2017 Book To Movie Adaptations

2017 has already had a few book-to-movie adaptations such as: "Logan", "The Shack", and "Beauty and the Beast".  The following highlights the others coming out later this year.  The library has all the books so you can compare and find out for yourself whether or not the book is better than the movie.

Already Released

"Before I Fall" based on the young adult novel by Lauren Oliver.

"The Sense of an Ending" based on the book by Julian Barnes.

3/31--"The Zookeeper's Wife" based on the book by Diane Ackerman about the true story of zoo owners who saved hundreds of Warsaw Jews during WWII.

4/7--"Wonder" based on the kid's book by R. J. Palacio about a young boy with a facial deformity and his struggle for acceptance.

Upcoming Releases

4/21--"The Lost City of Z" based on the book by David Grann--about a British explorer who disappeared in 1925 while searching for an Amazon civilization.

4/28--"The Circle" based on the book by Dave Eggers about young woman who works for a giant tech company and the scary things that happen.

5/5--"The Dinner" based on the book by Herman Koch about two sets of parents struggling with the horrible crime their teen sons have committed.

5/19--"Diary of a Wimpy Kid Long Haul" based on the kid's book by Jeff Kinney.

5/19--"Everything, Everything" based on the young adult novel by Nicola Yoon about a quarantined girl, allergic to everything, who falls for her neighbor.

6/2--"Captain Underpants" based on the kid's book by Dav Pilkey.

6/2--The Wonder Woman movie based on DC Comics series The New 52.

7/14--"My Cousin Rachel" based on the classic novel by Daphne du Maurier about an Englishman and his mysterious cousin who may be a murderess.

7/21--"Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets" based on the French comic series Valerian and Laureline.

7/28--"Atomic Blonde" based on the book The Coldest City by Antony Johnston.

7/28--"The Dark Tower-The Gunslinger" based on the fantasy epic by Stephen King about Roland Deschain's struggle to preserve his dying world.

9/8--"It" based on the horror novel by Stephen King about seven adults who return home to confront an evil from their childhoods.

10/13--"The Snowman" based on the Norwegian detective thriller by Jo Nesbo.

10/20--"The Mountain Between Us" based on the novel by Charles Martin about two plane crash victims who must survive the wilderness together.

10/20--"Same Kind of Different as Me" based on the book by Ron Hall.

10/27--"Thank You For Your Service" based on the book by David Finkel about how soldiers adjust to living back home after serving overseas.

11/22--"Murder On the Orient Express" based on the mystery by Agatha Christie.

Great Audiobooks for the Whole Family

This month the library is highlighting its audiobook collection! Try a book on CD, Playaway, eaudiobook, and now MP3!  MP3 audiobooks are easier to handle and keep track of because the whole book is on just one or two discs.

I listen to audiobooks in my car--it's how I get an extra book in a week.  I really like a lot of different genres including mysteries, fantasy, history, and especially young adult titles.  The teen collection has tons of great choices including some of my favorites.

The following are some really fantastic choices that I would suggest for audio lovers:

Nevada Barr--Anna Pigeon Series--Track of the Cat--Mystery

Terry Brooks--Shannara Series--Sword of Shannara--Fantasy
Terry Brooks--Genesis of Shannara Series--Armageddon's Children--Fantasy
Daniel James Brown--The Boys in the Boat--Non-Fiction
*Jim Butcher--Cinder Spires Series--The Aeronaut's Windlass--Fantasy
Jim Butcher--Dresden Files--Storm Front--Mystery
Bill Bryson--A Walk In The Woods--Non-Fiction

