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Books and Bites
JCPL librarians bring you book recommendations and discuss the bites and beverages to pair with them.
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Carrie: [00:00:00] Welcome to the Books and Bites Podcast. Each month we bring you book recommendations and discuss the bites and beverages to pair with them. I'm Carrie Green, and I'm here with my co hosts, Michael Cunningham and Jacqueline Cooper.
Michael: Hello.
Jacqueline: Hello, everyone.
Carrie: This month, we're discussing books set in or about the outdoors.
One of the prompts on the Books and Bites Bingo Reading Challenge. And I think, back when we were planning our prompt schedule, we were thinking about the fact that Earth Day is April 22nd, National Park Week is April 20th through the 28th. Might be a great time to visit Camp Nelson National Monument, our national park here in Jessamine County.
And Jacqueline, you were also saying it's just a great time to be outdoors.
Jacqueline: Yeah, spring is here, the flowers are coming up, the violets, the dandelions, lots of vitamin D out there if you get out there and get that sunshine.
Carrie: Yes.
Jacqueline: A lot of plants actually [00:01:00] have medicinal uses if you know how to look for them.
Michael: Yeah, it's a good time to go hiking and also there's a lot of things out there that can kill you in the wild.
Carrie: Um, are we getting a little foreshadowing of, of your book choice?
Jacqueline: My book has a little horror scene in it. For Michael.
Carrie: Oh, yeah? Yeah. Well, um, mine has the horror of climate change, so I guess we're, we're all set, aren't we?
Jacqueline: There we go. Everything has a little horror in it.
Carrie: So the book I read is Diary of a Young Naturalist by Dara McAnulty. Dara McAnulty is a young autistic writer, environmental activist, and [00:02:00] naturalist from Northern Ireland who began writing Diary of a Young Naturalist when he was just 15 years old. The book chronicles one year in his life, from winter to spring.
Dara writes about his experiences in nature with his family, which includes his parents, a younger brother, and a sister. Except for his father, all are autistic. "We're as close as otters," Dara writes of his family, "and huddled together, we make our way in the world. " Dara's joy over the beauty of the natural world is palpable, and his descriptions of the landscape and wildlife, especially his beloved birds, are lyrically and often poetically expressed.
Reading it will remind you to slow down and observe nature. For example, Dara writes of a water boatman that lands on his fleece, " If I hadn't felt it, we might have been deprived of a magical moment. [00:03:00] And it is these tiniest of noticings that bind all of us together. Nature's miracles". Dara shares his anger about climate change and the lack of action from older generations.
Throughout the book, he describes his experiences as an autistic person, including how he copes with bullying and society's behavioral expectations. He also describes the difficulty of processing his thoughts and emotions. In one of the loveliest passages in the book, he shares how snow helps him. " Dimming all sound, snow creates so much space in the mind.
Only in this weather can I process experience in real time with such clarity. " While Dara's writing does sometimes get a bit melodramatic, overall I found it beautifully written and enlightening. I recommend this book for adults who want to understand how young [00:04:00] people feel about climate change, as well as anyone interested in reading books written from a neurodivergent perspective.
And although this book is shelved in the adult collection, it would also be a great choice for older teens. I listened to this on audio and enjoyed Dara's narration. He's very expressive, and it's nice to hear his Northern Irish accent and the pronunciation of some Irish names and words.
It was also nice to hear an actual teenager read the book and not an adult trying to sound like a teenager. There's a map included in the front of the print book, so this would also qualify for the book with a map prompt. Pair Diary of a Young Naturalist with Kale and Bean Stew from Rachel's Irish Family Food by Rachel Allen, available on Hoopla.
It's a hearty vegetarian stew that sounds like the perfect meal after a day spent rambling in the Irish countryside. [00:05:00]
Jacqueline: I think it's interesting that we all chose to read about, a lot of our books are about climate change. My book is also about climate change and the aftermath. If we don't take care of the earth, you know, what will happen?
And will we be able to, how will we be able to survive? And talk about horror, that's pretty horrifying, isn't it, Michael? Oh yeah, there's
Michael: a whole sub genre of like, horror. There's a big eco whore out there. I haven't really gotten too much but I know his name is Tim Levin is like
the
grandfather of that genre.
