LIBRARY CORNER | 03/25/22

We’re gearing up for the seventh annual Art@the Library event coming up this Saturday, April 2, from 6-8 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $5 for children. Tickets are available now in the library and at the door.

Local artists will be featured, including our own Jared Chapman. He will draw with the kids and sign his fabulous books. (Books will be available for purchase.) Also, Marnie Miller will have an interactive exhibit. You’ll be able to help her paint! Featured art includes  pottery, ceramics, glass, jewelry and paintings.  Come and enjoy the art and chocolate from the Sweet Shop! This is going to be so good!

Let’s continue our monthly review of new book suggestions from Library Reads. Fans of Adriana Trigiani, and I’m one of them, will be glad to know that her new book The Good Left Undone comes out this month. “Following the lives of various generations of the Cabreli family, Trigiani takes readers through the 1920s, World War II, and modern-day Italy and Scotland. With descriptive language and well-drawn characters, each generation’s story is woven seamlessly into the next. This is for fans of Love and Ruin and The Guest Book.” (4-26) Janet Makoujy

I’ll Be You is by Janelle Brown. “Sam and Elli, identical twin sisters and former television stars, have their issues. Sam is a recovering addict, and Elli has been taken in by a cult. But they are quite likable, and the story is totally engaging, a big suspenseful, and includes well developed plot points. Give to fans of The Good Sister and The Girl in the Mirror.” (4-26) Evelyn Cunningham

Sarah Pinborough’s new book is Insomnia. “Emma has the perfect career, husband, and family. She also has a secret that is about to catch up with her. She is turning 40 and slowly spiraling out of control as the past creeps close. Is her insomnia touching her with insanity or is she about to relive what she has been trying to hide all these years? This one’s for fans of The End of Her and Mrs. March.” 94-12) Selena Swink

The Memory Librarian is by Janelle Monae. “These science fiction stories are set in a universe adjacent to the one featured in acclaimed actor/musician Monae’s concept albums and offer hope when despair is at its ripest. Tales of invented homes, found families, hard choices, and the exhausting work of imagining a better future jump off the page. This is for fans of Octavia Butler and Rivers Solomon.” (4-19) Krista Feick

Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez is “a well-placed, wrenching book about the reproductive rights of Blacks and the poor in the mid-20th century. The story moves back and forth in time with fully drawn characters, giving the reader a view of the consequences of the health care system’s policies and fresh outrage at the wrongs perpetuated upon Black women. This is for readers of Celeste Ng and Rebecca Skloot.” (4-12) Leona Arthen

The book club selection for April is Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman. Eleanor was a damaged child who grew up to be a damaged adult. She has learned to schedule each moment of her life and avoids interacting with people. That changes slowly when she and Raymond, an IT guy, save an elderly man. The three of them form a most unlikely friendship. This book is both amusing and touching. We meet April 21 at 6 p.m. Join us!

This is a good week to visit the library. See you there!

Helen Thompson, Director – Mount Pleasant Public Library