celebrating the freedom to read

 

The next Books & Beyond (BAB) meeting is Tuesday, October 25th at 6:30pm in the library’s conference room.  If you’d prefer to attend on Zoom, register here: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/5494765. The topic for the meeting will be books on general knowledge/trivia and I have a display up at the 2nd floor service desk.  The Shelf Care page of the library’s website also showcases these display books, simply scroll down to the row titled “Test Your Knowledge!”: https://oneallibrary.org/adults---reading-recommendations

Upcoming programs:

Stop by the library for a screening of Alfred Hitchcock’s film, Rear Window, on Sunday, October 2 at 3pm: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/7057343.

Bring your craft projects and network with other hobbyists at Crafternoon on Saturday, October 8 from 2pm-4pm: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/6891937

Tis the season for folk horror on Sunday, October 9 from 7pm-9pm with UAB film studies professor Gareth Jones. He’ll give us a primer on the folk horror genre in film and media before a screening of the 1975 telefilm, Murrain. Ages 16 and up recommended. https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/6814844

This week, BAB met to talk about the importance of the freedom to read and banned/challenged books in general.

The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Set in the mid-17th century in New England, The Scarlet Letter follows married Hester Prynne after she conceives a daughter through an affair. Societal standards of puritan New England force her to wear a scarlet “A” on her clothes as a constant reminder to her and everyone else of her past infidelity. Through the life of Hester and of her child, they both struggle through the overwhelming stigma behind Hester’s adultery, and despite the mounting pressure, she refuses to name the father of her child. Hawthorne paints an eye opening story of acceptance, shame, guilt, and fierce social ostracism surrounding one woman and the burden she bears in her life.

“In 1961, parents of students in a Michigan district objected to the assignment of the novel in high school, arguing that it was “pornographic and obscene.” Though the parents demanded that the book was removed from the curriculum, the request was denied. Other requests continued well into the twentieth century, but the novel is still commonly read in high schools all across the United States.”  https://blog.lib.utah.edu/banned-the-scarlet-letter/

Answers in the Pages by David Levithan

When Donovan left his copy of The Adventurers on the kitchen counter, he didn't think his mom would read it—much less have a problem with it. It's just an adventure novel about two characters trying to stop an evil genius...right? But soon the entire town is freaking out about whether the book's main characters are gay, Donovan's mom is trying to get the book removed from the school curriculum, and Donovan is caught in the middle. Interweaving three connected storylines, David Levithan delivers a bold, fun, and timely story about taking action (whether it's against book censors or deadly alligators...), being brave, and standing up for what's right. 

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Sent by their mother to live with their devout, self-sufficient grandmother in a small Southern town, Maya and her brother, Bailey, endure the ache of abandonment and the prejudice of the local “powhitetrash.” At eight years old and back at her mother’s side in St. Louis, Maya is attacked by a man many times her age—and has to live with the consequences for a lifetime. Years later, in San Francisco, Maya learns that love for herself, the kindness of others, her own strong spirit, and the ideas of great authors (“I met and fell in love with William Shakespeare”) will allow her to be free instead of imprisoned. Poetic and powerful, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings will touch hearts and change minds for as long as people read.

“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has had thirty-nine public challenges or bans since 1983.  The majority of complaints were from parents who objected to the book’s depiction of sexually explicit scenes, including the rape and molestation suffered by the author as an eight-year-old, but it also has been challenged for being “anti-white” and encouraging homosexuality.  The Office for Intellectual Freedom has received significantly more confidential reports of challenges to this iconic book in the past three decades. In a victory for the freedom to read, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings has often been retained despite challenges and attempted removals.”https://www.oif.ala.org/oif/spotlight-on-censorship-i-know-why-the-caged-bird-sings/#:~:text=Because%20the%20display%20of%20Maya,the%20Spotlight%20on%20Censorship%20series

Grendel by John Gardner

The first and most terrifying monster in English literature, from the great early epic Beowulf, tells his own side of the story in this frequently banned book. This is the novel William Gass called "one of the finest of our contemporary fictions."

