Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
Weekly Suggested Reading Five postings are posted on Wednesdays.
And the next Suggested Reading posting will be published on Wednesday, June 19, 2024.
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The Ballad of Jacquotte Delahaye by Briony Cameron
From starting out as a poor shipwright forced to pay her father for her meager freedoms to becoming a notorious pirate captain in her own right, Jacquotte Delahaye has led a storied life. The novel begins in 1665 with her in prison, then goes back to tell her story. The young shipwright dreamt of honing her skills and one day leaving her stifling life in Yáquimo Santo Domingo. However, a series of events culminating in the deaths of her father and the governor of Yáquimo spur Jacquotte to flee to the open sea, hoping to protect the people she loves. As Jacquotte navigates her new life of piracy, she must take charge and make decisions that will save or doom her crew, demonstrating her incredible strength of will and sharp intellect. Debut novelist Cameron reimagines historical events in portraying her larger-than-life protagonist in a tale of triumph over a male pirate captain, racial inequality, sexism, slavery, and violence. This is a wonderfully gripping adventure story about a lesbian pirate of color who rose from obscurity to infamy at the height of the age of piracy. Fans of LGBTQ+ historical fiction and those who relish tales of notorious figures from the past will find that this novel is an absolute treasure. – Starred Booklist Review
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The Catalyst: RNA and the Quest to Unlock Life’s Deepest Secrets by Thomas R. Cech
Nobel Prize–winning biochemist Cech debuts with an entrancing primer on “the vast capabilities of RNA.” Recounting how his research in the early 1980s upended the long-held belief that RNA was a simple molecule that intermediated between DNA and proteins, Cech describes discovering that RNA can catalyze biochemical reactions and perform jobs previously thought to be the exclusive purview of enzymes, such as orchestrating the construction of proteins. The author also delves into subsequent breakthroughs, telling how in the late ’80s molecular biologist Carol Greider determined that RNA build out “chromosome ends to secure the integrity of the genome.” Surveying the real-world implications of the research, Cech discusses the scientific advances that led to the development of the messenger RNA Covid vaccines and speculates on how a form of RNA capable of shutting down genes may one day help treat neurodegenerative diseases. The biological discussions are remarkably lucid, thanks to easy-to-understand analogies. For instance, Cech illustrates how RNA’s selective omission of genetic information during protein production makes it possible to create a “wide repertoire of potential proteins from the same set of genes” by noting how “You really smell nice today” and “You really smell today” use the same building blocks yet generate opposite meanings based on the exclusion of one piece. This fascinates. – Starred Publishers Weekly Review
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Clete by James Lee Burke
In the gonzo latest from Edgar winner Burke (Harbor Lights), detective Dave Robicheaux’s friend, P.I. Clete Purcel, gets caught up in the bizarre pursuit of a bioweapon in late-1990s Louisiana. Clete wakes one Sunday to find three men disassembling his Cadillac in search of contraband. During a brief confrontation, the men knock Clete unconscious, and from there, the story spins out in a dizzying array of directions. One of Clete’s assailants turns out to be a member of an occult neo-Nazi group; the men appeared to be on a mission that also involves slimy millionaire Lauren Bow and his actor wife, Clara. They’re all after a bioweapon called Leprechaun, which may or may not have been in the Cadillac. Clete gets help from Robicheaux, sheriff Helen Soileau, and Joan of Arc, who appears in prophetic visions to steer him from further harm. Readers will delight in Burke’s sterling prose (Louisiana is “an antediluvian place that could have been formed on the first day of Creation, then forgotten, feral and threatening”) and take heart amid the surreal proceedings in Robicheaux’s assertion that “mysteries exist. The denial of them is an absurdity.” This is a winner. – Starred Publishers Weekly Review
Reader’s Note: Despite the fact that series protagonist Dave Robicheaux has a supporing role to his friend Clete in this novel; this is the twenty-fourth book in the Dave Robicheaux Mystery Series. If you’d like to binge read from the beginning, check out book one: The Neon Rain.
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How To Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley
It is said that it takes a village, but in the London neighborhood of Hammersmith, it really just takes a community center. But sadly, the Mandel Center is struggling, which is very much on point for the few brave souls who launch a seniors’ social club. Its manager, Lydia, a menopausal empty nester withering in a dysfunctional marriage, tries to jolly them with crafts and jigsaw puzzles, but the regulars are too feisty for that. When the local council threatens to demolish the building, Daphne, an enigmatic spitfire with a take-no-prisoners attitude, rallies the regulars in a scheme to not only save the center but also to get revenge on Lydia’s cheating husband. They’re an unlikely cohort–failed actor/recovering kleptomaniac Art; Ruby, who stealthily knits Banksy-style art installations; Anna, a former long-haul trucker who now rocks a motorized mobility scooter; and Ziggy, a teenage father with a daughter at the daycare, whose mad tech skills endear him to the otherwise prickly Daphne. Throw in a madcap bus ride, a mangy dog, and an audition for a reality TV show, and the result is a lovably quirky, reassuringly wise, and memorably inspiring romp that shatters ageist stereotypes. For fans of Fredrik Backman and Rachel Joyce.
HIGH-DEMAND BACKSTORY: Readers seek out best-selling and wily comedic novelist Pooley for just the sort of cheeky break from stress they crave. – Booklist Review
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Swan Song by Elin Hilderbrand
Hilderbrand’s (The Five-Star Weekend) many fans will feel bittersweet about her latest: it follows her usual mix of colorful and glittering characters and places on Nantucket Island, but she says it will be her last Nantucket-set novel. Police chief Ed Kapenash is retiring after having a heart attack, but on his last weekend on the job, a house destroyed by fire and a missing friend of his daughter make him defer his retirement. The story returns to the arrival and wild lives of ultra-wealthy and mysterious newcomers, the Robinson family. In a story told from many perspectives, readers learn how the ostentatious Robinsons and their wild parties brought out the best, the worst, and underlying conflicts in many Nantucket islanders. All the characters, especially the Robinsons, have secrets and resentments they want to keep hidden. Fans will be thrilled to revisit characters from Hilderbrand’s earlier stories and see how their lives have moved on and continue to change up until the sweetly romantic ending. Readers new to the author may find it difficult keeping track of the many characters and be best served by first reading her earlier books.
VERDICT A must-read for Hilderbrand’s many enthusiastic followers. – Library Journal Review
Reader’s Note: Swan Song is the fourth book in the Nantucket Series. If you’d like to start reading the series from the beginning, check out book one: A Summer Affair.
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Happy reading!
Linda Reimer, SSCL
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Note: Book summaries are from the respective publishers unless otherwise specified.
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Information on the three library catalogs
The Digital Catalog: https://stls.overdrive.com/
The Digital Catalog, is an online catalog containing eBooks, eAudiobooks, and digital magazines. You can use your library card and checkout content on a PC; you can also use the companion app, Libby, to access titles on your mobile devices; so you can enjoy eBooks and eAudiobooks 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 on demand checkouts of eBooks, eAudiobooks, comic books, albums, movies and TV shows. Patron check out limit is 10 items per month.
Hoopla is a Southeast Steuben County Library service available to all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders.
The Hoopla companion app, also called Hoopla is available for mobile 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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Have questions about how to access Internet based content (i.e. eBooks, eAudios)? Feel free to drop by the Reference Desk or call the library and we will assist you! The library’s telephone number is: 607-936-3713.
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Tech & Book Talk is a Southeast Steuben County Library blog.
Tech & Book Talk at SSCL 