Memoirs & Coffee Book Group to Meet

The next meeting of Bernardsville Public Library’s book discussion group, Memoirs and Coffee, will be held on Tuesday, July 24 at 10:30 am in the library’s Community Room. Pat Kennedy-Grant, Readers’ Services Manager for the library, will lead the discussion of “Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life” (2005) by Amy Krouse Rosenthal. [The author will not be present.]

In “Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life,” Ms. Rosenthal has ingeniously adapted a centuries-old format for conveying knowledge into a poignant, wise, often funny, fully realized memoir. Using mostly short entries organized from A to Z, many of which are cross-referenced, Rosenthal captures in wonderful and episodic detail the moments, observations, and emotions that comprise a contemporary life. Start anywhere and see how one young woman’s alphabetized existence can open up and define the world in new and unexpected ways.

 According to her website, Ms. Rosenthal is a person who likes to make things—“children's books, adult books, short films, salads, connections with the universe, and something out of nothing.” In The New York Times, her award-winning children's books were described as radiating “fun the way tulips radiate spring: they are elegant and spirit-lifting." As for her adult work, Amazon named “Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life” one of the top ten memoirs of the decade. A contributor to the TED conference and NPR, she is currently the host and creator of Mission Amy KR.com produced by WBEZ. She lives with her family in Chicago

There is no charge and no sign-up is needed to join the discussion. Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.