“Selected by Joy Harjo as the winner of the Walt Whitman Award of the Academy of American Poets Emily Skaja’s debut collection is a fiery, hypnotic book that confronts the dark questions and menacing silences around gender, sexuality, and violence. Brute arises, brave and furious, from the dissolution of a relationship, showing how such endings necessitate self-discovery…
“A timeless murder mystery with the fascinating, glamorous Mitford sisters at its heart, The Mitford Trial is the fourth installment in the Mitford Murders series from Jessica Fellowes, inspired by a real-life murder in a story full of intrigue, affairs and betrayal… It’s lady’s maid Louisa Cannon’s wedding day, but the fantasy is shattered shortly after…
“A powerful work that examines how―even without country or settled identity―a legacy of love can endure. Eavan Boland is considered “one of the finest and boldest poets of the last half century” by Poetry Review. This stunning new collection, A Woman Without a Country, looks at how we construct one another and how nationhood and history can…
The Witch Boy – Molly Knox Ostertag (ebook) “In thirteen-year-old Aster’s family, all the girls are raised to be witches, while boys grow up to be shapeshifters. Anyone who dares cross those lines is exiled. Unfortunately for Aster, he still hasn’t shifted . . . and he’s still fascinated by witchery, no matter how forbidden…
I’m going to kick off the celebration with a project I discovered last year: The Rime of the Ancient Mariner Big Read. I was instantly hooked after listening to the first reading (by actor Jeremy Irons—see below—which I may or may not have listened to more than once) and eagerly looked forward to the next…
Lisa Scottoline has brought to life the fear and terror of Mussolini’s reign and the horrors of Fascism in World War II Italy. Through the characters of Elisabetta, Marco, Sandro and their families. the reader can visualize what it felt like to be a Jew or a friend of a Jew and the inhumane consequences…
“IN A TIME OF RASPUTIN’S MAGIC AND ROMANOV MYSTERY, A YOUNG GIRL FINDS HERSELF AT THE HEART OF THE ROYAL FAMILY She was an orphan, ushered into the royal palace on the prayers of her majestry. Yet, decades later, her time spent in the embrace of the Romanovs haunts her still. Is she responsible for…
“We order our lives with barely held stories. As if we have been lost in a confusing landscape, gathering what was invisible and unspoken…sewing it all together in order to survive…” Nathaniel and his sister Rachel were children when their parents left them in the care of a man they called The Moth. The connection…
Did you know we already have a collection of full-cast radio dramas on CD? We do! Titles range from Agatha Christie’s mysteries to David Tennant reprising his role as the Tenth Doctor to comedies such as Cabin Pressure and Jeeves and Wooster (and plenty more besides). Below are a few new-to-the-library dramas that will soon…
The Mitford Scandal – Jessica Fellowes (Also available in Large Print) “In the third book in the Mitford Murders series, lady’s maid Louisa Cannon accompanies Diana Mitford into a turbulent late 1920s Europe. The year is 1928, and after the death of a maid at a glamorous society party, fortune heir Bryan Guinness seizes life…
Amari Peters would do anything to find her missing brother, Quinton. When a classmate at the prep school she attends on scholarship suggests involvement with a gang likely got him killed, Amari comes strongly to his defense. Her responsible and brilliant older brother, Amari knows, would never join a gang. When that same classmate’s mother…
Lily King is a local author, having grown up on the North Shore, her father was a teacher at Pingree and she is an alumni of the school. Her latest book Writers & Lovers is a book about grief, determination and challenging decisions. Casey Peabody, a young girl living in Brookline is mourning the unexpected…
The Ghost of Gosswater – Lucy Strange “The Lake District, 1899. The Earl is dead and cruel Cousin Clarence has inherited everything. Twelve-year-old Lady Agatha Asquith is cast out of Gosswater Hall to live in a tiny, tumbledown cottage with a stranger who claims to be her father. Aggie is determined to discover her real…
The Crown in Crisis: Countdown to the Abdication – Alexander Larman (ebook) “On December 10, 1936, King Edward VIII brought a great international drama to a close when he abdicated, renouncing the throne of the United Kingdom for himself and his heirs. The reason he gave when addressing his subjects was that he could not…
Keeper of the Lost Cities – Shannon Messenger (ebook) “Twelve-year-old Sophie has never quite fit into her life. She’s skipped multiple grades and doesn’t really connect with the older kids at school, but she’s not comfortable with her family, either. The reason? Sophie’s a Telepath, someone who can read minds. No one knows her secret—at…
