“The Sympathizer” by Viet Thanh Nguyen won the Pulitzer Prize and the Edgar Award for Best First Novel by an American Author in 2016. He’s clearly trending up from an already lofty perch: in 2017 he’s published an acclaimed collection of short stories (“The Refugees”) and is now officially recommended by a gentleman.
“The Sympathizer” takes the form of a confession by a communist agent embedded in the National Police of South Vietnam. Fortunately for readers, this communist agent has a talent for characterization, narrative building and sentence spinning. Rarely does a paragraph go by, let alone a page, without a sentence that is worthy of applause. While frequent breaks to stand and clap in the direction of the book definitely slow down the reading process, it does afford one the chance to savor the writing, and as the Pulitzer committee recognized (as they sometimes do), this is writing worthy of savoring. It’s also a narrative worthy of that 10-more-minutes style bargaining that inevitably leads to sleep deprivation and calluses caused by excessive clapping. Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Viet Thanh Nguyen”
Here is a quick look at the most noteworthy nonfiction titles being released in March. Visit our catalog for a more extensive list.
TOP PICKS
“The Stranger in the Woods: The Extraordinary Story of the Last True Hermit” by Michael Finkel
The fascinating true story of Christopher Knight, who spent nearly 30 years living alone in the woods of Maine. He lived while never coming in contact with another human being and survived only through theft and ingenuity.
“The First Love Story: Adam, Eve, and Us” by Bruce Feiler
This book provides an examination of the story of Adam and Eve, their central role in shaping our beliefs about human relationships and sexual identity and the lessons they can teach us about family, togetherness and love. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: March 2017”
Here is the March 2017 LibraryReads list! From science fiction to historical fiction, boy scouts to hermits, this month’s selection is sure to have something for everyone. Take a look at the favorite books from librarians across the country, and get ready to place holds on these new releases.
“The Wanderers” by Meg Howrey
“A private space exploration company is mounting a manned mission to Mars. To prepare for the actual event, the company plans an elaborate training program to match the conditions and potential problems the team might face. The ordeal, though simulated, is no less dramatic for the astronauts, their families, and the crew. The lines cross between fiction and reality, and none of the participants are left unchanged. Part literary fiction, part sci-fi, all amazing.”
-Marie Byars, Sno-Isle Libraries, Oak Harbor, WA Continue reading “March 2017 LibraryReads: Books Librarians Love”
Presidential biography is a popular form of nonfiction. There are some true classics out there; I consider Carl Sandburg’s lyrical tribute to Abraham Lincoln one example of biography as fine literature. What about the biographies and stories of those who influenced the president — advisers and friends, even family? Where do these lie in the pantheon? As it turns out, there are a lot of them, and we carry many in our collection here at the library. (Although I do not believe a biography currently exists about Steve Bannon, one day soon there may be many.)
First, let’s go back in time about 80 years. A little known figure and private secretary in Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s inner circle, Missy Lehand, was one of the few very close advisers to the 
president. In “The Gatekeeper” by Kathryn Smith, this relationship is explored in depth. Indeed, Missy Lehand was the first person in the White House to learn about World War II: “The ringing of Missy’s bedside phone jarred her awake sometime after two on the morning of Friday, September 1, 1939. Could she authorize the switchboard operator to wake him?” Smith argues that not only did Lehand have unfettered access to the president, she was also extremely influential in the construction of the myriad government services needed for the New Deal. Continue reading “Presidential Biographies, Presidential Confidantes”
“The trouble with retirement is that you never get a day off.” ~ Abe Lemons
In the beginning, there was no need for retirement. Most people died well before age 30, and if someone made it beyond that, they were highly respected and everybody was happy to accommodate them. Later, though, with the increase in lifespans, the number old workers who had outlived their usefulness, but had no other way of supporting themselves rose considerably. Something had to be done about that.
In 1882, Anthony Trollope published a satirical dystopian novel “The Fixed Period.” In it, he described a society in which the length of productive life is “fixed” at 67. Once people reach this age, they’re allowed a year of contemplation and then they’re “terminated.” Fortunately, that idea didn’t take root in the Western societies. Instead, in Europe, German chancellor Otto von Bismarck broached the concept of retirement (1881), while in the United States, at the time of President Roosevelt, the Senate and House of Representatives passed the Social Security Act (1935).
