RECOMMENDED READS

Welcome to our literary circle, in which San Diegans pass the (printed) word on books

Derek Human

Job: Library Assistant I, Central Library @ Joan & Irwin Jacobs Common, San Diego Public Library

He recommends: “Moby-dick” by Herman Melville (Barnes & Noble Classics, 2003; 707 pages)

Why? 2021 is both the 170th anniversary of the publication of “Moby-dick” and the 130th anniversary of Melville’s passing. Everyone knows the broad strokes: whalers, obsessed captain, whale ... but “Moby-dick” lives up to its own legend by being way more relatable than you’d expect. The funny characters are actually funny. When Melville wants you to cringe, you cringe. You’ll care about Ishmael and Queequeg before they even get on the boat. The first two pages can be tough: re-reading paragraphs until you’ve tuned in to the way Melville writes. You’ll start gliding by page three. Then, that same density and resistance you get from every sentence is as satiating as chewing perfectly cooked steak. You’ll be re-reading sentences and paragraphs to savor them. Just make it through the first two pages.

Seth Marko

Job: Owner, The Book Catapult

He recommends: “The Rain Heron” by Robbie Arnott (FSG Originals, Reprint edition, 2021; 288 pages)

Why? Does the mythical rain heron actually exist, high in the mountains above town, made mostly of rain and capable of altering the weather? C’mon. Isolated in those mountains, Ren might know more about this tall tale, so the new post-coup government comes searching, convinced that this myth is the answer to their severe climate problems. Ren denies its existence for as long as she can, but ultimately is forced on a grueling trek over the mountains to find the bird. If you think you know what this novel has in store for you at this point, brace yourself. Arnott has created a world frighteningly similar to our own, if only for all its faults, yet fantastically altered, filled with myths become real and surprises at each turn of the page. A beautifully crafted fable of resilience, resistance, magic, folklore, and the connections that bind us together.