The selection of Charlotte McConaghy’s novel “Migrations” as this year’s One Read selection has sparked a lot of conversations in the community around the intersection of climate change and literature. There’s no shortage of books in the Cli Fi genre. Like love and loss, climate is a topic that shapes the lives of everyone on the planet. Of course it makes its way into fiction.
“Parable of the Sower” by Octavia Butler was published in 1993 and set the standard for many works that followed. It follows the journeys of a highly empathetic young woman named Lauren as her efforts to help her immediate community expand into a mission to rebuild the very underpinnings of society into a more just and sustainable form. In this work, Butler managed to write a story that was both post-apocalyptic and visionary. Continue reading “Climate Fiction”
What is Women’s Equality Day? The U.S. Congress designated August 26 as “Women’s Equality Day” in 1973. The date was selected to commemorate the 1920 certification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granting women the right to vote. This was the culmination of a massive, mostly peaceful civil rights movement by women that had its formal beginnings in 1848 at the United State’s first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. The observance of Women’s Equality Day not only commemorates the passage of the 19th Amendment, but also calls attention to women’s continuing efforts toward full equality.
The word “suffrage” means the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums. Ellen Carol DuBois began writing “Suffrage: Women’s Long Battle for the Vote” as a tribute to the 75-year-long battle to gain voting rights for women, and with the hope of celebrating the first woman president. It is an event-heavy history book that draws the reader onto stages and street corners across the country, introducing us to the suffragettes and abolitionists of the movement. We learn of the good and the bad; the suffragettes and their male supporters were determined to gain enfranchisement and some of their actions, looking back, are objectionable. Bubois writes unflinchingly about suffragettes who adopted the “Southern Strategy” of disenfranchising African American men in favor of advancing the white suffragette movement. There were also powerful friendships and partnerships between black and white women who together took up the banner of the universal suffrage framework. An excellent book that reminds us of the strength of our past as we face the work of our future. Continue reading “August 26 Is Women’s Equality Day”
Welcome to what will hopefully become a new blog series, Voyage into Fantasy, where we look at fantasy series and worlds, figure out how they work, and what we love about them. In the first few posts, we’ll be looking at magic systems, specifically what makes a hard or soft magic system, and taking a look at some examples. Let’s start with a brief explanation of magic systems, and then go into soft magic systems.
Simply put, a magic system is the way characters use magic to interact with the world around them, usually with at least some internal structure for what magic can and cannot do and how it works. And the important distinction here is that usually there is some internal structure that an author follows as they are writing, but whether or not that structure is explicitly shown or explained depends on the author and what the story requires. Not every fantasy book or series uses magic at all, and for those that do, it might be a very minor piece of a larger world, or only side characters use magic, so it’s not explored in depth. Continue reading “Voyage Into Fantasy: Soft Magic Systems”
“The Way of Kings” which is book one of “The Stormlight Archive” series does a lot of heavy lifting in terms of world building for author Brandon Sanderson’s Cosmere universe. Much like his other novels the book takes its time to build up character stories through a lot of “showing” rather than “telling” moments. The pacing may feel slow at times but it’s a good simmer that leads to full boil throughout. And much like other Sanderson novels the final parts of the book make for a full on Sanderlanche that makes the book impossible to put down as all the pieces and characters come together for an phenomenal bit of storytelling that leaves you wanting to grab the next book immediately.
I highly recommend this book for fantasy genre fans, but if the size is daunting then I’d recommend giving “Mistborn” a try first. Just, you know, clear your TBR list to make room for this author to take it over.
Three words that describe this book: Bridge. Soul. Honor.
You might want to pick this book up if: You want a well fleshed out world with characters you want to stick with to see their story play out.
-Blake
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year.
After a night out at a bachelorette party, Lauren returns to her London flat to be greeted by her husband. But wait… Lauren doesn’t have a husband! And when her “husband” goes up into the attic to find something, she is astonished when a totally different “husband” comes back down the ladder. What ensues is a unique story where one woman must learn how to be truly happy with what she has.
I loved “The Husbands” for how unique it was. I read it via audiobook, which I highly recommend.
Three words that describe this book: Humorous, unique, thought-provoking
You might want to pick this book up if: You are looking for a summer read that has some substance to it.
-Alexandra
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year.
“The Women” is about a woman named Frankie McGrath who volunteers to be an army nurse in the Vietnam War following her brother’s enlistment. The book focuses on the role women played in Vietnam and how they were treated when they returned home, as their duties abroad greatly contrasted the “typical” duties of women in the 1960s. The first half of the book tells the gut-wrenching story of Frankie’s service and the bonds that got her through, and the second half explains the effects of the war on Frankie’s later life.
