The Burning Sky by Sherry Thomas

The Burning Sky is about a young mage named Iolanthe Seabourne who discovers she has monumental powers and a terrifying destiny that awaits her. She, along with Prince Titus, who is nothing more than a figurehead for the Domain, his realm, must defeat the Bane in order to free the Domain from his crushing command, and win back Titus's power to rule.

What drew me to this book in the first place was its stunning cover art that graces it. You're not supposed to judge a book by its cover, but the cover is the very thing that drew me to this particular book. After seeing it, I knew it was a book that I just had to read.

I'm glad that I did. The writing style and story sucked me in so hard that I felt as though I was part of the story, toiling along right beside Iolanthe and Titus as they went about their suicidal task of defeating the Bane. It's a book that will keep you up all night to finish it if you're not careful.

The ending is a non cliff hanger, but because the book is part of a trilogy, there are many unanswered questions left - enough that I dove right into the second book.

If you're a fan of fantasy and magic, I highly recommend this book. But, I warn you to be prepared to lose great chunks of time as you try to get to the end! 

-Amber

Check it out in the catalog here.

Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff

Amie Kaufman is at the top of her game right now.  I loved These Broken Stars, but what makes Illuminae so different is this book is dark. It's gritty, bloody and terrible.

It's not often you get a book that makes you seriously question whether or not there will be a good ending.  The format of the book is a dossier of interviews, surveillance footage, etc. Reading in this format didn't take me to long to adjust to and after a while, it all flowed seamlessly.

There is a lot of moral dilemma in this novel.  Whether is AIDAN trying to figure out how best to protect humans on the ship and deciding just who and what he is, to the Captain of the ship trying to do what's best for everyone.  And for being a dossier, it made me feel things.  I almost cried about 2/3 of the way in.

Why does this matter?  Because honestly, a book hasn't made me cry in quite a long time.  I don't know what that says about me... I do know this book also terrified me.  I don't like zombies, but this plague was so much more terrifying.  (DON'T read with your back to the door in a relatively dark room, when you're home alone.  Just a WARNING!)

The visuals were amazing.  There where coffee stains, fingerprints, blood even.  I felt like I was in that place, running alongside Kady or in the mind of AIDAN.

Check it out in our catalog here.

~ Kilie

The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher

The Aeronaut's Windlass by Jim Butcher is about a world where crystals power the realm. These

crystals give the airships their flight, as well as grow their food. The cities, or Spires as they are called, are built levels above the surface level, which is dangerous and inhabited by deadly beasts. This makes natural resources fairly scarce Because of this, everyone wants what everyone else has. Including other Spires.

Which leads us to the Privateer Captain Grim, a dishonorably discharged Fleet Captain. When his airship, the Predator, is badly damaged by an encounter with another Spire's battle ship after he tried to over take a plump Merchant ship, Captain Grim fears that it may take him years to come up with the funds, if ever, to repair her. It is at this time that his Spire's leader offers him a deal almost too good to pass up - make one delivery with no expectations of more, in exchange to have his ship outfitted with all the materials needed to repair her. It's a deal far too tempting for Captain Grim to pass up, and from there on, many interesting events transpire.

The Aeronaut's Windlass is labelled as Steampunk, and I wasn't sure what I was going to think when I picked it up. Steampunk is not a genre that I'm typically fond of, but since this one was by Jim Butcher, I thought I would give it a try. And I'm glad that I did! The Steampunk elements are not so overpowering as to distract from the story. Which I appreciated. However, this book takes a little bit to get into as one has to wade through a bit of technical jargon explaining how everything works. But once past that, the story truly begins to pick up pace.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book, and would highly recommend it to any Jim Butcher fans, and also encourage those not familiar with his work to give it a try as well.

Check it out in our catalog here.  

-Amber 

Staff Pick- Left Neglected by Lisa Genova

Sarah Nickerson is a career-driven supermom living in an affluent Boston suburb. She leads a hectic but charmed life with her husband and three children. She is the VP of human

resources at Berkley Consulting, but also fits in taking kids to soccer, daycare, piano lessons...and tries to make it home for dinner.  It's a wonder this over-achieving, over-scheduled mom has time to breathe!

