Spot-Lit for May 2013

Posted on May 7, 2013 by everettpubliclibrary

So, you’ve probably heard that Dan Brown, John Sandford, John Le Carré, Isabel Allende, and Kite Runner author Khaled Hosseini all have new books out or due out this month. Below are some more titles getting a lot of advance review buzz and/or publisher support. Click on the titles to read more or to place holds.

General Fiction / Literary Fiction

A Dual Inheritance by Joanna Hershon
A friendship formed at Harvard in 1962 then abruptly broken off is the focus of this love-triangle novel which spans the past fifty years. Hershon’s novel is being compared to Freedom, Rules of Civility, and The Marriage Plot.

Fools by Joan Silber
Occurring in many locations around the globe, and spanning the 1920s to Occupy Wall Street, these interlinked stories look at the ways people dupe one another – subtly or otherwise – and are likewise duped.

First Novels

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra
After her father is abducted, an eight-year-old girl and her neighbor, Akhmed, take refuge in a bombed out hospital in Chechnya where Sonja, the sole remaining doctor, treats the wounded and mourns her missing sister. In writing that is detailed and eloquent, Akhmed and Sonja explore their pasts and the events that have bound them together.

Red Sparrow by Jason Matthews
Pitting Putin’s SVR against the CIA, this exceptional spy thriller includes a host of villains, hit-men, and politicos while employing such spy-trade techniques as counterintelligence, surveillance, “sexpionage,” cyber-warfare and covert communications. Ex-CIA man Matthews knows his stuff.

Under Tower Peak by Bart Paul
Iraq-war vet Tommy Smith and his wilderness guide partner find themselves in the thick of things when they discover the wreckage of a missing billionaire’s airplane high in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Thugs and family members all seek their self-interest and Tommy has to dust off the sniper skills he thought he’d retired for good.

Crime Fiction

The End of the World in Breslau by Marek Krajewski
Hard-drinking Eberhard Mock investigates the grisly murders of two seemingly unrelated victims in the Polish town of Breslau in 1927. Evidence deliberately left at both crime scenes points to a single suspect. Suspicion falls on Mock’s wife when she begins to display unusual behavior.

The Redeemer by Jo Nesbø
Renegade detective Harry Hole has little to go on in solving the contract killing of a musician. Flawed, frail human nature is revealed in the characters of The Redeemer – along with their ambiguous quests for redemption. This is masterfully plotted crime writing that explores the darkest corners of the human psyche.

SF / Fantasy / Horror

The Human Division by John Scalzi
A bold, hard-SF novel in which earthlings find their own Colonial Union has deceived them and conscripted humans in a generations-long fight with aliens. Things get interesting when the aliens appeal to the betrayed humans to join them in the fight against the CU… Bradbury and Heinlein fans will want to grab this.

NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
Charles Talent Manx has a thing for abducting children. Victoria McQueen is the only victim to ever escape his grasp. That was long ago, but he hasn’t forgotten her. And now he has her son.

Red Moon by Benjamin Percy
This supernatural thriller featuring werewolves (lycans) in a story with strong social and geopolitical undercurrents should attract more than just horror fans. Percy’s book is drawing comparisons to Justin Cronin’s The Passage and Max Brooks’s World War Z.

New (to Me) Short Stories

Posted on April 15, 2013 by Richard

I don’t set out intentionally to read short stories. Really. As I look through reviews and hear of books, I simply write down the titles that seem interesting. When I revisit that list later, though, it becomes painfully obvious that I’ve got a short story addiction. I’m sure it reveals some kind of character flaw, a lack of focus perhaps or maybe an inability to commit. Luckily for me denial is a favorite response to problems. So I’m afraid society will have to pry that copy of Winesburg, Ohio out of my cold dead hands.

If you share my affliction, or simply feel like trying something new, here a few superb recent collections.

We Live in Water by Jess Walter
This is the first collection of short stories from Walter, who has recently become well known for the novel Beautiful Ruins, but let’s hope it is not his last. Each story has a strong sense of place, Spokane for the most part, and the empathy Walter displays for his down-and-out characters is matched only by his ability to bring out the humor in everyday situations. Particular standouts include “Virgo” (the tale of a newspaper editor who makes the horoscope section way too personal), “Wheelbarrow Kings” (detailing a misguied attempt to cash in a big screen TV for drug money), and “Don’t Eat Cat” (a dystopian view of a future Seattle that wants to mainstream drug addicted zombies).

