I learned about “The Correspondents” from an A Mighty Girl post about journalist Clare Hollingworth, and it has proven to be a fascinating and compelling listen. The book follows six American and British women journalists (five writers and one photographer) as they reported on WWII. Not only is it the story of their adventures, travels and reports, but it also follows the difficulties they faced as female reporters as they battled the hesitancy of their newspapers to hire women as war correspondents and restrictions, particularly by British Field Marshal Bernard Montgomery, on women in combat zones. The book was not always an easy listen, particularly as it traced each woman’s response to and reports on the liberation of concentration camps near the end of the war, but those experiences seemed a part of the larger whole as the author broke down the reasons why these women continued for 6+ years to report the realities of war.
Three words that describe this book: Can’t stop listening
You might want to pick this book up if: You are interested in women’s history, WWII, journalism, or the everyday experiences of women in a conflict zone.
-Alexis
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
Join us on Thursday, August 4 at noon to discuss “Finding the Mother Tree: Discovering the Wisdom of the Forest” by Suzanne Simard, a pioneer on the frontier of plant communication and intelligence. Simard writes in illuminating and accessible ways about how trees learn and adapt their behaviors, recognize neighbors, and compete and cooperate with one another.
This discussion is geared toward adults and will be held in the Children’s Program Room. Masks are requested if community COVID levels are elevated. More books on this and similar subjects can be found here.
A few years ago, we highlighted the world of audiobooks in a “Literary Links” article. It was the beginning of the pandemic; the library was actually closed to the public during this time, and we knew listening to downloadable and streaming audiobooks would become more popular. We are revisiting the world of audiobooks, as the pandemic continues to affect us, summer road trips have begun and audiobooks remain very popular. I personally began using digital services more frequently to combat my inability to stay awake for more than a few pages at bedtime.
As in our original article, I used the same team effort to gather recommendations from staff and quoting some of what they told me about the narrators. You can find these titles in our collection as audiobook CDs or on our downloadable audiobook platforms (Overdrive and Hoopla, at www.dbrl.org/download.) Continue reading “Literary Links: The Joy of Being Read To”
“Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind” is about how humans have evolved and how we got to be such complex and civilized creatures. It explains how we overtook the world and the effect it had on other creatures. The book also explains how different cultures compare and how they came to be. I really enjoyed this book because it was a very good overview of human history. It taught me a lot about humanity and made me want to learn more about our species and about the world. The ending really stuck out to me, realizing that our species will most likely go extinct is very jarring. Humans one day being replaced with a species that we created through genetic modification is a very big possibility which I found fascinating.
Three words that describe this book: very mind opening
You might want to pick this book up if: you are interested in history, culture, science, or want to expand your knowledge of the world.
-Abby
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
With promotional blurbs from Joy Harjo and Roxane Gay, and an award from the Academy of American Poets, Emily Skaja’s “Brute” commemorates the desperate clawing and the trying-to-find-any-foothold-you-can feeling of endings. It remains approachable in both form and content, making it a good starting point if you’d like to read more poetry. My only complaint is that I wish individual poems stood on their own a bit more, though that is personal taste.
Three words that describe this book: human, human, human
You might want to pick this book up if: You’ve been meaning to read more poetry.
-Anna
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
Below I’m highlighting some nonfiction books coming out in July. 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
“Endless Forms: The Secret World of Wasps” by Seirian Summer (Jul 12)
Everyone worries about the collapse of bee populations. But what about wasps? Deemed the gangsters of the insect world, wasps are winged assassins with formidable stings. Conduits of Biblical punishment, provokers of fear and loathing, inspiration for horror movies: wasps are perhaps the most maligned insect on our planet. But do wasps deserve this reputation? “Endless Forms” opens our eyes to the highly complex and diverse world of wasps. Wasps are 100 million years older than bees; there are ten times more wasp species than there are bees. There are wasps that spend their entire lives sealed inside a fig; wasps that turn cockroaches into living zombies; wasps that live inside other wasps. There are wasps that build citadels that put our own societies to shame, marked by division of labor, rebellions and policing, monarchies, leadership contests, undertakers, police, negotiators and social parasites. Wasps are nature’s most misunderstood insect: as predators and pollinators, they keep the planet’s ecological balance in check. Wasps are nature’s pest controllers; a world without wasps would be just as ecologically devastating as losing the bees, or beetles, or butterflies. Wasps are diverse and beautiful by every measure, and they are invaluable to planetary health, Professor Sumner reminds us; we’d do well to appreciate them as much as their cuter cousins, the bees. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: July 2022”
Here are a few of the most notable adult fiction debuts for July. These titles have all received positive reviews in library journals. For a longer list, please visit our catalog.
