The next gathering of Beebe Library’s book discussion group, Books By the Lake, next meeting is on March 17, 2010 for the discussion of Chris Bohjalian’s Skeletons at the Feast.

While you are reading, please consider the importance of hope in survival. Which character is the most hopeful? Which character is the most defeated? What moments at the end of the novel symbolize hope most poignantly?

Bohjalian paints the brutal landscape of Nazi Germany as German refugees struggle westward ahead of the advancing Russian army. Inspired by the unpublished diary of a Prussian woman who fled west in 1945, the novel exhumes the ruin of spirit, flesh and faith that accompanied thousands of such desperate journeys. Prussian aristocrat Rolf Emmerich and his two elder sons are sent into battle, while his wife flees with their other children and a Scottish POW who has been working on their estate. Before long, they meet up with Uri Singer, a Jewish escapee from an Auschwitz-bound train, who becomes the group’s protector. In a parallel story line, hundreds of Jewish women shuffle west on a gruesome death march from a concentration camp. Bohjalian presents the difficulties confronting both sets of travelers with carefully researched detail and an unflinching eye. Bohjalian’s well-chosen descriptions capture the anguish of a tragic era and the dehumanizing desolation wrought by war.

For more information about this group, see the Books By The Lake page.

Supper Sleuths, a mystery discussion group, meets every second Tuesday evening at 6:00pm to discuss mysteries of every genre and type. Feel free to bring your own snack or brown bag lunch with you to the meeting.
The next Supper Sleuths Discussion takes place April 13, 2010 at 6:00pm to 7:30pm in the Lecture Hall. The topic is mysteries that take place in sultry Southern California.

To participate in the discussion, please read any title from the Southern California Dreamin‘ list and come prepared to share something about the book you have read.

For more on this group’s schedule, go to the Supper Sleuths.

Mysteries that take place in sultry Southern California

Bochco, Steven (Eddie Jelko) (Hollywood)

• Death by Hollywood (2003)

Connelly, Michael (Harry Bosch) (Laurel Canyon & the Hollywood Hills)

• Black echo (1992)
• Black ice (1993)
• Concrete blond (1994)
• Last coyote (1995)
• Trunk Music (1996)
• Angels flight (1998)
• Darkness more than night (2000)
• City of bones (2002)
• Lost light (2003)
• Narrows (2004)
• Closers (2005)
• Echo Park (2006)
• Overlook (2007)
• 9 Dragons (2009)
• Reversal (2010)

Robert Crais (Elvis Cole) (Laurel Canyon & the Hollywood Hills)

• The Monkey’s Raincoat (1987)
• Stalking the Angel (1988)
• Lullaby Town (1992)
• Free Fall (1993)
• Voodoo River (1995)
• Sunset Express (1996)
• Indigo Slam (1997)
• L.A. Requiem (1999)
• The Last Detective (2003)
• The Forgotten Man (2005)
• Chasing Darkness (2008)
• also The Watchman, Joe Pike (2007)

Ellroy, James (L.A. Quartet) (L.A.)

• Black Dahlia (1987)
• Big nowhere (1988)
• L.A. confidential (1990)
• White jazz (1992)

Ferrigno, Robert (Jimmy Gage) (Hollywood)

• Flinch (2001)
• Scavenger hunt (2003)

Kaminsky, Stuart (Toby Peters) (Hollywood)

• Bullet for a star (1977)
• Murder on the Yellow Brick Road (1977)
• You bet your life (1978)
• The Howard Hughes affair (1979)
• Never cross a vampire (1980)
• High midnight (1981)
• Catch a falling clown (1981)
• He done her wrong (1983)
• Fala Factor (1984)
• Down for the count (1985)
• Man who shot Lewis Vance (1986)
• Smart moves (1986)
• Think fast, Mr. Peters (1987)
• Buried Caesars (1989)
• Poor butterfly (1990)
• Melting clock (1991)
• Devil met a Lady (1993)
• Tomorrow is another day (1995)
• Dancing in the dark (1996)
• Fatal glass of beer (1997)
• Few minutes past midnight (2001)
• To catch a spy (2002)
• Mildred Pierced (2003)
• Now you see it (2004)

Kellerman, Faye (Rina Lazarus & Peter Decker) (West Valley)

• Ritual bath (1986)
• Sacred and profane (1987)
• Milk and honey (1990)
• Day of Atonement (1991)
• False prophet (1992)
• Grievous sin (1993)
• Sanctuary (1994)
• Justice (1995)
• Prayers for the dead (1996)
• Serpent’s tooth (1997)
• Jupiter’s bones (1998)
• Stalker (1999)
• Forgotten (2000)
• Stone kiss (2001)
• Street dreams (2002)
• Burnt house (2003)
• Mercedes coffin (2004)
• Blindman’s bluff (2005)
• Hangman (2010)

