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By Kaveh Akbar
Knopf Publishing Group
Hardcover $28.00
Best Wellers' Price $22.40
Reviewed by Ceci Rigby
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Cyrus Shams knows death: he lost his mother after her passenger aircraft was shot down over the Persian Gulf; he lost his father to alcoholism and to an unfulfilled promise of the American dream; and he is losing himself to addiction. As he tries to move closer to sobriety, the reality of grappling with loss and the absurdity that preceded it comes with. How cruel that a plane full of civilians can turn into dust and toxic American idealism can turn a bright man into a shell of his former self– forced to kill chickens on a Midwestern factory farm. This forced reckoning brought upon by his newly found sobriety has Cyrus depressed and occupied with thoughts of suicide. But after the senseless deaths that preceded him, he is determined to make his matter. An obsession with martyrdom overtakes him as he dives into the lives of Bobby Sands, Joan of Arc, and other famed heroes past: what gives death meaning? Can art? Can love? Can nothing at all? But Cyrus is a poet, after all, and channels these questions into what will become his final project: The Book of Martyrs.
What follows are encounters with Rumi, Lisa Simpson, and taking fentanyl before mowing lawns in your underwear. But Cyrus’ most important encounter is with Orkideh, an artist who is transforming her slow, inevitable death from breast cancer into a Marina Abromović-esque performance art piece in the Brooklyn Museum. Drawn to this unique mode of imbuing death with meaning, Cyrus travels to New York expecting to gain insight into his own project through his interactions with Orkideh. What they both get instead is an act of mutual transformation.
Kaveh Akbar delivers an incredible literary debut, and gave me one of the most introspective and meaningful reading experiences of my recent memory. His humor and poetic prowess are the lights that allow readers to navigate the darkness of this story a little more comfortably; you still encounter horrors, sure, but they’re a little easier to digest when you shine a beam in their eyes and blind them for a second.
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Book-lovers and collectors meet in the Rare Book department for the Collectors' Book Salon the last Friday of each month, January through October. We begin casually around 6:30 PM with socializing, light refreshments, and shared bibliolust. At 7:15, an invited bibliophile leads the Collectors' Chat about a topic of their particular knowledge and passion. Each Salon, Tony offers a special deal on rare books that is only for Salon guests. | |
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Sandro Larson is a retired ski bum, baker, and mailman. He explores the marvelous world and haunts marvelous bookstores which he has done since discovering Sam Weller’s on Main Street in the late 1970s. It is unclear whether he be hoarder or collector. Sandro has permitted momentary impulses to direct his reading, he is attracted to books in such myriad ways: content, cover, type face, or a book’s physical history gets his attention and gives him joy. Join us on June 28th to hear about Sandro’s life with books and see some he values.
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By Ingri D’Aulaire & Edgar Parin D’Aulaire
Doubleday Books for Young Readers
Hardcover $29.99
Review by Wade Brown
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Everyone is here.
The Gods: Zeus, Poseidon, Apollo, Hephaestus, Ares, Hermes.
The Goddesses: Hera, Aphrodite, Athena, Artemis, Hestia, Persephone.
The Heroes: Perseus, Bellerophon, Heracles, Jason, Achilles, Theseus.
The Heroines: Atalanta, Medea, Ariadne, Pandora, Galatea.
The Monsters: Chimera, Medusa, Cerberus, Hydra, Minotaur, Scylla.
Plus the Titans, the Muses, the Fates, and so many more.
All of these larger-than-life characters and creatures are brought to spectacular life in this dazzling compendium. The vast panoply of Greek myths is distilled into a chronological story that begins with the creation of the universe and concludes with the fading of the gods as humans become enlightened, broken down into easy-to-digest chapters that focus on a particular character or quest. The lyrical prose makes these civilization-founding myths perfectly comprehensible for children without losing any of the scope, beauty, or poetry of the original texts.
And the illustrations! It’s difficult to describe them, they have to be seen to be believed. They are somehow simultaneously simple and complex, literal and fanciful, grotesque and beautiful. In a word: *~fantastic~*.
Gifted this book in my first decade of life, I was captivated by the action-packed adventure, high-stakes drama, and grand spectacle of its stories. A lifelong love of mythology and folklore was born in me with this book. As I grew older I graduated to other iconic works on Greek mythology like those by Edith Hamilton and Robert Graves, but this one will always hold a special place in my heart. I still have my well-loved copy from my childhood, but had to pick up this handsome new edition released 30 years after the book’s original publication. There is no better book on Greek mythology for children than D’Aulaire’s Book of Greek Myths.
A companion book, D’Aulaire’s Book of Norse Myths, exploring the exploits of Odin, Thor, Loki, and the other denizens of the Edda, is equally wonderful.
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By Michiko Aoyama
Hanover Square Press
Hardcover $21.99
Review by Alechia Brulé
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You may say that it was the book, but, it's how you read a book that is most valuable, rather than any power it might have itself.
Hate your life? Maybe, probably, a book can fix it.
What You Are Looking for is In the Library is an inspirational and heartwarming tale about the magic of libraries and the discovery of connection. Five individuals at drastically different stages of life are transformed by seemingly random book recommendations: Tomoka, a young restless retail worker; Ryo, an unfulfilled accountant; Natsumi, a new mother balancing career and life; Hiroya, an unemployed artist; and Masao, a directionless recent retiree. Almost any reader will be able to relate to one or more of these characters. They all stumble into a Tokyo community library where they meet the librarian, Sayuri Komachi, who asks, "what are you looking for?" Along with her standard recommendations, Komachi adds a title that is seemingly unrelated to the patron’s query. Those off-beat books turn out to be life changing. May all of us booksellers have that same recommendation superpower! She also includes a handmade bonus gift, that strangely resonates with each character personally.
