Hello! The Book Club’s next selection is Alive in Necropolis by Doug Dorst, which is the San Francisco Public Library’s 2009 pick for One City One Book.
We will meet to discuss the novel on Wednesday, August 12, 2009 from 12 noon – 1 pm in the USF Community Garden (just west of the Education Building).
How can I get a copy?
Gleeson Library does not yet own this book, but now owns this book, and if it’s checked out you can get it delivered to Gleeson within 4 business days by requesting it through our free service, Link+, or you can get it from one of the many San Francisco Public Library Branch locations.
San Francisco Public Library has a webpage devoted to the selection with a lot of cool resources, like interviews with the author, reviews of the book, a reader’s guide and more! SFPL describes the novel:
Dorst’s thriller, set in the city of San Francisco and the cemeteries of Colma, is one part crime novel, one part ghost story, tinged with humor and heart. Among many colorful characters, the book features a rookie Colma cop navigating a world of both the dead and alive, and a San Francisco teen, struggling with his own version of reality.
Sounds cool! We hope to see you there.
*If you would like to join the USF Book Club mailing list, email kbaughmanmcdowell@usfca.edu or call 415-422-2036*
There’s a USF connection to this book, in a way. One of the characters, Phineas Gage was originally buried at Lone Mountain. There’s a fascinating website devoted to the mysteries surrounding his life here. He also apparently pops up in popular culture quite a bit. There’s a really good article from the S.F. Museum’s Encyclopedia of San Francisco describing the cemeteries that used to cover Lone Mountain and Laurel Heights, and the removal of thousands of remains to Colma. There’s a film about the cemeteries and the removal too, by a local filmmaker. We have it on DVD.