“later that night
i held an atlas in my lap
ran my fingers across the whole world
and whispered
where does it hurt?
it answered
everywhere
everywhere
everywhere.”
Wanderlust Reading List: Belgium
Happy Monday, dear readers!
Today, we bring you a wanderlust reading list based on my recent trip to Belgium…it was for a history conference, which was great, but to be honest, I was so busy, I didn’t even get a waffle. I’m not joking.
I spent most of my time in Ghent, a port city that grew along the convergence of the Scheldt and Leie rivers, and was one of the wealthiest cities in Belgium–and Europe–in the middle ages. Flemish art and culture flourished here, as can been seen in the stunning architecture and artwork throughout the city; for the record, ‘Flemish’ is a word that describes the Dutch language and culture, as well as the numerous dialects of the Dutch language (Belgian Dutch sounds surprisingly different from Netherlands Dutch, which I never knew!)
The city remained a major site for the textile industry, making it a hub of culture and commerce well into the 19th century, and the War of 1812 ended with the signing of the Treaty of Ghent. Two years later, the University of Ghent was established, and remains a prestigious place of learning to this day.
Though Ghent was occupied by the German Army in both World War One and World War Two, but remained comparatively untouched, especially in comparison to places like Ypres, which was literally wiped off the map. As a result, Ghent is a stunningly beautiful city, with panoramic river views, big statues, wide, welcoming squares, and plenty of outdoor spaces in which to take it all in. There are oodles of bars, cafes, and restaurants, offering a huge variety of food and drink–particularly Belgian beer, which is typically light in color and so wheaty that it’s rather like drinking a dinner roll. As a result, it’s a perfect choice for drinking while sitting a spell near the river and watching the varied world go by.
And while I didn’t get a waffle in the course of my travels, I did, however, find a charming English-language bookstore by the Leie River, who introduced me to a whole range of Belgian literature (in translation, obviously) that made me feel like I had spent weeks wandering the Flemish countryside, waffle in hand, chatting with charming Dutch-speaking locals and their picturesque cows. And, thanks to that chat, I was able to get a number of recommendations for those who would like to take an armchair adventure to Belgium–and might very well come back having experienced much more culture than I did!
Styx: The prolific and consistently surprising Bavo Dhooge was born in Ghent, though his latest paranormal detective novel is set in the coastal city of Ostend. Rather like Aspe’s Van In, the detective in this story, the middle-aged Rafael Styx, is cranky and sore, dealing with a bad hip and a failing marriage. However, this case deals with a ruthlessly clever serial killer known as The Stuffer, who fills his victims full of sand and poses them as public art installations. Indeed, Styx very nearly winds up as The Stuffer’s latest victims–but rather than dying of the shot he took to the chest, Styx instead wakes up a zombie. Though he has to deal with some unpleasant side-effects of this condition, not least of which is nearly-controllable bodily decay and a growing taste for human flesh, Styx finds that there are benefits–including the ability to travel within Ostend’s history, which gives Styx a very unique insight into his criminal prey. Dhooge’s description of Ostend during the Belle Epoque is not to be missed, but it is his wickedly black humor and willingness to take his story where you least expect it, is really what makes this book such a treat to read.
On Black Sisters Street: A native of Nigeria, Chika Unigwe now lives in Belgium, and her stories relate the pain, struggles, and consistent loss that is the immigrant experience. In this novel, set in Antwerp, four women share an apartment in the red-light district, pledged to a ruthless Madam and an enigmatic pimp, they are seen by most as little more than commodities. But in Unigwe’s startling and deeply moving story, each woman presents her own story, revealing her deep humanity, and the secrets, hopes, and fears that drive her onward. Though bleak, the bond that forms between these women is powerful and transformative, making this story far more than a tear-jerker. It is also a ruthlessly precise and incisive view of Europe from an African perspective, giving new insight into the perennial issue of immigration, to Europe, as well as around the world.
