Book Review: Closer to Nowhere / Ellen Hopkins

 

Let me start by sharing that this story targets middle school students, the protagonists are twelve years old. Then let me say that this doesn't matter a bit, this is a story that needs to be told, a story written from Ellen Hopkins's family story - about addiction and violence - about children born into families which have a rough time supporting them both emotionally and physically. And about the healing that can take place afterwards given the right supports.

Cal's father is in prison, his mother died of leukemia. He lives with his aunt (an identical twin of his mother) and her family including Hannah, his cousin - also twelve. Cal's life until now has been about surviving hardship and he is learning how to adapt to living in a safe environment with food on the table and a bed. Hannah is learning how to live with Cal and his struggles with learning how to adapt to a life that is no longer chaotic. The truth is - this is hard for everyone.

This story speaks to the trauma that people go through when their lives are chaotic. It also speaks to the truths of incorporating a hurting child into one's family. And it speaks to love, addiction, hope, therapy, adapting, inner strengths, compassion, and learning more about what lies behind the faces that we put forth. This is a story about what is under the surface. 

If you are planning on becoming a teacher, a counselor, a nurse, a doctor, a social worker - just about anyone in a "helping profession" - read this book. It is a great opportunity to walk in the shoes of someone who is learning how to live a life which doesn't have chaos as a foundation. It is also a story that reminds us that what we see in people is only what lies on the surface. We are all more than what we appear at first glance.

Book Review: Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry

FAKE NEWS!!!

It is interesting how what is going on in our world impacts how we perceive things and what we take away from our: experiences, art, music, news, and what we read.

I read this book years ago and enjoyed it. I found it more than what I expected. Reading this book this past week was an entirely different experience for me because of my current experiences in this world we live in.

Here is a story about Benny who was a toddler when First Night happened, First Night being the beginning of the zombie apocalypse. All he remembers is that his mother tossed him to his brother, Tom, who fled the scene with Benny in his arms. It is Benny's earliest memory (he was 18 months old) and he has always viewed Tom as a coward because he didn't save his mom, because he ran away. As this story opens, Benny struggles to find a job so his rations will not be cut and eventually decides he must work with his brother who is a Zombie hunter - he "kills" zombies. Benny has no respect for Tom as they begin to go out into the Ruin to do the work of a bounty hunter but that is about to change...

Why do I say this is fake news? This story begins with false impressions - starting with Benny's first memory but fed by brash bounty hunters who are admired by the town's people. They are the heroes in this small town that was formed after First Night and they are telling the only story that people hear. The truth in Rot & Ruin is quite different than the common beliefs but that truth needs to be sought after. And isn't this the same as the world we live in? Aren't there stories swirling around that are partial truths or outright lies that are shared and re-shared and accepted and believed?

Reading Rot & Ruin during a time that the phrase "fake news" is on everyone's lips, reinforces for me the need to dig for the truth. To look for the sources of information that are trustworthy, from good authorities who are knowledgeable, and information that is up-to-date especially when what we know about our world is evolving. 

 

Book Review: The Music of What Happens / Bill Konigsberg

I totally enjoyed this book about two teen boys, thrown together by chance, who discover a new love. Both boys have had some rockiness in their lives - though the troubles have been very different. This is a fun story all on its own, but...

The title comes from the poem Song by Seamus Heaney. This poem has made me think of the soundtrack of my life. Not the music playing on electronic devices - but the sounds of life. For me that is a lot about laughter, dogs barking, birds singing, trucks moving (we live near a busy business with lots of trucks) coyotes, turkeys, silence, the timer on the oven, stories, and right now - snow shoveling. I think that the soundtrack of my life also includes smells and feels and all that is around me. Is it always perfect? Nope - there is dog poop in there (We DO have three dogs), but I wouldn't trade in my soundtrack. Do I encounter difficulties and obstacles? Of course, but life is partly about overcoming and some about reaching for. Life is about trying new things and being OK with failing but not giving up. Sometimes life is about frustration but that is OK because sometimes life is about applause - even if is only myself applauding for myself. 

Yes this book is about two gay boys, but their experiences are pretty universal - not in the specifics but in the generalities. I hope you enjoy this book.

 

Book Review: The Noel Diary by Richard Paul Evans

Every year I try to read a new-to-me Christmas story around the holidays. Richard Paul Evans often offers a good story and this one is not an exception. It is about love and it is totally a romance novel - but it encompasses more types of love than just the romantic kind.

