- Mona Verma
- Wednesday, June 30, 2021
Find your next favorite book and fulfill the #BroaderBookshelf 2021 prompt to "Read a book suggested by a Library staff member" with these personal recommendations from our colleagues!
Click on the book cover or the title to read each novel's full display in the Richland Library catalog.
Ariel H., Research & Readers' Advisory, Richland Library Main:
A Lowcountry Bride by Preslaysa Wiliams
In this Own Voices romance novel, we follow Maya Jackson who is determined to outwork the clock on her life because of her chronic illness—but fate intervenes.
Maya wants to make a name for herself in the fashion industry as soon as possible, and is a competition away from becoming the head designer for Laura Whitcomb, Inc. However, a phone call changes her plans and puts her on a plane from New York City to the Lowcountry of Charleston, SC.
With her boss having her work on a no-pay leave, Maya furiously looks for ways to sell her own designs to create money and eventually gets connected with a local black-owned bridal shop owner dealing with his own personal and professional troubles.
This story covers grief, loss, love, and self-discovery while also shedding light on racism, and the value of family, history, and authenticity.
Thomas M., Teen Center, Richland Library Main:
Broken Horses by Brandi Carlile
Grammy-winning musician and self-described weirdo Brandi Carlile brings the best of both worlds in this celebrity memoir. She details her upbringing and influences as well as her music career and creative process, with some memorable stories about fellow musicians along the way. There are lyrics at the end of each chapter from songs mentioned, and they are played in full for the audiobook edition. Highly recommended for her fans and anyone wanting a roadmap to the life and career of their new favorite singer-songwriter.
Kate B., Checkout, Richland Library Main:
Lakewood by Megan Giddings
At once a portrait of a family in peril and a study in class and race, Lakewood takes us to present-day Michigan to follow Lena Johnson as she decides what lengths she's willing to go to provide financially and medically for her family. Part realistic fiction, part thriller, you'll be on the edge of your seat as Lena becomes more and more involved in the Lakewood Project - government project for the betterment of society or sinister experiment with no regard for life?
This is the current selection for the Let's Talk Race Book Group that Jocelyn T and Kate B will be hosting on August 3, 2021 at 6:30pm.
Bland L., Business & Careers, Richland Library Main:
Money for Nothing: The Scientists, Fraudsters, and Corrupt Politicians Who Reinvented Money, Panicked a Nation, and Made the World Rich, by Thomas Levenson.
MIT prof Levenson tells the story of one of the earliest, and most notorious, financial panics in history, the "South Sea Bubble" that roiled the English economy in the early 18th c. You might not think this could make for a gripping story - but it does, involving Isaac Newton and the Scientific Revolution, the plague that devastated London in the 1660s, various European wars, and the birth of modern finance. Vivid writing and a fascinating cast of characters make this a nonfiction page-turner.
Alex B., Richland Library Sandhills:
Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor
African-futurist Okorafor tells the story of a girl--the "adopted daughter of death"-- who is given mysterious powers in her quest to find meaning in a near distant future Ghana. Okorafor explores the line between science and magic in this superhero-esque novella.
Katherine D., Richland Library Sandhills:
Migrations by Charlotte McConaghy
Franny always leaves. It's how she survives.
Set in a future wrecked by climate change, Franny Stone convinces a fishing vessel captain to take her onboard so she can track the last migration of Arctic terns. As Franny desperately follows the birds, it becomes clear she is also running from a lifetime of abandonment, brought upon and inflicted by her. She thinks she is the bad thing, always leaving a trail of loss in her wake, and it threatens to consume her. From Greenland to Antarctica, her secrets begin to unspool as her will to survive hangs in the balance. Tread lightly- this is a sad and heavy read, but worth it for all of the hope mixed in. Breathtaking at every turn with an extraordinary ending that had me ugly crying in the best way.
Patterson L., Social Work, Richland Library Main:
Another Place At The Table by Kathy Harrison.
As a foster parent I enjoyed this honest and sometimes heart breaking look into the Harrison home where they have welcomed many children impacted by trauma. I gained such compassion and empathy for what the children experience as they walk into a strangers home and life for the first time. I cried as these bonds with foster parents are broken and children can be tossed around in ways they cannot understand. It was a look at my own life, but a life that is not mine. She was honest, even when it wasn't flattering to herself, and mimicked the chaos I sometimes feel.
Melissa S., Richland Library Ballentine:
Dark and Deepest Red by Anne-Marie McLemore
A dancing plague, a week or two of magic every year, chemistry in two senses of the word, red shoes, romance, two timelines...a book about being Queer and loving yourself and others. Based loosely off the Dancing Shoes fairy tale and an historical account of a dancing plague.
Zita R., Checkout, Richland Library Main:
Women Who Run with the Wolves: Myths and Stories of the Wild Woman Archetype by Clarissa Estes
Who is the Wild Woman? She is feral and free. She doesn't define herself by how society sees her. She doesn't feel the need to explain herself. She doesn't live in fear of the unknown or the uncontrolable. She trusts her intuition and can sense danger. She knows when it is time to thrive and when it is time for things to die. She has the wisdom we all need in our lives.
Estes tells several myths that feature the Wild Woman and offers her analysis of each myth. Through these analyses, we recognize the Wild Women in our lives, and we see her in ourselves. I found this book when I was researching mythology. Myths have a few different functions in society- explaining the unknown, revealing our cultural blind spots, but here we see how myths can teach us about ourselves. They can show us why we did things in our past, and how we can brave the future. I recommend this book to anyone who is trying to figure out what their own life story is about.
Kate B., Checkout, Richland Library Main:
The Red Lotus: A Novel by Chris Bohjalian
A gentle thriller - is there such a thing? - that explores how well we really know our friends and lovers. Set in Vietnam and New York City over the course of 11 days, the novel follows Alexis while she works to uncover why her boyfriend, Austin, died in Vietnam on a bike tour. Compellingly readable, the novel is perfect for folks who want a little action and intensity in their thriller, without being too graphic or over the top. In other words, it kept me reading by day, but I could still fall asleep at night, even despite the eerie references to pandemics and the easy transmission of disease.
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A complete list of the prompts of Broader Bookshelf 2021 is available here, Need more suggestions? Try our personalized reading recommendations service.