Lost in the Stacks

Happy Asian-American and Pacific Islander Month! We’d like to highlight a few of our favorite books with Asian-Amerian and Pacific Islander authors, characters, and content. This representation shouldn’t stop after May is over, and we hope that after you take a peek at our picks, you are encouraged to do your own exploring. Educating ourselves through stories is one way we can have a deeper appreciation and understanding of different cultures and customs. Happy reading, but remember to keep advocating for each other!

Matrix is a beautifully-written historical novel by Lauren Groff about the medieval abbess and poet Marie de France. Marie is cast out of the court of Eleanor of Aquitaine, her sister-in-law, because she is considered unmarriageable, and sent to a remote abbey, where she eventually becomes the abbess and creates a utopian community of women, while struggling against harsh conditions and opposition from the church authorities. Groff writes in a poetic style that draws you into Marie's world.

This is a fascinating biography of a female mathematician in 18th century Italy, Maria Gaetana Agnesi (1718-1799). A child prodigy, Agnesi received an education that was usually reserved for boys. She wrote one of the first textbooks on calculus, and was appointed to a university professorship, although she was unable to accept the position because of illness. Her later life was devoted to helping the poor, and educating the impoverished children in her neighborhood.

Arsenic and Adobo is the first in a new mystery series featuring a Filipino American heroine, Lila Macapagal, who works in her family's restaurant. When her ex-boyfriend dies after eating a dessert in the restaurant, Lila is accused of the crime, and she has to find the real killer in order to clear her name and save the restaurant. The book's greatest strengths are the characters and the descriptions of Filipino food.

Historian Candice E. Proctor, who is also the mystery author C.S. Harris, discusses attitudes toward women during the French Revolution, and why the leading revolutionaries never gave women any political power, including voting rights. She also writes about some of the women who advocated for women's rights during the French Revolution.

Check out the new book display in the lobby of the Shapiro Lobby–Relationship Reads!

Half Life is a beautifully written historical novel with two parallel stories. One is about the famous scientist Marie Curie, and follows the events of her life: her marriage to Pierre Curie, her scientific discoveries, and her Nobel Prizes. The other is completely fictional and is about the woman Marie Curie might have become if she had stayed in Poland and married her first love. Both stories feature an admirable, brilliant woman as the protagonist. The real story and the fictional story are equally compelling.

In this mystery set in Brighton, England, in 1965, private detective Emma Holmes investigates the murder of a theatrical impresario. His wife, a former music hall star, is accused of killing him. To prove her innocence, she hires Emma and her partner in the firm, Samantha "Sam" Collins, to solve the crime. Emma is also the wife of the police superintendent, Edgar Stephens, and they decide to work together, along with a young police officer, Meg Connolly. Griffiths writes vividly about the world of theater, film, and television in England in the 1960s, in this entertaining mystery.

This sequel to The Three Musketeers continues the adventures of d'Artagnan, Athos, Porthos, and Aramis. The new ruler of France is the cunning and manipulative Cardinal Mazarin. During a rebellion against his rule, the musketeers find themselves on opposite sides of the conflict. They travel to England to save Charles I from execution, and fight against Mordaunt, the evil son of Milady, who is determined to avenge his mother's death.

Every year the National Book Foundation presents the National Book Awards to honor some of the best books published that year. The five judges for the award this year consisted of four published authors and one librarian. They chose winners in five categories: Fiction, Nonfiction, Poetry, Translated Literature and Young People’s Literature. This is a post consisting of the winners, with a spreadsheet of all of the longlist of nominees that are available at the library.