Are you as exhausted by 2024 as I am? How about a book to help soothe the soul, or make you laugh, or give you a reason to read more on a topic? Here are twenty options that made my list (and more available upon request- heh heh!):
Actual Facts (aka Nonfiction)
The Comfort of Crows by Margaret Renkl
This is a beautifully crafted book, both the art work and the sharing of the author’s life experience in monthly chapters. If you’re looking for a gift for a nature loving friend -this might be worth checking out.
Generations by Jean Twenge
This book plus The Coddling of the American Mind have answered a lot of questions for me I didn’t know I had.
Something Cozy
Sipsworth by Simon Van Booy
Short in length, long on happiness impact. Take an afternoon and enjoy!
A New Lease On Death by Olivia Blacke
Looking for a cozy mystery? Here you go!
How to Age Disgracefully by Claire Pooley
Zesty characters and a cute dog. Do I need to say more?
The Guncle Abroad by Steven Rowley
Welcome back to Patrick O’Hara -everyone’s favorite Guncle!
Something a Little Different
Tilda is Visible by Jane Tara
What if you felt invisible because you’re a woman who’s getting older, and then your physical body actually started disappearing? And the medical community even had a name for the phenomenon?!
The Voyage of the Damned by Frances White
If you’re willing to read a fantasy book in which charming characters have magical gifts, this is also a locked room mystery that will keep you guessing until the end.
The Failures by Benjamin Liar
A chonky science fiction story with multiple storylines that come together in a pretty satisfying way to end the first in a trilogy.
After Annie by Anna Quindlen
When Annie unexpectedly passes away, we are given the opportunity to know her better through the lives she touched.
Margo’s Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe
Margo is used to people thinking she makes bad choices, the current bad choice would be sleeping with her married college professor. When she discovers she’s pregnant and decides to keep the baby, Margo feels overwhelmed and determined to succeed.
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty
When a woman on a plane starts predicting when and how other passengers will die, the first response was to brush it off. After the first prediction comes true, the rest of the group begins to bond and a search begins to find the mysterious lady.
Something a Little Dark
Fireborne Blade by Charlotte Bond
First in a new series, this is another short in length but long on impact book. You’ll be amazed at the world building the author is able to accomplish in only 167 pages!
The Haters by Robyn Harding
Camryn Hart went from celebrating her first published book to trying to figure out who’s making damaging false accusations about her online. The longer the attacks go on, the less trust Camryn has in the people surrounding her. What a wild ride!
Diavola by Jennifer Thorne
Creepy, creepy, creepy… So good!
Something Old (aka Historical)
Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate
Set in Oklahoma, with storylines in 1909 and 1990s, this book is filled with young women fighting for survival and for acceptance.
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
I had no idea who Martha Ballard was before reading this book and now I know why her legend lives on. Fascinating details on midwifery and all the additional jobs that were attached to that title.
The Mesmerist by Caroline Woods
Using some factual happenings and some fictional characters, this is another story of women fighting to have control over their own lives.
The Wealth of Shadows by Graham Moore
Just when you think there’s nothing new to learn about World War II, you read a book like this. Also, I’m a little sorry I didn’t pay more attention in my Macro Economics course…
Hopefully one of these books is just what you were looking for, and I’m *always* interested in hearing what you thought after reading! []~(￣▽￣)~*
Enjoy!
Stacey
Nonfiction
Linnea’s Top Ten
I whittled down my favorite reads of the year to present to you Linnea’s Top Ten Books of 2024! (In no particular order.)
Each title will link to the catalog to find the physical, ebook, and audiobook copies.
Lily and the Octopus by Steven Rowley
Tranny: Confessions of Punk Rock’s Most Infamous Anarchist Sellout by Laura Jane Grace
The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Kelsey Moore
Fire & Blood by George R.R. Martin
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver
There’s Always This Year: On Basketball and Ascension by Hanif Abdurraqib
Interesting Facts About Space by Emily Austin
Banned Book Club by Kim Hyun Sook
Death Valley by Melissa Broder
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride
Happy reading!
-Linnea
From Page to Screen: Fall 2024
Adaptations of your favorite books and spooky stories are hitting the streaming services this fall! Fall releases include new takes on beloved spooky stories such as Rosemary’s Baby and Salem’s Lot. Looking for more of a non-fiction feel? This fall’s adaptations will take you from life on Navajo land to the battlefield of World War II.
