Book Buzz: Problematic Siblings, Foodie Friends, Intergenerational Trauma, Talented Monsters, Courtroom Drama, and Derailed Safaris

Every month, we’re profiling new-ish releases that are getting critical and commercial buzz. For September, we’re looking at historical fiction about one of America’s most infamous families, a sweet tale of food-based friendship, a magical realism family saga, an atmospheric Victorian gothic fantasy, a well-researched chronicle of legal battles over agricultural pollution, and an audiobook thriller.

John Carreyrou’s Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup (2018)

The rise and fall of Elizabeth Holmes has been in the news a lot lately. I must confess I was busy with grad school when the one-time whiz kid of Silicon Valley first rocketed to fame in the 2010s. So, I missed all the initial glowing coverage and attention lavished on the Stanford dropout who created Theranos, a multi-billion-dollar biotech startup that promised to change the way health care worked in America, and was lauded as the next Steve Jobs. Consequently, when Holmes and Theranos were finally outed as frauds in a shocking investigation by a Wall Street Journal reporter, I didn’t pay much attention to the coverage then either.

But after hearing a lot of buzz about Bad Blood, the book about Theranos that was written by the investigative reporter who brought the whole scheme tumbling down, I was intrigued enough to request we purchase it for the library. And I’m so glad I did–this is a wild read and an incredibly engrossing one at that. I had trouble putting the book down. (Thanks so much to Julie for adding it to the collection!)

Cookbook Corner: Quick and Easy

In honor of our Books, Spice, and Everything Nice theme (and spice club!), we’ll be doing a monthly round-up of our cookbooks. We have a really nice and extensive collection, but it’s easy to get lost in the sheer number of them. Hopefully these posts help! For September, we’ll be focusing on cookbooks that help you get dinner on the table when you’re pressed for time and ideas.

Books, Spice, and Everything Nice: Allspice

For 2022, the Berryville Library is hosting its own Books, Spice, and Everything Nice spice club. Stop by the library to get the spice of the month and then stop by the blog on the first Tuesday of the month for recipes and more information on the featured spice. We’ll also be adding monthly posts about cookbooks in our collection. For September, our spice is allspice!