Author Archives: Laura S

Best of 2011: Young Adult Books

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The days when so called ‘grown-ups’ who loved Young Adult books had to hide them in shame behind the covers of Oprah’s latest book pick just to avoid ridicule is over. The world has embraced YA, realized that regardless of who a book is targeted at the things that make a book interesting transcend designated age groupings. If you haven’t tried a YA novel yet, see what all the rage is about by trying one of these, my favorite YA releases of 2011. Check out our Teen Blog for the reviews and trailers for them all in the coming weeks.

Daughter of Smoke and Bone by Laini Taylor  Prepare to be sucked into the beautifully crafted world of Karou. Covered in tattoos with hair that grows blue straight out of her head, Karou’s friends in Prague think that the drawings of monsters and angels in her sketch book are imaginary, but really, they’re her family. Good luck figuring out who is good and who is evil in this fantastic offering from National Book Award finalist Taylor. Regular teenaged life is mixed with beautifully described otherworldly beings in a book you’ll be surprised to find yourself still reading at 3 A.M.

Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs With the eclectic dark appeal of a Tim Burton movie, this book combines delicious, spooky fiction with strange vintage photographs to tell the story of mysterious island off the coast of Wales. Terrifying, fascinating and delightful Rigg’s debut work will suck you in.

Divergent by Veronica Roth When Beatrice Prior makes the shocking choice to give up her life with family as member of Abnegation she doesn’t realize how hard she’ll have to fight for her place as one of the Dauntless. A fast paced novel of survival against all odds, Divergent is a great choice for fans on The Hunger Games.

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater My best pick for fans of The Hunger Games who are longing for something new to read. Fast paced action is matched with a slow building relationship all rolled together around beautiful, ocean swept language. I don’t want to give it away but there are teens, a deadly contest and mythical Celtic water horses. AWESOME.

Bumped by Megan McCafferty After a virus makes everyone over the age of 18 infertile teens become the most prized members of society. Contracted out to conceive children, teenage girls are treated as celebrities. Bumped is a light hearted romp, but hidden behind the likeable characters, mistaken identify twin crisis, compelling love story and interesting, bubbly take on the dystopian future Bumped offers a stark view of where our social media and sex appeal obsessed culture is headed.

Beauty Queens by Libba Bray What do you get when you mix Lost and the Miss America pagent? An island full of stranded teen Beauty Queens. In a book that is hilarious (No, really, it’s laugh-out-loud-so-much-your-roommates-shoot-you-dirty-looks-funny), but also full of intrigue and mystery, Printz award winner Libba Bray dishes up hi-jinks in a tiara.

Across the Universe by Beth Revis  Full of mystery, romance and dystopain awesomeness, this sci-fi gem proves that finally, the Space Opera is getting the attention it deserves! With chapters that alternate point of view between Amy, a girl stuck in the past and Elder, a unwilling leader in training of the giant ship, Revis will suck you into this strange, scary future.

Ashfall by Mike Mullin Ok, I’m not going to lie, I haven’t started this one yet…. But it  appeared on several of the Best of 2011 lists, and it is the title I’m most excited about reading this month. The CCPL catalog gives this description: After the eruption of the Yellowstone supervolcano destroys his city and its surroundings, fifteen-year-old Alex must journey from Cedar Falls, Iowa, to Illinois to find his parents and sister, trying to survive in a transformed landscape and a new society in which all the old rules of living have vanished.

Feeling Grinchy?

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stupidest angelThanksgiving is my favorite holiday and I hate, Hate, HATE that it gets shoved aside in favor of Christmas every year. So the time after Thanksgiving always leaves me feeling a little Grinchy and unwilling to get into the holiday spirit. The 24/7 holiday radio grates on my nerves and the thought of going shopping in that swarm of humanity makes me want to hide under my bed.

This year I’m taking preventative measures to keep my Grinch locked down by reading some hilarious holiday books. If you need something to bolster your holiday cheer, try checking out some of these titles:

Try The Stupidest Angel: A heartwarming tale of Christmas terror by Christopher Moore because nothing says Christmas cheer like a little zombie action. Our catalog gives it this description, which is bound to be far more concise than my own: ‘It’s Christmastime in Pine Cove. Lena Marquez rings the bell for the Salvation Army, and when ex-husband Dale Pearson won’t part with his pocket change, she decides to exact revenge. Meanwhile, while rushing home from a friend’s house in the dark one night, little Joshua Barker, age seven, sees a woman kill Santa with a shovel. (But it wasn’t Santa; it was Dale.) A small boy makes a simple Christmas wish: Please, Santa, come back from the dead. The angel Raziel, not the brightest halo in heaven, is sent to Earth and accidentally revives the entire Pine Cove graveyard. Now under attack by the undead, the town has to put aside differences, bind together, and discover the true meaning of “Christmas spirit.”

Or how about When Elves Attack: a joyous Christmas greeting from the criminal nutbars of the Sunshine State by Tim Dorsey. This one has a pretty short and sweet description in the catalog: ‘Deranged serial killer Serge Storms delivers his special brand of Christmas Cheer in balmy Florida’.

Or maybe try some real life accounts of Christmas in today’s strange world is more your scene. How about You Better Not Cry: stories for Christmas by Augusten Burroughs. ‘You’ve eaten too much candy at Christmas… but have you ever eaten the face off a six-foot stuffed Santa? You’ve seen gingerbread houses… but have you ever made your own gingerbread tenement? You’ve woken up with a hangover… but have you ever woken up next to Kris Kringle himself? Augusten Burroughs has, and in this caustically funny, nostalgic, poignant, and moving collection, he recounts Christmases past and present — as only he could…’

The Avengers

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It’s time to start studying up!

