Happy April, Dear Readers!
The weather is topsy-turvy, the world seems a bit…out of whack, to put it mildly, and my tea has gone cold. But there is still (and always) reasons to celebrate! Here are a few quirky, off-the-beaten-track holidays in April that you might consider recognizing as a way to brighten up the month:
April 1: April Fool’s Day
Well, obviously.
There is no single origin for this holiday, though many cultures had traditionally celebrated some sort of widespread-day-of-hilarity at the beginning of spring; in Rome, it was known as the festival of Hilaria, while in India, it is known as the festival of Holi. Chaucer wrote in The Canterbury Tales about his characters playing tricks on each other sometime at the end of March, as well. So feel free to join with tradition today. Just play nice, ok?
April 10-16: National Library Week!
And you can bet we’ll be celebrating this week in style!
April 13: Scrabble Day
True story: Once upon a time, my neighbor played the word “zucchini” on a Triple Word tile, and scored 122 points in a single move. I wouldn’t challenge him to another game, but today is as good excuse as any to give this classic game a try.
April 25: Penguin Awareness Day
I want to hug a penguin.
And do you know what you can do anytime in April (or any other month, for that matter)? Come into the library and check out something fun to read, watch, or hear. Here are a few ideas to get you started, selected from the books that appeared on our shelves this week:
Mrs. Houdini: Remember how we were celebrating Harry Houdini’s birthday just last week? Well now, thanks to author Victoria Kelly, we have a novel about Bess Houdini, and the pact that she and her husband made to try and communicate beyond the grave. Following Harry’s death, Bess begins seeing Harry’s coded message to her in the most unlikely of places, leading her to suspect that Harry as an urgent message to convey. Her quest leads her to the doorstep of a young photographer, who indeed has plenty to tell Bess about her husband, and the magic that he created. Kelly makes this fictionalized Bess Houdini into a three-dimensional, complex, and wonderfully strong character, and expertly conveys her intelligence and determination, making her an ideal heroine for this novel, which the Associated Press called, “A marvel that gallops through time and space…Mrs. Houdini offers a rollicking ride from a Coney Island music hall and a traveling circus in the 1890s to Hollywood and Atlantic City, New Jersey, in the 1920s. It’s a ghost story, a love story and a great tale of suspense…Without a single misstep, Mrs. Houdini is a pure delight from the first page to the last.”
A Little Life: Though this book has been out for some time now, we just got our paperback versions in, which may make it easier to bring along with you on your daily adventures. Hanya Yanagihara’s novel tells the story of four college roommates who, like all of us, really, are adrift and a little scarred, but kept hopeful by their friendship with each other, and the bond with Jude, a brilliant and mysterious man whose life has been forever marked by his traumatic childhood. As the men grow up, grow apart, and grow into their own particular vices, they find themselves drawn back again and again to Jude, whose very presence becomes the challenge that will define each man’s life. Her book has become one of the most celebrated books of the year, being shortlisted for the Man Booker Prize and the National Book Award, and winning the Kirkus Award for Fiction–in giving the award, the judging panel of the Kirkus noted “The phrase ‘tour de force’ could have been invented for this audacious novel”.
Interior Darkness: Peter Straub is an undisputed master of the horror novel, reinventing classic themes of the genre to continue terrifying generations of readers. This book brings together sixteen of his shorter works, written over a period of twenty five years, and might very well solidify his place as a master of the short story, as well. Those ostensibly horror stories, each of these tales deal far more with the darkness in human nature, rather than the threat of ghosts or demons–which frankly makes them all the scarier, as far as I am concerned. These bite-sized pieces of devilry have been receiving rave reviews from all quarters, but my favorite quote comes from Neil Gaiman, who said of this book, “Peter Straub’s shorter fictions are like tiny novels you drown in: perfectly pitched, terrifyingly smart, big-hearted, dangerous, and even cruel. Interior Darkness shows off his range, his intelligence, his bravery and, sometimes, at the edges, allows glimpses of his fierce sense of humour. Straub deploys a host of voices that cajole and whisper and talk to you from the darkness. If you care about the short story, you should read this book, and watch a master at work.”
Spain in Our Hearts: Adam Hochschild made his career with King Leopold’s Ghost, telling the harrowing story of imperial slavery in the Belgian rubber plantations of Africa. Since then he has gone from strength to strength, and currently, that strength is this work on everyday Americans who left their lives behind to travel to Spain and fight Fascism during the Spanish Civil War in the 1930’s. The picture he paints is nothing like Hemingway’s depictions. Instead, he emphasized the full complexity of this war, the looming threat of Naziism in Europe, and the global significance that this war would have. Historian Jill Lepore has provided an excellent review of this book, saying, “Few writers grapple so powerfully with the painful moral and ethical choices of past actors as does Hochschild, who brings to Spain in Our Hearts his exceptional talents — and his moral seriousness — as a reporter, as a historian, and as a writer.”
Tasting Rome: As a history student, and someone who really likes food, this cookbook represents All The Things that make my heart go pitter-patter. Chef
Until next week, dear readers, Happy Reading!