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Staff Picks August 2024 Reviews and Recommendations from Our Adult and Teen Services Staff
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Carly recommends: The Familiar by Leigh BardugoWhat it’s about: During the Spanish Golden Age, Luzia Cotado, gifted with magic, garners the attention of the disgraced secretary to Spain’s king, plunging her into a world where the lines between magic, science and fraud blur—and where she must enlist the help of an embittered immortal familiar whose deadly secrets could destroy them both. At once a love story, a coming-of-age tale full of secrets and tension, and a narrative about wanting more and doing anything to get it, The Familiar is a solid addition to Bardugo’s already impressive works.
Reviewers say: "The Familiar highlights all of the things that make Bardugo so well loved: a romance with maddening chemistry, an artfully built world, side characters with their own deep backstories, and a plot full of dark twists and spiderweb connections" (Booklist starred review).
Read if you like: Book of Night by Holly Black
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Kristin recommends: Sword Catcher by Cassandra ClareWhat it’s about: Kel was plucked from the orphanage and trained to be a sword catcher – at all times a body guard and occasionally a stand-in – for Connor, son of the king of city-state Castellane. Lin Caster is a young woman of the Ashkari – outcasts for having the only magic left in the world – who has become her people’s only female physician. Kel and Lin's struggles intersect with the Ragpicker King, the lord of the criminal underworld, who has his own plans for Castellane. The book ends with a cliffhanger which will leave readers eager for the next installment. Reviewers say: “A luscious story about fierce loyalty, powerful friendship, illusory love, and a unique brand of heroism” (Library Journal).
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Mallory recommends: Majesty by Katharine McGeeWhy this book: If you enjoyed The American Royals (book one of the series) this is a must read. With the King dead, Beatrice must step up and fulfill her royal obligation and become the first Queen of America. To make this transition smoother, heads of state have pressured Beatrice to marry, which is something she isn’t ready for. The young man they have selected just so happens to be the one guy who Beatrice’s sister is very into. Will Beatrice go through with the marriage, or will she follow her heart and rule alone? A Goodreads Choice Award nominee for Best Young Adult Fiction 2020. Reviewers say: “An immensely fun sequel” (Kirkus Reviews).
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Roseanne recommends: The Dinner List by Rebecca SerleWhat it's about: “Sabrina's 30th birthday dinner includes her best friend and three significant people from her past, plus Audrey Hepburn. As the meal progresses, it becomes clear why these six people were invited” ( Amazon). Reviewers say: "A bittersweet tale of love, loss, and living with the memories" (Kirkus Reviews).
About the Author: “Rebecca Serle is the New York Times bestselling author of One Italian Summer, In Five Years, The Dinner List, and the Young Adult novels The Edge of Falling and When You Were Mine. Serle also developed the hit TV adaptation Famous in Love, based on her YA series of the same name. She is a graduate of USC and The New School and lives in Los Angeles” ( Amazon).
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Laura recommends: Hula: A Novel by Jasmin 'Iolani HakesRead this if you like: Coming of age stories, lush prose, native Hawaiian culture and history, and unique narrative voices.
What it’s about: When Laka Naupaka is crowned Miss Aloha Hula, she is continuing a legendary family tradition of celebrating Native Hawaiian culture. But after she leaves the island and then returns with a newborn daughter, Hi’I, who appears haole or White, their place in the community is questioned. It’s a complicated tale of mother/daughter love, family responsibilities, and the impact of colonialism. Told in part by the collective voice of the community.
Want a taste? This richly written novel is filled with lines to savor: “In this way, she began to understand that while the islands were connected like siblings, they were not identical. Each had a rhythm, a heartbeat, unique to itself.” “We kept our questions tied to our tongues, dogs on chains.” “She fell asleep under a blanket of hopes and wishes.”
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Abby recommends: Motherthing by Ainslie Hogarth What it's about: When Abby Lamb and her husband, Ralph, move in with Ralph’s mother Laura to care for her, Abby hopes to finally connect with Laura. She has so much love to give - to Ralph, to Laura, to her future baby, and even to her favorite resident, Mrs. Bondy, from the long-term care facility Abby works at. But Laura is venomous and cruel, Abby is not pregnant, and Mrs. Bondy’s daughter is threatening to move her out. When Laura takes her own life, her ghost haunts the Lamb household plunging Ralph into a deep depression. Determined to rid her life of Laura once and for all, save Ralph, have a baby, and keep Mrs. Bondy, Abby comes up with an ingenuous plan. Reviewers say: “A darkly comic, kaleidoscopic novel of unhealthy fixations, love, murder, the gifts and wounds that family can inflict and one woman's fight to save herself” (Shelf Awareness).
Read if you like: Horror, Dark Comedy, Mystery, Feminist Literature.
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Astrid recommends: Lightning Strike: A Novel by William Kent KruegerWhat happens: In this prequel to the acclaimed Cork O'Connor series, 12-year-old Cork stumbles upon the body of a man hanging in a tree—the first in a series of events that cause him to question everything he took for granted about his hometown, his family and himself.
Reviewers say: "This sensitive, moving prequel introduces and draws readers into the series. Krueger (Ordinary Grace; This Tender Land) has written another perceptive coming-of-age novel, the poignant story of a father and son trying to understand each other. It provides Cork O'Connor's backstory for those who haven't read the series" (Library Journal).
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Misty recommends: Mothers Who Can't Love: A Healing Guide for Daughters by Susan ForwardWhat it’s about: There are numerous ways in which a mother can't fully love her children and the author speaks to many of them. Some I identified with considerably, others less so. For those of us who have spent our lives trying to fill the void that an unloving parent left us with, this is a practical way to get past that. Why you might like it: The material in this book provides a name to give to the suffering we've experienced and once we do, a way to get healthy, set boundaries and allow ourselves to be our very best selves.
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