Suzanne Collins--Hunger Games Trilogy--Hunger Games--Young Adult
*Diana Gabaldon--Outlander Series--Outlander--Historical, Fantasy
Laura Hillenbrand--Unbroken: WWII Story of Survival...--Non-Fiction
Sara Paretsky--V. I. Warshawski Series--Indemnity Only--Mystery
*Richard Peck--Grandma Dowdel Series--A Long Way from Chicago--Yng Adult
Kathy Reichs--Temperance Brennan Series--Deja Dead--Mystery
*J. K. Rowling--Harry Potter Series--H Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone--Juve
Rebecca Skloot--The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks--Non-Fiction
Jonathan Stroud--Bartimaeus Series--The Amulet of Samarkand--Juvenile
***Elizabeth Wein--Code Name Verity, Rose Under Fire--Young Adult
*Westerfeld, Scott--Leviathan Series--Leviathan--Young Adult
Moira Young--Dustlands Series--Blood, Red Road--Young Adult

These are all wonderful but my absolute favorites are marked with a *.

The Best Audiobooks!

I have been converted. I admit I am now an audiobook lover. It was not always like that and usually, I still prefer a 'good old fashioned book' in my hands to an e-book or an audiobook, but lately I have found fantastic narrators who make listening an auditory pleasure. I especially enjoy listening to multi-voiced audiobooks.  

So if you love listening to a great narrator...you are sure to enjoy these books. If you have never listened to an audiobook give it a try.   For added incentive here are a few activities you can do while listening to a book: exercise, cook, bake, garden, write thank-you cards or even housework. Just think you can get work done while hearing a fantastic book! Life doesn't get much better than that, well if you were listening to a book, while sitting on the beach...that would be heaven. I can see it now.  The sun, the waves and a beautiful story.. pure unadulterated bliss.

Audie Award Winners That I LOVE! 

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman (multi-voiced edition) 
2015 Audie Award Winner: Multi-Voiced Performance and 
2015 Winner Distinguished Achievement in Production

I've listened to both the multi-voiced edition and the one read by Neil Gaiman himself. I enjoyed them both, but the multi-voiced version is fantastic! 
Nobody "Bod" Owens is an orphan and is adopted and raised by ghosts in the graveyard where he crawled to safety after his parents were murdered. This is an enchanting tale that you won't want to stop listening too. 

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
2016 Audie Award Winner: Multi-Voiced Performance

Told through a fascinating dossier of hacked documents, including emails, maps, files, IMs, medical reports, interviews and more...Illuminae is the first book in a heart stopping trilogy about lives interrupted, the price of truth and the courage of everyday heroes. Beautifully voiced.

The Complete Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle Read by Simon Vance
2014 Audie Award Winner: Classics

Classic Sherlock Holmes made exceptional by an amazing narrator.

Mandela: An Audio History available on Hoopla (translation this book is always available, there's no waiting to listen)
2015 Audie Award Winner: Audiobook of the Year 

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr  
2015 Audie Award Winner: Fiction

Nonfiction
The Boys In the Boat by Daniel James Brown
I Am Malala by Malala Yousafzai

Fiction
Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler
The Kitchen House by Kathleen Grissom
The Postmistress by Sara Blake
The Roundhouse by Louise Erdich

If you have an audiobook that you love.....PLEASE do not keep us in suspense. Please tell us (or at least me) what it is... I promise I'll give it a try.

Listen Up! Some Great Audio Books for Adults and Teens

This month the library is highlighting our Audio collection--and what a collection it is.  Books on CD, books on Playaway, and digital audios--the choices are endless.  I listen to a lot of audio books and I have discovered that some of my favorite titles are from the Young Adult section.  I discovered the Harry Potter series, devoured the Hunger Games trilogy and enjoyed many others.  The following list contains just a few of my absolute favorites.  So try one or two or all eight and I hope you enjoy them as much as I have!

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi--Printz Award Winner--In a Gulf Coast shanty town 100 years in the future, where grounded tankers are being broken down for parts, Nailer, a teenage boy, works the light crew, scavenging for copper wiring just to make quota—and hopefully live to see another day. But when he discovers a clipper ship beached during a recent hurricane, Nailer faces the most important decision of his life: Strip the ship for all it’s worth or rescue a beautiful and wealthy girl who could lead him to a better life.
The companion novel is The Drowned Cities.

