GoodReads Choice Awards 2023 Winners

December 28, 2023December 21, 2023 - Stephanie Leave a comment

Goodreads has announced their 15th Annual Choice Awards winners for 2023. Even though there is controversy regarding category removals, we still want to highlight the winners as they are decided by readers! Below you will find the results of these annual awards from 15 different categories with 300 nominated books. The chosen categories are fiction, historical fiction, mystery & thriller, romance, romantasy, fantasy, science fiction, horror, young adult fantasy, young adult fiction, debut novel, nonfiction, memoir & autobiography, history & autobiography, and humor.

At the time of this writing, all of these titles are owned by the Davenport Public Library. The descriptions are provided by the publishers.

__________________

Fiction: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Authors June Hayward and Athena Liu were supposed to be twin rising stars. But Athena’s a literary darling. June Hayward is literally nobody. Who wants stories about basic white girls, June thinks.

So when June witnesses Athena’s death in a freak accident, she acts on impulse: she steals Athena’s just-finished masterpiece, an experimental novel about the unsung contributions of Chinese laborers during World War I.

So what if June edits Athena’s novel and sends it to her agent as her own work? So what if she lets her new publisher rebrand her as Juniper Song—complete with an ambiguously ethnic author photo? Doesn’t this piece of history deserve to be told, whoever the teller? That’s what June claims, and the New York Times bestseller list seems to agree.

But June can’t get away from Athena’s shadow, and emerging evidence threatens to bring June’s (stolen) success down around her. As June races to protect her secret, she discovers exactly how far she will go to keep what she thinks she deserves. – HarperCollins

This title is also available as a Libby eBook, Libby eAudiobook, and large print.

__________________

Historical Fiction: Weyward by Emilia Hart

I am a Weyward, and wild inside.

2019: Under cover of darkness, Kate flees London for ramshackle Weyward Cottage, inherited from a great-aunt she barely remembers. With its tumbling ivy and overgrown garden, the cottage is worlds away from the abusive partner who tormented Kate. But she suspects that her great-aunt had a secret. One that lurks in the bones of the cottage, hidden ever since the witch-hunts of the 17th century.

1619: Altha is awaiting trial for the murder of a local farmer who was stampeded to death by his herd. When Altha was a girl, her mother taught her their magic, a kind not rooted in spell casting but in a deep knowledge of the natural world. But unusual women have always been deemed dangerous, and as the evidence of witchcraft is laid out against Altha, she knows it will take all her powers to maintain her freedom.

1942: As World War II rages, Violet is trapped in her family’s grand, crumbling estate. Straitjacketed by societal convention, she longs for the robust education her brother receives––and for her mother, long deceased, who was rumored to have gone mad before her death. The only traces Violet has of her are a locket bearing the initial W and the word weyward scratched into the baseboard of her bedroom.

Weaving together the stories of three extraordinary women across five centuries, Emilia Hart’s Weyward is an astonishing debut, and an enthralling novel of female resilience. – Macmillan Publishers

This title is also available as a Libby ebook, Libby eAudiobook, and large print.

__________________

Mystery & Thriller: The Housemaid’s Secret by Freida McFadden

“Don’t go in the guest bedroom.” A shadow falls on Douglas Garrick’s face as he touches the door with his fingertips. “My wife… she’s very ill.” As he continues showing me their incredible penthouse apartment, I have a terrible feeling about the woman behind closed doors. But I can’t risk losing this job—not if I want to keep my darkest secret safe…

It’s hard to find an employer who doesn’t ask too many questions about my past. So I thank my lucky stars that the Garricks miraculously give me a job, cleaning their stunning penthouse with views across the city and preparing fancy meals in their shiny kitchen. I can work here for a while, stay quiet until I get what I want.

It’s almost perfect. But I still haven’t met Mrs Garrick, or seen inside the guest bedroom. I’m sure I hear her crying. I notice spots of blood around the neck of her white nightgowns when I’m doing laundry. And one day I can’t help but knock on the door. When it gently swings open, what I see inside changes everything…

That’s when I make a promise. After all, I’ve done this before. I can protect Mrs Garrick while keeping my own secrets locked up safe.

Douglas Garrick has done wrong. He is going to pay. It’s simply a question of how far I’m willing to go… – Bookouture

__________________

Romance: Happy Place by Emily Henry

Harriet and Wyn have been the perfect couple since they met in college—they go together like salt and pepper, honey and tea, lobster and rolls. Except, now—for reasons they’re still not discussing—they don’t.

They broke up five months ago. And still haven’t told their best friends.

Which is how they find themselves sharing a bedroom at the Maine cottage that has been their friend group’s yearly getaway for the last decade. Their annual respite from the world, where for one vibrant, blissful week they leave behind their daily lives; have copious amounts of cheese, wine, and seafood; and soak up the salty coastal air with the people who understand them most.

Only this year, Harriet and Wyn are lying through their teeth while trying not to notice how desperately they still want each other. Because the cottage is for sale and this is the last week they’ll all have together in this place. They can’t stand to break their friends’ hearts, and so they’ll play their parts. Harriet will be the driven surgical resident who never starts a fight, and Wyn will be the laid-back charmer who never lets the cracks show. It’s a flawless plan (if you look at it from a great distance and through a pair of sunscreen-smeared sunglasses). After years of being in love, how hard can it be to fake it for one week…in front of those who know you best? – Penguin Random House

This title is also available as a Libby eBook, large print, CD audiobook, Libby eAudiobook, and Playaway audiobook.

__________________

Romantasy: Fourth Wing by Rebecca Yarros

Twenty-year-old Violet Sorrengail was supposed to enter the Scribe Quadrant, living a quiet life among books and history. Now, the commanding general—also known as her tough-as-talons mother—has ordered Violet to join the hundreds of candidates striving to become the elite of Navarre: dragon riders.

But when you’re smaller than everyone else and your body is brittle, death is only a heartbeat away…because dragons don’t bond to “fragile” humans. They incinerate them.

With fewer dragons willing to bond than cadets, most would kill Violet to better their own chances of success. The rest would kill her just for being her mother’s daughter—like Xaden Riorson, the most powerful and ruthless wingleader in the Riders Quadrant.

