A Russian fairy tale vividly brought to life like an intimate historical fiction, Katherine Arden’s first installment of her Winternight Trilogy, The Bear and the Nightingale appeals to a broad swath of readers. More fairy tale than High Fantasy, Arden doesn’t lean on huge feats of world building or sword clanging adventures. Instead, Bear is … More The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden
Part of librarianship is understanding of the purpose of your particular library. Libraries range from those with extremely specialized collections like museum, medical, and research to those with broader appeal like academic, primary school, and public. There are also archives, which can be described as a cross between a museum and a library. Knowing who … More Why Do Libraries Throw Away Books?
Moving, insightful, relevant: this novel from the perspective of one of Korea’s famous grandma free-divers, the haenyeo, took me by surprise. On the South Korean island of Jeju there is a tradition – nearly faded into myth – of female free divers who provide for and, in many senses are the heads of, their families. … More The Island of Sea Women by Lisa See
The Ohioan 