Fiction_L Archives short stories for book groups Dates: 5/8/02,12:51 PM  through  5/9/02,12:31 PM  (16 postings) Search for: Select one or more indexes to search: 2011-current     2009-2010     2004-2008    1995-2003    (Matches from each index will be displayed separately in the results page.) Return to May 2002 thread menu   |   Fiction_L Archives Menu

FROM: Bruce Bumbalough <[removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us>
REC'D: 5/8/02, 12:51 PM

Our book group recently read and discussed Nathan Englander's "For the
Relief of Unbearable Urges". The group indicated it liked short
stories and would like to read another volume.

Will somebody suggest another volume or two that have been successful in
a book discussion group?

Thanks

--
Bruce L. Bumbalough
Reference Librarian
Grapevine Public Library
Grapevine, Texas

Voice: (817) 410-3404
Fax: (817) 410-3084
email: [removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us

The opinions are mine.

FROM: Ellen Olson <[removed]@rockford.lib.il.us>
REC'D: 5/8/02, 12:51 PM

Our book discussion group read Lorrie Moore's Birds of America and enjoyed
it. We discussed Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find. (This
latter was a part of a Southern Women Writers series and this was a big draw
for the library.)
Ellen Olson
[removed]@rockford.lib.il.us
Rockford Illinois

-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Bumbalough [[removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us]
Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 12:14 PM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: short stories for book groups

Our book group recently read and discussed Nathan Englander's "For the
Relief of Unbearable Urges". The group indicated it liked short
stories and would like to read another volume.

Will somebody suggest another volume or two that have been successful in
a book discussion group?

Thanks

--
Bruce L. Bumbalough
Reference Librarian
Grapevine Public Library
Grapevine, Texas

Voice: (817) 410-3404
Fax: (817) 410-3084
email: [removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us

The opinions are mine.

FROM: [removed]@mln.lib.ma.us
REC'D: 5/8/02, 1:22 PM

My book group enjoyed The Family Markowitz by Allegra Goodman.

Megan Flynn
Wellesley Free Library
Wellesley MA

FROM: "Warner, Deb" <[removed]@co.durham.nc.us>
REC'D: 5/8/02, 1:44 PM

I must admit that I am not a great reader of short stories. Those
collections of stories all by the same author that I have read and enjoyed
include:
Southern authors: Lee Smith ME AND MY BABY VIEW THE ECLIPSE
NEWS OF THE SPIRIT (more
recent)
Sharyn McCrumb FOGGY MOUNTAIN BREAKDOWN AND OTHER
STORIES
mostly [removed]@ New York Laurie Colwin PASSION AND AFFECT
(admittedly a favorite of mine) THE LONE PILGRIM

just a little strange: Deborah Boehm GHOST OF A SMILE ghosts & light
eroticism in modern
day Tokyo,
often some humor involved
Kurt Vonnegut WELCOME TO THE MONKEY
HOUSE
sci fi with much dark
humor, classic Vonnegut
Elizabeth Hand LAST SUMMER AT MARS
HILL... dark fantasy, often
with a
classical Greek influence

FROM: "Hill, Melinda" <[removed]@mailserv.gcpl.lib.oh.us>
REC'D: 5/8/02, 1:55 PM

Although these weren't for a book group, they did spark discussion in the classes I read them for:

Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
Self-help by Lorrie Moore
In the Garden of North American Martyrs by Tobias Wolff

Melinda Hill
Stack Manager
Fairborn Community Library

FROM: "Margaret Mallett" <[removed]@itpld.lib.il.us>
REC'D: 5/8/02, 2:27 PM

"Interpreter of Maladies" by Jhumpa Lahiri was a success with my
group.


>>> [removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us 05/08/02 12:14PM >>>
Our book group recently read and discussed Nathan Englander's "For the
Relief of Unbearable Urges". The group indicated it liked short
stories and would like to read another volume.

Will somebody suggest another volume or two that have been successful
in
a book discussion group?

Thanks

--
Bruce L. Bumbalough
Reference Librarian
Grapevine Public Library
Grapevine, Texas

Voice: (817) 410-3404
Fax: (817) 410-3084
email: [removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us

The opinions are mine.

Margaret Mallett, Reference Librarian
IndianTrails Public Library
355 So. Schoenbeck Road
Wheeling IL 60090
[removed]@itpld.lib.il.us

FROM: "Kathleen Marszycki" <[removed]@rathbunpl.libraryofconnecticut.org>
REC'D: 5/8/02, 2:48 PM

Last year our daytime group took on some short story anthologies for a
change of pace. Here's what we read -- Ladies' Night at Finbar's Hotel
(Maeve Binchy, Kate O'Riordan, et al), which are brief tales of women
who spend a night at Dublin's famous hotel; and Classic Fairy Tales,
edited by Maria Tatar (it was part of our Adult Perspectives on the
Fairy Tale -- lots of fun with that one).

