|
Home
Author Events
About the Odyssey
Searching for Books
Booklovers' Program
Gallery
Staff Picks
On the Air
Book Group page
First Editions Club
Used/Remainders
Mysteries
Literary Links
Directions
Employment
Contact Us
Read Our Blog
MHC Books & Gifts
MHC Textbook Center
 The
Odyssey Gallery
Pictures of recent events
The Odyssey Bookshop is one of five independent
bookstores participating in WAMC's Roundtable on Tuesday mornings,
just after the 10:00 news. People from the Odyssey will be on about once a
month, talking about our favorite books.
Click
here to see the list of the books we have talked about.
The Odyssey Bookshop
9 College St.
S. Hadley, MA 01075
413-534-7307
800-540-7307
fax 413-532-3654
email odysseybks@aol.com
|
Darcy's picks
Click on any title to
order
Back to staff
list
 Salvation;
Black People and Love by bell hooks.
I love bell hooks (such an insightful social critic, such an
activist, and she writes with such pointed
clarity…*sigh*), and who doesn't love love? hooks is very clear
about defining love as a force that does not bring an end to
difficulties, rather it is one that makes them easier to bear, and the
book is a passionate plea to bring love to the forefront of social
action. She reflects on the role of love in various factions of the
civil rights movement, and calls out the dangers of action, and life,
without love. Martin Luther King Jr. consistently advocated loving thy
enemy, but hooks highlights what was lost by not advocating self-love
with the same vigor, and what may be gained by addressing both aims
now. bell hooks is a wonderful writer, a fantastic activist, and
someone whom I am constantly in awe of, and this book is truly
elegant.
 Lives
of the Planets by Richard Corfield.
This book is about space exploration as much as it is about the
planets themselves, and I totally dig it. Corfield's writing is
engaging and interesting and full of information. He offers a
historical perspective for our understanding of the solar system by
framing the things we know (or have believed at some point) about the
various celestial bodies with the discoveries which brought us to
them, from Stonehenge to Spudnik and beyond. This is a fun read, and I
care much more about space exploration than I did when I started it.
Generation
Dead by Daniel Waters.
This book is pretty great, a zombie teen flick of a book that kept
my attention and wasn't actually about horror or gore. Written from
the perspective of a goth girl with an unorthodox crush, this is the
story of a high school struggling to meet the needs of growing numbers
of undead (erm, bionically challenged) students. The book is as much
about coming to terms with difference and prejudice as it is about
reanimated corpses, as these zombies actually don't eat brains, don't
know why they came back, and retain varying degrees of the personality
and awareness they carried as living teenagers. Some zombies play
football, some listen to death metal, all are trying to come to terms
with their unexplained and incomplete reanimation, and all are
fighting to fit in and not get killed by spooked people with
old-fashioned notions of what makes someone evil.
 King:
Pilgrimage to the Mountaintop by Harvard Sitkoff.
This
book is great. I learned so much about the American Civil Rights
movement. Sitkoff offers a solid historical framework for King's life,
and clearly addresses the many civil rights groups at work at the time
without seeming to lay judgement on any one group's goals. At first I
was surprised at how harsh Sitkoff seemed to be about describing Dr.
King's school years and early career, but then I re-read Sitkoff's
Preface commitment to addressing the life of Dr. King as a man. An
amazing man, yes, but a human still, with flaws and doubts as well as
dreams and skills, and that complexity makes him all the more
impressive. Sitkoff's opening notes wisely remind us of the dangers of
canonizing the man and ignoring the struggle's messages, which are
still so relevant
today. ~ Darcy
 OFF
ARMAGEDDON REEF by David
Weber. The human race has been hunted almost
to extinction, tracked by the energy signatures of their technology. The
remaining leaders enact a last-chance re-colonization effort, shipping a
group of volunteers far far away, brainwashing them and seeding their
culture with memories, and a totalitarian religion intended to keep them
safely luddite. Luckily a splinter group saves everything necessary to
build a resistance with an android with super-human powers and one of
the planners' personalities/consciousnesses. Weber explores politics
between church and state, kingdom and warfare, medieval technology and
artificially introduced advances, and the experience of this protagonist
replicant/android/superhuman, the only one to know humankind’s true
history. I enjoyed submersing myself in this world, and did not want it
to end.
 JIMMY
CORRIGAN THE SMARTEST KID ON EARTH by Chris Ware.
This is the brilliant, poignant chronicle of Jimmy Corrigan’s life.
