Twelve in attendance:
Holley W., Emmet O'Neal
Riana M., Pinson
Nancy K., Leeds
Ken H., Leeds
Maura D., Trussville
Laura T., Homewood
Christine W., Hoover
Liz W., Pinson
Jon N., Avondale
Michelle H., Irondale
Mary Anne E., BPL Southern History
Kelly L., Springville Road
The next RA Roundtable meeting will be on Wednesday, June 12th
at 9am at the Hueytown Library. Our
summer soiree will be the chilling topic of true crime. Your favorite podcasts are a welcome
addition!!
PLEASE NOTE THE DATE CHANGE OF JCPLA Staff Development Day!
It will now be held on Friday, August the 16, but still at the Homewood
Library! Alabama Power scheduled an extended power outage the week the event
was originally planned.
American Hippo: River of Teeth, Taste of Marrow, and New Stories by Sarah Gailey
In 2017 Sarah Gailey made her debut with River of Teeth and Taste
of Marrow, two action-packed novellas that introduced readers to an alternate
America in which hippos rule the colossal swamp that was once the Mississippi
River. Now readers have the chance to own both novellas in American Hippo,
a single, beautiful volume.
Years ago, in an America that never was, the United States
government introduced herds of hippos to the marshlands of Louisiana to be bred
and slaughtered as an alternative meat source. This plan failed to take into
account some key facts about hippos: they are savage, they are fast, and their
jaws can snap a man in two.
By the 1890s, the vast bayou that was once America's
greatest waterway belongs to feral hippos, and Winslow Houndstooth has been
contracted to take it back. To do so, he will gather a crew of the damnedest
cons, outlaws, and assassins to ever ride a hippo. American Hippo is
the story of their fortunes, their failures, and his revenge. (amazon.com)
Holley, Emmet O’Neal
Core of the Sun by Johanna Sinisalo, translated by Lola
Rogers
From the author of the Finlandia Award-winning novel Troll:
A Love Story, The Core of the Sun further cements Johanna Sinisalo’s
reputation as a master of literary speculative fiction and of her country’s
unique take on it, dubbed “Finnish weird.” Set in an alternative historical
present, in a “eusistocracy”—an extreme welfare state—that holds public health
and social stability above all else, it follows a young woman whose growing
addiction to illegal chili peppers leads her on an adventure into a world where
love, sex, and free will are all controlled by the state.
The Eusistocratic Republic of Finland has bred a new human sub-species of receptive, submissive women, called eloi, for sex and procreation, while intelligent, independent women are relegated to menial labor and sterilized so that they do not carry on their "defective" line. Vanna, raised as an eloi but secretly intelligent, needs money to help her doll-like sister, who has disappeared. Vanna forms a friendship with a man named Jare, and they become involved in buying and selling a stimulant known to the Health Authority to be extremely dangerous: chili peppers. Then Jare comes across a strange religious cult in possession of the Core of the Sun, a chili so hot that it is rumored to cause hallucinations. Does this chili have effects that justify its prohibition? How did Finland turn into the North Korea of Europe? And will Vanna succeed in her quest to find her sister, or will her growing need to satisfy her chili addiction destroy her?
Johanna Sinisalo’s tautly told story of fight and flight is also a feisty, between-the-lines social polemic—a witty, inventive, and fiendishly engaging read. (amazon.com)
The Eusistocratic Republic of Finland has bred a new human sub-species of receptive, submissive women, called eloi, for sex and procreation, while intelligent, independent women are relegated to menial labor and sterilized so that they do not carry on their "defective" line. Vanna, raised as an eloi but secretly intelligent, needs money to help her doll-like sister, who has disappeared. Vanna forms a friendship with a man named Jare, and they become involved in buying and selling a stimulant known to the Health Authority to be extremely dangerous: chili peppers. Then Jare comes across a strange religious cult in possession of the Core of the Sun, a chili so hot that it is rumored to cause hallucinations. Does this chili have effects that justify its prohibition? How did Finland turn into the North Korea of Europe? And will Vanna succeed in her quest to find her sister, or will her growing need to satisfy her chili addiction destroy her?
Johanna Sinisalo’s tautly told story of fight and flight is also a feisty, between-the-lines social polemic—a witty, inventive, and fiendishly engaging read. (amazon.com)
Holley, Emmet O’Neal
Renegades by Marissa Meyer
The Renegades are a syndicate of prodigies―humans with
extraordinary abilities―who emerged from the ruins of a crumbled society and
established peace and order where chaos reigned. As champions of justice, they
remain a symbol of hope and courage to everyone...except the villains they once
overthrew.
Nova has a reason to hate the Renegades, and she is on a
mission for vengeance. As she gets closer to her target, she meets Adrian, a
Renegade boy who believes in justice―and in Nova. But Nova's allegiance is to
the villains who have the power to end them both. (amazon.com)
Maura, Trussville
The Promised One by Morgan G. Farris
Some færytales end with a kiss, but for Elizabeth and
Ferryl, the kiss is only the beginning.
When the memories of their happily-ever-before are inexplicably stolen, Elizabeth sets off to uncover the truth and save her fabled love with the crown prince, no matter the cost. Meanwhile, Prince Ferryl must unravel the mystery behind his father's crippling headaches, grapple with the band of rebels infiltrating the borders of his kingdom with suspicious acumen, and undermine the manipulation of a queen with an unslakable thirst for power and control. All while trying to keep his mind off the beautiful stranger who seems to know and understand him too well.
The Promised One is the first book of The Chalam Færytales series--a coming-of-age epic fantasy, a story that begins after the first kiss. It's a færytale to remind us that magic is everywhere, if only we look--and love may be the most powerful magic there is. (amazon.com)
Maura, Trussville
When Harlie Was One by David Gerrold
H.A.R.L.I.E. (Human Analog Replication, Lethetic
Intelligence Engine) is an artificially intelligent machine. David Auberson,
the psychologist responsible for guiding HARLIE from childhood into adulthood,
struggles to understand his erratic behavior.
