Are you interested in joining a book group that meets at your convenience? Come and be a part of Southbank Reads, an online book discussion group moderated by staff from the Kenton County Public Library and hosted through Goodreads.com. 

We read a book every month, and you have a whole week to make comments and ask questions - at whatever time works for you! I always find it interesting to read what other people think about a book, because even though we all read the same title, everyone has their own personal reading experience. Suggestions for future reads are always welcome.


The book for August is Let the Great World Spin, a novel set in 1970's New York City, by Colum McCann. I just checked a copy out!

Right Now I'm Reading:

Hero by Perry Moore

Why I'm reading it: I like superheroes. The idea of a young man learning about his power (healing) and how to use it to help other people as well as himself. Being invited to join a league of world heroes. Figuring out how to work as part of a team. Terrified to reveal that he is gay, but finding that the best way he can be a hero is to face his face his fears head on. I'm about 3/4 through now and enjoying the story. Some of it is quite improbable, but hey, it's about superheroes.

It's been quite toasty hot out lately! I've been swimming, eating ice cream and hanging out in air conitioning to beat the heat. Now I just finished a book that spans some of the hottest days in summer, but the high temperatures are not the greatest threat. That would be Mount Vesuvius.

Robert Harris' Pompeii looks at the two days before and the two days after the famous eruption on August 24, A.D. 79. Young Marcus Attilius becomes the aquarius (engineer) of the enormous aquaduct. A smell of sulfur and quickly diminishing water supply send him on a mission to discover the source of the problem and fix it before towns are completely depleted of water in the oppressive heat. With a team of men, Attilius finds the blockage, but a climb to the top of Vesuvious points to a more imminent disaster.

As I read Pompeii, I could actually feel the heat, the dryness, and the frightening rumbles of the volcano. The historical facts of the book are highly interesting, from the good characters, to those who take advantage of the plight of others, the scientific data at the start of each chapter, and the first hand account of being in the path of falling volcanic rocks and ash. Definitely recommended as good historical fiction.