New Providence Memorial Library's Online Reading Group discussion

Welcome to this year's Summer Reading program. We'll be doing weekly topics all though June & July. Respond to the question with whatever you're currently reading or have recently read. I'll start it off.

This week's topic is titles. What is the significance of the title? Would you have given the book a different title? If yes, what is your title?

I'm still finishing up the last Thursday AM Book Group selection. It's called The Round House. It's a story that takes place on an Indian Reservation in North Dakota. I'm not giving away anything else. The Round House is the locus of the plot. It's where the main character and narrator, Joe, focuses his attention and energy to right a wrong that has happened to his mother. It is the most direct indication of where the action takes place. That action in that place has a profound effect on the tribe and individuals and outsiders.

The title of this book, then, is entirely appropriate without giving away any details which unfold slowly and leave the author in complete control.

What can you say about the title of what you're reading?

I'm reading Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum, a novel about Anna and her daughter, Trudie. The story jumps back and forth between 1996 in Minnesota and WWII in Germany. Anna, a German young woman during WWII, becomes pregnant by a Jewish man but then carries on an affair with a Nazi officer throughout the war. Anna's daughter, Trudie, is a professor doing a project on the German experience during WWII and carries a lot of guilt because she is German. I'm almost finished, and I'm not sure who is saving who, but I'm sure the details will come together by the end. So I think the title is appropriate, and the author is fully in control. As long as she answers eventually who is saving the characters!

I'm part way through The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8 Lee,an entertaining look at Chinese food in the U.S. The author's investigation starts when it comes to her attention that in 2005 a strangely large number of people had winning lottery numbers in the Powerball. The common denominator--winners got their numbers from fortune cookies. On the way to figuring out how this happened, she researches General Tso's chicken, chop suey, and how some Chinese food has become more American than Chinese.

This title is a clear signal as to the subject matter. I'm looking forward to finding out how those Powerball numbers ended up coming from the cookies.

I've just finished The Invention of Wings - the story that follows a slave girl and her female owner from age 11 on. The "invention of wings" is a story told to the young slave by her mother that blacks in Africa had wings before they were taken into slavery, and could fly. It comes full circle at the end of the story when the two girls (now adults) invent their own wings - each finding freedom and opportunities.

Just completed The Beast, one of Faye Kellerman's Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series. It focuses on solving the murder of an 89 year old man found in his apartment, which is also inhabited by a tiger and many other dangerous animals. Who or what is the beast? The title, while appearing ambiguous, feels obvious and somewhat simplistic by the end of the book; however, I don't have a better one to offer. Not one of Kellerman's most intriguing, but it's always fun visiting with her on-going characters and the story is highly imaginative.

1) I also thought of "The Invention of Wings" by Sue Monk Kidd. (See message by Diana. ) the "wings" metaphor begins with the folklore of Africans brought here as slaves, represented in the intricate quilts of Charlotte, and the endeavors of both Handful and Sarah Grimke. Both women yearn to break free of the limitations imposed on them. This book was one of the best I've read (listened to, actually....the narrators were wonderful) in a long while. it was educational as well. an interesting blend of fact and fiction.


2) The Center Holds: Obama and his Enemies

the title is borrowed from William Butler Yeats (1865-1939)
THE SECOND COMING


Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.

J Alter's book is about the significance of the results of the 2012 election in a much larger context than that of a single election, i.e, in the "way Americans see themselves." I'm in the middle of this now.

Mrs. Lincoln's Dressmaker. there are so many books out there with a title like " the so-and so's daughter/son" and I find that interesting. obviously the main character is referenced and defined by the relationship, but... it somehow seems in my mind, to assign them less significance.

Riders of the Purple Sage certainly is a descriptive title for this work. I have so often heard this title, and finally bought a copy during a browse at Goodwill (what a great place to come across the classics). The sensation of actually being on and in the purple sage is conveyed so wonderfully by the descriptions in this book. Through this read I felt transported there. It was the perfect title. If you are looking for a romantic, intimate story about life in the wild west this will surpass your expectations. Morman-Gentile relationships are paramount to the storyline. I wonder if they are accurate or sensationalized for the story.Riders of the Purple SageRiders of the Purple Sage

Diana wrote: "I've just finished The Invention of Wings - the story that follows a slave girl and her female owner from age 11 on. The "invention of wings" is a story told to the young slave by her mother that ..."

