Library Book Club Reviews

Communications Manager, Kyla Merwin, recommends Living Untethered by Michael A. Singer. 

One of the great gifts bestowed on us as sentient beings – which we learn to access at some point (hopefully) in our lives – is personal agency:

Will. Free will. Choice.

We cannot control most of what happens around us—hot tempers and cold people, the length of the line in the grocery store or the width of the feet we were born with, the too-slow traffic or too-quickly changing technology, the time the sun sets or the rising of the tides, the opinions of your mother-in-law and other forces of nature.

In his two best-selling books, The Untethered Soul and Living Untethered, Michael A. Singer reminds us of this aggravating powerlessness with stark, unrelenting clarity. Thankfully, he also maps for us a path to exercise personal agency – awareness, intention, and choice – over matters that we can control: Our own thoughts, feelings, and actions.

He gives us powerful tools to “relax and release” our samskaras—the wounds, the anger, the hurt, the fears that, left to their own devices, wreak havoc on our lives.

These samskaras, says Singer, often hold sway over our better judgement, undermining our best intentions, our relationships, our careers, our dreams. Most importantly, these stored narratives from our past will inevitably distort our peace of mind, our stillness of heart, and our ability to move through life with ease and grace.

By dint of being born human on this “spinning ball of dirt in the middle of the vast space of the universe,” as Singer puts it, you have the ability, through choice, to live a life full of joy, happiness, and deep meaning.

I’ll be the first to admit I have pesky samskaras inserting themselves into my daily life. So if you see me walking around the streets of my own little universe – typically between the Library, the Gold Mine Stores, the Wood River Museum, the grocery store, and home – with AirPods in my ears and my head in the clouds, I might be pondering the words of the great Taoist philosopher, Lao Tzu:

Watch your thoughts, they become your words;
Watch your words, they become your actions;
Watch your actions, they become your habits;
Watch your habits, they become your character;
Watch your character, it becomes your destiny.

Or I just may just be thinking…

…relax and release.

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Find Living Untethered in Overdrive eaudiobook here. (Print copies coming soon!)

Living Untethered is the December 6, 2023 selection for the Community Library Book Club. Learn more/sign up here. Note: You do not have to read Singer’s first book, The Untethered Soul, in order to get the full benefit of the tools in Living Untethered.

Circulation Manager Pamela Parker recommends Demon Copperhead: A Tale Retold by Barbara Kingsolver 

Best known for the parallels to Charles Dicken’s 1850 semi-autobiographic novel, David Copperfield (1850), Barbara Kingsolver’s latest novel, Demon Copperhead (2022), recounts a boy’s coming-of-age in Appalachia during the height of the opioid epidemic, which ran at its worst from 2007-2016. 

Kingsolver’s work takes us to Lee County, Virginia, where Demon “got himself born” on the bathroom floor of a backwoods trailer. His mother is an opiate addict who soon overdoses, leaving Demon stranded between a dumb, abusive stepfather and a highly dysfunctional foster-care system. Demon’s first-person narrative follows his life experiences during a time when his rural community faces the brutal fallout of widespread drug use as he’s approaching adulthood. 

He’s first placed with the McCombs family who run a foster home where boys are put to work to bring in extra cash. From trash sorting to tobacco picking, Demon describes in vivid detail the realities of his childhood labor. He eventually finds his way into the sprawling Winfield family, who like the Peggotty family in Dicken’s life, become a much-needed refuge. He starts attending school regularly, and Coach Winfield introduces him to football. The strong, red-headed Demon becomes a star running back for his high school. But soon enough his strength is tested beyond the physical. He meets Dori, whose bedridden father gets easy access to prescription opioids, and this leads them toward the inevitable. 

I read this 2023 Pulitzer Prize winning novel in one stretch and found it totally engaging. Demon’s humor and point-blank storytelling are hard to put down.

I got to wondering what it is about someone else’s misery that can captivate a reader. The short answer is Demon himself—his indomitable spirit and keen storytelling carry us through a vivid landscape of life in a hard-knocks corner of rural America.  

His brutal honesty as he ‘tells all’ about the goings on makes one grateful for being from elsewhere but also able to connect with the challenges they face. I also began to care about this place I’ve never been, and the unique individuals that make up his world. His creative use of nicknames, like Stoner for his hapless stepfather, Fast Forward, his unscrupulous dealer friend, and Creaky, the old man who runs a farm where foster boys pick tobacco is priceless. 

A thin line between those that aim to help and those that serve their own interests emerges. 

As we cringe for him and this band of misfits and has-beens, we really want to know if the human spirit can endure such hard odds – and the answer is apparently ‘yes’ if we are to believe Kingsolver. I do suggest that you buckle up for a fast ride through some dangerous curves of Virginia’s poorest rural counties. It’s an exceptional work of contemporary fiction by one of the nation’s most gifted writers but the grittiest aspects of the story aren’t always easy going. 

Barbara Kingsolver grew up in Kentucky and now makes her home in Appalachia. Known for themes of environmentalism and social justice, she has found a second wind with Demon Copperhead (2022). Her other works include The Bean Trees (1988), Poisonwood Bible (1998) and a nonfiction account of her family’s effort to return to locally sourced eating, Animal, Vegetable, Miracle (2007). She has been awarded the 2023 Pulitzer Prize for fiction for this most recent novel among other accolades.  

