AWAKE: A Memoir by Jen Hatmaker

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I have been familiar with Jen Hatmaker for a long time, mostly through her work as an influencer on social media. First when she was an outspoken and funny Christian leader, then later as she publicly spoke out in opposition of her church’s view in support of LGBTQ+ individuals, and finally as a woman whose seemingly perfect life took an unexpected turn in midlife.  

It is during this unexpected turn in 2020 that I started to follow her online. When she found out that her husband of 26 years was having an affair. This is not a spoiler. The first lines of AWAKE are, “At 2:30 a.m. on July 11, 2020, out of a dead sleep, I hear five whispered words not meant for me. ‘I just can’t quit you.’ It is the end of my life as I know it.” 

From that simple exchange Jen’s life changes immediately. She goes from being an upbeat, confident, influencer who seemed to have it all – family, looks, a career and a large social media following – to a divorced single parent with five children, who has no idea how to access her bank account, let alone explain to her large online audience that her life just fell apart. She is left questioning everything about herself and her life and feeling like a complete failure and a fraud.  

While it would be easy to expect Hatmaker to focus solely on her husband’s indiscretion, and how he is to blame for upending her entire world, she does not. In fact, she readily shares her role in what she refers to as the “flimsy house” of her life, and how it was built with “faulty bricks” like patriarchy, religious trauma, and body shame.  She uses the brick analogy not only to effectively show the causes of her failed marriage, but also the rebuilding of her life and her new sense of herself.  

The book is written in three parts – The End, The Middle and The Beginning. And it is not written in a linear fashion, with the author using vignettes, not chapters, to move from past memories to present ones throughout each section of the book. While it is the story of the loss of her marriage, it is also the story of her life, her 40+ years and the things that she has learned, and in some cases, unlearned. It is her story of turning inward to find herself and eventually reinventing many of the things she believed to be true. It is a beautifully hard journey, but one that Hatmaker endeavors to share fully and as transparently as she is able. 

In past books, Hatmaker has used her writing to instruct or tell others what they should know, think or feel about a particular subject; however, according to her, AWAKE is a “lantern” she is “holding up for women everywhere who need someone else to tell them, keep going.” Basically, so they know they are not alone. Her story and candidness seem to say that she understands “that no matter what you have lost, what has changed, what has shifted, no matter how brokenhearted you are,” someone “still believes some of your best days are ahead of you.” 

Anyone who has had a difficult phase in life will find something here to appreciate; maybe even cling to. Divorce, religious questioning, struggles with codependency and dissociation and so many other topics.  Hatmaker is not shy about sharing her journey and her full heart is shown in this lovely, engaging memoir.

 

Review written by: Jeana Gockley, Joplin Public Library Director

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Fall Reads

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Ahh, fall. The weather is crisp, the leaves are falling, the boots are out, everything is pumpkin flavored, and the jack-o’-lanterns are glowing. And for readers, the book releases and fall themed reading lists are aplenty. As one of fall’s biggest fans I can’t help but look at a fall curated reading list and pick out a book or two to fit the season. I’ve already been enjoying reading with the season and have listed some of my recent fall reads. I’ve placed them in a range from cozy fall mystery to hair-raising horror.

Spells for Forgetting by Adrienne Young

I’ve read all of Young’s young adult novels and this was the first adult novel of hers I’ve read. Set on a fictional Pacific Northwest island, the atmosphere of Spells for Forgetting will shove fall down your throat (in the best way). The island is foggy, small-town, and forested, its community centered around the apple orchard on the island. There’s also an apothecary shop, a tea shop, and the women of the island often possess magic (what’s the word I’m looking for….oh right, FALL). Main character Emery Blackwood lost her best friend Lily in a mysterious murder 14 years ago, and although never proven, the town blames August Salt, friend to Lily and boyfriend to Emery. August left the island soon after Lily’s death, leaving Emery behind and broken-hearted in more ways than one. Now August has returned to the island for the first time since Lily’s murder, awaking unsolved questions and stirring up new ones, as well as stirring up feelings Emery has tried to bury deep. I enjoyed Young’s character development in this novel, and I liked the magical elements. The island itself felt like a character and the atmospheric setting of it all was itself magical. I would suggest this fall read for cozy mystery readers that enjoy a fantasy and romance twist.

