Classics
The awakening, and selected stories
Kate Chopin
FICTION Chopin, Kate
Fiction, Classics, Literary Fiction
Stone blind : a novel
Natalie Haynes
FICTION Haynes Natalie
Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classics
"The only mortal in a family of gods, Medusa is the youngest of the Gorgon sisters. Unlike her siblings, Medusa grows older, experiences change, feels weakness. Her mortal lifespan gives her an urgency that her family will never know. When the sea god Poseidon assaults Medusa in Athene's temple, the goddess is enraged. Furious by the violation of her sacred space, Athene takes revenge--on the young woman. Punished for Poseidon's actions, Medusa is forever transformed. Writhing snakes replace her hair andher gaze will turn any living creature to stone. Cursed with the power to destroy all she loves with one look, Medusa condemns herself to a life of solitude. Until Perseus embarks upon a fateful quest to fetch the head of a Gorgon"--
To be fully transparent, I'll read anything by Natalie Haynes, so I'm probably not a fair judge. I've loved all her works, and this is no exception. Not only is Haynes to be commended for giving voice (sometimes, for the first time) to characters we know from the Greek myths, but her own voice--influenced by her skill, her amazing intellect, her sense of humor, her empathy--shines through and makes her writing so immediate and fulfilling to the reader (well, at least this reader!). Her (re)telling of these stories is fresh and necessary and delightful. -Candice
The real Dada Mother Goose : a treasury of complete nonsense
Jon Scieszka
jE Scieszka
Classics, Humor, Picture Books, Kids
"The classic nursery rhymes we know and love--upside-down, backward, in gibberish, and fresh out of bounds--as only Jon Scieszka could stage them. Mother knows best, but sometimes a little nonsense wins the day. Inspired by Dadaism's rejection of reason and rational thinking, and in cahoots with Blanche Fisher Wright's The Real Mother Goose, this anthology of absurdity unravels the fabric of classic nursery rhymes and stitches them back together (or not quite together) in every clever way possible."
The Real Dada Mother Goose is a delight! Anyone well versed in Mother Goose owes this one a perusal. -Casey
Endlessly ever after : pick your path to countless fairy tale endings! : a story of Little Red Riding Hood, Jack, Hansel, Gretel, Sleeping Beauty, Snow White, a wolf, a witch, a goose, a grandmother, some pigs, and endless variations
Laurel Snyder
jFICTION Snyder Laurel
Picture Books, Classics, Adventure, Humor
In this rhyming mash-up of many fairy tales, the reader is invited to follow Rosie down the many possible paths which may lead to a sleeping maiden, a hungry wolf, a girl locked in a tower, or a goose that lays golden eggs--but with some luck, and some smart choices, Rosie may save herself and her fellow fairy tale characters.
What next, Rosie? Choose this title for endless fairy tale fun! -Casey
Courage is calling : fortune favors the brave
Ryan Holiday
179.6 /Holiday
Classics, Self Help
"From Ryan Holiday, the New York Times bestselling author of Stillness Is the Key, The Obstacle Is the Way, and Ego Is the Enemy, comes the first book in a four-book series about Stoic virtues: courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. As Ryan Holiday wrote in his previous books, Stoicism is a philosophy for the people. Stoicism isn't fraught with complexities, contradictions, or circular arguments about the meaning of life. Rather, Stoicism offers practical, rich guidance about how to achieve imperturbability, strength, perspective, and goodness. At the heart of Stoicism are four simple virtues: courage, temperance, justice, and wisdom. The whole philosophy can be condensed into those four bullet points. Everything else, Marcus Aurelius, Seneca, Epictetus, and countless other Stoics believed, flows from these virtues. In Courage Is Calling, Ryan Holiday breaks down the most foundational virtue of all -- courage. Through engaging stories about historic and contemporary leaders, including Winston Churchill, Barack Obama, and Eleanor Roosevelt, as well as some lesser known but equally as remarkable people, Holiday shows you how to practice courage in your daily life."
A very accessible and quick read that really covers the subject of courage from the Stoic viewpoint quite well. A good prescription to help navigate and conduct one's self in these more than "interesting times." -Paul
Macbeth
William Shakespeare
822.33 /Macbeth
Classics
A brave Scottish general named Macbeth receives a prophecy from a trio of witches that one day he will become King of Scotland. Consumed by ambition and spurred to action by his wife, Macbeth murders King Duncan and takes the Scottish throne for himself. He is then wracked with guilt and paranoia. Forced to commit more and more murders to protect himself from enmity and suspicion, he soon becomes a tyrannical ruler. The bloodbath and consequent civil war swiftly take Macbeth and Lady Macbeth into the realms of madness and death. Macbeth is thought to have been first performed in 1606.
Added by Beth
To kill a mockingbird
Harper Lee
FICTION Lee, Harper
Fiction, Classics
To Kill a Mockingbird is a novel by Harper Lee. Although it was written in 1960 it is set in the mid-1930s in the small town of Maycomb, Alabama. It is narrated by Scout Finch, a six-year-old tomboy who lives with her lawyer father Atticus and her ten-year-old brother Jem. During the novel Scout, Jem and their friend Dill try to make their reclusive neighbor Boo Radley leave his house. Boo has not been seen in Maycomb since he was a teenager. Many residents of Maycomb are racists and during the novel Atticus is asked to defend Tom Robinson, a black man wrongly accused of raping a white woman. Atticus takes on the case even though everyone knows he has little hope of winning. The reader sees the trial develop through the childlike eyes of Scout, as gradually both she and her brother learn some valuable life lessons from their father about tolerance, empathy and understanding.
Added by Beth
Charlotte's web
E. B. (Elwyn Brooks) White
jFICTION White, E. B.
Classics
"I don't understand it. But for that matter I don't understand how a spider learned to spin a web in the first place. When the words appeared, everyone said they were a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself is a miracle." -Casey
A Christmas carol : in prose, being a ghost story of Christmas
Charles Dickens
FICTION Dickens, Charles
Classics, Literary Fiction
We are currently reading A Christmas Carol aloud for bedtime, and loving it! Plus, it's the perfect time of year to revisit this often adapted classic. -Casey
A fast read with gorgeous writing and imagery. This book was censored for decades after its publishing in 1899 for its depictions of female sexual desire and a protagonist who opposed traditional social and gender norms. If you haven't read this Romantic classic yet, I highly recommend it for Banned Books Week! -Annie