Blog Post
The Reading List 2016
by muffy
At the ALA Midwinter in Boston, a committee of 8 librarians announced this past year's best of the best in genre fiction - the Reading List. The winner in each of the 8 categories are:
Adrenaline
Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter
Three sisters are driven apart in the aftermath of one’s disappearance. When a violent crime occurs new fears arise and relationships shift again. Long term effects of family grief are exploited by the compulsions of a psychopath. Brutal and disturbing, this is ultimately a story of love and empowerment.
Fantasy
Uprooted by Naomi Novik
In this enchanted old-world fable, villagers threatened by a blighted magical wood allow the resident wizard to take one daughter into servitude for ten years. When he chooses klutzy Agnieszka, she faces an unexpected future and confronts the dangers of a wider political world and the roots of magical corruption.
Historical Fiction
Crooked Heart by Lissa Evans
Raised by his eccentric ex-suffragette godmother to be a free-thinker, young Noel is thrown into chaos when the London Blitz forces him into the home of a scam artist loyal only to her layabout son. Thrust together, the two oddballs are forced to find a way through the wartime landscape.
Horror
The Fifth House of the Heart by Ben Tripp
Flamboyant antiques dealer Asmodeus “Sax” Saxon-Tang made his fortune by accidentally killing a vampire with a horde of treasure. To protect the only person he loves, his niece, he’s forced to return to old Europe to assemble an eccentric team of vampire hunters in this gory, witty caper.
Mystery
The Long and Faraway Gone by Lou Berney
Cold cases cast a twenty-five year shadow of grief and guilt on the lives of two survivors of traumatic teenage crimes. New leads and new cases bring them back to Oklahoma City as past and present intersect in this poignant and compelling story of lives forever changed by random violence.
Romance
Taking the Heat by Victoria Dahl
Sassy relationship advice columnist Veronica overcomes her commitment anxiety and gains confidence with the help of mountain-climbing librarian Gabe. Steamy romance evolves into a strong relationship as they scale a mountain of family conflicts and share secrets against a majestic Jackson Hole backdrop.
Science Fiction
Golden Son by Pierce Brown
Insurgent Darrow inveigled his way into high Gold society in 2014’s Red Rising. In this dramatic, high octane follow-up, conflicting loyalties and his own ambitions lure Darrow into an untenable web of deceptions. Bolstered by new alliances, Darrow battles to overthrow corrupt lunar leadership and bring freedom to Mars.
Women’s Fiction
Re Jane by Patricia Park
Anxious to escape the strict upbringing of her uncle’s Flushing grocery, Korean-American Jane accepts an au pair position in the pretentious household of two Brooklyn academics and their adopted Chinese daughter. Park has created a bright comic story of falling in love, finding strength, and living on one’s own terms.
Check out the complete list for a shortlist of honor titles in each category.
Public Event
Lightsaber Academy
Sunday December 20, 2015: 2:00pm to
3:30pm
Pittsfield Branch: Program Room
Grades K - 5
Blog Post
NPR's Best Books of 2015
by eapearce
NPR recently released its Best Books of 2015 list, an in depth yearly endeavor where critics and NPR staff choose their favorite books of the year and compile them into a genre-spanning list of several hundred titles. I love that, along with the expected books on the list that are getting accolades from numerous publications and organizations, NPR’s list always contains more obscure titles that many readers likely missed over the course of the year.
You can view all of the titles from the list that we have available in our catalog here.
So what’s on this list of nearly 300 books? Here’s a preview:
In Speak, by Louisa Hall, a young Puritan woman travels to America with her unwanted husband, while in other time and place Alan Turing writes letters to his best friend’s mother and a Jewish refugee tries to reconnect with his distant wife. Elsewhere in time and space, a lonely young girl speaks with an intelligent software program and a formerly celebrated Silicon Valley entrepreneur is imprisoned for making illegal lifelike dolls. How does Hall tie all these characters together? As they all try somehow to communicate across gaps, Hall connects their stories, creating an amazing book that is a blend of historical fiction, science fiction and fantasy.
V is for Vegetables offers more than 140 simple recipes for cooking vegetables in unique and unexpected ways at home. Author and chef Michael Anthony has cleverly divided the chapters of the book by vegetable, so if you ever find yourself staring at kohlrabi or tomatillos in the grocery store, curious about how one cooks such things, this is the book for you! And even expert cooks will be refreshed by Anthony’s new ideas for ways to use common vegetables like broccoli, tomatoes, carrots and squash.
The Battle of Versailles tells of a little-known event that took place at the Palace of Versailles: as a fundraiser for the restoration of the palace, the world’s elite gathered in the grand theater there for a “fashion competition” of sorts: five American designers (including Oscar de la Renta and Anne Klein) faced off against five French designers considered to be the best designers in the world—Yves Saint Laurent, Hubert de Givenchy and others. The American clothes were expected to be a laughingstock but instead, the garments and the energy of the models who wore them wowed the crowd. By the end of the evening, American fashion in the world had transformed from a footnote to an enormous influence, not only on style itself but also on the way race, gender, sexuality and economics were treated in fashion in the years to come.