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Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma

I enjoy a good dark academia read in the fall. Add in vampires, revenge, misunderstood villains, and romance, and I’ve got my bookmark ready. We meet the main character Kidan, an orphan, after her sister has been taken by a vampire while Kidan was not there to protect her. Kidan’s grief and rage over her missing sister fuel this novel; it leaps off the page, it feels real, and the unapologetic feminine rage was something I loved about this novel. To find and save her sister Kidan turns into a version of herself that becomes quite monstrous. Following her only clue, a name, Kidan enrolls in an elite university populated by humans and vampires and must live with the very vampire she is looking for: Susenyos. Tensions (and violence) are through the roof, but Kidan cannot take revenge against Susenyos without jeopardizing information about her sister. Kidan is singular in her goals, infiltrating an arcane society to find answers, yet Susenyos is complex and perhaps more than he seems. This novel is Girma’s debut. An Ethiopian author, Girma’s passion for West African myths and culture is a recurring aspect of the novel. I think this is a different take on the vampire dark academia novel, with an interesting vampire political system. This is a good fall read to sink your teeth into if you’re a dark academia fantasy reader.

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My Darling Dreadful Thing by Johanna van Veen

Last on my list is my favorite horror novel I’ve read so far this year. Set in the early 1950s this novel jumps between a psychiatrist’s session notes with patient Roos and flashbacks of Roos’s story. Roos’s story begins living with her mother and acting as the medium for seances. Some of the things Roos does are for show, like when her mother forces her to squeeze under the floorboards and pull ropes attached to objects in the room. But Roos isn’t all show. She has a spirit companion only she can see: Ruth. Ruth came to Roos under the floorboards one day and hasn’t left her side since. She protects Roos and is her only friend, and when Roos allows it, Ruth possesses her. After they receive new patron Agnes to their seances, who is trying to communicate with her recently deceased husband, Roos is sold by her mother to live with Agnes in one of the most gothic houses you can imagine. It’s eerie and dilapidated with odd sounds at night, and is home to Agnes’s sister-in-law, who is dying from tuberculosis. Roos and Agnes begin to form a bond that surpasses friendship, and secrets come out and events begin to unfold that had me slightly nervous to listen to the audiobook at night. Drenched in the macabre, van Veen references H.P. Lovecraft and Edgar Allan Poe as some of her inspirations, and that really comes through in this novel. I really enjoyed the shocking twists and turns, and van Veen’s writing was so compelling and fitting for the story. You might consult the content warnings on this one. My Darling Dreadful Thing is perfect for readers that enjoy gothic horror with sapphic romance. 

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TIG by Heather Smith

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Before moving to Wensleydale, Tig and Peter spent months alone, without electricity, regular meals, and, most significantly, their mom. Tig’s mom, who struggles with addiction, would often leave for days or a week, but never months. Until now. Naturally, Tig and Peter have had to learn to survive on their own. Eventually, adults realize what is happening and intervene to help. But Tig isn’t happy about it. To hear Tig tell it, they were getting along just fine on their own. When Tig and Peter are forced to move in with distant family members in a picture-perfect village in England, Tig is determined to hate it. Hating the situation is especially hard because her Uncle Scott and Manny are patient and kind, even when Tig breaks their valuables, teases them somewhat cruelly, and steals from their favorite bakery.


Heather Smith’s middle grade novel Tig is geared toward upper elementary and early middle school-aged readers, but this is a book that readers of all ages will enjoy. When Tig first arrives in Wensleydale, Scott and Manny encourage her to keep a journal and create goals. In an act of defiance, Tig chooses a ridiculous goal: to win a cheese wheel race. She begins practicing regularly on a hill near her new house. She is willing to teach curious neighborhood kids but works hard to keep them at a distance. When Tig mentions wanting a dog, Scott and Manny are willing to consider it and even take the children to meet a dog in a neighboring town. The dog, who is rowdy, loud, and messy, is the dog Tig insists on having. Aside from the dog, Tig only trusts Peter, and she is sure to let her new guardians know. She is often unpleasant, mean, and unpredictable, though readers can see that she is testing boundaries. If the person who is supposed to love you unconditionally leaves you, how can you trust anyone else? Tig’s behavior is challenging, but readers will likely view this behavior through an empathetic lens and will find themselves cheering for her. Tig is an emotional read, but it is not only sad. Smith has crafted a story of an obstinate, lovable child; this novel might make you cry, but it will also give you hope.