A Thousand Morons by Quim Monzo
Absurdity abounds in this surreal collection of brief stories. Be prepared for a man in a nursing home who decides to take up cross dressing (“Mr. Beneset”), and a woman who methodically tries to rid herself of every memory she has every had (“Saturday”). Interspersed are more meditative stream of consciousness pieces such as “I’m Looking Out of the Window” in which the title accurately describes all of the action. If you can, briefly, abandon your sense of reality this collection is well worth the effort and might lead you to see the world in a different light.

The People of Forever are Not Afraid: A Novel by Shani Boianjiu
I know, I know… this title states it is “A Novel”. But it is really a series of connected short stories, in my view, so I’m going to stretch a point. Each story, or chapter if you must, is a different episode from the lives of three young women who grew up together and were conscripted into the Israeli army. While the stories are connected, there is no linear sense of progression. Instead each serves as a vivid description of a time and place, be it a dusty checkpoint in the middle of nowhere with a group of protestors literally demanding to be tear-gassed, or a Tel Aviv sandwich shop which promises to make a sandwich any way the customer demands. Tying everything together is a direct and effective use of language which brings every scene to life.

Revenge: Eleven Dark Tales by Yoko Ogawa
Ogawa is one of my favorite authors and is a prolific writer. Sadly many of her works are not translated into English. Imagine my delight then, when I found out, thanks Spot-Lit, that a collection had just been translated. Revenge is a series of stories that are connected but often in ways that seem oblique at first. I hesitate to describe the plots of the various stories. Let’s just say her language is sparse but very affecting and the overall impact is a quiet foreboding that is ultimately toxic. This may not sound like a compliment but trust me, it is. Here is an example, from the story “Afternoon at the Bakery”, for you to get a feel for her writing:

The kitchen was as neatly arranged as the shop. Bowls, knives, mixers, pastry bags, sifters—everything needed for the work of the day was right where it should be. The dish-towels were clean and dry, the floor spotless. And in the middle of it stood the girl, her sadness perfectly at home in the tidy kitchen. I could hear nothing, not a word, not a sound. Her hair swayed slightly with her sobs. She was looking down at the counter, her body leaning against the oven. Her right hand clutched a napkin. I couldn’t see the expression on her face, but her misery was clear from the clench of her jaw, the pallor of her neck, and the tense grip of her fingers on the telephone.

The reason she was crying didn’t matter to me. Perhaps there was no reason at all. Her tears had that sort of purity.

So there you go: Several short story collections from which you have nothing to fear. Well, be advised, they may be habit forming.

Richard

Spot-Lit for April 2013

Posted on April 8, 2013 by everettpubliclibrary

General Fiction / Literary Fiction

The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
An aspiring artist with a passion for Italian racing motorcycles heads to 1970s New York. The romance she falls into while there propels her to Rome, where she gets mixed up in Italy’s radical late ’70s politics. Advance reviews have been hugely enthusiastic.

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
Ursula Todd lives and dies many times, always reborn back into the same family, where she sometimes corrects her past mistakes, and where she finds herself in a position to truly change the world. From the author of Behind the Scenes at the Museum and Started Early, Took My Dog.

Woke Up Lonely by Fiona Maazel
Thurlow Dan is separated from his wife and daughter, and he runs Helix, a loneliness-battling cult complete with communes and speed dating. As it’s grown, Helix has attracted the attention of governments from around the world – which leads to botched reconnaissance and hostage-taking, and involves his ex-wife. A crazy quilt, funny look at mass culture and loneliness.

First Novels

Snapper by Brian Kimberling
An eccentric cast of characters swirls through this finely written tale about a young, barely-scraping-by bird researcher living in Indiana, his love for a mysterious woman, and the twisty, risky road to full adulthood. Humorous and thoughtful reading.

The Movement of Stars by Amy Brill
Hannah Price lives within the restraining principles of her 1840s Nantucket Quaker community, but her nights are given to rooftop star-gazing in hopes of discovering a comet and attaining scientific recognition. Based by the work of America’s first female astronomer, Maria Mitchell.

