I hope you are safe and warm and have many things to be thankful for this year. We here at the Floyd County Library are thankful to work with such wonderful patrons, community organizations, and colleagues. And we’re also thankful for books! Every year, I ask the folks on the blog team to write about a book they’re thankful for and I’m pleased to share these books with you today. Happy Thanksgiving!
1491: New Revelations of the Americas Before Columbus by Charles C. Mann (2005; 465 pages). Also available on e-book and downloadable audiobook in the Indiana Digital Library.
Jessie says… One of the few non-fiction books I’ve read in recent years, I’m grateful for the knowledge of indigenous histories and cultures of the Americas that I gained from this book. 1491 gave me a new understanding and appreciation for how indigenous peoples shaped the physical, social, political, and cultural landscapes of the Americas before European colonization.
The Ogress and the Orphans by Kelly Barnhill (2022; 400 pages). Also available on e-book and downloadable audiobook in the Indiana Digital Library.
Darlene says…This book captured and enchanted me with its beautifully written tale of a town, Stone-in-the-Glen, that had lost its way and how it was that it found it again. I was drawn into the magic of the story and felt invested in the stakes of the main characters and the town itself. There are several themes running through the book, but the one that impacted me the most was about creating a culture of kindness and compassion where everyone is welcome and accepted as they are. This theme reminded me of Fred Rogers (one of my heroes) and his work with Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood. It is the same message he was working so hard to express in his entire body of work. Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood portrays a neighborhood where that ideal exists and where all the neighbors work together to maintain that ideal. I was thinking of the message of “being a good neighbor” as I was reading this book. This is something I long to experience in my own life, a neighborhood where there’s a culture of kindness and compassion and people are welcome and accepted as they are. I was on the edge of my seat rooting for Stone-in-the-Glen to figure out where they went wrong and to make things right. Spoiler: Yes, they figure it out and provide us with a satisfying happy ending. I’m thankful for this book because it made me think and ask myself: “What am I doing to create a culture of kindness and compassion where everyone is welcome and accepted as they are? Where in my life am I harboring the opposite thoughts? Thoughts of exclusion, judgment, or othering people?
These Precious Days by Ann Patchett (2021; 322 pages). Also available on e-book and downloadable audiobook in the Indiana Digital Library.
Sharon says… A book I read this year for which I am thankful is Ann Patchett’s book: These Precious Days. Published in 2021. This beautiful book reads like a handbook for life. The essays run the gamut from Patchett’s childhood memories, to college, early adulthood, hopes and dreams, relationships, family, divorces, siblings, selfless people, life lessons, friendship, death, cleaning house, pets, writing theories, owning a business, cancer, and unexpected connections.
I initially chose the book because of its cover: a painting of one of Patchett’s dogs. Of course, the dog reminded me of my own dog. I was about to move (to begin my new job at this Library!) and I checked out (via Libby) an audio version of the book to listen to during my 10 hour drive from Arlington, VA to New Albany. This book of essays could not have been more perfect for a relocation drive. I felt Patchett’s guidance along the way as I metaphorically reflected on my life up to this point, and prepared for a new beginning in Indiana. Narrated by Patchett herself, I felt like I was traveling with a trusted friend.
I hope to eventually travel to Nashville to visit Patchett’s bookstore, Parnassus Books. Maybe I will even get to meet this incredible author for whom I am so thankful!
The Scapegracers by H.A. Clarke (2020; 394 pages). Also available on e-book in the Indiana Digital Library.
Melinda says… A book I’m thankful for this year is The Scapegracers by HA Clarke. I have cycled in and out of witchy fiction phases, and this one really hit the spot with its story of queer women forming friendships and ultimately a coven in response to one of them being attacked by a witch hunter. It has a lot of themes that were useful and healing to me as I work through living in a time when libraries and the right to read are controversial. I see a lot of myself and my friends in the Scapegracer girls, who live and love fiercely and freely despite trauma and difficult circumstances. Plus, it was just a lot of fun to read.
Sorrowland by Rivers Solomon (2021; 355 pages). Also available on e-book and downloadable audiobook in the Indiana Digital Library.
Abby says… I devoured this imaginative sci fi horror novel and this book solidified Rivers Solomon as one of my favorite authors. I’m always so grateful to add an author to my must-read list! Like many of us, I was taken in by the show The Last of Us this year (shout out to Pedro Pascal) and after I finished season 1, I was seeking books that would give me the same vibe. I had read Rivers Solomon’s excellent novel An Unkindness of Ghosts last year, so when this one came up on a readalikes list for the show, I checked out the e-book. I devoured this book on a flight to Los Angeles and loved it so much that I downloaded the one remaining book of Solomon’s I hadn’t read while on the plane. I read these books on my phone, which I hate, so that speaks to how greatly I was drawn into them. I can’t wait for their next book and I will read it, whatever it is.
The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer (2023; 286 pages). Also available on e-book and downloadable audiobook in the Indiana Digital Library.
Ashley says… The book I am thankful for this year is “The Wishing Game” by Meg Shaffer. I’ve had huge reading slumps during the year, and this book got me out of my most recent one. As a librarian who primarily works with youth, I am a huge fan of the “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library” series by Chris Grabenstein. “The Wishing Game” reminds me of an adult version of the “Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library” series. It is darker and has more adult themes. The games and riddles are there, though, which makes it a lot more fun! I definitely needed this book in my life this year to even have a chance of completing my reading goals. It is also one of the very few books I have given a five star rating in 2023. If you’re searching for something to read, give this book a try!