The Best of Me – David Sedaris (ebook | eaudio) “For more than twenty-five years, David Sedaris has been carving out a unique literary space, virtually creating his own genre. A Sedaris story may seem confessional, but is also highly attuned to the world outside. It opens our eyes to what is at absurd and…
After watching several webcasts presented by marketing teams from various publishing houses my notebook is now full up with lists of upcoming titles of interest. Below is a very small selection of fiction and non-fiction titles pulled from those lists (release dates range from February to June). Happy (future) reading! We Begin at the End…
The Massey Lectures is an annual series of lectures delivered by Canadian writers, scholars, and thinkers, that take form around a central idea or theme. In 2011, Adam Gopnik chose as his theme the winter season. His lecture (Winter: Five Windows on the Season), structured in five-parts, focuses on ideas, events, and activities typically associated…
This past year, many of us have faced quarantine boredom and tried to combat it with puzzles, books, games, or television shows. While all of these are acceptable substitutes, sometimes the best way to drag our minds away from the monotony of the world we are currently living in is through films that leave us…
Tristan Strong Punches a Hole in the Sky is a children’s fantasy book that will take young readers into a world of gods, monsters, villains, and heroic folklore legends. The story tells of a seventh grader named Tristan Strong who feels horrible in not being able to save his best friend Eddie during a bus…
Head over to our Facebook page to view the image below as a PDF with clickable links to the catalog and our streaming services. Thanks to Assistant Librarian Jonathan for compiling this terrific all ages list of films, documentaries and series!
Working at the library today, this book I was checking out for someone caught my eye. I knew nothing about it, but, reading the summary, it looked interesting. Checked Amazon and it apparently was a New York Times bestseller and won several awards when it came out in 2015. I’m not sure how I missed…
Kaila enjoyed Planet Earth is Blue, and thought fans of books like Wonder and The War that Saved My Life might like it, too. “Twelve-year-old Nova is eagerly awaiting the launch of the space shuttle Challenger–it’s the first time a teacher is going into space, and kids across America will watch the event on live…
I came across The Kingdom of Back on Tumblr and I had to purchase this book since it had a story involving Mozart and his sister Nannerl since I am a big fan of classical music and the Mozart family. The story takes place when the Mozart children are young and the main character focuses…
A very engaging and well-written memoir. The actor’s strong educational background is very evident as he recalls his strict Catholic upbringing and all the factors in his life that brought him such success as a respected actor. About Walking with Ghosts [ebook]: “As a young boy growing up in the outskirts of Dublin, Gabriel Byrne…
Knowledge is a Light,” she whispered. “Yes,” replied Malachi. “Knowledge is a Light, Lenora. Throughout history that light has at times burned very dimly, and nearly even gone out, while in other times it has blazed up gloriously.” Smart and voraciously curious, eleven year old Lenora chafes at the restraints placed on her by the…
The Darkest Minds – Alexandra Bracken “When Ruby woke up on her tenth birthday, something about her had changed. Something alarming enough to make her parents lock her in the garage and call the police. Something that got her sent to Thurmond, a brutal government “rehabilitation camp.” She might have survived the mysterious disease that…
Three of our more popular mystery authors are Louise Penny, Donna Leon, and Ann Cleeves, whose books are set in Quebec, Venice, and England respectively. Always on the lookout for new (to me) mystery series with international settings, here’s one I’m enjoying now, and a few I’ll be trying soon. And if you’re looking…
Author and illustrator Jan Brett has captured the hearts of adults and children alike over the past four decades. Her books often feature adorable animal characters getting into mischief and you can find a hedgehog either front and center or secretly hidden in many of her stories. You can check out many of Jan’s books…
If Tim and Eric made Metroid, you would get Journey to the Savage Planet. You play as a nameless goon sent to explore a thought-to-be-uninhabited planet by the proudly “fourth best” interplanetary exploration company. Surprise, the planet is very much teeming with life so your mission becomes to determine what exactly is living there. To give…