But on one fateful day, a quick phone call on the way to work and taking her eyes off the road for one second changes her life forever. A traumatic brain injury completely erases the left side of her world and she must learn to pay close attention to details around her, including her formerly absent mother. She has no awareness of food on the left side of her plate, or even her own left hand and must search for answers in her semi-world. 

It's a story of learning independence and finding healing and understanding that perhaps her new, true life - the one away from her former hectic, over-scheduled one - a life of happiness and peace is greater than all the success in the world. This is the first book I've read by Lisa Genova and I was wonderfully impressed. I look forward to reading more of Lisa's novels!

Check it out in our catalog here. 

-Staci

 

Staff Pick- Oz, the Complete Collection Volume 1 by L. Frank Baum

This first volume of the Oz collection includes:

The Wonderful Wizard of Oz, The Marvelous Land of Oz and Ozma of Oz.

It has been a wonderful trip back to the Land of Oz.  I had forgotten how fun these stories are!  Also included at the beginning of each story is an introduction from Frank Baum, as to how each story came to be written.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first volume and I am looking forward to reading the next four volumes of the collection!

Check it out in our catalog here.

-Marion

Staff Pick- Rook by Sharon Cameron

Centuries after a shifting of the Earth's poles, the Sunken City that was once Paris is in the grips of a revolution. All who oppose the new regime are put to the blade, except for those who mysteriously disappear from their prison cells, a red-tipped rook feather left in their place. Is the mysterious Red Rook a savior of the innocent or a criminal?

Meanwhile, across the sea in the Commonwealth, Sophia Bellamy's arranged marriage to the wealthy René Hasard is the last chance to save her family from ruin. But when the search for the Red Rook comes straight to her doorstep, Sophia discovers that her fiancé is not all he seems. Which is only fair, because neither is she.

If you'd like to check out this title, take a look at our catalog here. 

-Susan

Staff Pick- Nimona

Here is the run-down of what I liked about Nimona:

1. The artwork.

2. The mixed element of magic and science.

3. The characters. (Especially Nimona and Lord Blackheart.)

4. Goldenloin and Blackheart’s hinted-at relationship.

There were about 2-3 different stories happening at the same time throughout the book. We get a little of Nimona’s story, more towards the end at least. We get to see the struggles that the “hero” Goldenloin faces while trying to do his duty. And lastly, we get to see more of the backstory behind what happened between Goldenloin and Blackheart.

The humor throughout was so dry and witty, I was completely on board. Nimona and Blackheart are just adorable together, so I was glad he let her stick around! (Although I don’t think Nimona would have accepted any other answer.)

If you'd like to check it out, you can find it in the catalog here. 

-Kilie

Staff Pick- The Portable Kipling

Rudyard Joseph Kipling. 1865-1936. Born in Bombay, India. He was a subject of Great Britain. Kipling was an author, poet and soldier. You may best know his work from The Jungle Book, Mandalay, or Danny Deever. While all of his works are representations of modern times as seen through the eyes and prism of someone who was born and passed more than 100 years ago, these works are as, or more relevant today then when first put to ink and quill. 

While any Kipling is better than no Kipling, I want to focus on the poem Gunga Din (1890). It is the story of a lowly water-boy at the bottom rung of India's cast system, providing water to the Queens Rifles fighting for the "right" for India to remain under the authority of Great Britain. Through Gunga Dins boyish antics and his zest for life he manages to teach the upper crust of England's elite the true meaning of the words friend, loyalty, and honor. This poem is evidence that social status, education, and skin color have no bearing on what beats in the heart of mankind and proves we are all cut from the same cloth. Kipling was a proficient writer. You can find numerous works of his right here in the OPL. I also suggest, The Gods of the Copybook Headings.

 If you'd like to check it out, you can find it in the catalog by clicking here.