In this story, Jacob has had a troubled beginning. As a matter of fact, he found himself kicked out of his home when he was sixteen. Luckily a neighbor took him in but regardless, this experience has left him feeling disconnected.

Now Jacob is a famous author who writes romance novels. The thing is that Jacob himself in unlucky in love. (No surprise with his past). This is a quick-read novel that touches on love, family, grace, and Christmas and learning how to love.

Book Review: Anxious People by Fredrik Bachman

 

Read this book. Seriously, read this book.

Backman will make you laugh and cry. This is a mystery and a love story. 

"Flesher, you found a romance novel that you like?", you ask. (Romance novels - ick!)

This is so much more than a romance novel. This is a LOVE STORY. The story of love in all of its colors. Love: between spouses, among friends, for children. This is so much bigger than a romance novel. 

OK - here is a quick plot summary: A bunch of people are looking at an apartment that is for sale. Simultaneously, the bank across the street is held up at gun point with the bank robber narrowly escaping. And the perpetrator ends up in the apartment and it all turns into a hostage situation. Throw in a couple of police officers who need to solve the crime and you have Anxious People. 

I borrowed this book through SORA which I connected to the NH State Library. I had to put it on hold and wait a while but the wait was totally worth it. I went and bought a copy because I want to read it again. 

Book Review: Punching the Air by Ibi Zoboi and Yusef Salaam

 

This book tells the story of Amal, a young black teen who finds himself in the middle of a fight. The victim of the fight is seriously injured and Amal is arrested for the crime.

Things to know:

• Amal is black
• The other kid is white 

This is the story of inequality, the school to prison pipeline, about expectations and assumptions, about art and literature and poetry and family and friends... about life inside black male skin. 

This novel in verse not only punches the air, but is a punch in the gut. It is so good and will leave you thinking. 

You can find this book at the Nashua Public library or it is available through Libby or SORA (if you have attached your Nashua Public Library card.)

Before you start, watch this video about The Story Behind Punching the Air

Book Review: The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamilla

I am fortunate enough to co-run a book club with Deb Currie with one of her classes. It is so much fun to hear her students and listen to their enthusiasm about books and book choices. 

Last week we were talking about a service (via the public library and available through our website) called Tumblebooks. Tumblebooks has a bunch of picture books, some chapter books and some simple classics.  I thought it was a great place to find books to share with family members over the Thanksgiving weekend. We were excited to discover Nancy Drew books in there. AND there are Kate DiCamillo books as well. I noted that I wanted to read one of her books and was considering this title. Deb Currie encouraged me to get on with it and read it. Her enthusiasm was contagious and I just had to read it. I am so glad that I did. This book has so many elements of fairy tales and offers some of life's greater truths. 

No matter how old you are, this book is fun. 

"Despereaux looked down at the book, and something remarkable happened. The marks on the pages, the "squiggles" as Merlot referred to them, arranged themselves into words, and the words spelled out a delicious and wonderful phrase: Once upon a time."

Book Review: They Lost Their Heads: What Happened to Washington's Teen, Einstein's Brain, and Other Famous Body Parts / Carlyn Becca

Expect to be amused, grossed out, and astonished by this book that puts death and body parts squarely in the midst of history. 

Did you know that the phrase in Jack and the Beanstalk, "I'll grind his bones to make my bread" refers to the common practice in the 1800s of mixing ground up bones into bread to bulk it up? Yumm!?

Did you know that the reason George Washington looks so puffy in the one dollar bill is because he stuffed his face with cotton while his portrait was being painted due to his caved-in face that was the result of losing so many teeth?

If you want to be guaranteed of having a place to "go" after you die, you might want to be an emperor in the Han Dynasty - their tombs were filled with items they would need in the afterlife including a toilet. 

Check out this book, but be warned - this isn't supper-time reading!

Book Review: How to Stop Time / Matt Haig

 

Tom Hazard was born in  1581 with a weird disorder in which he only ages one year each 15 years. This creates a lot of havoc and some charges of witchcraft. When he loses his mother (she was placed on a ducking stool and drowned while the towns' people were determining if she was a witch. She died which "proved" that she wasn't, though the towns' people didn't believe that.)

Left on his own to figure out how to get by without aging, Tom does the best he can and finds himself falling in love with Rose - but despite moving around, people begin to talk when she ages and he doesn't. This story travels through time, mostly set in the 1500s, the second half of the 1800s, the 1920s and now. How would you live your life if you were Tom? How would aging so slowly change your perspective? And what can we learn from history? Are we destined to relive society's mistakes? 

I borrowed this book from the Nashua Public Library and enjoyed it so much that I have put on hold Matt Haig's next book - The Midnight Library.

