January 29 Meeting - History of the Peloponnesian War

The next Great Books KC meeting:
What: The Peloponnesian War by Thucydides
When: January 29, 2010, 7:00 PM
Where: Plaza Branch Library
4801 Main Street, KC, MO 65112
Come join us in January, as we kick off the new year with a discussion of this classic work about an empire, over-extended in foreign engagements, locked in a war it is destined to lose against an implacable enemy.
Extra points if you can deliver the Funeral Oration by memory. ;)
Link to FREE COPIES OF TEXT
Link to FREE AUDIO FILE OF BOOK
Link to LIST OF BOOKS WE'VE DISCUSSED IN THE PAST
Link to WHAT MAKES A BOOK GREAT
Link to HOW WE MAKE OUR SELECTIONS
Link to ESSENTIAL PARTS TO READ OF PELOPONNESIAN WAR
Link to CLIF'S REVIEW OF PELOPONNESIAN WAR

SCHEDULE FOR 2010

January 29: The History of the Peloponnesian War, by Thucydides
February 26: Revelations of Divine Love, by Julian of Norwich
March 26: 1984, by George Orwell
April 30: Revelation, from the Bible
May 28: Shakespeare and a Movie--The Tempest and "Forbidden Planet"
June 25, July 30, August 27: War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy
September 24: The Art of War, by Sun Tzu
October 29: Great Poetic Works (details to be announced)
December 3: Beowulf (Select books to read in 2011)

Please make note of any works you especially want to read, tell your friends, and join us for great conversation.
See you at the library!

December 4 Meeting, A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

What better way for a book group to get into the Christmas spirit than rereading this classic. Have you read the original Dickens' version, or just seen the movies or plays? Well, maybe it's time the read the original.
What: A Christmas Carol
When: December 4, 2009 7:00 PM
Where:
Kansas City Public Library/Plaza Branch
4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO 64112
816-701-3481
LINK TO FREE COPIES OF TEXT
LINK TO FREE AUDIO FILES OF BOOK

October 30 Meeting, Changed Time of Meeting

What: Shakespeare and a Movie: "King Lear" and "A Thousand Acres"
When: October 30, 2009 6:00 PM
Where:
Kansas City Public Library/Plaza Branch
4801 Main Street
Kansas City, MO 64112
816-701-3481

Our gathering this month is to discuss William Shakespeare's "King Lear" and watch the movie "A Thousand Acres," which is based upon the play.

We will be meeting at 6:00pm--one hour earlier than our usual time--to accommodate the movie. Discussion of the play will take place from 6:00pm-7:00pm, and the movie will run from 7:30pm until about 8:45pm.

Please join us for either the play or the movie. We look forward to an enjoyable evening of Shakespeare!

LINK TO "MEETUP.COM"

October 2009, King Lear by William Shakespeare

Our next meeting will be October 30, 2009 at 07:00 P.M. We will meet at the Plaza Branch Library, 4801 Main St., Kansas City, MO.

We will be discussing King Lear, by William Shakespeare. This classic work of English literature is available on line from numerous websites. Below are two links with the play.
LINK TO KING LEAR TEXT

ALTERNATIVE LINK TO KING LEAR TEXT

LINK TO "MEETUP.COM" MESSAGE BOARD

September 2009, In A Grove by Ryunosuke Akutagawa

Our next meeting will be September 25, 2009 at 07:00 P.M. We will meet at the Plaza Branch Library, 4801 Main St., Kansas City, MO.

We will be discussing In A Grove, by Ryunosuke Akutagawa. This is a classic Japanese short story available on line in English translation.
LINK TO COMPLETE TEXT

ALTERNATIVE LINK IF ABOVE LINK DOESN'T WORK

In A Grove is a short story by Japanese writer Ryūnosuke Akutagawa. It first appearing in the January 1922 edition of the Japanese literature monthly Shinchō. Akira Kurosawa used this story as the basis for his award-winning movie Rashōmon. "In a Grove" is an early modernist short story consisting of seven varying accounts of the murder of a samurai, Kanazawa no Takehiro, whose corpse has been found in a bamboo forest near Kyoto. Each section simultaneously clarifies and obfuscates what the reader knows about the murder, eventually creating a complex and contradictory vision of events that brings into question humanity's ability or willingness to perceive and transmit objective truth. The story is often praised as being among the greatest in Japanese literature.

