Of course, we all know about the birds and the bees! We weren’t born yesterday! The birds and the bees talk of love (and, shhhhh… s.e.x.). But in literary terms, birds and bees tell of so much more.
Humans are funny creatures and we like to assign meanings to so many things. Birds, especially, it seems, get to do a lot of talking symbolically. In general, they are often seen as messengers from the gods or from heaven — especially raptors. Birds also evoke “freedom.” And it seems that each species has its own symbolism. The stork brings babies. Canaries can evoke beauty, song or a warning. As for bees, they have been used to symbolize fertility, industry and community among other things.
I have gathered a few birds and bees books for you to fall in love with. Continue reading “The Birds and the Bees”
In May 2023 I was diagnosed with a disorder with no cure and no end — just a few debatable treatment options and a sparse online community. Still, I was relieved to get an answer to a question I’d been asking for about a decade. It’s been over a year since a specialist identified my spasmodic dysphonia (a voice disorder, originating in the brain), and, now, I have new questions to ask: How do I carry my diagnosis with honesty and vulnerability, without letting it flood my identity? How do I stay hopeful through the grueling experiment of treatment? How do I help my loved ones understand?
Books have helped soothe the ache of these questions. Maybe they can do the same for you, whether your diagnosis is one of chronic illness, disorder, neurodivergence or any other ongoing condition. Continue reading “February Literary Links: Making Peace With Diagnosis”
In the 6th Century BCE, the Greek philosopher Heraclitus said, “There is nothing permanent except change,” or something to that effect. Not a lot is known about Heraclitus but all these years later, that quote rings true. Change is something you can count on in life, be it good or bad, fast or incremental, painful or joyous. It is constant. How you handle the changes in your life makes all the difference.
There are different kinds of change, of course. There are changes we make purposely and changes that are thrust upon us. Along the lines of the former, human behavior specialist BJ Fogg, PhD brings us “Tiny Habits: + The Small Changes That Change Everything.” The book recommends tackling habit change through baby steps. According to “Library Journal,” “Throughout are a multitude of practical exercises and more than 300 recipes for tiny transformations categorized by various situations and challenges (e.g., work/life balance, destressing, healthy eating and sleeping well)… Fogg’s method has great potential to promote altered behavior in those who have sought help in other ventures with little success.” Continue reading “Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes”
Below I’m highlighting some nonfiction books coming out in February. All of the mentioned titles are available to put on hold in our catalog and will also be made available via the library’s Overdrive website on the day of publication in eBook and downloadable audiobook format (as available). For a more extensive list of new nonfiction books coming out this month, check our online catalog.
Top Picks
“Why We Read: On Bookworms, Libraries, and Just One More Page Before Lights Out” by Shannon Reed (Feb 6)
We read to escape, to learn, to find love, to feel seen. We read to encounter new worlds, to discover new recipes, to find connection across difference, or simply to pass a rainy afternoon. No matter the reason, books have the power to keep us safe, to challenge us, and perhaps most importantly, to make us more fully human. Shannon Reed, a longtime teacher, lifelong reader, and New Yorker contributor, gets it. With one simple goal in mind, she makes the case that we should read for pleasure above all else. In this whip-smart, laugh-out-loud-funny collection, Reed shares surprising stories from her life as a reader and the poignant ways in which books have impacted her students. From the varied novels she cherishes (“Gone Girl,” “Their Eyes Were Watching God”) to the ones she didn’t (“Tess of the d’Urbervilles”), Reed takes us on a rollicking tour through the comforting world of literature, celebrating the books we love, the readers who love them, and the ways in which literature can transform us for the better. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: February 2024”
Presenting two women after my own heart: Lindsey Jordan (of indie rock solo project Snail Mail) and Maggie Nelson (author of, among many other breathtaking works, the prose-poetry collection “Bluets”). These two artists write about devotion, longing and self-revelation in ways that cut to the core. So, I’ve done the logical thing: Listed all 10 tracks on Snail Mail’s sophomore album “Valentine,” along with lyric highlights and emotional descriptors, and assigned each song a related quote from “Bluets” to guide your reading and/or listening. Happy yearning!
Continue reading “A Book and an Album: Valentine and Bluets”
“You?! You’re reading an Ali Hazelwood book?”
“Um, well, it is set around chess, so… yeah?”
Full disclosure, “Check & Mate” is the first Ali Hazelwood book I have read. I heard she generally writes steamy romance and that’s not exactly my preferred genre. This title is YA, and while there is romance and language, and even mentions of sex (fade to black), it is pretty tame. Whew.
So, why am I writing about this title you may ask? Chess. I love chess and have been playing for more than 25 years. Chess players generally can’t help themselves, we have to critique every mention of our game and we are perpetually frustrated by simple inaccuracies.
Oh, there will be spoilers, you have been warned. Continue reading “Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood”
Lisa Kinser is a Columbia, MO author whose debut book is “I Am the Night.” It’s a poetry book written over a 15 year period that chronicles a younger, more free time in her life — a past of longing and searching for both adventure and true love. Kinser is an Integrative Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach and End of Life Planner. She was kind enough to take the time to be interviewed via email. Continue reading “Q&A With Lisa Kinser, Author of “I Am the Night””
Music plays an important role in most people’s lives. I myself attribute many songs to specific points in my life and hearing them can trigger a specific emotional response. And, although most people love music, I recently learned that up to 5% of the world’s population doesn’t like music. This phenomenon is called musical anhedonia. For those who do enjoy music, or at least are interested in learning more about it, consider checking out some of the books below.
I grew up in the ‘90s so cassette tapes are very nostalgic for me. My first car only had a tape deck, and I remember listening to Nirvana’s album “Nevermind” over and over again on my drive to and from school. Marc Masters explores the history of cassette tapes in “High Bias: The Distorted History of the Cassette Tape.” He charts the journey of the cassette tape from its invention in the early 1960s to its Walkman-led domination in the 1980s to its decline at the birth of the compact discs to its resurgence among independent music makers today. Continue reading “Literary Links: The Science of Music and Sound”
I think it is probably fair to say that I’m a power reader. In 2023, I read a little over 230 books, including novels, novellas, short story collections, and a lot of manga and graphic novels. Without pulling the numbers (I’m a book person, please don’t ask me to count), I’d say anywhere between 45-50% of my reading last year was some kind of graphic story. Before we get into it, here’s a quick overview of the difference between comics, graphic novels and manga/manwha: Continue reading “Favorite Manga and Graphic Novels of 2023”
Nina Totenberg’s memoir on her nearly 50-year friendship with Ruth Bader Ginsberg is the subject of the next First Thursday Book Discussion, which will be at noon on February 1 at the Columbia Public Library.
Totenberg’s book is the best kind of memoir, a personal and engaging story wrapped around the history of our judicial system and women’s rights. The story is of friendships, not just between Totenberg and Ginsberg, but also Cokie Roberts and Linda Werthheimer and all of their spouses. She takes us along as the friends buoy each other as allies in their male-dominated workplaces and through bouts with cancer. This might sound heavy, but the overall effect is uplifting, demonstrating what a profound difference individuals can make in the lives of their friends and family and the larger world. Continue reading “February First Thursday Book Discussion: Dinners with Ruth”
