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Fabulous Fiction Firsts #842
by muffy
Ferdia Lennon’s Glorious Exploits * * * (also in downloadable eBook and audiobook) is the 2024 winner of the Waterstones Debut Fiction Prize. One of the judges called it “a riotous, exuberant treat of a novel, which celebrates the redemptive power of art, … madly ambitious and devastatingly affecting, but above all pure page-turning joy from start to finish.’’
412 BCE, Syracuse, Sicily. At the height of the Peloponnesian War, thousands of Athenian soldiers from a failed invasion were held prisoners in the limestone quarries on the outskirts of the city. Starved and left to broil in the relentless sun, the Athenians were eager to participate when 2 young Sicilians hatched an outrageous scheme.
Our narrator, 30 year-old Lampo and his friend Gelon, two directionless, unemployed potters with a soft spot for poetry and wine, were admirers of the great playwright Euripides. To pass the time, they frequented the quarries, offering food in exchange for a few lines of poetry. Then the friends decided to enlist the prisoners in a full-blown production of Medea and The Trojan Women.
“Glorious Exploits, is very much a story about the power of stories - and the spiritual and emotional succour they give.” (The Guardian)
“Exploring themes of friendship, loyalty, and the toll of war, Lennon evokes a time when it was common to relish and revere the art of Homer's poetry and Euripides' drama. Those with that appetite today are fortunate to have Madeline Miller, Emily Wilson, Pat Barker, and recently James Hynes' Sparrow. And Lennon. An entertaining and impressive debut.” (Kirkus Reviews)
* * * = 3 starred reviews
Blog Post
Staff Picks: Hot Weather Cookbooks
by eapearce
Ah, August. A month for enjoying all that summer has to offer before the weather starts getting cooler, the days get shorter, kids head back to school and we all transition to fall. One thing you might want to avoid during the hot August days is turning on your oven! It’s a month of fresh fruit and veggies, easy grill-able dinners, and simple recipes that don’t keep cooks in the kitchen for too long. Check out recipes from some of these cookbooks that will give you ideas for things to make that don’t involve standing over a hot stove making the air conditioning work even harder.
The Vegetable Eater, by Cara Mangini | Request Now
Cara Mangini loves vegetables and her bright, delicious ideas for preparing them and incorporating them into a variety of dishes make this cookbook a great one to have on hand. Organized into sections by the type of dish you’re preparing (salads, bowls, tacos, etc), this book makes eating veggie-forward meals simple and easy. Handy kitchen and cooking tips, like how to segment an orange, or different ways to cut carrots are a nice addition, too. Got extra vegetables from your garden or CSA? You’ll surely be able to find a way to use them up in The Vegetable Eater!
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Staff Picks: Unique Epistolary Reads
by walkerk
Epistolary books are works of fiction told through letters and other documents. They can make for a very intimate and human reading experience, as these letters and documents allow the reader to peer into the firsthand, personal experience and thoughts of one, or a handful, of characters. If you enjoyed Frankenstein by Mary Shelley, The Perks of Being a Wallflower by Stephen Chbosky, This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone, or House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, you might find your next epistolary read in this list.
The Incarnations by Susan Barker | Request Now
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Staff Picks: Music History Graphic Novels
by nicole
Music, art, and history all combine in these nonfiction graphic novels that explore the backstories of bands and musicians. Read about the search for The Sound, rock 'n' roll parties, and even the birth of rap!
Miles Davis and the Search for the Sound by Dave Chisholm | Request Now
With narration adapted from Davis' own words and an innovative visual style that shifts to reflect Davis' constant musical changes, this 150-page graphic novel follows Davis through four decades of musical innovation, all centered around his quest to find a mysterious sound he heard on a moonlit country road as a child.
