-- Mysteries discussed    -- Romance fiction discussed    -- Science Fiction discussed    -- Online Booklist Available!

Bethany Books Talk

Bethany Books Talk welcomes everyone for a morning of good books. For the past six years, speakers have presented a group of books, sometimes with a theme and sometimes not. These informal presentations allow for good conversation as well. The Bethany Books Talk group meets every Friday morning, beginning at 10:30 A.M., unless otherwise noted. Approximately 10-20 regular attendees.

Date	Program Description
Jan. 11, 2008	A Bag of Books -- Join Marcy from Anderson as she shares some of her favorite recent non-fiction titles.
Jan. 18, 2008	Beware the Ides of March -- Layne, from Eiseley Branch, will present a glittering panoply about the Roman Empire.
Jan. 25, 2008	Classic Children's Stories -- Shannon, from Gere, will discuss some of her favorites appropriate for the young at heart.
Feb. 1, 2008	Young Adult, Entertaining and Style -- Come listen to Sarah, from Gere, as she shares a few of her favorite recent reads.
Feb. 8, 2008	The Good Life -- Meredith, of the Heritage Room, will discuss our wonderful Nebraska authors.
Feb. 15, 2008	Love for Sale -- Lisa, from Bennett Martin, will present Tales of Gentlemen Gigolos and Ladies of the Evening!
Feb. 22, 2008	Book Sharing Day -- TBA.
Feb. 29, 2008	Checkmate! -- Jim, from Gere, will bring some fiction titles about the intriguing world of chess.
Mar. 7, 2008	LibraryThing -- It's Alive! -- Scott, from Bennett Martin, will give a demo of the on-line LibraryThing communal book cataloging/reviewing web site, sharing some of his personal favorite titles.
Mar. 14, 2008	Erin go Bragh! -- Bethany's own Erin will touch the blarney stone of outstanding Irish fiction.
Mar. 21, 2008	One Book One Nebraska -- Join us for a discussion of what all of Nebraska is reading -- State Poet William Kloefkorn's Restoring the Burnt Child.
Mar. 28, 2008	Spring Reading! -- Forget spring cleaning! Kim, from Anderson, will bring some books that will keep you reading.
Apr. 4, 2008	The Good, the Gritty, a Sure Thing and the Witty -- Evelyn, from Bennett Martin, will share some thrilling mysteries.
Apr. 11, 2008	Through the Eyes of a Child -- Come listen to Kelley, as she tells about some adult novels told from a child's perspective.
Apr. 18, 2008	Women in Islam -- Vicki, from Bennett Martin, discusses a trio of non-fiction books highlighting the role of Women in Islamic culture.
Apr. 25, 2008	[library closed for In Service day]
May 2, 2008	Susan's Picks -- What's new in the world of young adult literature? Susan knows.
May 9, 2008	Books in Bloom -- Kaye from Anderson will share some books to help make your garden grow.
May 16, 2008	Passport to Peril -- Donna, from Eiseley and Walt Branches, says grab your passport! Jet off to England, where they dig up bodies in gardens and shake criminals out of family trees. Cross the English Channel, where orchid enthusiasts stumble across bodies in France. Follow the police around the fjords of Norway. Stop in Canada on the way home. Canadians are friendly, but they do have a dark side.
May 23, 2008	The War in Europe -- Karen, from Anderson, will bring a selection of books about Europe around the time of World War II.
May 30, 2008	Summer of Stories -- Rayma, from South Branch, ends the Winter/Spring series with some great books to read over the summer.

Courtyard Book Chats...in the Garden!

The third year of Courtyard Book Chat presentations are going to be held in the Lincoln Foundation Garden, directly across "N" Street from the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown. Every Tuesday, from 12:15 to 12:45 p.m., throughout June and July, interested readers are encouraged to bring their sack lunches and join us for a mixture of short themed presentations, personal favorites and Book Sharing opportunities. The central Courtyard inside Bennett Martin Public Library (our location the past two years) will be used in case of rain. If you have questions about our Courtyard Book Chats, you can e-mail us at: the BookGuide e-mail address.

The schedule of specific entries in the Courtyard Book Chats...in the Garden! for the summer of 2008 will be announced here very soon!

