Hello! I hope this newsletter finds you all well and enjoying summer. The library is buzzing with activity these days and it seems we’re checking out more books than ever. Our monthly prizewinner this time around is Linda Rowell. Linda has been a participant from the very beginning, so congratulations to her! Since we started this reading challenge in 2015, we’ve given out gift certificates worth a total of $675.00. The Friends of the Homer Public Library has provided the funds for these prizes, so I’m sending out a giant THANK YOU to that wonderful organization. They do so much to keep the Homer Public Library a thriving entity in our community.
**Here are the featured books for the month of July: All Over the Map: Deep Down Dark by Hector Tobar. In August 2010, the San Jose Mine in Chile collapsed with thirty-three miners trapped underground. This book is a detailed account of their sixty-nine days under the earth. Scott Wallace of the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Weaving together the drama of the miners' harrowing ordeal below ground with the anguish of families and rescuers on the surface, Tobar delivers a masterful account of exile and human longing, of triumph in the face of all odds.” We have the audio CDs at the library and it’s downloadable in ebook or audio format through the Alaska Digital Library. http://adl.lib.overdrive.com
Animal Nature: The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac by Sharma Shields. This book is described as, “A dark, fantastical, multi-generational tale about a family whose patriarch is consumed by the hunt for the mythical, elusive Sasquatch he encountered in his youth.” Richard Russo says, “The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac is deeply strange and strangely moving.” Our lone 15 in ’16 reader who submitted this book online thought it was fantastic!
Creative Types: Here by Richard McGuire. This book—not quite a graphic novel but categorized as one for the sake of cataloging—is difficult to describe, so I’m leaning on this description from Marnie Kingsley from the San Antonio Current: “Here retains almost no qualities of a novel: It is non-linear, there are no distinct characters, apart from the space, and there is no plot. Despite these seemingly large hurdles, McGuire produces a reading experience that is emotional, thought-provoking and interactive.... A brisk and brilliant read, Here combines genres and styles in a meditation on impermanence and the processes of memory.”
Election Year: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. This fast paced, young adult novel takes place in the not-so-distant future during the aftermath of terrorist attacks on the city of San Francisco. Seventeen-year-old Marcus and his friends are in the wrong place at the wrong time and are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security. This book made headlines when the principal of a Pensacola, FL high school pulled the book from a summer reading list and Doctorow subsequently sent a copy of his book to each 9th and 10th grader enrolled at the school. The audio of this book is available through the Alaska Digital Library and the author has offered the ebook as a free download on his website: http://craphound.com/littlebrother/do...
Isn’t it Romantic?: Sea Swept by Nora Roberts. This is the tale of three men bound by the love of the extraordinary couple who took them in and raised them as brothers. When the brothers lose their beloved adoptive father, they return to their boyhood home in order to fulfill their father’s dying wish. Nora Roberts is known for her romance novels, and this book stays true to her form. This is the first novel in the Chesapeake Bay Saga, so if you like this one, there are more to follow.
Laugh Out Loud: The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick. Bartholomew Neil has lived with his mother for 38 years and now she is gone and he must figure out what to do with his life. With a most unusual cast of characters, he sets out on a road trip to Canada. A reviewer said, “Bart isn’t a grand hero, but he glows with sincerity and compassion.” One of Quick’s earlier novels, The Silver Linings Playbook, was made into a movie, and this one seems to be slated for the big screen as well.
North Country: The Son by Jo Nesbo. Local 15 in ’16 participant Catriona Reynolds submitted this comment about The Son: “I listened to this while driving and then while home sick. It was an engaging listen. Gildart Jackson gave an entertaining reading with awesome voices for all the characters; usually I find that kind of irritating but he pulls it off well. The story is complex and interesting, keeps you guessing what the outcome will be all the way through. Recommended for when you need a "popcorn" book. Also, I LOVE Overdrive, it has revolutionized my road trips!” In addition to our regular copy of this book, it’s also available in Large Print and audio CD. The audio and ebook versions can be downloaded through Alaska Digital Library.
Southern Flair: The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty. This novel won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1972. An online reviewer says, “Perhaps more so than in any other work, Welty writes ‘below the surface’ here: the story itself, which concerns a daughter who returns to her tiny Mississippi home town when her respected father dies, is quite slight—but Welty endows it with a surprising depth of meaning, transforming what would otherwise be pure character study into a sharply focused and deeply moving statement on the nature of love, loss, life, and the passage of time we must all endure.” This one is available on audio from Alaska Digital Library.
Staff Picks: After the Parade by Lori Ostlund. This novel is about Aaron England, a man who leaves his longtime partner in New Mexico for a new life in San Francisco, launching him on a tragicomic road trip and into the mysteries of his own Midwestern childhood. It was listed as one of NPR’s Best Books of 2015 and a Kirkus starred review states: “Everything here aches, from the lucid prose to the sensitively treated characters to their beautiful and heartbreaking stories…An example of realism in its most potent iteration: not a neatly arranged plot orchestrated by an authorial god but an authentic, empathetic representation of life as it truly is.” We have this one on audio CD and both the ebook and audio are available through the Alaska Digital Library.
Wild West: Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne. “A stunningly vivid historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West, centering on Quanah, the greatest Comanche chief of them all and his mother, Cynthia Ann Parker who at nine-years-old was kidnapped by the Comanche but grew to love her captors.” I listened to this book a few years ago and often found myself sitting in the car waiting to hear what the author would reveal next. If you’re interested in American history, chances are you’ll enjoy this well-researched book. In addition to the book, the audio CDs are available at the library.
Must be a group member before inviting friends
I hope this newsletter finds you all well and enjoying summer. The library is buzzing with activity these days and it seems we’re checking out more books than ever.
