So it’s fall, dear patrons, and a lovely one at that.
Did you know that the drought in New England is actually making the fall colors brighter? Because the leaves have less water in them, the sugar in them concentrates–and it is the sugar that makes the leaves turn colors…more precisely, it’s the chlorophyll leaving the leaves that takes the green away, but the color that remains is determined by the type of tree and the glucose levels in the leaves. The higher the sugar content, the higher the reds and purples we see. Nerd alert.
Here at the library, we are seeing a bumper crop of new books on our shelves, offering plenty of hours of reading pleasure for the lengthening nights. And don’t forget to check out our All Hallow’s Reads displays to keep you in the Halloween spirit! Here are just a few suggestions for you from the new book harvest this week:
Indelible Ink: The Trials of John Peter Zenger and the Birth of America’s Free Press: It’s been a pretty interesting few weeks in the world of journalism, which makes it even more interesting to understand how the concept of “the freedom of the press” came to be established in the United States. In this fascinating work, Pulitzer Prize-winning writer Richard Kluger examines a 1733 incident when a a small newspaper, the New-York Weekly Journal, printed scathing articles assailing the new British governor, William Cosby, calling him corrupt and abusive. The paper’s publisher, an impoverished printer named John Peter Zenger, had no hand in the words or ideas behind that paper, but it was he who was prosecuted for the attacks on Cosby. Zenger faced down the attacks, however, spending over a year in prison before finally facing a jury in a case that would lay the foundations for the rights journalists still claim today. This book is not only winning over readers, but scoring big points with historians and critics as well for its insightful, well-researched, and expertly-told story. The New York Times Book Review, to note one example, said that it is full of “vivid storytelling built on exacting research, a knack for animating the context and an exquisite sense of balance that honors this country’s essential press freedom without romanticizing its champions.”
Permanent Sunset: Fans of the unlikely sleuth Sabrina Salter will delight in her newest outing, set on the idyllic villa in the Virgin Islands. A former television meteorologist, Sabrina has just begun to relish her new life in the upscale rental business when the body of a woman who was set to marry the soon-to-be-former owner of a villa Sabrina was in the process of buying, a discovery that puts her once again at the center of a murder mystery that will call on all her cunning and quick wits to solve. Those of you pining for the return of lazy summer days will love the detailed setting of these books, and there is no doubt that C. Michele Dorsey knows how to produce a mystery full of twists, turns, and shocks that will have fans riveted. Publisher’s Weekly agrees, saying that this second book in Sabrina’s series is an “Outstanding sequel… The ensuing mystery, chockablock with unanticipated plot twists, complex supporting characters, and terrific dialogue, makes for mighty good page-turning fun.”
The Angel of History: In this small-scale epic novel, Rabih Alameddine presents one night in the life of a Yemeni-born poet named Jacob, who is passing the time in the waiting room of a psych clinic, side-by–side with the specters of Satan, Death, and 14 saints, who all wait with him has he ponders his life, from his early years growing up in an Egyptian brothel to the confines of his wealthy father’s home, to the struggles and triumphs of living as a gay Arab man in San Fransisco during the height of the AIDS crisis. Though heartbreaking and deeply profound, Alameddine is one of those rare talents that is able to bring humor into the depths of his characters’ turmoil, making for a book that is drawing comparisons to Mikhail Bulgakov’s The Master and Margarita, and calling forth enormous praise from readers and critics alike. Library Journal gave the novel a starred review, saying “How does the mind grapple with transition, change, loneliness, and deterioration? Alameddine’s body of work is an extended meditation on this central question . . . With humor and wit, Alameddine reconfigures the self in exile and all its implications.”
The Adventurist: How many times have we seens cubicle workers equated with drones, “desk jobs” described as “mindless”? In this wonderfully insightful novel, J. Bradford Hipps peeks below the assumptions about corporate office life to study the existence of one man. Harry Hurt may be mired in work-related responsibilities and worries, particularly as his software company’s budget begins to skid, but he is also a man in search of love, a brother, a potential lover, and a man who has decided, once and for all, to live his life adventurously…or, at least, to try. The very real, very human story that Hipps tells within the monotony of corporate life is a real surprise, perhaps because we’ve come to see so many existences astwo-dimensional. Publisher’s Weekly agrees, and gave this book a starred review, noting that Harry is “self-aware and observant, the perfect narrator for a story that feels like the slow-motion collapse of a man who’s already on the edge when the reader meets him. But rather than leaving him to wallow, the novel ends on a sense of hope predicated on the potential in a clean break and a fresh start. Deeply human, at times funny, and laced throughout with reflection on the crushing weight of the familiar, this novel is an engaging and nuanced exploration of life.”
Moscow Nights: The Van Cliburn Story–How One Man and His Piano Transformed the Cold War: The full title is something of a mouthful, but Nigel Cliff’s gripping story of the Texas-born Van Cliburn is a wonderfully readable modern history of music during the largest standoff in modern history. Cliburn traveled to the Soviet Union in 1958 to compete in the First International Tchaikovsky Competition–a competition that Soviet leaders had already determined would be won by a Soviet pianist. But the moment that the shy 23-year-old began to play, audiences fell in love with his talent and his sheer love of his art. In the end, Cliburn was awarded top prize on orders from Khrushchev himself, creating a moment of shared joy in the midst of worldwide fear and darkness. Cliff’s account captures the tension of the Cold War, but also the marvel of Cliburn’s talent, and the marvelous connection that all of us, as humans, have to music, making for a book that is both educational, and unexpectedly hopeful. Booklist gave the work a starred review, hailing it as “A thrilling delight…compulsively readable…a biography for music lovers, Cold War devotees, and all readers seeking a true feel-great story.”
Until next week, beloved patrons…..happy reading!