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Air date: Sept. 15, 2024
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JESSICA:
Hi, this is Jessica Russell. I’m the assistant director of collection services at Sno-Isle Libraries. And welcome to Book Buzz.
Today's two reading recommendations are a celebrity memoir and a historical novel set in the 1950s.
First, we’re going to hear from Lorraine, Collection Development Librarian, for the life story of one of Hollywood's most iconic actors. Over to you, Lorraine.
LORRAINE:
“Making It So: A Memoir” by actor Sir Patrick Stewart is a treat for people who like celebrity memoirs. You don’t even need to be a Trekkie to enjoy it.
Stewart discusses a career spanning seven decades and recounts his humble beginnings in Yorkshire, England, and his ascent to the heights of stage and screen. He has amassed fans of his work with the Royal Shakespeare Company, and in the roles of Captain Jean-Luc Picard in “Star Trek the Next Generation” and Professor Charles Xavier in multiple X-Men films, to name a few.
I have been a fan of Patrick Stewart since seeing him in the miniseries “I, Claudius” in 1978, and was an avid “Star Trek: Next Generation” watcher from the inception of the show, and was lucky to experience his one-man stage production of Charles Dicken’s “A Christmas Carol” in the early 1990s. I enjoyed learning about his life and the relationships that made him the actor and person he is today.
Though he has reached a pinnacle of fame and critical acclaim, Stewart writes with a tone of humility and gratitude toward the people who helped him in his journey.
I highly recommend this memoir, especially the audio book version. Hearing Sir Patrick tell his own stories in his familiar voice is a joy.
JESSICA:
Thanks, Lorraine! Stewart has done such a wide range of work on stage and screen, with hopefully many more roles to come.
Next, let’s hear about an unexpected road trip across America from Kathy, librarian at the Snohomish Library. Take it away, Kathy.
KATHY:
Do you like to watch movies from the 1950s? Do you like road trip stories? This book, “The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles is for you.
The story starts off in June 1954, when eighteen-year-old Emmett Watson is driven home to Nebraska by the warden of the work farm where he has just served a year for involuntary manslaughter. But with strong echoes of the ancient Greek story “The Iliad,” where Ulysses comes within sight of home only to be blown off course, each colorful character in this story seems to move further away from their goal the more they strive for it.
Emmett may aim to head West from Nebraska to California to find their long-missing mother, but instead he and his preternaturally intelligent yet innocently sweet young brother Billy — along with two other abandoned teens — end up in New York City. Along this madcap journey, each vibrant, quirky character is trying for a fresh start, and although each is deeply flawed, each is well-meaning (even the seemingly bad guy). With a hint of tragedy looming from the opening pages and a sense of the inevitable, you know fate will play its part. Told from multiple points of view, this richly layered story will stay with you long after you finish the last page.
JESSICA:
Thanks, Kathy! This sounds like a fantastic story of brothers, friendship, and the spirit of adventure.
Our recommendations this week are: “Making It So: A Memoir” by Patrick Stewart and “The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles.
Join us next time, when we’ll explore more great reading recommendations — interesting books you can find at your favorite local bookstore or at your local library.
Until then, I’m Jessica Russell from Sno-Isle Libraries.
Thanks for joining us for Book Buzz on KSER.
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