She’ll need every edge her wits can give her just to see the next sunrise.

Yet, with every day that passes, the war outside grows more deadly, the kingdom’s protective wards are failing, and the death toll continues to rise. Even worse, Violet begins to suspect leadership is hiding a terrible secret.

Friends, enemies, lovers. Everyone at Basgiath War College has an agenda—because once you enter, there are only two ways out: graduate or die. – Entangled Publishing

This title is also available as a Libby eBook, Libby eAudiobook, and Playaway audiobook.

__________________

Fantasy: Hell Bent by Leigh Bardugo

Find a gateway to the underworld. Steal a soul out of hell. A simple plan, except people who make this particular journey rarely come back. But Galaxy “Alex” Stern is determined to break Darlington out of purgatory—even if it costs her a future at Lethe and at Yale.

Forbidden from attempting a rescue, Alex and Dawes can’t call on the Ninth House for help, so they assemble a team of dubious allies to save the gentleman of Lethe. Together, they will have to navigate a maze of arcane texts and bizarre artifacts to uncover the societies’ most closely guarded secrets, and break every rule doing it. But when faculty members begin to die off, Alex knows these aren’t just accidents. Something deadly is at work in New Haven, and if she is going to survive, she’ll have to reckon with the monsters of her past and a darkness built into the university’s very walls.

Thick with history and packed with Bardugo’s signature twists, Hell Bent brings to life an intricate world full of magic, violence, and all too real monsters. – Macmillan Publishers

This title is also available as a Libby eBook, Libby eAudiobook, and in large print.

__________________

Science Fiction: In the Lives of Puppets by TJ Klune

In a strange little home built into the branches of a grove of trees, live three robots—fatherly inventor android Giovanni Lawson, a pleasantly sadistic nurse machine, and a small vacuum desperate for love and attention. Victor Lawson, a human, lives there too. They’re a family, hidden and safe.

The day Vic salvages and repairs an unfamiliar android labelled “HAP,” he learns of a shared dark past between Hap and Gio–a past spent hunting humans.

When Hap unwittingly alerts robots from Gio’s former life to their whereabouts, the family is no longer hidden and safe. Gio is captured and taken back to his old laboratory in the City of Electric Dreams. So together, the rest of Vic’s assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

Along the way to save Gio, amid conflicted feelings of betrayal and affection for Hap, Vic must decide for himself: Can he accept love with strings attached?

Inspired by Carlo Collodi’s The Adventures of Pinocchio, and like Swiss Family Robinson meets Wall-E, In the Lives of Puppets is a masterful stand-alone fantasy adventure from the beloved author who brought you The House in the Cerulean Sea and Under the Whispering Door. – Macmillan Publishers

This title is also available as Libby eBook and Libby eAudiobook.

__________________

Horror: Holly by Stephen King

Stephen King’s Holly marks the triumphant return of beloved King character Holly Gibney. Readers have witnessed Holly’s gradual transformation from a shy (but also brave and ethical) recluse in Mr. Mercedes to Bill Hodges’s partner in Finders Keepers to a full-fledged, smart, and occasionally tough private detective in The Outsider. In King’s new novel, Holly is on her own, and up against a pair of unimaginably depraved and brilliantly disguised adversaries.

When Penny Dahl calls the Finders Keepers detective agency hoping for help locating her missing daughter, Holly is reluctant to accept the case. Her partner, Pete, has Covid. Her (very complicated) mother has just died. And Holly is meant to be on leave. But something in Penny Dahl’s desperate voice makes it impossible for Holly to turn her down.

Mere blocks from where Bonnie Dahl disappeared live Professors Rodney and Emily Harris. They are the picture of bourgeois respectability: married octogenarians, devoted to each other, and semi-retired lifelong academics. But they are harboring an unholy secret in the basement of their well-kept, book-lined home, one that may be related to Bonnie’s disappearance. And it will prove nearly impossible to discover what they are up to: they are savvy, they are patient, and they are ruthless.

Holly must summon all her formidable talents to outthink and outmaneuver the shockingly twisted professors in this chilling new masterwork from Stephen King. – Simon & Schuster

This title is also available as a Libby eBook, Libby eAudiobook, large print, CD audiobook, and Playaway audiobook.

__________________

Young Adult Fantasy: Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

When two young rival journalists find love through a magical connection, they must face the depths of hell, in a war among gods, to seal their fate forever.

After centuries of sleep, the gods are warring again. But eighteen-year-old Iris Winnow just wants to hold her family together. Her mother is suffering from addiction and her brother is missing from the front lines. Her best bet is to win the columnist promotion at the Oath Gazette.

To combat her worries, Iris writes letters to her brother and slips them beneath her wardrobe door, where they vanish—into the hands of Roman Kitt, her cold and handsome rival at the paper. When he anonymously writes Iris back, the two of them forge a connection that will follow Iris all the way to the front lines of battle: for her brother, the fate of mankind, and love.

Shadow and Bone meets Lore in Rebecca Ross’s Divine Rivals, an epic enemies-to-lovers fantasy novel filled with hope and heartbreak, and the unparalleled power of love. – Macmillan Publishers

This title is also available as Libby eBook and Libby eAudiobook.

__________________

Young Adult Fiction: Check & Mate by Ali Hazelwood

Mallory Greenleaf is done with chess. Every move counts nowadays; after the sport led to the destruction of her family four years earlier, Mallory’s focus is on her mom, her sisters, and the dead-end job that keeps the lights on. That is, until she begrudgingly agrees to play in one last charity tournament and inadvertently wipes the board with notorious “Kingkiller” Nolan Sawyer: current world champion and reigning Bad Boy of chess.

Nolan’s loss to an unknown rook-ie shocks everyone. What’s even more confusing? His desire to cross pawns again. What kind of gambit is Nolan playing? The smart move would be to walk away. Resign. Game over. But Mallory’s victory opens the door to sorely needed cash-prizes and despite everything, she can’t help feeling drawn to the enigmatic strategist….

As she rockets up the ranks, Mallory struggles to keep her family safely separated from the game that wrecked it in the first place. And as her love for the sport she so desperately wanted to hate begins to rekindle, Mallory quickly realizes that the games aren’t only on the board, the spotlight is brighter than she imagined, and the competition can be fierce (-ly attractive. And intelligent…and infuriating…) – Penguin Random House

This title is also available as Libby eBook and Libby eAudiobook.