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #566
by muffy
The Girl with Ghost Eyes * by M.H. Boroson is "a brilliant tale of magic, monsters, and kung fu in the San Francisco Chinatown of 1898."
Young widow Xian Li-lin is a Maoshan priestess, following in the footstep of her renowned exorcist father. While guarding the temple on her own, a trusted friend of her deceased husband lures her into a trap set for her in the spirit world. It is Li-Lin's special ability to see spirits and travel to their realm, an ability known as having yin or "ghost" eyes that brings great shame to their family, but it might be the only gift she could count on to save her father against the mysterious one-armed man who wants her father dead.
To aid her are her martial arts and a peachwood sword, her burning paper talismans, and a wisecracking spirit in the form of a human eyeball tucked away in her pocket as she navigate the dangerous alleys and backrooms of Chinatown.
"With a rich and inventive historical setting, nonstop martial arts action, authentic Chinese magic, and bizarre monsters from Asian folklore, The Girl with Ghost Eyes is also the poignant story of a young woman searching to find her place beside the long shadow of a demanding father and the stigma of widowhood. In a Chinatown caught between tradition and modernity, one woman may be the key to holding everything together."
Readers might also enjoy Vermilion: the adventures of Lou Merriwether, psychopomp by Molly Tanzer; Under Heaven by Guy Gavriell Kay; and Snake Agent by Liz Williams.
* = starred review
Blog Post
Three Warriors and a Demon Sword
by hanxanth
Dive into the world of Takeru~Opera Susanoh Sword of the Devil and meet the three Takeru's: Izumo-no-Takeru, the light-hearted swordsman, Kumaso-no-Takeru, the super-strong clutz, and Oguna-no-Takeru, the mysterious and swift assassin.
Through complete coincidence, these three are brought together in the land of Oyashima (basically Japan). Izumo has traveled from the mainland (basically China) and is on a journey to find the legendary Sword of the Forest God, also called the Sword of Susanoh (if you know Japanese mythology, you'll probably recognize that name). He meets up with Kumaso and Oguna and convinces them to travel with him to find the sword. Unfortunately this also leads them right into the middle of a war. The kingdom of Amamikado is at war with the forest-dwelling warrior women of Jagara. The three Takeru's have to walk through the front lines because, lucky for them, the sword is said to be right in the middle of the Jagara's maze-like forest. But it seems that the three Takeru's might be the prophesied heroes of legend and the queen of the Jagara decides to test them. Will they find the legendary sword (and is it really all that great?), or will the Amamikado and it's ruthless tyrant of a leader (who commands a hoard of undead dirt soldiers by the way) stop them?
This is a nice, short series (only 4 volumes) written by Kazuki Nakashima, the scripter for the anime Gurren Lagann. If you know anything about Gurenn Lagann, you know what to expect. If you don't, then prepare yourself for crazy awesome action involving magic swords, bombs, giant axes, giant robots, and those weird dirt soldiers.
Blog Post
Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone: Illustrated Edition
by PizzaPuppy
Harry Potter fans rejoice! The brand new illustrated edition of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone is now on the shelves!
This edition of the first book in the popular Harry Potter series includes the full original text paired with stunning color illustrations. Each and every page has been filled with visually appealing and intricate artwork. All of the chapter intros are illustrated in addition to many other images throughout the novel. Some illustrations span multiple pages while some are small asides or details. However, each and every page has something visual-- there aren't any white pages in the entire book. In addition, aside from the switch from 'Philosopher's Stone' to 'Sorcerer's Stone', all of the Americanized changes to the first few printings of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone have reverted to their original British roots (for example: substituting motorcycle for motorbike or lemon drop for sherbet lemon).
Jim Kay does a wonderful job of bringing these familiar characters to life in new and sometimes surprising ways. Harry and the gang don't resemble their movie counterparts, but are a more accurate depiction of the characters as they appear in the novels. These otherworldly illustrations are sure to delight fans and newcomers alike.
Author J. K. Rowling has also been busy with the recent release of her latest novel Career of Evil, adding to the collection of novels published under her pen name Robert Galbraith.
Blog Post
Ninja Red Riding Hood
by PizzaPuppy
In Ninja Red Riding Hood, the fearsome wolf of the forest can no longer catch any prey for his dinner. Frustrated, he sneaks into ninja school to train hard in the ancient art, so that he is once again able to catch a good meal. After his training, the wolf runs into Little Red Riding Hood in the woods, and he begins to plot against her. He sneaks into the house of Little Red Riding Hood's grandmother and impersonates her in order to catch the girl unaware. However, Little Red Riding Hood not only sees through his disguise, but was also trained as a ninja herself! These evenly matched opponents face off in a battle of wits and stealthy skills in this hilarious take on the classic Little Red Riding Hood story.
Author Corey Rosen Schwartz has hit gold once again in this funny and action-packed fractured fairy tale. The illustrations are bold and colorful, and the book is written with a lively rhyme scheme. This book is a companion to his earlier work, The Three Ninja Pigs, with Schwartz's Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears nicely rounding out the collection.
