Book Bucket List | Classic Read-a-likes

Authors steal.  All the time, but it's impossible not to be influenced by someone whose books you've loved or hated, depending. I was reading an article recently about contemporary novels that are modern retellings of classic works.  I thought it was a really interesting article as a lot of the time when I'm reading, I think "Oh this is a lot like this or that book." So I'm going to share a couple of the pairings they presented that highlight some of titles I'm actually interested in adding to my bucket list.

The first comparison is between Edith Wharton's The Age of Innocence and Francesca Segal's The Innocents.  Both books follow the scandals of upper class and privileged families that deal with the fall out and consequences of their character's actions.  In The Innocents, Ellie is kicked out of college for her after hours activities. She then captures the hearts of more innocent men not quite ready for the force of nature that is Ellie.  This book is an homage to Wharton's classic, where in the world of fancy balls and high society in New York the nonconformist Ellen, a Countess, turns everything upside down.

 

Another book that takes inspiration from a classic is Laurie Sheck's A Monster's Notes. This book reimagines Mary Shelley's Frankenstein, which is the book we're featuring for this year's One Book, One San Joaquin by the way, and looks at what Shelley's life would have been like if she would have actually met the monster in real life.  This is a perfect book to read in conjunction with the original classic.

So there's two options for retelling I'm going to add to my list.  I'm especially excited to read The Innocents, because who doesn't love a good family scandal?

Book Bucket List | Brain Twisters

Recently, my friend Marnie asked me a few questions.  Turns out this was a riddle, and I was pretty terrible at figuring out the answers.  I only got one out of four right. (I'm a perfectionist so I felt pretty awful about this.)

See if you can figure out the answers to this riddle:

  1.    How do you put a giraffe into a refrigerator?

  

  2.    How do you put an elephant into a refrigerator?                
                                            

  3. The Lion King is hosting an Animal Conference.  All the animals attend ... except one. Which animal does not attend?                                 

 4. There is a river you must cross but it is used by crocodiles, and you do not have a boat.  How do you manage it?                

Here are the answers:

 1 . Open the refrigerator, put in the giraffe, and close the door. This question tests whether you tend to do simple things in an overly complicated way.   

2.  Open the refrigerator, take out the giraffe, put in the elephant and close the door.  This tests your ability to think through the repercussions of your previous actions.      

3. The Elephant.  The elephant is in the refrigerator.  You just put him in there.       

4.  You jump into the river and swim across.  All the crocodiles are attending the Animal Conference.  This tests whether you learn quickly from your mistakes.  
                     

I thought this was a really fun exercise.  If you want to see more riddles and questions like this, check out these books from our libraries!

Goofy Jokes and Riddles

Greatest Jokes on Earth

3650 jokes, puns, and riddles

 

Book Bucket List | The Heiresses

I'm a very impatient person.  I'm well aware of this fault and have to remind myself to be patient all the time.  This even applies to the books I read.  I've never enjoyed mysteries very  much because I just want the book to get to the point already!  My impatience is the reason why I've never read very many mysteries, except maybe for school or a book club.  However, we recently got a huge shipment of new books and one book in particular caught my eye.  It was The Heiresses by Sara Shepard, and it happened to be a mystery.

I knew Sara Shepard was a popular author, she penned the very popular series Pretty Little Liar which is now a TV show.  So after reading the jacket, I decided to give it a chance.  The Saybrook family seems to have it all.  They own one of the most successful jewelry stores around (think Tiffany's) and are one of the most envied families in Manhattan.  However, their family is cursed with accidents and tragedy.  After one of their own is found dead (again!) they band together to try to figure out who is attacking their family.

This was a fun read for me.  The characters live these unbelievable lives, so it was fun to escape into that for a little while.  And honestly, I liked reading about their clothes.  Though it was still a mystery, and I wanted more clues and the plot to move forward a little more than it was, but I still enjoyed it.  It's a very fluffy mystery, not too dark and grisly.

Book Bucket List | It's just too much...

My friend "A" and I are always talking about books.  I know, I know, it's easy to do that working in a library and all, but with her, it's really fun because we love the same kind of books.  We share, recommend, and trade books all the time.  This week, she told me that she couldn't finish the book she was reading, because it just got "too weird."  I was shocked, considering she can read through pretty much anything.  "A" said it got too dark and was just too much so she started another book.  So of course, I got a copy to read this weekend, just to see how weird this book really is.