Cheese: There is no political satire quite like a Belgian political satire, and this classic by Dutch author William Elsschot is a hallmark of that particular genre. First published in 1933, this novel tells the story of Frans Laarmans, a harried clerk in Antwerp who suddenly finds himself the chief agent for Edam cheese, those little red-rind Dutch cheeses, and ordered to sell thousands of wheels, and some 370 cases containing ten thousand full-cream cheeses. This might be some people’s dream come true, but not only does Laarmans not know how to run a business, he doesn’t even like cheese! As a visit from his bosses loom, Laarmans traverses the city, exploring its rigid class structure and charming foibles, gently cracking under the pressure of cheese. Though Elsschot had a stellar wit, and delivers the details of this story with deadpan humor, he still manages to build quite a lot of tension into the story, dragging readers along on Laarmans’ quest to sell cheese and recover his life. This book also provides some fascinating insight into the world of historic Belgium, and all its quirks.
I hope you’ve enjoyed this adventure, dear readers!
Saturdays @ the South: When Books Talk Back
It should be no secret that we here at the library love our patrons and love when our patrons give us recommendations. Most of the time these recommendations are in person, often in the form of a brief mention when the book is brought back such as: ” I couldn’t put this book down!” or “I didn’t expect to like this book, but it was great!.” Of course things also swing the other way when patrons get disappointed by their favorite authors who just didn’t measure up with the latest installment of the series. Never doubt for a second that we take these comments seriously and will tuck it away in the back of our minds. It helps us when it comes time to order new books and it helps us immensely when other patron come in looking for a recommendation for themselves. Sometimes, saying “someone else loved this book” can be so much more powerful than saying “I loved this book.”
But sometimes, we get the rare treat of opening a book and finding a note left by a patron talking about how much they enjoyed the book. While we don’t condone writing in library books, these delightful nuggets appear in the form of a post-it or a slip of paper; totally removable, but unmistakably left for a library staff member or a future reader to find. When I find them at the South Branch, I try to leave them in the book whenever possible. No harm in spreading an enthusiastic endorsement and hopefully passing on the joy of discovering that someone else out there enjoyed this book.
So this week, for your enjoyment, I thought I’d post two of the most recent, delightful notes I’ve found in the South’s collection:
This has been a brief post, I know, but sometimes it’s beneficial to quiet down and let other speak. So feel free to add to this post by making your own suggestions for books (or DVDs or CDs) that you’ve loved in the comments; tell us if you’ve found some great, inspiring stuff in your library books; or feel free to leave a (non-permanent) note in one of your library books for someone else to find. Till next week, dear readers, keep on letting us know what you love!
Five Book Friday!
It’s good to be home, dear readers. I have no idea what time it is, and I’m terribly, irrationally hungry, but it’s good to be back with the Books.
And what Books there are! We are in the early stages of a new fiscal year here at the Library, which means that there will soon be new books aplenty coming in. Best of all, we are the height of the summer reading season, which means no end of good things for those of you looking to take some books on your next vacation, beach retreat, or blanket fort hideaway. Because fiction books are quite popular this time of year, this week’s FBF (5BF?) features an all-fiction selection, to let your imaginations have a little adventure, as well!
The Perdition Score: If my previous hysteria over the Library’s acquisition of Richard Kadrey’s Sandman Slim series hasn’t convinced you to jump on the paranormal noir bandwagon, I can only hope that the release of the eighth book in this grim, gory, delightful carnival of a series might just do the trick. In this installment, Sandman Slim (aka James Stark) has returned from facing down Death, and is itching for some new messes to make, when he meets Thomas Abbot, the Augur of the Sub Rosa council, who needs his help searching for a missing boy. The search leads to an angel, whose dying confession sends Stark and his girl/sidekick/kick-ass companion Candy to the only place they never wanted to return: Hell. I wonder how much more I can say about this series without sounding like a weirdo groupie, so I’ll let Entertainment Weekly do it for me: “…Kadrey rips the skin off the real world, revealing the supernatural nerve endings and metaphysical meat underneath. And his prose couldn’t be more visceral if it were carved into flesh.”
