5 minute read
Current Events, Arts, Humor, Poetry
Humor & Games
The Flag, the Cross, and the Station
Wagon: A Graying American Looks Back at his Suburban Boyhood and Wonders What the Hell Happened
by Bill McKibben
available now, hardcover, Henry Holt and Co. McKibben grew up believing — knowing — that America was the greatest country on earth; that for all its obvious flaws, it was history’s most dynamic machine, pushing steadily towards a better future. Postwar suburban prosperity; the emerging movements for human equality — the escalator seemed to be heading steadily up. But new understandings of history have cast shadows on that picture — and over the past half century, over consumption and hyper-individualism have wrought havoc on three of America’s most distinctive features: our intertwined sense of history and patriotism, our kindness and generosity, and the promise of prosperity for all. But perhaps something of that old world—of the flag, the cross, the station wagon—can be summoned up again to help us face a difficult future. But if so we’ll need to deal honestly with some serious questions. We can, and we will, be able to tell an American story—a truer one this time.
The Destructionists:
by Dana Milbank
available in August, hardcover, Doubleday Dana Milbank sees a clear line from the Contract with America to the coup attempt. In the quarter century in between, Americans have witnessed the crackup of the party of Lincoln and Reagan, to its current iteration as a haven for white supremacists, political violence, conspiracy theories, and authoritarianism.
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Happy-Go-Lucky
by David Sedaris
available now, hardcover, Little, Brown Back when restaurant menus were still printed on paper, and wearing a mask was a decision made mostly on Halloween, David Sedaris spent his time doing normal things. But then the pandemic hits, and like so many others, he’s stuck in lockdown, unable to tour and read for audiences, the part of his work he loves most. As the world gradually settles into a new reality, Sedaris too finds himself changed. Newly orphaned, he considers what it means, in his seventh decade, no longer to be someone’s son. And back on the road, he discovers a battle-scarred America.
GAMES
The Office BFFs:
Tales of The Office from Two Best Friends Who Were There
by Jenna Fischer and Angela Kinsey
available now, hardcover, Dey Street Books Receptionist Pam Beesly and accountant Angela Martin had very little in common when they toiled together at Scranton’s Dunder Mifflin Paper Company. But, in reality, the two actors bonded in their very first days on set and, over the nine seasons of the series’ run, built a friendship that transcended the show and continues to this day. Sharing everything from what it was like in the early days as the show struggled to gain traction, to walking their first red carpet.
The Game Master's Book of Traps, Puzzles and Dungeons:
A Punishing Collection of Bone-Crunching Contraptions, Brain-Teasing Riddles and Stamina-Testing Encounter Locations for 5th Edition RPG Adventures
by Jeff Ashworth, Kyle Hilton, Jasmine Bhullar, Three Black Halflings
available in June, hardcover, Media Lab Books All the information Game Masters needs to create compelling dungeon crawls, deadly fortress traps, and clever riddles or puzzles to activate players’ critical thinking skills alongside their critical rolls during tabletop RPG play. With intricate technical illustrations, beautifully rendered top-down location maps and three one-shot adventures, written by RPG inflencers including Jasmine Bhullar and the creators of the Three Black Halflings podcast, this is the ideal tool for any GM hoping to put the fun back in fun-geon*. *not a word.
Performing Arts
The Art and Science of Arrival
by Tanya Lapointe
available in June, hardcover, Titan Books This lavish hardback volume recounts the genesis of this modern classic, from Ted Chiang’s short story "The Story of Your Life" to its premiere in Venice and its subsequent eight Academy Award nominations. It explores the film’s concept of non-linear time and showcases the remarkable concept art that brought the aliens, their ships, and their startling logogram language to life.
Art Technique
Junji Ito Collection:
A Horror Coloring Book
by Junji Ito
available in July, paperback, Titan Books The Junji Ito Collection: A Horror Coloring Book is the perfect gift for fans of manga’s master of the macabre. This officially licensed compendium features dozens of terrifying scenes from the Junji Ito Collection to color, showcasing Ito’s uniquely twisted brand of horror. Ghosts, demons, monsters and more await your pencils inside!
WHATCOM MUSEUM
Tuesdays, June 28 - August 30 6:15 - 8:30 PM San Juan Cruises Bellingham/Alaska Ferry Terminal
Tickets $40 General/$35 Members Learn more on our website:
whatcommuseum.org/explore/history-sunset-cruise/
Poetry
The Necessity of Wildfire: Poems
by Caitlin Scarano
available now, paperback, Blaire Publishing This little book packs such an emotional punch. Scarano’s words are powerful, beautiful, brutal, scathing, and gorgeous. Yes, all of those descriptors. I dare you to pick this up and not feel something. One thing you will not feel: comfortable. –Claire
The Hurting Kind
by Ada Limón
available now, hardcover, Milkweek Editions An astonishing collection about interconnectedness — between the human and nonhuman, ancestors and ourselves — from National Book Critics Circle Award winner and National Book Award finalist Ada Limón. “I have always been too sensitive, a weeper / from a long line of weepers,” writes Limón. “I am the hurting kind.” What does it mean to be the hurting kind? To be sensitive not only to the world’s pain and joys, but to the meanings that bend in the scrim between the natural world and the human world? To divine the relationships between us all? To perceive ourselves in other beings — and to know that those beings are resolutely their own, that they “do not / care to be seen as symbols”? With Limón’s remarkable ability to trace thought, The Hurting Kind explores those questions—incorporating others’ stories and ways of knowing, making surprising turns, and always reaching a place of startling insight.
Made from recycled cardboard, these creative art pieces that do right by people and the world around us
