Library Blog

Children’s Librarian and Programming Assistant, Ellen O’Dell, recommends Tom Lake by Ann Patchett.

“No plot just vibes” is a new way to describe a classic concept: a novel with little in the way of central conflict but a keen sense of place and time. Some novels included in this genre are Normal People, Mrs. Dalloway, and The Picture of Dorian Grey. 

As a particular fan of the “no plot, just vibes” style of storytelling, I recently enjoyed the novel Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. Tom Lake brings the reader to those early, delirious days of the pandemic on a cherry orchard in northern Michigan. 

When I first learned that Tom Lake takes place during the spring of 2020, I quickly stopped listening (I borrowed the audiobook narrated by Meryl Streep).

But something about the serenity of the cherry orchard, the familial bond between the characters, and the hazy sense of nostalgia pulled me back.

Patchett writes about this period of history with accuracy and tenderness that does not step too far into the fear and isolation that we were all feeling.  

It helps that much of the novel is told in retrospect, as Lara, the main character, recounts the story of her love affair with a famous actor to her three daughters. We have one foot in the present and one in the past with Lara as she relives the whirlwind relationship she had with Peter Duke, a fictional actor, in her mid-twenties. Lara and Peter are a part of the same summer theater group performing the play “Our Town.” While “Our Town” features prominently in this story, it is not necessary to have read it before picking up Tom Lake. 

Her daughters ask their mother questions about her life before children, wondering if she feels like she missed a life of wealth and glamour with Peter Duke. Lara thinks to herself, “There is no explaining this simple truth about life: you will forget much of it. The painful things you were certain you’d never be able to let go? Now you’re not entirely sure when they happened, while…

…the thrilling parts, the heart-stopping joys, splintered and scattered and became something else.”

She tells her girls that as her life went on, she evolved into someone with completely new desires and goals, shedding past versions of herself all the time, and that she cannot imagine things having gone in any other direction. Lara feels a profound sense of peace with her life on the farm.  

Tom Lake has a little something for everyone—I felt like I could relate to the three daughters, each having their lives halted when the world shut down. The novel also beautifully describes the pains and joys of motherhood, the bucolic wonder (and daily stress) of life on a farm, and the exciting lives of performing artists.  

Upon finishing the book, I wanted to dive back into the world that Patchett built (especially on these chilly winter evenings)—not for the fast-paced plot, but for the vibes of summer in northern Michigan.  

Are you curious about Tom Lake? Join us for The Community Library Book Club on April 3, 2024, to discuss the novel! 

Find Tom Lake in print, ebook, eaudiobook, and on CD, here.

Gold Mine Processing Manager Kelly Noble recommends Roman Stories by Jhumpa Lahiri.

This is an excellent collection of short stories that offer insight into the hard and difficult lives of immigrants. Strangers are always the foreigner, different from you and never truly fitting in to the dominant culture. Lahiri writes about all the normal things that seem to always crop up in the news about the immigrant experience.

Families arrive in a new country wanting a better life only to find the path forward littered with obstacles, violence, and prejudices.

In “The Boundary,” we see an immigrant family working as caretakers in the countryside. This caretaker family, immigrants from an unknown land, used to live in the city, but after the father was robbed and beaten by local men, the family moved to a more isolated place. Unfortunately, the countryside, with its small towns, rarely ever provides a safer community. The mother dislikes living there since the people are less friendly than in the city. The whole story depicts vacationing families that come to enjoy the open air and beaches. Yet, the immigrant family sees no joy in the place. They only came to escape the violence and discrimination of Rome.

They are constantly reminded that they are different and do not truly belong. They are foreigners in someone else land no matter where they live.

Many of the stories in this collection focus on the struggle to adapt to a new culture. The immigrants came for a better life, but find it impossible to fit in. Many immigrants want to preserve elements from their past lives and culture, yet those elements, such as the way one dresses, do not mix well in the new culture. The wearing of head scarves is a case in point.

Lahiri does not paint a pretty picture of the Italian society. Immigrants are not treated well and are blamed from many ills of the city.

In Well-Lit House, a father tries to find better housing for his family. He ends up in a government sponsored apartment, but only to find all the neighbors do not think that immigrants should be allowed to live there. After weeks of harassment, the father sends his wife and children back to their original country as he looks for a safer place for the family to live.

Lahiri centers most of the stories in or around Rome, but the message fits about anywhere where migrants arrive. The same problems occur here in Idaho. Fiction reflects real life and real life is not always pretty. This collection is Jhumpa Lahiri writing at her best. Roman Stories is highly recommended.

Find Roman Stories in New Books Fiction here.

Circulation Supervisor Cándida Miniño recommends building a jigsaw puzzle.

My daughter and I checked out “The Skating Party” wooden jigsaw puzzle by the artist Angie Rees. The art is a beautiful scene of penguins dressed up in sweaters ice skating on a frozen blue pond. It is a 502-piece puzzle. At the time we did not think anything of the unusual number, only excitement at the prospect of finishing the cute puzzle in one afternoon. 

As it turns out, the puzzle contains whimsical pieces, the kind of pieces that have a distinct shape, like a snowflake or a bird; and groups of pieces that make other shapes inside the puzzle. 

I had seen these kinds of pieces before in children’s puzzles, however they usually come with a cheat sheet that shows where the pieces go. This puzzle did not show the outline of pieces in the picture. We could not use the shape of a piece to find out where said piece could go.

We had to guide ourselves by the colors; and let me tell you there was a lot of blue… 

It took us three days of dedicated work to finish the puzzle. We took a picture of the completed work, laminated it, and placed it inside the wooden box with sliding cover that houses the puzzle, so if you want to have an easier time you can use it as a guide. If you are up for a bigger challenge, just use the art on the box. 

We felt very accomplished at the end of our work. 

You can find this and other puzzles by the music station outside the Lecture Hall.  

Gold Mine Processing Associate Brenda Cook recommends The Horse that God Built: The Untold Story of Secretariat, the World’s Greatest Racehorse by Lawrence Scanlan.

This book is a first hand account by author Lawrence Scanlan, as he journeys through areas of the racehorse industry, specifically regarding the great race horse Secretariat. He uncovers facts pertaining to the keepers of the famous horse, otherwise known as the backsiders.

Many see the results after the race but what goes on to get the horse to the race and keep him as a top winner is unknown to many.

Secretariat was most known for not only becoming a triple crown winner, but breaking all track records along the way and winning the last leg of the crown by an astonishing 31 lengths. To most who don’t follow horse racing this means nothing, therefore the person who would enjoy reading this book would be someone who may be a horse race enthusiast or just into horses.

The author gives you insight of all involved—trainers, jockeys, exercise riders, and most importantly the grooms. The grooms feed, nurture, and tend to every need of the horse. Should the horse become a big time valuable horse, there are even more demands entailing 24-hour watch and sleepless nights. Eddie Sweat was such a man who took care of Secretariat as if he was his own child. Sacrifices that separated him many times from his family while on the road and on planes during the horse’s travels.

The grooms are the most forgotten but most important in the horses life. The author’s goal is to pay tribute Eddie Sweat the groom. There are many important facts the author uncovers. The read is flowing and easy, I think most would understand the verbiage even if not a horse person. I would highly recommend this book to those who enjoy horse history.

You can request this title through interlibrary loan here.