Monsters: A Love Story: It’s no secret that I am a huge lover of The Romances, but there’s a lot to be said for those romances that don’t follow genre standards, that defy tropes, and that challenge our expectations of characters–Liz Kay’s latest book is just that kind of romance. Ever since her husband died eight months ago, poet Stacey Lane has been lost. So when she is asked to consult on the film-adaptation of her re-imagining of Frankenstein, she thinks this might be her chance to break out and live again. She never imagined that lead actor and worldwide heartthrob, Tommy DeMarco, would be quite so…attractive…and as Stacey shuffles between her predictable life in Omaha, and the kind of boozy fantasy life that Tommy offers, she begins to find new depths in herself…and in Tommy. Kay’s wit is absolutely acerbic here, to the extent that some readers have a hard time connecting with her characters. For those looking for something sharp, incisive, and blackly funny, however, this book may be just right for you. Library Journal loved it, giving it a starred review, and saying, “this fast-paced novel will have readers immersed in the heady feeling of an alcohol-fueled affair with one of the sexiest men alive.”
Ping-Pong Heart: Here is another book to make series fans cheer–the eleventh installment in Martin Limón’s historical(ish) mystery series featuring US Army CID Sergeants George Sueño and Ernie Bascom brings readers right back into the high-stakes world of espionage in 1970’s Korea. In this adventure, Major Frederick M. Schulz has accused Miss Jo Kyong-ja, an Itaewon bar girl, of stealing twenty-five thousandin local currency from him. It isn’t a huge amount, but when both Schulz and Jo are found dead, it’s clear there is far more to this story than meets the eye. And it isn’t long before George and Ernie find that the Major was involved in some pretty high-level Cold War intelligence, making a simple theft into something that could have global consequences. This is another book that Library Journal enjoyed, saying that new readers can jump right into this series here, and enthusing “Mystery readers who appreciate exotic settings, both in time and space, and who like quality buddy procedurals will admire Limón’s writing.”
The Swan Book: Part fairytale, part social commentary, part historical analysis, part futuristic fantasy, Alexis Wright’s novel takes Australia’s deeply troubled Aboriginal history head-on in this tale of discovery and loss, and the power of the human imagination. Oblivia Ethelyne was given her name by a Bella Donna, an elderly woman who found her hiding in a gum tree, wounded and terrified after being attacked. Bella Donna takes her to live on an old warship in a polluted dry swamp, a result of devastating climate change, and there, creates a new world for Oblivia through her stories about swans. In truth, the swamp is a kind of holding camp for Aboriginals (peoples native to Australia), and when Australia’s first Aboriginal president leads a march into the swap to bring the conditions there to light, Oblivia finds herself thrust into reality in a way she never before imagined. Critics worldwide have been hailing Wright’s work as a triumph of Australian literature and narrative creativity, and Publisher’s Weekly cheers, “Rarely does an author have such control of her words and her story: Wright’s prose soars between the mythical and the colloquial.”
Ink and Bone: For the record, this is one of my favorite titles of the month. Behind that title, though, is a dark, twisting tale of paranormal powers and friendship that may be a bit of a divergence for Lisa Unger, but one she handles with skill. Finley Montgomery is seldom alone, but rather than friends or family, she is haunted by faces no one else can see, and plagued by prophetic dreams that have her lurching awake and terrified. When her powers grow too strong, Finley turns to the one women who she knows can help: her grandmother Eloise Montgomery, a noted medium, who has been hired to solve the disappearance of a local girl. Even as the bond between Finley and Eloise grows, however, it becomes more and more clear that a power larger than both of them is looming ever closer….Unger is a master of suspense, and this new release has critics raving, with Booklist calling it, “Engrossing. . . the tension is palpable. Unger straddles the fine line between thriller and horror, making this a very exciting and riveting read, sure to appeal to a wide range of readers, including Kay Hooper or Stephen King fans.”
Until next week, beloved Patrons–happy reading!
The Romance Garden!
A little later than usual, dear readers, but our monthly review of our favorite romances is here, bringing some new suggestions for you, and offering you plenty of dirt in which your mind can grow!
Bridget:
Just One Night by Lauren Layne
I fully realize that I am developing into a total Lauren Layne groupie, but her romances are so charming, her characters so real, and their relationships so engrossing that I just can’t get enough. Fortunately, the Library has a wide selection of her works, and her e-book only series, Sex, Love, and Stiletto is available on Overdrive.
