Ms. Barnes

The LS Guys Read group met on March 21. We talked about City of Bones and the nature of the supernatural Shadowhunters in the series; then we discussed 11/22/63 by Stephen King and the fact that most time travel novels have a similar formula and technical problems to figure out.  For our next meeting (next week on April 4!) we will discuss the first book of the Beyonders series by Brandon Mull, A World Without Heroes, or for those who have already read it, the sequel, Seeds of Rebellion.  Mull will be at MUS the morning of April 17 to talk about his books and meet students.  (Pre-order a book at the Hyde Library if you want him to sign it.)

The US Read for Fun group will meet Friday, March 30, to talk about Dune by Frank Herbert.  We've had extra time to finish this book, so it should be a good discussion.  It's been said that Herbert is to science fiction what Tolkien is to fantasy.  

Update from the March 30 meeting:  We discussed Dune in comparison to other sci fi classics such as the Ender's Game series, and our resident experts agreed that Dune is better--"after all, it's the number one science fiction book" to read (although some would maintain that Terry Pratchett is the best).    By the way, a new manuscript by Frank Herbert has just been published posthumously:  High Odd.  Our next meeting will be April 20, and we'll talk about Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi. After that we'll have a final meeting on May 11 and plan a movie event. 

The LS Guys Read group met on January 11 to talk about Watchmen and The Hunger Games.  We discussed both books and had a variety of comments on them. For February, we chose a brand new nonfiction book on Memphis and civil rights history by Ann Bausum: Marching to the Mountaintop. The award-winning author will visit us again on February 17. 

We also came up with a fiction book to read: the first book in the Ranger's Apprentice series by John Flanagan, Ranger's Apprentice: The Ruins of Gorlan.  If you've already read any of the books in the series, just pick the next book--the most recent is book number 11: Ranger's Apprentice: The Lost Stories.   Our Novelist database lists all popular fiction series in the correct order in case you ever want to look one up.

The Read for Fun (US) book club will meet this Friday (October 21) during lunch in the Loeb Room. The book is I Am Number Four, and those who have already read that can read the sequel, The Power of Six. Both books are on our e-readers and in print too.

The Lower School Guys Read club is reading Son of Neptune which was released on October 4.  We'll meet next Wednesday (October 26) in the Loeb Room during Lower School lunch.  This is the second book in Rick Riordan's second series of action adventures based on Greek and Roman mythology, and we have it on our e-readers and in hard copy.

The US Read for Fun group will meet September 23 in the Loeb Room for lunch.  One book has been nominated so far:  I Am Number Four.  There are also several new series out and doubtless some other nominations will come forth. 

The LS Guys Read group will meet on September 28 during LS lunch, and there will be an interesting discussion about all the series that have added titles over the summer.  Check the new library newsletter for updates on when some other books are appearing.

Mrs. Crosby and Mr. Reese have big plans for their groups this year, too. Check with them to find out!

School is up and running, and our library has seen a transformation over the summer, with new lights, ceilings, carpet, and reference shelves.  We plan to add more furniture over the next two summers and remodel the computer classroom, but the biggest effort is over, and it's been well received by the community. 

Book clubs will be starting in September, and we encourage anyone who is interested to join and attend.  New installments of several series are out, and some major authors have published new books, so be thinking about what you'd like to read!