 19, 2009
Discussion Questions

Who is Tyler Durden? What does he represent in the novel and in society?
Is the fight club just another version of a support group? What is the author saying about support groups and why does his narrator depend on them?
The narrator says, “May I never be complete. May I never be content. May I never be perfect.” What do these stages of character represent to the narrator and why is he resistant of them?
Why do the characters need to be close to death to feel more alive? Is this the authors comment on society or is he saying more?
Palahniuk states in an interview, “All my books are about a lonely person looking for some way to connect with other people.” Is this statement reflective of Fight Club? Why or why not?
Were you surprised that Tyler and the narrator are the same person? If not, why? And, during the narrator’s first fight with Tyler, people are cheering them/him on? How does this alter your perspective of the narrator?
What do you think about the way the narrator treats Marla? Why do you think Marla stuck around as long as she did?
Chuck Palahniuk seems to be getting at the idea that men are so caught up in artificial cares and worries that it takes a purposeful break from reality/expected social conduct to be a man again? Is hitting rock bottom the only way to get better and are these men any better for it?
Do you think the book and movie are similar? Should movies based on books be similar or take allowances?
Overall did you identify with any of the characters? Did you feel that over the course of the book they changed for the better or worse?

*Questions developed by Darlene Hellenberg, Kelly Bennett, and borrowed from Culture Watch

Welcome to the F.P.L's Book Party After Glow

2009-11-20T16:39:00.000-05:00

This is the place for all things Book Party related. Just because we're only meeting twice a month doesn't mean we can't keep talking about the Book Party Books or other book/bar related things.

After each meeting I'll post the discussion questions so conversations can continue. I'll also post any interesting things I find while preparing for the discussion. As well as other interesting book tidbits, discussion topics, and maybe even library news.

Happy reading!

We thought we should tell Mr. Eugenides what we were up to

2009-11-20T14:33:00.001-05:00

Copy of email coorespondence between Ms. d'Aprile-Smith (Communications Director at Princeton University) and myself

Dear Ms. d'Aprile-Smith,

I work at the Ferndale Public Library in Ferndale, Michigan, just outside of Detroit. The library and one of the local bars have teamed up to throw Book Parties! We thought it would be something Mr. Eugenides would like to hear about. I'm attaching the press release in the hopes that you'll pass along this information and that it might bring him a smile.

Thank you for your time,

Darlene Hellenberg

Ferndale Public Library

Project Coordinator

Circulation Specialist

(248) 546-2504

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August 13, 2009

Book Parties @ The Emory

A Ferndale Public Library Big Read Event

In connection with The Ferndale Public Library’s Big Read programming, the Emory will be hosting bimonthly book parties. These informal book discussions will start in September and continue through March. The selections are: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides (September 24th), Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (November 19th), and The Tender Bar by J.R. Moehringer (January 21st). Each chat will begin at 7:30 p.m. and will include appetizers and a free drink if you show your library card. Copies of each book are available at The Ferndale Public Library.

“We’ve selected a good mix,” says Darlene Hellenberg, The Big Read project director, “Books we’re hoping a lot of people have already read or have wanted to read.” Emily Husband, of The Emory agrees, “We don’t want people to feel intimidated. We just want people to get together and share their thoughts about some really great books.”

The chats will focus on books the Miss Hellenberg and Miss Husband think are popular titles and relate well to either Metro Detroit, bar life, or social issues and are full of interesting characters. They have chosen The Maltese Falcon by Dashiell Hammett will be discussed at The Emory and other locations throughout March. Stay tuned for details. If you want to be involved with The Big Read Project please contact the Ferndale Public Library (248) 546-2504.

The Big Read is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with the Institute of Museum and Library Services and Arts Midwest. This community-wide reading program allows communities the opportunity to come together to read, discuss, and celebrate literature. In March 2010, the full scale, month long, Big Read Program will take place, with events and programs inspired by Dashiell Hammett’s The Maltese Falcon. The Ferndale Public Library is one of 269 organizations nationwide to receive a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.

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Marguerite A. d'Aprile-Smith to me

show details Sep 10

Dear Darlene,

Thank you for your email and sharing the press release about your innovative book parties. I will gladly share this news with Professor Eugenides, whom I am sure will be quite flatter. Good luck with this most creative endeavor!

With kind regards,

Marguerite

MARGUERITE d’APRILE-SMITH

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

TEL 609.258.5262

FAX 609.258.2230

MDAPRILE@PRINCETON.EDU

PETER B. LEWIS CENTER FOR THE ARTS

PRINCETON UNIVERSITY

185 NASSAU STREET

WWW.PRINCETON.EDU/ARTS

Pulitzer Prize-Winning Writer Jeffrey Eugenides Joins Princeton Faculty

Middlesex by Jeffrey Engenides

2009-11-20T14:08:00.001-05:00

Meeting date: September 24, 2009
Discussion Questions

1. What made you want to read this book? After finishing it, what about it has stuck with you the most?

2. Middlesex is so much more than a coming of age story. What makes this story different than books like The Catcher in the Rye, and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, aside from Cal’s obvious transformation?
3. Describing his own conception, Cal writes: "The timing of the thing had to be just so in order for me to become the person I am. Delay the act by an hour and you change the gene selection" (p. 11). Is Cal's condition a result of chance or of fate? Which of these forces governs the world as Cal sees it?

4. The title Middlesex doesn’t just refer to the street in Grosse Point; discuss some of the other meanings or interpretations that come to mind.

5. There are many pairs of characters in this novel. How do their lives parallel and differ from one another: Desdemona and Lefty, Tessie and Milton, Callie and Cal?

6. Which of the supporting characters in the novel stand out to you the most? Jimmy Zizmo, Father Mike, The Obscure Object, etc and what role did they have in the story. Were there too many characters?
7. Calliope is the name of the classical Greek muse of eloquence and epic poetry. What elements of Greek mythology figure in Cal’s story? Is this novel meant to be a new/modern “myth”?

8. Middlesex is set against the backdrop of several historical events: the war between Greece and Turkey, the rise of the Nation of Islam, World War II, and the Detroit riots. How does history shape the lives of the characters in the novel?
9. What does America represent for Desdemona? For Milton? For Cal? To what extent do you think these characters’ different visions of America correspond to their status as first-, second-, and third-generation Greek Americans?
10. How are Cal’s early sexual experiences similar to those of any adolescent? How are they different? Are the differences more significant than the similarities?

*Questions developed by Darlene Hellenberg and borrowed from Reading Group Guides