Kelly Marszycki
Rathbun Memorial Library
East Haddam, CT

FROM: Sarah Flowers <[removed]@scinet.co.santa-clara.ca.us>
REC'D: 5/8/02, 2:59 PM

I've been wanting to try "Love and Modern Medicine" by Perri Klass with
my book group. I probably will someday, but it just hasn't fit in yet.
It's a great collection about, well, love and modern medicine, written
by a writer who is also a pediatrician and a mom. Great stories of
families and their dynamics.

Sarah Flowers, Community Librarian
Morgan Hill Library, a Santa Clara County Library
17575 Peak Avenue/Morgan Hill, CA 95037
[removed]@scinet.co.santa-clara.ca.us

-----Original Message-----
From: Hill, Melinda [[removed]@mailserv.gcpl.lib.oh.us]
Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 11:46 AM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: RE: short stories for book groups

Although these weren't for a book group, they did spark discussion in
the classes I read them for:

Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
Self-help by Lorrie Moore
In the Garden of North American Martyrs by Tobias Wolff

Melinda Hill
Stack Manager
Fairborn Community Library

FROM: Vicki Novak - LIBRARYX <[removed]@MAIL.MARICOPA.GOV>
REC'D: 5/8/02, 3:10 PM

I've thought about adding some short stories to our book discussions now and
then. For those that have done it, what kinds of questions did you ask?
Were you able to ask any broad questions about the whole anthology, or did
you focus on questions about specific stories?

Vicki Novak
Adult Services Librarian
[removed]@mail.maricopa.gov

North Central Regional Library
Maricopa County Library District
17811 N. 32nd St.
Phoenix, AZ 85032
http://mcld.maricopa.gov

FROM: Vicki Novak - LIBRARYX <[removed]@MAIL.MARICOPA.GOV>
REC'D: 5/8/02, 3:10 PM

One book that our group discussed is sort of a combination between short
stories and a novel (individual stories with characters that carry over to
other stories). It is "The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien. It's a
Vietnam War story, but the reason I liked it is because the writing is
excellent. It does have some graphic war scenes, though.

Vicki Novak
Adult Services Librarian
[removed]@mail.maricopa.gov

North Central Regional Library
Maricopa County Library District
17811 N. 32nd St.
Phoenix, AZ 85032
http://mcld.maricopa.gov

-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Bumbalough [[removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us]
Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 10:14 AM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: short stories for book groups

Our book group recently read and discussed Nathan Englander's "For the
Relief of Unbearable Urges". The group indicated it liked short
stories and would like to read another volume.

Will somebody suggest another volume or two that have been successful in
a book discussion group?

Thanks

--
Bruce L. Bumbalough
Reference Librarian
Grapevine Public Library
Grapevine, Texas

Voice: (817) 410-3404
Fax: (817) 410-3084
email: [removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us

The opinions are mine.

FROM: Bruce Bumbalough <[removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us>
REC'D: 5/8/02, 4:03 PM

In the one and omnly book of short stories we have done so far, we did both. I
developed very broad questions about short stories, the collection as a whole,
etc and then wrote two or three about teh specific stories. We never finish
all the questions I develop so I asked a few of both types while facilitating
the discussion.

Vicki Novak - LIBRARYX wrote:

> I've thought about adding some short stories to our book discussions now and
> then. For those that have done it, what kinds of questions did you ask?
> Were you able to ask any broad questions about the whole anthology, or did
> you focus on questions about specific stories?
>
> Vicki Novak
> Adult Services Librarian
> [removed]@mail.maricopa.gov
>
> North Central Regional Library
> Maricopa County Library District
> 17811 N. 32nd St.
> Phoenix, AZ 85032
> http://mcld.maricopa.gov
>
> ......................................................................
> Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
> Everything Fiction_L: http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html

--
Bruce L. Bumbalough
Reference Librarian
Grapevine Public Library
1201 Municipal Way
Grapevine, Texas

Voice: (817) 410-3404
Fax: (817) 410-3084
email: [removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us

The opinions are mine.

FROM: Karla Bowman <[removed]@euclidlibrary.org>
REC'D: 5/8/02, 4:25 PM

Last Christmas my group discussed This Year it Will Be Different by
Maeve Binchy. They loved it!

Also, we discussed mostly individual stories rather than the collection
as a whole.