Valentine’s Day: a holiday meant to celebrate the Feast of Saint Valentine and also a day filled with the promise of candy, flowers, jewelry, and love. Annually couples traverse the streets, making reservations at fancy restaurants where they can share a meal and celebrate love. However, with the events of 2020 following us into 2021,…
“Since she was a pup, Zima has been taught to fear humans—especially witches—but when her family is threatened, she has no choice but to seek help from the witch Baba Yaga. Baba Yaga never does magic for free, but it just so happens that she needs a wolf’s keen nose for a secret plan she’s…
My German Friend “After World War 2, Argentina became a haven for Nazis and Jews alike. Friedrich and Sulamit are childhood friends, and later lovers, whose paths wind apart and back together as Friedrich becomes involved in extremist political activities that drive a rift between them and lands the young man in prison. Sulamit’s love…
Middle Grade readers aware of the story of Saint George and the Dragon may be happy to meet a St. George who opts to adopt and love the dragon he encounters rather than slay her. Desperate to be accepted into London’s Chesterfield University of Science and Magic, Stormancer Lionel St. George casts a spell to…
Stepsister is a dark version of the tale of Cinderella that is told from the viewpoint of the stepsister named Isabelle. Isabelle does not have the qualities compared to Cinderella with beauty, grace, kindness, etc. Isabelle tries to deceit the prince to claim him when she removes her own toes to fit in Cinderella’s glass…
I understood too well what it was like to feel like you were defined by one superficial thing- to feel like you would never escape the box people had put you in.” Despite being an avid reader, there are only a few books that I have read all in one sitting, and Tahereh Mafi’s A…
Do you want to bring some of the Scholastic Classic stories to life? Enjoy the Scholastic Storybook Treasure DVDs! There are 12 different topics including: Family Adventures, Nature Stories, Holiday Adventures and more! Each DVD includes 20 stories that come to life! Perfect to enjoy with the family! Titles currently available in the children’s DVD…
The Downstairs Girl is set in 19th century Atlanta, Georgia that tells the story about a young seventeen-year-old girl named Jo Kuan. Jo and her guardian Old Gin live secretly under Mr. Bell’s house who is a publisher for the newspaper called “The Focus” that is not doing so well with publications and public interest.…
“Upstate New York, 1982. Viv Delaney wants to move to New York City, and to help pay for it she takes a job as the night clerk at the Sun Down Motel in Fell, New York. But something isnʼt right at the motel, something haunting and scary. Upstate New York, 2017. Carly Kirk has never…
I Love You So Mochi tells the story of a Japanese American girl named Kimi Nakamura who is a senior in high school. Kimi feels uncertain about her future goals and whether she wants to attend art school after high school to become a painter like her mom. Kimi feels frustrated and often clashes with…
The War that Saved My Life – Kimberly Brubaker Bradley “Ten-year-old Ada has never left her one-room apartment. Her mother is too humiliated by Ada’s twisted foot to let her outside. So when her little brother Jamie is shipped out of London to escape the war, Ada doesn’t waste a minute—she sneaks out to join…
Epic tales of love are a theme that often wind their way through literature, inspiring future writers to craft romances that capture readers and allow them to join the characters on their journey. The epic Greek myth of Achilles and Patroclus is one that is often alluded to as a deep friendship between the son…
I’ve been, shall we say… intrigued by the book cover for The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires since I first heard about it back in February, and then even more so when I realized that Grady Hendrix was the author of a handful of books that have piqued my interest on more than…
Love & Gelato – Jenna Evans Welch “Lina is spending the summer in Tuscany, but she isn’t in the mood for Italy’s famous sunshine and fairy-tale landscape. She’s only there because it was her mother’s dying wish that she get to know her father. But what kind of father isn’t around for sixteen years? All…
Here’s a list of the top 30 Holiday Movies that the Danvers Children’s Room has available. These are in the interest of children under 8 years old, but could be older too. Enjoy some new movies and some classics! A personal favorite is Prep & Landing about Santa’s elves doing their job to get your…