Amity and Sorrow by Peggy Riley
A mother flees from the compound of a polygamist cult with her daughters Amity and Sorrow, who have never seen the outside world.

Crime Fiction / Suspense

Submergence by J.M. Ledgard
Readers open to non-linear, beautiful, and thought-provoking storytelling should take a look at this novel that explores the tensions between Islamic fundamentalism and Western views, while also exploring marine biology and other subjects. A visceral, rewarding and unusual “spy thriller” set in Somalia and France.

Tuesday’s Gone by Nicci French
A social worker finds her client serving tea to a dead man. Frieda Klein is called in to investigate, but fears whoever killed this man may be targeting her next.

SF / Fantasy / Horror

River of Stars by Guy Gavriel Kay
Another epic, historical fantasy from the acclaimed Kay (Under Heaven), this one set in China’s Song dynasty.

Did You Know? (You’re Fired! Edition)

Posted on March 22, 2013 by Linda S.

To be fired originally meant that you could no longer work in your trade?

Back in the days of travelling tradesmen, workers would carry their work tools in a sack. A new employer would hold their sack for them while they were at a job. If the boss was unhappy with an employee’s work, he would give the work bag back –“sacking” them and they would move along… If they did something really bad, he would burn the tools and sack and they would be “fired”, no longer able to work in a trade without their tools.

I found this information on pages 106 & 107 in the book Red Herrings & White Elephants by Albert Jack. It has the origins of many of the phrases we use every day. There were quite a few that really made me laugh when I learned how they had come about.

It can be devastating to be let go. What To Do When You Are Fired or Laid Off by PK Fontana is a complete guide to the benefits and legal rights you need to know to get back on your feet.

I am a firm believer in “there is always a bright side” so, with that in mind, here are a few books to help you plot your course and use this opportunity to become self-employed, discover opportunities in growing fields or network for a similar position in another company: Thank-you for Firing Me! by Kitty Martini & Candice Reed, Eliminated! Now What? by Jean Baur and Getting Back to Work by Linda K. Rolie are a few good ones.

There are numerous books in our Career Center collection to help you when creating a resume, filling out an application, or preparing for a job interview. But first, take a look at Encore Career Handbook by Marci Alboher to help you pick a meaningful career.

Perhaps, after being fired, you would like a new career as a firefighter! For some local inspiration you should look at Fire boys : 100 years of Everett Firefighting History by Charles Z Henderson.

Linda

One for the Ladies

Posted on March 14, 2013 by Lisa

It may seem a bit odd to celebrate Women’s History Month by talking about fictional females, but here I am. I’ve noticed that I wind up reading a lot of fiction with males in lead roles; I guess it’s all that wizardry, sword fighting, and space travel going on – apparently lots of testosterone is needed. Needless to say, I always find it refreshing when I come across a woman in a book that I’m reading who can play with the boys, sometimes even beating them at their own game. Whether it’s mental, physical, or emotional, I love the strong ladies of lit. Sometimes things don’t work out well for them at the end of their journeys, but reading their exploits can be a welcome change in perspective from chest-thumping bros or hand-wringing ninnies. Here are some of my favorite female leads for those of you looking for a sassy lass or two:

Mattie Ross – True Grit by Charles Portis. Mattie just might be #1 on my list, so I figure she’s a great place to start. Not long ago, a librarian friend of mine challenged me to name an of-age female protagonist from a book, written for an audience older than age 12, who had no romantic or sexual subplot attached to her. At first you wouldn’t think this type of character would be hard to find, but the only person I could come up with was Miss Ross. Mattie spends much of the story as a teen, so that’s not too difficult to explain, but she also ends the book as a wise old spinster. Aside from settling a bet among librarians, Mattie is great for other reasons. She is undeniably the heroine of the story, and throughout shows cunning, bravery, and determination. I don’t want to spoil anything for those of you who have never picked up this book, but I think most readers will enjoy Mattie’s particular brand of pluck.

