Library District releases book club schedules
In the bleak midsummer that we’ve been having – in terms of both weather and gas prices – a good book might well trump the Jet Skis.
And if you’ve been waiting for just the right book to hook you into a reading program, look no further.
The Spokane County Library District has just released the book club schedules for four of its 10 branches, from June through December. The list ranges from Sue Monk Kidd’s New York Times best-seller “The Secret Life of Bees” to Mark Dunn’s “Ella Minnow Pea” to Margaret Atwood’s “The Blind Assassin.”
Anthony Bourdain’s “A Cook’s Tour: Global Adventures in Extreme Cuisines” also makes the list, with a little Barbara Kingsolver and Sherman Alexie thrown in for good measure.
Here are the branch book club hours:
•Deer Park Book Club: Meets the last Wednesday of every month from noon to 1 p.m. through December. Bring a brown bag lunch.
•Moran Prairie Book Club: Meets the fourth Tuesday of the month from 2 to 4 p.m. through August.
•North Spokane Library: Meets the second Wednesday of the month from 7 to 8 p.m., July through December.
•Spokane Valley Library: Meets the fourth Wednesday of the month from 2 to 4 p.m. through August.
For a complete schedule including dates and book titles, visit www.scld.org or call (509) 893-8200.
Socratic method
BookPeople of Moscow is bringing philosophical inquiry out of the classroom and onto the Palouse with a new discussion group.
Socrates Cafe is open to anyone interested in questioning society, challenging assumptions and engaging in dialogue in a nonintimidating environment.
The Cafe will meet on the first and third Sunday of the month at 6 p.m. The first meeting is tonight.
For more information or to listen to an NPR interview with Socrates Cafe originator and philosopher, Christopher Phillips, visit www.philosopher.org.
Jogging your memory
It’s time to celebrate the 104th Moscow Bloomsday.
Yes, your eyesight is fine, and no, you will not be required to strap on your running shoes and trudge up Doomsday Hill.
Avid James Joyce fans will recognize Monday as “Bloomsday,” the day on which Joyce’s fictional “Ulysses” character, Leopold Bloom, spent wandering Dublin.
The day is traditionally celebrated across the U.S. and Ireland, naturally, with the recitation of selections from “Ulysses.”
To join in the celebration, visit the 1912 Center in Moscow on Monday from 6:30 to 10:30 p.m. for rehearsed and impromptu readings. Contact mirrortheater@roadrunner.com.
Dancing across the water
Washington State University professor and author Buddy Levy is adding another book to his repertoire.
Available June 24, “Conquistador: Hernán Cortés, King Montezuma, and the Last Stand of the Aztecs” relays the gripping tale of Cortés, Montezuma and the Spanish conquest of the Aztec Empire.
According to Booklist reviewer Jay Freeman, the book “allows the pure excitement and drama of the story to unfold naturally” and offers a superb read.
Check out local bookshelves next week.
Writers corner
Whether you are an aspiring or accomplished writer, the Inland Northwest Writers Guild offers a place for you to meet with other writers to give and receive feedback, contacts and active listening skills.
The group meets Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the Liberty Cafe in Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington. For more information, call (509) 443-4963.
Book talk
•Dark City Book Group (“Death on the Family Tree” by Patricia Sprinkle), 7 p.m. Monday, Auntie’s Bookstore, Main and Washington.
•Youth Book Group for ages 8 through 13 (“Gregor and the Code of Claw by Suzanne Collins), 2 p.m. Saturday, Auntie’s Bookstore.
The reader board
Scott Reed (“The Treasure Called Tubbs Hill”), signing, 5 to 7:30 p.m. Thursday, Coeur d’Alene Library.