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Linda Sappenfield — Thu, 16 Jun 2011 18:32:00 GMT

Pssssst! Have I got a reading group tip for you: at least an hour of animated give-and-take practically guaranteed, and it's less than thirty pages long.

Leading a discussion for Ryunosuke Akutagawa's short story "Hell Screen" is a dream job. That text was June's topic for the Baca Center Great Conversations group on Tuesday. The selection is so rich with intriguing themes that I didn't agonize over my choice of questions, figuring that the group's commentary and participation would be high-quality no matter what--and they were. Whether you focus on the question of great art requiring sacrifice or one of the other eye-opening facets (which I'll refrain from divulging here), rest assured you won't lack for conversation.

Try a less-than-book-length choice with your reading group sometime. As with poetry, short stories derive power from conciseness. And, during an activity-laden summer, who doesn't appreciate brevity for its own sake?

With convenience in mind, I scanned reviews for new and forthcoming fiction, mining for choice bits (thank you, clever reviewers!) that encapsulate the appeal of these promising--and full-length--titles.

Please do follow up and consult full reviews online, or come to the library and let us find some for you. In the meantime...

MAY

Jen Lancaster, If You Were Here: "snappy"
Steve Earle, I'll Never Get Out of This World Alive: "heartfelt"

JUNE

Kate Christensen, The Astral: "satisfying redoing of a man undone"
Daniel Wilson, Robopocalypse: "frenetic"
Josh Ritter, Bright's Passage: "hard to forget"
Erica Bauermeister, Joy for Beginners: "resonating"
Gabrielle Donnelly, The Little Women Letters: "beautifully crafted"
Elin Hilderbrand, Silver Girl: "sensitive"
Karin Slaughter, Fallen: "unrelentingly suspenseful"
Steve Martini, Trader of Secrets: "high-octane"
Helen Grant, The Glass Demon: "cerebral blend of horror and mystery"

JULY

Sarah Bird, The Gap Year: "memorably realistic"
Amanda Eyre Ward, Close Your Eyes: "elegant" "incisive"
Monica Ali, Untold Story: "daring and engrossing"
Amor Towles, Rules of Civility: "quotable"
Jim Knipfel, The Blow-Off: "morbidly playful"
William Dietrich, Blood of the Reich: "diverting"
Paul Lawrence, A Plague of Sinners: Being the Second Chronicle of Harry Lytle: "outstanding"
Gwendolen Gross, The Orphan Sister: "emotionally charged"
Robert Browne, The Paradise Prophecy: "cinematic"
Elizabeth Kane Buzzeli, Dead Dogs and Englishmen: "gripping"
Diana Rowland, My Life as a White Trash Zombie: "hilarious"
Patricia Rice, The Devilish Montague: "endearing"
Emily Arsenault, In Search of the Rose Notes: "deeply satisfying"

AUGUST

Ernest Cline, Ready Player One: "dazzling"
Amy Waldman, The Submission: "frighteningly plausible"
Vanessa Diffenbaugh, The Language of Flowers: "enchanting"
Jennifer Close, Girls in White Dresses: "artfully spare"

SEPTEMBER

Erin Morgenstern, The Night Circus: "vibrant"
Hector Tobar, The Barbarian Nurseries: "panoramic"

OCTOBER

Rebecca Coleman, The Kingdom of Childhood: "nicely creepy"

Search results matching tags 'Round Rock Public Library', 'Readers Exchange', and 'Great Converstions: Hell Screen'

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