-Mike

Staff Pick- The Martian

Originally released chapter by chapter on the author's blog and coming soon to the big screen, The Martian is a great read for letting your inner nerd free. Andy Weir, the author, was hired as a programmer at fifteen years of age and has been a software engineer ever since. The Martian is his first novel and reflects his devotion to relativistic physics, orbital mechanics, and the history of manned spaceflight.

Mark Watney is lost and presumed dead in a dust storm on Mars while the rest of the crew evacuates and heads home. Watney has plenty to overcome including injury, lack of food and water, damaged equipment, and governmental bureaucracy. Relying on his ingenuity and engineering skills, Mark tackles seemingly endless obstacles helping to facilitate his own rescue.

If you'd like to check it out, you can find it in the catalog by clicking here. 

-Julie

Staff Pick - Suck Your Stomach In & Put Some Color On!

Suck Your Stomach In & Put Some Color On! What Southern Mamas Tell their Daughters That the Rest of Y’all Should know Too
By Shellie Rushing Tomlinson

“My daddy raised me to be a lady.”  I have fell back on this phrase – more importantly – the teachings that went into the bringing up of a tomboy from Missouri, many times in my life.  It has gotten me through a lot.

Shelly Tomlinson has most definitely hit the nail on the head here, sharing sometimes hilarious stories, and quotes from folks all over the country -- about family -- being taught to love and support each other, enjoying good, home-cooked food, and above all, always using good manners!

Go ahead and wear your overalls to town.  If you’ve been raised right, your beauty will shine through!

This book made me smile.  It's a great summertime read!

Staff Pick - God Help the Child

Gold Help the Child tells the story of Bride who was born with dark, blue-black skin. Bride was raised by Sweetness, a mother who couldn’t bear to event touch her and whose affection stopped short of neglect. However, she grows to become a successful career woman in the cosmetics industry, and, with the help of a fashion consultant, learns to love herself through accentuating what her mother found so detestable.

Unexpectedly, Booker, the man Bride’s been seeing, skips town; his last words, “You not the woman I want.” This leads Bride to a trip through the country to Whiskey, Booker’s hometown. On the way, she wrecks her car and ends up spending six weeks recovering with a rural couple and Rain, the pale skinned girl they’ve also taken in.

When Bride's strength returns, she continues on her path to Whiskey where she plans to confront Booker. Along the way, we learn an important incident in Bride’s childhood that led to a series of events that came between the lovers.

Anger, pity, jealousy – Morrison develops her characters through their personal experiences and makes you feel something for them. God Help the Child is another wonderful book by the Pulitzer and Nobel prize winning author who doesn’t disappoint.

If you'd like to check it out, you can find it in our catalog by clicking here.

-William

Staff Pick - Downcast

Downcast is about Stephanie Starr, a girl going through her senior year of high school with no expectation that this year would be any different than previous years. Because of her over controlling mother, she has no personal life, and is situated on the bottom rung of the high school social ladder because of the dowdy clothing her mother makes her wear.

However, life is about to change for Stephanie when two brothers start going to her high school for their final year. Haley and Zachary Smith are both handsome, and have the popular kids all vying for their attention, but Haley is interested in just one girl - Stephanie.

Life as Stephanie knows it begins to unravel the more she gets to know Haley, and she's not sure if she should be thrilled by all the changes, or terrified. Just who is Haley Smith, why is he so determined to win her, and why is her mother suddenly beginning to act so strangely?

Downcast is a fast paced book that I found difficult to put down. Stephanie Starr is a very relatable character as she goes through the ups and downs in her life, trying to find answers to all the questions that just keep piling up. In the end, she just might get more than any girl could bargain for.

If you'd like to check it out, you can find it in our catalog by clicking here.

-Amber

Staff Pick - Nest

In 1972 home is a cozy nest on Cape Cod for eleven-year-old Naomi “Chirp” Orenstein, her older sister, Rachel; her psychiatrist father; and her dancer mother. But then Chirp’s mom develops symptoms of a serious disease, and everything changes. 

