Looking for your next great read? See what the Newfields librarians are reading and loving this month…
Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman
“The United States themselves are essentially the greatest poem…Here is not merely a nation but a teeming nation of nations. Here is action untied from strings necessarily blind to particulars and details magnificently moving in vast masses. Here is the hospitality which forever indicates heroes…” -Walt Whitman, from Leaves of Grass
April, for me, is the real start of spring. It’s no longer that weird transitional period between winter and spring where it’s muddy and cold. It is the start of regrowth: grass becomes greener, buds of flowers bloom, birds are chirping, leaves grow. All of this nature just comes back to life and I want to be surrounded by it! And what better way to truly be surrounded by nature and feeling, than by reading poetry.
Poetry has always been rather hit or miss for me. I either get it, or it feels like I am reading the language from an extraterrestrial. However, with Walt Whitman, the way he writes is just beautiful. It’s in a free flowing mystical style that feels really unique to him, that I can still somehow really resonate with. While repetitive with some ideas and imagery, at his absolute best, he is revelatory.
Leaves of Grass is the culmination of Whitman’s life’s work, still technically one massive poem itself, but separated into chapters and sections to make it more digestible. Weaving his thoughts of nature, love, life, and America through pure and raw verse, it’s a strangely modern take in some ways, but also very profound and refreshing. It is just such a humble and intimate way of celebrating the things that Whitman thought were worth celebrating, and it is beautiful.
I had no idea I would be reinvigorated for life and spring by a text from 1855. But here I am, with energy, optimism, and love for the road ahead.
This book is available in both our physical library collection and in ebook format on the Libby app.
-Lauren B.
The Last Love Note by Emma Grey
You may never stop loving the one you lost. But you can still find love again.
Kate is a bit of a mess. Two years after losing her young husband Cameron, she’s grieving, solo parenting, working like mad at her university fundraising job, always dropping the ball—and yet clinging to her sense of humor.
Lurching from one comedic crisis to the next, she also navigates an overbearing mom and a Tinder-obsessed best friend who’s determined to matchmake Kate with her hot new neighbor.
When an in-flight problem leaves Kate and her boss, Hugh, stranded for a weekend on the east coast of Australia, she finally has a chance, away from her son, to really process her grief and see what’s right in front of her.
Can she let go of the love of her life and risk her heart a second time? -Goodreads
It took me a little bit to get into this but once I did, I was invested. I’m not generally drawn to stories about loss, but this was written so beautifully without feeling like a drag.
I didn’t read much about the book’s synopsis or the author beforehand but it was not at all a surprise to learn that the author wrote from experience. It was very clear from the writing, descriptions and character’s development that the author understood grief intimately. It made for an exquisite, albeit heartbreaking, story and one that made me feel for Kate more than I have for other characters in other stories of grief that I’ve read.
The story obviously has some heavy themes and emotions but overall I never felt weighed down—the writing is poignant but also funny, relatable, and self-deprecating. I really enjoyed all the characters and thought the pacing was spot on.
I particularly liked that we see everything from Kates point of view and the author does a great job illustrating just how understandably oblivious Kate is to some of the dynamics around her because she is still so wrapped in her grief. As a result, when the possibility of romance presents itself, Kate is endearingly the last to recognize it.
Overall, a lovely and tender story about love, grief and new beginnings that felt real and wholesome without being trite, heavy or saccharine. This book will make you laugh, cry, and think deeply.
Bonus: The story is written by an Australian author and based in Australia, which was a fun departure from my U.S.-centered reads.
This book is available to check out from our collection and via ebook on the Libby app and audiobook on the hoopla app.
-Brittney T.
