CMRLS STAFF PICKS
August 2017
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Salt to the sea
by Ruta Sepetys

Adult Fiction. "As World War II draws to a close, refugees try to escape the war's final dangers, only to find themselves aboard a ship with a target on its hull."

* * * * * 5 out 5 stars
This is a historical fiction covering a relatively unknown event during World War II. It is beautifully written and the characters come to life as you read their stories. Tina@ PH
Murder in an Irish village
by Carlene O'Connor

Adult Fiction. Feisty, redheaded Siobhán O'Sullivan investigates a murder and tries to salvage her family name and livelihood after a man is found stabbed to death in their cozy bistro in Kilbane, County Cork, Ireland.

* * * * 4 out 5 stars
I felt like I was in the village and I loved getting to know the characters!I felt like I was in the village and I loved getting to know the characters! Frances/Magee
Everything you want me to be : a novel
by Mindy Mejia

Adult Fiction. When a civic-minded high-school senior is found brutally murdered on the opening night of the school play, town sheriff and family friend Del Goodman discovers unsettling truths about the victim's mesmerizing nature and the secrets that led to her death. By the author of The Dragon Keeper.
 
* * * * * 5 out of 5 stars
Good story line and just a compelling read! - - -
The Cracked Spine
by Paige Shelton

Adult Fiction. Delaney Nichols uproots herself from her quiet Kansas town and takes a job at The Cracked Spine in Edinburgh, only to put on her investigating cap when someone in her new life ends up dead. By a New York Times best-selling author.
 
 * * * * 4 out 5 stars
If you are a true book lover this is the mystery for you! Frances/Magee
The underground railroad : a novel
by Colson Whitehead

Adult Fiction. The award-winning author of The Noble Hustle chronicles the daring survival story of a cotton plantation slave in Georgia, who, after suffering at the hands of both her owners and fellow slaves, races through the Underground Railroad with a relentless slave-catcher close behind.

 * * * * 4 out 5 stars
This is an amazing alternate historical fiction read that draws you in to an amazing female character - Cora. Every time the author lulled the reader (and Cora) into a sense of calm reassurance, the story took a drastically new direction. Despite the heavy content and gruesome realities portrayed in the story, the author sets such a pace and tone that you can't put the book down. KJD/Pearl
Leaving Oxford
by Janet W. Ferguson

Adult Fiction. Escaping home to Oxford, Mississippi seemed like a good idea. Until it wasn't a year after a tragic accident in Los Angeles flipped her world upside down, advertising guru Sarah Beth LeClair is still hiding away in her charming hometown of Oxford, Mississippi.
 
 * * * * * 5 out 5 stars
Also read Going Up South. These are the first two of Janet's Southern Hearts Series. They are both great reads! I can't wait to start on the next book! Wonderful Christian fiction with a Mississippi setting from a local (Brandon) Mississippi author! Rhoda/ME
 
Ghost Hawk
by Susan Cooper

Juvenile Fiction. At the end of a winter-long journey into manhood, Little Hawk returns to find his village decimated by a white man's plague and soon, despite a fresh start, Little Hawk dies violently but his spirit remains trapped, seeing how his world changes.
 
* * * * * 5 out 5 stars
This is an audio book read by Jim Dale, (that is why I picked the book). The genre is not my usual one but I did love the story. It gives a great insight on how Native American community lived and how they were treated. Frances/Magee
The hate u give
by Angie Thomas

Young Adult Fiction. Caught between her poor neighborhood and her fancy prep school, sixteen-year-old Starr Carter becomes the focus of intimidation and more after witnessing the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend, Khalil, by a police officer.

* * * * * 5 out 5 stars
The storytelling is incredible because it feels so very real. The voice of the protagonist, Starr, is so authentic, and the description of the people and the neighborhood is incredibly rich without bogging down the story. The driving force of THE HATE U GIVE is an act of police brutality, but the book itself is about bravery, self-examination, and the tight threads of a community under threat. Honestly, I think it's a book that people really, really need to read and soak in, especially right now. It's also being made into a movie!  Kayla/BR
The serpent king : a novel
by Jeff Zentner

Young Adult Fiction. The son of a Pentecostal preacher faces his personal demons as he and his two outcast friends try to make it through their senior year of high school in rural Forrestville, Tennessee, without letting the small-town culture destroy their creative spirits and sense of self.

* * * * * 5 out 5 stars
Don't let the title fool you; this is not a fantasy or sci-fi novel. This is the story of three teenagers growing up in small town America today. Three unlikely friends and their story of hopes for a future after high school. You will fall in love with the characters even through two out of three are probably quite different than you. I recently had to read 25 YA novels and this was my #1 pick. Tina @ PH
13 reasons why
by Jay Asher

Young Adult. When Clay Jensen receives a box containing thirteen cassette tapes recorded by his classmate Hannah, who committed suicide, he spends the night crisscrossing their town, listening to Hannah's voice recounting the events leading up to her death.

 * * * * * 5 out 5 stars
It was well written while dealing with a difficult subject. It was a quick read as well. It is a good book for teens to give them a different perspective on suicide.  Matthew/Mize
Central Mississippi Regional Library System
100 Tamberline Street
Brandon, Mississippi 39042
601-825-0100
http://www.cmrls.lib.ms.us