The Book Blog

This week, we welcome another great blog post from History Professor and Library Super User Matt Giddings! 

Jeff VanderMeer and Weird Science Fiction

OR

“There’s a fungus among us, and it’s going to kill me.”

                Jeff VanderMeer is a science fiction writer who lives and works in Tallahassee, Florida, a setting that has inspired his most well-known work (The Southern Reach series). However, today, I’d like to discuss some of his less well-known works – the Ambergris series. These books are, well, weird. Really, all of VanderMeer’s writing is, but I’d argue that these books are perhaps the weirdest.

                The Ambergris series begins with a lengthy collection of short stories titled “City of Saints and Madmen” – the title refers to Ambergris, the city in which the majority of the stories are set and which is named for “the most secret and valued part of the whale.” Frankly, this set of stories defies easy description – one early edition of it had a short story on the inside of the dust jacket written in code (mercifully decoded and printed in the book in later editions). Ambergris is a moldy, dank, crumbling metropolis inhabited by humans who have, at some point in the past, driven the aboriginal inhabitants of the city underground. In this case, quite literally so, as these mysterious beings are called “Gray Caps” and seem to be fungus people. The Gray Caps lurk in the background throughout the stories, which mostly revolve around art criticism, madness, and an annual festival involving the reproductive habits of river squids. 

                 VanderMeer followed this collection up with a novel, “Shriek: An Afterword.” Randomly, I grabbed this off the shelf last week (or perhaps a gust of dank crypt air, laden with spores, wafted from a crepuscular corner of the library and impelled me to select this particular tome- who can say?) and took a trip back up the river Moth to Ambergris. “Shriek” is a much more straightforwardly presented text, in this case the memoir of a famous Ambergrisian art critic named Janice Shriek (a character readers of “City of Saints and Madmen” will have encountered). Janice writes about the strange and strained relationship she has with her brother Duncan, who has become fascinated with the Gray Caps and the alleged atrocities they have committed against the residents of Ambergris. 

                What makes “Shriek” an interesting read to me is the text and the subtext. Janice recounts her brother's activities, sometimes quoting his diaries or letters but at other times recounting her suppositions about his life and works. Duncan, who is far from dead, annotates the work with his own commentary, providing a real view of his activities. Well, what he thinks is real. So, “Shriek” is a memoir by an unreliable narrator, with commentary by another unreliable narrator about subjects for which reliable narration may be impossible. 

                Or, to put it bluntly, it’s exactly the kind of work VanderMeer would write. 

                I’m a big fan of this whole series, and I like “Shriek” more than I thought I would. It’s connected to the central mystery of the series – those odd, unsettling, and potentially malevolent Gray Caps – which is the thing that I wished “City of Saints and Madmen” had spent more time explaining. There is a sequel, “Finch”, which is apparently a noir-ish murder mystery which I already have and will probably read next. 

                Have you read any of VanderMeer’s work? Do you like fungus or weird stories or madness? Come find me at the book club (or on the St. Augustine or Palatka campuses) and share! 

Special thanks to this week's blog contributor, Kylie Stanley. Kylie is both a student and part-time employee at SJR State. It has been exciting to watch her Harry induced emotional journey! 

Growing up in the early 2010s, I always heard my peers talking about the Harry Potter series and movies. Everywhere I turned, it was “Harry Potter” this and “Harry Potter” that, but I had no interest in fantasy. I was a Diary of a Wimpy Kid, Dork Diaries, historical fiction kind of girl—the furthest genres from fantasy. I didn’t try to open my mind to Harry Potter until I was 20. When I started the series on Christmas Day in 2024, I really only started it because I had received a Kindle, and the first Harry Potter book was one of the very few popular books included with my Prime membership, so I gave it a try. The first book’s reading level is around that of a fourth grader, but even as a 20-year-old, Rowling has a way of making you feel like you are at King’s Cross with Harry. I finished the first book in a couple of days, not realizing that I would end the series loving every book while also becoming obsessed with almost anything Harry Potter-related.