Kellerman, Jonathan (Alex Delaware) (Hollywood)

• When the bough breaks (1985)
• Blood test (1986)
• Over the edge (1987)
• Silent partner (1989)
• Time bomb (1990)
• Private eyes (1991)
• Devil’s waltz (1992)
• Bad love (1993)
• Self defense (1994)
• The Web (1995)
• The Clinic (1996)
• Survival of the fittest (1997)
• Monster (1999)
• Doctor Death (2000)
• Flesh and blood (2001)
• Murder book (2002)
• Cold heart (2003)
• Therapy (2004)
• Rage (2005)
• Gone (2006)
• Obsession (2007)
• Compulsion (2008)
• Bones (2008)
• Evidence (2009)
• Deception (2010)

Leonard, Elmore (Chili Palmer) (Hollywood)

• Get Shorty (1990)
• Be cool (1999)

Martini, Steve (Paul Madriani) (San Diego)

• Compelling evidence (1992)
• Prime witness (1993)
• Undue influence (1994)
• The judge (1995)
• The attorney (1999)
• The jury (2001)
• The arraignment (2002)
• Double tap (2005)
• Shadow of power (2008)
• Guardians of lies (2009)
• Rule of nine (2010)

Mosley, Walter  (Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins) (South Central L.A.)

• Devil in a blue dress (1990)
• Red death (1991)
• White butterfly (1992)
• Black Betty (1994)
• Little yellow dog (1996)
• Gone fishin’ (1997)
• Bad boy Brawly Brown (2002)
• Six easy pieces: Short Stories (2003)
• Little Scarlet (2004)
• Cinnamon kiss (2005)
• Blonde faith (2008)

(Socrates Fortlow) (South Central L.A.)

• Always outnumbered (1997)
• Walking the dog (1999)
• Right mistake (2008)

Parker, T. Jefferson (Merci Rayborn) (Orange County)

• Blue hour (1999)
• Red light (2000)
• Black water (2002)

Seranella, Barbara (Munch Mancini) (Santa Monica)

• No human involved (1997)
• No offense intended (1999)
• Unwanted company (2000)
• Unfinished business (2001)
• No man standing (2002)
• Unpaid dues (2003)
• Unwilling accomplice (2004)
• Unacceptable death (2005)

Shannon, John (Jack Liffey) (South Central L.A.)

• Concrete River (1996)
• Cracked earth (1999)
• Poison sky (2000)
• Orange curtain (2001)
• Streets of fire (2002)
• City of strangers (2003)
• Terminal Island (2004)
• Dangerous games (2005)
• Dark streets (2006)
• Devils of Bakersfield (2007)
• Palos Verdes blues (2008)
• On the nickel (2010)

Smith, April (Ana Grey) (Santa Monica)

• North of Montana (1994)
• Good Morning, Killer (2003)
• Judas horse (2008)

Stansberry, Domenic. (Jim Thompson) (Hollywood)

• Chasing the dragon (2004)
• Big boom (2006)
• Ancient rain (2008)
• Naked moon (2010)

Wambaugh, Joseph

• New Centurions (1970) (Los Angeles)
• Blue Knight (1972) (Los Angeles)
• Choirboys (1975) (Los Angeles)
• Black marble (1977) (Los Angeles)
• Glitter dome (1981) (Hollywood)
• Delta star (1983) (Los Angeles)
• Secrets of Harry Bright (1985)  (Los Angeles)
• Golden orange (1990) (Orange County)
• Fugitive nights (1992) (Palm Springs)
• Finnegan’s Week (1993) (San Diego)
• Floaters (1996) (San Diego)
• Hollywood Station (2006) (Hollywood)
• Hollywood Crows (2008) (Hollywood)
• Hollywood moon (2009) (Hollywood)

Wilson, John Morgan (Benjamin Justice) (Hollywood)

• Simple justice (1996)
• Revision of justice (1997)
• Justice at risk (1999)
• Limits of justice (2000)
• Blind eye (2003)
• Moth and flame (2004)
• Rhapsody in blood (2006)
• Spider season (2008)

Woods, Paula L. (Charlotte Justice) (Hollywood)

• Inner city blues (1999)
• Stormy weather (2001)
• Dirty laundry (2003)
• Strange bedfellows (2006)

**Highly Recommended by readers

Andrews, Russell. Icarus: A Thriller.

Delany, Vicki. Valley of the Lost Molly Smith series; bk.2., British Columbia, Canada

Doetsch, Richard. The 13th Hour: A Thriller. Like movie Memento–begins at the end and goes to the beginning to find out who the bad guys are.

