What library lovers are reading

 

As a library lover herself, Kerri Miller introduces you to the books that are in greatest demand in the nation's libraries Thread's must-reads "The Vanishing Half: A Novel" by Brit Bennett "Where the Crawdads Sing" by Delia Owens  "The Four Winds" by Kristin Hannah Buy these books I'm a member of two different library systems with long "hold" queues in each one. I know! It's crazy when you think of all of the books that publishers send me. But I can't help it. When it comes to books, more is more. Late last year, media website Quartz asked America's public libraries to report back on the most popular books in their systems: What were people borrowing? What were they waiting for? What had they been reading during the isolation and solitude of the pandemic? I was curious about how much overlap there was between my queues and the borrowing habits of readers in more than a dozen other cities. As I expected, we library cardholders have expansive imaginations and curious minds and we're connecting with lots of diverse and compelling ideas through books. In San Francisco, the top books checked out were Brit Bennett's "The Vanishing Half," Barack Obama's "A Promised Land," and Dav Pilkey's "Dog Man." In San Antonio, Texas public library readers were delving into Isabel Wilkerson's magnificent book, "Caste" and Delia Owens' "Where the Crawdads Sing."  Adam Grant's "Think Again" showed up on Seattle's most popular book list and Ross Gay's essay collection called "The Book of Delights" ranked high in Portland, Ore. Kristin Hannah's "The Four Winds" was one of the most-read and requested novels among the libraries responding to the survey. I have not yet read it but I immediately put in my library queue. I am a library evangelist. Some of my happiest times as a kid were being turned loose in our small-town library, knowing that my mother had told the librarian I could check out any book I wanted. I believe that in a country where trust in our government and institutions, including our faith and education institutions, is diminishing, libraries remain one of our most powerful symbols of national character and idealism. "Libraries," writer Neil Gaiman asserts, "are about freedom. Freedom to read, freedom of ideas, freedom to communicate."  "Libraries," he added, "are the gates to the future." All of this to say that if you haven't had the pleasure of devouring "The Vanishing Half" or losing yourself in "Where the Crawdads Sing," start 2022 with a shiny new library card and succumb to the spell of shelves bursting with stories just waiting to be told. — Kerri Miller | MPR News Sponsor This Week on The Thread Minnesota novelist delves into pandemic grief "How High We Go in the Dark" by Sequoia Nagamatsu Buy this book Imagine working on a novel for 10 years about a world enduring a global plague only to have it published during a real pandemic. That's what's happening to Minneapolis writer Sequoia Nagamatsu. He has mixed feelings about the timing, but he hopes it helps people struggling with the impact of COVID. Nadifa Mohamed's novel revisits Somali seaman's fate in 1950s' Wales "The Fortune Men" by Nadifa Mohamed Buy this book Booker Prize finalist Nadifa Mohamed had heard the story about the last man to die by hanging at Cardiff Prison in 1952. But what she learned about Somali seaman Mahmood Mattan's life is at the heart of her book. A new look at how turmoil is defining the lives and politics of Generation Z "Fight: How Gen Z is channeling their fear and passion to save America" by John Della Volpe Buy this book Pollster John Della Volpe's new book covers the coming of age of the 70 million young people in America born in a 20-year period beginning in the mid-1990s. Della Volpe examines the political awakening of this generation that has come largely during the Trump era, as well as what he describes as a "significant mental health crisis," intensified by the state of the country's politics. 'Joan Is Okay' explores the meaning of home, having roots "Joan Is Okay: A Novel" by Weike Wang Buy this book Versatile and overused, the colloquial "OK" conveys a wide range of expressions: an acknowledgment of one's well-being, an attitude of either support or indifference, a polite decline of goodwill offered, or an affirmation of someone's resilience. Universally adopted, the term can seem both plain and mysterious, like in the case of Weike Wang's titular heroine in "Joan is Okay." 'Davos Man' is an angry, powerful look at economic inequality "Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World" by Peter S. Goodman Buy this book New York Times writer Peter S. Goodman does not like Davos Man. At all. And his new book does an excellent job explaining why — focusing on the rich getting richer as the COVID-19 pandemic raged. Gwen E. Kirby's stunning collection of short stories takes readers on a wild ride "Shit Cassandra Saw: Stories" by Gwen E. Kirby Buy this book "I wonder why I'm risking so much just to have another person to apologize to," reflects the narrator of "Here Preached His Last"— one of the stories in Gwen E. Kirby's new short story collection, "Shit Cassandra Saw." While Kirby has a clear predilection for the bizarre, she plays some of her stories in her book straight and those are just as entertaining as the fantastical ones. 'Manifesto' is a story of dreams made real by never giving up "Manifesto: On Never Giving Up" by Bernardine Evaristo Buy this book One of the foremost writers of the age, Bernardine Evaristo unwinds her career and life — giving us a nonfiction bildungsroman that is a towering monument to the creative life of Black women. 'The Urge' says calling addiction a disease is misleading "The Urge: Our History of Addiction" by Carl Erik Fisher Buy this book Psychiatrist Carl Erik Fisher says calling it a disease takes important attention away from racism and other things that are often associated with addiction. Was this email forwarded to you? Subscribe today! Preference Center ❘ Unsubscribe This email was sent by: Minnesota Public Radio 480 Cedar Street Saint Paul, MN, 55101