Tag: Ocean Vuong

Online Reading Challenge – January Wrap-Up

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Hello Fellow Challenge Readers!

How did your reading go this month? Did you read a literary fiction title that you enjoyed? Share in the comments!

I read our main title: On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. This book had been on my radar for awhile, but I knew it would not be one that I would pick up on my own, hence its selection for the Online Reading Challenge!

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is Ocean Vuong’s debut novel. The speaker, Little Dog, is writing a letter to his mother who cannot read English. When the letter starts, Little Dog is in his late twenties and is laying out his family’s history from long before he was born all the way through present day. He spans from Vietnam all the way to the United States and details the lives of many different members of his family and his friends. In his letter, Little Dog also shares parts of his life that his mother was previously not aware of, and with her inability to read, will probably always not know about. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a twisted love letter of sorts, talking about the tense love between Little Dog and his mother, a single mother trying to do her best by her son and her own mother. He talks about how trauma, violence, and addiction have impacted them all and how masculinity, class, and race shape their relationships with others and with themselves. This isn’t a linear story, but is instead the story of people caught between worlds, struggling to find where they truly belong.

This book was gorgeous. It was incredibly well-written and left me reeling when I finished. The author is brutal in their honesty when it came to discussing class, masculinity, race and how those factors affect people of all ages. On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous spans decades, ripping into sections of life that may be tender, but need to be discussed. While I reveled in the writing, I did find myself needing to take breaks. Ocean Vuong is clearly a masterful storyteller and poet, but their ability to write poetry made this debut novel a bit much for me. They are an exquisite writer, but instead of pulling me in, their beautiful writing instead didn’t allow me to fully connect with the book. I loved the style of the book, but felt like it was lacking substance, that it was lacking the meat of the story for me to hold on to. However, I’m still glad I picked it up to read!

Next month, we will be reading a mystery!

In addition to following the Online Reading Challenge here on our Info Cafe blog, you can join our Online Reading Challenge group on Goodreads and discuss your reads!

January 2025 Checked In: A Davenport Public Library Podcast Wrap!

- Brittany Leave a comment

In this blog post, I will give you helpful links to area resources, Library resources, and links to the books discussed in our January 2025 episode! If you have not listened to this episode yet, you can listen to Checked In: A Davenport Public Library Podcast online or wherever you get your podcasts!

Online Reading Challenge

Stephanie has a new amazing theme this year for our annual Online Reading Challenge (ORC). For those new to ORC, this is a low stakes, high fun reading challenge that allows members to participate from the comfort of their own home and consume whatever they would like just as long as it fits the monthly prompt. This challenge originated in this blog and has since grown to also be available through beanstack!

This year, the theme is GENRES. Below are the themes for each month as well as a reading suggestion! Make sure to tell us what you are reading each month! We want to know!

January: Literary fiction – On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong
February:  Mystery – The Lamplighters by Emma Stonex
March: Biographical Fiction – The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris
April: Coming of Age/Bildungsroman – The Topeka School by Ben Lerner
May: Graphic Novel – Persepolis by Marjane Satrapi
June:  Queer Fiction – Detransition, Baby by Torrey Peters
July: Domestic Fiction – All This Could Be Yours by Jami Attenberg
August: Classic – Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin
September: Young Adult Literature – The Cousins by Karen McManus
October:  Fantasy – She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker Chan
November: Detective/Crime Fiction – The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R King
December: Historical Fiction – Take My Hand by Dolen Perkins-Valdez 

Cold Weather Reads

As we cozy up inside and outside begins (allegedly) to cool down, we compiled a list of titles that will chill you to the bone! 

