Hi everyone, here are our five suggested reads of the week!
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Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See
See (Lucy Tan’s Circle of Women) tells the intertwining story of three women in 1870s California during a turbulent time for Chinese immigrants. Dove, whose had her feet bound and is the daughter of an imperial scholar, desires to love and be loved as she travels to be the second wife of an older businessman. Petal, the large-footed daughter of a farmer, is unknowingly sold and forced into sex work to feed her starving family. Her desire for freedom fuels her every breath. Moon, the wife of a respected doctor, is intelligent and beautiful, but her limp, the result of a botched foot-binding, diminishes her value in society’s eyes. Her desire for justice guides the latter half of the narrative, following the devastating events of October 24, 1871, when simmering anti-Chinese sentiment in the United States finally erupts into a violent massacre, resulting in the mass murder and lynching of Chinese immigrants. The events of that night bring Dove, Petal, and Moon even closer; together, they find their voices by demonstrating bravery and fortitude in an environment where women have few rights. VERDICT See offers a stunning piece of historical fiction based in truth. It will touch readers with the characters’ resilience, heroism, and devoted friendship. — Starred Library Journal Review
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The Queen’s Coronation: A Novel by Jennifer Ryan
A master of uplifting historical fiction, Ryan (The Underground Library, 2024) presents her first post-WWII novel. Centered on three very different women working at Buckingham Palace during the lead-up to Queen Elizabeth’s coronation in 1953, it offers a glimpse into what it was like to work in the young queen’s orbit. Assistant dresser Caroline finds strength in the queen’s presence. Trapped by both a husband who squanders her money and a secret from her past, Caroline works tirelessly but begins to lose hope. Lucy is a young and beautiful junior assistant who dreams of singing on the London stage, but her optimism is soon overshadowed by her naivety as she navigates London society. Miranda, an American journalist, is undercover, working in the palace to get the scoop on the coronation. Filled with unresolved trauma over losing her husband in the war, Miranda puts on a stony facade to get through each day. Though they couldn’t be more different, their stories intertwine and they lift each other up and find strength together. Fans of The Crown and Downton Abbey will enjoy the dynamics. –Booklist Review
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The Secret War Against Hate: American Resistance to Antisemitism and White Supremacy by Steven J. Ross
This well-researched and at times shocking volume relates the surprising number of pro-Nazi groups and figures who emerged during and after World War II in the United States gained followers and influence and made impacts in local and national politics for decades. Ross (history, Univ. of Southern California; Hitler in Los Angeles: How Jews Foiled Nazi Plots Against Hollywood and America) makes the case that the typical narrative of the United States after the war might not be as accurate as most people think. Ross weaves the timelines of these figures together in an easy-to-follow way, showing how they gained power but also highlighting the people and organizations who actively fought against them in public and in spy rings, who each had their own motivations for resisting fascism. Readers will get sucked into the story and want to know what happens next. There are plenty of footnotes for further reading, and the author makes clear how past actions led to today’s events. This is a good read-alike and companion to Rachel Maddow’s Prequel. VERDICT An excellent “hidden history” book that gives additional context to modern political movements. Recommended for all general collections. –Starred Booklist Review
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Take Me With You: A Novel by Steve Rowley
Jesse and Norman have been together for 30 years, and lately, the spark has gone out of their marriage. Their recent move to Joshua Tree (not so much a town as a “Census designated place,” as Jesse is fond of pointing out) in the California desert has only compounded the tension. But when Norman abruptly leaves the house in the middle of the night, Jesse doesn’t expect to find him ascending into the sky from their backyard in a beam of light. As an award-winning humor writer, Jesse can get by for a while telling his neighbor and his colleagues at the local community college that his husband was abducted by aliens. But as the days pass, it becomes more difficult to deflect, especially when Norman’s sister shows up on their doorstep with a very big request. And as Jesse goes from spiraling to settling into his new life, will there be room for Norman if he returns? Rowley (The Guncle Abroad, 2024), himself the recipient of a humor-writing prize, adeptly balances the absurdity of Jesse’s circumstances with the sensitive portrayal of a longtime couple at a crossroads. Recommend to readers of humorous but moving fiction, like that of Kevin Wilson (Run for the Hills, 2025) and Rufi Thorpe. – Starred Booklist Review
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The Unicorn Hunters by Katherine Arden
Medieval history and Celtic mythology merge in an enchanting tale. Arden, best known for her Winternight Trilogy, here turns from medieval Russia to Europe during the same period. Anne of Brittany–a real person–is 19 when the novel begins in the late 15th century, a sovereign duchess whose father, the duke, has been dead since she was a child. Described as “small and glossy as a cat in a dairy,” she’s desperately trying to avoid marrying Charles VIII, the king of France, which would mean the dissolution of her country. She conceives a plan to conduct a unicorn hunt in the ancient, haunted forest of Broceliande, thinking she will be able to secretly arrange a proxy wedding to Maximilien of Austria, heir to the Holy Roman Empire. While there, she encounters not only an actual unicorn but an evil enchanter who has designs on her kingdom. With the unlikely aid of the chivalrous (and undeniably attractive) Louis of Orleans, who has been sent by Charles’ sister Marguerite to betray Anne, as well as Anne’s spunky younger sister, Isabeau; a clever peasant girl, Elesbed; and a cat named Butter, Anne works feverishly to protect her people from sinister forces both political and supernatural. Arden takes her time immersing the reader in this thoroughly and intricately imagined world, where historical figures bump up against an enigmatic korriganed queen, at least one monstrous sea-dragon, a herd of undead “anaon,” and a whole Breton city that has been trapped in time. This is an alternate history in which the admirable Anne, freed from the confines of textbooks, gets to ask the question, “Shall we not write our own story?” Here, love and duty reach an understanding, and courtly romance makes friends with a steamier variety of physical contact. Fans of jousts, spells, dark magic, and brave women will find plenty of each here. A clever and inspiring reimagining of a little-remembered time and place. – Starred Kirkus Review
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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 four library catalogs
The Digital Catalog aka Libby: 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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Kanopy Catalog: https://www.kanopy.com/en
The Kanopy Catalog features thousands of streaming videos available on demand.
The Kanopy Catalog is available for all Southern Tier Library System member library card holders, including all Southeast Steuben County Library card holders!
You can access the Kanopy Catalog through a web browser, or download the app to your phone, tablet or media streaming player (i.e. Roku, Google or Fire TV).
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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 