__________________

Debut Novel: Weyward by Emilia Hart

See above!

This title also won the Historical Fiction category for 2023.

__________________

Nonfiction: Poverty, By America by Matthew Desmond

The United States, the richest country on earth, has more poverty than any other advanced democracy. Why? Why does this land of plenty allow one in every eight of its children to go without basic necessities, permit scores of its citizens to live and die on the streets, and authorize its corporations to pay poverty wages?

In this landmark book, acclaimed sociologist Matthew Desmond draws on history, research, and original reporting to show how affluent Americans knowingly and unknowingly keep poor people poor. Those of us who are financially secure exploit the poor, driving down their wages while forcing them to overpay for housing and access to cash and credit. We prioritize the subsidization of our wealth over the alleviation of poverty, designing a welfare state that gives the most to those who need the least. And we stockpile opportunity in exclusive communities, creating zones of concentrated riches alongside those of concentrated despair. Some lives are made small so that others may grow.

Elegantly written and fiercely argued, this compassionate book gives us new ways of thinking about a morally urgent problem. It also helps us imagine solutions. Desmond builds a startlingly original and ambitious case for ending poverty. He calls on us all to become poverty abolitionists, engaged in a politics of collective belonging to usher in a new age of shared prosperity and, at last, true freedom. – Penguin Random House

This title is also available as a Libby eBook.

__________________

Memoir & Autobiography: The Woman in Me by Britney Spears

The Woman in Me is a brave and astonishingly moving story about freedom, fame, motherhood, survival, faith, and hope.

In June 2021, the whole world was listening as Britney Spears spoke in open court. The impact of sharing her voice—her truth—was undeniable, and it changed the course of her life and the lives of countless others. The Woman in Me reveals for the first time her incredible journey—and the strength at the core of one of the greatest performers in pop music history.

Written with remarkable candor and humor, Spears’s groundbreaking book illuminates the enduring power of music and love—and the importance of a woman telling her own story, on her own terms, at last. – Simon & Schuster

This title is also available as a Libby eBook, Libby eAudiobook, and CD audiobook.

__________________

History & Biography: The Wager by David Grann

On January 28, 1742, a ramshackle vessel of patched-together wood and cloth washed up on the coast of Brazil. Inside were thirty emaciated men, barely alive, and they had an extraordinary tale to tell. They were survivors of His Majesty’s Ship the Wager, a British vessel that had left England in 1740 on a secret mission during an imperial war with Spain. While the Wager had been chasing a Spanish treasure-filled galleon known as “the prize of all the oceans,” it had wrecked on a desolate island off the coast of Patagonia. The men, after being marooned for months and facing starvation, built the flimsy craft and sailed for more than a hundred days, traversing nearly 3,000 miles of storm-wracked seas. They were greeted as heroes.

But then … six months later, another, even more decrepit craft landed on the coast of Chile. This boat contained just three castaways, and they told a very different story. The thirty sailors who landed in Brazil were not heroes – they were mutineers. The first group responded with countercharges of their own, of a tyrannical and murderous senior officer and his henchmen. It became clear that while stranded on the island the crew had fallen into anarchy, with warring factions fighting for dominion over the barren wilderness. As accusations of treachery and murder flew, the Admiralty convened a court martial to determine who was telling the truth. The stakes were life-and-death—for whomever the court found guilty could hang.

The Wager is a grand tale of human behavior at the extremes told by one of our greatest nonfiction writers. Grann’s recreation of the hidden world on a British warship rivals the work of Patrick O’Brian, his portrayal of the castaways’ desperate straits stands up to the classics of survival writing such as The Endurance, and his account of the court martial has the savvy of a Scott Turow thriller. As always with Grann’s work, the incredible twists of the narrative hold the reader spellbound. – Penguin Random House

This title is also available in large print, Libby eBook, Libby eAudiobook, CD audiobook, and in Playaway audiobook.

__________________

Humor: Being Henry by Henry Winkler

From Emmy-award winning actor, author, comedian, producer, and director Henry Winkler, a deeply thoughtful memoir of the lifelong effects of stardom and the struggle to become whole.

Henry Winkler, launched into prominence as “The Fonz” in the beloved Happy Days, has transcended the role that made him who he is. Brilliant, funny, and widely-regarded as the nicest man in Hollywood (though he would be the first to tell you that it’s simply not the case, he’s really just grateful to be here), Henry shares in this achingly vulnerable memoir the disheartening truth of his childhood, the difficulties of a life with severe dyslexia, the pressures of a role that takes on a life of its own, and the path forward once your wildest dream seems behind you.

Since the glorious era of Happy Days fame, Henry has endeared himself to a new generation with roles in such adored shows as Arrested Development, Parks and Recreation, and Barry, where he’s been revealed as an actor with immense depth and pathos, a departure from the period of his life when he was so distinctly typecast as The Fonz, he could hardly find work.

Filled with profound heart, charm, and self-deprecating humor, Being Henry is a memoir about so much more than a life in Hollywood and the curse of stardom. It is a meaningful testament to the power of sharing truth and kindness and of finding fulfillment within yourself. – Macmillan Publishers

This title is also available in large print, Libby eAudiobook, and CD audiobook.

Top Titles of 2023

December 26, 2023December 20, 2023 - Stephanie Leave a comment

All three Davenport Public Library locations are closed today, Tuesday, December 26th, in observance of Christmas. All three buildings will reopen with regular hours on Wednesday, December 27th: Main (321 Main Street) 9am to 5:30pm, Eastern (6000 Eastern Avenue) noon to 8:00pm, and Fairmount (3000 N Fairmount St) 9am to 8:00pm.

Even though we’re closed today, we have exciting news to share! We are so excited to announce the top checked out titles of 2023 for the Davenport Public Library! We have gathered the top ten most popular titles for four different categories: adult, dvd, kids, and young adult.

Below you will find the lists of titles with links back to the catalog for you to check them out! Did you read or watch any of these? Are any in your to-read/to-watch pile? Let us know in the comments!

