What’s better than free?

Not much in my opinion which is why I think libraries are pretty special.  If you like free too and science fiction, I suggest you make your way over to Cory Doctorow’s (author of Little Brother) website so you can download his free and gripping novella, The Great Big Beautiful Tomorrow.

“In a Disney-dominated future, a transhuman teenager engages in high velocity adventures until he meets the ‘meat girl’ of his dreams and is forced to choose between immortality and sex in one of Cory Doctorow’s most daring novellas.”

Edited: May 7th, 2012

The New Abraham Lincoln Award List

The new list of books nominated for the Abraham Lincoln Award was just posted the other today.  Here is your chance to get a head start on it for next year…

Anna & The French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins

Bruiser by Neal Shusterman

The Chosen One by Carol Lynch Williams

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare*

Dark Song by Gail Giles

Finnikin at the Rock by Melina Marchetta

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Impossible by Nancy Werlin*

Impulse by Ellen Hopkins

Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld*

Little Brother by Cory Doctorow

Lockdown: Escape from the Furnace by Alexander G. Smith

Matched by Ally Condie

The Monstrumologist by Rick Yancey*

North of Beautiful by Justina Chen Headley

Paranormalcy by Kiersten White

Rikers High by Paul Volponi

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

The Sky Is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

War by Sebastian Junger

Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan

Edited: March 14th, 2012

Read the Abe’s!!!

“Read the Abe’s” is a new series were I, your friendly, neighborhood librarian, highlights an Abraham Lincoln Award nominee every other week.”

Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Going Bovine is a hard one to explain, but what a wild, crazy, and fun read!  After being diagnosed with a terminal illness, Cam sets out on wackiest of all road trips to find a cure.  He believes there is a cure because Dulcie, his quirky, punk guardian angel tells him there is.  That’s only the beginning of the strangeness. Cam is also accompanied by a video game obsessed dwarf and a garden gnome who claims to be the Nordic god, Baldur.  The rest of the book can best be summed up…hilarity ensues.  How can it not with a crew like this?  The best and the most frustrating part of this books is that you never quite know if this story is happening in real life or if Cam is just hallucinating it.  Bray provides ample evidence for both, but she never says definitively either way.  I like that she leaves it up to the reader to decide.  This is a great book for people who enjoy reading about heavy subjects with a healthy dose of humor.

Next Up:  Wish You Were Dead by Todd Strasser

Edited: February 9th, 2012

Top 10 Graphic Novels and Manga

Here are the Top Ten Graphic Novels and Manga of 2011!

1. Naruto Vol. 50 by Masashi Kishimoto

2. The Walking Dead, Book 1 by Robert Kirkman

3. The Walking Dead, Book 6 by Robert Kirkman

4. The Walking Dead, Book 2 by Robert Kirkman

5. Maximum Ride by James Patterson

6.  Brightest Day by NaRae Lee

7.  The Walking Dead, Book 4 by Robert Kirkman

8. The Avengers, Vol. 1 by Brian Michael Bendis

9. Black Butler by Yana Toboso

10. Scarlet by Brian Michael Bendis

Again, these are just the Top Ten. Graphic Novels and Manga were super popular this year. You all checked out over 1,342 individual titles out of the 1,645 titles in the collection.  That’s over 80%!

Edited: February 1st, 2012

Top Ten Most Checked Out Books of 2011

This is a little late, but I just figured out how to find this information!  Here are the most checked out books of last year…

1. The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

2. Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

3. Hush, Hush by Becca Fitzpatrick

4. Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

5. Crescendo by Becca Fitzpatrick

6. Crank by Ellen Hopkins

7. Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles

8. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

9.  Th1rteen R3asons Why by Jay Asher

10. Fallout by Ellen Hopkins

These are just the top ten.  You all also checked out over 1,150 invididual books out of 1,790 total books in the Teen Collection. This far exceeded my expectations for the year. This doesn’t even include Graphic Novels and Manga.  Keep it up in 2012!

Edited: January 31st, 2012

Printz Award Winner!

Here are this year’s Printz Award winner and honor books…

2012 Winner

Where Things Come Back by John Corey Whaley

“Witty, sardonic Cullen Witter agonizes over the disappearance of his beloved brother, Gabriel, while everyone else in his stiflingly dull Arkansas town thrills to the apparent return of a long-extinct woodpecker. Kidnapping, bromance, arcane religious texts, and ornithology collide in this ground-breaking coming-of-age tale.”

2012 Honor Books

Why We Broke Up by Daniel Handler

“In this beautiful piece of bookmaking, heartbroken movie obsessive Min Green dumps a box of relationship ephemera on ex-love Ed Slaterton’s porch, each item attached to a raging, loving, insecure and regretful letter explaining how each memento contributed to their breakup.”

The Returning by Christine Hinwood

“A large cast of characters from two fictional kingdoms recover from a drawn-out, brutal war in a portrait both sweeping and specific as it explores the ramifications of the conflict on Cam, the only one who lives to return to his village.”

