Director of Library Operations Pam Parker recommends The Demon of Unrest: A Saga of Hubris, Heartbreak, and Heroism at the Dawn of the Civil War by Erik Larson. Readers of Erik Larson’s other noteworthy historical exposés, such as The Devil in the White City (2003), will find familiar territory in his new Civil War-themed work, The Demon of Unrest (2024). I found this latest effort to be surprisingly suspenseful considering that the Civil War is a subject about which plenty has already been … [Read more...] about Book Review: The Demon of Unrest
Library Book Club Reviews
Book Review: Crazy Brave
Information Systems Manager Will Duke recommends Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo. Crazy Brave by Joy Harjo stands out from typical memoirs by embracing storytelling deeply rooted in Native American culture. Unlike many mainstream memoirs that follow linear structures, Harjo’s memoir embodies the circularity inherent in Native American storytelling traditions. Harjo’s narrative interweaves memory, myth, and metaphor, guided by what she refers to as "the knowing." She creates a tapestry where … [Read more...] about Book Review: Crazy Brave
Book Review: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
by James McBride, reviewed by Director of Library Operations Pamela Parker Another blockbuster success from author James McBride, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store (2023) combines his passion for American musical traditions with his fascination with the hard times in our nation’s history. He tackles both race and creed in this work of historical fiction—the result is being touted as our next “Great American Novel.” Written in a style reminiscent of Deacon King Kong (2020) and … [Read more...] about Book Review: The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store
Book Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Molly! Goodyear recommends The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab. We make decisions every day that determine the course of our lives. Some are well thought-out, others are made on the spur of the moment, only a few are made out of desperation. For Addie LaRue, the unanticipated consequences of one desperate decision were devastating, enlightening and revelatory. The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab is a compelling and beautifully crafted novel that intricately … [Read more...] about Book Review: The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue
Book Review: Living Untethered
Communications Manager, Kyla Merwin, recommends Living Untethered: Beyond the Human Predicament 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 … [Read more...] about Book Review: Living Untethered
Book Review: Demon Copperhead
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 … [Read more...] about Book Review: Demon Copperhead
