Little did I know that living in Santa Monica had literary benefits, sort of. Basically, Santa Monica has a “Santa Monica Citywide Reads” program.
What we’re reading for 2007: The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger. The program’s similar to community reading programs in other cities: Basically, everyone’s encouraged to read the same book, so they can talk about it as a community. You know, on the bus, at city events and book clubs, etc.
I don’t know much ’bout the book, but apparantly one character suffers from “chrono-displacement disorder, a condition that causes him to unexpectedly jump backwards and forwards in time.”
Well, I loved Slaughterhouse Five, with its time-shifting protagonist, so I hope I’ll love this book too. I’ll read it and post a review, with which you can concur, disagree, whatev.
The program runs from mid-April to mid-May 2007, with free public book discussion groups and other events; luckily, the movie won’t be out until 2008 :) More info on the Santa Monica Library website.
My wife just finished that book and she really liked it. I did not know Santa Monica had something like that, I will have to look into it. Thanks Siel!
Comment by david — March 1, 2007 @ 8:53 am
I loved it–it made me cry and I’m not the kind who does that because of a book or movie.
Comment by Jasmin — March 1, 2007 @ 11:19 am
I absolutely loved that book!!
Comment by susan — March 1, 2007 @ 2:31 pm
I met Audrey a few years back (before she wrote the novel) while she was working at the Newbery Library in Chicago and I was doing some research there (she was intrigued by the materials I was pulling from the archives). A really wonderful person and I’m looking forward to finally reading the book, although having read another time travel book that she recommended (Time and Again by Albert Finney), I was left a bit disappointed in that.
The citywide reading programs are all over the place. I think Pasadena may have one and possibly even L.A. Chicago started theres back in 1997 or so, basing it on another program (I forget whose). Oh wait, here’s a link from the LOC. It looks like it started later than I thought (2001), and the earliest program that they have is Seattle who started theirs in 1998. L.A.’s program seems to have stopped in 2005.
Comment by don hosek — March 1, 2007 @ 3:46 pm
Hey Siel! How’s life treating you? Long time no chat. :(
Anyhow, I LOVED this program when I lived out in East Lansing. I participated during two years and was able to read The Color of Water which was a FABULOUS book! I even got to meet James McBride!
I wish LA had something like this… maybe I’ll have to be adopted by Santa Monica? ;)
Comment by Kristy — March 1, 2007 @ 11:31 pm
Kristy — You should move here and join us! We have some nice restaurants :)
Okay — Off to get book — Library doesn’t seem to have any copies yet –
Comment by Siel — March 2, 2007 @ 10:52 am
Hello,
New here and wanted to commend all the great input I have read so far. I am just converting most of my company products to green and have been learning a lot each day about new/old products I can implement into my daily operations. Is there an area on this site that deals with vehicles?
Mark
Comment by Alliance Mark — March 2, 2007 @ 11:15 am
This is the perfect time to (re?)introduce you to http://www.bookcrossing.com, a fun way to set books free for other to read and even find free books for yourself too. . . tell em Ryuku sent you . . . I could use wings again . . .
Comment by Roger, Gone Green — March 2, 2007 @ 5:17 pm