Gere Books Talk

Everyone is welcome at Gere's Books Talk book discussion group! Each week during our Fall/Winter and Spring sessions, we hear about some great reading material from our featured presenter. Popular topics include mysteries, biographies, classic literature worth rereading, time travel books and romance fiction. Our presenters range from Lincoln City Libraries staff, to local authors, to members of the public with special interests to share. Several times a year, we participate in a book-share session, with each participant bringing several titles to talk about with the group. There's no need to sign up in advance-we're casual, friendly and always happy to see a new face, so join us, on Monday afternoons from 2:30-4:00 p.m., and broaden your reading horizons. Approximately 5-10 regular attendees.

Date	Program Description
Jan. 7, 2008	Get Reacquainted! -- Gere Branch's own Jim will get things going with some of his favorite classics and recent non-fiction titles he has enjoyed.
Jan. 14, 2008	A Bag of Books -- Marcy joins us from Anderson and Bethany branches, to share several of her favorite non-fiction titles.
Jan. 21, 2008	[library closed for Martin Luther King Jr. holiday
Jan. 28, 2008	Young Adult, Entertaining and Style -- Gere's Sarah will present a tantalizing selection of recent young adult books.
Feb. 4, 2008	If I'd Only Met -- Pam will present a list of books about people she wishes she had known.
Feb. 11, 2008	Susan's Picks -- What's new in the world of young adult literature? Susan knows.
Feb. 18, 2008	[library closed for Presidents Day holiday]
Feb. 25, 2008	Classic Children's Stories -- Shannon, from Gere, will discuss some of her favorites appropriate for the young at heart.
Mar. 3, 2008	Beware the Ides of March! -- Layne, from Eiseley Branch, will present a glittering panoply about the Roman Empire.
Mar. 10, 2008	LibraryThing -- It's Alive! -- Scott, from Bennett Martin, will give a demo of the on-line LibraryThing communal book cataloging/reviewing web site, sharing some of his personal favorite titles.
Mar. 17, 2008	Erin go Bragh! -- Erin, from Anderson and Bethany Branches, will touch the blarney stone of outstanding Irish fiction.
Mar. 24, 2008	Bookshare! -- Everyone is encouraged to bring a book or two to share with the group.
Mar. 31, 2008	The Good Life -- Meredith, of the Heritage Room, will discuss our wonderful Nebraska authors.
Apr. 7, 2008	The Good, the Gritty, a Sure Thing and the Witty -- Evelyn will share some thrilling mysteries.
Apr. 14, 2008	Amber's Biographies Book Talk -- Amber brings some of her favorite biographies, and illuminates different types of bios.
Apr. 21, 2008	Women in Islam -- Vicki, from Bennett Martin, discusses a trio of non-fiction books highlighting the role of Women in Islamic culture.
Apr. 28, 2008	Checkmate! -- Gere's own Jim will bring some fiction titles about the intriguing world of chess.
May 5, 2008	Love for Sale -- Lisa, from Bennett Martin, will present Tales of Gentlemen Gigolos and Ladies of the Evening!
May 12, 2008	Passport to Peril -- Donna, from Eiseley and Walt Branches, says grab your passport! Jet off to England, where they dig up bodies in gardens and shake criminals out of family trees. Cross the English Channel, where orchid enthusiasts stumble across bodies in France. Follow the police around the fjords of Norway. Stop in Canada on the way home. Canadians are friendly, but they do have a dark side.
May 19, 2008	We wrap up the Winter/Spring series with Sean, who will share several of his most recent, interesting reads.

Just Desserts

The Just Desserts discussion group, focusing exclusively on Mystery Fiction, meets monthly at the Bennett Martin Public Library downtown. This group meets the last Thursday evening each month, January through October, 7:00 p.m. - 8:00 p.m., in the Reference Reading Room of the downtown library. A specific mystery novel is selected in advance for discussion during each meeting, although general discussion about mystery fiction may follow the discussion of the selected title. Since our theme is "Death and Desserts," (i.e. The murderer got their "just desserts."), any and all participants are encouraged to bring a dessert (cookies, cake, pie, tarts, brownies, cream puffs, etc.) to share with the other group members. [Coffee and juice will be provided.]