If you want to compare and contrast or just love a good spoiler, pick up the book to read before you start watching! Click on the book title to request a print copy of the book, or check out Libby or Hoopla for eBook or eAudiobook offerings.
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
Rosemary Woodhouse and her struggling actor husband Guy move into the Bramford, an old New York City apartment building with an ominous reputation and mostly elderly residents. Neighbors Roman and Minnie Castavet soon come nosing around to welcome the Woodhouses to the building, and despite Rosemary’s reservations about their eccentricity and the weird noises that she keeps hearing, her husband takes a special shine to them. Shortly after Guy lands a plum Broadway role, Rosemary becomes pregnant, and the Castavets start taking a special interest in her welfare. As the sickened Rosemary becomes increasingly isolated, she begins to suspect that the Castavets’ circle is not what it seems . . .
Streaming on Paramount +.
The Lives of Lee Miller by Antony Penrose
Starting in 1927 in New York, this volume chronicles Lee Miller as she is discovered as a model by Condé Nast, hits the cover of Vogue, and is immortalized by Edward Steichen, George Hoyningen-Huene, Horst P. Horst, and other acclaimed photographers. From there, readers follow Miller to Paris where she, along with Man Ray, invented the solarization technique of photography, and where she developed into a brilliant Surrealist photographer. Finally, this account covers the later chapters of her life, when she became a war correspondent during World WarII, traveling with the Allied armies to cover the siege of Saint-Malo and the liberation of Paris, which lead to her photographs of the Dachau concentration camp that shocked the world.
Coming to theaters.
Canyon Dreams: A Basketball Season on the Navajo Nation by Michael Powell
Deep in the heart of northern Arizona, in a small and isolated patch of the vast 17.5-million-acre Navajo reservation, sits Chinle High School. Here, basketball is passion, passed from grandparent to parent to child. Rez Ball is a sport for winters where dark and cold descend fast and there is little else to do but roam mesa tops, work, and wonder what the future holds. The town has 4,500 residents and the high school arena seats 7,000. Fans drive thirty, fifty, even eighty miles to see the fast-paced and highly competitive matchups that are more than just games to players and fans.
Streaming on Netflix.
Salem’s Lot by Stephen King
When two young boys venture into the woods, and only one returns alive, Mears begins to realize that something sinister is at work. In fact, his hometown is under siege from forces of darkness far beyond his imagination. And only he, with a small group of allies, can hope to contain the evil that is growing within the borders of this small New England town.
Streaming on Max.
Wicked by Gregory Maguire
Years before Dorothy and her dog crash-land, another little girl makes her presence known in Oz. This girl, Elphaba, is born with emerald-green skin–no easy burden in a land as mean and poor as Oz, where superstition and magic are not strong enough to explain or overcome the natural disasters of flood and famine. Still, Elphaba is smart, and by the time she enters Shiz University, she becomes a member of a charmed circle of Oz’s most promising young citizens.
Coming to theaters.
The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth
The Jackal. A tall, blond Englishman with opaque, gray eyes. A killer at the top of his profession. A man unknown to any secret service in the world. An assassin with a contract to kill the world’s most heavily guarded man. One man with a rifle who can change the course of history. One man whose mission is so secretive not even his employers know his name. And as the minutes count down to the final act of execution, it seems that there is no power on earth that can stop the Jackal.
Coming to Peacock.
-Happy reading!
Melinda
Olympic Reads
The 2024 Olympics begin today in Paris, France! The XXXIII Olympiad will be the sixth Olympic Games hosted by France and the third Olympic Games hosted in the “City of Love.” From cardboard beds to the launch of Olympic breakdancing, this Olympic Games is already full of stories. If you’re caught up in the quest for gold, here are a few Olympic-themed reads.
Fiction
Fast Girls by Elise Hooper
In the 1928 Olympics, Chicago’s Betty Robinson competes as a member of the first-ever women’s delegation in track and field. Destined for further glory, she returns home feted as America’s Golden Girl until a nearly-fatal airplane crash threatens to end everything.
The Happiest Girl in the World by Alena Dillon
For Sera Wheeler, the Olympics is the reason for everything. It’s why she trains thirty hours a week, starves herself to under 100 pounds, and pops Advil like Tic Tacs. For her mother, Charlene, hungry for glory she never had, it’s why she rises before dawn to drive Sera to practice in a different state, and why the family scrimps, saves, and fractures.
