What Lincoln is reading

Wondering what the folks in Lincoln are reading? Here are a few of this month’s most popular titles at the Lincoln Public Library District.

ADULT NON-FICTION

“A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth: 4.6 Billion Years in 12 Pithy Chapters” by Henry Gee

In A (Very) Short History of Life on Earth, biologist Henry Gee summarizes the 4.6 billion year-long story of life on Earth into less than three hundred clear and easy-to-read pages. Detailing the beginning of life, from self-replicating membranes forged in the volatile, volcanic climate of Earth to where life is now, this book is heavily focused on life’s ability to survive through the roughest of conditions and always overcome the dangerous climates and deadliest tragedies.

“Davos Man: How the Billionaires Devoured the World” by Peter S. Goodman

Peter S. Goodman details the last fifty years of global economic history and its unprecedented upward flow to the billionaire class. Goodman profiles the lives of five billionaires, who he calls “Davos Men,” (the name coming from the annual meeting of the world’s richest people at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland) and their exploitative tactics to redirect the world’s wealth to them. Goodman also profiles many people affected directly by the Davos men’s activities, including an American steelworker, a Bangladeshi migrant, an American doctor, an African immigrant, an Italian factory worker, and many, many more. Davos Man is an essential read for anyone interested or concerned with government, economics, and politics in general.

ADULT FICTION

“A Thousand Steps” by Christopher Buckley

It’s 1968 in Laguna Beach, California. The hippie movement is at its peak, and Matt Antony is a poor, sixteen-year-old just trying to get by through it all. His dad abandoned him when he was a kid, his mom is a deadbeat, and his older brother is off fighting in Vietnam. So when his sister disappears, Matt has to be the responsible one and go to the police. The police assume she’s just a hippie runaway, but after the body of a missing girl is found dead on the beach, Matt realizes he doesn’t have much time, and that he needs to find his sister himself.

“The Relic Master” by Christopher Buckley

It’s 1517. Dismas is a holy relics dealer. His customers use relics to sell indulgences which are Get-Out-Of-Purgatory passes. Dismas is going to retire to the mountains soon, but his savings are embezzled and he is left with nothing. His best friend, genius-artist, Albrecht Dürer proposes they create a phony cloth of Christ to sell to a particularly rude Archbishop. Dismas decides to go through with the forgery, and this spawns a spider web of medieval hijinx that makes The Relic Master such a delightfully funny book to read.

YOUNG ADULT

“Understanding Comics: The Invisible Art” by Scott McCloud

In Understanding Comics, seasoned comics legend, Scott McCloud, examines comics historically, culturally, and technically as an art form. It reads more like a scientific examination or a condensed college course than it reads like a “normal” comic book. This book is pretty much essential reading material for anyone with an interest in comics, whether as entertainment, a hobby, or a profession.

“This One Summer” by Jillian and Mariko Tamaki

This One Summer is a coming-of-age story about Rose, who goes vacationing to Awago Beach every summer to see her friend Windy. Rose and Windy are hitting puberty and realizing a whole new adult world around them. They explore newfound romantic interests, but as their childhood naivety fades away, they begin to realize that the adult world is not as wholesome or inherently good as they once thought it was. This One Summer has been one of the most banned and challenged books released in the past decade, so it’s crucial that people, especially young people, are allowed to read controversial material like this and decide for themselves where they personally draw the line of “offensive” at, and to discourage censorship of art in general.

DVD/VIDEORECORDING

Blurbs are taken from the back of video cases

Rear Window

Directed by the Master of Suspense, Alfred Hitchcock’s Rear Window is an edge-of-your-seat classic starring two of Hollywood’s most popular stars. When a professional photographer (James Stewart) is confined to a wheelcair with a broken leg, he becomes obsessed with watching the private dramas of his neighbors play out across the courtyard. When he suspects his neighbor of murdering his nagging wife, he enlists his socialite girlfriend (Grace Kelly) to help investigate the suspicious chain of events, leading to one of the most memorable and gripping endings in all of film history. Honored in AFI’s (American Film Institute) 100 Years… 100 Movies for excellence in film, Rear Window has also been hailed as “one of Alfred Hitchcock’s most stylish thrillers” (Leonard Maltin’s Classic Movie Guide).

Fawlty Towers: The Complete Collection

Named the #1 television program of all time by the British Film Institute, Fawlty Towers stars John Cleese of Monty Python fame as Basil Fawlty, the sharp-tongued, short-tempered owner of Fawlty Towers, a hotel plagued by crisis, chaos, and bizarre characters. The show’s twelve episodes have been remastered and include exclusive John Cleese interviews and never-before-seen footage. Over 6 hours on 3 DVDs.

This article originally appeared on Lincoln Courier: Book titles popular at Lincoln Public Library District