Lima Public Library Book Reviews

FICTION

The Slowworm’s Song by Andrew Miller

An ex-soldier and recovering alcoholic living quietly in Somerset, Stephen Rose has just begun to form a bond with the daughter he barely knows when he receives a summons – to an inquiry into an incident during the Troubles in Northern Ireland. It is the return of what Stephen hoped he had outdistanced. Above all, to testify would jeopardise the fragile relationship with his daughter. And if he loses her, he loses everything.

Love and War in the Jewish Quarter by Dora Levy Mossanen

Against the tumultuous background of World War II, Dr. Yaran will find himself caught in the thrall of the anti-Semitic Governor General, the most powerful man in the country. Dr. Yaran falls in love with the Governor General’s defiant wife, Velvet, upending not only the life of the doctor’s beloved daughter, but the entire community. His sole ally is the Governor General’s servant, an exotic eunuch, who will do anything to aid his mistress in her dangerous quest to attain forbidden love.

Lech by Sara Lippmann

A mother recovering from an abortion in a Borscht Belt rental. An eccentric aging landlord, haunted by a mysterious death. A grief-stricken Hasid. A scheming real estate agent looking for her break, her dogged daughter longing for her way out (specifically, a career as a human mermaid), and her addict boyfriend mired in it. These lives—strangers, neighbors, family, friends—entwine and separate over the course of one fevered upstate summer.

Aesthetica by Allie Rowbottom

At 19, she was an Instagram celebrity. Now, at 35, she works behind the cosmetic counter at the “black and white store,” peddling anti-aging products to women seeking physical and spiritual transformation. She too is seeking rebirth. She’s about to undergo the high-risk, elective surgery Aesthetica™, a procedure that will reverse all her past plastic surgery procedures, returning her, she hopes, to a truer self. Provided she survives the knife.

NON-FICTION

Like a Rolling Stone: A Memoir by Jann S. Wenner

Jann Wenner has been called by his peers “the greatest editor of his generation.” His deeply personal memoir vividly describes and brings you inside the music, the politics, and the lifestyle of a generation, an epoch of cultural change that swept America and beyond. The age of rock and roll in an era of consequence, what will be considered one of the great watersheds in modern history.

Radius: A Story of Feminist Revolution by Yasmin El-Rifae

In 2012, the joyful hopes of the democratic Egyptian Revolution were tempered by revelations of mass sexual assault in Tahrir Square in Cairo. This is the story of the women and men who formed Opantish – Operation Anti-Sexual Harassment – who deployed hundreds of volunteers to intervene in the spiraling cases of sexual violence against women protesters in the square. Often, they risked assault themselves.

Houses That Can Save the World by Courtenay Smith

Nothing short of a design revolution is underway as architects, designers, engineers, self-builders, and artists confront climate change, polluting plastics, global migration, rapidly expanding cities and an aging population. Part handbook, part manifesto, Houses That Can Save the World shows how creative thinkers are embracing the new challenges we are all facing.

Of Knives and Men: Great Knifecrafters of the World and Their Works by Francois-Xavier Salle

Knifemaking has benefited through the use of old and new materials, and new techniques that combine traditional metallurgy with advanced technology and aeronautical craftsmanship, using metal powders. Most of all, thanks to a new generation of cutlers from every continent, artisans, artists, designers and crafters have made a wild variety of beautiful knives that are beyond most people’s standard idea of a plain cutting tool.

CHILDREN’S

Magic Ramen: The Story of Momofuku Ando by Andrea Wang

Amid the rubble of Japan after WWII, Momufuku Ando encountered people who were lined up in the bitter cold for the tiniest bit of food. The world is peaceful only when everyone has enough to eat, he thought. Ando decided that he would make feeding the hungry his life’s work. He experimented with recipes trying to create a new kind of noodle soup that was quick, easy to prepare, nutritious and inexpensive. After much trial and error, with persistence, creativity and inspiration, he finally succeeded and instant ramen was born. Today, millions of people enjoy Ando’s Cup Noodle and other brands every day. Slurp up the true story behind one of the world’s most popular foods with this manga-style book.

Ages: 4 – 8

LIBRARY OPEN

• Lima Public Library is open to the public six days a week. Hours for the Main Library in Lima are 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday. Our Cairo, Elida and Spencerville branch libraries are open 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Our Lafayette branch is open from 12 noon to 7 p.m. on Tuesday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Friday.

• Curbside pickup is available at the Main Library from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. weekdays, and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday. Arrangements can be made by calling 567-712-5239, contacting the library through Facebook Messenger, or putting a hold on a book through the online catalog. 24 hour notice is required. Call us when you arrive (park near the main entrance) and your items will be brought to you.