May is here at last: flora flourishes as fauna frolic and flirt in the flush of spring. Now is the time for digging, dousing, adapting, and, finally, rollicking in the aftermath. The turning of the calendar page also means that we are one-third of the way through our Yearlong Reading Challenge at the library. This year’s theme is In Time, an examination of the perpetual fabric that directs the motions and stories of our lives. Thus far we have explored Microhistories, Alternative Histories, Time Travel, and Transitional Times.

If you are just learning about the Reading Challenge now, it’s not too late to join! Stop in at the library to get your reading challenge booklet and register online with Beanstack. Online registration is not necessary, however, if you do choose to register, you can earn an entry into a prize drawing by logging your reading on Beanstack each month; we even threw in a couple free monthly prize entries (no reading required). Completing all twelve categories (even if you started late) will earn you an entry into our Grand Prize drawing at the end of the year!

This month we are delving into Cultural Artifacts: stories and objects from the past that continue to influence our lives and legends today. We have plenty of book ideas on our website and at our 2nd floor display to get you started. Our reading challenge participants are welcome to interpret each month’s category however they see fit, so feel free to investigate any artifact that catches your eye!

Here’s a taste of May’s featured titles:

Nonfiction:

Pirate Enlightenment, or, The Real Libertalia by David Graeber

An anthropological dive into the influence European swashbucklers had on the cultural revelations/revolutions of the 17th and 18th centuries and vice versa.

The Night Parade by Jami & Cori Nakamura Lin

This poignant memoir about family, culture, and coming to terms with oneself is paralleled through the lenses of Japanese & Taiwanese folklore complete with lush illustrations for a highly immersive experience.

Fiction:

How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann

A darkly humorous take on classic fairy tales focusing on five fictionally familiar women and their personal experiences with the manipulative wolves of modern reality.

Drive Your Plow Over the Bones of the Dead by Olga Tokarczuk

This Nobel Prize in Literature winning detective novel is overflowing with twisted fairy tale tropes and curiously eccentric characters, prepare to be thrilled and mystified.

Graphic Novel:

Diaries of War: Two Visual Accounts from Ukraine and Russia by Nora Krug

A vivid report on the personal and cultural impacts of the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine told from the juxtaposed viewpoints of a reporter and artist on either side of the front lines.

Mage and the Endless Unknown by S.J. Miller

A story told entirely in art, we follow the epic journey of a young mage as they explore the dark unknowns of cosmic entities and personal identity.

So, get outside, find your own verdant patch of verdure, and sink into the strata of your next literary quarry!

Still looking for more to explore?!? We will be dropping details about our Summer at the Library Reading Program in the coming weeks. Running from June 2nd to August 15th, it will feature more reading, more prizes, and a ton of activities!