Books & Bites

Books & Bites is the library's book discussion program. There are two times each month that the group meets: third Thursdays at 7pm and 4th Wednesdays at 2pm. The same book is usually considered for each. We will be announcing the new books here in the blog in addition to the Library Connection and the Library webpage.

This fall, we have read The Cellist of Sarajevo as part of the Community Read program, and Stealing Buddha's Dinner as part of the Great Michigan Read.

The book for Nov/Dec is The Unwanted by Kien Nguyen. This book is the harrowing tale of an "unwanted", a child of American and Asian parents, left behind in Vietnam after the Fall of Saigon in 1975. It provides a counterpoint to Bich Minh Nguyen's Stealing Buddha's Dinner, where the family left Vietnam in 1975, when Bich Minh was only a baby.

Discussion dates for The Unwanted are: Wednesday, November 25, 2pm, Conference Room B and Thursday, December 17, 7pm, Conference Room C. There is no Books & Bites on December 23.

To start off the new year, we are reading I'm Not Scared by Niccolo Ammaniti. Ammaniti is an Italian novelist whose 2001 novel lo non ho paura (I'm Not Scared) won the prestigious Viareggio-Repaci award. Ammaniti wrote the screenplay for the critically acclaimed movie version of I'm Not Scared (Italian with English & Spanish subtitles).

Book Summary: While playing outside one day in a wheat field, nine-year-old Michele discovers Filippo, who is chained to the ground at the bottom of a hole. Michele witnesses town bad boy Felice nearby and suspects something bad is happening. Michele is unsure whom he should tell about his discovery, eventually spilling the tale to his closest friend. When Michele's parents learn of his discovery, they warn him to forget whatever he saw.

(The 'ch' in the boy's name, Michele, is pronounced as a 'k'.)

Please join us for one of the January Books & Bites meetings:

Thursday, January 21, 7pm

Wednesday, January 27, 2pm

Conference Room A