Project: Escape!

As summertime begins, I can think of no better form of escape from the worries of life (not to mention the quarantine) than falling into a good book. Books with rich settings and worlds that really help distance oneself are the best kind of book in times like these! And, while it is important to read books to be informed, it's just as important to have a place to retreat to.

To that end, this week's list will discuss books with rich, luxurious settings as a major component to the novel - some of them are unsurprisingly popular, but I've tried to include a few older works and hidden gems as well. But, one thing is certain, they are all incredible works of speculative fiction that you'll be thinking about long after you finish the last page.

Firstly, we'll begin with V. E. Schwab's A Darker Shade of Magic series. While stories that are magical and also urban can struggle with creating interesting and engaging worlds, this series devotes itself to building a complex and engaging world of magic and mystery, using four parallel Londons full of nuance and detail that make it easy to imagine and forget where you are. The 'rules' of how this setting works are well-thought out, but not always told to the reader, allowing a clever mind to fill in the blanks, and if you miss something, no worries - you still get the joy of viewing the consequences! This book is a perfect starting point for those looking to escape!

Secondly, I'll point you in the direction of something a little more sophisticated - N. K. Jemisin's The Fifth Season, the first book of her Broken Earth trilogy. This book is a bit more high fantasy, with a serious post-apocalypse feel woven in. This series creates one of the more interesting sets of rules for magic I've ever read, and its gripping, suspense-filled plot will keep you turning pages until the very end! While it might seem a bit strange to suggest a book about a magical world-ending storm as it feels our own world is falling down around us, I believe that sometimes having the power to turn the page in situations where we might feel powerless is a mighty power indeed.

Thirdly, I'll switch gears and offer you something a little bit lighter. This selection is especially aimed at my HP fans and people who enjoyed Children of Blood and Bone. Nnedi Okorafor's Akata Witch, which follows along the story of Sunny, who in the opening act of the story might be mistaken for another certain glasses-wearing, wand-wielding wizard, being an outsider where she lives, discovering she has a hidden magical ability, and going off to use magic as a way to fit in. However, the book turns down a different road, feeling more like a detective novel as the plot advances, but still maintaining a wonderfully light prose - perfect for those hot summer days where all you want is to pretend you are somewhere else. This particular novel really does transport you somewhere different as much of the novel takes place in a magical re-imagining of Nigeria, tapping into the deep mythology and culture of a different place to establish a complex world outside the sometimes staid and stagnant norms of the fantasy genre.

Speaking of staid fantasy, I would be remiss if I didn't include J.R.R Tolkien's The Hobbit here as the final book in this week's list. While its world might feel overly familiar if you've read a lot of other works of fantasy or science fiction, there is a good reason - Tolkien's works are a masterclass in building a world. Starring a shy, placatory Bilbo and traveling through the realm of Middle-Earth, The Hobbit is another example of a world into which one can simply dissolve.

That's all for this week's list. Even though the NFPL is closed for renovations, these books can be checked out electronically through Libby and enjoyed on any e-reader or phone! Next week, I'll tackle the important work of becoming more informed about the social justice issues in our country, but for right now, take some time and use one of these great books to disengage and decompress in someone else's world - you've earned it!