Beatrice “Tris” Prior – Divergent Trilogy by Veronica Roth. If you liked Katniss Everdeen trust me, you are going to love Tris Prior. Unlike Katniss, Tris made the conscious choice to enter a life of danger and adventure. In a post-apocalyptic Chicago, society is broken down into five factions where individuals live according to a core value that they choose to uphold. At sixteen Tris does the unthinkable and opts to leave her humble faction of service, Abnegation, for the daredevil warrior faction, Dauntless. This choice sets off an avalanche of challenges for Tris as she struggles to prove herself as a Dauntless member and gain acceptance into her new faction. The stakes are high, and failure could be fatal. You don’t want to miss this series.

Mina Harker – Dracula by Bram Stoker. In the opening chapters of Dracula, Mina is a single, orphaned, yet financially-independent woman – no mean feat in the late 19th Century. When I first read Dracula, I had to do a double-take on the date of publication because I was surprised by the strong lead role that Mina played. Clearly Mr. Stoker thought that Mina was exceptional as well; at one point he describes her as having a ‘man’s brain.’ Throughout the book, we learn bits and pieces about Mina’s life by reading excerpts from her correspondences and journals. Mina comes across as a very intelligent person – not only perfecting her stenography skills in order to succeed as a legal assistant for her fiance, but also studying his law texts so that she can better help him in his practice when he becomes established as a solicitor. She is an interesting mixture of the stereotypical gentle, subservient Victorian wife and a brave and intellectual heroine, often leading her vampire-hunting counterparts to important clues about Dracula’s location and plans. This mix of femininity and intellect makes her a very believable and likable protagonist.

Amelia Peabody Emerson -The Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. Last summer I was quoted as saying that I wanted to be Indiana Jones when I was a kid; that was true, but I think I should have added that I wanted to be Amelia Peabody as well. I was in love with the Amelia Peabody mystery series when I was younger, possibly more than I was with the Indiana Jones movies because I could actually imagine being Peabody. Amelia was everything I wanted to be: mature, insanely smart, funny independent, and above all – an Egyptologist at the turn of the century! This was an intoxicating thought to a nerdy little girl who loved to daydream about digging in the sand in a pith helmet and bloomers, and peering through cracks in ancient stone doors with Howard Carter to discover ‘wonderful things.‘ Through the magic of fiction, Amelia got to do all of this for me, and was witty and endearing while she was at it. To be fair, the entire cast in this series is wonderful – from Amelia’s ornery beau to their precocious children who arrive later in the series. I’d highly recommend these stories to anyone who likes both a good mystery and historical fiction.

Kat Potente – Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan. Let me just say, completely aside from the topic of this post, that I fell hard for this book; what an absolute delight it was to read! Even if you weren’t on a quest for a new female heroine I would tell you to grab this book and love it. But back to the topic at hand! Kat Potente enters the scene as the love interest of our male protagonist, Clay, but you soon learn that she is far more than a pretty face. Kat is one of the data visualization whiz kids at Google – a beyond-smart techie who seems to be on the verge of climbing high up the ranks at the internet powerhouse. When Clay becomes obsessed with mysterious goings on at his very unusual place of employment, he turns to Kat to help him find answers through the far-reaching network of information and technology that she has access to through Google. I like Kat because I find her work to be a fascinating look into the near future of where Internet technology, and the digitization of old texts, will take researchers. To a librarian and archivist, it’s tantalizing to see the concepts at play in this book, even if it’s fiction. You know that not far beneath the surface there is a lot of reality in what Sloan is writing about.

A Song of Ice and Fire series (aka Game of Thrones), by George R.R. Martin. Do I have to pick just one? This series is chock full of awesome ladies; my personal favorites are Arya, the young tomboy of House Stark, and Brienne of Tarth, the warrior maiden. Both ladies are fiercely independent, even when it causes them great pain and hardship. Without risking too much in the area of spoilers, I can also let it slip that Caitlin Stark (Eddard’s wife), Osha (a wildling woman taken captive by House Stark), and Ygritte (another wildling woman) play very important and interesting roles in the series.

Of course there are many other fascinating women in literature that deserve a write-up. I’ve tried to include books/heroines that do not get mentioned as frequently in the numerous ‘Women in Literature’ lists that can be found online. I would love to hear about your personal favorites!