This conversation got me thinking.  How often have I ever stopped a book because it was just too weird, dark, or strange to my liking?  I remember one specifically.  When I first started at the Tracy Library, one of the first books I checked out was Chuck Palahniuk's Invisible Monsters. I knew that Palahniuk was known for edgy stuff and was famous for writing Fight Club, but this book was all sorts of different from what I was used to.  The story follows what happens to a model after she is attacked, resulting in permanent disfigurement.  Afterwards, she has a breakdown, understandably, and goes on to try to find out why she was attacked.  However, she meets someone who takes her in, regardless of her disfigured face, and they unknowingly have a shared history.  

I got about half way through this book when I just had to stop.  Palahniuk is an excellent writer.  So much so that the story stayed with me after I put it down and made me feel super creepy.  It was a horror novel in it's truest form.  So if you're curious about why I was freaked out by this book, I would definitely check it out. 

Book Bucket List | Kindred

Happy July!  The beginning of July marks the half way point of the summer reading program.  Throughout the system, we've had many fun and exciting programs and thousands of books read by out patrons!  (If enough books are read by July 31, some lucky library staff members will get a pie in the face, so keep on reading!)  This year's theme is "Fizz, Boom, Read!" celebrating science.  So I figured this is the perfect time to read a book that's been on my bucket list for awhile.

Kindred by Octavia Butler is technically classified as a science fiction novel.  The story follows the strange experiences of Dana, a writer living in the 1970's.  However, she starts getting transported back in time to a pre-Civil War Maryland plantation where her ancestors are kept as slaves.  Somehow, she starts going back and forth through time between the present and the past.  As her trips back in time start to get longer and longer, she gets tangled in the conflicts that her ancestors had to face in their daily lives.  Kindred is often used in schools and reading programs because of it's engaging narrative, realistic descriptions of slavery in America, and the powerful female protagonist.   

Once again, here is a book that I've put off that I'll finally get around to reading.  I will do my best do finish it by the end of summer reading!

Book Bucket List | LEGEND!

Last September, I was lucky enough  to get to spend some time with author and librarian, Nancy Pearl.  She was speaking at the kick off of the One Book, One San Joaquin program and unsurprisingly, we talked a lot about books.  We got on the topic of books being turned into movies and we were discussing the pros and cons of The Hunger Games movie, the soon to be released Divergent movie, and Maze Runner.  Pearl asked me if I had read the Legend series and I hadn't.  She was really excited about the book and the author, who resides in the Bay Area.  So whenever I saw someone check out Legend, I always remembered that Nancy Pearl recommended it to me, but I still never checked it out... and I never checked it out...and I never checked it out.

Last week, I was at home with nothing to do and had just finished both books I was reading. (The life and times of William Masters and Virginia Johnson, the couple who taught America how to love by Thomas Maier and The Winner's Curse by Marie Rutkowski)  I was scouring the library's Overdrive site for something to read on my kindle, when it occurred to me, I still hadn't taken Nancy Pearl's recommendation!  I was still skeptical, (because really, how many dystopian teen series can there really be?)but I figured I couldn't find anything else.  

So I started Legend, and I finished it that day.  I loved it.  I always find it interesting when I like one of the main characters, but don't care much for the other.  The story is about a very divided class society in a fledgling military nation.  June is a prodigy as far as the Republic is concerned.  She scored a perfect score on her trial (Sort of like our SAT but it determines your life even more than our test) and lives with her brother since her parents were killed in a car accident.  Day is a homeless teenager, fighting to survive on the streets of Los Angeles while doing all he can to bring the corrupt Republic to it's knees.

The Legend series consists of three books, Legend, Prodigy, and Champion.  If you liked the Hunger Games or Divergent, I would read these in a hurry.  Also, if Nancy Pearl ever gives you a personal book recommendation, take it!

Book Bucket List | China Dolls

A lot of the times when I find an author I really like, I end up binging on their books until I've read all, or with some, a good percentage of their work.  When I discovered the author, Lisa See, a couple of years ago,  I first read Shanghai Girls and then it's sequel Dreams of Joy.  That duo follows a family's immigration from China to America from the perspectives of two very different sisters.  I read two more of See's books, Peony in Love and Snow Flower and the Secret Fan.  See's books are full of dynamic and unique female characters.

