[Hac-announce] Book Discussion Announcements

[Dan Blinn]

*Our next discussion will be on Sat, Nov. 17 at 3:00 pm.  We will
be discussing "She's Not There: A Life in Two Genders"  by Jennifer Finney
Boylan*

* *

* To "vote" for the book you would like to read for the following month,
you will need to respond to a survey <http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SH6X6BT>.
 The choices are:*

* *

*"Snow Falling on Cedars: A Novel" *by David
Guterson<http://www.amazon.com/Snow-Falling-Cedars-David-Guterson/dp/067976402X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350914554&sr=1-1&keywords=snow+falling+on+cedars+a+novel>

*
*

Winner of the PEN/Faulkner Award  American Booksellers Association Book of
the Year Award.  San Piedro Island, north of Puget Sound, is a place so
isolated that no one who lives there can afford to make enemies.  But in
1954 a local fisherman is found suspiciously drowned, and a Japanese
American named Kabuo Miyamoto is charged with his murder.  In the course of
the ensuing trial, it becomes clear that what is at stake is more than a
man's guilt. For on San Pedro, memory grows as thickly as cedar trees and
the fields of ripe strawberries--memories of a charmed love affair between
a white boy and the Jpanese girl who grew up to become Kabuo's wife;
memories of land desired, paid for, and lost. Above all, San Piedro is
haunted by the memory of what happened to its Japanese residents during
World War II, when an entire community was sent into exile while its
neighbors watched.  Gripping, tragic, and densely atmospheric, Snow Falling
on Cedars is a masterpiece of suspense-- one that leaves us shaken and
changed.

*
*

*"The Red Tent: A Novel" by Anita
Diamant*<http://www.amazon.com/The-Red-Tent-A-Novel/dp/0312427298/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1350913951&sr=8-1&keywords=the+red+tent+by+anita+diamant>

* *

Her name is Dinah. In the Bible, her life is only hinted at in a brief and
violent detour within the more familiar chapters of the Book of Genesis
that tell of her father, Jacob, and his twelve sons.  Told in Dinah's
voice, Anita Diamant imagines the traditions and turmoils of ancient
womanhood--the world of the red tent. It begins with the story of the
mothers--Leah, Rachel, Zilpah, and Bilhah--the four wives of Jacob. They
love Dinah and give her gifts that sustain her through childhood, a calling
to midwifery, and a new home in a foreign land. Dinah's story reaches out
from a remarkable period of early history and creates an intimate
connection with the past.  Deeply affecting, The Red Tent combines rich
storytelling with a valuable achievement in modern fiction: a new view of
biblical women's lives.


"Breakfast with Buddha" by Roland Merullo
<http://www.amazon.com/Breakfast-Buddha-Roland-Merullo/dp/1565126165/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1350914312&sr=1-1&keywords=breakfast+with+the+buddha>


When his sister tricks him into taking her guru on a trip to their
childhood home, Otto Ringling, a confirmed skeptic, is not amused. Six days
on the road with an enigmatic holy man who answers every question with a
riddle is not what he'd planned. But in an effort to westernize his
passenger--and amuse himself--he decides to show the monk some "American
fun" along the way. From a chocolate factory in Hershey to a bowling alley
in South Bend, from a Cubs game at Wrigley field to his family farm near
Bismarck, Otto is given the remarkable opportunity to see his world--and
more important, his life--through someone else's eyes. Gradually,
skepticism yields to amazement as he realizes that his companion might just
be the real thing.   In Roland Merullo's masterful hands, Otto tells his
story with all the wonder, bemusement, and wry humor of a man who
unwittingly finds what he's missing in the most unexpected place.  A sequel
entitled *Lunch with Buddha* will be released on November 13, 2012.


The descriptions are from the publisher.  Please rank these books in your
order of preference at http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SH6X6BT.  The survey
will be kept open at least until tomorrow night.


If you have a suggestion for a book that you would like us to read, please
let me know.  Please also indicate if you would be willing to moderate the
discussion if your suggested book is picked.
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