LIBRARY NOTES
August 21, 2008
As back-to-school time is
upon us, a reminder to parents and kids to return any Waitsfield Elementary DCF
books they have borrowed from the library this summer. We still have a number
checked out and would like to get them back to the elementary school library in
time for the new school year. Thank you!
The
19th Wife by David
Ebershoff is an engrossing fictional portrayal of Ann Eliza Young, once the wife
of Mormon leader Brigham Young, who eventually became his ex-wife and adversary.
In the early days of the Church of Latter Day Saints, Ann married into
Brigham’s polygamous family, becoming one of his many wives. Five years later
she filed for divorce, citing abuse and neglect, and sued Brigham for $200,000.
As you can imagine, this caused quite a stir, as did Ann’s work as a lecturer
against polygamy. She went on to pen her story in 1875, with the long and
descriptive title of: Wife No. 19, or the Story of a Life in Bondage, Being a Complete Exposé
of Mormonism, and Revealing the Sorrows, Sacrifices and Sufferings of Women in
Polygamy. Alongside Ann and Brigham’s narrative is the story of a
modern-day polygamist murder mystery set in Utah. Ebershoff concentrates on
Mormonism in this historical novel, but really brings up broader questions about
faith and love, regardless of denomination.
The
Likeness is Tana French’s follow-up
to her suspenseful first thriller In the Woods. Detectives Cassie Maddox and Sam O’Neill return in
this sequel, this time investigating the case of a young woman who has been
stabbed outside of Dublin. Things are particularly creepy here, as the deceased
woman carries an I.D. with the name of Lexie Madison, the undercover name used
by Cassie herself two years prior - and
the young woman happens to look exactly like Cassie. Without any further leads,
Cassie goes undercover, posing again as Lexie Madison, infiltrating the murdered
woman’s dark world to try and find the killer. An intense continuation of Into
the Woods, with a really likeable, headstrong central character in Cassie.
Where
the Wild Things Were: Life, Death, and Ecological Wreckage in a Land of
Vanishing Predators is by wildlife
journalist William Stolzenburg. Ecosystems tend to go haywire without the danger
provided by the great meat-eating creatures of our planet; Stolzenburg tells of
the devastating consequences that occur when predators at the top of the food
chain are destroyed and can no longer keep in balance the prey animals around
them. Stolzenburg accompanies scientists around the globe who are following
these vanishing predators and studying the amazing interconnections of nature.
Excellent reading for a layperson (like me) of the way ecosystems work and the
importance of paying attention to the world around us.
Our adult book group meets this evening at 7:00 pm at the Warren Library to discuss Winifred Gallagher’s Working on God. This is the third book the Warren and Waitsfield libraries have discussed in our Religion Matters series, sponsored by the Vermont Humanities Council. Next up is a reading and discussion of the novel Peace Like a River by Leif Enger. This will be held at the Joslin Library on Thursday, September 18th, at 7:00 pm. Please pick up a copy at either library, and hope to see you there!
LIBRARY NOTES
August 14, 2008
Our Religion Matters
discussion series continues one week from today – August 21st, 7:00
pm at the Warren Library. A scholar from the Vermont Humanities Council will be
leading the discussion; there’s still time to pick up a copy of Working
on God by Winifred Gallagher. Even if you don’t have time to pick up the
book, please feel free to join us; all the discussions have been lively and
thought-provoking. If you aren’t able to make it next week, please keep in
mind that we will have two more discussions over the coming months; September 18th
we’ll read Peace Like a River by
Leif Enger and October 23rd will be Eckhart Tolle’s The Power of Now.
Turning to some book reviews
for the week: The Lace Reader is a
wonderful book by first-time novelist Brunonia Barry. Towner Whitney is from an
eccentric, old money family in Salem, Massachusetts. She comes from a long line
of highly intuitive relatives, women able to read people and able to “read”
lace. This practice involves holding a particular piece of lace to a person’s
face and being able to discern patterns that reveal their future and explain the
past. Plagued by hallucinations and painful memories, Towner leaves Salem at age
seventeen and moves to California; she remains on the west coast for the next
fifteen years, returning to home only when her beloved great-aunt Eva goes
missing. It’s back in small town Salem that Towner comes up against her past
(including the loss, many years ago, of her twin sister) and what her future
might hold. Romance crops up in the form of John Rafferty, a police officer
investigating Eva’s disappearance. From the very first page, Towner warns us
that she is a liar and an unreliable narrator, but it’s incredibly easy to get
drawn in to her perspective and assume that what she says is true. Highly
recommended!
It is a little difficult to
categorize the novel Oxygen by Carol
Cassella. The book starts out with descriptions of the work and responsibilities
of Dr. Marie Heaton, a thirty-seven year old anesthesiologist
at First Lutheran hospital in Seattle.
Marie is a dedicated professional who takes pride in helping to put nervous
patients at ease and considers it a privilege to monitor their well-being while
under anesthesia. Then the unthinkable happens during a seemingly routine
operation on an eight-year old girl with special needs: the child reacts badly
to the anesthesia and her body begins to shut down. Despite following protocol
and taking all the right steps, the young girl dies and Marie must tell Bobbie
Jansen that her only child is gone. Guilt ridden and in shock, things spiral
further downward when a malpractice suit is filed against Marie and the
hospital. From here the book morphs into a kind of mystery, as Marie agonizes
over each and every decision she made that day in the operating room, trying to
find answers to odd discrepancies that keep popping up in her mind. Entwined
with Marie’s guilt over Jolene Jansen’s death is avoidance of her elderly
and ailing father, living on his own in Texas. It is when Marie returns to Texas
that she begins to find some healing and forgiveness, as well as evidence that
may free her from blame in Jolene’s death. Beautifully written with unexpected
plot twists and a courageous and, empathetic narrator.