Lisa See's latest book, China Dolls, just arrived at our library system.  The book takes place in San Francisco and follows the stories of three very different women.  These women form a strong friendship despite their stark differences in personality, upbringing, and status.  However, their bonds of friendship are strained once Pearl Harbor is bombed, marking the start of World War II for the United States.   Along with the well developed characters, I'm really enjoying the descriptions of San Francisco in the 1940's.  See always does a lot of research for her books so she can make them come alive with accurate and colorful descriptions.

I'm about half way through this book right now.  The further along I get the more secrets about the characters, Grace, Helen, and Ruby, come out.  I can't wait to finish to see what happens to each of them.

Book Bucket List | Fizz! Boom! Read!

Today is the first Monday of Summer Reading  This is pretty awesome for a few reasons.  First, if you sign up for the summer reading program, you can not only get a prize for finishing card, but you can enter a raffle to win a Kindle!  Where else can you read books to get prizes?  The other cool thing about summer reading is all of the FREE programs happening at all of our branches!

Just this week, we have a number of things going on:

Today! Monday, June 2:

Our Mountain House Branch Library is hosting a Summer Reading Kickoff Party at 5:00 pm.  There will be crafts along with summer reading sign ups where you can get your book bag, bookmark, and a special prize!

Tuesday June 3:

At the Ripon Branch, teens are invited to come to make painted galaxy t-shirts or tote bags!  Supplies will be provided, but if you want to decorate other items, like backpacks or scarves, bring your own!  This program starts at 2:00 on June 3.

At 5:00 pm at the Mountain House Library, they are hosting another awesome program, this time for teens.  In this program, teens will find out about the math behind such art-forms as string-art and M. C. Escher-type tessellations. Teens will also have a chance to make their own art and display it in a "Mathematical Art Show" ending on July 31.

The Summer Reading Kickoff Party at the Tracy Branch Library starts at 3:00 pm.  They're having a special 'tasty' party and signing children, teens, and adults up for summer reading!

Wednesday, June 4:

The Manteca Branch Library is kicking off the Summer Reading program with two shows from Magic Dan!  Come enjoy the magic and sign up for summer reading.  There will be two shows, the first starting at 1:30 pm and the second at 3:00 pm! 

The Ripon Branch Library invites children to the Book Buddy and Paws for Reading Program, every Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Teen, adult, and therapy dog volunteers are available to sit and listen to children read.  Alternately, volunteers may also read to the kids.  This is a great way to keep up reading activities over the summer and great practice for reading aloud.

The Escalon Library is hosting several fun Summer Reading Program on Wednesdays in the month of June. Brian Scott's Biblio Spectacular will arrive on June 4th at 3 p.m. 

At the Lathrop Library at 3:00 pm, our local lady clown Miss Sparkles Delight will truly delight children of all ages!  Come enjoy her hysterical antics, stories, and colorful costumes, for free for the whole family! 

Thursday, June 5:

At the Linden Library at 2:30 pm, join us for snakes and more when the Serpentarium comes to Linden to show off all kinds of cool reptiles and animals. Come early for a good seat because this show will be crowded! 

At the Ripon Branch Library at 2 pm, watch as Aladdin thwarts the evil sorcerer, discovers the magical lamp, befriends the powerful genie, and saves the princess.  Traditional music and intricate costumes showcase storytelling from ancient cultures of the Far East. Utilizing dramatic staging, The Fratello Marionettes present this magical tale as it has never been seen before. 

At the Maya Angelou Branch Library, join us at 3:30 to enjoy the Steve Chaney & Corny Crow Ventriloquism show!  Families are invited to join us for the fun! 

At the Cesar Chavez Central Library at 3:30 pm,, kick off the 2014 Summer Reading Club -- Fizz! Boom! Read! -- with an entertaining AND educational event for the whole family! 

At the Tracy Branch Library at 4:00 pm, come watch Rav the Magician turn a room full of kids, into a room full of smiling, clapping kids! Join us as we welcome Rav the Magician to help us get our Summer Reading Program underway. 

