Community Corner

BCCC Book Discussion Group to Meet Thursday

Free, informal sessions take place monthly in Newtown; next book is 'Come to Me: Stories' by Amy Bloom.

By Jennifer Mohan

Delve into literature in 2014 by dropping in on the Bucks County Community College Book Discussion Group. 

The free, informal gatherings take place from 7:30 to 9 p.m. on the second Thursday of the month during the academic year on the college’s Newtown campus.

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Michael Hennessey is the literature professor who convenes the meetings. He said group members come from a variety of backgrounds, but share a love of reading. 

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“There’s not much conflict over the titles we choose,” said Hennessey, who has led the group discussions for more than a decade. “We certainly often disagree about the value or worth of some titles and some characters, but it’s always a civil discussion, though sometimes knowing raised eyebrows are flashed discretely.”

He said the titles are suggested by group members at the last meeting of each semester.

The year starts off with a discussion of Come to Me: Stories by Amy Bloom on Thursday. Bloom’s first collection of stories includes her award-winning “Silver Water,” a sad remembrance of a mentally ill sister and the family that loves yet cannot help her. 

Other titles to be discussed are:

·         February 13 – Americanah by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichi

·         March 13 – The Good Lord Bird: A Novel  by James McBride

·         April 10 – Beowulf: A New Verse Translation by Seamus Heaney

·         May 8 – The Language of Flowers: A Novel by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

·         June 12 – We Need New Names: A Novel by NoViolet Bulawayo


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