Cleat Cute by Meryl Wilsner
Grace Henderson has been a star of the US Women’s National Team for ten years, even though she’s only 26. But when she’s sidelined with an injury, a bold new upstart, Phoebe Matthews, takes her spot. 22-year-old Phoebe is everything Grace isn’t–a gregarious jokester who plays with a joy that Grace lost somewhere along the way.
Don’t Tell Me You’re Afraid by Giuseppe Catozzella
At eight years of age, Samia lives to run. She shares her dream with her best friend and neighbor, Ali, who appoints himself her “professional coach.” Eight-year-old Ali trains her, times her, and pushes her to achieve her goals. For both children, Samia’s running is the bright spot in their tumultuous life in Somalia. She is talented, brave, and determined to represent her country in the Olympic Games.
Aquamarine by Carol Anshaw
Jesse Austin, a former Olympic swimmer who, at age 17, lost the gold medal in the Mexico City games–a loss that has haunted her ever since.
Head Over Heals by Hannah Orenstein
The past seven years have been hard on Avery Abrams: after training her entire life to make the Olympic gymnastics team, a disastrous performance ended her athletic career for good. Her best friend and teammate, Jasmine, went on to become an Olympic champion, then committed the ultimate betrayal by marrying their controversial coach, Dimitri.
Nonfiction
Courage to Soar: A Body in Motion, a Life in Balance by Simone Biles
Simone Biles’ entrance into the world of gymnastics may have started on a field trip in her hometown of Spring, Texas, but her God-given talent, along with drive to succeed no matter the obstacle, are what brought her to the national spotlight during the Olympic Games and have catapulted her ever since–including 25 World Championship medals.
Just Add Water by Katie Ledecky
Katie Ledecky has won more individual Olympic races than any female swimmer in history. She is a three-time Olympian, a seven-time gold medalist, a twenty-one-time world champion, eight-time NCAA Champion, and a world record-holder in individual swimming events. Time and again, the question is posed to her family, her coaches, and to her–what makes her a champion?
Proud: My Fight for an Unlikely American Dream by Ibtihaj Muhammad
Growing up in New Jersey as the only African American Muslim at school, Ibtihaj Muhammad always had to find her own way. When she discovered fencing, a sport traditionally reserved for the wealthy, she had to defy expectations and make a place for herself in a sport she grew to love.
Happy reading!
-Melinda
Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown: Part Four
Part Four—Touching the Divine: Chapters 13-19 and the Epilogue
Photo from Washington Rowing
Finally, we reach Part Four. It’s all been building towards this: the 1936 Olympic Games.
There are a lot of tough decisions to make for Coach Al Ulbrickson in assembling the varsity team. He even drops Joe from boat one, though a month later he is moved back to the first boat, making the Olympics-hopeful boat. The final lineup is: Herbert Morris, Charles Day, Gordon Adam, John White, James McMillin, George Hunt, Donald Hume, Robert Moch, and Joe Rantz. But their work is far from over. They’ve got to make it to Berlin, and to do that, they must succeed at the Olympic Time Trials in New Jersey.
The men packed up as though they were headed to Germany and took a train to the east coast. With a now-signature come from behind victory, the Washington team was Olympics-bound! However, they needed to fund their own way, and fast. I thought it was admirable that Coach Ulbrickson kept the money issue a secret from the team, to keep them focused on their goal. Fortunately, the whole of Washington is supporting them, and they manage to raise $5,000 and set off for Europe, to put their skills to the most challenging test of all.
The voyage over was difficult: Hume became ill, people got seasick, some gained weight from lack of exercise, an Olympian even got expelled from the Games due to excessive drinking. Meanwhile, Germany, of course, was ramping up their wide-scale oppression but their propaganda team did their best to present a welcoming, peaceful facade. When the Americans arrived, they were impressed with the warm energy and had no idea of what was looming in the shadows.
Practice began and the Americans had the opportunity to view the other countries’ rowing teams: disciplined Germany, similar Britain, calm Netherlands. The Americans were still struggling to work together but slowly, they began to open up to each other and grow stronger. At the preliminary race, the Americans won and set a new world record, even with an ill Hume. The next day was the final and the Americans were at a disadvantage with the worst lane position. The weather was raging and when the race began, the American and British teams didn’t even notice! Even knowing the outcome, I was glued to the page, unsure of how a team so behind could make up the difference and emerge victorious.
The second to last chapter was told masterfully, every detail of the race on the page. But nothing beats archival footage to see pieces of the race. The video below in particular shows just how close the race was, with the American boat just barely winning gold. It was an extraordinary moment and after reading about the trials those men went through, what a glorious, well-deserved end!