Karla Bowman
Euclid Public Library
Euclid, OH

----- Original Message -----
From: "Hill, Melinda" <[removed]@mailserv.gcpl.lib.oh.us>
Date: Wednesday, May 8, 2002 2:45 pm
Subject: RE: short stories for book groups

>
> Although these weren't for a book group, they did spark discussion
> in the classes I read them for:
>
> Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie
> Self-help by Lorrie Moore
> In the Garden of North American Martyrs by Tobias Wolff
>
> Melinda Hill
> Stack Manager
> Fairborn Community Library
>
> ......................................................................
> Need to subscribe, unsubscribe, search the archives?
> Everything Fiction_L: http://www.webrary.org/rs/flmenu.html
>

FROM: Spencer Ms Martha <[removed]@usmc-mccs.org>
REC'D: 5/9/02, 7:46 AM

I Cannot Tell a Lie, Exactly by Mary Ladd Gavell. We didn't read this in a
group, but it is very appealing to middle-age women and very well written.
These stories were published after her death.

Martha Spencer

-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Bumbalough [[removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us]
Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 10:14 AM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: short stories for book groups

Our book group recently read and discussed Nathan Englander's "For the
Relief of Unbearable Urges". The group indicated it liked short
stories and would like to read another volume.

Will somebody suggest another volume or two that have been successful in
a book discussion group?

Thanks

--
Bruce L. Bumbalough
Reference Librarian
Grapevine Public Library
Grapevine, Texas

Voice: (817) 410-3404
Fax: (817) 410-3084
email: [removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us

The opinions are mine.

FROM: Spencer Ms Martha <[removed]@usmc-mccs.org>
REC'D: 5/9/02, 7:57 AM

We read Birds of America too and my group hated it to a person, except for
me (who chose it).

Martha

-----Original Message-----
From: Ellen Olson [[removed]@rockford.lib.il.us]
Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 10:48 AM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: RE: short stories for book groups

Our book discussion group read Lorrie Moore's Birds of America and enjoyed
it. We discussed Flannery O'Connor's A Good Man is Hard to Find. (This
latter was a part of a Southern Women Writers series and this was a big draw
for the library.)
Ellen Olson
[removed]@rockford.lib.il.us
Rockford Illinois

-----Original Message-----
From: Bruce Bumbalough [[removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us]
Sent: Wednesday, May 08, 2002 12:14 PM
To: Fiction_L
Subject: short stories for book groups

Our book group recently read and discussed Nathan Englander's "For the
Relief of Unbearable Urges". The group indicated it liked short
stories and would like to read another volume.

Will somebody suggest another volume or two that have been successful in
a book discussion group?

Thanks

--
Bruce L. Bumbalough
Reference Librarian
Grapevine Public Library
Grapevine, Texas

Voice: (817) 410-3404
Fax: (817) 410-3084
email: [removed]@grapevine.lib.tx.us

The opinions are mine.

FROM: "Hulsey, Cindy" <[removed]@tulsalibrary.org>
REC'D: 5/9/02, 10:14 AM

Try The Matisse Stories by A. S. Byatt. It contains just three stories, but
they lend themselves well to discussion. I would also recommend Kissing in
Manhattan by David Schickler (but not if your group likes gentle reads, this
is a very edgy book).

Cindy Hulsey
Tulsa City-County Library
[removed]@tulsalibrary.org

FROM: "Kathleen Marszycki" <[removed]@rathbunpl.libraryofconnecticut.org>
REC'D: 5/9/02, 12:31 PM

I think what I'm seeing is that there are two realms we're
discussing -- basic RA reading (which is very "global") to assist
patrons in choices, etc. and the reading we do if facilitating book
groups, which is more concentrated and constricted by time. I think,
for me, it was the book group reading that was becoming a grind because
more and more the themes were falling into biography/memoir, some of
which we obtain through the CT Humanities Council as packaged deals,
rather than fiction, which is what the group started with as its main
focus (and what I personally enjoy most).
Ironically, today we met and since we're tackling "Families:
Endurance in the Midst of Change," we read McCourt's Angela's Ashes. I
was not looking forward to that since A.A. seems to have been done to
death, etc. But -- once again, I was glad to have been "forced" to read
this book, one I otherwise would not have picked up.
What questions to ask (in light of short stories I think the
question was asked)? Your life is much easier if there is an
overarching theme to the anthology. When we did "Adult Perspectives on
Fairy Tales," the anthology included tales by country of origin with
contemporary writers' versions; then we examined the Disney versions,
complete with slides of select villanesses (they're more fun than the
heroines). We had a great time with this series, believe me! Thematic
works help facilitate and move the discussions, keeping us focused.

Kelly Marszycki
Rathbun Memorial Library
East Haddam, CT

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