When humans begin vocalizing their wishes that HARILIE be
shut down, he has to prove his existence and value to his warm-blooded counterparts.
Throughout HARILIE’s fight to stay alive, Auberson discovers the machine has
vast knowledge and understanding of life, love, and logic, posing the
philosophical question whether or not HARLIE is human, and for that matter,
what it means to be human.
Nominated for the Hugo and Nebula awards for Best Novel of
the Year, the themes of love and discovery in When HARLIE was One are
even more important today than when first published. (gerrold.com)
Mary Anne, BPL Southern History
Imperial Earth by Arthur C. Clarke
Imperial Earth is the fascinating odyssey of Duncan
Makenzie, traveling from Titan, a moon of Saturn, to Earth, as a diplomatic
guest of the United States for the celebration of its Quincentennial in the
year 2276. Titan, an independent republic, was originally colonized from Earth
three generations earlier. Duncan's initial challenge is to prepare, physically
and intellectually, for the 500-million-mile trip to Earth. Once there, he is
caught up in a sweep of new experiences, including the social and political
whirl in Washington, a strange visit to a carefully preserved ancient city once
prominent in the 20th century, and a search for and meeting with a woman he
loved since she visited Titan years before. The result of twenty years of
thought by a celebrated novelist and scientist, and overflowing with skilled
characterization and exciting events, Imperial Earth is one of Arthur C.
Clarke's most ambitious, successful, and important novels. (amazon.com)
Mary Anne, BPL Southern History
The House of Zeor by Jacqueline Lichtenberg
Earth is divided between Sime and Gen, both offspring of the
ancient race of men—and mortal enemies. The Sime cannot control their thirst
for the kill; terrified Gen cannot escape the sinuous tentacles whose grip
means death.
Hugh Valleroy, crossing into Sime territory in a desperate
search for the woman he loves, comes on a brave new experiment—one that could
mean the survival of his world! (www.schlock-value.com)
Mary Anne, BPL Southern History
Anything written by Vonda N. McIntyre
Ken, Leeds
The Hugo Award for Best Novel nominees this year:
The Calculating Stars, by Mary Robinette Kowal (Tor)
Record of a Spaceborn Few, by Becky Chambers (Hodder &
Stoughton / Harper Voyager)
Revenant Gun, by Yoon Ha Lee (Solaris)
Space Opera, by Catherynne M. Valente (Saga)
Spinning Silver, by Naomi Novik (Del Rey / Macmillan)
Trail of Lightning, by Rebecca Roanhorse (Saga)
Ken, Leeds
Space Opera by Jack Vance (LINK TO ILL)
A society matron underwrites the interstellar tour of an
Earth opera company, performing Beethoven, Mozart and Rossini for bewildered
human and alien audiences on a kaleidoscopic range of planets. But intrigue and
secret agendas complicate what was already a doubtful enterprise, and the
matron’s feckless nephew finds that the simple country girl he plans to marry
is far more mysterious than she seems.
This is Jack Vance at his funniest, rolling out a rollicking picaresque tale where the belly laughs play a perfect duet with the grandmaster’s sly observations on the absurdities of life, love and librettos. (amazon.com)
This is Jack Vance at his funniest, rolling out a rollicking picaresque tale where the belly laughs play a perfect duet with the grandmaster’s sly observations on the absurdities of life, love and librettos. (amazon.com)
Ken, Leeds
The Lost Queen by Signe Pike
Compared to Outlander and The Mists of Avalon,
this thrilling first novel of a debut trilogy reveals the untold story of
Languoreth—a forgotten queen of sixth-century Scotland—twin sister of the man
who inspired the legend of Merlin.
I write because I have seen the darkness that will come. Already there are those who seek to tell a new history...
In a land of mountains and mist, tradition and superstition, Languoreth and her brother Lailoken are raised in the Old Way of their ancestors. But in Scotland, a new religion is rising, one that brings disruption, bloodshed, and riot. And even as her family faces the burgeoning forces of Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons, bent on colonization, are encroaching from the east. When conflict brings the hero Emrys Pendragon to her father’s door, Languoreth finds love with one of his warriors. Her deep connection to Maelgwn is forged by enchantment, but she is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of a Christian king. As Languoreth is catapulted into a world of violence and political intrigue, she must learn to adapt. Together with her brother—a warrior and druid known to history as Myrddin—Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way and the survival of her kingdom, or risk the loss of them both forever.
Based on new scholarship, this tale of bravery and conflicted love brings a lost queen back to life—rescuing her from obscurity, and reaffirming her place at the center of one of the most enduring legends of all time. (amazon.com)
I write because I have seen the darkness that will come. Already there are those who seek to tell a new history...
In a land of mountains and mist, tradition and superstition, Languoreth and her brother Lailoken are raised in the Old Way of their ancestors. But in Scotland, a new religion is rising, one that brings disruption, bloodshed, and riot. And even as her family faces the burgeoning forces of Christianity, the Anglo-Saxons, bent on colonization, are encroaching from the east. When conflict brings the hero Emrys Pendragon to her father’s door, Languoreth finds love with one of his warriors. Her deep connection to Maelgwn is forged by enchantment, but she is promised in marriage to Rhydderch, son of a Christian king. As Languoreth is catapulted into a world of violence and political intrigue, she must learn to adapt. Together with her brother—a warrior and druid known to history as Myrddin—Languoreth must assume her duty to fight for the preservation of the Old Way and the survival of her kingdom, or risk the loss of them both forever.
