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A special three-part community discussion of the historical masterpiece, "The Pillars of the Earth" by Ken Follett, will launch the Morro Bay Friends of the Library's Spring Series on March 3, to be followed by appearances and readings by two local authors in the Program Room of the Library at 625 Harbor St. All these programs are from 10 to noon, and everyone is invited to attend for free.
On March 24, the first local author to appear will be Ken Christensen, an accomplished landscape painter and author, who lives in San Luis Obispo. The next will be Gordon Snider, a Pismo Beach resident since 1999, whose latest novel, “The Hypnotist,” was published last year. He will appear on March 31.
Over a three week period, there will be a reading and discussion by participants of Follet's spellbinding epic tale of ambition, anarchy, and absolute
power set against the sprawling medieval canvas of twelfth-century England. The introduction to "The Pillars of the Earth" will be the focus on March 3, parts two and three on March 10 and parts four through six on March 17. The three-week discussion of Follett's book takes the place of the regular monthly Inspirational Wednesdays series.
"The Pillars of the Earth" was published in 1989, and, Follett says, it still sells about 100,000 copies a year in paperback in the United States. It was the leading seller in the United Kingdom and Italy for a number of years and was on the German best seller list for six years. He describes the novel this way:
"In a time of civil war, famine and religious strife, there rises a magnificent Cathedral in Kingsbridge. Against this backdrop, lives entwine: Tom, the master builder; Aliena, the noblewoman; Philip, the prior of Kingsbridge; Jack, the artist in stone, and Ellen, the woman from the forest who casts a curse. At once, this is a sensuous and enduring love story and an epic that shines with the fierce spirit of a passionate age."
Christensen will read passages from his books, "Up North with Uncle Bob" and "The Blue Cabin," and discuss them with participants. He was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, and was schooled in the Midwest before moving to Europe where he studied painting and began a successful career marked by one-man shows in Paris. In 1988, he moved back to the United States, exhibited his paintings in New Mexico and the Midwest and in 1998 moved to San Luis Obispo where his paintings have been exhibited extensively.
"The Blue Cabin," written in France in 1981, is a love story set among three small villages in Provence in southeastern France. "Up North With Uncle Bob," published in 1986, is a delightful tale about a trip the author took with his uncle Bob through Michigan's Upper Peninsula in search of the perfect pastry. Both books contain numerous illustrations in pen and ink. Christensen is now writing a third novel entitled "Joey Appleshoe," which is about a handsome horseshoer who becomes a great American hero.
Snider's "The Hypnotist" deftly weaves his story of the dark side of Chinatown in the early 1900s when San Francisco had reached the peak of its golden age--before the earthquake of 1906, and, as one reviewer put it, his exciting tale makes the historical events of that time extremely real. Snider plans to introduce his book at the discussion through a slide show of San Francisco in 1906, including events surrounding the great earthquake and fire.
His first novel, "Sigourney's Quest," published in 2006, is about a courageous woman, a lost seventh-century Buddhist manuscript, and a harrowing journey through Tibet. The manuscript must be brought home by Sigourney Phillips to the Tibetan monastery from which it was taken 100 years ago. She must evade Chinese officials and spies who are trying to prevent the manuscript from being returned, must outwit the political intrigues of Tibetan monks and undergo extraordinary hardships.
"The Separatist," published a year later, tells two parallel stories: one about Julia Rice, a newspaper reporter, and the other about Mr. Andersen, an 80-year-old man who roars into her life like an aging lion. He has led a harrowing life, including being hired by clients to sever relationships between spouses, business partners, or lovers without unwanted publicity or legal confrontations. Now, he asks Julia to tell his story, but she has hidden fears in her own life that makes it daunting.
Before becoming a novelist, Snider was trained in business and marketing, taught those subjects at four different universities, including Cal Poly, and wrote two books on these subjects, "Winning Marketing Strategies" and "How to Become a Killer Competitor."
Friends of the Library regularly host book discussion groups on the first and third Wednesdays of the month, discussions on inspirational topics on the second Wednesday and readings by local authors and special presentations toward a celebration and appreciation of literature on most fourth and fifth Wednesdays. Friends will also hold additional book sales this year on May 8, Aug. 7 and Nov. 6 to raise funds for the library. Friends also provide volunteers to support library services and operations, publish a newsletter distributed throughout the community four times a year, and build and maintain awareness of library needs and services among residents.
For more information, visit the Friends web site or contact Karen Robert.
