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Aden - Information Services Assistant (Handley)
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It is autumn 1981 when inconceivable horror comes to Blackeberg, a suburb in Sweden. The body of a teenager is found, emptied of blood, the murder rumored to be part of a ritual killing. Twelve-year-old Oskar is personally hoping that revenge has come at long last—revenge for the bullying he endures at school, day after day. But the murder is not the most important thing on his mind. A new girl has moved in next door—a girl who has never seen a Rubik’s Cube before, but who can solve it at once. There is something wrong with her, though, something odd. And she only comes out at night. "A rare adaptation that is just as brilliant as the book! One of the most terrifying vampire stories and maybe the most tender and beautiful. It's one of those ones where you could read the book first or watch the movie first since are both are incredible." - Aden |
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Nova - Information Services Assistant (Handley)
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A young girl, whose life has been mapped out for her, befriends her much older neighbor, the Pilot, who introduces her to the story of The Little Prince written by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry. As time passes, the young girl's worldview is turned on its head. "I'm definitely the type of person that will watch a movie a million times if I like it, and this is one of those movies. The movie pulls a lot from the original book, but it adds the mother and daughter storyline and more. I recommend reading the book. The art is super cute, and you'll miss out on a few things if you only watch the movie." - Nova |
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Donna - Youth Services Division Head (All Branches)
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Heidi by Johanna SpyriBook Summary: A Swiss orphan is heartbroken when she must leave her beloved grandfather and their happy home in the mountains to go to school and to care for an invalid girl in the city. "Several different versions exist in book, audio, digital and video" - Donna |
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Four adventurers step through a wardrobe door and into the land of Narnia, a land enslaved by the power of the White Witch. But when almost all hope is lost, the return of the Great Lion, Aslan, signals a great change . . . and a great sacrifice. |
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Sarah - Youth Services Assistant (Handley)
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2024 Movie Summary:
A father-daughter road trip set in 1990s Poland, Treasure follows Ruth, a journalist, and Edek, a charmingly stubborn Holocaust survivor, on a journey to his homeland. While Ruth seeks to uncover her family's past, Edek has his own agenda. "I haven't read the book, but I loved the film." - Sarah |
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Gwen - Information Services Assistant (Bowman)
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Book Summary: At sixteen, Lady Jane Grey is about to be married off to a stranger and caught up in a conspiracy to rob her cousin, King Edward, of his throne. But those trifling problems aren't for Jane to worry about. Jane gets to be Queen of England. "Witty and entertaining alternate history! I highly recommend the audiobook version as well as the other books by the trio. The TV adaptation is also very humorous, although geared toward mature audiences." - Gwen |
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Adrienne - Handley Library Branch Manager
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Ignoring the troubling behavior of an eccentric crime writer with whom she has worked for years, editor Susan Ryeland is dismayed when a subplot hidden in the author's latest manuscript reveals a real-world murder. "I recommend Anthony Horowitz a lot because he pops up in several different collections going back to the YA Alex Rider books and Foyle's War detective TV show. I currently love the Hawthorne and Horowitz series, esp. as audiobooks. Magpie Murders is one of those rare screen adaptations that I enjoyed as much as (maybe a bit more) than the book. It is all very clever stuff though." - Adrienne |
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Mary - Information Services Assistant (Handley)
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Book Summary:
As Florin and Guilder teeter on the verge of war, the reluctant Princess Buttercup is devastated by the loss of her true love, kidnapped by a mercenary and his henchmen, rescued by a pirate, forced to marry Prince Humperdinck, and recused once again by the very crew who absconded with her in the first place. In the course of this dazzling adventure, she'll meet Vizzini—the criminal philosopher who'll do anything for a bag of gold; Fezzik—the gentle giant; Inigo—the Spaniard whose steel thirsts for revenge; and Count Rugen—the evil mastermind behind it all. Foiling all their plans and jumping into their stories is Westley, Princess Buttercup's one true love and a very good friend of a very dangerous pirate. "Inconceivable!" - Mary |
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Elyse - Youth Services Associate (Bowman)
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Orphan, clock keeper, and thief, Hugo lives in the walls of a busy Paris train station, where his survival depends on secrets and anonymity. But when his world suddenly interlocks—like the gears of the clocks he keeps—with an eccentric, bookish girl and a bitter old man who runs a toy booth in the station, Hugo's undercover life and his most precious secret are put in jeopardy. A cryptic drawing, a treasured notebook, a stolen key, a mechanical man, and a hidden message from Hugo's dead father form the backbone of this intricate, tender, and spellbinding mystery. "One of my favorite reads of all time and the movie Hugo is also very well done--one of the few book to movie adaptations I truly appreciate and recommend." - Elyse |
