Shhhhhh!

Quiet
The Power of Introverts 
in a World That Can't Stop Talking
By Susan Cain

Review by Tony Vicory

Don’t panic, but they’re all around you, everywhere, in your workplace, in your neighborhood, maybe in your own backyard. In fact, chances are, you might even be one yourself.

“Who?” you ask, breathlessly, as beads of sweat roll down your face. “Vampires? Zombies? Vampire zombies?”

No, the answer is introverts – you know, those folks who prefer keeping mostly to themselves – and, like it or not, they’re here to stay. (Do you need a cold compress now?)

According to Susan Cain’s eye-opening new book, Quiet, at least 30% of all people are introverts. That’s one in three. That’s Snap, Crackle or Pop. And yet, Cain argues, we live in a culture that “can’t stop talking,” that treats these individuals, not as valuable in their own right, but as would-be extroverts-in-progress. Sure, without introverts, we wouldn’t have Google or Harry Potter or the theory of relativity, but that’s beside the point, right? People are supposed to be assertive and garrulous and sociable, aren’t they? Aren’t they? (Wait – where did those crickets come from?)

Using thorough research and real-world examples, Cain challenges the “extrovert ideal” and demonstrates just how much introverts can contribute to a world that so frequently misunderstands them. Without a doubt, Quiet is nothing short of thought-provoking: a book that’s bound to start a conversation or two, if not a full-fledged debate – at least, among the more talkative set, obviously. That goes without saying. Which is how we introverts usually like it.

Request it by clicking the title or cover above.

Audio: Author as Narrator

Review by DeAnna Espinoza

Audiobooks become remarkable when the narrator is able to bring to life the characters of the writer. But what if the narrator is the author? You would think an author would know best the way to convey characters but, alas, some authors are just not the performing type and tend to fall short on their narration. One such author I would recommend staying away from is Barbara Kingsolver (writer and narrator of The Lacuna) who weaves a great story in print but narrates with such meticulousness that you may become tired of her exaggerated pronunciation. But do not prematurely lump every narrating author into the same category. On the other side of the coin is Neil Gaiman, an author who manages to deliver a great story every time.

You can't go wrong with a Neil Gaiman audiobook. Whether you choose Coraline, The Graveyard Book, or Stardust, Gaiman gives a superb performance of all his works. Stardust, one of my favorite reads, is an unassuming love story about a young man named Tristran and the quest he takes to acquire a fallen star for his lady love. Tristran is in for a surprise, however, when he discovers the fallen star is a real person. Even if fantasy is not your cup of tea, I guarantee you won't be disappointed by Neil Gaiman's storytelling which focuses more on character development rather than the fantastical circumstances in which they are placed.

Click the titles or the covers above to request these books.

A Local Author Spinning Local Lore

Auraria
By Tim Westover

It's just a short drive from Gwinnett County to the mountains of North Georgia. Nestled in those mountains, not far from Dahlonega, is a ghost town named Auraria. It's from this town that Tim Westover's novel takes its name, and a great deal of its inspiration.

The story concerns James Holtzclaw, who arrives seeking to make his fortune. Outside of town he meets a young boy sitting on the edge of a misty ravine, holding a fishing pole above the gap. When the traveler points out most people have better luck fishing in places that are wet, the boy responds, "Mist is wet, isn't it?" The boy hauls up his line with a gold-tinged fish attached to the end. While Holtzclaw is at pains to point out how this defies all logic, the boy,  unconcerned, continues fishing. The exasperated traveler journeys onward, soon to discover that the North Georgia mountains hold many more mysteries than mist-dwelling fish.

Using the rugged landscape as a backdrop, the story ambles along offering delight and unexpected whimsy at every turn of a mountain trail. As Holtzclaw attempts to turn the valley into a tourist destination for the well-to-do, he faces obstructions as far-ranging as moon maidens, giant terrapins, and uncooperative ghosts. The human residents, while more amenable to the changes, are still a peculiar lot. But Holtzclaw refuses to be deterred, despite the continual interference of a Princess who claims to control all the water in the mountains.

This is a great book if you like folk tales, tall tales, or fantastical stories set in your own back yard.

For more local stories try Spooky Georgia: Tales of Hauntings, Strange Happenings, and other Local Lore.

Or, if you'd like to explore the mountains on your own, try checking out 50 Hikes in the North Georgia Mountains. To go along with it, you might also want the Georgia State Park Pass. With the pass you get free parking at any Georgia State Park or free admission for up to 4 people to historic sites in Georgia.


Review by Danny Hanbery

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"Memories - Light the Corners of my Mind"

Rest in peace, Marvin Hamlisch. Your lyrics and music brought joy to many.

Want to know more about JFK Jr? This is the perfect memoir for you. Fairy Tale Interrupted is the story of Rose Terenzio, who served as  JFK Jr.'s personal assistant. Terenzio is a Bronx native, and her first encounter with JFK Jr. sets the tone for the book. (She walks into her office to find him boxing up her desk and she gives him a piece of her mind).  She was one of the few people not afraid to speak her mind around him, and he valued her discretion, devotion, and work ethic.  This memoir chronicles the rise and fall of George, his magazine, his love affair and marriage with Carolyn Bessette, and anecdotes about what it was like to work for him and with him. RoseMarie's devastation upon the couple's death reveals the strong bond between these unlikely friends.  The handwritten notes and photos included are interesting.