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The Spinach King by John Seabrook

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In John Seabrook’s The Spinach King: The Rise and Fall of an American Dynasty, the author notes Andrew Carnegie’s dictum of “shirtsleeves to shirtsleeves in three generations.” It’s a fitting citation as the American dynasty at play here is in fact his own family. How the proverb diverges with the Seabrooks in particular is that instead of the third generation squandering the wealth created by the first, the Seabrook who creates a business empire is the very one who spitefully destroys it. If this sounds intriguing, settle into the story of the Seabrooks.

In the early twentieth century, New York City relied on—as it had for over a century—New Jersey farms to supply its markets with fresh produce. Known as the “Garden State,” New Jersey was quite literally New York City’s garden. One such gardener was C.F. Seabrook. Not only did he take over his father’s 60-acre farm, he transformed it from yet another cottage producer into a farming juggernaut. Using Henry Ford’s production models as a guide, he revolutionized farming by mechanizing his farm, most notably utilizing vast overhead irrigation systems.

Emboldened, he engaged in the time-honored practice of self-dealing. Using the permissive political climate of times, he became the highway commissioner not only to decide the road routes that would advantage his farming empire but also to profit from the road-building business he started. His intercontinental contacts even led to a contract with Joseph Stalin to build thousands of miles of roads throughout Russia. The effort basically ended before it started, however. Seabrook didn’t know how to engineer roads in the Russian climate. The roads fell apart soon after they were put down.

Wall Street creditors, no longer tolerating such a massively overbuilt enterprise, eventually called in the Seabrook loans. But Seabrook Farms would rebuild again, gaining a niche in freezing the vegetables they grew, thus ushering in the age of frozen store-bought vegetables. Of C.F.’s children, John Seabrook, the author’s father, would go on to display the most astute business acumen.

When writing about his father—and there’s a lot here—Seabrook seemingly lays everything out there. If anything, he’s writing almost to see if he can better know—actually know—his aloof yet caring father, a man who used his “WASP identity like razor wire to guard his true feelings.” Fair enough. Yet so much has been written about WASPs over the decades, we already know of the characteristics without reading about them once again. Still, how they manifest in John Seabrook is interesting in how they are told.

A Princeton graduate, Seabrook Sr. would go on to date Eva Gabor. An Anglophile in not only temperament but also in English tailoring, he later in life even had one of those clothing carousel contraptions you see at a dry cleaners installed in his bedroom. He was also dedicated to the sport of British coaching—basically driving a small team of horses while sitting atop a carriage, often sporting a top hat.

At times, Seabrook’s writing of his father almost appears hagiographic. Even under this bright-light memoir exposure, there’s quite a bit of admiration for his father. And it’s often the case that wealthy children who once had a temporary job where they had to get their hands dirty will forever hasten to relate how they once had a job where they had to get their hands dirty. Such is the case here.

But these are minor issues in a family story that’s ultimately tragic. Seabrook Farms probably would have continued to thrive under the leadership of John Seabrook Sr., a man who seemed naturally inclined to be a C.E.O. (Although there are some intriguing revelations later in the book.) The end came, nevertheless, at C.F.’s own hand, the paterfamilias who sought to destroy his own family. There’s a lot to unpack in this downfall. But I will say: I’m not sure what clinically constitutes a sociopath, but it seems as though C.F. certainly was one.

As one would expect from a staff writer at The New Yorker, Seabrook knows his way around a narrative. There’s no way this family history could be told without writing about social and political intersectionality. Even today, you can go visit Seabrook, New Jersey.

Still, this is a family memoir. And it’s affecting to see how Seabrook Sr. and Jr. almost observe each other as curiosities. It’s also dispiriting to read how Sr., once a dynamic and forward-thinking man, ended up an elderly man who digested too much cable news and ultimately displayed one of C.F.’s many loathsome traits: antisemitism, that “ancient Roman mind virus.”

