Novel Realities Book Discussion October 14 at Sharon Forks Library: Hum by Helen Phillips

 

Hum by Helen Phillips

What role do humans play in a world where artificial intelligence has replaced most of the workforce?

Technological advancements don't seem to have improved daily living for the characters in Helen Phillips’ slightly futuristic novel Hum. 

Air quality forces families indoors where children watch videos of animals they will only ever encounter at pop-up zoos with conditions so abysmal they scare the visitors. Constant video surveillance produces targeted advertisements and androids called hums replace human workers while families struggle to pay for basic necessities. 

Hum centers around May, a mother of two who loses her job to artificial intelligence and undergoes an experimental procedure that distorts her features to evade facial recognition software in order to pay for her family's living expenses.  

Feeling friendless and disconnected from her husband, worried about finances and her children's increasing tech-dominated isolation, May spends part of her earnings treating her family to a visit to the luxurious Botanical Garden where they can reconnect and experience a convincing approximation of the natural world. 

The garden’s lush environment offers a refreshing change of pace until the children wander off, setting into motion a chain of events that threatens the whole family.

I've been a fan of Helen Phillips' unique human-centered science fiction since reading her 2015 novel The Beautiful Bureaucrat which was a finalist for the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award and the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. 

In Phillips' suspenseful and mind-bending 2019 novel The Need, a woman is confronted by an alternative version of herself. The Need was named a New York Times Notable Book and longlisted for the National Book Award.

FCPL’s Novel Realities book club will discuss Hum on Tuesday, October 14 at 7 p.m. at the Sharon Forks Library and newcomers are always welcome. If you enjoy speculative fiction and are looking a unique book club, please take a look at our upcoming Novel Realities book selections and make plans to attend one of our upcoming discussions.  

Alicia Cavitt

Information Specialist

Image by wweagle from Getty Images Signature via Canva

Adult Fiction Staff Picks: The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz

 The Latecomer by Jean Hanff Korelitz

Jean Hanff Korelitz takes her time developing this complex family drama, beginning before Salo and Johanna, the parents of her main characters, have even met and shifting back and forth in time to explain the dynamics between Harrison, Lewyn, and Sally, triplets born in the early days of IVF. 

A childhood of togetherness leads the three siblings to try to go their own separate ways as teenagers despite the many entanglements that bind them. Struggling to maintain a happy facade after Salo’s infidelity, Johanna Oppenheimer arranges for a surrogate to deliver her fourth child from her remaining frozen embryo, then desperately tries to convince her children to bond with their sister Phoebe, the latecomer, and their biological quadruplet.

The Latecomer is a mesmerizing story that details the ways resentments build, secrets compound, lies unravel, and rifts grow and heal. The novel sets the stage for a dramatic confrontation and delivers it. But that’s by no means the end of the story in this modern family drama.   

At over sixteen hours, the audio version of the The Latecomer  is a great distraction on a long car ride for fans of richly detailed stories that show characters dealing with problems with no easy solutions. 

Jean Hanf Koreliz is the bestselling author of two of my favorite psychological suspense novels, the 2021 The Plot and its 2024 follow-up The Sequel. While it was hard to put down the more fast paced, plot-based psychological suspense novels The Plot and The Sequel, I can tell that the characters in The Latecomer, and their messy, relatable real-world issues will remain with me for much longer. 

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist

Engaging Your Auditory Senses

Are you new to audiobooks, or undecided on where to start? 

The power of a good narrator should not be underestimated. Some award-winning actors have brought their considerable talent to audiobooks, adding layers of emotional depth to already great stories. 

Some of my favorites are Tom Lake by Ann Patchett narrated by the inimitable Meryl Streep and The Midnight Library by Matt Haig narrated by actress Carey Mulligan.

When the narrator is also the author, particularly in the memoir genre, the reader feels an even stronger connection to the story. Two of my favorite memoirs were read brilliantly by their authors: You Could Make This Place Beautiful by Maggie Smith and Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner. 

Vacation Reads

 

Summer can be the perfect opportunity to stay up late reading or get lost in a great book. How do you decide which books to pack on your vacation? Do you travel light and rely on ebooks? Personally, I have a strong preference for hardback novels which is why my bags are always so heavy. On road trips, I enjoy listening to books on CD, especially anything by humorist David Sedaris. 

What do you like to read or listen to on vacation? 