This book made me angry, it made me cry, and it made me proud. It deserves all of the hype it has gotten this year. Something that I liked about the book, which I see has also gotten the book lower ratings, is that Frankie is depicted in a very real way. So much about Frankie’s character changes from the beginning to the end of the story, and she makes a lot of poor decisions. This is due to trauma — this book was not written to be a lighthearted read.
Three words that describe this book: Informative, Frustrating, Thought-Provoking
You might want to pick this book up if: You like historical fiction and want to learn more about the role of women in Vietnam.
-Ashley
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share them throughout the year.
“Just Add Water: My Swimming Life” by Katie Ledecky is a memoir that chronicles Katie’s rise to fame as a world-class swimmer. I enjoyed reading about her journey from swimming in a local pool to becoming a successful Olympian. She discussed each of her Olympic experiences as well as the challenges in 2020. She wove in stories about the impact various family members had on her. She seems humble and kind — I’m even more of a Katie Ledecky fan after reading this book.
Three words that describe this book: Inspiring, insightful, motivational
You might want to pick this book up if: You enjoy memoirs, like the watching swimming, want to learn more about Katie.
-Kristi
The genre known as “eco-fiction” or “cli-fi” is not new; once grouped as works of speculative or science fiction, writings on the topic of global warming or climate catastrophe include such venerable titles as J.G. Ballard’s 1962 parable “The Drowned World.” One of Kurt Vonnegut’s first published pieces, 
the short story “Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow,” spoke to human overpopulation and environmental calamity.
Eco-fiction is a genre filled with rich potential. Nature teeters on a balance between desolation (in the depths of the last ice age, a mere 20,000 years ago, the earth above the 45th parallel was mostly a barren, icy wasteland) and a quiescent ecotopia, which was arguably the last few centuries of our epoch. Environmental catastrophe and species collapse feel just a calamity away.
Our 2024 One Read winner, “Migrations” by Charlotte McConaghy, is set on such a dystopian earth, where environmental ruin has outpaced hope for the future. Overfishing is much to blame for this collapse, as is a general human callousness toward each another and the natural world. Most of the characters featured in this book, including protagonist Franny Stone, seem to be fractured, rudderless souls. Continue reading “Literary Links: Migrations and Lost Worlds”
When you tell someone your favorite band is a psychedelic rock/synth/metal band called “King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard,” you often get quite the raised eyebrow. Such a chaotic spilling of super-niche gibberish, they’ll say. The eyebrow raises even higher when I say “But, no, they really do have something for everyone!” But it’s true; any artist that’s been as prolific and wide-ranging in genre as King Gizzard has (26 albums at last count, soon to be 27 later today, August 9) can appeal to many a listener otherwise happy with their niche of audio genre. Allow me to take a break from my usual sci-fi musings and let me introduce you to just a smidgen of their discography, and see for yourself why King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard can be for everyone, even when it seems it’s all just custom-made for me. I’ll be rating them on my personal taste, their approachability by new listeners, and their overall “Gizzard”-ness (measured in lizards per wizard).
“12 Bar Bruise”
Personal Rating: 5/10
Approachability: 7/10
Gizzardness: 1 Lizard / 5 Wizards
Best Song: “Elbow” Continue reading “Open Your Eyes and See: King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard”
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“Ted Lasso: The Richmond Way” – Complete Series – Website / Reviews
This comedy/drama series follows an American college football coach who is hired to lead an English soccer team where his folksy, optimistic leadership proves unexpectedly successful.
“The Boy and the Heron” – Website / Reviews
An Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Film, this is a semi-autobiographical fantasy about life, death, and creation, in tribute to friendship, from Japanese filmmaker Hayao Miyazaki.
“The Fall Guy” – Website / Reviews
A stuntman (Ryan Gosling) must track down a missing movie star, solve a conspiracy, and win back the love of his life (Emily Blunt) while still doing his day job in this action-packed thrill ride.
“Wicked Little Letters” – Website / Reviews
Based on a true story, this mystery/comedy follows a series of bizarre events as the pious and reserved Edith receives a string of crude letters, supposedly from her boisterous neighbour Rose.
“Perfect Days” – Website / Reviews
This quiet drama follows a toilet cleaner in Tokyo, who cherishes music on cassette tapes, books, and photographing trees. Through unexpected encounters, he reflects on the beauty in the world.
Continue reading “New DVD List: August 2024”
