Smythie
The monthly e-newsletter of the Smyth Public Library
February, 2019
Volume 12, No.11
Events…
Ask a Muslim Anything
Wednesday, February 20th at 6pm
A conversation with Robert Azzi. Are you challenged to understand all the media noise about Islam and what it means to be a Muslim? Join Robert Azzi, an Arab-American and a native of New Hampshire, for a conversation about his experiences as a Muslim in America.
Candia Meet the Candidates Night
Tuesday, March 5th at 6:30pm
Smyth Public Library is hosting another Meet the Candidates Night in our meeting room with Rick Mitchell again as Moderator.
https://www.candianh.org/announcement/meet-the-candidates-night
History of the Hershey Chocolate family with presenter Laura Keyes
Monday, March 4th at 6pm
Today, the name Hershey is synonymous with quality milk chocolate. But that wasn’t always the case. Milton S. Hershey worked hard and failed often before his chocolate company was finally successful. And when he did become a household name and had earned a vast fortune, Milton and his wife Catherine decided to give it all away. Because of their generosity, tens of thousands of orphans have been saved, protected, and educated. Attend this illustrated lecture to hear the “behind the scenes” story of this beloved American company.
Camino Trip Talk
Now presenting on two nights:
Monday, March 11 or Wednesday, March 13
both at 6:30pm
Former Moore School teachers Judi Lindsey and Barb Robidoux will talk about completing walking a 500 mile, thousand year old pilgrimage path on the El Camino de Santiago in Spain. They walked from Saint Jean Pied de Port in September to Santiago de Compostela in November.
Visit their blog: www.candiatothecamino.com.
In photo, the end of the journey by the cross in front of the Atlantic Ocean in Finisterre – thought to be the ‘End of the world’ in medieval times! (Judi Lindsey on the right, Barb Robidoux on the left)
HOW-TO’s
“Keeping A Sketchbook: Drawing Your World” Class Preview with Sue Anne Bottomley
Tuesday, February 12th at 6pm
Sue Anne Bottomley is doing three classes early in 2019. Jan. 15; Feb. 12; Mar. 12; all on Tuesdays at 6pm.
Artist and instructor Sue Anne Bottomley flips through her sketchbook made on site while in a botanical garden. Her three class sessions will guide you through choosing a sketchbook, materials, tools, and techniques. Learn to record your favorite views of the world, both at home or in your town, or while traveling. It is never too late to explore your artistic POV.
Sue Anne is a graduate of UNH and a life-long artist. Since 2014, she has written and illustrated three books.
If you have a special talent you’d like to share, please see Heidi at the front desk
Check out our monthly calendar on our website for all our events and programs.
New!!!
INTRODUCING: KANOPY
WE ARE THRILLED TO PRESENT OUR NEW FILM STREAMING SERVICE
Starting in February, Smyth Library Patrons Will Have Access to Kanopy featuring more than 30,000 Films, For Free!
The popular on demand film streaming service Kanopy will be available for free on February 1, 2019. Library card holders can access Kanopy and view up to four films per month. Films can be streamed from any computer, television, mobile device or platform by downloading the Kanopy app for iOS, Android, AppleTV, Chromecast or Roku.
Offering what the New York Times calls “a garden of cinematic delights,” Kanopy showcases more than 30,000 of the world’s best films, including award winning documentaries, rare and hard to find titles, film festival favorites, indie and classic films, and world cinema with collections from Kino Lorber, Music Box Films, Samuel Goldwyn,The Orchard, The Great Courses, PBS and thousands of independent filmmakers.
With the motto of “thoughtful entertainment,” Kanopy provides patrons with access to films of unique social and cultural value; films that are often difficult or impossible to access elsewhere, and programming that features diversity, with a wide array of foreign language films and films on race, and current affairs.
TRY IT AND DOWNLOAD NOW AT: smythpl.kanopy.com
New on our shelves…
New Fiction…
No exit: a novel Adams, Taylor,
The coming storm: a thriller Alpert, Mark
Freefall: a novel Barry, Jessica,
The suspect Barton, Fiona
The only woman in the room Benedict, Marie
The golden tresses of the dead: a Flavia de Luce novel Bradley, Alan
Cabal of the Westford Knight: Templars at the Newport Tower Brody, David S.
