The first ever WORDY by Nature Summer Book Club launches May 15 with Anne Fadiman’s Ex Libris: Confessions of a Common Reader. We’ve picked a nice, refreshing book to cleanse the palate after finals and ease you into summer. At only 162 pages, this pocket-sized collection of essays is just the thing to remind you of what it means to read for fun. With essays such as “The Literary Glutton,” “The Joy of Sesquipedalians,” and “Never Do That to a Book,” this collection has something entertaining and enlightening for every connoisseur of words and reading.
It is also next year’s Common Reader, so every savvy Sigma Tau Deltan is going to want to read it and think about how to nab one of those Common Reader Awards anyway. So why not read it now and pick up some insider tips in our discussion forums?
The discussion of Ex Libris doesn’t officially get underway until May 15, but you can get a head-start by checking out the sneak preview discussion right now (even if you haven’t read the book).
Suggest Questions for Anne Fadiman
Anne Fadiman has graciously agreed to answer a few selected questions about Ex Libris. Vote for your favorite question or suggest a new one in the discussion forums.
Additional Book Selections by Convention Speakers
The second book selection for the Summer Book Club will be Ursula Le Guin’s The Wild Girls (Outspoken Authors). This collection includes the Nebula Award-winning short story of the same name, along with two essays, a collection of poems, and an interview with the author. This varied collection will give you a taste of the wide range of works by Ursula Le Guin, the Thursday speaker for the 2013 convention. You will have an opportunity to recommend your favorite Ursula Le Guin work for additional reading.
The third selection will be Timothy Egan’s The Worst Hard Time, the recounting of the true story of the greatest man-made ecological disaster to strike the United States. Timothy Egan is working with Ken Burns on a PBS special, The Dust Bowl, a two-part, four-hour documentary which will be aired November 18 and 19, 2012. Make sure you have an ice-cold glass of lemonade when you read this National Book Award-winning non-fiction account of the Great Depression’s dust bowl.
We will release a discussion schedule soon. Happy reading!
