Staff Picks April 2018

 

Dear Martin by Nic Stone

It was really good, but definitely for teens. About two buddies trying to get scholarships. it’s racially balanced, coming of age book. A good way to get inside the mind of a teenager, especially a guy. #harshlanguage

Vanessa C.

Fire and Fury: Inside the Trump White House by Michael Wolff

In one of the most controversial political books of our time, Michael Wolff gives us his interpretation of the actions (and inactions) of those cohorts working inside the Trump campaign and White House during the past year.  The closest analogy is a group of puppet masters fighting over which one is allowed to control Donald Trump at any given time.  Most useful to the reader is a description of the various influential figures in the White House, their philosophies, and how they came to be there.  Obviously, those with a left-leaning point-of-view will applaud Wolff’s description of the chaos, perhaps be troubled by the revelations; those on the right will justify and deny the possibility that Trump’s White House could be that bad.  Certainly, this book only adds fire to the fury of the current political climate in Washington.

Robin H.

I just read The Guest Room by Chris Bohjalian.  It kept my interest although it was a difficult read as it was a novel about sex trafficking

Cheri S.

The Music Shop by Rachel Joyce. A feel-good tale that has the love of music ringing throughout without the snarkiness of High Fidelity. I like how the author takes her time unveiling the protagonist’s character, keeping you guessing about the plot until the end. For fans of British fiction, feel good stories, men and women relationships fiction. A light read.

Jenneffer S.

Leonardo, da Vinci, by Walter Isaacson, is a masterpiece about a master artisan.  I am listening to the CDBK read by Alfred Molino.  It’s a large amount of information about the famous Leonardo yet flows easily from one life event to the next and you find yourself waiting for more.  It’s interesting and fascinating just like Leonardo himself.

Sandra Y. 

August Young Adult Picks

Young Adult picks? We’ve got them:

A New Darkness
by Joseph Delaney
YA DEL

Entertaining follow-up to the Spook’s Apprentice series, featuring a new twist on the original with a female apprentice!
-Sara

The House of the Scorpion
by Nancy Farmer
YA FAR

Matt lives as the prized clone of drug lord Matteo Alacran, but is hated by most everyone else. As he begins to suspect his fate, Matt realizes escape from the opium farm may be his only chance for survival.
-Mike

The Winner’s Curse
by Marie Rutkoski
YA RUT

An aristocratic girl who is a member of a warmongering and enslaving empire purchases a slave, an act that sets in motion a rebellion that might overthrow her world as well as her heart.
-Serena

I Am The Messenger
by Markus Zusak
YA ZUS
By the author of the #1 New York Times bestseller The Book Thief, this is a cryptic journey filled with laughter, fists, and love.

Ed Kennedy is an underage cabdriver without much of a future. He’s pathetic at playing cards, hopelessly in love with his best friend, Audrey, and utterly devoted to his coffee-drinking dog, the Doorman. His life is one of peaceful routine and incompetence until he inadvertently stops a bank robbery.

That’s when the first ace arrives in the mail. That’s when Ed becomes the messenger. Chosen to care, he makes his way through town helping and hurting (when necessary) until only one question remains: Who’s behind Ed’s mission?

-Lynae

June Young Adult Picks

Summer Reading is just getting started! Check out these great Young Adult books to keep you reading:

Frozen
by Melissa de la Cruz and Michael Johnston
YA DEL

More than a century after a catastrophic disaster wiped out most of humanity and covered much of the earth with ice, sixteen-year-old Nat yields to the voice in her head urging her to embark on a dangerous journey across a poisoned sea to the mythical land, the Blue.

-Serena

The Body Finder
by Kimberly Derting
YA DER

Violet has two secrets dominating her junior year: her ability to sense echoes from murder victims and her growing crush on childhood friend Jay. Can she keep it together as Jay helps her hunt for a serial killer? For those who like a bit of romance mixed in with their suspense novels, this is the book for you. The first in a series.
-Mike

Talon
by Julie Kagawa
YA KAG

The dragons of Talon have been hiding in human forms to save themselves from being hunted. Ember and Dante Hill are the only brother and sister dragons. Ember wants to experience being a teen before fulfilling her destiny in Talon; however, she is being pursued by Garret St. James, whose task is to destroy all dragons but only when he is certain about his prey. And he is not quite certain about Ember.
-Serena

Read Between the Lines
by Jo Knowles
YA KNO

Does anyone ever see us for who we really are? Jo Knowles’s revelatory novel of interlocking stories peers behind the scrim as it follows nine teens and one teacher through a seemingly ordinary day.
-Crystal

Liars Inc.
by Paula Stokes
YA STO

Max forms a professional lying service with his friend Preston and girlfriend Parvati to make extra cash. But when Preston disappears the police see Max as the prime suspect. Can he escape his web of lies?
-Mike

2014 Top Ten Best Fiction for Young Adults

The Young Adult Library Services Association has selected the following Top Ten Fiction Books for 2014:

	All the Truth That’s in Me Julie Berry Judith is a pariah after her tongue is cut out. But when war threatens her village she must find her voice.
	Freakboy Kristin Elizabeth Clark What do you do when your outside doesn’t match your inside? In this free-verse novel, Brendan, a gender-questioning teen, wrestles with his identity.
	Better Nate Than Ever Tim Federle Broadway enthusiast Nate ventures out on his own from suburban Pittsburgh to the Big Apple for a chance at musical stardom. Hilarity ensues.
	Far Far Away Tom McNeal Jeremy Johnson Johnson’s life is full of delicious cakes, funny pranks, and dangerous mistakes. It’s almost like he’s living in a modern fairy tale.
	Eleanor & Park Rainbow Rowell Eleanor has bright red hair and a thrift store wardrobe. Park wears “guyliner” and reads comics. They don’t fit in anywhere except with each other.
	Midwinterblood Marcus Sedgwick On a remote, mysterious island in Scandinavia, two souls seek each other out again and again through seven stories that span centuries.
	Out of the Easy Ruta Sepetys Life can be sleazy in the Big Easy especially for 17-year-old Josie, who’s itching to get out of New Orleans and start a better life.
	Winger Andrew Smith / Illustrated by Sam Bosma. Fourteen-year-old Ryan Dean navigates the twists and turns of boarding school with the help of his rugby teammates and his best friend, with whom he is helplessly in love.
	Golden Boy Tara Sullivan Can you put a price on an albino’s life? In Tanzania, you can.
	Rose Under Fire Elizabeth Wein During World War II, a female transport pilot is captured and sent to a German concentration camp where she bears witness to starvation, corporal punishment, and medical experimentation.

YALSA also posted a complete list of 2014 Best Fiction for Teens, comprised of 98 titles. The books, recommended for ages 12-18, meet the criteria of both good quality literature and appealing reading for teens. The list comprises a wide range of genres and styles, including contemporary realistic fiction, fantasy, horror, science fiction and novels in verse.

How many did you read?

-Michael Hawkins
Head of Adult Services