On June 7 we met for discussion of our 20th book! “A Tale for the Time Being” by Ruth Ozeki led to wide ranging discussion, about Zen, concerns for the environment, writing about and across time, and how writing has an impact on our personalities and how we understand ourselves through time. The two narrators, Japanese girl, Nao, and American writer, Ruth, never meet, but communicate across time and space. We agreed that the book was almost science fiction, and enjoyed consideration of how genre fiction has begun blending into mainstream fiction. From cultural differences to Japanese culture, to modern technology, to time itself, we all agreed the book lent itself to a fascinating discussion.
Our next book will be "Lab Girl" by Hope Behren. Here is a link to one of the many reviews of this novel, this one from the New York Times. We will meet Wednesday, August 2, in Room 115 of the Richardson Library. Discussion begins at 1:30, with the room open at 1 pm. for anyone who wants to bring in a brown bag lunch. For further information contact Kathryn DeGraff or Helen Marlborough.
We will continue to review the titles on our list for consideration for upcoming discussions. Please let Kathryn, Helen, or anyone else in the group, if you have a favorite book you would like to share with your DES colleagues. As you can tell from the posts, we are interested in a wide range of fiction and non fiction. We enjoy our sessions thoroughly and always have room for more people and more insights!