“1978 - Maryland - Challenged at Frederick County Schools for being "anti-christian, anti-moral, and violent." / 1986 - California - At Wasco High School the principal felt it was "profane," and created a restricted list of books, this being the first and only book on the list. / 1997 - Colorado - Challenged but retained at Douglas County schools for being obscene and violent. / 2008 - Oregon - Challenged but retained at Sherwood School District for torture and mutilation”https://www.bannedlibrary.com/podcast/2019/7/21/grendel-by-john-gardner

The Anarchist Cookbook by William Powell (Hoopla ebook, also freely available via any internet search)

“William Powell was just 19 when he wrote this 1971 cult classic. The guerrilla how-to book managed to anger not only government officials, but also anarchist groups. One such organization, CrimethInc., said the book misrepresents anarchist ideals and later released its own book of the same name. Other critics attacked the book for more practical reasons — some of the bombmaking recipes that Powell included turned out to be dangerously inaccurate. Ironically, an older and purportedly wiser Powell later tried to censor his own book. After converting to Christianity, Powell publicly denounced his work, writing in 2000 on Amazon.com that the book is a “misguided product of my adolescent anger at the prospect of being drafted and sent to Vietnam to fight in a war that I did not believe in.” But even Powell couldn’t successfully ban the book from print; he no longer owns the rights.”https://entertainment.time.com/2011/01/06/removing-the-n-word-from-huck-finn-top-10-censored-books/slide/the-anarchist-cookbook/

The Holy Bible

“James LaRue, the American Library Association’s Office of Intellectual Freedom's director, said that the Bible is sometimes challenged because of "sexual content inappropriate to minors" and "incitement to violence." More often, he said, people mistakenly believe that just having the Bible in a library violates the separation of church and state.”https://www.huffpost.com/entry/the-holy-bible-is-now-one-of-the-most-challenged-books-in-america_n_570d2d33e4b01422324a4465

The Hunger Games series by Suzanne Collins

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

“Critics have also accused The Hunger Games of being anti-ethnic, anti-family, and violent, and of having offensive language, occult/satanic references, and references to overt sexuality. Collins has never directly responded to banning attempts, but has stated that the book raises important themes that should be talked about publicly.”https://bannedbooks.library.cmu.edu/hunger-games-by-suzanne-collins/

The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer

Isabella Swan's move to Forks, a small, perpetually rainy town in Washington, could have been the most boring move she ever made. But once she meets the mysterious and alluring Edward Cullen, Isabella's life takes a thrilling and terrifying turn. Up until now, Edward has managed to keep his vampire identity a secret in the small community he lives in, but now nobody is safe, especially Isabella, the person Edward holds most dear. The lovers find themselves balanced precariously on the point of a knife -- between desire and danger.

“In 2009, the YA vampire-romance saga ranked fifth on the Top 10 Banned and Challenged Book list that year, with challengers citing the books’ religious viewpoint (Meyer is Mormon), sexually explicit content, and age-inappropriateness. Twilight also appeared in OIF’s 2010 list of banned and challenged books, when it was flagged for violence.”https://www.oif.ala.org/oif/my-head-is-sort-of-private-the-twilight-saga-as-privacy-parable/ 

The Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!

“Reasons for challenging the book included: glorifying witchcraft, promoting the occult, tones of death, hate, lack of respect and sheer evil, leading children to hatred and rebellion, confusing children, and leading them astray. Some were also concerned about the increasing dark tone in the later books but overall, most of the challengers’ reasons based on religious beliefs.” https://www.toledolibrary.org/blog/harry-potter-the-most-challenged-book-of-the-21st-century

The His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman

These thrilling adventures tell the story of Lyra and Will—two ordinary children on a perilous journey through shimmering haunted otherworlds. They will meet witches and armored bears, fallen angels and soul-eating specters. And in the end, the fate of both the living—and the dead—will rely on them. Phillip Pullman’s spellbinding His Dark Materials trilogy has captivated readers for over twenty years and won acclaim at every turn. It will have you questioning everything you know about your world and wondering what really lies just out of reach.

“In 2008, the His Dark Materials trilogy came second for one of the most banned books. Many of the concerns were brought up by members of the clergy or parents that had expressed their belief that the true meaning of the story was anti-god. It is interesting to note the contentions caused by Pullman’s books usually claim to be in the defense of religion. Phillip Pullman has stated that the true intended meaning is not an attack on faith or the people who truly believe in the faith, but those who are using faith for their own benefit. Pullman declared that “In my view, belief in God seems to be a very good excuse, on the part of those who claim to believe, for doing many wicked things that they wouldn’t feel justified in doing without such a belief.” “https://bannedbooks.library.cmu.edu/phillip-pullman-his-dark-materials/

Last Week Tonight with John Oliver presents A Day in the Life of Marlon Bundo by Jill Twiss

HBO's Emmy winning Last Week Tonight with John Oliver presents a children's picture book about a Very Special boy bunny who falls in love with another boy bunny. Meet Marlon Bundo, a lonely bunny who lives with his Grampa, Mike Pence the Vice President of the United States. But on this Very Special Day, Marlon's life is about to change forever...With its message of tolerance and advocacy, this charming bunny book for kids explores issues of same sex marriage and democracy. Sweet, funny, and beautifully illustrated, this better Bundo book is dedicated to every bunny who has ever felt different.