Top Adult Books in 2023:

It Ends with Us by Colleen Hoover
Cross Down by James Patterson
Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus
Storm Watch by CJ Box
The 23rd Midnight by James Patterson
It Starts with Us by Colleen Hoover
Obsessed by James Patterson
Lion and Lamb by James Patterson
Mad Honey by Jodi Picoult
Private Moscow by James Patterson

Top DVD Rentals in 2023:

Top Kids Books in 2023:

Dog Man: Brawl of the Wild by Dav Pilkey
Dog Man: Lord of the Fleas by Dav Pilkey
Smile by Raina Telgemeier
Drama by Raina Telgemeier
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Old School by Jeff Kinney
Bluey: At Home with the Heelers
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Wrecking Ball by Jeff Kinney
Dog Man: For Whom the Ball Rolls by Dav Pilkey
Diary of a Wimpy Kid: Big Shot by Jeff Kinney
Dog Man and Cat Kid by Dav Pilkey

Top Young Adults Books in 2023:

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins
The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han
Good Girl, Bad Blood by Holly Jackson
A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson
The Inheritance Games by Jennifer Lynn Barnes
Empire of Storms by Sarah J Maas
It’s Not Summer Without You by Jenny Han
Throne of Glass by Sarah J Maas
We’ll Always Have Summer by Jenny Han
All Boys Aren’t Blue by George M Johnson

Library Closed in Observance of Christmas

December 25, 2023December 6, 2023 - Stephanie Leave a comment

All three Davenport Public Library locations will be closed Monday, December 25th and Tuesday, December 26th in observance of Christmas. All three buildings will reopen with their regular hours on Wednesday, December 27th: Main (321 Main Street) 9am to 5:30pm, Eastern (6000 Eastern Avenue) noon to 8:00pm, and Fairmount (3000 N Fairmount St) 9am to 8:00pm.

Even though our physical locations will be closed, you can still access free digital content for all ages. Your Davenport Public Library card gives you access to free eBooks, digital audiobooks, magazines, movies, and music through Libby, Freegal, TumbleBooks, QC Beats, and Kanopy!

Have a safe and happy holiday!

Multigenerational Family Dramas

December 22, 2023December 18, 2023 - Stephanie Leave a comment

November and December mean that the holidays have arrived! Families start gathering to celebrate, but these gatherings mean emotions can run high. Some instances can be fun while others can test your patience. If you need an escape from your family or enjoy multigenerational family stories, try out the following list of multigenerational novels.

Below I have gathered a list of multigenerational family dramas published in 2023 that are owned by the Davenport Public Library. This is by no means an extensive list, but instead ten I wanted to highlight that we haven’t talked about on the blog before. It was hard to narrow this list down to ten, so stay tuned for more multigenerational family recommendations in the future! All descriptions have been provided by the publishers or authors.

_____________________

Family Lore by Elizabeth Acevedo

From National Book Award-winning author Elizabeth Acevedo comes the story of one Dominican American family told through the voices of its women

Flor has a gift: she can predict, to the day, when someone will die. So when she decides she wants a living wake—a party to bring her family and community together to celebrate the long life she’s led—her sisters are surprised. Has Flor foreseen her own death, or someone else’s? Does she have other motives? She refuses to tell her sisters, Matilde, Pastora, and Camila.

But Flor isn’t the only person with secrets: her sisters are hiding things, too. And the next generation, cousins Ona and Yadi, face tumult of their own.

Spanning the three days prior to the wake, Family Lore traces the lives of each of the Marte women, weaving together past and present, Santo Domingo and New York City. Told with Elizabeth Acevedo’s inimitable and incandescent voice, this is an indelible portrait of sisters and cousins, aunts and nieces—one family’s journey through their history, helping them better navigate all that is to come. – HarperCollins

_____________________

Our Best Intentions by Vibhuti Jain

Babur “Bobby” Singh, Indian immigrant, single parent, and owner of a fledging rideshare business, remains ever hopeful about ascending the ladder of American success. He lives in an affluent suburb of New York with his introverted teenage daughter Angie.

During summer break, Angie is walking home after swimming at the high school pool when she finds Henry McCleary, a white classmate from a wealthy family, stabbed and bleeding on the football field. The police immediately focus their investigation on Chiara Thompkins, a runaway Black girl who disappears after the stabbing and—it’s later discovered—wasn’t properly enrolled in the public high school.

The incident sends shock waves through the community and reveals jarring truths about the lengths to which families will go to protect themselves.

A gripping story about privilege, race, family, and belonging, Our Best Intentions shows how drastically everything can change in a single moment and the rippling effects of the choices we make and the lies we tell. – HarperCollins

_____________________

Happiness Falls by Angie Kim

“We didn’t call the police right away.” Those are the electric first words of this extraordinary novel about a biracial Korean American family in Virginia whose lives are upended when their beloved father and husband goes missing.

Mia, the irreverent, hyperanalytical twenty-year-old daughter, has an explanation for everything—which is why she isn’t initially concerned when her father and younger brother Eugene don’t return from a walk in a nearby park. They must have lost their phone. Or stopped for an errand somewhere. But by the time Mia’s brother runs through the front door bloody and alone, it becomes clear that the father in this tight-knit family is missing and the only witness is Eugene, who has the rare genetic condition Angelman syndrome and cannot speak.

What follows is both a ticking-clock investigation into the whereabouts of a father and an emotionally rich portrait of a family whose most personal secrets just may be at the heart of his disappearance. Full of shocking twists and fascinating questions of love, language, and human connection, Happiness Falls is a mystery, a family drama, and a novel of profound philosophical inquiry. With all the powerful storytelling she brought to her award-winning debut, Miracle Creek, Angie Kim turns the missing-person story into something wholly original, creating an indelible tale of a family who must go to remarkable lengths to truly understand one another. – Penguin Random House

_____________________

The Bee Sting by Paul Murray

The Barnes family is in trouble. Dickie’s once-lucrative car business is going under—but Dickie is spending his days in the woods, building an apocalypse-proof bunker with a renegade handyman. His wife, Imelda, is selling off her jewelry on eBay and half-heartedly dodging the attention of fast-talking cattle farmer Big Mike, while their teenage daughter, Cass, formerly top of her class, seems determined to binge drink her way through her final exams. As for twelve-year-old PJ, he’s on the brink of running away.

