Agawam Pageturners Book Club's Discussion of The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry

The group had a controversial discussion about The Secret Scripture. Some liked the book, while others disliked it. Some found it too depressing. The book tells the story of Roseanne McNulty who is sent to an insane asylum in Ireland in the 1940's. She was sent there by Father Gaunt, who earlier had already accused her of being a nymphomaniac. He finally decided to send her when she had a child out of wedlock. At about the age of 100, Rosanne decides to write her life history, for her own peace of mind. This is during the same time that the asylum is going to close, and Dr. Grene, the psychiatrist, is trying to determine if she should be sent to another asylum or set free. Some people felt the story was a mystery, trying to find out what happened to Rosanne's son who was taken from her and sent to an orphanage. Some people liked the poetic style of writing. There was a debate going on whether Rosanne was really altogether there or marginalized. Someone claimed her bad choices showed there was something wrong with her mentally. Others thought she just made bad choices like all human beings do. Most people thought the priest, Father Gaunt, had it in for her and her family, and that the priest was evil. She was committed unjustly. One person brought out that this happened even in the United States, even in Belcherton, Massachusetts. Someone brought up the question if Rosanne's story is tragic or triumphant. Some people thought tragic; others thought triumphant. Everyone thought she was a survivor. Overall, a great book for lively discussion.

Night Bookers Book Club's Discussion of A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson

The group had a fun discussion about Bill Bryson's book A Walk in the Woods, which describes his experience in hiking different sections of the Appalachian Trail. Bill Bryson is a great humorist, and he had an amusing walking companion, Stephen Katz. Most women enjoyed the book. One woman said her husband had already read the book, and that he wants to re-read it. One woman had read it before when her stepson hiked the trail. She liked it even more the second time around. Someone commented that a lot of men they knew had already read the book. One person said she became bored when he digressed and talked about plant life, etc. She wanted to get back to the hiking. When Bryson hiked alone for a while, without Katz, people agreed the book slowed down. Katz is an out of shape recovering alcoholic, who is very funny, funnier than Bryson. One of the members of the group has hiked the Appalachian Trail in New England and parts of Georgia. She said the book was true to her experience, even down to shelters, (open on one side). The group thought that Bryson is an environmentalist. There was some criticism of him and Katz, too. They thought sometimes Bryson was too insulting and put people into boxes. They thought he was very harsh on the people who run the National Parks. They questioned if it was right for Katz to steal the Ralph Loren shoelaces from a group that treated them badly on the trail. The group overall thought what happened in the book was true, although it may have been embellished. Overall, a very enjoyable discussion.

New Books Purchased in April

Here are the new books purchased in April: Adult, Children's, Teens.