“Challened and vandalized for LGBTQIA+ content and political viewpoints, for concerns that it is “designed to pollute the morals of its readers,” and for not including a content warning.”https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/a-day-in-the-life-of-marlon-bundo/

Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks

An unforgettable tale, set in 17th century England, of a village that quarantines itself to arrest the spread of the plague, from the author The Secret Chord and of March, winner of the Pulitzer Prize. Inspired by the true story of Eyam, a village in the rugged hill country of England, Year of Wonders is a richly detailed evocation of a singular moment in history. Written with stunning emotional intelligence and introducing "an inspiring heroine" (The Wall Street Journal), Brooks blends love and learning, loss and renewal into a spellbinding and unforgettable read.

“In 2020, the book was named the 100th most banned and/or challenged book in the United States from 2010 to 2019, according to the American Library Association because of “witchcraft, madness, and repressed sexuality.””https://waldina.com/banned-books/year-of-wonders-by-geraldine-brooks/

Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi

In powerful black-and-white comic strip images, Satrapi tells the coming-of-age story of her life in Tehran from ages six to fourteen, years that saw the overthrow of the Shah’s regime, the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and the devastating effects of war with Iraq. The intelligent and outspoken only child of committed Marxists and the great-granddaughter of one of Iran’s last emperors, Marjane bears witness to a childhood uniquely entwined with the history of her country.

"Although it was certainly controversial in the Middle East, there were no publicly reported challenges or bans of the book in U.S. schools or libraries until March 2013, when Chicago Public Schools administrators abruptly pulled it from some classrooms…claiming that the intention was never to remove the book from libraries, but only from classrooms due to “graphic language and images that are not appropriate for general use.”"https://guides.lib.uconn.edu/c.php?g=606679&p=4206258#:~:text=Although%20it%20was%20certainly%20controversial,pulled%20it%20from%20some%20classrooms

Gender Queer by Maia Kobabe (Hoopla ebook)

Started as a way to explain to eir family what it means to be nonbinary and asexual, Kobabe’s Gender Queer is more than a personal story: it is a useful and touching guide on gender identity—what it means and how to think about it—for advocates, friends, and humans everywhere.

“Banned, challenged, and restricted for LGBTQIA+ content and because it was considered to have sexually explicit images.”https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/gender-queer/

GENERAL DISCUSSION

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

A gripping, heart-wrenching, and wholly remarkable tale of coming-of-age in a South poisoned by virulent prejudice, it views a world of great beauty and savage inequities through the eyes of a young girl, as her father—a crusading local lawyer—risks everything to defend a black man unjustly accused of a terrible crime.

“To Kill a Mockingbird is one of the most frequently challenged books in the US due to its themes of rape and use of profanity and racial slurs.”https://bannedbooks.library.cmu.edu/harper-lee-to-kill-a-mockingbird/

The Catcher in the Rye by JD Salinger

The hero-narrator of The Catcher in the Rye is an ancient child of sixteen, a native New Yorker named Holden Caufield. Through circumstances that tend to preclude adult, secondhand description, he leaves his prep school in Pennsylvania and goes underground in New York City for three days.

“Between 1986 and 2000, at least nine different attempts to remove The Catcher in the Rye from schools were based on the novel’s use of profanity and sexual references. Three of these attempts (Wyoming in 1986, North Dakota in 1987, and 1989 in California) were successful in getting the book removed. Another commonly cited reason is the novel’s use of vulgar and obscene language, as well as statements defamatory to God. Other, less common reasons for challenging the novel include accusations that the book is anti-white, immoral, and/or violent.”https://bannedbooks.library.cmu.edu/j-d-salinger-the-catcher-in-the-rye/           

The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood

In Margaret Atwood’s dystopian future, environmental disasters and declining birthrates have led to a Second American Civil War. The result is the rise of the Republic of Gilead, a totalitarian regime that enforces rigid social roles and enslaves the few remaining fertile women. Offred is one of these, a Handmaid bound to produce children for one of Gilead’s commanders. Deprived of her husband, her child, her freedom, and even her own name, Offred clings to her memories and her will to survive. At once a scathing satire, an ominous warning, and a tour de force of narrative suspense, The Handmaid’s Tale is a modern classic.