If you wanted to change this story, how far back would you have to go? To the infamous bee sting that ruined Imelda’s wedding day? To the car crash one year before Cass was born? All the way back to Dickie at ten years old, standing in the summer garden with his father, learning how to be a real man?

The Bee Sting, Paul Murray’s exuberantly entertaining new novel, is a tour de force: a portrait of postcrash Ireland, a tragicomic family saga, and a dazzling story about the struggle to be good at the end of the world. – MacMillan Publishers

_____________________

Beyond That, The Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

As German bombs fall over London in 1940, working-class parents Millie and Reginald Thompson make an impossible choice: they decide to send their eleven-year-old daughter, Beatrix, to America. There, she’ll live with another family for the duration of the war, where they hope she’ll stay safe.

Scared and angry, feeling lonely and displaced, Bea arrives in Boston to meet the Gregorys. Mr. and Mrs. G, and their sons William and Gerald, fold Bea seamlessly into their world. She becomes part of this lively family, learning their ways and their stories, adjusting to their affluent lifestyle. Bea grows close to both boys, one older and one younger, and fills in the gap between them. Before long, before she even realizes it, life with the Gregorys feels more natural to her than the quiet, spare life with her own parents back in England.

As Bea comes into herself and relaxes into her new life—summers on the coast in Maine, new friends clamoring to hear about life across the sea—the girl she had been begins to fade away, until, abruptly, she is called home to London when the war ends.

Desperate as she is not to leave this life behind, Bea dutifully retraces her trip across the Atlantic back to her new, old world. As she returns to post-war London, the memory of her American family stays with her, never fully letting her go, and always pulling on her heart as she tries to move on and pursue love and a life of her own.

As we follow Bea over time, navigating between her two worlds, Beyond That, the Sea emerges as a beautifully written, absorbing novel, full of grace and heartache, forgiveness and understanding, loss and love. – MacMillan Publishers

_____________________

The Berry Pickers by Amanda Peters

A four-year-old Mi’kmaq girl goes missing from the blueberry fields of Maine, sparking a mystery that will haunt the survivors, unravel a family, and remain unsolved for nearly fifty years

July 1962. A Mi’kmaq family from Nova Scotia arrives in Maine to pick blueberries for the summer. Weeks later, four-year-old Ruthie, the family’s youngest child, vanishes. She is last seen by her six-year-old brother, Joe, sitting on a favorite rock at the edge of a berry field. Joe will remain distraught by his sister’s disappearance for years to come.

In Maine, a young girl named Norma grows up as the only child of an affluent family. Her father is emotionally distant, her mother frustratingly overprotective. Norma is often troubled by recurring dreams and visions that seem more like memories than imagination. As she grows older, Norma slowly comes to realize there is something her parents aren’t telling her. Unwilling to abandon her intuition, she will spend decades trying to uncover this family secret.

For readers of The Vanishing Half and Woman of Light, this showstopping debut by a vibrant new voice in fiction is a riveting novel about the search for truth, the shadow of trauma, and the persistence of love across time. – Penguin Random House

_____________________

The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok

Jasmine Yang arrives in New York City from her rural Chinese village without money or family support, fleeing a controlling husband, on a desperate search for the daughter who was taken from her at birth—another female casualty of China’s controversial One Child Policy. But with her husband on her trail, the clock is ticking, and she’s forced to make increasingly risky decisions if she ever hopes to be reunited with her daughter.

Meanwhile, publishing executive Rebecca Whitney seems to have it all: a prestigious family name and the wealth that comes with it, a high-powered career, a beautiful home, a handsome husband, and an adopted Chinese daughter she adores. She’s even hired a nanny to help her balance the demands of being a working wife and mother. But when an industry scandal threatens to jeopardize not only Rebecca’s job but her marriage, this perfect world begins to crumble and her role in her own family is called into question.

The Leftover Woman finds these two unforgettable women on a shocking collision course. Twisting and suspenseful and surprisingly poignant, it’s a profound exploration of identity and belonging, motherhood and family. It is a story of two women in a divided city—separated by severe economic and cultural differences yet bound by a deep emotional connection to a child. – HarperCollins

_____________________

Central Places by Delia Cai

A young woman’s past and present collide when she brings her white fiancé home to meet her Chinese immigrant parents in this vibrant debut from an exciting new voice in fiction.

Audrey Zhou left Hickory Grove, the tiny central Illinois town where she grew up, as soon as high school ended, and she never looked back. She moved to New York City and became the person she always wanted to be, complete with a high-paying, high-pressure job and a seemingly faultless fiancé. But if she and Manhattan-bred Ben are to build a life together, in the dream home his parents will surely pay for, Audrey can no longer hide him, or the person she’s become, from those she left behind.

But returning to Hickory Grove is . . . complicated. Audrey’s relationship with her parents has been soured by years of her mother’s astronomical expectations and slights. The friends she’s shirked for bigger dreams have stayed behind and started families. And then there’s Kyle, the easygoing stoner and her unrequited crush from high school that she finds herself drawn to again. Ben might be a perfect fit for New Audrey, but Kyle was always the only one who truly understood her growing up, and being around him again after all these years has Old Audrey bubbling up to the surface.

Over the course of one disastrous week, Audrey’s proximity to her family and to Kyle forces her to confront the past and reexamine her fraught connection to her roots before she undoes everything she’s worked toward and everything she’s imagined for herself. But is that life really the one she wants? – Penguin Random House

_____________________

The Chinese Groove by Kathryn Ma

Anne Tyler meets Jade Chang in this buoyant, good-hearted, and sharply written novel about a blithely optimistic immigrant with big dreams, dire prospects, and a fractured extended family in need of his help—even if they don’t know it yet

Eighteen-year-old Shelley, born into a much-despised branch of the Zheng family in Yunnan Province and living in the shadow of his widowed father’s grief, dreams of bigger things. Buoyed by an exuberant heart and his cousin Deng’s tall tales about the United States, Shelley heads to San Francisco to claim his destiny, confident that any hurdles will be easily overcome by the awesome powers of the “Chinese groove,” a belief in the unspoken bonds between countrymen that transcend time and borders.

