"World Readers" : Eclectic Interests Abound

With blindfold in place, a spin of the globe, and one well placed digit, Dan "selected" Australia as the focus of the upcoming Jan. 25 meeting. 6:30 PM, Great Pacific. But, wait... there's more to tell. On Dec. 14, nine participants shared their book interests over nachos and coffee at Great Pacific, on South Main St., in Pendleton. The group was formed to discuss current readings on a monthly basis. The public is invited to this informal gathering. Here's a quick synopsis of the offerings: Dan brought Voices of Belizean Children, a UNICEF-sponsored publication. Transcribed in Cajun dialect, youngsters write about their lives in Belize. Their cadence and honesty was impressive. Cerulean Sins, by Anita Blake. Beware the fallout (and blood sucking) when political correctness includes the rights of vampires to pusue their own ends free from legal harrassment. This is one of many vamp books Peter has read. In The Madonnas of Leningrad, Debra Dean weaves together the plight of the Russian people with saving the Hermitage's art collections during the Nazi invasion. Michele especially liked a memory technique used by a protagonist in the book. Classic Haiku: A Master's Selection offers superlative seasonally related Chinese poetry. Brian loves these spare treats. Jackie was so impressed by Guns, Germs, and Steel, by Jared Diamond, that she has also read Collapse, his most recent book. In "Guns...", Diamond speculates about the key ingredients required for either the domination or decimation of cultures. The tome elaborates on the title's "must have" triad. The Third Secret. In the vein of "The Da Vinci Code", Steve Berry's story, as described by Ruth, takes the reader into the Vatican's inner sanctum of clandestine operations. Just what is the third secret? Windhover, a poem by Gerald Manly Hopkins. The poet takes the earth-tethered reader aloft, contrasting a mortal's paltry attributes to those of a bird and God. Manly was a catholic priest; speculation abounds as to the true intent of his metaphorical poem. Bill impressed the entire assembly by quoting without crib notes. Oh, right...back full circle...then we spun the globe, Dan pressed his finger to the surface, and it stopped on an island continent in the Pacific Ocean. With thoughts directed south of the equator, we each struck off on our own into the warm December night. See you Jan. 25.