Nov. 10 - The Tragedgy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark

Deck the Halls with Shakespearean tragedy.

At our October meeting, discussion of "Edgar Sawtelle" turned to the fact that Wroblewski's novel is a modern telling of the Hamlet tale (Edgar's uncle=Claude, Hamlet's uncle=Claudius; Edgar's mother=Trudy, Hamlet's mother=Gertrude. A "play within the play" (by a cast of actors/ or dogs) points to the uncle's guilt. Accidental murder of a friend. Death galore.)

So fascinated were we by these intentional parallels that we decided to read the original for December. Copies of Hamet are easy to find, online, through interlibrary loan, maybe even on your bookshelf.

Also easy to find through interlibrary loan are Hamlet-related materials: criticisms, commentaries, teacher's guides, student guides. If we also each select one of these to read, we'll have a variety materials and thoughts to discuss.

I'll also make sure we have a few copies of "The Story of Edgar Sawtell" to complete the afternoon.

Tues, Oct. 13 - Freedom at Midnight by Larry Collins

We decided to read this after discussing "Taliban" and admitting how little we know of the history of the East. It's the story of India's movement toward independence from the British Empire.

Both Marilyn and I read "Freedom at Midnight" a l-o-o-o-ng time ago, and we're both looking forward to delving into it again.