Pottsville Pageturners' getting ready to launch Spring 07 series

Dear Friend/Pottsville Pageturner:

We’re about to embark on adventures into possibilities, probabilities and the seemingly impossible for our Spring 2007 book discussion series sponsored by Friends of the Library at the Pottsville Free Public Library. In February, we’ll begin discussing Science Fiction/Fantasy books that members selected at December’s discussion. We’re calling the program “Castles in the Sky: Possibilities and Improbabilities.”

You may be asking, are sci-fi and fantasy the same? If not, what’s the difference? Isaac Asimov explained that science fiction, which is grounded in science, tells stories of the possible; meanwhile, fantasy is neither science-based nor grounded in reality.

Honoring the request of several members to read and talk about something “fun,” we’re going to begin with J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (the first Harry Potter book). Although I have no doubt there will be plenty of laughter, I see us taking on the issue of book banning when we talk about perceptions associated with Harry and Hogwart’s.

For any muggles in our group, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is a tale of magic and mystery that has captivated children and adults. Eleven-year-old Harry Potter is the personification of a nerdy kid who does not have a happy life. Ah, but, Harry, is a survivor and in this book, he learns about a great destiny he never knew he had. We will have the discussion on this book on February 15th at 6 p.m.

Our second book is Marge Piercy’s He, She and It. It is the middle of the 21st century and environmental disasters have devastated North America’s natural resources. The world is divided into corporate enclaves. A fight for custody of a boy and human interactions with a cyborg that thinks and feels are among the plotlines that might keep you reading long after it’s time to turn out the lights. The book, many people say, is not as futuristic as it was when initially published in the early 1990s. Oh, we’ll have a lot to talk about on this one when we gather on March 15th.

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley is our third title. Published in 1983, this is a book some of us have read and/or re-read. Think of it as Arthurian Legend from a woman’s perspective. The story is set at the crossroads of the matriarchal, goddess-based culture of Avalon and patriarchal Christian society. I predict we’ll have a lot to talk about when we get together on April 26th.

This is a big novel, in more ways than page number; therefore, I’ve put an additional week into the schedule to allow for celebration of Easter and time to finish the book. Think of it as “Pageturners’ Spring Break.” Dualities (do you think Bradley moves us away from them?) and the role of women in the making and the telling of history are among the issues we might discuss in addition to talking about Arthurian legend in general. Asimov, by the way, said Mists is “the best retelling of the Arthurian Saga I have ever read.”

We will wrap up the sci-fi/fantasy series with The Eyre Affair: A Thursday Next Novel, which has been described as “Umberto Eco meets Harry Potter.” This is the first in a series of Thursday Next novels by the imaginative and comical Jasper Fforde. It is set in a surreal version of Great Britain in the 1980s. Time travel is routine, cloning is real and literature is taken extremely seriously. It will be fun to talk about what might happen if the barriers between fiction and reality disappeared and made it possible to change an important moment in classic literary history. Discussion is scheduled for May 24 at the usual time.

The library believes it will be able to secure sufficient copies of the Harry Potter title for readers. Because the last three titles are not available to us in large quantity, we will have to order books. The cost for the Piercy book will be $8. Because Mists of Avalon and The Eyre Affair will cost more than $10, even with mass purchasing, we will need to decide whether you want to maintain the present course or to find other titles to replace the last two books. If we maintain Mists and The Eyre Affair, the cost will be $13 and $12, respectively. I had thought of doing a substitution on the titles without consulting you; but, since we chose the books as a group, I thought it best that we make a group decision. As always, you are welcome to purchase or arrange to borrow your own copies of the books.

Readers who have been away for a while and new members are always welcome to join us for discussions. We begin at 6 p.m., but, you’re welcome to arrive as your schedule permits. To sign up to participate in the Spring 2007 reading series, please call the library at 622-8880.

We are scheduled to get together on January 18th to discuss Lorene Carey’s The Price of a Child. At this time, we will discuss how to proceed on the science fiction/fantasy list.

Please do take a moment to thank Fran, Library Director Nancy J. Smink and the staff for being so helpful to us. Their behind-the-scenes effort contributes a great deal to the success of Pottsville Pageturners. I look forward to hearing that you are on board for our otherworldly adventures in science fiction/fantasy discussions.

Finally, thank you for being such a marvelous group. Each of you contributes immensely to the success of Pageturners. Often, for days following a Pageturner evening, I reflect on the discussion. One thing that stands out with me is the demographic representation of our group. Think about it. When we gather in the library, we are three/four generations of individuals with various backgrounds and current lifestyles. I believe our diversity is our strength and I value your feelings and the knowledge you bring to discussion.

I wish you merry holidays and many hours of good reading.


Sincerely,

Christine Goldbeck
Pageturners Facilitator