Jacqueline: Interesting. My, yeah, my book is like they made a lot of mutations in my book where they mess with nature and some of the things that they made, they made these mutts and they're like terrifying. It sounds like, I mean, I was picturing it in my mind and I was just like, Oh [00:06:00] my gosh,
I would much rather come across a bear or something than this because, well, they also, you know, like probably they messed with it, like the genetics, they made it like mean and stuff and animals in nature aren't mean and they really won't attack you. As long as you leave their children alone and, you know, and leave them alone, they'll leave you alone for the most part.
Michael: Have you ever seen that movie Annihilation with Natalie Portman is based on Jeff Vandermeer's book of the Southern Reach trilogy, but there's some horrifying mutations in there like this Instead of roars, it's like a human scream for help, which is absolutely terrifying, especially on the screen.
Jacqueline: That would be terrifying.
Michael: Yeah, so, don't mess with nature.
Carrie: Well, I don't, I don't really want to give the wrong impression about this book, because the The writer is [00:07:00] upset about climate change, but really the focus is on the beauty that he sees in nature and, you know, wanting to save it because of that. So it's not really, the horror is what humans have done to it.
Jacqueline: Yeah, not his book. Yeah.
The book I chose to recommend for this month is The Hunger Games, a dystopian action adventure novel written by Suzanne Collins. The Hunger Games Colin's book was written in 2008 and it is a mainstay of young adult literature. Although the novel has never lost popularity, it had a major resurgence with the release of the prequel, The Ballad of Sunbirds and Snakes movie in 2003, November 2003.
Fans new and old will want to read or reread the [00:08:00] trilogy. Alone, this first novel has won 54 awards, including the American Library Association best book for young adults in 2009, the Kentucky Bluegrass Award, and the California California Young Reader Medal in 2010. As a teen librarian, I have anecdotal evidence that many readers dismissed the novel as just a book about children killing children.
However, Cohen's novels' themes address some pretty tough topics such as wealth inequality, entertainment ethics, the origins and effects of war. The author has stated in a New York Times interview that she came up with the idea for the novel when she was flipping through channels one night between reality television programs and actual footage of the Iraq war.
So it is not surprising that this body of work addresses the disastrous effects of war on the climate and on the people who fight in the wars and the power and illusions of television. This dystopian novel is [00:09:00] set in a post apocalyptic nation of Panem, which was once North America. Panem consists of a wealthy capital city surrounded by 12 originally 13 poor districts ruled by the capitol.
Over 74 years ago, the districts rebelled against the capital citizens. The rebellion was suppressed and the capital emerged as the victor. The people of the Capitol decided to hold the annual game to remind the main districts why revolution will never be tolerated again. The districts must send two people tributes between the ages of 12 and 18 to compete to the death in their tournament known as the hunger games.
The main character, Katniss Everdeen, volunteers to compete when her younger sister, Prim, is chosen to be a tribute for the 12th District. Katniss loves Prim more than anyone. When her mother sinks into a deep depression after her father was killed in a coal mining explosion, Katniss becomes a mother to [00:10:00] Prim.
Despite her young age, 11 year old Katniss must provide for her family. Since Katniss is not old enough to work in the mines, they almost starved the first winner. She realizes if she does not hunt for her family, they will not have enough to eat. A serious problem in the 12th District, where starvation is common.
Since hunting on Capital Land is illegal, she risks being shot when she trespasses on Capital Land to forage and hunt for food. Because of these hardships, Katniss has to be strong, practical, and resourceful. So when she discovers the arena for this year's games has woods and animals, she thinks she might be able to survive.
The other tribute is a kind boy named Peeta. His parents own the local bakery. He has had a crush on Katniss, so he risks beating when he helps Katniss the first winter when her father died. Peeta risks his life to help Katniss stay alive throughout the games. But in the end, there can only be [00:11:00] one winner.
Can she survive the games? Even if she survives, what will it cost her? Will she be the same person if she wins? This work addresses so many complex issues that I think most readers will find something interesting. For my bites, I chose fresh dandelion greens with dandelion dressing from Folic and Fair.
Seeing the dandelions growing in one of the few places that was not destroyed in the rebellion reminded Katniss that the earth can provide healthy and nutritious meals if you know where to look. Dandelions are full of nutrition and the entire plant is edible from the flower to the leaves to the root and I was thinking you could pair this with a quiche and have a light spring meal.
Carrie: Have you ever tried eating dandelions?
Jacqueline: I have not, but I think I'm going to. I asked, uh, my husband, and he said, uh, I'm not eating weeds, so I don't know. [00:12:00]
Carrie: Well, I think weeds are very subjective.
Jacqueline: That's true.