Do you like to explore new authors or stick with your favorites? 

Staff Picks For My Fellow "True Crime" Aficionados

If you enjoy listening to podcasts like Morbid, My Favorite Murder, or Crime Junkie, check out these books on true crime. As a fan of these types of podcasts myself, I really enjoy the downloadable audio versions of these books. What makes them even more interesting is that they are all narrated by the author. If you have not tried an audiobook yet, download Libby and give it a try—it is free with your library card!

What the Dead Know: Learning About Life as a New York City Death Investigator by Barbara Butcher

This memoir is a very honest look into the life of a New York City death investigator. It pairs all of the grizzly details of investigating death along with personal growth and enlightenment. Butcher does not shy away from exposing her own shortcomings as she reveals her battles with addiction and relationship struggles. She uses dark humor to cope with some of the most harrowing cases during her time as Death Investigator in Manhattan.

Asian American Heritage Month Staff Picks The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses

 The Sense of Wonder by Matthew Salesses

I've recently become a fan of author Matthew Salesses, whose witty, unpredictable stories offer a unique perspective on issues of identity and race in America.  

Salesses’ latest novel, The Sense of Wonder, focuses on two Asian NBA stars, Won Lee, dubbed “The Wonder,” and his idol, Powerball!. A trouble-making sports reporter and a television producer who creates popular Korean soap operas add extra drama to mix.      

Sense of Wonder skewers celebrity culture, modern relationships, and professional rivalry. You don’t have to be a basketball fan to enjoy this wry satirical tale.   

OverBOOKed to Read: The Widows of Malabar Hill by Sujata Massey

The Widows of Malabar Hill, the first book in Sujata Massey's Perveen Mistry series, transports you to another time, another place, and another culture. Set in Bombay in 1921, Perveen Mistry is the daughter of a respected Zoroastrian family and one of the first female lawyers in India.

Staff Picks: Caste: The Origins of our Discontents by Isabel Wilkerson

 

As we go about our daily lives, caste is the wordless usher in a darkened theater, flashlight cast down in the aisles, guiding us to our assigned seats for a performance. The hierarchy of caste is not about feelings or morality. It is about power—which groups have it and which do not.

 from Caste by Isabel Wilkerson                

In Caste: The Origins of our Discontents, Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Isabel Wilkerson details why she believes the United States has a caste system based on skin color. It's a bold premise and for many people, one that can be tough to accept but Wilkerson backs it up with historical documentation – a lot of it.  

My first reaction to Wilkerson’s suggestion was skeptical. In comparison to the rigidly defined caste system in India, I  didn’t think the label applied to the United States. While reading Caste,  I was impressed by how much research Wilkerson offered to support her theory.  Laws from the times of slavery, reconstruction, and Jim Crow paint a stark picture of institutionalized racism.  And the inclusion of scenarios from the modern era rounds out a compelling argument.  

Throughout the book Wilkerson uses terms like dominant, privileged, and subordinate caste to describe Americans. In each scenario she presents, it is perfectly clear which group she’s referring to. 

Caste draws comparisons between the United States, India, and Nazi Germany and identifies eight pillars of caste that are central to each of the three governments. She describes the caste system as a defining factor of the United States rather than an anomaly and compares it to an untreated condition like cancer or alcoholism.  

Wilkerson points out that while slavery is sometimes referred to as a dark time in our nation’s history, it was accepted practice in parts of the American colonies and the nation from 1619 to 1865, during which time many African Americans were forced to labor for the dominant caste, earning nothing for themselves or offspring. In the process, they were often brutally treated, sold as commodities, separated from family, and kept intentionally uneducated. 

Into the 20th Century, terror tactics like lynching were used to keep the underclass in line while the perpetrators faced few legal repercussions. For nearly a century after the Civil War, Jim Crow laws further secured the caste hierarchy.  Until 1968 discriminatory lending practices like redlining further restricted the subordinate caste's ability to acquire generational wealth. 

Wilkerson precedes her book’s impressive bibliography with a final chapter that sums up the current situation while offering hope.        

“Once awakened,” she writes, “we then have a choice. We can be born to the dominant caste but choose not to dominate. We can be born to a subordinate caste but resist the box others force upon us.  And all of us can sharpen our powers of discernment to see past the external and to value the character of a person rather than demean those who are already marginalized or worship those born to false pedestals.”  