As I moved on through the series, the phrase “the books grew with their audience” came to mind often. This statement, along with the fact that Voldemort doesn’t have a nose and Harry Potter slept under the stairs (all because of Jessie and Good Luck Charlie on Disney Channel), were the only things I knew about the Harry Potter series when I started. To say the books grew with their audience is extremely true. The series starts out with a couple of eleven-year-old witches and wizards beginning their school careers at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. The first three books are more geared toward younger readers. The fourth through the seventh books are when the series begins to mature for older readers. During this time, readers start to encounter more violence, betrayal, and even death. Overall, I absolutely loved the series and would suggest it to anyone—even if they don’t like fantasy—to give it a try! Now, I’m off to watch the movies to see how they compare (even though we know the books are always better).

As a reader (and a librarian), you’d think I’d have my bookish life together—neatly organized shelves, a perfectly curated TBR, maybe even a color-coded reading plan. But let’s be honest, my TBR (To Be Read) list is pure, unhinged chaos. No matter how many books I read, the list refuses to shrink. In fact, it only grows at an alarming rate. At this point, it feels less like a list and more like a hydra—finish one book, and three more take its place.

There’s something both thrilling and mildly terrifying about an ever-growing TBR. On the one hand, I love knowing I’ll never run out of amazing books to read. On the other, my shelves (both physical and digital) are starting to resemble a small-scale library, and my Kindle is judging me.

My Biggest TBR Weaknesses

📚 ARCs (Advanced Reader Copies) – I love getting early access to books. But let’s be real, my digital TBR pile is now a structural hazard.

📚 Impulse Bookstore Purchases – Walk into a bookstore just to browse? Never.

📚 Book Club Recommendations – One great recommendation leads to another and another and another…..

What’s Actually on My TBR Right Now?

Currently, my TBR is a mix of books I’ve been meaning to read forever, buzzy new releases, and books I added on a whim but don’t quite remember why. Here are a few titles near the top of my never-ending list:

📖 The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater | June 3, 2025 – I have loved this author since the early 2000s when she wrote the Shiver trilogy about werewolves (it was never just a phase). This will be her first book that is not YA. Knowing Stiefvater’s writing, it’ll be weird, magical, and I’m SO pumped. 

📖 The Secret History by Donna Tartt | September 16, 1992 – The dark academia Bible. People praise this book to the heavens, and yet, I can’t seem to get past the 100-page mark. At some point in my life, I will persevere and read all 559 pages of this novel that has left such a powerful impact on so many. (It’s me. Hi.  I’m the problem. It’s me.)

📖 Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann | August 1, 2005 – I found this while mindlessly scrolling Goodreads Giveaways and only clicked on it because of the cute cover and fun title. Then I saw the description: a herd of sheep solving their shepherd’s murder? Sign me up. Cozy mystery meets farm animals? Yes, please. Now, I just have to wait my turn in the reserve line at the library. Because of course this fun titled mystery book would also happen to being turned into a movie here soon.

TBR Management: Do We Even Try?

I’d love to say I have a plan when it comes to tackling my TBR, but let’s be honest—I mostly just read whatever I’m in the mood for. Honestly? I wouldn’t have it any other way. Having too many books to read is the best kind of problem.

Can a reader ever have too many books? Eh. Am I going to stop buying/adding to my TBR anytime soon? Absolutely not.

What does your TBR look like? Do you have a system, or are you also just riding the chaos wave with me?

This week, our blog post comes from Lisa Mahoney, an English Professor (and avid library user)!

Humans are natural-born storytellers. We move from home to work to social activities and back again all the while communicating with others via story: “Guess what happened on the way to work?” “Let me tell what so-and-so did today.” “A funny thing happened when I went…” We weave in and out of different situations using narrative to entertain, explain, persuade, and ultimately be seen. Stories are easy to understand. Stories foster empathy. Stories elucidate values and worldviews. In short, stories are powerful. My favorite is fiction. The best illuminate deep insights that have broader reach beyond just what happened. They speak about not just the main character but about all individuals. 

