Sunday, October 5 2 – 4 pm HCLS Miller Branch Registration encouraged, as space may be limited.
The Global Neighbors team invites you to join in a heartfelt celebration of the traditions, stories, and values that bind us together across generations at our upcoming Global Neighbors Africa: Experience the Continent event on Sunday, October 5 from 2 – 4 pm at HCLS Miller Branch! This special program invites our community to celebrate the vibrancy and diversity of Africa through storytelling, music, dance, and food. Connect with your neighbors to share in the wisdom of the past and the promise of the future.
An interactive and personal experience, Global Neighbors Africa showcases performances and demonstrations that highlight the continent’s regional richness. The event features art displays and offers additional layers of connection and inspiration. Intentionally inter-generational, this is about feeling, remembering, and being part of something bigger. It’s a reminder that the best lessons in life are often shared through the moments we create together.
Guests can enjoy the opportunity to sample regional African food (as long as supplies last) and take home a door prize (also as long as supplies last). Celebrate connection, joy, and cultural discovery. Everyone is welcome – bring your family, friends, and curiosity as we travel the continent together, right here at the library.
Piyali is an instructor and research specialist at HCLS Miller Branch, where she facilitates two book discussion groups: Light But Not Fluffy and Global Reads. She keeps the hope alive that someday she will reach the bottom of her to-read list.
Riveting, dark, and deeply atmospheric, Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey took me straight into the untamed wilderness of Alaska. I walked the difficult yet vibrant terrains of several mountains, trails, and streams with strong and resilient Birdie, delightful little Emaleen, and quiet, enigmatic Arthur Neilsen.
Birdie is a single mother as a 26-year-old, who is trying her best to give her six-year-old daughter, Emaleen, a good life. Birdie works at a roadside bar in a small town in Alaska and lives in a little cabin given to her by the bar owner, Della. She tries her best to toe the line that is expected of her as a mother and an adult. But this life feels constrained; Birdie wants something bigger and better for herself and Emaleen. She aspires to live the life that she knew as a young girl – happy and free in the wilds of nature.Â
Birdie had heard about the mysterious Arthur Neilsen, who lives a quiet and solitary life in the black woods. She gets to know him better when Arthur brings little Emaleen back to safety after she gets lost in the woods looking for Birdie. Arthur is somewhat of a legend in the small hamlet where Birdie lives. He grew up in the village but left his parents to live as a recluse deep in the forest, far from human civilization. He visits the village very rarely. His quiet presence, his knowledge of the local flora and fauna, the mysterious scar on his face, and his inscrutability pique Birdie’s interest in him. She feels a certain reticence in Arthur which she cannot seem to breach when she tries to get close to him. Arthur does not stay away from her either, as he keeps coming back from the woods to sit in silence next to Birdie.
Arthur’s quiet life in the great unknown appeals to our young protagonist and she decides to move into Arthur’s shack, along with Emaleen. The shack is nestled deep in the forest and only accessible via flight. At the beginning, there is immense joy in discovering each other and making a good life amid expansive natural beauty. Gradually, however, Arthur disappears for days on end without an explanation, and an inexplicable darkness creeps in along with the approaching winter. Birdie is afraid for her safety and the safety of her daughter, but she finds the freedom of this new life irresistible. Birdie is caught between her desire to live her life on the edge and her instinct to bring her daughter back to safety and lead a predictable life. The choice that Birdie makes will have life-changing consequences.Â
The masterful blend of fairy tale with stark reality makes this book unpredictable, enigmatic, and unputdownable. The characters come alive on the pages and the voice of each character sounds authentic. Emaleen talks to us in the voice of a six-year-old. Birdie’s voice reveals the conflict within her, trying to be a responsible mother but also yearning for freedom and fulfillment as a young woman. Arthur doesn’t say much, but the dark secret that he carries within him becomes clear in the paucity of his soft-spoken words.
Some reviews mention that this story is inspired by the popular fairy tale Beauty and the Beast. Personally, I did not find many similarities except the fact that a pretty young woman falls in love with a physically unattractive, quiet man. This story is a powerhouse in its own right, one that I believe would be a good choice for a book club. The flawed characters, the formidable and beautiful wilderness of Alaska, the gorgeous prose, the plot, the relationship between man and nature, the whiff of fairy tale infused within the story, Birdie’s choices and the consequences of those – all of these would spark a great discussion.Â
Black Woods Blue Sky by Eowyn Ivey is available in print and as an e-book and e-audiobook from Libby.