Chirp finds comfort in watching her beloved wild birds. She also finds a true friend in Joey, the mysterious boy who lives across the street. Together they create their own private world and come up with the perfect plan: Escape. Adventure. Discovery.  

-Publisher Description

This story was nothing short of beautiful. Chirp's mom develops MS and then spirals into a clinical depression. Chirp, her sister Rachel, and her father are doing their best to cope in a world that seems to be fighting against them.

Their story was touching, inspiring, and thoughtful. I loved Chirp and Joey's friendship. The subject matter is a smidge heavy at times, but it ends up being so profound. I'd recommend this to both children and adults alike.

If you'd like to check Nest out, you can find it in our catalog by clicking here.

-Kilie

Staff Pick - The Glass Sentence

I loved this book. The concept was unique and creative.

In 1891, in a world transformed by the Great Disruption - when all of the continents were flung into different time periods, thirteen-year-old Sophia Tims and her friend Theo go in search of Sophia's uncle, Shadrack Elli, Boston's foremost cartologer, who has been kidnapped.

I enjoyed, not only the suspense in the search for Sophia’s uncle, but also the descriptions of the different parts of the world.

I highly recommend this book. If you'd like to check it out, you can find it in our online catalog by clicking here.

-Susan

Staff Pick - Percy Jackson and the Olympians

Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightening Thief is the first in Rick Riordan’s series that follows the adventures of Percy Jackson, the half mortal son of Poseidon, the Greek god of the Sea. Unaware of his godly heritage, twelve year old Perseus “Percy” Jackson starts to learn of his true identity after an encounter with his pre-algebra teacher, who transforms into a mythological creature called a Fury and attacks him.

Sent home for summer vacation, Percy plans to enjoy a trip to the beach with his mother, until a giant Minotaur attacks them and sends her to the underworld. He wakes up at Camp Half-Blood where he learns that his best friend is a satyr (half goat) and his favorite teacher is a centaur. Oh, and that he’s the son of Poseidon, who’s currently in a quarrel with Zeus and Hades about the location of Zeus’s missing master lightning bolt.

That quarrel sends Percy off on a quest across America to return the master bolt to Mount Olympus, a portal to which is now conveniently located in New York City. Whether it’s a fight with a mythological beast or escaping from an ambush, the pages of this book are filled with action that will carry you through to the end. An exciting and enlightening read!

If you'd like to check out The Lightning Thief, you can find it in our catalog by clicking here.

-William

Staff Pick - My Name Is Mary Sutter

I first heard about this book at the Iowa Library Association Conference. It was the book chosen as All Iowa Reads book for 2015. It sounded like a good story and when I saw our copy one day, I picked it up.

This story is about a young woman living in Albany, New York just prior to the Civil War. Mary's mother, Amelia is a well-known midwife. Since they were very young, Amelia took her children along when she had a delivery scheduled that would take some time away from home.

Mary quickly became Amelia's diligent helper and learned everything she could about childbirth. Mary and her twin sister, Jenny, turned 20 yrs. old the day their father died in Sept. 1860. The day after his funeral, Mary wrote her first letter to request admission to the Albany Medical School. Her deepest wish was to become a surgeon.

As she leaves for the city of Washington, she plans to do whatever she can to become a nurse while the war rages around her. She couldn't have guessed how difficult it would be to be taken seriously. She is turned down by Dorothea Dix, Female Superintendent of Army Nurses. When Mary arrives at the Union Hotel, it has been occupied as a Hospital. It is old and dirty and not ideal as a Hospital, but Mary goes to work doing anything that needs done. Mopping floors, washing bedding and when the first wounded soldiers come it is Mary working alongside Dr. Stipp taking care of them as best as anyone can.

Mary's story gives the reader a first hand look at the difficulties in the medical field during the Civil War. Mary leaves her family home and it's comforts behind in Albany and learns many new things in the care of soldiers and their wounds.

If you'd like to read My Name Is Mary Sutter, you can find it in our online catalog by clicking here.

