Armchair adventurers will enjoy Cheryl Strayed’s book ‘Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail.’ After going through a series of devastating personal tragedies and setbacks, Strayed made the decision at the age of 22 to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington state–alone. This book captures both the joys and terrors of this odd but daring trip to healing and recovery.
‘The Illustrious Dead: The Terrifying Story of How Typhus Killed Napoleon’s Greatest Army.’ Well the title pretty much tells it all but this book by Stephan Talty is a saga that has human hunger for power coming head-to-head with the dominant mastery of nature. Talty chronicles the rise of typhus and how this microscopic enemy ultimately destroyed one hundred thousand of Napoleon’s soldiers. The terrible devastation of this insidious illness laid waste to his dreams of world supremacy–making this nasty microbe the strongest army the Emperor ever faced.
Canadian author Eleanor Catton’s international bestselling novel about the lust and lure of gold is set in New Zealand. It features a cast of memorable characters, all of whom are involved in an intense mystery and the ever-changing state of their fate and fortune. ‘The Luminaries’ has been described as ‘one of the best books of this century.’ It is an excellent read: love, greed, murder, malice, jealousy and surprise–what more could you ask for?
When Harper Lee was a young woman, some 70 years ago, she wrote the acclaimed novel, To Kill a Mockingbird.’ At the time of it’s publication it garnered Lee the Pulitzer Prize for Literature and even today is still required reading in high school curriculum. Lee has finally published another book, ‘Go Set a Watchman.’ This story picks up several years after the events in To Kill a Mockingbird.’ It is a well-written novel full of passion, humour and wisdom that Lee actually penned in the mid 1950s. This book is just further proof of Lee’s literary genius and her undeniable right to be considered one of the truly classic authors of America.
Young Adult Reads: ‘Unleashed’ by Gordon Korman.
DVD Pick: ‘The Imitation Game’ starring Benedict Cumberbatch, Keira Knightley and Matthew Good–the true story of Alan Turing and his top-secret code-breaking team that helped bring WWII to and end much sooner–absolutely superlative acting by Cumberbatch in particular and the cast as a whole!
There is free wireless access during Library hours so bring the device of your choice and join us (we also have two public computers available). See you at the Library! Blog us at www.assiginacklibrary.wordpress.com.