Lisa

Spot-Lit for March 2013

Posted on March 8, 2013 by everettpubliclibrary

How exciting for short fiction fans to see George Saunders’ story collection, Tenth of December, rise on national best-seller lists and amass 15 holds on our 5 local copies (we spot-lit it in January). Those of you who enjoyed these stories might want to go on to The Fun Parts, Sam Lipsyte’s new story collection due out this month.

Below are ten forthcoming, full-length novels for you to enjoy. Click the titles to read more and place holds. For all new fiction on order, click here.

General Fiction / Literary Fiction

A Tale for the Time Being by Ruth Ozeki
This beguiling story links a suicidal Tokyo teen, a centenarian Buddhist nun and a Vancouver novelist. A poignant, emotional reckoning of meaning, life and time.

Benediction by Kent Haruf
Strained and estranged family relationships along with end-of-life realities are at the center of this humane novel by the acclaimed author of Eventide and Plainsong.

Middle C by William Gass
Joseph Skizzen emigrates from Austria during World War II and grows up in Ohio where he ultimately becomes a piano teacher. It’s impossible to summarize this wide-ranging and language-rich story in a sentence or two, but adventurous readers should be pleased.

First Novels

The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne
Defense attorney Daniel Hunter confronts his own troubled childhood and difficult past while representing an 11-year-old boy accused of killing a younger boy. A legal thriller charged with psychological insight.

Wolfhound Century by Peter Higgins
An alternate history set in Stalinist Russia that stirs together revolutionaries, cabaret girls, terrorism, the secret police and elements of the paranormal.

Masterman

Rage Against the Dying by Becky Masterman
Brigid Quinn has just retired – or so she thought – from a career as a sex-crimes undercover agent when there’s a new lead in the Route 66 serial killer case – the only one she’d left unsolved.

The Supremes at Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat by Edward Moore
Three women and four decades of their close-knit lives – school, marriages, parenthood, and more – all watched over by Big Earl and served with his copious plates of fried chicken. Fans of The Help and Waiting to Exhale should enjoy.

Dreams and Shadows by C. Robert Cargill
Welcome to the Limestone Kingdom, a land not easily left behind. This dark literary fantasy in the mold of Neil Gaiman and Lev Grossman offers an intricate plot and exceptionally well-developed characters.

Crime Fiction /Suspense

Death on a Pale Horse by Donald Thomas
As regular readers of areadinglife know, many authors have picked up where Arthur Conan Doyle left off. Donald Thomas offers a worthy addition that has Sherlock Holmes and Watson tracking down an international conspiracy of criminals who have designs on bringing down Britain.

A Dying Fall by Elly Griffiths
The recent discovery of King Richard III’s skeleton should give a boost to Griffiths’ fifth forensic mystery, in which King Arthur’s remain have been discovered, a fellow archaeologist is murdered, and a right-wing group is terrorizing a local campus.

Cookbooks for Free

Posted on January 28, 2013 by Leslie

“How much does this book cost?” is a question I get occasionally from pre-school aged children on the library’s bookmobile. The idea of the free public library is a foreign one to some young minds. You probably totally get this concept since you’re reading this blog. Free books? Of course! Count me in!

I love to check out all of the glossy, beautiful cookbooks that our library has to offer just to see if they are worth purchasing for personal home use. Here are the ones that I’ve found at the library and loved so much that I just had to add them to my home cookbook shelf:

Stir Frying to the Sky’s Edge: The Ultimate Guide to Mastery with Authentic recipes and Stories by Grace Young. This is a complete guide to stir frying with over 100 recipes, stunning photos, and many great tips. We especially love the Cashew Chicken recipe at our house.

In the Kitchen With a Good Appetite: 150 Recipes and Stories about the Food You Love by Melissa Clark. The only thing lacking in this cookbook is photos, but it is full of stories, and fantastic recipes to cook delicious meals and fill you up. We love the Spicy Chicken Barley Soup. Try it!

Here’s one that I purchased as a gift for a new cook. What to Cook & How to Cook it: Fresh & Easy by Jane Hornby. The fantastic thing about this book is that it is so visual, almost like a visual menu. It has photos for each step of each recipe, from laying out all of the ingredients to the finished product. It shows you everything. How easy is that?