While I’m not opposed to true stories, it’s not my go-to, and even when a memoir stirs up enormous buzz, and everyone I know recommends it, the engagement and motivation to actually finish the book lack purchase. I guess I just get a little bored, truth be told. My imagination isn’t sparked, my feelings aren’t triggered, my empathy teeters on the brink of apathy. One book changed all of this for me: The Beggar King and the Secret of Happiness by Joel ben Izzy. I first read it twenty-two years ago and have since re-read it close to a dozen times. I have gifted numerous copies and recommended it innumerable times. Before this book, I had a hard time with a lot of the Me-ness in memoir and, to use the old cliché, was a little over the navel-gazing. And maybe I have a hard time with newer titles because this little gem stands as the litmus test for them all. None so far have passed the test.  

Izzy’s story is at its base about loss, finding meaning in that loss, and not fighting against what your own story is that needs to play out. Izzy is a professional storyteller hired to perform at schools, weddings, festivals, etc. At thirty-seven, in otherwise good health, Izzy was diagnosed with thyroid cancer. During the procedure, his vocal nerve was affected. What a bum deal: a storyteller who loses his voice. Not only was the loss a physical one but because it was tied so intricately to his vocation it was a complete loss of self. He embarks on a journey to get his voice back and inexplicably comes face to face with his old mentor-turned-curmudgeon Lenny.

Lenny leads him on a story-journey to truly see his situation and not fight it. He reminds him of the timeless ancient tales that he tells in his professional life, and the treat for readers is that each chapter is introduced with an aligning parable and its origin. The book’s prologue is “The Beggar King,” a classic from Jerusalem. Others like “The Lost Horse” from China and “Optimism and Pessimism” from the Czech Republic and “The Happy Man’s Shirt” from Italy (among so many others) preface each prong in Izzy’s own chronology of this life-altering event. Through his sometimes-harsh interactions with Lenny, Izzy is slowly brought into his reality of not having a voice. He works toward acceptance and forgiveness in search of happiness. 

Ultimately, stories are the crux of life. At a pivotal point in the story, Lenny goads Izzy into telling stories again. Izzy resists because he can’t talk. Lenny says, “Telling stories is not about the words you say. When you have a story inside you, and an open heart, you become a conduit—the story flows through you. As for the words…they’re merely commentary.” Shortly after, what becomes the one true theme for me, Lenny tries to shake the self-pity out of Izzy by pushing him into the reality of his new life. He says, “You walked out of my door twenty years ago and set off to seek adventure. And now here you are, back again, in the middle of a grand adventure. What more do you want?” Izzy responds, “Out.” Lenny explains, “It doesn’t work that way. What would happen if a character tried to escape from a story you were telling?” explaining that they stay put or they’d ruin the story. They can’t leave; they are the story. And here Lenny lays the epiphany out for Izzy: “That’s your problem. For months now, you’ve been trying to scrape and claw your way out of your own story…. But that’s not the way it works. You’re in a story. I’m in a story. Everyone is inside a story, whether they like it or not.” 

Like it or not, we’re all in our own stories. If you want a heartwarming, bittersweet, honest odyssey, read Joel ben Izzy’s story. 

This week, our blog post is provided by everyone's favorite history professor/Sci-Fi reader, Matt Giddings! 

Hello again! It’s your resident sci-fi/fantasy enthusiast history professor here. This time around, I thought I’d talk about an epic fantasy series (or two) by an author I enjoy named Tad Williams. Williams has written in a bunch of genres, but he first got his start in the late 80s and early 90s in the epic fantasy genre with a trilogy named “Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn.” (NB it was a trilogy in hardcover, but they split the last book into two paperbacks – it was too long to be published as one). Of late, he returned to the genre to write a sequel series called “The Last King of Osten Ard.” The last volume of this came out last November, and since then I’ve been re reading the first series and reading the second for the first time- and I have some thoughts!

