United We Read readies for discussion

The word has been out on Cape Girardeau's 2006 United We Read books for months, now it's time for the discussions to begin.

Thursday will kick off two months of discussions about this year's selections -- Morley Swingle's "The Gold of Cape Girardeau" and Robert Hicks' "The Widow of the South."

This year's titles were announced in October, giving locals plenty of time to bone up on their reading prior to the February beginning of discussions.

On Thursday a public reception will be held at the Cape Central High School library at 7 p.m. with Swingle. He is the first local author to have a book selected for the program in its five-year history. "The Gold of Cape Girardeau" won a Missouri Governor's Humanities Book Award last year. Swingle's book is a fictional work that centers around a large stash of gold found underneath a modern-day Lorimier Street home. The story weaves in the history of Cape Girardeau throughout.

Following Thursday's kick-off reception Swingle will lead a discussion and read from his book on Tuesday at 2:30 p.m. at the Central library.

Other events will take place on Feb. 13 to 15 -- the last date being a student-led discussion.

Discussions of Hicks' novel -- a Civil War tale centered around the town of Franklin, Tenn., -- will start on Feb. 22 and continue on March 2 to 3.

For more information, call 335-8228.

United We Read events:

"The Gold of Cape Girardeau"

* Thursday, 7 p.m., Cape Central High School library

* Tuesday, 2:30 p.m., Cape Central High School library

* Feb. 13, 7:45 a.m., Cape Central High School library

* Feb. 14, 9:15 a.m., Cape Central High School library

* Feb. 15, 12:40 p.m., Cape Central High School library

"The Widow of the South"

* Feb. 22, 2:30 p.m., Cape Central High School library

* Feb. 28, 7 p.m., Civil War Roundtable discussion, Cape Girardeau Public Library

* March 2, 7:30 p.m., Cape Central High School library (reception with author)

* March 3, 8:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m., 12:45 p.m., Cape Central High School library (discussions led by author)