“2014-Challenged, but retained as required reading for a Page High School International Baccalaureate class and as optional reading for Advanced Placement reading courses at Grimsley High School in Guilford County (NC) because the book is “sexually explicit, violently graphic and morally corrupt.” Some parents thought the book is “detrimental to Christian values.””https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/the-handmaids-tale/

Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson

Freshman year at Merryweather High is not going well for Melinda Sordino. She busted an end-of-summer party by calling the cops, and now her friends—and even strangers—all hate her. So she stops trying, stops talking. She retreats into her head, and all the lies and hypocrisies of high school become magnified, leaving her with no desire to talk to anyone anyway. But it’s not so comfortable in her head, either—there’s something banging around in there that she doesn’t want to think about. She can’t just go on like this forever. Eventually, she’s going to have to confront the thing she’s avoiding, the thing that happened at the party, the thing that nobody but her knows. She’s going to have to speak the truth.

“2021-Banned, challenged and restricted because it was thought to contain a political viewpoint, and it was claimed to be biased against male students, and for the novel’s inclusion of rape and profanity.”https://www.marshall.edu/library/bannedbooks/speak/

Unrelated to banned/challenged books, but a short topic of conversation at the meeting!

Abbot Elementary tv show  (an ABC show streaming on several services, including Hulu and HBO Max)

A group of dedicated, passionate teachers -- and a slightly tone-deaf principal -- find themselves thrown together in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life. Though these incredible public servants may be outnumbered and underfunded, they love what they do -- even if they don't love the school district's less-than-stellar attitude toward educating children.
Trailer for season 1: https://youtu.be/cO-_7oi-61Y

 

 

 

royal romance

Unstinting luxury? Having your every wish be someone else's command? Wearing a tiara to breakfast? Check, check check! Whatever the reason, royal romances (real and fictional) always capture the imagination!

American Royalty by Tracey Livesay

In this dangerously sexy rom-com that evokes the real-life romance between Prince Harry and Duchess Meghan Markle, a prince who wants to live out of the spotlight falls for a daring American rapper who turns his life, and the palace, upside down.

Playing the Palace by Paul Rudnick

Their love story captivated the world…the crown prince and that guy from New York…When a lonely American event planner starts dating the gay Prince of Wales, a royal uproar ensues: is it true love or the ultimate meme? Find out in this hilarious romantic comedy.

The Royals Next Door by Karina Halle

An ordinary summer goes royally awry for elementary school teacher (and anonymous podcaster!) Piper Evans when a prince and princess move next door, bringing their handsome bodyguard with them.

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

Vivian Forest has been out of the country a grand total of one time, so when she gets the chance to tag along on her daughter Maddie’s work trip to England to style a royal family member, she can’t refuse. Malcolm Hudson has worked for the Queen for years and has never given a personal, private tour—until now. Despite a ticking timer on their holiday romance, they are completely fine with ending their short, steamy affair come New Year’s Day...or are they?

The Royal Runaway by Lindsay Emory

A fun and daring novel about a modern-day princess who teams up with a spy to find out what happened to the fiancé who left her at the altar—and who just might get her own fairytale in the process.

To Win a Prince by Toni Shiloh

As a fashion aficionado and best friend of the queen of the African island country Ọlọrọ Ilé, Iris Blakely dreams of using her talent to start a sustainable clothing line to help citizens in impoverished areas and honor the country's resources. But when she discovers that Ekon Diallo--the man who betrayed her best friend--will be her business consultant, the battle between her desires and reality begins. Though they come from vastly different worlds, Iris and Ekon are both determined to reach their goals, and the only way to do that is to work together--if they can just keep their hearts from getting in the way . . .

The Royal We by Heather Cocks

An American girl finds her prince in this "fun and dishy" (People) royal romance inspired by Prince William and Kate Middleton.

Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales? When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius―his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. Heads of family, state, and other handlers devise a plan for damage control: staging a truce between the two rivals. What at first begins as a fake, Instragramable friendship grows deeper, and more dangerous, than either Alex or Henry could have imagined. 

A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole

Between grad school and multiple jobs, Naledi Smith doesn’t have time for fairy tales…or patience for the constant e-mails claiming she’s betrothed to an African prince. Sure. Right. Delete! Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. At the top of their list? His marriage. Ever dutiful, he tracks down his missing betrothed. When Naledi mistakes the prince for a pauper, Thabiso can’t resist the chance to experience life—and love—without the burden of his crown.

