Drake Public Library

Seeking Excellence

Crys McKissick

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Book review and new titles at the Drake Library

X by Sue Grafton

Sue Grafton’s alphabet mysteries hold a special place in my heart as I started reading them during my sophomore year of high school at the suggestion of my English teacher. I eagerly await each new letter and must confess that X did not disappoint. For a series of books first started in 1982, Grafton has done an impressive job writing a smart and well thought out mystery time and time again, especially when you consider that lesser authors would have veered off into the sloppy, lazy or ridiculous long before book 24. This is frequently the plight of long running mystery series in my opinion.

While I enjoy the wit and personality of the protagonist Kinsey Millhone I do feel like she could deepen her and perhaps give her a little more of a social life to round out her character some but that’s a personal opinion and I suspect that Mrs. Grafton would like to keep the focus on the mystery she’s put so much thought into crafting. Maybe I’m just a romantic at heart and hope she finds love…or a pet dragon. Either would be awesome actually. Although I will say that in X I felt that the story got just a little bit too complex and the numerous plot lines she was weaving may not have come together as seamlessly as she’d hoped. However Grafton took some risks and stepped out a bit from her normal format so I do appreciate that. All and all I found it to be an excellent book and long time readers of the series won’t be disappointed. It would actually be a great jumping in point for new readers as well since you really don’t have to go in order to keep up with this series.

Happy Reading,
Crys

New titles:
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Bazaar of Bad Dreams by Stephen King
Murder on St. Nicholas Avenue by Victoria Thompson
Guilty by David Baldacci
All Dressed in White by Mary Higgins Clark
Tricky 22 by Janet Evanovich
Year of Yes by Shonda Rhimes
Avenue of Mysteries by John Irving

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The Martian by Andy Weir

I suspect that people would be surprised by the amount of peer pressuring that happens at the public library amongst the librarians. “You should come to Zumba”. “Come on, Whip and Nae Nae with us”, “Try this cheese” (bad idea…it was salted caramel and NASTY) and most frequently “You have to read this book”.

 

Now I won’t name any names but it’s possible that declining to read a suggested book by certain librarians would be hazardous to ones health. In fact we have a book in the children’s section about librarians who turn into dragons and well we all know dragons breath fire and since I’m flammable…. And so it came to be that I went home with our copy of The Martian by Andy Weir in my bag which lacking dragons actually puts it outside my typical genre. Also, I’m terrified of space. But fearing incineration I committed to reading this book about an astronaut accidentally abandoned on Mars. I didn’t hold out very high hopes, especially when I discovered most of the book was written in scientific data logs. Initially I thought “Seriously?!? Dumbest idea ever.”

 

But somehow, even though I just knew this book would be terrible, I found myself completely unable to put the bookmark in my spot and close the book….even at 3am. Yes folks, this book was THAT good. So captivating. Also, it was hilarious. Weir crafted a story that blended horror (uhh stuck on Mars!) with science (albeit fictional science), survival and humor. I’m most impressed that this book was very funny. Even after I finished the book I found myself wanting more of the story and to know what happened after the booked ended. Actually I suffered the worst book hangover I’ve had in a while with my clamoring for more details. So despite its lack of dragons and the fact that this book takes place in space I found it to be a most enjoyable and engaging read. I highly recommend it.

 

***Disclaimer*** There is a slight possibility that I made up a few of the details of this review….

 

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Book Club Information

Exciting news!

The first official meeting of Drake Public Library’s new book club The Genre Shifters will be on September 9th at 2pm. We will also have a meeting on September 24th at 6 to discuss the same book. We’re starting out with 2 different meeting times in order to make the book club accessible for as many patrons as possible.

As Genre Shifters we will be picking a book from a different section of the library each month. We’ll all end up extremely well rounded as readers. This will be a great way to introduce some new flavors to your reading repertoire or help you break out of a rut.

September’s book is a very popular and highly acclaimed fantasy novel. We’ll be reading The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. According to the book’s publisher “The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called “Le Cirque des Reves,” and it is only open at night.
But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus performers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.”

So make plans now to join us as we discuss the book and enjoy themed refreshments and the fellowship of other book enthusiasts.

Let the circulation desk know if you need a copy of the book and we will get you one.

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Book Review of Go Set a Watchman

Go Set a Watchman By Harper Lee (Supposedly)

 

AKA An utter abomination to the literary world.

 

Otherwise know as a complete waste of paper.

 

 

People often think of ‘One Hit Wonder’ as something undesirable or negative. But is it really such a bad thing if your “One Hit” earned you Pulitzer Prize, Presidential Metal of Freedom and a National Medal of the Arts among other things? Published in 1960 Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mocking Bird was an immediate best seller and remains so to this very day. The venerable Lee’s sole contribution to the world of literature is a highly renowned classic that came awfully close to claiming the title “Great American Novel” which seems so very elusive in the literary world.

