Ice caps have melted and most of the planet is submerged. The majority of the surviving human population has relocated to the Arctic, now a land of more moderate temperatures. In London only the tallest buildings rise out of the water and it is overrun with huge, overgrown plants and giant lizards. This is “The Drowned World” by J.G. Ballard, where a warming climate is either pulling life on Earth backwards into a more primitive state or triggering a new stage in evolution.
This book was written in 1962, before terms like global warming or climate change were commonplace, and the climate change in this book does not appear to be human caused. Regardless, the change has been devastating to humanity. What remains of civilization is primarily relegated to a state of survival. The plot follows Dr. Robert Kerans, part of a scientific and military team that has traveled to London to study the flora and fauna that have overtaken the city. It’s unclear how much progress he has made in studying the life populating the lagoons that were once city streets. When the book begins Kerans no longer resides on the research vessel the team arrived on but is staying by himself in one of the half-submerged skyscrapers. He spends the days there hiding from the oppressive heat and being haunted by strange dreams. Continue reading “Know Your Dystopias: The Drowned World”
I grew up with a mom who loved horror books and movies. Our bookcase was full of Clive Barker and Stephen King and every anthology she could get her hands on. We would make regular trips to the used bookstore so she would never run out of scary material. She could watch even the most terrifying horror movie alone in the dark. When I was about 11 years old, I read Stephen King’s short story collection, “Night Shift,” and couldn’t sleep until I was 35. So the apple can fall pretty far from the tree.
I have, though, come up with some guidelines to help fellow scaredy-cats who are determined to read horror. Obviously, never read it before bed. Read reviews — they are usually not specific enough to elicit detailed nightmares but can give you an indication of what to expect if you have certain triggers. Continue reading “How to Read Horror When You Are Afraid of Everything”
Check out these creepy creature nonfiction titles at the library today!
“The Monsters: Mary Shelley and the Curse of Frankenstein” by Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler: One murky night in 1816, on the shores of Lake Geneva, Lord Bryon, famed English poet, challenged his friends to a contest — to write a ghost story. The famous result was Mary Shelley’s “Frankenstein,” a work that has retained its hold on the popular imagination for two centuries. Within a few years of “Frankenstein’s” publication, nearly all of those involved met untimely deaths. Drawing upon letters, rarely tapped archives and their own magisterial rereading of “Frankenstein” itself, Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler have crafted a rip-roaring tale of obsession and creation. Continue reading “Monsters and Witches and Ghosts, Oh My!”
While zombie-story-as-critique-of-capitalism is nothing new, Ling Ma’s “Severance” still manages to earn this gentleman’s recommendation. I’m always a sucker for a good post-apocalypse story, plus it’s Halloween season 2018, and fictional accounts of the end of the world are a particularly welcome respite from nonfictional ones.
“Severance” is the story of Candace Chen, whose parents brought her from China to America when she was a child. As an adult, Candace works for a publisher in New York, but rather than some book related task that brings her fulfillment, she oversees the production of Bibles. (Naturally, to keep costs down, these Bibles are produced in China, where workers are apt to die from the gemstone dust they inhale while affixing said baubles to fashion Bibles.) Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Ling Ma”
From picking a pair of shoes to wear to the office to buying a house, we are constantly faced with the challenge of making decisions. It’s an everyday process that can be surprisingly difficult and may cause feelings ranging from mild irritation to painstaking agony. Humans are also not particularly skilled at making choices; we frequently employ flawed logic that we’re incapable of recognizing. Ironically, we don’t often examine the thought processes that result in our choices. Luckily, there is an abundance of recently published books that do the hard work for us! There are so many titles out now that it was, as you might expect, a challenge to decide which to present here.
In the current era, we have so much information at our disposal. With just a few clicks or taps on a screen, we can usually find answers to any inquiry. Yet our internet searches often yield so many results that they’re difficult to parse. In “A Field Guide to Lies: Critical Thinking in the Information Age,” Daniel J. Levitin examines the tactics most media outlets use to simplify scientific and statistical findings to readers, and how our interpretations of this information are often flawed. The book gives readers a guide to distinguishing reliable information from distortions, lies and misinformation. Continue reading “Literary Links: Critical Thinking and Decision-Making”
Do you still have some unchecked boxes on the 2018 Read Harder Challenge? So do I. If you, like I, feel a deep obligation to fulfill all commitments no matter how minor, you’re probably experiencing a bit of stress at the moment. Never fear. I’m here to help, assuming the help you need consists of some written words about colonial or postcolonial literature.
