Wednesday, August 28, 2013

The September LibraryReads List!


The inaugural LibraryReads list is here! Wait...what is LibraryReads? A list of new or soon-to-be published titles selected and recommended by librarians and library staff from across the country. We've included descriptions* below and you can head to the LibraryReads website to see brief reviews submitted by librarians.

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
Published: September 10, 2013

The top pick for September has a huge following among librarians. Cath is a Simon Snow fan. Okay, the whole world is a Simon Snow fan, but for Cath, being a fan is her life—and she’s really good at it. She and her twin sister, Wren, ensconced themselves in the Simon Snow series when they were just kids; it’s what got them through their mother leaving. But now that they're going to college, things are changing. Wren has told Cath she doesn't want to be roommates. Cath is on her own, completely outside of her comfort zone. She's got a surly roommate with a charming, always-around boyfriend, a fiction-writing professor who thinks fan fiction is the end of the civilized world, a handsome classmate who only wants to talk about words. And she can't stop worrying about her dad, who's loving and fragile and has never really been alone. Will Cath make it through her first year of college?


How the Light Gets In: A Chief Inspector Gamache Novel by Louise Penny
Published: August 27, 2013

In Three Pines, Chief Inspector Armand Gamache investigates the disappearance of a woman who was once one of the most famous people in the world, but who now goes unrecognized by virtually everyone except the mad, brilliant poet Ruth Zardo.

Night Film by Marisha Pessl
Published: August 20, 2013

When the daughter of a cult horror film director is found dead in an abandoned Manhattan warehouse, investigative journalist Scott McGrath, disbelieving the official suicide ruling, probes into the strange circumstances of the young woman's death. (There's an app for this title -- use it to download exclusive multimedia content.)

Help for the Haunted by John Searles
Published: September 17, 2013

It begins with a call one snowy February night. Lying in her bed, young Sylvie Mason overhears her parents on the phone across the hall. This is not the first late-night call they have received, since her mother and father have an uncommon occupation: helping "haunted souls" find peace. And yet something in Sylvie senses that this call is different from the others, especially when they are lured to the old church on the outskirts of town. Once there, her parents disappear, one after the other, behind the church's red door, leaving Sylvie alone in the car. Not long after, she drifts off to sleep, only to wake to the sound of gunfire.

The Returned by Jason Mott
Published: August 27, 2013

Jacob was time out of sync, time more perfect than it had been. He was life the way it was supposed to be all those years ago. That's what all the Returned were. Harold and Lucille Hargrave's lives have been both joyful and sorrowful in the decades since their only son, Jacob, died tragically at his eighth birthday party in 1966. In their old age they've settled comfortably into life without him, their wounds tempered through the grace of time ... Until one day Jacob mysteriously appears on their doorstep - flesh and blood, their sweet, precocious child, still eight years old.

Burial Rites by Hannah Kent
Published: September 10, 2013

Inspired by a true story: the final days of a young woman accused of murder in Iceland in 1829. Set against Iceland's stark landscape, the novel brings to life the story of Agnes, who, charged with the brutal murder of her former master, is sent to an isolated farm to await execution. Horrified at the prospect of housing a convicted murderer, the family at first avoids Agnes. Only Tóti, a priest Agnes has mysteriously chosen to be her spiritual guardian, seeks to understand her. But as Agnes's death looms, the farmer's wife and their daughters learn there is another side to the sensational story they've heard.

Margot by Jillian Cantor
Published: September 3, 2013

A what-if novel about Anne Frank's sister. In the spring of 1959, The Diary of Anne Frank has just come to the silver screen to great acclaim, and a young woman named Margie Franklin is working in Philadelphia as a secretary at a Jewish law firm. On the surface she lives a quiet life, but Margie has a secret: a life she once lived, a past and a religion she has denied, and a family and a country she left behind.

Songs of Willow Frost by Jaime Ford
Published: September 10, 2013

Twelve-year-old William Eng, a Chinese-American boy, has lived at Seattle’s Sacred Heart Orphanage ever since his mother’s listless body was carried away from their small apartment five years ago. On his birthday, William is taken to the historical Moore Theatre, where William glimpses an actress on the silver screen who goes by the name of Willow Frost. Struck by her features, William is convinced that the movie star is his mother, Liu Song. Determined to find Willow and prove his mother is still alive, William escapes from Sacred Heart to confront the mysteries of his past and his connection to the exotic film star.

Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink
Published: September 10, 2013

In the tradition of the best investigative journalism, physician and reporter Sheri Fink reconstructs five days after Hurricane Katrina at Memorial Medical Center and draws the reader into the lives of those who struggled mightily to survive and to maintain life amid chaos.

A House in the Sky: A Memoir by Amanda Lindhout and Sara Corbett
Published: September 10, 2013

The dramatic and redemptive memoir of a woman whose curiosity led her to the world’s most beautiful and remote places, its most imperiled and perilous countries, and then into fifteen months of harrowing captivity - an exquisitely written story of courage, resilience, and grace.