Discussion questions for Part Four:
- Of course, we know the results of the 1936 Olympic Games. However, while reading about the race, what emotions did you experience? Were you so immersed in the story that you felt, for a moment, that the boys could lose?
- We were able to get a lot of Joe Rantz’s personal life told in this story. Throughout the book and in the epilogue, we learn more about the other members of the boat. Did you wish the author was able to provide a deeper dive on any other person in the book? Who would you want to know more about and why?
Thank you for joining our online discussion! Keep the conversation going with two All-Ages book discussions coming up:
Tuesday, July 23, 7:00-8:00pm in the Green Room at the Library OR Tuesday, July 30, 10:30-11:30am at the Rocky River Senior Center at 21014 Hilliard Blvd.
And join us on Friday, July 26 at 12pm: we will be showing The Boys in the Boat at our Movie Matinee!
Boys in the Boat by Daniel James Brown
Part Three- 1935 The Parts That Really Matter. Chapters Nine, Ten, Eleven, and Twelve.
In this part, we really start to see some storylines coming together. The goal stated on January 14th of 1935 declared they would forgo normal training with hopes to go to the Olympics the following year. This sets a different tone as these rowers have in the span of a year gone from fighting for a spot on the freshman team to working towards becoming Olympic champions. We really don’t hear much about what the boys and Joe were thinking about this other than their stress. We see their struggle from the perspective of Ulbrickson and his personal struggle. As much as he wanted to recapture the magic from the Poughkeepsie freshman race of the previous year, the sophomore team just wasn’t predictable. I’ve had problems, particularly with machines where sometimes they’ll work and other times they won’t. I understand to some extent the frustration of seeing the sophomores row well sometimes and other times struggle to keep up with the older students.
The buildup and the excitement for the races in this part are exhilarating. With the sophomores assigned to the varsity boat, they consistently win the races. They don’t consistently beat the older boys though. So when it comes to this year’s competition at Poughkeepsie, the older boys get to race as the varsity only to lose. The older boys lose the varsity race at Poughkeepsie and lose the 2000 meter exhibition run. With 2000 meters being the Olympic length, it must have really hurt their morale. The University of Washington seemed to have the raw talent, but they struggled to create a proper team to prove they deserved a shot at the Olympics.
Joe’s personal life is still very tumultuous at this point. Joe finds where his family has been living, is rejected by Thula again, secretly visits his siblings, Thula dies, and his father suggests they live together again. Joe’s personal life feels like a whirlwind. It’s hard to imagine being a young man with all this family drama, struggling to pay for your tuition, and still managing to find time to be on the crew team as well as date Joyce. We get a better understanding of the other boys on the crew team as Joe sees them in a more humanizing light outside of crew. Joe starts to develop a connection with George Pocock as the new year of training begins in the fall.
Both in the United States and in Germany, the Nazi problem is becoming more and more apparent. Jewish people are losing their rights as their society turns against them. Americans vote on whether to boycott the Olympics, but the vote fails. The people sent to Germany to see the Olympic facilities are fooled. Brundage manages to fool the public by saying he is an advocate for the Jewish people, yet using arguments to minimize their suffering and doubt themselves. This book paints a vivid picture of the manipulations that were happening at the time.
Discussion questions for Part Three:
What did you think of the excitement of the California races with the sophomores appointed as varsity as well as the upset JV team? Do you think the results would have been different if the older boys had raced the California varsity?
Have you ever had a moment like Joe had after the California race where you felt truly celebrated for your accomplishments?
Let us know how your thoughts! Come to one, or both, of our All Ages Book Discussion:
Tuesday, July 23, 7:00-8:00pm in the Green Room at the Library OR Tuesday, July 30, 10:30-11:30am at the Rocky River Senior Center at 21014 Hilliard Blvd.
The First Academy Awards
Ninety-five years ago, the first Academy Awards ceremony took place in Hollywood! Vastly different from the awards show we know today, the ceremony only had 12 categories, lasted just 15 minutes, and it was the only Academy Awards to not be broadcast on television or radio. Tickets were $5 (about $90 in 2024), with plenty of fans in attendance with the celebrities.
