Transparent Language

The online language learning tool, Transparent Language is back at WPL! The Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) has added this resource to the statewide database offerings for FY2027, and you can access it through our database pages.

Transparent Language offers over 100+ languages covering essential fundamentals, general vocabulary, intermediate and advanced courses. In addition, it also includes American Sign Language (ASL), English to Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) and over 40 indigenous language courses.

Lessons are designed to build skills in listening, speaking, reading, writing, grammar and vocabulary. Whether you’re starting at the very beginning with a new alphabet or you’re an intermediate learner, this resource has something for everyone! It is available for in-library and remote access through a computer or through iOS/Android app on a mobile device. You can use the resource as a guest or if you want to save your progress, you can create an account. 

New Releases - August 2026 Edition

Check out these highly anticipated new releases featuring fiction and nonfiction titles. Click on the title to request a copy or get your name on the waitlist. Don’t forget to watch for more featured releases next month, and check out WPL's Reader's Corner for more book suggestions!

Fiction

Etna by Paul Yoon
Yoon's (The Hive and the Honey) story of a military working dog attempting a treacherous journey home in the aftermath of an unnamed war rarely moves in expected ways. Those looking for a penetrating study of animal psychology will be disappointed; Yoon relies on familiar canine iconography more than he offers a parseable survey of animal consciousness. More surprising is that this instinct toward anthropomorphism doesn't reflect junk science or lazy characterization and is instead used to assert Yoon's governing thesis: dogs are people too. Or, more accurately, what are considered essential human qualities can be found in abundance in the animal world, for those willing to look beyond the falsity of human exceptionalism. The novel's narrative construction, an amalgam of The Odyssey and Au hasard Balthazar, positions Etna as a heroic figure who bears witness to humanity's best and worst. Yoon's fabulist shading situates the story at a nexus of grim reality and hopeful fairy tale, enlivening and devastating readers in equal measure as they watch Etna reckon with the all-too-human conclusion that one can't go home again. VERDICT Yoon sidesteps the schmaltz of so many animal stories and delivers something far richer in emotion and conviction.--Luke Gorham, Copyright 2026 Library Journal

The Seekers of Deer Creek by Thao Thai 
In Thai's expressive sophomore effort (after Banyan Moon), sisters Vivi, a conservator, and Calla, an artist, embark on a quest to learn about the links between an enigmatic painting and their late father, Tuấn. Calla reconnected with Tuấn shortly before his death, but Vivi remained unable to forgive him for physically abusing her and Calla after their mother, May, left when they were children in Deer Creek, Wis. Calla gives Vivi a sketch found in Tuấn's shed of Blue Mirror, a painting by Vietnamese French artist K. P. Lý that was recently bequeathed to a museum where Vivi's boyfriend works. When Vivi strips a layer from Lý's work and discovers another painting of two women, she feels compelled to uncover its mysteries. The sisters travel to Arles, Ho Chi Minh City, and back to their childhood home, gathering clues about Lý's connection to the family from their great-grandmother's journal entries. Thai dots the narrative with poetic impressions of an artist's mind, for instance when the sisters retrace Lý's footsteps in Arles, where Van Gogh painted his most famous work, and Vivi imagines Lý seeing the light there as Van Gogh saw it. It's an appealing family mystery. Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly

Sunrise by Téa Obreht 
A Wyoming ghost town provides the stage for this spectacular novel from Obreht (The Tiger's Wife) about the enduring myths of the Wild West. It opens dramatically in 2024, when a young nanny named Nina Terzic is pushed to safety from a malfunctioning small-engine plane by her boyfriend, Ben. She lands in a lake and, after fruitlessly awaiting rescue on the shore, wanders into the wilderness, not knowing Ben's fate and equipped only with a dying phone and four protein bars. Relieved to find the ghost town of Sunrise, she takes shelter in a stable, where she discovers a corpse. Obreht then jumps to 1902, when 45-year-old Anton Vargas, a former cowboy and gunslinger whose exploits have become fodder for dime-store novels, returns to Sunrise after more than two decades ("There was something antiquated about him... no mules, no companions, totally alone"). He reunites with an old buddy and is pressured into helping to solve the case of a missing boy. Finally, Obreht introduces historical reenacter Coll, who produces an annual play in Sunrise honoring Vargas's legacy. In 2003, Coll wants to create an immersive theater experience, but he's sidetracked by mysterious threats and a controversy surrounding a dead wolf. Obreht employs impressive restraint, providing just enough clues to create intrigue as the reader pieces together the connections between the three storylines. After the novel returns to a resilient Nina, now on her last protein bar, it careens to an explosive climax. Readers will have a blast. Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly

NONFICTION

Are They Dead Yet? The Art of the Obit by Sam Roberts
"I wasn't dying to fill in when I was asked in 2014... to help shrink the growing backlog of unassigned prewritten obituaries" on the New York Times Obit Desk, admits Roberts (The New Yorkers), a Times journalist since 1983, at the outset of this charming account. However, in doing the work for over a decade, he found that "the sixteen hundred people whose lives I've memorialized" helped him "come to my own ways of... dealing with death." Roberts breaks down the guidelines that determine who is chosen for a Times obituary; how an obit is written, particularly the "blunt headline or first paragraph, which sets the tone"; and why, in "trying to capture the subject's soul," finding small details, such as a favorite object, can help the obituarist recreate how the subject lived. Exemplars of the craft reveal the obituarist's adroit use of language, wit, and observation: "Eugene Polley, an inventor whose best-known creation has fostered blissful sloth, caused decades of domestic discord and forever altered the way consumers watch television, died on Sunday.... Mr. Polley, the inventor of the wireless television remote control, was 96"; "Reginald Foster... who, in four decades as an official Latinist of the Vatican, dreamed in Latin, cursed in Latin, banked in Latin and ultimately tweeted in Latin, died on Christmas Day.... He was LXXXI." Readers will revel in this lively book of the dead. Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly

Mothers of Invention: A History of Creativity from the Greek Muses by Moiya McTier 
In this innovative history, astrophysicist and folklorist McTier (The Milky Way) chronicles the evolution of human creativity from the perspectives of the Greek Muses, the nine goddesses of the arts and sciences born to Zeus and Mnemosyne (the goddess of memory). In her narrative role as Clio, the Muse of history, the author shares how the Muses fear that human creativity is being hobbled by the cult of celebrity, the myth of the lone genius, social inequality, and the rise of AI. McTier combines a history of innovation with witty and occasionally crotchety commentary from the Muses. Ourania, the highly mathematical Muse of astronomy, traces her influence from Ptolemy's geocentric model of the universe through the launching of Sputnik and the Challenger explosion. Galileo, the narrator claims, was Ourania's first love, as well as "the mortal world's first modern genius." Terpsichore, the Muse of dance, oversees a survey of the evolution of textiles and the birth of ballet; Melpomene, the Muse of tragedy, and her twin sister Thalia, the Muse of comedy, reflect on how collaboration and competition spark creativity; and Erato, the Muse of erotic poetry, discusses the history of sex and its regulation, including the development of the birth control pill. Entertaining and wholly original, this will inspire readers to embrace and celebrate human ingenuity. Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly

The Yahoo Boys: Love, Deception, and the Real Lives of Nigeria's Romance Scammers by Carlos Barragán 
This outstanding debut from New York Times reporter Barragán explores the lives of Nigerian scammers who use seduction as part of their grift. Having initially traveled to Lagos to find a Nigerian man who romanced and scammed his mother, Barragán ends up closely following four such "Yahoo Boys" (so named after the email service). They include Chibuike, who strings along an Irish mother for years by posing as professional wrestler Cody Rhodes, and Richie, who fears that a woman in Kentucky may have died because of his scam. Along the way Barragán delves into how romance scams work--using fake social media accounts, the scammers seduce Western men and women into buying them gift cards--as well as the Yahoo Boys' lavish lifestyles and the lengthy pre-internet history of "impersonation scams" in Nigeria. There are plenty of eye-popping details, including alarmingly manipulative chats between the scammers and their victims, and even more nefarious alleged strains of Yahoo, including Yahoo Plus, in which scammers use "supernatural forces" to attract victims, and Yahoo Plus Plus, which "was rumored to entail ritual killings." Yet the book is most noteworthy for its affecting humanization of both the Yahoo Boys--Barragán shatters the image of romance scammers as part of "well-organized Mafia-like syndicates," instead revealing them as impoverished young men scrambling to survive--and of their victims, made vulnerable by the West's loneliness epidemic. It's a remarkably empathetic view of both sides of the con. Copyright 2026 Publishers Weekly

