What Library Staff are Reading and Watching
These last few months have been crazy. You would think that social distancing and lock down would lead to more reading for booklovers but for me it hasn't been like that at all. I have been listening to audiobooks and podcasts and watching far too much television and playing mobile games but not reading actual books--I've even taken a break from eBooks.
I asked my colleagues to recommend recent books. It turns out we are all watching too much television so their viewing suggestions are also here.
Margaret:
These are both comfort watches for me.
It could always be worse. At least we're not living on the Hellmouth.
Fun fact: If you watch The Office enough times you will realize that every character is truly awful. This has not stopped me from endless repeated viewings and rapt listening to both podcasts--The Office Ladies and An Oral History of the Office.
Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid
This book documents the relationship between rich, white social media influencer Alix Chamberlain and her Black babysitter Emira Tucker. One night while in a fancy grocery store with Alix's daughter, Emira is accused of kidnapping the blonde toddler. Embarrassed by that incident and by a racially insensitive comment her newscaster husband made on the air, Alix recognizes that her privileged life has prevented her from seeing the real world. In an effort to appear "woke" she attempts to become friends with Emira in the most tone-deaf way possible. It was chosen for the Booker Prize longlist this year.
One by One by Ruth Ware
Though I hate winter, I love any book that involves people trapped in the snow. In this case, it's the founders, executives and an ex-employee/investor of a company that's released a popular app. They've rented a luxury chalet in the Swiss Alps for a week of skiing, snowboarding and making a decision about the nearly bankrupt company. The business conflicts are ugly but the skiing is good--until one person doesn't come back. Trapped by a blizzard, then an avalanche, it slowly becomes clear that some of the guests have secrets and one is a murderer.
Diana:
The In Death Series by J. D. Robb
Diana is happily re-reading/revisiting J. D. Robb (aka Nora Roberts) In Death series of books (a total of 62, including 10 novellas) beginning with Naked in Death, the novel that started it all. She just finished reading the latest in the series, Shadows in Death. The series, set in mid-21 century New York City, features Lieutenant Eve Dallas, a homicide detective and her billionaire businessman husband Roarke. Each book begins with a murder and Diana loves to see if she can not only identify the guilty party, but the reasons for the crime in the first place. She loves the recurring set of characters, their relationships, the humour and the 'family-like' dynamics between them. She finds it funny how Dallas would (deliberately or not) mangle popular idioms or mix up metaphors. Diana keeps reading the series because aside from the crime to be solved, she really wants to find out who the candy thief is.
Kathryn:
Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan
I really enjoyed Friends and Strangers by J. Courtney Sullivan. It is about the relationship between a recently-relocated from Brooklyn writer and mother of a small baby and a baby sitter who is a very middle class student at an elite women's college . One is reluctantly adjusting to a smallish town and the other is trying to navigate life among the privileged. It is also about class and widening inequality, what happens when you try to help, and judgy moms on Facebook.
Nalini:
I just finished Indian Matchmaking on Neflix. It was oddly comforting to be surrounded by a bunch of strangers that are exactly like so many of my family members minus the wealth.
I confess that I haven't read a book since June. I have a stack at home, but can't get myself to read anything.
Diggersaurs by Michael Whaite
My son on the other hand is obsessed with construction and dinosaurs. In case anyone else loves these topics, he recommends Diggersauraus. Half construction vehicles, half dinosaurs. It's a hit at our house.
Pauline:
I just finished bingeing the first season of The Great Canadian Baking Show. Possibly the most wholesome contest/reality show out there. Everyone is just so polite and nice.
Books:
The Trial by Franz Kafka
I just finished reading Franz Kafka's "The Trial." It is an absurd and awesome book, at times oddly relatable (from a distance, but still I could feel the character's frustration as if it was my own). It was very reminiscent of Dostoevsky. I can now proudly say something is "Kafkaesque" and know what that actually means. It was also interesting to read something that was never finished, it was published posthumously.
What Are You Going Through by Sigrid Nunez
Up next is Sigrid Nunez's new book "What Are You Going Through?" The cover looks promising: it features a cat, and her first book was awesome. I've bunted this one to the top of my (ever-growing) to-read pile.
Christie:
Just finished bingeing Ash vs Evil Dead, because horror mixed with humour is the only way I'll watch gory shows. Also, Bruce Campbell is life.
Also just recently started bingeing The Boys, and rewatching Schitt's Creek.
Jennifer:
A huge favourite at our house for the past while has been Avatar: The Last Airbender. The series is terrific and so are the comics (there are so many volumes that extend the adventures). My kids go around trying to bend everything!
Like Christie, I've been enjoying a lot of Schitt's Creek.
Read Jennifer's Schitt's Creek blog post: Celebrating Schitt's Creek: A Rose Family Reading List
Books:
One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London
Reading-wise, those rising case #s have me freaking out and reading some romance. I really liked Kate Stayman-London's One to Watch. It's about a plus size blogger who, after posting a rant on body diversity, ends up starring in a Bachelorette-style TV show.
The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan
And, I just finished The Heir Affair by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan. This is book 2 in the Royal We Series, which continues the story of Bex Porter and Prince Nicholas, the fictional Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.
Myrna:
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
I finally got around to reading Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier and cannot believe I went so long without this book in my life. I had somehow managed to remain spoiler free, despite the book being more than 70 years old, and was rapt while reading the final act. Excited for the upcoming Netflix adaptation, though I have some hesitancies about the casting.
Wendy:
I'm not ashamed to admit that I binged Fleabag (Phoebe Waller-Bridge's funny, raunchy one-woman show-turned-BBC blockbuster) twice during lockdown. We have Season 1 on DVD (sorry, no Hot Priest storyline), as well as an ebook of the original monologue, and both print and electronic editions of the annotated TV script.
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson
The other thing I've really enjoyed lately is The Summer Book, by Tove Jansson. It's the story of a grandmother and granddaughter spending a summer together on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland, and it's quietly, startlingly beautiful. It's also the opposite of Fleabag, in all but one particular: they're both built on subtle and sometimes unexpectedly funny reflections on mortality.
What have you been reading and viewing lately? Tell us in the comments.
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