I’m in the ‘holds’ line to check out these cook books:

Barefoot Contessa Foolproof by Ina Garten looks like a keeper. I love all of Ina Garten’s cookbooks and this one probably won’t disappoint. I’ll check it out from the library first just to be sure.

The Smitten Kitchen Cookbook by Deb Perelman is very popular these days. There’s quite a buzz about this one, so, of course, I must check it out. Literally.

And, finally, here’s one that I just found on the new book shelf. Oh, my, but this one is gorgeous and glossy. Home Cooking with Jean-Georges: My Favorite Simple Recipes by Jean-Georges Vongerichten. With a name like that, he must be a great chef, right? That’s Stone Fruit Bruschetta on the cover. Each of the recipes have a stunning photo and look delicious.

I can answer that child’s question for you: books cost a lot of money! Check out these fabulous cookbooks and others at your free public library.

You hungry now? I am. Buh-bye, I’m off to cook!

Leslie

Falling Apart & Running Away: A Look at Three New Novels

Posted on January 24, 2013 by Esta

These three novels sparkle with the energy of their characters’ struggles, and stand out as some of the best psychological fiction of 2012. They deal with the themes of running away and falling apart, as the characters dare to explore and experience their own frailties, faults and fears. They are also great stories for readers to escape into. As I read them, I was totally captivated by their exotic locations and emotional intensity.

Flight Behavior by Barbara Kingsolver begins with a young rural woman’s frustration as she struggles to accept the dull confines of her marriage. Dellarobia’s emotions sing out to us with the rich music of her Appalachian dialect. She is like an exotic bird caged by the limits of her traditional Tennessee town. Emotionally starved, she considers an affair, and she suffers from impulses to run away from her family. Alone on a mountainside, she looks down and sees a “valley of fire,” an event that seems biblical but is actually a frightening sign of nature’s own upheaval caused by climate change: a mass of millions of monarch butterflies, covering the forest in fiery orange as they seek refuge from the weather.

As the town is torn apart by people’s responses to this “miracle,” Dellarobia’s own life rips open as she savors new ideas and experiences. Biologists, journalists, tour guides, and church groups descend on the family’s farmland, and in the midst of this chaos she discovers a way to put back the pieces of her own life and to move forward with strength.

The Forgiven by Lawrence Osborne transports us to an exotic setting in the desert mountains of Morocco which the author Lawrence Osborne knows well, being a nomadic journalist and world traveler. A middle-aged British couple, stagnating in their marriage and careers, are driving a rental car through rural Morocco with little idea of the culture and the desolation that they are passing through. After sniping at each other in a cafe, the husband David orders a bottle of wine and finishes it, and his wife Jo wearily resigns herself to his alcoholic indiscretions.

Back in the car, they head for a hedonistic party given by Richard and Dally, a gay celebrity couple. On the rural road in the gathering darkness, two young men spring out, holding out fossils to sell to the passing tourists…and David’s careless swerve leaves one man dead. The couple arrives with the young man’s body in the back of the car, and find themselves in the midst of an international crowd of revelers. They are invited to enjoy the decadent food, plentiful drugs, and an orgy that horrifies the Moroccan Muslim servants. Soon David and Jo are caught up in a web of judgment and anger, as they must deal with their responsibility under Islamic law and tradition for the consequences of their own behavior. The dead man’s family journey there from their remote village, demanding retribution. As these two vastly different cultures struggle to comprehend each other, people seem to forget their basic humanity.

In Too Bright To Hear Too Loud To See by Juliann Garey, we are invited into the mind-storm of Greyson, a Hollywood studio executive who is barely keeping himself together under the pressure of his job. He is no longer thrilled by celebrity angst and by sharing lines of cocaine at Beverly Hills parties. And it’s becoming harder and harder to hide the storms of his manic depression from his co-workers, his worried wife, and their little daughter. This is a compassionate and vivid portrayal of mental illness, and the author is skilled at portraying Grey’s gradual mental disintegration.