Contemporary Retellings, Adaptations, and Read-A-Likes for The Odyssey

Soon to be released as a major motion picture, director Christopher Nolan brings the classic myth The Odyssey to larger-than-life IMAX format this summer. Following the events of the Trojan War, Odysseus (Matt Damon) faces a dangerous, decade-long voyage back to Ithaca and to his wife Penelope (Anne Hathaway), meeting creatures like the Cyclops Polyphemus, Sirens, and Circe along the way. 

What makes The Odyssey so compelling, after so many years? For some it's the epic adventure; for others, the epic romance. The archetypal characters and universal themes of homecoming and hospitality, faith and fidelity, fate and free will, vengeance and justice, and cunning over strength. speak deeply to us, and help us navigate our own trials, relationships, and emotions. Whether you are familiar with classical mythology or this is your first time experiencing the epic adventure of The Odyssey, here are some read-a-like suggestions to introduce you to the plot, extend your understanding, or just provide another perspective on the classic tale.

Make sure to check out WPL's Reader's Corner for more book suggestions!

Classic Translations

Many scholars have put their brains to deciphering the ancient Greek texts that make up this epic tale, each with something different to offer.

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Emily Wilson
A new translation of the epic poem, and the first by a woman, brings alive Homer's tale of shipwrecks, monsters, and magic, and provides an introductory overview of the poem's major themes, controversial origin, and the scope of its influence.

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fagles
A new verse translation of the Greek classic describes the wanderings of Odysseus after the fall of Troy.

The Odyssey by Homer, translated by Robert Fitzgerald
Presents the classic poem concerning the wanderings of the hero Odysseus and his miraculous return to Ithaca and a faithful wife.

The Odyssey: A Dramatic Retelling of Homer's Epic by Homer, translated by Simon Armitage
Armitage recasts Homer's epic as a series of bristling dramatic dialogues: between gods and men; between no-nonsense Captain Odysseus and his unruly, lotus-eating, homesick companions; and between subtle Odysseus (wiliest hero of antiquity) and a range of shape-shifting adversaries―Calypso, Circe, the Sirens, the Cyclops―as he and his men are "pinballed between islands" of adversity. One of the most individual voices of his generation, Armitage revitalizes our sense of the Odyssey as oral poetry, as indeed one of the greatest of tall tales.

The Odyssey: Greek Myths Reimagined by Stephen Fry
After 10 years of war, the Greeks make their way back to their own lands but what homes now await them? Agamemnon must return to his wife Clytemnestra, who has been nursing her rage since he sacrificed their daughter to the gods for a favourable wind. Her revenge will know no bounds. Meanwhile, Odysseus has angered the god Poseidon and he is cursed to wander the seas, facing angry monsters and possessive demi-gods as he attempts to return to Ithaca and his patient, clever wife Penelope.

Graphic Retellings

Comic-style panels are used to show and tell the story of the events leading up to the Trojan War.

Age of Bronze series reinterpreted & illustrated by Eric Shanower
Drawn from the myths and legends of centuries, A Thousand Ships presents anew for the twenty-first century the complete prelude to the Trojan war- each sensual touch, every savage blow, the smiles and tears, the lust and betrayal, the entire tapestry of drama and action. Read online, via OverDrive
A Thousand Ships #1
Sacrifice #2
Betrayal #3

The Odyssey reinterpreted & illustrated by Gareth Hinds
A vivid graphic novel reinterpretation of Homer's epic poem finds the King of Ithaca cursed by the sea god Poseidon to years of shipwreck and battles against fantastical creatures.

The Odyssey reinterpreted & illustrated by Seymour Chwast
Presents a visual interpretation of Homer's classic that utilizes a black, white, and blue interior design infused with the artist's sly humor.

