What's The Issue?

We've made it through a couple book discussions now and one thing most readers seem most interested in discussing about Little Bee is the real-life issues it weaves into its fictional narrative. With Little Bee, the predominant issue would be immigration and asylum for refugees, and discussion participants definitely had a lot to say, both about the issues themselves, as well as how skillfully (or not) Chris Cleave handled those issues within his story. Discussion participants also cited other novels they've enjoyed that dealt with a specific issue well fictionally, books like our 2005 Citywide Reads selection The Kite Runner, as well as classics like The Grapes of Wrath. We'd definitely be interested in hearing what you think, so please take the time to join one of our other upcoming discussions.



You may also be wondering what that picture to the right is. On Wednesday afternoon, February 17th, several of our librarians swooped down on the Third Street Promenade for a "book mob" to promote Santa Monica Citywide Reads. Similar to "flash mobs," where a group of people converge, unannounced, on a given spot for a brief time to catch the public's attention, we dropped in on the Promenade during the Wednesday Farmer's Market rush and passed out coupons for Little Bee books, and conducted a few flash group readings of segments we love from the book. We definitely caught the interest of many passersby, and if any of those passersby was you, we hope to see you at an upcoming discussion or special event. In fact, we hope to see all of you.

Remember, this coming Saturday afternoon, we'll be hosting Chris Cleave himself for a special author presentation, as well as a special staged reading of excerpts from Little Bee by actresses Rosalyn Landor and Petal d'Avril Walker. The program starts at the Main Library at 1:30 p.m., Saturday, February 20th, and free tickets for Auditorium seating will be released at 12:30 p.m. We definitely advise an early arrival, as we think this one will be filled to capacity quickly.

See you then!

We Mobbed!

Yesterday, library staff members took to the streets to celebrate our upcoming Citywide Reads program. Armed with signs, drums, free copies of The Shadow Catcher, and resource guides, we headed to the Third Street Promenade. We gave away 40 copies of the novel within 20 minutes and then gathered for a group read-aloud at noon. Shortly after, in the tradition of a flash mob, we disappeared, hopefully leaving behind some community members who are excited about Citywide Reads. Many thanks to the Friends of the Santa Monica Public Library for providing the copies of the novel and for the printing of the resource guide.

Book Mob!

We are having a book mob to celebrate Citywide Reads!

We'll meet at the Third Street Promenade, just south of the Farmers Market, at 12 noon on Wednesday, February 25. Free copies of The Shadow Catcher will be given away and we'll have a simultaneous group read-aloud.

The book mob is based on the concept of a flash mob - a group of people who gather together suddenly and perform an unusual action.

Don't miss the fun!