Piyali is an instructor and research specialist at HCLS Miller Branch, where she facilitates two book discussion groups: Light But Not Fluffy and Global Reads. She keeps the hope alive that someday she will reach the bottom of her to-read list.
Jaya Mathur is back at HCLS Miller Branch on Thursday, May 29 from 7 to 8 pm to teach us the basic steps of Bollywood dancing. Rock On With Bollywood is a lively, beginner-friendly class for adults that invites participants to explore the colorful world of Bollywood dance. In this interactive session, Jaya introduces us to basic steps and gestures inspired by Bollywood films—India’s globally beloved movie industry known for its music, energy, and expressive storytelling. You don’t need any dance experience to join in—just a willingness to move, smile, and have fun! It’s a great way to learn something new, connect with your community, and enjoy a little bit of Bollywood magic—right at your library.
Register below to attend. Space is limited, so sign up today to reserve a spot.
Howard County Chinese SchoolIndian classical dancer Jaya Mathur
The Global Neighbors team is back with an exciting cultural journey into the various dance forms that our neighbors from around the world bring to Howard County. We invite you to celebrate the rich diversity of movement, rhythm, and storytelling on Sunday, May 4 from 2 to 4 pm in Global Neighbors: Dance Edition at Miller Branch.
Irish dancer Coco Ward from Kavanagh Porter Dance Academy
From the elegance of traditional Korean dance to the strength and fluidity of Chinese dance forms to the intricate storytelling of Indian classical dance to the rapid footwork and rhythmic precision of Irish dancing to expressive and passionate Flamenco to high-energy Hip Hop, Global Neighbors: Dance Edition hopes to showcase the artistry, emotion, and cultural significance of movement across the world.
Arte Flamenco Studio
Join us in celebrating the power of dance to unite communities and share stories beyond words! Let us learn about the richness of the cultures that surround us, connect with our neighbors, and grow in our knowledge of each other to form a more cohesive society.
B. Funk Dance Company.
Register via the link below to attend Global Neighbors: Dance Edition on Sunday, May 4 from 2 – 4 pm at Howard County Library System’s Miller Branch.
Piyali is an instructor and research specialist at HCLS Miller Branch, where she facilitates two book discussion groups: Light But Not Fluffy and Global Reads. She keeps the hope alive that someday she will reach the bottom of her to-read list.
The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi Reviewed by Piyali C. For generations in India and elsewhere, women have tried to loosen the shackles imposed by society for themselves, their daughters, and the women who followed them. Alka Joshi’s inspiration for The Henna Artistis her mother, Sudha. Although Sudha was denied the opportunity to live a life of her choosing, she remained tenacious and fierce so her daughter had the chance to flourish.
Joshi’s protagonist, Lakshmi Shastry, is trying to gain her independence by painting henna designs for the society ladies in Jaipur, the Pink City of newly liberated India in the 1950s. Lakshmi was married young to an abusive husband. Instead of accepting her fate, she escapes to Agra, then Jaipur in search of a new life. Her trade of drawing henna designs on the bodies of the women of powerful families in Jaipur gives her an insider’s view on the power struggles and social hierarchies. She uses this knowledge to further her career as a henna artist and a match maker.
Lakshmi’s goal is to build a home for herself with her own money. Her dream of owning a shelter also involves not being beholden to any men by accepting their help to fulfill her goal. Being an independent woman of means was not easy or common in India in 1950. With careful positioning, intuition, and a good understanding of power play, Lakshmi Shastry is well on her way to do just that. However, when her 13-year-old sister, Radha comes to Jaipur seeking her help after their parents’ death, Lakshmi’s plans for her future are tossed to the wind.
No matter what culture, women’s right to self-determination is important to Alka Joshi, and she centers her novel on this pivotal theme. The Henna Artist is fast paced, character driven, and beautifully written. The common consensus at my Global Reads book club was that this book evoked a sense of empowerment, resilience, and the will to never give up. Perhaps those are the qualities that Joshi’s mother instilled in her daughter, and that the daughter was able to bring forth those in her readers through her words, the characters she imagined, and the story she wrote.
Sat, Apr 19 | 2 – 3 pm HCLS East Columbia Branch For adults. Register at bit.ly/Alka-Joshi Books available for purchase and signing.
Alka Joshi is the internationally bestselling author of the Jaipur Trilogy, which includes The Henna Artist, The Secret Keeper of Jaipur, and The Perfumist of Paris. Her fourth novel, Six Days in Bombay, comes out on April 15. In her first stand-alone novel since her bestselling debut, Alka Joshi uses the life of painter Amrita Sher-Gil, the “Frida Kahlo of India,” as inspiration for the story’s exploration of how far we’ll travel to find out where we truly belong.
