Upcoming O'Neal Library programs:
Tuesday, September 8 at 10am at Mountain Brook
Presbyterian Church
Gentle Yoga with Marie Blair returns every Tuesday morning!
More info
Saturday, September 12 at 10:30am at Mountain Brook
Presbyterian Church
Medicare Made Clear
More info
Monday, September 14 at 6:30pm at Mountain Brook
Presbyterian Church
Great Short Stories, discussing “Witness for the Prosecution” by Agatha
Christie
Register here
Tuesday, September 15 at 5:30pm at Levite Jewish Community
Center
Writing Workshop with Miriam Calleja
Register here
Thursday, September 24 at 6pm at Mountain Brook Presbyterian
Church
Neurodivergent Community Group
Register here
Thursday, September 24 at 6:30pm at Mountain Brook
Presbyterian Church
Jigsaw Speed Puzzling Competition
Register here
The next Books & Beyond (BAB) meeting will be at the Levite Jewish Community Center (located at 3960 Montclair Road 35213) on Tuesday, September 29th at 6:30pm. We usually meet in the Berkowitz Boardroom. The topic up for discussion will be hunting and fishing. More info
Listen to, read, or watch whatever you’d like and come tell
us about it! Find a few suggestions on
our Shelf Care page in the BAB row near the middle of the page.
Last week, BAB met to chat about Georgette Heyer.
"Georgette Heyer was born in 1902 in London. She spent most of her childhood in Wimbledon, though her family lived in Paris for a couple of years before being forced to return to England with the outbreak of WW1. She was the eldest of three children, with two younger brothers. She received very little formal education and was taught at home by her father, George. Heyer enjoyed her position as the “sheltered daughter” which saw her grow up with a slightly Victorian outlook and sensibility. Throughout her life, she was an intensely private person.
At the age of 17, Heyer began dreaming up a serial story to entertain and amuse her convalescent brother. Her father encouraged her to write the story down and send it to a publisher and two years later, in 1921, The Black Moth was published, a rollicking historical tale of duels, dukes and highwaymen."
Read more about her at the official Georgette Heyer website.
BOOKS DISCUSSED:
Beautiful, capable, and independent minded, Venetia Lanyon's
life on her family's estate in the country side is somewhat
restricted. But her neighbor, the infamous Lord Damerel, a charming rake
shunned by polite society, is about to shake things up.
Beautiful Deborah Grantham,
mistress of her aunt's elegant gaming house, must find a way to restore herself
and her aunt to respectability, preferably without accepting either of two
repugnant offers.
Known for her exhaustive research
and ability to bring past eras to life, bestselling author Georgette Heyer
tells the story of William the Conqueror, who became King of England in 1066,
and his queen Matilda, the high–born noblewoman who at first scornfully spurned
him.
In the summer of 1815, with Napolean Bonaparte marching down
from the north, Brussels is a whirlwind of parties, balls and soirees. In the
swirling social scene surrounding the Duke of Wellington and his noble aides de
camp, no one attracts more attention than the beautiful, outrageous young widow
Lady Barbara Childe. On their first meeting, dashing Colonel Charles Audley
proposes to her, but even their betrothal doesn't calm her wild behavior.
Finally, with the Battle of Waterloo raging just miles away, civilians fleeing
and the wounded pouring back into the town, Lady Barbara discovers where her
heart really lies, and like a true noblewoman, she rises to the occasion, and
to the demands of love, life and war...
The shy, young Duke of Sale has
never known his parents. Instead, his Grace Adolphus Gillespie Vernon Ware,
Gilly for short, has endured twenty-four years of rigorous mollycoddling from
his uncle and valet. But his natural diffidence conceals a rebellious spirit. When
Gilly hears of Belinda, the beautiful foundling who appears to be blackmailing
his cousin, he escapes with glee. But he has no sooner entered this new and
dangerous world than he is plunged into a frenzy of intrigue, kidnapping,
adventure, and surprises at every turn.
Freddy is immensely rich, of course, and not bad-looking,
but he's mild-mannered, a bit hapless―not anything like his virile, handsome,
rakish cousin Jack. Young Kitty Charing stands to inherit a vast fortune from
her irascible and eccentric guardian―provided she marries one of his
great-nephews. No sooner does Kitty arrive in London then the race for her hand
begins, but between confirmed rakes and bumbling affections, Kitty needs a
daring scheme.
