I suspect many readers may currently yearn for an escape to a land of magic and fictional monsters. Try “Lovecraft Country,” a novel by Matt Ruff.
“Lovecraft Country” is set during the Jim Crow era, and while its main characters endure racism that makes one long for the sort of monster that relieves one of one’s sanity with a single glance, they also (spoiler alert) get to experience triumphs. I lightly spoil because I want you to know this is a book with big-league heart, one that might pleasantly distract you from something that is currently troubling you. Previous recommendation Charlie Jane Anders says:
“It’s a heroic story that will have you pumping your fist. But it’s also an incredibly powerful portrayal of American racism—in which the entrenched oppression piles on, page after page, and meanwhile the secrets of a hidden world of monsters and power only add to the sense of—yes—eldridtch dread.”
Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Matt Ruff”
It is ever so satisfying to finish a book, but often I find myself so busy that it’s hard to dedicate the time to whatever I’m reading. This leads to one of two things: 1) I neglect my other responsibilities and read instead (my usual choice — who needs clean dishes?), or 2) I get super distracted by daydreaming about what is happening in my book and pine for the time when I get to pick it up again. Either way, all I want to do is read to the gratifying conclusion of the story. If you’re like me, I’m sure you know the feeling. Well friends, I have discovered a cure for our ailment: read a shorter book! I’m not suggesting that you do this all the time, but it’s especially handy when your schedule is full, and you need the mental relief that only a great story can give. Here is a selection of some shorter books at your disposal for when life gets hectic.
“The House on Mango Street” by Sandra Cisneros
An incredibly short (110 pages) coming-of-age story of Esperanza Cordero. The story is told in vignettes and centers on her growing up as a Latina in Chicago. This is often considered a classic (or well on its way to being one), and with it being so short, what have you got to lose? Continue reading “Weekend Reads: Short Books to Devour Quickly”
It was a dark and stormy night … It was a dark and stormy summer … It was actually a dark and stormy couple of years.
It was 200 years ago that 18-year-old Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, soon to be Mary Shelley, wrote her most famous book, “Frankenstein: Or, The Modern Prometheus.” Mary was on holiday with two already famous poets — Percy Shelley (who later became Mary’s husband) and their host, Lord Byron. The setting was Villa Diodati on Lake Geneva.
The volcanic eruption of Mt. Tambora in the East Dutch Indies produced major weather anomalies, causing that year to be very stormy and gloomy. In fact, that year was dubbed the Year Without a Summer. It was also known as the Poverty Year, the Summer that Never Was and my personal favorite, Eighteen Hundred and Froze to Death. In order to fill the long, dark and stormy days, Byron suggested that they tell ghost stories, which caused Mary to have nightmares. The dark storms over the mountains and flashes of lightning over the lake provided the perfect backdrop for both the story and its conception. From a dream, Frankenstein was born and still haunts us. Continue reading “Happy Birthday, Frankenstein!”
Need a hot read for your cold November nights? Look no further than this month’s Library Reads list. Suspense, fantasy, historical fiction, biography — there’s something for every reader’s taste or mood, including new titles from Lee Child, Wally Lamb, Zadie Smith, Michael Chabon and more. Here are books publishing next month that librarians across the country recommend.
“Faithful” by Alice Hoffman
“With only a touch of her usual magical realism, Hoffman crafts a tale that still manages to enchant. In ‘Faithful,’ a young girl who survives a car accident that almost kills her best friend spends the next decade doing penance to try and alleviate her guilt. Despite her best efforts to avoid it, love, hope and forgiveness patiently shadow her as she slowly heals. Shelby is a complex character, and through her internal growth, Hoffman reveals that she is a person worthy of love, a bit of sorcery that readers will hold dear. Simply irresistible.”
– Sharon Layburn, South Huntington Public Library, Huntington Station, NY Continue reading “Top 10 Books Librarians Love: The November 2016 LibraryReads List”
American presidents come and go, but the White House staunchly stands as a beacon of hope to the free world despite the building’s surprisingly complicated and sometimes difficult history. As we close in on yet another changing of the guard, it’s a good time to take a fresh look at this iconic building. How many times has it been renovated? Is it really haunted? Continue reading “Literary Links: Our White House”
October 11 marks the birthday of the woman who spent more time in the White House as first lady than any before or since. At her birth, Eleanor Roosevelt seemed destined for a life lived mostly on the periphery of the political dynasty she was born into. A series of childhood tragedies changed her trajectory, and Eleanor went on to not only redefine the role of first lady, but also to become a political force in her own right.