The Henna Artist became an instant New York Times bestseller, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club Pick, an LA Times bestseller, a Toronto Star bestseller, an Indie Bookstores bestseller, a Cosmopolitan best audiobook, and an Amazon and Goodreads favorite. It was long-listed for the Center for Fiction First Novel Prize and has been translated into 29 languages. It is currently in development as an episodic series. In 2023, Alka Joshi was honored by Forbes as one of their 50 Over 50 women, recognized for shattering age and gender norms.
Alka was born in India and came to the United States with her family at the age of nine. She holds a BA from Stanford University and an MFA from California College of the Arts.
Clover Brooks’ first encounter with death was when she was just five years old. Clover’s kindergarten teacher died suddenly in front of a roomful of kindergartners. The other children screamed and cried; little Clover gently touched the hand of the deceased teacher. At age 6, Clover lost both her parents in an accident overseas and was raised by her erudite grandfather in Manhattan, NY. Her quiet grandfather’s expression of love did not involve hugs or display of emotions, his love for Clover was of a deeper kind. He encouraged her to think, be curious, and love books. An introvert by nature, Clover embraced her grandfather’s love of solitude. She is perfectly content (or so she thinks) to spend her days reading in her apartment with her bulldog, George, and two cats, Lionel and Lola.
We meet Clover Brooks thirteen years after her grandfather’s death. She lives in the same apartment where she grew up, surrounded by her grandfather’s possessions that she does not want to get rid of, and almost friendless except for one 87-year-old neighbor, Leo, who was also her grandfather’s friend. After her grandfather died alone in his office while Clover was traveling the world, she chooses the profession of a death doula. Clover, who has a degree in thanatology (the scientific study of death and the practices associated with it), can bring solace to a tired and scared soul as they get ready to move on to eternal rest.
However, she cannot quite figure out how to connect with the living. 36-year-old Clover’s social life, when she is not sitting by the bedside of a patient, is limited to attending death cafes all around New York. Death fascinates her but not in a morbid way, as she sees death as a transition. This transition is often scary. Clover tries to ease it by being present, listening, and talking to the patient and their family. She is comfortable with the process of death. It is life that she cannot understand. How does one live their life meaningfully, without regret? At one such cafe, Clover comes across Sebastian who needs her help to prepare his grandmother Claudia for her imminent death. While Clover helps Claudia, an esteemed photojournalist, prepare for her transition, Claudia, along with a new neighbor, Sylvie, teach Clover how to live, connect with fellow humans, and even open her heart to love.  The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer is about finding the courage to live one’s best life, which is only possible if one can let go of past regrets. This story is about showing grace not only to others but also to one’s own self. Clover’s loneliness, her yearning to understand other fellow human beings, her tentative attempts at friendship, her regrets, her compassion for the dying, and ultimately, her growth and her freedom from her past endeared her to me. I cannot say I loved Clover at the start of the novel but she grew on me. She came out of the pages of the book and became real. I believe Clover’s story would generate an interesting discussion in book clubs.
The Collected Regrets of Clover by Mikki Brammer is available in print, e-book, and e-audiobook.
Piyali is an instructor and research specialist at HCLS Miller Branch, where she facilitates two book discussion groups: Light But Not Fluffy and Global Reads. She keeps the hope alive that someday she will reach the bottom of her to-read list.
Are you an ardent admirer of the fiery Elizabeth Bennet and broody Fitzwilliam Darcy from Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice? Are you exhausted with all the holiday chores and need some delicious brain candy? I have just the book for you! Pick up (or put a hold on) Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding.
Twenty-five-year-old Lizzy Bennet, smart, spunky, and courageous, aspires to become a foreign correspondent for a renowned newspaper. Her dream seems almost within reach when she gets accepted into the School of Journalism at Columbia University. However, Mr. Bennet suffers from a heart attack before Lizzy can tell her family about her college acceptance. Lizzy must put her dreams on hold and defer her semester at Columbia so she can manage their family business, Bennet Bakery, in East Hampton.
Her older sister, Jane, is a teacher at an elementary school. Lydia is a social media influencer, Kitty is an aspiring business professional, and Mary is a climate activist. Mrs. Bennet is a self-proclaimed entrepreneur with hundreds of impractical business initiatives, leaving Lizzy as the glue who holds her chaotic family together. Her work starts at dawn as she fires up the oven, but only after Lizzy surfs every morning to cope with the chaos and frustration of her present circumstances. Lizzy loves her quirky family too much to leave them in a lurch, but she has outgrown the parochial East Hampton where rich Manhattanites descend every summer, party till dawn, and then leave in August.