Date/Book	Program Description
	<<<<< Our Next Discussion!! Thursday, May 29, 2008 -- 7:00-8:00 p.m. In May, it's back to a contemporary author. Our title: "Holmes on the Range" by Steve Hockensmith. It's 1893, a tough year in Montana, and any job is a good job. When Big Red and Old Red Amlingmeyer sign on as ranch hands at the secretive Bar VR cattle spread, they're not expecting much more than hard work, bad pay, and a comfortable campfire around which they can enjoy their favorite pastime: scouring Harper's Weekly for stories about the famous Sherlock Holmes." "When the boys come across a dead body that looks a whole lot like the leftovers of an unfortunate encounter with a cattle stampede, Old Red sees the perfect opportunity to employ his Holmes-inspired deducifiyin' skills. Putting his ranch work squarely on the back burner, he sets out to solve the case. Steve Hockensmith's Holmes on the Range is available in the following edition: 2006 hardback
	Thursday, June 26, 2008 -- 7:00-8:00 p.m. Our "classic" author for June is Agatha Christie, perhaps best known for her two primary sleuths, Hercule Poirot and Miss Jane Marple. We've chosen to explore one of her lesser known detectives, Parker Pyne, in Parker Pyne Investigates. From the moment Mr. Parker Pyne takes a seat on the Orient Express, crime follows him like a shadow. It takes him from the ruins of Petra to Baghdad to the tombs of the Pharaohs -- where a helpless woman is given her daily dose of death... Agatha Christie's Parker Pyne Investigates is available in the following editions: 1984 paperback reprint | 1986 reprint
	Thursday, July 31, 2008 -- 7:00-8:00 p.m. From one of our group member's suggestions, we turn to contemporary mystery novelist Archer Mayor for our July selection -- St. Alban's Fire. This is the 16th volume in the popular Joe Gunther series. Winter is on the wane in northwestern Vermont. The moon hangs bright and cold in the silvery night sky over hundreds of square miles of a peaceful, dormant landscape of dairy farms. Young Bobby Cutts enters the family barn to tend to the beasts within...and encounters a nightmare. Suddenly surrounded by bolts of fire, Bobby and the entire herd perish in a stampeding, hellish circle of flames. Called to the scene to investigate, Joe Gunther instantly recognizes arson. But by whom? And for what possible reason? There is little insurance, the family is loving and tightly knit, and there are few neighborhood animosities. Yet murder this is, and Gunther quickly discovers that someone is wreaking havoc across the bucolic farmlands surrounding the town of St. Albans. Somewhere in the dense social fabric of the community, in the hearts and souls of Bobby's family, and in the cutthroat farming business underneath the region's placid exterior are the truths Joe Gunther and his team must ferret out. But what looked like a local case is about to take them from the barns of Vermont to the gritty streets of Newark, New Jersey. Before all is said and done, Joe Gunther will meet one of his deadliest opponents to date...and he will need far more than his skills as a policeman to protect the people closest to his heart. Archer Mayor's St. Alban's Fire is available in the following editions: 2005 hardback | 2005 book-on-CD
	Thursday, August 28, 2008 -- 7:00-8:00 p.m. In August, it's back to a classic mystery author, this time Rex Stout, and his gustatorial sleuth, Nero Wolfe. Our selected title is Champagne for One. There's nothing like murder to spoil a good meal. That's what Archie Goodwin, the able assisstant to Nero Wolfe, discovers at a lavish dinner hosted by a billionaire. It was a casual evening among gorgeous society girls until champagne became a murder weapon. Luckily for Archie his boss knows champagne and other gourmet fare. He also happens to be a genius at deduction. That combination could mean the last call for a killer who spiked the bubbly with cyanide. Rex Stout's Champagne for One is available in the following editions: 1958 hardback | 1996 paperback reprint | 1996 book-on-audiotape
	Thursday, September 25, 2008 -- 7:00-8:00 p.m. Our last contemporary mystery author for 2008 will be Kerry Greenwood, whose Death at Victoria Dock will be our September reading selection. Greenwood's Phryne Fisher has been the star of a long-running Australian mystery series, set in the 1920s, which has had only limited exposure here in the U.S. -- Driving home late one night, Phryne Fisher is surprised when someone shoots out her windscreen. When she alights she finds a pretty young man with an anarchist tattoo dying on the tarmac just outside the dock gates. He bleeds to death in her arms, and Phryne promises to find out who is responsible. Kerry Greenwood's Death at Victoria Dock is available in the following edition: 2006 U.S. printing of the 1992 Australian original
	Thursday, October 30, 2008 -- 7:00-8:00 p.m. TBA -- Our final meeting for 2008!

Great Books Reading and Discussion Group

The Great Books Reading and Discussion Group is not a class. It is open to everyone interested in talking about some of the classics of the written word. This group meets twice-monthly at the Gere Branch library. Copies of the texts may be borrowed from the library (call number 808.8 Gre2) or you may purchase the three-volume set of readings by calling The Great Books Foundation at 1-800-222-5870 and requesting "Great Books, 2nd Series."

