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.