It’s about to happen again — February on the Vineyard. While Vineyard winters aren’t what they used to be, the long nights of the shortest month are still, arguably, the best time of the year for a literary hibernation. Maybe you’re inclined to dust off an old favorite, tackle the classics, or catch up with new releases. Or maybe you’re not sure what to read this winter. If that’s the case, the good news is there’s still a library in every town, and two terrific bookstores on the Island that remain open year-round, and all are staffed with librarians and booksellers who are eager to talk about books.
Amy Ryan, director of the Vineyard Haven library, recommended that people browse through the list of well over 100 “Alternative Classics” on the library’s website, vhlibrary.org/alternative.shtml. This incredible curated list of books is described as “great works from around the world that may not traditionally be thought of as classics … they are diverse, and capture many different voices.” It includes some titles that many of us read in school, such as “The Bell Jar” by Sylvia Plath; books that have been the subject of book-banning controversies, such as “Maus” by Art Spiegelman; and powerful newer releases like “Between the World and Me” by Ta-Nehisi Coates.
The Vineyard Haven library is also hosting Philip Weinstein’s course on American short stories. No longer at the Katharine Cornell Theater — which has been taken over for too long by the town of Tisbury — Weinstein’s popular deep dive into the classics course is now online. The talks he has already given were recorded, and can be viewed at vimeo.com/showcase/10017344.
Ebba Hierta, director of the Chilmark library, reminded me of something I didn’t already know, which technically isn’t a reminder, but is definitely good information to have. If there’s a long wait list for a popular book — “Lessons in Chemistry,” by Bonnie Garmus, has more than 300 people waiting for it — CLAMS patrons get to play cutsies and jump ahead if their local library has a copy of the book. The other two most requested books on the CLAMS system (although not at the Chilmark library) at the moment are “A World of Curiosities,” by Louise Penny, and “Spare,” by — well, we all know who wrote “Spare.” According to Hierta, “Royal family gossip seems to be of less interest here in Chilmark, but Garmus and Penny are both very popular in our town.”
Hierta personally recommended two nonfiction titles. The first is “Breathe In, Breathe Out,” by Stuart Sandeman, which offers strategies to help manage stress and sleep issues. And the second is astrophysicist and folklorist Moiya McTier’s “The Milky Way — An Autobiography of Our Galaxy,” which has been praised by reviewers as “a delightful report on the Milky Way’s inner workings,” and “creative, humorous, and enormously entertaining.”
Edil Barbosa, head of adult & technology services at the Edgartown library, said that like in Chilmark, the most requested novels in Edgartown currently are “A World of Curiosities” and “Lessons in Chemistry.” As for nonfiction, Barbosa said, “The winter winner for nonfiction is ‘The Light We Carry’ by Michelle Obama, but it could be dethroned by ‘Spare’ by Prince Harry.” Barbosa recommended the 2020 National Book Award finalist “The Undocumented Americans,” by Karla Cornejo Villavicencio, which she said “is more relevant and essential than ever for our Island readers.”
Director of the Edgartown library Lisa Sherman wrote in an email that her book recommendation is “for those who really want to sink their teeth into a juicy memoir filled with grit, family trauma, and loads of Hollywood glamour.”
Yes, please!
The book is “As I Am,” by actress and former Edgartown resident Patricia Neal. Sherman added, “On your visit, you can also check out the library’s newly acquired portrait of Ms. Neal, which came to us last November from the National Arts Club in New York City.”
Molly Coogan, owner of the Bunch of Grapes, wrote in an email, “Winter is a good time to tackle books like ‘Trust’ by Hernan Diaz and ‘Demon Copperhead’ by Barbara Kingsolver, both novels, or ‘And There Was Light,’ the Jon Meacham biography of Abraham Lincoln, or ‘The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams’ by Stacy Schiff.” Coogan added, “As far as Vineyard books, ‘Horse’ (Geraldine Brooks) continues to be one of our bestsellers, and Rebecca Gilbert’s ‘Weedy Wisdom for the Curious Forager’ remains very popular, as well as Charlayne Hunter-Gault’s ‘My People: Five Decades of Writing about Black Lives,’ which came out in October.”
I am going to save Edgartown Books manager’s Mathew Tombers’ suggestions for next week, as he took this assignment to heart, and wrote up an essay of Island-author-focused book suggestions.
As for me, the novel I am recommending for a great February read is “The Latecomer” by Jean Hanff Korelitz, which begins like this: “Mom had a way of obfuscating when anyone asked how she and our father first met. Mainly she said it was at a wedding in Oak Bluffs …”
“Around the Writers’ Table” is a column about writers and writing on the Vineyard. Please email kate@mvtimes.com with your writing-related news.