For information call Discussion leaders Lee Lemon (484-7254) or visit the Great Books Lincoln web site.

Unless otherwise noted, meetings are Thursday evenings, 6:45 to 8:45 PM, at Gere Branch Library.

The 2007-2008 Great Books Reading and Discussion Group season begins this fall; check back here later to see which Great Books Series we'll be using!

Date	Title Being Discussed
2007 MEETING DATES
Sep 13, 2007	Plato: The Crito (complete)
Sep 27, 2007	Dewey: The Virtues
Oct 11, 2007	Euripides: Iphigeneia at Aulis (complete)
Oct 25, 2007	Aristotle: Politics
Nov 8, 2007	Dostoevsky: Notes From the Underground (complete)
Dec 13, 2007	Bible: Exodus
2008 MEETING DATES
Jan. 10, 2008	Hobbes: Origin of Government
Jan. 24, 2008	Melville: Billy Budd, Sailor (complete)
Feb. 14, 2008	Smith: Wealth of Nations
Feb. 28, 2008	Shakespeare: Antony and Cleopatra (complete)
Mar. 13, 2008	Kierkegaard: The Knight of Faith
Mar. 27, 2008	Herodotus: The Persian Wars
Apr. 10, 2008	Locke: Of Civil Government
Apr. 24, 2008	Swift: Gulliver's Travels
May 8, 2008	Thoreau: Civil Disobedience (complete)
May 22, 2008	(Make-up, if needed)

This Program Co-sponsored by Lincoln City Libraries, Lincoln, Nebraska

Try out our On-Line Book Clubs! You can join any of eleven new e-mail book clubs in the following reading categories: Non-Fiction; Business; Fiction; Good News; Mystery; Science Fiction; Horror; Romance; Teen; Pre-Publication and Audio Books.

Reading and Writing Nebraska [R 028.9 Kru]

Reading and Writing Nebraska, by Mel Krutz (for The Nebraska Center for the Book) is available for public use in the reference room at the Bennett Martin Public Library (14th & "N" St.), as well as the Heritage Room of Nebraska Authors. This newly-compiled 2004 volume lists over 60 additional book discussion groups in the Lincoln area, with address, telephone and e-mail contact information for each group. Many listings also give a description of the types of materials dicussed by each group, and their meeting frequency.

If you've got a book group that's open to the general public, free-of-charge, and you'd like to be included in our list of local Book Discussion Groups here, please visit our Book Groups Survey page and fill out a brief form giving us some information about your group.

Circle 4 Book Discussion Group

Where We Meet:	First-Plymouth Congregational Church UCC 2000 "D" St.
When We Meet:	Monthly -- 11:30 a.m. -- usually the third Tuesday, Calvert Parlor
Group Contact:	Amy Tuttle, 435-5454
We Discuss:	A mixture of Fiction and Non-Fiction. Some examples of past books we've read include: David Guterson's Snow Falling on Cedars; Kent Haruf's Plainsong; Marcus Borg's Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time; and J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.
Group Description:	Lively, open-minded women with an appreciation for interrelations among characters, and consequences of action, as demonstrated in good fiction.
Other Notes:	Our 2005-2006 reading list: June 21, 2005 – Khaled Hosseini: The Kite Runner*; July 19 – Kent Haruf: Eventide; August 16 – Yann Martel: The Life of Pi*; September 20 – Tim O’Brien: The Things They Carried*; October 18 – Stephen King: The Green Mile*; November 15 - James Agee: A Death in the Family; December 13 - NOTE DATE - Karen Armstrong: The Spiral Staircase; January 17, 2006: - Marilynne Robinson: Gilead; 15 copies February 21 - Marly Swick: Evening News; March 21 – John Steinbeck: Tortilla Flat; April 18 - Barbara Kingsolver: Pigs in Heaven; May 16 – Willa Cather: My Antonia; June 20 – Chaim Potok: The Chosen. * One Book -- One Lincoln semifinalist. We have already read Ted Kooser’s Local Wonders.

