The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

I read this book for one of my book group discussions. At first I was having a hard time getting into the book and had decided to be one of those members that comes to the meeting, not having read the book. But then I heard from another member that she too had a hard time getting into it but ended up loving it.

I decided to give it another try, this time not focusing on the structure of the sentences but just letting the book flow over me. And guess what? I ended up enjoying the book. Can't say that I loved it, but I am glad I read it. We ended up having a very good discussion. And that is what it is about, right?

Synopsis from Amazon ---
The latest from Barry pits two contradictory narratives against each other in an attempt to solve the mystery of a 100-year-old mental patient. That patient, Roseanne McNulty, decides to undertake an autobiography and writes of an ill-fated childhood spent with her father, Joe Clear. A cemetery superintendent, Joe is drawn into Ireland's 1922 civil war when a group of irregulars brings a slain comrade to the cemetery and are discovered by a division of Free-Staters. Meanwhile, Roseanne's psychiatrist, Dr. Grene, investigating Roseanne's original commitment in preparation for her transfer to a new hospital, discovers through the papers of the local parish priest, Fr. Gaunt, that Roseanne's father was actually a police sergeant in the Royal Irish Constabulary. The mysteries multiply when Roseanne reveals that Fr. Gaunt annulled her marriage after glimpsing her in the company of another man; Gaunt's official charge was nymphomania, and the cumulative fallout led to a string of tragedies. Written in captivating, lyrical prose, Barry's novel is both a sparkling literary puzzle and a stark cautionary tale of corrupted power.

SD Library Challenge: Electronic Resources Edition

This summer, this blog will be doing double duty. (I hope I don't get too confused.) I just signed up for the South Dakota Library Challenge, sponsored by the wonderful people at the State Library. It is a chance for us to 'play with' the electronic resources that they provide to the people of South Dakota. Each week we take a look at a different resource. Some of the items I am familiar with already from working at Briggs but other ones I have not used at all.

So this will be a good thing!

The Writing Circle by Corinne Demas

I am reading the e-book version of this book courtesy of the First Look Book Club at Barnes & Nobles.

They call themselves the Leopardi Circle--six members of a writing group who share much more than their works in progress.

When Nancy, whose most recently published work is a medical newsletter, is asked to join a writing group made up of established writers, she accepts, warily. She's not at all certain that her novel is good enough for the company she'll be keeping. Her novel is a subject very close to her heart, and she isn't sure she wants to share it with others, let alone the world. But Nancy soon finds herself as caught up in the group's personal lives as she is with their writing. She learns that nothing--love, family, loyalty--is sacred or certain.

In the circle there's Gillian, a beautiful, scheming, world-famous poet; Bernard, a pompous but lovable biographer; Virginia, a respected historian and the peacemaker of the group, who also happens to be Bernard's ex-wife; Chris, a divorced father and successful thriller writer; and Adam, the youngest of the group, an aspiring novelist who is infatuated with Gillian. And then there's Nancy, an unassuming fiction writer embarking on a new chapter in her own life. They meet to read their work aloud and offer feedback. Over the course of a year, marriages are tested, affairs begin, and trust is broken.

Through their complicated relationships, these eccentric characters share their families, their beds, and their histories, and soon find that buried secrets have a way of coming to light. Hearts break and emotions are pushed to the limit in this richly engaging tale of love, betrayal, and literature.

http://www.corinnedemas.com/books/writingcircle.htm