Book Review: There There by Tommy Orange

Wow this book offers a lot to think about. There are many characters - with the commonality of Native American blood and the urban experience, specifically Oakland. Standing in each of these character's shoes allows for some empathy for even those characters who are intent on doing bad things. 

Orange wanted people to see a different story about Native people as many of the stories written are either set in the past, or on a Reservation. This is a big story comprised of personal stories that allows the reader to vicariously experience the motivations and inner thoughts of a variety of people and see how those smaller stories come together in a single moment and that leaves the reader wondering about what happens next.

 

Book Review: The Other Way Around / Sashi Kaufman

Andrew has lived through a lot in his young life: many moves, his parents' divorce, and now he is enrolled in a nearly-all-girls school where his mother is headmaster. He feels untethered and isn't doing well. And then he ends up spending the Thanksgiving holiday with his uncle and cousin (who wets Andrew's bed). He has finally had enough and decides he needs to escape to his Mima's house. But plans change when he meets a bunch of old teens at the bus stop and ends up joining them in a road trip filled with camping, dumpster diving, and life lessons.

This is a surprisingly satisfying read - really about growing up, finding perspective, and learning about life. This is about traveling across the USA in a van and encountering unexpected experiences. It is also about love - all kinds of love - that of friendship, that of romance, and love of family. Finally, there is the process of looking toward one's future. 

So many books about teens who are on their own center either on boarding school or some kind of Lord-of-the-Flies island. This is a refreshing change. 

 

Book Review: Reverie by Ryan La Sala

 

Kane finds himself in a river near his family's wrecked car which leans against a burnt building and has no idea how he got there. Other parts of his memory also seem to be missing. He can't remember people who know him though he does know his family. When he goes to the police station for questioning, he is connected to a rather flamboyant counselor who is work assigned to work with Kane to help him recall what happened.

Over time Kane learns that he was a part of a group called The Others. The Others can remain lucid during reveries which are like very vivid live daydreams that are make within a person's mind. These reveries have gotten out of control and become dangerous and the Others are like the Super Heroes who unravel them. 

This is a deep dark fantasy filled with good and evil and misunderstandings concerning characters' motives. There are a lot of LGBT... characters in this book. The best parts of this book are the worlds that are contained in the vividly built reveries and the struggles both within Kane and between good and evil. 

This is a Big Library read and will be available via Overdrive/Libby/SORA as a multiuser access book from November 2 - 16, 2020. An experience with the author is available on November 10th but must be signed up for in advance. Just Google Big Library Read for more information.

Book Review: The Witches / Roald Dahl

 

A young boy loses both of his parents in an accident and ends up living with his grandmama (who he loves very much). One night she tells him about being a witch hunter and how she never was able to find the grand witch. She describes the attributes of witches (blue saliva, bald (wearing wigs), no toes, always wear gloves even in the summer. She tells the youngster that the witches' greatest job is to rid the world of children. 

One day when he and his Grandmama are on vacation and staying in a hotel, he finds himself locked into a room of witches. They are plotting to rid England of all of its children with a dastardly plan to turn them into mice. He is scared but can find no escape when suddenly a witch smells him (children smell like dog droppings to witches). He is captured and turned into a mouse, but the story has just begun as he and his grandmama hatch a plan to save the children. 

This was the perfect story to read on Halloween. Dahl's imagination is grand and he loves playing with words. 

Book Review: We Set the Dark on Fire / Tehlor Kay Mejia

Daniela's parents worked hard to give her all of the opportunities that they didn't have. They traversed the boarder between worlds, they bought papers, and they found a pathway to sneak Daniela into the premier school for women, a school that prepares women to be a wife in a country where the elite have two wives, the Primera (a partner in intellect) and a Segura (a lover and mother). Daniela is the first Primera in her class and is paired with Mateo, a husband planning to run for the presidency. Unfortunately, the Segura is a woman who has bullied her throughout school. 

And married life isn't what she had thought it would be. Mateo is a nasty man intent on keeping those who are privileged rich and those without privilege poor.  Children are starving, many people are without healthcare, and things are not all right in the world. Daniela's secret past results in bribery by a band of rebels who are threatening both herself and her family if she doesn't help them. The rebels want a better world - is it more important for Daniela to honor her family's sacrifices and stay safe, or push against the horrors perpetrated by this government?

This is a story that is set in an imaginary world with an imaginary mythology, but the issues are real and there are so many parallels with our lives in today's world. 
 

