The Altadena Library District is hosting a virtual No Guilt Club on Tuesday, April 12, when you can catch up on reading and chatting with other local readers.
Participants will gather on Zoom starting at 8 p.m. and discuss these books: “The Heartbeat of Trees: Embracing Our Ancient Bond with Forests and Nature,” by Peter Wohlleben; and “The Portrait of a Mirror: A Novel” by A. Natasha Joukovsky.
In “The Heartbeat of Trees,” renowned forester Peter Wohlleben draws on new scientific discoveries to show how humans are deeply connected to the natural world. In an era of cell-phone addiction, climate change and urban life, many people fear that they’ve lost connection to nature. But Wohlleben is convinced that the age-old ties linking humans to the forest remain alive and intact. Drawing on science and cutting-edge research, “The Heartbeat of Trees” reveals the profound interactions humans can have with nature, exploring the language of the forest, the consciousness of plants and the eroding boundary between flora and fauna.
“The Portrait of a Mirror: A Novel” is a stunning reinvention of the myth of Narcissus as a modern novel of manners, about two young, well-heeled couples whose parallel lives intertwine over the course of a summer, by a sharp new voice in fiction. Wes and Diana are the kind of privileged, well-educated, self-involved New Yorkers you may not want to like but can’t help wanting to like you. Vivien and Dale live in Philadelphia, but with ties to the same prep schools and management consulting firms as Wes and Diana, they’re of the same ilk. With a wedding date on the horizon and carefully curated life of coupledom, Vivien and Dale make a picture-perfect pair on Instagram. But when Vivien becomes a visiting curator at The Metropolitan Museum of Art just as Diana is starting a new consulting project in Philadelphia, the two couples’ lives cross and tangle.
In this wickedly fun debut, A. Natasha Joukovsky crafts an absorbing portrait of modern romance, rousing real sympathy for these flawed characters even as she skewers them.
Attendance at the Zoom event is free. But registration is required.
To register, visit www.altadenalibrary.org/
For more information, call (626) 798-0833.