Blog Post
Staff Picks: Captivating Climate Fiction Reads
by walkerk
If you've read Octavia Butler's Parable of the Sower and wondered where to find more stories like that, I have great news: climate fiction is for you! Climate fiction (cli-fi) comes in many forms—some narratives explore dystopian futures and their methods of dealing with environmental collapse. Other narratives focus on the present personal and societal impacts. Alongside engaging characters to empathize with, these diverse stories often explore potential consequences and solutions around climate change. Here are four titles to get you started:
The Moonday Letters by Emmi Itäranta | Request Now
Lumi is an Earth-born healer whose Mars-born spouse, Sol, disappears unexpectedly on a work trip. Lumi sets out to find them, searching the wealthy colonies of Mars, and the remnants of Earth, which were ruined by vast environmental destruction. Each clue she uncovers leads to another mystery, be it about herself, Sol, or an underground environmental group called the Stoneturners, who might have something to do with Sol's disappearance.
This climate fiction thriller with an LGBTQIA love story is told through a series of letters and extracts, such as newspaper quotes and encyclopedic entries, making for a poetic and anthropologic experience that offers you a front-row seat to this adventure. Readers have described this as an enchanting and lyrically written story with a sense of wonder and hope among its dystopian features. If you enjoy the gentle and human quality of letter reading, paired with interplanetary lovers and explorations of environmental ethics, myth, and a mystery that slowly unravels, this is the book for you.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #841
by muffy
The Ministry of Time * * by British-Cambodian writer Kaliane Bradley (also in downloadable eBook and audiobook) is a “fantastical combination of time-travel novel, spy thriller and slow-burn romance.” (BookPage)
Near future, London. An unnamed translator for Britain's Ministry of Defence is offered a plum appointment in a secret government project that gathers “expats” from across history, in a time-travel experiment. Our narrator’s task is to act as a “bridge”, assisting and orienting her assigned expat to resettle in the 21st-century.
Her charge, known as "1847" or Commander Graham Gore died on Sir John Franklin's doomed 1845 expedition to the Arctic, arriving in the future sometime before his death, thus finding himself disoriented to be surrounded by outlandish concepts such as "washing machines," "Spotify," and the collapse of the British Empire. Over the next year, what began as a horrifically uncomfortable roommate dynamic evolves into something much deeper. By the time the true shape of the Ministry's project comes to light, the bridge has fallen haphazardly, fervently in love, with consequences she never could have imagined.
“... while this quasi-futuristic tale of time and tenderness never seems to take itself too seriously, it also offers a meaningful, nuanced perspective on the challenges we face, the choices we make, and the way we live and love today. This rip-roaring romp pivots between past and present and posits the future-altering power of love, hope, and forgiveness. “ (Kirkus Reviews)
For fans of The Time Traveler's Wife (2003) by Audrey Niffenegger , and Time After Time (2019) by Lisa Grunwald.
* * = 2 starred reviews
Blog Post
Staff Picks: Spotlight on Science
by lucroe
These science-based books may not be your usual summer beach reads, but they might open your mind to some new ideas, under-appreciated history, and greater respect for the world and its human and non-human inhabitants.
Weight of Nature: How a Changing Climate Changes Our Brains by Clayton Page Aldern | Request Now
This beautifully written piece examines the profound emotional and physical impacts of climate change on our planet, our personal health, and our perception of the fragility of the world we inhabit. Aldern, journalist and former neuroscientist, has researched how climate change has and will continue to affect humans from the inside out. He has gathered the most current information about for example trauma from extreme weather events that has changed the structure of the brain even in fetuses and how extremely high temps can make some people more aggressive and impulsive. An interesting and sometimes disturbing read.
Blog Post
Staff Picks: Kids Comics About Displacement
by nicole
When the place you call home is taken away, where do you go? These stories follow kids from all over the world who have been displaced, and their journeys to find home in a new place.
Stealing Home by J. Torres | Request Now
Sandy Saito looks back to his childhood in 1940s Vancouver when he was eight years old. He's a happy kid: he goes to school, reads comic books, and is obsessed with baseball -- especially the Asahi baseball team, the pride of the Japanese-Canadian community. Then the Japanese bomb Pearl Harbor -- and everything changes. The kids Sandy used to play with every day now call him names and chase him from the playground. He and his family are no longer permitted to go outside at night or visit certain areas of the city. Japanese Canadians are stripped of their rights, their jobs, and their homes, and soon the government begins to round up Japanese families, sending them to internment camps. It isn't long before Sandy's family is among them. David Namisato's detailed art depicts the 1940s setting with cultural and historical precision, following Sandy and his family as they are forced to leave their home and relocate to a prison camp comprised of crowded, makeshift barracks in a remote site without electricity or running water. The theme of baseball, Sandy's favorite sport, adds a message of hope and renewal to this historically accurate portrayal of a grave chapter in both Canadian and American history.
