All Over the Page book club by Lawson McGhee Library

The only thing better than reading a good book is having the opportunity to discuss it with other book lovers. Book clubs run the gamut from purely social to seriously academic. Lawson McGhee Library is offering a monthly book club for passionate readers in a comfortable setting called All Over the Page. The Library hopes to appeal to readers willing to explore all genres of literature – from mystery to fantasy. The conversations will be facilitated by an expert who can take readers deeper into the text.

The next 6 months of All Over the Page kick off on July 9, at 6:30 p.m. with a discussion of Straight Man by Richard Russo. Multiple copies of the book are available for check out at the Library. The conversation will be facilitated Dr. Cindy Welch, professor at UT, School of Information Sciences. Refreshments will be served.

The series will continue each month:

August 13 – The Road From Coorain by Jill Ker Conway
Facilitated by Ginna Mashburn, Retired educator and past President of Friends of the Knox County Public Library

September 10 – The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Facilitated by Emily Kramer Davenport, School Media Specialist at Carter High School and Blogger

October 8 – The Ha-Ha by Dave King
Facilitated by Jesse Fox Mayshark, Communications Manager, Office of Mayor Madeline Rogero

November 5 – Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Sijie Dai
Facilitated by Linda Phillips, Professor Emerita, University of Tennessee Libraries

December 10 – Mama Day by Gloria Naylor
Facilitated by Theresa Venable, Librarian and Programs Coordinator, Children's Defense Fund Haley Farm

William Henry Devereaux, Jr., spiritually suited to playing left field but forced by a bad hamstring to try first base, is the unlikely chairman of the English department at West Central Pennsylvania University. Over the course of a single convoluted week, he threatens to execute a duck, has his nose slashed by a feminist poet, discovers that his secretary writes better fiction than he does, suspects his wife of having an affair with his dean, and finally confronts his philandering elderly father, the one-time king of American Literary Theory, at an abandoned amusement park. Such is the canvas of Richard Russo's Straight Man, a novel of surpassing wit, poignancy, and insight. As he established in his previous books --Mohawk,The Risk Pool, and Nobody's Fool-- Russo is unique among contemporary authors for his ability to flawlessly capture the soul of the wise guy and the heart of a difficult parent. In Hank Devereaux, Russo has created a hero whose humor and identification with the absurd are mitigated only by his love for his family, friends, and, ultimately, knowledge itself. Unforgettable, compassionate, and laugh-out-loud funny,Straight Mancements Richard Russo's reputation as one of the master storytellers of our time.

Dr. Cindy Welch has been a member of the School of Information Sciences faculty since 2008. She coordinates the school library program, and teaches Information Environment as well as several courses in youth services and literature. Her current research interests include the history of youth services in public libraries and the role of technology in children's and YA librarianship. In her past lives she was a public librarian, a recruiter for a small college, and even worked in an employment agency. Her favorite book is whichever one she happens to pick up next.


Knoxville Summer Book Reads and Leads

Published July 2, 2012