Jane Maas writes about her experiences as a copywriter in the 1960's in NYC. Her book is filled with details about how the "Mad Men" and women really lived and worked. Drinking in the office? Yes. Affairs in the office? Yes. Interesting clients that must be appeased? Yes. 

Jane is best known and seems proudest of her "I Love New York" campaign. It was interesting to read about her life, career, and what Mad Men gets wrong. She worked for Leona Helmsley, yes, the Queen of Mean for a short time. This was a light, fun read. If you like Mad Men, I recommend it. Request it here. 

End of Summer Reads

Alice Buckle has been married for almost 20 years. She has a husband, two kids, a nervy dog, and a job she enjoys. So why does she feel that something is missing? She is the age her mother was when she passed away, and Alice is missing her keenly.

 Alice is solicited to participate in an online survey about marriage, and she is surprised to discover how much she enjoys it. Alice develops a relationship with Researcher 101 and for the first time in a long time, feels that someone is listening to her.  When her husband William loses his job, their relationship becomes strained, Alice relies more and more on her relationship with Researcher 101. Revealing details of their courtship and marriage through the survey causes Alice to think about where she is and where she is going.  Can she save her marriage? Does she want to? And who exactly is Researcher 101?

Wife 22  is a quick, easy read for those who enjoy tales of domestic family life, marriages, and friends. 

Spring Fever opens with Annajane Hudgens attending her ex-husband's wedding. They have an amicable relationship, and Annajane adores his daughter, Sophie, who disrupts the nuptials with a case of appendicitis. Annajane doesn't like Celia, his fiance, who seems to have hoodwinked not only Mason, her ex-husband, but the rest of the town.  

It doesn't help that Annajane sees Mason and Celia every day at work. They all work for Quixie, a cherry cola manufactured in their small NC town. Quixie is the main employer in Passcoe, and when it is threatened by a takeover, Annajane and Mason work together to try and save the company that has been in Mason's family for years. Celia is not too happy with this arrangement. She has always seen Annajane as a threat, especially since she is best friends with Mason's sister. Annajane is determined to save Quixie, and if it means working with Mason, so be it. 

Long buried family secrets, romance, and second chances abound in Spring Fever. If you like stories set in a small southern town with plenty of characters, this is for you.

Be a Nerd, or Just Read Like One

Okay, that may be a bit harsh. I love to read books about information science and books about behavioral economics. The most fun comes in finding the intersection of these two fields of study. I just finished reading Thinking, Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman. Kahneman is the Nobel Prize-winning Professor Emeritus of Psychology and Public Affairs at Princeton University's Woodrow Wilson School. That being said, do not expect this to be an easy, breezy light read. Although Kahneman uses personal storytelling and descriptions of interesting experiments designed to demonstrate how people actually make decisions, the content is still pretty deep.

 Kahneman’s hypothesis is that the mind wants to conserve energy and look for short-cuts for decision making. In other words, people’s thinking often jumps to the obvious solution rather than the more sensible or valid solution to life’s problems. He illustrates this with various scenarios in which he gives subjects the opportunity to make a well-informed choice, but they chose to make the apparently obvious choice, one that is typically influenced by the way the information was presented or by how the question was posed.

His point is that we all do it. His conclusions become a cautionary tale about fully engaging our minds as we make decisions. There is much to be learned from this book.

If you enjoy books about behavioral economics, you might also be interested in books by Dan Ariely. His books, Predictably Irrational and The Upside of Irrationality also provide accessible insights into our often lazy psyches. And, if you want to read the ultimate book on information science, it just might be The Information: A History, a Theory, a Flood by James Gleick. Start reading titles like these and you too may join the cult of the Library Nerd.

Review by Pat

Animal (stories) make us human

Birds of a Lesser Paradise: Stories
by Megan Mayhew Bergman

Bergman is married to a veterinarian, which may be why so many of the stories in her debut collection are about animal caretakers and their significant others (whether two- or four-legged). Her short stories bring Lydia Millet's novels to mind, though Bergman is more grounded and less prone to poetic flights of fancy. If her characters some times seem damaged or ever-so-slightly eccentric, it is only because that's how people really are.

A constant theme in her stories is our animal essence and the fundamental kinship of humans and animals. "Animal" here does not imply savage so much as "of flesh and bone." Nature may be red in tooth and claw, but every living thing knows love. More's the pity.

In the title story, a rueful single mother and her young son drive hundreds of miles to a roadside animal show where she hopes to find her late mother's African gray parrot and hear it mimic the dead woman's voice. Other stories hinge on a failure of imagination or of sympathy, as in "The Cow Who Milked Herself." The title character there is a pregnant woman whose husband  unthinkingly points out how the breast pump she unwraps at a baby shower works exactly like a milking machine for cows. He's a boor, sure, but his boorishness is born not of malice but of a typically male kind of blinkered, professional enthusiasm. The reader sees this when he proudly uses his veterinary sonogram equipment on his wife to reveal the child growing within her.

Many of Bergman's stories are driven by competing loves and conflicting loyalties, as when an animal shelter worker is forced to choose between an incredibly indulgent boyfriend and a houseful of unruly strays in "The Right Company." The same conflict plays out more dramatically in the final story, "The Two-Thousand-Dollar Sock." There, a young mother living in the wilds of Maine with a newborn child and a ne'er-do-well husband is tormented by her inability to provide for their baby, much less afford life-saving surgery for their hapless, sock-eating dog. The dog's agony—by contrast—is purely physical, and he remains selflessly loyal to the very end.