NEUROMANCER by Gibson - Book Discussion - March 7 at 6pm Houston Freed Montrose Library

[Alice Aman]

Hi everone !

I almost forget to remind everyone that we will meet next Thursday,
March 7th at 6pm at Houston-Freed Montrose library to discuss
NEUROMANCER by William Gibson. Wendy will lead the discussion.

As always, socializng afterwards at 8pm at the Black Lab Restaurant
next door to the library is an option for anyone interested in joining
us.

Hope to see you next week!

--Alice

http://www.houstonbookclubs.org/Montrose


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Upcoming Discussions
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Mar 7 NEUROMANCER by William Gibson [publ 1984] 288 pages
First winner of the science-fiction "triple crown": the Nebula Award,
the Philip K. Dick Award, and the Hugo Award.
The novel tells the story of a washed-up computer hacker hired by a
mysterious employer to pull off the ultimate hack.
--Wendy leading discussion

Apr 4 SATURDAY by Ian McEwan [pub 2006] 304 pages
James Tait Black Memorial Prize winner in 2005. Author has been
nominated for the Man Booker prize six times to date, winning the
Prize for Amsterdam in 1998. The Times featured the author on their
list of "The 50 greatest British writers since 1945".
Story is set in London during a large demonstration against the 2003
invasion of Iraq. The reader follows Perowne, a London neurosurgeon,
mainly via an interior monologue, through his day which is disrupted
by an encounter with a violent, troubled man.
-- Charles leading discussion

May 2 A HIGH WIND IN JAMAICA by Richard Hughes (publ 1929) 279 pages
Included as number 71 in the Modern Library's 100 Best
English-language novels of the 20th century.
Story is a reckoning with the secret reasons and otherworldly
realities of childhood. Action begins among the decayed plantation
houses of late nineteenth-century Jamaica, before moving out onto the
high seas, as Hughes tells the story of a group of children thrown
upon the mercy of a crew of down-at-the-heel pirates
--Will leading discussion

Jun 6 BELOVED by Toni Morrison - [publ 1987] 352 pages
Author is winner of Nobel Prize in literature in 1993. Pulitzer Prize
winner in 1988 for BELOVED which was also selected as single best work
of American fiction in past 25 years as determined by a New York Times
poll of 200 prominent writers, critics and editors.
Book examines both the mental and physical trauma caused by brutal
effects of slavery. Sethe struggles to survive in the aftermath of
slavery, haunted by her dead daughter. The author has said "Freeing
yourself was one thing; claiming ownership of that freed self was
another."
--Nicole leading discussion

Jul 4 Our group will not meet on this holiday. (Conveniently providing
more time to read next month's selection). Alternative recommendation
is for everyone to attend the 11th Annual Independence Day discussion
being organized by the Houston Great Books Council. Usually an excerpt
of the U.S. Constitution is discussed but details are not available
yet to confirm so please stay tuned.

Aug 1 THE SOUND AND THE FURY by William Faulkner (publ 1929) 350 pages
Notoriously "difficult," this novel is actually one of Faulkner's more
accessible works once you get past the abrupt, unannounced time
shifts--and certainly the most powerful emotionally according to some
reviews.
This story of the fall of the Compson family, an aristocratic
Southern family, mirrors the fall of the Old South after the Civil
War.
--David leading discussion

Sep 5 THE TRIAL by Franz Kafka (publ 1925) 300 pages
Breon Mitchell translation recommended and available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Trial-Translation-Based-Restored-Text/dp/0805209999/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1359660505&sr=1-2
The terrifying tale of Josef K., a respectable bank officer who is
suddenly and inexplicably arrested and must defend himself against a
charge about which he can get no information. Whether read as an
existential tale, a parable, or a prophecy of the excesses of modern
bureaucracy wedded to the madness of totalitarianism, Kafka's
nightmare has resonated with chilling truth for generations of
readers.
--Will leading discussion