Riley McKenna has made her career on sex. As the official sex columnist for the sizzlingly hot magazine, Stiletto, Riley is known far as wide for her prowess. The only problem? It’s all a lie. For as long as she can remember, Riley has been in love with Sam Compton, her brother’s best friend. And no matter how hard she tries, no other man measures up to Sam. So when her editor at Stiletto demands a tell-all article for the magazine’s big anniversary issue, Riley is stuck…does she admit her true lack of skill…or convince Sam to teach her all she needs to know? Sam has had it bad for Riley for ages, but the McKenna’s were the family he always wanted and never had. He’d never risk their trust, or risk breaking Riley’s heart….Right?
I really liked the way this book dealt with issues of male and female promiscuity, and didn’t shy away from the painful details in both Riley’s and Sam’s past, making it evident why they were the way they were, and what it cost both of them to make the leap from friends to lovers. And, as someone who appreciates the written word, the ending was just pitch-perfect.
Kelley
Luck is No Lady by Amy Sandas
In this first book in a new series from Amy Sandas, when a charming gambling hell owner and a responsible family-focused spinster play cards, everybody wins!
When Emma Chadwick, a gentleman’s daughter, finds her family facing ruin due to her deceased father’s unpaid gambling debts, she is forced to take a job. Thanks to her exceptional mathematical skills, she quickly finds work as a bookkeeper. The catch? The bookkeeping job is at Bentley’s, one of London’s most notorious gambling hells and certainly no place for a lady. The other catch? Her boss is Roderick Bentley, a man she’s met once before, and their attraction to each other is difficult to ignore.
Sandas develops the characters in this book beautifully. Emma is strong and independent, and takes her responsibility to her sisters very seriously, but we see her sacrifice her own needs and desires for love of her family. And yes, Roderick is a classic rogue in many ways, but he is also a caring man who is most proud of the fact that he’s created a business where his employees treat each other like family, which is something he has never had. The two come together as they try to surmount the danger of Emma’s financial troubles, and their interactions run the gamut from guarded to playful to sexy, but are always sincere.
Luck is No Lady was a perfect weekend-read romance that I didn’t want to put down. I look forward to seeing what the next two books in the series have in store.
Until next time, dear readers, we hope your July makes your heart skip a beat!
Farewell, Elie Wiesel
2016 has been a cruel year, my friends. This Saturday, we learned that Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, witness, teacher, and author, had passed away at the age of 87.
Wiesel was a 16-year-old when he was liberated from Buchendwald with the indelible tattoo A-7713 on his arm. At the time, there was an enormous, devastating silence surrounding the events of the Holocaust, as victims tried desperately to move on with their lives, to mourn their own losses, and to forget their helplessness. Others were reeling from their inability to save lives, and from their own ignorance of the truth. For many of us, even today, his was the first voice that described the Holocaust, who demanded recognition and remembrance.
His loss will be felt around the world, but his words Refuse to fade. Today, we remember Wiesel. And we thank him for speaking.
We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.
The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference.
There may be times when we are powerless to prevent injustice, but there must never be a time when we fail to protest.
–Elie Wiesel, Night
Saturdays @ the South: Just keep reading…
Sometimes you just want to keep reading.
Do you recognize that feeling? A book ends and you’re just not done with the plot (especially if it’s a bit open-ended), the characters or sometimes the whole kit-and-caboodle. The book has left you so ensconced that you’re not ready to let it go yet. I recently had that feeling with the Raven Cycle books.
The Raven Cycle was a 4-book YA series that had me entranced. I’m not generally a YA reader, not because I don’t see value in that type of book, but because the topics of more traditional “adult” books appeal to me more and those titles end up higher on my (seemingly infinite) to-read list. In the end, though, these books weren’t that much of a departure for me. While it didn’t fall under the “gaslamp fantasy” type that I usually fall head-over heels for, this was still a “here’s a regular world that just happens to have magic in it” series; the world just happened to be a modern one. The only departure was that it centered almost entirely on teenagers, which isn’t something that wends its way into my usual readings.
