Our February - April, 2008 selection:
A Walk in the Woods
by Bill Bryson


Bill Bryson Official Site
 
A Walk in the Woods Study Guide

Appalachian National Scenic Trail 

Appalachian Trail Conservancy

Indiana Dept. of Natural Resources
Trails Page

Our April - July, 2007 selection:
The Secret Life of Bees
by Sue Monk Kidd

Reader's Guide
 
Reading Group Guide

Honey Bees and Beekeeping 

Our December 2006 -
February 2007 selection:
Where the Sidewalk Ends
by Shel Silverstein

Shel Silverstein's page

Where the Sidewalk Ends

Review by Francesca I. (age 7)

Batesville Herald-Tribune article

(Adobe Acrobat required)

Our January - March, 2006 selection:
Ten Things I Learned
from Bill Porter
by Shelly Brady

Bill Porter's Web Site

Bill Porter: A Who2 Profile

OregonLive.com: Bill Porter Special

CNN.com: Transcript: An Interview with Shelly Brady

Shelly Brady's Bio Page

Door To Door
(TNT Original Film)
 

Communities of all shapes and sizes are adopting the concept originated by the Washington Center for the Book: people coming together through the reading and discussion of a common book.  Since 1998, when the Washington Center for the Book hosted author Russell Banks for four days of programs and discussion about his novel, The Sweet Hereafter, communities all over the United States have increasingly embraced the notion of civic unity through the reading of literature.  There are now statewide, citywide, countywide, and even country-wide reading programs all over the world.

The Board of Trustees and the staff of the Batesville Memorial Public Library would like to invite members of our community to take part in this community-wide reading program.

Let's read, think, learn, talk and grow together!

The One Book One Community planning committee considered carefully all the nominations that were sent to the library.  For our third community-wide read, we selected:

A Walk in the Woods : Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson.

Back in America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Trail, which stretches from Georgia to Maine. The AT offers an astonishing landscape of silent forests and sparkling lakes--and to a writer with the comic genius of Bill Bryson, it also provides endless opportunities to witness the majestic silliness of his fellow human beings.

For a start there's the gloriously out-of-shape Stephen Katz, a buddy from Iowa along for the walk. Despite Katz's overwhelming desire to find cozy restaurants, he and Bryson eventually settle into their stride, and while on the trail they meet a bizarre assortment of hilarious characters. But A Walk in the Woods is more than just a laugh-out-loud hike. Bryson's acute eye is a wise witness to this beautiful but fragile trail, and as he tells its fascinating history, he makes a moving plea for the conservation of America's last great wilderness. An adventure, a comedy, and a celebration, A Walk in the Woods is destined to become a modern classic of travel literature.

"Choke-on-your-coffee funny." --The Washington Post Book World

"A Walk in the Woods is an almost perfect travel book." --The Boston Globe

Programs and Activities will be announced here.

Click here to

Nominate a Book
Print this form, fill it out, and return it to the library.
All nominations will be considered for a future program.