Join us to discuss “How to Read Literature Like a Professor” by Thomas C. Foster. Recognizing that a shared understanding of literature can serve as a cultural bond, Foster, professor emeritus of English at the University of Michigan, uses colorful language and storytelling to help interpret themes, concepts and symbols commonly found in literature, offering the reader roadmaps to help uncover hidden truths, just as a professor would. A fun read that does not present like a textbook, this book provides a solid and in-depth look into symbolism and other literary elements. This book is a great source of insight into becoming a better reader and a helpful reference in the process of writing. An extra treat is the bibliography that provides a great catalog of classics to read. Check out this list for other books that can help you improve your reading.
This discussion is geared for adults. Please register to get a link for this program.
Another month, another list of new nonfiction books to check out! 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 eAudiobook format (as available). For a more extensive list of new nonfiction books coming out this month, check our online catalog. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: February 2021”
Winter hasn’t quite let us out of its icy grip, and I find myself wanting to read something comforting. For me, that means knowing that the characters I will inevitably fall in love with get their own happily ever afters, and so I turn to one of my favorite genres: romance. Here are just a few wintry romances to warm you up. Continue reading “Cuddle Up With Some Winter Romances”
While I once enjoyed travel, musical performances, picture shows and communal drinking, I now merely pace the halls of my manor chewing mail-order snacks and raving madly about the widespread inability to discover and interpret facts. When seeking an escape from the labyrinth of despair to which I’d been banished, I’d pick up a novel and read the same passage repeatedly until I’d managed to sufficiently obscure reality and retain what I was reading, and then I could proceed to subsequent passages and enjoy the experience of reading rather than fixating on disaster or listening to my butler’s tales of being berated for kindly asking people to wear a mask nearly a year into a pandemic that has killed over 400,000 people and will kill hundreds of thousands more (and cause long-term damage to countless others) and which could still be curtailed if people would simply wear a mask and not congregate as if there weren’t a pandemic. Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Susanna Clarke (Again)”
On first glance, our Comforts of Winter reading program might be perfectly captured by the the word “hygge” — the Scandinavian concept of simple and contented living. It seems hygge (pronounced ‘hue-guh’) is discussed on an annual basis when fall and winter roll around, and one usually finds the idea of a cozy evening surrounded by books, blankets and candles picturesque, but perhaps a bit limiting. Considering we were all cooped up in our homes for most of last year, we’re likely in for a massive case of cabin fever this winter. Friluftsliv to the rescue! Continue reading “Hygge and Friluftsliv: Twin Concepts of Nordic Living”
The time is right to find a long book and a cozy spot: it’s dark and cold outside, it’s unsafe to congregate inside and, if we all stay home and read, we’ll slow the viral spread while transporting and soothing (or at least distracting) our overworked brains. Here are a few doozies to help you while away the COVID winter.
Perhaps the absence of live music in real life added to the thrills of reading David Mitchell’s “Utopia Avenue,” but even if the ecstatic guitar solos, beautiful harmonies and thundering drums lovingly rendered on its pages could currently be recreated in front of an audience and with sound rather than prose, the book would still be a gift. Although many novels have charted the course of a fictional band, few feature a guitarist with a malevolent spirit lodged in his head. As a bonus, if you haven’t read the rest of Mitchell’s novels, doing so will illuminate aspects of this one, and also be tremendous fun. Continue reading “Literary Links: Long Reads”
Welcome in the new year with one of these new novels by debut authors. For a longer list of titles, please visit our catalog.
“A Deadly Fortune” by Stacie Murphy
Amelia Matthew has done the all-but-impossible, especially for an orphan in Gilded Age New York City. Along with her foster brother Jonas, she has parleyed her modest psychic talent into a safe and comfortable life. But safety and comfort vanish when a head injury leaves Amelia with a dramatically-expanded gift. After she publicly channels an angry spirit, she finds herself imprisoned in the notorious insane asylum on Blackwell’s Island. As Jonas searches for a way to free her, Amelia struggles to control her disturbing new abilities and survive a place where cruelty and despair threaten her sanity. Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: January 2021”
A new year and more new nonfiction books coming out for you to read! 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 eAudiobook format (as available). For a more extensive list of new nonfiction books coming out this month, check our online catalog.
Top Picks
“Keep Sharp: Build A Better Brain At Any Age” by Sanjay Gupta (Jan 5)
Throughout our life, we look for ways to keep our mind sharp and effortlessly productive. Now, globetrotting neurosurgeon Dr. Sanjay Gupta offers insights from top scientists all over the world, whose cutting-edge research can help you heighten and protect brain function and maintain cognitive health at any age. “Keep Sharp” debunks common myths about aging and cognitive decline, explores whether there’s a “best” diet or exercise regimen for the brain, and explains whether it’s healthier to play video games that test memory and processing speed, or to engage in more social interaction. Discover what we can learn from “super-brained” people who are in their eighties and nineties with no signs of slowing down — and whether there are truly any benefits to drugs, supplements, and vitamins. Dr. Gupta also addresses brain disease, particularly Alzheimer’s, answers all your questions about the signs and symptoms, and shows how to ward against it and stay healthy while caring for a partner in cognitive decline. He likewise provides readers with a personalized 12-week program featuring practical strategies to strengthen your brain every day. “Keep Sharp” is the only owner’s manual you’ll need to keep your brain young and healthy regardless of your age! Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: January 2021”
What a year this was! Am I right? Between the global pandemic, raging fires on the west coast, a cancelled Olympics, and an election that just wouldn’t stop, I found it difficult to read. Well, I shouldn’t say that because I did read plenty, but the nature of what I read and how I read certainly changed this year. I listened to a lot more audiobooks this year, and I followed obsessions.
I took part in a couple of book challenges. I blew away my Goodreads goal of 100 books by reading over 150. And, once again, I took part in the Read Harder Challenge. I have to be honest — I didn’t finish this challenge this year. My mantra throughout the entire year was “but we’re ALREADY reading harder just because it’s 2020!” I’m still proud of myself for reading all but two of the tasks, and the challenge introduced me to some of my favorites for the year. I absolutely loved “Where the Mountain Meets the Moon” written by Grace Lin, which I read as a “retelling of a classic fairy tale or myth by an author of color.” This book has hints of “The Wizard of Oz” while also telling a very unique story centered in Chinese fairy tales and folklore. I’m always stunned by how much I can love books intended for middle-graders even though I’m in a vastly different “middle” age group myself. Continue reading “2020 Was a Dumpster Fire, But I Read Some Good Books!”
Editor’s note: This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will be sharing more throughout the rest of the year.
In the novel Circe, author Madeline Miller takes a character who was once a few lines in the Odyssey, and creates a swirling, beautiful, heartbreaking novel that shows Circe in full bloom. Circe is a goddess, banished to a deserted island for her use of magic. She grows up alone, creating a life for herself, growing plants, herding other banished women, and raising her son with Odysseus, who visits and decides to stay a while. The novel covers hundreds of years, but manages to be a page-turner, speaks of unchanging gods and ever-growing mortals, and is absolutely perfect.
Three words that describe this book: Surprising, magical, down-to-earth
You might want to pick this book up if: Everyone should read this. Classics readers, fantasy lovers, teens, adults who have never step foot beyond nonfiction or romance, human beings. Try the audio book, too! Circe’s soft-spoken, but strong voice is perfectly captured.
-Anna