Our monthly prizewinner this time around is Linda Rowell. Linda has been a participant from the very beginning, so congratulations to her!
Since we started this reading challenge in 2015, we’ve given out gift certificates worth a total of $675.00. The Friends of the Homer Public Library has provided the funds for these prizes, so I’m sending out a giant THANK YOU to that wonderful organization. They do so much to keep the Homer Public Library a thriving entity in our community.
**Here are the featured books for the month of July:
All Over the Map: Deep Down Dark by Hector Tobar. In August 2010, the San Jose Mine in Chile collapsed with thirty-three miners trapped underground. This book is a detailed account of their sixty-nine days under the earth. Scott Wallace of the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Weaving together the drama of the miners' harrowing ordeal below ground with the anguish of families and rescuers on the surface, Tobar delivers a masterful account of exile and human longing, of triumph in the face of all odds.” We have the audio CDs at the library and it’s downloadable in ebook or audio format through the Alaska Digital Library. http://adl.lib.overdrive.com
Animal Nature: The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac by Sharma Shields. This book is described as, “A dark, fantastical, multi-generational tale about a family whose patriarch is consumed by the hunt for the mythical, elusive Sasquatch he encountered in his youth.” Richard Russo says, “The Sasquatch Hunter’s Almanac is deeply strange and strangely moving.” Our lone 15 in ’16 reader who submitted this book online thought it was fantastic!
Creative Types: Here by Richard McGuire. This book—not quite a graphic novel but categorized as one for the sake of cataloging—is difficult to describe, so I’m leaning on this description from Marnie Kingsley from the San Antonio Current: “Here retains almost no qualities of a novel: It is non-linear, there are no distinct characters, apart from the space, and there is no plot. Despite these seemingly large hurdles, McGuire produces a reading experience that is emotional, thought-provoking and interactive.... A brisk and brilliant read, Here combines genres and styles in a meditation on impermanence and the processes of memory.”
Election Year: Little Brother by Cory Doctorow. This fast paced, young adult novel takes place in the not-so-distant future during the aftermath of terrorist attacks on the city of San Francisco. Seventeen-year-old Marcus and his friends are in the wrong place at the wrong time and are apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security. This book made headlines when the principal of a Pensacola, FL high school pulled the book from a summer reading list and Doctorow subsequently sent a copy of his book to each 9th and 10th grader enrolled at the school. The audio of this book is available through the Alaska Digital Library and the author has offered the ebook as a free download on his website: http://craphound.com/littlebrother/do...
Isn’t it Romantic?: Sea Swept by Nora Roberts. This is the tale of three men bound by the love of the extraordinary couple who took them in and raised them as brothers. When the brothers lose their beloved adoptive father, they return to their boyhood home in order to fulfill their father’s dying wish. Nora Roberts is known for her romance novels, and this book stays true to her form. This is the first novel in the Chesapeake Bay Saga, so if you like this one, there are more to follow.
Laugh Out Loud: The Good Luck of Right Now by Matthew Quick. Bartholomew Neil has lived with his mother for 38 years and now she is gone and he must figure out what to do with his life. With a most unusual cast of characters, he sets out on a road trip to Canada. A reviewer said, “Bart isn’t a grand hero, but he glows with sincerity and compassion.” One of Quick’s earlier novels, The Silver Linings Playbook, was made into a movie, and this one seems to be slated for the big screen as well.
North Country: The Son by Jo Nesbo. Local 15 in ’16 participant Catriona Reynolds submitted this comment about The Son: “I listened to this while driving and then while home sick. It was an engaging listen. Gildart Jackson gave an entertaining reading with awesome voices for all the characters; usually I find that kind of irritating but he pulls it off well. The story is complex and interesting, keeps you guessing what the outcome will be all the way through. Recommended for when you need a "popcorn" book. Also, I LOVE Overdrive, it has revolutionized my road trips!” In addition to our regular copy of this book, it’s also available in Large Print and audio CD. The audio and ebook versions can be downloaded through Alaska Digital Library.
Southern Flair: The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty. This novel won the Pulitzer Prize for fiction in 1972. An online reviewer says, “Perhaps more so than in any other work, Welty writes ‘below the surface’ here: the story itself, which concerns a daughter who returns to her tiny Mississippi home town when her respected father dies, is quite slight—but Welty endows it with a surprising depth of meaning, transforming what would otherwise be pure character study into a sharply focused and deeply moving statement on the nature of love, loss, life, and the passage of time we must all endure.” This one is available on audio from Alaska Digital Library.
Staff Picks: After the Parade by Lori Ostlund. This novel is about Aaron England, a man who leaves his longtime partner in New Mexico for a new life in San Francisco, launching him on a tragicomic road trip and into the mysteries of his own Midwestern childhood. It was listed as one of NPR’s Best Books of 2015 and a Kirkus starred review states: “Everything here aches, from the lucid prose to the sensitively treated characters to their beautiful and heartbreaking stories…An example of realism in its most potent iteration: not a neatly arranged plot orchestrated by an authorial god but an authentic, empathetic representation of life as it truly is.” We have this one on audio CD and both the ebook and audio are available through the Alaska Digital Library.
Wild West: Empire of the Summer Moon by S.C. Gwynne. “A stunningly vivid historical account of the forty-year battle between Comanche Indians and white settlers for control of the American West, centering on Quanah, the greatest Comanche chief of them all and his mother, Cynthia Ann Parker who at nine-years-old was kidnapped by the Comanche but grew to love her captors.” I listened to this book a few years ago and often found myself sitting in the car waiting to hear what the author would reveal next. If you’re interested in American history, chances are you’ll enjoy this well-researched book. In addition to the book, the audio CDs are available at the library.