Upcoming Selections 
2012
Note: This is a working list, and selections are subject to change. If you'd like to suggest a title as an alternative to one listed, please contact Susanne or Carol. We welcome suggestions!
December 1 A Cup of Tea by Amy Ephron
Readers' Suggested Books
Our readers have recommended the following books. Please send your suggestions to the webmaster for inclusion here, and check back soon for updates.
Books for the Mind
Fur, Fortunes, and Empire by Eric Jay Dolin: the story of how the fur trade influenced events in American history, including Nebraska
The Omnivore’s Dilemma: A Natural History of Four Meals by Michael Polian, a profound discussion of how food choices may affect human survival
Napoleon's Buttons: Jay Burreson and Penny Lee Couteur's thesis about 17 molecules that directed the course of human history
The Prize: Daniel Yergin earned a Pulitzer Prize for his thorough research on oil and the politics, history and technology that surround it.
Krakatoa: The Day the World Exploded: Another excellent book by Simon Winchester about one of the world's most famous volcanic explosions
Six Easy Pieces: This compilation of 6 lectures by Nobel Prize winner Richard Feynman breaks complex physics concepts down into language that almost anyone can understand.
The Five Ages of the Universe: the history of the universe starting with the Big Bang and twisting and turning through until forever
The Invisible Gorilla: People always seem to claim that they let their intuition guide them, but Christopher Chabris and Daniel Simons point out the cognitive errors they will likely encounter that alter their perception.
The Upside of Irrationality: In this intriguing work of "behavioral economics," Dan Ariely engages general audiences by analyzing why humanity as a whole tends to self-sabotage.
Marching with the First Nebraska, A Civil War Diary by August Scherneckau
Massacre Along the Medicine Road by Ronald Becher, details the 1864 Cheyenne/Sioux war against white settlers in Nebraska Territory
The Hidden Reality: Parallel Universes and the Deep Laws of the Cosmos by Brian Greene, speculation about multiverses
Genome by Matt Ridley, a guide summarizing the findings of the Human Genome Project
DNA USA: A Genetic Portrait of America by Bryan Sikes explores the genetic history, genealogy, and anthropology of Americans
Books for the Heart
SADDLE UP! Untold Stories about Vietnam from an Army Infantryman by Charles Gorman, autobiography of a longtime Plattsmouth resident
Life of Pi by Yann Martel, a novel about one man's survival after shipwreck -- with a tiger on the same lifeboat
A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail by Bill Bryson, a true story about a man who along with a friend attempt to walk the Appalachian Trail
Back Street by Fannie Hurst, star-crossed lovers reunite after one has wed another
I Remember Nothing by Nora Ephron, takes a hilarious look at the past, the present, and the future
The Thanatos Syndrome by Walker Percy: a small Louisiana town's mysterious behavior after their water supply is drugged
Light on Snow by Anita Shreves, a novel about love and its consequences
The Zookeeper's Wife by Diane Ackerman, zookeepers in Nazi-occupied Poland hide Jews from the Warsaw ghetto
The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister, students at a cooking school seek recipes for something beyond the kitchen
Thunder Dog: The True Story of a Blind Man, His Guide Dog, and the Triumph of Trust by Michael Hingson and Susy Flory
Touches the Sky by James C. Schaap - Seen through the eyes of Jan and his wife, Dalitha, a clash of cultures, lifestyle, and ways to know God and practice faith
My Life in France by Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme, lighthearted non-fiction
The Slaves' War by Andrew Ward, a passionate if jargon-laden account of the Civil War from the slaves' point of view
Up From Slavery by Booker T. Washington, autobiography
Willpower: Rediscovering the Greatest Human Strength by Baumeister and Tierney, how to resist temptation and harness self-control
Hector's Bliss: Black Homesteaders at Goose Lake, Nebraska by Dennis Vossberg, a historical novel about black homesteaders who settled after the Civil War in Wheeler County, Nebraska.
Books Available with Kits
The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
16 copies
Amazon.com
BKMT Reading Guide
Book Reviews
Discussion Questions
The Elegance of the Hedgehog
by Muriel Barbery
19 copies
Interview with the Author
Reading Guide Questions
Reading Guide with Discussion Questions
Time Magazine Article about the Author
A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest J. Gaines
14 copies / 1 book on cassette
Big Read Book Club Guide
National Book Critics Circle Award for Fiction
Oprah's Book Club Information
Reading Group Guide
At Home in Mitford by Jan Karon
12 copies
#1 in the Mitford Series
Author biography and interview
Author interview about the end of the series
Discussion Questions
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
11 copies
Boeke Prize 1998
National Book Award Winner 1997
Reading Group Guide