Based on new scholarship, this tale of bravery and conflicted love brings a lost queen back to life—rescuing her from obscurity, and reaffirming her place at the center of one of the most enduring legends of all time. (amazon.com)
Christine, Hoover
Neverworld Wake by Maria Pessl
Once upon a time, back at Darrow-Harker School, Beatrice
Hartley and her five best friends were the cool kids, the beautiful ones. Then
the shocking death of Jim--their creative genius and Beatrice's
boyfriend--changed everything.
One year after graduation, Beatrice is returning to Wincroft--the seaside estate where they spent so many nights sharing secrets, crushes, plans to change the world--hoping she'll get to the bottom of the dark questions gnawing at her about Jim's death.
But as the night plays out in a haze of stilted jokes and unfathomable silence, Beatrice senses she's never going to know what really happened.
Then a mysterious man knocks on the door. Blithely, he announces the impossible: time for them has become stuck, snagged on a splinter that can only be removed if the former friends make the harshest of decisions.
Now Beatrice has one last shot at answers . . . and at life.
And so begins the Neverworld Wake. (amazon.com)
One year after graduation, Beatrice is returning to Wincroft--the seaside estate where they spent so many nights sharing secrets, crushes, plans to change the world--hoping she'll get to the bottom of the dark questions gnawing at her about Jim's death.
But as the night plays out in a haze of stilted jokes and unfathomable silence, Beatrice senses she's never going to know what really happened.
Then a mysterious man knocks on the door. Blithely, he announces the impossible: time for them has become stuck, snagged on a splinter that can only be removed if the former friends make the harshest of decisions.
Now Beatrice has one last shot at answers . . . and at life.
And so begins the Neverworld Wake. (amazon.com)
Christine, Hoover
The fine folks at the Hoover Public Library shared some
information about books with diverse characters and authors.
“They Will Dream in the Garden” by Gabriela Damián Miravete
In a garden populated by the holograms of women murdered through
sexual assault & domestic violence.
The children are able to ask them questions and learn better ways of
living from the experiences of the dead.
The only place to find this short story translated into
English is on the website Latin American Literature Today at http://www.latinamericanliteraturetoday.org
Liz, Pinson
The Near Witch by V.E. Schwab
The Near Witch is only an old story told to frighten
children.
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
There are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger, a boy who seems to fade like smoke, appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to know about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab's debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won't soon forget. (amazon.com)
If the wind calls at night, you must not listen. The wind is lonely, and always looking for company.
There are no strangers in the town of Near.
These are the truths that Lexi has heard all her life.
But when an actual stranger, a boy who seems to fade like smoke, appears outside her home on the moor at night, she knows that at least one of these sayings is no longer true.
The next night, the children of Near start disappearing from their beds, and the mysterious boy falls under suspicion.
As the hunt for the children intensifies, so does Lexi's need to know about the witch that just might be more than a bedtime story, about the wind that seems to speak through the walls at night, and about the history of this nameless boy.
Part fairy tale, part love story, Victoria Schwab's debut novel is entirely original yet achingly familiar: a song you heard long ago, a whisper carried by the wind, and a dream you won't soon forget. (amazon.com)
Liz, Pinson
The Diabolic by S.J. Kincaid
Red Queen meets The Hunger Games in this
epic novel about what happens when a senator’s daughter is summoned to the
galactic court as a hostage, but she’s really the galaxy’s most dangerous
weapon in disguise.
A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you’ve been created for.
Nemesis is a Diabolic, a humanoid teenager created to protect a galactic senator’s daughter, Sidonia. The two have grown up side by side, but are in no way sisters. Nemesis is expected to give her life for Sidonia, and she would do so gladly. She would also take as many lives as necessary to keep Sidonia safe.
When the power-mad Emperor learns Sidonia’s father is participating in a rebellion, he summons Sidonia to the Galactic court. She is to serve as a hostage. Now, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia. She must become her. Nemesis travels to the court disguised as Sidonia—a killing machine masquerading in a world of corrupt politicians and two-faced senators’ children. It’s a nest of vipers with threats on every side, but Nemesis must keep her true abilities a secret or risk everything.
As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns there is something more to her than just deadly force. She finds a humanity truer than what she encounters from most humans. Amidst all the danger, action, and intrigue, her humanity just might be the thing that saves her life—and the empire. (amazon.com)
A Diabolic is ruthless. A Diabolic is powerful. A Diabolic has a single task: Kill in order to protect the person you’ve been created for.
Nemesis is a Diabolic, a humanoid teenager created to protect a galactic senator’s daughter, Sidonia. The two have grown up side by side, but are in no way sisters. Nemesis is expected to give her life for Sidonia, and she would do so gladly. She would also take as many lives as necessary to keep Sidonia safe.
When the power-mad Emperor learns Sidonia’s father is participating in a rebellion, he summons Sidonia to the Galactic court. She is to serve as a hostage. Now, there is only one way for Nemesis to protect Sidonia. She must become her. Nemesis travels to the court disguised as Sidonia—a killing machine masquerading in a world of corrupt politicians and two-faced senators’ children. It’s a nest of vipers with threats on every side, but Nemesis must keep her true abilities a secret or risk everything.
As the Empire begins to fracture and rebellion looms closer, Nemesis learns there is something more to her than just deadly force. She finds a humanity truer than what she encounters from most humans. Amidst all the danger, action, and intrigue, her humanity just might be the thing that saves her life—and the empire. (amazon.com)
Liz, Pinson
On a Sunbeam by Tillie Walden
A ragtag crew travels to the deepest reaches of space,
rebuilding beautiful, broken structures to piece the past together.
Two girls meet in boarding school and fall deeply in
love―only to learn the pain of loss.