Book Review: A Spy in the House / Y. S. Lee

 

Mary Quinn, after being sentenced to hang for thievery (London, mid 1800s) is spirited away to a school for destitute girls, a place designed for girls to better themselves and rise above the circumstances of their time. Mary learns and grows there until she reaches the age of 17 when she learns that the school is a front for a women's detective agency and decides that this is the life she wants to live. Mary takes a quick training then accepts her first job, working under cover in the home of the Thorold family as a companion to their fairly spoiled and pretentious daughter, Angelica. The Agency has charged her with discovering information about smuggling, but Mary quickly oversteps her job description and makes some hasty decisions.

This is an OK book, the secondary characters aren't fully formed. But it could be fun for fans of mysteries and historical fiction. There is also a bi-racial Asian aspect to this story that will add intrigue for some readers. 

This book can be found on Overdrive through the Nashua Public Library (or through SORA using your public library card).

Book Review: A Curse So Dark and Lonely / Brigid Kremmerer

 

This is the story of Prince Rhen who has been cursed to live through the same season repeatedly - he is on his 327th season. The only way to break the curse and break the cycle is for someone to fall in love with him. His guard goes into a parallel world and kidnaps a woman each cycle and this time it is Harper. But Harper is a bit of a surprise, she has cerebral palsy and isn't a typical choice of women.  To make matters worse, Rhen becomes a monster each cycle and has killed those he loves. Can the cycle be broken? Can Rhen's kingdom be saved? Read and find out.

Book review: I Am Still Alive by Kate Alice Marshall

How long could you survive in the wilderness all alone? What if you had physical challenges that make it difficult to walk let alone navigate the challenging terrain of the Canadian wilderness? Is revenge more important than survival?

Within weeks of her arrival at her estranged father's remote cabin, Jess witnesses his death at the hands of dangerous men and suddenly finds herself with little more than the clothes on her back and a few things scavenged from the smoldering ruins of their cabin. Faced with little to eat and no shelter, Jess needs to figure out what she needs to do to survive as winter is fast approaching and there is no one in her life that will question where she is. Her plan also needs to include what to do when the men that killed her father come back for what they left behind.

I highly recommend this suspenseful thriller. The story dives right in and grabs hold of you. The undercurrent of tension that twists throughout this novel kept me engaged and wanting to read just one more chapter. Jess lacks physical strength but her ability to constantly assess her situation and develop a plan is really where her true strength lies. However, will it be enough to survive the brutal winter and the men that killed her father? 

This book is available from the Nashua South Library and the audiobook is currently available from the Nashua Public Library via the Hoopla app.

Book Review: The Boy in the Black Suit / Jason Reynolds

 

Matt's mother recently died from cancer. His father, in reaction to his loss, started drinking and has become a shell of a human being. Matt is left trying to figure out how to move forward. When he procures a job in a funeral home, he finds that he finds solace when he sees people dealing with the pain of loss. It isn't that he wants other people to feel pain, but that seeing people with an experience close to his own makes him feel less alone. 

Death is hard. It is hard for adults, but it is especially hard for teens because they usually do not have a lot of experience with death. This book takes that hardship and puts it down in black and white - between the covers a book - so that the reader can view it from a distance. 

For me, this book was a surprise. It has been on my "to read" list for a long time, but I just talked myself into reading it and I am glad that I did. This book on death ends in hope. 

Close your eyes and stop reading if you don't want a Spoiler....

(There is a love story in here built on survival and hope.)

Book Review: Out of my Mind / Sharon M Draper

I hate the words - "This book isn't on my reading level." I hate when people tell me what I can read and what I cannot read. Why? Because I enjoy all different types of books. Sometimes kiddie lit is just what I need and this book is a good example of that.

Melody has cerebral palsy, but what does that really tell you? Not much! She has an uncooperative body - she needs help eating, uses a wheel chair, and can't even go to the bathroom by herself. BUT she has a very active mind - she absorbs words and facts constantly. The only problem is that she cannot speak so no one knows what she has to say. That is until she discovers a computer that can be programmed to share her words. 

This is one of those books that I think every aspiring educator should read. We are all more than the skin bags that we are in. We all have inner lives and multiple stories. This book is a great reminder of that AND an opportunity to roll in someone else's shoes for a while. And that is a type of travel which cannot be accessed through a travel agent.

Book Review: Being Jazz by Jazz Jenning

Jazz Jenning shares the highlights and lowlights of growing up transgender. She is a pretty confident young woman who has struggled with discrimination in sports, prejudice and bullying by non-understanding people, and risen to a place where she just wants to advocate for trans people, or more truthfully, all people - to be happy. She wants people to be able to live their  fullest lives and to grow on their own terms. Here is her story.

