Sweet serenity
Vol. 3, Issue 23
“The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, and all the sweet serenity of books.” --Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
BOOK NEWS & NOTES
Horror at the library - At 4:49 p.m. on June 22, a teenager posted a video online announcing his plan to “shoot as many people as possible” at the local library. Minutes later, he grabbed a shotgun, walked into the branch of the Butte County Library in Chico, Calif., and allegedly opened fire. Two people were killed in the attack: Robert Johnson, 74, and Jacob Hull, 46. Johnson’s family said he had a lifelong love of books and that the library was his happy place. Hull had taken his 7-year-old niece to the library to get more books for her. She was injured by broken glass in the attack. When officers entered the building two minutes later, the gunman fled out the back, where he was apprehended. Bradley Scott Sayer, 18, was charged with two counts of first-degree murder and discharge of a firearm with injury. Our thoughts are with the victims’ families, the library staff and the entire community. (Chico Sol, KCRA3, Chico Enterprise-Record and Action News Now)
A demonstration of titles: Vice President JD Vance recently released a new memoir called “Communion: Finding My Way Back to Faith,” in which he discusses his conversion to Catholicism. It hit No. 1 on The New York Times bestsellers list this week. However, several New England bookstores are holding a “literary protest” and urging readers to buy another book with the same title: “Communion: The Female Search for Love” by bell hooks. Strangely, this was not the first time Vance’s work seemed to have mirrored hers. In 2012, hooks published the poetry collection “Appalachian Elegy.” Four years later, Vance published his first memoir, “Hillbilly Elegy.” The booksellers’ protest seems to be working. hooks’ book just returned to The New York Times bestsellers list 24 years after it was released, and five years after her death. (The Boston Globe and the bell hooks center at Berea College)
Let the games begin: Popular YouTuber MrBeast (a.k.a. Jimmy Donaldson), who also hosts the competition series “Beast Games” on Prime Video, has joined forces with bestselling author James Patterson to... write a book. Their thriller, “The Most Dangerous Games,” follows 100 contestants competing in a high-stakes survival show. The book will come out on Sept. 1. (USA Today)
Bookish state of mind: What is your favorite book that is set in Arizona? Let me know here, and I’ll create a list for fellow Society members.
Rest in peace: Here are some of the writers, journalists, authors, editors, publishers, booksellers and librarians we’ve recently lost.
* James Bradley, who co-wrote the bestselling nonfiction book, “Flags Of Our Fathers,” about his dad’s role in the flag-raising on Iwo Jima that was featured in the iconic World War II photograph, died at 72. The book was later adapted into a 2006 film of the same name. (Deadline)
* British investigative journalist Roger Cook, 83, died. Cook was known for his show “The Cook Report,” which aired on ITV from 1987 to 1999. (Deadline)
* Edith Eva Eger, a Holocaust survivor and clinical psychologist, died. She was 98. In her 90s, Eger wrote the bestselling memoir, “The Choice,” which chronicled her experience in World War II. (The Wall Street Journal)
* Marjane Satrapi, an Iranian-French artist, author and filmmaker, died. She was 56. Between 2000 and 2003, Satrapi published the acclaimed graphic novel “Persepolis.” The black-and-white comics would be translated into more than 20 languages and become an international bestseller. (NPR and The New York Times)
* Gene Shalit, who was known for his eccentric personality, bushy hair and mustache, and punny movie reviews, died. He was 100. For four decades, Shalit served as an “everyman’s critic” on the “Today” show. (Los Angeles Times and Variety)
New crime show coming: ABC is developing a TV drama based on Isabella Maldonado’s novel, “A Forgotten Kill,” about ex-Army Ranger and FBI agent Dani Vega. Actor Justin Hartley (“Tracker”) will executive produce. “A Forgotten Kill” is actually the second of three books in the Vega series, so if it does well, there’s more source material for Hollywood to use. (Deadline)
Bookmark love: What’s between your pages? Take a photo of your bookmark or placeholder and explain why you love it. I may share your image/thoughts in a future issue.
What I’m reading: “One Rough Man” by Brad Taylor, “Personal Effects: What Recovering the Dead Teaches Me About Caring for the Living” by Robert A. Jensen, “The Gate of the Feral Gods” by Matt Dinniman, “This Kingdom Will Not Kill Me” by Ilona Andrews and “The Ending Writes Itself” by Eveyln Clarke
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HOOKED FROM THE 1ST PAGE
He was an old man who fished alone in a skiff in the Gulf Stream and he had gone eighty-four days now without taking a fish.
25-WORD REVIEWS
Rating System:
* * * * * One of the best books I've read in a while
* * * * A wonderful book, recommended
* * * Good book, worth the read
* * This book was fine, but not my favorite
* This book wasn’t for me
Combines two of my favorite things: museums and murder. If you read this at the peak of having the flu, it’s *chefs kiss* something else. --Nikki Clark
Rating: * * * * stars
A charming epistolary novel, “Life: A Love Story” will make you reexamine the people/things in your life. You’ll quickly realize which ones matter the most. --Jade Walker
Rating: * * * * stars
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LITERARY HOLIDAYS
July is: Read an Almanac Month
July 4 is Alice in Wonderland Day
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MOMENT OF GRATITUDE
Thanks to Clay Banks, Unsplash, Victoria Magazine, County of Butte, Butte County Library, Facebook, ChicoSol, KCRA3, Chico Enterprise-Record, Action News Now, Toni Chappell, Fiction: A Novel Bookshop, Instagram, Boston Globe, the bell hooks center at Berea College, USA Today, Time, YouTube, Deadline, The Wall Street Journal, NPR, The New York Times, Los Angeles Times, Variety, The End Files, Dolly Parton’s Imagination Library, Holidays Calendar, National Today, National Day Calendar, A Wandering Scribbler, Good Good Good, Well Read & Well Fed, Canva and Deposit Photos for art and story suggestions. Note: Generative AI was not used during the ideation, creation or publication of this newsletter.
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