Ann Arbor | Ypsilanti Reads

AA / YPSI READS

It's that time again! The communities of Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti join literary forces to read and discuss one book. The 2015 theme is A Very Good Read .

We are down to two finalists, We Need New Names by NoViolet Bulawayo and A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki.

The judges want your feedback, which book should be the one that Ann Arbor and Ypsilanti reads? Read them and share your opinion by visiting the Finalist page, then click on the link that takes you to the book's page, and tell us what you think. Both titles are available for AADL cardholders to borrow. The Finalist will be selected in October.

You can listen to an interview with Ruta Sepetys the author of last year's Read winner, Between Shades of Gray, when she visited AADL. You can also visit the Ann Arbor Ypsilanti Reads website to find out more about the program.

A Tale For the Time Being

A Tale For the Time Being A Tale For the Time Being, by Ruth Ozeki.

Winner of the 2014 Medici Book Club Prize, the L.A. Times Book Prize and a finalist for the Booker Prize.

In Tokyo, sixteen-year-old Nao has decided there’s only one escape from her aching loneliness and her classmates’ bullying. But before she ends it all, Nao first plans to document the life of her great grandmother, a Buddhist nun who’s lived more than a century.

A diary is Nao’s only solace—and will touch lives in ways she can scarcely imagine. Across the Pacific, we meet Ruth, a novelist living on a remote island who discovers a collection of artifacts washed ashore in a Hello Kitty lunchbox—possibly debris from the devastating 2011 tsunami.

As the mystery of its contents unfolds, Ruth is pulled into the past, into Nao’s drama and her unknown fate, and forward into her own future.

The book is full of Ozeki’s signature humor and deeply engaged with the relationship between writer and reader, past and present, fact and fiction, quantum physics, history, and myth.

What did you think of this book? Tell us!

Garden of Evening Mists

Garden of Evening Mists Garden of Evening Mists, by Tan Twan Eng.

Winner of the 2012 Man Asian Literary Prize, a new novel of love, war and memory.

Malaya, 1951. Yun Ling Teoh, the scarred lone survivor of a brutal Japanese wartime camp, seeks solace among the jungle-fringed tea plantations of Cameron Highlands. There she discovers Yugiri, the only Japanese garden in Malaya, and its owner and creator, the enigmatic Aritomo, exiled former gardener of the emperor of Japan. Despite her hatred of the Japanese, Yun Ling seeks to engage Aritomo to create a garden in memory of her sister, who died in the camp. Aritomo refuses but agrees to accept Yun Ling as his apprentice “until the monsoon comes.” Then she can design a garden for herself.

As the months pass, Yun Ling finds herself intimately drawn to the gardener and his art, while all around them a communist guerilla war rages. But the Garden of Evening Mists remains a place of mystery. Who is Aritomo and how did he come to leave Japan? And is the real story of how Yun Ling managed to survive the war perhaps the darkest secret of all?

What did you think of this book? Tell us!

We Need New Names

We Need New Names, by NoViolet Bulawayo.

A remarkable literary debut and the winner of the 2014 Hemingway Pen Award and shortlisted for the Booker Prize.

Darling is only ten years old, and yet she must navigate a fragile and violent world. In Zimbabwe, Darling and her friends steal guavas, try to get the baby out of young Chipo’s belly, and grasp at memories of Before. Before soldiers destroyed their homes, before the fathers left for dangerous jobs abroad.

But Darling has a chance to escape: she has an aunt in America. She travels to this new land in search of America’s famous abundance only to find that her options as an immigrant are perilously few.

NoViolet Bulawayo’s debut calls to mind the great storytellers of displacement and arrival who have come before her—from Junot Diaz to Zadie Smith to J.M. Coetzee—while she tells a vivid, raw story all her own.

What did you think of this book? Tell us!

Suggest a Title for Ann Arbor | Ypsilanti Reads

You know you've read a good book when after it is finished, you can't stop thinking about it. It could days later – when a feeling comes over you – and you know the author got to you some how. That is my idea of a good read.

Have you read any good books like that lately? Now is your chance to potentially share it with the community. Ann Arbor |Ypsilanti reads is a collaborative program where one book is selected to be read by the community, discussed, and then the capstone event is a visit by the author.

We want your input! Suggest a title on our website in the comment section, or stop into one of the libraries before Monday, July 7. Committees are meeting over the summer to discuss the hundreds of possible titles and narrow it down to two. In the Fall, a distinguished panel of judges will decide on the title.