In the end, Seabrook Sr.’s death wasn’t noted with a lengthy New York Times obituary. Perhaps it was for the best. Regardless of your success, or with how self-important you may feel, you can still end up being known simply as—as Art Buchwald once referred to Seabrook Sr.—“the frozen-food lima bean king from New Jersey.”

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Review by Jason Sullivan

The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson

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What does a youth worker, a retired farmer, a teenage computer hacker and a septuagenarian Miss Marple wannabe have in common? In The Busybody Book Club by Freya Sampson it is the St. Tredock Community Book Club.

Nova Davies, the youth worker, is an employee of the St. Tredock Community Center and the book club was her idea. She is disappointed in the low turnout but determined to make the club a success. Septuagenarian Phyllis Hudson is our Agatha Christie fan and loves to involve herself in every crime she can, much to the displeasure of the constabulary. Arthur Robinson, a retired dairy farmer, was not much of a reader until he became his wife’s eyes. Now he is Nova’s most enthusiastic participant. Teen-ager Ash tends to keep quiet but his sporadic observations make it clear he has read the book.

The selection for the evening’s meeting was Where the Crawdads Sing and discussion has already begun when another participant comes in, Michael. Michael appears to be miserable but does add to the discussion until his phone pings. After looking at the message he jumps up, knocking over his chair, and runs from the room. Michael hasn’t reappeared by the end of the meeting so Nova locks up and goes home.

Home is her fiancé parent’s house. She and Craig moved from London a few months ago and are having trouble finding their own place. Pamela, Craig’s mother, is delighted they are there and has completely taken over planning their wedding. Nora’s own mom is in Colombia but will be back for the wedding in just 9 days.

It is storming the next morning so Nova goes in expecting to spend the day mopping up from the center’s leaky roof. However, what she finds is her boss, her co-worker/friend and the police waiting for her. The money for the center’s roof repair, ten thousand pounds, is missing and Nova was the last one in the building. When they look at the security footage they see Michael running out of the building. Since the cameras are at the entrance they don’t know where he was in the building so he also becomes a suspect.

Without the money for the roof repair the cash-strapped village council is threatening to close the center so it is imperative they find the missing ten thousand pounds. Phyllis, who has eavesdropped on the conversation, is certain Michael is the culprit. Using Miss Marple’s cases as a guide she sets off with her trusty companion, bulldog Craddock, to find the thief.

Her first stop is Michael’s home where she sees a body being removed. His mother was found at the bottom of the stairs and the police think she was pushed. After a loud argument, Michael was seen running out of the house and Phyllis is now sure she is chasing not only a thief but a murderer.

To save Nova’s job and the community center, the whole book club becomes involved in catching the thief. But as the clues are uncovered, the club finds things are really not what they seem and life can take some unexpected turns.

This feel-good novel has a little humor and a lot of heart. Sampson creates characters with depth and this book is as much about the relationships and lives of the book club members as about the mystery of the stolen money. You will find this in the New Large Print collection at the library. Read-alikes are book related cozy mysteries, The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood, and Charlaine Harris’ Sleep Like a Baby.

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Review by Patty Crane, Reference Librarian

Klara and the Sun by Kazuo Ishiguro

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Klara is an Artificial Friend. She lives in a store with other AFs, waiting for a child to come in and choose her to be their companion. Every day the AFs are given a place in the store to stand as customers come in. The best part of the store is the area behind the big front window, where Klara is able to observe people passing by and feel the Sun.

AFs are solar powered, so the sun is important to all of them. But Klara sees the sun as a presence, with feelings and emotions like her.

She observes the Sun’s happiness when two people reconnect on the street in front of the store. She also sees the Sun’s special ability to heal when a homeless person and his dog are miraculously revived by the sun’s rays.

Not long after that experience, Klara is chosen by a girl named Josie. Josie and her mother have a house out in the countryside, but her mother commutes to work every day. Klara will be there to spend time with Josie and help keep her happy.

Like many children in her peer group, Josie has been “lifted” – genetically modified to improve her intelligence. Unfortunately, Josie suffered some side effects from this procedure and is frequently ill.