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Sophie - Youth Services Assistant (Handley)
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As children, Kathy, Ruth, and Tommy were students at Hailsham, an exclusive boarding school secluded in the English countryside. It was a place of mercurial cliques and mysterious rules where teachers were constantly reminding their charges of how special they were. Now, years later, Kathy is a young woman. Ruth and Tommy have reentered her life. And for the first time she is beginning to look back at their shared past and understand just what it is that makes them special--and how that gift will shape the rest of their time together. "The best book you'll never forget! I haven't seen the movie but it has Andrew Garfield so it can't be bad." - Sophie |
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Julie - Information Services Assistant (Bowman)
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Book Summary:
The first book in the acclaimed, New York Times best-selling trilogy, Wool is the story of a community living in an underground silo completely unaware of the fate of the outside world. When the silo's sheriff asks to leave the silo, a series of events unravels the very fabric of their fragile lives. In a world where all commodities are precious and running out, truth and hope may be the most rare...and the most needed. "If you're watching Silo on Apple TV, then check out the book series it's based on." - Julie |
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Alison - Clarke County Library Branch Manager
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Aside from a secret affair with a housewife (Mary Steenburgen), Gilbert Grape (Johnny Depp) spends his days stocking shelves at a grocery store, caring for his mentally handicapped brother (Leonardo DiCaprio), and holding together a large family headed by Mama, a former beauty queen whose weight tops 500 pounds. But just when Gilbert thinks nothing will ever change, a beautiful stranger (Juliette Lewis) arrives on the scene, capturing his heart. "Both the book and the movie are among my favorites! I feel like the book to screen transition was very well done!" - Alison |
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Robyn - Administrative Assistant (Bowman)
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This is the tale of family, memory, love, and living told by 14-year-old Susie Salmon, who is already in heaven. Through the voice of a precocious teenage girl, Susie relates the awful events of her death and builds out of her family's grief a hopeful and joyful story. "Stellar writing, emotionally captivating, and raw storytelling. The movie is absolutely incredible as well, just be sure to have several boxes of tissues on hand." - Robyn |
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Kathy - Circulation Assistant (Bowman)
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Book Summary:
From Atlanta’s wealthiest suburbs to its stark inner-city housing projects, a killer has crossed the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries, too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread—and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael’ s lover before she became his enemy. But unbeknownst to both of them, another player has entered the game: a loser ex-con who has stumbled upon the killer’s trail in the most coincidental of ways—and who may be the key to breaking the case wide open. "Triptych is book 1 in the Will Trent series which streams on Hulu, but I liked the book better." - Kathy |
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Mindy - Circulation Aide (Handley)
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In ancient times the Rings of Power were crafted by the Elven-smiths, and Sauron, the Dark Lord, forged the One Ring, filling it with his own power so that he could rule all others. But the One Ring was taken from him, and though he sought it throughout Middle-earth, it remained lost to him. After many ages it fell into the hands of Bilbo Baggins, as told in The Hobbit. In a sleepy village in the Shire, young Frodo Baggins finds himself faced with an immense task, as his elderly cousin Bilbo entrusts the Ring to his care. Frodo must leave his home and make a perilous journey across Middle-earth to the Cracks of Doom, there to destroy the Ring and foil the Dark Lord in his evil purpose. "The books are amazing, enthralling and groundbreaking, and the movies are gorgeous!" - Mindy |
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Shari - Teen Services Associate (Bowman)
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For years, rumors of the "Marsh Girl" have haunted Barkley Cove, a quiet town on the North Carolina coast. She's barefoot and wild; unfit for polite society. So in late 1969, when handsome Chase Andrews is found dead, the locals immediately suspect Kya Clark. But Kya is not what they say. Abandoned at age ten, she has survived on her own in the marsh that she calls home. A born naturalist with just one day of school, she takes life lessons from the land, learning from the false signals of fireflies the real way of this world. But while she could have lived in solitude forever, the time comes when she yearns to be touched and loved. Drawn to two young men from town, who are each intrigued by her wild beauty, Kya opens herself to a new and startling world--until the unthinkable happens. |
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Mackenzie - Branch Assistant (Clarke)