When the Earl of Rule proposes marriage to her sister
Lizzie, Horatia offers herself instead. Her sister is already in love with
someone else, and Horatia is willing to sacrifice herself and tell a few
convenient lies for her family's happiness. Everyone knows she's no beauty, but
she'll do her best to keep out of the Earl's way and make him a good wife. And
then the Earl's archenemy, Sir Robert, sets out to ruin her reputation. Unbeknownst
to Horatia, the Earl is enchanted by her. There's simply no way he's going to
let her get into trouble. Overcoming some misguided help from Horatia's
harebrained brother and a hired highwayman, the Earl routs his old enemy, and
wins over his young wife―proving theirs was no accidental marriage and gifting
her with a love that she never thought she could expect.
Jack Carstares, the disgraced Earl of Wyncham, becomes a
notorious highwayman after taking the blame for his brother's cheating scandal.
Amidst the perilous thrills of his new clandestine life, Jack's path crosses
with the enchanting Diana Beauleigh. What follows is a tumultuous saga filled
with stolen moments of passion, gallant duels, and the relentless pursuit by a
sinister adversary. As secrets unravel and true identities are revealed, the
quest for redemption and love leads to adventure, romance, and undeniable charm.
RELATED TITLES DISCUSSED:
Georgette Heyer’s Regency World by Jennifer Kloester
The definitive guide for all fans of Georgette Heyer, Jane
Austen, and the glittering Regency period.
Georgette Heyer: Biography of a Bestseller by Jennifer
Kloester (not available in the JCLC, request from Interlibrary Loan)
During ten years of research into Georgette Heyer's life and
writing, Jennifer Kloester has had unlimited access to Heyer's notebooks and
private papers and the Heyer family records, and exclusive access to several
untapped archives of Heyer's early letters. Engaging, authoritative and
meticulously researched, Georgette Heyer: Biography of a Bestseller offers a
comprehensive insight into the life and writing of a remarkable and ferociously
private woman.
Charlotte Temple by Susanna Rowson (Libby ebook & Hoopla ebook)
First published in 1794, Charlotte Temple was
the biggest bestseller of American literary history until Harriet Beecher
Stowe's Uncle Tom's Cabin, half a century later. The story of a
young English girl who elopes to America, there only to be cruelly
abandoned, Charlotte Temple was repeatedly dramatized during
the nineteenth century and provided inspiration for D. W. Griffith's Way Down East.
Moll Flanders by Daniel Defoe
Born in Newgate Prison and orphaned soon after, Moll is
provided with no opportunities in life, yet she is propelled by an unrelenting
drive to overcome her background of impoverishment. Donning whatever mask suits
her best in the moment, she appraises theft, prostitution, and bigamy only in
terms of their profit potential. From her birth to her final position of
wealth, Moll Flanders demonstrates a spirit of industry and an indomitable
will.
Tess of the D’Urbervilles by Thomas Hardy
When Tess Durbeyfield is driven by family poverty to claim
kinship with the wealthy D'Urbervilles and seek a portion of their family
fortune, meeting her 'cousin' Alec proves to be her downfall. A very different
man, Angel Clare, seems to offer her love and salvation, but Tess must choose
whether to reveal her past or remain silent in the hope of a peaceful future.
FILMS DISCUSSED:
Molly’s Game (2017, 2h21m, Rated R)
The true story of Molly Bloom, a beautiful, young,
Olympic-class skier who ran the world's most exclusive high-stakes poker game
for a decade before being arrested in the middle of the night by 17 FBI agents
wielding automatic weapons. Her players included Hollywood royalty, sports
stars, business titans and finally, unbeknown to her, the Russian mob. Her only
ally was her criminal defense lawyer Charlie Jaffey, who learned there was much
more to Molly than the tabloids led people to believe.
Guilty Pleasures (2010, 1h26m, documentary)
Every four seconds a romance novel published by Harlequin or
its British counterpart, Mills & Boon, is sold somewhere in the world.
Julie Moggan's "Guilty Pleasures" takes an amusing and touching look
at this global phenomenon. Ironies abound in the contrasts between the everyday
lives of the books' readers and the fantasy worlds that offer them escape.
"Guilty Pleasures" portrays five romance devotees who must,
ultimately, find their dreams in the real world.
AUTHORS DISCUSSED:
TOPICS DISCUSSED:
The surging popularity of romance and romantasy: read more from The Guardian and BookRiot.
The Bridgerton series by Julia Quinn
Audiobook narrator, Phyllida Nash: I couldn't find any personal information about her, but if you're interested in who many, MANY internet users (as well as our BAB participant!) consider one of the best narrators of history/historical fiction around, here is a list of some of her work.
Descriptions pulled from Amazon, Rotten Tomatoes, pbs.org, and
officialgeorgetteheyer.com.
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