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General Information and Past Events
WELCOME
TO NORTH READING READS 2008!
We invite you to join
the North Reading community for our fifth town-wide reading
program. We hope you'll enjoy the experience of A Walk
in the Woods as much as you've enjoyed our other
selections.
"It's a simple thing, this coming together
around books…Communities sharing a book can crack the isolation
of technology that allows people to do almost everything without
seeing another human being. The invitation to read gives a
person permission to clear space on the jammed schedule for
reconnecting with the joy of story hour.
What if the whole country read one book?
How about the world? Think about it."
The Boston Globe,
3/1/05
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Bill Bryson
Bill Bryson was born
in Des Moines, Iowa. The author of many acclaimed works of
non-fiction, he now lives in England with his family.
Following his return
to America after twenty years in Britain, Bill Bryson
decided to reacquaint himself with his native country by
walking the 2,100-mile Appalachian Train, with his old
friend Katz. But A Walk in the Woods is more than a
series of misadventures. Bryson's acute eye is a wise
witness to this fragile and beautiful terrain, and, as he
tells its history, he makes a moving please for the
conservation of America's last great wilderness. A Walk in
the Woods is an adventure, a comedy, a lament, and a
celebration.
Robert Redford
will star as Bill Bryson in a Walk in the Woods.
Other books by Bill Bryson
Bryson's Dictionary of Troublesome Words
The Lost Continent
I'm a Stranger Here Myself
Mother Tongue
Neither Here nor There
Notes from a Small Island
The Life and Times of the Thunderbolt Kid
Shakespeare: The World As Stage
A Short History of Nearly Everything
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North
Reading Reads 2008 events
All events will take place in the Flint Memorial Library
Activity Room
unless otherwise noted.
|
Date & Time
|
Day
|
Event |
| Feb. 7, 7 PM
| Thursday
|
"The Hybrid Car: Just One
of Several Efficiency Tools," presented by North
Reading resident, Hobbit |
| Feb. 28, 7PM |
Thursday |
Trek: A Journey on the
Appalachian Trail, a documentary |
| March 4, 7PM |
Tuesday |
Discussion of
A Walk in the Woods |
| March 11, 7PM |
Tuesday |
On the Appalachian Trail with R.E.I. of Reading |
| March 18, 7PM |
Tuesday |
Poetry Reading
by Erica Funkhouser |
| March 20, 7PM
| Thursday
|
"Climate Change in the
Northeast:
What It Could Mean for North Reading and What We Can Do
About it," presented by John Rogers, of North Reading |
| April 17, 7PM |
Thursday |
"Buildings and Climate
Change:
Can Building Energy Use Go to Zero?" presented by Les
Norford |
| April 26, 2PM |
Saturday |
A Walk in the North
Reading Woods led by
Janet Nicosia, of North Reading |
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DISCUSSION
QUESTIONS
1.
Do you feel that Bryson and
Katz's hike really counts as hiking the Appalachian trail
even though they only hiked 39%?
2. What do you think of the relationship between
Bryson and Katz?
3. What do you think of the author's sense of humor?
His opinions? His writing style?
4. Did the
ending of the book feel right to you?
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IF
YOU LIKED A Walk in the
Woods, we suggest...
Grannie
D: Walking Across American in my 90th Year
by Doris Haddock
Blue Highways by William Least Heat Moon
Walking
to Vermont: From Times Square into the Green Mountains
by Christopher Wren
Vanishing America by James Conaway
Paris to the Moon by Adam Gopnick
Walking My Dog Jane: From Valdez to Prudhoe Bay by Ned
Rozell
Dave Barry's Only Travel Guide You'll Ever Need by
Dave Barry
Wanderlust: A History of Walking by Rebecca Solnit
Trek: A Journey on the Appalachian Trail -DVD
2,000 Miles to Maine: Adventures on the Appalachian
Trail-DVD
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The
Appalachian Trail
Some Facts about the A.T.:
Conceived by Benton McKay 1921.
Completed in 1937.
2,175 miles long.
Runs from Georgia to Mt. Katahdin, Maine
Goes through 14 state.
1500-2000 people attempt a thru-hike of the A.T. each year;
200 succeed.
Websites
of interest:
Appalachian
Trail Conservancy
Appalachian
Trail - Wikipedia
Appalachian
Trail State by State
Appalachian
Trail Glossary
Appalachian
Trail in Massachusetts
Web Trail Journal:
In March Matt Bernstein spoke at the library about his
thru-hike on the AT in
2006. The hike took 6 months. Along the way, he stopped at
public libraries and recorded entries in his
online journal. For his next thru-hike, he plans to
fly to
Seattle and walk the Pacific Crest Trail, from Washington to
Mexico.
Here is Matt's
AT journal.
Matt Bernstein visited the library
in March to talk about his thru-hike.
He is pictured here with his
40-lb pack.
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"Green" Living--Websites of Interest
Campaign
Earth
Northeast
Climate Impacts Assessment
GreenLiving
Journal
Green living tips
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Charitable Outreach
As part of A
Walk in the Woods, the Friends are collecting Pairs of
new white
socks in youth sizes to donate to
Lazarus House Ministries in Lawrence. Please
look for the basket on the first floor of the library.
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NORTH
READING READS 2008 ORGANIZERS & SPONSERS
Thank you to Steve DiFranza for
designing the North Reading Reads logo and Margarita Drozdoff, web designer.
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