“From Nosferatu to Frankenstein’s monster, from Fritz Lang to James Whale, the touchstones of horror can all trace their roots to the bloodshed of the First World War. Bram Stoker Award nominee W. Scott Poole traces the confluence of military history, technology, and art in the wake of World War I to show how overwhelming…
“Brandon Stanton created Humans of New York in 2010. What began as a photographic census of life in New York City, soon evolved into a storytelling phenomenon. A global audience of millions began following HONY daily. Over the next several years, Stanton broadened his lens to include people from across the world. Traveling to more than forty…
I read this book many years ago, and while not being a big fan of the game of chess, I do remember how much I enjoyed the book. After watching the recent Netflix series based on this book, I decided to read it again. The book is about chess but also about the resilience of…
Kirby games exist at the golden mean of relaxing gameplay for me. Not too violent but not too sedate. Not too daunting but not too simple. You get the sense that even Kirby’s enemies don’t mind getting a bop on the head by a mallet or parasol. It’s all in good fun. In Kirby Star…
What a delightful surprise this novel was! The reader goes from feeling sorry for Ivy to castigating her for her choices. Through the many plot twists and turns, this hard to put down novel will have the reader guessing and making their own choice on how to perceive the main character. About White Ivy: “Ivy Lin…
“Bud Threadgoode grew up in the bustling little railroad town of Whistle Stop with his mother, Ruth, church-going and proper, and his Aunt Idgie, the fun-loving hell-raiser. Together they ran the town’s popular Whistle Stop Cafe, known far and wide for its fun and famous fried green tomatoes. And as Bud often said of his…
Antiquarian booksellers are part scholar, part detective and part businessperson, and their personalities and knowledge are as broad as the material they handle. They also play an underappreciated yet essential role in preserving history. THE BOOKSELLERS takes viewers inside their small but fascinating world, populated by an assortment of obsessives, intellects, eccentrics and dreamers. Executive…
True Tales of Childhood: by David Stabler & Robin Stevenson The Children’s Room recently added a new series to our Playaway collection: True Tales of Childhood by David Stabler and Robin Stevenson. There are six editions to borrow: Kid Presidents, Kid Authors, Kid Artists, Kid Athletes, Kid Activists, and Kid Scientists. Did you know that…
Charli XCX delivers relatable lyrics and rich digital soundscapes in her newest album “how i’m feeling now,” originally released digitally in May 2020. Her experimental electronica pop sound is starting to mesh with her recent club pop style while staying true to the thematic roots of pop — love and loss. Charli XCX created this…
It’s October and it’s time to settle in for some spooky reads as the Halloween season kicks off and there’s no better way to start your season than with Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine. The first of a four-novel series, Stillhouse Lake follows Gina Royal, a woman forced to run from her past and reinvent…
Blue is for Nightmares by Laurie Faria Stolarz “I Know Your Secret . . . Boarding school junior Stacey Brown has nightmares too real to ignore. Her nightmares come true. This time they’re about Drea, her best friend who’s become the target of one seriously psycho stalker. To try and protect her, Stacey’s working with…
This is the first entry in a new series by Vermont author Sarah Stewart Taylor, author of the Sweeney St. George mysteries, which include the Agatha Award finalist O’ Artful Death (2003). The Mountains Wild follows homicide detective Maggie D’Arcy from her home on Long Island to Ireland, the home of her ancestors and a…
If you’re looking for some spooky stories for this Halloween season, look no further than the 2020 Newbery Honor recipient, Scary Stories for Young Foxes by Christian McKay Heidicker. A collection of eight scary stories told by an older fox that have been called “dark and skillfully distressing”. But the interconnected stories are also a thrilling…
Sleepy Hollow: The Complete First Season “Ichabod Crane, a British expatriate who dies in the American Revolution, is revived in upstate New York during the time of the cell phone – as is the evil Headless Horseman, who plans to annihilate mankind! Teaming with a feisty police lieutenant, Crane races to vanquish the newly unearthed…
Autumn – Ali Smith “From the Man Booker-shortlisted and Baileys Prize-winning author of How to be both: a breathtakingly inventive new novel–about aging, time, love, and stories themselves–that launches an extraordinary quartet of books called Seasonal. Readers love Ali Smith’s novels for their peerless innovation and their joyful celebration of language and life. Her newest,…
