Book of the week: Ithaca
‘Ithaca’ by Claire North The literature of ancient Greece has provided inspiration for thousands of years. Every year sees a new translation or a reinterpretation – or several – of the stories of Greek gods, goddesses and heroes. It must be said, though, that the gods and heroes have taken up most of the space until lately, when many women have begun to imagine what it was like to be a goddess, or a heroine or a Greek queen, or the...
Book of the Week: Spa Apothecary
Spa Apothecary: Natural Bath & Beauty Recipes By Stasie McArthur (124 pages, non-fiction, 2019) Stasie McArthur’s 2019 Spa Apothecary is a great place to get started creating your own all-natural bath and body products. Whether your goals are to save money, create an eco-friendlier household, reduce your family’s exposure to chemical additives, or simply to try a fun new hobby, this is a wonderfully accessible resource for getting...
Book of the week
By Junji Ito (648 pages, manga/horror, 2000) Uzumaki, by Junji Ito, is a masterclass in horror manga. For those interested in the paranormal and macabre, this Japanese artist will be right up your alley. The serial manga, which the Concord Public Library owns as one collection, was first published in 1998. Despite being over twenty years old, Uzumaki has a massive cult following, and for good reason. Junji Ito’s artwork and...
Book of the Week: Interior Chinatown
Interior Chinatown By Charles Yu (270, fiction, 2020) This was the 2020 National Book Award winner for fiction, and with good reason. I’ll preface this review by saying that I think this book is brilliant –but that it’s also extremely stylized and may not be for everyone. Interior Chinatown is a work of metafiction, meaning that it is structured self-consciously, in a way that calls attention to its constructed-ness. In other words,...
Book of the Week: Focus on happiness
The Self-Care Solution: A Year of Becoming Happier, Healthier, and Fitter: One Month at a Time By Jennifer Ashton (275 pages, nonfiction, 2019) Are you happy? Want to get your life together? This quick read will get you started. Self-care tends to take a backseat these days. We just don’t have time for it. We’ll do it tomorrow. This book will help you kick your excuses to the curb. It details Ashton’s year of self-care...
