Staff Recommendations
Daryl M.
Pages
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The Mermaid, the Witch, and the Sea
by Tokuda-Hall, Maggie
June 22, 2020
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A young noblewoman is betrothed by her parents into an unwanted, arranged marriage. A young pirate struggles to survive and protect his brother from the dangers inherent in the life they have been forced to live. A mermaid is captured and threatened with death because her blood, when drunk, allows humans the solace of forgetting things they don’t want to remember. A witch lives in seclusion because the Nipran Empire has declared her kind a threat that must be eliminated. The Sea, which the Nipran Empire uses and is attempting to subjugate to its will, will bring these different individuals... Read Full Review
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Conventionally Yours
by Albert, Annabeth
June 15, 2020
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A common theme in novels, motion pictures and television is the fine line between love and hate. One only has to look at William Shakespeare’s The Taming of the Shrew (or it’s modern reincarnation 1999’s Ten Things I Hate About You) for an example of supposed loathing turning to love. And there are many, many other examples of this theme. Annabeth Albert takes this idea and sends it on a cross-country road trip in her latest novel, Conventionally Yours.Conrad and Alden are two of the regular gamers who play at Professor Tuttle’s shop near Gracehaven College in New England.... Read Full Review
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Under the Rainbow
by Laskey, Celia
June 8, 2020
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In a recent survey, the small town of Big Burr, Kansas has earned the title of “most homophobic town in the U.S.” The non-profit that conducted the survey, Acceptance Across America (AAA), determines that the appropriate response to their findings is to send a task force to Big Burr. They will move to Big Burr, set up an office and live in the town for two years. AAA hopes that the task force can, and will, become a part of the community. They are also hopeful that eventually they will be able to change the locals’ attitudes regarding LGBTQ people. Debut author Celia Laskey chronicles... Read Full Review
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Upright Women Wanted
by Gailey, Sarah
June 1, 2020
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Esther just watched her best friend die. Beatriz was found to be in possession of “inappropriate” materials, and for that she was hanged in the town square. Esther’s father spoke from the podium about the dangers of “deviance” all the while keeping his eyes locked on Esther. Beatriz’s death was a warning to Esther, and so she ran. She stowed away in the Librarians’ supply wagon. Luckily for Esther that they were in town supplying the other residents with materials that support “correct education” and Approved Materials to read, watch and listen to. Esther hopes to join them, these... Read Full Review
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Oona Out of Order
by Montimore, Margarita
May 11, 2020
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Imagine it is New Year’s Eve, 1982. Oona is 18 years old and will be 19 at midnight as the year changes to 1983. She has her whole life ahead of her, including the type of life altering “big decisions” that face everyone at that age. But, when Oona opens her eyes after the clock strikes 12:00 midnight, she’s not 19 (at least on the outside) but 51. The year is not 1983 but 2015, and she’s in a completely different location. And so begins Oona’s less than linear life in Margarita Montimore’s Oona Out of Order.In her debut novel, Margarita Montimore explores not only how dependent we... Read Full Review
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Heart of Junk
by Geddes, Luke
April 20, 2020
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Hmm, what could the following all have in common: an aging antique mall in Wichita, Kansas, where well established and novice sellers are struggling to keep the doors open in the age of online shopping; a child beauty pageant queen who has mysteriously vanished; and the hosts of a phenomenally popular television show about buying and selling antiques. While seemingly unrelated, all of these individuals and events will collide in surprising and hilarious ways in Luke Geddes’ debut novel Heart of Junk. Geddes, author of the short story collection I Am a Magical Teenage... Read Full Review
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Eight Perfect Murders: A Novel
by Swanson, Peter
March 23, 2020
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The owner of a Boston bookshop specializing in mysteries posts a list of books on the store’s blog. It is entitled “Eight Perfect Murders” and it lists the novels he feels have described unsolvable murders. These are murders in which the killers cannot be connected with their crimes. Years later, he is contacted by an FBI agent. She believes that a series of unsolved murders in the area surrounding Boston are being committed to mimic the deaths in the books on the “Eight Perfect Murders” blog post. As bookshop owner is the person who created the list, she needs his help to determine not only... Read Full Review
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Ormeshadow
by Sharma, Priya
March 9, 2020
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It is often stated that “The meek will inherit the earth.” While that is a nice sentiment, it is not affirmed by history. More often than not, those who hold their tongues and think before speaking, as well as those who avoid confrontation and violence to resolve conflict are the ones overrun by their more vocal, physical, and aggressive counterparts. However, every now and again a story is told about someone who, while meek, succeeds against those who would threaten them. That is the person who holds to their ideals, and ultimately benefits. If there are dragons involved, could it get... Read Full Review
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The Secret Life of Sam Holloway
by Thomas, Rhys
February 18, 2020
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Sam Holloway is a good guy, who is kind and thoughtful, with a stable, but not terribly exciting, job with an electronic parts distributor. He meets up with a couple of friends several nights a week at a local pub, where they talk about comics, movies, videogames and what it might be like to meet a nice woman. Yes, Sam is a bit of a geek, but he is also a nice guy, and everyone seems to know that. What no one knows though, is that on nights when Sam isn’t at the pub with his friends, he dons a homemade superhero costume (You can order pretty much anything off of the Internet!), and patrols... Read Full Review
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Made things
by Tchaikovsky, Adrian, 1972-
January 27, 2020
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Coppelia is not quite a thief and not quite a con-artist. What she is, or could be if she were living a different life, is an artist. A builder who could create function and beauty from raw materials, but only in a different life. A life where her parents hadn’t been taken to a workhouse, leaving Coppelia to be sent to an orphanage. A life where she hadn’t fled that orphanage with only the clothes on her back, left to scrape out a living on the streets of the Barrio in Fountains Parish. But living on the street has made Coppelia both a thief and a con-artist, and it has also given her one... Read Full Review
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Riot Baby
by Onyebuchi, Tochi
January 13, 2020
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Ella has what she refers to as her Thing. It allows her to see things that have not yet happened. As a young girl growing up in Compton, California, this is more of a curse than a blessing. Ella is rarely happy by the future she sees. And, as she grows older, her Thing will allow her to do more than simply see into the future.Kev is born in the early hours of the riots that erupted in South Central Los Angeles in the spring of 1992. He and Ella are moved to the East Coast and Harlem by their mother after the riots. Life is hard for people of color in Harlem and Kev is no exception. He is... Read Full Review
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Steel Crow Saga
by Krueger, Paul
December 30, 2019
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A prince, a soldier, a detective, and a thief. Four very different people, with very different histories and experiences. There are two things that they all share: they have survived the war that just ended, and during that war they have all suffered significant losses. Over the course of a few days, the prince, the soldier, the detective and the thief will learn, in very real, tangible ways that they are more alike than unalike, and it is a lesson that very well may change their world.Sergeant Tala, of the army of the Republic of Sanbu, is a warrior. She has fought in the war her entire... Read Full Review