LTBC Schedule for the Year 2006

It's a timely issue. And for anyone living in this neck of the woods, a local issue. And, of course, it's a political issue and a human issue of major proportions. (There are many sides to this complex issue. On the one hand more than 2,000 people have died trying to cross the border in the desert, on the other hand no concrete would be poured in Albuquerque these days without "guest workers without papers" as the mainstay of the crew and a lot of other work would not get done either. On the one hand we need to protect and secure our borders, on the other hand, we need and rely on the workers. On the one hand, people who don't pay full taxes perhaps should not receive the benefits. On the other hand, almost all of the workers have Social Security taxes deducted and paid, since for the employer not to do so is a crime -- but they will never receive benefits -- all in all this issue of the economic migration across the line in the Sonoran desert we call the border is one of the most complex social issues of our region, and rapidly becoming a big issue across the country as well.)

The author reports on the various policies over the years, including the fact that at its beginning, the Border Patrol's primary task was to recruit workers from Mexico to cross the border and work in the U.S. I found it balanced, thorough and stimulating.

Captures the particular strangeness of life
in a time where humankind has finally learned enough to kill itself.
Naturally, it's a terribly funny book, and the prose is as beautiful as
a sunset through a particulate-filled sky. Something is amiss in a
small college town in Middle America.
Something subliminal, something
omnipresent, something hard to put your finger on.
For example, teachers and students at the grade school
are falling mysteriously ill...

Winner of the National Book Award,
White Noise was immediately hailed as Don DeLillo's
"breakout novel" when it first appeared in 1985.
336 pages. 6-8 cys in system.. 20 holds on first
return ... plenty of copies available on campusi.com

Many copies are available in the
library, and befitting a holiday 
selection, it is relatively short,
and an easy read compared to my 
previous selections. It was felt 
to have been neglected on first 
publication, as was the movie 
"Lonely are the Brave", closely 
based on it; both have cult status.

Taking place in the fictional town 
of "Duke City, New Mexico" it also 
represents a time capsule of the 
culture of the period. Kirk Douglas, 
who convinced the studio to buy the 
screen rights, felt that this was 
the best of his 70+ movies.