Fiction Adaptations

Faithful reproductions in historical or period style, and other looser interpretations give new insights into Penelope and Odysseus.

Big Fish: A Novel of Epic Proportions by Daniel Wallace
When his attempts to get to know his dying father fail, William Bloom makes up stories that recreate his father's life in heroic proportions.

Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier
After Inman escapes from a war hospital in 1864 and starts walking to Cold Mountain, his faithful wife Ada struggles to save her mountain farm in his absence with the help of Ruby, an illiterate but efficient farmer.

Omeros by Derek Walcott
A poem in five books, of circular narrative design, titled with the Greek name for Homer, which simultaneously charts two currents of history: the visible history charted in events -- the tribal losses of the American Indian, the tragedy of African enslavement -- and the interior, unwritten epic fashioned from the suffering of the individual in exile.

The Penelopiad by Margaret Atwood
Presents the cycle of stories about Penelope, wife of Odysseus, through the eyes of the twelve maids hanged for disloyalty to Odysseus in his absence.

The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Passionately in love, Clare and Henry vow to hold onto each other and their marriage as they struggle with the effects of Chrono-Displacement Disorder, a condition that casts Henry involuntarily into the world of time travel.

Ulysses by James Joyce
A day in the life of Leopold Bloom, whose odyssey through the streets of turn-of-the-century Dublin leads him through trials that parallel those of Ulysses (Odysseus) on his epic journey home.

Other Greek Myths

For additional pairings, including poetry and teaching resources for the Odyssey, check out freshman English teacher Kristi Moore's excellent blog post and booklist, or our suggestions for retellings, adaptions, and read-a-likes for The Iliad.

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Lakes Appreciation Month: Celebrating Our Freshwater Resources and Lake Life

July is National Lakes Appreciation Month! There are 117 MILLION lakes on Earth. You work and play on them, boat in the them, swim in them. You fish in them and drink from them. You can even hunt for fossils in dry lake beds. Libraries love lakes--check out our July Lakes Appreciation Month displays on the first (romance), second (near career computers), or third (pillar bookcase) floors, and dive into these freshwater resources and stories about living the lake life.

In Worcester, you can find over twenty lakes and ponds where you can enjoy a variety of recreational activities, including bird watching, swimming, fishing and boating.  Locations include Bell Pond (Belmont Street), Coes Pond Parks (Coes Street), Indian Lake Beach (Sherburne Ave), and Lake Quinsigamond (N. Lake Ave). Many of these locations are accessible for free by bus! Check the Worcester Regional Transit Authority website for bus schedules. 

Make sure to check out WPL's Reader's Corner for more book suggestions!

Nonfiction

Find additional titles at https://worcester.cwmars.org/MyAccount/MyList/32560

Beyond The Sea: The Hidden Life in Lakes, Streams, and Wetlands by David Lowell Strayer
This work brings to life the wonders of our inland waters and the vibrant species that live there.

Beyond Walden: The Hidden History of America's Kettle Lakes and Ponds by Robert M. Thorson
Chronicles the history of kettle lakes in the United States, including how they form, the different ways that Americans have used them throughout history, and threats that affect their future.

The Founding Fish by John McPhee
McPhee weaves together strands of personal, natural, and national history in this absorbing study of the (freshwater) shad fish.

The Gales of November: The Untold Story of the Edmund Fitzgerald by John U. Bacon
On November 10, 1975, as a storm threw 100 mile-per-hour winds and 50-foot waves on Lake Superior, the 729-foot-long Edmund Fitzgerald - the biggest, best, and most profitable ship on the Lakes - found itself at the worst possible place, at the worst possible time. When she sank, she took all 29 men onboard down with her, leaving the tragedy shrouded in mystery for a half century. Bacon presents the definitive account of the disaster, drawing on interviews with the families, friends, and former crewmates of those lost.

Lakes: Their Birth, Life, and Death by John Richard Saylor
In this eye-opening tour of the most fascinating lakes around the world, including Lake Vostok beneath the surface of Antarctica and Lake Baikal in southern Siberia, we learn all the many forms lakes take and what we stand to lose if they vanish.