The New Iberia blues Burke, James Lee
Secrets at cedar cabin Coble, Colleen
The lost traveller: a County Cork mystery Connolly, Sheila
The Paragon Hotel Faye, Lyndsay
48 hours Forstchen, William R
Annelies Gillham, David R
The people we hate at the wedding Ginder, Grant
Invisible: a novel Grant, Andrew
An anonymous girl Hendricks, Greer
The light over London Kelly, Juliana Francis
Untouchable Krentz, Jayne Ann
The rule of law: a novel Lescroart, John T.
The Road Beyond Ruin Liviero, Gemma.
Wicked river: a novel Milchman, Jenny
Suite française Nemirovsky, Irene
Liar, liar Patterson, James
The burglar: a novel Perry, Thomas
Verses for the dead: a Pendergast novel Preston, Douglas J.
The night agent: a novel Quirk, Matthew
Crucible: a thriller Rollins, James
Turning point: a novel Steel, Danielle
Daughter of war: a novel Taylor, Brad
The water cure: a novel Mackintosh, Sophie
New Non-Fiction…
How to hold a grudge: from resentment to contentment : the power of grudges to transform your life Hannah, Sophie
Spy pilot: Francis Gary Powers, the U-2 incident, and a controversial Cold War legacy Powers, Francis Gary,
5 lb. book of GRE® practice problems: GRE® strategy guide supplement
Aromatherapy for everyone: discover the scents of health and happiness with essential oils Pierson, PJ.
Making your small farm profitable Macher, Ron.
Homebrewing for dummies Nachel, Marty,
What’s new, cupcake?: [ingeniously simple designs for every occasion] Tack, Karen
How to play ukulele: a beginners guide to learn about the ukulele, reading music, chords, & much more Parker, Ben,
Other: [Adult music kit]: [Ukulele]
The last cowboys: a pioneer family in the new West Branch, John
Chasing Denali: The Sourdoughs, Cheechakos, and Frauds Behind the Most Unbelievable Feat in Mountaineering Waterman, Jonathan,
Inheritance: a memoir of genealogy, paternity, and love Shapiro, Dani,
Code name: Lise : the true story of World War II’s most highly decorated woman
Loftis, Larry.
The heartbeat of Wounded Knee: native America from 1890 to the present Treuer, David
The first conspiracy: the secret plot to kill George Washington Meltzer, Brad
Grit and gold: the Death Valley Jayhawkers of 1849 Johnson, Jean
New Books on CD…
The New Iberia blues CD (13) Burke, James Lee
A secret kept CD (7) Rosnay, Tatiana de,
Spies of the balkans CD(8) Furst, Alan
The false friend CD (5) Goldberg, Myla
Out of the dark CD (10) Hurwitz, Gregg Andrew
The house next door CD (8): [thrillers] Patterson, James
Liar Liar CD(7) Patterson, James
Goldengrove: a novel CD (7) Prose, Francine,
Crucible CD (12) Rollins, James
Turning point: a novel CD (8) Steel, Danielle
Daughter of War CD (9) Taylor, Brad
A delicate touch CD (6) Woods, Stuart
New Video…
A-X-L DVD 1142 [PG]
Little women DVD 1143 [PG13]
A knight’s tale DVD 1144 [PG13]
The house with a clock in its walls DVD 1145 [PG]
Friends and Heroes DVD 1146A [G]: Stories of courage and aceepting others — Episodes 1 and 2
Smallfoot DVD 1147A [PG]
Barnyard DVD 1148A [PG]: the original party animals
Johnny English strikes again DVD 1149 [PG]
Sgt. Stubby: an American hero DVD 861A [PG]
When the thief stole several volumes from the library, he was quickly booked.
Coloring night for all ages, all supplies provided,
Fridays 6-7 pm
Plus, packets available to use anytime we are open and you feel the urge
Tip from the front desk
NEW YEAR-NEW YOU! “The future belongs to those who believe in the beauty of their dreams.” Eleanor Roosevelt
Try Volunteering: See our website Volunteer tab for ideas!
When you give thanks by donating your time to help others, you get big rewards in return. People who volunteer report reduced stress, lower rates of depression, and better physical health than non-volunteers. 75% of volunteers who said the experience made them feel physically healthier and 93 % said their mood improved as well and 90% said volunteering improved their social life. Altruism might affect brain circuitry in a way that helps to buffer the detrimental effects of stress on the body.
Here’s an idea to think about while planning a vacation: Try “Voluntourism”! It can help you see the world from a new perspective. Opportunities range from teaching English in Southeast Asia to working at a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa. Look for companies such as Discover Corps and UBELONG to connect you to opportunities.