 At the Troke Branch Library, join us for the Summer Reading Program Kickoff Party with Eva Fox. Eva and one more clown will come to the Troke Library and will do face  painting and make balloons for children. Popcorn will be served. Come join us and sign up for Summer Reading Program; all ages. 

Saturday June 7:

On Saturday, June 7, the Manteca Branch Library at 2:00 pm, will be offering Crochet with Norma Lynn!  Have you ever wanted to learn to crochet? Learn from local crochet master, NormaLynn Hood! Our teacher will show you the basics in getting started with this fun and informative class! After the program, check out books and other media related to crochet and other needlework projects!

Book Bucket List | Songs of Willow Frost

A while ago, I posted about this wonderful book I read by Jamie Ford, Hotel at the Corner of Bitter and Sweet.  The story was set in WWII-era Seattle and about the Japanese-Americans sent to internment camps.  The story followed a young couple who were torn apart and their story that spanned years and years.

Recently, Jaime Ford released Songs of Willow Frost, a historical fiction novel set in Seattle during the Great Depression. William Eng is a twelve year old living at an orphanage and knows he has little chance to ever be adopted after his mother's death.  However, on a rare outing into the outside world, William sees a woman singing on the big screen during a movie and is absolutely certain it's his real mother.  William and his closest friend run away from the orphanage in an attempt to find her.  The story shifts between William's adventure and his mother Willow's story about why she had to give up William in the first place. 

I love the city of Seattle, so reading about what it was like in the 20's and 30's was very interesting.  A lot of the book is about the obstacles, prejudices, and injustices that Willow faced as a young mother during that time period.  Some of it was hard to read, but it was very enlightening and made me appreciate what opportunities are available to women today.  If you're in the mood for a family drama or historical novel, be sure to check this one out.

Book Bucket List | Divergent: Abnegation

A few weeks ago, Panteha wrote a post about the popular YA series, Divergent.  For those of you who have already read the books, the short stories, and seen the movie, you can still enjoy the world of Divergent.

First of all, if you haven't already, take a quiz to find out which faction you're suited for.  There's a great quiz on Buzzfeed that will tell you where you'd probably belong.  I just got Dauntless.  

So let's pretend we live in a factioned society like our friends from Divergent.  We'd all have separate interests, jobs, and even friends.

For example, if you were living in Abnegation, the selfless group that does volunteer work and works for the government,  you might be interested in these titles below:

Something Like Hope by Shawn Goodwin  A young girl in lockup wants to turn her life around, and she finds out the best way to do this is helping others.

Scarlet by A. C. Gaughen. This book mirrors the story of Robin Hood, but this time the story features a young woman who sacrifices herself for the good of others.

If I Stay by Gayle Forman .  This heart wrenching book is about a girl's choices to support her family over her own wants and needs.

Book Bucket List | Miss Rumphius

We are lucky enough to get many materials donated to us here at the Manteca Branch.  What we cannot use at the library goes to the book sale run by the Friends of the Manteca Library.  They sell books, dvds, cds, magazines, and children's materials at very reasonable prices. I think most things sell for below $2.00 each.  It is a wonderful service run by volunteers and the proceeds support the library and our services.

A book that was donated to us this last week is Barbara Cooney's Miss Rumphius.  I recognized the cover very quickly and soon realized it was a book I loved from my childhood.  The story is about Miss Alice Rumphius, who at a young age was taught by her grandfather to do something in her lifetime to make the world more beautiful.  Miss Rumphius has many adventures (she even works at a library!) but decides she needs to take her grandfather's words to heart and spread beauty around the world.  She decides that she is going to plant flowers in as many places as she can and is soon known as "the Lilac Lady."  When she is older, Miss Rumphius teaches her niece that she also needs to spread beauty during her lifetime.

This is a really beautiful story with very detailed illustrations.  It not only gives a nice lesson to children that will hear or read the story, but adults can apply these lessons to their own lives as well.  So if you're in the mood to make the world a little more beautiful, go plant some flowers and read Miss Rumphius!

Book Bucket List | Disney's Frozen and The Snow Queen

Elsa says, "Pin please!"