Hit by a Farm: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Barn by Catherine Friend--Golden Crown Literary Award Winner--This is a hilarious tale of Catherine and Melissa’s trials of getting back to the land.” It is also a coming-of (middle)-age story of a woman trying to cross the divide between who she is and who she wants to be, and the story of a couple who say goodbye city life” and learn more than they ever bargained for about love, land, and yes, sheep sex.

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon--Rita Award Winner--The year is 1945. Claire Randall, a former combat nurse, is just back from the war and reunited with her husband on a second honeymoon when she walks through a standing stone in one of the ancient circles that dot the British Isles and suddenly she is in a Scotland torn by war in the year 1743.  Hurled back in time by forces she cannot understand, Claire is catapulted into the intrigues of lairds and spies that may threaten her life, and shatter her heart. For here James Fraser, a gallant young Scots warrior, shows her a love so absolute that Claire becomes a woman torn between fidelity and desire—and between two vastly different men in two conflicting lives. Followed by Dragonfly in Amber and six others and they are all read by the fantastic Davina Porter.

The Middle of Somewhere by Clifford Henderson--Foreword Reviews' 2009 INDIEFAB Book of the Year--Start with one independent, urban lesbian who cashes out her life in San Francisco for a second-hand travel trailer and sets off to the Michigan Womyn’s Music Festival in search of a new life.  Add to this a broken-down ’66 T-bird, a bunch of small-town Texas Baptists, a ton of fried food, and a church scandal and what you get is Eadie T. Pratt’s road trip gone awry.  Funny with great characters!

A Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck--Newbery Honor Book--What happens when Joey and his sister, Mary Alice--two city slickers from Chicago--make their annual summer visits to Grandma Dowdel's seemingly sleepy Illinois town?  They help Grandma to trespass, poach, catch the sheriff in his underwear, and feed the hungry--all in one day.  And there's more--much more--as Joey and Mary Alice make seven summer trips to Grandma's, each one funnier and more surprising than the year before. Richard Peck has created a memorable world filled with characters who, like Grandma herself, are larger than life and twice as entertaining.  
Followed by A Year Down Yonder (Newbery Medal Winner) and A Season of Gifts.  These are great for the whole family!!!

Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein--Edgar Award Winner and Printz Honor Book--In 1943, a British fighter plane crashes in Nazi-occupied France and the survivor tells a tale of friendship, war, espionage, and great courage as she relates what she must to survive while keeping secret all that she can.  Code Name Verity is a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other.  
The companion novel is Rose Under Fire (Golden Kite Award Honor Book and Audie Award Finalist) and it is just as wonderful if not better.

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld--Aurealis Award Winner and Locus Award Winner--In an alternate 1914 Europe, fifteen-year-old Austrian Prince Alek, on the run from the Clanker Powers who are attempting to take over the globe using mechanical machinery, forms an uneasy alliance with Deryn who, disguised as a boy to join the British Air Service, is learning to fly genetically-engineered beasts.  With the Great War brewing, Alek's and Deryn's paths cross in the most unexpected way...taking them both aboard the Leviathan on a fantastical, around-the-world adventure. One that will change both their lives forever. 
Followed by Behemoth and Goliath and all are read by the superb Alan Cumming!

Blood Red Road by Moira Young--Costa Children's Book Award Winner--Scavenging from landfills to survive in her post-apocalyptic world, Saba embarks on a quest to rescue her abducted twin brother. What Saba learns is that she's a fierce fighter, an unbeatable survivor, and a cunning opponent and that she has the power to take down a corrupt society from the inside. Teamed up with a handsome daredevil and a gang of girl revolutionaries, Saba stages a showdown that will change the course of her own civilization.  
Followed by Rebel Heart and Raging Star and all are read by the wonderful Heather Lind.