Carrie: Because a lot of people don't, I mean, don't view dandelions as a weed. It's just,
Jacqueline: yeah,
Carrie: it's a flower. I mean, it is a flower, right?
Jacqueline: It is a flower. And a lot of people pick it from their yards and because they think it's a weed and, actually it's very good. It's helps the bees, which helps us, which, so I guess it, We should really not kill it. A lot of people would spray their yards to kill it, which is not good for the climate either.
So I hopefully, I think a lot of these young people realize there's so much that we're doing that we don't need to be doing. And they're making these changes like the young author, he really sees the value in nature that the book you just read.
Carrie: Yeah. And he also, you know, I think there are other young climate activists who feel that way, too, that feel that, you know, his predecessors haven't done enough to, I mean, we've been talking about [00:13:00] these issues for so long, and.
Jacqueline: We have.
Carrie: Clock's still ticking.
Michael: Kind of too late at this point.
Jacqueline: Nature has a way of reversing itself if you leave it alone, and that's, they kind of talk about this in this book, like, that this land that they didn't, that they, barred, and no one can be on, humans can't be on. It's starting to be full of rabbits and bears and beavers because humans aren't there messing with it.
Carrie: Yeah.
Jacqueline: Yeah.
Carrie: They're just messing with each other.
Jacqueline: Yeah. Oh, that's true. That's true.
Carrie: Have you seen the new Hunger Games, or movie?
Jacqueline: Yes. It's really good. Yeah, the movies stay pretty close to the books. There's not that much of it. Like I would say, you know, how off there is a few subtle changes.
But for the most part, it's pretty true to the, the idea and what's behind the [00:14:00] books, I think. So I would recommend it. I would recommend reading it first, because I always recommend reading the book first.
Carrie: Yeah, I read the first book and then watched subsequent movies, but I haven't seen this in this one, the most recent one.
Jacqueline: Yeah.
Carrie: But I think also the author, wasn't she a screenwriter?
Jacqueline: She did. She wrote for television. She's written for television and she's written a lot of children's books actually, Gregor the Overlander and I'm not sure of all of the books, but she's pretty well, she's very prolific writer.
Carrie: Well, I just thought maybe that because she wrote for the screen originally, maybe that's why they translated well.
Jacqueline: Oh, that's true. Yeah.
Carrie: To movies.
Jacqueline: That's a good thought.
Carrie: Anyway.
Jacqueline: Yeah.
Carrie: Yeah. Thanks.
Jacqueline: Thank you.[00:15:00]
Michael: My outdoor recommendation is this Wretched Valley. Absolutely. The debut from Jenny Kiefer, a Kentucky author and owner of the amazing horror bookstore, Butcher Cabin Books in Louisville, Kentucky. In the spring of 2019, after Clay, a geology student at UK discovers a pristine cliff face in the Kentucky wilderness of Rockcastle County, he puts together a group of climbers, Dylan and her boyfriend, Luke, and a fellow UK student, Sylvia, to document the first climb of this newly discovered rock face.
Seven months later, Dylan is missing, and the rest have been found dead in the Kentucky wilderness in inexplicable states of decay. Sylvia is found as a pristine, intact skeleton. Clay's emaciated remains are found with a ribcage folded outwards, and then Luke is discovered missing his eyes, tongue, toes, and fingers.
To piece together what transpired, we go back to that fateful spring as the group trecks into the woods of Rockcastle [00:16:00] County. As they hike their way to the rock face, which is the potential to be life changing, especially for Clay and Dylan, they continuously come across weird and ominous signs that something is not right with these woods.
And then once they ascend into the valley and make camp of the rock wall, they start seeing things out in the surrounding woods and slowly realize that something doesn't want them to leave. The tension and dread were expertly ratcheted up right to the limb in having you race to the end to know what happened, what stood out to me throughout was the way she was able to convey the disorienting nature of the woods, especially when you leave the safety of an established trail.
And sprinkled throughout are little nuggets of short chapters about the past victims of the valley that I found to be compelling and gave an extra dimension to the antagonist, the valley itself. I find that horror novels are heavily influenced by horror films and are frequently compared to each other, especially when they have similar tropes and vibes.
And this book is no different. So in terms of films, this book is the [00:17:00] Blair Witch Project meets what I consider the highly underrated Ghost Ship from 2002. There was even a direct homage to the Blair Witch Project and the hallucinatory replaying of the Valley's past events seem to be directly pulled from the movie Ghost Ship.
