fantasy fiction

The next meeting of the JCPLA Reader’s Advisory Roundtable will take place on Wednesday, October 9th at 9am at the Emmet O’Neal Library and the topic of discussion will be self-help books.

Also, we voted on some housekeeping items and I am delighted to be your moderator again for the coming year.  Our topics of discussion for 2014 are as follows:

February 12 (AT SPRINGVILLE ROAD LIBRARY):  Erotica/Romance

April 9:  Topics/Genres Outside Your Comfort Zone

June 11:  Viewer’s Advisory (Movies/TV Shows/Documentaries)

August 13:  Young Adult Fiction

October 8:  Audiobooks

December 10 (AT BPL SOUTHERN HISTORY):  Potluck Food & Books (no assigned topic)

Storm Front by Jim Butcher

(From Amazon.com)For Harry Dresden, Chicago's only professional wizard, business, to put it mildly, stinks. So when the police bring him in to consult on a grisly double murder committed with black magic, Harry's seeing dollar signs. But where there's black magic, there's a black mage behind it. And now that mage knows Harry's name.

Mary Anne, BPL Southern History

Kushiel’s Dart by Jacqueline Carey

(From Amazon.com)The land of Terre d'Ange is a place of unsurpassing beauty and grace. It is said that angels found the land and saw it was good...and the ensuing race that rose from the seed of angels and men live by one simple rule: Love as thou wilt.

Phèdre nó Delaunay is a young woman who was born with a scarlet mote in her left eye. Sold into indentured servitude as a child, her bond is purchased by Anafiel Delaunay, a nobleman with very a special mission...and the first one to recognize who and what she is: one pricked by Kushiel's Dart, chosen to forever experience pain and pleasure as one.

Phèdre is trained equally in the courtly arts and the talents of the bedchamber, but, above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Almost as talented a spy as she is courtesan, Phèdre stumbles upon a plot that threatens the very foundations of her homeland. Treachery sets her on her path; love and honor goad her further. And in the doing, it will take her to the edge of despair...and beyond. Hateful friend, loving enemy, beloved assassin; they can all wear the same glittering mask in this world, and Phèdre will get but one chance to save all that she holds dear. 

Mary Anne, BPL Southern History

The Children of Green Knowe by Lucy Boston

(From Amazon.com)In The Children of Green Knowe, it is the 7 year-old boy Toseland (Tolly for short) who comes to Green Knowe -- named after a sinister topiary Noah in the extensive gardens -- for Christmas holidays, while his parents are away in Burma. Through a painting and personal artefacts which he discovers in the ancient house, as well as his great-grandmother Oldknow's cryptic remarks, he discovers that the house is peopled by the spirits of children and horses long gone to their rest. In particular, he begins to detect and even interact through time (or his imagination?) with Toby, Linnet and Alexander, three young plague victims from the 17th century, of whom Mrs. Oldknow seems to have an extensive knowledge. 

Mary Anne, BPL Southern History

GENERAL DISCUSSION:  If you have a book you’re looking for, “stumpers” as we like to call them, the Loganberry Books website is a good place to submit your query, especially for children’s books.  If you’re searching for a romance novel, Smart Bitches, Trashy Books has a great unofficial HaBO service (Help a Bitch Out) where you can submit as much plot/character info asyou can remember and they’ll try to ferret out the title.  I’ve used this before and had results back nearly immediately.  I was actually kind of embarrassed that they’d found it that quickly as I had BEEN searching for a while.  They are good people over there.

Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

If I was a novelist I’d be very jealous of David Mitchell. He has in this book as much talent as almost any five excellent novelists. He can write historical fiction, science fiction, thrillers. He can invent worlds and the languages that go with them. His characters move you very deeply, depress you, frighten you and inspire you to no reasonable end. And he does all of this in just one book, Cloud Atlas. How can a story set over a several hundred year span involving dozens of characters cohere marvelously?  How can it keep repeating themes, motifs and hallmarks which are all beautifully balanced and integrated? It does it all because it works literary miracles.

Richard, BPL Fiction

Seven Days in New Crete by Robert Graves

(From Amazon.com)Seven Days in New Crete tells of a poet who imagines the world a thousand years from now. Clocks, money and machinery have disappeared. Magicians are important and so are rituals, handicrafts and love.

