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What We're Reading NowJuly 2015
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Smoke gets in your eyes : and other lessons from the crematory
by Caitlin Doughty
Death is sad, scary, alien, and even funny, but mortality shouldn't be morbid.
Mortician Caitlin Doughty addresses all these ideas with facts about funeral rites across cultures and personal memories. I don't think you have to be blessed with a dark sense of humor to enjoy the book - you do, however, have to be willing to honor that we all mourn in our different ways.
BH
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Kitchens of the Great Midwest
by J. Ryan Stradal
Pub. Date 7/28/15
Eva Thorvald is not just a foodie who happens to appreciate heirloom tomatoes over grocery store fruit (although she does!). She possesses a miraculously sensitive palate and works to acquire cooking skills equal to her discernment for flavor.
But what are the origins of Eva’s genius? Does she even know? And, as Eva ascends to the heights of culinary fame, how do others whose lives she has touched regard her success and their own potential?
Debut novelist Stradal’s charming, poignant, sometimes edgy collection of Eva-centered vignettes is expected to score big with book clubbers, literary fiction fans, foodies, and Garrison Keillor aficionados (especially if they prefer a bit more spice in their Midwestern fare). Delightful.
LS
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Invasion of the Tearling
by Erika Johansen
Part 2 of a trilogy: reading Queen of the Tearling first is highly recommended.
19-year old Queen Kelsea Glynn has survived (barely) long enough to be crowned and to assess the peril of her empire’s immediate future; her subjects struggle to acquire even a modicum of the technology possessed several generations ago, before The Crossing and the end of a sophisticated but insidious digital age.
Now, as the neighboring Mort army begins to breach Tearling borders, Kelsea perceives glimmers of her realm’s history, visions of threats both known—The “immortal” Red Queen—and unknown within her own lineage.
Emma Watson will be starring in the Tearling movies. The story holds crossover appeal for those who love coming-of-age stories, Harry Potter (but this story is for grown-ups!), Game of Thrones, The Hunger Games, and dystopian, character-driven sagas. Highly recommended—entertaining and compelling.
LS
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The skunk
by Mac Barnett
Yes, this is the grown-ups’ floor, and here we recommend books for adults. But just this once, we’re sharing a title for very young folks. One of our staffers found it delightful—and perhaps someone you know will love it, too. _________________________________________
We all run from a skunk, I suppose. Sometimes we even get away. We can still enjoy a good kids book for a bedtime story. I think maybe that's my skunk -- at least on today. You might be running from something different. Did you get away?
Also, I would read this book just for page 17. It makes me laugh and ponder and sigh. And laugh.
BH
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Modern Terrarium Studio : Design + Build Custom Landscapes With Succulents, Air Plants + More
by Megan George
It seems you can’t go to a florist, plant store or even your local grocery store without seeing a proliferation of terrariums in attractive containers. They are a hot new decorating item with major appeal for those of us who lead busy lives and/or have not-so green thumbs. They are the ultimate low maintenance plant life for those of us who welcome green, living things in our homes and offices. They make great gifts for housewarmings and hospital patients. Terrarium plants generally have a unique even other-worldly appearance. So If all this has you wanting to rush out and buy one— wait. Check out Modern Terrarium Studio first. It’s like a cookbook for constructing your own unique terrarium, with a list of supplies, step-by-step instructions, and maintenance tips. Don’t skip the introductory material on plant and container selection, plant care and more.
TB
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The witch of lime street : séance, seduction, and Houdini in the spirit world
by David Jaher
Coming October 6, 2015
In this excellent first book, David Jaher traces the rise of Spiritualism, a movement focused on communication with the dead, and its confrontation with the skeptical, scientific minds of the 1920s. Following the slaughter of World War One, Spiritualism captivated people in Europe and America as séances and mediums fulfilled the wishes of those desiring one more chance to feel the presence of their dearly departed through visitations.
The most famous of these mediums was a Boston socialite known as Margery. Supported by none other than Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and a host of cognoscenti, Margery entered a contest to win a substantial cash prize for being the first medium declared by the investigative committee as authentically communicating with the dead. Having convinced four of the five judges, the sole holdout was magician and skeptic Harry Houdini.
It is the cat and mouse game between Houdini and Margery that will keep readers turning pages. Jaher’s narrative gifts keep the story moving while imbuing a real sense of the personality and humanity of the protagonists.
CS
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