This week is Banned and Challenged Book week (September, 27 - October 3). Of the ten most Challenged books of 2019, 8 of them were challenged due to LGBTQ content. The truth is that books are both mirrors (in which people can see themselves) and windows (which offer a peek into someone else's life). Being Jazz promotes understanding for transfolx looking within and others trying to understand. 

 

Book Review: Wilder Girls / Rory Power

Can you imagine living in quarantine? You can? LOL

Hetty, Reese and Byatt live at an all-girls boarding school on an island in Maine. Strange things have been happening to the crabs and the flowers near the school and then to the girls themselves. Many don't live and those that do have growths, bruises, hands that go silver, eyes that fuse shut, a second spine or heart. The island is placed under quarantine and the girls lives become sparse as there is not enough food or supplies to go around. And the girls keep becoming sicker.

If you like horror stories, this story might be the right book for you. It isn't so much BOO! scary but it does leave one's stomach churning as events roll along. There is a missing girls, and a race to find her. Good and evil - and who know what is what.

This is a Flume nominee for 2020/2021
 

Book Review: Dry / Neal Shusterman, Jarrod Shusterman

 

Imagine running out of water. Imagine how it would impact your life.  No showers. No toilet. No drinks of water. Stores are being emptied out of anything liquid (not unlike the great toilet paper rush of 2020). And you are thirsty. 

What would you do? There is a drought and the rivers have dried up. Some of the little bits of water left are not safe to drink. How would people behave in this scenario? What WOULD you do?

Follow the lives of several teens and a child that find themselves in this world in Dry. 

Want more of a preview? Watch the trailer: www.youtube.com/watch?v=ogTSCB5V0ME

Book Review: Saint Death / Marcus Sedgwick

 

Before I say anything else about this book - I love this cover art. Just check out the "face" of Saint Death here. So much to look at.

This book is hard to read - not that the words are hard, or the sentence structure is difficult, but that Arturo's life is so difficult. Imagine moving tires all day, then with aching muscles, coming home to a shack made up of crates and tin. The dirt is your floor and crates are your bed. This is the life of Arturo. He keeps his head down, stays invisible because that is how one lives in the city of Juarez just south of the Mexican/American border. And then one day a friend asks him for a favor, a favor that makes Arturo visible. 

This is a harsh story, but one that offers the reader a chance to stand in someone else's shoes for a bit and get a taste of someone else's world.

Book Review: House of Salt and Sorrows / Erin A Craig

 

Are you looking for a very dark gothic novel? If so, you may have found your book. House of Salt and Sorrow offers everything a gothic novel needs - a little love, some mystery, and a whole lot of horror. 

Annaleigh is one of 12 sisters who are slowly dying off, by a series of unfortunate events? But are these deaths totally random or does an evil root tie them all together? This retelling of the Brother's Grimm tale of The Twelve Dancing Princesses will leave the reader guessing until the end.

Is soft cozy romance novels are your thing - turn the other way. This books is DARK.

Book Review: The Good Pig: The Extraordinary Life of Christopher Hogwood / Sy Montgomery

 

The Pandemic has me stressed so I need an escape. Here is a great book about a pig - Christopher Hogwood started as a runt, but grew to mammoth proportions. He is smart and lives life to the fullest. People visit just to watch him eat. This is a great book that offers a way to connect with the best things in life. 

Book Review: These Rebel Waves

Just finished this book, and while I have to say that I feel like I should have loved it - it wasn't my favorite. There is a female child spy, a pirate with an attitude, and the gay son of a nasty king. Each character has baggage. Each character holds the keys to a kingdom in turmoil. There are ships, and magical plants, murders, and misplaced trust. I think that there are many people who would love this book, but it just wasn't "my book".

Book Review: A Very Large Expanse of Sea by Tahereh Mafi

Shirin's parents have moved her family from area to area as they reach for a better lifestyle. After September 11, 2001, Shirin has faced a lot of prejudice and protects herself by creating a barrier with her hijab and her music. But then she is paired with Ocean as a lab partner. Their hearts touch and Ocean begins tugging at those barriers. How can Shirin protect them both? 

If you are a fan of love stories, you may enjoy this book.