Lake of the Ozarks: My Surreal Summers in a Vanishing America by William Geist
A "CBS Sunday Morning" correspondent reflects on his coming of age in the American heartland at a Lake of the Ozarks resort owned by his uncle, and traces his evolution as a man and a writer.

Ponds and Small Lakes by Brian Moss
Ponds and small lakes support an extremely rich biodiversity of fascinating organisms. The book not only explores the fascinating world of the (microscopic) creatures within ponds and their interactions, but also explains the many ways in which ponds are important in human affairs. Ponds are being lost around the world, but they are a key part of a system that maintains our climate. In the face of climate change, it has never been more important to understand the ecology of ponds.

Our Ancient Lakes: A Natural History by Jeffrey McKinnon
An introduction to the biodiversity of ancient lakes, explaining the surprising, often controversial findings ancient lake research is yielding about the formation and persistence of species.

Still Waters: The Secret World of Lakes by Curt Stager
An exploration of the world's most remarkable lakes and our ancient connection to them draws on firsthand investigations to examine the significance of humanity's impact on iconic inland waters, sharing their stories and how they represent history, culture and the importance of conservation.

Water, Ice and Stone: Science and Memory on the Antarctic Lakes by Bill Green
A personal account of a study on the Antarctic Dry Valley lakes reveals what they can tell scientists about the evolutionary process and the life that exists in their frozen vicinity.

Memoirs/Biographies

Memoirs of living and working on a lake

Deckhand: Life On Freighters of the Great Lakes by Nelson Haydamacker
Long before popular television shows such as Dirty Jobs and The Deadliest Catch, everyday men and women-the unsung heroes of the job world-toiled in important but mostly anonymous jobs. One of those jobs was deckhand on the ore boats. With numerous photographs and engaging stories, Deckhand offers an insider's view of both the mundane and the intriguing duties performed by deckhands on these gritty cargo vessels.

The House By The Lake: One House, Five Families, and a Hundred Years of German History by Thomas Harding
Tells the story of Germany through the inhabitants of one small wooden building: a nobleman farmer, a prosperous Jewish family, a renowned Nazi composer, a widow and her children, a Stasi informant.

Lake of the Ozarks: My Surreal Summers in a Vanishing America by William Geist
A "CBS Sunday Morning" correspondent reflects on his coming of age in the American heartland at a Lake of the Ozarks resort owned by his uncle, and traces his evolution as a man and a writer.

Frank Lloyd Wright's Penwern: A Summer Estate by Mark Hertzberg
The life story of a Frank Lloyd Wright-designed summer cottage Penwern--a stunning estate on Delavan Lake in southern Wisconsin, commissioned by Chicago capitalist Fred B. Jones around 1900. The book features beautiful color photographs of Penwern, plus vintage black and white pictures and original Wright drawings, this book transports readers back to the glory days of gracious living and entertaining on the lake.

The Italian Summer: Golf, Food, and Family at Lake Como by Roland Merullo
The author traces his 2007 summer near the shore of Italy's Lake Como, where he played on several northern-region courses of distinction, shared lavish meals with his family, and interacted with a host of eccentric locals.

Walden by Henry David Thoreau
In 1845 Thoreau built a shanty in the woods by Walden Pond, where he lived from 1845-1847, interrupted only by a day's imprisonment for refusal to pay a poll tax to a government that supported the Mexican War. This action was in accord with his belief in passive resistance, a means of protest he explained in his essay "Civil Disobedience" (1849). Walden is a treatise on the subjects of self-sufficiency, individualism, relationship with nature, and rejection of material ambition.

Fiction

Find additional titles at https://worcester.cwmars.org/MyAccount/MyList/32561

Catch and Keep by Erin Hahn 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
At thirty-three, Maren Laughlin's just turned down her boyfriend's proposal, walked away from her position as a park ranger, and returned to her childhood playground in Northern Wisconsin. She’s ready to start making her own moves, even if everyone else thinks she’s making the wrong ones. Local resort owner Josiah Cole has also made some missteps in his life, but he's proud of what he has: two awesome kids and the keys to the kind of getaway spot that has families coming back every summer. Things between Maren and Joe are easy. So easy, they're fully immersed in the middle before they even decide to begin. Are things too easy, or is this just how real love works?