              So, let me start this out by saying I love some worldbuilding. If you write a book, and it’s in a secondary world and you need to put a map and an appendix in your book, I already preordered the hardcover. I’m here for it. That’s the kind of fantasy that Tad Williams is doing here – and he lands aesthetically, structurally, and thematically right square in the middle of a genre dominated by the Grandmaster of Fantasy, J. R. R. Tolkien. Let me just stop here and say that if you have never read The Lord of the Rings or the Hobbit, you obviously should because they are foundational to the genre of fantasy as we know it and also they are just good in general. I’ll keep banging this drum until I’m in the cold, cold ground, as I sure the membership of the St. Augustine Campus Book Club could tell you (I am looking at you Brenda Hoffman). Tolkien didn’t invent fantasy as a genre, but he casts the longest and largest shadow over the genre as it existed in the late 20^th century in English – and Tad Williams clearly felt that he needed to write his way out from under that shadow when he started volume 1 of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn way back in the late 1980s. It’s all there – a young kid as main character, mysterious evil overlords, spooky wraiths, strange and cagey elves, magic artifacts (swords and not rings, but still) and a journey! 

              If Memory, Sorrow and Thorn was Tad William’s attempt to grapple with Tolkien, I think he succeeded. I don’t wanna spoil the plot, because it’s a good one and I’ve always enjoyed these books, but it really reads like almost a Tolkien homage in some ways. The books were very successful, and so well received that a TV script and short story writer named George R R Martin realized that you could do interesting things with multivolume fantasy stories, and as a result stopped painting miniature 13^th century French knights and started writing a series of books about them fighting each other called “A Song of Ice and Fire.” No, really, I’m serious. And for Tad Williams, well he went off and wrote a lot of other stuff – some steampunk elf fairy tales, some cyberpunk fairy tales and even some elf fairy tales. He’s all over the place! 

              But readers (and maybe his publisher) and for sure his wife always nagged him about a Memory, Sorrow and Thorn sequel. So, he obliged. In 2017, he published a novella, “The Heart of What was Lost” that immediately follows the last book of Memory, Sorrow and Thorn and serves to set up the new series, which he began publishing soon after.              

              The most interesting thing about “The Last King of Osten Ard” to me is that Williams has, like American fantasy in general, kinda drifted away from Tolkien since the 1980s. This series features (some) of the same characters, but it’s been 30 years for them – they are older, and so is Williams.Reading these books I can’t help but be struck by the absence of the familiar Tolkien tropes – no long journey (he handwaves a lot of the travelling) the presence of a much more complex and interwoven plot, and perhaps most strikingly the bad guys aren’t faceless evil goons – they have a major role in narrating the plot. Not only is that a change from “Memory, Sorrow and Thorn”, it’s a huge change from Tolkien, where the Orcs and Sauron himself are largely unseen antagonists, other than the battlefield. There’s still some Tolkien in the books – it is fantasy after all. But it’s a more mature writer embedded in a genre that spent the last 30 years continuously moving away from some of the tropes that had been crystallized by Tolkien – and for all that I love The Lord of the Rings, it is refreshing. 

              Now, it’s not only Williams that’s doing this – Brandon Sanderson and Joe Abercrombie are two writers that come to mind, and no discussion of “Fantasy that’s not Tolkien on purpose” is complete without a mention of the towering presence of Steven Erikson, who has written the most consequential fantasy series of the last 30 years while at the same time deliberately rejecting Tolkien as a matter of course (and his books have SO MANY maps and a huge appendix!). But, Williams is a fascinating example of a writer who started in one place and went to another, and you can read him as he goes – and the books he wrote on the trip are excellent! 

I’ve got one more book in “The Last King of Osten Ard” left, so soon I’ll have some thoughts about the series as a whole – you can always find me and chat about it on either the Palatka or St. Augustine Campuses! 

Here’s the whole series, in order, for reference:

Memory, Sorrow and Thorn:

1. The Dragonbone Chair (1988)
2. Stone of Farewell (1990)
3. To Green Angel Tower (1993) (2 volumes in paperback)

Interquel:

The Heart of What was Lost (2017)

The Last King of Osten Ard:

1. The Witchwood Crown (2017)
2. Empire of Grass (2019)
3.  (interquel) Brothers of the Wind (2021)
4. Into the Narrowdark (2022)
5. The Navigator’s Children (2024)