The Secret History of Bigfoot: Field Notes on a North American Monster by John O’Connor
If you’re anything like me, the phrase “I Want to Believe” summons visions of flying saucers, extraterrestrial visitors, and the intrepid renegade government employees who tirelessly track them across the United States. If you have the good fortune of not being especially like me, and your psyche is organized around something other than an undying preoccupation with Fox Mulder, the phrase might draw your thoughts to entities loftier even than UFOs. But of all the things we might long to believe in, perhaps the most uniquely, bizarrely American is Bigfoot. With The Secret History of Bigfoot, journalist and self-declared cryptid agnostic John O’Connor serves up a jaunty, impressively comprehensive popular history of the hirsute hominid said to prowl the darkest reaches of forests from Oregon to Maine’s own Hundred-Mile Wilderness. O’Connor not only reviews the folklore and literature of the Bigfoot phenomenon, he also seeks out firsthand encounters for himself, tagging along with seasoned trackers and attending conventions organized by the legendary creature’s hardcore devotees. While this book is very much about Bigfoot, it is equally about the nature of faith, what it means to believe in the unknown and unknowable—and why it is that we so badly want to.
For believers and skeptics alike, along with fans of the International Cryptozoology Museum, weird Americana, and offbeat travelogues. Special shout-out to my dad, a true believer.
Remembering Peasants: A Personal History of a Vanished World by Patrick Joyce
Although the average person you meet today may be more tuned in to what’s trending on TikTok than the basics of subsistence farming, for the larger part of our species’ history, humans lived off the land. And in reality, of course, we still do. Yet this is a reality we denizens of the digital-age industrialized world can all too readily forget, because we tend to have others doing the ‘dirty work’ of actually touching that land for us. For millennia, however, the agrarian way of life dominated, such that wherever our families may hail from, the majority of us are descended from peasants. Irish social historian Patrick Joyce urges us not to forsake these earthier ancestors in his new book, Remembering Peasants. Although careful to avoid romanticizing his subject – the peasant life comes with hardships too unpleasant to be discounted (famine, anyone?) – Joyce poignantly laments the fading out of the values he ties to the agrarian cultures of Europe’s past, from neighborliness to a high-spirited, slightly anarchic aversion to centralized authority. A thoughtful homage to disappearing lifeways and an understated critique of their technologized modern successors, Remembering Peasants is worthwhile reading for anachronisms of all stripes.
For fans of Wendell Berry, European history, folk culture, and Helen and Scott Nearing’s The Good Life.
The Ancient Art of Thinking for Yourself by Robin Reames
Do you ever suspect that the media pundits, politicians and influencers aggressively vying for our attention have an unspoken agenda, that as these talking heads go on talking and talking they’re angling to sell us on something rather than straightforwardly setting out the facts at hand? How terribly cynical of you! But also: how perceptive, since you are altogether right. To remedy the migraine-inducing mind warp of omnipresent spin, Robin Reames has gifted us with a helpful guide to sharpening our rhetorical chops. As the art and study of persuasive language, rhetoric deals with the how’s and why’s of wielding words to shift and shape people’s thinking. With a healthy grasp of rhetoric, Reames writes, we can better equip ourselves to sift through the deluge of brain-hijacking babble/babel that comes pouring out at us from every screen. This is an invaluable skill in our media-soaked, ultra-polarized age, and one bound to be a true mental life preserver as the election season haze continues to thicken.
For independent thinkers, commonsense logicians, chatter-addled minds seeking a detox, and everyone already exhausted by 2024.
The Book of Wilding: A Practical Guide to Rewilding, Big and Small by Isabella Tree and Charlie Burrell
When contemplating the state of the living earth and the legion of ecological crises that seem to grow graver by the day, it is difficult not to tumble headlong into the proverbial abyss of despair. The trouble with the abyss of despair, however, is that there’s not an awful lot one can do about anything from way down there (I say this with the confidence of a regular visitor to some of the abyss’s bleaker recesses). If you’re looking for more than yet another reason to feel terrified and despondent, hence paralyzed, about environmental cataclysm, I submit The Book of Wilding. Following up on author Isabella Tree’s popular Wilding, in which she chronicled the transformation of her family farm into a flourishing ecosystem, The Book of Wilding is a fantastic resource for everyone seeking to restore and nurture the biosphere here and now, wherever we live, in whatever time we may have. Tree and her husband Charlie Burrell offer a bounty of detailed information on the many ways we can be proactive in our care for the earth, complemented by a passionate appeal to rethink our relationship to, and place within, the natural world.