Erickson, K.J. Third Person Singular. Mars Bahr series; bk.1 Minnesota

**Griffiths, Elly. Crossing Places. Forensic Archeologist series; Ruth Galloway; bk.1; Great Britain salt marshes

Hill, Susan. Vows of Silence. Simon Serrallier; bk.4; Great Britain

Lovesey, Peter. The Summons. Peter Diamond series; bk.3. Great Britain

Mankell, Henning. Before the Frost. Kurt Wallander series; bk.10; Linda Wallander series; bk.1
The Pyramid: and four other Kurt Wallander mysteries; bk9. Sweden

**Penny, Louise. Still Life.
Inspector Armand Gamache mysteries; bk.1 Quebec, Canada

**Pronzini, Bill. Nothing But the Night.

Ryan, Hank Phillippi. Drive Time. Charlotte McNally series; bk.4

Stewart, Mary. My Brother Michael. Greece Suspense

Swarup, Vikas. Six Suspects.
Author of Slumdog Millionaire, India locale

Thompson, James. Snow Angels. Debut. Inspector Kari Vaara; bk.1; Finland

**Walker, Martin. The Dark Vineyard. Bruno Courreges mysteries; bk.2.
Southwest France Not published in US yet. (7/27/10)

Wilson, Robert. Ignorance of Blood. Javier Falcon Quartet; bk.4; Seville, Spain

Library plans events to celebrate
During the month of January the library will be celebrating Jane Austen with displays and a variety of programs, including movies, a Regency Period Costume Demonstration and a Bollywood Bance Demonstration.

Displays!
In the Avon Street lobby, the library will have a collection of books, DVD’s and Books on CD written by Jane Austen, about Jane Austen, Jane Austen as a character, continuations of Pride and Prejudice and anything Austen-like.

Movies!
Enjoy some popcorn and Jane Austen on a big screen.
Wednesday, Jan. 6 at 6 p.m. – Becoming Jane.
Wednesday, Jan. 13 at 6 p.m. Movie – Pride and Prejudice.
Tuesday, Jan. 19 at 6 p.m. Movie – Bride and Prejudice.

English Tea!
Saturday, Jan. 23 at 2 p.m. – Tea and Regency Period Costume Demonstration. Reservations required. Call the Reference Desk at 781-246-6334 x2 starting 1/8.

Dance!
In Jane Austen’s time, dance was an extremely popular pastime. Join Sangita Jhaveri as she demonstrates what Bollywood dancing is all about. Wednesday Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. – Bollywood Dance Demonstration No registration required.

Jane Austen (1775–1817) was born in the Hampshire village of Steventon England, the seventh child in a family of eight. Her father, a rector in the village, encouraged a love of learning in his children and her mother was noted for her ready wit and improvised verses. The entire family loved to act.

In this fertile family environment Austen started her literary career. Her earliest writings date to 1787 and survive in three notebooks. The notebooks contain plays, short stories and other prose clearly showing Austen experimenting with different writing styles. Her growth as an author is shown in the novel Lady Susan (1793), a portrait of a woman consumed with exercising her own mind and personality to her social destruction.

Sense and Sensibility, the earliest of her “popular” novels, began as a novel in letters in 1795. Her father contacted publishers in 1797 to have it published but it was declined.

In 1801 a period of upheaval began when Austen’s father retired to Bath and the family began a succession of moves to the homes of relatives and different lodgings. In 1802, Austen agreed to marry Harris Big-Wither but changed her mind the next day. Since very little survives from her lifetime in the way of journals and letters, no one knows why she did not marry him. But her books reflect her knowledge of love and disappoint in love as well.

He father died in 1805. In 1809, their nomadic existence finally came to an end when Austen’s brother Edward provided them a large cottage in Chawton, not far from Steventon. Once settled in Chawton, Austen developed a new sense of resolve and began to prepare Sense and Sensibility and Pride and Prejudice for publication. Sense and Sensibility was published in 1811 and was favorably reviewed. Pride and Prejudice was published in 1813 and was the fashionable novel of the season. Austen flourished during this period and in 1817 was deep in the story of Sanditon, a satire of health resorts and invalidism when her own health began to decline. She was not able to finish the story and died July 18, 1817.

In 1869 the publication of A Memoir of Jane Austen by her nephew brought Austen to the attention of a much wider audience then she previously enjoyed. By the 1940’s she was acclaimed as a “great English novelist”. It is her concentration on character and personality and the tension between characters that make her a “modern” novelist. The wit, realism and timelessness of her prose endear Austen to the reader and help to explain her appeal to readers of all kinds.

