Check Me Out ;) My silver lining this year - reading. As a librarian, I’m surrounded by books, but this year I reignited my lifelong passion for books; for the stories they tell. One of the books that relit that flame is “Nothing to See Here” by Kevin Wilson. It is a quirky book about a lonely young woman who finds purpose in life while caring for two young twins who spontaneously combust when stressed. Darkly funny, wholly unique, and ultimately heartwarming. By the end of the book, I was so in love with the characters I was left wanting to be part of their odd little tribe.
BIG FRIENDSHIP: HOW WE KEEP EACH OTHER CLOSE By Aminatou Sow and Ann Friedman
EVERY DAY By David Levithan
My best friend lives a thousand miles away - but, this year I held her close (while socially distanced, of course). “Big Friendship” addresses the importance of friends and how to nurture those relationships through both good and bad times. I appreciated a book dedicated to the realness of a love that is not romantic or family, but that still transcends all of life’s phases. Sow and Friedman host a podcast, Call Your Girlfriend, and they bring their brand of direct and intimate energy as they explore what it means to be a friend.
A. is a nameless, bodiless teenager that inhabits a new body every day. A. is content jumping through other people’s life never knowing what race, gender, or lifestyle will be embodied for the day - that is until A. falls in love with a girl he meets. The premise could have been gimmicky, but Levithan writes an engaging story that explores what makes us who we are and how deep connections form even when everything is in flux all the time. Although this is book one of a series, I loved the ambiguous ending of just reading this one.
WINTERING By Katherine May
THE GOWN By Jennifer Robson
THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY By Matt Haig
I just finished “Wintering” - and it hit my soul hard and true. I am not sure if it is because I have always had a melancholy nature or because of the atmosphere of a pandemic world, but whatever the reason, this unusual book is perfect. May makes a case for “wintering” - purposefully slowing down and owning the discomfort of sadness. The book weaves through a “winter” as we move back and forth in time. Because the narrative jumps and flows through time, the result is like cocooning.
“The Gown” tells the fictionalized story of Queen Elizabeth’s wedding gown and the women who made it. Told from three narrators over two time periods, the story balances details of making the gown with a portrait of a society still reeling from the horror and aftermath of war. Ultimately, it is a story of resilience, female friendship, and connections through time.
A story that begins with an attempted suicide may not sound uplifting. Still, Haig has created a beautifully written and inspiring story centered around an infinite library filled with infinite books each a life not taken. “Midnight Library” is about choices, regrets, and embracing life.
NOTHING TO SEE HERE By Kevin Wilson
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WORDS Jane Martin, City Librarian Winter Haven Public Library 325 Avenue A NW, Winter Haven
THE LIGHTEST OBJECT IN THE UNIVERSE By Kimi Eisele A book about government, technological and societal collapse may seem like an odd choice this year, but “The Lightest Object in the Universe” is a hopeful book. As the two main characters, Carson and Beatrix, try to reunite - Carson walking across the country to find Beatrix, who has been working to build a new kind of community. “The Lightest Object in the Universe” ultimately focuses on the idea that losing everything becomes the catalyst for growth.
RADICAL KINDNESS: THE LIFE-CHANGING POWER OF GIVING AND RECEIVING By Angela C. Santomero Full of ways to be kind to yourself and others isn’t groundbreaking, but it is a needed reminder in a world that can feel too heavy. Santomero is the creator of kids programs such as Blues Clues and Super Why, and in this quick read, she asks us to remember that people are more than any given moment in time; to be empathic to what they may be dealing with in life. The book offers insight and practical tips to help rebuild habits that we knew as kids but might have forgotten along the way.