Upon arrival, Shelley is dismayed to find that his “rich uncle” is in fact his unemployed second cousin once removed and that the grand guest room he’d envisioned is but a scratchy sofa. The indefinite stay he’d planned for? That has a firm two-week expiration date. Even worse, the loving family he hoped would embrace him is in shambles, shattered by a senseless tragedy that has cleaved the family in two. They want nothing to do with this youthful bounder who’s barged into their lives. Ever the optimist, Shelley concocts a plan to resuscitate his American dream by insinuating himself into the family. And, who knows, maybe he’ll even manage to bring them back together in the process. – Counterpoint Press

_____________________

Late Bloomers by Deepa Varadarajan

“I have a soft spot for underdogs. And late bloomers. You’ve told me a lot of things about yourself, so let me tell you something about me.”

After thirty-six years of a dutiful but unhappy arranged marriage, recently divorced Suresh and Lata Raman find themselves starting new paths in life. Suresh is trying to navigate the world of online dating on a website that caters to Indians and is striking out at every turn—until he meets a mysterious, devastatingly attractive younger woman who seems to be smitten with him. Lata is enjoying her newfound independence, but she’s caught off guard when a professor in his early sixties starts to flirt with her.

Meanwhile, Suresh and Lata’s daughter, Priya, thinks her father’s online pursuits are distasteful even as she embarks upon a clandestine affair of her own. And their son, Nikesh, pretends at a seemingly perfect marriage with his law-firm colleague and their young son, but hides the truth of what his relationship really entails. Over the course of three weeks in August, the whole family will uncover one another’s secrets, confront the limits of love and loyalty, and explore life’s second chances.

Charming, funny, and moving, Late Bloomers introduces a delightful new voice in fiction with the story of four individuals trying to understand how to be happy in their own lives—and as a family. – Penguin Random House

_____________________

Are there other multigenerational family dramas that you enjoy or want to read? Let us know in the comments!

Celebrate Humbug Day with Picture Books Featuring Characters with Big Feelings

December 21, 2023December 13, 2023 - Brittany Leave a comment

December 21^st is Humbug Day, a day to feel your feelings and allow yourself to be grumpy. As someone who loves the complexity of moody main characters, I wanted to share some of my favorites! By sharing stories of characters with big feelings, it helps children learn empathy and better understand the world around them.

Below is a short list of titles featuring characters with big feelings for you to share with the young people in your life!

Little Mad by Nadine Brun-Cosme and Marion Cocklico (Illustrator)

Little One feels so upset that playtime is over that…poof! She becomes Little Mad!

In this reassuring board book about first feelings, little ones will be able to relate and learn from Little Mad as she learns how to calm down after getting upset. The perfect book for parents and little ones to share, this story proves that sometimes, when you’re feeling mad, all you need is a friend to be by your side.– provided by Goodreads.

A Day Full of Feelings: Beginning Baby by Chronicle Books

New in the Beginning Baby board book Join an adorable group of animal friends for a day at school that’s full of feelings! Whether they are sad or glad, shy or excited, the friends know it’s important to express their many emotions.-provided by Goodreads.

The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen and Dan Hanna (Illustrator)

Swim along with the pout-pout fish as he discovers that being glum and spreading “dreary wearies” isn’t really his destiny.– provided by Goodreads.

A Very Cranky Book by Angela DiTerlizzi and Tony DiTerlizzi

Cranky doesn’t want to be read. He just wants you to leave him alone. After all, there are so many other things you can do–ride a bike, play a game, or draw a picture. There’s no reason for you to be bothering him! But when other books show up for story time, will Cranky change his mind?-provided by Goodreads.

Bruce’s Big Storm by Ryan T. Higgins

Bruce’s home is already a full house.

But when a big storm brings all his woodland neighbors knocking, he’ll have to open his door to a crowd of animals in need of shelter-whether he likes it or not. Readers will love this next installment of the uproarious, award-winning Mother Bruce series.-provided by Goodreads.

1 Grumpy Bruce by Ryan T. Higgins

Long-suffering Bruce once again contends with an increasingly crowded household, this time in an original board book where young ones can count the never-ending party guests. Full of fun characters and humor, 1 Grumpy Bruce is just right for our littlest readers.-provided by Goodreads.

The Pigeon Has to Go to School by Mo Willems

Why does the Pigeon have to go to school? He already knows everything! And what if he doesn’t like it? What if the teacher doesn’t like him? What if he learns TOO MUCH!?!provided by Goodreads.

Goodnight Already! by Jory John and Benji Davies (Illustrator)

Meet Bear. He’s exhausted. All he wants is to go to sleep. Meet Duck, Bear’s persistent next-door neighbor. All he wants is to hang out . . . with Bear.- provided by Goodreads.

Religion: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Topic of the Month

December 20, 2023December 4, 2023 - Stephanie Leave a comment

Every month, our Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility team puts together a list of resources on a certain topic. The topic for December is religion. Descriptions provided by the publisher or website.

Web Resources:

Navigating Religious Diversity in the Workplace – This is a blog written by the Intuit Blog team, last updated in 2023, about the social responsibility of making sure everyone feels included and respected in the workplace.

6 Tips for Navigating Your Religious Needs at Work – This article is from The Muse.

Religious Landscape Study – The Pew Research Center conducted these studies: ‘The RLS, conducted in 2007 and 2014, surveys more than 35,000 Americans from all 50 states about their religious affiliations, beliefs and practices, and social and political views.’

Animated Map Shows How Religion Spread Around the World (2:35) – This is a video on YouTube put together by Business Insider: ‘Hinduism, Buddhism, Christianity, Judaism, and Islam are five of the biggest religions in the world. Over the last few thousand years, these religious groups have shaped the course of history and had a profound influence on the trajectory of the human race. Through countless conflicts, conquests, missions abroad, and simple word of mouth, these religions spread around the globe and forever molded the huge geographic regions in their paths.’

All Major Religions Explained in 6 Minute: Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, Judaism (6:14)

Juvenile Book Recommendations:

Who Believes What? Exploring the World’s Major Religions by Anna Wills

In today’s multicultural cities and interconnected world, understanding different belief systems can help kids appreciate the differences of people they see every day, or people who live on the other side of the globe. This book introduces readers to the five major world religions by population: Hinduism, Judaism, Buddhism, Christianity, and Islam.

