Hi everyone, here are our five recommended reads for the week!
*More information on the three catalogs and available formats is found at the end of the list of recommended reads*
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Weekly Suggested Reading postings are published on Wednesday.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, October 4, 2023.
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Evil Eye by Etaf Rum
(Available Formats: Print Book)
Raised in a conservative and emotionally volatile Palestinian family in Brooklyn, Yara thought she would finally feel free when she married a charming entrepreneur who took her to the suburbs. She’s gotten to follow her dreams, completing an undergraduate degree in art and landing a good job at the local college. As a traditional wife, she also raises their two school-aged daughters, takes care of the house, and has dinner ready when her husband gets home. With her family balanced with her professional ambitions, Yara knows that her life is infinitely more rewarding than her own mother’s. So why doesn’t it feel like enough?
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The Last Ranger by Peter Heller
(Available Formats: Print Book & Large Print)
The rugged nature of Yellowstone permeates every page of the latest outdoors adventure from Heller (The Guide, 2021), a tale populated with lyrically defined characters. Some seem to have stepped out of Louis L’Amour’s books. Then there are the rangers, the poachers, the resolute wildlife watchers, the tourists, the many who live in the region hoping to just hold on or trying to put their lives back together. The Pathfinders is a radical group that wants to undo the government’s park policies for millions of acres they feel they could better manage, that is, exploit. Meanwhile, readers experience enforcement ranger Ren Hopper’s entire harrowing life through his torturous memories. At this point, he is just hoping to be able to function. When his closest friend is mangled in a bear trap, Ren’s investigation takes him in some surprising directions, creating a path by which he puts his life back together. This is wilderness noir at its best, a novel that will please fans of C. J. Box, Craig Johnson, and the legions of admirers of the television series, Yellowstone. – Booklist Review
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The Museum of Failures by Thirty Umrigar
(Available Formats: Print Book)
An immersive story about family secrets and the power of forgiveness from the bestselling author of Reese’s Book Club pick Honor
When Remy Wadia left India for the United States, he carried his resentment of his cold and inscrutable mother with him and has kept his distance from her. Years later, he returns to Bombay, planning to adopt a baby from a young pregnant girl–and to see his elderly mother again before it is too late. She is in the hospital, has stopped talking, and seems to have given up on life.
Struck with guilt for not realizing just how ill she had become, Remy devotes himself to helping her recover and return home. But one day in her apartment he comes upon an old photograph that demands explanation. As shocking family secrets surface, Remy finds himself reevaluating his entire childhood and his relationship to his parents, just as he is on the cusp of becoming a parent himself. Can Remy learn to forgive others for their human frailties, or is he too wedded to his sorrow and anger over his parents’ long-ago decisions?
Surprising, devastating, and ultimately a story of redemption and healing still possible between a mother and son, The Museum of Failures is a tour de force from one of our most elegant storytellers about the mixed bag of love and regret. It is also, above all, a much-needed reminder that forgiveness comes from empathy for others. – Booklist Review
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The Pole: A Novel by J. M. Coetzee
(Available Formats: Print Book)
Coetzee, a Nobel laureate and two-time winner of the Booker Prize, is one of the most critically acclaimed writers in the English language. His latest novel focuses on Beatriz, who is Spanish, approaching 50, and married, but no longer passionate with her husband; and Witold, a Polish concert pianist in his early seventies who performs at a recital in Barcelona. Over time, Beatriz and Witold have an affair. He confesses his love for her, but she is restrained and circumspect and their physical relationship quickly ends. Much later, Beatriz comes into possession of Witold’s poetry, written for her in Polish. She hires a translator, interprets the poems, and searches for meaning by attempting to decode hidden messages. Captivated, she begins to write letters to Witold. Concepts of linguistics and the phenomenon of language are central as Beatriz interprets Witold’s poems translated from Polish into Spanish that are then relayed to readers in English. Like Beatriz, readers might ask what is lost in translation, and what these gaps in understanding might reveal. Beatriz, once on the periphery of creative processes, is now immersed and perhaps even able to love more fully. Exquisitely elevating the fundamental influences of music and language, The Pole unequivocally affirms the often-enigmatic relationships among art, love, and human experience. – Booklist Review
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Saving Emma by Allen Eskens
(Available Formats: Print Book)
Eskens (Forsaken Country) brilliantly combines legal and personal drama in this stellar standalone mystery. Minnesota law professor and Innocence Project volunteer Boady Sanden has been caring for Emma Pruitt, the daughter of his college friend, Ben, since the public defender was gunned down by police four years ago while facing charges for killing his wife. One afternoon, Ruth Matthews brings her brother Elijah’s file to Boady at the Innocence Project: Elijah has been convicted of brutally murdering pastor Jalen Bale, but Ruth’s certain he’s innocent. She buttresses her claim with a photo, never presented in Elijah’s trial, that clearly shows him at a magic show at the exact moment of Bale’s murder. Then a bomb drops: Elijah was Ben’s last case before he died, and—having recommended that Ben become a public defender—Boady feels responsible for clearing Elijah’s name. Meanwhile, Emma’s aunt convinces the teen that Boady and his wife are covering up information about the deaths of her parents and leverages that claim for custody. Eskens peppers the thorny, propulsive plot with superior turns of phrase (unreliable memories are compared to “the boards of an aging footbridge, the planks heavy with decay”) and fully realized characters. Scott Turow fans will be enthralled. – Publishers Weekly Review
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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
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Have questions or want to request a book?
Feel free to call the library! Our telephone number is 607-936-3713.
Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Information on the three library catalogs
Digital Catalog: https://stls.overdrive.com/
The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, Downloadable Audiobooks, digital magazines and a handful of streaming videos. The catalog, which allows one to download content to a PC, also has a companion app, Libby, which you can download to your mobile device; so you can enjoy eBooks and Downloadable Audiobooks on the go!
All card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can check out items from the Digital Catalog.
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Hoopla Catalog: https://www.hoopladigital.com/
The Hoopla Catalog features instant checkouts of eBooks, Downloadable Audiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV series. Patron check out limit is 6 items per month.
Hoopla is a Southeast Steuben County Library service available to all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders.
The Hoopla App is available for Android or Apple devices, smart TVs & media streaming players.
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StarCat: The catalog of physical/traditional library materials: https://starcat.stls.org
Card holders of all Southern Tier Library System member libraries can access StarCat to search for and request materials available at libraries through out the Southern Tier Library System.
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Format Note: Under each book title you’ll find a list of all the different formats that specific title is available in; including: Print Books, Large Print Books, CD Audiobooks, eBooks & Downloadable Audiobooks from the Digital Catalog (Libby app) and Hoopla eBooks & Hoopla Downloadable Audiobooks (Hoopla app).
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Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
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Have questions or want to request a book?
Feel free to call the library! Our telephone number is 607-936-3713.
Tech Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 