Everyone worships a Mother Goddess, and as in the Middle Ages, life is local and personal. Villages war against each other in dramatic fashion--but only on Tuesdays, and no one gets hurt. Graves' future world, as explored by a young poet from our time, has history, reality and stunning inner logic.  This novel may also be found under the great title, “Watch the North Wind Rise.”
Richard, BPL Fiction

Hold, Me Closer Necromancer by Lish McBride
(From Amazon.com)Sam leads a pretty normal life. He may not have the most exciting job in the world, but he’s doing all right—until a fast food prank brings him to the attention of Douglas, a creepy guy with an intense violent streak.

Turns out Douglas is a necromancer who raises the dead for cash and sees potential in Sam. Then Sam discovers he’s a necromancer too, but with strangely latent powers. And his worst nightmare wants to join forces . . . or else.  

With only a week to figure things out, Sam needs all the help he can get. Luckily he lives in Seattle, which has nearly as many paranormal types as it does coffee places. But even with newfound friends, will Sam be able to save his skin?
Kelly, Springville Road

Necromancing the Stone by Lish McBride
(From Amazon.com)With the defeat of the evil Douglas behind him, Sam LaCroix is getting used to his new life. Okay, so he hadn’t exactly planned on being a powerful necromancer with a seat on the local magical council and a capricious werewolf sort-of-girlfriend, but things are going fine, right?

Well . . . not really. He’s pretty tired of getting beat up by everyone and their mother, for one thing, and he can’t help but feel that his new house hates him. His best friend is a werebear, someone is threatening his sister, and while Sam realizes that he himself has a lot of power at his fingertips, he’s not exactly sure how to use it. Which, he has to admit, is a bit disconcerting.

But when everything starts falling apart, he decides it’s time to step up and take control. His attempts to do so just bring up more questions, though, the most important of which is more than a little alarming: Is Douglas really dead?

Kelly, Springville Road

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
In Gibbons's classic tale, a resourceful young heroine finds herself in the gloomy, overwrought world of a Hardy or Bronte novel and proceeds to organize everyone out of their romantic tragedies into the pleasures of normal life. Flora Poste, orphaned at 19, chooses to live with relatives at Cold Comfort Farm in Sussex, where cows are named Feckless, Aimless, Pointless, and Graceless, and the proprietors, the dour Starkadder family, are tyrannized by Flora's mysterious aunt, who controls the household from a locked room. Once there she discovers they exist in a state of chaos and feels it is up to her to bring order. Flora's confident and clever management of an alarming cast of eccentrics is only half the pleasure of this novel. The other half is Gibbons's wicked sendup of romantic cliches, from the mad woman in the attic to the druidical peasants with their West Country accents and mystical herbs.
Kelly, Springville Road

The Realms Thereunder by Ross Lawhead

(From Amazon.com)Ancient legend tells of an army of knights that will remain sleeping until the last days. The knights are waking up. 

A homeless man is stalked by a pale, wraithlike creature with a mouthful of needle-sharp teeth. Maimed animals and a host of suicides cluster around a mountain in Scotland. And deep beneath the cobbled streets of Oxford, a malicious hoard besieges a hidden city.

Freya Reynolds is a university student with a touch of OCD and an obsession with myth and folklore. Daniel Tully is living rough on the streets of Oxford, waging a secret war against an enemy only he can identify. Years ago, they found themselves in a world few know is real. They have since gone their separate ways and tried to put that adventure behind them.

But the mythical world is now bleeding into our reality—a dark spiritual evil that is manifesting itself in forgotten corners of the British Isles. Alex Simpson is a Scottish police officer who specializes in hunting mythical creatures. Together, they must confront the past, the present, and points beyond to defeat the ultimate threat to humanity. Nothing they've seen so far prepares them for what awaits . . . in The Realms Thereunder.

Mondretta, Leeds

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

(From Amazon.com)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 Rêves, 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 both, this is a game in which only one can be left standing. Despite the high stakes, Celia and Marco soon tumble headfirst into love, setting off a domino effect of dangerous consequences, and leaving the lives of everyone, from the performers to the patrons, hanging in the balance.

