In July, the 1st Wednesday Reading Group has dicussed the book A long way gone written by Ishmael Beah.

In A LONG WAY GONE, Beah, now twenty-six years old, tells a riveting story. At the age of twelve, he fled attacking rebels and wandered a land rendered unrecognizable by violence. By thirteen, he’d been picked up by the government army, and Beah, at heart a gentle boy, found that he was capable of truly terrible acts. Eventually released by the army and sent to a UNICEF rehabilitation center, he struggled to regain his humanity and to reenter the world of civilians, who viewed him with fear and suspicion. This is, at last, a story of redemption and hope. From http://www.alongwaygone.com/

The reading group questioned it’s controversy over authorship detracted from authernticity.
The brighter section is covering UN rehabilitation.

Some members thought it was written quite dispassionately. It is surprising and upsetting to find how easily it was written, almost in 3rd person.

Some people were untouched by the violence described. Others found violence very disturbing.

General discussion about violence and bullying followed by the group. Most people would not recommend the book to others because of writing style and questions over whether the events all occurred, but it worth reading as an insight.

Some members couldn’t finish the reading.

http://www.nytimes.com/pages/books/bestseller/

The economy might be bad enough. However, the USA probably still remains as the biggest book market in the world. The New York Times has its top 5 for some type of books which surely would inspire some Australian readers.

Hardcover Fiction

1. KNOCKOUT, by Catherine Coulter
2. THE BOURNE DECEPTION, by Eric Van Lustbader3. THE ANGEL’S GAME, by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
4. RELENTLESS, by Dean Koontz
5. THE PHYSICK BOOK OF DELIVERANCE DANE, by Katherine Howe

Hardcover Nonfiction

1. LIBERTY AND TYRANNY, by Mark R. Levin
2. HORSE SOLDIERS, by Doug Stanton
3. OUTLIERS, by Malcolm Gladwell
4. A BOLD FRESH PIECE OF HUMANITY, by Bill O’Reilly
5. RENEGADE, by Richard Wolffe

Paperback Trade Fiction

1. THE SHACK, by William P. Young2. MY SISTER’S KEEPER, by Jodi Picoult
3. THE GUERNSEY LITERARY AND POTATO PEEL PIE SOCIETY, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
4. PRIDE AND PREJUDICE AND ZOMBIES, by Jane Austen and Seth Grahame-Smith
5. THE ART OF RACING IN THE RAIN, by Garth Stein

Paperback Mass-Market Fiction

1. MY SISTER’S KEEPER, by Jodi Picoult
2. DEAD UNTIL DARK, by Charlaine Harris
3. SAIL, by James Patterson and Howard Roughan
4. LIVING DEAD IN DALLAS, by Charlaine Harris
5. ANGELS AND DEMONS, by Dan Brown

Paperback Nonfiction

1. GLENN BECK’S ‘COMMON SENSE’, by Glenn Beck
2. THREE CUPS OF TEA, by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin
3. WHEN YOU ARE ENGULFED IN FLAMES, by David Sedaris
4. AN INCONVENIENT BOOK, by Glenn Beck
5. BLINK, by Malcolm Gladwell

Hardcover Advice

1. EXCUSES BEGONE!, by Wayne W. Dyer
2. ACT LIKE A LADY, THINK LIKE A MAN, by Steve Harvey with Denene Millner
3. THE LAST LECTURE, by Randy Pausch with Jeffrey Zaslow
4. DIVINE SOUL SONGS, by Zhi Gang Sha
5. MASTER YOUR METABOLISM, by Jillian Michaels with Mariska van Aalst

Paperback Advice

1. COOK YOURSELF THIN, by the staff of Lifetime Television
2. THE LOVE DARE, by Stephen and Alex Kendrick with Lawrence Kimbrough
3. WHAT TO EXPECT WHEN YOU’RE EXPECTING, by Heidi Murkoff and Sharon Mazel
4. NATURALLY THIN, by Bethenny Frankel with Eve Adamson
5. MARTHA STEWART’S CUPCAKES, by the editors of Martha Stewart Living

Children’s Books

1. GOLDILICIOUS, written and illustrated by Victoria Kann
2. LISTEN TO THE WIND, by Greg Mortenson and Susan L. Roth
3. GALLOP!, written and illustrated by Rufus Butler Seder
4. EXPLORER EXTRAORDINAIRE!, by Jane O’Connor
5. THE CURIOUS GARDEN, written and illustrated by Peter Brown