Disney's latest animated film, Frozen, is a huge hit.  It was released on November 27, 2013 and is still in theaters.  I can't remember when a movie is being released on DVD and the film is still being shown. One of our patrons was kind enough to make us a paper doll of the character Elsa, and boy is she popular.  We get patrons of all ages asking us : a.) If they can have her.  b.) If they can buy her. c.) Who made her and if they're selling her.  So obviously Frozen fever is still around.

So if you're a Frozen fan, here are some fun facts about the movie:

• The character of Elsa was originally supposed to be the film's villain, but the song "Let It Go" was so inspiring that they didn't want to give the song to a villain.  The producers reworked the entire story so that Elsa is innocent and at the mercy of her powers.
• A lot of Olaf's lines were improvised to make the filmmakers laugh.
• The characters Hans, Kristof, Anna, and Sven were named after Hans Christian Anderson.  If you say the names quickly, they sound like Hans Christian Anderson!
• Tangled's Flynn Rider and Rapunzel make a cameo appearance during Anna's "For the First Time in Forever".

Something that not everyone knows about Frozen is that it has been an idea floating around the Disney vault for years.  It has had numerous names and crews that haven't worked out..  They were basing the story on Hans Christian Anderson's The Snow Queen.  We have many versions of this in our system, so be sure to check out the original Frozen story!  We also have non-Disney adaptations of this story, like the picture book The Snow Queen: a retelling of the fairy tale.

Disney has also uploaded the Academy Award winning song "Let it go" to their youtube channel.  You can enjoy it below!

Book Bucket List | The Museum of Extraordinary Things

I love book reviews that mention other books. Comparing and contrasting books, especially popular titles where even if you haven't read them you know the general idea behind them, is a easy and quick way to know if I'm possibly interested in reading the new title.  One of my favorite websites to read book reviews is Goodreads.  You can post your progress on the books you're reading, read your friends reviews (if you're linked through Facebook), and even get status updates from authors on their latest works.

 If the review compares the books to books I haven't liked in the past, then I usually won't bother reading it.  But every once in awhile, there's a review that compares a book to more than one of my favorites and then I try to get my hands on that title as soon as possible.  That's how I ended up reading Divergent, which I ended up liking more than The Hunger Games.

A recent example of this is when I was reading reviews of popular new releases, and I came across the book The Museum of Extraordinary Things by Alice Hoffman. I'm not going to quote the review, because it would give away major spoilers (Thanks reviewer!) but it compared it to the Night Circus and Water for Elephants.  Since I enjoyed both of these books, I'm hopeful that I'll enjoy Hoffman's new book which I'm now officially putting on my bucket list.

Book Bucket List | Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children

A few weeks ago, I wrote about some of the series that have new books coming out this year.  One of them was Ransom Rigg's Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children.  The second book in the series, Hollow City, was released earlier this year.  And while I wrote about them, I had never read the actual book so checked it out on my Kindle over our Overdrive app.  I finished it in two days.  It was fantastic and the most I've enjoyed a fantasy book since Harry Potter.  I put myself on the hold list for Hollow City and finished that quickly too. 

Jacob, a self described average teenager, is bored of his life as a privileged kid in Florida.  He works part time at a drug store and is constantly trying to handle his eccentric grandfather. Jacob's grandfather has always had a mysterious past, but once the circumstances involving his death are suspicious, Jacob is drawn into a world he thought only existed in fairy tales.

Hollow city, the sequel, takes off exactly where the first book leaves off.  There's no break in the action, and it's easy to dive right back into the story. (Though in my case there was no break between finishing the first and starting the second book.)  There is more action, more character development, and definitely more peculiarity in this sequel.

The books also contain real photographs that have had little to no doctoring.  The strangeness of these real photos adds a lot of realism to the otherwise fantastical books.

Book Bucket List | Time to Read up on Gardening...

It's almost Spring! I'm excited about this for a couple of reasons.  One, that it will hopefully keep raining, and two, that I get to start gardening in earnest. Last year was the first year that I ever put in much effort with gardening, and it soon became one of my favorite hobbies.  Since I'm still a newbie, I've been looking up some of the highest recommended books by expert gardeners.

Beverley Nichol's classic Down the Garden Path  contains Nichol's autobiographical trials and tribulations, and a lot of funny stories, about her attempt to turn a lifeless lot into a beautiful garden.  For a beginner like myself, it provides a lot of tips and tricks as well as reassurance that I'm not a complete failure as a gardener.

