The Painted Veil by Somerset Maugham (June 2009)

Set in England and Hong Kong in the 1920s,The Painted Veilis the story of the beautiful but love-starved Kitty Fane. When her husband discovers her adulterous affair, he forces her to accompany him to the heart of a cholera epidemic. Stripped of the British society of her youth and the small but effective society she fought so hard to attain in Hong Kong, she is compelled by her awakening conscience to reassess her life and learn how to love. The Painted Veilis a beautifully written affirmation of the human capacity to grow, to change, and to forgive.

W. Somerset Maugham was one of the twentieth century’s most popular novelists as well as a celebrated playwright, critic, and short story writer. He was born in Paris but grew up in England and served as a secret agent for the British during World War I. He wrote many novels, including the classics Of Human Bondage, The Razor’s Edge, Cakes and Ale, Christmas Holiday, The Moon and Sixpence, Theatre, and Up at the Villa.

Find out a bit more about the book on Wikipedia.

Place a hold on a WPL copy of the book The Painted Veil

You can also borrow the movie The Painted Veil

Watchmen by Alan Moore (May 2009)

The Waterloo Public Library's Book Club meets on the second Monday of every month. The book being discussed at the May 11th meeting is Watchmen by Alan Moore. Hope to see you at the meeting!

This Hugo Award-winning graphic novel chronicles the fall from grace of a group of super-heroes plagued by all-too-human failings. Along the way, the concept of the super-hero is dissected as the heroes are stalked by an unknown assassin. One of the most influential graphic novels of all time and a perennial bestseller, WATCHMEN has been studied on college campuses across the nation and is considered a gateway title, leading readers to other graphic novels such as V FOR VENDETTA, BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT RETURNS and THE SANDMAN series. SOON TO BE A FEATURE FILM!


To learn more about the background, story, characters and themes of the Watchmen series click here.

Biography and links - Alan Moore (Biography Research Guide)

To read an interview with Alan Moore click here.


To place a hold on a WPL copy of the book click here.

The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (April 2009)

Check out this entry on Wikipedia about The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

Read a biography of Douglas Adams here.

To borrow a WPL copy of the book click here.

A Short History of Progress by Ronald Wright (March 9)

Summary:

Each time history repeats itself, the cost goes up. The twentieth century-a time of unprecedented progress-has produced a tremendous strain on the very elements that comprise life itself: This raises the key question of the twenty-first century: How much longer can this go on? With wit and erudition, Ronald Wright lays out a-convincing case that history has always provided an answer, whether we care to notice or not. From Neanderthal man to the Sumerians to the Roman Empire, A Short History of Progress dissects the cyclical nature of humanity''s development and demise, the 10,000-year old experiment that we''ve unleashed but have yet to control. It is Wright''s contention that only by understanding and ultimately breaking from the patterns of progress and disaster that humanity has repeated around the world since the Stone Age can we avoid the onset of a new Dark Age. Wright illustrates how various cultures throughout history have literally manufactured their own end by producing an overabundance of innovation and stripping bare the very elements that allowed them to initially advance. Wright''s book is brilliant; a fascinating rumination on the hubris at the heart of human development and the pitfalls we still may have time to avoid.

For summaries, criticism and other things to read about the book check out Wikipedia and Anansi Press and CBC Ideas - Massey Lectures 2004

To find out more about the author click here.

Click here to search for this book at WPL.

Blindness by Jose Saramago (February 9)

Summary:
A city is hit by an epidemic of "white blindness" that spares no one. Authorities confine the blind to an empty mental hospital, but there the criminal element holds everyone captive, stealing food rations and assaulting women. There is one eyewitness to this nightmare who guides seven strangers—among them a boy with no mother, a girl with dark glasses, a dog of tears—through the barren streets, and the procession becomes as uncanny as the surroundings are harrowing. A magnificent parable of loss and disorientation and a vivid evocation of the horrors of the twentieth century, Blindness has swept the reading public with its powerful portrayal of man's worst appetites and weaknesses-and man's ultimately exhilarating spirit.

For summaries, discussion questions, and reading guides related to this novel, please visit the following websites: Bookrags, Barnes & Noble and Wikipedia.

To learn more about the author, visit Jose Saramago’s biography on Wikipedia.

Blindness is available in the WPL collection.

If you enjoyed Blindness, you may want to read Saramago's book Seeing, which is set in the same country and features a few of the same characters.