A Quiet Place Angelina’s Note: I’m excited to see part II which was scheduled to be released in September but has now changed to April 23, 2021. About the movie: “If they hear you, they hunt you. In this terrifyingly suspenseful thriller, a family must navigate their lives in silence to avoid mysterious creatures that…
Washington Irving’s work and autumn in New England go hand in hand. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow is perhaps Irving’s best-known work (likely competing only with Rip Van Winkle for that title), most people having either read the story or encountered one of several film/television adaptations in their lifetime, but that tale isn’t the one…
Lisa’s Note: I geared my selections for children under 8 years. 1. It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown! 2. The Nightmare Before Christmas 3. Halloweentown and Return to Halloweentown 4. Pooh’s Heffalump Halloween Movie 5. Hotel Transylvania (1, 2, and 3) 6. Curious George A Halloween Boo Fest 7. Toy Story of Terror 8. The…
Jen’s seasonal reading recommendations First Frost – Sarah Addison Allen “Autumn has finally arrived in the small town of Bascom, North Carolina, heralded by a strange old man appearing with a beat-up suitcase. He has stories to tell, stories that could change the lives of the Waverley women forever. But the Waverleys have enough trouble…
The Night Circus – Erin Morgenstern Skylis’ Note: Night Circus is heavily atmospheric and fantastical, with several cozy sensory passages about food smells that always remind me of fall and fair season. And of course, there’s magic! Publisher’s Summary: “The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it…
Song for a Whale, a middle grade novel, and one of the 25 books on this year’s MCBA List is a beautiful story! Iris is a twelve year old tech genius who loves to work on repairing antique radios. She takes them apart, rebuilds them, and sells them to a local shop. She is also…
Chris’ Note: The Roger Corman adaptations of Poe stories are good seasonal viewing material if cheesy. My two favorites are House of Usher (1960) and The Masque of the Red Death (1964) The Fall of the House of Usher “Upon entering his fiancée’s family mansion, a man discovers a savage family curse and fears that…
Charlotte’s note: Anyone who has an interest in the iconic Debbie Harry or the outrageous history of New York’s punk rock scene will eat this up! “Musician, actor, activist, and the iconic face of New York City cool, Debbie Harry is the frontwoman of Blondie, a band that forged a new sound that brought together…
Recently I’ve been producing tutorial videos on our digital resources collection. Essential to shooting these videos is a good screen recording program. There are an abundance of programs for both Mac and Windows operating systems out there, but I wanted to start with something basic. Windows 10 comes with one built-in app that allows users…
The Girl Who Wrote in Silk – Kelli Estes “Inspired by true events, Kelli Estes’s brilliant and atmospheric debut serves as a poignant tale of two women determined to do the right thing, and the power of our own stories. The smallest items can hold centuries of secrets… Inara Erickson is exploring her deceased aunt’s…
When Conor Knighton’s broken engagement catapulted him into longing for change he decided to visit every national park in the country from Acadia to Zion over the course of a single year. And what better way to mend a broken heart than to spend time surrounded by nature. While visiting the national parks, throughout the…
As a young child I adored picture books. Now my niece, who has recently turned three has picked up an interest in reading. The books illustrated and written by Mo Willems have been among my favorites that I’ve come across while in my travels through the children’s room at the library. I have seen his…
While showing off in a petty contest, power-hungry aspiring wizard Ged accidentally unleashes a shadow upon the world. It maims him, haunts him, and hunts him wherever he goes. Ged must master his wizardry skills and make right in the world. Using words of power and careful reflection, Ged becomes stronger and wiser along his…
It hasn’t been a great summer reading year for me. Nothing has appealed to me and I can’t seem to stick with ebooks, so I re-read two favorites on my bookshelf that I’ve enjoyed in years past. One is filled with the magic of a special garden, the other captures a slice of summer on…