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist

#WeKnowBooks

  

 

 

                   

Staff Picks - The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell by Chris Colfer (Juvenile Fiction)

The Scout Motto is “Be Prepared.” 

After 15 years of outings, meetings, and service projects as a Scout mom and leader, it has become my personal motto too. 

This applies to more than just camping gear. I didn’t need to check the weather to know I should pack my rain jacket for our troop campout last weekend. But I also wanted to be prepared for the four hour round trip drive transporting five 12-year-old boys to and from our campground in Blairsville, Georgia. 

As you can probably guess, it didn’t take long for my carload of boys to devolve from making frenzied chit-chat to raucously belting the jingle for every chain store we passed. (“Oh-oh-oh-O’Reilly’s! O’Reilly’s Auto Parts. Ow!”) Thirty minutes in they started playing “Who Can Be the Quietest?” but with a special twist: bodily noises allowed. Needless to say, all five of them began outdoing one another with a competition for the loudest, juiciest, most creative flatulence sound they could make using their mouths, hands, and/or armpits. 

(This is a reenactment of my face during the “Who Can Be the Quietest?” game.

No scouts were endangered during this selfie.) 

It was actually pretty funny—for about the first 30 seconds—but that’s when I reached my limit and decided to distract them...

...with an audiobook. 

In keeping with the “Be Prepared” theme, I had borrowed the CD book version of The Land of Stories by Chris Colfer. One of our Youth Services Supervisors recently gushed about this series, saying she was purposely reading it slowly because she didn’t want it to end. Aaaaand straight to the top of my TBR (To Be Read) pile it went.    

Granted, I am a youth librarian with a passion for children’s literature, but I am not exaggerating when I tell you that this carload of boisterous pre-teen boys was immediately captivated by this book. If music soothes the savage beast, a great story totally tames the tooting tween.   

The ethereal intro music instantly grabbed everyone’s attention. Then the author began reading the prologue and we were all completely hooked. The setting: a rat-infested dungeon. The imprisoned villain: Snow White’s wicked stepmother. The protagonist: adult queen Snow White. 

There’s a reason why so many adaptations of classic fairy tales exist: readers immediately connect with characters they already know. Add two quirky 12-year-old fraternal twins, laugh-out-loud humor, and a thrilling quest filled with adventure, intrigue, and magic, and the result is absolutely enthralling across generations and genders.    

Author Chris Colfer gained international recognition for his portrayal of Kurt Hummel on the hit television musical series, Glee. Chris also narrates his audiobook series and his voiceover talents are noteworthy. He has one of those voice ranges that can convincingly sound like a boy, a girl, an evil witch, and a ferocious troll.  

I cannot wait to continue with this series and find out what happens next. Whether you have a carload of kids to captivate, need a can’t-miss bedtime read-aloud, or are looking for a new series for your 4th-8th grader to devour, The Land of Stories will not disappoint. 

Forsyth County Public Library has the entire series in print, eBook, eAudiobook, and CD book formats. Stop by your local branch or log in to your account online to put the first book in this series (The Land of Stories: The Wishing Spell) on hold today.   

Leslie
Youth Specialist

Post Road Library
#WeKnowBooks

OverBOOKed to Read: The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers

The Second Mrs. Hockaday by Susan Rivers

August 10, 1865

"... what I cannot excise from my mind is the conviction that I am guided by Destiny - or, what you would call Providence - at the most harrowing intersections of my life. What I can state without prevarication is that my current destiny was charted over the course of two short days in April '63."

Placidia is seventeen years old when she meets Major Gryffth Hockaday. Inexplicably drawn to each other in spite of their age difference, they marry the next day. Two days after that, the major is called back to duty with the Confederate army and Placidia, still more a child than an adult, is left to run a farm and mother her husband's young son. Two years later, the major returns to find that rumors about his wife have spread throughout the town, gossip that claims she bore a child and buried it on the land. Placidia does not deny the accusations, but she won't talk, bound to protect some nameless individual even as she is imprisoned and brought to trial.

Told through letters, court documents, and journal entries, this story spans two generations as characters and reader alike try to piece together what really happened while Major Hockaday was away at war.

Join the overBOOKed book club for a discussion of this title on Thursday, August 19 at 10:00 a.m. at the Cumming library. OverBOOKed meets at 10:00 a.m. every third Thursday of the month.

