Bethany Books Talk

Bethany Books Talk welcomes everyone for a morning of good books. For the past six years, speakers have presented a group of books, sometimes with a theme and sometimes not. These informal presentations allow for good conversation as well. The Bethany Books Talk group meets every Friday morning, beginning at 10:30 A.M., unless otherwise noted. Approximately 10-20 regular attendees.

Date	Program Description
Sept 4, 2009	A Celebration of Books -- Kicking off the season with a bang! Karrie, Erin, Steph and Karen will all be presenting a few of their favorite titles.
Sept 11, 2009	Historical Fiction -- Guest presenter Heather Ludine from the University Press will bring some books to share.
Sept 18, 2009	Stop...You're Killing Me! -- Marcy will talk about her favorite mystery web site and some of the books she's found there.
Sept 25, 2009	The Good Life -- Meredith from the Heritage Room will shine the spotlight on more great Nebraska authors.
Oct 2, 2009	One Book -- One Lincoln -- Join us for a discussion of People of the Book...the book everyone in town is buzzing about.
Oct 9, 2009	An Assortment of Authors -- Come hear Layne share some of the books he's been reading lately.
Oct 16, 2009	Tales from the Cryptographer -- Join Erin as she delves into the secret world of code makers and breakers, and the spies who risk their lives for the information.
Oct 23, 2009	A Bushel of Books -- Drop by to hear Lisa tell about some of the great books she's enjoyed recently.
Oct 30, 2009	Out-of-Town Tales -- Charlotte K., from the downtown library, presents some of her recent favorites, set in a variety of geographic locations.
Nov 6, 2009	Rayma's Recent Reads -- Join Rayma to hear about some of the books she's been reading lately.
Nov 13, 2009	Laughter is the Best Medicine -- Shannon will have your sides aching with her selection of silly books.
Nov 20, 2009	Susan's Selections -- It's always a great time when Susan presents. You won't want to miss it!
Nov 27, 2009	Libraries are closed for the Thanksgiving Holiday!
Dec 4, 2009	Give the Gift of Books -- Vicki will share some books that would make great gifts this holiday season.
Dec 11, 2009	Warm Up With a Good Book -- Jim will share some good reads to help chase away those winter blues.
Dec 18, 2009	ALA Notable Books -- Library Director Pat Leach will close the session with a selection of titles from the American Library Association's Notable Books List.

Courtyard Book Chats...in the Garden!

The third year of Courtyard Book Chat presentations were held in the Lincoln Foundation Garden, directly across "N" Street from the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown. Every Tuesday, from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m., throughout June, July and August of 2009, interested readers are encouraged to bring their sack lunches and join us for a mixture of short themed presentations, personal favorites and Book Sharing opportunities. If you have questions about our Courtyard Book Chats, you can e-mail us at: the BookGuide e-mail address. [Note: In case of rain, the Courtyard Book Chats will be held in the Bennett Martin Public Library's covered courtyard patio.]

Our Courtyard Book Chats...in the Garden! will be held from June through August of 2009.

Date	Program Description
June 2, 2009	"The History of the Victorian Age Will Never Be Told...We Know Too Much About It!" -- Marcy G., from Anderson and Bethany, will discus books set in or about the Victorian Age, in both England and America.
June 9, 2009	East Coast Crime -- Donna G., from the Virtual Services department, shares some mysteries and thrillers set geographically on the U.S. East Coast.
June 16, 2009	Eat, Drink and Be Merry -- Join Shannon K., from Gere Branch, as she takes us on a journey through the world of culinary delights.
June 23, 2009	Bess Streeter Aldrich - Nebraska Author -- Meredith M., curator of The Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors, talks about Bess Street Aldrich and her book A Lantern in Her Hand, this year's One Book One Nebraska selection.
June 30, 2009	Susan's Picks -- Eiseley Branch teen specialist Susan S. brings an eclectic selection of some of her favorite recent reads -- expect both fiction and non-fiction for teens and adults.
July 7, 2009	Authors From Other Countries -- Julie B., from Bennett Martin Public Library, will tell us about some books on the subject of multicultural literature.
July 14, 2009	Tempting, Tantalizing, Enticing Titles -- Rianne, from the downtown library, presents a selection of mysteries and general fiction.
July 21, 2009	Authors I Have Met -- Guest presenter Kit Keller will talk about authors she's met and interviewed, and their books that she loves. Authors included: Elizabeth Berg, Sean Doolittle, Harley Jane Kozak, Ladette Randolph, Curtis Sittenfeld, and Stephanie Grace Whitson.
July 28, 2009	The Brain and What Can Go Wrong With It -- Vicki W., the Youth Services coordinator for the library system, focuses on the fascinating life stories of individuals recovering from brain injuries.
Aug 4, 2009	Fantasy Fiction by Females -- Lisa V., from the Eiseley branch library, will give a presentation focusing on recent fantasy fiction by female authors.
Aug 11, 2009	Polley Play-Along Adventures -- Music librarian Carolyn D. will use recorded musical tracks and play the flute to accompany her presentation on selections from the Polley Music Library.
Aug 18, 2009	Out-of-Town Tales -- Charlotte K., from the downtown library, presents some of her recent favorites, set in a variety of geographic locations.
Aug 25, 2009	Scott's Picks -- Scott C., manager of the libraries' BookGuide web site, presents a talk on some of his recent favorites.
Sep 22, 2009	One Book -- One Lincoln -- Join us for a discussion of People of the Book...the book everyone in town is buzzing about.