Also, anything written by Jon Katz, Bill Bryson, or Terry Brooks are fantastic too!   
Please let me know your favorite audio or narrator!  I am always looking for new books!

Great LGBT Books for Young Adults!

The month of June is LGBT Pride month which is a world wide celebration asserting that LGBT people should be proud of who they are and embraces diversity and the acceptance of all people.  It is especially poignant this year after the horrible shooting in Orlando. No matter who we are--we all deserve to be loved and to be safe from hate and violence. Our thoughts and prayers are with the city of Orlando and all those affected by this senseless act.

Below are some of the best LGBT books for teens.  While entertaining, these books can also provide reassurance that you are not alone and reinforce that it’s okay to be different - -because we all are in our own individual way.

Fat Angie--e. E. Charlton-Trujillo
Angie is broken but hiding under a mountain of junk food hasn’t kept the pain away. Having failed to kill herself, she’s back at high school just trying to make it through each day. That is, until the arrival of KC--a girl who is 199% wow! A girl who never sees her as "Fat Angie" and who knows too well that the package doesn’t always match what’s inside. This is an appealing, darkly comic, anti-romantic romance.

Beautiful Music for Ugly Children--Kirstin Cronn-Mills
My birth name is Elizabeth, but I’m a guy. Gabe. My parents think I’ve gone crazy and the rest of the world is happy to agree with them, but I know I’m right. I’ve been a boy my whole life.  When you think about it, I’m like a record. Elizabeth is my A side, the song everybody knows, and Gabe is my B side―not heard as often, but just as good.  It’s time to let my B side play.

  
If You Could Be Mine--Sara Farizan
Seventeen-year-old Sahar has been in love with her best friend, Nasrin, since they were six. But Iran is a dangerous place for two girls in love--they could be beaten, imprisoned, even executed. So they carry on in secret. Then Sahar discovers what seems like the perfect solution but is saving their love worth sacrificing her true self?

George--Alex Ginio
When people look at George, they think they see a boy. But she knows she's not a boy. She knows she's a girl.  George thinks she'll have to keep this a secret forever. Then her teacher announces that their class play is going to be Charlotte's Web. George really, really, REALLY wants to play Charlotte. With the help of her best friend, Kelly, George comes up with a plan. 

None of the Above--I. W. Gregoria
Kristin Lattimer is homecoming queen, a champion hurdler with a full scholarship to college and is madly in love with her boyfriend. But then a visit to the doctor reveals that Kristin is intersex, which means that though she outwardly looks like a girl, she has male chromosomes, not to mention boy "parts."  Dealing with her body is difficult enough, but when her diagnosis is leaked to the whole school, Kristin's entire identity is thrown into question.

The Porcupine of Truth--Bill Konigsberg
Carson is resigned to spending his summer in Montana, helping his mom take care of his dying father. Then he meets Aisha, a beautiful girl who has run away from her difficult family and Pastor John, who's long, held a secret about Carson's missing grandfather. Together, Carson and Aisha embark on an epic road trip to find the answers that might save Carson's dad and restore his fragmented family.

Two Boys Kissing--David Levithan
A 2014 Stonewall Honor Book:  Based on true events—two seventeen-year-olds are about to take part in a 32-hour marathon of kissing to set a new Guinness World Record. As the pair becomes increasingly dehydrated and sleep-deprived, they also become a focal point in the lives of other teens dealing with questions of love, identity, and belonging.

Not Otherwise Specified--Hannah Moskowitz
Etta is tired of dealing with all of the labels that seem so important to everyone else in her small town.  Not gay enough for her ex-clique, not tiny and white enough for ballet, and not sick enough to look anorexic. Etta doesn’t fit anywhere—until she meets Bianca, the straight, white, Christian, and seriously sick girl in Etta’s therapy group. Can Etta be saved by a girl who needs saving herself?

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe--
Benjamin Alire Saenz
Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. 

