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Historical Fantasies: Gods of Jade and Shadow & His Majesty’s Dragon

5 Feb

Gods of Jade and Shadow
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Gods of Jade and Shadow was our Hoboken Public Library Science Fiction/Fantasy Book Discussion Group’s pick for last June. The story is set in 1920’s Mexico. It is the coming of age story of Casiopea Tun who is treated like a servant compared with her spoiled male cousin. When Casiopea opens the chest in her grandfather’s room she get a sliver of bone stuck in her finger linking herself to a Mayan Death God who is dealing with his own family rivalry with his brother. Casiopea is a fun spunky heroine and I enjoyed reading her story as well as all the interesting spins Moreno-Garcia put on Mexican folk lore. This wasn’t as popular with the group as some of Moreno-Garcia’s work such as Mexican Gothic, but will delight fans of fairytale/folklore retellings. I think this might also be enjoyable for a teen audience as well.

His Majesty’s Dragon
by Naomi Novik
We read His Majesty’s Dragon for our Book Discussion Group in August 2025. The story takes place during the Napoleonic Wars in Europe. Captain Will Laurence is plunged from his seafaring life, into the world of Dragons when his ship captures a French frigate carrying a rare and highly prized dragon egg from China. The group had mixed feelings about the book. Some found the book slow paced and light on battles for something military focused, while others were charmed by the witty dragon, Tremeraire. I enjoyed seeing Laurence and Tremairaire’s bond grow over the course of the novel. If you enjoy His Majesty’s Dragon there are eight other books in the finished series to also enjoy. My son who loves fantasy stories about dragons also enjoyed the novel; his favorite part was in the beginning when Will is first raising Tremeraire.

Our next HPL Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Discussion Group is on February 23 at 6 PM. We will be discussing another fun fantasy, The Adventures of Amina Al-Sirafi by Shannon Chakraborty. Hope you can join us!

Written by:
Aimee Harris
Information and Digital Services Manager

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Meet Someone New! Read a Memoir: How to Say Babylon

3 Nov

On November 14, we are kicking off our new Memoir Book Club at the Grand Street Branch! Many people’s first foray into memoirs is through celebrity memoirs. We’ll read a few of these, but we’ll also choose titles that expand the definition of “memoir” and show us what’s possible in the genre. Memoirs in essays, auto-fiction, and hybrid memoir, alongside traditional memoirs such as our first pick, How to Say Babylon by Safia Sinclair.

How to Say Babylon
by Safia Sinclair
Sinclair is a poet, and the world she builds for us—her world—is rich, evocative, and breathtakingly vivid. It’s one thing to tell a story of your life, and another to take the reader by the hand and show them. Her memoir traces her journey from childhood to young adulthood, as she grapples with an oppressive childhood at the hands of her militant father and fights to break free. She contextualizes her story and that of her father through the lens of patriarchy, colonialism, and the history of the Rastafari movement. In my estimation, the best memoirs are meaningfully universal in their incisive specificity, and this one is no exception. Readers may also be moved by the role poetry played in helping Sinclair shape, change, and save her own life. If you enjoyed memoirs like Educated by Tara Westover, Memorial Drive by Natasha Trethewey, Men We Reaped by Jesmyn Ward, or Born a Crime by Trevor Noah, consider checking out How to Say Babylon. Published in 2023, How to Say Babylon was considered a best book of the year by The New York Times, The Washington Post, Goodreads, NPR, Barack Obama and more, and was a Read with Jenna Book Club Pick. 

You can borrow How to Say Babylon from BCCLS in print, large print, eBook (from elibraryNJ and eBCCLS), and audiobook formats. Please reach out to grandstreet@hobokenlibrary.org if you have any questions or would like us to place a copy aside for you to pick up! Hope to see you on November 14th for the discussion.

Written by:
Ally Blumenfeld
Grand Street Branch Manager

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