Aberdeen Magazine Book Club

Not sure what book to pick up next? K.O. Lee Aberdeen Public Library’s Assistant Director Cara Perrion has got you covered. Whether you’re an avid reader or picking up a book for the first time in years, these picks will help readers of all ages find the next adventure to get lost in.

Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Body by Rebekah Taussig

Rebekah Taussig’s book is so much more than a memoir. It’s a powerful means to examine disability, identity, and societal perceptions. Sitting Pretty: The View from My Ordinary Resilient Body is written with warmth and humor as the author invites readers into her world, offering a deeply personal yet universally relevant perspective on what it means to live in a body that does not meet the expectations of society.

When Taussig was fourteen months old, she was diagnosed with cancer that attacked her spine. After surgery and two years of chemotherapy, she was cancer free but paralyzed from the waist down. She is the youngest of six children and was never made to feel as if she was special or that anything was “wrong” with her. It wasn’t until she started school when people began to point out how “differently abled” she was. Taussig started to feel the weight of society’s perceptions of disability.

Through engaging storytelling, Taussig challenges readers to rethink disability—not as an individual limitation, but as a social construct shaped by time and place. She poignantly reminds us that if we live long enough, disability will touch us all: “Bodies wear out, even though society’s expectations do not.”

With themes of ableism, identity, relationships, and media representation, Sitting Pretty is a book that deserves discussion. Taussig’s background as a Ph.D. in English shines through in her sharp, compelling prose, making this an insightful read for teens, parents, and grandparents alike.

Recognizing its importance, the K.O. Lee Aberdeen Public Library has selected Sitting Pretty as the All Aberdeen Reads 2025 pick. Discussions will take place this spring, and I highly recommend both the hardcover and audiobook versions. Copies are available for checkout at the library or through Libby and Hoopla. Don’t miss the chance to read—and talk about—this thought-provoking book.

The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook by Hampton Sides

If you’re a nonfiction reader, you know that few writers can present detailed research in a way that is both engaging and entertaining. I’m always searching for authors who bring passion to their subjects and the skill to craft a compelling narrative. Hampton Sides is one such storyteller, and he proves it in The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact, and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook. With his vivid and accessible writing style, Sides transforms this deeply researched account of Cook’s final voyage into a gripping read. The book is part historical chronicle of a legendary explorer, part mystery, and part social study, making it an intriguing journey for any nonfiction enthusiast.

Captain Cook’s legacy is a controversial one. Initially celebrated for his humane leadership at sea and dedication to science, he was known for taking an anthropological approach to exploration, showing great respect for indigenous peoples and their cultures. Yet, on his third and final voyage, the same people he had once befriended brutally killed him – a shocking end to a career built on diplomacy and discovery.

Early accounts portrayed Cook as a masterful navigator, but a closer examination of his writings and the testimonies of those who sailed with him suggests he had changed. Was it sheer bravado or the unchecked ego of colonialism that led him to ignore warning signs? Or was his downfall the result of a series of small missteps that ultimately turned an entire tribe against him?

Sides delves into the broader impact of colonialism, challenging the notion that these lands were “discovered” when, in fact, they had been home to thriving civilizations for centuries before the British arrived. His vivid descriptions transport you to the sun-drenched Pacific, immersing you in the world of 18th-century exploration. He seamlessly weaves in fascinating details, from how navigators relied on a global sea clock to the fact that Polynesians had settled in Hawaii nearly 300 years before Cook’s arrival. With his knack for blending meticulous research with compelling storytelling, Sides crafts a gripping narrative that keeps you questioning the mystery behind Cook’s brutal demise. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves nonfiction and to people who enjoy historical mystery.