The Orphan Queen

What would you do if you were a six year old child, your homeland is invaded and your parents murdered? You are a princess and most of the nobility has been decimated. Do you seek revenge?  How can you? You are a child. 

This is Princess Wilhelmina's story, ten years have passed and now it is time to reclaim her throne and unite her people. She and several other noble children have hidden in plain sight, as refugees in the Indigo Kingdom's refugee camps. 

The Indigo Kingdom has banned the use of magic, even the use of a little magic to save yourself from discovery could cost you your life.  Princess Wilhelmina has magic; and tries her best not to use it, but sometimes it's difficult when your loved ones are in danger. 

The Orphan Queen written by Jodi Meadows is an epic fantasy filled with adventure, intrigue and betrayal. This story grabs you and keeps you turning pages and then when your done reading the first novel...you won't be able to wait to get the next book in the series, The Mirror King so you can learn what happens next. Readers who enjoyed Graceling or The Queen of the Tearling will love this story.   

The Book Thief

Imagine a story in which the words the characters speak—and write—are living things. They sit with you, walk alongside you, murmur you to sleep or keep you awake with their chatter. They poison. They heal. They haunt. Yes, I’m thinking of a particular story, one that is both heartbreaking and beautiful in its telling. One passage may make you cry, while the next might coax a smile, and you may even laugh out loud from time to time. Make no mistake, you will feel something, and you’ll fall in love with a girl coming of age in Nazi Germany. Her name is Liesel Meminger, but you may know her as The Book Thief.

Liesel is just nine years old at the beginning of this story, and already her life is stained with grief. The loss of both her brother and mother (one has died, the other has given her away) haunt her when she comes to stay with Hans and Rosa Hubermann on Himmel Street in Molching. Rosa is stern and sharp-tongued, quick with insults and wooden spoons and feared by children and adults alike, while Hans is gentle and nurturing, a painter by trade and passable player of the accordion. It’s no surprise that Liesel grows close to Hans as he sits with her through the night during her nightmares, and he teaches her how to read using, of all things, a book she stole at her brother’s burial, The Gravedigger’s Handbook. He is the one who instills in her a lifelong love of words. Next door lives a boy with hair the color of lemons, Rudy Steiner, and as he and Liesel become fast friends, she slowly adjusts to her new life, a life that, for a time, just might be normal.

Of course, the Nazi Party has other plans, and as it begins to make its presence felt even more in Molching, things change. Heil, Hitler. Hitler Youth. Book burning. Liesel steals another book, one that survives the fire, but there are witnesses and consequences. And then there is this: a long-ago promise that comes calling in the form of a Jew named Max Vandenburg. These are perilous times for Jews and anyone who doesn’t march lock-step with Nazism, but the Hubermanns rise to the occasion and hide Max in their basement, and Liesel makes another friend. But as the noose of Hitler’s war tightens around Germany, the lives of Liesel and those she loves are changed forever.

The Book Thief, by Markus Zusak, is pure poetry. When you’ve finished reading your usual summer fluff, give this one a try. I think it just might give you an entirely new appreciation for the beauty, power, and life of words, particularly during dark times.  

Completing the Mortal Instruments Series: My own personal book hangover

If you happen to follow AfterWords, our Facebook book chat on Monday nights, you will know there has been an ongoing conversation between a few participants and myself concerning the Mortal Instruments series by Cassandra Clare. At one point, I confessed that I took my daughter to see the movie adaptation of Mortal instruments: City of Bones which piqued by interest about the YA series. I’m all for a good romp through any young adult book involving otherworldly creatures and epic battles, so the idea of angelic shadowhunters, demons, vampires, and werewolves running amok in New York City sounded pretty appealing.  Because the movie had just come out, I had to painstakingly wait my turn for the first three books, but I was pleasantly surprised. The writing was really good, the storyline had few flaws (as long as you were up for the topic), and the characters evoked emotion—not saying they were all likeable, but they definitely drew the reader in. All good, right? No, this is where the conversation took a turn…