The Dive From Clausen's Pier by Ann Packer
When her fiancé Mike is left paralyzed following a tragic accident, Carrie Bell begins to question her familiar world, from her everyday life in Wisconsin to her relationships, as she sets out to rediscover her own identity.

Every Summer After by Carley Fortune 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Persephone, a magazine writer, returns to her lake hometown for a funeral and lands straight in to the orbit of her ex- best friend and lover, Sam, and must reconcile the choices she made since their breakup.

Funny Story by Emily Henry 🌶️🌶️🌶️
After being dumped for her boyfriend's lifelong best friend, Petra, Daphne agrees to room with Petra's freshly heartbroken ex until she can figure things out

Into The Woods by Jenny Holiday 🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Summer camp heats up for a grumpy rockstar and a cynical dance instructor in this funny and heartwarming enemies-to-lovers romance.

Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Justin has a curse, and thanks to a Reddit thread, it's now all over the internet. Every woman he dates goes on to find their soul mate the second they break up. When a traveling nurse slides into his DMs with the same problem, they come up with a plan: They'll date each other and break up. Their curses will cancel each other's out, and they'll both go on to find the love of their lives. It's a bonkers idea... and it just might work.

The Lake Club by Lina Patton
Danika Crawley has it all - beauty, money, a successful husband, and two perfect children. Augie Elling has lost it all, reeling from a post-grad scandal in New York to her hometown of Aldon Lakes. They have one thing in common: both a little obsessed with Chat, the male nanny Danika hired for the summer. But, unbeknownst to either woman, Chat's appearance in town sets off a chain reaction that threatens the town's carefully maintained ecosystem. As the heat rises between the three of them, the truth behind a long-buried scandal comes to light, and everyone at the club must reckon with the consequences.

Maine Characters by Hannah Orenstein 🌶️🌶️
This love letter to lake life is "the Parent Trap for adults," the story of two half-sisters who meet for the first time at their father's cabin in Maine after his unexpected death.

Meet Me At The Lake by Carley Fortune 🌶️🌶️🌶️
In desperate need of a lifeline, 32-year-old Fern Brookbanks finds it in the form of Will Baxter, who rescued her nine years ago, and, believing he is hiding something, but knowing he’s the only one who understands what she’s going through, wonders if she can do the same for him.

The Night Swimmers by Peter Rock
Twenty years after a young widow's disappearance, a man who went for mysterious but cathartic night swims with her on the Door Peninsula of Wisconsin in the 1990s revisits his memories of that summer and uncovers clues to her fate.

One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Good things happen at the lake. That's what Alice's grandmother says, and it's true....Now Alice lives behind a lens. As a photographer, she's most comfortable on the sidelines, letting other people shine. Lately though, she's been itching for something more, and when Nan falls and breaks her hip, Alice comes up with a plan for them both: another summer in that magical place, Barry's Bay. But as soon as they settle in, their peace is disrupted by the roar of a familiar yellow boat, and the man driving it.

The Suite Spot by Trish Doller 🌶️🌶️🌶️

Moving across the country to an island on Lake Erie for a manager position at a brewery, single mother Rachel instead finds a handsome, moody man who offers her the chance to help build a hotel -- and rebuild her own life -- from the ground up.

Until Next Summer by Ali Brady 🌶️🌶️🌶️
When she learns that Camp Chickawah will be sold, director Jessie plans one last hurrah, inviting past campers - including her former best friend Hilary - to a nostalgic “adult summer camp.” The two rebuild their friendship as they relive the best time of their lives. Straitlaced Hillary agrees to a "no strings attached" summer fling with the camp chef, while outgoing Jessie is drawn to a moody, reclusive writer who's rented a cabin to work on his novel. The friends soon realize this doesn't have to be the last summer. They'll team up and work together, just like the old days. But if they can't save their beloved camp, will they be able to take the happiness of this summer away with them?

Note: For romance novels, the chili peppers denote the steaminess, or spice level, of a book's romantic/intimate elements; visit https://www.romance.io/steamrating for the key.

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