- Sarah C.
- Tuesday, November 16, 2021
Find your next favorite book and fulfill the #BroaderBookshelf 2021 prompt to "Read a book suggested by a Richland Library staff member" with these personal recommendations from our colleagues!
Click on the cover or title to read each book's full display in the Richland Library catalog.
Phillip Windsor, Business & Careers, Richland Library Main
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
I love this book because the reader's expectations are upended at numerous points about what this book actually is: is it a (dark) social satire? Is it a thriller? Is it dystopian fiction? The answer is yes. Through these shifts in mode, the author's sharp observational eye and well-paced storytelling keep you hooked.
Thomas Maluck, Teen Center, Richland Library Main
The Color of Money: Black Banks and the Racial Wealth Gap by Mehrsa Baradaran
There is an idealistic view of the world that says we live in a meritocracy. Everyone is supposedly granted the same opportunities, so everyone thrives according to their level of effort and individual talent. Mehrsa Baradaran is here with the receipts of history to show how, economically speaking, this is not the case in America and has not been for centuries. Generational wealth moves families forward, and a number of governmental and business policies actively stood in the way of some families over others in this country. Saying these things might sound biased, until you read one factual, well-sourced account from history after another and the pattern becomes undeniable. Lack of access to quality banking denies millions of people from equal opportunity, and Baradaran offers the eye-opening evidence to prove it.
Tyler Edmond, Richland Library St. Andrews
Evil Roman Emperors: The Shocking History of Ancient Rome's Most Wicked Rulers from Caligula to Nero and More by Phillip Barlag
As it turns out, Roman history, from the very foundation of the city, is riddled with historical events that would seem unfathomable in modern society. Evil Roman Emperors highlights the worst of Rome’s rulers, with a review of each rulers’ lives and historical context for what made them so truly horrible. For example, Lucius Tarquinius Suburbus called peace conferences with warring states, only to slaughter foreign leaders; Commodus publicly fought handicapped gladiators to prove that he was the reincarnation of Hercules; Caligula reinstated treason trials so that he could legally execute his family/ enemies, and these are the least offensive things recorded during their reigns. Murder, lies, and exploitation (social, financial, and sexual) were the foundation of many reigns and made for a fascinating retelling that I would highly recommend.
Melissa Sprenne, Richland Library Ballentine
A Wizard's Guide to Defensive Baking by T. Kingfisher (aka Ursula Vernon)
Winner, Andre Norton Nebula Award for Middle Grade and Young Adult Fiction in 2020
Mona, our 14 year old heroine, never set out to save the city. She was just a baker with a minor magical talent involving bread. Her familiar is a sourdough starter she calls Bob. Mona's use of her ability is at times surprising and, with Ursula Vernon's horror-writing expertise, occasionally disturbing.
Ursula turns YA fantasy tropes a bit sideways: this is a body-positive book with no romance. Mona regularly reacts as a teenager would: running away is a completely viable option when attacked. And who has time for witty comebacks when confronted with an undead horse? Furthermore - how is it fair that the fate of a city rests on the shoulders of a teenage girl with only a little magic when there are adults around wearing armor and wielding swords?!
Heather Green, Local History, Richland Library Main
Betty by Tiffany McDaniel
My favorite book of this year (2020 - 2021). A beautiful and tragic story of a young girl growing up in Appalachia. A beautifully written coming of age story illustrating how much nature and nurture affect who we become.
So begins the story of Betty Carpenter. Born in a bathtub in 1954 to a white mother and a Cherokee father, Betty is the sixth of eight siblings. The world they inhabit in the rural town of Breathed, Ohio, is one of poverty and violence—both from outside the family and, devastatingly, from within. But despite the hardships she faces, Betty is resilient. Her curiosity about the natural world, her fierce love for her sisters, and her father’s brilliant stories are kindling for the fire of her own imagination, and in the face of all to which she bears witness, Betty discovers an escape: she begins to write.
A complete list of the prompts of Broader Bookshelf 2021 is available here, Need more suggestions? Try our personalized reading recommendations service.