Listen to the Episode
Air date: July 14, 2024
Check Out The Books
Read the Transcript
JESSICA:
Hi, this is Jessica Russell. I’m the assistant director of collection services at Sno-Isle Libraries. And welcome to Book Buzz.
Today's two reading recommendations include female main characters wrestling with societal pressures and expectations.
First, we’re going to hear from Amanda, library associate for Library on Wheels. She’ll tell us about a story of passion and secrets. Take it away, Amanda.
AMANDA:
“The House of Eve” by Sadeqa Johnson is a historical fiction novel told in dual perspectives following the lives of Ruby and Eleanor.
Philadelphia, 1948: Fifteen-year-old Ruby's dreams are almost within reach. She will be the first in her family to attend college. But a taboo love affair and pregnancy threaten to keep her in the cycle of poverty. When she's imprisoned in a home for unwed mothers — locked in the House of Eve with other 'fallen girls' — everything she's worked so hard for starts slipping through her fingers
Washington, DC, 1948: Eleanor arrives in the city driven to escape her past. Then she meets the handsome William Pride at Howard University; they fall madly in love. But William hails from one of DC’s elite wealthy Black families, and his parents don’t let just anyone into their fold. Eleanor hopes that a baby will make her finally a part of William’s family and grant her the life she’s always wanted. But having a baby — and fitting in — is easier said than done.
Ruby and Eleanor have incredibly unique personalities but share the same strength and determination. They are powerful women put in powerless situations, trying to change their futures.
Much has changed since the time in which “The House of Eve” is set, however there is too much that hasn’t — inequalities in race, gender, and social class.
JESSICA:
Thanks, Amanda! You’re right, the challenges Ruby and Eleanor faced back then are still relevant today.
Next, let’s hear about food and murder from Hattie, library associate for Library on Wheels. Go ahead, Hattie.
HATTIE:
“There are two things that I simply cannot tolerate: feminists and margarine,” declares Manako Kajii, the convicted serial killer and gourmand at the heart of “Butter: A Novel of Food and Murder” by Asako Yuzuki. Frustrated by the lurid, tabloid news coverage of Kajii, feeding a public, hungry for details of how such an ugly woman could have captivated so many rich men with her decadent cooking, journalist Rika Machida sets out to uncover the true story of the killer.
Kajii is unwilling to discuss the details of her case, but when Rika writes her a letter asking for her beef stew recipe, she’s allowed in — Kajii will talk, but only if Rika follows through on a series of increasingly hedonistic gastronomic challenges and reports back. As their exchange unfolds, Rika comes to embrace the forbidden pleasure of eating, and to find the strength to claim her own desires.
Filled with lush descriptions of French haute cuisine, late night diners, and of course butter — not to be read on an empty stomach! I devoured this slow burn thriller, hungry for every plot twist, and savoring Rika’s growing sense of self determination.
Inspired by the real case of a convicted con woman and serial killer, “Butter” is a vivid, unsettling exploration of misogyny, obsession, romance, and the transgressive pleasures of food.
JESSICA:
Thanks, Hattie! This book sounds like an intoxicating blend of flavors and feelings.
Our recommendations this week are: “House of Eve” by Sadeqa Johnson and "Butter" by Asako Yuzuki.
Join us next time, when we’ll explore more great reading recommendations — interesting books you can find at your favorite local bookstore or at your local library.
Until then, I’m Jessica Russell from Sno-Isle Libraries.
Thanks for joining us for Book Buzz on KSER.
Hear More From Book Buzz
Join us each Sunday as Sno-Isle Libraries staff discuss the latest buzz-worthy titles on our weekly radio program, Book Buzz.
