This is the schedule of books being read and discussed by Project Read's Wednesday Night Readers book club over the next few months. Tutor-learner teams are encouraged to pick up these FREE books and audio books and then make plans to attend one of these exciting and rewarding discussions. We make unabridged audio books available so that learners at any reading level can participate in the discussion.
Around the World on Two Wheels: Annie Londerry’s Extraordinary Ride by Peter Zheutlin (Discussed at August 25 meeting—books & audio available July 28) The lives of women in the 1890s were constrained by social mores, family obligations, and restrictive clothing. Annie Kopchovsky, immigrant, wife, and mother of three, seems to have had no qualms about doing the opposite of what the times dictated. So liberated was Annie that she cooked up a scheme to circle the globe on a bicycle—even though she had barely been on a bike—to earn fame and money. She abandoned her husband and children and made up a traveling identity, calling herself Annie Londonderry. Well researched and written by a great-nephew of Annie's, this true story illuminates family life, journalism, advertising, and recreation of that era. The author, Peter Zheutlin, will be joining the discussion via conference call to answer questions and comment on the process of writing this fascinating true account. (171 pages)
Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas (Discussed at the September 29 meeting—books & audio available August 25) Rennie Stroud looks back to 1942, when she was 13, to tell a powerful coming-of-age story. That year, the U.S. government opened a Japanese internment camp outside Ellis, CO, less than a mile from her family’s farm. Rennie observes the prejudice of some of the townspeople as well as her parents' strong moral code and their emotions of the time. When a young girl is murdered, suspicion naturally turns to the camp, and the town is divided by fear. This strong, provocative novel is a moving examination of prejudice and fear that addresses issues of community discord. The author’s phrasing and language bring the 1940s to life, and she has created characters that will linger with the reader. (299 pages)
47 by Walter Mosley (Discussed at the October 27 meeting--books & audio available September 29) 47 is the first young adult novel to be written by bestselling author Walter Mosley. A master storyteller, Mosley deftly mixes speculative and historical fiction in this daring novel. Set in a plantation, 47 (a young slave boy) is growing up under the watchful eye of a slave master. His life seems doomed, until he meets the mysterious Tall John who not only introduces him to an unimaginable magical science but teaches 47 the meaning of freedom. (232 pages)
The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch (Discussed at the December 1 meeting—books & audio available October 27) When Randy Pausch, a computer science professor at Carnegie Mellon University, was asked to give such a lecture, he didn't have to imagine it as his last, since he had recently been diagnosed with terminal cancer. But the lecture he gave—"Really Achieving Your Childhood Dreams"—wasn't about dying. It was about the importance of overcoming obstacles, of enabling the dreams of others, of seizing every moment (because "time is all you have…and you may find one day that you have less than you think"). It was a summation of everything Randy had come to believe. It was about living. In this book, Randy Pausch has combined the humor, inspiration and intelligence that made his lecture such a phenomenon. It is a book that will be shared for generations to come. (206 pages)
Twilight by Stephenie Meyer (Discussed at the January 26 meeting—books & audio available December 1) Stephenie Meyer's thrilling debut novel is a love story with a bite. In this suspenseful and sensual tale, 17-year-old Isabella moves to a small town in Washington State and gets more excitement than she bargained for when she falls for an enigmatic classmate -- who happens to be a vampire. Filled with fantastic mystery and romance, it's a heart-stopping novel that captures the struggle between defying our instincts and satisfying our desires. (498 pages, but you have 2 months to read--the book club does not meet in December)