Born in 1884 to socialite parents, Eleanor was orphaned by the age of 9. She attended Marie Souvestres’s all-girl’s finishing school in England. Souvestre’s teaching methods encouraged students to think independently and express themselves. The influence of this education is visible in the social justice work Eleanor pursued as an adult. Blanche Wiesen Cooke’s “Eleanor Roosevelt: Volume One, 1884-1933” documents in depth these influential early years of Eleanor’s life. Continue reading “The Fascinating Life of Eleanor Roosevelt”
A few months ago, a shock of red caught my eye as I walked past a display of oversize books at the library. “Cover” by Peter Mendelsund collects in stunning fashion the artwork he has created for book jackets, both new works and reissued classics. If you think you don’t know his work, you actually do. Steig Larsson’s “The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,” Jo Nesbo’s “The Snowman” and current bestseller “The Girls” by Emma Cline all have covers created by Mendelsund. Reading about his creative process provides a window into a world readers often wonder about. Just how does the artwork for a book get selected? Does the author have a say? Who makes the final call? And also, why are so many book covers similar? Continue reading “Judging a Book by Its Cover”
I love FALL! One of the reasons I love fall is that the American Library Association (ALA) celebrates Banned Books Week the last week of September. This year, the celebration is from September 25 – October 1, and the theme is “Celebrating the Freedom to Read.”
These days when we talk about banned books, we aren’t usually talking about bans by the government; however, there are countries that do still actively ban books, and our government used to be one of them. “Fanny Hill” holds the distinction of being the last book banned by the US government. It was banned in 1821 and again in 1963, and the ban was lifted after the Supreme Court decision of Memoirs v. Massachusetts in 1966. “The Satanic Verses” continues to be banned in many Islamic countries. Continue reading “Celebrating the Freedom to Read!”
Great satirists thrive when stuff in the world is goofy or evil. So, given the idyllic nature of the world these days, it’s hard to imagine that there’s much good satire out there or that satirists would manage to earn enough to keep themselves fed and sheltered rather than wasting away in the gutter where they probably belong. But, even with our utopia’s total lack of need for satirists, Gary Shteyngart has managed to keep himself fed, sheltered, gutter-free and, as you’ll see if you google “Shteyngart + vodka,” frequently drunk.
Shteyngart has earned the sustenance and drunkenness. That satire is pointless in our current climate is inarguable, but we still have a few years left before hilarious literature in which nearly every sentence contains a delightful turn of phrase becomes the province only of those who attempt to produce it. He’s a funny guy and a great writer, and I hope he’s able to eat comfortably at least until he’s no longer of any value to our society. (You’ll notice I linked to a picture of him being funny rather than pick from the bountiful text examples of his hilarity. I do this because, as the GlobalTeens social network from his brilliant novel “Super Sad True Love Story” says in one of its many helpful tips, “Switch to Images today! Less words = more fun!”) Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Gary Shteyngart”
When I was a girl, I liked browsing through my parents’ books about famous art museums — the Hermitage, Louvre, Prado, etc. These books illustrated the best works of Western art, but they didn’t cover anything modern. When I grew older, I began attending art exhibits. Some of them I liked, some I didn’t. Still, the art that attracted me rarely progressed beyond the first half of the 20th century. So I was intrigued when, recently, I ran across two books by British sociologist of culture Sarah Thornton.
The first one, “Seven Days in the Art World” (W.W. Norton & Co., 2008), is a fascinating view of a world that is often shrouded in mystery. To reveal its substance, Thornton approaches this world from different points of view. She travels to places where art is taught, created, discussed, exhibited and sold – seven destinations in all. She talks to artists, dealers, collectors, art critics, museum curators and art students, and she attends auctions, exhibits and art classes. Thornton doesn’t limit herself to examining art esthetics only. She explores art world economics, too, since endorsements and promotion – through art dealers, gallery exhibits, media coverage, shows, etc. – are no less important for the artist’s success than the work itself. So, how do we know what is a genuine work of art and what’s nonsense? “Sometimes you don’t,” Thornton says, “but often you feel it in your bones.” Continue reading “Literary Links: Art”
