Natalie recommends "Batman: The Demon Trilogy"

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Probably my favorite Batman villains is Ra's al Ghul (roughly translating to Head of the Demon), and second to only Deathstroke in DC as a whole, the Demon Trilogy is one of my favorite reads.   This immortal ecoterrorist has been a calculating, but elusive villain since the 1970'sand in the Demon Trilogy, we get three iconic Ra's al Ghul stories: Bride of the Demon, Son of the Demon, and Birth of the Demon.

Bride of the Demon has Ra's al Ghul finding a new love and hoping to end Batman once and for all.  This is also the first time where Ra's al Ghul and Tim Drake (then a Robin in training) meet.  The two would have a few encounters over the years, my favorite being in Christopher Yost and Ramon Bachs' Red Robin series (along with Fabien Nicieza's​ as a writer and Markus To as the major artist after the first six issues).

Son of the Demon has Batman and Ra's al Ghul teaming up to stop a terrorist from unleashing a powerful weapon.  This title itself makes a bit of sense when considering how Ra's sort of sees Bruce/Batman as a sort of son (or at the very least a worthy heir) and is one of the rare times that Batman and Ra's work together.  This story also dabbles into what would later result in the origin/birth of Talia and Bruce's son, and current Robin, Damian.  Son of the Demon also explores Bruce and Talia's (Ra's' daughter) romance once more.

In Birth of the Demon, we get what most would consider Ra's al Ghul's definitive origin.  Here we are introduced to a younger Ra's al Ghul roughly six to seven hundred years ago.  Before he was even called Ra' al Ghul.  Here he was a member of a nomadic tribe and it discusses how he came across the Lazarus Pit, his first love Sora and her demise, the King who came to him for aid, and Ra's descent into becoming the villain he is today.

If you enjoy Batman and/or his rogues gallery, the Demon Trilogy is a set of stories I would recommend.  Especially if you enjoy this particular character.  It can be found in the adult graphic novel section.

Martin recommends "Low Action: Vinyl Detectives Mysteries 5"

This is the fifth and latest book in the Vinyl Detective mystery series (the library has the entire series currently available).  In this one, our record aficionado protagonist and his girlfriend Nevada are hired to find a rare pressing of the first album by an all-female punk rock band.  However, that band's former lead singer Helene Hilditch also has been the target of several murder attempts.  The search for the record and the killer leads through the rest of the band members, their roadie and others that traveled in that particular musical circle.  Can they find the would-be killer before disaster strikes?  

The author Andrew Cartmel hails from Britain and, thus, his novels reflect the colors of that country.  With each book in the series, he expands the cast of characters who inhabit the Vinyl Detective's world.  While each title can be read as a stand-alone tale, the frequent reader is rewarded by the rich tapestry of characters and events that he has established with the series.

I discovered this series very recently and found them all to be very enjoyable, so far.  If you enjoy your mysteries on the lighter side and have an interest in the world of music, I think you will find these books worth a read.

Adult / Mystery

Meghan recommends Chapter One Favorites

 

Twice a year a group of librarians gets together to talk about our favorite books of the last six months – and you're invited! Our Chapter One program takes place in the spring and in the fall, and the fall program was held earlier this month. Here are just some of our picks:

 

 

Erin Recommends: A Cloud of Outrageous Blue by Vesper Stamper

A Cloud of Outrageous Blue is set in 1348 England, when Edyth becomes a conversa at a convent and tries to hide her synesthesia, but only by embracing her gift will she be able to find a solution to the plague that is ravaging all throughout Europe.

 

Kate Recommends: Wade in the Water by Tracy K. Smith

Section two of this wonderful book contains poems created from Civil War era documents, including letters between separated family members and pleas to President Abraham Lincoln. At a time when so much is fast and forgettable, enjoy the magic of reading something that will stay in your heart forever.

 

Meghan Recommends: Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid

Such a Fun Age explores the relationship between Mira, 25 and about to be kicked off her parents' insurance, and Alix, the white woman whose toddler she babysits.

 

Nicole Recommends: The Black Kids by Christina Hammonds Reed

The Black Kids is a love letter to LA, a brilliant coming-of-age story for a black girl becoming a black woman, and a tale of the timeless struggle for belonging set against the backdrop the LA riots in 1992.

 

Sarah Recommends: One to Watch by Kate Stayman-London

One to Watch is a sweet and funny rom-com about a plus-size fashion blogger who, after going viral with a takedown of her favorite reality dating show, gets the chance to star on that show and prove that you can find love at any size.
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Find all our favorites here.

Natalie recommends "The Meaning of Mariah Carey"

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Every now and then I'll read a biography as they can be interesting reads.  Mariah Carey, while I can't say I've listened to everything song she's released, is an artist that I do enjoy from time to time.  "All I Want for Christmas" being a rather nostalgic song for me.  So when I found out we had this, I thought I'd give it a read.

While it does dabble in her music career some, this autobiography does discuss her childhood and some of the struggles that came with it.  In her home life, and growing up as a child of a white mother and a black father during the her school years.  As someone who wasn't as familiar with her childhood, or some of the stuff she has faced, I found this enlightening and pretty interesting.  It also goes talks about parts of her life throughout the years.  I also really enjoyed how throughout the book she included lyrics as they fit for each chapter.

As someone who enjoys a good biography, and did learn a few things from this, I would recommend this book.  It does bounce around once or twice as far as timeframe, but it's an interesting read from the perspective of Mariah Carey.  We have a copy at all three branches and it can be found in our Adult Biography section.

Margaret recommends "The Lilac Girls"

 

 

Lilac Girls is inspired by the life of Caroline Ferriday, a New York Socialite. After Hitler invades Poland in 1939 and then heads to invade France, Caroline begins to help orphans but also soon discovers the atrocities of the concentration camps. She hears of the Ravensbrück camp that was specifically built for women where horrible experiments were performed by Dr. Herta Oberheuser on selected women. These women later became known as “The Rabbits.” Lilac Girls highlights the lives of these brave women during WWII but also continues to give voice to their story of what happened after the war.  The story will inspire you to know more about these women that history has forgotten.  Visit the author’s website https://marthahallkelly.com/lilac-girls/ to learn about her inspiration to write this novel.

Adult/ Historical Fiction