The illness is unpredictable, forcing Josie to stay in bed for weeks at a time. It is also very serious. Some children who exhibit these symptoms do not survive.

As Klara gets to know Josie and her world, she presents anecdotes largely without opinion. But she does possess deep insight into what people are feeling or thinking. When she lets these insights slip, it is a reminder to the reader not to underestimate her abilities – her intelligence may be artificial, but it is well-honed.

The focus of KLARA AND THE SUN is on interpersonal relationships between the people in Josie’s limited world. Klara is able to interact with each of them and develop her own relationships with them.

Readers only get a sense of the larger world: glimpses of persistent anti-robot sentiment and the ways that people’s lives have adjusted in this version of the future. Josie’s friend Rick is very smart, but he is not lifted. As Josie and Rick grow up, Klara observes how that affects what he can expect from his future.

Throughout the novel, Klara is looking back on her life. She is reminiscing about her own history. She lets the reader know that these events have all passed, but keeps the outcome to herself until the end.

Klara herself is a very interesting character. She uses unusual speech patterns when speaking to other characters, but her internal monologue flows very smoothly. Although she is not human, she feels real. The reader never questions the validity of her experience, even when confronted with the facts of her artificial nature.

 

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Book review by Alyssa Berry, Technical Services Librarian

The Word is Murder: A Novel (A Hawthorne and Horowitz Mystery, 1) by Anthony Horowitz

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New York Times bestselling author Anthony Horowitz takes a crack at writing a modern-day classic crime novel. In this series he casts himself as Dr. Watson to disgraced police detective Daniel Hawthorne’s Sherlock Holmes.  It is an intriguing premise that allows the author of the book to be one of the main characters.  At first I was not sure how I felt about it, but I ended up really liking it, and  I had no idea who the killer was until the big reveal at the end. 

Book one features a mystery that revolves around a woman who visits a London funeral parlor on a bright spring morning, to plan her own service, and then six hours later she is found strangled in her home. 

Daniel Hawthorne, former police detective turned consultant, is called in by the police to help solve the case; and while he’s sharp and intelligent, he is not very likeable. So when Hawthorne first asks celebrated novelist Anthony Horowitz to write a book about him and the case, Horowitz is not sure it is a winning idea. He is a bit hard up for material though, so decides to partner with Hawthorne and reserve judgement about how likely a book is until later. However, as the case unfolds, Horowitz gets sucked into the case and starts to see the potential in writing a book.  So much so that he finds himself trying to solve the murder himself because Hawthorne is very secretive and a mystery himself.

This mystery offering by Horowitz is intriguing and will keep most readers guessing up until the end. The characters are well drawn, with Hawthorne stealing the show. 

It is interesting that Horowitz is writing about himself, as a writer, and includes insight into his professional life. This includes what has worked well for him–his Alex Rider series–but also where he has had challenges.  He never takes himself too seriously and this behind the scenes style is unusual, but effective. I just finished the third book in this series and enjoyed the second and third, just as much as the first, maybe more because I already knew the characters and the story background so it took me less time to understand all the relationships.  

Review written by: Jeana Gockley, Joplin Public Library Director

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POPCORN by Rob Harrell

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All seventh grader Andrew Yeager, the protagonist of Rob Harrell’s Popcorn, wants is to have a nice picture for Picture Day this year. The new seventh grader struggles with anxiety and OCD anyway, but he has a lot on his plate lately. His mom is starting a new job and is under a lot of stress. His grandma, who he calls G, has moved into their two-bedroom apartment and Andrew is stuck sleeping on the couch. G also has Alzheimer’s and his once funny and lively grandma sometimes doesn’t even recognize him. Andrew’s mom took on a higher paying job to pay for G to move into a nursing home. Money has been a struggle for them, so this job has to work out. With so much out of his control, Andrew just wants to be sure that he takes a nice photo. His mom even splurged on an expensive button-up shirt from Banana Republic.

You see where this is going. Andrew hoped for a normal day that would end in a good picture and a clean t-shirt. Instead, he ends up navigating a day that might as well be titled Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day: the Middle School Years. Andrew is lucky to have his lifelong best friend Jonesy by his side, but he is worried that she is more interested in hanging out with her basketball teammates. His anxiety, which is depicted as an increasingly warmed popcorn kernel, only worsens as he worries about his G’s sudden disappearance, is bullied by Gene Phillips, and is inexplicably squirted in the face with ketchup, which triggers his germaphobia.

