The Library will be closed on Sunday, March 31, 2024, in observance of Easter

Daryl M.

Pages

  • Book cover for The ballad of Black Tom

    The ballad of Black Tom

    by LaValle, Victor D., 1972-

    August 1, 2016

    Call Number:

    In recent years, the writings of H.P. Lovecraft have become increasingly problematic. His personal views regarding race and class permeate his writing, resulting in works that are challenging at best and nearly impossible to enjoy for contemporary readers. While the subject of Lovecraft’s views on race have been the focus of many debates and disagreements, between fans and scholars, Victor Lavalle, an award winning author and instructor at Columbia University, started reading Lovecraft around the age of eleven. As he grew older, he began to recognize Lovecraft’s rampant racism, which left him... Read Full Review

  • Book cover for The water knife

    The water knife

    by Bacigalupi, Paolo.

    June 27, 2016

    Call Number:

    California has been in a state of drought for approximately six consecutive years. The drought has also affected other states: Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico and parts of Texas. Therefore it is hard to imagine a more timely novel than The water knife by Paolo Bacigalupi. In this novel the fluctuations of water have wreaked havoc on the eastern seaboard: New York and Miami have disappeared under the waves as ocean levels rise. In the southwest, the lack of water is destroying cities just as thorougly, and water has become one of the most valuable commodities in the area. The... Read Full Review

  • Book cover for The Sherlockian

    The Sherlockian

    by Moore, Graham, 1981-

    June 13, 2016

    Call Number: M

    In 1893 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle killed off Sherlock Holmes in the story, "The Final Problem." Doyle wanted to pursue writing historical novels and thought this story would be the end of Sherlock Holmes. But it wasn’t. The public wanted more stories of Holmes and his intrepid assistant, Dr. Watson, and the outcry was immediate and sustained. Even Queen Victoria is rumored to have pressured Doyle. He held out for eight years, and finally relented with the release of The Hound of the Baskervilles. While published in 1901, the novel was set prior to Holmes' death. But the public still was... Read Full Review

  • Book cover for Wake of vultures

    Wake of vultures

    by Bowen, Lila.

    April 13, 2016

    Call Number:

    Nettie Lonesome is an unlikely hero. She’s half Native American, and half African American with no idea of her past or her people. She dresses and acts like a boy to avoid the hellish treatment she sees perpetrated on women, young and old, in the tiny town of Gloomy Bluebird in the Durango territory. While she bristles at the label of slave, that is exactly how Mam and Papp treat her, and she dreams of someday working as a hired hand, breaking and taming horses, on a ranch far away. The stranger that wandered onto the farm in the middle of the night seemed normal enough. And he seemed to... Read Full Review

  • Book cover for These vicious masks

    These vicious masks

    by Shanker, Tarun.

    April 1, 2016

    Call Number: YA

    According to Merriam-Webster’s online dictionary, the term “superhero” dates back to at least 1917, and there are many characters from folklore, like Robin Hood, The Scarlet Pimpernel or Dr. Syn, The Scarecrow of Romney Marsh that predate the term. Like Batman, these heroes have no extraordinary powers. Instead, they rely upon their skill, cunning, training, the wearing of distinctive clothing, generally a costume that includes a mask and a cape, and, of course, having a secret identity to protect themselves and their loved ones. The idea of a super-powered superhero came to the fore in the... Read Full Review

  • Book cover for Illuminae

    Illuminae

    by Kaufman, Amie.

    February 22, 2016

    Call Number: YA

    When Kady Grant got up in the morning, she thought breaking up with her soon to be ex-boyfriend, Ezra Mason, would be the most eventful thing to happen. Living on Kerenza IV, an illegal mining colony on the edge of the universe and farthest from anything exciting means routine is the norm. And then the ships came thundering out of the sky, bombing the mine and destroying anything else they could target. As upset with Ezra as she is, Kady can’t leave him to die at their school. The two of them take her truck to get away. She wants to go to the hospital where her mom is a Doctor. Ezra wants to... Read Full Review

  • Book cover for A Gathering of Shadows

    A Gathering of Shadows

    by Schwab, Victoria.

    February 1, 2016

    Call Number:

    In A darker shade of magic Victoria Schwab presented Kell and Lila set within their worlds of four different Londons. The magic and adventure continue in this sequel.It has been four months since the Black Night, when the rulers of White London attempted to take over Red London, leaving chaos and casualties in the wake of the attack. While Kell saved the kingdom from this threat, he is also blamed for what happened. Once a trusted member of the royal family, he is now viewed with suspicion, doubt, fear... Read Full Review

  • Book cover for Winter.

    Winter.

    by Meyer, Marissa.

    December 29, 2015

    Call Number: YA

    In Cinder, Marissa Meyer took readers to an Earth set several hundred years in the future to tell a version of Cinderella, with overtones of Anastasia, where the titular character is not only a cyborg, but may also be a long dead princess. Skillfully blending fairy tales with science fiction Meyer retold the classic story with flair and contemporary sensibilities.  In the subsequent books in The Lunar Chronicles series, Meyer added other fairy tale characters: Red Riding Hood and her... Read Full Review

  • Book cover for The girl at midnight

    The girl at midnight

    by Grey, Melissa.

    December 7, 2015

    Call Number: YA

    Deep beneath New York City's Grand Central Station, there is a whole other world unknown to humans. It is the world of the Avicen, a magical race of humanoids with feathers instead of hair and decidedly avian instincts and culture. The Avicen have been at war with the Drakharin, another magical race of humanoids with the instincts and attributes of dragons, for longer than either race can remember. The last major engagement between the two races took place over a hundred years ago, with regular skirmishes occurring in order to increase the number of casualties, and to decrease any sense of... Read Full Review

  • Book cover for Made to kill

    Made to kill

    by Christopher, Adam, 1978-

    November 30, 2015

    Call Number:

    Raymond Chandler HATED science fiction and he made no bones about it. In a letter to his editor written in 1953, while working on what would ultimately be his last novel, Chandler wrote this:"Did you ever read what they call Science Fiction? It's a scream. It is written like this: 'I checked out with K19 on Aldabaran III, and stepped out through the crummalite hatch on my 22 Model Sirus Hardtop. I cocked the timejector in secondary and waded through the bright blue manda grass. My breath froze into pink pretzels. I flicked on the heat bars and the Brylls ran swiftly on five legs using... Read Full Review

  • Book cover for Sorcerer to the crown

    Sorcerer to the crown

    by Cho, Zen,

    November 16, 2015

    Call Number:

    It is a difficult time for The Royal Society of Unnatural Philosophers. While they are one of the most respected organizations in pursuit of the study and practice of magic in the world, certainly the foremost in all of England, recent events have thrown the society into chaos. While there are many Unnatural Philosophers, or Thaumaturges, in England only a magic-user with a familiar (a native of Fairyland who has chosen to exile itself and bond with a human) may call himself a Sorcerer. And the number of Sorcerers within England has been declining at an alarming rate for years. Some blame the... Read Full Review

  • Book cover for The Goblin emperor

    The Goblin emperor

    by Addison, Katherine.

    October 19, 2015

    Call Number:

    The concept of nice guys finishing last is seen as weakness, perhaps indicating that someone does not have the drive to succeed, and only the ruthless and conniving can win. In novels, it is rare to find a character with noble intentions, and not have them overcome gallant feats, because there is no entertainment value in simply watching someone live their daily life and do what is right.  In real life there are small challenges, with accordingly small victories or setbacks. Most entertainment, whether in film, television or books, emphasizes that this is not exciting. Sarah Monette’s... Read Full Review

Pages

Top