Book of the Week: ‘The Farmer’s Son’
The Farmer’s Son:Calving Season on a Family FarmJohn Connell2018, 243 pagesNonfiction John’s family has been in farming in Ireland for generations. But as a young man John left the farming life to pursue a writing career. He lived in Australia and Canada and wrote articles and books. But things went wrong, and John came home to Ireland to work on the farm. John became depressed, and writes honestly about how it affected him. A variety...
Book of the Week: ‘Scandal Above Stairs’
Scandal Above StairsJennifer Ashley2018, 309 pagesHistorical mystery It is 1881, and Kat Holloway is in command as the cook at Lord Rankin’s elegant home in London. Lord Rankin is away, and his sister-in-law, Lady Cynthia, stays there with her relatives, Mr. and Mrs. Bywater. Cynthia is young and gets into scrapes with her friends, shockingly wearing men’s clothing at night when they go out. Kat is an excellent cook, and she is also...
Book of the Week: ‘Art Matters’
Art Matters: Because Your Imagination Can Change the WorldBy Neil Gaiman, illustrated by Chris Riddell2018, 100 pagesNonfiction – Motivational Art Matters is a small book full of big ideas. Neil Gaiman has combined four personal essays with vibrant illustrations by Chris Riddell to create an inspirational manifesto for living, reading, assembling furniture and, especially, making art.“Credo” expresses Gaiman’s belief in and love of...
Book of the Week: ‘The Well’
The WellCatherine Chanter2016, 400 pagesLiterary Fiction/Suspense Thriller Set in Great Britain on a small farm that is the only place to have regular rainfall in a country experiencing a multi-year drought, Ruth and her husband Mark find themselves the unintentional and unwilling focus of a nation in search of answers. But Ruth has questions of her own, and she is driving herself mad trying to get to the truth.The couple struggle to...
Book of the Week: ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’
Where the Crawdads SingDelia Owens2018, 370 pagesFiction The title of this book is intriguing – Where the Crawdads Sing. And it’s mentioned in the book: “What d’ya mean, where the crawdads sing? Ma used to say that.” Kya remembered Ma always encouraging her to explore the marsh: “Go as far as you can way out yonder where the crawdads sing.” Tate said, “Just means far in the bush where critters are wild, still behaving like...