This is one of two books I actually tried to read on my Kindle during the early days of the shutdown. I’m more of an actual book person, but I do enjoy reading ebooks while drying my hair. Lady Anne Glenconner and her life as a confidante of Princess Margaret plus her marriage to the…
Part of DC Comic’s Black Label, Batman: Damned written by Brian Azzarello and illustrated by Lee Bermejo comes a darker take on the original caped crusader. In volume one of this graphic novel, Azzarello reimagines Bruce Wayne’s origin story and twists it into something far darker. Fans of the classic Batman comics may be surprised…
Moving Out is a moving simulator game where you work against the clock to load a van with boxes and furniture, but please don’t stop reading here. You won’t begin to appreciate its anarchic brand of fun until you realize it’s much faster to chuck boxes through a second story window than it is to…
Books I have on hold and am hoping to read but probably won’t because I have been in a slump: Big Friendship: How We Keep Each Other Close by Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman (Overdrive & print) Now two friends, Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman, tell the story of their equally messy and life-affirming Big Friendship…
The book tells the story of a woman named Mrs. Goldman who loves to knit hats for everyone in the neighborhood. Sophia is one of the neighbors who helps Mrs. Goldman out in making the pom-poms since she feels knitting is a hard task. Mrs. Goldman herself does not have a hat of her own…
I have Harper Perennial’s Olive Editions to thank for the prompting nudge to finally start this series. That shorter than the typical mass market paperback, nicely typeset, drenched-in-red edition of Death at La Fenice caught my eye, but after finishing the series opener, it was Brunetti who drew me back to Donna Leon’s Venice. Guido…
Hear Us Out by Nancy Garden Nancy Garden, author of popular LGBTQ+ book Annie on My Mind set out in Hear Us Out! to bring life to the history and struggles behind the LGBTQ+ community. In this non-fiction book, Garden weaves together two tales, one from the 1950’s and one from the 2000’s, both of which…
Lydia is a bookstore owner in Acapulco. After she befriends a customer with similar reading tastes, she learns he is the head of a Mexican cartel. Even when her journalist husband writes an expose on this cartel, she does not believe her life is in danger. When tragedy strikes, she flees with her young son,…
As I find the process fascinating, how it varies writer by writer, I often go for books on the ins and outs of the craft. The following are titles I’ve enjoyed over the last few months. The Triggering Town: Lectures and Essays on Poetry and Writing – Richard Hugo “Richard Hugo, whom Carolyn Kizer called…
Autoboyography by Christina Lauren Do you know what it’s like to be kept a secret? Do you know how it feels to hide part of your identity from the world? For Tanner Scott and Sebastian Brother, this is just part of their daily lives as they navigate the intricacies of living in Provo, Utah, a…
The author of THE ORPHAN TRAIN has written an exceptional novel based on the real life of the title subject of Andrew Wyeth’s painting Christina’s World. With alternating timeline chapters she has painted an historically accurate portrait of Christina’s family life and medical issues. Her meeting and subsequent relationship with Andrew Wyeth culminates in her…
About the documentary: “Filmmaker Raoul Peck envisions the book James Baldwin never finished, Remember This House. It is a journey into black history that connects the Civil Rights movement to #BlackLivesMatter. It questions black representation in Hollywood and beyond and examines the lives and assassinations of Medgar Evers, Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr.”…
Current events have reminded me that like many white Americans I am sadly lacking in my knowledge of African History. Over the course of the pandemic I’ve put together an African history reading list that I have been slowly working my way through. This is only the beginning of the list which focuses mostly on…
The Birth of Sake (dir. Erik Shirai, 2015) is a documentary that tells the story of a brewing season at Yoshida Brewery, one of the few remaining Japanese breweries to practice the traditional manufacturing process for sake. But more than a story about the brewery or sake as a product, this documentary centers the labor…
The real crime here is that Forever and a Day appears to be the only audiobook actor Matthew Goode* has narrated. Though imagined—imagined because I cannot know, of course, if he has or hasn’t been thought of—perhaps an even more egregious crime is that not a single rumor** would lead me to believe Goode is…
Looking for something for your children to read? Check out this year’s MCBA list!