Book Review: The Nightingale / Kristin Hannah

The Nightingale / Kristin Hannah

Imagine living in France during World War II.  For sisters Vianne and Isabelle, family has been difficult, their mother dying and their father unequipped to deal with the pain of her death sent his girls away.  Isabelle struggles to find her way. And for Vianne, life has become beautiful - filled with good food, good company, love, happiness, a wonderful husband and finally a beautiful daughter, and plenty - or at least enough. And then the Nazis invade France and life changes. People are being arrested, food becomes scarce, you are cold and tired and fearful. What is important? How would you protect yourself? your friends? your neighbors? 

Read this book and slip into another place and time.

Book Review: The New Jim Crow: Mass Incarceration in the Age of Colorblindness / Michelle Alexander

Alexander shares how our black and brown men are being rounded up and placed in prisons for drug offenses that are not violent, often for long prison sentences. These criminal experiences and the resulting disruption in life, along with all that comes with having a criminal record - creates an underclass that not only hurts people of color but society in general.

The author believes that we need to listen to what Martin Luther King, Jr proposed - the end of a civil rights movement and the beginning of a human rights movement. 

Book Review: They Called Us Enemy / George Takei

Have you watched Star Trek? Do you remember the character Hikaru Sulu? He was played by George Takei who took the role that offered respect for Japanese American citizens. This was particularly important to him after spending some of his growing up years in a couple of Japanese internment camps during World War II. This graphic memoir shares his story but also shows how history is circular, how we keep repeating the same mistakes, and how paying attention to what happened before can help guide us in our lives today. 

One of my favorite lines from the book is when Takei quotes his father, "Our democracy is a participatory democracy. Existentially it's dependent on people who cherish the shining, highest ideals of our democracy and actively engage in the political process." - talk about lessons for today!

Also, want a sneak peek? Check out his TedX talk: http://www.tedxkyoto.com/en/events/tedxkyoto-special-event/the-power-of-pride-george-takei

Book Review: George and the Big Bang / Lucy & Stephen Hawking

George and Annie again need to save the day when Annie's father, and science itself need to be saved from an evil group, named TOERAG, who wants to discredit science in order to promote fossil fuels. This story is designed for middle school aged children, but Stephen and Lucy Hawking mix fiction and nonfiction into this book so that the reader will learn about space while embroiled in a plot of good against evil. And sometimes it is nice to just return to stories written for younger people. 

Do you like this author? Want to learn more about space? Visit Lucy Hawking's website: https://lucyhawking.com 

Book Review: Unnatural Disasters by Jeff Hirsch

The year is 2049. The seas are rising, storms are rampant, whole cities have disappeared. As Lucy Weaver finds herself in an increasingly unsettled world, she begins to face life differently? How important is school? family? dating? How does one stay warm? get food? protect friends and family?

This is not uplifting reading during a pandemic, but if you want to think about how lucky we still are in our world, despite this virus, you might enjoy this.

Book Review: Let's Call it a Doomsday / Katie Henry

Ellis, both a Mormon and a prepper, is afraid of taking almost any kind of step. She worries that she will not be prepared when something goes wrong, when the end of the world is upon us. And then she meets Hannah who has seen the end of the world in her dreams. And the two become friends.

This is such a cool story about learning where a person fits into a religious organization, in this case Mormon, but it is a pretty universal experience. But also about learning who one is - it touches upon love and religion, appearance, expectations from family and school and self. It is about beginning to define one's self and being open to what is around us.

Book Review: The Good Neighbor: The Life and Work of Fred Rogers / Maxwell King

I know that you are laughing at me. Who would actually read a book about Fred Rogers - that old time television personality that catered to children in his Keds Sneakers and cardigans? Me - especially after Mrs. Loftus suggested that I read the book.

Fred Rogers was an insightful man who worked very hard to provide educational television for children that would be developmentally appropriate, caring and honest. But there is more to the man. He was a Presbyterian minister, a musician, and he had a great sense of humor. He was a father, he was generally gentle, but even he could lose his temper. This is a must read for those who are interested in religion or education.

Book Review: Three Things I Know Are True / Betty Cullers

Liv's brother Jonah shot himself in the head while visiting his friend Clay who lives across the street. And in that blink of an eye - the whole world changed. Jonah is kept alive in a hospital bed in the living room by a team of care specialists. Liv is no longer allowed to talk to Clay or his mom (spoiler - she doesn't follow directions.) Liv is the person who understands Jonah's needs the best (he communicates very little but there are some grunts and occasional eye contact.) She loves him and still feels connected to him.

What is powerful about this book? In a single moment our lives can drastically change. Sometimes that moment is the birth of a child, sometimes it is the death of a loved one. But what does that mean for those left in that moment's wake? How does one go on?

