This weeks book show on WCAI was pre-recorded, and if you listened in the morning (during the pledge drive) you would have heard a shortened version of the show, but the evening version will be the full show. You can also, as always, listen online! Our topic was books having to do with travel. Because the show was not live, we also could not take any of your calls or read any of your e-mails. However, if you have a favorite travel book that you would like to add to our list, just send us a comment via this post.

We were delighted that Kellie Porter, a librarian at the Woods Hole Library, joined us for the very first time! We definitely hope she returns for another show in the near future. Looking forward to our August show, we’ll be talking books about pirates with author Peter Abrahams. Every month the book show is broadcast on the last Wednesday of the month, and if you happen to have missed a show, you can listen to them all online at the WCAI web page.

Kellie’s Picks

Time Out in Palestine by Glynnis Fawkes

The Ultimate Interplanetary Travel Guide by Jim Bell

My Paris Kitchen by David Lebovitz

The Odyssey of Homer translated by Emily Wilson

Around the World in 50 Ways by Lonely Planet Kids

The Solo Travel Handbook by Lonely Planet

The Airport Book by Lisa Brown

Leave Me Alone! by Vera Brosgol

The Art of Travel by Alain de Botton

Old Ways by Robert Macfarlane

Jill’s Picks

The Novel Cure: from abandonment to zestlessness: 751 books to
cure what ails you by Ella Berthoud and Susan Elderkin. “The Ten
Best Novels to Read on a Train” page 67. “The Ten Best Novels to
Read in a Hammock” page 375.

Atlas Obscura by Joshua Foer, Dylan Thuras & Ella Morton. Interested in the Atlas Obscura web page? Here is the link!

Unfathomable City: a New Orleans Atlas by Rebecca Solnit and
Rebecca Snedeker. You might also be interested in Nonstop Metropolis: a New York City Atlas and  Infinite City: a San Francisco Atlas.

The Old Ways: a journey on foot by Robert Macfarlane

Foreign Affairs by Alison Lurie

Le Road Trip: a traveler’s journal of love and France by Vivian Swift

Gardens of Awe and Folly: a traveler’s journal on the meaning of life
and gardening by Vivian Swift

Explorers’ Sketchbooks: the art of discovery & adventure by Huw Lewis-Jones & Kari Herbert with a foreword by Robert MacFarlane

The Best Women’s Travel Writing, Volume 11, published in 2017, edited by Lavinia
Spalding

Travel Books to Share with Children

The Penny Whistle Traveling With Kids Book by Meredith Brokaw
and Annie Gilbar, illustrated by Jill Weber

Storybook Travels: from Eloise’s New York to Harry Potter’s London,
visits to 30 of the best-loved landmarks in children’s literature by
Colleen Dunn Bates and Susan LaTempa

All Aboard: a traveling alphabet by Bill Mayer

No time for this, but GRANTA: the magazine of new writing did a great travel issue. It is the “Journeys” issue number 138, Winter 2017. It includes many meditations on the question “Is Travel Writing Dead?” and Falmouth Public Library subscribes so you can request this issue via CLAMS!

These three outstanding writers make a stand with deeply passionate narratives that will leave you aching for more. Here are three fantastic e-books you should add to your shelf. We’re excited to teach many eBook classes this August. If you are just beginning to get excited about ebooks, we invite you to learn more and attend a class. Visit our post to learn more!

1. When Life Gives You Lululemons by Lauren Weisberger

Reserve

Welcome to Greenwich, Connecticut, where the lawns and the women are perfectly manicured, the Tito’s and sodas are extra strong, and everyone has something to say about the infamous new neighbor. Let’s be clear: Emily Charlton does not do the suburbs. After leaving Miranda Priestly, she’s been working in Hollywood as an image consultant to the stars, but recently, Emily’s lost a few clients. She’s hopeless with social media. The new guard is nipping at her heels. She needs a big opportunity, and she needs it now.

“A cameo from the imperious and memorable Runway fashion mag boss Miranda Priestly adds extra spice to this page-turning beach read. It’s a treat for Weisberger’s fans. ” — Publisher’s Weekly

2. Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

Reserve

Afflicted with a chronic debilitating condition, Suzette Jensen knew having children would wreak havoc on her already fragile body. Nevertheless, she brought Hanna into the world, pleased and proud to start a family with her husband Alex. Estranged from her own mother, Suzette is determined to raise her beautiful daughter with the love, care, and support she was denied.

One of Entertainment Weekly‘s Must-Read Books for July
“A wholly original and terrifically creepy story.” —Refinery29
One of PopSugar’s “25 Must-Read Books That Will Make July Fly By!”
A Barnes and Noble Blog Best Thriller for July!
One of the “Biggest Thrillers of the Summer” —SheReads
“Summer 2018 Must-Read” —Bookish
“Best Summer Reads for 2018” —Publishers Weekly
“One of 11 Crime Novels You Should Read in July” —Crime Reads
“A twisty, delirious read” —EntertainmentWeekly.com
“New & Noteworthy” —USA Today
“A deliciously creepy read.” —New York Post

3. Natural Causes by Barbara Ehrenreich

Reserve

By the celebrated author of Nickel and Dimed, Barbara Ehrenreich explores how we are killing ourselves to live longer, not better.

