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LibraryReads: November 2019

Posted on Wednesday, November 20, 2019 by Kat

Library Reads logoAs the days get shorter and the nights colder, some great, new books are in order. This month, librarians across the nation are sharing books of love and delight (and if those aren’t your things, there’s a thriller and some nonfiction in there, too) in LibraryReads. I’m particularly excited for Erin Morgenstern’s newest and Jenny Slate’s book of essays. Enjoy!

The Starless Sea book cover“The Starless Sea” by Erin Morgenstern

A moving labyrinth of a story, ever changing and evolving. What begins as a mysterious thread in a book, an opportunity taken or missed and the consequences of the choice, evolves into a story similar to a choose-your-own adventure tale or a mystical video game experience. For fans of Neil Gaiman, Susanna Clarke, and Lev Grossman.
~Cynde Suite, Bartow County Library, Cartersville, GA

Get A Life, Chloe Brown book cover“Get A Life, Chloe Brown” by Talia Hibbert

Chloe is doing all she can to avoid being defined by her illness. Redford is a talented artist who was verbally abused by his former girlfriend. Smart and snarky, they find ways to help each other face their challenges. Snappy dialogue, dynamic characters and a realistic story make this a good choice for fans of Alyssa Cole and Jasmine Guillory.
~Paula Pergament, Lincolnwood Public Library, Lincolnwood, IL

Little Weirds book cover“Little Weirds” by Jenny Slate

“Weirdly delightful and beyond compare. Essays that provide a look into the comedian’s brain. For fans of Miranda July.”
~Jesica Sweedler DeHart, Neill Public Library, Pullman, WA

TWENTY-ONE TRUTHS ABOUT LOVE book cover“Twenty-one Truths About Love” by Matthew Dicks

“Daniel Mayrock is struggling to find his way as a man, husband, and potential father. His story is told entirely in lists. Written as a form of therapy for himself, Daniel’s lists show his sense of humor and feelings of inadequacy. Funny, sad, uplifting but always relatable. A must read for fans of Rachel Joyce and Gabrielle Zevin.”
~Sam Sepulveda, Milford Town Library, Milford, MA

 

And here are the rest for your perusal:

The Gentleman Recommends: Peter Heller

Posted on Tuesday, November 19, 2019 by Chris

When one sees me about town, festooned in my finery, the epitome of elegance, one may assume that the outdoors are of little import to me. But while I may appear to be more concerned with polishing my monocles or removing the cat hair from my topcoat, be assured that while I’m no John Muir, my affinity for natural splendor is as rich and vast as our National Parks System, and given ongoing efforts to diminish the aforementioned treasure, it will likely soon exceed it. Indeed, as I see it, there are few better ways to flee from what ails you than to compete in a hot air balloon race or to make a few loops around the park on one’s penny-farthing. Alas, we now find ourselves firmly in the clenches of winter’s icy claws. Though perhaps when this is published we’ll have returned to fall’s friendly if distressingly moist grasp. Of course, that moist grasp will be at best a brief reprieve before it refreezes and the soggy fingers reform as icy claws from which there is no escape (until spring).  Continue reading “The Gentleman Recommends: Peter Heller”

Reader Review: Paper Girls

Posted on Friday, November 15, 2019 by patron reviewer

Paper Girls book coverThe “Paper Girls” comic series begins with four 12-year-old girls delivering their paper routes in 1988. What follows includes a trip to 2016 to encounter their (gasp) 40-year-old futures. Much time travel and monster action follows, with plenty of inside jokes for those of us who were around in 1988 and remember some of the significant events and changes since then that might be hard to understand if we just arrived from 1988. The colors and artwork are vivid, the characters are funny and lovable, and the story is fast-paced and surprising. This relatively short run comic ended July 2019 — check them all out at once because you won’t want to wait to see what happens in the next one! Also, it was recently picked up to be an Amazon show, and you know you’ll want to read the books before you see the show!

Three words that describe this book: Funny, Sci-Fi, Friends

You might want to pick this book up if: you like the Netflix show “Stranger Things.”

-Anonymous

Quintessential Comics: Top Reads of 2019

Posted on Monday, November 11, 2019 by Josh

We’re back! Hello, everyone, and welcome to the triumphant return of Quintessential Comics! It’s been awhile (almost a year!), so I figured what better way to get back into the swing of things than to do a list of some of the best reads of 2019. We’ve got Batman! We’ve got magic! We’ve got talking foxes in the Midwest?! Well, you’re about to find out. Let’s get into it.

“The Batman Who Laughs”

Batman who laughs book coverFirst up is a spin-off of the popular Dark Nights: Metal series. Written by Scott Snyder, the Dark Nights series accomplished something that I never thought was possible: it made Batman even more dark. Not that Batman was all sunshine and rainbows before, but when you take his character and create a slew of evil re-imaginings of him based on some of his closest allies and friends, it gets pretty rough. The Batman Who Laughs might be the most twisted character born from that idea. He is an amalgam of Bruce Wayne and, arguably, his greatest foe: The Joker. An obsession with chaos combined with the focus and abilities of Batman make The Batman Who Laughs a force to be reckoned with. In his own run, he forces Bruce to contend with his inner demons and own dark impulses in ways that begs the question: What makes Batman, well, Batman? Don’t miss your chance to find out in this series. Continue reading “Quintessential Comics: Top Reads of 2019”

Literary Links: The Legacy of Ice

Posted on Friday, November 8, 2019 by Seth

“Blow, blow, thou winter wind,
Thou art not so unkind
As man’s ingratitude”
(From “As You Like It” by William Shakespeare, Act II, Scene VII)

In past eons, the earth without ice was not a particularly habitable place for humans. It was a scene of relentless volcanism, vast continental swamps and humid rainforests that extended as far south as Antarctica. We are currently in a very different age, the Holocene, represented by the ebb and flow of massive ice sheets. This age may rapidly be coming to an end, replaced by something many scientists call the Anthropocene. Recent books examine both the influence of the ice age on human culture and also what its absence portends. It may soon be a very strange world indeed. Continue reading “Literary Links: The Legacy of Ice”

50th Anniversary: Sesame Street

Posted on Friday, November 8, 2019 by Liz

 

Sunny Day
Sweepin’ the clouds away
On my way to where the air is sweet
Can you tell me how to get?
How to get to Sesame Street

Welcome to the final post for my 50th anniversary series celebrating important events that took place in 1969. This last entry is near and dear to my heart, the 50th anniversary of the great show “Sesame Street!” “Sesame Street” first aired on November 10, 1969 and has since produced over 4,500 episodes. It was created to help children prepare for school. To learn more about Sesame Street check out the titles below. For a more titles, including ones for children, a more extensive list can be found in our catalog. Continue reading “50th Anniversary: Sesame Street”

Reader Review: Neverwhere

Posted on Thursday, November 7, 2019 by patron reviewer

Neverwhere book cover“Neverwhere” is an early Neil Gaiman novel that looks into the depths of London — both in terms of the existential crisis of a young urban professional and what happens when said yuppie discovers there’s a whole world below the London Underground. What follows is a venture-quest full of unexpected characters and situations that are simultaneously completely impossible and totally believable. There are shadings of Terry Pratchett and Piers Anthony, a touch of Lovecraft, and a fair helping of Gaiman’s ability to re-imagine familiar folklore and mythology.

I listened to the audio book and Neil Gaiman’s voicing skills make the story come to life.

Three words that describe this book: imaginative, madcap, down-below

You might want to pick this book up if: You ever wondered if the ragged guy talking to himself in the subway station was actually perfectly sane.

-Carla