Staff Picks

Imagine competing in a dance marathon for 879 hours straight (36 1/2 days), where your only breaks come 10 minutes at a time.  That's what Robert Syverton and Gloria Beatty do in the classic short novel They Shoot Horses, Don't They? by Horace McCoy.  This story of desperate people trying to win $1,000 during the height of the Great Depression is captivating.  It's included in the anthology Crime Novels: American Noir of the Thirties and Forties, which leads off with another classic short novel, The Postman Always Rings Twice by James M. Cain.

Stephen Kight
Assistant Director for Public Services

Staff Picks

I love sharing my thoughts on newly published fiction but I know I’ll never top this evocative description of Amelia Gray’s novel Threats from author Doug Dorst.

“The first time I encountered Amelia Gray’s fiction, it slugged me in the jaw.   The second time and the third.  Said jaw-slugging has ensued nearly every time I’ve read something of hers, except for when instead it whispered sad and surprising but undeniable truths about the difficulty of intimacy and sense in the wretched blastoscape of modern life.  And then it made me a grilled cheese sandwich to prove that the world can be a kind place, and it waited until I had sated myself and wiped away the crumbs before slugging me in the jaw again.” 

I can’t think of any book that compares to Threats.  After the mysterious death of his wife, David begins finding bizarre threats everywhere he looks.  Here’s a sample:

MY TRUTH WILL BRING ATOMIC SNOW UPON YOUR SWEET-SMELLING LAMBS AND CHILDREN.

This one’s my favorite:

CURL UP ON MY LAP.  LET ME BRUSH YOUR HAIR WITH MY FINGERS.   I AM SINGING YOU A LULLABY.  I AM TESTING FOR STRUCTURAL WEAKNESS IN YOUR SKULL.

Like poor David (who probably wasn't entirely sane to begin with) you may question who or what is tormenting him.   You'll probably still be questioning it after you've finished.  This ghostish and surreal novel is hard to forget.

But if you're in the mood for even more creepy fiction...

The first few chapters of Robert J. Lennon’s novel Castle seem innocent enough as Eric Loesch returns to his hometown after an extended absence.   But tensions build when he meets the locals and vivid flashbacks reveal a bizarre backstory that’s not completely behind him yet.  Another chilling and mesmerizing psychological read!

Alicia Cavitt
Information Specialist

Staff Picks

History of...  Are you a History Channel buff, or just enjoy a good history adventure?

Here are a few titles that I've enjoyed and that touch upon so much more than just the main topic. Mark Kurlansky's titles will take you on a journey of discovery and a few culinary adventures.

Check out Cod: A Biography of the Fish that Changed the World or Salt: a Word History.

Simon Winchester will spin a British tale of mystery, while you will encounter the world of wordsmiths in The Professor and the Madman: A Tale of Murder, Insanity, and the Making of the Oxford English Dictionary.

Stone by Stone takes on not just the history of stone walls but the geological history of the region (and the reason they built the walls).  

Tom Standage will take you through history and around the world in a book that will quench the thirst of any history reader in A History of the World in Six Glasses.  Bon appétit!





Joan Dudzinski
Collection Support Supervisor