With interwoven timelines and stunning art, award-winning
graphic novelist Tillie Walden creates an inventive world, breathtaking
romance, and an epic quest for love. (amazon.com)
Liz, Pinson
The Glass Books of the Dream Eaters by Gordon Dahlquist
It starts with a simple note. Roger Bascombe
regretfully wishes to inform Celeste Temple that their engagement is forthwith
terminated. Determined to find out why, Miss Temple takes the first step
in a journey that will propel her into a dizzyingly seductive, utterly shocking
world beyond her imagining.
Nothing could have prepared Miss Temple for the things she would find behind the closed doors of forbidding Harschmort Manor: men and women in provocative disguise, acts of licentiousness and violence, heroism and awakening. But she will also find two allies: Cardinal Chang, a brutal assassin with the heart of a poet, and a royal doctor named Svenson, at once fumbling and heroic—both of whom, like her, lost someone at Harschmort Manor.
As the unlikely trio search for answers, hurtling them from elegant brothels to gaslit alleyways to shocking moments of self-discovery, they are confronted by puzzles within puzzles. And the closer they get to the truth, the more their lives are in danger. For the conspiracy they face—an astonishing alchemy of science, perverted religion, and lust for power—is so terrifying as to be beyond belief. (amazon.com)
Nothing could have prepared Miss Temple for the things she would find behind the closed doors of forbidding Harschmort Manor: men and women in provocative disguise, acts of licentiousness and violence, heroism and awakening. But she will also find two allies: Cardinal Chang, a brutal assassin with the heart of a poet, and a royal doctor named Svenson, at once fumbling and heroic—both of whom, like her, lost someone at Harschmort Manor.
As the unlikely trio search for answers, hurtling them from elegant brothels to gaslit alleyways to shocking moments of self-discovery, they are confronted by puzzles within puzzles. And the closer they get to the truth, the more their lives are in danger. For the conspiracy they face—an astonishing alchemy of science, perverted religion, and lust for power—is so terrifying as to be beyond belief. (amazon.com)
Nancy, Leeds
The Night Sister by Jennifer McMahon
The Tower Motel was once a thriving attraction of rural
Vermont. Today it lies in disrepair, alive only in the memories of the
three women—Amy, Piper, and Piper’s kid sister, Margot—who played there as
children. They loved exploring the abandoned rooms … until the day their
innocent games uncovered something dark and twisted that ruined their
friendship forever.
Now, Amy stands accused of committing a horrific crime, and the only hint to her motives is a hasty message that forces Piper and Margot to revisit the motel’s past, and the fate of two sisters who lived there in its heyday. Sylvie Slater had dreams of running off to Hollywood and becoming Alfred Hitchcock’s leading lady, while her little sister, Rose, was content with their simple life. Each believed the other to be something truly monstrous, but only one knows the secret that will haunt the generations to come. (amazon.com)
Now, Amy stands accused of committing a horrific crime, and the only hint to her motives is a hasty message that forces Piper and Margot to revisit the motel’s past, and the fate of two sisters who lived there in its heyday. Sylvie Slater had dreams of running off to Hollywood and becoming Alfred Hitchcock’s leading lady, while her little sister, Rose, was content with their simple life. Each believed the other to be something truly monstrous, but only one knows the secret that will haunt the generations to come. (amazon.com)
Nancy, Leeds
The Parasol Protectorate series by Gail Carriger
Five books chronicling the exploits of Alexia Tarabotti, a
lady of considerable assets including a large Scottish werewolf, a
battle-parasol, and treacle tart. Oh, and she has no soul. (gailcarriger.com)
Kelly, Springville Road
The Finishing School series by Gail Carriger
Sophronia is recruited to a finishing school for spies
located in a dirigible. Set in Gail's Parasolverse, these four YA books are
full of steampunk etiquette, well-dressed espionage, and flying food.
(gailcarriger.com)
1. Etiquette and Espionage
2. Curtsies and Conspiracies
3. Waistcoats and Weaponry
4. Manners and Mutiny
2. Curtsies and Conspiracies
3. Waistcoats and Weaponry
4. Manners and Mutiny
Kelly, Springville Road
Mortal Engines by Philip Reeve
In London, which is now a huge 7-tiered city comprised of
metal, Tom, a lowly apprentice, saves the life of Thaddeus Valentine, a
renowned architect, only to find himself left for dead in a sea of mud, in an
epic story of intrigue, betrayal, and Municipal Darwinism. (amazon.com)
Michelle, Irondale
The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan
A charming, clever, and quietly moving debut novel of of
endless possibilities and joyful discoveries that explores the promises we make
and break, losing and finding ourselves, the objects that hold magic and
meaning for our lives, and the surprising connections that bind us.
Lime green plastic flower-shaped hair bobbles—Found, on the
playing field, Derrywood Park, 2nd September.
Bone china cup and saucer—Found, on a bench in Riveria
Public Gardens, 31st October.
Anthony Peardew is the keeper of lost things. Forty years
ago, he carelessly lost a keepsake from his beloved fiancée, Therese. That very
same day, she died unexpectedly. Brokenhearted, Anthony sought consolation in
rescuing lost objects—the things others have dropped, misplaced, or accidently
left behind—and writing stories about them. Now, in the twilight of his life,
Anthony worries that he has not fully discharged his duty to reconcile all the
lost things with their owners. As the end nears, he bequeaths his secret life’s
mission to his unsuspecting assistant, Laura, leaving her his house and and all
its lost treasures, including an irritable ghost.
Recovering from a bad divorce, Laura, in some ways, is one
of Anthony’s lost things. But when the lonely woman moves into his mansion, her
life begins to change. She finds a new friend in the neighbor’s quirky
daughter, Sunshine, and a welcome distraction in Freddy, the rugged gardener.
As the dark cloud engulfing her lifts, Laura, accompanied by her new
companions, sets out to realize Anthony’s last wish: reuniting his cherished
lost objects with their owners.