Will Darcy is a business magnate who accompanies his dearest friend Charlie Pierce to his sister’s summer rental at East Hampton. Will’s goal is to prevent gold diggers taking advantage of the affable Charlie and to keep him focused on his work. Darcy and Lizzie’s paths cross when Charlie, accompanied by Will, walks into Bennet Bakery. He tastes their mouthwatering sour cherry muffins, lays his eyes on Jane, and falls in love. Will Darcy is ready to protect Charlie from the likes of Jane Bennet, who (according to him) is after Charlie’s money. It is infuriating to Will that Charlie, instead of wising up, tries to set him up with Jane’s fiery sister, Lizzy. He considers Lizzy to be a complete mess but inevitably falls for her charms.
And the rest is history. The chemistry between Lizzie and Will is absolutely electrifying as they surf together, glare at each other, fight their feelings for each other, misunderstand each other’s intentions, and finally overcome their pride and prejudice to find their way towards each other.
As a lover of Austen, and especially Pride and Prejudice, I am always wary of reading retellings because I judge them hard. This modern retelling, with its interesting take on the well-known and much-loved plot and characters of my beloved original, won my heart. I have been suggesting this book to all my fellow Austen lovers whether they ask for my suggestion or not!
Elizabeth of East Hampton by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding is available in print format.
Piyali is an instructor and research specialist at HCLS Miller Branch, where she facilitates two book discussion groups: Light But Not Fluffy and Global Reads. She keeps the hope alive that someday she will reach the bottom of her to-read list.
The more I read the more I realize how little I know. I was confused about the title of this exquisitely written novel, Clear, that talks about human connections. Why “clear?” I learned the significance in the Author’s Note, where I read about how 474 ministers broke away from the Scottish Church in the year 1843 to rebel against the system of patronage and form the new Free Church. I also learned about the controversial Clearances.
In the novel, John Ferguson is an impoverished priest of the New Church forced to participate in a significant social upheaval in Scotland at the time: the Clearances that began in the Lowlands, spanning from the mid-eighteenth century to the mid-nineteenth century. Farmers were forcibly removed from their lands by the landowners to use those fields for crops, cattle, and sheep. The farmers and their families were dispossessed of their livelihood and forced to move to concentrated lands where they could not produce enough food for sustenance, which resulted in mass exodus to industrialized cities. Many sold all their belongings to find passage on ships to the United States, Canada, or Australia to start anew.Â
John Ferguson takes up the job of evicting the lone tenant, named Ivar, of a remote island. Ivar has been living by himself for over a decade with his old horse, a blind cow, and a few hens and sheep. John’s wife, Mary, is opposed to this dangerous journey, but John is adamant about earning enough money to build his own church facility to practice the teachings of the New Church. Upon arrival, John falls off an island cliff, sustaining life threatening injuries. Ivar, the man whom John has come to evict, finds the unconscious John and nurses him back to health. Despite their language barrier, the two men find a connection, while John faces a dilemma about having to disclose to Ivar, his savior and friend, his real reason for the journey. Mary, in the meantime, has had no communication from John; she sells everything to buy passage to travel to the island herself to find out what has happened to him. The story takes an interesting turn when the three main characters come together.Â
Clear is not only a story of immense beauty; it is also a big-hearted story of hope, ambition, and most of all, the interconnectedness of human hearts. The paucity of words in the book somehow intensifies the beauty and the depth of the characters, the plot, and the setting. Through the magic of Carys Davies’ beautiful writing, the readers can hear the waves crashing against the rugged rocks of the island, feel the heat of the fire that Ivar builds to stay warm, and taste the slightly burnt milk mixed with cornmeal that Ivar feeds John to sustain his broken body. The book touches all our senses as we read the story. The words transport us onto the island, and we live John and Ivar’s life and feel their connection along with them. We understand Mary’s concern as she frets at the lack of communication from her husband and marvel at the ending, when all three characters converge on the island. What will happen to them next?
Clear by Carys Davies is available in print and e-book formats.
Piyali is an instructor and research specialist at HCLS Miller Branch, where she facilitates two book discussion groups: Light But Not Fluffy and Global Reads. She keeps the hope alive that someday she will reach the bottom of her to-read list.
