Note to Shelf: September 2021

Created on February 24, 2022, 11:48 am

Last Updated March 4, 2022, 9:58 pm

September 22nd at 2:30 p.m. EST is the autumnal equinox which marks the end of our summer season and the beginning of autumn. The days are getting shorter and cooler. Children are going back to school, pumpkins and apples are harvested, and people are heading outside to enjoy fall nature walks.
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Marianne exclaims, "Hands down, Three O’ Clock in the Morning by Gianrico Carofiglio is my favorite read of 2021 so far! Almost without realizing it you’re drawn into the emerging relationship between a father, whom he barely knows and his son, who is struggling with epilepsy. In spare, moving language the author takes you through the gritty streets of Marseille, to a late night jazz café, a bohemian party, and a swim in the sea. All the while making you, the reader, a companion in this two-day revealing interlude. After recommending the book to a friend she commented: “I really enjoyed Three O’ Clock in the Morning. The narrator had a great voice. Such a little gem.” As the mother of sons, this story of a son and his father who must spend time together and the atmospheric, almost melancholy tone of the book struck a chord with me."
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Kiera discusses The Palace of the Drowned with us "which opens in 1966, and novelist Frankie Croy is nursing her wounds after a scathing review and a subsequent public scandal. She heads to Venice in the off season, staying in an empty palazzo owned by the family of her best friend. She spends her days like a ghost, wandering the cold rooms and getting lost in the labyrinthine calli of the decaying city. Then Gilly appears, claiming to be the daughter of a friend, and quickly worms her way into Frankie’s life. Frankie is suspicious of this bold young woman, even as she welcomes the reprieve from loneliness. As a historic flood ravages Venice, things take a dark turn and Frankie’s grip on reality becomes increasingly fragile. Though slow to start, the second act picks up quickly and twists in unexpected ways. An atmospheric and evocative thriller great for fans of mystery, historical fiction, and armchair travel."
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Colleen shares "Looking for some insight and truths held by Afghan women? Then Dancing in the Mosque is a must read for you !Homeira Qaderi tells her inspiring yet painful story in a letter to her son in Dancing in the Mosque. The book traces her growing up and becoming a woman with no freedom and few rights in Herat, Afghanistan. In this memoir to the baby son she was forced to leave behind, Qaderi shows her skills as a writer as she shares her perpetual challenges to educate and be educated, to dance and laugh, and to live and love in a Taliban-controlled nightmare. Defying the odds and believing in the value of women, Qaderi shows the reader that there is power in education and in fighting for a better future for young people living in oppressed regimes. Like the Dressmaker of Khair Khana by Gayle Tzemach Lemmon, this book tells a deserving story of the bravery of women living in misogynistic and violent conditions, and how their determination to preserve the dignity of each other is unwavering."
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Diane shares with us, "A Year at Clove Brook Farm is a journey that starts off with the planting of seedlings, spring daffodil fields, lilac bursts, beautiful tablescapes, and views of interior and exterior spaces. Christopher Spitzmiller has created excitement by taking us through the beautiful four seasons of Duchess County at his Clove Brook Farm. The author is best known as a potter and for creating his iconic one-of-a-kind ceramic lamp. While Christopher is still creating and continually expanding his beautiful ceramic portfolio, he pursues his passion of gardening and entertaining. Any good design starts before the pencil hits paper or the trowel hits soil. The interplay of architecture and landscape design is a classic mixture found at Clove Brook Farm. Christopher starts and ends his book with a beautiful layout watercolor rendering of his farm. There is so much inspiration on every page of this book. This is definitely a new favorite lifestyle book."
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7) Matrix
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