Bernardsville
Library’s book discussion group, Saturday Samplers, will meet on Saturday, June
1 at 3:30 pm to discuss The Snake Stone: A Novel (2007) by Jason
Goodwin. [The author will not be present.]
The Snake Stone is the sequel to
British writer and historian Jason Goodwin's best-selling "The Janissary
Tree" (2006) which won the Edgar Allen Poe Award for Best Novel in 2007. A detective series set in 1830s Istanbul, it has
appeared in over 40 languages. The
novels feature detective, polyglot, chef, and eunuch Investigator Yashim. In The
Snake Stone, Yashim is suspected of the murder of a French archeologist who had been asking questions about long-lost Greek artifacts. His efforts to clear his name take him from
markets and wharves to palaces and underground tunnels as he uncovers a secret
society, unearths sacred relics and hunts the murderer. "When you read a historical mystery by
Jason Goodwin, you take a magic carpet ride to the most exotic place on earth,"
wrote Marilyn Stasio in The New York Times Book Review.
Two more books in the
series were published after The Snake Stone. Mr. Goodwin has also written award-winning books
on travel and history, notably "Lords of the Horizons: A History of the
Ottoman Empire." In 1990, he walked
2,000 miles across Eastern Europe, from Gdansk to Istanbul, and recounted the
journey in the award-winning "On Foot to the Golden Horn."
Led by Evelyn Fischel,
Saturday Samplers is a book discussion group dedicated to sampling various kinds
of literature, including short stories, nonfiction, new and old novels, and
even teen fiction. Its goal is to search out interesting, noteworthy, and
sometimes overlooked books. Readers can find information about the group and
about the books and authors on the reading list at http://saturdaysamplers.blogspot.com. No sign-up is needed
to join the discussion. Call the library at 766-0118 for more information.
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