Nancy Pearl On the Past
and Possible Future
Recommendations from librarian Nancy Pearl on her recent Seattle NPR segments:
History Through The Eyes Of Poets — Nov. 26
Some Desperate Glory: The First World War the Poets Knew, Max Egremont, (Macmillan/FSG, 6/10/14)
Nancy recommends this title because it offers an on-the-ground view of WW I, through the eyes of the poets who were involved in it. Each chapter focuses on a year of the war, thus reflecting the changes in attitude as it grinds on. In this 100th anniversary of the beginning of the war, she says it makes a great companion to The Great War and Modern Memory, by Paul Fussell (Oxford University Press, 1975).
Whiskey Tango Foxtrot, David Shafer, (Hachette/Mulholland Books; Hachette Audio)
Nancy calls this first novel, “perfect for a great fast moving yet intricate account of a possible future in which a very dangerous kabal plans to take over information.” She says it has the same “intelligence, crispness and smartness” as Neal Stephenson’s Cryptonomicon.