Book Buzz Book Reviews

Reviewed by Linda Lou Brawley

Librarian II, Central Library

San Diego Union-Tribune, March 28, 2021

 

It’s remarkable! For the first time in its 50 years, the Booker Prize, the U.K.’s award for best fiction, was awarded to a Black woman. But that is not why I’m recommending this novel. The novel presents 12 Black British, mainly female characters, each featured in their own section. While their lives do intersect at points, they have vastly diverse backgrounds, even those with familial ties. Issues of gender identity, social class, access to education and “otherness” are explored within their day-to-day activities. Like a kaleidoscope with 12 unique colors, each turn resets the picture with one color lit a little brighter, offering the same palette, but a unique perspective. Bernardine Evaristo coined the term “fusion fiction” to describe her natural free-flowing writing style — sparsely punctuated, sans periods. It took me a while to acclimate, but it was well worth it.

Reviewed by Laurel Berns

Library Assistant III, Rancho Bernardo Branch Library

San Diego Union-Tribune, March 14, 2021

 

“History of Wolves” is a fascinating and unsettling story about a teenage girl and the events that ultimately lead to a life-impacting choice she makes one summer. There is death, there is a trial, there is suspense – but the story is about so much more than that. “History of Wolves” is about the consequences of action versus inaction. It is about accountability and guilt, how trauma shapes who we become, and the power of loneliness. Written with beauty and elegance, the characters have an honesty to them. There is teenage Linda, a loner and desperately friendless; Mr. Grierson, a teacher accused of an inappropriate relationship; and, finally, the young family that lives across the lake. Phrases and descriptions are lush, rich and worth savoring. The plot skillfully builds with gentle tension, creating uneasiness right up to the point of crisis, and lives are forever changed. Watch Laurel introduce her selection here.

Reviewed by Derek Human

Library Assistant I, Central Library

San Diego Union-Tribune, February 28, 2021

 

2021 is both the 170^th anniversary of the publication of “Moby-Dick” and the 130^th anniversary of Melville’s passing. Everyone knows the broad strokes: whalers, obsessed captain, whale… but “Moby-Dick” lives up to its own legend by being way more relatable than you’d expect. The funny characters are actually funny. When Melville wants you to cringe, you cringe. You'll care about Ishmael and Queequeg before they even get on the boat. The first two pages can be tough: re-reading paragraphs until you’ve tuned in to the way Melville writes. You'll start gliding by page three. Then, that same density and resistance you get from every sentence is as satiating as chewing perfectly cooked steak. You'll be re-reading sentences and paragraphs to savor them. Just make it through the first two pages.

Reviewed by David Cederholm

Library Assistant II, Allied Gardens / Benjamin Branch Library

San Diego Union-Tribune, February 14, 2021

 

Marina is a pharmacologist working a mind-numbing research job in Minnesota when her boss—and secret lover—asks her to go to their Amazon research station in search of answers to the untimely death of her colleague. At first, Marina won’t even consider the possibility. Later, when delivering the bad news to the devastated widow, Marina realizes she must make the journey and find answers. Deep in the heart of the Amazonian rainforest she wrestles with her past and inner demons, coming face to face with noted researcher and former mentor Dr. Annick Swenson. Succumbing to the domineering charisma of Swenson and engaging in the tribes’ cultish fertility rituals, Marina descends into madness. When surprise visitors to the research station arrive, she emerges from her darkness, proving to herself that redemption is possible, and that her life has meaning when she becomes willing to risk it for those she loves. Watch David introduce his selection here.

Reviewed by Marc Chery

Supervisor, Humanities Section, Central Library

San Diego Union-Tribune, January 31, 2021

 

A 700-year-old book set during the time of the Black Death (1346-1353), the deadliest pandemic recorded in human history, resonates powerfully during our current moment in time. The Decameron is heralded as perhaps the greatest short story collection of all time, written in 1348 after the bubonic plague, which killed an estimated 75 million in Europe, Asia and Africa, hit Florence. Giovanni Boccaccio, a pillar of Italian and Western literature, was a poet and humanist who wrote in the Italian vernacular in addition to Latin. In The Decameron, ten young Florentines retreat into self-isolation for two weeks in the countryside and pass the time by telling stories, resulting in 100 stories. Many of the stories are amusing. Some are sad. None are about the plague. Watch video review.