Literary Life and Death

The Memory Library by Kate Storey

From the Jacket

For forty-two years, Sally Harrison has been building a library.

Each year, on her daughter's birthday, she adds a new book to her shelves – with a note in the front dedicated to her own greatest work.

But Ella – Sally's only child – fled to Australia twenty-one years ago after a heated exchange, and never looked back.

From the Discussion

"I enjoyed The Memory Library. While it was an easy read for me, I found the topics covered interesting and thoughtfully written. It would make a great book club read!" —Laurie_M

"It's one of my favorite books that I wish I could read again for the first time. Having experienced a similar, but different situation with my mother, I found myself exploring Ella/my part of the relationship." —Cindy_R

Also, see what people are saying in response to this question: "Do you use your local library? If so, what services do you take advantage of that your library offers? Why do you think libraries are important?"

The Secret History of the Rape Kit by Pagan Kennedy

"Imagine a scenario where a social worker named Marty Goddard with no medical or forensic expertise was able to design a kit for medical workers to gather forensic evidence from someone who had been raped...author Pagan Kennedy, after learning of Goddard's role in the development of the kit, goes looking for her. After achieving success against all odds in getting hospitals and law enforcement to use the rape kits, Goddard disappears from view, and the story becomes one of tracing her down...This is a well-written saga, a real 'true crime story.' I recommend it to all for a better understanding of the woman who gave rape victims a chance for justice." —Jim T. (North Ridgeville, OH)

"This book is richly layered with topics that cross genres, from mystery, biography, social commentary to crime story. Pagan Kennedy's book is profoundly moving and inspirational." —Pamela K. (Churchville, NY)

"I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in women's history and anyone who is concerned about the current climate surrounding women and decisions regarding women's bodies. I would recommend this to book clubs who are used to dealing with emotionally charged subjects." —Mountain lover Colorado

This issue of The BookBrowse Review contains reviews and "beyond the book" articles for 14 titles, including Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor, The Capital of Dreams by Heather O'Neill, and City of Night Birds by Juhea Kim.

We also bring you author interviews, book club recommendations, a giveaway of John Dufresne's My Darling Boy, and much more.

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Death of the Author by Nnedi Okorafor

Zelu is a frustrated writer, annoyed by her self-important students and the adjunct teaching load that prevents her from completing her own literary novel. When an outburst in the classroom results in her dismissal from the Chicago university where she teaches, she embarks on a new and surprising writing project: a science fiction novel set on a post-apocalyptic Earth.

In that novel, eventually titled Rusted Robots (and included in excerpts that alternate with the narrative focused on Zelu), a robot named Ankara navigates a Lagos devoid of humans. There, those like her (humanoid robots known as "Humes") are at odds with the AIs (known as "Ghosts") who exist as formless entities and view the Humes, with their fragile, human-made, rusted-out bodies and their allegiance to human stories, as clunky and unnecessary. When Ankara learns a piece of information with devastating implications for the planet, she must negotiate a relationship not only with the world's last remaining human but also with one of those formless Ghosts, Ijele, who takes up residence in her circuitry.

Death of the Author is, despite its title, a beautiful and affirming tale of the power of human stories, one that will certainly resonate with readers who have felt this power in their own lives. ... continued

Review by Norah Piehl

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