In Convenience Store Woman, protagonist Keiko Furukura finds herself living at odds with the expectations put on her by Japanese society. At 36, she has been working at the same convenience store since she was 18, has few friends, and has never been in a romantic relationship. Her family is baffled by […]
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The 4th of July has been well-known to Americans since the country’s founding 242 years ago. It’s the day that we celebrate our nation’s declaration of independence from Great Britain. But did you know that this date has other historically important things attached to it? For starters, both John Adams and […]
This week’s Staff Pick is Roger Crowley’s Empires of the Sea: the Siege of Malta, the Battle of Lepanto, and the Contest for the Center of the World. With a sharp sense of pacing and clear prose, Crowley tells the story of the struggle between two Mediterranean Sea powers and their allies during the […]
“Fiona Maye is a leading High Court judge who presides over cases in the family division. She is renowned for her fierce intelligence, exactitude, and sensitivity. But her professional success belies private sorrow and domestic strife. There is the lingering regret of her childlessness, and now her marriage of thirty years is in […]
“In the summer of 1956, Stevens, a long-serving butler at Darlington Hall, decides to take a motoring trip through the West Country. The six-day excursion becomes a journey into the past of Stevens and England, a past that takes in fascism, two world wars, and an unrealised love between the […]
Each June, LGBTQ+ Pride Month is celebrated throughout the world. “The purpose of the commemorative month is to recognize the impact that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender individuals have had on history locally, nationally, and internationally (taken from www.loc.gov)” while also recognizing the everyday fight for equal rights in these communities […]
In honor of Michael Ondaatje’s newly released Warlight, this week’s Staff Pick is Anil’s Ghost. It tells the story of Anil, a Sri Lankan expat returning to her country of origin for the first time in fifteen years. Since leaving, she has studied in Britain and America to become an expert […]
On this day 74 years ago, more than 150,000 Allied soldiers landed on the heavily fortified beaches of Normandy, France for Operation Overlord (more commonly known as D-Day). The Operation was incredibly complex, involving intricate planning, huge numbers of soldiers and materials, and technology that had never before seen use. […]
Elephant Company: The Inspiring Story of an Unlikely Hero and the Animals Who Helped Save Lives in World War II by Vicki Constantine Croke “The remarkable story of James Howard “Billy” Williams, whose uncanny rapport with the world’s largest land animals transformed him from a carefree young man into […]
New to Caregiving? Wednesday, June 6th 7pm to 8pm Join Adalin Ball from the Somerset County Office on Aging and Disability Services to explore what it means to become a caregiver or to experience role redefinition. The caregiving experience is characterized as a transition process or a period of ongoing […]