The Measure

Book Review 

4.5/5*

 By Nikki Erlick

Everyone 22 years old and older gets a box. Inside is a string that will tell you how long you will live. At first it was a vague time line. After some research the scientists were able to narrow the range down to a specific month that you could expect to live to. Not everyone wanted to know. The world took a twist. Two types of people; long stringers and short were created. There was no love lost between these groups. A great story for a book club discussion.

• Do you want to know how much longer you have to live?
• How will you handle the answer?
• Will you change the way you live, your habits, your job?
• How will this effect the economy?
• Will it effect health care and insurance?
• What changes will be seen on travel and extreme sports?

The Correspondent

 Book Review 

By Virginia Evans

4.2/5*

I found it a different way to tell a story. Listening to letters to and from an older retired female law clerk. She enjoyed writing over talking on the phone so she could consider what she wanted to say. She enjoyed the ability to reread letters from the past. It felt like a legacy to her. 

This woman has been writing to everyone since she was young. It does make you want to pick up some stationary and a nice pen to begin your own letter writing. I listened to the audiobook. I appreciated the change of readers when different people were writing. It made it easier to distinguish between the characters. I’m going to miss the group now that I am finished. 

Fundraiser

 Book Sale FUNDRAISER 

Is a book sale still a profitable fundraiser? It looks like an older customer is the majority of the shoppers. How do readers feel about purchasing someone else’s books?There are people who like the crispness of a new book. There are those who prefer digital. Libraries have been having sales to raise money to assist their library for years. I have found many to add on baked goods, puzzles and other items to improve their sales.

Children’s Books

My Favorites 

The Giving Tree is a sweet story of all the ways the tree can help its favorite boy as he grows up. Is it symbolic for a parent? That is my opinion.

Love You Forever can literally make anyone cry. I only heard it read as a young adult. Love between a mother and child is the topic.

Charlotte’s Web is one of the few I recall from childhood. I was very surprised to see it on a banned book list. It is considered blasphemous due to the talking animals. Seriously? Do these people not realize it’s fiction? 

Please comment on your favorite children’s book. Thanks.

Banned Books

 Hot Topic 

I recently went to a group meeting at a local library. Their series topic was banned books. Each month they discuss one of these books. This month happened to be a book I had read years ago, Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult. I remember it was about a school shooting but didn’t understand why that subject would be banned. It turns out it isn’t about the shooting or bullying, it’s about the date rape. Specifically the use of the word erection. You may feel the word was unnecessary to describe part of the event. Radio stations have word changes to be able to play some songs. Would that change opinions?

There was a deep discussion about bullying and its effects on teenagers. Should they be charged as an adult? The book was written in 2007. With a little bit of research, we see the number of school shootings are up. Considering bullying is nothing new and guns in homes are not new, what is making the difference? So much to talk about with this issue.

Library Renovation

 Center Harbor, NH Library 

This library first built in 1903 is looking to renovate. It is a rather small space using only the upstairs. The plan is to renovate the downstairs in order to double the size. Most libraries of this age have expanded by adding to the back of the building. Often not keeping with the original design due to the cost. Center Harbor has a unique advantage of having the unused room. A fun feature is an old vault that use to be used by town residents. They have added outdoor seating facing Lake Winnipesaukee. Also visible to the winter home of the Mt. Washington cruise ship.

I truly hope that the town and the people approve the new plan to expand their indoor space.

James Patterson

 Author Review 

Or should I say James Patterson and….

When I first discovered Patterson I loved everything he wrote. I knew I didn’t need to read the jacket cover to decide to pick up the latest. Until… a few books into the Cross series, I couldn’t believe how many times this guy got shot and survived. Then came the “bird” books as I call them. I am not into fantasy at all. Now I read the synopsis offered and consider the story theme. Have you noticed most of his books are now coauthored? It’s true that he couldn’t put out the number of books per year alone. His stories hit many genres including thriller, romance and children’s books. If you stop by any book sale you will find at least 20 of his titles at each. 

I have heard how he is quite generous with students, educators, libraries and independent bookstores.

He believes better readers create better humans. A considerable amount of money has been put towards literacy for years now. Thank you Mr. Patterson, you have my respect.