I felt like the third book in the series, City of Glass, wrapped up nicely and left me feeling satisfied (e.g. I could stop with a ‘happily ever after’ and move on). The ending  paired with several reviews stating that the rest of the books, at the time only City of Fallen Angels and City of Lost Souls, were awful and just ruined everything made me put the series down for months (and months). Then, someone explained to me that the six book series was actually intended to be two trilogies (which explained the change in perspective and style) and another person insisted that it only got better.  I gave in and picked up book four, City of Fallen Angels, about two weeks ago….I’m now finished with book six, City of Heavenly Fire. And this brings me to the topic I really wanted to discuss: the book hangover.

Even though I finished the series more than two days ago, I’m finding it difficult to let go of the characters and move on to new things. I know this is a common sensation among readers-- the author pulls you in, creates a new world, makes you care about people, then just ends it all like you’ll get over it. It’s more like a bad, unwanted break-up than a hangover. I have read some amazing adult fiction series that have left me feeling this way (I'm looking at you Adriana Trigiani!), but for some reason YA authors seem to wield this skill like a weapon. It is impressive that they can hook people to the point where you refer to the characters like you actually know them. Especially when it escalates and your child, who normally plays along with you, starts to get embarrassed by how involved you've become with the storyline. Even though I giggle at the term “fangirl” and the phrases that stem from it, I’d have to say that I now qualify. 
Sigh, I’ll miss you Clary, Jace, Simon, Isabelle, Alec, Magnus…ok, I’ll stop.

(…Jocelyn, Luke, Maia, Jordan, Bat, Lily, Emma, Julian, Brother Zachariah, and even you Sebastian.)

And did I mention these books are funny?! Clare’s carefully placed sarcasm was laced throughout and actually had me laughing out loud at several points. If you’re feeling otherworldly and you enjoy young adult fiction, I recommend you take the leap. If you need to talk when it ends, join us on AfterWords—several of us will know what you are going through :)

New YA Fiction - Love Letters to the Dead

Calling all YA fiction lovers! The must-reads for summer are piling up fast and furious. In late March, BuzzFeed put out a list of YA books to look for this spring. I was very excited, but somewhat reluctant to share because I knew the demand for these books would increase. However, that’s not very librarian-y of me, so I published the list to the Library’s Facebook page (twice), and I will provide it to you here.

The first book I tackled on the list was Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira. The main character, Laurel, is struggling with the death of her older sister as she enters high school. During the first week of school, Laurel’s English teacher creates an assignment that requires the students to write a letter to someone who has died. I can’t remember the exact details of the assignment, which weren’t particularly relevant, but this exercise sparks a journey for Laurel. She begins by writing a letter to Kurt Cobain because he was one of her sister’s favorite musicians. Laurel journals her grieving process and social development through these letters, which she never actually turns in for credit. She uses the lives and deaths of people like Amy Winehouse, Kurt Cobain, Janis Joplin, Amelia Earhart, Heath Ledger, and a few others to help her understand what has happened in her past and discover who she is as a person.

The book is incredibly well written, at times a bit more than shocking, and I found it to be a terribly realistic coming-of-age tale. If you are looking at it for a teen, be forewarned that it handles quite a few typical teen issues (alcohol, first loves, sexuality, drugs, etc.). I never once had the impression that anything negative or unsavory was glamorized in the text, but make the decision based on your personal review of the book.  Personally, I’ve already encouraged my daughter to read it. Books are a great supplement to the endless lectures we shower on our teens and preteens.  Meaningful discussions can easily start with fiction books--not to mention knowing that others experience similar things can be a relief to a young person.

The Best American Literature of 2013

If you are an avid fan of American literature you have got to try these books!The National Book Award Longlists have been released. These books were  written by United States citizens and published in the United States.