Mondretta, Leeds

The Magus by John Fowles
Disenchanted Oxford grad and aspiring poet Nicholas Urfe leaves Britain and his airline stewardess girlfriend for a teaching position at a boy’s school on the Greek island of Phraxos. While exploring the picturesque island, he stumbles upon the estate of Maurice Conchis, an enigmatic recluse. While on Conchis’ estate, Nicholas experiences strange visions and encounters with fantasy beings that seem all too real. As his friendship with Conchis develops, Nicholas unwittingly becomes a pawn in Conchis’ intricate and twisted phychological game that weaves together mythological themes, the Nazi occupation, and sexual deviancy.

Amanda, Emmet O’Neal

The Crystal Cave by Mary Stewart
The first in Stewart’s sweeping Arthurian Saga, The Crystal Cave recounts the young adulthood of the legendary magician Merlin. Illegitimately born to a Welsh princess, Myrddin Emrys struggles to find his place among his neglectful family. Adolescent Myrddin covertly develops his extrasensory and intellectual abilities under the tutelage of hermit Galapas. As a young man, he escapes to Brittany and becomes a powerful player in the court of Ambrosius Aurelianus, who is preparing to invade the Saxons to unify Britain.

Amanda, Emmet O’Neal

Fruits Basket by Natsuki Takaya
(From Amazon.com)Tohru Honda was an orphan when one day fate kicked her out of the house and on to land belonging to the mysterious Sohma family. After stumbling upon the teenage squatter, the Sohmas invite Tohru to stay in their house in exchange for cooking and cleaning. Everything goes well until she discovers the Sohma family's secret, when hugged by members of the opposite sex, they turn into their Chinese Zodiac animal!
Samuel, BPL Central

Black Bird by Kanoko Sakurakoji
(From Amazon.com)High school is hard enough, even under the best of circumstances. Misao Harada would love a normal high school life, but she has been burdened with the sight since childhood—a gift that allows her to see a world of myth and magic that surrounds ours. Lonely and somewhat mournful, Misao finds her world turned upside down when she reconnects with her childhood friend and first love Kyo and finds out that he is the head of a demon clan. As luck would have it, Misao is the bride of prophecy whose blood gives power to the demon who claims her. While other demon clans target her intending to consume her power, Kyo gives her the choice to become his bride and enjoy his protection. The tension between the two characters as they stave off supernatural forces is intriguing, and readers will no doubt long for Misao to become Kyo's bride. Sakurakoji's art is very romantic and the characters are almost painfully beautiful; fans will have no difficulty falling for Kyo's good looks and charm. Winner of the 2009 Shogakukan Manga Award for shojo manga.
Samuel, BPL Central

Gigi by Collette
(From Amazon.com)This is the classic story of a young girl who wins at the game of love. Gigi has been brought up by her Grandmama and Aunt Alicia, an old-school courtesan, to be a stylish coquette and set her sights on a rich man. When Gaston visits, he brings her candy and lets her cheat at cards, captivated by her girlish ways. Now 16, Gigi is ripe to put away childish things and prepare to become Gaston's mistress. The clever girl however, has other plans...
Samuel, BPL Central

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
This slim volume is chock full of beautiful language, gauzy timelines, and barely glimpsed fairy tale monsters made of cloth and shadow.  The unnamed narrator, back in his home town for a funeral, has an urge to visit the barely remembered farm at the end of the Lane.  His childhood friend Letty lived there before she moved away.  There was a pond that Letty insisted was a sea, but anyone could see it was a simple duck pond.  The old lady in the kitchen seemed like Letty’s grandmother that he remembered from 40 years ago, but that wasn’t possible.  Or was it…?  Glorious, beautiful, eerie, and compulsively readable.
Holley, Emmet O’Neal

Riverworld series by Philip Jose Farmer
To Your Scattered Bodies Go
The Fabulous Riverboat
The Dark Design
The Magic Labyrinth
The Gods of Riverworld
River of Eternity
(From Amazon.com)Imagine that every human who ever lived, from the earliest Neanderthals to the present, is resurrected after death on the banks of an astonishing and seemingly endless river on an unknown world. They are miraculously provided with food, but with not a clue to the possible meaning of this strange afterlife. And so billions of people from history, and before, must start living again.