The eBook and eAudiobook versions of The Second Mrs. Hockaday are available through OverDrive. Anyone with a Forsyth County Library card can sign up for a free OverDrive account. Sign up for a free card today to start enjoying FCPL's digital catalog from wherever you are!

Melissa

Information Specialist

Cumming Library

#WeKnowBooks 

overBOOKed to Read: Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

Winner of the Nobel Prize in literature and the Man Booker International prize, Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead takes us on a thrilling fairy tale journey in a small Polish village. After the sudden death of a neighbor, Janina, a cranky loner who is interested in astrology, inserts herself into an investigation of a new string of mysterious deaths. However, nobody listens when she is certain she knows who is responsible. Is she a little mad? Maybe. Is her heart in the right place? That's up to you, reader.

Join the overBOOKed book club for a virtual discussion of this title on Thursday, April 15, at 10:00 a.m. OverBOOKed meets virtually at 10:00 a.m. every third Thursday of the month. Register here to receive your GoToMeeting link to join the discussion!

The eBook and eAudiobook versions of Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead are available through OverDrive. Anyone with a Forsyth County Library card can sign up for a free OverDrive account. Sign up for a free card today and start enjoying FCPL's digital catalog from wherever you are!

Christina
Information Specialist
#WeKnowBooks

Alka Joshi, Author of The Henna Artist, Speaks on Novels and forthcoming TV Series

Alka Joshi, author of the New York Times best-selling novel The Henna Artist, will speak with local readers in an online event hosted by Forsyth County Public Library at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, March 25. Admission to the virtual event is free, but advance registration is required on the library’s website.

“Ms. Joshi will talk about her debut novel The Henna Artist and its forthcoming sequel, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur. She will also talk about her writing process and adapting a novel for television,” says FCPL Programming Manager Tracy Walker.

Joshi was born in Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, and has lived in the U.S. since the age of nine. While The Henna Artist is her first novel, Joshi has always been a writer and spent thirty years of her career writing commercials and marketing copy for her own ad agency. Then, with her husband’s encouragement, she decided to try writing fiction and enrolled in a creative writing program at California College of the Arts.

Joshi says that her instructors were supportive and she began to feel like a semi-serious writer of fiction.

“It wasn’t until my literary agent notified me that MIRA Books, a division of Harper Collins, had sent a really good contract that I realized I’d become an author,” exclaims Joshi.

Joshi’s debut novel, The Henna Artist, tells the story of seventeen-year-old Lakshmi, who escapes an abusive arranged marriage in the 1950s and makes her way alone from her rural village to the vibrant pink city of Jaipur. There she becomes the henna artist—and confidante—most in demand to the wealthy women of the upper class. Trusted with the secrets of the wealthy, she can never reveal her own, until she is confronted by her husband who has tracked her down these many years later with a high-spirited young girl in tow—a sister Lakshmi never knew she had.

The novel was Longlisted for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and was the May 2020 selection for Reese Witherspoon’s book club, among other honors. The Henna Artist is also in development for an episodic television series starring Freida Pinto.

A sequel entitled The Secret Keeper of Jaipur will be released June 22 and is set in 1969. Malik, Lashmi's young helper from the first novel, becomes an educated young man apprenticed at the Jaipur Palace and working on building the state-of-the-art public movie house when he becomes ensnared in a smuggling scheme that threatens all he aspires to, including the woman he loves. 

Joshi will give almost daily online appearances to talk with readers in the run up to the release of The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, while continuing to research and write the final book in the trilogy. She is also active on social media, particularly Instagram and YouTube, where she speaks on the process of writing, the books she loves, and the culture, fashions, and food found in her books.

“We’re so excited to have Alka Joshi joining us for this virtual presentation. So many of our patrons have enjoyed her debut novel and will enjoy this opportunity to talk with her and learn more about the culture and characters in this trilogy,” adds Walker.

Joshi’s talk will also include advice for aspiring writers about imagining storylines, writing when inspiration strikes, and the process of publishing. She’ll also have a bit of advice for aspiring screenwriters from her experiences adapting The Henna Artist for television.

An Evening with Alka Joshi will be hosted on GoToMeeting and admission is free. For more information, or to register, please visit www.forsythpl.org. 