Long ago, Eunice found a trinket on the London pavement and
kept it through the years. Now, with her own end drawing near, she has lost
something precious—a tragic twist of fate that forces her to break a promise
she once made.
As the Keeper of Lost Objects, Laura holds the key to
Anthony and Eunice’s redemption. But can she unlock the past and make the
connections that will lay their spirits to rest?
Full of character, wit, and wisdom, The Keeper of Lost
Things is heartwarming tale that will enchant fans of The Particular
Sadness of Lemon Cake, Garden Spells, Mrs Queen Takes the Train, and The
Silver Linings Playbook. (amazon.com)
Michelle, Irondale
Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
In a garden surrounded by a tall fence, tucked away behind a
small, quiet house in an even smaller town, is an apple tree that is rumored to
bear a very special sort of fruit. In this luminous debut novel, Sarah Addison
Allen tells the story of that enchanted tree, and the extraordinary people who
tend it....
The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.
A successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants--from the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secrets and the pansies that make children thoughtful, to the snapdragons intended to discourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile, her elderly cousin, Evanelle, is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverleys--except for Claire's rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could, abandoning Claire, as their own mother had years before.
When Sydney suddenly returns home with a young daughter of her own, Claire's quiet life is turned upside down--along with the protective boundary she has so carefully constructed around her heart. Together again in the house they grew up in, Sydney takes stock of all she left behind, as Claire struggles to heal the wounds of the past. And soon the sisters realize they must deal with their common legacy--if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom--or with each other.
Enchanting and heartfelt, this captivating novel is sure to cast a spell with a style all its own.... (amazon.com)
The Waverleys have always been a curious family, endowed with peculiar gifts that make them outsiders even in their hometown of Bascom, North Carolina. Even their garden has a reputation, famous for its feisty apple tree that bears prophetic fruit, and its edible flowers, imbued with special powers. Generations of Waverleys tended this garden. Their history was in the soil. But so were their futures.
A successful caterer, Claire Waverley prepares dishes made with her mystical plants--from the nasturtiums that aid in keeping secrets and the pansies that make children thoughtful, to the snapdragons intended to discourage the attentions of her amorous neighbor. Meanwhile, her elderly cousin, Evanelle, is known for distributing unexpected gifts whose uses become uncannily clear. They are the last of the Waverleys--except for Claire's rebellious sister, Sydney, who fled Bascom the moment she could, abandoning Claire, as their own mother had years before.
When Sydney suddenly returns home with a young daughter of her own, Claire's quiet life is turned upside down--along with the protective boundary she has so carefully constructed around her heart. Together again in the house they grew up in, Sydney takes stock of all she left behind, as Claire struggles to heal the wounds of the past. And soon the sisters realize they must deal with their common legacy--if they are ever to feel at home in Bascom--or with each other.
Enchanting and heartfelt, this captivating novel is sure to cast a spell with a style all its own.... (amazon.com)
Michelle, Irondale
Children of Blood and Bone by Tomi Adeyemi
They killed my mother.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
They took our magic.
They tried to bury us.
Now we rise.
Zélie Adebola remembers when the soil of Orïsha hummed with
magic. Burners ignited flames, Tiders beckoned waves, and Zélie’s Reaper mother
summoned forth souls.
But everything changed the night magic disappeared. Under
the orders of a ruthless king, maji were killed, leaving Zélie without a mother
and her people without hope.
Now Zélie has one chance to bring back magic and strike
against the monarchy. With the help of a rogue princess, Zélie must outwit and
outrun the crown prince, who is hell-bent on eradicating magic for good.
Danger lurks in Orïsha, where snow leoponaires prowl and
vengeful spirits wait in the waters. Yet the greatest danger may be Zélie
herself as she struggles to control her powers and her growing feelings for an
enemy. (amazon.com)
Laura, Homewood
Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde
Welcome to Chromatacia, where the societal hierarchy is
strictly regulated by one's limited color perception. And Eddie Russet wants to
move up. But his plans to leverage his better-than-average red perception and
marry into a powerful family are quickly upended. Juggling inviolable rules,
sneaky Yellows, and a risky friendship with an intriguing Grey named Jane who
shows Eddie that the apparent peace of his world is as much an illusion as
color itself, Eddie finds he must reckon with the cruel regime behind this
gaily painted façade. (amazon.com)
Laura, Homewood
All Roads End Here by David Moody
Set in the world of David Moody's Hater trilogy, All Roads
End Here is the sequel to the "top drawer horror" (Booklist,
starred review) One of Us Will Be Dead by Morning.
It’s taken Matthew Dunne almost three months to get home.
Never more than a few meters from the Haters at any time, every single step has
been fraught with danger. But he’s made it.
In his absence, his home city has become a sprawling,
walled-off refugee camp. But the camp–and the entire world beyond its
borders–is balanced on a knife-edge. During his time in the wilderness, Matt
developed a skill which is in high demand: the ability to anticipate and
predict Hater behavior. It’s these skills that will thrust him into a web of
subterfuge and danger. As the pressure mounts inside the camp, he finds himself
under scrutiny from all sides.
He’s always done his best to avoid trouble, but sometimes it
can’t be helped. The shit’s about to hit the fan, and this time Matt’s right at
the epicenter.
All Roads End Here is a fast-paced, and wonderfully
dark story about humanity’s fight for survival in the face of the impending
apocalypse. (amazon.com)
Jon, Avondale
The Last Dog on Earth by Adrian J. Walker
Every dog has its day...
And for Lineker, a happy go lucky mongrel from London, the
day his city falls is finally a chance for adventure. Too bad his master Reg
plans to hide himself away from the riots outside...
But when an abandoned child shows up looking for help, Reg
and his trusty hound must brave the chaos in a journey that will prove not just
the importance of bravery, but of loyalty, trust, and finding family in the
unlikeliest of places.
