The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield has been selected for the 2008 “One Book — One Lincoln” program.
About One Book – One Lincoln – 2008
One Book – One Lincoln is a community reading program co-sponsored by Lincoln City Libraries and the Lincoln Journal Star. The program encourages all adults in Lincoln and Lancaster County to read and discuss the same book at the same time. The goal of the program is to encourage reading and dialogue by creating a community wide reading and discussion experience.
The idea of city-wide reading programs started in Seattle in 1998 with the program “If All Seattle Read the Same Book” initiated by the Washington Center for the Book, located at the Seattle Public Library. The Library of Congress’ Center for the Book reports that “One Book” programs are being introduced across the U.S.A. and around the world.
This is Lincoln’s seventh year of the program. In the fall of 2002, thousands of Lincolnites read and discussed Plainsong by Kent Haruf. For 2003, Ann Patchett’s award-winning novel Bel Canto was selected for our second city-wide reading experience. In 2004, Leif Enger’s dazzling debut novel Peace Like a River was the choice and during the fall of 2005, Lincolnites went on a journey of friendship, discovery and redemption, exploring the culture and history of Afghanistan and its people, as we read and discussed Khaled Hosseini’s novel The Kite Runner. In 2006 and 2007, non-fiction titles were selected — first Erik Larson’s true-crime history book The Devil in the White City and then Timothy Egan’s look at the Dust Bowl years — The Worst Hard Time.
See Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler enjoying The Thirteenth Tale in our promotional poster in pdf format. (no longer available)
Lincoln City Libraries Reference staff have compiled additional resources about The Thirteenth Tale and Diane Setterfield.
How can I participate?
- Get the Book. Check out a copy of The Thirteenth Tale at any of the Lincoln City Libraries or purchase your own copy at your local bookstore. The title is available at Lincoln City Libraries in hardback and paperback, Large Type, Spanish Language, and unabridged book-on-CD formats. This title is also available as a Book Club in a Bag version, for book clubs wishing to check out multiple copies at once!
- Read! Join your family, friends, co-workers, neighbors and fellow Lincolnites in reading the same book – together!
- Watch an informational program about this year’s One Book — One Lincoln which aired on CityTV (Channel 5 local cable) One Book One Lincoln 2008 On Demand.
- Attend our related programs.
- Look at our additional resources about The Thirteenth Tale, and watch for the official Resource Guide, appearing in the Lincoln Journal Star on September 21st!
- Sign up to receive e-mail updates about One Book-related programs and events on our Finalists page [disabled for this year].
- Discuss the Book in Person or Online! Attend a Community Discussion at your local library, bookstore, community and recreation center. A complete list of Community Discussion groups is available here. Contact the library to have a trained facilitator come and lead your own discussion group. Or visit our One Book One Lincoln Blog to respond to discussion topics posted in a discussion forum.
- Listen to Podcast recordings about The Thirteenth Tale on our Podcasts page.
- Visit our new One Book — One Lincoln Facebook page.
- Help us evaluate our program by filling out our feedback form [now disabled]
We can provide a discussion leader for your group
So you want to have a One Book – One Lincoln discussion group, but you don’t have a discussion leader? During September, October and November, Lincoln City Libraries staff will be available to organizations, businesses and clubs interested in hosting a discussion group. Visit our Finalists page [disabled for 2008], to request a book discussion leader via our online form, or for further information, call Lincoln City Libraries, 441-8562
What programs will there be? Will the author visit?
Several special programs are being scheduled at various library branches and other locations during September, October or November with ties to the themes and events of The Thirteenth Tale. You can see descriptions at our Special Programs page.
How was The Thirteenth Tale chosen?
A call for nominations from the community in January resulted in ### different titles being nominated. The general criteria for the title included:
- Fiction or Non-Fiction
- Of general interest to adults and young adults
- Sparks thoughtful discussion
- Easily available in paperback
- Address universal themes of life
- Readable
A selection committee with community-wide representation was formed to narrow the list down to five finalists, and ultimately to select the book for this year’s community reading program. Members of that committee included:
- Donna Marvin, Chair
- Ed Bates
- Patty Beutler
- Diane Chapman
- Kelly Helm Smith
- Mary Jane Humphrey
- Jeff Kirkpatrick
- Greg Mickells
- Amanda Mandachit
- Jodi Rethmeier
- Gloria Strope
The title they selected is The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.
“The enigmatic author Vida Winter has spent six decades creating various outlandish life histories for herself – all of them inventions that have brought her fame and fortune but have kept her violent and tragic past a secret. Now old and ailing, she at last wants to tell the truth about her extraordinary life. She summons biographer Margaret Lea, a young woman for whom the secret of her own birth, hidden by those who loved her most, remains an ever-present pain. Struck by a curious parallel between Miss Winter’s story and her own, Margaret takes on the commission.”
“As Vida disinters the life she meant to bury for good, Margaret is mesmerized. It is a tale of gothic strangeness featuring the Angelfield family, including the beautiful and willful Isabelle, the feral twins Adeline and Emmeline, a ghost, a governess, a topiary garden and a devastating fire.”
“Margaret succumbs to the power of Vida’s storytelling but remains suspicious of the author’s sincerity. She demands the truth from Vida, and together they confront the ghosts that have haunted them while becoming, finally, transformed by the truth themselves.”
What other books were considered for 2008?
The other four finalists for One Book – One Lincoln – 2008 were:
You can also Click Here for more detailed information about the five finalists (Finalists page for 2008 disabled)!
