What Staff Are Reading at Cedar Mill & Bethany Libraries

Summer reading is in full swing. When asked to share what they are reading (or have recently finished reading), staff at both the Cedar Mill & Bethany Libraries had a lot to say. Here is a sampling of books grabbing their attention right now. Visit their blog to see what the rest of the staff are reading.

Animal, Vegetable, Junk by Mark Bittman. My favorite cookbook author and food activist presents an exhaustive history of why humans eat what and how they do. I highly recommend his reading of the audiobook (available on Libby or CD). – Lori

A Most Remarkable Creature by Jonathan Meiburg. A wonderful, peripatetic look at Caracara birds. The author takes the reader through time and place to provide the natural history of these intriguing birds. An enjoyable book! – Lisa

Broken (In the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson. Humorous and yet serious topics are discussed in the author’s short essays. Her own health, family, and daily life are major discussion points, and her wacky personality shines through it all. – Nicole

Shakespeare in a Divided America: What His Plays Tell Us About Our Past and Future by James Shapiro. Shakespeare has shaped what it means to be an American in so many ways I had never considered before. Some of the influence is for the better, yet seeing how his plays have been used to justify all sorts of troublesome impulses made me deeply uncomfortable too.  It's a fascinating look at how Shakespeare, acting and theatre-going has impacted America throughout our history. – Mark

Blood & Ivy by Paul Collins. When murder upsets the prodigious Harvard Medical School in 1849, nobody is beyond suspicion. I love how this book explores new-at-the-time scientific discoveries, the reach of old family names and money, and what it takes to find the truth behind what really happened to one of the school’s own alumni. – Shannon

The Pull of the Stars by Emma Donoghue. An interesting perspective as it takes place in a maternity ward during the 1918 pandemic. – Jessica