Staff Choices
Posted by NealP on 11/02/17
The Velvet Underground didn’t sell many records, but everyone who bought one went out and started a band...
Rolling Stone music critic Anthony DeCurtis’ new biography on Lou Reed is essential for fans of the iconic rocker. Tracing his life as a troubled teenager in postwar suburbia, complete with electroshock therapy, through his years with the Velvet Underground, and later solo work, DeCurtis makes a case for Reed’s enduring influence.
The intensely private Reed despised rock critics, so it’s striking that he respected DeCurtis’ work enough to open up to him. Their introduction came at an airport bar, both of their flights delayed, with Reed asking how many stars DeCurtis gave his latest album New York (he gave 4). Reed declared it was a masterpiece, and he should have given him 5.
This book will be fascinating for fans of Lou Reed, as well as, anyone interested in rock music. Anecdotes about Andy Warhol and the factory scene, David Bowie, Nico, and others display the intersection between the art and music scenes in New York in the 1960s-70s. DeCurtis does a nice job of providing backstories to some of Reed’s most famous songs, giving us a glimpse at his creative process.
Reed’s music can be challenging -- however, it is never ordinary. If you are a fan of his or just a fan of music, this book is worth your time. Do yourself a favor and pick up some of the excellent music he created, too. You can find those here.
Posted by jonf on 10/19/17
The second book in Colin Cotterill's mystery series featuring Dr. Siri Paiboun. Siri is the chief coroner of 1970's communist run Laos. Siri and his assistants the spinster Dtui and the challenged Gueng start with the strange bicycle death of two men in the streets of Vientiane. The progress on the crime is slowed by the killings of two woman who appeared to be mauled by a large animal.
Dr. Siri is then sent to the old Royal capitol of Luang Prabang to investigate the charred body's of two men in a helicopter crash. Dr. Siri summon's the help of his spirit world as he is connected to the spirit world by a dead shaman, Yeh Ming.
The mystery is filled with the powerful connection the Laotian people have to the unseen and presence of spirits in all living things.
This book is filled with strange and colorful characters and the exotic and mystical world of Laos. The dialogue is crisp and filled with humour, Siri is memorable and charming, well written and a fun series.
Posted by BARB W on 10/17/17
Agnes, by Swiss writer Peter Stamm, begins with a startling revelation. The narrator tells us, “Agnes is dead. Killed by a story.” I am a sucker for a great opening line, and that one did it for me. In this brilliant short novel, Stamm explores the relationship between reality, and the reality we would like to create with our words.
We are all guilty of telling stories that do not accurately mirror the authenticity of actual events. If a narrative imagines future events, to what extent can these shape the direction of our lives? Agnes and the narrator meet in the Chicago Public Library and begin a curious relationship. She wants to be remembered, so she asks her lover to chronicle their experiences. But the line between fact and fiction begins to blur, and life begins to imitate art.
Stamm ponders an intriguing subject here. Can we control our own destiny, and can we shape it with our words? Can we script life as we would like it? Interesting characters, a suspenseful plot, and perfectly controlled prose make this an excellent addition to your fall reading list.
Posted by Katie M on 10/17/17
The Crash Reel offers a straightforward and honest look at professional snowboarder Kevin Pearce’s traumatic brain injury and his rehabilitation afterward. Kevin was an elite snowboarder in direct competition with Shaun White leading up to the 2010 Winter Olympics. In the ever-competitive arena of professional sports, both were training to master new, higher-flying tricks and on a training run in 2009 in Park City, Utah, Kevin hit his head and ended up in the hospital for months.
The film captures Kevin’s rehabilitation, as he and his family and friends tackle the intensive process of rebuilding his permanently altered life. While touching on the competitiveness of professional sports and the potential negative impact of subsequent concussions on athletes, this film is also about the encompassing love and support of the Pearce family as Kevin learns to live with his injury.