Lee Booksellers

Lee Booksellers, at the Edgewood shopping center in Lincoln, sponsors several monthly bookclubs, with specific themes. Most of these clubs focus on discussing a specific, pre-selected book at each meeting, as identified below. To see the specifics, including titles scheduled for upcoming discussions, please visit the Lee Booksellers Web site, and click on Store Events.
The Cooks' Book Club
3rd Thursdays 7:30 P.M.	This general fiction discussion group meets the third Thursday evening of each month, starting at 7:30 p.m.
Crazy Ladies Book Club
3rd Mondays 7:30 P.M.	This general fiction and non-fiction discussion group meets the third Monday of each month, at 7:30 P.M.
Mystery Monday Book Club
2nd Mondays 7:30 P.M.	The mystery fiction discussion group meets in the second Monday evening of each month, starting at 7:30 p.m. Approximately 5-10 regular attendees.
Sisters in Crime
2nd Thursdays 7:30 P.M.	Not specifically a Lee Booksellers group, this is the monthly meeting of the local chapter of the Sisters in Crime women mystery writers organization: Authors, readers, publishers, agents, booksellers, librarians supporting women who write mysteries. Public welcome.
Something Different Book Club
1st Thursday 9:30 A.M.	This general fiction discussion group meets the first Thursday morning of each month, starting at 9:30 a.m.
Third Tuesday Mystery Book Club
3rd Tuesdays 7:00 P.M.	As the name implies, this book group meets on the third Tuesday of each month, at 7:00 p.m., to discuss a mystery title. Approximately 10-15 regular attendees.
Tuesday Evening Book Club
2nd Tuesdays 7:00 P.M.	This group meets the second Tuesday evening of each month, starting at 7:00 p.m. Approximately 5-10 regular attendees

Star Base Andromeda

Where We Meet:	Bennett Martin Public Library 136 S. 14th St.
When We Meet:	6:30 P.M. every Tuesday night (generally in the library's 4th floor auditorium)
Group Contact:	Scott Clark, 325-0246
We Discuss:	We exclusively discuss Science Fiction and Fantasy literature. We alternate between established "classics" of these genres, and works by prominent contemporary authors.
Group Description:	This general-interest Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror club meets weekly, on both Tuesday evenings and Sunday afternoons. We have a Book Discussion night approximately every six weeks. Membership in the club is not necessary to participate in Book Discussions, and guests are always welcome. Books we've recently discussed include: Mary Gentle's Rats and Gargoyles, Andre Norton's The Crossroads of Time, Clive Barker's The Thief of Always, H. Beam Piper's Little Fuzzy, Joe Haldeman's The Forever War, Neal Stephenson's Snowcrash, David Gerrold's The Man Who Folded Himself, Jane Yolen's collection Sister Emily's Lightship and Other Stories, Leigh Brackett's classic The Long Tomorrow, the anthology Beyond Singularity, Fritz Leiber's The Big Time, Kage Baker's In the Garden of Iden, Philip K. Dick's Eye in the Sky, Elizabeth Moon's Nebula-winning The Speed of Dark, Jack Williamson's The Humanoids, Charles Stross' Accelerando, Theodore Sturgeon's More Than Human, John Ringo's There Will Be Dragons, The Worm Ouroboros by E.R. Eddison, and "Farewell to the Master" by Harry Bates (the story which became the film The Day the Earth Stood Still).
Other Notes:	Our format is that everyone participating in the discussion should have read the pre-selected book before the meeting. We try to have at least 3 to 4 books selected in advance. Please see Star Base Andromeda Web site for the current month's schedule, or our Book Discussions page for information about our past, present and upcoming selections. Approximately 5-10 regular attendees.

Wednesday Morning Book Discussion Group

Where We Meet:	St. Paul United Methodist Church 1144 "M" St.
When We Meet:	9:30 A.M. the 4th Wednesday of each month (except July, August, November and December)
Group Contact:	Ethel Dedering, 488-7922
We Discuss:	A mixture of Fiction and Non-Fiction. We try to read a Nebraska author each year (i.e. Willa Cather, etc) and also try to read at least one "classic," (i.e. Cry the Beloved Country). These is My Words by Nancy Turner was recently a big hit.
Group Description:	We are a very enthusiastic small group, who love reading and discussing books with each other. Although we are sponsored by the church, we do not read only religious books (in fact very few) and our membership is not limited to church members. In fact, several are not, and I'm sure anyone would feel comfortable there.
Other Notes:	Members select books for the upcoming year at the June meeting. Members come with lists of books they're interested in, and the group selects from among those. Coffee and cookies are served at each meeting, and a little social and get acquainted time is allowed.