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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 11/10/2026

We read and discussed Paradise by Morrison in February 2026.

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Sheryl with an S @beachblond52.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

#ProudBlue #ResistanceUnited #GTS It saddens me that any American believes anything good will come from the current administration. They have all lost their humanity. DJT has never shown a shred of human compassion or love . Don’t let them win. #VoteBlue your freedom depends on it.

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Rightardia @rightardia.bsky.social · 10/10/2026

Daily Kos cartoon

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 05/10/2026

Good morning! It's Banned Books Week, October 4-10, 2026. I'm on a road trip, but don't forget to support libraries and read banned or challenged books. Join my banned book club if you'd like. Schedule and info pinned on my profile page. #BannedBookSkyClub #BookSky

bannedbooksweek.org

Banned Books Week® | October 4–10, 2026

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 04/10/2026

Another well-known author I have never read before. I have seen adaptations of Forster’s novels on PBS.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Go to feed link and click on three dots at top right for options to pin/like.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

In September, the #BannedBookSkyClub discussed #BelCanto by Ann Patchett. It's been a fabulous discussion, and thanks so much to the participants, especially for their loyalty to books and conversation. It's never too late to join in. Pin the feed to stay up to date. #BookSky

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Thank you for that selection. I would never have read Patchett otherwise.

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

Yes! My brain was screaming Stockholm Syndrome after the first third of the book or so. But indeed, it never manifested.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub announcement! The January 2027 read will be A Room With a View by E.M. Forster. Discussion date TBA. Schedule pinned on my profile page. Link to feed in replies. #BookSky

Photo of book A Room With a View by E.M. Forster.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 02/10/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub schedule: October/November 2026: Fun Home by Alison Bechdel December 2026: Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes January 2027: A Room With a View by E.M. Forster Link to feed in replies. #BookSky Please join us.

Photo of the three book listed in post sise-by-side.

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 01/10/2026

Yes, the regime couldn’t have foreigners realizing the rebels were human.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky Is there anything else you’d like to share about the novel Bel Canto by Ann Patchett?

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky What did you think of the pacing of the novel Bel Canto? Did the ending seem abrupt?

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 29/09/2026

The ending was abrupt, but it was the conclusion of a lengthy hostage situation. The violence at the end contributed to the feeling of being startled.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky How invested did you get in the fate of the characters in the novel Bel Canto? Was there anyone in particular?

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

I was invested in Carmen and Gen, plus Cesar. It’s hard not to be invested in young lovers like that pair. And I wanted Cesar to escape a dismal fate because of his musical talent. I was hoping he would be saved.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky Have you read other books by Ann Patchett? After reading Bel Canto do you want to read more?

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 28/09/2026

No, this was my first read of any of her books. I would like to read others now, based on the beauty of this book.

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

I think you may be on to something there.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky Did you have a sense of time and how it passed for the hostages in the novel Bel Canto, or was that not important?

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 27/09/2026

Time did pass almost imperceptibly in the book, like the hostages were in another dimension. I was surprised that the government authorities let the situation drag on.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky Was there a particular sentence or section in the novel Bel Canto that will stay with you? Why or why not?

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 26/09/2026

“Love was action. It came to you. It was not a choice.” The character thinking this was Carmen in her desire for Gen. But there were involuntary loves throughout the book. Like Cesar for Roxane, Victor for Roxane, and Christof for Roxane. She was the flame for many characters.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky What do you think of the way Ann Patchett used foreshadowing to tell the story in the novel Bel Canto?

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

2/2 Patchett’s foreshadowing is lush, smooth, and flowing. Carrying the reader along as if drifting through the scene. Morrison’s prose is sharp and staccato, to fit the stalking behavior of the vigilante mob. A reader is dragged into her foreshadowing, almost like another victim.

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 25/09/2026

It was an intriguing way to start the book and set you up for a tragic ending of some kind. It was also a very different style of foreshadowing than what Morrison used in “Paradise.” Even though both telegraphed tragic endings. 1/2

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

Yes, bonding over shared grief is a common trope, but there is usually some hint it could happen. We went from a denouement to a honeymoon. I had trouble grasping that; still am, actually.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky What did you think of the epilogue? Was it enough or did you want more?

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 24/09/2026

I wanted more! I was taken completely off-guard by the wedding and honeymoon. The tone of the epilogue was almost mournful, rather than joyful. As if the marriage was a sad substitute for the hostage situation. I was left hanging.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky Which of the couples were you most drawn to and why?

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I found the relationship between Roxane and Hosokawa understandable based on their shared appreciation for art. I found the couple of Gen and Roxane to be surprising and puzzling. The marriage just appears.

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

I was really impressed with this work. It’s the only Patchett book I have ever read.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky How would you describe Patchett’s prose in the novel Bel Canto?

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

The prose was very fluid and filled with imagery. I was carried along on the words, like traveling on a river (not meaning to be trite).

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky Talk about the recurring theme of love in the novel Bel Canto? How were you affected by the relationships?

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky What do you think was more important in the novel Bel Canto, the plot or the human relationships? Why?

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 23/09/2026

Love runs through the entire book. As a transcendent experience of beauty via art & music that brings disparate people together as if by magic. And as unexpected intimacies, like the love between Gen and Carmen. My heart cried a bit when Carmen died.

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

For me, the relationships were the plot. The ending was telegraphed in the first chapter, leaving the evolving understanding and unexpected relationships as the plot.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky Talk about the importance of music and opera to the plot of the novel Bel Canto.

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

Music, primarily in the form of opera, provides a universal language in the book. Roxanne Coss and her voice served as the vehicles for understanding. Her talent provided a link to beauty for diplomats and terrorists alike. This link allows relationships to form.

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Retired-Librarian @retired-librarian.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

#BannedBookSkyClub discussion of #BelCanto by Ann Patchett #BookSky Is Bel Canto the type of novel that you'd be surprised to find it's been removed from libraries? Explain.

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Ruth Neese @morrigan6.bsky.social · 22/09/2026

VERY surprised it was banned, in Florida, of course {eye roll}. The book was supposedly “sexually explicit.” I struggled to find any reason to remove the book. Gun fights and bloody deaths certainly don’t bother the FL government in any other context.

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