Yet, whether Komachi is seer-like or jut an extremely talented librarian is only part of the intrigue. Full of encouragement and gentle charm, these interconnected slice of life stories emphasize a connection to community and the (sometimes unnoticed) impacts each of us make on one another. The way the writing flows is so soothing and the themes are universally human. This book endears with wholesome journeys as each overcome disillusionment of careers, and disconnections from life’s purposes. The perfect example of short and sweet stories.
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By Laura Beers
W. W. Norton & Company
Hardcover $26.99
Publish Date: June 11, 2024
Preorder your copy today!
Review by Apollo Frenzel
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Many of us have most likely read George Orwell in middle or high school, usually Animal Farm and 1984. Those books are essential reading for readers who want to understand not only the time those books have been written, but the society we live in today. But there is a problem: we have used lines and examples in these books so much, that the meaning behind what we call Orwellian has changed and morphed into something unrecognizable. All political parties and views have used Orwell’s writing more than once. But, what is truly Orwellian?
Laura Beers, a historian of modern Britain, mass media, and politics at American University, delves into Orwell’s works and tries to piece together what he would have thought of today's society. Here, she grapples with hard questions regarding Orwell’s political views, his history, and his ideas of an ideal society.
Orwell’s Ghosts is meant to shed light onto the modern day problems we face that Orwell either faced as well, or predicted. It also exposes the areas that Orwell didn’t understand such as feminism and gender equality. Beers writes this section very well, explaining why we can regard Orwell as a good writer but also where he fell short.
The ultimate take from this book is that Orwell considered himself aligned with socialists but he also criticized the USSR for the bastardization of socialism. In a similar vein, we can criticize much of the corrupt governments in our day while also recognizing the corruption in our own government. Orwell was a man against corruption and was regarded as telling the truth. However, we must stop pointing at things we think are Orwellian before understanding what it actually means.
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By Peter S. Beagle
S&S/ Saga Press
Hardcover $26.99
Review by Claire Margetts
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This book came out just a few days ago, but it feels like a classic– familiar, timeless, enchanting. I couldn’t help but feel like a kid again as I was swept away to a magical kingdom full of clever princesses, noble princes, valiant heroes, dark wizards, and dragons galore. Big dragons, small dragons, dragons of all colors, and shapes, and sizes glittering through the pages of this book. Did I mention it has dragons?
Gaius Aurelius Constantine Heliogabalus Thrax (who prefers Robert) is a dragon exterminator who truly hates his job. Having grown up around them, getting to know their ways, their personalities, and how to communicate with them, he feels a tremendous kinship with dragons and does his best to save as many as he can. On a routine job at the castle, he secretly hopes to be discovered and transcend his humble station to something well respected and a lot lower stress– like a valet to a prince. Fate, however, has other plans.
Like William Goldman with The Princess Bride, or Neil Gaiman’s Stardust, Beagle parodies over-the-top fairy tale tropes, while also celebrating them wholeheartedly. He is such a master of the genre, that he can create a world with a “Once Upon A Time” atmosphere full of recognizably vague “fantasy” settings and archetypes, while remaining able to elevate them– resulting in a vivid lived-in world that I would be happy to return to. The wit and whimsy don’t cloud the beautiful tapestry of the story, either. Woven into the fibers of this tale are gorgeous themes of bravery, breaking expectations, young love, and following your dreams.
I’m Afraid You’ve Got Dragons is a book that can be read aloud with the whole family. Its charm will appeal to readers of any age. A fairy tale. A storybook. An absolute lark.
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By Geoffrey Chaucer
Penguin Group
Paperback $11.00
Review by Thomas Moore
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About a year ago, a dear friend of mine recommended reading this staple of medieval literature. I had a limited familiarity with Chaucer's writing. Beside a general sense that the language might be challenging, I really had no idea what to expect before hopping in. After a comfortable introduction to the charming cast of characters who serve as the storytellers through Chaucer's words, I was pleased to discover the remarkable variety of their tales. Not only are these stories variable in length and pacing, but the breadth of subject matter, ranging from religious morality to sexually charged humor, somewhat shocked me, in the best of ways. Despite their diverse qualities, many of the tales deal with similar themes. Unfaithful lovers, tricksters, murderers, and pious saints abound– all told of for the entertainment of the pilgrim party on the road to Canterbury.
For the most part, each tale opens with an introduction by the character doing the telling and an afterward detailing the general reception by the group. Occasionally, the narrative will also be interrupted midway, creating a break that is often only remedied by the host's intervention. The host serves as the instigator of the storytelling game as well as a playful enforcer– seeing that each person gets a chance to speak. It is left to him to casually decide who will speak next, and he sometimes even provides a suggestion of tone or subject to meet the perceived emotional needs of the group. Beyond this loose format, each tale takes a completely different approach.
Literature written in Middle English can be daunting to read, and for those with hesitation towards such a thing, there are modernized versions of this book. In my case, I wanted to delve into the original version for my first experience, and I was not disappointed. As difficult as it can be to comprehend (I certainly had to repeat sections while reading), this text is immensely enjoyable to read aloud. I often found that the vocabulary and spelling challenged my comprehension until I heard them sounded out and spoken. Overall, this quality made for a silly but rewarding read.
On top of it all, sections of the book made me laugh, sometimes merely from disbelief at the content, and that is enough for me to recommend it to anyone.
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