This novel is absolutely gripping both for Ware’s characteristic
drawing style and for the depth and clarity of our protagonist’s
sadness. My heart ached for Corrigan through the whole thing, and I
recognized the complexity of his struggles. Make no mistake, Corrigan as
an adult is a shadow of the man he could have been, but his story is
also so familiar, so current, and so honest. Corrigan could be any of
the thousand strangers you pass on the street, and Ware holds his story
gently, but looks honestly at it. This book is beautiful.
 FUN
HOME by Alison Bechdel.
Bechdel’s award-winning autobiographical graphic novel is stunning.
She uses the experiences of her childhood and young adult life to
explore her relationship with her father, both before and after his
suicide. Their relationship rested heavily on their shared literary
experiences, so Bechdel’s exploration of it is likewise littered with
literary references and discussions. Their relationship was also
heavily, albeit indirectly, shaped by their sexual orientations, and
Bechdel explores these themes with a sharp literary eye and a powerful
sense of clarity. She also applies her fierce honesty to the experience
of loss, and of absence. If you have never read a graphic novel, this is
an excellent place to begin.
 THE
BOTANY OF DESIRE by Michael Pollan.
What a wonderful piece of non-fiction. This book opened my eyes to
humans’ role in the evolution of the plants around us, and in turn
reminded me that we’re all still part of the web of life, no matter
how distant we feel. Pollan proposes that plants have dictated our
behavior at least as much as we have theirs, then lays out his case
using four species to represent four different roles plants frequently
play in human life. This one is a joy to read: thoughtful,
philosophical, and never too dense, but still solidly researched
non-fiction.
 SPACEMAN
BLUES, by Brian Slattery
This book
caught me in a quick-spun net of words, and I was mesmerized. I can only
describe it as a fanciful apocalyptic science fiction love story,
dressed in an ode to New York City. Don’t let this book sink into
science-fiction obscurity, it is so much more!! A man with countless
mysterious connections disappears, his apartment explodes, and an entire
underclass mourns. The lover left behind vows to find him, so embarks on
a quest that opens his eyes to unknown layers of city life, and
transforms him from a simple man to one who seeks. Meanwhile a doomsday
church actually discovers a legitimate warning, marauding creatures
terrorize the city, and each character unknowingly prepares for life at
the end of the good times. This novel is music, it reads like slam
poetry, and it made me want to dance. It’s fun
 THIRTEEN
MOONS by Charles Frazier
(Random House $26.95). In a 19th century frontier town, Will tells the
story of his life. Steeped in the politics of Native American land
transfer and theft, Frazier touches on the Trail of Tears, the
Civil War, and the isolation carried by orphans everywhere. He
treats these topics gently, by filtering them through the narrative of a
man worn smooth by time. Will's story is improbable, yet
compelling. While reading Thirteen Moons I found myself thinking
about the story during the day, sometimes turning over a phrase to think
about it in a different way. I loved this novel. ~ Darcy
STATIC:
Government Liars, Media Cheerleaders, and the People Who Fight Back
by Amy Goodman and David Goodman (Hyperion $23.95). Wow,
this book is full of things I did not know about our media and our
government. This is essential reading for the political activist in
your family. I thought I was pretty well informed about the
government media machine, but this book taught me so much more. Please,
read this book, then pass it on. More than anything, it convinced
me that the time is ripe for an independent media revolution. ~ Darcy *Signed
copies available*
 THE
THEORY OF ALMOST EVERYTHING by Robert Oerter (Plume
$15). Oerter’s premise is that pretty theories like String Theory get
all the press, but are strikingly low on substance, whereas the Standard
Model of Elementary Particles is wonderfully bizarre, well developed,
and incredibly accurate. Without minimizing the theory's
shortcomings, he does an excellent job of exploring its evolution and
successes (pretty tremendous, if under-reported). Sensibly
organized, well written, and enjoyable to read; this is the sort of book
you read for a bit, set down and think about, then spend half an hour
marveling at the weird implications of what you just read. Delightful
– I recommend it for armchair scientists and professionals alike.
~ Darcy
 THE
MAYAS by Davide Dominici (White
Star Publishers $35). This is one gorgeous “coffee-table” book!
Dominici blends vibrant imagery with a chronological discussion of
Mesoamerican culture, from the earliest records up to the Spanish
conquest of the 1500s. Addressing every major cultural period with
loads of images and some well-written background, this book really
opened my eyes to the variety of Mayan culture. I would get lost
in a picture and marvel in awe, then in the next section find images
equally beautiful but drastically different. This book is lush and
fascinating. ~ Darcy
|
