February 2021

February 2021 Betsey M. recommends: Calypso by David Sedaris From amazon.com: If you've ever laughed your way through David Sedaris's cheer- fully misanthropic stories, you might think you know what you're getting with Calypso. You'd be wrong. When he buys a beach house on the Carolina coast, Sedaris envisions long, relax- ing vacations spent playing board games and lounging in the sun with those he loves most. And life at the Sea Section, as he names the vacation home, is exactly as idyllic as he imagined, except for one tiny, vexing realization: it's impossible to take a vacation from yourself. With Calypso, Sedaris sets his formidable powers of observation toward middle age and mortality. Make no mistake: these stories are very, very funny--it's a book that can make you laugh 'til you snort, the way only family can. Sedaris's powers of observation have never been sharper, and his ability to shock readers into laughter unparalleled. But much of the comedy here is born out of that vertiginous moment when your own body betrays you and you realize that the story of your life is made up of more past than future. This is beach reading for people who detest beaches, required reading for those who loathe small talk and love a good tumor joke. Calypso is simultaneously Se- daris's darkest and warmest book yet--and it just might be his very best. Memoir -and- One by One by Ruth Ware From amazon.com: Getting snowed in at a luxurious, rustic ski chalet high in the French Alps doesn’t sound like the worst problem in the world. Especially when there’s a breathtaking vista, a full-service chef and housekeeper, a cozy fire to keep you warm, and others to keep you company. Unless that company happens to be eight coworkers…each with something to gain, something to lose, and something to hide. When the cofounder of Snoop, a trendy London-based tech startup, organizes a weeklong trip for the team in the French Alps, it starts out as a corporate retreat like any other: PowerPoint presentations and strategy sessions broken up by man- datory bonding on the slopes. But as soon as one shareholder upends the agenda by pushing a lucrative but contentious buyout offer, tensions simmer and loyalties are tested. The storm brewing inside the chalet is no match for the one outside, however, and a devastating avalanche leaves the group cut off from all access to the outside world. Even worse, one Snooper hadn’t made it back from the slopes when the avalanche hit. As each hour passes without any sign of rescue, panic mounts, the chalet grows colder, and the group dwindles further…one by one. Thriller Cassie S. recommends: Eat and Run: My Unlikely Journey to Ultramarathon Greatness by Scott Jurek From the publisher: For nearly two decades, Scott Jurek has been a dominant force—and darling—in the grueling and growing sport of ultrarunning. Until recently he held the American 24-hour record and he was one of the elite runners profiled in the runaway bestseller Born to Run. In Eat and Run, Jurek opens up about his life and career as a champion athlete with a plant-based diet and inspires runners at every level. From his Midwestern childhood hunting, fishing, and cooking for his meat-and-potatoes family to his slow transition to ultrarunning and veganism, Scott’s story shows the power of an iron will and blows apart the stereotypes of what athletes should eat to fuel optimal performance. Full of stories of competition as well as science and practical ad- vice—including his own recipes—Eat and Run will motivate readers and expand their food horizons. Health -and- The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab From the publisher: France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever—and is cursed to be forgotten by every- one she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name. Fantasy Caroline B. recommends: A Cat's Tale : A Journey Through Feline History by Baba the cat as dictated to Paul Koudounaris It's a fun book and you do actually learn something. But let's face it, I loved it for the pictures. I mean look at that cover! From the publisher: From the prehistoric Felis (a large mammal from which all do- mestic cats have descended) to ancient Egyptian cat goddess, key cats of the En- lightenment to swashbuckling pirate felines and infamous American tabbies, the story of catkind is told here in its totality. Nature Sara C. recommends: The Girl Who Takes an Eye For An Eye by David Lagercrantz Lisbeth Salander - the girl with the dragon tattoo, the brilliant hacker, the obsti- nate outsider, the volatile seeker of justice for herself and others - has never been able to uncover the most telling facts of her traumatic childhood, the secrets that might finally, fully explain her to herself. Now, when she sees a chance to uncover them once and for all, she enlists the help of Mikael Blomkvist, the editor of the muckraking, investigative journal Millennium. And nothing will stop her - not the anti-Muslim gang she enrages by rescuing a young woman from their brutality; not the deadly reach from inside the Russian mafia of her long-lost twin sister, Camilla; and not the people who will do anything to keep buried knowledge of a sinister pseudo-scientific experiment known only as The Registry. Once again, Lisbeth Sa- lander and Mikael Blomkvist, together, are the fierce heart of a thrilling full-tilt novel that takes on some of the most insidious problems facing the world at this very moment. Thriller Brigitte H. recommends: The Book Charmer by Karen Hawkins From the publisher: Sarah Dove is no ordinary bookworm. To her, books have al- ways been more than just objects: they live, they breathe, and sometimes they even speak. When Sarah grows up to become the librarian in her quaint Southern town of Dove Pond, her gift helps place every book in the hands of the perfect reader. Recently, however, the books have been whispering about something out of the ordinary: the arrival of a displaced city girl named Grace Wheeler. If the books are right, Grace could be the savior that Dove Pond desperately needs. The problem is, Grace wants little to do with the town or its quirky resi- dents—Sarah chief among them. It takes a bit of urging, and the help of an especially wise book, but Grace ultimately embraces the challenge to rescue her charmed new community. In her quest, she discovers the tantalizing promise of new love, the deep strength that comes from having a true friend, and the power of finding just the right book. Fiction -and- 90 Seconds to a Life You Love by Joan I. Rosenberg, PhD From the publisher: Sadness, shame, helplessness, anger, embarrassment, disappointment, frustration, and vulnerability. In 30 years as a practicing psychologist, Dr. Joan Rosenberg has found that what most often blocks people from success and feeling capable in life is the inability to experience, move through, and handle these 8 unpleasant feelings. Knowing how to deal with intense, overwhelming, or uncomfortable feelings is essential to building confidence, emotional strength, and resilience. Yet when we distract or disconnect from these feelings, we move away from confidence, health, and our desired pursuits, ultimately undermining our ability to fully realize our ambitions. Psychology Keara B. recommends: Crocodile on the Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters I found it most delightful! I also want to say that this is the first book in the 20-part Amelia Peabody series, so if anyone is looking for a new series to begin, this one is fantastic! From FantasticFiction: Amelia Peabody is Elizabeth Peters' best loved and brilliant creation, a thoroughly Victorian feminist who takes the stuffy world of archaeolo- gy by storm with her shocking men's pants and no-nonsense attitude! In this first Egyptian mystery, our headstrong heroine decides to use her substan- tial inheritance to see the world. On her travel, she rescues a gentlewoman in dis- tress—Evelyn Barton-Forbes—and the two become friends. The two companions continue to Egypt where they face mysteries, mummies and the redoubtable Rad- cliffe Emerson, an outspoken archaeologist, who doesn't need women to help him solve mysteries—at least that's what he thinks! Mystery Hannah B. recommends: The Road from Coorain by Jill Ker Conway Jill Ker Conway was born and grew up in the Australian outback on her family's thirty thousand acre sheep ranch. Published in 1989, The Road from Coorain is the first book of her autobiographic trilogy. I read this book years ago and it made a lasting impression. I imagine the other two books of the trilogy are equally as well written. From amazon.com: In a memoir that pierces and delights us, Jill Ker Conway tells the story of her astonishing journey into adulthood—a journey that would ultimately span immense distances and encompass worlds, ideas, and ways of life that seem a century apart. ... Worlds away from Coorain in America, Jill Conway became a historian and the first woman president of Smith College.

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