If you'd like more book recommendations, stay tuned to our Facebook page for our next "Book Recs" session or browse our Book Lists page.

*Book descriptions from the publisher.

Monday, August 26, 2013

Book Review: Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore

Mr. Penumbra's 24-Hour Bookstore is AMAZING. I loved it. Really. It's chock-full of bibliophile goodness. This is up there with Ready Player One geeky goodness. Clay finds himself unemployed (like many these days) and one day stumbles into a quirky bookstore looking for a late-night clerk. The bookstore is full of books Clay's never heard of before (in fact, no one's heard of them). One night, he gets curious (and bored) and creates a basic computer replica of the bookstore WITH data from the customer logbooks. He spots something strange in the data and there the adventure begins.

Speaking of connecting the dots...It's still funny how everything I read is somehow connected to another recent read. Where'd You Go, Bernadette is full of Microsoft employees and a kind of anti-love letter to Seattle. Mr. Penumbra is full of Google goodness and San Francisco love. (Also, both books are awesome.) - Melissa (Downtown)

Monday, August 19, 2013

Book Review: Midnight in Austenland

Charlotte Kinder is a middle-aged woman with a successful online business, two kids, an ex-husband, and no idea what went wrong with her perfect life. In an effort to raise her spirits, she rediscovers the novels of Jane Austen, and then she discovers something even better: a two-week immersive Austen experience at the historic English estate Pembrook Park.

Midnight in Austenland is a fun crossover novel, part romance, part mystery. Something isn't right at Pembrook Park, and it's not just the bland food, the uncomfortable costumes Charlotte finds herself wearing, or the actors hired to play the handsome and doting gentlemen who must end every Austen experience with a (fake) proposal of marriage. A game of murder goes a little far, and Charlotte thinks she's found a real body in a hidden room upstairs. But was it any more real than the roles that the actors play? And which one of those actors might be the killer? Even more dangerous, is Charlotte falling for one of them - for real?

Midnight in Austenland is the sequel to Shannon Hale's Austenland, which features a different visitor to Pembrook Park but no mystery. Both books make an entertaining read for Jane Austen fans, or anyone who thinks it might be fun to dress up in historical costume - as long as they don't have to leave their modern selves too far behind. - Michelle (Sunset)

Monday, August 12, 2013

Book Review: Love Water Memory

Love Water Memory is a bittersweet story about a woman who suddenly finds herself knee-deep in San Francisco Bay with no recollection of who she is or what she is doing there. Her husband-to-be, Grady, has been looking for her since she disappeared just over a week ago. Before her disappearance, Lucie wasn't terribly forthcoming about her past, so Grady has little information to give her (and isn't great with words anyway).

I enjoyed seeing all three sides of the story -- Lucie's, Grady's, and Lucie's Aunt Helen's. Helen is an important factor in Lucie's past. A couple of books came to mind as a I read -- Before I Go To Sleep (amnesia connection), Me Before You (the writing, maybe), and Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac (would you like who you were if you didn't know you?).

Overall, a good book, but I would have liked to know a bit more about both Lucie and Grady. Maybe more about their relationship before Lucie's amnesia, and I would have liked a little more at the end of the book about what happens next with the characters. - Melissa (Downtown)

Monday, August 5, 2013

Summer Reading Wrap-up

Thanks to everyone who participated in the Summer Reading Program! All prizes have now been given out. If you have a book voucher to claim, make sure to do that online before August 10.

What books did kids enjoy this summer? Check out some of their reviews:

Amelia Bedelia, Rocket Scientist?
The book was about a science fair. This character Amelia Bedelia doesn't act like an adult, she acts like a kid. Believe me she is not a good listener. Trust me you don't want to be like her. - Kathryn

Cartboy and the Time Capsule
This is a very funny book. Hal's history teacher told his students at the beginning of the 6th grade school year to write a journal and put in a time capsule not to open until the year 2500. Hal writes about the past, present, and his imagination about the future. - Anirudh

Civil War on Sunday
Jack and Annie land in the forest during the Civil War. I liked this book because it's adventurous. I liked learning about the Civil War. - Nick

The Mystery of the Aztec Warrior
I like this book because it is full of mystery. The author did a fabulous job of sending you into the world of Frank and Joe Hardy. This book intrigued my mind and I was very curious to know how the case was solved. I started reading it and did not want to stop because I wanted to see how the mystery was solved. - Arnav

The Smell of Old Lady Perfume
This book takes place on the border of Mexico and America. It is about a girl whose life changes in sixth grade. She was super excited about sixth grade but when it comes there is a turn of events. Will Chela survive this year or will it be miserable? Find out by reading the book. - Isabella

The Year of the Dog
I like this book, because this story is about the author's childhood and her mother's story. Like a diary. I can learn friendship, Chinese cultures, and love. - Jennifer