I highly recommend this insightful and touching film, full of both the stunning footage of elite snowboarding and intimate coverage of a devoted family navigating a life-changing event.
Posted by Lucy S on 10/11/17
Lorena Hickok (a.k.a. Hick) was a self-made woman. She became the first woman reporter for the Associated Press (AP) in New York shortly after women earned the right to vote. In 1932 Hick began a friendship with Eleanor Roosevelt when she reported on Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s campaign for president. After the election, Hick accompanied Eleanor on many trips and was a frequent guest in the White House. Media-savvy, Hick encouraged her to become the first presidential First Lady to hold regular press conferences for an audience of women reporters and to write a newspaper column expressing her own views.
Hick soon found herself breaking the AP’s cardinal rule to stay out of the story. She got too close to the Roosevelts to remain objective. She left her AP job to work as an investigative reporter for FERA, the Federal Emergency Relief Act, at the height of the Great Depression. The deplorable conditions Hick saw across America affected her greatly. Again, unable to stay out of the story she enlisted the aid of Eleanor to try to bring assistance.
At times, author Susan Albert Wittig’s novel, Loving Eleanor, reads more like a recitation of facts but these two women lived in a rapidly changing world. Through the years, they kept in touch via letters. It is through these letters that a picture emerges that suggests they were more than friends. The extent of their relationship is still of some dispute. Whether it was an intimate relationship or an extremely loyal friendship almost seems too private to pry into.
The reporter and the reluctant First Lady’s friendship lasted for the rest of their lives. I most enjoyed reading about their many accomplishments, their enduring companionship, their compassion and tolerance. A woman of privilege who became a social activist and a small-town woman of humble origins who paved her own way.
Posted by SherriT on 10/09/17
Something Like Happy by Eva Woods is one of those books that will stay with you. This heartwarming novel gives you a look into the meaning of true friendship. It delves into how others see life and death, and how someone can deal with the struggles presented to them in their own different way.
Annie Hebden does not think there is anyone more miserable than she is. Everything in her life changed, crashing around her suddenly. At thirty-five, she had hoped to have a nice house, a husband, and several kids. Instead, she is in a dead-end job, spending her time at the hospital because her sixty-year-old mother is suffering from dementia. Then, charismatic Polly Leonard, who seems to know everyone in the hospital, barges into her life. Polly has a brain tumor and three months to live. Therefore, she challenges Annie to participate in the "Hundred Happy Days" project with her. Together, they will find one hundred things to be happy about. "You're just meant to do one thing every day that makes you happy. Could be little things. Could be big."
This interesting story was all about what determines happiness. Parts of it were funny, parts sad and of course, you knew how it would end so definitely a bit teary. I had heard about the “100 Days of Happiness Challenge” that the book is based on, so it made me really think about what little things I can do in my life that may ultimately change my attitude.
Something Like Happy is more than a book about second chances- it is about making the most of your first and only chance at life. Every day you are alive is another chance at being happy. I think this book will appeal to readers of Liane Moriarty and Taylor Jenkins Reid.
Posted by Lucy S on 09/16/17
Shtum – adjective – silent; non-communicative. Ben and Emma are the parents of a profoundly autistic boy, Jonah. The story shows a very human, hard-hitting and realistic side of a married relationship that may not have been that strong even in the beginning, deteriorate when faced with the daily unceasing challenges they face in caring for Jonah. There is denial, self-pity, self-medicating that goes on within the parents’ lives. In a misguided attempt to get better care for Jonah in a residential placement, the parents separate. Jonah and his father move in with the grandfather, Georg. The grandfather sees more than Ben gives him credit for and connects with Jonah more deeply. Seeing his father interact with Jonah, Ben learns that words aren’t the only way to communicate.
Shtum is a touching look inside one family contending with an issue with no easy answers. Jem Lester, the author, has personal experience with autism with his own child. This gives the novel a more believable viewpoint for those of us who have little knowledge of autism.