Book Review: Us Against You / Fredrik Backman

Have you ever read a book that you find yourself reading more and more slowly as the pages creep by because you don't want to get to the end? That was this book for me.

This is the story of a town, a town centered around ice hockey. But it is so much more than that. Fredrik Backman is a genius when it comes to character development. This is the story about perspective, about walking in another's shoes, about love - all kinds of love, about family - both the family that one is born to and the family that one creates, and about sport. The characters are so richly drawn that you cannot possibly find one to hate, even the most vile of characters.

This is the second book in a series - read Beartown first.

Book Review: Word by Word: The Secret Life of Dictionaries / Kory Stamper

Read this book to get your nerd on.

Stamper's Word by Word is all about making dictionaries. OK - I know that sounds boring, but there is so much to it and it is really interesting in a learning kind of way.
"The vast majority of people give no thought to the dictionary they use: it merely is, like the universe. To one group of people, the dictionary was handed to humanity ex coili, a hallowed leather-bound tome of truth and wisdom as infallible as God. To another group of people, the dictionary is a thing you picked up in the bargain bin, paperback and on sale for a dollar because you felt that an adult should own a dictionary. Neither group realizes that their dictionary is a human document, constantly being compiled, proofread, and updated by actual, living, awkward people." Kory Stamper
This is a book about that process and all that entails.

Book Review: Code of Honor by Alan Gratz

Imagine being a senior in high school, a football player with a beautiful girlfriend - even the homecoming king and then...  And then a picture appears on TV of your brother  (An Army Ranger!) acting like a terrorist. Suddenly people are no longer friendly, your girlfriend turns her head, and you no longer know what to believe. Your world has shattered. AND THEN, the United States government abducts you.

Here is the story Code of Honor. For a fast paced, action packed story - that has honor at its core, read this story.

Look for this book on Hoopla through the Nashua Public Library!

The Red Lotus / Chris Bohjalian

The Nashua Public Librarians offered a Beyond the Book program with Chris Bohjalian (you can watch this through August 15 by going to their event calendar and clicking the link for it on June 23). They mentioned the book The Red Lotus and shared the timely connection to a pandemic. After a year of reading young adult fiction, I was ready for an adult book so I decided to indulge myself.

So what did I think? There is such a great connection here made between doctors and private investigators - the job really is very similar. In each position one must look at the clues and figure out what is going on. I loved this connection. The pandemic piece was just freaky. If you like a good mystery - visit the NPL to borrow this book - they have both print copies or you can borrow it through Libby.

Book Review: How it Went Down / Kekla Magoon

Imagine witnessing a murder. On a street, in your neighborhood, right in front of you. Imagine that it was a white man and that the person killed was a black teen. What did you see? What happens next? What are the ripples?

This book begins with such a murder then each subsequent chapter is from the perspective of someone touched by this experience. What do witnesses see? What is going on in their heads? How does this impact each character?

Why read this story? Stories are complicated, people see different things. Black boys are too often killed by white people. Black Lives Matter.

Book Review: Things that Make White People Uncomfortable / Michael Bennett

Michael Bennett has a lot to say about using the athlete's voice to make this world a better, fairer, place for black people, women, and other oppressed minorities. This book is a bit of a curvy path - talking a lot about football, being a man, being human, forgiveness, the N***** word, and taking a stand by raising one's voice and through activism.

"Just because people don't eat what you eat, just because they're not from where you're from, just because they don't pray to the same god you pray to, just because they don't love who you love doesn't mean they should be treated like they are less than human."

Book Review: Honor Girl by Maggie Thrash

In this graphic memoir, Maggie Thrash tells about her year at summer camp when she discovers that she like likes a female counselor.

Why read this book? This is a story about coming out to one's self and then to others. It is a story of summer and summer camp. It is the story of learning and growing.  It is also about Thrash's love of shooting guns and learning to do so well. And this is a really quick read.

Book Review: Monster by Walter Dean Myers

So why am I on a Walter Dean Myers kick? Myers wrote over 100 books, many about living black in urban areas. He died in 2014 but many of his stories are still relevant today.

Monster is about a 16-year-old Steve Harmon who aspires to be film producer, but finds himself locked up, among many black and brown teens, at the Manhattan detention center. He is on trial for murder after a store owner was killed during the course of a robbery. Steve allegedly made sure that there was no one in the store before this robbery took place. But is he guilty? Steve narrates this story through a film script that he writes as the plot develops. The title? The prosecutor calls Steve a Monster, and begins to wonder if that is true.