“Claiming to be “old enough to die,” feminist scholar Ehrenreich (Living with a Wild God) takes on the task of investigating America’s peculiar approach to aging, health, and wellness. She comes down hard on what she describes as “medicalized life”: the unending series of doctor’s visits, fads in wellness, and preventative-care screenings that can dominate the life of an aging person. Ehrenreich’s core philosophy holds that aging people have the right to determine their quality of life and may choose to forgo painful and generally ineffective treatments. .”—Publisher’s Weekly

“Friday Reads” is a weekly blog written by reference librarian Faith Lee about great books, magazines, and the occasional reference work.  Topics may be new titles added to the library, selections from the Staff Picks shelf or about something she recently read.  Admittedly, there is a definite slant toward nonfiction, because, well, she’s a reference librarian and likes to learn new things.  Guest bloggers take a turn sometimes too.  No matter the source, good reads are featured here. 

Today’s blog is written by Christine Lynch, Falmouth Public Library employee and free-lance writer who knows a good book when she reads one.  You can usually find her at the service desk upstairs.

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A year or so ago while working on FPL’s Service Desk,  I picked up
a book that I saw being checked out numerous times.  After reading a review of
it, I grabbed the copy for myself.  I’m so glad I did because I am a nature lover
and really appreciated Peter Wohlleben‘s book, The Hidden Life of Trees:  
What They Feel, How They Communicate:  Discoveries from a Secret World.

For those of you who haven’t read it, there are abundant facts that just might
make you say, “Wow!”  I’ve talked with others who have read it and we all agree
we’ll never look at trees and their surroundings in the same way.  For people who
enjoyed the Wohlleben book, I’d like to make a recommendation.

I recently read another review of a lovely book entitled Overstory by
Richard Powers. This is a new novel, just out in 2018.  I am yet to read it, but
will check it out after it’s circulated a bit.  The premise of this book spins a
fable-like tale where trees are able to summon a group of people together in

mysterious ways in order to correct many of the world’s ills and to greatly
improve the quality of life on Earth.

Knowing what I now know from reading The Hidden Life of Trees, I believe
in the untold power of trees.  Overstory is another book that lets us know how important
trees are to our planet’s survival and that we humans should do everything to protect them.

Photo: Peter Wohlleben by Gordon Welters for “The New York Times”

“Friday Reads” is a weekly blog written by reference librarian Faith Lee about great books, magazines, and the occasional reference work.  Topics may be new titles added to the library, selections from the Staff Picks shelf or about something she recently read.  Admittedly, there is a definite slant toward nonfiction, because, well, she’s a reference librarian and likes to learn new things.  Guest bloggers take a turn sometimes too.  No matter the source, good reads are featured here.   The blog below was written by Reference Librarian, Donna Burgess.

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Friday Reads: The Seabird’s Cry: the lives and loves of the planet’s great ocean voyagers

by Adam Nicolson

In the introduction we learn that the author’s father had purchased in 1937, with funds left to him from his grandmother, the Shiant Isles, a cluster of “three small specks of grass and rock, each about a mile long, a total of 500 uninhabited acres, with one rat-ridden bothy (a small cottage) for £1300.

At age eight the author accompanied his father on an “unforgettable trip” to the Isles to observe nesting seabirds. Since then Nicholson has pursued the birds around the world, reaching out across the “great widths of the ocean.”

Ten chapters, each describing a different bird: Fulmar, Puffin, Kittiwake, Gull, Guillemot, Cormorant and Shag, Shearwater, Gannet, Great Auk and its Cousin Razorbill, Albatross, and the Seabird’s cry. And “each displays a different facet of the central question: how to exist in all three elements. They are the rarest form of creation, the only animals at home on the sea, in the air and on land.”

In the Guardian, a British newspaper, a reviewer wrote , “the author Adam Nicolson says this ‘paean to the beauty of life on the wing’ began when he read a Seamus Heaney lecture exploring French philosopher Simone Weil’s aphorism: “Obedience to the force of gravity. The greatest sin.” It says everything about this gorgeous book: a poetic, soaring exploration of 10 species of seabirds: gull, guillemot, gannet and so on – which revels in the way they “float like beings from the otherworld.”

Replete with photos of the birds, occasional lines or stanzas from poems, maps, and several pages of notes, this book is not just for ornithologists but for anyone with a fascination for birds, especially ocean going ones.

Look for The Seabird’s Cry on the New nonfiction shelf, Call # 598.17 NIC

“Friday Reads” is a weekly (almost) blog written by reference librarian Faith Lee about great books, magazines, and the occasional reference work. Topics may be new titles added to the library, selections from the Staff Picks shelf or about something she recently read. Admittedly, there is a definite slant toward nonfiction, because, well, she’s a reference librarian and likes to learn new things. Guest bloggers take a turn sometimes too. No matter the source, good reads are featured here. This week’s blog was written by Jill Erickson, head of reference and adult services and one of two librarians who run the library’s fiction book club.