Onward and Upward in the Garden is another great resource for gardeners.  In 1925, Katharine White published 14 articles for The New Yorker on gardening.  After her death in 1958, her husband E.B. White, assembled her work and had them published together as a book.  These articles are considered classics that every gardener should read at some point in their gardening careers.

Our libraries also carry one of my favorite gardening magazines, Sunset.  This magazine not only has articles about gardening in our local climate, but information about getaways, recipes, and other awesome things on the west coast.  It's a magazine I read every month because it has so much interesting semi-local information.  Magazines can also be checked out for three weeks at a time, just like books! So next time you're in, flip through a copy and see what you think.

Book Bucket List | Knowing your limits...

The Nancy Pearl Action Figure

I'm not ashamed to admit it.  I have, and will, stopped reading books and never finished them.  I hate the feeling when I absolutely HAVE to finish a book and dislike it so much I have to force myself to read it.  Sometimes I feel guilty, because it was a recommendation from a friend or a super popular best seller, but if I have no interest, I can't bring myself to pick it back up.  I feel even worse when it's a book that's been on my bucket list, and it turns out I can't finish.  I don't feel guilty as often any more though, because I was taught a very important lesson.  

This last September when Nancy Pearl kicked off the One Book, One San Joaquin program, she talked a little about how to determine if you should stop reading a book or not. Nancy talked about her "Rule of 50".  If you're 50 years old or younger, if you don't like a book by 50 pages, then it's time to stop.  If you're over 50, subtract your age from 100, and then that's how many pages you should stop after. (Her reasoning is "Why waste precious time?")

So the question is, after all of this, how do you find books that you'll actually like?  A great resource is Nancy Pearl's own books about books, Book Lust, More Book Lust, and Book Crush for younger readers. In each of these titles, Pearl gives her expert advice on what to read for every "mood, moment, and interest."  I've gotten a few good titles from these books, and am pleased to let you know that I've even stopped reading one after 50 pages. (And didn't feel bad!)

Book Bucket List | Academy Award Nominations... for movies based on books

Break out the champagne and $10,000 dresses, the Academy Awards are just around the corner!  The awards this year feature quite a few movies based on books.  Luckily, our libraries carry these titles, so you can find out what the original stories were like before they were made into the year's best films.

The film, Philomena, is based on the book of the same name follows the story of Philomena Lee, who was forced to give up her child for adoption in Ireland because she was unmarried.  Fifty years later, she joins forces with a journalist to find out what happened to her son.  This film is nominated for Best Picture and Best Actress for Judi Dench.  This book is available to our patrons from our Link+ system.

12 Years as a Slave by Solomon Northup was made into a movie this past year featuring some of the best acting, editing, and screenwriting of the year.  It's nominated for numerous awards including Best Picture.  It is the true story of Solomon Northup written by him in 1853.  Northup was living as a free man in New York, but was later kidnapped and sold into slavery in New Orleans.  The book is Northup's memoir of his experiences as a slave and what it took for him to reunite with his family.


Catching the Wolf of Wall Street by Jordan Belfort was made into the Wolf of Wall Street film by Martin Scorsese.  It's up for a ton of awards too, so everything will have some stiff competition.  This second book by Belfort was written after he spent two years in prison for securities fraud.  This book holds Belfort's reflections of what he did including all of the crazy illegal activities he partook in.

Book Bucket List | Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

A while ago, I was asking for books to feature in a post for Valentine's Day.  A friend recommended Jamie Ford's Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet and I added it to my "romantic books" list.  It's been awhile since I wrote the post, but I never forgot that book was one I wanted to read.  So this weekend, I finally picked it up and gave it a go, and I LOVED IT.  It had history, featured my favorite city (Seattle), and had a wonderful, and at times heart wrenching, story about two people living in a tumultuous time.

The story is told from the perspective of Henry, a young Chinese-American boy attending an all-white prep school in Seattle in 1942.  He hates his school, but attends because of all the trouble his parents went through to get him into the school on scholarship.  However, things are looking up for Henry when Keiko, a Japanese-American girl starts at the school and begins working with him in the cafeteria.  They start spending time together, which Henry's father absolutely does not approve of, and you can imagine what happens next.  However, with the war developing in the East, American hackles are up and before they know it, Keiko and her family are facing deportation to Japanese Internment camps.  The story focuses on how far one is willing to go for the one they love and how much people can change and adapt to their circumstances.