Book Review: When They Call You a Terrorist by Patrisse Khan-Cullors and Asha Bandele

My mom always told me to "walk a mile in their shoes". This books offers the perfect way to walk a mile while being black - something that I can't experience in my own life - this is the power of reading - it offers the impossible.

Patrisse Khan-Cullors founded Black Lives Matter. Here is her story.

Book Review: The Beast by Walter Dean Myers

"Spoon" grew up in Harlem, but due to his desire to attend an Ivy League college, he enrolled in a prep school. While there he works hard both in his academics and at his job. When he finally goes home for the first time, during Christmas vacation, he finds that the Harlem he knows is not the same. His friends have changed and not in the ways that he anticipated. Seeing these changes among his old friends, and the observing the lives of his predominately white prep school friends really highlights how the privilege that we have or do not have impacts each person's life.  This is a slow read, not a fast-paced plot driven book, but rather a quiet knitting together the beginning of a new kind of understanding.

Book Review: This Promise of Change by Jo Ann Allen Boyce and Debbie Levy

Jo Ann Allen lived in a small community in Tennessee. There were both African American and caucasian people who lived there, but they followed very different rules. The library was for whites only as was the lunch counter. Many jobs were only available to white people. AND the schools were segregated. Jo Ann spent the first 9 years in schools for Negros (the word used at the time) before schools in Tennessee were ordered to integrate. Jo Ann and 11 other students were the first African American students to enroll in Clinton High School. Jo Ann tells her story in this memoir in verse. 

Book Review: Funny, You Don't Look Autistic: A Comedian's Guide to Life on the Spectrum

McCreary, a Canadian comic shares his life story about growing up with Autism. He emphasizes that he is one person with Autism and that this is his own experience. McCreary not only shines some light on Autism but on the human condition.

Check out his video about Autism: https://vimeo.com/144769608

Book Review: Lowriders in Space by Cathy Camper and Illustrated by Raul the Third

Such a cute graphic novel about Lupe Impala (an amazing mechanic), El Chavo Flapjack (who can buff up anything) and Elirio Malario (the best detail man around) when they decide to build a car to enter into a contest. Their goal is to win the prize and build a garage. But they have no money so they need to start with a junk yard reject, a few rocket parts, some hard work, and a trip to space to build a car that is low and slow, bajito and suavecito. This is a fun book sprinkled with phrases and words in Spanish, and some historical connection to the low and slow cars built after WWII.
Want to know more: Check out this trailer.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oO15SU2XBmM
Find this book on Hoopla through the Nashua Public Library!

Book Review: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

The prequel to the Hunger Games trilogy, this is the story of a young Coriolanus Snow - the future Panem President in the trilogy. From reading the first 3 books, we know President Snow is evil, but what made him that way? An excellent student at the prestigious Academy in the Capitol District, Snow has been trying to hide the fact that he and his family are really struggling for money and food. Snow is excited to learn that as one of the students chosen to mentor tributes in the upcoming 10th anniversary Hunger Games, he could win a university scholarship if his tribute wins the Games. Confident that his high marks, his family's history and sacrifices made to the District will earn him a tribute from a traditionally strong District, Snow is discouraged when he is assigned the female tribute from the notoriously weak District 12, Lucy Gray Baird. Snow’s motivation for Baird to win is complicated by his feelings for her. 

Overall this was an entertaining book but for me, but it fell a little flat as it didn't give me the insight into Snow that I was expecting. The story covers one year in his life so there remains a huge expanse of time - and life experience - between Snow being 18, his rise to power and his time as President of Panem. Maybe this was deliberate and leaves the author with the option to fill in the blanks with future stories? I did really enjoy the parts of the story about Snow recalling life as a young boy growing up during the rebel uprising, and how 10 years afterwards, the Capitol and the Hunger Games weren't nearly as glitzy and over the top as we see in the first novel (however, there were definitely signs in this story of heading in that direction). I think this is a good read for Hunger Games enthusiasts as they will likely recognize and appreciate the connections to the trilogy. This recently released novel is currently available as an audiobook for FREE on Hoopla with your public library card.

Book Review: Guts by Raina Telgemeier

Fifth grade Raina becomes afraid of vomiting and it spirals out of control. Whenever she gets nervous her stomach hurts and then she becomes afraid of getting sick. She begins therapy and that also becomes a big secret.

Telgemeier wrote Sisters and Smile - books that will "transport" many students back to their earlier years when they read these books and others. This story is about themes that we all deal with - fear, friends, maybe even the fear of throwing up. Enjoy this "throw back" novel through Libby via the Nashua Public Library.