#beth's recs

[lakecountylibrary]

Book Rec: The Women on Platform Two by Laura Anthony

Review by: Beth

I cannot overemphasize how spectacular this book is! Laura Anthony does a stunning job illustrating the struggles of women in 1960s and '70s Ireland.

The issues didn't start at that time but they were certainly coming to a head as women decided the time had come to ignite change. The Women on Platform Two is an absolute must-read for all genders!

Up until the 1970’s, especially in religious Ireland, women were essentially seen by many men and “people in power” as subservient. They weren’t allowed to work after marriage. They were expected to birth babies and keep spotless homes. They certainly weren’t allowed to use birth control, own property or voice legitimate opinions. The things that women were put through because of these allowances were criminal. Thankfully there were several committed women, like the novel’s protagonists, that led the battle against these atrocities. Maura and Bernie, Dan and the girls are all absolute gems that the reader will fall in love with. I found myself entranced by romance, shocked by violence, angered by injustice & masochism and endeared by friendships. The courage and its stresses are clearly presented.

There are several important parts in the book that highlight the fear felt by those who agreed with the cause but were afraid to speak out and the author does a tremendous job showcasing that struggle so that the reader feels it.

The audio version is brilliantly narrated and I really found myself waiting for my next break so I could get back to the weaving. Women today owe a lot to the women who came before us and established the paths for our rights. We cannot forget how hard they had to fight and the inhumanities they had to face to get us where we are today. This novel illustrates why it is necessary for us to fight to retain our rights so that we don’t fall back into archaic practices. We aren’t going back. Oh...and Bernie + Dan forever—what a story!!

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Check out The Women on Platform Two

[oficmag]

Book Rec: As Meat Loves Salt by Maria McCann

Medium: Novel

Genre: Historical Fiction

Tags/Content Warnings: graphic depictions of violence, murder, rape/non-con, abuse, major character injury, teeth stuff, period-typical racism and homophobia, protectiveness, possessiveness, unhealthy relationships

This book is everything puriteens hate. You’ve got gay men written by a woman, an arguably abusive relationship, a graphic rape scene, and worst of all, a morally despicable narrator who tries to demand your sympathy, and for the tender-hearted, he may nearly succeed. In other words, it’s awesome.

The story is set in seventeenth-century England, and of the historical accuracy, NPR book reviewer Lionel Shriver says: 

“Apparently, McCann was a schoolteacher when she wrote this novel, and used to get up at 5 a.m. every weekday to write a few more pages—making me feel quite the lazy bones in comparison. But so professional was her work that when her editor showed her manuscript to an expert on the period, the only error he discovered was a particular postal vehicle, which wasn't used until a few years later. That's pretty high marks.” 

The story begins with our narrator Jacob, a servant, badly pretending he hasn’t just murdered a teenage boy in cold blood and thus goes around being shocked pikachu.jpg about it. He’s set to marry, but shortly after the ceremony, the police arrive and he runs away. He gets picked up by the army and because he’s an enormous man (like, physically), he’s forced to fight in the war. There he meets gunman Ferris, with whom he falls in an intense and totally unhealthy kind of love.

Is this book a beach read? Absolutely not. Is it a fast-paced page-turner? Not even close—in fact it took me over six months to finish it because I kept putting it down to read other, faster-paced things that didn’t make me feel wretched inside. Is it a million fucking pages? Oh yes it is. 

So why should you read it? I don’t know man, I just love that it has the gall to exist.

You can find this book here.

Recommender: Beth | Editor-in-Chief

[lakecountylibrary]

Read -> Reading -> To-Be-Read

Read what we're reading! Here's what's been on Beth's shelf lately:

Just Read: Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent

4.5 stars to this compelling twisty drama from Liz Nugent. I highly recommend the audiobook version! Strange Sally Diamond is a darkly captivating read that grabs the reader right from the start. Characters are unique and diverse and the reader will truly have a hard time managing their feelings towards each. This engrossing read is a must for suspense and thriller fans and will definitely have them devouring pages until the end.

Currently Reading: Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Emily Henry is on my automatic must-read list. She writes it, I'm reading it.

To-Read: Heartwood by Amity Gaige

I'm looking forward to delving into this character-based mystery, with a backdrop of the Appalachian Trail in Maine. Hoping for a twisty quick read with an atmospheric setting and great characters.

See more of Beth's recs

[lakecountylibrary]

Book Rec: Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller

Highly recommend! Kirsten Miller writes with unyielding wit while tackling complex and serious topics.

"Her father used to say they belonged to a 'silent majority' that represented the best of America. Now Melody was beginning to wonder if there might be a much bigger group who'd been holding their tongues - people who minded their own business until push came to shove. It was starting to look like the book-banning business may have shoved them a step too far."

Check out Lula Dean's Little Library of Banned Books

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[lakecountylibrary]

Read -> Reading -> To-Read

Here's what's been in Beth's TBR pile lately!

✅ Just Finished:

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

This magical novel is a love letter to books, readers, authors, libraries and bookshops. Traveling between 1922 and a modern timeline, Woods captivates the reader by weaving magic with reality. She builds extremely strong, passionate and complex women in Opaline, Martha and Madame Bowden while keeping in line with the events evolving around them. Small but special appearances by James Joyce and Ernest Hemingway will delight readers, as will locations in France, England and Ireland.