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Last week the library fiction book group, also known as “Books on the Half Shell,” met to discuss our most recent selection in our six-month series of books having to do with the ocean. We have already read The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje and Claire of the Sea Light by Edwidge Danticant in this series, and the June book was The Lifeboat by Charlotte Rogan.

The novel focuses on a young newlywed, Grace Winter, during the summer of 1914, just two years after the Titanic sank. Grace is on an ocean liner with her new husband, Henry, crossing the Atlantic when the ship has a mysterious explosion. Henry is lost and Grace ends up in an overcrowded lifeboat. The story revolves around the lifeboat, and also the trial that occurs as a result of Grace’s time on the lifeboat.

In no time at all, we were all discussing the fact that Grace is one of the most unreliable narrators ever! The New York Public Library Literature Companion describes an unreliable narrator in this way:

“A narrator whose judgment is suspect.  Narrators may be untrustworthy for a number of reasons; they may be dishonest, self-serving, or self-deceiving, deranged or of questionable sanity, or naïve and unaware of the full significance of the events they relate. Such narration forces readers to bring their own critical capacities to bear on the account in question.”

Much of our discussion was about our narrator, and if we could believe ANYTHING she wrote. Her story is told primarily through the record she has been asked to write by her lawyer of everything that happened on the lifeboat and the events that led up to the lifeboat. As Richard Eder wrote in his Boston Globe review of the novel:

“In her account of the lifeboat and subsequent talks with her lawyer and a psychiatrist, Grace is not specifically unveiled as a self-server with secrets. Rogan has done something more complex. The veil remains; only hints come through; enough to leave the reader – intrigued, yes, and also frustrated – in doubt somewhere short of certainty. And indeed the writer has performed a fictional equivalent to a phenomenon in sub-atomic physics: that observing a phenomenon can make it slip away and alter.”

This book also introduced us via the author’s epigraph to the myth of Atrahasis. The epigraph reads: “I shall sing of the flood to all people. Listen!” Upon a bit of sleuthing, The Oxford Companion to World Mythology by David Leming informed us that Atrahasis was: “An Akkadian-Babylonian version of the ancient Mesopotamian flood myth, which influenced the Noah story of the Torah, features the flood hero Atrahasis.  One of the great things about our book group is that every month we learn something new, as well as have a great discussion.

The book group reviews were definitely mixed on this particular novel, with probably half the group really loving the book and half the group barely able to finish it.  Of course, that is the mixture for a great discussion!

Next month reference librarian Donna Burgess will lead a discussion of Mermaids in Paradise by Lydia Millet.  New members are always welcome.  Pick up a copy of the book at the reference desk and join us on either Wednesday, August 15 at 7:00 PM or Thursday, the 16th at 10:00 AM in the Hermann Foundation Meeting Room for a rousing hour talking about mermaids in a Caribbean island resort.  Sounds like fun.

Our Fact & Fiction book group at the East Falmouth Library embarked on a literary journey to Iceland recently.  Snowblind by Ragnar Jónasson was the first stop.  This mystery is a police procedural that is the debut for the Dark Iceland series.  The setting is Siglufjordur, an isolated fishing village that is about 25 miles from the Arctic Circle.  The village is accessible by an 800 meter tunnel that can get blocked by snow in the winter.  Despite reading about the geographical hardship of the area, I was intrigued.

The next stop was a step back to the 19^th Century in Iceland in the book Burial Rites by Hannah Kent.  This is an historical fiction and murder mystery. Agnes Magnusdottir is accused of killing her master and is awaiting execution.  Historically, this was the last execution in Iceland.  The initial reaction from the members of the Fact & Fiction book group was one of apprehension.  Did we really want to read this dark episode in the history of Iceland?  Our conclusion was that the writing was so engaging that we were pulled right into the drama of life during a cold bleak time.  The author opens with a quote from the Laxdaela Saga: “I was worst to the one I loved best”.  This saga that involves a love triangle is said to be one of the most romantic of the Icelandic sagas. In addition to being introduced to a new saga, there was vocabulary to learn.  It seemed like most of the action in the story took place in the badstofa, which is a sleeping area with built-in beds where everyone that was working the land slept together.  In this literary work, the stage was set with precision and the characters appeared life-like.

The Fact & Fiction book group has moved on to new endeavors, but The Man who Stole Himself: the slave odyssey of Hans Jonathan by Gisli Palsson is on my reading list.

From the summary:

“The island nation of Iceland is known for many things–majestic landscapes, volcanic eruptions, distinctive seafood–but racial diversity is not one of them. So the little-known story of Hans Jonathan, a free black man who lived and raised a family in early nineteenth-century Iceland, is improbable and compelling, the stuff of novels…”

As you can see, I enjoy books with interesting settings and historical significance.

Meg Borden
East Falmouth Branch Librarian