SCPL Reads: National Book Lovers Day Reading List

Set in the future after a devastating global nuclear war, The Chrysalids is a philosophical tale with as much resonance today as it had when it was first written.

David lives in a tight-knit community of religious and genetic fundamentalists; a group of people who exterminate any living thing with abnormalities, deeming them offensive. When David realizes that he is in possession of a power that would label him a mutant, he is forced to keep it a secret and reckon with the idea of fleeing to the Badlands—a new world that could offer him either a death sentence or freedom.

The scandalous turn-of-the-century story follows 28-year-old Edna Pontellier, wife and mother, who one day awakens to the pangs of passion for the first time in her life. But societal restraints place limits on any kind of authentic expression of desire. Her final gesture is a defiant, desperate reach for freedom.

Morag Gunn, a middle aged writer who lives in a farmhouse on the Canadian prairie, struggles to understand the loneliness of her eighteen-year-old daughter. With unusual wit and depth, Morag recognizes that she needs solitude and work as much as she needs the love of her family.

The story of four seekers who arrive at a notoriously unfriendly pile called Hill House: Dr. Montague, an occult scholar looking for solid evidence of a haunting; Theodora, his lighthearted assistant; Eleanor, a friendless, fragile young woman well acquainted with poltergeists; and Luke, the future heir of Hill House. At first, their stay seems destined to be merely a spooky encounter with inexplicable phenomena. But Hill House is gathering its powers and soon it will choose one of them to make its own.

The story revolves around Molly Gibson, a doctor's daughter, navigating the complexities of love, family, and societal expectations after her father remarries. With unforgettable characters and intricately woven relationships, Gaskell's novel showcases the resilience of women in the face of societal constraints.