On Wednesday, October 4, at 5:30 pm, The Community Library Book Club will host a discussion of Demon Copperhead, and all are invited to join in. Sign up here! 

Information Systems Manager Will Duke recommends The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman.

The Graveyard Book is a captivating and enchanting tale that takes readers on a journey through a world of ghosts, mystery, and the enduring power of friendship. This extraordinary novel weaves together elements of fantasy, adventure, and coming-of-age, creating a story that is both thrilling and deeply heartfelt. 

The story revolves around Nobody Owens, a young boy who escapes an unthinkable tragedy as a baby and finds refuge in a graveyard. Raised by the spirits of the deceased and protected by Silas, a mysterious figure who straddles the worlds of the living and the dead, Bod, as he is affectionately called, embarks on a series of adventures that shape his destiny. 

Gaiman’s writing style is elegant and evocative, immersing readers in the atmospheric world of the graveyard and the supernatural beings that inhabit it.

The author’s ability to blend elements of the macabre with moments of tenderness and humor is truly remarkable. He strikes a perfect balance between darkness and light, making the story accessible to readers of all ages. 

The characters in The Graveyard Book are exceptionally well-crafted and endearing. Bod is a relatable protagonist who undergoes personal growth and self-discovery throughout the narrative. As he navigates the challenges of his dual existence, readers witness his resilience, curiosity, and determination. The supporting characters, both human and ghostly, add depth and charm to the story, each with their distinct personalities and contributions to Bod’s journey. 

Gaiman’s storytelling is richly imaginative, and he skillfully blends various folklore and mythological elements into the narrative. He seamlessly incorporates elements of ghost stories, fables, and legends, giving the book a timeless and universal quality. The plot unfolds at a steady pace, keeping readers engaged and eager to uncover the secrets of Bod’s past and the threats that lie ahead. 

Beyond its fantastical elements, The Graveyard Book explores profound themes such as family, identity, and the power of belonging. Gaiman delves into the complexities of life and death, imparting valuable life lessons in a way that is both accessible and poignant.  

The story encourages readers to appreciate the beauty of the ordinary and to embrace the extraordinary potential that lies within us all. 

The Graveyard Book is a masterfully written novel that showcases Gaiman’s exceptional storytelling abilities. It is a book that can be enjoyed by readers of all ages, transcending the boundaries of genre. With its memorable characters, atmospheric setting, and thought-provoking themes, this book has rightfully earned its place among the classics of young adult literature. 

Find it in Juvenile Fiction, eaudiobook, and ebook here.

Andrea Nelson, Library Assistant, recommends Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus.

The Community Library will hold its inaugural book club, “Together We Read!” on December 8, 2022.  I am thrilled to host our first gathering! We will discuss one of my favorite recent works of fiction, Lessons in Chemistry, by Bonnie Garmus. 

Don’t be fooled by its hot pink cover, Lessons in Chemistry is no weightless romance novel. Garmus throws a huge pile of infuriating literary stones at her protagonist, Elizabeth Zott. It’s not easy to fluster a brilliant scientist like Zott, however. She’s determined to deflect those stones, or at least heal from their impact well enough to break through the barriers they raise between her and her lifelong dream—a Ph.D. in Chemistry.    

Lessons in Chemistry takes place in the late 1950s and early 1960s, when American society largely disapproved of women like Elizabeth Zott. The few that managed to navigate the minefields of unreliable birth control and open gender discrimination in higher education found themselves swimming upstream in pretty hostile, white male dominated waters.

Without other options, she accepts a job as a cooking show host. And being Elizabeth Zott, she does what any good chemist would do: She turns citric acid, sucrose, and H20 into lemonade.

Determined not to let dim minds stand in her way, the indefatigable Zott fights her way into the rarified inner sanctum of academia, only to lose her job as a Teacher’s Assistant (her only source of income as a graduate student) over a “scandal.”  Without other options, she accepts a job as a cooking show host. And being Elizabeth Zott, she does what any good chemist would do: She turns citric acid, sucrose, and H20 into lemonade.

The timing of this first-time author’s new blockbuster might explain, at least in part, its instant appeal.  The loss of Roe vs. Wade erased a fundamental right that, for fifty years, gave women more power to compete with men in the workplace. Along with Griswold vs. Connecticut, which established a right to birth control, Roe advanced female equality in the pursuit of education and career opportunities by granting unintentionally pregnant women the freedom to control when, and whether, to bear children.

The attribute that takes Lessons in Chemistry to the next level, however, is Garmus’ incredible talent for character development. From the brilliant, quirky, indefatigable, lovably unintentional feminist to her supporting cast—including an equally brilliant young daughter and a loyal mutt with an enviable I.Q and a voice of his own. Not surprisingly, a movie is already in the making! 

Please be forewarned that Garmus’ novel contains both heartbreaking and brutal scenes, but only those necessary to further the storyline and properly address serious issues that still threaten women today. Much like Fannie Flagg’s Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, the book does not sugarcoat the awful tolerance of crime against women and victimization in in patriarchal culture, but somehow, the story remains funny, lovely, and hopeful. Once you begin to read Lessons in Chemistry, you will not want to stop. When you do come to the end, you will want to talk about it! 

Sign up for the inaugural “Together We Read!” book club here.

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