“In America I live in New York, or dip into Chicago or San Francisco. But New York is no more America than Paris is France or London is England. Thus I discovered that I did not know my own country.”
~John Steinbeck
“Travels with Charley: In Search of America” was published in 1962, coincidentally the same year that John Steinbeck earned a Nobel Peace Prize, and rightfully so. Steinbeck travels America in a truck with a camper and his grey Standard Poodle named Charley. This well known writer expresses his travels in a satiric, witty and down right blunt way.
He encounters people of all walks of life and details their uniqueness. Whether it be camping with a farmer on his property in New Hampshire and discussing politics while sharing a few drinks, stopping by a dairy in Massachusetts to buy milk and discovering the dairyman has a Ph.D in mathematics but just loves his job as a dairyman, or a stay in Maine where his lodging is accompanied by a grey cat named George who Steinbeck hilariously describes as disgruntled: “I am told that when guests sleep in the house, George goes into the pine woods and watches from afar, grumbling his dissatisfaction and pouring out his dislike.” Continue reading “Reader Review: Travels With Charley”
I’m thrilled to welcome Lydia Millet to the exclusive club of authors I have recommended twice. While many authors clearly merit the honor, it takes a confluence of their skill and my reading habits for the honor to be bestowed, and due to the recent acquisition of an older Millet novel (“How the Dead Dream”) and my subsequent delighted consumption of it and its two sequels (“Ghost Lights” and “Magnificence”), I am compelled to again recommend her works. Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Lydia Millet (again)”
“The (Almost) Zero Waste Guide” is about making small, easy steps to use less waste in daily living. I liked the author’s introduction to become more zero waste. As a parent of a toddler and a baby, going zero waste is nearly impossible at this stage in my life, but this book encouraged me to take little steps to leave a smaller footprint on earth.
Three words that describe this book: Zero-waste, sustainability, frugality
You might want to pick this book up if: You might like this book if you are interested in becoming more zero-wasted oriented in your life.
-Elaine
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
Join us on Thursday, August 5 at noon to discuss “Animals Make Us Human” by Temple Grandin. This book is essential reading for anyone who’s ever owned, cared for or simply cared about an animal. Grandin teaches us to challenge our assumptions about animal contentment and honor our bond with our fellow creatures. This discussion is geared for adults.
Find more books about the relationships between human and animals here.
Please register to receive a Zoom link.
Here I am in the Midwest as I continue my grand adventure in reading across the country. This may be one of the largest regions I cover. Continue reading “Travel Through Story: The Midwest”
Beastars introduces readers to Cherryton Academy, where herbivores and carnivores live and study together in peace … mostly. Out of nowhere, Tem (an alpaca) is murdered and a rift forms between the already tenuous relationship between students (hunters vs. prey). Immediately, the suspicious turn to Legoshi, a large gray wolf, who is awkward at best and terrifying at worst. The graphic novel moves between perspectives of members of the award-winning drama club; focusing on their sympathies for their friend their suspicions of the culprit.
Well drawn and written, the book is easy to follow (albeit it read from the back to front and right to left). Finished on a cliffhanger and will definitely have me grabbing the next books in the series to find out what happened to poor, innocent Tem!
Three words that describe this book: Suspicions, School, Animals
You might want to pick this book up if: You’re into graphic novels focused on anthropomorphized characters that have deeper, more meaningful backgrounds, thoughts, and feelings.
-Anonymous
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
Here is a new DVD list highlighting various titles recently added to the library’s collection.
“Sound of Metal”
Website / Reviews
In this dramatic film, metal drummer Ruben begins to lose his hearing. When a doctor tells him his condition will worsen, he thinks his career and life is over. His girlfriend Lou checks the former addict into a rehab for the deaf hoping it will prevent a relapse and help him adapt to his new life. After being welcomed and accepted just as he is, Ruben must choose between his new normal and the life he once knew. Continue reading “New DVD List: Sound Of Metal, Primal, & More”
“The Vanishing Point” is the story of two couples and how their lives have been permanently altered by a secret that comes to light toward the beginning of the book. Two young men, both photography students in a prestigious program, fall in love with the same woman, Magda. One of these men, Julian, marries Magda but she never stops loving Rye. Rye marries as well, but is never quite present with his wife, Simone, a theme that is explored throughout the book. (Similarly, Julian is neglectful of and abusive toward his wife and son.) Julian and Rye both go on to live as successful photographers, but although they were roommates in college, their relationship is severed until about 20 years after they graduate, when Magda contacts Rye out of the blue. The renewed connection sparks reflections on the past as well as a mystery that the characters work to solve. Throughout the book, the characters confront the secrets of their pasts, their own troubled relationships, and, for some of the characters, personal demons. It is a compelling novel that not only explores a mystery, but also deals with trauma and addiction. It is a page-turner.
Three words that describe this book: compelling, character-driven, family conflict
You might want to pick this book up if: You like Elizabeth Brundage’s other works, enjoy stories centered on women, enjoy stories about family conflict
-Sarah
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. Submit your own book review here for a chance to have it featured on the Adults Blog.
Animation isn’t just for kids’ movies. It’s a useful and increasingly common medium for nonfiction storytelling, particularly when live footage doesn’t exist or won’t suffice to engage viewers. Directors can turn to animation when a subject recollects scenes from their memories or fantasies, to bring life to a dense interview or to simply visualize content in a new way. Check out the following documentaries that get creative with animation. Continue reading “Drawn to It: Docs Involving Animation”
“So difficult it is to show the various meanings and imperfections of words when we have nothing else but words to do it with.”
~John Locke (1632-1704)
Humans love naming things and experiences. Without language we wouldn’t have stories and without words we wouldn’t have books. But sometimes words can become a cage. Lulu Miller, in her beautifully written memoir, “Why Fish Don’t Exist: A Story of Loss, Love, and the Hidden Order of Life,” explores some of the restrictions of language, explaining that there is really no such thing as a “fish.” It’s not a scientific term. What might look like a fish could actually be a mammal. She explains it with a metaphor — “It was the dandelion principle! To some people a dandelion might look like a weed, but to others that same plant can be so much more. To an herbalist, it’s a medicine — a way of detoxifying the liver, clearing the skin, and strengthening the eyes. To a painter, it’s a pigment; to a hippie, a crown; a child, a wish. To a butterfly, it’s sustenance; to a bee, a mating bed; to an ant, one point in a vast olfactory atlas.” She says, “I have come to believe that it is our life’s work to tear down this order, to keep tugging at it, trying to unravel it, to set free the organisms trapped underneath. That it is our life’s work to mistrust our measures. Especially those about moral and mental standing. To remember that behind every ruler there is a Ruler. To remember that a category is at best a proxy; at worst, a shackle.” Continue reading “Literary Links: Words, Words, Words”
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