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Literary Salon meets the 2nd Wednesday of the month to share recent favorite books, authors, or series. Ten readers shared the following books in October. Please join us at the next Lit Salon on Wednesday, November 9th at 5pm. Check lopezlibrary.org or email Beth for current information. Happy Autumn Reading!
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Folk Magic and Healing : An Unusual History of Everyday Plants
by Fez Inkwright
Plants have always been revered for their healing properties, and entwined with legends and deities. Stunningly illustrated, Folk Magic and Healing gathers these beliefs to delve into the mysteries of everyday plants and trees. With an A to Z of plants ranging from agrimony and chamomile to laurel and wild strawberry--and featuring quotes, historical background, medicinal uses--this lovely guide is perfect for gardeners, folklorists, witches, and everyone!
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The Evening Chorus
by Helen Humphreys
The devastations of World War II impact a pilot struggling for survival in a German POW camp, his young war bride and his grieving sister. By the award-winning author of The Lost Garden.
"One of the best books I've ever read!" Wonderful focus on the rhythms of nature.
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A ballad of love and glory : a novel
by Reyna Grande
Widowed by the Texas Rangers in the fight over the disputed Rio Grande boundary, a Mexican woman, skilled at healing, joins the Mexican army and falls in love with a Yankee deserter.
Our reader loved this for the breathtaking descriptions and learning about the Spanish-American War (1898), though the battles scenes were very un-nerving. Even though she knew how it would end, she was still caught up in the story and wondered about the outcome.
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The distance between us : a memoir
by Reyna Grande
The American Book Award-winning author of Across a Hundred Mountains traces her experiences as an illegal child immigrant, describing how her parents' dreams of better opportunities for their family were marked by her father's violent alcoholism, her efforts to obtain a higher education and the inspiration of Latina authors.
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One More Moon: Goodbye Mussolini! One Woman's Story of Fate and Survival
by Ralph Webster
One More Moon is the extraordinary true story of a woman and her family's often harrowing experiences in the years before and during World War II. Written using her words, Ralph Webster recounts his grandmother's desperate journey from Naples, Italy to America - after Mussolini betrays Italy's Jews and joins with Hitler - and as countries across the world close their doors to Jewish refugees fleeing the spread of Nazi evil.
Our reader learned more about WWII, even though she's read much about it. The title alludes to the characters' watching the moon while in Italy, giving the story a poetic, romantic, hopeful feeling despite the war.
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The marriage portrait
by Maggie O'Farrell
In Florence during the 1550s, captivating young duchess Lucrezia de Medici, having barely left girlhood behind, marries the ruler of Ferrara, Modena and Reggio, and now, in an unfamiliar court where she has one dutyto provide an heirfights for her very survival. (historical fiction).
Our reader was immersed in the protagonist, but warns it was difficult to read and will scare you. Robert Browning's poem "My Last Duchess" is woven into the story.
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Give unto others
by Donna Leon
As a favor Brunetti investigates the accountant son-in-law of his mothers friend after he alarmed the family by suggesting they might be in danger because of his line of work in the latest novel of the series following Transient Desires.
Our reader likes this series for its descriptions of Venice and the good eating!
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The 1619 Project : a new origin story
by Nikole Hannah-Jones
This ongoing initiative from The New York Times Magazine that began on the 400th anniversary of the beginning of American slavery reimagines if our national narrative actually started in late August of 1619, when a ship arrived in Jamestown bearing a cargo of 20-30 enslaved people from Africa.
Our reader encourages everyone to dip into this, reading a chapter that catches your attention. Each chapter can stand on its own, almost like magazine articles. For example, the Music chapter elucidates Minstrel songs, such as "Oh, Susanna" and most songs by Stephen Foster, which mocked Black people.
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Born a crime : stories from a South African childhood
by Trevor Noah
The comedian traces his coming of age during the twilight of apartheid in South Africa and the tumultuous days of freedom that followed, offering insight into the farcical aspects of the political and social systems of today's world.
This title was raised during the discussion on The 1619 Project as an excellent read.
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About Grace : a novel
by Anthony Doerr
Possessing an unsettling ability to predict random future events, Anchorage resident David Winkler foresees his infant daughter's drowning death and travels thousands of miles to Ohio and the Caribbean to prevent the tragedy, learning about human frailty and the importance of everyday miracles along the way. By the author of The Shell Collector. A first novel.
Our reader read this because she loves the author's later works, but found this could have used a fair amount of editing. But you do learn a lot about hydrology!
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Friends, Lovers, Chocolate
by Alexander McCall Smith
Taking on the running of her niece's deli while Cat is attending a wedding in Italy, Isabel Dalhousie encounters a recent heart transplant patient who is troubled by memories of events that never happened to him, a mystery complicated by her no-nonsense housekeeper Grace's skepticism and the charming Italian lothario Cat brings home from the wedding.
Our reader enjoys McCall Smith's books because they are light reads yet relatable and chock full of information.
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Everything I never told you
by Celeste Ng
A story of the divisions between cultures and the rifts within a family explores the fallout of the drowning death of Lydia Lee, the favorite daughter of a Chinese-American family in 1970s Ohio.
Our reader likes this novel for the family stories and because it makes her want to stay more connected to her own family.
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Traitor king : the scandalous exile of the Duke & Duchess of Windsor
by Andrew Lownie
"11 December 1936. The King of England, Edward VIII, has given up his crown, foregoing his duty for the love of Wallis Simpson, an American divorcée. Their courtship has been dogged by controversy and scandal, but with Edward's abdication, they can live happily ever after. But do they? Beginning this astonishing dual biography at the moment that most biographers turn away, bestselling historian Andrew Lownie reveals the dramatic lives of the Windsors post-abdication. This is a story of a royal shut out by his family and forced into exile; of the Nazi attempts to recruit the duke to their cause; and of why the duke, as Governor of the Bahamas, tried to shut down the investigation into the murder of a close friend. It is a story of a couple obsessed with their status, financially exploiting their position, all the while manipulating the media to portray themselves as victims."
A good story about a terrible person!
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A snake falls to Earth
by Darcie Little Badger
Fifteen-year-olds Nina and Oli come from different words--she is a Lipan Apache living in Texas and he is a cottonmouth from the Reflecting World--but their lives intersect when Oli journeys to Earth to find a cure for his ailing friend and they end up helping each other save their families.
The Big Library Read is a global book club featuring A Snake Falls to Earth, with no holds or waitlists on Libby/Overdrive. The title is also available now on Hoopla with no holds or waitlists. We will also (soon) have 2 print copies. Participate in online discussion groups between November 2nd-16th at: https://biglibraryread.com/join-the-discussion/ and/or meet at the library (or on Zoom) November 10th at 5pm for a local discussion.
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Lopez Island Library 2225 Fisherman Bay Rd Lopez Island, Washington 98261 360-468-2265www.lopezlibrary.org |
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