Challenge your family members each morning to do one random act of kindness and report back at dinner with results. For ideas fill out index cards together and put them in a basket and grab one before you head out for the day. Another idea for Random Acts of Kindness: Tuck an encouraging note and a dollar bill into public seats and other spots where it might make someone smile.
Or donate your health for the greater good:
The NIH has a research program called All of US- a historic effort to collect data from 1 million people in the U.S. to help scientist speed up medical breakthroughs. Visit joinallofus.org for info and to sign up.
Another idea: In honor of National Blood Donor Month, consider rolling up your sleeve as three lives can be saved per pint of blood donated while less than 10 percent of people eligible to give blood do so. Find out where at redcrossblood.org.
**Also, if you are really brave, sign up for a clinical trial at clinicaltrials.org or ask your doctor of trials related to a cause you care about.
But please don’t miss this super opportunity:
Smyth Public Library is joining the Souper Bowl of Caring. In honor of the Super Bowl Victory for the Patriots bring in one can of soup or $1 and we’ll give all to the Candia Food Pantry for a big WIN WIN!
-Heidi Deacon, Director
Try out our new “Volunteer Your World” ideas at Smyth Public Library. Visit our Volunteer Your World Page
The high school music teacher was controversial for having his students read band books.
Friends In-House Book Sale!
Featuring: Blind Date with a Book
You can browse at your leisure now and bring home a favorite to keep or to give away to a friend. Just look for the bright signs just inside our main doors on the left. Pay at the front desk. Only… $1 for hardcover and $.50 for paperbacks. Proceeds go to the Friends of Smyth Library.
Writers’ group
On the 2nd and 4th Friday of every month, 6:30pm
The Smyth Public Library hosts a gathering of writers once or twice a month where we work together on timed writing exercises using prompts and other sources of inspiration. The writing periods will be followed by sharing some of the work with each other. The goal of the group is to loosen up and get the pen moving on paper. We don’t seek to have a finished work by the end of the session and you don’t need to arrive with a finished piece of writing to share. The writer’s group is a place to meet with other writers and to flex your writing muscles.
Please come ready with a writing medium of your choice: paper and pen/pencil, computer, tablet, etc.
Drop In Family Game Nights!!
First Friday of every month at 6:30
Knitting & Crochet Circle
Help with the cap, blanket, and scarf charity project, work on your own items, or just come to learn. Call Lisa 587-0603 for more info.
Third Thursday of the month, 7pm
Monthly Lego Night!
EVERY third Friday 6:30-7:30 for all ages.
MAGIC GAME CLUB
Featuring : Magic-The Gathering
Held monthly on the First Wednesday of the month at 4 pm!
For ages 8 and up! Next meeting-February 6
Family Movie Night
Friday, February 22, 6:00 p.m.
“Orphan Horse”
rated PG ~
Did you Know???
From 1883 – 1929, Andrew Carnegie is credited with spending $55 million of his own fortune to open 2,509 libraries.
In theGallery…
CURRENTLY FEATURED
Art by Sue Anne Bottomley
ART WANTED!!!
Our art gallery and (locked) glass case is always available for the works of local artists. Just see Heidi at the front desk to display your works
Coming soon:
Moore School Student Art Pieces
LITTLE FREE LIBRARY
Brought to you by the Friends of the Smyth Public Library
The Little Free Library is up and running at the CYAA complex – anyone can take advantage!!
LOVE TO SHARE A GOOD BOOK?
Now! 2 groups! 2 times!
How about sharing your thoughts on a book at the friendly monthly book discussion group?
Thursday, February 14, 11:00 a.m.
Love and Ruin
By Paula McClain
In 1937, twenty-eight-year-old Martha Gellhorn travels alone to Madrid to report on the atrocities of the Spanish Civil War and becomes drawn to the stories of ordinary people caught in the devastating conflict. It’s her chance to prove herself a worthy journalist in a field dominated by men. There she also finds herself unexpectedly—and unwillingly—falling in love with Ernest Hemingway, a man on his way to becoming a legend.
On the eve of World War II, and set against the turbulent backdrops of Madrid and Cuba, Martha and Ernest’s relationship and careers ignite. But when Ernest publishes the biggest literary success of his career, For Whom the Bell Tolls, they are no longer equals, and Martha must forge a path as her own woman and writer.
Heralded by Ann Patchett as “the new star of historical fiction,” Paula McLain brings Gellhorn’s story richly to life and captures her as a heroine for the ages: a woman who will risk absolutely everything to find her own voice.
