Librarians Carrie Anderson and Sarah Lane join the podcast today to discuss their favorite books of 2019.
Carrie's Books
Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee, by Casey Cep
Carrie's review: Harper Lee fans will love how it delves into her psyche and the history of her writing life. There's a lot of interesting history here too, such as politics of the time in Alabama, and the history of life insurance. Cep tells all of this in a very engaging way.
The Unlikely Escape of Uriah Heep, by H.G. Parry
Carrie's review: This novel takes place in a world a lot like ours, except for one thing - certain people can bring characters out from books out into the real world. The result is a wonderful book that I recommend for bibliophiles of all types. It's full of wit and swashbuckling adventure, and it has real heart.
Twenty-One Truths about Love, by Matthew Dicks
Carrie's review: This book follows Daniel and Jill Mayrock. Daniel has just quit his job to open up a bookshop when they find out his wife Jill is pregnant. The book has a unique format - it's written from Dan's perspective through his lists. I loved this book. Books written in unusual formats can be gimmicky, but this one is not. It works really well for the story and it holds its own.
Sarah's Books
Bromance Book Club, by Lyssa Kay Adams
Sarah's review: This was my favorite romance book of the year. It turns the romance genre on its head without talking away any of the heartfelt sentiment you want in a romance book. This book hits you in all the feels while still being realistic and down to earth. I loved hearing men talk about wooing one's wife through communication and emotional depth.
Circe, by Madeline Miller
Sarah's review: Technically this book was published in 2018, but Madeline Miller came to Des Moines as part of AViD in 2019, so I'm counting it. I listened to the audiobook; it is riveting and beautifully narrated.
Finding Dorothy, by Elizabeth Letts
Sarah's review: This book tells of the story of Maude Gage Baum, the real-life wife of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz author L. Frank Baum. Though the book is fiction, Letts weaves nonfiction elements into her writing, creating a truly unique narrative. Finding Dorothy is an engrossing narrative about a little-known woman in history.
Illustrator Claire Sedovic, of Des Moines, joins us on the podcast to talk about her journey to becoming a published illustrator. Odd Animal ABCs, was published earlier this year (the book was written by June Smalls, of Virginia). During the podcast, Sedovic talks about:
On becoming a published illustrator: "It may sound kind of archaic, but one way illustrators get themselves known is that we send out postcards."
The "odd animals" she had to research and draw: "The one that immediately comes to mind, because 'X' is obviously such a hard letter to think of things for, is xenops. It's a bird from South America, and it kind of looks like a sparrow... My favorite had to be the tree kangaroo though. It sounds like it's made up, but it looks like a teddy bear."
On her decision to quit her full-time job to focus on her illustrating: "This was something I had been passionate about for awhile, and it came to the point where there just was never going to be the 'right time' to leave that job and leap into this career. I just had to make the decision to do it, and I've never regretted that.