by Kat Stone Underwood and Lauren Williams, One Read co-chairs
Charlotte McConaghy’s “Migrations,” our community’s 2024 One Read selection, follows environmentalist Franny Stone as she tracks the world’s last flock of Arctic terns on what might be its final flight. This work of climate change fiction narrowly beat out the delightful coming-of-age novel “The Chinese Groove” by Kathryn Ma in a public vote. This year our reading panel considered an extremely varied list of finalist books, all nominated by community members. Some titles address timely topics like racism and immigration and others provide escape with unlikely road trips and oddball whodunits. Get ready to add to your to-be-read list!
First up is “What Strange Paradise” by Omar El Akkad. We meet Syrian 9-year-old Amir when the migrant vessel he is on wrecks against the shore of a small island. The only survivor, Amir is luckily rescued by a local teenage girl named Vanna. Despite neither of them speaking the other’s language, Vanna is determined to help Amir. The tale alternates between the pair’s attempt to escape the authorities and the story of how Amir came to be on the ship. Continue reading “Literary Links: One Read Finalists 2024”
In Missouri, May is a big month for birding as enthusiasts try to see migrants passing through in their spring plumage. But what’s a birder to do once May and spring migration are over?
While June may not be the time to add more species to your birding list, it is an excellent time to watch the birds around you. Bird watching mostly requires curiosity. Binoculars are helpful. The rewards are limitless.
“How to Know the Birds,” by Ted Floyd is great place to start (or continue) your foray into bird watching. Floyd’s focus is on helping readers grow their birding habit. Through short vignettes he shares details about bird life and new ways to focus your birding inquiries. The essays are delightful, concise and crammed full rich details about the lives of birds. Continue reading “June Is for Bird Watching”
INTERIOR, OFFICE – NIGHT
THE DETECTIVE lounges behind his desk. A ceiling fan turns slowly, throwing dramatic and genre-appropriate shadows across the room. THE CLIENT sits across, pleading their (literal) case.
THE CLIENT:
-and that’s why you have to help me, mister! I’ve got no one else to turn to!
THE DETECTIVE (INTERNAL MONOLOGUE, interrupting):
I knew this case was going to be trouble from the start. That’s why I had to make sure I was prepared.
THE DETECTIVE pulls open a drawer on their desk, expecting to pull out their revolver, but hesitates. Instead, they are presented with a magic wand and a ray gun within. A confused beat passes.
THE DETECTIVE, looking straight into the camera:
Is this some sort of joke?
*
But enough about my meta-narrative spec-script that definitely exists outside of a bit setting up the premise of this blog. Continue reading “Castle Noir & Cyber-Pulp: Detectives of Sci-Fi and Fantasy”
Below I’m highlighting some nonfiction books coming out in June. All of the mentioned titles are available to put on hold in our catalog and will also be made available via the library’s Overdrive website on the day of publication in eBook and downloadable audiobook format (as available). For a more extensive list of new nonfiction books coming out this month, check our online catalog.
Top Picks
“When Women Ran Fifth Avenue: Glamour and Power at the Dawn of American Fashion” by Julie Satow (Jun 4)
The 20th century American department store: a palace of consumption where every wish could be met under one roof — afternoon tea, a stroll through the latest fashions, a wedding (or funeral) planned. It was a place where women, shopper and shopgirl alike, could stake out a newfound independence. Whether in New York or Chicago or on Main Street, USA, men owned the buildings, but inside, women ruled. In this hothouse atmosphere, three women rose to the top. In the 1930s, Hortense Odlum of Bonwit Teller came to her husband’s department store as a housewife tasked with attracting more shoppers like herself, and wound up running the company. Dorothy Shaver of Lord & Taylor championed American designers during World War II — before which US fashions were almost exclusively Parisian copies — becoming the first businesswoman to earn a $1 million salary. And in the 1960s Geraldine Stutz of Henri Bendel re-invented the look of the modern department store. With a preternatural sense for trends, she inspired a devoted following of ultra-chic shoppers as well as decades of copycats. In “When Women Ran Fifth Avenue,” journalist Julie Satow draws back the curtain on three visionaries who took great risks, forging new paths for the women who followed in their footsteps. This stylish account, rich with personal drama and trade secrets, captures the department store in all its glitz, decadence, and fun, and showcases the women who made that beautifully curated world go round. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: June 2024”
I may not have finished these books (or these), but I got far enough to know that they’ll be worth the read! Sometimes, reading is a project that you see through to completion. And sometimes, reading is a buffet, or a garden: That looks good! That seems interesting! I want to try it. I wonder how this one tastes, compared to that one — I wonder what would happen if we put them together! I want to leave a little bit of this one here, for the next person to enjoy. I can’t wait to try this again, when I’m ready.