Today, the number of retirees in our country is about 38 million. How do they spend their time? Some play golf, some pursue arts or crafts, some travel and some hike, and not just in nearby woods but through rugged and unforgiving terrain like the Appalachian Trail. Continue reading “Literary Links: Retirement”
Each month, we host Facebook Friday Recommendations online. You can get personalized recommendations — all you need to do is find our Facebook Friday post and comment with two or three books or authors you like, and we’ll help you find your next great read! Here are the recommendations from February 2017.
Request: I like cozy mystery books like Joanne Fluke and meatier ones like Mary Higgins Clark … I’ve read all the books you have by both authors. What now?
Recommendation: Hi! Diane Mott Davidson’s work tends to be a little darker than Fluke’s, but it shares the tendency to feature quirky characters and tasty recipes. Katherine Hall Page also writes humorous mysteries that feature a lot of food. The “Faith Sibley Fairchild” series is similar in tone to Fluke’s work.
Lisa Gardner writes suspenseful mysteries featuring independent heroines, though her language and plots may be a little more violent that Mary Higgins Clark. Judith Jance is another author of fast-paced mysteries starring intelligent women.
Reader recommendation: If I may — a really unique cozy mystery series is the Morning Shade Mystery series by Lori Copeland. Very quirky and funny, and the mysteries are *really* mild — chain letters, peeping toms, harmless break-ins. I found them at DBRL years ago! Continue reading “Facebook Friday Archives- February 3, 2017”
If you’re reading this on the day it is posted or on the anniversary of the day it is posted (a safe bet as, delusions of grandeur aside, there can be little doubt that reading this post will join the pantheon of Valentine’s Day traditions), then tomorrow is Valentine’s Day, and you will agree it is an appropriate time to prattle on about love. I’ll commence the prattling by saying this post is about the sweet, tender love a gentleman feels for one of our greatest writers. Rabid fans (are there any other kind?) of this series of blog posts will remember as clearly as their first kiss that the first author this gentleman recommended was George Saunders.
My massive army of admirers may wonder: why recommend him again? Well, such is my passion for Saunders’ humane, hilarious and one-of-a-kind storytelling that I’ve been making passionate pitches to re-recommend him nearly every month. The editorial board has gently rejected my heartfelt pleas and pathetic attempts at bribery (“no one wants another chapbook of your excruciating poetry,” they say, lying), encouraging me to shine my blinding, career-boosting light on authors I haven’t previously spotlighted. But Saunders has a new book, and so I was able to convince them that it’s time to let this gentleman’s light shine on him again. Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: George Saunders (Again)”
I’m sure you’ve already heard a lot about “Hidden Figures” by Margot Lee Shetterly. It’s the true story of the female African-American mathematicians who worked for NASA to help get John Glenn into space, among many other achievements. The movie starring Taraji Henson, Octavia Spencer and Dorothy Vaughan just won the Screen Actors Guild Award for best cast, and it’s been nominated for three Oscars and two Golden Globes. I read the book before I saw the movie, and I loved it. I have to admit that this is one of the few
movies that I love just as much as the book, if not more! I hope it wins every award.
Also coming out soon is “The Zookeeper’s Wife” by Diane Ackerman, with an expected release date of March 31. It’s the true story of how the keepers of the Warsaw Zoo saved hundreds of people from the Nazis by smuggling them in empty cages. The movie will star Jessica Chastain and Daniel Bruhl. It looks like it’s 
going to be incredible, and if we hurry, we just might have enough time to read it before the movie comes out. Continue reading “Books on the Big Screen in 2017”
Here is a quick look at the most noteworthy nonfiction titles being released in February. Visit our catalog for a more extensive list.
TOP PICKS
“Homo Deus: A Brief History of Tomorrow” by Yuval Noah Harari
The author of the best-selling “Sapiens” examines humanity’s triumphs over famine, plague and war during the twentieth century and looks to the issues, such as artificial intelligence and overcoming death, that will shape the human agenda in the twenty-first century. Continue reading “Nonfiction Roundup: February 2017”
Kiese Laymon is the author of “Long Division,” a novel, and “How to Slowly Kill Yourself and Others in America,” which is either a collection of essays or one of the more ghastly and unnecessary do-it-yourself books ever published. Due to time constraints, I’m unable to determine which. (Editor’s Note: It is a collection of essays.)
His essays have been published all over the internet. I encourage you to query his name in your internet search bar and read some of the results. Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Kiese Laymon”