Gere Books Talk

Everyone is welcome at Gere's Books Talk book discussion group! Each week during our Fall/Winter and Spring sessions, we hear about some great reading material from our featured presenter. Popular topics include mysteries, biographies, classic literature worth rereading, time travel books and romance fiction. Our presenters range from Lincoln City Libraries staff, to local authors, to members of the public with special interests to share. Several times a year, we participate in a book-share session, with each participant bringing several titles to talk about with the group. There's no need to sign up in advance-we're casual, friendly and always happy to see a new face, so join us, on Monday afternoons from 2:30-4:00 p.m., and broaden your reading horizons. Approximately 5-10 regular attendees.

Date	Program Description
September 14, 2009	One Book -- One Lincoln -- The Fall/Winter series begins with Shannon leading a discussion of People of the Book...the book everyone in town is buzzing about.
September 21, 2009	Tales from the Crytographer -- Join Erin as she delves into the secret world of code makers and breakers, and the spies who risk their lives for the information.
September 28, 2009	Susan's Selections -- It's always a great time when Susan presents. You won't want to miss it!
October 5, 2009	The Mighty Teens of Gere -- The members of Gere's Teen Advisory board are the presenters this week.
October 19, 2009	The Good Life -- Meredith from the Heritage Room will shine the spotlight on more great Nebraska authors.
October 26, 2009	Out-of-Town Tales -- Charlotte K., from the downtown library, presents some of her recent favorites, set in a variety of geographic locations.
November 2, 2009	book sharing -- An opportunity for attendees to share what they've been reading recently.
November 9, 2009	Funny, Weird and Silly Books -- Gere's own Shannon gives a talk on some humorous titles.
November 16, 2009	Jim's Picks -- Gere's Jim shares some favorite titles.
November 23, 2009	Books I am Thankful For -- Eiseley's Lisa shares some titles she's found significant to her life.
November 30, 2009	ALA Notable Books -- Library Director Pat Leach will present a talk on a selection of titles from the American Library Association's Notable Books List.
December 7, 2009	Give the Gift of Books -- Vicki will share some books that would make great gifts this holiday season.
December 14, 2009	Holiday Readings and Writings -- Eiseley's Layne will talk on some Christmas-themed reading.

Just Desserts

The Just Desserts discussion group, focusing exclusively on Mystery Fiction, meets monthly at the South Branch Library. This group meets the last Thursday evening each month, January through October, 6:45 p.m. - 7:45 p.m. A specific mystery novel is selected in advance for discussion during each meeting, although general discussion about mystery fiction may follow the discussion of the selected title. Since our theme is "Death and Desserts," (i.e. The murderer got their "just desserts."), any and all participants are encouraged to bring a dessert (cookies, cake, pie, tarts, brownies, cream puffs, etc.) to share with the other group members. [Coffee and juice will be provided.]

To see a list of the mysteries discussed by the Just Desserts group in the past, visit our Just Desserts archives page...or you can print out a list of the first 35 titles discussed. If you missed one of our past meetings and would like to contribute your own opinion about one of the books we discussed, visit the Just Desserts Blog, and leave a comment on one of the book entries!

Date/Book

Program Description

<<<<< Our Next Discussion!! November and December 2009 Discuss this author's works in the Just Desserts Blog! The works of Leslie Charteris...creator of Simon Templar - alias, "The Saint"! During our holiday hiatus in November and December 2009, we're going to remain active...but only in a virtual sense. During these two months, although we won't be gathering for an in-person meeting, members are encouraged to read any of the books in the "Saint" series by Leslie Charteris, then visit our Just Desserts Blog and comment on Gardner and his works in the Leslie Charteris thread, which will be posted on November 1st, 2009. The Lincoln City Libraries owns 18 different novels or omnibus collections in the Saint series -- sorry, but nothing in Large Print or recorded book formats!

