Published:
James by Percival Everett
Told from the perspective of Jim, Huckleberry Finn’s traveling companion from the Mark Twain classic, James is an extraordinary depiction of slavery in antebellum Missouri. The book uncovers the casual cruelty and ever present threat of violence James and his fellow slaves must endure. It also has the effect of transforming a character...from the simple and comical in Twain to the gifted and extraordinary in Everett. You don’t need to have read Huckleberry Finn to appreciate this book, it stands very much on its own merit.
An Appalachian reimagining of Charles Dickens’ David Copperfield, Demon Copperhead manages to pay homage to its Dickensian roots with rip roaring storytelling and memorable characters, while remaining authentic to its own time and place. Abandoned by the world around him, young Demon Copperhead comes of age in an Appalachian county reeling from dire poverty, a raging drug epidemic and broken families. But tight knit community and kind souls remain, presenting young Demon with the hope that things might just look up one day.
Journalist Rebecca Mead has read and re-read Middlemarch by George Eliott countless times throughout her life. As she navigates all of the challenges that come with growing up, from break ups to career transitions and parenthood, Eliott’s masterpiece comes back to offer a different perspective each time. Part criticism, part memoir, this book offers a charming glimpse of the meaning books can hold in our lives.
A retelling of Homer’s Odyssey told through the eyes of the minor goddess Circe, this novel captivates the imagination with a beguiling take on what it means to be unwanted and shunned. Rejected by her family due to her lack of looks and power, Circe finds herself exiled to the island of Aiaia, where a number of encounters with gods and men leave her lonely and embittered. And then comes the fateful day when Odysseus and his men land at the island’s shores...
About the Author
Robert Quinn is a Library Associate at the Watha T Daniel Shaw Neighborhood Library where he loves spending his days surrounded by books. An Irish native, Robert enjoys reading many genres, in particular literary and historical fiction. When not at work he can be found at his piano or enjoying a hike in one of DC's many beautiful green spaces.