And for me, that was really the cherry on top of this excellent outdoor horror story. And to add to the creep factor, this story was inspired by the real life unsolved mystery, usually referred to as the Dyatlov Pass incident, where a group of nine Soviet college kids in the fifties trekked into the Ural mountains, and then are later found in various states of decay with severe trauma to the chest and head.
And one was even found with traces of radiation. The Soviet investigators concluded it was quote unquote, a compelling natural force. It's a super fascinating mystery. And if you get a chance, I would look it up. On their ill fated trip from Lexington to Livingston, the climbers all enjoy bottles of Ale8, an [00:18:00] unquestioned Kentucky staple.
So I included it in a recipe for a Kentucky mule, a drink similar to a mint julep. This is found on the foodnetwork. com. It calls for ice, half an ounce of lime juice, two ounces of bourbon, your choice, and four to six ounces of Ale8. Absolutely perfect, for springtime.
Jacqueline: Sounds refreshing.
Michael: It is.
Especially after our long climb or hike in the woods.
Jacqueline: Yeah.
Carrie: Yeah.
Michael: If you make it.
Carrie: If you dare. Now, was this, John David told me about a book recently that took place in his home county. Was this, this one? Okay.
Michael: Yeah.
Carrie: So he's from Rockcastle County.
Michael: Yeah. And when he started talking about the valley, he had a, this spooky story he had about another.
Valley or Holler around Rock [00:19:00] Castle that has some real spooky history to it and folklore. I was like, I wonder if they're related. I don't think they do, but, I mean, yeah, there's some spooky stuff out there in Rock Castle.
Carrie: And have you been to her bookstore?
Michael: Yes. I've been there once, I'm planning to go back hopefully next week.
Carrie: Oh, yeah.
Michael: So, yeah, I love it. It's really cool.
Jacqueline: You really have to respect nature. You, if you don't, it can, you know, like I was re, I started to read this book called The Climb and it was about, this man that was taking people up to Mount Everest and you know, it's, if you're not prepared, you, it could be,
Michael: Oh yeah.
Jacqueline: It's cold up there.
Michael: Yeah. Yeah. It's been a couple of years, but I used to go to the Red River Gorge, the natural bridge area, do hiking quite frequently. And there's always stories of some people just don't know what they're doing. They fall off, you know, they get lost, they, you know, go off these, [00:20:00] you know, unofficial trails.
Jacqueline: Yeah. You have to stay on the trail.
Michael: You gotta know what you're doing and people don't, they just go out there and get lost or fall or.
Jacqueline: Where I'm from, there's a place called Clifty Falls, and it's a, it's a park and there's some pretty steep, um, steep places there. And they tell you, don't get off the path in several places. Sounds kind of like Little Red Riding Hood, right? Stay on the path.
Carrie: Yeah, I mean there's been several accidents at Raven Run since I've moved here. It always amazes me, too, when we're out hiking, when you see people, like, wearing flip flops.
Michael: Yes.
Carrie: When they're hiking, like.
Michael: What are you doing?
Jacqueline: I don't think I could hike in flip flops.
Carrie: I know! I can't really walk in flip flops, much less, like, flip flops are for the shower, or for the beach, to your car, you know? [00:21:00]
Jacqueline: Maybe they were just going on a short hike. I don't know.
Carrie: I don't know.
Jacqueline: I don't know either.
Carrie: Anyway. So, go outdoors, but don't wear flip flops, and watch out for the creepy crawly things.
Michael: Yeah. Peace. Stay away from the bears.
Carrie: Does this episode make you want to get outdoors? I don't know. Maybe, maybe take your book outside and read outside to check off another Books and Bites bingo square.
Jacqueline: Good idea.
Carrie: Jacquelyn, did you want to share? We had some, participants share some book recommendations on the Books and Bites Facebook page.
Did you want to share one of those?
Jacqueline: Sure. Yeah. One of our patrons [00:22:00] recommended Revenger by Alastair Reynolds and really enjoyed it. It is a science fiction book which includes space travel, space pirates, and revenge. It moves at a good pace and the ending is not quite predictable. If you like space and pirates, pick it up.
Carrie: Sounds like a good one. Sounds like a good alternative to depressing outdoor stories.
Thanks for listening to the Books and Bites podcast. To learn more about Books and Bites Bingo, visit us at jesspublib.org/books-bites. Our theme music is The Breakers from the album In Close Quarters with the Enemy by Scott Whiddon. You can learn more about Scott and his music at his website adoorforadesk.com