Reader Review: Ishmael

Posted on Wednesday, January 3, 2024 by patron reviewer

Ishmael by Daniel Quinn book cover I love gorillas. As a small child my grandfather would take me to the B&I shopping center in Tacoma, Washington where I would watch Ivan the gorilla for hours. Even that young, I felt sorry for him, but I was, at the same time, happy to be able to wile away literal hours watching him. He was funny, clearly smart, and so incredibly intimidating. It was obvious he was intelligent and it forced me to think about humans relationship with animals in a way I otherwise may not have done.

The book “Ishmael” follows the story of a gorilla named Ishmael who can “speak” telepathically, and communicate vast amounts of knowledge about the aforementioned relationship between men and animals. He advertises for students in the newspaper and the story is a chronicle of his tutoring of one such man that answers the advertisement.

I find it funny that the top three reviews of this book are not only one star, but are written by people that clearly took the book at it’s word and face value. Ishmael uses his time with the narrator to explain why man is on a crash course for self-destruction. While I don’t agree with every detail of Ishmael’s explanation, I do agree with the overall sentiment. Manifest destiny, etc. lend very heavily toward our precarious place in the circle of life. Our hubris and self importance will be our eventual downfall.

This is fiction and should be read as such, but it makes you think and makes you reexamine ideals and supposed knowledge. Isn’t that what all good fiction should do? If the reader is also entertained, it’s a win-win. My copy is littered with Post-It Notes. Ishmael says many, many things that I want to look into further things I know, but want to know more about.

Three words that describe this book: Thought-provoking, relevant, insightful

You might want to pick this book up if: You question humanity’s place in the world.

-Kandice

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

Reader Review: River of the Gods

Posted on Friday, December 29, 2023 by patron reviewer

River of Gods by Candice Millard book coverIn the mid-19th century, explorers wondered about the location of the source of the Nile River. Two English adventurers, Burton and Speke, led an expedition to find the final answer. “River of the Gods” describes the extreme difficulties of their exploration including lack of funding, disappearing workers, near starvation and life-threatening illnesses that made the trek nearly impossible.

The even more interesting story was the personalities of these two men. Burton as the leader was six years older, more experienced, better able to communicate with the African people he hired, better able to understand their culture. Speke was more aristocratic, less interested in scientific investigations, more interested in hunting the African animals. Not surprisingly, although the two men had supported each other through near-death diseases, they returned to England bitter rivals. The resulting argument was nearly as interesting as the fascinating tale already told.

Candice Millard gives a detailed and seemingly historically accurate description of this expedition and its aftermath. An amazing story told in an amazing way.

Three words that describe this book: historical, exciting, adventure

You might want to pick this book up if: You enjoy true tales of adventure; you like geography; you like descriptions of interpersonal relationships and how they affect outcomes.

-Anonymous

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

Reader Review: Shuna’s Journey

Posted on Wednesday, December 27, 2023 by patron reviewer

Shuna's Journey by Hayao Miyazaki book coverShuna’s Journey” is a parable about societies that lose control of what sustains them. In this case, as one might expect of Hayao Miyazaki, what’s lost is a connection to the natural world, particularly to agriculture.

The main and titular character, Shuna is a prince from a village in the periphery whose people have retained this connection, living impoverished agrarian lives. He desires a better life for his people, but unlike the manhunters and city dwellers seen elsewhere who live in symbolically lifeless deserts and enrich themselves with the labor of slaves stolen from the periphery, Shuna understands that that life must come from the natural world — from the fruits of agriculture. He seeks a better cereal crop, the golden grain that sustains the city, shipped in husked and lifeless from the land of the gods. A journey through geological time into that land proves surreal and, almost literally alien, full of lavishly illustrated horrors and wonders that Shuna only escapes with the aid of slaves he freed previously in his journey.

The story is a striking tale of courage and renewal. Despite the fact that it wears its origin as a Tibetan folk tale on its sleeve, Miyazaki’s identification of the source of modern energy, modern lifeless society — our “golden grain” — in the life force of natural epochs past is a powerful and thoughtful image that ties together movements for environmental protection, worker’s rights and decolonization.

If there is something lacking in this image, it is the modern analogue of Miyazaki’s hero, Shuna. We ourselves cannot journey through geological time to gain control of the golden grain, so Miyazaki’s tale leads us to no clear path of future action to save our world.

Three words that describe this book: imaginative, thought-provoking, breath-taking

You might want to pick this book up if: you loved Miyazaki’s work on the film “Princess Mononoke” which evokes many of the same themes in a far more historically and geographically grounded narrative.

