Book shelf

December Books

FICTION

Small Things Like These, by Claire Keegan

It is 1985 in a sma ll Ir ish tow n. Dur ing the week s leading up to Chr istmas, Bill Furlong, a coa l merchant and family man, look s into his busiest season. E arly one mor ning, while deliver ing an order to the loca l convent, Bill makes a discover y that forces him to conf ront both his past and the complicit silence of a tow n controlled by the church. A lready an inter nationa l bestseller, Small T hings Like T hese is a deeply af fecting stor y of hope, quiet heroism and empathy.

The Echo Chamber, by John Boyne

T he members of the Cleverley family a ll have mobile phones and live a g ilded life, lit tle rea lizing how precar ious their pr iv ilege is — just one t weet away f rom disaster. George, the patr iarch, is a sta lwar t of telev ision inter v iew ing — in his words, a “nationa l treasure.” His w ife, Beverley, is a celebrated novelist, though not as celebrated as she would like. E ach of their three children is a catastrophe waiting to happen. Together the Cleverlys go on a jour ney of discover y through the jungle of moder n liv ing where past presumptions count for nothing and caref ully curated reputations can be destroyed in an instant. To er r is human but, to rea lly foul things up, you only need a phone. T he Echo Ch amber is a satir ic, dizz y ing dow nward spira l of action and consequence, poised somewhere bet ween farce, absurdit y and obliv ion.

NONFICTION

Micro Life: Miracles of the Miniature World Revealed,

by D.K. Publishing

With spectacular macro photog raphy and microscope images, Micro Life revea ls a hidden, liv ing world f ull of intr icate str uct ures beyond the naked eye. Included are the tiniest insects and spiders, but look ing deeper, you w ill discover tr uly microscopic creat ures — even bacter ia and v ir uses. E ar th is home to more microbes than any other liv ing organism. Bacter ia on E ar th out weigh humans by 1,10 0 to 1 and, w ithout them, a ll world ecosystems would collapse. T his book revea ls this v ita l, unseen rea lm, but includes large life-for ms, too. You can wonder at the beaut y of a pollen g rain, a but ter fly egg, the spore of a f ung us, and the ner ve cell of a human in extreme close-up. T he biolog y builds into a reference on how a ll organisms, however sma ll, solve the basic problems of movement, reproduction, energ y, communication and defense.

Bunny Mellon Style, by Linda Jane Huffman, Bryan Huffman, Thomas Lloyd

L ear n how Mellon’s st yle developed, take a look inside the family homes she desig ned, get the flavor of her collaborations w ith French desig ners of fashion and jewelr y, and beg in to understand her vast and lasting influence on the world of 20th cent ur y desig n. Or ig ina l research included Mellon’s persona l w r itings and cor respondence, conversations w ith people who k new and worked w ith her, and those who spent time in her home and gardens. From published work s, they gathered infor mation about persona l relationships be t ween Mellon and Jack ie Kennedy Onassis; desig ners Billy Ba ldw in, Ba lenciaga, Givenchy; and more. Blending stor ies and accounts f rom a w ide var iet y of v iew points results in a unique perspective of this extraordinar y woman who moved in the upper echelon of societ y but prefer red not to be noticed in the public eye.

The President and the Freedom Fighter, by Brian Kilmeade

In T he President and the Freedom Fight er, K ilmeade tells the lit tle k now n stor y of how t wo A mer ican heroes moved f rom strong disag reement to f r iendship, and in the process changed the entire course of histor y. Abra ham Lincoln was white and bor n impoverished on a f rontier far m. Freder ick Douglass was Black and a child of slaver y who r isked his life escaping to f reedom. Neither man had a for ma l education, and neither had an easy path to influence. No one would have expected them to become f r iends — or to transfor m the countr y. Shar ing lit tle more than the conv iction that slaver y was w rong, the t wo men’s paths event ua lly converged. A s he did in George Washing ton’s Secret Six, K ilmeade has transfor med a nearly forgot ten slice of histor y into a dramatic stor y that w ill keep you t ur ning the pages to find out how these t wo heroes, through their pr inciples and patience, not only changed each other, but made A mer ica f ree for a ll.

& HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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CHILDR EN’S BOOKS

The Barking Ballad,

by Julia Paschkis T his oh-so - cute reada loud is the per fect holiday g if t for young anima l lovers. With rebus cues when to bark or meow, this sweet poem w ith pict ures is sure to have k ids begg ing for one more read before bedtime. ( Ages 3 - 6.)

Merry Christmas, Gus, by Chris Chatterton Chr istmas lights, Chr istmas decorations, Chr istmas sweat ers??? Ba h! Humbug! Gus doesn’t like any of them. Just what does make this scr uf f y scrooge change his mind? W hy, a f r iend to share it a ll w ith. Festive f un for lit tle ones, Merr y Chr istmas, Gus is the per fect choice for holiday family reading time. ( Ages 3 - 6.)

The Little Owl & the Big Tree, by Jonah and Jeanette Winter Discover the stor y of the tiny owl st uck in the Rockefeller Center Chr istmas tree, its rehabilitation process (including a ll the mice he could eat), and its release. Detailed infor mation on the Nor ther n saw-whet owl species makes this a g reat choice for young nat ure lovers. ( Ages 4 -7.)

WONDERFUL 100

The Christmas Owl: Based on the True Story of a Little Owl Named Rockefeller,

by Gideon Sterer Co -w r it ten by Ellen K a lish, caretaker of the rea l owl found inside the Rockefeller Center Chr istmas tree, T he Chr istmas Owl is a char ming stor y of f r iendship, compassion, and the tr ue meaning of this specia l time of year. ( Ages 4 -7.) PS Compiled by Kimberly Daniels Taws and Ang ie Tally.

“Miracles at Weymouth”

December 10 - 12 11 am - 4 pm An outdoor festival of fun for the whole family. Any $ Donation to Enter

Sponsored by the Gerald Claude Kirby Trust

WONDERFUL 100

Arts & Humanities Lecture

January 16 • 3 pm

“Freedom Park: The Inspiring Story of How a Monument to Freedom is Built while Confederate Statues are Coming Down” Part 1: Speaker, Marsha Warren

In celebration of the 100th Anniversary of our historic Boyd House, we are hosting 100 events in 2022.

Live music series, Humanities, Literature and Art Lectures, Performing Arts, Creative Youth Programs, Food and Drink, Special Events and more! All raising awareness and support for Weymouth’s next 100 years. Join us!

Thank you to our major benefactors: Richard J. Reynolds III and Marie M. Reynolds Foundation; Gerald Claude Kirby Trust; NC CARES for Arts and the North Carolina Arts Council; Arts Council of Moore County; The Palmer Foundation; Marion Stedman Covington Foundation; The Cannon Foundation

For tickets and more information, visit Weymouthcenter.org

Weymouth Center for the Arts & Humanities 555 E. Connecticut Ave. Southern Pines, NC

A 501 (c)(3) organization