This year’s theme is ‘A Very Good Read’ and the book selected can be a work of fiction or nonfiction. Also:
• The writing should be engaging and thought-provoking.
• The subjects discussed should be accessible to readers throughout the community, high-school age and above.
• The length, price, and availability of the book should be suited to involvement by the general public.
• The book should be by a living author.
• Its treatment of issues should encourage readers to discuss the issues further with others, at home, work, reading clubs, and community events.
• Ideally, the subject should lead to constructive dialogues across our diverse communities.

Suggest a Title

AA / YPSI READS

Suggest A Title For This Year's A Very Good Read

Read a good book lately? Suggest a book to the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads planning committees and your suggestion just might be the pick for the upcoming Reads (which will take place in January & February 2015).

This year’s theme is "A Very Good Read" and the book selected can be a work of fiction or non fiction.

Committees will be meeting over the summer to consider hundreds of possible titles – and they want your help!

You can suggest a title by commenting below, or by stopping by any Ann Arbor District Library or Ypsilanti District Library location. Suggest a title by July 7 and it will be considered for selection!

Book Selection

• The writing should be engaging and thought-provoking.
• The subjects discussed should be accessible to readers throughout the community, high-school age and above.
• The length, price, and availability of the book should be suited to involvement by the general public.
• The book should be by a living author.
• Its treatment of issues should encourage readers to discuss the issues further with others, at home, work, reading clubs, and community events.
• Ideally, the subject should lead to constructive dialogues across our diverse communities.

Don't forget to submit your book suggestion in one of the libraries or as a comment below before July 7th!

Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads: Present and Past

On Tuesday, January 21, from 7-9 pm at Washtenaw Community College, Morris Lawrence Building, Ruta Sepetys, author of Between Shades of Gray, this year's AA/Ypsi Reads selection, discusses her book as well as signs copies. (With doors opening at 6 pm.)

But you can explore previous AA/Ypsi Reads authors right now. Our online Video Collection includes the AA/Ypsi Reads lectures from Jonathan Weiner, author of the 2006 selection The Beak of the Finch: A Story of Evolution in Our Own Time, William Poy Lee, author of the 2008 selection The Eighth Promise: An American Son's Tribute to His Toisanese Mother, Timothy Ferris, author of the 2009 selection Seeing in the Dark: How Amateur Astronomers are Discovering the Wonders of the Universe, Jerry Dennis, author of the 2010 selection The Living Great Lakes: Searching for the Heart of the Inland Seas, and Richard Glaubman, co-author of the 2011 selection Life is So Good.

There are also audio podcasts featuring interviews with Timothy Ferris, Jerry Dennis, and Richard Glaubman.

And if you're looking to expand your AA/Ypsi Reads horizons beyond the authors, check out the Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads Video Collection Page containing related lectures and discussions from the past nine years.

Sponsors: 2014

Thanks to the following organizations for their contributions to the 2014 Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads:
Ann Arbor District Library
University of Michigan
Washtenaw Community College
Washtenaw Intermediate School District
Ypsilanti District Library

Special Thanks to the Following Individuals Who Served on 2013 Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads Committees:

Blue Ribbon Committee
Laurel Champion, Executive Vice-President, AnnArbor.com
Mary Sue Coleman, President, University of Michigan
John Hieftje, Mayor, Ann Arbor
Dr. Susan Martin, President, Eastern Michigan University
Jill Morey, Director, Ypsilanti District Library
Josie Barnes Parker, Director, Ann Arbor District Library
Paul Schreiber, Mayor, Ypsilanti

Steering Committee
Donna DeButts, Community Relations Coordinator, Ypsilanti District Library
Tim Grimes, Community Relations and Marketing Manager, Ann Arbor District Library
Diane Hockett, Treasurer, Washtenaw Intermediate School District
Lori Kunkel-Coryell, Assistant Director, Ypsilanti District Library
Ira Lax, Outreach Assistant, Ann Arbor District Library
Evans Young, Assistant Dean, College of Literature, Science and the Arts, University of Michigan

Screening Committee
Lori Kunkel-Coryell, Assistant Director, Ypsilanti District Library, Co-Chair
Sara Memmott, Librarian, Eastern Michigan University, Co-Chair
Maureen Angyan, Teacher, Ypsilanti Public Schools
Ryan Case, Library Technician, Ann Arbor District Library
Kathe Blue Hetter, Teacher, Ann Arbor Public Schools
Barbara Klaver, Teacher, Ann Arbor Public Schools
Molly Mahony, Tanner Philosophy Librarian, Department of Philosophy, University of Michigan
Joetta Mial, Another Ann Arbor
Judy Nagle, Author
Shari Robinson-Lynk, Director, Project Community, University of Michigan
Nicola Rooney, Nicola’s Books
Sandor Slomovits, Musician
La'Ron Williams, Storyteller
Evans Young, Assistant Dean, College of Literature, Science and the Arts, University of Michigan