-Shane

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

Reader Review: Eva Luna

Posted on Monday, December 25, 2023 by patron reviewer

Eva Luna by Isabel Allende book coverIn the book “Eva Luna,” the title character is an orphan with a gift for story-telling. As she navigates the magical and sometimes ruthless streets of South America, she has only her wits and words to barter passage and build friendships. She sees the world through the lens of stories and views her fellow citizens as characters, swirling around in her mind providing inspiration for whatever necessary tale she needs to weave next.

Isabel Allende’s writing is dense and intricate, but if you give yourself over to the style you’ll find yourself woven into the tapestry of the world she creates. There is a supplemental collection of stories, “The Stories of Eva Luna,” where Allende shares the specifics of the stories Eva Luna crafted in the first novel, and it’s worth reading them one right after the other. I wished that the novel “Eva Luna” had gone into the stories instead of just alluding to them, but then reading the stories after the fact, I appreciate that I have a rich and detailed understanding of the context they were told in.

Three words that describe this book: Intricate, Romantic, Vibrant

You might want to pick this book up if: you are looking to broaden your reading experience and explore diverse authors and stories. Also, if you want to read a novel and then a book of short stories right after.

-Amy

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

Reader Review: Bluebeard

Posted on Friday, November 17, 2023 by patron reviewer

Bluebeard by Kurt Vonnegut book coverI read “Bluebeard” because Vonnegut is my daughter’s favorite author, this is her favorite of his, and I am working my way through her library. I was genuinely surprised at how very much I liked it.

Framed as an autobiography, writer Rabo Karabekian, apologizes to the reader: “I promised you an autobiography, but something went wrong in the kitchen…” He describes himself as a museum guard who answers questions from visitors coming to see his priceless collected art.

Circe Berman, a woman living near Karabekian instigates the story by saying “Tell me how your parents died.” He tells her and one thing leads to another. Soon enough she has moved in with him and his houseguest Paul Slazinger, a fellow artist. She is constantly asking him questions, disrespects his design choices and actively dislikes his modern art. She is a force to be reckoned with and the only place that is off-limits to her is the potato barn where Karabekian is storing some of his own work.

Karabekian’s story is one of a first generation American, child of immigrants, an artist’s apprentice, eventual artist himself, a soldier, failed husband and father, and eventual genius.

I can’t tell the tale as Vonnegut does, and why would I try, but the winding path leading to the eventual unveiling of Karabekian’s masterpiece was at turns funny, heartbreaking, and eventually breathtakingly beautiful. This is not something I expect from Vonnegut. I shed tears as I read the final pages, and so far this is by a mile my favorite of his.

Three words that describe this book: Funny, wry, satirical

You might want to pick this book up if: You like your humor to be on the serious side.

-Kandice

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

Reader Review: Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club

Posted on Friday, November 3, 2023 by patron reviewer

Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club by J. Ryan Stradal book coverThe book “Saturday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club” covers four generations of women and how The Lakeside Supper Club shaped their relationships. Each chapter gives you insight into the individual women, as the book spans the events of several decades.

What I love most about J. Ryan Stradal as an author is the amount of meaning and importance he can put in scenes and words that aren’t even written down. His style is so unique that the parts of the story he doesn’t write are just as vivid and meaningful as the sections he chooses to include.

His love for the Midwest shows in his incredible characters, the towns he invents, and the amazing food. The characters and events are relatable, honest, and heartbreaking. Grab a relish tray and a brandy old fashioned… and do yourself a favor by reading this book!

Three words that describe this book: Food, Family, Nostalgia

You might want to pick this book up if: You are in the mood for a funny and quirky family drama that makes you feel right at home in its Midwest setting.

-Anonymous

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

Reader Review: A Flicker in the Dark

Posted on Friday, October 27, 2023 by patron reviewer

A Flicker in the Dark by Stacy Willingham book cover20 years ago, Chloe Davis’ worldview was shattered. In her small Louisiana town, teenage girls went missing and wound up dead. At the end of the terrifying summer, her beacon of safety amidst the fear, her own father, confesses to the crimes. Now, an established child psychologist, Chloe works to heal the scars of her own trauma by helping adolescent patients with their troubling experiences.

During the sweltering anniversary summer of her father’s crimes, Chloe finally feels like she has a grip on moving forward: she’s engaged to a lovely guy she met a year ago, her in-and-out of her life brother is around again and showing his protective side, and she’s successfully dodging a determined reporter who wants to write a “Where Are They Now?” article on the children of a convicted serial killer. Chloe’s goal is to power through the summer and replace the anniversary of her past with a new one: her wedding day.