Harrell has made a name for himself with the Batpig series and Wink, which was nominated for Missouri’s Mark Twain Award. As he notes in the afterword, Popcorn was inspired by his own struggles with anxiety and OCD. The author marks the perfect balance between heavier topics and lighter moments. Harrell never chooses one over the other; as Andrew’s anxiety spirals into a panic attack, his art teacher is right there with him, co-regulating. Sometimes his anxiety makes him mean, but readers get to witness adults, and even a few of his peers, who step up and help him navigate difficult emotions. Andrew is also humorously perceptive about the people around him, though never in a way that feels cruel. These funny observations are reinforced through Harrell’s hand-drawn sketches, which appear on most pages. Sometimes they take the form of comics featuring his anxiety-ridden alter ego, Tense Kid. Other times, the drawings are small and act as a humorous commentary on the subject at hand. Andrew’s picture day may not go as he planned, and he may be struggling with mental health issues, but Popcorn does not feel especially heavy or too much for the average middle school reader. Through Andrew’s therapist, teachers, friends, and mom, readers will gain insight into coping skills and positive relationships. Not every reader will relate exactly to Andrew’s struggles, but every reader could use the reminder that, like Andrew, they will be okay.

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The Knight and the Moth by Rachel Gillig

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Sybil Delling is a Diviner. She and the other five Diviners she lives with in Aisling Cathedral in the kingdom of Traum are visited by Omens in their dreams, and the Omens tell them the future. Royalty and common people alike travel across the kingdom to visit the sacred Diviners and receive tellings of their future. To look upon a Diviner and receive a prophecy from one is a great privilege. The Diviners are all foundling girls (orphans) and have agreed to trade a decade of service in exchange for a home and the opportunity to be a great prophetess.

Sybil’s life at the cathedral doesn’t have much variety: she works on repairing the stone of the cathedral, interacts with the stone gargoyles that take care of the Diviners and the cathedral, and she spends time with her fellow Diviners, the closest thing she has ever known to family. Sybil’s routine is disturbed when a group of knights arrives at the castle, among them the newly crowned King.

Sybil is chosen to Divine for the new King and is quick to notice one knight in particular that so obviously does not buy what the Diviners are dishing out. He leaves during Sybil’s dream of the King’s future, something that is simply not done and labels him a heretic in Sybil’s opinion. From then on out the knight is a thorn in Sybil’s side.

Unfortunately for Sybil, she won’t be able to ignore the knight as she wishes, for her fellow Diviners begin to go missing, one each night. Sybil and her dwindling group of Diviners are panicked and understandably scared, their caretaker the Abbess seemingly unfazed. The Abbess sends gargoyles to find the missing Diviners, but for Sybil things are not happening quick enough and her protectiveness for her fellow Diviners has her turning to the one person she wanted nothing to do with: the knight. 

Sybil sets off on an adventure that will ultimately change the course of her life. She will not rest until she finds her Diviners. Sybil is very much a character that is driven by protecting those she loves. On her journey she is joined by the heretical knight, the King and one of his other knights, and her trusty gargoyle friend Bartholomew, who offers frequent comic relief and was admittedly my favorite character. With their help Sybil intends to figure out what is happening to her Diviners, and stop it at all costs. Along the way Sybil encounters fantastical creatures, Omens brought to life, magic, and her own true potential. 

If you are a reader that enjoys gothic fantasy with a sprinkle of romance, run, do not walk, to get this novel. Released in May of 2025 it has been a popular fantasy novel across various social media and reading platforms. Part of this is because of the fantastic plot and writing. Part is because this is not the first gothic fantasy novel by Rachel Gillig that has become a bestseller. Her previously released duology The Shepherd King was her debut and got me hooked on her writing. If she writes it, I’m reading it, and The Knight and the Moth did not disappoint. It is the first in The Stonewater Kingdom duology. The plot is unique and consuming. The atmosphere is moody and gothic. The romance is slow burn. The worldbuilding is rich and developed. The setting is dark and chilling. The main character is super cool and her love interest has the potential to be your next book boyfriend. I’m not sure what Rachel Gillig puts in these pages, but I’m sat and waiting for more.