Those of you who have complained in the past that the books selected by the Great Books group were too long have no excuse for not reading this book. It is about 9 pages long depending on the font size.

LINK TO MEETUP.COM PAGE FOR THIS MEETING

August 2009, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

Our next meeting will be August 28, 2009 at 07:00 P.M. We will meet at the Plaza Branch Library, 4801 Main St., Kansas City, MO

We will be discussing Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. This will be the third of our planned three meetings on the book. Pick your favorite poem and share it with the group. It may appear that we are stuck in a rut of Whitman's free verse. Well, it's summer time and things move slowly in the summer and that includes our group.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW COMMENTS.
(Leave your own comments in panel provided on the comments page.)

July 2009 Selection, Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

Our next meeting will be July 31, 2009 at 07:00 P.M. We will meet at the Plaza Branch Library, 4801 Main St., Kansas City, MO

We will be discussing Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman. This will be the second of our planned three meetings on the book. Pick your favorite poem and share it with the group.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW COMMENTS.
(Leave your own comments in panel provided on the comments page.)

June 2009 Selection: Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

The book for our June meeting is Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman.

We will meet at the Plaza Branch Library, in the small meeting room, at 7:00 p.m. on June 26, 2009. The library is located at 4801 Main Street, Kansas City, MO.

All those who love books and learning more about them are welcome and encouraged to attend.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW COMMENTS.
(Leave your own comments in panel provided on the comments page.)

May 2009 Selection: Brave New World by Aldous Huxley

The book for our May meeting is Brave New World by Aldous Huxley.

We will meet at the Plaza Branch Library, in the small meeting room, at 7:00 p.m. on May 29, 2009.  The library is located at 4801 Main Street, Kansas City, MO.

All those who love books and learning more about them are welcome and encouraged to attend.

CLICK HERE TO VIEW COMMENTS.
(Leave your own comments in panel provided on the comments page.)

April 2009 Selection: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

The book for our April meeting is The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain.

We will meet at the Plaza Branch Library, in the small meeting room, at 7:00 p.m. on April 24, 2009.  The library is located at 4801 Main Street, Kansas City, MO.

All those who love books and learning more about them are welcome and encouraged to attend.

SEE COMMENTS FOR DISCUSSION OF BOOK AND OUR MEETING.

March 2009 Selection: The Book of Job (from the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures)

Our book for our March meeting is Job (from the Old Testament/Hebrew Scriptures).

We will meet at the Plaza Library, in the small meeting room, at 7:00 p.m. on March 27, 2009.  The library is located at 4801 Main Street, Kansas City, MO.

All those who love books and learning more about them are welcome and encouraged to attend.

(SEE COMMENTS FOR DISCUSSION OF BOOK AND MEETING)

Planned Schedule For 2009

Here is the list of dates and books planned for the Great books KC Group for the coming year:

Jan 30: Wuthering Heights, by Emily Bronte

Feb 27: The Iliad by Homer

March 27: Job from the Bible

April 24: The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain

May 29: Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley

June 26, July 31 and August 28: Leaves of Grass, by Walt Whitman

September 25: In A Grove, by Ryunosuke Akutagawa

October 30: King Lear, by Shakespeare

December 4: A Christmas Carol, by Charles Dickens

We hope this planned schedule will enable our members to plan ahead, and perhaps pick and choose which books to read.

February 2009 Selection: The Iliad, Homer

Our book for our February meeting is The Iliad by Homer.

We will meet at the Plaza Library, in the small meeting room, at 7:00 p.m. on February 27th. All are welcome. The library is located at 4801 Main Street, Kansas City, MO.

All those who love books and learning more about them are welcome and encouraged to attend.

(SEE COMMENTS FOR REVIEWS OF BOOK AND MEETING)