The reason this series ended up on my radar at all was because it reminded me of Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (yup, that again). OK, reminded might be a bit too mild. I found out that the final book in the Raven Cycle was called “The Raven King” and nearly sucked the air out of my office gasping with excitement. For those of you who have been following the blog, it will surprise exactly none of you that even the slightest reminiscence of Clarke’s tome sent me clamoring for these books. The action of Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell is significantly compelled by the search for the mythical Raven King, an exceptional magician who communed with Faerie but disappeared; naturally, I had to find out if there were any references in Stiefvater’s series.
There weren’t. Not exactly anyway. The Raven King of the Stiefvater series is a dead Welsh king said to grant a wish for finding his body. (Dont’ worry, that’s not a spoiler; the search for the Raven King sets up the action for the entire series fairly early on in the first book.) So I didn’t find Clarke’s Raven King, but what I did find was an amazing storyteller in Stiefvater. Her ear for character dialog, the sense of subtle, biting humor that appears to break extremely tense moments (and there are plenty of those) and the weaving of wildly different characters who have the ineffability of having a part of their personalities mesh when, by all rights they shouldn’t get along at all, made these books a rare treat.
I was fortunate enough to find out about these books at the time the final book came out, which means I didn’t really have to wait in order to have the series continue (those who have read Schwab’s A Gathering of Shadows will feel my pain on waiting for a new installment). they made for a delightful binge-read, with me devouring one after the other, and while I was still a bit hungry for more even after the series concluded (good books will always leave you with something of a book hangover), it wrapped up fully enough that I could move on with my reading life. That’s the double-edged sword of series. The good ones will leave you hungry for more and usually satisfy that hunger with more books. The only trouble is when the reader’s appetite outweighs the author’s ability to churn out books and someone (often both parties) ends up frustrated and anxious.
Since it’s the summer, a time when people often go on vacation and tend to have a little bit of time for binge-reading, but not so much time that they can wait months (years, even) for the next installment of a series to come out, here are some series that are completed so you can binge-read without waiting:
The Passage trilogy by Justin Cronin – This series just ended with The City of Mirrors, published in May. The Passage trilogy is set in a dystopian future with vampires. For me, nothing more need be said, but for those of you who may need a bit more, the series is known for its relentless narrative and over 4 star ratings for each of the books on Goodreads. Amy, a child who has been captured and imprisoned by a government experiment that has apocalyptic consequences. Amy finds others who help her lead the fight to save humankind, but to give you much more would involve spoilers. You’ll just have to find out for yourself. In order the books are: The Passage, The Twelve and The City of Mirrors.
The Neapolitan Novels by Elena Ferrante – This series has taken the literary world, the New York Times bestseller list and the library holds lists by a storm. Pseudonymous author Ferrante writes an intricately woven tale of two impoverished Italian friends throughout their lives across a span of four books. Readers often comment about how real the characters feel to them in these intensely moving novels. In order they are: My Brilliant Friend, The Story of a New Name, Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay and The Story of the Lost Child.
Last Hundred Years: A Family Saga by Jane Smiley – Pulitzer Prize-winner Smiley spent the last few years churning out a trilogy of books that covers 100 years in the life of a family, the Langdons, in Iowa. The series begins on a farm in 1920 and follows a couple who eventually have 5 children and the saga continues with the generations that follow. This has been a fairly popular series at the South Branch with Smiley’s followers eager to finish the 3rd book which came out late last year. These books in order are: Some Luck, Early Warning and Golden Age.
Discworld series by Terry Pratchett – The Discworld series has ended primarily because Pratchett passed away last year after a battle with Alzheimer’s. The author himself insisted that readers can read any of these novels in any order without feeling lost or left out. While I agree that each Discworld book can stand independently; for me, there’s something about having backstory and character origins under my belt that makes the reading experience richer. I’ve read a few of the novels out of order and while I wasn’t lost, I feel much more firmly grounded now that I’m working my way through them in order. Read them in whatever way will give you the most enjoyment, knowing that there will be plenty for you to satisfy even the most lengthy of binge-reads.
Till next week, dear readers, I hope all of you have a wonderful, safe Independence Day holiday! For further binge-reading suggestions or to let us know what your favorite series are, feel free to leave a comment below, or stop by any of the Peabody Library locations to chat about one of our favorite things: books!