Blog Post
Staff Picks: Summertime Watch Party
by lucroe
When the Summer heat gets to be too much, it may be time to head indoors and enjoy a movie or TV show from AADL’s excellent DVD & Blu-ray collection. Here are a few things to consider watching whether you are into romance or a bit of action, we have something for everyone!
Past Lives directed by Celine Song | Request Now
Childhood friends Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae Sung (Teo Yoo) shared a special bond in Seoul until Nora's family abruptly emigrated from South Korea. Years later, their paths cross again in New York, where Nora has established a life as a married playwright. As they revisit their past, the encounter forces them to confront the what-ifs of their relationship. Greta Lee delivers a magnetic performance in this vivid tale of love and friendship that captures the defining moments of a life. Meanwhile, Celine Song's directorial debut is one of the most memorable in recent years.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #840, Water Fantasies
by muffy
Inspired by East Asian mythology, Fathomfolk,* first in the Drowned World series by Eliza Chan, (also in downloadable eBook and audiobook) is set in the semi-submerged city of Tiankawin where fathomfolks (sirens, seawitches, and kelpies) co-exist with humans.
The novel opens with Mira, the newly promoted captain of the border guard, and the first female half-siren to reach the rank, intends to earn the trust and respect of her human colleagues despite centuries of prejudice and discrimination. Together with her partner, Kai, a water dragon from one of the few privileged fathomfolk families, they hope to bring reforms in the human-controlled government. But everything they work towards is put in jeopardy when Nami, Kai’s rebellious sister is banished to Tiankawi and falls in with a rebel group known as the Drawbacks.
When the annual boat festival is sabotaged and humans are drowned, the government cracks down even further on fathomfolk rights. Mira and Nami find they must work together to save their city and their communities.
“Chan floats beautifully between multiple point-of-view characters, and also between different facets of Tiankawi life, from the poor to the privileged. From Nami's well-meaning immaturity to Mira's complicated feelings about her dual identity, all the characters have fully realized perspectives and goals that clash with each other in both clever political plots and exciting action scenes.” (Kirkus Reviews)
A Letter to the Luminous Deep * * by Sylvie Cathrall (also in downloadable eBook and audiobook) is a captivating tale of mystery and romance set in an enchanting underwater society.
The year is 1002, a thousand years after an event known as "the Dive," where sky dwellers now live in the ocean. E. Cidnosin, an introverted and anxious young woman is the sole caretaker of “Deep House”, an architectural marvel designed by her mother. Spying a mysterious sea creature outside her window prompts E. to begin a correspondence with renowned marine scholar Henerey Clel, hoping he will help her identify it. The letters they share are filled with passion, at first for their mutual interests, and then, inevitably, for each other. Then E. and Henerey disappear after an explosion at Deep House. A year later, E.'s sister Sophy, and Henerey's brother Vyerin, are left to solve the mystery.
As Sophy and Vyerin delve into the letters left behind by E. and Henerey, they uncover clues about their relationship and the events leading up to their disappearance. Through these letters, a tale of love, friendship, and secrets unfolds, captivating readers with its whimsical charm and intriguing plot twist. “Cathrall skillfully addresses themes of mental health and anxiety, adding depth and authenticity to the characters' experiences. With its cozy-fantasy atmosphere and rich character development, A Letter to the Luminous Deep will appeal to fans of epistolary novels and readers who enjoy stories with elements of romance, mystery, and fantasy.” (Booklist) A late confession by Arvist, E. and Sophy's brother hints at further mysteries to be solved in a sequel.
A charming fantasy set in an underwater world with magical academia and a heartwarming penpal romance, perfect for fans of A Marvellous Light, Emily Wilde's Encylopaedia of Faeries and The House in the Cerulean Sea.
* * = 2 starred reviews
* = Starred review