Listen In and Sleep Well: Audiobook Recommendations for a Good Night's Sleep

Studies show that settling down with a book can contribute to a better night's sleep. Instead of holding a heavy tome or trying to find just the right amount of light without waking anyone else, try listening to an audiobook. Here is a short list of recommendations to help you drift off to dream land. Many of these titles can be downloaded from the Libby app, which has a convenient sleep function that you can set to automatically stop after a designated amount of time.

To Warm Your Heart

James Herriot's All Creatures Great and Small: The Warm and Joyful Memoirs of the World's Most Beloved Pet Doctor. Read by Nicholas Ralph, star of the new PBS series of the same title. This heartwarming account of the veterinarian's adventures caring for animals in the idyllic English countryside paired with Ralph's lilting British accent make for a perfect combination.

It's Not All Downhill from Here, written and read by Terry McMillan. "Poignant, funny, and full of life, this is a balm for troubled times," according to People Magazine. Loretha leads a full and fulfilling life, but an unexpected loss turns everything upside down. She calls on her friends to help her summon the strength to keep pursuing the joy in life.



For Quiet Contemplation

Exhalation by Ted Chiang, read by an ensemble cast. This is a collection of nine provocative and thought-provoking stories that will make you look at the world from a different perspective.

Milk and Honey, written and read by Rupi Kaur. This poetry collection is only a little over an hour long, but the author reads with such a lulling, soft rhythm that you'll want to put this on repeat. In four chapters listeners are taken through a journey of the bitterest moments in life to find the sweetness in them.

Be Inspired

The Book of Joy: Lasting Happiness in a Changing World by Dalai Lama and Archbishop Desmond Tutu with Douglas Carlton Abrams, read by an ensemble cast. Two great spiritual masters share their wisdom about living with joy even in the face of adversity.

Stillness Is the Key written and read by Ryan Holiday. Bestselling author Holiday has made ancient wisdom popular with a new generation. Here, he draws on Stoic and Buddhist philosophy to show how leaders of today conquer tempers, avoid distractions, and gain greater insights through stillness.




Kris
Information Specialist
#WeKnowBooks

February 2021 Reading Challenge: Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

 

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon

Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series about a time-traveling WWII nurse is one of the most popular titles at FCPL and its 2014 adaption continues to draw new fans to the books. Over the years, Outlander fans have recommended the story as a great choice for a science fiction fan like myself but for a long time, the 627-page novel didn’t appeal to me on the basis of time travel. Finally, I stopped resisting and checked out the audio version, and I’ve been engrossed with this fascinating story and its memorable characters ever since.  

Outlander IS a lengthy tale, one that will appeal to fans of historical fiction, epics, and romance more than science fiction readers. (After Claire Randall travels from 1946 to 1743 the time travel is secondary to culture clashes and castle intrigue.) Outlander is also an evocative historical romance that recreates 18th century Scotland with swords, daggers, kilted clansmen, castles, bandits, hostilities between Brits and Scots, and Scottish folklore. Fans of unique romance will appreciate the literal (though not always consensual) bodice-ripping scenes and one of Claire’s most interesting dilemmas: reconciling her loving marriage to a British academic in the 20th century with her forced marriage to a virile young Scotsman in the 18th. It’s an immersive story that uses rich details to bring ancient Scotland to life. 

Participants in FCPL’s 2021 Reading Challenge can complete the February challenge -- read a book that's been made into an adaptation -- by reading the book or listening to the audio version of Outlander. 

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist
#WeKnowBooks

overBOOKed to Read The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins

Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to watch the same couple eating breakfast on their deck. She's even started to feel like she knows them. "Jess and Jason," she calls them. Their life -- as she sees it -- is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost. And then she sees something shocking. It's only a minute until the train moves on, but it's enough. Now everything's changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel offers what she knows to the police, and becomes inextricably entwined in what happens next, as well as in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?

Join the overBOOKed book club for a virtual discussion of this title on Thursday, November 19, at 10:00 am. OverBOOKed meets virtually at 10:00 am every third Thursday of the month. Register here to receive your GoToMeeting link to join the discussion!

The eBook and eAudiobook versions of The Girl on the Train are available through OverDrive. Anyone with a Forsyth County Library card can sign up for a free OverDrive account. Sign up for a free card today and start enjoying FCPL's digital catalog from wherever you are!