While we might be out of awards season, brush up on your film knowledge for next year with some movie history books:
Best Pick: A Journey through Film History and the Academy Awards by John Dorney
The Academy Awards: The Complete Unofficial History by Gail Kinn
Movies (and Other Things): A Collection of Questions Asked, Answered, Illustrated by Shea Serrano
Oscar Wars: A History of Hollywood in Gold, Sweat, and Tears by Michael Schulman
50 Oscar Nights: Iconic Stars & Filmmakers on Their Career-Defining Wins by Dave Karger
-Linnea
From Page to Screen: Spring 2024
This spring’s book to film adaptations are hitting the streaming services all season long! These limited run series take your favorite blockbuster books and turn them into six or seven episode arcs, building out the world of beloved characters from Patricia Highsmith’s Ripley to Liane Moriarty’s family of tennis pros.
If you want to compare and contrast or just love a good spoiler, pick up the book to read before you start watching! Click on the book title to request a print copy of the book, or check out Libby or Hoopla for eBook or eAudiobook offerings.
Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty
If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father?This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings. The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after fifty years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?
Streaming on Peacock.
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
“Are you happy with your life?” Those are the last words Jason Dessen hears before the kidnapper knocks him unconscious. Before he awakens to find himself strapped to a gurney, surrounded by strangers in hazmat suits. Before a man he’s never met smiles down at him and says, “Welcome back, my friend.” In this world he’s woken up to, Jason’s life is not the one he knows. His wife is not his wife. His son was never born. And Jason is not an ordinary college professor but a celebrated genius who has achieved something remarkable. Something impossible.
Coming to AppleTV+ on May 8.
We Were the Lucky Ones by Georgia Hunter
It is the spring of 1939 and three generations of the Kurc family are doing their best to live normal lives, even as the shadow of war grows closer. The talk around the family Seder table is of new babies and budding romance, not of the increasing hardships threatening Jews in their hometown of Radom, Poland. But soon the horrors overtaking Europe will become inescapable and the Kurcs will be flung to the far corners of the world, each desperately trying to navigate his or her own path to safety.
Streaming on Hulu.
The Sympathizer by Viet Thanh Nguyen
The Sympathizer is a sweeping epic of love and betrayal. The narrator, a communist double agent, is a “man of two minds,” a half-French, half-Vietnamese army captain who arranges to come to America after the Fall of Saigon, and while building a new life with other Vietnamese refugees in Los Angeles is secretly reporting back to his communist superiors in Vietnam.
Streaming on Max.
Under the Bridge by Rebecca Godfrey
In this “tour de force of crime reportage”, acclaimed author Rebecca Godfrey takes us into the hidden world of the seven teenage girls–and boy–accused of a savage murder. As she follows the investigation and trials, Godfrey reveals the startling truth about the unlikely killers.
Streaming on Hulu.
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
In April 1942, Lale Sokolov, a Slovakian Jew, is forcibly transported to the concentration camps at Auschwitz-Birkenau. When his captors discover that he speaks several languages, he is put to work as a Tätowierer (the German word for tattooist), tasked with permanently marking his fellow prisoners. Imprisoned for over two and a half years, Lale witnesses horrific atrocities and barbarism–but also incredible acts of bravery and compassion.
Coming to Peacock on May 2.
The Talented Mr. Ripley by Patricia Highsmith
Newly arrived in the heady world of Manhattan, Ripley meets a wealthy industrialist who hires him to bring his playboy son, Dickie Greenleaf, back from gallivanting in Italy. Soon Ripley’s fascination with Dickie’s debonair lifestyle turns obsessive as he finds himself enraged by Dickie’s ambivalent affections for Marge, a charming American dilettante, and Ripley begins a deadly game.
Streaming on Netflix.
-Happy reading!
Melinda
Earth Day Approaching!
Let’s celebrate Earth Day early with some nature-focused books to get us in the spirit! Especially as we start experiencing warmer days, it’s a good time to reflect on all the wonders that our Earth provides. And with these books, you’ll be ready for Earth Day, on April 22.
Damnation Spring by Ash Davidson
Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Once There Were Wolves by Charlotte McConaghy
The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson
-Linnea
National Library Week Reads
Did you know that this week is National Library Week? We are closing out the week celebrating the books, people, and buildings that make the Library a place for everyone!
If you’re looking for a on theme read, look no further. Here are some library-related reads for the bibliophile in us all. Just click on the book title to place the book on hold!
The Librarian of Burned Books by Brianna Labuskes
The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
Evil Librarian by Michelle Knudsen
The Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin
How Can I Help You by Laura Sims
The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick
The Library Book by Susan Orlean
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
What You Are Looking for is in the Library for Michiko Aoyama
Happy reading!
-Melinda
Read it or Weep 