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Walden / Henry David Thoreau. “I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately….” Whether you last read these words in high school, or re-read them every year, we think Walden provides as good a touchstone as any for our group. Discussion with others may illuminate the classic as never before; re-reading it with 21st century eyes may do the same. (1/28/12 1:30 –3 pm)

The Garden of Invention: Luther Burbank and the business of breeding plants / Jane S. Smith. Born of Worcester County soil (in Lancaster in 1849) Burbank went on to live an incredible life at an incredible time but these days is all but
forgotten. The list of his ‘inventions’— from the potato, to the Burbank rose and Shasta daisy — is astounding, as is the glimpse of horticulture in the late 19th, early 20th century. (2/25/12, 1:30 - 3 pm)

The Path: A one-mile walk through the universe / Chet Raymo. Writer, teacher and scientist, Raymo, walked the same one mile path to work in Easton, Mass. for almost 40 years, but in his skilled hands one discovers the richness of that otherwise ordinary route, environmentally, geologically, historically and culturally. (3/31/12, 1:30 – 3 pm)

We’ll collectively decide our fourth and last book at the first meeting. The final discussion will be held on Saturday, April 28, 2012, 1:30 to 3 pm. There are several fiction and short story titles I’ll suggest (including The Greenhouse by Audur Ava Olafsdottir and Woodsburner by John Pipkin). Other suggestions welcome!