Under the Banner of Heaven - Staff Favorite

TITLE: Under the Banner of Heaven

AUTHOR: Jon Krakauer

CALL NO.: 289.33 KRA

Jon Krakauer’s book details the formation of an extremist Mormon Fundamentalist religion against a true crime background. In July 1984, her brothers murdered a young woman and her baby. The book attempts to explain how these men could feel that this murder was justified and committed at God’s request.

The history of the Mormon Church is chronicled from its beginning in New York, through relocations to Nauvoo, Illinois to Salt Lake City, Utah. The charismatic Joseph Smith, founder of the church, became its first President, Prophet, Seer, and Revelator. Among the things revealed by God to Smith was the covenant of plural marriage, or polygamy. As the Church grew in influence, it became necessary to revoke plural marriage due to the aversion of the United States government to that idea. This occurred in the 1880’s, and many fundamentalist Mormon splinter groups formed throughout North America in reaction. These groups flourished with an active underground population faithful to plural marriage.

This book attempts to explain how a history of violence and persecution, coupled with a faith in which the prophet exercises absolute control over its followers can lead to murder in the name of God. The Mormon Fundamentalists described felt that God’s law superseded man’s law (or government law). The unfortunate woman who challenged her husband’s right to multiple wives lost her life when her brother in law felt a command from God to remove her.

This book is a very interesting history of the Mormon Fundamentalist movement, but does seem to paint the Mormon faith in a negative light. The issue of polygamy and its effect on young teenage girls married to much older men is explored, also. Parallels between these Fundamentalist religions and other world religions advocating terrorism are brought to light by the author.

Reviewed by: Anne Render

The Boy Next Door - Staff Favorite

TITLE: The Boy Next Door

AUTHOR: Meg Cabot

CALL NO.: FIC CAB pb

The Boy Next Door was my first Meg Cabot book and it was enough to peak my curiosity to want to read some more of her books. I won this book many months ago at a “Library After Hours” program and it has been sitting on my shelf waiting for me to read it. Finally, I picked it up and read it cover to cover.

It was a fast and addictive read. Meg wrote this book in a format that I had never seen before. It is written as a series of e-mails sent back and forth and between all of the characters of the book. I found this format to be a little annoying at first and thought it may only last for a few pages, but continued throughout the book. Despite the format, there is some pretty good character development and I couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen next. The Boy Next Door is a love story with a twist of a mystery and it has a happy ending.

Reviewed by: Donna Aschenbrenner

Kite Runner by Khaleb Hosseini

“This is one of those unforgettable stories that stay with you for years. All the great themes of literature and of life are the fabric of this extraordinary novel: love, honor, guilt, fear, redemption... It is so powerful that for a long time everything I read after seemed bland.” — Isabel Allende, author of House of the Spirits and Daughter of Fortune

There are times when you come across a beautifully written book that tells a story that touches your soul, and you can’t help but read it through until the end and find yourself changed because of the reading. Well, Khaled Hosseini’s book, Kite Runner, is one such book. And, if you liked this title, you just might like these as well:

Embers by Sándor Márai*
Harmony Silk Factory by Tash Aw
Reading Lolita in Tehran by Azar Nafisi*
The Bookseller of Kabul by Asne Seierstad*
The Namesake by Jhumpa Lahiri*
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides*
Interpreter of Maladies by Jhumpa Lahiri*
Gilead by Marilynne Robinson
Falling Through the Earth by Danielle Trussoni
Cry the Beloved Country by Alan Paton*
Life of Pi by Yann Martel*
Things Fall Apart by Chinua Achebe
Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom*
Disciples of Fortune by Janvier Tisi*
Stolen Lives by Malika Oufkir*
Not Without My Daughter by Betty Mahmoody

Click on the title to find out more about the book from Barnes & Noble’s reviews. Titles with asterisks (*) are owned by the Pinckney Public Library. You might want to check our library catalog for availability. Or, if you can’t find it at our library, place a request for these titles through MeLCat, the statewide library catalog, and the library staff will give you a call to let you know when the book arrives at our library.

Nights of Rain and Stars - Staff Favorite

TITLE: Nights of Rain and Stars

AUTHOR: Maeve Binchy

PERFORMED BY: Terry Donnelly

This book tells the story of a group of people traveling in a small town in Greece who are thrown together by a tragedy, and how they work out their problems.

I listened to the book-on-tape—which was very well read—without dropping off once. I’d consider that a “good read”.

Reviewed by: Martha Lavey

Adult Summer Reading Program

Psst! It’s coming!

Contact the Pinckney Community Public Library for more information.

One-Stroke Decorative Painting Classes

Ever been interested in learning how to paint beautiful flowers onto birdhouses or wine glasses or Christmas ornaments or cards? Well, the Pinckney Library currently hosts different craft workshops every month called “One-Stroke Decorative Painting” and it has been one of our most successful programs. The workshop is taught by artist, Donna Roskamp, has been well-attended by community members, from ‘tweens to adults.

Attendees of previous workshops were very satisfied with this program, which uses watercolor paints to design flower patterns on different materials, such as wood or glass. “I really liked it,” said Evie Bitondo, longtime Pinckney resident and regular patron of the library. “She [Donna, the teacher] was really nice and I enjoyed doing the work. It was great fun.”

Upcoming workshop dates are set for: Tuesday, June 13, 2006 @ 6:00-7:30 pm; Saturday, July 22, 2006 @ 10:30 am – 12:00 pm; Tuesday, September 12, 2006 @ 6:00-7:30 pm; Tuesday, October 10, 2006 @ 6:00-7:30 pm; Thursday, November 9, 2006 @ 6:00-7:30 pm; and Tuesday, December 5, 2006 @ 6:00-7:30 pm. All material is provided for an $8.00 fee. Ages 8 and up are welcome. Please register in advance @ the Pinckney Library via phone (734-878-3888) or come visit us in person (350 Mower Rd., Pinckney, MI 48169).

Cinema & Suds

Summer’s almost upon us and it’s time to enjoy some good movies, pop corn and pop at the Pinckney Library. This month’s Cinema Night showing is on Thursday, June 22 @ 7:00pm when the library will be showing “Casanova” (R). In this romantic comedy, Heath Ledger plays the fabled romantic, Casanova, a man who, after failing to win the affection of a particular Venetian woman, strives to discover the real meaning of love.

Join us again for other upcoming Cinema Nights @ the PCPL, when we show the following:

Thursday, July 27, 2006 @ 7:00pm—“The Matador” (Nominated for a Golden Globe; Rated R) starring Pierce Brosnan, Arlin Miller, Azucena Medna, and Jonah Meyerson; directed by Richard Shepard









Thursday, August 24, 2006 @ 7:00pm—“V for Vendetta” (Rated R) starring Natalie Portman, Hugo Weaving, and Stephan Rea; directed by James McTeigue






Thursday, September 28, 2006 @ 7:00pm—“Take the Lead” (Rated PG-13) starring Antonio Banderas, Rob Brown and Alfre Woodard; directed by Liz Friedlander