Wednesday, November 9, 2016

Book Gratitude

As Thanksgiving approaches, it is always a good time to reflect on all the things we're thankful for.  It should come as no surprise to you that one of the things I am thankful for is...books!  What a gift that there is so much out there for us to get our hands on and read...something for everyone if you look hard enough!  Let me throw a few suggestions your way that might make you appreciate all those books in your life.

First up is My Unscripted Life, by Lauren Morrill.  As the story begins, we find Dee, our main character, sorely disappointed that she wasn't accepted to a summer art program that she was counting on.  Doubting her artistic abilities and bummed that she won't be spending the summer with her best friend, Dee isn't sure what she's going to do with herself.  But then the unexpected happens.  A Hollywood movie is going to do part of it's location shoot in her town, and she manages to get a job with the set department.  When she discovers that her middle school pop-star crush is the star of the movie, she can't help feeling a little excited, but when she meets Milo, he couldn't be ruder.  When Dee and Milo keep getting thrown together, they start to develop a friendship...could it turn into something more?  You'll have to read this fun and funny romance to find out!  I was lucky enough to get to read an advanced copy from NetGalley, but the book is now released and you can find copies at MCPL.

Next up is another book I got to read through NetGalley that has also been released.  It's called How to Keep a Boy from Kissing You, by Tara Eglen.  Now that title may have you scratching your head, like I did when I read it.  I thought girls eventually hoped that someday a boy would kiss them. ;)  In this story, Aurora Skye is an up and coming business woman, developing her "Find a Prince" program guaranteed to help every girl find her perfect prince of a guy.  Aurora is also working on find her prince, and she has strategies to avoid kissing any boy who doesn't live up to her high standards.  The only person getting in her way seems to be her annoying neighbor, Hayden.  When Aurora and Hayden are cast as love interests in the school play, some unexpected feelings start to develop.  Can one's prince be someone you thought you hated?  You'll have to read it to find out!  You can find copies of this fun story at MCPL.

A recent favorite that I've read was also an advanced read from NetGalley, and though the book has been released, I don't see that MCPL is carrying it, but if you can get your hands on it, I would.  It's called Finding Perfect, by Elly Swartz.  This book was so heartbreakingly emotional...I carried the story with me for days after I read it.  In this story, we meet Molly, who believes that as long as everything is "perfect", everything will be okay in her life.  She believes if she can perform her poem perfectly at her school's slam poetry contest, her mom will come home from the job she left the family for in Canada.  Everything has to be neatly aligned and in groups of 4s, or life just won't work out right for Molly.  She thought she was in control of keeping everything perfect, but when nothing seems to be enough anymore, Molly starts to spiral out of control.  This is a really honest look at how Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders can affect a young teen.  I highly recommend this one...I couldn't put it down.


If you'd rather read a fantasy-like fairy tale, you might want to check out Tahereh Mafi's newest book called Furthermore.  Alexis Queensmeadow lives in the land of Ferenwood, where color is the most important quality and magical ability is to be celebrated.  Alexis, unfortunately, has no color.  Her father disappeared from Ferenwood 3 years ago, and it is Alexis' hope that one day he'll return home.  When she discovered that he left to go to the land of Furthermore and that she can go there and help save him, Alexis doesn't hesitate, but in a land where down is up and paper is alive, can Alexis figure out how to survive long enough to find her father?  You'll have to read Furthermore to find out.  This was a whimsical, delightfully written story that is only limited by your own imagination!  I read my copy through MCPL's Overdrive, and you can also find it on their shelves.

If you're more interested in a dystopian story, you might want to check out Traci Chee's The Reader, which is her first book in a new series called Sea of Ink and Gold.  Sefia, our main character, has been living her life on the run for the last several years since she found her father murdered.  Her mother died several years before her father, so all Sefia has left is her "aunt" Nin.  When Nin is kidnapped, Sefia is determined to find and save her, but the only thing she has in her possession is a strange rectangular object that is filled with paper that contains strange markings, something she eventually realizes is a book.  With a wide range of characters from a new mute (unable to speak) friend and pirates, Sefia starts to uncover who took her aunt Nin and what they're after.  Will she be able to find Nin in time?  You'll have to read The Reader to find out!  You can find this book at MCPL or through their Overdrive system.

If you like a good story that has Christmas as the backdrop, you might want to check out Jay Asher's newest book, What Light.  In this story, we meet Sierra.  Sierra's family owns a Christmas tree farm in Oregon, but they spend every year from Thanksgiving to Christmas in California operating a Christmas tree lot with trees from their farm. Though it's hard to be away from friends for a month, Sierra loves her time on the Christmas tree lot.  She has a good friend there and she just loves helping people find the perfect tree as they get ready to celebrate the holidays.  This year may be the last year, though, because though the farm itself is flourishing, the tree lot itself isn't making enough money.  When Sierra meets Caleb, a local boy with a troubled past, she isn't sure she wants to get involved.  She is only there for a month...then what?  Can Caleb change her mind?  This was a fun holiday romance...I enjoyed every bit of it!  You can find copies at MCPL or on Overdrive.

Finally, another dystoptian-fantasy story you might enjoy is The Orphan Queen, by Jodi Meadows.  In this story, princess Wilhemina has been living as an orphan for the last 10 years after her kingdom was conquered by the powerful Indigo Kingdom.  She watched as her parents were murdered by their conquerors, and now works with other orphaned children from her country in a group they call the Ospreys.  The Ospreys goal, find out a way to get their kingdom back.  Wil and her best friend Melanie infiltrate the palace, posing as refugees from another nearby country that was overtaken by a dark and mysterious problem called the "wraith".  Wil wants to find a way to not only take back her kingdom, but also find a solution to the wraith.  This book contains a little of everything - magic, adventure, mystery and suspense, and a little romance too.  It's the first book in a series, so if you like it, you can check out book 2, The Mirror King, as well.  You can find copies at MCPL and on Overdrive.  There is also a copy currently available as of this moment that I am typing in our CMS library.  If you hurry, you might get it!

Thanksgiving break is coming.  Not only is it a good time to remember to be thankful...but you also have some extra days off to read!

No comments:

Post a Comment