First published in 1958, “Things Fall Apart” by Chinua Achebe is widely considered a classic of world literature and appears on the Great American Read list of America’s 100 most-loved books. The first book of a trilogy, it tells the story of a Nigerian man, Okonkwo, tracing his rise to power and subsequent fall during a time of increasing British colonization. Though I know this is not a consideration at all (wink, wink) as we draw nearer the deadline, it’s only 209 pages. Continue reading “Colonial or Post-colonial Literature: Read Harder 2018”
Fall is finally here and, more importantly, fall weather! It’s time to welcome the cooler temps by curling up with a hot beverage, a furry pet and a good book. If you’re looking for something to keep you warm, try one of these cozy novels by debut authors. And if cozy isn’t your style, check out our list of all the debut author titles new this month.
“The Travelling Cat Chronicles” by Hiro Arikawa
After several years together, Satoru has determined he needs to find a new home for his adopted stray cat Nana, although Nana is unsure why. The two friends head off on a road trip across Japan, meeting up with friends from Satoru’s past. However, finding an owner who is just the right fit for Nana proves to be an adventure for the two friends. Told through Nana’s sassy point of view as well as flashbacks to Satoru’s past, this charming book is already a bestseller in Japan.
“A Crafter Knits a Clue” by Holly Quinn
Returning to her hometown for her best friend Kate’s funeral, Sammy Kane decides to stay and take over Kate’s craft store. Not long after, Sammy wanders down to the new yarn store opening nearby and finds its owner murdered. The weapon? A knitting needle. Eager to solve the murder, and help out the handsome detective Liam Nash, Sammy resurrects her childhood detective club — the other members being her cousin Heidi and sister Ellie. But even as Liam tries protect her by keeping her out of the investigation, Sammy and her club are well on their way to putting all the clues together and solving the murder.
Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: October 2018”
Editor’s note: This review was submitted by a library patron during the 2018 Adult Summer Reading program. We will continue to periodically share some of these reviews throughout the year.
In “The Kiss Quotient,” Stella is a brilliant econometrician who easily loses herself in statistics, mathematics and solving the puzzles of economic trends. Her specialized career rewards her extremely well financially, plus she is from a family of means. Owning her own minimally furnished home (save her grand piano which is her sanctuary), her Tesla and personally tailored suits for work, it would seem all was well in the life of Stella. However, when it comes to personal and social interaction and romantic encounters, well, Stella is a 0 on a scale of 1 – 10. She decides to take matters in her own hands and pursue a very unorthodox means of improving herself in that area. Learning about Stella and her challenges in life was extremely interesting. I would like to read a sequel to see how she deals with her future.
Three words that describe this book: autistic, devotion, understanding
You might want to pick this book up if: you like to read about how people with certain challenges perceive life — the author did a impressive job and letting us know what life was truly like for an extremely high functioning autistic person.
-Pamela
Here is a quick look at the most noteworthy nonfiction titles being released this October. Visit our catalog for a more extensive list.
Top Picks
In her new title, “The Library Book,” Susan Orlean, the acclaimed best-selling author of “Rin Tin Tin” and “The Orchid Thief,” reopens the unsolved mystery of the most catastrophic library fire in American history, and delivers a dazzling love letter to a beloved institution — our libraries.
Check out the new title from Bill O’Reilly’s popular Killing series, “Killing the SS: The Hunt for the Worst War Criminals in History.” As the true horrors of the Third Reich began to be exposed immediately after World War II, the Nazi war criminals who committed genocide went on the run. A few were swiftly caught, others, however, evaded capture. “Killing the SS” is the epic saga of the espionage and daring waged by self-styled “Nazi hunters.” Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: October 2018”
It’s Fall again! It’s my favorite time of the year. Autumn brings beautiful colors, cooler weather (sweater weather — soon?), and the kids back in school. It also brings Banned Books Week, September 23-29. The American Library Association (ALA) began Banned Books Week in 1982 in response to a sudden surge in challenges to books in schools, stores and libraries. This year’s Banned Book Week theme is “Banning Books Silences Stories.”
Many of my favorite books have been banned or challenged books. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that every book is created equal or that every book should be read and adored by all just because someone says it should (or shouldn’t). But whose stories are being silenced and who is doing the silencing? Just looking over a list of my own favorite banned books, many of the stories tend to be about the working poor, immigrants, minority groups, women, the unwell and the powerless. Continue reading “Banning Books Silences Stories”
