The Shape of Water

Summary:

Elisa Esposito spent her childhood in an orphanage, never feeling at home anywhere. Mute her whole life, Eliza has difficulty communicating and being understood by others. She struggles with her purpose in life; finding it difficult to take on her graveyard shift as a janitor at the Occam Aerospace Research Center day in and day out. Without Zelda, a fellow janitor, who doesn't mind that Elisa is mute because she can talk enough for the two of them, and Giles, her delightful and artistic neighbor, Elisa wouldn't be able to take it anymore. Until the day they bring in the asset.

Richard Strickland, a military man, husband, and father, treks through the treacherous Amazon to bring back a one of a kind, mythical creature: Deus Brânquia, an amphibious man who is raised to the level of god among living creatures. Strickland loses more than just men and time capturing the creature and bringing it to Occam. He loses his way of life, his sanity, and even a couple of fingers. He wants nothing more than to make Deus Brânquia pay for what has been done to him. But the Cold War battle between the U.S. and Russia is in full swing and the asset has a more important role to play.

No one is supposed to go into F1 but Elisa feels a pull she can't ignore. When she sees what Occam scientists are hiding, the creature who is both man and beast. When she makes eye contact, and feels her world begin to spin, she finds her purpose; her voice. She can no longer stay away.  


Fantasy Characteristics:

Setting: The landscape painted by del Toro and Kraus was excruciatingly detailed at times. The picture was very vivid, the world real enough that the magic of Deus Branquia gave another level to the experience.

Plot: The Shape of Water definitely had a typical fantasy plot. There was a force of good (Eliza) battling with a force of evil (Strickland). There wasn't a victory tied up in neat a bow; it was a struggle. Some would probably argue there really wasn't a victory at all. Eliza did however find her purpose and uncover her potential to be brave enough to fight for her loved ones.

Language: The language was beautiful, passionate, striking, and at times sickening. I have only read a handful of books that depict such a clear picture with words. It was remarkable.

Pace: The story started slowly, building a background for the characters, introducing their personalities. The pace didn't quicken until the second half, and even then it felt very slow at times.

Read-a-likes:

Winter Tide by Emrys Ruthanna
Sleeping Giants by Sylvain Neuvel
The Bone Season by Samantha Shannon
The Rook by Daniel O'Malley
Piranha by Clive Cussler


 

Scythe

When I got invited to join a book club whose next meeting was all about Neal Shusterman's Scythe, I knew I had to check it out. I am currently reading the third book in the series, The Toll and have enjoyed every moment of Shusterman's world. The first time I read the summary of Scythe back in 2016, it didn't sound like something I would enjoy but I'm glad I took a chance. I can't recommend this series enough! Check out a summary of Scythe here and details about my book club experience below!






My friend and coworker, Allison, has been inviting me to her book club since I worked with her at EPL in 2016. Every time, and I'm NOT making this up, EVERY. TIME. she invited me, I had something else going on. Ironically, that was the case today as well. My brother, who has lived in Baltimore for the past two years, is drove all of his belongings and his dog to Elkhart AND it's his birthday. Luckily for me, the drive from Baltimore to Elkhart takes at least 9 hours, so it freed up enough time for me to join the Scythe discussion...or so I thought.
 
When I started writing this post, COVID-19 hadn't taken over our day to day lives yet. Unfortunately, the book club was postponed. So, I've decided to describe what I know about the book club and can hopefully update this in a few weeks when I get to attend my first meeting. I unfortunately won't get the chance to dive into Scythe with the group because I will be out of town celebrating my 1st wedding anniversary...yeah, I wasn't kidding when I said something ALWAYS comes up. 

Okay, here's what I know: the book club meets every other Sunday at 12p.m. in a used bookstore called The Bookworm, located on Main Street in downtown Elkhart. Fun fact: I used to visit The Bookworm almost every weekend as a teenager because it's original location was on the street where I lived at the time, about 5 or so blocks away from it's current, and much nicer, location.

The group takes turns when it comes to picking the book they read. They choose books that are readable in the 2 week time period. The genres vary but based on past reads, they seem to choose newer books with a mysterious or adventure plot. Past reads include Mr. Mercedes by Stephen King, Circe by Madeline Miller, and Don't You Cry by Mary Kubica. The next book they've chosen is The Institute by Stephen King, which is on my list so I'm stoked!

The group has a founding member but not a leader. Whomever choses the book is the member who leads the questions during the meeting. The Bookworm is also a public book store so drinks are not provided but members are allowed to bring their own snacks or drinks if they wish.  

I am very excited to get the chance to be a part of this group! I'll post an update when I attend for The Institute. Fingers crossed something else doesn't come up...

And the award goes to...

If you vote in the Goodreads Choice Awards or you check the New York Times Best Seller list, then you’re probably a very dedicated reader. If you know about the Kirkus Star or you tune into the ALA Mid-Winter Conference award announcements, then you’re probably a librarian (or an extremely dedicated reader). There are so many ways we as readers and library professionals show our appreciation for the creativity and wonder authors bring to us through books. Some are chosen by a professional committee after months of consideration, others are chosen by voting on an online poll or purchasing our favorite books at Barnes & Noble. All of them are beneficial ways to highlight which titles should be put on our library shelves. In this paper, I have chosen to highlight two professional book awards and two I’ve dubbed “social awards.” I will also explain the benefits these have for libraries and readers alike.

Librarians consult a combination of professional and social awards to learn several different things. Considering their limited budgets, librarians need to know which books being published will appeal to their patrons, and give them the most bang for their buck. If a book has a good won an award or made the New York Times Best Seller list, librarians know they will most likely need to buy multiple copies of that title. Some of the professional awards, such as the Newbery, are often presented after the book has already been published and purchased by libraries, so they serve a different purpose. The awards give books clout, and provide an easy road for librarians to promote well written books to patrons. 

Readers can benefit from these awards as well. I consult the Goodreads Choice Award lists, the Kirkus Starred books, and the Newbery honor and winners lists when I am looking for new books to read. I feel as an avid reader and a library employee, I need to read, or at least be aware of, the books that are receiving these accolades. I often get asked for book recommendations from patrons, as well as friends and family. I feel more comfortable providing advice when I’ve done my own research. 

For these reasons, and many more, book awards provide readers and librarians with professional advice concerning collection development and reader opinions that allow us insight into what our library patrons might enjoy.