When the world has gone to the dogs, who will you choose to
stand with? (amazon.com)
Jon, Avondale
The Power by Naomi Alderman
*WINNER OF THE BAILEYS WOMEN'S PRIZE FOR FICTION*
One of the New York Times's Ten Best Books of the
Year
One of President Obama's favorite reads of the Year
A Los Angeles Times Best Book of the Year
One of the Washington Post's Ten Best Books of the
Year
An NPR Best Book of the Year
One of Entertainment Weekly's Ten Best Books of
the Year
A San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of the Year
A Bustle Best Book of the Year
A Paste Magazine Best Novel of the Year
A New York Times Book Review Editors' Choice
An Amazon Best Book of the Year
"Alderman's writing is beautiful, and her intelligence
seems almost limitless. She also has a pitch-dark sense of humor that she
wields perfectly." --Michael Schaub, NPR
All over the world women and girls are discovering they have
the power. With a flick of the fingers they can inflict terrible pain, and even
death. And with this small twist of nature, everything changes drastically.
Ambitious and provocative, visceral and page-turning, award-winning author Naomi Alderman's THE POWER at once takes us on a journey to an alternate reality and exposes our own world in bold and surprising ways. (amazon.com)
Ambitious and provocative, visceral and page-turning, award-winning author Naomi Alderman's THE POWER at once takes us on a journey to an alternate reality and exposes our own world in bold and surprising ways. (amazon.com)
Jon, Avondale
The Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich
Louise Erdrich, the New York Times bestselling,
National Book Award-winning author of LaRose and The Round House,
paints a startling portrait of a young woman fighting for her life and her
unborn child against oppressive forces that manifest in the wake of a
cataclysmic event.
The world as we know it is ending. Evolution has reversed
itself, affecting every living creature on earth. Science cannot stop the world
from running backwards, as woman after woman gives birth to infants that appear
to be primitive species of humans. Twenty-six-year-old Cedar Hawk Songmaker,
adopted daughter of a pair of big-hearted, open-minded Minneapolis liberals, is
as disturbed and uncertain as the rest of America around her. But for Cedar,
this change is profound and deeply personal. She is four months pregnant.
Though she wants to tell the adoptive parents who raised her
from infancy, Cedar first feels compelled to find her birth mother, Mary Potts,
an Ojibwe living on the reservation, to understand both her and her baby’s
origins. As Cedar goes back to her own biological beginnings, society around
her begins to disintegrate, fueled by a swelling panic about the end of
humanity.
There are rumors of martial law, of Congress confining
pregnant women. Of a registry, and rewards for those who turn these wanted
women in. Flickering through the chaos are signs of increasing repression: a
shaken Cedar witnesses a family wrenched apart when police violently drag a
mother from her husband and child in a parking lot. The streets of her
neighborhood have been renamed with Bible verses. A stranger answers the phone
when she calls her adoptive parents, who have vanished without a trace. It will
take all Cedar has to avoid the prying eyes of potential informants and keep
her baby safe.
A chilling dystopian novel both provocative and
prescient, Future Home of the Living God is a startlingly original
work from one of our most acclaimed writers: a moving meditation on female
agency, self-determination, biology, and natural rights that speaks to the
troubling changes of our time. (amazon.com)
Jon, Avondale
Thin Air by Richard K. Morgan
Hakan Veil is an ex–corporate enforcer equipped with
military-grade body tech that’s made him a human killing machine. His
former employers have abandoned him on a turbulent Mars where Earth-based
overlords battle for profits and power amid a homegrown independence movement.
But he’s had enough of the red planet, and all he wants is a ticket back
home—which is just what he’s offered by the Earth Oversight organization, in
exchange for being the bodyguard for an EO investigator. It’s a beyond-easy gig
for a heavy hitter like Veil . . . until it isn’t.
When Veil’s charge starts looking into the mysterious disappearance of a lottery winner, it stirs up a hornet’s nest of intrigue and murder. And the deeper Veil is drawn into the game, the more long-buried secrets claw their way to the Martian surface. Now it’s the expert assassin poised against powerful enemies hellbent on taking him down—by any means necessary. (amazon.com)
When Veil’s charge starts looking into the mysterious disappearance of a lottery winner, it stirs up a hornet’s nest of intrigue and murder. And the deeper Veil is drawn into the game, the more long-buried secrets claw their way to the Martian surface. Now it’s the expert assassin poised against powerful enemies hellbent on taking him down—by any means necessary. (amazon.com)
Jon, Avondale
Dead of Winter: Good Good Dog by Kyle Starks
In the pantheon of superheroes, none are more loveable and
loyal than everyone's favorite good ol' dog, Sparky. Surviving in the wintery
apocalypse of the undead, this former TV show stunt dog turned zombie killing
machine just wants to make friends and be a good boy. As his fellow survivors
scavenge for supplies in the frigid wasteland, will Sparky be able to protect
his companions from threats both undead and otherwise? (amazon.com)
Jon, Avondale
Beautiful Death by Mathieu Bablet
When humanity came face to face with insectoid aliens from
outer space intent on taking over the earth, it never occurred to anyone that
they would come out the other side of the battle that followed the losers. But
they did. Now, with what remains of the human race in tatters, a small band of
misfits scraping a living in the remins of a city question what it means to be
truly alive in a world where surviving asks everything of you, and hope is just
a memory. (amazon.com)
Jon, Avondale
All Systems Red: The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells
Winner: 2018 Hugo Award for Best Novella
Winner: 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novella
Winner: 2018 Alex Award
Winner: 2018 Locus Award
One of the Verge's Best Books of 2017
A New York Times and USA Today Bestseller
A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red, a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that interrogates the roots of consciousness through Artificial Intelligence. "As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."