But this summer won’t slide by easily. Teenage girls are being reported missing again and it all bears an eerie resemblance to a series of crimes she knows too much about. “A Flicker in the Dark” is fast-paced and full of twists and turns as Chloe begins to question her history, her memories, and everyone around her.

Three words that describe this book: Foreboding, Suspicious, Captivating

You might want to pick this book up if: you want a pulpy murder mystery with a foreboding sense of dread that will seep into your bones like a hot Louisiana night.

-Amy

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

Reader Review: The Déjà Glitch

Posted on Wednesday, October 18, 2023 by patron reviewer

The Deja Glitch by Holly James book coverSeriously, “The Déjà Glitch” is probably the most delightful book I have read or will read this year! I loved Holly James’ writing style and found the story of Jack and Gemma’s journey out of a time loop to scratch every specific itch I have in a sweet magical realism romance!

Gemma is very relatable and lovable. I deeply understood her family issues and the lack of confidence that would naturally accompany said issues. Jack is the perfect lovesick dream boy. They are both saving each other here and the desperate collision of hearts through time and space is palpable right off the page. The scientific explanation of what is going on within the “glitch” is nothing short of poetry. I highlighted the heck out of the professor’s explanation!

I mostly want to praise the pacing of this book. Just from the little I knew before starting it, I was worried about a painful repetition of days, but the author did a wonderful job of keeping it fresh every step of the way. I genuinely enjoyed reading every page and felt a bit bereft for it to end. I highly recommend this book to those in search of wonder, heart explosions and a chance at being rescued from the mundane linear timeline we could all use a break from!

Three words that describe this book: Romantic, comedy, time loop

You might want to pick this book up if: You enjoy rom-coms and magical realism.

-Anonymous

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

Reader Review: The Lost Village

Posted on Wednesday, October 11, 2023 by patron reviewer

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten book coverAlice Lindstedt is an amateur filmmaker who’s taking on a passion project about the village of Silvertjarn, a lost village where every single member mysteriously disappeared without a trace in the ’50s save for one woman who had been stoned in the town square. Alice’s grandmother had grown up in the village and told her stories of it growing up — this made Alice want to uncover the mystery. She rounds up a small crew with money from her Kickstarter backers and they drive out to scout out filming locations and get shots for the documentary trailer. Weird things immediately begin to happen and the group quickly realizes there may be a greater force at work in the village. The book bounces between present day and the 1950s, right before the disappearance took place with POVs from Alice in the present and Elsa, Alice’s great-grandmother, in the past. As Alice uncovers the secrets of Silvertjarn in the present day, Elsa explains how everything came to be in the past.

I loved the atmosphere of “The Lost Village” and it made me feel as if I was isolated from civilization with the rest of the characters — the village is creepy and unsettling to say the least. The twist at the end will have you at the edge of your seat. The climax was a little lackluster for me but it wasn’t enough for me to bump down a star in my four-star rating. It was still chilling and left me thinking about it for awhile afterward.

Three words that describe this book: Creepy, suspenseful, dark

You might want to pick this book up if: If you enjoy a good, atmospheric horror story with a dark subplot.

-Bailey

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year. 

Reader Review: Is This Guy For Real

Posted on Friday, October 6, 2023 by patron reviewer

Is This Guy for Real by Box Brown book coverWhen I saw that Box Brown was releasing a book focused on Andy Kaufman, the character that absolutely baffled me when I watched “Saturday Night Live” with my parents growing up, I could not have been more excited. “Is This Guy For Real” did not disappoint. This biography of an avant-garde, easily unlikable, enigma of a performer pulls no punches. Brown doesn’t pretend his subject is perfect, but he also doesn’t let Kaufman fall into the easy label of “stupid weirdo” (I’m looking at you, “Man on the Moon” movie). This book presents Kaufman as what he was: a performer who would stop at nothing to grab the attention of his audience.

It was not lost on me that this novel allowed Brown to return to the world of wrestling in the early days, a venue he was already intimately familiar with from his previous biography on “Andre the Giant,” where the lines between persona and life blurred all too easily. I think it was this knowledge and awareness of kayfabe that allowed Brown to truly reach for the reality of Kaufman’s life rather than falling for the trappings of who he was on TV.

Three words that describe this book: Unique, Honest, Beautiful

You might want to pick this book up if: You’ve ever had questions about the strange man you saw on “SNL.”

-Vera

This reader review was submitted as part of Adult Summer Reading. We will continue to share reviews throughout the year.