Magically Delicious

I can understand why The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake gets mixed reviews. It's not for everyone, and it might not even be for you.

It's a very weird book, with a very weird premise, and it's hard to know what exactly even happens. On the surface, it's a story about a disaffected little girl whose parents grow distant via an extra-marital affair, and an older brother who disappears one day. You could get away with leaving it at that, and say there's just a little derivative magical realism sprinkled in for good measure, and you'd be kind of right. "She can taste other people's emotions in her cake. Big deal."

And so maybe it's just the mood I was in when I picked it up, but the fact is that I couldn't have loved The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake any more. For me, the bizarre magical elements take a mundane little story about teenage girl angst into the realm of the inexplicable, the confusing, & the sublime. I won't give away what happens to her brother -- it's so weird! -- but the thing is, even though what happens is physically impossible, it still feels a real way that I've felt before. In dreams? In small, secret places.

Rachel - Programs

A Few of Our Favorite Things: Staff Picks

Over in adult services, we've set up a display staff favorites. A number of nonfiction, novels, graphic novels and audiobooks will be featured there throughout the month. Next time you're in, be sure to check them out--but in the meantime, we'll be sharing some here on the blog all month too!

Name and department: Lynn, Adult Services Coordinator Staff Pick Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks What's an alternative title you'd give the book? Second Chances Summarize the book in one sentence: A woman leaves a bad situation to start over. I would recommend this book to my mother because... ...it shows that no matter how bad things get, you can always get through it.

Name and department: Dan, Collection Development Staff Pick: Postwar: A History of Europe Since 1945 by Tony Judt What's an alternative title you'd give the book? How the European Union Came to Be Summarize the book in one sentence: The book discusses how Europe rebuilt itself from the rubble after World War 2, with a lot of help from the U.S. I would recommend this book to my father because... ...he was very in to history. I thought a lot about him while I was reading this book.