It's on the list but I haven't got there yet...sounds good.

Norrie wrote: "Just completed The Beast, one of Faye Kellerman's Peter Decker/Rina Lazarus series. It focuses on solving the murder of an 89 year old man found in his apartment, which is also inhabited by a tiger..."

This sounds similar to The Round House where the title is very direct and indicates the central idea of the story without giving anything away and without giving away the author's opinion on who or what The Beast is.

I'm going to pass on Rosanne's comments:

Just read King Peggy, An American Secretary, Her Royal Destiny, and the Inspiring Story of How She Changed an African Village. The title is certainly descriptive, but I think it should be King Peggy, An American Secretary and the Story of Duplicity and Corruption in Her Village in Ghana. Honestly, I can't really understand how this book got to be a best seller. The writing is very basic, the story repetitive, and the gullibility of King Peggy beyond belief.

The original title is descriptive but your revised title perhaps gives too much away and would cause people to steer clear of something that is just too depressing to think about.

Here is the review from Booklist which is a magazine that librarians use to select titles. Stay tuned for the movie version:

Bartels was a native of Ghana living in the U.S., working as secretary to the Ghanaian embassy, when a relative called to give her startling news. Following the death of her uncle, a village king, the council of elders had determined that she would be his successor. Bartels, who’d come to the U.S. to study and had become a U.S. citizen, hadn’t been home since the death of her mother. But she accepted the daunting prospect with determination and brio. She would rule part-time, traveling between Washington, D.C., and Ghana. Bartels, along with coauthor Herman, chronicles her journey from secretary to king of the poor and isolated village of Otuam, 60 miles from the capital of Accra. She becomes reacquainted with distant relatives and her estranged husband as she juggles responsibilities such as refurbishing the modest palace, repaving roads, and burying her uncle before the ancestors can be offended—all on fees collected from fishermen and a secretary’s salary. Balancing cultural differences and sketchy finances, Bartels finds within herself the strength to tackle poverty, tradition, and personal transformation.

Just recently finished "The Supremes at Earl's All-you-can-eat" by Edward Kelsey. IMHO, great title! Without giving much away, The Supremes of the title are three women and we learn about their relationship from school days thru adulthood. Earl is a great character and his restaurant is featured throughout the book. Perfect title!

This was a fun question! Thank you for doing this again.

Marilyn

Karen wrote: "I'm reading Those Who Save Us by Jenna Blum, a novel about Anna and her daughter, Trudie. The story jumps back and forth between 1996 in Minnesota and WWII in Germany. Anna, a German young woman ..."

This certainly sounds like a tangled web! I'm betting on Trudie turning out to be Jewish instead of German and having an identity crisis and struggling with her guilt. Let me know if I am close..

Becky wrote: "I'm part way through The Fortune Cookie Chronicles by Jennifer 8 Lee,an entertaining look at Chinese food in the U.S. The author's investigation starts when it comes to her attention that in 2005 ..."

Please keep us updated on that...maybe we should start giving out fortune cookies as prizes!

Re:Sangeets's comment on how a title can diminish the (supposed) main character: brings to mind "Galileo's Daughter" which was really about Galileo. Great book, though.

Thanks to all our participants this week...Great comments and some future reading suggestions. Our winner this week actually wrote a written review of Let the Great World Spin. She felt the title seemed appropriate and indicates that whatever happens, the world keeps going. Here's more of what she wrote:

While the character in the book crosses the distance between the 2 World Trade Center towers on his tight rope, below him life goes on and in different chapters, different characters' lives are being followed.

hi Lisa
i'd like to read the "let the great world spin" comment. the book and her review sound interested, but i don't see it...am i missing something ?
sangeeta

No, this year I've incorporated written reviews as well as online reviews and am also allowing people to respond on Facebook although nobody has yet. So, our winner responded w/ a written review. I did excerpt some of it but here is the complete review of Let the Great World Spin from Helene:

The title seems appropriate to me. It indicates that what ever happens the world keeps going.

While the character in the book crosses the distance between the 2 World Trade Center towers on his tight rope, below him life goes on and in different chapters, different characters' lives are being followed. In the final chapter, all previous chapters are being pulled together.