*Extra titles of this book are available at the front desk
Thursday, February 28th at 7:30 pm
Eleanor Oliphant
by Gail Honeyman
Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.
But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one
*Extra titles of this book are available at the front desk
Did you Know 2???
Gabriel García Márquez’s e refused to allow One Hundred Years of Solitude to be adapted into a movie because “they would cast someone like Robert Redford and most of us do not have relatives who look like Robert Redford.” He had a point.
Library Assets…
SERVICE FOR HOMEBOUND PATRONS:
Smyth Public Library is now offering home delivery of library materials for any Candia community residents in need. Please contact us for a registration form for this service or use the link to a form to fill out on our website.
The library is proud to now offer The Healing Library; reading kits to aid with coping with difficult situations. We offer The Death of a Loved One, The Death of a Pet, plus Alzheimer’s & Your Family. These are located in the children’s room, along with books relating to each topic. The kits are available now for check out.
STILL HERE!:
Digital Movies, Music and More –Instantly Available –24/7 –Free with your Library Card!
Movies, TV,Music Albums, eAudiobooks , eBooks, and Comics/Graphic Novels. All in one location, from your computer, tablet or Smartphone!
With hoopla, there are no hold lists, no extra apps or accounts needed or special steps to use it.
It just works! On a mobile device, borrowed content may be temporarily downloaded and accessed offline or, in either the app or on a computer, all borrowed content may be enjoyed while connected to the internet by streaming.
Don’t forget – you can always borrow our internet hot spot, telescope and newly offered Ukulele and a dozen baking pans!
(Hearts, Football, Flowers, Mouse, Bunnies, Snowmen, Letters &Numbers)
Making Your Life Easy:
By going to our website, you can search our entire catalogue for books, CD’s, DVD’s and movies. Once found, you can check to see if what you want is in. If so, just to our website and reserve the book. The next time you come in, it will be waiting for you at the front desk. WITH OUR NEW WEBSITE YOU CAN DO IT WITH YOUR MOBILE DEVICE!
PLUS!! Check out our smythpl.org website updates and Smyth Library’s new Public Catalog featuring:
– A crawl of new items.
– “What’s Hot” now covers several choices.
-“Most Popular” titles (a combination of checkouts and reserves are used to determine this list).
– “More Search Options” includes Medium that lets members search by DVD or Large Print, etc.
More Research Options:
Full text articles from thousands of magazines, journals and national newspapers, plus NoveList. Call or e-mail us and provide your name and your library card number, and we’ll give you the password.
We’re on Facebook!
Like the Smyth Public Library
Look at our page on Facebook for events and updates about our library!
Downloadable Books!!!!
Ipods and Kindles work and you can
Order right from our website!
PASSES….PASSES….PASSES
Check our website for passes!!!All are listed in the “museum passes” tab of the website and can be reserved there.
Starting in February, Museum of Science in Boston passes available.
Kids’ Stuff…
Check out our monthly calendar for children on the children’s tab on our website.
CHILDREN’S WINTER PROGRAMS
NEW CCC KIDS! Mrs. Lindsey’s Candia Conservation Commission KIDS!
Now offering TWO classes!
Do you love nature? Animals? The forests and the ponds? Join Mrs. Lindsey for her new nature club! Class is FULL! (Waiting list sign-ups only!)
- Mondays 3-4:30 pm
- Meet in the Moore School lobby
- Take walks in nature to discover plants, animals and more
- Create art projects based on the environment
- Come dressed and prepared to go outside in all kinds of weather!
Book Clubs!
Magic Tree House Book Club (K-2)-Third Thursday 3pm; Meeting: February 21
Reading A Big Day for Baseball by Mary Pope Osborne
Dear America Book Club- Wednesday, February 6; 3pm
Reading The Fences Between Us by Kirby Larson
NEW Comic Book Club – Wednesday, February 13; 3:30pm
Reading the Graphic Novel: Zita the Space Girl by Ben Hatke
STEM Club (K-3) Combined Math and Science
Second and Fourth Thursday 3pm; Meeting: February 14 only!
Art Club (K-5)
First Thursday 3pm -February 7
Cookie Decorating
Baby—Preschool children-
Stories, games, crafts, music, puppets
During Thursday Story Time 10 a.m.
FOR TEENS!!
Teen Book Club-Wednesday, February 20 @ 4pm
February title: Dear Martin by Nic Stone
Teen Creative Club-Wednesday,February 27 @ 4pm
Teen Movie-Thursday, February 28 @ 3:30pm
Featuring: The Hate U Give, rated PG13
Read to Simon, Gwen Paprocki’s Certified Therapy dog.