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Review by Sarah Turner-Hill, Adult Programming Coordinator

The Fact Checker by Austin Kelley

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A quick glance at the cover of Austin Kelley’s novel, The Fact Checker, and you’ll recognize by font alone that the fact-checking taking place is at The New Yorker. The magazine in the novel is unnamed, but we get the gist. Plus, Kelley’s bio states that he was once a fact checker at—you got it—The New Yorker. The narrator, known to us as the Fact Checker, describes his life during a story he was assigned in 2004. An entertaining and sprightly read, it’s also a novel describing a world that manages to be both foundational to our current world and yet long gone at the same time.

Our fact checker is good at his job. We meet him as he describes investigating one story’s accuracy by quizzing (almost badgering) the widow of a fallen CIA officer. It’s all in service to the article, to its veracity. We also get the impression that he doesn’t mind name-dropping during casual conversation that he works for an esteemed New York magazine (even if he’s not authoring any of its stories). Still, he confesses that he’s “always drowning in a storm of information and doubt.” And he freely admits that he confuses his desires and disdains in both his personal and professional lives.

It’s pretty clear his girlfriend left him because she found his encyclopedic conversation corrections exhausting. It’s also evident he’s unsure of what to do about this pedantic trait of his. And it’s more than certain he doesn’t recognize that his internal moral outrage to boorish behavior he sees in others belies his own personal actions.

What provides him a singular purpose is a low-stakes story he’s assigned. A vendor at a city farmer’s market is selling a particular type of tomato that’s blowing everyone’s hair back. In the article, the Fact Checker is intrigued by a quote from a vendor employee, Sylvia, who says there’s also some “nefarious business” at the market. He finds Sylvia at the market and is completely beguiled by her. His opposite in almost every way, she takes him out one night to an underground supper club in the city. He learns a fair bit about her (she says she was raised in a cult). Yet, despite his repeated questions, he learns nothing about the supposed nefarious business.

Kelley captures the early aughts well. It’s a world where the George W. Bush administration had already presented their case for invading Iraq. To many, this presentation strained credulity as not only were there disagreements over what can be considered as fact, but also of what truths one can responsibly glean from said facts. Regardless, a presidential administration believing that they even need to justify its actions—to publicly persuade—seems like a bygone era.

We see the emerging urban hipsters, with some sporting a “jug band chic” look. The Fact Checker finds himself at a meeting of self-professed anarchists where there’s an unironic call to conduct a feasibility study of the group’s proposed actions. Food culture is taking off in New York City. One magazine writer, having just spent some time with a group of people who raise and harvest their own meat, decides to export the practice to his high-end NYC apartment.

In a tragi-comic scene, the Fact Checker stops by the author’s apartment and discovers that in the swanky bathroom there’s a lamb to be slaughtered. And kill it they do, the dead lamb ending up strung along the author’s back like a cape, which reminds our narrator of a skinny Hercules statue “with carefully coiffed hair and a dead sheep on his back, a lanky, stooped Hercules in a Picasso painter’s outfit in his blond Japanese soaking tub in his SoHo loft.”

Sylvia leaves the Fact Checker a cryptic note and promptly disappears. Hoping to find answers, he travels out to the communal New Jersey farm where she worked only to find that the commune’s inhabitants are just as clueless to her whereabouts. The Fact Checker is struggling to determine the facts and—without a doubt—the truth. The only thing he’s certain of is that the commune’s leader is “a lecherous hypocrite” who’s hiding something.

At the beginning of the novel, the Fact Checker chats with a woman he just met in a coffee shop, back when all “tentative and ambitious New Yorkers” had to meet each other through face-to-face conversation. Noticing that he’s nearsighted, she suggests he break periodically during the work day, look out a window, and then focus on the farthest object in view. He doesn’t believe this will benefit his eyesight, yet he does it at times. When helping with some farming work at the commune, he stops and looks out into the distance. “Someday it’s going to help, this staring into space, I thought, even if that help is nothing but a psychological balm, a sort of placebo effect on the problem of existence.”

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Review by Jason Sullivan