Like many people stuck at home with some spare time on my hands I’ve been reading more. For most of that time I have been binge reading/listening/looking at the Rivers of London Series. Its technically called the Peter Grant Series but I think Rivers of London sounds cooler. It consists of eight novels, two novellas…
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Our patron’s thoughts on the book: “The author is a local woman ( Peabody) and has written four books, her latest, Willow Run, was writtnen at the young age of 95. Her other books are Kwa Heri Means Goodbye, A Door Just Opened Africa Calling Me Back and recently, Willow Run I have not been…
Our patron’s thoughts on the book: “Every page is a gem. Interlocking stories of Olive Kitteridge as she and her neighbors in Crosby, Maine, deal with love, families, aging, disappointment and the endearing foibles of human beings.” The publisher’s summary: “The iconic Olive struggles to understand not only herself and her own life but also…
Our patron’s thoughts on the book: Tyler’s wonderdul quirky characters work their way through relationships and life. As Micah, a middle-aged computer repairman, begins to understand himself and the choices he has made, he says, “I am a roomful of broken hearts.” This is one of Tyler’s best, with a lovely sweet subtle ending. The…
Station Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel is a captivating, exploratory speculative fiction novel set in a pandemic-ravaged United States. The narrative follows the entwined stories of several people across time, all connected to an actor who dies the night the pandemic begins. St. John Mandel’s writing is intimate and lyrical in this melancholy work…
Our patron’s thoughts on the book: Story of an American family with 12 children – six of whom are diagnosed schizophrenic. Fascinating look at mental illness in America through the mid-20th century. Riveting detail about the scientific pursuit for answers, medical treatments, social stigmas associated with diagnosis, and the impact of all these factors in…
“Combining memoir with artistic and philosophical musings, the poet and National Book Critics Circle Award winner (for My Alexandria) begins by confessing his obsession with the 17th-century Dutch still life that serves as the title of this book. As he analyzes the items depicted in the painting, he skillfully introduces his thoughts on our intimate…
“As a member of the strictly religious Satmar sect of Hasidic Judaism, Deborah Feldman grew up under a code of relentlessly enforced customs governing everything from what she could wear and to whom she could speak to what she was allowed to read. Yet in spite of her repressive upbringing, Deborah grew into an independent-minded…
A few collections and an anthology I am eager to lean into (that may reappear as recommendations next year during National Poetry Month): Deluge – Leila Chatti “In her early twenties, Leila Chatti started bleeding and did not stop. Physicians referred to this bleeding as flooding. In the Qur’an, as in the Bible, the Flood…
Having just finished The Nightingale, a wonderful novel by Kristin Hannah, I was so excited to read it’s in production to become a movie, with an expected release date of December 2020! I’m not surprised The Nightingale was Goodreads Best Historical fiction novel of 2015 and the People’s Choice Award winner for best fiction in…
Garvey’s Choice – Nikki Grimes “Garvey’s father has always wanted Garvey to be athletic, but Garvey is interested in astronomy, science fiction, reading—anything but sports. Feeling like a failure, he comforts himself with food. Garvey is kind, funny, smart, a loyal friend, and he is also overweight, teased by bullies, and lonely. When his only…
The Spring 2019 issue of The Paris Review served as my introduction to Franny Choi, in the form of “Amid Rising Tensions on the Korean Peninsula.” I was floored by that poem. Even after reading it untold times I remain astonished by that poem. Shortly after that first encounter I read “Introduction to Quantum Theory,”…
