Library Staff Reads - Fall 2020

Do animals have cultures, or do they do things simply based on heredity? Safina focuses on sperm whales, chimpanzees, and macaws to argue that animals do have their own cultures and learn behaviors from others in their social structure and interactions. A good read if you're interested in how our fellow creatures live together & interact with one another in their own societies. –Amy ☠

I suspect I read it 60 years ago. Probably all of Conan Doyle in one summer. It's something I'd like to read again. –Bob

This is a great alternate-past superhero mashup from Neil Gaiman set in Elizabethan England. Dr. Strange is the Queen's physician and magician, Nick Fury is the Queen's head of intelligence, and King James carries out the obligatory anti-Mutant campaign of the era. There are plenty of other familiar heroes in new roles, some royal court intrigue, and a tear in the fabric of spacetime that threatens the known universe. –Brian

This 1898 gothic novella is the inspiration for the upcoming Netflix show, The Haunting of Bly Manor. When an unnamed young woman is employed as a governess to two seemingly angelic children at the remote country house, Bly Manor, she becomes convinced the children are under the influence of malevolent spirits. But are the ghosts real? Or is this a story of a young woman spiraling into madness? Critics and readers have been equally torn as to what really occurred at Bly Manor, and James artfully plays both sides. Ultimately, it is left to each reader to determine their own truth behind the haunting of Bly Manor. –Emma

In the wake of tragedy, a group of juvenile boys, stranded on an island, achieve unity through a democratic adult-like process that ultimately grows toxic as members resort to brutality and savagery. ​–John

As the blurb on back of volume four states: "Paper Girls was Stranger Things before Stranger Things." So says Jezebel, and well, facts. However, unlike Stranger Things, Paper Girls isn't interested in idealizing the '80s or glossing over its cultural flaws. Moreover, it isn't interested in dwelling in nostalgia for nostalgia's sake, but instead attempts to be culturally relevant to now, producing social commentary and additionally confronting the realities of growing up--all while still remaining fun throughout. Sometimes you can have your cake and eat it too. –Justin

I recommend The Three-Body Problem by Cixin Liu. This science fiction tale is a certifiable page turner. It is hard for me to explain the interesting combination of history (The Cultural Revolution), science (physics), mystery (what is happening?), and suspense (seriously, what is happening?)--all from the perspective of the People's Republic of China. The author does an excellent job of wrapping the mystery in a blanket of eerie disquiet that recalls Lovecraft or the old EC horror comics I read as a kid. It intrigues, it unnerves, it has two sequels. Check it out for yourself! –Richard