Workshop on Wednesday, December 9 at 7 p.m.
Jeff Shmase, principal of Eagle Educational Consulting, a college admissions consulting firm, will address how the economy has impacted colleges, and its effect on admissions. Shmase will highlight what colleges are looking for in applicants, and identify ways to make applicants stand out.

The workshop will take place at Beebe Library, 345 Main St. Wakefield, MA on Wednesday, December 9 at 7 p.m.

Shmase earned his master’s degree in education from Salem State College, and a bachelor’s degree from Boston College. He is a member of the Higher Education Consultants Association.
There is no registration for the program and it is sponsored by Friends of Beebe Library.

**Highly Recommended by readers

Arsenault, Emily. The Broken Teaglass. Literary debut mystery for dictionary & word lovers.

Baldacci, David. True Blue. Suspense. Start of new sister series.

Barr, Nevada. 13 1/2. Suspense stand-alone.

Connelly, Michael. The Overlook. Harry Bosch series; bk.13

Cornwell, Patricia. Scarpetta. Kay Scarpetta series., bk.16. Read the one previously if you want background on the some of the storyline, Book of the Dead.

**French, Tana. The Likeness. Follows In the Woods. Literary whodunnit.

**George, Elizabeth. A Great Deliverance. First in Thomas Lynley/Barbara Havers series.

Hall, Katherine Page. The Body in the Sleigh: A Faith Fairchild Mystery.; bk.18

Johnson, Dolores. Pressed to Kill: A Mandy Dyer Mystery; bk.8. Good cozy plot, amateur sleuth in dry cleaning establishment.

Langton, Jane. Good and Dead. Homer Kelly Series; bk.6. Local author and great cozy series.

**Larsson, Stieg. The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. First in an amazing series, followed by The Girl Who Played With Fire, and soon a third.

McGee, Chaz. Desolate Angel. Dead Detective Mystery; bk.1. Different. Fun.

Parker, Robert. B. Rough Weather: A Spenser Novel. Gray Man returns.

Perry, Thomas. Silence. Assassin suspense with humorous banter.

**Pronzini, Bill. In An Evil Time.

Sallis, James. Cypress Grove. First of sublime trilogy.

Viets, Elaine. Killer Cuts: A Dead-End Jobs Mystery; bk.8. Cozy, funny.

Workshop for job hunters on December 1
On Tuesday, December 1 from 10 a.m. – noon, Beebe Library will present a workshop for job seekers. Wakefield resident and corporate recruiter Ellen Gallant will offer tips for more successful resumes, job searches and interviews. The free workshop will take place at Beebe Library, 345 Main St. Wakefield, MA. No advance registration is required.

Ms. Gallant has worked as a corporate recruiter for 15 years. She has worked with agencies as well as with corporations. Her clients have included BankBoston, Autodesk, VistaPrint, CMGI and Texas Instruments. She has also worked in academia for MIT and Tufts University.

Topic: Using what you know to write mysteries
On Thursday, September 24 at 7 p.m. the Friends of the Library will present a panel discussion featuring mystery writers Hank Phillipi Ryan, Toni Kelner and Clea Simon of Sisters in Crime. The authors will discuss “Using what you know to write mysteries,” and the keys to developing exciting plots within your own expertise. The program is free and will take place at Beebe Library, 345 Main St., Wakefield.

Summer Reading Program for Adults
Beebe Library’s Summer Reading Program isn’t just for kids. This summer, adults can get in on the fun too and win prizes with “Beebe Bingo!”

Any adult (high school or older) is invited to participate. Register at the Reference Desk, Youth Room Desk, by email (wakefieldlibrary@noblenet.org) or by phone at 781-246-6334, x2. You’ll receive a Summer Reading Program brochure, a “Beebe Bingo” sheet and a coupon good for one rental of a DVD, bestseller or book on CD.

Each square on the Bingo sheet describes a library related activity, for example: “Check out a DVD,” or “Visit the Library’s web site,” or “Read a Best Seller.” Put an “X” through each completed square and try to complete a full row in any direction for “bingo.” Turn in your sheet by Friday of each week to be eligible for weekly prize drawings.

The program runs from June 22 through August 21. All registered participants will be eligible for the Grand Prize, which will be drawn on August 21.

For your convenience, you may link here to copies of the brochure and Bingo Sheet. To be eligible for weekly prizes, you must turn in your Bingo Sheet by Friday of each week, and to be eligible for the Grand Prize drawing, you must register at the Reference Desk, Youth Room Desk, by email (wakefieldlibrary@noblenet.org) or by phone at 781-246-6334, x2.

Adult Summer Reading Program Brochure

Bingo Sheet

What We’ve Been Reading

(“Bingo Chips on a White Napkin” photo by Scott Ableman on Flickr.)