Winner: 2018 Nebula Award for Best Novella
Winner: 2018 Alex Award
Winner: 2018 Locus Award
One of the Verge's Best Books of 2017
A New York Times and USA Today Bestseller
A murderous android discovers itself in All Systems Red, a tense science fiction adventure by Martha Wells that interrogates the roots of consciousness through Artificial Intelligence. "As a heartless killing machine, I was a complete failure."
In a corporate-dominated spacefaring future, planetary
missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. Exploratory teams are
accompanied by Company-supplied security androids, for their own safety.
But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest
bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.
On a distant planet, a team of scientists are conducting
surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid ― a self-aware SecUnit
that has hacked its own governor module, and refers to itself (though never out
loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, all it really wants is to be left
alone long enough to figure out who it is.
But when a neighboring mission goes dark, it's up to the
scientists and their Murderbot to get to the truth. (amazon.com)
Riana, Pinson
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula K. Le Guin
Originally published in 1968, Ursula K. Le Guin’s A
Wizard of Earthsea marks the first of the six now beloved Earthsea titles.
Ged was the greatest sorcerer in Earthsea, but in his youth he was the reckless
Sparrowhawk. In his hunger for power and knowledge, he tampered with long-held
secrets and loosed a terrible shadow upon the world. This is the tumultuous
tale of his testing, how he mastered the mighty words of power, tamed an
ancient dragon, and crossed death's threshold to restore the balance.
(amazon.com)
Riana, Pinson
Red Sister by Mark Lawrence
At the Convent of Sweet Mercy, young girls are raised to be
killers. In some few children the old bloods show, gifting rare talents that
can be honed to deadly or mystic effect. But even the mistresses of sword and
shadow don’t truly understand what they have purchased when Nona Grey is
brought to their halls.
A bloodstained child of nine falsely accused of murder, guilty of worse, Nona is stolen from the shadow of the noose. It takes ten years to educate a Red Sister in the ways of blade and fist, but under Abbess Glass’s care there is much more to learn than the arts of death. Among her class Nona finds a new family—and new enemies.
Despite the security and isolation of the convent, Nona’s secret and violent past finds her out, drawing with it the tangled politics of a crumbling empire. Her arrival sparks old feuds to life, igniting vicious struggles within the church and even drawing the eye of the emperor himself.
Beneath a dying sun, Nona Grey must master her inner demons, then loose them on those who stand in her way. (amazon.com)
A bloodstained child of nine falsely accused of murder, guilty of worse, Nona is stolen from the shadow of the noose. It takes ten years to educate a Red Sister in the ways of blade and fist, but under Abbess Glass’s care there is much more to learn than the arts of death. Among her class Nona finds a new family—and new enemies.
Despite the security and isolation of the convent, Nona’s secret and violent past finds her out, drawing with it the tangled politics of a crumbling empire. Her arrival sparks old feuds to life, igniting vicious struggles within the church and even drawing the eye of the emperor himself.
Beneath a dying sun, Nona Grey must master her inner demons, then loose them on those who stand in her way. (amazon.com)
Riana, Pinson
Space Opera by Catherynne M. Valente
An enjoyable read (so far). Imagine all the sentient life
forms in the universe battle it out in a Euro-vision-style singing competition.
Basically, if you are not last, your civilization may survive. If it is last,
your civilization is erased, and planet is mined for valuable resources. I
laughed, especially at the music references and what makes for a sentient life
form.
Samuel, Springville Road
Obscura by Joe Hart
In the near future, an aggressive and terrifying new form of
dementia is affecting victims of all ages. The cause is unknown, and the
symptoms are disturbing. Dr. Gillian Ryan is on the cutting edge of research
and desperately determined to find a cure. She’s already lost her husband to
the disease, and now her young daughter is slowly succumbing as well. After
losing her funding, she is given the unique opportunity to expand her research.
She will travel with a NASA team to a space station where the crew has been
stricken with symptoms of a similar inexplicable psychosis—memory loss,
trances, and violent, uncontrollable impulses.
Crippled by a secret addiction and suffering from creeping
paranoia, Gillian finds her journey becoming a nightmare as unexplainable and
violent events plague the mission. With her grip weakening on reality, she
starts to doubt her own innocence. And she’s beginning to question so much
more—like the true nature of the mission, the motivations of the crew, and
every deadly new secret space has to offer.
Merging thrilling science-fiction adventure with
mind-bending psychological suspense, Wall Street Journal bestselling
author Joe Hart explores both the vast mysteries of outer space and the even
darker unknown that lies within ourselves." (Goodreads)
Samuel, Springville Road
Books that came up in general discussion:
The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers
The acclaimed modern science fiction masterpiece,
included on Library Journal's Best SFF of 2016, the Barnes &
Nobles Sci-Fi Fantasy Blog Best Books of 2015, the Tor.com Best Books of
2015, Reader’s Choice, as well as nominated for the Arthur C. Clarke Award, the
Kitschie, and the Bailey's Women's Prize.
Follow a motley crew on an exciting journey through
space—and one adventurous young explorer who discovers the meaning of family in
the far reaches of the universe—in this light-hearted debut space opera from a
rising sci-fi star.
Rosemary Harper doesn’t expect much when she joins the crew
of the aging Wayfarer. While the patched-up ship has seen better days, it
offers her a bed, a chance to explore the far-off corners of the galaxy, and
most importantly, some distance from her past. An introspective young woman who
learned early to keep to herself, she’s never met anyone remotely like the
ship’s diverse crew, including Sissix, the exotic reptilian pilot, chatty
engineers Kizzy and Jenks who keep the ship running, and Ashby, their noble
captain.
