South Congaree-Pine Ridge Branch Library

June Staff Pick: The Anthropologists by Ayşegül Savaş

“I often find I’m drawn to quiet books that explore our day to day and give focus to the familiar. With The Anthropologists, Turkish writer Ayşegül Savaş delivers meditative prose on the line between life and art in short cinematic scenes reminiscent of New Wave films. It’s a slim novel, but there’s something cozy about the days filled with cafes, apartment hunting, conversations and dinner parties that allows you to slow down and revel in the beauty of the language. Savaş is clear and minimalist in her word choice, though no nuance is lost or awe diminished. Through Facetimes with ailing grandparents and hosting family for weekend visits in the city, she explores the tension between where you came from and who you are becoming. Who are you when you build your life away from family? Which rituals stay, which customs remain? Which rules, which traditions make a life? ‘With enough focus, I could probably predict our lives as well, the types of people we would resemble. There was something inevitable in choosing, in looking ahead: there were only so many options.”

— Rachael | Administration

📆 View our upcoming programs for the week at https://lexcolibrary.libcal.com/calendar?cid=22864&t=w&d=2026-06-07&cal=22864&inc=0

𝗧𝘂𝗲𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟵
Book Club: Shelf Indulgence | 11:30 AM
Handmade: Strings & Things | 1 PM
Summer Reading: The South Few See | 5:30 PM

𝗧𝗵𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭𝟭
Pajama Storytime | 5:30 PM

𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗱𝗮𝘆, 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟭𝟮
Preschool Storytime | 10:30 AM
Just Play: Jurassic Genius | 3:30 PM