A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday

From USA Today bestselling author Jenny Holiday comes a modern fairy tale about a tough New Yorker from the other side of the tracks who falls for a princess from the other side of the world.

The Runaway Princess by Hester Browne

The Princess Diaries meets Runaway Bride in this wonderful novel about a London career girl who embarks on a whirlwind romance with a mysterious man—only to discover that he’s a prince.

Once Upon a Royal Summer by Teri Wilson

Lacey found her dream job: playing a princess character at a popular fairytale theme park in sunny southern Florida. Henry, the crown prince of Bella-Moritz, is trying to fulfill his young daughter’s birthday wish: to be a normal girl with a normal life. That’s why they’re pretending to be ordinary tourists at an American amusement park. Henry lost his wife four years ago, and he’s been going through the motions ever since. But could a meeting with a make-believe princess lead to real love?

Digital copies only

Lush Money by Angelina Lopez (ebook & eaudiobook on Hoopla and ebook onLibby)

A marriage of convenience and three nights a month. That’s all the sultry, self-made billionaire wants from the impoverished prince. And at the end of the year, she’ll grant him his divorce…with a settlement large enough to save his beloved kingdom. Pr’ncipe Mateo Ferdinand Juan Carlos de Esperanza y Santos is one of the top winegrowers in the world, and he’s not marrying and having a baby with a stranger. Even if the millions she’s offering could save his once-legendary wine-producing principality. But the successful, single-minded beauty uses a weapon Prince Mateo hadn’t counted on: his own desire.

The Royal Treatment by Melanie Summers (eaudiobook onHoopla)

Enough laughs to satisfy fans of Bridget Jones. Enough sparkly shoes and breathtaking ball gowns for fans of Cinderella... Twenty-eight-year-old Tessa Sharpe, a.k.a. The Royal Watchdog, hates everything about Prince Arthur. As far as she's concerned, he's an arrogant, lazy leech on the kingdom of Avonia. When he shocks the nation by giving her the keys to the castle in an attempt to boost his family's dismal public approval ratings, Tessa has no choice but to accept and move in for two months. It's lust at first sight, but there's no way she can give in to her feelings-not if she wants to have a career or a shred of pride left when her time at the palace ends. Can two natural enemies find their forever in each other's arms, or will they ruin each other to save themselves?

A Nordic King by Karina Halle (eaudiobook on Hoopla)

The widowed King of Denmark, father of two little girls. The beautiful nanny he's hired to raise them. A forbidden romance unlike any other.  

Royally Matched by Emma Chase (eaudiobook on Libby)

Welcome to Matched: Royal Edition, a reality TV dating game show featuring twenty of the world's most beautiful blue bloods gathered in the same castle. Only one will win the diamond tiara, only one will capture the handsome prince’s heart. While Henry revels in the sexy, raunchy antics of the contestants as they fight, literally, for his affection, it’s the quiet, bespectacled girl in the corner—with the voice of an angel and a body that would tempt a saint—who catches his eye. The more Henry gets to know Sarah Mirabelle Zinnia Von Titebottum, the more enamored he becomes of her simple beauty, her strength, her kind spirit... and her naughty sense of humor.

Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase (ebook & eaudiobook on Hoopla and ebook on Libby)

Samantha Rousseau is used to getting her hands dirty. Working on a master's degree in wildlife biology while helping take care of her sick father, she has no time for celebrity gossip, designer clothes, or lazy vacations. So when a duchess from the small country of Lilaria invites her to dinner, Samantha assumes it's to discuss a donation for the program. The truth will change the course of her life in ways she never dreamed . . . As crown prince of Lilaria, Alex D'Lynsal has had his share of scandalous headlines, but the latest pictures in the press have sent him packing to America and forced him to swear off women. That is, until he meets Samantha Rousseau. She's stubborn, feisty, and incredibly sexy. Not to mention heiress to an estate in his country.  

 

translated fiction

 

The next Books & Beyond meeting is on Tuesday, September 27th at 6:30pm in the library’s Conference Room and the topic up for discussion is banned/challenged books.  If you’d prefer to attend online, register here: https://emmetoneal.libnet.info/event/5494764

We are having a coloring contest upstairs on the 2nd floor during the entire month of September!  Complete one of our fall coloring pages and your name will be entered into the random drawing for a prize basket!