Interested in more fractured fairy tales? Take a look at this excellent list for a plethora of great books: Fairy Tales Retold - Youth Fiction/Picture Books.
Blog Post
Who Needs a Prince When You Have a Cannon?
by hanxanth
Princeless: The Pirate Princess is the next omnibus installment in the popular Princeless series written by Jeremy Whitley. While this is the third volume in the series, you don't have to read volumes 1 and 2 to enjoy it! Princess Adrienne, who decided she was tired of waiting in a tower for a prince and that it was time she saved herself, is off on a quest to rescue her other imprisoned sisters. But along the way she gets distracted by the eccentric activities of a girl named Raven, who has a very Mulan-like feeling to her. Though not of royalty, Raven is the daughter of the Pirate King, making her as good a princess as any other! Raven's brothers tricked their father into sending Raven away, insisting she wasn't fit to be the heir to their father's title. Well, Raven isn't taking that lying down. Follow Raven and Adrienne as they fight off thugs, ride a dragon, blow some stuff up, and commandeer a pirate ship! If you're looking for strong girls in a kids-friendly comic, this is it.
If you're interested in reading Adrienne's story from the beginning, be sure to check out volumes 1 and 2, both available at the library!
Volume 1: Save Yourself
Volume 2: Get Over Yourself
Blog Post
Fabulous Fiction Firsts #545 - "I have heard the mermaids singing each to each. I do not think that they will sing to me ..." ~ T.S. Eliot
by muffy
"Dazzling...[a quirky, raucous, and bewitching family saga", high praise by Sara Gruen for Erika Swyler's debut novel Book of Speculation, and rightly so. I simply couldn't put it down.
After his younger sister Enola runs off to read tarot cards for a traveling carnival, cash-strapped librarian Simon Watson lives alone in the decrepit family home that he watches nervously as it slowly crumbles toward the Long Island Sound. An old bound journal arrives at his doorstep one late June, almost at the same time his sister returns, restless and secretive. Fragile and water damaged, the book is a log from the owner of a traveling carnival in the 1700s, who reports strange and magical things, including the drowning death of a circus mermaid. Since then, generations of "mermaids" in Simon's family have drowned, always on July 24, including his mother.
As his friend Alice looks on with alarm, Simon becomes increasingly convinced that Enola will be the next victim of the family curse, and the answer must lie in the book.
"Debut author Swyler creates a melancholy world with hints of magic at the edges... Fans of historical novels, especially titles with circus themes or touched with a hint of the supernatural such as Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, Katharine Dunn's Geek Love, or Katharine Howe's The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane, won't want to leave this festival."
The Mermaid's Child by Jo Baker - the acclaimed author of Longbourn brings us the magical story of a young girl in search of her mother...who her father believes just might be a mermaid. Malin Reed, always odd and awkward never quite fits in. When her father dies, she takes to the road in search of her mother. Apprenticed to a series of strange and wonderful characters, Malin embarks on a grueling journey that crosses oceans and continents - she even disguises herself as a boy in order to get a position on a slaving ship. Misadventures, rescues (by an eccentric librarian), icebergs and pirates, Malin's journey eventually comes to a fitting end.
This pungent early novel, only now available in the U.S, (is) "beautifully written and hauntingly strange,...a remarkable piece of storytelling, and an utterly unique work of fantasy..."
The Mermaid's Sister by Carrie Anne Noble, set in a mythical Pennsylvania mountain tells the story of three foundlings taken in by Auntie, a village wise woman. When Clara realizes that her sister Maren, is slowly but surely turning into a mermaid, she and best friend O'Neill set out to take Maren to a new home in the sea. Adventure finds them when a traveling show kidnaps them all, and Clara must overcome her inner doubts about who she really is in order to save them all.
"Like all good fairy tales, this one touches on deeper themes of sibling rivalry, jealousy, insecurity, and questions of identity...Noble's treatment of the mermaid theme is fresh and original, and even her minor characters are beautifully depicted."
Like mermaids? You might also enjoy Mermaid : A twist on the classic tale by Carolyn Turgeon, and The Sea House by Elisabeth Gifford.
Blog Post
Want to read the next big hollywood blockbuster before it's even made? Patrick Rothfusses Kingkiller series spurred a bidding war this month!
by gulickb
If you're a fan of fantasy fiction there is a good possibility that you've heard the name Patrick Rothfuss sometime in the past decade. His works include epic fantasies and not for children picture books a novella and short stories but the title that was on the tips of all the movie execs lips this past month was Name of the Wind.
Name of the Wind is the story of young Kvothe (pronounced like Quothe), his adventures and misadventures as he strives to learn magic and gains some powerful foes along the way. What makes this fantasy different from others is that it doesn't seem to follow a formula for a story like so many fantasies do, rather it is a man recounting the story of his youth to an historian. It could be said that the book is many shorter stories combined into one greater narrative that continues into the second book of the series The Wise Man's Fear and will conclude in the final book of the trilogy which will be entitled Doors of Stone which currently has no publication date.
So if you want to check out the latest hollywood craze before it's even begun filming check out Patrick Rothfuss' work!