Bayou Bytes Blog

Below are a couple books readers discussed at the February 15th meeting. The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman Alice Hoffman’s latest novel The Red Garden follows the lives of various characters over 200 years in the town of Blackwell, Massachusetts. Hoffman skillfully creates connections among them and their stories. Longtime fans will not be disappointed with Hoffman’s newest winner. Find it at your library! The Sigma Protocol by Robert Ludlum The Sigma Protocol is a solid thriller from author Robert Ludlum, known for penning the Bourne series. The novel sees Ben Hartman, an investment banker, teaming up with Agent Anna Navarro to investigate murders of old men across the globe, who all have CIA files containing the cryptic word “SIGMA.” The Sigma Protocol is a quick read and a satisfying thriller. Find it at your library! Do you have any favorite Alice Hoffman or Robert Ludlum novels? Feel free to share them in the comments! Reminder: Our “Book of the Month” is Saving...

Below is a summary of our discussion on our first “Book of the Month:” The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards. The novel follows the troubles Dr. David Henry's family suffers after he decides to give up his daughter born with Down syndrome in 1964 only to lie to his wife, saying the little girl died at birth. Reactions to the novel ran the gamut among our group: one member truly loved it, a few didn’t care for it at all, and the rest had more mixed reactions. All agreed that the novel was rather complex with several different plots running parallel to each other, only on occasion intertwining. The complexity was engaging to one member, but many others found it unnecessary and confusing at times. Edwards has a distinct, poetic style to her writing. Her descriptions, while vivid, sometimes bury the plot -- which bothered a few members. Members also critiqued the characterizations in the novel, which many found inconsistent and frustrating. If you’ve already read The Mem...

February is National Black History month and the founders, The Association for the Study of African American Life and History have named this year's theme: African Americans and the Civil War. From the ASALH website: In 1861, as the United States stood at the brink of Civil War, people of African descent, both enslaved and free persons, waited with a watchful eye. They understood that a war between the North and the South might bring about jubilee--the destruction of slavery and universal freedom. When the Confederacy fired upon Fort Sumter and war ensued, President Abraham Lincoln maintained that the paramount cause was to preserve the Union, not end slavery. Frederick Douglass, the most prominent black leader, opined that regardless of intentions, the war would bring an end to slavery, America’s “peculiar institution.” Over the course of the war, the four million people of African descent in the United States proved Douglass right. Free and enslaved blacks rallied around the Un...