Column: June's Sherwood Book Corner

By Adam Bienvenu

SHERWOOD, Ore. — Hello everyone! Are you ready for summer? I suppose by the time you’re reading this, summer’s here! June marks the beginning of our annual Sherwood Battle of the Books, aka SherBOB. If your kids have ever participated in OBOB (Oregon Battle of the Books, a popular team reading competition), then you’ll have the right idea, this is like OBOB, but for grown-ups – why should kids get to have all the fun?

How does SherBOB work?

SherBOB is a team activity: you will form groups of three to five members. Over the summer, your group will read six titles that we have selected for the event. Finally, your teams will compete at the end of the event in a trivia challenge. You don’t need to read every book yourself: you can divide them up amongst your group. But the more you read, the better your chances of winning.

Our first meeting was on June 4th, and our second meeting is on July 2nd.  The final battle is on August 7th. All meetings are at 5:30 p.m. Plenty of people show up without pre-arranged teams, and it’s a great way to meet new people in the community. It’s also fine to join late and hop on a team at any time: there’s always room for a few more! The first two meetings are social gatherings where you can find teams, discuss books, and discuss each other’s progress. On August 7th, we will meet for the final time, for a middle school style pizza party and trivia throw down – 30 questions, five per book. The winning team will have their names engraved on a plaque and displayed in the store forever.

What are the titles?

The titles have been selected by our staff, with feedback from our friends at the library. They’re intended to get people to read outside their usual genres, with some books that they may have not had a chance to enjoy. All of them are available in paperback, audiobook, and on Libby, so you can read them however you like. Our six genres this year are: Literary Non-Fiction, Literary Fiction, Fantasy, Mystery, Horror, and Memoir.

Save Our Souls

From the bestselling author of “The Taking of Jemima Boone,” this is the unbelievable but true story of a real-life Swiss Family Robinson (and their dog) who faced sharks, shipwreck, and betrayal.

Station Eleven

It is fifteen years after a flu pandemic wiped out most of the world's population. Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the disaster brought everyone here. This suspenseful, elegiac novel is rife with beauty, telling a story about the relationships that sustain us.

The Honey Witch

In this instant bestseller, the Honey Witch of Innisfree can never find true love. That is her cross to bear. But when a young woman who doesn’t believe in magic arrives on her island, sparks fly in this deliciously sweet romantasy novel of magic, hope, and love overcoming all. 

The Marlow Murder Club

Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and blissfully happy. She lives just outside Marlow with no man in her life to tell her what to do; she keeps herself busy setting crosswords for the newspaper. But Judith’s peace is disrupted when she witnesses a murder while out for a swim in the Thames.

Strange Pictures

This spine-tingling "triumphant international debut" (Publishers Weekly starred review) has taken Japan by storm. It’s an eerie and fiendishly clever Japanese puzzle mystery in which a series of seemingly innocent pictures draws you into a disturbing web of unsolved mysteries and shattered psyches.

Raising Hare

A moving and fascinating meditation on freedom, trust, loss, and our relationship with the natural world, explored through the story of one woman's unlikely friendship with a wild hare.

The Competition Begins! 

We had a great turnout last year with lots of good times, and can’t wait to grow more this year! While some teams get rather competitive, it’s also a lovely way to read some amazing books and meet some new people who have read the same books! Here’s to reading  – we can’t wait to see you out there. Let the wild rumpus roar!