27 January 2005
Joel Nash
884-5064
7508 Dellwood
Road NE
Between Candelaria
and Comanche
go West off
Pennsylvania;
2nd house from
Pennsylvania,
south side.
Beowulf
the new verse translation by
Seamus Heaney
(at least 11 copies in RGLS -
specify the Heaney translation)
In the introduction to his translation, Seamus Heaney
argues that Beowulf's role as a required text for many English
students obscured its mysteries and "mythic potency."
We are treated
to a world view in which a thane's allegiance to his lord and to God is
absolute.
Good Review.
Review
[NP: Rob ]
24 February 2005
Charlie Palmer
(243-4962)
1506 Park SW
From I-25, go West on Central or Lomas; then South
on 14th St.
Cross Central, continue 2 or 3 blocks, then turn right onto Park (1st
stop sign).
The Ornament of the World
How Muslims, Jews, and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain
by María
Rosa Menocal
Published in paperback by Little Brown, 2001.
In the movie 'Lawrence of Arabia,' there is a scene in which
Prince Faisal alludes to medieval Spain under the Muslims,
a period when the Islamic world was at its height in many ways.
Faisal accuses Lawrence of being one of those "desert-loving
Englishmen," whereas the Arabs instead love fountains and gardens
-- according to Faisal, the epitome of such love is the grandeur of the
"vanished gardens of Cordoba."
The Ornament of the World is the history of medieval Spain under
the Muslims, from the eighth through the fifteenth centuries.
This was a rare period in history, when Christianity, Judaism,
and Islam flourished side by side, tolerating one another
and borrowing language, art, and architecture from each other.
In Arabic poetry, the "gardens of Cordoba" for centuries have
stood for the Muslim cultural achievements attained during this period.
[NP: Rob ]
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31 March 2005
Mike Blackledge (294-6030)
14321 Stalgren Ct NE
(from
Tramway & Copper, go East 5 blocks, then right on Parkside,
immediate left onto Stalgren Ct.)
Flyboys
by James Bradley..
w the
(true) story of ChiChi Jima?
... not easy to forget ...
17 copies in the Rio Grande Library System - no waiting !
Reviews
[NP: Rob ]
28 April 2005
1616 Catron SE
Housekeepingby Marilynne Robinson
(scholarly essay)
reader's guide
Review
The concept of an American author of
fiction whose work has been banned in England and who considers all
environmental groups useless intrigues the mind. Many of us are
not familiar with Marilynne Robinson (1943 - ), perhaps because she has
written very few books. Her first, Housekeeping (1981) became an immediate American
classic, receiving the P.E.N./
Hemingway award for best first novel and the
Rosenthal Award, plus
being nominated both for the P.E.N./ Faulkner and the Pulitzer
Prize. You are encouraged to buy a copy; there are ten
copies in the Rio Grande library, with many holds. Published
1981; in paperback, easy acquisition for $10.50 from Page One
on the Internet. [NP: Rob Joel ]
26 May 2005
Ron B.
701 Loma Linda SE
Lead/Coal;
between Carlisle and Washington, take
Montclaire south
Acqua Alta
by Donna Leon
study guide
Acqua Alta by Donna Leon is one of a series of
13 mysteries set in present day Venice.
I'd like to introduce the book club to this author
for an easy and enjoyable read.
There are 13 copies in the library.
- Ron
Complex, moral, gracious,
and fiercely loyal,
Commissario Guido
Brunetti is a husband,
father, detective, and,
above all, a proud
resident of the enchanted
floating city of Venice.
[NP: Jack, Rob]
30 June 2005
Don Benoist
(296-2533)
7709 Harwood Ave NE
West of Wyoming, between Comanche and Montgomery; one block N of Comanche; turn west onto Harwood, two long blocks down on right.
The Kite Runner
by Khaled Hosseini
An epic tale of fathers and sons,
of friendship and betrayal, that
takes us from the final days of Afghanistan’s monarchy to the
atrocities of the present.
[NP: Jack]
28 July 2005
Rob
Easterling (286-8796)
East Mountains: 51 Avenida del Sol, Cedar Crest, NM 87008 Take
N14 4.5 mi. N of I-40 (exit 175, Cedar
Crest).
Turn Left into Ventana del Sol subdivision. Follow
keypad instructions.
Florence of Arabia...and you thought you had difficulty understanding the Middle East.
Hilarious - oh, and exploding camels, too! Ben would have loved this !
Many copies in the RGLS ... - 272 pages in paperback -
In town: Gary G.
Unavail: Ed D.
25 August 2005
Jack Ferrell
17 Sunset Blvd
Placitas, NM
I-25 Exit 242
East on NM 165.
Right onto Sunset Blvd
(100 yards)
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Character analysis |
29 September 2005
Keith Gilbert
(265-8122)
913 Parkland Circle SE
From Wyoming, go West on Zuni; continue West to Carlisle;
Go South on Carlisle until the median disappears;
(or changes drastically);
Go East;
Keith is on this street, on the North side.
The Actualby Saul Bellow
The Saul Bellow Society offers everything on the man, including critical reviews of his twenty or so works.
ubway
at rush hour or sit in a crowded movie house-that's what I mean by a
humanity bath. As cattle must have salt to lick, I sometimes
crave physical contact." (from
Ravelstein, 2000)Jewish-American Author - won Nobel Prize for literature in 1976. Saul Bellow was born in Lachine, Quebec in 1915. His parents had emigrated from Russia to Canada in 1913. Bellow was raised until the age of nine in an impoverished, polyglot section of Montreal, full of Russians, Poles, Ukrainians, Greeks, and Italians.
Six copies of "The Actual" are actually in the RGLS. Keith tells us that we're talking about 124 pages total. (RV:RE; UN:DT)
27 October 2005
Ed Duff
(823-1872)
Tanoan area:
9709 Pebble Beach NE
(Enter Tanoan onto Tanoan Drive, north off Academy, between Eubank and Ventura. Take 3rd left onto Pebble Beach Drive. 2nd house on right.)
Six copies in the RGLS; also six audio volumes.
17 November 2005
[Thursday before Thanksgiving]
Ken Gillen
(797-8956)
331 White Oaks Dr. NE
(From Tramway and Live Oak Rd [one block N. of Paseo del Norte], go EAST 0.6 mi on Live Oak, then SOUTH 0.3 mi on White Oaks Dr. to last house on right. Pay no attention to most of the house numbers.).
Things Fall Apart
by
Chinua Achebe
study guideFirst published in 1958, a relentlessly unsentimental rendering of Nigerian tribal life before and after the coming of colonialism.
15 copies in the RGVLS; also, a couple of Cliff's Notes...
(UN: RB, ED)
29 December 2005
[Thursday after Christmas]
Mike Blackledge (294-6030)
14321 Stalgren Ct NE
(from Tramway & Copper, go East 5 blocks, then right on Parkside, immediate left onto Stalgren Ct.)
(interesting
review
by Nick Burningham)
This is our Christmas Season story for 2005. Who is the central character of this story?
We will have wrapped book-exchange at this meeting. Bring a book you are more than willing to give away, even if you receive The Bobbsey Twins on a Houseboat in return.
It is suggested that you check-out a Conrad collection to acquire this short book. The entire text for this 124 page novella can be found on-line. One can search for any word in the text from this site.