Meeting Date	Host	Selection	Notes
Thursday 26 January 2006	Joel Nash 884-5064 7508 Dellwood Road NE Between Candelaria and Comanche go West off Pennsylvania; 2nd house from Pennsylvania, south side.	The March of Folly: From Troy to Vietnam by Barbara Tuchman	Barbara Tuchman wrote 11 books and was awarded two Pulitzer Prizes for non-fiction. "The writer's object should be to hold the reader's attention. I want the reader to turn the page and keep on reading until the end." Only about eight copies (3 are Large Print) in the Library System.
Thursday 23 February 2006	Charlie Palmer (243-4962) 1506 Park SW From I-25, go West on Central or Lomas; then South on 14th St. Cross Central, continue 2 or 3 blocks, then turn right onto Park (1st stop sign).	The Plot Against America by Phillip Roth NPR Inteview with Robert Siegel	Published about a year ago, "The Plot Against America" is now out in paperback. Roth's book is a "what-if" historical novel -- the isolationist, Nazi sympathizer, and anti-Semite Charles Lindbergh runs against Roosevelt in 1940 and wins. It all takes place during the period of the Roosevelt biography we just read, which makes the historical aspects of the book all the more interesting. But, in addition to the expected history and politics, it has Roth's usual high standard of character development, understanding of human behavior and foibles, and rich insights into family life. The novel stands on its own even without its fascinating historical overtones. Many, many copies in the Library System. na: re,dt
Note! Special Border Date! Sunday 26 March 2006	Don Tubesing 41 La Puerta Trail Placitas, NM 87043 505 771-1601 Tubesingda@aol.com Right/North on I 25 to exit 242 (which is Bernalillo/Placitas Exit) Right/East/Up the hill 4.9 miles to Tunnel Springs Road. Right/South on Tunnel Springs for 4/10ths of a mile to La Puerta Trail. Right on La Puerta Trail for 3/10ths of a mile to number 41 Right into our driveway, 41 La Puerta Trail. .... and that is the last you will ever hear about me being "right" - otherwise, "left" in body, mind, and spirit ...	Hard Line: Life and Death on the U.S.-Mexico Border by Ken Ellington (writer for L.A. Times) 2005: Vintage Books (paper) ISBN 1-4000-3367-5 $14.00 Review Could Mexico re-take the Southwest? info "It ain't the immigrants, it's the drug smugglers!" story	It's a timely issue. And for anyone living in this neck of the woods, a local issue. And, of course, it's a political issue and a human issue of major proportions. (There are many sides to this complex issue. On the one hand more than 2,000 people have died trying to cross the border in the desert, on the other hand no concrete would be poured in Albuquerque these days without "guest workers without papers" as the mainstay of the crew and a lot of other work would not get done either. On the one hand we need to protect and secure our borders, on the other hand, we need and rely on the workers. On the one hand, people who don't pay full taxes perhaps should not receive the benefits. On the other hand, almost all of the workers have Social Security taxes deducted and paid, since for the employer not to do so is a crime -- but they will never receive benefits -- all in all this issue of the economic migration across the line in the Sonoran desert we call the border is one of the most complex social issues of our region, and rapidly becoming a big issue across the country as well.) The author reports on the various policies over the years, including the fact that at its beginning, the Border Patrol's primary task was to recruit workers from Mexico to cross the border and work in the U.S. I found it balanced, thorough and stimulating. Recent border violence (article: 11 Feb 2006)
Thursday 27 April 2006	Ron B. ... Loma Linda SE Lead/Coal; between Carlisle and Washington, take Montclaire south	The Year of Magical Thinking by Joan Didion Washington Post Review	Writer Joan Didion's recent best-selling memoir, "The Year of Magical Thinking" is about the death of her husband and her daughter's ultimately fatal illness. Didion finished the book at the end of 2004, and it was published by Alfred A. Knopf in October 2005, two months after her daughter died. There are 40 copies in the library but as of 20 Jan 2006 they are all checked out. So get on the wait list early. This is a new book (Oct 2005: hardcover) and is evidently quite popular.
Thursday 25 May 2006	Tom Genoni (292-4985) 1616 Catron SE In 4-Hills, turn right on Stagecoach, left at the 4-way stop sign onto Cuatro Cerros, 2nd right onto Bernalillo, then 1st left onto Catron. About half-way down Catron, Tom's house is on the right.	As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner reading guide	n/a: ed,re,jf
Thursday 29 June 2006	Rob Easterling (286-8796) East Mountains: 51 Avenida del Sol, Cedar Crest, NM 87008 Take N14 4.5 mi. N of I-40 (exit 175, Cedar Crest). Turn Left into Ventana del Sol subdivision. Follow keypad instructions.	Gilead by Marilynne Robinson interviews with the author on: the title theology	"Saw a very enthusiastic review; read first five pages. Thought I'd pick it before I read further."
Thursday, 27 July 2006	Jack Ferrell 17 Sunset Blvd Placitas, NM I-25 Exit 242 East on NM 165. Right at the 5-mile marker onto Tunnel Springs Road. Right onto Quail Meadow Road (first street on right - 0.2 mile) Right onto Leah Lane (first street on right-0.4 mile) HARD Right onto Sunset Blvd (go 100 yards) 17 Sunset Blvd is the third drive/house on the left. The 17 is gold numbers mounted near the ground.	The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway study notes novel analysis	Life Magazine, 1 Sept 1952, carried the novella exclusively. "Many of us read it while we were in high school. I think we are at a stage in our lives where its message has more meaning." Many, many copies available in our Rio Grande Library System. EdTdy; KG defers.
Thursday, 31 August 2006	Ken Gillen (797-8956) 331 White Oaks Dr. NE (From Tramway and Live Oak Rd [one block N. of Paseo del Norte], go EAST 0.6 mi on Live Oak, then SOUTH 0.3 mi on White Oaks Dr. to last house on right. Pay no attention to most of the house numbers.).	The Devil in the White City Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson	Their fates were linked by the magical Chicago World’s Fair of 1893, nicknamed the “White City” for its majestic beauty. Architect Daniel Burnham built it; serial killer Dr. H. H. Holmes used it to lure victims to his World’s Fair Hotel, designed for murder. Both men left behind them a powerful legacy, one of brilliance and energy, the other of sorrow and darkness. See this extensive web site on the book for an interview with the author, background on the Fair, and some excerpts..
Thursday 28 September 2006	Mike Blackledge (294-6030) 14321 Stalgren Ct NE (from Tramway & Copper, go East 5 streets counting on the right, then turn right on Parkside, and immediate left onto Stalgren Ct.)	selection by Cormac McCarthy: Blood Meridian or The Evening Redness in the Sky	McCarthy did extensive research for the novel, which is based quite heavily on actual events from the 1850s. The author visited all the Texas/Mexico locales of the book and even learned Spanish to further his research. bio ... born in RI in 1933 ... Excellent précis. na: CP,DT
Field Trip ! 20-22 October 2006	Keith Gilbert (265-8122) Main Street Pagosa Springs, CO	White Noise by Don DeLillo	Captures the particular strangeness of life in a time where humankind has finally learned enough to kill itself. Naturally, it's a terribly funny book, and the prose is as beautiful as a sunset through a particulate-filled sky. Something is amiss in a small college town in Middle America. Something subliminal, something omnipresent, something hard to put your finger on. For example, teachers and students at the grade school are falling mysteriously ill... Winner of the National Book Award, White Noise was immediately hailed as Don DeLillo's "breakout novel" when it first appeared in 1985. 336 pages. 6-8 cys in system.. 20 holds on first return ... plenty of copies available on campusi.com
Note! Special Flat Date! [6th] Thursday: 7 December 2006 [actually 1st Thursday in December!]	Ed Duff (823-1872) Tanoan area: 9709 Pebble Beach NE (Enter Tanoan onto Tanoan Drive, north off Academy, between Eubank and Ventura. Take 3rd left onto Pebble Beach Drive. 2nd house on right.)	The World is Flat by Thomas L. Friedman A Brief History of the 21st Century	. . . A Brief History of the 21st Century The local library editions have holds - you can order a New and Revised Edition from Overstock.com for only $15 plus $1.34 S&H. Our comments.
Thursday 28 December 2006 [Thursday after Christmas]	Joel Nash 884-5064 7508 Dellwood Road NE Between Candelaria and Comanche go West off Pennsylvania; 2nd house from Pennsylvania, south side.	The Brave Cowboy by Edward Abbey	Many copies are available in the library, and befitting a holiday selection, it is relatively short, and an easy read compared to my previous selections. It was felt to have been neglected on first publication, as was the movie "Lonely are the Brave", closely based on it; both have cult status. Taking place in the fictional town of "Duke City, New Mexico" it also represents a time capsule of the culture of the period. Kirk Douglas, who convinced the studio to buy the screen rights, felt that this was the best of his 70+ movies.