The National Book Award recognizes the best in quality writing. It all begins when book publishers submit their nominees and than a panel of five judges (per category) selects a 'longlist' of books they deem the best American literature of the year. There are four categories: fiction, nonfiction, poetry and young people's literature.

Previous winners of this prestigous award include, The Round House by Louise Erdhrich, Salvage the Bones by Jesmyn Ward and Lord Of Misrule: A Novel By Jamy Gordon. You can find a complete list of award winners and finalists here.

If you have not read these great American titles now is the perfect time.

The National Book Award for Fiction Longlist

Pacific: A Novel Novel By Tom Drury
The End of the Point by Elizabeth Graver
The Flamethrowers by Rachel Kushner
The Lowland: A Novel by Jhumpa Lahiri
A Constellation of Vital Phenomena: A Novel by Anthony Marra
The Good Lord Bird by Jame McBride
Someone by Alice McDermott
Bleeding Edge by Thomas Pynchon
Fools by Joan Silber

The National Book Award for Nonfiction Longlist
Finding Florida by T. D. Allman
Facing the Wave a Journey in the Wake of the Tsunami by Gretel Ehrlich
The Wolf and the Watchman: A Father, a Son, and the CIA. by Scott C. Johnson
Book of Ages: The Life and Opinion of Jane Franklin by Jill LePore
Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields by Wendy Lower
Freedom National: The Destruction of Slavery in the United States by James Oakes
The Unwinding: An Inner History of teh New America by George Packer
The Internal Enemy: Slavery and War in Virginia 1772-1832 by Alan Taylor
Duke: A Life of Duke Ellington by Terry Teachout
Going Clear: Scientology, Hollywood & the Prison of Belief by Lawrence Wright

The National Book Award for Poetry Longlist
Metaphysical Dog by Frank Bidart
Bury My Clothes by Roger Bonair-Agard
Stay, Illusion by Lucie Brock-Broido
So Recently Rent a World, New and Selected Poems: 1968-2012 by Andrei Codrescu
Seasonal Work with Letters on Fire By Brenda Hillman
The Big Smoke By Adrian Matejka
American Amnesiac By Diane Raptosh
Black Aperture By Matt Rasmussen
Transfer of Qualitites By Martha Ronk
Incarnadine: Poems By Mary Szybist

The National Book Award for Young People's Literature Longlist
The True Blue Scouts of Sugar Man Swamp By Kathi Appelt
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures By Kate DiCamillo
A Tangle of Knots By Lisa Graff
The Summer Prince  By Alaya Dawn Johnson
The Thing About Luck By Cynthia Kadohata
Two Boys Kissing By David Levithan
Far, Far Away By Tom McNeal
Picture Me Gone By Meg Rosoff
The Real Boy By Anne Ursu
Boxers & Saints By Gene Luen Yang

Ahh, young love...

Over the past few years I have worked to expand my YA knowledge so I can better assist patrons and better understand what my daughter is currently reading. Not to mention, YA books are awesome! I came across a review a few months back about Rainbow Rowell’s latest release, Eleanor & Park, and I knew it was a must read. Anything that mentions punk rock and love is a must read.

The book takes place over the course of a single school year (really less) in 1986. The story is a love story, a coming-of-age tale, and a bit of a mystery all tied up in a lovely bow. The book captures the awkwardness of the teen years and first love, while also confronting some more serious issues like neglect, abuse, and the misery caused by high school bullies.

Eleanor and Park work hard to transcend the normal teen modus operandi by letting their hearts rule and their embarrassment take a backseat. Big, gangly Eleanor comes “home” after over a year of exile at a family acquaintance’s house to a sad domestic reality and a new school. On the bus she is forced into a seat with Park, half-Korean and quiet for purposes of survival. Park and Eleanor move around each other for weeks without speaking or interacting, but a common interest in comic books and song lyrics eventually pulls them together into a love that is both sweet and unprecedented.

