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    •      		New paperback releases offer good choices for reading groups

    REVIEWS BY JULIE HALE

    The First American: The Life and Times of Benjamin Franklin
    A Pulitzer Prize finalist, this fascinating study of Ben Franklin is the first major biography of the man to appear in more than 60 years. Brands, who teaches history at Texas A & M University, brings this seminal historical figure to life, along with the century he helped to define. Scientist, philosopher, diplomat and general genius, Franklin was part of an international social circle that included Voltaire, Kant and King George III. With his restless intellect and unmatchable personality, he left his mark on American manners. Drawing on previously unpublished letters written to and by Franklin, as well as anecdotes from his contemporaries, Brands creates a meticulously detailed portrait of the colonial era, of a country in the rough and the great minds who shaped it. At its center stands the man who invented bifocals and the lightening rod -- Franklin, truly a timeless figure.

    A reading group guide is available online at www.anchorbooks.com.


    The Piano Shop on the Left Bank: Discovering a Forgotten Passion in a Paris Atelier
    In this national bestseller, Carhart, an American expatriate raising his family in France, happens upon an old-fashioned piano repair shop in his Paris neighborhood -- a discovery that revives his childhood passion for the instrument and ultimately changes his life. The shop, as it turns out, is a gathering place for a group of offbeat locals who meet regularly to gossip and discuss pianos with Luc, the proprietor. All this serves to rekindle Carhart's musical enthusiasm, and soon the author is taking lessons and immersing himself in the history and details of this complex instrument. At once personal and historical, Carhart's wonderful memoir is filled with unforgettable reflections on piano instructors past and present, as well as fascinating details on the making and tuning of the instrument. Meanwhile, as an expatriate, he offers a fresh look at the City of Light.

    A reading group guide is included in the book.


    Augusta, Gone: A True Story
    Dudman's unflinching account of her daughter's rebellion -- poetically, rawly written -- will strike chords with many readers. Augusta is every mother's worst nightmare, an angst-ridden 15-year-old out to turn her family's world upside-down. As drinking, smoking and drug use take over Augusta's life, Dudman is swept along in her turbulent wake, wondering where she went wrong and how she can reclaim her daughter from the world of addiction. Divorced, Dudman singlehandedly raises Augusta and her brother Jack in Maine, but when things get too tough at home, she sends Augusta to a special school in Oregon for drug treatment. There, her rebelliousness persists, and she stubbornly refuses help. Augusta's recovery is slow and painful, but Dudman, in narrating this brave memoir, never seeks the reader's sympathy.

    A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.harpercollins.com.


    Island: The Complete Stories
    Set in the fishing villages of Newfoundland and Nova Scotia, this collection of 16 stories from acclaimed Canadian author MacLeod examines the tensions that exist between the rural world and the modern. Many of the stories feature young men who, despite their small-town roots, are drawn to the academic capitals of Canada. Other narratives reverse the situation, examining the plight of middle-aged men as they try to recapture the rural life they relinquished long ago. Either way, it's all about loss, and MacLeod proves expert at developing a certain wistfulness in his characters -- the sense of longing that results from sacrifice. The omnipresent Canadian landscape of sea and sky as well as the ties of family come together in "The Boat," in which a mother is resentful of her son because of the strong love he felt for his father. "To Every Thing There Is a Season" is a moving meditation on Christmas and kin. Each of these wise, well-crafted stories serves to reinforce MacLeod's growing reputation as a literary master.

    A reading group guide is available in print and online at www.vintagebooks.com.


    Has your club recently read an excellent book that sparked good group discussion? If so, BookPage would like to hear about it. Contact us at reading@bookpage.com with a description of the book and the reasons for your recommendation. We'll pass the top choices along to our readers.

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