For my fellow dwellers in the abyss, as we fumble through our eager striving to crawl up and out. Never forget we can still plant flowers, still feed the birds.
I am not a fan of post-apocalyptic sci-fi, nor do I read sci-fi often. However, the Silo Saga was recommended to me and I am so glad I tried it! I don’t know how the TV series is compared to the books, but I always find the books better. The series has great characters, a fascinating setting, action, romance, and thought provoking moral dilemmas. You can get the Wool Omnibus and read the five books in the series at once.
-Meredith, Children’s Room
Now in its fourth year, the Patten Free Library’s Poetry Walk will take place in the month of April in Library Park. What began as a social distancing program in 2021 has become an annual tradition looked forward to by the community and staff alike.
“Each year we install about twenty poems on yard sign style signs,” says Hannah Lackoff, Program and Outreach Manager and coordinator of the event, “We do our best to include poets of all ages, genders, and races, and select poems with a spring or hopeful theme. This year we are very excited to include Maine State poet laureate Julia Bouwsma, who will be visiting PFL for an event in May, and the winners of this year’s poetry contest.”
The poetry walk will be on display throughout the month of April. Additional poets include local favorites, poetry from the History Room, and some bigger names viewers are certain to recognize.
In the car, in the air, you can listen anywhere! PFL staff love audiobooks and think you should too. Favorite titles below can be found in CD book form or on cloudLibrary.
Juvenile:
Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney (Read by Claire Danes and enhanced with sound effects)
How to Train Your Dragon by Cressida Cowell (Read exuberantly and hilariously by Scottish actor David Tennant of Doctor Who fame)
Magic Tree House series by Mary Pope Osborne (Read by the author)
My 5 year old son loves listening to the author narrate each adventure while he builds with Legos. -Gia, Children’s Room
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (Read by beloved actor Alfred Molina)
YA:
The Inheritance Games series by Jennifer Lynn Barnes (Read by Christie Moreau)
Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Boulley (Read by Isabella Star LeBlanc)
Graceling by Kristen Cashore (Read by a full cast)
Had my whole family sitting in the truck after we had arrived at our destination. –Andrea, Circulation
For Lamb by Lesa Cline-Ransome (Read by an incredible cast of six voice actors)
My Contrary Mary by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, Jodi Meadows (Read by Fiona Hardingham who seamlessly switches between French, Scottish and British accents)
The Honeys by Ryan La Sala (Read by Pete Cross and enhanced with sound effects to amplify the eerie horror factor)
From Here by Luma Mufleh (Read by the author in a heart-breaking narration of her tumultuous journey from Jordan to America)
Sword of Summer and the rest of the Magnus Chase series by Rick Riordan (Read by Christopher Guetig)
Anatomy: A Love Story by Dana Schwartz (Read delightfully by Scottish actress Mhairi Morrison and actor Tim Campbell)
Adult:
The Mike Bowditch series by Paul Doiron (Ready by Henry Levya)
Nickel and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America, Bright-Sided: How Positive Thinking is Undermining America, Natural Causes: An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer by Barbara Ehrenreich
I’m not usually one for audiobooks, but in the past I’ve enjoyed Barbara Ehrenreich’s books on audio. Informative and thought-provoking but not so dense you feel as if you’re missing out because you’re driving and can’t take notes, and written with a wry tone that does my inner contrarian good, they make for ideal nonfiction listening. -Aurora, Reference
Neverwhere (read by the author) and American Gods (read by a full cast) by Neil Gaiman
Spare by Prince Harry (Read by the author)
I was really struck by the beauty of Prince Harry reading his book, Spare, on audiobook. It seems rare to see a man write such a vulnerable account of his struggles in the public eye and the death of his mother. Hearing his own voice tell his perspective was a really powerful listen! -Gia, Children’s Room
60 Songs That Explain the 90s by Rob Harvilla
Vacationland: True Stories from Painful Beaches by John Hodgman (read by the author)
Catching the Big Fish: Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity by David Lynch (read by the author)
Weird Tales: 100 Years of Weird edited by Jonathan Maberry
Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (Read by the author to both hilarious and sobering effect)
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett (Read by Meryl Streep)
Patchett’s writing combined with Streep’s storytelling is such a treat! -Gia, Children’s Room
Bath Area Family YMCA’s Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Committee, in partnership with the Patten Free Library, is bringing a series of speakers, programs and events to our community as part of our dedication to creating communities that are inclusive and socially just so that all people can thrive. With this series, we will facilitate opportunities to explore a small piece of our region’s history with race relations, primarily through the lens of Malaga Island. By familiarizing ourselves with this history, we hope to explore how we can avoid the terrible mistakes of our past and create more inclusive communities today and in the future. We welcome all in the community to participate in these programs and to help to be a part of that vision of a just, equitable community.