Grey is furious with himself for failing his wife and daughter, and he arranges for them to be financially secure before he decides to flee. The novel follows ten years in Grey’s life as he travels the world and let’s himself “fall apart.” With blinding light and terrifying darkness, his travels lead him through Italy, Israel, Chile, Thailand and Uganda. He tries to find relief by taking risks, and he seeks out danger, edgy sex, and exotic destinations. But even his money cannot protect him from feeling vulnerable and being victimized. The storyline jumps between Grey’s travels and his experiences years later in a psychiatric hospital. He is truly a man who excels at running away, a man who can easily be swept away by the hurricane of his chaotic mind. But when his daughter seeks him out on a journey of her own, Grey begins to take small steps into the unfamiliar realm of the heart.

Esta

Winter of Our Discontent

Posted on January 22, 2013 by Richard

With the holidays behind us we now face, let’s be honest, a month or two that can sometimes seem a little bleak. Sure you might get a glimpse of the sun now and again but the cold temperatures will remind you that spring is a ways off. When it comes to selecting what to read this time of year the healthy thing to do, most would say, is to distract yourself with light, humorous or optimistic fiction and be sure in the knowledge that the season will change.

Sadly, I just can’t take that advice. Perhaps it is a case of misery loving company but I always end up selecting titles that are more reflective of the short days and cold nights. If you are of my disposition, or just feel the tug of something dark at your sleeve now and again, you may want to sample a few of these titles. They are a bit strange, disturbing and at times a tad depressing but for your convenience I will list them from least to most despair inducing. If you have to bail early I totally understand.

Tochtli, the young boy at the center of Down the Rabbit Hole by Juan Pablo Villalobos, has his heart set on one thing: A Liberian pygmy hippopotamus. It might seem an impossible choice but Tochtil’s father is a powerful, and paranoid, drug kingpin who denies his son nothing while keeping him, and a few retainers, isolated in a mansion in the desert. More absurdities abound (including a hat collection, samurais and a fascination with the French Revolution) but what humor there is, is definitely dark. This slim novel is told entirely from the boy’s unique perspective and skillfully reflects the isolated nature of his existence while blending the real with the seemingly fantastic.

The characters in the short story collection Stay Awake by Dan Chaon also inhabit a space somewhere between the real and, for lack of a better word, something else. What that “something else” actually is, is left tantalizingly unclear. But you definitely get the feeling it isn’t good. ‘The Bees’ tells the story of a boy’s inexplicable nightmares that trigger his father’s sense of guilt about the family he abandoned. ‘Patrick Lane, Flabbergasted’ is the tale of a directionless 20 something who is living in his dead parents’ house with a growing sense of dread. ‘I Wake Up’ follows a foster child who suddenly starts getting calls in the middle of the night from his long lost sister who wants to talk about a past he can’t remember. Chaon’s characters are sympathetically drawn and artfully reflect the confusion and pain of a personal loss that can lead toward an altered view of reality.

This last book is not for the faint of heart. But with the title of Your House is on Fire, Your Children All Gone that isn’t too surprising. The author, Stefan Kiesbye, has created a seemingly innocuous rural town in Germany, Hemmersmoor , that outsiders see as a bit backward but typical of its type. As the novel opens, several of the children who grew up there have come back later in life for a funeral. Their recollections, some repressed others freely remembered, of what occurred in their childhood are then shown in a series of interconnected stories. The town their tales reveal is a darkly fantastical place full of cruelty, vice, vindictiveness and horror. The best way to think of this chilling book is as a cross between Shirley Jackson and the Brothers Grimm.

You made it. Well done. Apologies if I bummed you out, but hey, it is January after all.

Richard

Don’t Panic!

Posted on December 23, 2012 by everettpubliclibrary

Tick, tick, tick. That’s the sound of the holiday shopping clock running out. If you are among the millions of people who still have some holiday gifts to purchase, panic may be setting in at this point. You probably have the major players (spouse, parents, children) covered by now but those hard to gift folks (friends, co-workers, distant relations) may still be on your list. If you are still scrambling for gift ideas, let us show you a little library secret that might be of assistance.

The New Titles feature of our library catalog can be a great source for gift ideas. This menu allows you to browse the latest books, movies, and music recordings that are currently available. From the Everett Library webpage simply click on the library catalog and then check out the New Titles section on the right sidebar. In addition, several new title lists are displayed on the front page of the catalog itself.

Here are just a few of the new books listed: