Nevermore: Need to Be Whole, Midnight in Siberia, Mad Honey

 

Reported by Garry 

The Need to Be Whole: Patriotism and the History of Prejudice by Wendell Berry is a newly released sociopolitical commentary by a preeminent American writer. In this new book, Berry shows how the history of dispossession, rooted in racism and the exploitation of work by others (and specifically the history of slavery), has led us to the state of social division and environmental degradation that we are currently facing. Our reader, who often reads sociopolitical books, finds this a fascinating read with a huge amount of information that she had not been aware of previously. “Excellent” is the word she used to describe this book.  DC

 

Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey into the Heart of Russia by David Greene. In 2013, as NPR’s Moscow Bureau Chief, Greene, embarked on a series of 6,000 mile, nearly seven-day trips across the largest country in the world on the fabled Trans-Siberian Railway. Along with his interpreter, David visited with many Russians and gathered their stories for this insightful travelogue that explores the lives of everyday Russians: families with children, widows, and young people trying to figure out their lives. In doing so, Greene shows how the Russian people are warm, welcoming, and hopeful for their futures.  CD

 

Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult and Jennifer Finney Boylan is the new suspense novel from two best-selling authors. Asher is a young man in high school who moved to Adams, New Hampshire with his mother Olivia to escape his violent father, and take over his grandfather’s bee-keeping business. Asher falls in love with Lily, also a new arrival in Adams, and for a short while, their lives are peaceful. When Lily is killed and Asher becomes the prime suspect, Olivia has to unravel the past and face the fact that her son is not the person she thought he was. Our reader exclaimed that this book was phenomenal and packed with information about bees and bee keeping (and some tasty recipes), on top of being an absolute page-turner.  NH

 

Also mentioned:

The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

The Golden Compass by Philip Pullman

The Damned by Renée Ahdieh

An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed by Helene Tursten

The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah

Just as I Am by Cicely Tyson

One Woman’s War by Christine Wells

The German Wife by Kelly Rimmer

I’m Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy

Half American: The Epic Story of African Americans Fighting World War II at Home and Abroad by Matthew F. Delmont

Brave Hearted: The Women of the American West by Katie Hickman

Why am I Like This?: The Science Behind Your Weirdest Thoughts and Habits by Dr. Jen Martin

Marmee: A Novel of Little Women by Sarah Miller

Nevermore: Midnight Sun, Small Great Things, How Will I Know You, and One Foot in Eden

 Reported by Kristin

Midnight Sun by Jo Nesbo was then praised as one of the author’s best books.  Ulf is hiding from a most dangerous drug lord called the Fisherman.  In the frozen far north, Ulf is taken in by a family deep in the woods.  The family allows him to stay in their cabin, gives him food, and even a weapon so that he may go out to hunt.  Our reader particularly liked the book because the story was communicated without showing a lot of graphic violence.

Nevermore continued with another novel:  Small Great Things by Jodi Picoult.  As usual, Picoult tackles difficult social issues in this gripping story of a labor and delivery nurse who saves a baby’s life when the child goes into cardiac arrest.  Most parents would be eternally grateful, but these parents are white supremacists who are not willing to have Ruth, the African American nurse, touch their baby.  The parents press charges, leading to a breathtaking trial.  Our reader said of Picoult, “She always has a zinger at the end.”

How Will I Know You? by Jessica Treadway takes place in a small town in New York where a high school senior is found dead.  What first appears to be a case of accidental drowning turns into a murder investigation when it’s discovered that she was strangled.  The local police chief suspects an African American graduate student who was having an affair with the girl’s mother.     The story is told from several different perspectives.  Our reader thought it was an okay book.

Last was One Foot in Eden by Ron Rash.  An Appalachian tale of crimes of passion set against a beautiful landscape, this Southern gothic murder mystery tells of love gone wrong.  Opening in the 1950’s but carried through to the 1973 dam construction and the subsequent flooding of the town, the story is told by various narrators.  Rash’s lyrical words created a strong story that our reader enjoyed very much.

Last Night, A Superhero Saved My Life

Reviewed by Ambrea

Last Night, A Superhero Saved My Life is a book about a cultural obsession, specifically a collective adoration of superheroes and all manner of caped crusaders.  Liesa Mignongna, the editorial director at Simon Pulse, collected essays from some of the most prolific names in the writing community—including Neil Gaiman, Leigh Bardugo, Brad Meltzer, Jodi Picoult, and Joe R. Lansdale—and compiled them in a simultaneously heart-breaking and hilarious book about superheroes and why they matter.

I absolutely loved this book.  A collection of essays by today’s most popular novelists, journalists, and writers, Last Night, A Superhero Saved My Life is a wonderful study on superheroes and the lasting impact they’ve had on readers and culture.  I know that makes it sound a bit dull, especially given the colorful and sometimes flamboyant nature of superheroes, but it’s not.  It’s heart-wrenching and humorous and introspective and bursting with bright neon spandex colors.

It’s a great book that’s not beholden to any one style or story.  Last Night, A Superhero Saved My Life compiles the work from the best of today’s creative minds, drawing together exceptional stories, experiences, and illustrations to create a work equally poignant and funny.  It provokes an honest discussion about superheroes and their impact on gender, love, equality, relationships, and more.

Honestly, I loved these stories.  They were deeply personal and incredibly moving, beautiful for their candid commentary on the human experience—and how comic book superheroes helped to get them through the tough times, how comics helped to shape their lives.  There were a handful of essays that I absolutely adored:

·         “On the Hulk:  You Wouldn’t Like Me When I’m Angry” by Delilah S. Dawson

·         “Dented Hearts:  A Story of Iron Man” by Anthon Breznican

·         “Everything I Know About Love, I Learned from Gambit and Rogue” by Karina Cooper

·         “We Are Not Amazons” by Leigh Bardugo

·         “Superman:  One Rad Dude” by Jim Di Bartolo

·         “Swashbuckle My Heart:  An Ode to Nightcrawler” by Jenn Reese

But, if I had to pick just one, it would probably be “Dented Hearts” by Anthony Breznican.  It’s a tough choice, especially since I loved Leigh Bardugo’s essay for her frank discussion of the female body image and cultural expectations, and Jim Di Bartolo’s illustrated discourse on the importance and impact of Superman; however, I was entirely smitten with Breznican’s essay.

“Dented Hearts” was like a kick in the chest.  It took me by surprise, it broke my heart, and yet it’s probably one of the most memorable essays—if not the most memorable essay—I read.  It’s an honest depiction of grief and turmoil, love and happiness and sibling relationships; it’s a candid account of loss tinted with memory, affection, and a mutual love of superheroes.  I enjoyed his beautiful writing, his obvious affection for his wife, and his candid retelling of grief that pulled at my heart.

I loved it.  Tears and all.

What's Hot for April!

 It's time to see what books top the reserve list at Bristol Public Library:

16. Miss Julia to the Rescue by Ann B. Ross is the thirteenth in the series and will be welcomed by fans of the feisty widow. 

15. Loving by Karen Kingsbury is the fourth and final book in the Bailey Flanigan series, about a young woman who leaves home to find a career and adventure.  The earlier titles are Leaving, Learning and Longing. 

14. The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark uses Biblical archaeology and lore in her newest mystery.  Biblical scholar Jonathan Lyons believes he’s found a letter written by Jesus, but before his discovery is confirmed Lyons is found murdered.  The police believe he was shot by his wife, an Alzheimer’s sufferer who knew he was having an affair.  It’s up to the couple’s daughter Mariah to uncover the truth.

13. The Innocent by David Baldacci is the Virginia author’s latest thriller.  Government hit man Will Robie has never refused an assignment—until now.  Soon he finds himself on the run with a young girl who may hold the key to a vast conspiracy.  The book will be published April 17.

12.  Home Front by Kristin Hannah is back on the list after dropping off for a month. This contemporary family story deals with a family’s struggle when the wife is deployed to Iraq. Hannah practiced law before becoming a full time writer and has won numerous romance writer awards.

11. Force of Nature by C.J. Box is the new mystery thriller with Wyoming game warden Joe Pickett.  This series is picking up fans very quickly! The first book in the series, Open Season, was a major award-winner, and Box has maintained a high standard.  He has also written several standalone novels.

10. Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L. James is the new digital phenomenon.  Originally available only as an ebook, it will be published as a traditional book in April with two sequels to follow.  The steamy plot concerns a young naïve college student who becomes attracted to an older, very wealthy and very worldly businessman.

9.What Doesn’t Kill You by Iris Johansen focuses on Catherine Ling, a character introduced in Chasing the Night, who embarks on a globe-trotting chase to find the creator of a very powerful and undetectable poison.

8. Unwritten Laws by Greg Iles has been delayed but should be published in 2012.  This is the long-awaited first part of his newest thriller, delayed when Iles was severely injured in a car wreck.

7. Rainshadow Road by Lisa Kleypas is the book in a trilogy by this increasingly popular contemporary romance writer.  Betrayed by her fiancé, glass artist Lucy finds herself being romanced by a new man—but is it love or a set-up?

6.  Unnatural Acts by Stuart Woods is the latest entry in his very popular and long running Stone Barrington series.   What appears at first to be an easy assignment— to show a billionaire’s son the error of his ways—becomes very complicated when an old case intervenes.

5.  The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani is not only a love story of two people, but a love story for two countries as well.  It’s also a very personal story for Trigiani: she based part of the book on her grandparents’ courtship.

4. Eleventh Hour by James Patterson is the new entry in the Women’s Murder Club series.  It will be published May 7, 2012.

3. Stay Close by Harlan Coben begins seventeen years earlier, when a husband and father failed to return home and hasn’t been heard from since. Old cases never go away; and soon a detective, a soccer mom and a down on his luck photographer will find the past can sometimes destroy the present.

2.  Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult examines the question of end of life issues as a divided family tries to decide what to do after a terrible accident leaves the father in a coma.  Picoult is wonderful at humanizing difficult moral questions, leaving readers both thoughtful and haunted.

And the number one reserve book is:

1.  Deadlocked by Charlaine Harris, the penultimate “Southern Vampires” novel. Fans are eager to see what’s in store for our favorite psychic waitress, Sookie Stackhouse.  Harris has said that she intends to end the series with book 13, so there should be only one more after this one.  If you want to start at the beginning, read Dead Until Dark.

See a book you'd like?  You can add your name to reserve list by logging into your library account or by calling the library to do it for you.