Each mini-section opens with a fully illustrated spread representing one religion. Designed in a search-and-find style, the illustrated spreads are busy, bright, and jam-packed with details that show people worshipping among symbolic places, rituals, and objects. A text spread follows, pulling out details from the illustrated page and providing further information about the history, festivals, places of worship, celebrations, religious leaders, and gods of each religion.

Front matter gives broader overall context about religion and each featured belief system, making this a comprehensive go-to resource for introducing religion and global cultures. – Owlkids

_____________________

Free for You and Me: What Our First Amendment Means by Christy Mihaly

It’s a free country! But what does that mean? Find out the five liberties protected by the First Amendment. Vivid examples from history and everyday life demonstrate the meaning of freedom of religion, speech, and the press, and the rights to assemble peacefully and to petition the government. – Albert Whitman & Co.

_____________________

Celebrating all Religions by Abby Colich

Our communities are stronger when we come together and take time to understand, support, and celebrate one another. In Celebrating All Religions, readers will learn the importance of acceptance and empathy as they relate to different religions and how to practice these in their daily lives. Social and emotional learning (SEL) concepts support growth mindset throughout, while “Grow with Goals” activities and “Mindfulness Exercises” at the end of the book further reinforce the content. Vibrant, full-color photos and carefully leveled text engage young readers as they learn more about empathy and inclusion. Also includes sidebars, a table of contents, glossary, index, and tips for educators and caregivers.

Celebrating All Religions is part of Jump!’s Celebrating Our Communities series. – Jump!

_____________________

The Kids Book of World Religions by Jennifer Glossop

By gaining a greater understanding of the cultures and beliefs of people around the world, children build respect and tolerance for the differences that make each of us unique. With objectivity and accessibility, this title in the Kids Book of series looks at the histories, scriptures, places of worship, religious leaders, gods and major festivals that are the foundations of many of the world’s religions. Features a glossary and an index. – GoodReads

_____________________

A Faith Like Mine: a Celebration of the World’s Religions . . . Seen Through the Eyes of Children by Laura Buller

A perfect book for children and parents to read together, A Faith Like Mine uses revealing photography and detailed personal accounts to give unique insight into the diversity of religious faith as experienced through the lives of children across the world.

– Information on widely practiced faiths, as well as less common spiritual beliefs
– Compares festivals, sacred books, places of worship and holy days
– Includes maps, religious calendars, profiles of spiritual leaders and more
– A celebration of the world’s religions through the eyes of children – GoodReads

_____________________

Understanding the Nonreligious by Cynthia Kennedy Henzel

Understanding the Nonreligious examines the diverse set of people who hold no religious beliefs. In addition to atheist or agnostic, they have a variety of ways to label themselves, as well as opinions on how to find fulfillment in life and what values to hold. Features include a glossary, references, websites, source notes, and an index. Aligned to Common Core Standards and correlated to state standards. Essential Library is an imprint of Abdo Publishing, a division of ABDO. – ABDO

YA Book Recommendations

What if I’m an Atheist? A Teen’s Guide to Exploring a Life Without Religion by David Seidman

Can you have guidance without God? This thoughtful, one-of-a-kind guide offers answers to all of your questions about atheism and nonbelief.

Have you ever wondered what religion and belief means for your life? Maybe you believe in nothing at all. Does that mean you’re an atheist? What does atheism even mean? Regardless of the religious background you grew up with, it’s natural to question what you believe…or what you don’t. Establishing your views about religion and spirituality is part of becoming an individual, but outside pressures can make it tough to know what is right for you.

What If I’m an Athiest? offers a thoughtful exploration of how atheism or the absence of religion can impact your life. From discussing the practical significance of holidays to offering conversation starters and tips, this guide is an invaluable resource about religion, spirituality, and the lack thereof.

This compassionate, nonjudgmental guide includes peer interviews featuring both religious and atheist teens and provides a safe space to find answers to the questions you may not want ask out loud, so you can decide what you believe—or don’t—for yourself. – Simon & Schuster

_____________________

Religion in Contemporary Society

Religion is on the decline in the United States, as the religiously unaffiliated segment climbs to more than 25 percent of the overall population. This is likely due to demographic shifts, but it may also be influenced by factors such as mass migration from rural to urban areas and the advancement of isolating technology. Additionally, many are discouraged by what they consider outdated stances and exclusiveness of many religions. Given these changes, what place does religion have in contemporary society? Can it adjust with the times? Diverse experts in the field tackle this timely topic for interested readers. – GoodReads

_____________________

Living with Religion and Faith by Robert Rodi

Looks at how the LGBTQ community is viewed by religions around the world and how some faiths have accepted them. – GoodReads

_____________________

Your Freedom, Your Power: a Kid’s Guide to the First Amendment by Allison Matulli

A nonpartisan, unbiased look at the First Amendment and how it informs our daily lives, this book clearly explains the fundamentals of American politics to middle grade readers.

The First Amendment grants kids and every other citizen five monster privileges: freedom of religion, freedom of speech, freedom of the press,
freedom of assembly, and the right to petition the government. If the First Amendment is everywhere in their lives, shouldn’t kids know more about it? Yes!

In Your Freedom, Your Power, middle grade readers get a focused look at their freedoms and rights through the lens of this all-powerful First Amendment. The book engages children in learning more about their country and their rights and responsibilities. Each section will answer key questions readers may have thought about like: Do I have the right to protest at school? Can I be punished at school for something I say on social media? Why can’t I wear whatever I want? Can I text whatever I want? While answering these questions and explaining fundamental legal concepts every kid should know, Your Freedom, Your Power shares the fascinating stories behind some of the most important legal cases and social movements that have affected kids’ lives and rights. – Hachette Book Group

Adult Book Recommendations

Waking Up: a Guide to Spirituality without Religion by Sam Harris

For the millions of Americans who want spirituality without religion, Sam Harris’s latest New York Times bestseller is a guide to meditation as a rational practice informed by neuroscience and psychology.

