BostonPL_BPL Staff Picks: June 2021

The Dark Miracle of the American Supermarket

by Lorr, Benjamin

Book - 2020

Nonfiction. This isn't exactly a "muck-raking" book, even though much of the info could be considered alarming or even nauseating. The author d...Show more Nonfiction. This isn't exactly a "muck-raking" book, even though much of the info could be considered alarming or even nauseating. The author does do some stellar investigative reporting, occasionally even going "under-cover" as needed, but the tone is never overtly critical. Overall, this is a well balanced, well told, and well researched look at many aspects of groceries that most of us never consider. How and why do certain items reach our grocery shelves? Who does the work, and under what conditions? Although this was written pre-pandemic, it really does help illuminate just how needlessly complex and fragile the whole system really is. - gphatty Show less

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Memorial

A Novel

by Washington, Bryan

Book - 2020

Fiction. Mike, a Japanese American chef, and Benson, a Black daycare teacher navigate their relationship of 4 years as they both face challenges with thei...Show more Fiction. Mike, a Japanese American chef, and Benson, a Black daycare teacher navigate their relationship of 4 years as they both face challenges with their aging parents, and each other's. As both men change, will it make them stronger together, or fracture everything they've ever known? This is a beautiful and real story about relationships of all kinds and how they can change over time, I highly recommend it. - Liz B Show less

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Dragon of the Lost Sea

by Yep, Laurence

Book - 1988

Children's Fantasy. The dragon princess Shimmer has quite literally lost her home: the witch Civet cast a spell that trapped the entire sea in a magical p...Show more Children's Fantasy. The dragon princess Shimmer has quite literally lost her home: the witch Civet cast a spell that trapped the entire sea in a magical pebble. Exhausted and embittered by her long, fruitless quest to restore the Lost Sea, she is completely unprepared when a stubborn orphan boy attaches himself to her and insists on tagging along! I love the characters in this series -- grumpy Shimmer and sunshiney Thorn are perfect foils for each other, and this is definitely where my childhood obsession with the Monkey King comes from -- but it also goes surprisingly deep into adult concepts like the circumstances that create a villain. - VeronicaKM Show less

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Who I Was With Her

by Tyndall, Nita

Book - 2020

Teen Fiction. When Corrine's secret girlfriend is killed in a car accident, Corrine finds herself in a strange and tragic position - how do you grieve for...Show more Teen Fiction. When Corrine's secret girlfriend is killed in a car accident, Corrine finds herself in a strange and tragic position - how do you grieve for someone when nobody knows you loved them? As she begins to figure out how much of her truth she wants to share with the world, Corrine is also forced to confront what she wants her future to look like. I'm not usually one to pick up sad books, but Tyndall's writing hooked me and I couldn't put this down. - Laura B. Show less

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To Be Taught, If Fortunate

by Chambers, Becky

Downloadable Audiobook - 2019

Science Fiction. A group of three scientists and an engineer go on a manned mission to study distant exoplanets thirteen light-years away from Earth. The ...Show more Science Fiction. A group of three scientists and an engineer go on a manned mission to study distant exoplanets thirteen light-years away from Earth. The novel is written as a message by the engineer, Ariadne O'Neill, to people back on Earth. We grow to know and love this little family of scientists and explorers, learn more about the planets they explore, and see them receive news from home on a 13-year delay. Chambers' work is, as always, full of heart and deep humanistic empathy; her characters are fully realized people and the bonds between them are relatable and real; and the questions her story addresses are ones we are grappling with ourselves, right now. - Puck M. Show less

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Chance

Escape From the Holocaust

by Shulevitz, Uri

Book - 2020

Autobiography. When Uri Shulevitz was four years old, his parents left Poland, a chance decision that led to years of being a refugee in the Soviet Union,...Show more Autobiography. When Uri Shulevitz was four years old, his parents left Poland, a chance decision that led to years of being a refugee in the Soviet Union, and after the war, Germany and France. Uncertainty and hunger were constant companions, which even Uri's love of art couldn't banish. This autobiographical account is presented in short illustrated chapters with language even a child can understand, but is hefty enough to satisfy adults. - C.Dye Show less

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After Anna

by Lake, Alex

eBook - 2015

Fiction. Julia is late to pick up her daughter Anna from school and finds that she's already gone. A mother's worst nightmare! Or is it? Because the real ...Show more Fiction. Julia is late to pick up her daughter Anna from school and finds that she's already gone. A mother's worst nightmare! Or is it? Because the real nightmare begins when Anna returns home. This clever thriller will have you hooked from page one. - Denise Show less

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Across the Pond

by McCullough, Joy

Book - 2021

Children's Fiction. 7th grader Callie feels incredibly lucky. She's just moved to a castle in Scotland and she is going to reinvent herself. Starting ov...Show more Children's Fiction. 7th grader Callie feels incredibly lucky. She's just moved to a castle in Scotland and she is going to reinvent herself. Starting over should be easy, but it is not. She is still the shy, anxious, girl she was before the move. It is through reading a diary of a young girl who lived at the castle, bird watching and taking some risks that Callie discovers her inner strength and voice. If you love birds, exploring castles and new friendships you'll love this book. - DebF Show less

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Ace

What Asexuality Reveals About Desire, Society, and the Meaning of Sex

by Chen, Angela

Book - 2020

Nonfiction. A thoughtful exploration of what it means to be asexual in a world that's obsessed with sexual attraction, and what we can all learn about des...Show more Nonfiction. A thoughtful exploration of what it means to be asexual in a world that's obsessed with sexual attraction, and what we can all learn about desire and identity by using an ace lens to see the world. Chen talks about her own experiences as well as the intersection of race, disability, romance, and feminism with asexuality. She unpacks a lot here and I highly recommend this for anyone who is asexual, thinks they might be, or just wants to learn more about it. - JordanD. Show less

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The Flying Zoo

Birds, Parasites, and the World They Share

by Stock, Michael

Book - 2019

Nonfiction. Are you weary of popular parasitology books' anthropocentrism, but overwhelmed by the technicality of professional parasitological publication...Show more Nonfiction. Are you weary of popular parasitology books' anthropocentrism, but overwhelmed by the technicality of professional parasitological publications? Then this is the book for you! Meet a fascinating cast of bird-hosted fleas, flies, lice, mites, ticks, nematodes, trematodes, tapeworms, spiny-headed worms, and more, and learn about the research that reveals their bizarre life cycles and co-evolutionary dynamics with their avian hosts. Explore the microhabitats on birds' bodies, from their plumage to their digestive tracts, and learn to appreciate birds not just as individual organisms, but as ecosystems in their own right. - CG Show less

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Stranger in the Shogun's City

A Japanese Woman and Her World

by Stanley, Amy

Book - 2020

Nonfiction. In mid-19th century Japan, thrice-married Tsuneno strikes out to seek a life alone in the capital Edo. Historian Stanley employs a trove of t...Show more Nonfiction. In mid-19th century Japan, thrice-married Tsuneno strikes out to seek a life alone in the capital Edo. Historian Stanley employs a trove of the woman's correspondence to craft a novelistic tale of one woman's unusual path. I was immersed in a city, a time, a world, and a culture very far away from my own. - LaurenL Show less

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