All programs are presented live in person and on Zoom. Registration is required for Zoom only. Click the link below to register and for more info.
Wednesday, March 20 at 5 p.m.: Malaga Island with Kate McBrien
Friday, April 12 at 12 p.m.: The Underground Railroad: Retracing the Tracks with Pamela Cummings
Friday, May 10 at 3 p.m.: Our Arms Spread Out around It All: A History of Malaga Island through Poems with Julia Bouwsma
Using an array of sketches, diagrams, and sequenced panels, graphic novelist Dan Nott presents an introduction to three modern wonders: the internet, electricity, and water systems. He explains the three topics through many facets—their historical development, their technological intricacies, their social importance, and their future challenges.
Much of the information in Hidden Systems might be familiar to readers, but its brilliance is in its entertaining and simple depiction of complex systems through historical time and across a globe without borders. As a reader, I became aware that these systems are in their historic infancy, and therefore of the existing needs to advance their efficiency, their climate costs, their cultural costs, etc. These issues will be central to the next generation, and it’s impossible to ignore that implication while reading. This book is a fascinating, well-organized, and invaluable primer for readers of all ages.
-Laurel, Reference
Mysterious disappearance of a loved one? Check.
Ages-old evil entity? Check.
Scary things back from the dead? Check.
All this plus a weird island that can’t be googled and seems to have stopped evolving past 1994. Makes for a page turning horror/psychological thriller. And did I mention fun 1994 references? Dead Eleven is told through a mix of text messages, letters, and the narrative of a few different characters. I read in one night, sitting by the fire.
-Meredith, Children’s Room
Every fourth Saturday from 1-2 p.m.
Greta, a five year old goldendoodle will stop by Patten Free Library to listen to you read out loud to her. Dogs are non judgmental listeners and help foster confidence in readers who may need a little extra encouragement. Four fifteen minute slots are available each month for signup. Reluctant readers of all ages are welcome! Only readers need to register, any accompanying adults do not.
Saturday, March 16 at 2 p.m.
Sound artist Dianne Ballon talks about her current installation at the Maine Maritime Museum, Lost and Found: Sounds of the Maine Coast.
Lost and Found is a collaboration between Dianne Ballon and Maine Maritime Museum that investigates the significant role of sound in maritime environments. The exhibition will encourage visitors to think critically about the soundscapes they encounter along Maine’s coast and how they contribute to them.
The exhibition will feature topics such as navigational warning systems from buoys to foghorns – both past and present. It will investigate the idea of ”lost” and “found” maritime sounds and invite visitors to reflect on how sound affects our individual and collective memory. It will be an interdisciplinary exploration of art, science, technology, and history. Audio samples in the exhibition include examples of Dianne’s field work and recordings of objects from the museum’s collection.
Dianne Ballon is a sound artist from Maine. She spent years as a visual artist before sound caught her ear. During semester breaks at Massachusetts College of Art, she volunteered in Appalachia. Listening to the rich story-telling tradition and music from the hills and hollows opened her ears to sound. She was awarded a Maine Artist Fellowship from the Maine Arts Commission. Ten of her sound works have aired on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. Currently, she teaches audio production online through Maine College of Art & Design, SALT Institute for Documentary Studies.