On July 19, 2022, educator and school librarian Amanda Jones spoke up against censorship at a Livingston Parish Library Board of Control meetingin Louisiana. Her speech focused on inclusivity, the freedom to read, and the importance of representation of diverse thoughts, beliefs, experiences, and community in a public library’s collection. Little did she know that her speech about her public library’s collection would result in a storm of bigotry, hatred, and vitriol against her, on a personal level. What followed can only be termed a nightmare. Members of nationalist, White Christian groups started bullying Amanda Jones mercilessly on social media, accusing her of grooming children and putting sexually graphic content in the hands of children. Â
Jones writes about how she was affected: how the defamation took a toll on her health and her personal life, and how she found inner strength with the support and loveof her family, friends, and wider community members locally and nationally. She rose above the fray of pettiness of the individuals who bullied her for her speech and her fight to preserve intellectual freedom. She fought her way through, stood up straight, and discovered her strengths and weaknesses in the process. She did not ask to be a hero, but she fought back, instead of backing down, when she was so wrongfully attacked by ultra-conservatives for defending everyone’s freedom to read. She made mistakes, but she eventually learned to respond with meticulous fact-gathering, background-checking and analyzing, and most importantly, with grace. All that she learned at library school about curating information came in handy in her campaign against ignorance and bigotry.
It was an excellent read, especially because I believe in everyone’s right to read whatever they want to with all my heart. Like Amanda Jones, I believe that representation matters. Kids, and everyone, deserve to see themselves in the materials they read. It is the responsibility of parents to monitor what their child is reading, not the library’s. There is a due process in place to ask a library to reconsider any material in the collection, and customers should avail themselves of that if they want to request libraries to remove materials – but one individual (or a group of them) who does not agree with the content should not take priority over the need for representation.
My only criticism of this book is not its message but that some ideas were repetitive. It seemed like some of the chapters were written as essays and the same idea was repeated, and the repetition took the edge off the author’s important message. I would rather have the message of intellectual freedom being reiterated than not.Â
Piyali is an instructor and research specialist at HCLS Miller Branch, where she facilitates two book discussion groups: Light But Not Fluffy and Global Reads. She keeps the hope alive that someday she will reach the bottom of her to-read list.
It is always exciting for me to read a fabulous story written by a debut author. Natalie Sue has done a tremendous job in her first novel, I Hope This Finds You Well, to drive home the point that everyone around us has a unique story, fighting their own individual battles. As humans, we need to recognize that fact and show others some grace. But that is not always easy.
Jolene had a life altering experience in high school. As a result of that incident and the ramifications of it in society and in her head, she is stuck in her life. She is 33, stagnant in a confining job as an administrative assistant in a big corporation called Supershops. She lives in a decrepit apartment after finally moving out of her parents’ house. She drinks too much, lives a lonely life, and evades the intrusive texts of her Persian mother.
As we meet Jolene at the beginning of the story, it is hard to like her. Her petty coworkers are trying to back stab each other to climb the corporate ladder and, most importantly, to avoid the layoffs that are looming over them. Jolene’s way of coping with the nastiness at her workplace is writing unsavory comments about her colleagues in her official emails to them but changing the text color to white. When she forgets to change the color of the font in one of her emails to another administrative assistant, Caitlin, Jolene is called to HR for an intervention.
She must take mandatory training under a new HR guy, 33-year-old Cliff. Although Cliff is helpful and pleasant, Jolene does not trust him since he is part of the enemy, a.k.a management. As part of the training, IT must change some settings in Jolene’s computer, which backfires. Jolene finds to her surprise that she has access to all her coworkers’ work emails and chats. Through her prying, Jolene can see what changes are coming in the organization and what her coworkers think about her. This unexpected glimpse into private conversations gives Jolene a chance to maneuver her own actions to position herself to get the next promotion over her fellow administrative assistant.
It also gives her access to the secrets that her coworkers harbor. The correspondence of her coworkers reveals to her the challenges that all her coworkers struggle with in their personal lives. Cliff, the HR guy and Jolene become friends, but can they be more than that as there is definitely a conflict of interest in their respective roles?
The story is full of humor and observations of basic human nature. It is also full of love, loneliness, mental health challenges, eccentricities of people who surround us, the push and pull of second-generation immigrant experiences, and above all the human connections that free from our past.
Piyali is an instructor and research specialist at HCLS Miller Branch, where she facilitates two book discussion groups: Light But Not Fluffy and Global Reads. She keeps the hope alive that someday she will reach the bottom of her to-read list.
CHAPTER CHATS 