The World Does Not Belong To Us by Natalia Garcia Freire (translated by Victor Meadowcroft)
The story, told from Lucas’s perspective, takes the form of a monologue directed at his departed father, who not only sold Lucas into slavery, but sent his mother to a sanatorium. Using the cudgels of religiosity and respectability, the entire community conspired to rob Lucas and his mother of all that they loved, and all that made them unique and human. Making matters worse were the two strange men whom Lucas’s father invited to stay with them and soon lost control of, leaving the family at their mercy, with deadly consequences. All of this sets Lucas on a path which no one in his household will be able to turn back from. Visceral prose captures Lucas’s obsession with death, bugs, and other unpleasant aspects of life. Even as a child, these subjects held a grim fascination, even comfort, for him. Now, as an adult, Lucas again turns to his beloved insects for consolation and insight as he grapples with his traumatic past and uncertain future. There is a strange, unconventional beauty to his morbid world—a beauty that helps him endure pain and humiliation and achieve an unnerving final calm.

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk (translated by Antonia Lloyd-Jones, who also narrates the audiobook)
In a remote Polish village, Janina devotes the dark winter days to studying astrology, translating the poetry of William Blake, and taking care of the summer homes of wealthy Warsaw residents. Her reputation as a crank and a recluse is amplified by her not-so-secret preference for the company of animals over humans. Then a neighbor, Big Foot, turns up dead. Soon other bodies are discovered, in increasingly strange circumstances. As suspicions mount, Janina inserts herself into the investigation, certain that she knows whodunit. If only anyone would pay her mind . . .

Now You’re One of Us by Asa Nonami (translated by Michael Volek and Mitsuko Volek)
In the tradition of Daphne du Maurier's Rebecca and Ira Levin's Rosemary's Baby, here is a new classic about the bride who's no longer sure what to think. All families have their own rituals, secrets, and credos, like a miniature religious cult; these quirks may elicit the mirth or mild alarm of guests, but the matter is rather more serious if you're marrying into a household. If its's a Japanese one with a history, the brace yourself: some surprising truths lurk around the corner.

I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (translated by Philip Roughton)
In an isolated village in the Icelandic Westfjords, three friends set to work renovating a rundown house. But soon, they realize they are not as alone as they thought. Something wants them to leave, and it's making its presence felt. Meanwhile, in a town across the fjord, a young doctor investigating the suicide of an elderly woman discovers that she was obsessed with his vanished son. When the two stories collide, the terrifying truth is uncovered.

An Elderly Lady is Up to No Good by Helene Tursten (translated by Marlaine Delargy)
Maud is an irascible 88-year-old Swedish woman with no family, no friends, and... no qualms about a little murder. This funny, irreverent story collection by Helene Tursten, author of the Irene Huss investigations, features two-never-before translated stories that will keep you laughing all the way to the retirement home.  The sequel, An Elderly Lady Must Not Be Crossed, is also hilarious.

The Lost Village by Camilla Sten (translated by Alexandra Fleming)
Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left―a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn―have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened. But there will be no turning back. Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice: They are not alone.

The Gospel of Mary of Magdala: Jesus and the First Woman Apostle by Karen L. King
Karen L. King tells the story of the recovery of this remarkable gospel and offers a new translation. This brief narrative presents a radical interpretation of Jesus' teachings as a path to inner spiritual knowledge. It rejects his suffering and death as a path to eternal life and exposes the view that Mary Magdalene was a prostitute for what it is - a piece of theological fiction. The Gospel of Mary of Magdala offers a fascinating glimpse into the conflicts and controversies that shaped earliest Christianity.

The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa (translated by Stephen Snyder)
On an unnamed island, objects are disappearing: first hats, then ribbons, birds, roses. . . . Most of the inhabitants are oblivious to these changes, while those few able to recall the lost objects live in fear of the draconian Memory Police, who are committed to ensuring that what has disappeared remains forgotten. When a young writer discovers that her editor is in danger, she concocts a plan to hide him beneath her floorboards, and together they cling to her writing as the last way of preserving the past. Powerful and provocative, The Memory Police is a stunning novel about the trauma of loss.

Scattered All Over the Earth by Yoko Tawada (translated by Margaret Mitsutani)
Welcome to the not-too-distant future: Japan, having vanished from the face of the earth, is now remembered as “the land of sushi.” Hiruko, its former citizen and a climate refugee herself, has a job teaching immigrant children in Denmark with her invented language Panska (Pan-Scandinavian). With its intrepid band of companions, Scattered All Over the Earth (the first novel of a trilogy) may bring to mind Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland or a surreal Wind in the Willows, but really is just another sui generis Yoko Tawada masterwork.