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Margaret Atwood's best-loved novel has taken the world by storm again. Riding high on bestseller lists for months and the basis for Hulu's Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning smash hit series, The Handmaid's Tale is everywhere--and it's primed for a stunning new graphic novel adaptation. The story is iconic: In the Republic of Gilead, a Handmaid named Offred lives in the home of the Commander, to the purpose that she become pregnant with his child. Stripped of her most basic freedoms, (work, property, her own name), Offred remembers a different time, not so long ago, when she was valuable for more than her viable ovaries, when she was mother to a daughter she could keep, and when she and her husband lived and loved as equals. Darkly prescient, scathingly sarcastic, and eminently frightening, The Handmaid's Tale has only gained relevance since it was originally published, and remains one of the most powerful, widely read stories of our times. "Margaret Atwood's classic, yet timely novel about a not so distant dystopian future has been expanded upon in the television series. The novel is a must read! After you finish come and check out the series (seasons 1-5 available at all our branches, season 6, the final season, will be coming to Hulu in April!)" - Mackenzie |
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Mary - Bowman Library Branch Manager
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While playing baseball in the summer of 1953, Owen Meany hits a foul ball that kills his best friend's mother, and he becomes convinced that he is an instrument of God. "There's a movie based on the book, but the title was changed to "Simon Birch." I recommend it too, but the Library doesn't have nor do any of our digital services. Maybe you'll come across it someday...Ashley Judd, Oliver Platt, David Strathairn, and Jim Carrey." - Mary |
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Cheryl - PR and Outreach Manager (All Branches)
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Shogun by James ClavellBook Summary: After Englishman John Blackthorne is lost at sea, he awakens in a place few Europeans know of and even fewer have seen—Nippon. Thrust into the closed society that is seventeenth-century Japan, a land where the line between life and death is razor-thin, Blackthorne must negotiate not only a foreign people, with unknown customs and language, but also his own definitions of morality, truth, and freedom. As internal political strife and a clash of cultures lead to seemingly inevitable conflict, Blackthorne's loyalty and strength of character are tested by both passion and loss, and he is torn between two worlds that will each be forever changed. "Also learn about Japanese Samurai and Culture on Kanopy!" - Cheryl |
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Kaitlyn - Youth Services Assistant (Handley)
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Book Summary:
Living in a "perfect" world without social ills, a boy approaches the time when he will receive a life assignment from the Elders, but his selection leads him to a mysterious man known as the Giver, who reveals the dark secrets behind the utopian facade. "Love this series! If you haven't read them before, books 2 and 3 will seem largely unrelated but book 4 ties them all together." - Kaitlyn |
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Amanda - Circulation Assistant (Handley)
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Book Summary:
A horror classic is revisited to mark the twentieth anniversary of an author's remarkable debut with the story of a reporter who hears a vampire's chilling tale of centuries of life, told by a onetime New Orleans gentleman plantation owner. |
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Matt - Technical Services Manager (All Branches)
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Summary:
With Ireland caught in the grip of a government turning towards tyranny, scientist and mother-of-four Eilish Stack, as the life she knows and the ones she loves disappear before her eyes, must decide how far she'll go to save her family and what—or who—she is willing to leave behind. Formats available: eBook on Libby, eBook on Hoopla |
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Kaitlyn - Youth Services Assistant (Handley)
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When their dad's rare edition of Bram Stoker's Dracula uncovers a world they've never known, twins Page and Turner join a mysterious Night Librarian and a motley cast of book characters in an epic battle to save the library from total destruction. |
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Sarah - Youth Services Assistant (Handley)
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The rain is stopping. Nobody in the small, forgotten village of Faha remembers when it started; rain on the western seaboard was a condition of living. Now--just as Father Coffey proclaims the coming of electricity--it is stopping. Seventeen-year-old Noel Crowe is standing outside his grandparents' house shortly after the rain has stopped when he encounters Christy for the first time. Though he can't explain it, Noel knows right then: something has changed. |
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Adrienne - Handley Library Branch Manager
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Welcome to the Wanderlands. A vast machine made for reasons unknown, the Wanderlands was broken long ago. First went the sky, splintering and cracking, and then very slowly, the whole machine—the whole world—began to go dark. Meet the Failures. Following the summons of a strange dream, a scattering of adventurers, degenerates, and children find themselves drawn toward the same place: the vast underground Keep. They will discover there that they have been called for a purpose—and that purpose could be the destruction of everything they love. "I was almost deterred by the 27 hour length, but this held my attention the whole time. And I felt rewarded by the ending. It reminds me a bit of books by Gene Wolfe. I hope others read it so they can wait with me for the second book in the series." - Adrienne |
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