Daniels County Library Notes
The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout is a contemporary fiction that takes place in Massachusetts 2024. Artie Dam, is a teacher of 11th grade history and has been for decades. He was even named Teacher of the Year once. But the climate is changing for the country, it pulls him down, and the kids seem to feel it also.
He is 57 years old, depressed, thinking about suicide, until a near miss occurs. Things look a little brighter for a while, but the loneliness returns. And why should he be lonely; he has a great wife, a solid marriage. But why do we know so little about the people close to us?
Well, no one knows everything, but there are secrets out there. His wife, his son, maybe even Artie has secrets… This Pulitzer Prize winning author has put a lot of emotions and politics into this story.
Dog Person by Camille Pagan is new in our large print genre. This is a contemporary fiction that deals with romance and grief. Miguel is grieving the loss of his wife, Amelia, who passed away after a battle with cancer. They owned a bookstore together, and for lack of attention, it is now struggling to survive.
Harold (the dog) belonged to Amelia, but his love for her certainly covered Miguel also. The book doesn’t mention his breed, but he was a rescue, with the loyalty and energy of a golden retriever. His life has been long and loved, and his task now is to help Miguel save the store and find love again.
When a famous author doesn’t show for a book signing, it looks like all is lost. So Miguel and Harold take off to find him. What they do find is his sister and her daughter. Sparks start to fly, and well, you will have to read it to find out more.
Library Hours Monday-Friday 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Story Hour will be Monday at 3 p.m. and Wednesday at 10 a.m. for ages 3-5 years old. Stories, songs and crafts. Come join the fun.
Book Club is reading Breakfast with Buddha by Roland Merullo. Otto and Cecelia grew up on a North Dakota farm. Both of their parents were killed in an automobile accident, and now they must make their way to the farm to settle the estate. Cecelia has a dreadful fear of flying, and insists they drive, from New Jersey.
Otto is a successful editor, while Cecelia tells fortunes. But she backs out at the last minute, and substitutes her guru, Volya Rinpoche, in her stead. She plans on giving her half of the estate to him, which Otto views as reckless. Otto is borderline Protestant, but he questions his beliefs, to himself, anyway.
Well, this road trip will have him questioning everything. In his effort to show the guru the American way of life, it kind of backfires. Otto learns how to see his life from a different perspective. A very enjoyable read.
We will meet Aug. 18 at 6:30 p.m. and Aug. 20 at 10 a.m. for discussion. Join us; we have treats.
Daniels County Library Board will meet Aug. 11 at 4 p.m. at the library. The public is welcome to attend.
Daniels County Library will be hosting a Mobile Memory Café’ Aug. 26 from 1-3 p.m. We will have further details shortly.