- Cindy

Staff Pick - Throne of Glass

I cannot say enough about Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas. I was pretty excited about a YA book being about an assassin rather than vampires, werewolves, or some other overdone creature.

"In a land without magic, where the king rules with an iron hand, an assassin is summoned to the castle. She comes not to kill the king, but to win her freedom. If she defeats twenty-three killers, thieves, and warriors in a competition, she is released from prison to serve as the king's champion. Her name is Celaena Sardothien." 

What I loved about this book, among many other things, was the action. Most teen books dull down the action and blood, but this book doesn't disappoint. It's dark, grisly and wonderful. The characters are fabulous as well.

Celaena is cocky, sarcastic, and tough. Normally you wouldn't care for a person like that but it works so well here. The Crown Prince is charming and a bit spoiled and the Captain of the Guard is swoon-worthy.

It has everything. Princes, action, magic, romance and awesome swords. What more could you want in a book? If you ever need a heroine that kicks serious butt, pick up this book. Seriously. You can find it in our online catalog by clicking here.

-Kilie

Staff Pick - Sunshine

Rae Seddon, known by everyone as Sunshine, has grown up working in her stepfather's bakery since her teens in a post apocalyptic world where Vampires rule a fifth of the world and the SOF (Special Other Forces) do their best to protect the population.

Sunshine wants nothing more than a normal life making cinnamon rolls for her stepfather and hanging out with her ex boyfriend, Mel.

One night, Sunshine wants to get away from everyone for a while and decides to drive down to the lake, to the house belonging to her father where no one has lived since the wars broke out.

It was a choice one might call the biggest mistake of her life as she's taken captive by Vampires and chained up inside a ball room with another captive of theirs - a vampire named Constantine, who is also chained, and becoming quite hungry.

Sunshine is a story about alliances being made where one might least expect them, and shows that the world might be made up of more shades of grey than anyone might have been able to believe. It's not your typical vampire story, that's for sure.

I really enjoyed reading Sunshine. When I picked it up, I was curious, and not sure what to expect. McKinley often finds a way to spin an old concept, or story, and make it feel new again, and that's what she did here.

So, if you're looking for a new twist on vampires, magic, and the world in general, I'd highly recommend picking up Sunshine by Robin McKinley. If you'd like to check it out, you can find it in our online catalog by clicking here.

-Amber

Staff Pick - Landline

Georgie McCool’s husband, Neal, has left her and she’s trying to keep cool. They’ve been together for fifteen years.

He’s actually only taken their two girls to spend the holidays in Omaha, but he wasn’t happy with her when they left. That’s because Georgie elected to skip out on the Midwestern Christmas to work on her sitcom.

Then something strange happens. Using the old yellow, rotary landline at her mother’s house, she contacts Neal. 1998 Neal, not 2013 Neal. The Neal that left her once before when they had temporarily broken up.

Is she going insane? Hallucinating? Or is she actually talking to the Neal of the past? Between working long hours on scriptwriting and reflecting on her marriage and taking care of herself, Georgie tries to make sense of all this.

Rainbow Rowell is one of my new favorite authors. Both heartbreaking and romantic, Landline also offers moments that will make you laugh. Rainbow’s characters are as real as your best friend, and you’ll find yourself soaring through this read.

If you'd like to check it out, you can find it in our online catalog by clicking here.

-William

Staff Pick - God's Not Dead

I didn't know what I expected when I decided to watch this movie, but I had seen several of my Facebook friends had posts earlier this summer after they had been to the theater to see it.

A Philosophy professor decides he will pass every freshman student without all the dusty old arguments, if they will simply write God is Dead on their first project. As he collects the papers, everyone is compliant, until Josh refuses to write what he does not believe, even for a passing grade.

The professor issues a challenge for Josh to defend his belief to the entire class and for the rest of the semester, he must stand up for his faith in God even though he risks his relationships and possibly his future. 

I really enjoyed the way the story unfolded and I was also impressed with the way the connecting relationships were handled. I thought it was a great story.

If you'd like to check out God's Not Dead on DVD, you can find it in our catalog by clicking here.

-Cindy