Selection Committee
Judy Nagle, Author, Chair
Vicki Browne, Ann Arbor District Library
Ashley Ducker, Teacher, Ann Arbor Public Schools
Sarah Fabian, Librarian, Eastern Michigan University Library
Ben Malczewski, Ypsilanti District Library
Regina Mason, Ann Arbor
Robin Peshick, Student, Ypsilanti
Charles Ranson, Multicultural Studies Librarian, University of Michigan Library
Rhonda Walker, Teacher, Ypsilanti Public Schools
Jean Winborn, Ypsilanti
Malaika Worsham, Student, Ann Arbor

Outreach Committee
Donna DeButts, Community Relations Coordinator, Ypsilanti District Library
Rhonda Fowler, African American Studies Librarian, Eastern Michigan University
Sharon Gambin, Kerrytown Book Festival
Tim Grimes, Community Relations and Marketing Manager, Ann Arbor District Library
Emily Hamstra, Learning Librarian, University of Michigan Library
Diane Hockett, Treasurer, WISD
Ira Lax, Outreach Assistant, Ann Arbor District Library
Molly Mahony, Philosophy Librarian, University of Michigan
Joetta Mial, Another Ann Arbor
Jean Nelson, Liaison, Washtenaw Community College
Lyn Riehl, Events Coordinator, Nicola’s Books
Sarena Shivers, Washtenaw Intermediate School District
Gayle Townsend, Community Relations Manager, Barnes and Noble Bookstores
Amanda Uhle, Executive Director, 826michigan
La'Ron Williams, Storyteller
Evans Young, Assistant Dean, College of Literature, Science and the Arts, University of Michigan

Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads 2014 is Here!

January and February are Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads months. AA/Ypsi Reads is a community initiative to promote reading and civic dialogue through the shared experience of reading and discussing a common book.

This year's theme is A Very Good Read and the chosen book is Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys, the story of a Lithuanian teen during WWII whose life is torn apart when the Soviets invade her home.

Check out the AA/Ypsi Reads webpage featuring resources, upcoming events and upcoming discussions.

Read Current Magazine's interview with Ruta Sepetys.

And don't miss this month's events:
Thursday, January 9, 7-8:30 pm at the Downtown Library Multi-Purpose Room
U-M History Professor Brian Porter-Szucs provides rich background and broader context for the book's milieu as he discusses WWII In Eastern Europe.

Tuesday, January 21, 7-9 pm at Washtenaw Community College, Morris Lawrence Building
Author Ruta Sepetys discusses her book as well as signs copies. The doors open at 6 pm.

Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads 2014: the final two!

The Ann Arbor/Ypsilanti Reads screening committee has narrowed this coming year's read to two finalists, with the theme A Very Good Read. A panel of well-known locals – musician Mark Braun (Mr. B); radio and TV personality Lucy Ann Lance, Ann Arbor Chronicle publisher Mary Morgan, Ann Arbor City Council Member Sally Petersen, and Ypsilanti Mayor Paul Schreiber – will be reading the two books "The Garden of Evening Mists" and "Between Shades of Gray" to determine just will be selected.

You, too, have a say – just head on over to aaypsireads.org and leave a comment about which book you'd prefer! The selection committee will be keeping an eye out for your feedback.

Take a quick look at the descriptions of our two finalists:

The Garden of Evening Mists, by Tan Twan Eng: Malaya, 1951. Yun Ling Teoh, the scarred lone survivor of a brutal Japanese wartime camp, seeks solace among the jungle-fringed tea plantations of Cameron Highlands. There she discovers Yugiri, the only Japanese garden in Malaya, and its owner and creator, the enigmatic Aritomo, exiled former gardener of the emperor of Japan. Despite her hatred of the Japanese, Yun Ling seeks to engage Aritomo to create a garden in memory of her sister, who died in the camp. Aritomo refuses but agrees to accept Yun Ling as his apprentice "until the monsoon comes." Then she can design a garden for herself. As the months pass, Yun Ling finds herself intimately drawn to the gardener and his art, while all around them a communist guerilla war rages. But the Garden of Evening Mists remains a place of mystery. Who is Aritomo and how did he come to leave Japan? And is the real story of how Yun Ling managed to survive the war perhaps the darkest secret of all?

Between Shades of Gray, by Ruta Sepetys: Fifteen-year-old Lina is a Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life--until Soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, Lina, her mother, and her young brother make their way to a Siberian work camp, where they are forced to fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in her art, documenting these events by drawing. Risking everything, she imbeds clues in her drawings of their location and secretly passes them along, hoping her drawings will make their way to her father's prison camp. But will strength, love, and hope be enough for Lina and her family to survive?

The official read will take place in January through February 2014. For more information, check out aaypsireads.org.