<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" /></head><body style='font-size: 10pt; font-family: Verdana,Geneva,sans-serif'>
<div class="pre" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; font-family: monospace">I'm sending this again since I previously sent it several</div>
<div class="pre" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; font-family: monospace">weeks ago. Also, I'm having a violently ill reaction to</div>
<div class="pre" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; font-family: monospace">the covid vaccine (quite treacherous for those of us with</div>
<div class="pre" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; font-family: monospace">compromised immune systems) and don't know if I can make</div>
<div class="pre" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; font-family: monospace">it Friday night. I didn't read your current book but was</div>
<div class="pre" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; font-family: monospace">planning to show up about 30-40 minutes into the meeting.<br />If I don't make it, would someone read these choices</div>
<div class="pre" style="margin: 0; padding: 0; font-family: monospace">allowed (with a one or two comments I included)? Thanks.<br />Tracy Marks<br /><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong>MARCH NOMINATIONS FOR NOVEMBER 1 VOTING</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><strong>STEAL ACROSS THE SKY by Nancy Kress</strong></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Steal-Across-Sky-Nancy-Kress/dp/0765359561" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.amazon.com/Steal-Across-Sky-Nancy-Kress/dp/0765359561</a></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">The aliens appeared one day, built a base on the moon, and put an ad on the internet:</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">"We are an alien race you may call the Atoners. Ten thousand years ago we wronged humanity profoundly. We cannot undo what has been done, but we wish humanity to understand it. Therefore we request twenty-one volunteers to visit seven planets to Witness for us. We will convey each volunteer there and back in complete safety. Volunteers must speak English. Send requests for electronic applications to <a href="mailto:witness@Atoners.com">witness@Atoners.com</a>."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">At first, everyone thought it was a joke. But it wasn't.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">This is the story of three of those volunteers, and what they found on Kular A and Kular B.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">From reviews: This is brilliant writing, very imaginative. Although the idea ETs may have intervened in our evolution is not new, this is an extremely creative take on that basic plot, one which raises issues regarding the ethics of genetic experimentation and alteration. Kress’ characters are well-developed and complex, and their different perceptions and interpretations about what they witness in two different civilizations have significant repercussions when they return to earth.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">________________________________________</span><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt;">HAROUN AND THE SEA OF STORIES by Salman Rushdie</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Haroun-Sea-Stories-Salman-Rushdie/dp/0140157379/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.amazon.com/Haroun-Sea-Stories-Salman-Rushdie/dp/0140157379/</a> </span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> “Rushdie… is one of the best contemporary writers of fables and parables, from any culture. Haroun and the Sea of Stories is a delightful tale about a storyteller who loses his skill and a struggle against mysterious forces attempting to block the seas of inspiration from which all stories are derived.” (from Amazon’s description)</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">In this wondrously delightful story, Salman Rushdie gives us an imaginative work of extraordinary power and endearing humor that is, at its heart, an illumination of the necessity of storytelling in our lives.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"> </span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Tracy’s comments: This has been one of my favorite novels of all time, and one that can be read on many levels. First, as a delightful fantasy for children and adults. Second, as an allegory of overcoming writer’s block and the obstacles we face in our own life’s “story”. Third, as an allegory of Rushdie himself – victim of a fatwa set against his life, and censorship of his writing which led to his exile to Great Britain.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">_______________________________________</span><br /><br /><br /><strong><span style="font-size: 11pt;">DUNCTON WOOD by William Horwood</span></strong><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345291131" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345291131</a></span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">A community of moles in a forest near Oxford faces a bleak and evil-laden future unless two of their number, young Bracken and his mate Rebecca, can revive the ancient beliefs and traditions linked to the great stone.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">One reader says: “An animal fantasy along the lines of Watership Down, but far greater. Its characters are moles that act much as moles do, but with language, intelligence, purpose, and above all spiritual depth. To lend authenticity, the author spent a year studying a colony of moles firsthand, as well as educating himself through scientific studies of moles. But then comes imagination, and the imagination is great indeed. The moles (unlike, at least for most of us, real moles) move us and touch us deep in our psyches, deep in our spirits. This is both an earthy and a mystical masterpiece. It is also full of action (in the fights for leadership, territories, and mates) and adventure."</span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">Tracy’s note: I remember when Watership Down became popular in the U.S., an engaging novel told from the point of view of rabbits. But when my mother told me that I should read the British bestseller, Duncton Wood, written from the point of view of moles, I hesitated. But then I read it and was completely engrossed by the highly developed and often heatwarming characterizations and the world-building. And I agreed – it’s much better than Watership Down! Warning: It is long - 550 pages. (NOTE: There are many sequels, with similar titles) </span><br /><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;">ALSO: I initially wanted to recommend Horwood’s Stonor Eagles, a book I’ve loved that has been vividly engraved in my memory for years but the Minuteman Library network doesn’t carry it. However, I just asked them to purchase it (<a href="https://www.minlib.net/services" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.minlib.net/services</a>), not that they necessarily will.</span><br /><span style="font-size: 11pt;"><a href="https://www.amazon.com/Stonor-Eagles-William-Horwood/dp/0531098737/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://www.amazon.com/Stonor-Eagles-William-Horwood/dp/0531098737/</a></span><br /><br /><br /><br /></div>
</body></html>