Melissa
Information Specialist
#WeKnowBooks

overBOOKed to Read Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Ashley Cordova, the mysterious, gifted daughter of the reclusive film director Stanislas Cordova, is found dead in an abandoned warehouse in lower Manhattan. Her death is ruled a suicide, but veteran investigative journalist Scott McGrath suspects otherwise. What happened to Ashley? As McGrath tries to uncover the truth, he is drawn into a spellbinding quest in the underworld of the Cordova family's life. With breakneck pacing and dazzling inventiveness, Night Film will hold you in suspense until you turn the final

page.

OverBOOKed typically meets at 10:00 a.m. every third Thursday of the month, but the time has changed for the October meeting only. Join the overBOOKed book club for a virtual discussion of this title on October 15 at the temporary time change of 11:30 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Register here to receive your GoToMeeting link to join the discussion!

The eBook and eAudiobook versions of Night Film are available through OverDrive. Anyone with a Forsyth County Library card can sign up for a free OverDrive account. Sign up for a free card today to start enjoying FCPL's digital catalog wherever you are!

Christina

Information Specialist

#WeKnowBooks

RBdigital eAudiobooks move to OverDrive August 12

Forsyth County Public Library will move its collection of eAudiobooks from RBdigital to the Libby app as part of the OverDrive collection on Wednesday, August 12, 2020. 

This change comes as a result of OverDrive acquiring RBmedia’s library business, RBdigital, in North America, UK, and Australia earlier this year. Titles in the RBdigital collection will be transferred to OverDrive and patrons will continue to be able to browse, borrow, and enjoy all the same great books from the RBdigital app, now available in Libby.

Transition from RBdigital

Patrons who currently have an eAudiobook checked out in the RBdigital app should be advised that those books will be available through the remainder of the lending period, so patrons can finish the book without disruption.

Holds will not be moved, but patrons may export their Transaction History from the Profiles section of the RBdigital app, then place new holds on those titles in Libby.

Only eAudiobooks are moving to the OverDrive collection at this time, so patrons can continue to access RBdigital eMagazines, ArtistWorks, The Great Courses, and Hoonuit on the RBdigital platform.

Getting Started with Libby

Forsyth County Public Library is proud to continue to offer patrons a wide selection of digital titles to access anytime, anywhere through Libby, the one-tap reading app.

For those who have not yet tried the Libby app, all you need to get started is your Forsyth County Public Library card and PIN number. The Libby app is easy to use and will guide you through the setup process and get you connected to our library in just a few minutes.

 

Patrons can find in-app support, or visit the Help site or Libby Academy within the app for assistance.

Access the eLibrary 24/7

In just a few taps, patrons can start reading or listening instantly on a phone or tablet. Libby is available 24/7 without leaving home and is free with your Forsyth County Public Library card.

 

Patrons who need help with eBooks, eAudiobooks, or the transition from RBdigital to OverDrive should visit the Ask Us desk inside any Forsyth County Public Library branch, call us at 770-781-9840, or Ask a Librarian.

FCPL Joins Libraries Worldwide to Investigate Conspiracies in Largest Digital Book Club

Forsyth County Public Library patrons can join millions of other readers around the globe by reading a historical fiction thriller eBook and eAudiobook during Big Library Read, the world’s largest digital book club.

 

From August 3 to August 17, readers can borrow and read Tim Mason’s “intellectually stimulating and viscerally exciting” The Darwin Affair from FCPL's OverDrive service (or OverDrive's Libby app for Apple and Android devices) with no holds and no waiting. Readers can then discuss the book online at https://discuss.biglibraryread.com. 

About The Darwin Affair by Tim Mason

Historical fiction novel The Darwin Affair takes place in London during June 1860. When an assassination attempt is made on Queen Victoria, and a petty thief is gruesomely murdered moments later, Detective Inspector Charles Field quickly surmises that these crimes are connected to an even more sinister plot. 

Soon, Field’s investigation exposes a shocking conspiracy in which the publication of Charles Darwin’s controversial On the Origin of Species sets off a string of murders, arson, kidnapping, and the pursuit of a madman named the Chorister. As he edges closer to the Chorister, Field uncovers dark secrets that were meant to remain forever hidden. 

Tim Mason has created a rousing page-turner that both Charles Dickens and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would relish and envy.

About Big Library Read

Big Library Read is available in over 22,000 libraries around the world, which has resulted in extensive online conversations during past programs. The program is facilitated by OverDrive, the leading digital reading platform for popular eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines. 