Want to boost reading confidence?
Why is reading to a dog educational AND fun? Because Simon is soft, furry and warm and he loves the attention you give him when you practice your reading out-loud skills! In the Children’s Library Room ~ one-on-one with Ms. Gwen and Simon present. (Simon and Gwen Paprocki are certified through Therapy Dogs International)
Please sign up if interested. Call Gwen for more info at 483-8245
NOW presenting two Storytimes:
Thursdays, 10 am with Jessica
Thursdays, 6 pm with Maryjo
Preschoolers and babies welcomed
FUTURE ENGINEERS AND BUILDERS!!
Second Friday, 6:00 p.m.
We break out our snap circuits! Build exciting projects including computer interfaced experiments and solar cell applications. Build over 175 exciting projects now with lights. All new kits and all ages welcome! Check our Facebook page for some cool snap circuit projects.
1000 BOOKS before Kindergarten
Personal memory registers and book bags are available for parents.
New books for children…
Legislative branch Alexander, Vincent,
With any luck, I’ll drive a truck Friend, David
Clouds Meinking, Mary,
Natural disasters Meinking, Mary,
Making a movie Higgins, Nadia,
Mount Rushmore Simms, Susan Rose,
Iggy Peck, architect Beaty, Andrea
Babies love first words Hogan, Martina
The littlest family’s big day Martin, Emily Winfield,
Farmer Dale’s red pickup truck Wheeler, Lisa
Quiet dePaola, Tomie
Winter tales of the snowbabies Johnson, Carolyn M.
The apple orchard riddle McNamara, Margaret
Margret and H.A. Rey’s Where is Curious George?: a look and find book
Platt, Cynthia,
Still stuck Yoshitake, Shinsuke,
The Berenstain Bears go green Berenstain, Jan
We love the library Berenstain, Mike,
The Berenstain Bears forget their manners Berenstain, Stan
New books for young adults…
The wicked king Black, Holly
Evermore Holland, Sara,
The Romantics Konen, Leah,
Two can keep a secret McManus, Karen M
Skyward Sanderson, Brandon
Dear Martin Stone, Nic
Kill the farm boy Dawson, Delilah S
From the Young Adult Shelves~
Dear Martin
by Nic Stone
Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut.
Justyce McAllister is top of his class and set for the Ivy League—but none of that matters to the police officer who just put him in handcuffs. And despite leaving his rough neighborhood behind, he can’t escape the scorn of his former peers or the ridicule of his new classmates. Justyce looks to the teachings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. for answers. But do they hold up anymore? He starts a journal to Dr. King to find out.
Then comes the day Justyce goes driving with his best friend, Manny, windows rolled down, music turned up—way up, sparking the fury of a white off-duty cop beside them. Words fly. Shots are fired. Justyce and Manny are caught in the crosshairs. In the media fallout, it’s Justyce who is under attack.
Goodreads
New books for juniors…
Wundersmith: the calling of Morrigan Crow Townsend, Jessica,
The Polar Bear Explorers’ Club Bell, Alex,
Rosie Revere and the Raucous Riveters CD (1) Beaty, Andrea
Podkin One-Ear Larwood, Kieran
Wrath of the dragon king Mull, Brandon
Peter’s search for the missing box Noyes, Alice Daley,
The Fork, the Witch, and the Worm: Tales from Alagaesia (Volume 1: Eragon)
Paolini, Christopher
Treasure of the Gold Dragon West, Tracey
From the Junior Shelves~
A review by Elizabeth Jones…
The Wishing Spell
by Chris Colfer,
Brandon Dorman (Illustrator)
If you love adventures, I would recommend that you read, “The Wishing Spell” from the Land of Stories series. Here is a preview of the first book.
12 year old twins, Alex and Conner, find a secret in their storybook. It leads them to another world – The Land of Stories! Having fallen into their book, Alex and her brother Conner, look for the ingredients for the spell to get them back home. Along the way, they meet people such as: Snow White, Cinderella, and other fairy tale characters. Unfortunately, the Evil Queen (aka, Snow White’s step mother) chases them in their search. Read on to discover what happens. This is an adventure-packed story you will definitely enjoy! There are several additional books in this series that follow along with their adventures.
Trivia Time!
Every month we ask a trivia question. If you know the answer, drop it off at the front desk or e-mail it here. We will randomly select the winner from the correct answers and the WINNERwill win ONE FREE WEEK of OVERDUE FINE AMNESTY ON ONE BOOK
Last month’s question and answer:
- In what state does TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD take place?
