Hello, reader…
*Note to first time readers: the following is a summary of a discussion by friends who gather monthly in a virtual space called Second Life. Book notes are lightly edited reflections shared in real time via text chat.
Based on a book that our friend Veyot read a few years ago, our Book Lovers Coffee Hour group started a roadside poetry project. We host a mailbox near the Reading Room where random passersby are invited to share an original poem.
In August, we received the following poem by Emm Evergarden.
In the hush of a still room, books find me,
Their spine-tingling whispers call me home,
Through ink and paper, they draw my heart's plea,
Each page a pulse, a beat in this tome.
They find me when the world is loud,
In silent lines, I find my crowd,
Stories seek the depths of my mind,
Books find me, and in them, I’m defined.
Each cover a compass, each word a key,
Unlocking realms where I’m truly free,
They find me lost, they find me whole,
Books bind my wounds and heal my soul.
Books. Find. Me.
Here are the books that were shared at our September gathering.
Go Set a Watchman – by Harper Lee
FireWoman truly enjoyed this book. She could see how it could be/was written before To Kill a Mockingbird.
It’s about Scout/Jean Louise, who is in her early 20s. She’s going home for a visit and comes face-to-face with the segregation in her small hometown in Alabama. She’d been living in New York City and only visits Maycomb periodically. Her Dad, Atticus, is old and very arthritic.
That Librarian: The Fight Against Book Banning in America by Amanda Jones
FireWoman also read this eye-opening read about an elementary school librarian who spoke at her local public library in favor of not banning books. Four days later, she started receiving death threats. Her lifelong neighbors chimed in.
She hires and lawyer and has an ongoing suit against the baddies. It’s written with some fun parts. She has a chapter titled WWJD: What Would Judy (Blume) Do.
Librarian Spy by Madeline Martin
Set in WWII, a young librarian is recruited by the U.S. Military to work in Portugal, posed as a librarian, but walking the streets gathering magazines and newspapers that give clues to the German military strategy.
One day, she discovered some words that seem misplaced and realizes that it is a secret code, sent by a French resistance worker. Then the story switches to tell about the French resistance worker’s strategy.
The stories of the librarian in the safety of Portugal and dangers involving the young resistance worker who was the typesetter in Lyon France were a stark contrast. The end involves resettling lots of Jewish and French people to Portugal.
Veyot liked her writing.
The Library of Broken Worlds by Alaya Dawn Johnson
Cold Shiver mentioned this sci-fi that takes place in a library. Despite glowing praise, Cold personally wasn’t a fan of the writing style – but said that it’s a creative and original story with interesting takes on AI in the future. Worth a read.
Anarchist Cybernetics by Thomas Swann
Sam shared about an essay that explores how cybernetics, a system of feedback and self-regulation, can inform anarchist organizing. Swann argues that cybernetics can help anarchists develop more efficient, adaptive systems of collective decision-making, mutual aid, and resistance to authority.
It’s short in size but very technical.
LINK: https://theanarchistlibrary.org/library/thomas-swann-anarchist-cybernetics
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister
Each chapter in this book is a new story with a new main character. The first chapter is about an author taking five years to write her first book. The next nine chapters are about the different people who read the book. One is the professor who encouraged her to write the book, and of course, one story involves the author meeting a reader. Veyot liked all the stories and the style of writing.
House Lessons: A Memoir in Essays by Erica Bauermeister
Veyot’s share reminded Zoe of a different Bauermeister title that someone recommended. It’s on Zoe’s TBR.
Secret Voices: A Year of Women’s Diaries edited by Sarah Gristwood
Zoe bought a copy of this book while on vacation. It’s a collection of excerpts from over a hundred diaries. Organized by month and date, each day offers a few entries from different people – sort of like snapshots into the lives of a spectrum of women through the ages. It’s pretty neat.
Our Hideous Progeny by C.E. McGill
Fiction, set in the 1850s. Mary Elizabeth Frankenstein, grand niece of the famous scientist, is young and trying to make her own name in the world of science. She stumbles upon a cache of old documents and discovers the “shocking truth” of her great uncle’s past. Then sets out on a quest in the wilds of Scotland.
Zoe is only 25 pages in, so she doesn’t know what the quest is yet – but she’s enjoying it so far. She found it at her public library’s display of horror books. She typically doesn’t go for horror books but the cover is really pretty so she figured, why not?
Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell
Sam mentioned this book as an example of one that they chose based on the cover. It was a big book for them at the time so sometimes it works to judge by the cover!
Our next gathering is October 6 at 1pm SLT (Note that this is the 1st, not the 2nd, Sunday of the month). All are welcome – bring a friend!
SLurl to The Reading Room: http://maps.secondlife.com/secondlife/Gundeulbawe/41/164/45
The Reading Room 