Life aboard the Wayfarer is chaotic and
crazy—exactly what Rosemary wants. It’s also about to get extremely dangerous
when the crew is offered the job of a lifetime. Tunneling wormholes through
space to a distant planet is definitely lucrative and will keep them
comfortable for years. But risking her life wasn’t part of the plan. In the far
reaches of deep space, the tiny Wayfarer crew will confront a host of
unexpected mishaps and thrilling adventures that force them to depend on each
other. To survive, Rosemary’s got to learn how to rely on this assortment of
oddballs—an experience that teaches her about love and trust, and that having a
family isn’t necessarily the worst thing in the universe. (amazon.com)
Redshirts by John Scalzi
Ensign Andrew Dahl has just been assigned to the Universal
Union Capital Ship Intrepid, flagship of the Universal Union since the
year 2456. It's a prestige posting, and Andrew is thrilled all the more to be
assigned to the ship's Xenobiology laboratory.
Life couldn't be better…until Andrew begins to pick up on
the fact that (1) every Away Mission involves some kind of lethal confrontation
with alien forces, (2) the ship's captain, its chief science officer, and the
handsome Lieutenant Kerensky always survive these confrontations, and (3) at
least one low-ranked crew member is, sadly, always killed.
Not surprisingly, a great deal of energy below decks is
expended on avoiding, at all costs, being assigned to an Away Mission. Then
Andrew stumbles on information that completely transforms his and his
colleagues' understanding of what the starship Intrepid really is…and
offers them a crazy, high-risk chance to save their own lives.
Redshirts is the winner of the 2013 Hugo Award for Best
Novel. (amazon.com)
Among Others by Jo Walton
Winner of the 2011 Nebula Award for Best Novel
Winner of the 2012 Hugo Award for Best Novel
Startling, unusual, and yet irresistably readable, Among
Othersis at once the compelling story of a young woman struggling to escape a
troubled childhood, a brilliant diary of first encounters with the great novels
of modern fantasy and SF, and a spellbinding tale of escape from ancient
enchantment.
Raised by a half-mad mother who dabbled in magic, Morwenna
Phelps found refuge in two worlds. As a child growing up in Wales, she played
among the spirits who made their homes in industrial ruins. But her mind found
freedom and promise in the science fiction novels that were her closest
companions. Then her mother tried to bend the spirits to dark ends, and Mori
was forced to confront her in a magical battle that left her crippled--and her
twin sister dead.
Fleeing to her father whom she barely knew, Mori was sent to boarding school in England-a place all but devoid of true magic. There, outcast and alone, she tempted fate by doing magic herself, in an attempt to find a circle of like-minded friends. But her magic also drew the attention of her mother, bringing about a reckoning that could no longer be put off...
Combining elements of autobiography with flights of imagination in the manner of novels like Jonathan Lethem's The Fortress of Solitude, this is potentially a breakout book for an author whose genius has already been hailed by peers like Kelly Link, Sarah Weinman, and Ursula K. Le Guin.
One of School Library Journal's Best Adult Books 4 Teens titles of 2011
One of io9's best Science Fiction & Fantasy books of the year 2011 (amazon.com)
Starlings by Jo Walton
“Starlings isn’t really a short-story collection. It’s
something better: a written showreel, illustrating yet again that [Walton’s]
imagination stretches to the stars (or the starlings), and that she’s endlessly
inventive in finding new methods to express it.”—NPR Books.
An ancient coin cyber-spies on lovers and thieves. The magic mirror sees all but can do nothing. A cloned savior solves a fanatically-inspired murder. Three Irish siblings thieve treasures with bad poetry and the aid of the Queen of Cats.
With these captivating initial glimpses into her storytelling psyche, Jo Walton shines through subtle myths and reinvented realities. Through eclectic stories, subtle vignettes, inspired poetry, and more, Walton soars with humans, machines, and magic—rising from the everyday into the universe itself. (amazon.com)
An ancient coin cyber-spies on lovers and thieves. The magic mirror sees all but can do nothing. A cloned savior solves a fanatically-inspired murder. Three Irish siblings thieve treasures with bad poetry and the aid of the Queen of Cats.
With these captivating initial glimpses into her storytelling psyche, Jo Walton shines through subtle myths and reinvented realities. Through eclectic stories, subtle vignettes, inspired poetry, and more, Walton soars with humans, machines, and magic—rising from the everyday into the universe itself. (amazon.com)
Naomi Novik’s Temeraire series
Capt. Will Laurence is serving with honor in the British
Navy when his ship captures a French frigate harboring most a unusual cargo–an
incalculably valuable dragon egg. When the egg hatches, Laurence unexpectedly
becomes the master of the young dragon Temeraire and finds himself on an
extraordinary journey that will shatter his orderly, respectable life and alter
the course of his nation’s history.
Thrust into England’s Aerial Corps, Laurence and Temeraire
undergo rigorous training while staving off French forces intent on breaching
British soil. But the pair has more than France to contend with when China
learns that an imperial dragon intended for Napoleon–Temeraire himself– has
fallen into British hands. The emperor summons the new pilot and his dragon to
the Far East, a long voyage fraught with peril and intrigue. From England’s
shores to China’s palaces, from the Silk Road’s outer limits to the embattled
borders of Prussia and Poland, Laurence and Temeraire must defend their
partnership and their country from powerful adversaries around the globe. But
can they succeed against the massed forces of Bonaparte’s implacable army? The Temeraire series was published to immediate
acclaim. Here is a list of the novels (naominovik.com):
1. His Majesty’s Dragon
2. The Throne of Jade
3. Black Powder War
4. Empire of Ivory
5. Victory of Eagles
6. Tongues of Serpents
7. Crucible of Gold
8. Blood of Tyrants
9. League of Dragons
2. The Throne of Jade
3. Black Powder War
4. Empire of Ivory
5. Victory of Eagles
6. Tongues of Serpents
7. Crucible of Gold
8. Blood of Tyrants
9. League of Dragons
