Savannah, May 2, 1981. Shots ring out in one of its grandest mansions. Murder or self -defense? For years after, it still gets debated. In “Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil,” John Berendt takes us on a tour of the facts (as much as we can find out), and in doing so, we get an engrossing account of Savannah’s history and its place in the culture of the South. It’s non-fiction that reads like fiction, replete with amazing detail and complicated characters. We meet in the back room (behind the children’s section) of the Midtown Scholar. Please RSVP and send questions to Joe Foner at joefoner1@gmail.com. See you there, and happy reading!
***Special Note: We’re in the middle of a six-month challenge read, whereby we pick a lengthy book (1,000 or more pages) and take six months to read it. The book is “Infinite Jest,” and we’ll be meeting to discuss on July 22. There’s still time to try it! If interested, please e-mail Joe at the above e-mail.
There’s been a lot of news about “fake news” recently, for lack of a better term. In May, HYP Book Club will get to the bottom of it with “Bunk: The Rise of Hoaxes, Humbug, Plagiarists, Phonies, Post-Facts, and Fake News” by Kevin Young. It’s at once a review of the history of American hoaxes and a discussion on the nature of them and a bunch of other entertaining stuff.
We meet in the back room (behind the children’s section) of the Midtown Scholar.
Please RSVP and/or send questions to Joe Foner at joefoner1@gmail.com. See you there, and happy reading!
Another HYP Book Club first: The Challenge Read! We pick a super-lengthy book with an interesting premise and take 6 months to read it. Then we meet at the end of the six months and talk not just about the book, but the experience. The honor of being the first-ever challenge read goes to…
“Infinite Jest,” by the acclaimed (and sadly departed) author, social observer/critic, and generally enigmatic dude, David Foster Wallace. Here’s something from the back cover to give you an idea – “Infinite Jest is the name of a movie said to be so entertaining that anyone who watches it loses all desire to do anything but watch it. People die happily, viewing it in endless repetition.”At nearly 1100 pages, it’s an epic tale about something as American as apple pie (it’s even in the Declaration of Independence) – the pursuit of happiness…as a by-way to a discussion about the human condition and our need for connection (or lack thereof?).
We start reading now, and on July 22, we’ll meet at 2:00 in the back room of the Midtown Scholar. Please contact Joe Foner at joefoner1@gmail.com to RSVP or for questions.
Are you up for the challenge?
PLEASE NOTE: this is in addition to our regular monthly read!!!
An HYP book club first – a second consecutive book/movie event! This month it’s the beloved classic, “A Wrinkle in Time” by Madeleine L’Engle, in which a “troubled” teenage girl goes on an adventure in time and space in search of her father, a renowned scientist who may have made an amazing discovery. The movie adaptation stars Oprah Winfrey, Reese Witherspoon, Mindy Kaling, and Chris Pine, and is directed by Ava DuVernay (Selma, The 13th).
We’ll meet at the Regal/Great Escape at the Harrisburg East Mall for the show closest to 12 pm noon; be sure to watch the facebook event page and your e-mail for updates. Then we’ll trek to the Midtown Scholar around 3:00 pm for a discussion of the book and the film. Please contact Joe Foner at joefoner1@gmail.com to RSVP or for questions, and be sure to specify whether you’re coming for the movie, the discussion, or both. Hope to see you there, and happy reading!
It’s February and that means book and movie time for the ol’ book club. This month brings us “Annihilation,” the first book in the Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanderMeer. It’s about a group of four female scientists exploring Area X, about which little is known. The previous 11 expeditions have not gone….shall we say, well. The movie adaptation stars Natalie Portman, Jennifer Jason Leigh, and Oscar Isaac, and is directed by Alex Garland (Ex Machina, The Beach, etc).
We’ll meet at the Regal/Great Escape at the Harrisburg East Mall for the show closest to 12 pm noon; be sure to watch the facebook event page and your e-mail for updates. Then we’ll trek to the Midtown Scholar around 3:00 pm for a discussion of the book and the film. Please contact Joe Foner at joefoner1@gmail.com to RSVP or for questions, and be sure to specify whether you’re coming for the movie, the discussion, or both. Hope to see you there, and happy reading!