“My Bright Abyss: Meditations of a Modern Believer” by Christian Wiman
Why I checked it out: I had recently read some excellent Buddhist memoirs, and decided to explore Christian memoirs next. This book by Christian Wiman was recommended to me by a dear
friend, who described it as “careful, sincere and humble” — three qualities I value in nonfiction writing.
Wiman is a poet, and he writes like one, even in prose. “My Bright Abyss” is no treatise — the writing is tangled and honest. Have a taste: “It God is a salve applied to unbearable psychic wounds, or a dream figure conjured out of memory and mortal terror, or an escape from a life that has become either too appalling or too banal to bear, then I have to admit: it is not working for me.” Continue reading “Great Books I’ve Started II”
“How to be An Antiracist” discussed our role in a racist society and what we can do to be antiracist. I like how it pointed out that we are either racist or antiracist — we fit one. We all have to reflect on where we fit and start doing behaviors that are antiracist. I appreciate how the author discussed his own racism journey, as a Black man. I think that helped readers to engage with their own thoughts about race without feeling ashamed and defensive as is often the case when people are confronted with their own racist thoughts and actions.
Three words that describe this book: Challenging, encouraging, thoughtful
You might want to pick this book up if: you want to learn your part in a racist society and what you can do to be antiracist.
-Anonymous
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year.
“In the beginning, the Universe was created. This has made a lot of people very angry and been widely regarded as a bad move.” So begins not Douglas Adams’ seminal work, “The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy”, but its sequel, “The Restaurant at the End of the Universe.” Hard to find a better opening line for this blog post though, you have to admit. This year marks 45 years of “Hitchhiker’s,” if you believe in things such as time being a straight line constantly moving forward. In honor of the anniversary, as well as Towel Day on May 25 (a day dedicated to honoring Adams’ life), I thought it would be a good opportunity to reflect on the legacy of “Hitchhiker’s” all these years later. Continue reading “So Long and Thanks For All the Fish”
It’s May and spring is in full bloom. The days are long and warm and we have put away our winter things. Have you been spring cleaning? Perhaps along with cleaning your space, you would like to switch things up a little (or a lot). Maybe you would like to change the color of a room, sew a chair slip-cover, adopt some house plants or simply introduce a pretty vase of cut flowers. There are many ways to make your home fresh for spring and the library has lots of good books brimming with ideas and suggestions.
“Simple Farmhouse Life: DIY Projects for the All-natural, Handmade Home,” by Missouri blogger Lisa Bass has recipes for making your own cleaning products, instructions for hand dipping candles, and ideas for using reclaimed materials in your home decor. You don’t have to do it all, like Lisa, and have eight kids, a husband and a large, old farmhouse to experience some comforting farmhouse simplicity in your home. Try making a duvet from vintage sheets or some pretty tie-top linen curtains, to soften the look of your bedroom. Continue reading “Interior Decorating Inspiration”
Sean R. Frazier is a Columbia, MO author whose latest book is “The Last Available.” This stand alone comedic fantasy novel follows the bumbling adventures of six unlikely heroes as they attempt to quest their way into defeating an ancient creature that has awakened. Frazier is a father, a husband, a gamer, a runner and a total dork. His other work includes two fantasy book series, the completed Forgotten Years Saga and the newly started Mage Breaker Saga. He was kind enough to take the time to be interviewed via email. Continue reading “Q&A With Sean R. Frazier, Author of “The Last Available””
This DBRL staff book review was written by Max R. Carmony.
Book I Read: “Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity” by Devon Price, PhD
Why I Checked It Out: This book was recommended to me by a friend who is on the autism spectrum. Being autistic myself, I figured this book might help me understand my disorder better. Instead, I got a book that fundamentally changed the way that I view myself, my diagnosis and the way that I live my life as a whole. My quality of life as a disabled person has improved significantly after implementing the skills and advice Dr. Price offers in the book. Continue reading “Staff Book Review: Unmasking Autism”
