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Philosophy

In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond

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In the Valleys of the Noble Beyond: In Search of the Sasquatch by John Zada
Format: Book
Who it’s for: Adults

Investigative journalist John Zada confesses to a lifelong fascination with the legend of Bigfoot.

To satisfy his curiosity, and his appetite for adventure, he visits the remote Great Bear Rainforest region of Canada’s Pacific coast, where indigenous people have been telling stories about the Sasquatch for centuries.

While recording the stories of these First Nations, and other, communities, he also records the plight of the forest itself. Activists are fighting to conserve the vast wilderness, and animals that make their homes there, from oil companies, and hunters.

Zada’s thoughtful descriptions of the forest and its inhabitants will make you want to get lost in the woods, and his search for the Sasquatch leads him to a philosophical and psychological exploration of why we believe, or want to believe, in anything.

If you like books about travel, the environment, folklore, or belief systems, I suggest you give this a try. I found it to be a truly interesting read I continue to think about long after turning the last page.

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A Gentleman in Moscow

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A Gentleman in Moscow
By Amor Towles
Who it’s for: Adults

Count Alexander Rostov appears before a Bolshevik tribunal in 1922 Moscow and is sentenced to house arrest. He will live out the rest of his days at the luxurious Hotel Metropol. If he sets foot outside the hotel, he will be shot on sight. Moved from his luxurious suite to a former storage room at the top of the hotel, the Count notes: “If a man does not master his circumstances then he is bound to be mastered by them.” And so Rostov sets about mastering his circumstances. The hotel is home to restaurants, a cocktail bar, and a barbershop, but also to a multitude of empty rooms, secret passages, and more that the Count explores with Nina, a nine year old girl living in the hotel temporarily.

Over the next 32 years, we follow the Count through his life at the hotel, including a love affair, a family life of sorts, and a new career. He maintains his aristocratic flair, but is not too proud to learn from those with whom he spends time. The novel also provides a view of the changes occurring in Russia in these years. An old friend of the Count weaves in and out of the story to describe the changing political environment, and the narrator describes physical changes happening outside the walls of the Metropol. The chilling events and atmosphere of Stalinist Russia are not the main focus of the novel, but they lurk in the background and certainly impact the Count and his friends (some more harshly than others).

Philosophical, witty, and lyrical, A Gentleman in Moscow is highly recommended. This isn’t a quick, action heavy read, but one full of memorable quotations and moments meant to be savored. Recommended for fans of Anthony Doerr, Kristin Hannah, and Muriel Barbery.

Find it in the catalog