- Alabama
No Winner!
This Month’s Trivia Question:
What character has been played by the most actors?
From the New and Recent Shelves~
We (being I) are always looking for contributors to this reviews section. The editor has a limited range of taste, so any reviews would be more than welcomed. Just e-mail them in reply to this, or to librarian@smythpl.org
I admit to a rather limited taste in reading materials. I generally eschew science fiction, fantasy and what are euphemistically referred to as “chic books”. I realize this is a deficiency in not only me, but the “From the New and Recent Shelves” section of “The Smythie”.
I may therefore resort to pilfering reviews from Goodreads.com for a book at times to widen the breadth of this service. I’d much rather have a contributing reviewer (or twelve). If you’ve read a book you’ve loved, please shoot me a review so we can enjoy a more personal perspective.
Fiction…
The new and exciting historial thriller by Lyndsay Faye, author of Edgar-nominated Jane Steele and Gods of Gotham, which follows Alice “Nobody” from Prohibition-era Harlem to Portland’s the Paragon Hotel.
The year is 1921, and “Nobody” Alice James is on a cross-country train, carrying a bullet wound and fleeing for her life following an illicit drug and liquor deal gone horribly wrong. Desperate to get as far away as possible from New York City and those who want her dead, she has her sights set on Oregon: a distant frontier that seems the end of the line.
She befriends Max, a black Pullman porter who reminds her achingly of Harlem, who leads Alice to the Paragon Hotel upon arrival in Portland. Her unlikely sanctuary turns out to be the only all-black hotel in the city, and its lodgers seem unduly terrified of a white woman on the premises. But as she meets the churlish Dr. Pendleton, the stately Mavereen, and the unforgettable club chanteuse Blossom Fontaine, she begins to understand the reason for their dread. The Ku Klux Klan has arrived in Portland in fearful numbers–burning crosses, inciting violence, electing officials, and brutalizing blacks. And only Alice, along with her new “family” of Paragon residents, are willing to search for a missing mulatto child who has mysteriously vanished into the Oregon woods.
Why was “Nobody” Alice James forced to escape Harlem? Why do the Paragon’s denizens live in fear–and what other sins are they hiding? Where did the orphaned child who went missing from the hotel, Davy Lee, come from in the first place? And, perhaps most important, why does Blossom DuBois seem to be at the very center of this tangled web? Goodreads
The Handmaid’s Tale meets The Virgin Suicides in this dystopic feminist revenge fantasy about three sisters on an isolated island, raised to fear men
King has tenderly staked out a territory for his wife and three daughters, Grace, Lia, and Sky. He has lain the barbed wire; he has anchored the buoys in the water; he has marked out a clear message: Do not enter. Or viewed from another angle: Not safe to leave. Here women are protected from the chaos and violence of men on the mainland. The cult-like rituals and therapies they endure fortify them from the spreading toxicity of a degrading world.
But when their father, the only man they’ve ever seen, disappears, they retreat further inward until the day three strange men wash ashore. Over the span of one blistering hot week, a psychological cat-and-mouse game plays out. Sexual tensions and sibling rivalries flare as the sisters confront the amorphous threat the strangers represent. Can they survive the men?
A haunting, riveting debut about the capacity for violence and the potency of female desire, The Water Cure both devastates and astonishes as it reflects our own world back at us.
Goodreads
Non-fiction…
Larry Loftis’ CODE NAME: LISE is a very good and readable history about two SOE agents during WWII. “Lise”, Odette Sansom, was WWII’s most decorated female. Born in France and moved to England, she reluctantly joined the Special Operations Executive and teamed up with Peter Churchill. The book tracks their espionage, love affair, imprisonment and their long arduous trek through the war.
Mr. Loftis writes the history to read like a well-plotted thriller. His organization and presentation lend suspense throughout the book.
This is good history well-presented and highly recommended.
Ever want to be one of those know-it-all reviewers?
Got a book to recommend?
Want to write a blurb?
Have a child with a favorite book who would like to contribute to the Smythie?
We welcome contributors (less for us to write!), especially children and teens to review and recommend favorite books. Just drop Heidi Deacon an e-mail at librarian@smythpl.org or “reply” to this and we’ll include it here. It need not be a new book – it can be a golden oldie, a classic, a trashy beach book or whatever you have enjoyed.
I hope you have enjoyed this edition. Comments, suggestions and, of course, reviews are always welcomed.
Rick Mitchell and the library staff
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