The narrator of “Splinterlands,” by John Feffer, is Julian West, an academic whose best selling book titled, “Splinterlands” predicted many crises and collapses that have come to fruition in 2050. The world has been ravaged by climate change and various geopolitical collapses. Now, very ill and facing his final days, Julian uses an offer to write about the current state of global affairs as a way to reach out to his estranged children and ex-wife, who are scattered across the globe. With each visit we get a clearer picture of Julian’s past, what led to the dissolution of his family and the state of the world. Continue reading “Know Your Dystopias: Splinterlands”
I struggled to pick a book for this prompt because there are just so many options. There are mythologies and folklore from every part of the world, and there are fun contemporary twists on familiar works.
Continue reading “Read Harder 2019: A Book of Mythology or Folklore”
Here’s a look at some of the most exciting books being published by first-time authors this August. For a longer list, visit our catalog.
“The Ventriloquists” by E. R. Ramzipoor
The Nazis stole their voices. But they would not be silenced.
Brussels, 1943. Twelve-year-old street orphan Helene survives by living as a boy and selling copies of the country’s most popular newspaper, Le Soir, now turned into Nazi propaganda. Helene’s world changes when she befriends a rogue journalist, Marc Aubrion, who draws her into a secret network that publishes dissident underground newspapers.
The Nazis track down Aubrion’s team and give them an impossible choice: turn the resistance newspapers into a Nazi propaganda bomb that will sway public opinion against the Allies, or be killed. Faced with no decision at all, Aubrion has a brilliant idea. While pretending to do the Nazis’ bidding, they will instead publish a fake edition of Le Soir that pokes fun at Hitler and Stalin — daring to laugh in the face of their oppressors.
The ventriloquists have agreed to die for a joke, and they have only eighteen days to tell it. Continue reading “Debut Author Spotlight: August 2019”
Graphic novels and comics are a great medium because they combine strong storytelling with visually appealing art. Plus, reading stories in this format can help you play catch-up on your reading goals, because they typically take less time to read than a standard novel! As a long-time student who never thought I’d have time to read anything non-academic while in school, I’m grateful that graphic novels helped me rediscover pleasure reading. Despite reading tons of other comics and graphic novels, I never delved much into manga until recently, but there are tons of great titles. Manga is a Japanese form of comics, including comics written in Japanese or made in Japan that adhere to certain stylistic elements. Manga is read from right to left, and may take some time to adjust to if you are used to reading from left to right. Continue reading “Manga: Read Harder 2019”
Here is a quick highlight of some of the noteworthy nonfiction titles being released the August. Visit our catalog for a more extensive list.
Interesting Picks
“The Ghosts of Eden Park: The Bootleg King, the Women Who Pursued Him, and the Murder That Shocked Jazz-Age America” by Karen Abbott
In the early days of Prohibition, long before Al Capone became a household name, a German immigrant named George Remus quits practicing law and starts trafficking whiskey. Within two years he’s a multimillionaire. The press call him “King of the Bootleggers,” writing breathless stories about the Gatsby-esque events he and his glamorous second wife, Imogene, host at their Cincinnati mansion, with party favors ranging from diamond jewelry for the men to brand new Pontiacs for the women. By the summer of 1921, Remus own 35 percent of all the liquor in the United States. Pioneering prosecutor Mabel Walker Willebrandt is determined to bring him down. Willebrandt’s bosses at the U.S. Attorney’s office hired her right out of law school, assuming she’d pose no real threat to the cozy relationship they maintained with Remus. Eager to prove them wrong, she dispatches her best investigator, Franklin Dodge, to look into his empire. It’s a decision with deadly consequences: with Remus behind bars, Dodge and Imogene begin an affair and plot to ruin him, sparking a bitter feud that soon reaches the highest levels of government — and that can only end in murder. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: August 2019”
It’s really summertime now, so grab a new book and sit in the shade (or stay inside, I won’t judge you!). We have a great lineup of LibraryReads books for August, so read on to find a favorite to stay cool with.
“The Right Swipe”
by Alisha Rai
“An intelligent, multicultural contemporary romance. Rhi, CEO of the Crush dating app, and Samson, NFL star, embark on a joint project that turns into more than just talk. Issues of #MeToo in the tech industry and the NFL’s concussion problem are woven in. For readers of the Forbidden Heart series, Elle Wright, and Alyssa Cole.”
~Jessica Werner, The Seattle Public Library, Seattle, WA Continue reading “LibraryReads: August 2019”
Task number 19 of this year’s Read Harder Challenge has participants reading a book of nonviolent true crime. Titles under this heading include stories of forgeries and thefts carried out by individuals, as well as accounts of large-scale malfeasance committed by multi-national corporations.
“Can You Ever Forgive Me?” is a memoir by literary forger Lee Israel. Melissa McCarthy starred in the movie version. Israel was a highly-esteemed author, earning top dollar for her work. But as she entered middle age, one big publication flop marked the beginning of the end of her literary career. Desperate for an income, she turned to forging letters, purportedly by famous authors of the past. The book is a quick read and focuses a lot on the process of creating the forgeries, which involved a ton of research, it turns out. While the author takes full responsibility for her own behavior, her account also sheds a light on some the unsavory parts of both publishing and autograph collecting, as well as our culture of celebrity. Continue reading “Read Harder 2019: A Book of Nonviolent True Crime”
It’s always a good thing when people attempt to understand each other. The 2019 Read Harder Challenge is here to nudge us along in this pursuit with task number 13, a book by or about someone that identifies as neurodiverse.
Temple Grandin is an animal scientist and perhaps the country’s most well-known author with autism. She’s spent decades educating the public on both issues. Her book, “Animals Make Us Human” is the product of 30 years of research into how to help animals live their best lives. She covers pets, zoo animals and livestock, with an eye to meeting their needs in a compassionate way, rather than prioritizing human entertainment. The book contains some disturbing facts about factory farms and other settings, but also offers ways to improve. Continue reading “Read Harder 2019: A Book by or About Someone That Identifies as Neurodiverse”
There is a fifth dimension beyond that which is known to man. It is a dimension as vast as space and as timeless as infinity. It is the middle ground between light and shadow, between science and superstition, and it lies between the pit of man’s fears and the summit of his knowledge. This is the dimension of imagination. It is an area which we call the Twilight Zone.
— Season 1 opening narration
We’re two weeks out from the close of Summer Reading, and the procrastinators among us may have just one or two tasks to complete before they can take that victory lap. In honor of both the 60th anniversary of the premiere and Jordan Peele‘s new reboot, here are a few ideas to take your Summer Reading into the fifth dimension, because who doesn’t appreciate a timely theme? Continue reading “Summer Reading in The Twilight Zone”