Last Call at the Local by Sarah Grunder Ruiz

A charming rom-com, especially perfect for March (set in Cobh)! Raine and Jack's charisma and connection will have readers chuckling and cheering. Jack has OCD and runs the LOCAL pub. Raine has recently dropped out of medical school, copes with ADHD and travels the world playing music. Full of lovable characters, readers will breeze through this novel and feel full-hearted after.

♾️ Currently Listening: Factory Girls by Michelle Gallen

Perfect match for viewers of series Derry Girls. Maeve Murray and her friends work in the local factory as they await the results of their exams and what they hope will be the start of their new lives—away from their small town and The Troubles.

🔮 To Read: We Don't Know Ourselves: A Personal History of Modern Ireland by Fintan O'Toole

I'm looking forward to reading this author's viewpoints on growing up in a changing Ireland. The prelude indicates a promising journey through his experiences.

See more of Beth's recs

[lakecountylibrary]

Read -> Reading -> To-Read

An inside look at what's on librarian Beth's shelf lately:

Read: Happy Place by Emily Henry

I'm at the point that Emily Henry is on my list of to-read anytime she has a new book come out! Full of sweet and hilarious scenarios, her books are must-reads for those enjoying a quirky romance with lots of feels. Happy Place did not let me down!

Reading: The Queen of Dirt Island by Donal Ryan

I just started this one which was recommended to me by a co-worker and is set in Tipperary, Ireland, so clearly it belonged on my TBR list!

To Read: I Swear Politics is Messier than my Minivan by Katie Porter

I don't know anything about Representative Katie Porter but the title got me. As a minivan driver and someone who tries to be civically-minded, this seems like it will be a humorous but realistic look at what goes on in Congress by someone who is "one of us."

See more of Beth's recs

[lakecountylibrary]

Book Rec:

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

I read this as a book recommendation from a coworker--I had zero plans on reading it prior. I liked the title, read the description and it simply didn't appeal to me. A book about a chemist? No thanks.

I was so very wrong.

This is a dazzling piece of literature. Elizabeth Zott meets Calvin Evans and it's pure chemistry. That's only part of the story.

This book illuminates the struggles of the women who came before us. It is an honest look back at the day-to-day of a brilliant woman just trying to pursue her passion for science. Every single day and interaction pointedly reiterated that women belonged in the home, as married mothers.

Zott was one of the ground-breakers even as the ground shook its best against her. Paths laid by women like her are why women are highlighted for their extraordinary power now. We can be wives and mothers, but we are also brilliant chemists, mathematicians, doctors, lawyers, teachers, world leaders and any variety of things we want to be! 

Featuring a warm cast of characters that you will fall in love with, including Six-Thirty--the lovable canine--this quick-paced read will make you think AND laugh. 

Zott may come off as difficult and pointed but her personality quickly becomes relatable as the story unwinds. This read is anything but dull, includes a bit of mystery, and illuminates the thrills that love, friendship, pursuit of higher knowledge, and science can bring.

Check it out

See more of Beth's recs

[oficmag]

Manhwa Rec: Painter of the Night by 변덕 (ByeonDuck)

Medium: Manhwa (Korean manga)

Genre: BL/Yaoi

Tags/Content Warnings: historical drama (Joseon period), age difference, size difference, dead dove: do not eat, drunk sex, coerced consent, ongoing extremely dubious consent bordering on noncon, love triangle, lightsaber dick censorship, orgies, mild impotence cured by a very hot twink, assassination attempts, violence, unfinished but still satisfying, if you get what I mean

In honor of its 100th episode, allow me to introduce you to my favorite BL manhwa, Painter of the Night, a long-running series by brilliant creator ByeonDuck about a nobleman who hires a young painter to draw erotic scenes for him to cure his impotence. Yes, that is the entire premise. Of course, over the span of these beautifully rendered hundred episodes (manhwa chapters are called episodes and volumes are called seasons, like TV shows), they fall into a very fucked-up kind of love. 

Seungho, the nobleman, is my favorite kind of seme: not a good man, but he has a tragic past that explains (yet doesn’t justify) his violent, borderline evil behavior. Meanwhile uke Nakyum, the artist, pines for a different man, his former mentor Inhun. Nakyum doesn’t want to comply with Seungho's demands to paint for him, but Seungho offers a deal: if Nakyum will “paint” for him, he will make sure Inhun succeeds in his deeply desired political career. Nakyum, willing to do anything for Inhun, agrees. Thus begins this intense, coercive and coerced relationship full of jealousy, possessiveness, codependency, and a surprising amount of homicide.

POTN is in its third season and updates on Fridays. 

(A couple notes on manhwa for those who are unaware: 1) Although “free” scans of manhwa are readily available, it’s looked down on to read from scan sites, and 2) the notion of consent is much different in BL manga/manhua/manhwa than in Western fanfiction, so what an English-speaking fanfic reader might consider noncon [“No. Stop.”], in this context is simply a genre standard of sex scenes. Please read at your own discretion.) 

You can find this manhwa here.

Recommender: Beth | Editor in Chief