Some set sail on the great river questing for the meaning of their resurrection, and to find and confront their mysterious benefactors. On this long journey, we meet Sir Richard Francis Burton, Mark Twain, Odysseus, Cyrano de Bergerac, and many others, most of whom embark upon searches of their own in this huge afterlife.
Jon, Avondale

Repairman Jack series by F. Paul Wilson
The Tomb
Legacies 

Conspiracies
All the Rage
Hosts
The Haunted Air
Gateways
Crisscross
Infernal
Harbingers
Bloodline
By the Sword
Ground Zero
Fatal Error
The Dark at the End 

(From Amazon.com)Much to the chagrin of his girlfriend, Gia, Repairman Jack doesn't deal with electronic appliances-he fixes situations for people, often putting himself in deadly danger. His latest project is recovering a stolen necklace, which carries with it an ancient curse that may unleash a horde of Bengali demons. Jack is used to danger, but this time Gia's daughter Vicky is threatened. Can Jack overcome the curse of the yellow necklace and bring Vicky safely back home?
Jon, Avondale

Unnatural Creatures by Neil Gaiman
(From Amazon.com)Unnatural Creatures is a collection of short stories about the fantastical things that exist only in our minds—collected and introduced by beloved New York Times bestselling author Neil Gaiman.

The sixteen stories gathered by Gaiman, winner of the Hugo and Nebula Awards, range from the whimsical to the terrifying. The magical creatures range from werewolves to sunbirds to beings never before classified. E. Nesbit, Diana Wynne Jones, Gahan Wilson, and other literary luminaries contribute to the anthology.

Sales of Unnatural Creatures benefit 826DC, a nonprofit organization dedicated to supporting students in their creative and expository writing, and to helping teachers inspire their students to write.
Jon, Avondale

The Golden Torc by Julian May
(From Amazon.com)By A.D. 2110 nearly 100,000 humans had fled the civilized strictures of the Galactic Milieu for the freedom they thought existed at the end of the one-way time tunnel to Earth, six million B.C.

But all of them had fallen into the hands of the Tanu, a humanoid race who'd fled their own galaxy to avoid punishment for their barbarous ways.
And now the humans had made the Tanu stronger than the Firvulag, their degenerate brethren and ritual antagonists. Soon the Tanu would reign supreme. Or so they thought . . .
Jon, Avondale

Sacre Bleu: A Comedy d’Art by Christopher Moore
This amusing novel combines historical fiction, mystery, fantasy, and love story. Set in the late 19th Century, the story begins with the suicide of Vincent Van Gogh - or is it really murder?  That is one of the mysteries that the protagonist, Lucien is hoping to figure out.  Lucien is an aspiring painter who encounters a number of major artists of the late Impressionist period, most notably Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who accompanies him on many adventures.  Lucien has fallen in love with Juliette, who is an artist's muse controlled by the mysterious and often cruel Colorman.  The Colorman is the guardian of the rare and powerful blue pigment (the "sacred blue" of the title) that has been sought after by major artists throughout history.  It not only costs money to obtain the pigment, but each artist who obtains it also becomes vulnerable to some kind of tragedy or misfortune.  Juliette is forced to participate in the Colorman's schemes, acting as muse for the artists and occasionally the agent of misfortune; she takes on different forms (and names) for each artist she is to inspire. The Colorman and Juliette have unusual powers, including the ability to change forms and seemingly live forever.  For their love to survive, Lucien ultimately must help Juliette to free herself from the grip of the Colorman.  There is much bawdy humor and humor in general.  I listened to the audiobook version and thought the humor was enhanced by the reader's delivery and almost-over-the-top French accent.
Maura, Trussville

The Third Policeman by Flann O’Brien
Completed in 1940 but not published until 1967, a year after the author's death, this novel has been described as a surreal dark comic masterpiece.  The protagonist has recently committed a murder during a botched robbery; he turns himself in to the local police barracks and once he enters, he begins to experience a place that defies the laws of space and time.  He interacts with three odd policemen who confound him with riddles and lead him into alternate dimensions.  He also encounters his own soul (named "Joe").  The narrator is devoted to the absurd ideas of a philosopher named de Selby; throughout the book there are footnotes expounding on de Selby's theories. The novel is both funny and unsettling, with clever wordplay and a conversational style that I can only describe as "very Irish."
Maura, Trussville