Beth’s Books:
The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Iron Lake by William Kent Krueger
The Life We Bury by Allen Eskens
Blankets by Craig Thompson

Brittany’s Books: 
Goodbye Autumn, Hello Winter by Kenard Pak
Wilfred by Ryan T. Higgins
Snow Falls by Kate Gardner

Stephanie’s Books:
Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes
A Haunting in the Arctic by C.J. Cooke
Only One Survives by Hannah Mary McKinnon
The Gathering by Anne Enright
The Wood at Midwinter by Susanna Clarke
The Frozen River by Ariel Lawhon
The Prospectors by Ariel Djanikian

2025 Rock Island Arsenal Series

Join us for a monthly lecture series commemorating the 250th anniversary of the creation of the United States Army in 1775. All talks in this series are presented by a member of Army Sustainment Command’s Office of the Historian, based on the Arsenal

This program is jointly hosted by the Davenport Public Library and the Rock Island Public Library. If you are unable to attend the Davenport Public Library’s session, another session will be offered earlier in the day at 2:00 PM at Rock Island Public Library.

Below are the themes and dates for this year!

January 8th, 2025: Foundations of the Nation and the Revolutionary War
February 12th, 2025: 1784 – 1860: A New Nation, A New Army
March 12th, 2025: 1861 – 1865: The Army and the Civil War
April 9th, 2025: 1866 – 1917: The Army as an Expeditionary Force
May 14th, 2025: The Army and a World at War
June 11th, 2025: The Interwar: Downsizing & Celebration of the Army
August 13th, 2025: World War II, Reorganization, and the Dawn of the Atomic Age
September 10th, 2025: 1949 – 1975: The Army in East Asia
October 8th, 2025: DESERT SHIELD & DESERT STORM
November 12th, 2025: Building the Army of the Future

2025 New Releases and Favorite Reads from 2024!

A new year brings new books to get excited about! Brittany, Beth, and Stephanie discussed titles that they are excited for that are publishing this year and reminisced over some of their favorite reads of the past year!

Beth’s Favorite Read from 2024:
Last Entry Point: Stories of Danger and Death in the Boundary Waters by Joe Friedriches

Brittany’s Favorite Reads from 2024:
The Long Game by Elena Armas
Summertime Punchline by Betty Corello
Funny Story by Emily Henry
Don’t Forget to Write by Sara Goodman Confino
Love You a Latke by Amanda Elliot

Brittany’s 2025 Excitement:
Ride with Me by Simone Saltani (second book in the Lights Out Series)
32 Days in May by Betty Corrello
Great Big Beautiful Life by Emily Henry

Stephanie’s Favorite Reads from 2024:
Weyward by Emilia Hart
Heartstopper (all volumes) by Alice Osman
Assistant to the Villain Series by Hannah Nicole Maehrer
Destiny of the Republic by Candice Millard (5 star nonfiction read! If you follow our discussions, this is a big deal!)

Stephanie’s 2025 Excitement:
Finlay Donovan Digs Her Own Grave by Elle Cosimano (fifth book in the Finlay Donovan Series)
Accomplice to the Villain by Hannah Nicole Maehrer (third book in the Assistant to the Villain Series)
Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins (.5 in The Hunger Games Series)

Board Game and Puzzle Collection!

As it gets cold, people are finding themselves indoors more often. We are here to help beat the cabin fever and winter boredom with our robust board game and puzzle collection at each Davenport Public Library branch! In this episode, Beth, Brittany, and Stephanie each selected a board game and talked about why each sounded appealing! 

Stephanie’s Suggestion:
Hues and Cues

Beth’s Suggestion:
The Floor is Lava

Brittany’s Suggestion:
The Settlers of Catan

2024 Goodreads Choice Award Winners:

Below are the winning titles of 2024! Have you read any??

Fiction – The Wedding People by Alison Espach
Historical Fiction – The Women by Kristin Hannah
Mystery & Thriller – The God of the Woods by Liz Moore
Romance – Funny Story by Emily Henry (AND Audiobook – Funny Story by Emily Henry)
Romantasy – House of Flame and Shadow by Sarah J. Maas
Fantasy – Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune
Science Fiction – The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley
Horror – You Like It Darker: Stories by Stephen King
Debut Novel – How to End a Love Story by Yulin Kuang
Young Adult Fantasy – Ruthless Vows by Rebecca Ross
Young Adult Fiction – Heartstopper: Volume 5 by Alice Oseman
Nonfiction – The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness by Jonathan Haidt
Memoir – The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop
History & Biography – The Bookshop: The History of the American Bookstore by Evan Friss

