Book Buzz

Episode 126 - Air date: Nov. 2, 2025

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 will introduce you to handpicked favorites that have captured the hearts and minds of our staff. We’ll give you the inside scoop on titles you may not have heard about.

First, we’re going to hear from Ruth, librarian at the Mountlake Terrace Library, who will introduce us to a local farmer and author. Go ahead, Ruth.

RUTH:

Jessica Gigot, author of “A Little Bit of Land,” is a transplant from the mid-west suburbs, a poet and biology major who discovers she loves farming. In her memoir, she starts as an intern at specialty farms in the Pacific Northwest, providing free back-breaking labor in exchange for experience in the field. Eventually she purchases her own farm in the Skagit Valley.

I’m descended from Skagit Valley farmers, but I grew up in the suburbs too, and have always wondered what it’s like to farm in the soil that’s been called the best in the world for raising crops.

Gigot’s writing is so engaging and evocative that I feel like I’m there with her, gathering artisanal herbs, trying to milk cows, dealing with crop failure. As she writes, she weaves in fascinating insights about topics like the lives of seasonal migrant workers, and sustainable agriculture, and Wendell Berry’s writings on our disconnection from land and dismantling of small farm economies by agribusiness.

"A Little Bit of Land” is a healing journey of self-discovery, a story about what it means to have a home and a place where we truly belong.

The book is told in a conversational tone and at 148 pages is a quick and easy read. I loved it!

JESSICA:  Thanks, Ruth! There are lots of veterinarians in my family and I grew up visiting farms. I bet I would love this book too.

Next, let’s hear from Anne, programming service coordinator, for a story with a claustrophobic setting. Go ahead, Anne.

ANNE:

Thanks Jessica. Are you looking for a tense survival thriller to keep you on the edge of your seat? Have you ever wondered what it’s like inside the belly of a whale? If so, “Whalefall” by Daniel Kraus is just the book for you.

Jay Gardiner has given himself a fool’s errand — finding the remains of his deceased father in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Monastery Beach. He knows it’s a long shot, but Jay feels it’s the only way to lift the weight of guilt he’s carried since his dad’s suicide the previous year.

The dive begins well enough, but the sudden appearance of a giant squid puts Jay in very real jeopardy, made infinitely worse by the arrival of a sperm whale looking to feed. Suddenly, Jay is caught in the squid’s tentacles and drawn into the whale’s mouth, then pulled into the first of its four stomachs. He quickly realizes he has only one hour before his oxygen tanks run out — one hour to defeat his demons and escape the belly of a whale.

Kraus’s scientifically accurate, highly descriptive writing had me inside the whale with Jay as he tried to escape. I felt claustrophobia and desperation as the clock ticked and the oxygen ran low. Did Jay make it out in time? Read “Whalefall” to find out!

JESSICA:

Thanks, Anne! To add to the tension, each chapter of this book is titled with the amount of oxygen Jay has left.

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.