Great Books Reading and Discussion Group

The Great Books Reading and Discussion Group is not a class. It is open to everyone interested in talking about some of the classics of the written word. This group meets twice-monthly at the Gere Branch library. Copies of the texts may be borrowed from the library (call number 808.8 Gre4) or you may purchase the three-volume set of readings by calling The Great Books Foundation at 1-800-222-5870 and requesting "Great Books, 4th Series."

For information call the Discussion leaders (484-7254 or 797-2144), e-mail at GreatBooksLincoln@gmail.com, or visit the Great Books Lincoln web site.

Unless otherwise noted, meetings are Thursday evenings, 6:00 to 8:00 PM, at Gere Branch Library.

The 2009-2010 Great Books Reading and Discussion Group season begins this fall; check out our schedule of readings/discussions below!

Date	Title Being Discussed
2009 MEETING DATES
Sep 10, 2009	Schopenhauer: The Indestructibility of Our Inner Nature
Sep 24, 2009	Euripides: Medea (complete)
Oct 8, 2009	Weber: The Spirit of Capitalism
Oct 22, 2009	Moliere: The Misanthrope (complete)
Nov 12, 2009	Gibbon: The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire This week's meeting has been cancelled!
Dec 10, 2009	The Bible: Job
2010 MEETING DATES
Jan. 14, 2010	Mill: Utilitarianism
Jan. 28, 2010	Shakespeare: Caesar and Cleopatra (complete)
Feb. 11, 2010	St. Augustine: City of God
Feb. 25, 2010	Plato: Symposium
Mar. 11, 2010	Montaigne: Of Experience (complete)
Mar. 25, 2010	Diderot: Rameau’s Nephew
Apr. 8, 2010	Shakespeare: The Tempest (complete)
Apr. 22, 2010	Hamilton, Jay, Madison: The Federalist
May 13, 2010	Gogol: The Overcoat (complete)
May 27, 2010	(Make-up, if needed)

This Program is Co-sponsored by Lincoln City Libraries, Lincoln, Nebraska

Try out our On-Line Book Clubs! You can join any of eleven new e-mail book clubs in the following reading categories: Non-Fiction; Business; Fiction; Good News; Mystery; Science Fiction; Horror; Romance; Teen; Pre-Publication and Audio Books.

Reading and Writing Nebraska [R 028.9 Kru]

Reading and Writing Nebraska, by Mel Krutz (for The Nebraska Center for the Book) is available for public use in the reference room at the Bennett Martin Public Library (14th & "N" St.), as well as the Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors. This newly-compiled 2004 volume lists over 60 additional book discussion groups in the Lincoln area, with address, telephone and e-mail contact information for each group. Many listings also give a description of the types of materials dicussed by each group, and their meeting frequency.

If you've got a book group that's open to the general public, free-of-charge, and you'd like to be included in our list of local Book Discussion Groups here, please visit our Book Groups Survey page and fill out a brief form giving us some information about your group.

Circle 4 Book Discussion Group

Where We Meet:	First-Plymouth Congregational Church UCC 2000 "D" St.
When We Meet:	Monthly -- 11:30 a.m. -- usually the third Tuesday, Calvert Parlor
Group Contact:	Amy Tuttle, 435-5454
We Discuss:	A mixture of Fiction and Non-Fiction. Some examples of past books we've read include: David Guterson's Snow Falling on Cedars; Kent Haruf's Plainsong; Marcus Borg's Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time; and J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Group Description:	Lively, open-minded women with an appreciation for interrelations among characters, and consequences of action, as demonstrated in good fiction.
Other Notes:	Our 2005-2006 reading list: June 21, 2005 – Khaled Hosseini: The Kite Runner*; July 19 – Kent Haruf: Eventide; August 16 – Yann Martel: The Life of Pi*; September 20 – Tim O’Brien: The Things They Carried*; October 18 – Stephen King: The Green Mile*; November 15 - James Agee: A Death in the Family; December 13 - NOTE DATE - Karen Armstrong: The Spiral Staircase; January 17, 2006: - Marilynne Robinson: Gilead; 15 copies February 21 - Marly Swick: Evening News; March 21 – John Steinbeck: Tortilla Flat; April 18 - Barbara Kingsolver: Pigs in Heaven; May 16 – Willa Cather: My Antonia; June 20 – Chaim Potok: The Chosen. * One Book -- One Lincoln semifinalist. We have already read Ted Kooser’s Local Wonders.