What Our Hosts Read In November

Beth’s Reads:
Navigate Your Stars by Jesmyn Ward
New Kid by Jerry Craft
Hey Kiddo: How I Lost My Mother, Found My Father, and Dealt with Family Addiction by Jarrett Krosoczka
What is a Girl Worth?: My Story of Breaking the Silence and Exposing the Truth About Larry Nassar and USA Gymnastics by Rachel Denhollander
The Less People Know About Us: A Mystery of Betrayal, Family Secrets, and Stolen Identity by Axton Betz-Hamilton

Stephanie’s Reads:
The Undermining of Twyla and Frank by Megan Bannen, narrated by Nicol Zanzarella (second book in the Hart and Mercy Series)
Polar Vortex: A Family Memoir by Denise Dorrance
Games Untold by Jennifer Lynn Barnes, narrated by Christie Moreau, Maxwell Hamilton, and Juliette Goglia (4.5 in The Inheritance Games Series)
Somewhere Beyond the Sea by T.J. Klune, narrated by Daniel Henning (second book in the Cerulean Chronicles)
Dinner for Vampires: Life on a Cult TV Show (While Also in an Actual Cult) by Bethany Joy Lenz, narrated by Bethany Joy Lenz
The Queen of Poisons by Robert Thorogood, narrated by Nicolette McKenzie (third book in Marlow Murder Club Series)
A Winter in New York by Josie Silver
The Singer Sisters by Sarah Seltzer, narrated by Barrie Kreinik, Helen Laser, and Stephanie Németh-Parker

Brittany’s Reads:
The Other Mrs. by Mary Kubica, narrated by Piper Goodeve and Jeremy Arthur
The Girls in Navy Blue by Alix Rickloff, narrated by Dylan Moore and Carlotta Brentan
The Fiancé Dilemma by Elena Armas (second book in the Long Game Series)
Bad Publicity by Bianca Gillam (releases in 2025)
Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler, narrated by Jenna Lamia

If you would like to listen to our episode, it can be found wherever you get your podcasts. If you prefer listening on the web, it can be found here!

We love hearing from our listeners, please feel free to comment on this blog post, on our socials, or email us at checked.in@davenportlibrary.com.

Online Reading Challenge – January

- Stephanie Leave a comment

Welcome Readers!

New year means new reading challenge! I’m so excited to tell you that the theme for the 2025 Online Reading Challenge is … GENRES! Each month we will be reading a different genre. I will pick a main title for us to read together if you would like, but feel free to read anything set in that genre for the month! I can’t wait to start reading with you all.

This month the online reading challenge genre is literary fiction. What is literary fiction? According to NoveList, a readers’ advisory resource that you can access through the Davenport Public Library, literary fiction is character-driven, usually involves social commentary, uses stylish writing language, and can sometimes have ambiguous endings. The plot is not the main focus in literary fiction, which allows writers to instead place their energies on the language used and character development.

Our main title for January is On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous by Ocean Vuong. Here’s a quick summary from the publisher:

On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is a letter from a son to a mother who cannot read. Written when the speaker, Little Dog, is in his late twenties, the letter unearths a family’s history that began before he was born — a history whose epicenter is rooted in Vietnam — and serves as a doorway into parts of his life his mother has never known, all of it leading to an unforgettable revelation. At once a witness to the fraught yet undeniable love between a single mother and her son, it is also a brutally honest exploration of race, class, and masculinity. Asking questions central to our American moment, immersed as we are in addiction, violence, and trauma, but undergirded by compassion and tenderness, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous is as much about the power of telling one’s own story as it is about the obliterating silence of not being heard.

With stunning urgency and grace, Ocean Vuong writes of people caught between disparate worlds, and asks how we heal and rescue one another without forsaking who we are. The question of how to survive, and how to make of it a kind of joy, powers the most important debut novel of many years. – Penguin Books

Looking for some other books that are literary fiction? Try any of the following.

As always, check each of our locations for displays with lots more titles to choose from!