“The Book of Gothel” by Mary McMyne
Everyone knows the tale of Rapunzel in her tower, but do you know the story of the witch who put her there?
Haelewise has always lived under the shadow of her mother, Hedda — a woman who will do anything to keep her daughter protected. For with her strange black eyes and even stranger fainting spells, Haelewise is shunned by her village, and her only solace lies in the stories her mother tells of child-stealing witches, of princes in wolf-skins, of an ancient tower cloaked in mist, where women will find shelter if they are brave enough to seek it.
Then, Hedda dies, and Haelewise is left unmoored. With nothing left for her in her village, she sets out to find the legendary tower her mother used to speak of — a place called Gothel, where Haelewise meets a wise woman willing to take her under her wing.
But Haelewise is not the only woman to seek refuge at Gothel. It’s also a haven for a girl named Rika, who carries with her a secret the Church strives to keep hidden. A secret that reveals a dark world of ancient spells and murderous nobles behind the world Haelewise has always known…
Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: July 2022”
As the sun continues to shine and the Midwest humidity kicks in, summer reading sometimes means staying inside where it’s cool and reading about the beach instead of going there. LibraryReads shares the books being published this month that are most loved by library staff. We have a great lineup of LibraryReads books for July, so read on to find a favorite to stay cool with.
“Wash Day Diaries” by Jamila Rowser and Robyn Smith
“At its core, this graphic novel is a story about four beautiful, strong black women and their friendship. Within the framework of hair wash day, we see each character dealing with her own issues, from work and relationships to mental health struggles.”
–Aryn O’Connor, Cabarrus County Library, Concord, NC
“What Moves the Dead” by T. Kingfisher
“A retelling of “The Fall of the House of Usher,” Kingfisher’s latest adds the creepiest of flesh to the bare-bones tale by Poe. Complete with a scary, isolated mansion and eerie behaviors of the residents, this version not only makes perfect sense within the original narrative, but adds a depth of understanding that suddenly makes all the pieces fall into place.”
-Sheri Stanley, Gulfport Library, Gulfport, FL
“The Pallbearers Club” by Paul Tremblay
“Tremblay always knows how to tap into the deepest of emotions, and this dual-narration horror thriller is both unrelentingly creepy and filled with the bittersweet pathos of a formative, toxic, unforgettable friendship in which one participant may or may not be a vampire.”
-Kate Currie, Hennepin County Library, Minneapolis, MN
And here are the rest of the favorites for July:
Ahoy, mateys! Arrr ye ready for a voyage through history? Inspired by this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, I read “Pirate Women: The Princesses, Prostitutes, and Privateers Who Ruled the Seven Seas.” Tis always been a pirate’s life for me, but I never before heard tales of ladies taking to the high seas. Thanks be to author Laura Sook Duncombe, for catchin’ me up on the stories of the many women who sailed beneath the jolly roger.
Spannin’ from the bronze age through the 21st century, Duncombe takes us on a voyage through the lives of dozens of women pirates. She also explores the cultural biases held by the landlubbers who recorded the stories of these pirate ladies. Like a well-honed cutlass, Duncombe cuts through the fog of historical revisionism and legend with a perfect mix of information sharin’ and storytelling.
I did find me self wondering about Duncombe’s definition of piracy. Her answer stirred something deep within the depths of me soul: “The heart of piracy is freedom.” Tis this sentiment that drove all the featured lassies as they sailed under a black flag, pillaging across the seven seas. Avast me, hearties! Pick up “Pirate Women” and set sail for the shores of knowledge. Tis time I shoved off. Fare thee well, mateys!
Three words that describe this book: Informative & entertaining
You might want to pick this book up if: You like reading the untold stories of women from history. Especially if those women happen to be pirates.
-Joe
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
Set in England in the late 19th Century, “A Curious Beginning” follows the unexpected journey of lepidopterist, independent woman and budding lady detective, Veronica Speedwell. While this is the first adventure on which we join her, she has traveled the world in search of butterflies and experienced what the world has to offer in ways uncommon for a woman of her time.
This book is a light, fun, spunky page-turner that chronicles her unlikely alliance with Stoker, a grumbly fellow natural historian who begrudgingly joins forces first as a “protector” and then as a partner. They run from police and other opponents with mysterious and dark intentions, ultimately uncovering the truth about Veronica’s identity as well as solving a murder mystery. This book was a delight to read and perfect for a summer reader looking to balance a smart, feminist story, with a light and lively tone!
Three words that describe this book: Light, spunky, smart
You might want to pick this book up if: You’re looking for a smart, fun, page-turning summer read!
-Sara
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
