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Sep 07, 2010 - 04:21 AM |
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 Topic: Books ‘n Brew (NCLC Book Club)The new items published under this topic are as follows.
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We will be reading “Under the Banner of Heaven” by Jon Krakauer.
Date & time: Friday, December 4, 7:30 pm
Place: Carlsons' house
Brief synopsis of book:
Jon Krakauer's literary reputation rests on insightful chronicles of lives conducted at the outer limits. He now shifts his focus from extremes of physical adventure to extremes of religious belief within our own borders, taking readers inside isolated American communities where some 40,000 Mormon Fundamentalists still practice polygamy. Defying both civil authorities and the Mormon establishment in Salt Lake City, the renegade leaders of these Taliban-like theocracies are zealots who answer only to God.
At the core of Krakauer's book are brothers Ron and Dan Lafferty, who insist they received a commandment from God to kill a blameless woman and her baby girl. Beginning with a meticulously researched account of this appalling double murder, Krakauer constructs a multi-layered, bone-chilling narrative of messianic delusion, polygamy, savage violence, and unyielding faith. Along the way he uncovers a shadowy offshoot of America's fastest growing religion, and raises provocative questions about the nature of religious belief.
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Let's start with the question every Dan Brown fan wants answered: Is The Lost Symbol as good as The Da Vinci Code? Simply put, yes. Brown has mastered the art of blending nail-biting suspense with random arcana (from pop science to religion), and The Lost Symbol is an enthralling mix. And what a dazzling accomplishment that is, considering that rabid fans and skeptics alike are scrutinizing every word.
The Lost Symbol begins with an ancient ritual, a shadowy enclave, and of course, a secret. Readers know they are in Dan Brown territory when, by the end of the first chapter, a secret within a secret is revealed. To tell too much would ruin the fun of reading this delicious thriller, so you will find no spoilers here. Suffice it to say that as with many series featuring a recurring character, there is a bit of a formula at work (one that fans will love). Again, brilliant Harvard professor Robert Langdon finds himself in a predicament that requires his vast knowledge of symbology and superior problem-solving skills to save the day. The setting, unlike other Robert Langdon novels, is stateside, and in Brown's hands Washington D.C. is as fascinating as Paris or Vatican City (note to the D.C. tourism board: get your "Lost Symbol" tour in order). And, as with other Dan Brown books, the pace is relentless, the revelations many, and there is an endless parade of intriguing factoids that will make you feel like you are spending the afternoon with Robert Langdon and the guys from Mythbusters.
Nothing is as it seems in a Robert Langdon novel, and The Lost Symbol itself is no exception--a page-turner to be sure, but Brown also challenges his fans to open their minds to new information. Skeptical? Imagine how many other thrillers would spawn millions of Google searches for noetic science, superstring theory, and Apotheosis of Washington. The Lost Symbol is brain candy of the best sort--just make sure to set aside time to enjoy your meal. --Daphne Durham
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In the early days of April 1865, with the bloody war to preserve the union finished, Swanson tells us, Abraham Lincoln was "jubilant." Elsewhere in Washington, the other player in the coming drama of the president's assassination was miserable. Hearing Lincoln's April 10 victory speech, famed actor and Confederate die-hard John Wilkes Booth turned to a friend and remarked with seething hatred, "That means nigger citizenship. Now, by God, I'll put him through." On April 14, Booth did just that. With great power, passion and at a thrilling, breakneck pace, Swanson (Lincoln's Assassins: Their Trial and Execution) conjures up an exhausted yet jubilant nation ruptured by grief, stunned by tragedy and hell-bent on revenge. For 12 days, assisted by family and some women smitten by his legendary physical beauty, Booth relied on smarts, stealth and luck to elude the best detectives, military officers and local police the federal government could muster. Taking the reader into the action, the story is shot through with breathless, vivid, even gory detail. With a deft, probing style and no small amount of swagger, Swanson, a member of the Lincoln Bicentennial Commission, has crafted pure narrative pleasure, sure to satisfy the casual reader and Civil War aficionado alike.
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The last Books “n” Brew meeting at Becky and Jay's home was a lively raucous meeting. People were having such a great time discussing the book and other things that that meeting ran an hour longer than our normal ending time of 9:00 pm. If you want to join in the fun, the next meeting will be at the home Glenda and Rick Voss on Friday, February 22 at 7:30 pm. We will be discussing Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.
Order Now: "Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen"
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Books ‘n Brew will be meeting September 21 at 7:30 pm at the home of Anne and Jim Carlson to discuss the book “Misquoting Jesus” by Bart Ehrman. Please join us.
Order Now: "Misquoting Jesus: The Story Behind Who Changed the Bible and Why" By Bart D. Ehrman"
“The popular perception of the Bible as a divinely perfect book receives scant support from Ehrman, who sees in Holy Writ ample evidence of human fallibility and ecclesiastical politics. Though himself schooled in evangelical literalism, Ehrman has come to regard his earlier faith in the inerrant inspiration of the Bible as misguided, given that the original texts have disappeared and that the extant texts available do not agree with one another. Most of the textual discrepancies, Ehrman acknowledges, matter little, but some do profoundly affect religious doctrine. To assess how ignorant or theologically manipulative scribes may have changed the biblical text, modern scholars have developed procedures for comparing diverging texts. And in language accessible to nonspecialists, Ehrman explains these procedures and their results.” From Booklist.
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Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies
By: Jared Diamond
Order Now: "Guns, Germs, and Steel: The Fates of Human Societies" By Terry Jared Diamond "
In this groundbreaking work, evolutionary biologist Jared Diamond stunningly dismantles racially based theories of human history by revealing the environmental factors actually responsible for history's broadest patterns. It is a story that spans 13,000 years of human history, beginning when Stone Age hunter-gatherers constituted the entire human population. Guns, Germs, and Steel is a world history that really is a history of all the world's peoples, a unified narrative of human life.
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The next "Books & Brew" meeting details are still pending. The current book is "Small Gods" By Terry Pratchett . All are welcome -- whether you've read all or part of the book, or not! If you don't join us at the meeting, consider reading the book anyway.
Order Now: "Small Gods" By Terry Pratchett"
Discworld is an extragavanza--among much else, it has billions of gods. "They swarm as thick as herring roe," writes Terry Pratchett in Small Gods, the 13th book in the series. Where there are gods galore, there are priests, high and low, and... there are novices. Brutha is a novice with little chance to become a priest--thinking does not come easily to him, although believing does. But it is to Brutha that the great god Om manifests, in the lowly form of a tortoise. --Blaise Selby
While this is the 13th book in the series, it is really a stand alone story that is only casually made reference to in some of the other books. The Discworld series started out as a parody of all the fantasy that was around in the big boom of the early '80s, then turned into a satire on just about everything. Small Gods is the story of the once great god Om who, despite having thousands of followers, finds that he has only one true believer. While full of humor and satire about “the church” and its history, I think that it reflects many of the opinions of a lot of current day “non-religious” folks.
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The next "Books & Brew" meeting has been set for 7:30 on Feb. 10th at the Vosses' house. The current book is "The Heart of Christianity" by Marcus J. Borg. All are welcome -- whether you've read all or part of the book, or not! If you don't join us at the meeting, consider reading the book anyway.
Order Now: The Heart of Christianity : Rediscovering a Life of Faith 
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