 

My freshmen year of high school we were assigned the book To Kill a Mockingbird for my honors English class. It was a book that resonated with me to the extent that I reread it over and over again during Algebra for nearly an entire semester. That probably explains my horrifically embarrassing grade in algebra and my apprehension concerning the release of Go Set a Watchman. I should also add that I attended a very “un-diverse” high school in a highly diverse area…in the south. So segregation was not unfamiliar to me. Upon its alleged “discovery” Go Set a Watchman set the literary world into a feed frenzy. Excitement, speculation, amazement, fears all swirled around like the spun sugar in the cotton candy maker. Could it really be so? After all this time?

 

Despite the fact that is was only just published Go Set a Watchman is already a NYT best seller with a very controversial provenance. “Discovered” among her personal things some 50+ years after the release of her only full length book despite the fact that she has been quoted on numerous occasions stating that she will not publish anything else has certainly called some interesting things into question. However, knowing that I would be reviewing this book for our marvelous library patrons I refrained from getting all caught up in the drama and hoopla. I avoided the reviews and articles that talked about the release of Watchman until after I’d finished the book lest my options be biased leaving me unable to be objective. Plus I was already skeptical.

 

My honest, unbiased opinion is that this book was abysmal. The writing was sloppy and hard to follow. The characters lacked depth and substance. I frequently had to re-read whole paragraphs trying to siphon even an iota of meaning or understanding. Half way through the book I asked myself “What is this even about?!??” The book gets a little closer to finding its stride past the half way point but even then it isn’t great or very concise. Quite frankly the ending left me confused. I wonder if it was just a sloppy and abrupt ending or if the writer attempted to covey something very different but lacked the literary skills to pull it off successfully. Either way I didn’t really care since I hadn’t formed any attachment to the rather shallow characters. In the end it left a very bad taste in my mouth which I intend to wash away with several books about dragons, Merlin and the like….

 

I found this article very enlightening after the fact. http://www.nytimes.com/2015/07/25/opinion/joe-nocera-the-watchman-fraud.html

 

By Crystal McKissick

 

Picture of Go Set a Watchman

Harper Lee’s newest book.

 

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Book Review

The False PrinceThe False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen
War is bubbling just under the surface in the obscure medieval town that serves as a back drop for the story. A low ranking noble, Connor, rides around the country to obtain boys from orphanages. He has devised a most treasonous scheme to overthrow the thrown and gain control. Connor intends to train the boys in the manners of the court and royal family and in the end have one of the four orphans pretend to be the long lost youngest son of the King which of course would make him the rightful heir to the thrown. However in his carefully chosen crew of orphans Connor has a boy named Sage. Sage is a spirited young man with a mind, personality and agenda all his own.

This is a delightful tale of mystery, survival and adventure. I was thoroughly engaged all the way through. Sage has to be one of the best written characters I’ve encountered in a very long time. Smart, sharp and engaging but also with obvious flaws and short comings, his character was very well developed. I love how Jennifer Nielson showed that Sage’s strongest traits, he’s quick witted and resourceful; also get him in heaps of trouble. There are plenty of plot turns and twists to keep things exciting but the pace isn’t so fast and furiously written that it leaves you feeling rushed or frantic.

The False Prince is book one in Jennifer A. Nielson’s Ascension Trilogy. It has an Accelerated Reader level of 5.1 and is worth 12 points. I think strong readers grade 4 and up would be equipped to enjoy this book.

 

Review Submitted by Crystal McKissick

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Brown Girl Dreaming By Jacqueline Woodson

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson

This is a National Book Award Winner. It is also won numerous other awards such as a Newberry Honor and Coretta Scott King Award.

In honor of April being National Poetry Month I decided to read a book of poetry. I must say that I am incredibly glad to have chosen Jacqueline Woodson’s Brown Girl Dreaming. She shares with her readers the insightful view of an African american woman who grew in both the South and the North during the civil rights movement. I think this is a perspective that everyone could benefit from, it definitely provides a paradigm shift for those of us who can’t really relate to being African american, having race struggles or being persecuted against. But this book was so much more than even that. Ms. Woodson talks about coming to age, life struggles and finding her own voice. And she does that beautifully, powerfully, emotionally using a very easy to read autobiographical poetry that makes you both want to devour her verse and stop to savor it. The free verse style draws its reader into the story and thoroughly captivates them.

While this book of poems is geared towards the “middle reader” I’m willing to bet that readers clear up through adulthood will find joy, heart ache and clearer understanding in Brown Girl Dreaming. I’m especially eager to put this book in the hands of young girls and women who don’t feel “good enough” or like they “fit in”. There are encouraging lessons to be gleaned from the pages of this book. Lessons that can resonate deep in the soul. Brown Girl Rising is 337 pages long, its AR level is 5.3 and it is worth 5 Points.

Happy National Poetry Month.

Crys McKissick
Librarian