Often, I’m drawn to a book because it’s related in some way to another book I’ve already read and liked. When this happens, it’s usually a work of fiction leading me to a nonfiction title about a subject that was important to the story. Pairing books like this can add an extra layer of enrichment. In this spirit, here are a few fiction-nonfiction book companions to read together.
After immersing myself in the world of “The Overstory” by Richard Powers, I was compelled to find out more about old growth forests. Powers interweaves the stories of nine different people, each with a personal connection to trees. One of the characters was inspired by real-life scientist Suzanne Simard, who has a new book out this year. Part memoir, part ecology lesson, ”Finding the Mother Tree” relates Simard’s own personal journey while also supplying lots of fascinating information on forest ecosystems. Continue reading “Book Companions: Fiction and Nonfiction Pairings”
Gary Elliott is a Mid-Missouri author whose latest book is “The 1849 Cholera Outbreak in Jefferson City.” The book is an account of the cholera epidemic aboard the steamship James Monroe, which left from St. Louis, Missouri and arrived in Jefferson City in May of 1849. A resident of Jefferson City, Elliott is a land surveyor by profession, and has previously authored two other books related to Missouri history. I emailed some interview questions to him, and he was kind enough to take time to write back some answers. Continue reading “Q&A With Gary Elliott, Author of “The 1849 Cholera Outbreak in Jefferson City””
Thanks for joining me for yet another issue of Quintessential Comics! This time we’re going to focus on graphic novels that have undergone either a film or television series adaptation. Some of these contain mature content. If you’ve been looking for a different format in which to enjoy your comic goodness, this is for you. Let’s get right to it!
“Preacher”
This series is about as wild as they come. Jesse Custer, a preacher hailing from Texas, finds the belief system that he has devoted his entire life to called into question when he realizes that he has the ability to command others to do anything he wants. This mysterious power comes as the result of a merger with a being known as “Genesis.” While it seems as though this gift has been bestowed upon him by Heaven itself, Custer isn’t so sure. He decides to hit the road with his renegade girlfriend Tulip and his unlikely best friend Cassidy, who just so happens to be a vampire, in order to find out the truth about his power and why he was chosen to wield it. Originally airing on AMC, this series is now available through Hulu and you can also check it out on DVD. Continue reading “Quintessential Comics: Invasion of the Film Adaptations”
I know that this is the Adults Blog and that I am a grown woman who pays taxes, but we can all agree that adults can (and should) read children’s books, right? Seriously, the best book I have read so far this year was a middle grade chapter book. If you’re limiting yourself to the adult section of the library, you are really missing out, because the best part of being a grown up is getting to read whatever you want. Much like the love of reading, the love for Halloween usually starts early and there are so many great Halloween-y books for kids, teens and tweens that reflect that. Sometimes these books are genuinely scary. Sometimes they are completely adorable. Oftentimes, they are both. Continue reading “Halloween Kids’ Books for Grownups”
And now I have reached the Megalopolis. What in the world is a megalopolis you ask? A megalopolis is a very large, heavily populated urban center or complex including all of the suburbs and exurbs. It can feel as if it’s just one continuous city but it’s usually not. The northeastern seaboard is filled with them. Continue reading “Travel Through Story: Megalopolis”
When two African American twins growing up in a small, southern town run away at the age of 16, they lose contact with each other as their lives take completely different paths. While Desiree returns to her hometown and lives in poverty, Stella pretends to be white and lives a seemingly luxurious suburban lifestyle. Told from the perspectives of both twins and their family members, “The Vanishing Half” explores the fluidity of identity and the sacrifices people make in seeking happiness. As the characters change throughout their lives, this author uses well-crafted character development to touch on issues of race, class, family dynamics and gender-fluidity.
Three words that describe this book: Thought-Provoking, Suspenseful, Eloquent
You might want to pick this book up if: You are looking for a book that will make you evaluate your own identity.
-Jonie
This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading 2021. We will continue to share these throughout the year.
I’m a big fan of horror in all of its forms. Movies, games, art — any form of media that can creep me out, gross me out or otherwise disturb me is right up my alley. I did, however, take a long break from reading horror novels, largely because a lot of what I was reading started to seem too similar. Many horror novelists had seen the success of authors like Stephen King and Dean Koontz and read it like a formula. Lately, in an effort to rekindle my love for the genre, I’ve sought out the most interesting and unconventional recent horror novels I can find. I’m happy to say that the novels of today are just as spooky as I remember, more so in some cases. In preparation for the start of the spooky season, I’d like to share some of my new finds with you lovely readers. Continue reading “Literary Links: Unconventional Horror”
I’m highlighting some nonfiction books coming out in September. 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
“Fuzz: When Nature Breaks the Law” by Mary Roach (Sep 14)
What’s to be done about a jaywalking moose? A bear caught breaking and entering? A murderous tree? 300 years ago, animals that broke the law would be assigned legal representation and put on trial. These days, author Mary Roach discovers, the answers are best found not in jurisprudence but in science: the curious science of human-wildlife conflict, a discipline at the crossroads of human behavior and wildlife biology. Roach tags along with animal-attack forensics investigators, human-elephant conflict specialists, bear managers, and “danger tree” faller blasters. Intrepid as ever, she travels from leopard-terrorized hamlets in the Indian Himalaya to St. Peter’s Square in the early hours before the pope arrives for Easter Mass, when vandal gulls swoop in to destroy the elaborate floral display. She taste-tests rat bait, learns how to install a vulture effigy, and gets mugged by a macaque. Combining little-known forensic science and conservation genetics with a motley cast of laser scarecrows, langur impersonators, and trespassing squirrels, Roach reveals as much about humanity as about nature’s lawbreakers. When it comes to “problem” wildlife, she finds, humans are more often the problem — and the solution. Fascinating, witty, and humane, “Fuzz” offers hope for compassionate coexistence in our ever-expanding human habitat. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: September 2021”
Here are a few of the most notable debut novels coming out in September. These have all received positive reviews in library journals. For a longer list, please visit our catalog.
“The Matzah Ball” by Jean Meltzer
Oy! to the world!
Rachel Rubenstein-Goldblatt is a nice Jewish girl with a shameful secret: she loves Christmas. For a decade she’s hidden her career as a Christmas romance novelist from her family. Her talent has made her a bestseller even as her chronic illness has always kept the kind of love she writes about out of reach. But when her diversity-conscious publisher insists she write a Hanukkah romance, her well of inspiration suddenly runs dry. Hanukkah’s not magical. It’s not merry. It’s not Christmas. Desperate not to lose her contract, Rachel’s determined to find her muse at the Matzah Ball, a Jewish music celebration on the last night of Hanukkah, even if it means working with her summer camp archenemy — Jacob Greenberg.
Though Rachel and Jacob haven’t seen each other since they were kids, their grudge still glows brighter than a menorah. But as they spend more time together, Rachel finds herself drawn to Hanukkah — and Jacob — in a way she never expected. Maybe this holiday of lights will be the spark she needed to set her heart ablaze. Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: September 2021”