Posted by SherriT on 08/28/17
Lisa Wingate’s novel Before We Were Yours teaches us about one of America's real-life scandals. Georgia Tann was the director of a Memphis-based adoption organization, who kidnapped and sold poor children to wealthy families all over the country. In the year 1939, Rill Foss is a twelve-year-old river gypsy who lives on a Mississippi River shanty boat with her parents and four younger siblings. When an emergency takes their parents to the hospital, strangers take the children from their world and place them into an orphanage.
Throughout this story, a tale is told about the wealthy, politically savvy Stafford family. It is through the work of Avery Stafford, the daughter of a senator and granddaughter of a woman suffering the effects of Alzheimer’s that the story is woven together with Rill’s story. The chapters alternate between Rill's telling and Avery’s resolve to find out what it was that drove her grandmother to be so secretive. As Avery discovers the truth, the story of the Flosses is uncovered.
The author takes an almost unthinkable chapter in our nation’s history and tells a story of most compelling power. That someone like Georgia Tann and her Memphis Tennessee Children’s Home Society could actually exist is shocking. Countless lives of children were affected, stealing their pasts and changing their futures.
Before We Were Yours is a gripping story about two families, and the secrets that surround them. Beautifully told, this novel will stay with you long after the last page.
Posted by jonf on 08/27/17
Nelson DeMille's new novel set to be released on (9/19) is a good and timely thriller featuring a new character, Daniel "Mac" MacCormack. Mac is a former Afghan vet who now runs a charter fishing boat out of Key West when he is approached by Carlos a Cuban expat who gives him an offer he can't refuse.
Mac and his crusty Vietnam vet friend Jack have a meeting with Carlos, the mysterious Eduardo and the beautiful Sara offer Mac to have him use his boat to go to Cuba to retrieve 60 million dollars hidden by Sara's grandfather. It sounds too good to be true and there is something that tell's him he isn't being told the full story.
Mac and Sara fly to Cuba and Jack captain's the boat as they head to island and meet with some dangerous and unreliable characters, and Mac fears come true.
A fun and exciting new story with his signature humor and great new protaganist set in exotic Havana and Key West, the Cuban Affair is a winner.
Posted by Lucy S on 08/14/17
Helen Watt is a professor at a prestigious London university. A former student reaches out to Helen for her expertise after a trove of papers has been uncovered during his historic home’s renovation. As soon as Helen sees this repository in person, she realizes its potential value. She allows herself to hold one of the pages dated autumn 1657 in her trembling hands recognizing that it was written in the early days of the readmission of Jewish people to England. Once her university obtains the entire collection she begins the translation work paired with a brilliant but brash young American post-graduate student, Aaron Levy.
As Helen and Aaron work on the translations, they discover that the scribe is a woman. This is unheard of in the 17th century when education is limited and women’s lives are dictated by social status. They call her Aleph until they find out her real name. Unfolding in a dual time-line format, we come to see how the scribe comes to live in England after Rabbi HaCoen Mendes rescues her and her brother having been orphaned in Portugal, how her life plays out and how she struggles against society’s expectations of her. She encounters threats against the freedom she has, loss, poverty, the Great Plague, the Great London Fire. In the meantime, Helen and Aaron continue their race to decipher the papers while another team of researchers competes with them to see who will publish their findings first.
Author Rachel Kadish has succeeded in creating an engrossing story that is carefully constructed, complex with many layers both in the historical timeline and in the modern one. Elements of history amid personal plight. The right amount of information is revealed at a time to entice the reader to find out more. This is a richly worded and detailed novel. Do not be dissuaded by the length of its pages; I hardly noticed it.
One of my favorite quotes from the book and from which, I imagine, the title of the book is derived is on page 196 “. . . for my hands would never again turn the page of a book, nor be stained with the sweet, grave weight of Ink, a thing I had loved since first memory”.
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