Rowell does a very good job illustrating the survival techniques we all use to make it through a day or to deal with a particular situation. The agony and ecstasy of being a teenager is not lost in this story. Not to mention, her handling of family dynamics and what it means (and feels like) to go without is superb.  Eleanor learns that she is worthy of love. Park learns that he must be open to learning about a person beyond their clothing, hair, or possessions. Also, have your Walkman ready, because you will be inspired to revisit some bands.

Hunger Games Read-alikes Part 2--Good Teen Reads!

About a week ago, I wrote a blog about adult titles that are similar to The Hunger Games and other post-apocalyptic books.  The response was fantastic, so I didn't want to miss this chance to introduce you to some wonderful teen titles as well.

Drought by Pam Bachorz
Ruby dreams of escaping the Congregation, but without her blood her community is condemned to certain death.

Ashes by Ilsa J. Bick
Three teens join forces after an electromagnetic pulse kills most of the world's population, turning some of the survivors into zombies.

Taken by Erin Bowman
In the mysterious town of Claysoot, every male is mysteriously "Heisted" on his eighteenth birthday. 17-year-old Gray Weatherby is determined to find out why.

The Testing by Joelle Charbonneau
16-year-old Cia Vale is chosen to participate in The Testing to attend the University. However, she is fearful when she discovers that those who failed--are disappearing.

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow
After being interrogated for days after a major terrorist attack, Marcus uses his computer hacking skills to set things right.

Among the Hidden by Margaret Peterson Haddix
In a future where the Population Police limit families to only two children, Luke has lived all of his twelve years in hiding and isolation.

The Line by Teri Hall
The Line is an invisible border of the United States.  When Rachel has an opportunity to Cross into the forbidden zone, she is both frightened and intrigued.

The Eleventh Plague by Jeff Hirsch
15-year-old Stephen, his father, and grandfather scavenge in post-Collapse America.  When tragedy strikes, Stephen's life is turned upside down.

The Unidentified by Rae Mariz
In a futuristic alternative school, Katey "Kid" Dade struggles to figure out where she fits in or even if she wants to.

Delirium by Lauren Oliver
Lena looks forward to receiving the cure that prevents the delirium of love. Then ninety-five days before treatment she falls in love.

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer
In her journal, 16-year-old Miranda describes her family's struggle to survive after a meteor hits the moon.

Variant by Robison Wells
After years in foster homes, 17-year-old Benson Fisher applies to Maxfield Academy in hopes of securing a brighter future.  What he discovers is that the school is a prison and no one is who they seem.

Uglies by Scott Westerfeld
Tally is about to turn 16 and get the operation that makes her "pretty".  Her friend Shay doesn't want the operation and runs away. And Tally learns a whole new side of the pretty world--and it isn't very pretty.

Some staff favorites:

The Maze Runner by James Dashner
16-year-old Thomas wakes with no memory and in the middle of a maze. How will he escape?

Gone by Michael Grant
In a small town, everyone over the age of fourteen suddenly disappears, setting up a battle between the remaining groups of young people.

Legend by Marie Lu
In a dark future where North America has split into two warring nations, two 15-year-olds--one a famous criminal and the other a prodigy soldier, discover they have a common enemy.

Under the Never Sky by Veronica Rossi
"In a world of danger, an unlikely alliance."  "Outsider" Perry rescues Pod-dweller Aria in this dystopian tale about an ecological collapse.

Divergent by Veronica Roth
In a future Chicago, 16-year-old Beatrice must choose one of five factions to define her identity. A choice made more difficult when she discovers she doesn't fit into any one group.

The 5th Wave by Richard Yancey
Cassie Sullivan, the survivor of an alien invasion, must rescue her young brother with the help of a boy who may be one of "them".

Blood Red Road by Moira Young
Saba and her family scavenge the dried up wastelands of Silverlake.  When her twin Lugh is kidnapped, Saba embarks on a dangerous quest to get him back.

What is your favorite?  Let me know if you can add any to the list.