Jasper Jones by Craig Silvey

“Spurred by the mysterious death of a schoolmate, Charlie confronts racism and his fears as he learns about family, friendship and love in the oppressive heat of small-town 1960s Australia. Silvey weaves themes of freedom and loyalty with moments of humor in this wrenching novel.”

The Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

“A bloody, intoxicating horse race on the Island of Thisby is the backdrop for this atmospheric novel. The heart-pounding story pits two teens against death – to win is to survive.”

Edited: January 24th, 2012

Read the Abe’s!!

“Read the Abe’s” is a new series were I, your friendly, neighborhood librarian, highlights an Abraham Lincoln Award nominee every other week.”

Reality Check by Peter Abrahams

Cody is almost 17 and on top of the world.  He has a bright future as a football star and awesome girlfriend, Clea, but it all comes crashing down.  Shortly after learning Clea is leaving town to attend a wealthy boarding school in New England, Cody breaks up with her and soon after suffers a career ending knee injury.  With his future taken away from him, Cody loses interest in school and soon just stops going to take a full-time job delivering construction materials.  It is only when he learns Clea has disappeared from her boarding school that Cody snaps out of his aimless state.  Unable to get Clea out his head, Cody drives across the country to join the search.

In spite of the somewhat familiar story (boy from the wrong side of the tracks falls for the wealthy, smart girl), I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  Abrahams is a master at writing suspenseful and gripping mysteries.  I couldn’t put it down.  For me, the most important thing when it comes to mysteries is if the story is believable.  Can a 17 year old in a strange town really solve the mystery behind the disappearance of another person?  In some respects, I think this is a tall order, but Abrahams executes beautifully.   All the clues Cody either stumbles on or figures out seem natural and not forced.  It sucked me in.  I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fast- paced and  thrilling mysteries.

Next up:  Going Bovine by Libba Bray

Edited: January 19th, 2012

Read the Abe’s!!

“Read the Abe’s” is a new series were I, your friendly, neighborhood librarian, highlights an Abraham Lincoln Award nominee every other week.

I have never been the biggest fan of the Alice in Wonderland stories,  so when I read “Lewis Carrol got it all wrong” my interest was piqued.  In The Looking Glass Wars,  Frank Beddor takes all the characters and basic story from Alice in Wonderland and stands them on their head.  Gone is the helpless Alice and in her place is a deposed heir to the throne who can use her imagination as a powerful weapon.  Gone is the kooky Mad Hatter and in his place is Hatter Madigan an elite, bodyguard.  And perhaps the biggest change is that Alice isn’t lost Wonderland this time…Alyss is lost in our world.  She is forced to flee to our world after her evil aunt, Red (Queen of Hearts), steals for the throne from Alyss’ mother.  She desperately trying to get back to her own world to take back the throne from Red.  Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I thought it was a clever retelling of classic story.   There is plenty of action and a compelling story.  This book really gripped me from beginning to end.  Most fantasy lovers will have a hard time putting it down.

Next up:  Reality Check by Peter Abrahams

Edited: January 6th, 2012

Read the Abe’s

“Read the Abe’s” is a new series were I, your friendly, neighborhood librarian, highlights an Abraham Lincoln Award nominee every week.

Only one word can do World War Z justice and that word is AWESOME!  I haven’t read too many zombie books before, but this one blew my mind.  I loved every minute of it.  The book is a sort documentary. Unlike most zombie movies or books, it takes place after the fact.  Every chapter is a story told from a different perspective detailing the person’s unique experience during the zombie apocalypse.  The stories range from everyday people and their struggle to survive to soldiers recalling battles fighting huge swarms of “zack.”  Each one as interesting and fun as the last.  I really enjoyed the documentary style with this book.  I thought it made the book flow well.  I also appreciated all the different perspectives.  Most zombie stuff deals primarily with normal people trying to survive, but World War Z tells the story of doctors researching zombies and politicians trying to organize the survivors.  The book’s scope is much larger than what I am used to.  So if you have looking for an fun, gruesome, and action-packed read, I would definitely recommend World War Z.

PS – World War Z will be coming out on the big screen next year starring Brad Pitt.
Next up: The Looking Glass Wars by Frank Beddor

Edited: December 8th, 2011

Read the Abe’s!

“Read the Abe’s” is a new series were I, your friendly, neighborhood librarian, highlights an Abraham Lincoln Award nominee every week.

First up, If I Stay by Gayle Foreman…

I don’t know what I was expecting when I picked this book up, but I was absolutely wowed.  In many ways, it was unlike anything I have ever read before.  When it comes down to it, the book is all about choices.  The book starts out with Mia facing what she thinks is the biggest choice of her life.  She has to decide between following her dream to go to Julliard or sticking close to home to be with her family and boyfriend.  Does she stay or does she go? It is tough choice, but a tragic accident rips it away from her and her decision to stay or to go takes on a whole new meaning.

If I Stay is the kind of book that grabs you from page one and never lets you go.  Its got everything you could want: happiness and sorrow, pain and tenderness, laughter and tears, love and loss… This is the type of book that stays with you long after you finish it.

Next up:  World War Z by Max Brooks

Edited: November 29th, 2011