GREENE — Morse Memorial Library will host a series of book discussions in 2019. Books to be discussed include fiction and nonfiction titles on a variety of topics. The discussions will take place at the library on the third Thursday of every other month. Multiple copies will be available to borrow at the library four weeks in advance.
Patrons are invited to attend any or all of the sessions; those unable to attend may comment on the books on the library’s Facebook page.
The complete schedule is:
“News of the World,” by Paulette Jiles — Thursday, Jan. 17, at 2 p.m. Fiction, 213 pages. Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd lives a solitary existence as he travels through post-Civil War northern Texas, giving live readings from newspapers to paying audiences hungry for news. When he agrees to transport an orphan — just “rescued” by the U.S. Army from the Kiowa raiders who raised her — to relatives 400 miles south in San Antonio, their journey holds some perilous surprises.
“Hillbilly Elegy,” by J.D. Vance — Thursday, March 21, at 5:30 p.m. Nonfiction, 264 pages. Yale Law School graduate J.D. Vance explores issues of social class and economic decline through the lens of his own family, starting with his “dirt poor” grandparents who left Appalachia for Ohio in search of a better life. While they succeeded in raising a middle-class family, a legacy of abuse, alcoholism and trauma ingrained over generations of cultural isolation and poverty proved harder to escape.
“The Life We Bury,” by Allen Eskers — Thursday, May 16, at 5:30 p.m. Fiction, 303 pages. Charged with finding an interview subject for a class assignment, college student Joe Talbert visits a local nursing home, where he meets Carl Iverson, a Vietnam veteran and convicted murderer with only a few months to live. Unable to reconcile the heroism of the soldier with the despicable acts of the convict, Joe is drawn deeper into the mystery of Carl’s life, with growing repercussions for his own.
To be announced — Thursday, July 18, at 5:30 p.m. The discussion will involve the 2019 selections from the “MaineReads” statewide summer reading program or a nonfiction book to be determined.
“A Piece of the World,” by Christina Baker Kline — Thursday, Sept. 19, at 5:30 p.m. Fiction, 309 pages. Tied to her family’s farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, by frail health and circumstance, Christina Olson seems destined for a small life. Then she meets her neighbor, artist Andrew Wyeth. Inspired by Wyeth’s iconic and mysterious painting “Christina’s World,” this novel by the author of “Orphan Train” is a meditation on the power of friendship, passion and art.
“Growing Up Franco American (With No Patent Leather Shoes),” by Lorraine Dutil Masur — Thursday, Nov. 21, at 2 p.m. Nonfiction, 161 pages. The daughter of courageous parents who heartily embraced their new country while remaining true to cherished cultural traditions, Masur remembers the joys and challenges of growing up part of the vibrant Franco-American community in mid-century Lewiston.
Morse Library is at 105 Main St., just off Route 202 and a ¼ mile down from Greene Central School. New for 2019, open hours are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from noon to 7 p.m. and Friday and Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.
For more information, call 207-946-5544 or visit www.morse.lib.me.us.
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