April Book Discussion

7:00 P.M., April 26, WE will read At Home a Short History of Private Life by Bill Bryson. Bryson reconstructs the history of his home, a former Church of England rectory built in the 19th century, room by room. With a gift for unearthing the extraordinary stories behind the seemingly commonplace, he examines how everyday items - things like ice, cookbooks, glass windows, and salt and pepper -transformed the way people lived, and how houses evolved around these new commodities. He gracefully draws connections between an eclectic array of events that have affected home life, covering everything from the relationship between cholera outbreaks and modern landscaping, to toxic makeup, highly flammable hoopskirts, and other unexpected hazards of fashion. This is a recently released book, so books will trickle in. Call or e-mail to reserve your book as soon as possible.