by Marita Klements, Assistant Director
What have the staff of the Lynnfield Library been reading, watching, or listening to this April, you ask? We share so that you can enjoy it too!
Meegham Bresnahan, Reference
Recently, I read By the Book by Jasmine Guillory. I love Beauty and the Beast, and this may be my favorite book adaptation, possibly my new favorite book in general! It features an editorial assistant who agrees to help a “beastly” celebrity write his memoir. It is so cute, and has so many nods to the Disney movie that any fan will appreciate!
Book | eBook | eAudiobook
Samantha Totman, Circulation
How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann – A support group of women meet every Friday to share their stories–many of which you’ll recognize as modern, dark reimaginings of classic fairy tales.
Shark Heart: A Love Story by Emily Habeck – Creative, moving, and sad. A completely original story.
Book | eBook | eAudiobook | CD Audiobook
Shit Cassandra Saw by Gwen E. Kirby – A quick-moving, funny, and poignant short story collection.
Spencer Stevens, Cataloging and Technical Services
A Fatal Thing Happened on the Way to the Forum: Murder in Ancient Rome by Emma Southon – Ancient Rome was, famously, violent, and I’d never want to live there. But I did love Emma Southon’s readable, snarky, and fascinating book on the history of murder and violence in Rome. I appreciate that she covered the stories of lesser known or unnamed victims, including enslaved people, and exposed the many, many, many flaws in Rome’s corrupt legal, moral, and ethical systems.
Ghosts (TV Series in UK) – This charming comedy focuses on a woman named Alison and her husband who inherit and move into a crumbling country estate–but they aren’t alone. There are dozens of ghosts from multiple time periods and, after a near-death experience, Alison starts to see them. Through zany stories, we learn about the ghosts’ lives and deaths. There’s also an American adaptation of this show which is also really fun
Rachel Huntington, Reference
Babel, or, The necessity of violence : an arcane history of the Oxford translators’ revolution by R. F. Kuang – I really loved the deep dive into linguistics. That’s what really sold me. I also liked the alternate history of early-19th century Britain.
Book | eBook | eAudiobook | Large Print
The 7 1/2 deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton – This is an excellent whodunit with a fantasy twist. It’s so well-plotted I don’t think I could find an unnecessary sentence.
Book | eBook | eAudiobook | Large Print
Barbara Kampas, Reference
Flight Of the Wild Swan by Melissa Pritchard – We all grew up knowing Florence Nightingale was a famous nurse. This novel provides a much deeper understanding of her humanity, her compassionate role as a battlefield nurse more concerned about the fate of her patients than her own reputation, and her desire to elevate the status of women in society.
The Fury by Alex Michaelides – I listened to the audiobook version of this title narrated by Alan Jennings. A famous actress, Lana Farrar, invites family and friends to travel to her private island in Greece during the Easter holiday. Narrated by one of her oldest friends, Eliot Chase, the novel delves into the many layers of friendship, unrequited love, and the mother-son relationship ending in a night of violence and murder.
Book | eBook | eAudiobook | CD Audiobook | Large Print
Rules of Civility by Amor Towles – Opening on New Year’s Eve in 1937, Rules of Civility is Towles’ debut novel. It is both an historical novel depicting life in New York City in 1938 as well as one about single women, class, friendship and betrayal and the strength needed to establish one’s place in such an environment.
Book | eBook | eAudiobook | CD Audiobook | Large Print
Woman, Life, Freedom by Marjane Satrapi, translated by Una Dimitrijevic – Saddened by the many protests recently held in Iran after the death of Mahsa Amini because of the beatings she experienced for refusal to wear a headscarf, I was drawn to this graphic novel, the first novel I have read in such a format. In collaboration with many journalists, activists and artists, Marjane Satrapi’s novel depicts the historic uprisings in Iran demonstrating solidarity with the growing trend of feminism in the country. The title of the book comes from the slogan “Woman, Life, Freedom” adapted during the rallies held around the country after Mahsa’s arrest. An interesting format to bear witness to the issues needing attention in the author’s country.
Christian Kelly, Circulation
American Splendor: The Life and Times of Harvey Pekar by Harvey Pekar – The book is a collection of comics written by Harvey Pekar and illustrated by several different artists. The stories are autobiographical in nature, depicting things that happen or have happened in Pekar’s life. His comics depict him and the people around him in a very honest manner. Depicting them in all their unique idiosyncrasies, both good and bad. In some of the comics he makes observations about himself and life in general, others simply depict little scenes that have played out around him that he thought were interesting, but otherwise had no deeper commentary. His work possesses a meditative quality that offers the reader an interesting perspective on life.
Pat Kelly, Reference
Meetings with remarkable manuscripts : twelve journeys into the medieval world by Christopher De Hamel – Noted manuscripts authority Christopher de Hamel takes the reader on a journey of discovery as he explores the history of twelve illuminated manuscripts from the medieval period.
Book
Cadfael, one corpse too many (TV Series) by Stephen Smallwood. – Thirty years ago, Derek Jacobi took on the character of medieval sleuth Brother Cadfael in a thrilling and evocative TVseries. The Brother Cadfael series was based upon the mysteries of Ellis Peters, which were set during “The Anarchy” – a period in English history between 1135 – 1145 when rival claimants to the throne caused destruction and disorder across the land. Derek Jacobi played the part of Cadfael to perfection in these intricately plotted historical “whodunits.” The settings and supporting cast members rounded out the impeccable quality of these productions. Start with “One Corpse Too Many,” and continue on through the series!