How to Participate

To read The Darwin Affair, use your Forsyth County Public Library card to check out the eBook or eAudiobook version from our OverDrive collection between August 3 and August 17.

The Darwin Affair was published by Algonquin Books and can be read on all major computers and devices through Libby or libbyapp.com, including iPhone®, iPad®, Android™ phones and tablets and Chromebook™ without waitlists or holds. Through Libby, readers can also “send to Kindle®” [US libraries only]. 

The title will automatically expire at the end of the lending period, and there are no late fees.

If you'd like to participate in the global online discussion of the book, please visit https://discuss.biglibraryread.com. 

#WeKnowBooks

If you enjoyed The Darwin Affair and would like to read more thrilling historical fiction, we can help! You can look for novels with similar themes on NoveList Plus or request Personalized Reading Suggestions from our staff.

To learn more about the services and materials available to Forsyth County Public Library cardholders, please visit www.forsythpl.org.

Reading Recommendations: Books about Race in America

Just Mercy by Bryan Stevenson

The founder of the Equal Justice Initiative illustrates the harsh realities and inequalities of the justice system and focuses on the redeeming potential of mercy.  (Watch the powerful 2019 film adaptation for free on digital platforms in the US this month.)  

Check out the original (available as an eBook and eAudiobook) or Young Adult edition. 

Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds 

This young adult adaptation of Ibram X. Kendi’s Stamped from the Beginning: the Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America challenges narratives that have been accepted by generations of American students and adults. It’s a quick read (in part because it’s hard to put down) that will leave you thinking about what you read long after you close the book.  Also available as an Audiobook on RBDigital.

Martin Luther King, Jr. by Marshall Freddy

Journalist Marshall Freddy offers a first-hand account of marching with Martin Luther King, Jr. in the 1960s. This biography focuses on King's relationships with other Civil Rights leaders, J. Edgar Hoover's FBI, and Presidents Kennedy and Johnson.   

We Cast a Shadow by Maurice Carlos Ruffin

A black father living in dystopian near-future United States goes to great lengths to protect his mixed-race son in this darkly comic futuristic story.  Fans of Ralph Ellison's Invisible Man and Margaret Atwood's stories of gender dystopias will enjoy this satirical cautionary tale. Available as an eBook and eAudiobook.

Invisible Man by Ralph Ellison

Written in 1952, this classic novel illustrates dark decades of racial injustice in America and was honored at the U.S. National Book Award for Fiction in 1953. 

Alicia Cavitt

Information Specialist

#WeKnowBooks

Virtual Browsing - Reading Recommendations for Dealing with Anxiety

The FCPL staff misses seeing patrons browsing our branches. Until the library reopens to the public, please enjoy virtually browsing online. Today we're highlighting titles that may address emotions brought on by the COVID-19 crises.

Feeling anxious? These books may help you manage that anxiety

10% Happier by Dan Harris

ABC News anchor Dan Harris writes about his own struggles with calming the voice in his head in 10% Happier.  He also shares his own approach to handling anxiety in Meditation for Fidgety Skeptics. 

Gmorning, Gnight by Lin-Manuel Miranda

These inspiring poems offer reassuring words and charming illustrations. Download the eAudiobook to hear them read by Lin-Manuel Miranda himself. Or check out the eBook or print edition to appreciate Jonny Sun's thoughtful illustrations.

First We Make the Beast Beautiful by Sarah Wilson

Long before COVID-19 existed, people were dealing with anxiety.  Sarah Wilson describes her journey coming to terms with it in this beautiful, hardbound book.

Simple Comforts: 50 Heartwarming Recipes

Download this aptly titled book of recipes to your smartphone to create delicious old-fashioned recipes like classic chicken pot pie, macaroni and cheese, and apple pie.  Yum!

Chicken Soup for the Soul

Browse our whole collection of Chicken Soup books. With books tailored for teens, golfers, parents, basketball fans, and cat lovers there's bound to be a book just for you.

One Zentangle a Day by Beckah Krahula

Zentangles offer meditation through drawing. Grab a pencil and paper and check out one of our zentangles books to try it out. No artistic skills needed to enjoy! 

Kyoto Gardens by Judith Clancy

Gorgeous photos from Japanese gardens offer instant relaxation. Browse our travel photography or gardening design books to discover your happy place.

Requested items can be picked up using our contact-free curbside checkout. Our digital collection is always available. Keep reading!

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist
#WeKnowBooks