The Avengers has a release date of May 4, 2012.

Directed by the amazing Joss Whedon, this first in what is likely to be a highly successful franchise features characters from hit films Iron Man, Iron Man 2, The Incredible Hulk, Thor and Captain America: The First Avenger.

I won’t give away any hints as to the plot, but if you’re interested, check out these movies and MAKE SURE YOU WATCH THE END OF THE CREDITS!

If that doesn’t satisfy your hunger for all things Avengers try checking out The Avengers : earth’s mightiest heroes, the ultimate character guide written by Alan Cowsill and  Avengers : the ultimate guide by Tom DeFalco.

Want even more? Try reading the original comics. The library has The Essential Avengers Volumes 1 and 2.

The Night Circus

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The circus arrives without warning. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

The towering tents are striped in white and black, no golds and crimsons to be seen. A black sign painted in white letters hangs upon the gates.

“Opens at Nightfall. Closes at Dawn.”

Wander through endless tents full of fantastic spectacles and performers. Luscious gardens made of ice, enchanted living carousel animals, mazes of clouds that defy gravity, acrobats that never fall. Each tent is created as an enchanted love letter shared between two magicians bound to each other for life but forced apart by their respective sides, pitted against each other in a magical battle that spans their entire lives. The circus is their playing field and their game has no rules.

Reading Morgenstern’s first novel, The Night Circus, is like floating through time and space, following the specter of a magical circus. Simultaneously dreamlike and more vivid than regular life, the real main character of the book is neither Celia the Illusionist nor Marco the Secret Magician but Le Cirque des Reves, The Circus of Dreams. The details of life in and around the circus consume the reader.

The hype surrounding The Night Circus has been extensive but well deserved. For an extra treat, try listening to it on audio; the sublime narration of Jim Dale (who also narrated all seven Harry Potter audio books and the sadly cancelled show Pushing Daisies) breathes an extra dose of magic into an already extrordinary book. 

Check out this preview to get into a more magical mood:

Adele’s 21

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Dear Guy Who Broke Adele’s Heart,

 Thanks.

 Sincerely,

Everyone with Ears.

 

Adele’s breathtaking sophomore album 21 was released here in the States in February of this year and has been on a constant tour of Clermont County since then, filling holds at all ten branches for the last nine months. I just got a copy last week and the wait was well worth it.

Like her previous album, 19, all of the songs on 21 are centered on a single relationship and its painful end.  With her retro-soulful style, astounding vocals and deeply moving lyrics each song by the British songstress is a powerful statement of love and loss.  The singles Rolling in the Deep and Someone Like You have been getting serious airtime on the local radio but it is the as of yet undiscovered gems like Rumor Has It and Set Fire to the Rain that really round out what can only be described as a timeless and amazing album.

There are still a number of people waiting for their turn with a copy of 21, but if you add your name to the list you won’t regret the time you spend waiting.

If you don’t want to wait and are looking for something to check out now some of Adele’s more popular songs on these albums:

Listen to Chasing Pavements on Grammy Nominees: 2009

Listen to Hometown Glory on Grammy Nominees: 2010

Listen to Rolling in the Deep on Now That’s What I Call Music! 38

Listen to the Grammy Nominated (Album of the Year) 19

Turn Book Fair Finds into Amazing Art

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repurposed libraryThe Amelia Branch Book Fair is fast approaching. November 5th-12th you can stop in during library hours and find some amazing things!

I can’t stress how important it is to us here at the library that all books find good homes. But we know not every book destined to stay in it original form. In addition to great finds, like-new titles and family favorites there are number of books waiting to be taken home and ripped apart.

Swing by the library to pick up a copy of The Repurposed Library: 33 Craft Projects That Give Old Books New Life by Lisa Occhipinti and learn how to turn your book fair finds into amazing art creations and beautiful everyday objects. Full of detailed pictures and amazing instructions you can learn to make everything from wreaths and vases to lamps and even a Kindle “keeper” (Did you hear you can now get books on your Kindle through the Ohio eBook Project!?)

Once you get your feet wet recycling and repurposing you can stop in to get these other great titles to get a jump on your holiday gift making.

Try Alter This! Radical Ideas for Turning Books into Art by Alena Hennessy, New Directions in Altered Books by Gabe Cyr and many more at your local branch.

 

The Lover’s Dictionary

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lover's dictionaryIt finally happened! David Levithan has written his first book for adults!

The Lover’s Dictionary combines my love for the English language and and great storytelling in a beautifully written account of how a relationship progresses. Amid the countless love stories that have been written through the ages Levithan has created a work that stands out as unique and timely. Written in the form of a dictionary, the nameless narrator explores the highs and lows of his love in a series of dictionary entries, each word defined by an experience somewhere on the path of his relationship.

Short but moving, this engrossing little book has entries that run the gamut from full page definitions to as small as “celibacy (n.), n/a,” The the words the narrator chooses to define can be laugh-out-loud hilarious, extraordinarily melancholy, and everything in between. The narrator’s “yearning (n. and adj.),” is defined as “At the core of this desire is the belief that everything can be perfect.” While a “kefuffle, (n.),” is described as, “From now on, you are only allowed one drink at any of my office parties. One. Perferably a beer.”  Words as beautiful as circuitous and sacrosant and as everyday as leery and fast are arranged alphabetical instead of chronologically in this short but poignant and extraordinary book.