Switchboard Soldiers by Jennifer Chiaverini
From New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Chiaverini, a bold, revelatory novel about one of the great untold stories of World War I—the women of the U.S. Army Signal Corps, who broke down gender barriers in the military, smashed the workplace glass ceiling, and battled a pandemic as they helped lead the Allies to victory. 

The Interpreter (2005)
Interpreter Silvia Broome (Nicole Kidman) is at the United Nations when she overhears what she believes is a plan to assassinate the president of Matobo, Edmond Zuwanie (Earl Cameron). When she alerts the authorities, Secret Service agents Tobin Keller (Sean Penn) and Dot Woods (Catherine Keener) are assigned to the case. It's not long before they decide that Silvia herself is a suspect, having formerly been involved with both a guerrilla group in Matobo and the president's chief opponent.

Lost in Translation (2003)
A lonely, aging movie star named Bob Harris (Bill Murray) and a conflicted newlywed, Charlotte (Scarlett Johansson), meet in Tokyo. Bob is there to film a Japanese whiskey commercial; Charlotte is accompanying her celebrity-photographer husband. Strangers in a foreign land, the two find escape, distraction and understanding amidst the bright Tokyo lights after a chance meeting in the quiet lull of the hotel bar. They form a bond that is as unlikely as it is heartfelt and meaningful.

The Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo (translated by Lola Rogers)
From the author of the Finlandia Award-winning novel Troll: A Love Story, The Core of the Sun further cements Johanna Sinisalo’s reputation as a master of literary speculative fiction and of her country’s unique take on it, dubbed “Finnish weird.” Set in an alternative historical present, in a “eusistocracy”—an extreme welfare state—that holds public health and social stability above all else, it follows a young woman whose growing addiction to illegal chili peppers leads her on an adventure into a world where love, sex, and free will are all controlled by the state.

GENERAL DISCUSSION:

Ella Minnow Pea by Mark Dunn
Ella Minnow Pea is a girl living happily on the fictional island of Nollop off the coast of South Carolina. Nollop was named after Nevin Nollop, author of the immortal phrase containing all the letters of the alphabet, “The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.” Now Ella finds herself acting to save her friends, family, and fellow citizens from the encroaching totalitarianism of the island’s Council, which has banned the use of certain letters of the alphabet as they fall from a memorial statue of Nevin Nollop. As the letters progressively drop from the statue they also disappear from the novel. The result is "a love letter to alphabetarians and logomaniacs everywhere" (Myla Goldberg, bestselling author of Bee Season).

I mentioned the role of literature in giving glimpses of other cultures, perspectives, etc through the idea of books as mirrors or windows but I couldn’t remember the 3rd perspective, which is glasses!  Here’s the article I was trying to remember: https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/childrens/childrens-authors/article/90101-windows-mirrors-and-glasses-grace-lin-on-seeing-the-world-through-diverse-books.html

One of the group members asked me for recommendations of gothic, atmospheric translated fiction.  Here are the titles I suggested to the participant:

The Black Spider by Jeremias Gotthelf (translated by Susan Bernofsky)
It is a sunny summer Sunday in a remote Swiss village, and a christening is being celebrated at a lovely old farmhouse. One of the guests notes an anomaly in the fabric of the venerable edifice: a blackened post that has been carefully built into a trim new window frame. Thereby hangs a tale, one that, as the wise old grandfather who has lived all his life in the house proceeds to tell it, takes one chilling turn after another, while his audience listens in appalled silence. Featuring a cruelly overbearing lord of the manor and the oppressed villagers who must render him service, an irreverent young woman who will stop at nothing, a mysterious stranger with a red beard and a green hat, and, last but not least, the black spider, the tale is as riveting and appalling today as when Jeremias Gotthelf set it down more than a hundred years ago.

This World Does Not Belong to Us by Natalia Garcia Freire (translated by Victor Meadowcroft)
This title was discussed in the meeting, see that description.

Paradise Rot by Jenny Hval (translated by Marjam Idriss)
Jo is in a strange new country for university, and having a more peculiar time than most. A house with no walls, a roommate with no boundaries, and a home that seems ever more alive. Jo's sensitivity, and all her senses, become increasingly heightened and fraught, as the lines between bodies and plants, and dreaming and wakefulness, blur and mesh. This debut novel from critically acclaimed artist and musician Jenny Hval, presents a heady and hyper-sensual portrayal of sexual awakening and queer desire. A complex, poetic and strange novel about bodies, sexuality and the female gender.