Lee Booksellers

Lee Booksellers, at the Edgewood shopping center in Lincoln, sponsors several monthly bookclubs, with specific themes. Most of these clubs focus on discussing a specific, pre-selected book at each meeting, as identified below. To see the specifics, including titles scheduled for upcoming discussions, please visit the Lee Booksellers Web site, and click on Store Events.
The Cooks' Book Club
3rd Thursdays 7:30 P.M.	This general fiction discussion group meets the third Thursday evening of each month, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Crazy Ladies Book Club
3rd Mondays 7:30 P.M.	This general fiction and non-fiction discussion group meets the third Monday of each month, at 7:30 P.M.
Mystery Monday Book Club
2nd Mondays 7:30 P.M.	The mystery fiction discussion group meets in the second Monday evening of each month, starting at 7:30 p.m. Approximately 5-10 regular attendees.
Sisters in Crime
2nd Thursdays 7:30 P.M.	Not specifically a Lee Booksellers group, this is the monthly meeting of the local chapter of the Sisters in Crime women mystery writers organization: Authors, readers, publishers, agents, booksellers, librarians supporting women who write mysteries. Public welcome.
Something Different Book Club
1st Thursday 9:30 A.M.	This general fiction discussion group meets the first Thursday morning of each month, starting at 9:30 a.m.
Third Tuesday Mystery Book Club
3rd Tuesdays 7:00 P.M.	As the name implies, this book group meets on the third Tuesday of each month, at 7:00 p.m., to discuss a mystery title. Approximately 10-15 regular attendees.
Tuesday Evening Book Club
2nd Tuesdays 7:00 P.M.	This group meets the second Tuesday evening of each month, starting at 7:00 p.m. Approximately 5-10 regular attendees

Star Base Andromeda

Where We Meet:	Bennett Martin Public Library 136 S. 14th St.
When We Meet:	6:30 P.M. every Tuesday night (generally in the library's 4th floor auditorium)
Group Contact:	Scott Clark, 325-0246
We Discuss:	We exclusively discuss Science Fiction and Fantasy literature. We alternate between established "classics" of these genres, and works by prominent contemporary authors.
Group Description:	This general-interest Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror club meets weekly, on both Tuesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. We have a Book Discussion night approximately every six weeks. Membership in the club is not necessary to participate in Book Discussions, and guests are always welcome. Books we've recently discussed include: Mary Gentle's Rats and Gargoyles, Andre Norton's The Crossroads of Time, Clive Barker's The Thief of Always, H. Beam Piper's Little Fuzzy, Joe Haldeman's The Forever War, Neal Stephenson's Snowcrash, David Gerrold's The Man Who Folded Himself, Jane Yolen's collection Sister Emily's Lightship and Other Stories, Leigh Brackett's classic The Long Tomorrow, the anthology Beyond Singularity, Fritz Leiber's The Big Time, Kage Baker's In the Garden of Iden, Philip K. Dick's Eye in the Sky, Elizabeth Moon's Nebula-winning The Speed of Dark, Jack Williamson's The Humanoids, Charles Stross' Accelerando, Theodore Sturgeon's More Than Human, John Ringo's There Will Be Dragons, The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison, "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates (the story which became the film The Day the Earth Stood Still), Brown Girl in the Ring by Nalo Hopkinson, Her Smoke Rose Up Forever by James Tiptree Jr. (Alice Sheldon), Fledgling by Octavia Butler, Rogue Moon by Algis Budrys, Watchmen by Alan Moore and Dave Gibbons, Watership Down by Richard Adams, Paul of Dune by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson, The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, and Hunter's Run by George R.R. Martin, Gardner Dozois and Daniel Abraham.
Other Notes:	Our format is that everyone participating in the discussion should have read the pre-selected book before the meeting. We try to have at least 3 to 4 books selected in advance. Please see Star Base Andromeda Web site for the current month's schedule, or our Book Discussions page for information about our past, present and upcoming selections. Approximately 5-10 regular attendees.

Wednesday Morning Book Discussion Group

Where We Meet:	St. Paul United Methodist Church 1144 "M" St.
When We Meet:	9:30 A.M. the 4th Wednesday of each month (except July, August, November and December)
Group Contact:	Ethel Dedering, 488-7922
We Discuss:	A mixture of Fiction and Non-Fiction. We try to read a Nebraska author each year (i.e. Willa Cather, etc) and also try to read at least one "classic," (i.e. Cry the Beloved Country). These is My Words by Nancy Turner was recently a big hit.
Group Description:	We are a very enthusiastic small group, who love reading and discussing books with each other. Although we are sponsored by the church, we do not read only religious books (in fact very few) and our membership is not limited to church members. In fact, several are not, and I'm sure anyone would feel comfortable there.
Other Notes:	Members select books for the upcoming year at the June meeting. Members come with lists of books they're interested in, and the group selects from among those. Coffee and cookies are served at each meeting, and a little social and get acquainted time is allowed.