With it being March is Reading Month, I am always on the lookout for picture books that would make a great classroom read. This new book by Brad Meltzer fits that to a T. Sunday quits working and the other days try to come up with a replacement. Their suggestions are hilarious. If you are looking to read a book to K-3rd graders, pick this one up!
Adult - Fiction/Science Fiction
In the stirring, highly anticipated first volume of his presidential memoirs, Barack Obama tells the story of his improbable odyssey from young man searching for his identity to leader of the free world, describing in strikingly personal detail both his political education and the landmark moments of the first term of his historic presidency--a time of dramatic transformation and turmoil-- Provided by publisher.
I picked this book up because it sounded like an interesting read and I do enjoy a good biography from time to time. I felt that this would be an interesting book to hop into, even though I would not consider myself a political person. This isn't a memoir solely focused on politics, as it does provide information from Obama's younger years, but it does provide a solid insight in to his early political years and first term from his perspective. It's a longer read, but one that I would recommend if you're interested or curious. I can say that I've learned a few things that I hadn't known prior to reading this. This autobiography can be found in our Adult section in both regular and large print.
I highly recommend the late Cicely Tyson's memoir, Just As I Am. I found it compelling reading, notable for just the right amount of honesty and raw emotion. Without gratuitous detail, she informs and entertains the reader about the struggles and triumphs of her life. She is particularly protective when writing about her daughter, Joan, whom she gave birth to as a teen.
This book expanded my mind and heart and gave me a fresh appreciation and admiration for the legacy of this legendary actor. When reflecting upon the untimely death of her fellow actor, Chadwick Boseman, Tyson writes, "Rest in power, Chadwick." I can only echo her words, "Rest in power, Cicely, rest in power."
Recommended for mature young adults to adults.
Linus Baker is case worker with the Department in Charge of Magical Youth. His reliable adherence to policy makes him the perfect person for Extremely Upper Management to send to investigate the Marsyas Island Orphanage. The six children housed there, under the care of Arthur Parnassus, could be dangerous. Mr. Baker is expected to make detailed reports on his findings. But he finds there much more than he ever knew to hope for.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune was truly delightful, a feel-good story with enough fantastical weirdness to avoid predictability. In the eAudio version (available through Libby) narrator Daniel Henning does a phenomenal job making each character unique, though the title is also available as a book and eBook.
Recommended for teens and adults.
The fifth installment of the DC Icons series, and with one of my favorite female heroes. In a dystopian Gotham where Batman has passed and the Court of Owls rule Gotham, things have always been challenging for seventeen year old Dinah Lance. Since their take over, women singing has been outlawed and silenced in what was known as The Silencing.
Dinah has always had a fascination with singing, every since she heard a girl singing in an off limits opera house when she was eight. When she tries to sneak into the opera house years later, she and her friends Ty and Mandy are caught by the Court's enforcers known as Talons. After her police chief father, Larry Lance, brings her home, her senior year will become even more complicated. As Dinah finds herself pulled into trouble and a fight against the Court, she starts to learn more about herself and her late mother Dinah Lance (If you are unfamiliar, Dinah Lance was the original Black Canary back in the Golden Age of comics and was succeeded by her daughter Dinah Drake in the Silver Age onwards). This novel shows us life in Gotham from the perspective of Dinah, who loved music and is trying to find her voice. Along the way, she will make a new friend, find love, and powers she never knew she had. We also get to see some familiar faces, most notable an older Barbara Gordon who now is going by Oracle and was a close friend to Dinah's mother. Along with faces like Lady Shiva, Oliver Queen (Green Arrow), and Rory Regan (Ragman).
Overall, this was an enjoyable read and is probably my favorite of the DC Icons novels (I have read Batman: Nightcrawlers and the graphic novelization of Wonder Woman: Warbringer). This does not require you to read any of the other DC Icon novels to understand what is going on. This is a great book for Young Adult audiences.
Sweet Dreams: The Story of the New Romantics provides an in-depth look at a decade-long period of the music and cultural scenes of Britain. Author Dylan Jones zooms in on the period from 1975 to 1985 and the second invasion of British music. This study goes from the heyday of punk to the peak of new-wave, through the birth of MTV and the culmination of Live-Aid.
Written in a style reminiscent of a documentary script, Jones presents the reader with an eye-witness account of this period by those who were key to it. Through interviews, the reader hears from the likes of David Bowie, Bryan Ferry, Adam Ant, Martin Fry, Malcolm McLaren, Sade, the members of bands like Culture Club, Duran Duran, the Eurythmics, Heaven 17, Spandau Ballet, and so many more.
For someone like me who is a music-nerd that came of age during this particular decade, this book is a fascinating read. Even if you think you know a lot about these artists and their albums, I can guarantee you will find a number of interesting nuggets of trivia within these pages. It might even inspire you to revisit some of your favorite music from this period.
Adult / Nonfiction