Now You’re One of Us by Asa Nonami (translated by Michael Volek and Mitsuko Volek)
This title was discussed in the meeting, see that description.

Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin (translated by Megan McDowell)
A young woman named Amanda lies dying in a rural hospital clinic. A boy named David sits beside her. She's not his mother. He's not her child. Together, they tell a haunting story of broken souls, toxins, and the power and desperation of family. Fever Dream is a nightmare come to life, a ghost story for the real world, a love story and a cautionary tale. One of the freshest new voices to come out of the Spanish language and translated into English for the first time, Samanta Schweblin creates an aura of strange psychological menace and otherworldly reality in this absorbing, unsettling, taut novel.

I Remember You by Yrsa Sigurdardottir (translated by Philip Roughton)
This title was discussed in the meeting, see that description.

I’ve enjoyed every single book by these two authors:

Jenny Hval

-Paradise Rot (mentioned above)
-Girls Against God
Welcome to 1990s Norway. White picket fences run in neat rows and Christian conservatism runs deep. But as the Artist considers her work, things start stirring themselves up. In a corner of Oslo a coven of witches begin cooking up some curses. A time-travelling Edvard Munch arrives in town to join a death metal band, closely pursued by the teenaged subject of his painting Puberty, who has murder on her mind. Meanwhile, out deep in the forest, a group of school girls get very lost and things get very strange. And awful things happen in aspic. Jenny Hval's latest novel is a radical fusion of queer feminist theory and experimental horror, and a unique treatise on magic, writing and art.

Maylis de Kerangal:

-The Heart
Just before dawn on a Sunday morning, three teenage boys go surfing. While driving home exhausted, the boys are involved in a fatal car accident on a deserted road. Two of the boys are wearing seat belts; one goes through the windshield. The doctors declare him brain-dead shortly after arriving at the hospital, but his heart is still beating. The Heart takes place over the twenty-four hours surrounding the resulting heart transplant, as life is taken from a young man and given to a woman close to death. In gorgeous, ruminative prose, it examines the deepest feelings of everyone involved as they navigate decisions of life and death.

-The Cook
More like a poetic biographical essay on a fictional person than a novel, The Cook is a coming-of-age journey centered on Mauro, a young self-taught cook. The story is told by an unnamed female narrator, Mauro’s friend and disciple who we also suspect might be in love with him. Set not only in Paris but in Berlin, Thailand, Burma, and other far-flung places over the course of fifteen years, the book is hyperrealistic―to the point of feeling, at times, like a documentary. It transcends this simplistic form, however, through the lyricism and intensely vivid evocative nature of Maylis de Kerangal’s prose, which conjures moods, sensations, and flavors, as well as the exhausting rigor and sometimes violent abuses of kitchen work.

-Painting Time
In Maylis de Kerangal’s Painting Time, we are introduced to the burgeoning young artist Paula Karst, who is enrolled at the famous Institut de Peinture in Brussels. Unlike the friends she makes at school, Paula strives to understand the specifics of what she’s painting―replicating a wood’s essence or a marble’s wear requires method, technique, and talent, she finds, but also something else: craftsmanship. She resolutely chooses the painstaking demands of craft over the abstraction of high art. With the attention of a documentary filmmaker, de Kerangal follows Paula’s apprenticeship, punctuated by brushstrokes, hard work, sleepless nights, sore muscles, and long, festive evenings. After completing her studies at the Institute, Paula continues to practice her art in Paris, in Moscow, then in Italy on the sets of great films, all as if rehearsing for a grand finale: a job working on Lascaux IV, a facsimile reproduction of the world’s most famous paleolithic cave art and the apotheosis of human cultural expression.

PBS NOVA: A to Z (A Kanopy streaming video instantly available for Birmingham, Homewood, Hoover, Irondale, Pinson, Mountain Brook, and Trussville residents only.)
Ep1: The First Alphabet, Ep2: How Writing Changed the World
Writing and printing are perhaps the greatest inventions of all time, changing the course of human history through the spread of ideas. In this two-part series, NOVA explores how writing began and reveals the astonishing origins of our own alphabet. Then, researchers investigate the origins of the printing press, which kicked off the Industrial Revolution and led to swift technological advancement and the expansion of cultures.