Jamie Ford released Songs of Willow Frost this last year and am reading it as soon as I can get my hands on a copy.

So as a thank you to my friend who recommended this wonderful book to me, here is a picture of some turtles, because she does indeed love turtles.

Book Bucket List | New Series for a New Year!

I've been in a reading rut lately where it's been hard for me to keep reading a new book after starting.  I was looking through books that are coming out in 2014, and a lot of them are the latest in a series.  So here are a few series to start if you need extended reading material.

Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children by Ransom Riggs was one of the most popular paranormal books in the last couple of years.  The story follows Jacob, a sixteen year old reeling from a recent family tragedy.  On the island of Wales, he comes across an abandoned orphanage and finds clues about what happened to its residents and why they're no longer there. Hollow City is the next book in this series and it comes out on April 14th.  Jacob ends up in London, which is the hotbed of Peculiars.  Unfortunately, Jacob and his friends are at risk again, but this time from a super natural threat.

The Lunar Chronicles by Marissa Meyer is an updated take on the Cinderella story.  Instead of being the downtrodden step sister, Cinder is half android, which makes her a second class citizen.  However, she is unaware of her true identity which turns out to be too dangerous of a secret.  The third book in the series, Cress, is being released this February.

Warm Bodies by Isaac Marion was a popular title after it's release because it was almost a spoof on teen romance stories like Twilight. (Because honestly, who falls in love with a zombie??)  In a recent interview, Marion said that he set out for Warm Bodies to be a self contained story in a single book, but the world kept expanding in his mind.  In 2014, the sequel to Warm Bodies will be released.  You can also see the film based on the first book, which we have in our collection.

Book Bucket List | Gift Books!

It's December 20th. I have only three real days of shopping left.  I'm still not done and I'm trying not to completely freak out.  (Brothers of mine, I promise you won't go without!) Since I always end up scouring the internet for gift ideas last minute, I thought I would make a list of my own. 

Here's a few bookish gift ideas:

The picture book This is Not My Hat by Jon Klassen is not only hilarious, but  imparts some helpful life lessons as well.  It is the 2013 winner of the Caldecott Medal from the American Library Association too.  Follow the journey of a little fish who just happens to "find" a hat. Yikes!

Katherine Applegate's The One and Only Ivan is the Newbery Award winner for 2013.  The story is about Ivan, the gorilla happily living at a mall.  He loves his fellow animal friends and likes to focus on his art.  However, when Ivan meets the baby elephant Ruby, who was taken away from her elephant family, Ivan's perspective on life quickly changes.  This chapter book would be perfect for a young reader. (The cover is also one of my favorites this year!)

Teens are almost the easiest to buy for this season.  There are so many popular series out that appeal to fans of multiple genres.  Suzanne Collin's The Hunger Games series is still huge, especially with the recent release of Catching Fire in theaters.  Veronica Roth's Divergent series is another good option, as the movie in that series will be coming out this March. (Yay!)  And as always, there's Harry Potter. (Shameless plug, I know)

One of my favorite books I read this year was James McBride's The Color of Water.  This year, McBride's new book The Good Lord Bird won the National Book Award for Fiction from the National Book Foundation.  The story begins in 1857 when the young slave, Henry Shackleford, leaves the Kansas territory with abolitionist  John Brown after a violent argument.  However, after a case of mistaken identity, Brown believes Henry is actually a girl.  The pair eventually end up at Harper's Ferry, one of the many catalysts of the Civil War.

Vader's Little Princess and Darth Vader and Son are some of the funniest Star Wars books I've ever seen.  If Lord Vader ever knew about the existence of his children (sorry spoiler alert), then maybe the scenes in these books may have actually happened.  Very funny and good for all ages!

For lovers of non-fiction, the recent release of Hitler's Furies: German Women in the Nazi Killing Fields by Wendy Lower is really fascinating.  Lower has done quite a bit of research on the involvement of the much ignored presence of women in Nazi Germany.  This is a must read for any history buff.