From Sam Harris, neuroscientist and author of numerous New York Times bestselling books, Waking Up is for the twenty percent of Americans who follow no religion but who suspect that important truths can be found in the experiences of such figures as Jesus, the Buddha, Lao Tzu, Rumi, and the other saints and sages of history. Throughout this book, Harris argues that there is more to understanding reality than science and secular culture generally allow, and that how we pay attention to the present moment largely determines the quality of our lives.

Waking Up is part memoir and part exploration of the scientific underpinnings of spirituality. No other book marries contemplative wisdom and modern science in this way, and no author other than Sam Harris—a scientist, philosopher, and famous skeptic—could write it. – Simon & Schuster

_____________________

World Religions: the Great Faiths Explored and Explained by John Bowker

Baffled by Buddhism? Confused by Catholicism? Mystified by Mysticism? Discover everything you need to know about the world’s major religious faiths.

A compelling and insightful guide for uncovering and understanding a variety of the world’s major religions, this book is the perfect gift for thinkers, borrowers, religious studies and philosophy students.

Learn new and profound information about a variety of faiths. In this educational guide, you’ll find:

– A chapter devoted to each of the major world religions – Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
– Lesser-known religions and belief systems are covered, offering a comprehensive overview of faith.
– Detailed illustrations and annotated works of art, and a timeline of religious history.

Discover the world’s major religions and other faiths from both the ancient and the modern world through this insightful guide. Explore over 450 classic works of religious and devotional art. With sacred texts, epic imagery, key beliefs and religious artifacts, this educational guide is perfect for libraries, classrooms and the bookshelves of those who simply love learning. – Dorling Kindersley

_____________________

The Religions Book: Big Ideas Simply Explained

This definitive guide explores all the faiths from around the world.

Together with the five main religions of Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Islam, and Judaism, there is a diverse range of newer faiths to ensure a compelling and comprehensive read.

From the key concepts of ancient beliefs to the ground-breaking ideas at the heart of modern faiths, religious history is chronicled in a universal timeline. This provides a global perspective on the origins and events contributing to the growth and spread of spirituality, and the position of religion in society today. Influential religious leaders, including Mahatma Gandhi, Saint Paul, and Al-Ghazali, are introduced in depth and detail, alongside important quotations. Modern alternative beliefs are investigated in the wider context of their political, social, and cultural climates.

Part of DK’s award-winning Big Ideas series that has sold in excess of seven million copies, The Religions Book explains the trickiest of subjects in the most easily accessible format, using inspiring infographics and illuminating images alongside simple and straightforward text.

Compelling and accessible, this is the perfect guide for students of religious study, or anyone interested in the ideas of ancient and present-day faiths and religious philosophies. – Dorling Kindersley

_____________________

Concise History of World Religions: an Illustrated Time Line

The Concise History of World Religions continues the Concise History series with an authoritative and comprehensive take on major religions and lesser-known faiths of all times and nations. No other text combines the illustrations expertise of National Geographic with the historical focus on faiths—large and small—across the world. Up-to-date scholarship offers a unique global perspective on the history of faith in the Americas, Europe, Asia and Oceania, and Africa and the Middle East. This is religion presented as history, in the objective manner in which the National Geographic Society excels. Lavish illustrations illuminate the faithful, their houses of worship, and the articles and artifacts of faith. From the great cathedrals to the colorful robes of Buddhist monks to horrors of the Spanish inquisition to the astonishingly intricate paintings of the Hindu gods, the illustrations tell as much of the story as the text.

There is nothing else quite like National Geographic’s special Concise History series: the time line format combines geography, chronology, and subject area in one complete, but easy-to-understand grid. The 80 timelines with their more than 3,500 entries, plus short articles and feature spreads make it the perfect quick-dip reference; 110 sidebars amplify the illustrated time lines and highlight monuments of faith, words of religious transcendence, and lives of piety and sacrifice; 50 feature essays explore in detail the origins, development and influence of faith; 325 images document all aspects of the religious experience, from architecture and icons to exemplary individuals and acts of devotion; and quotes throughout chapters are drawn from prayers and sermons that embody the religious attitudes of each era. – GoodReads

_____________________

The Meaning of Belief: Religion from an Atheist’s Point of View by Tim Crane

Contemporary debate about religion seems to be going nowhere. Atheists persist with their arguments, many plausible and some unanswerable, but these make no impact on religious believers. Defenders of religion find atheists equally unwilling to cede ground. The Meaning of Belief offers a way out of this stalemate.

An atheist himself, Tim Crane writes that there is a fundamental flaw with most atheists’ basic approach: religion is not what they think it is. Atheists tend to treat religion as a kind of primitive cosmology, as the sort of explanation of the universe that science offers. They conclude that religious believers are irrational, superstitious, and bigoted. But this view of religion is almost entirely inaccurate. Crane offers an alternative account based on two ideas. The first is the idea of a religious impulse: the sense people have of something transcending the world of ordinary experience, even if it cannot be explicitly articulated. The second is the idea of identification: the fact that religion involves belonging to a specific social group and participating in practices that reinforce the bonds of belonging. Once these ideas are properly understood, the inadequacy of atheists’ conventional conception of religion emerges.

The Meaning of Belief does not assess the truth or falsehood of religion. Rather, it looks at the meaning of religious belief and offers a way of understanding it that both makes sense of current debate and also suggests what more intellectually responsible and practically effective attitudes atheists might take to the phenomenon of religion. – Harvard University Press

_____________________

Seven Types of Atheism by John Gray

When you explore older atheisms, you will find that some of your firmest convictions—secular or religious—are highly questionable. If this prospect disturbs you, what you are looking for may be freedom from thought.

For a generation now, public debate has been corroded by a shrill, narrow derision of religion in the name of an often vaguely understood “science.” John Gray’s stimulating and enjoyable new book, Seven Types of Atheism, describes the complex, dynamic world of older atheisms, a tradition that is, he writes, in many ways intertwined with and as rich as religion itself.

Along a spectrum that ranges from the convictions of “God-haters” like the Marquis de Sade to the mysticism of Arthur Schopenhauer, from Bertrand Russell’s search for truth in mathematics to secular political religions like Jacobinism and Nazism, Gray explores the various ways great minds have attempted to understand the questions of salvation, purpose, progress, and evil. The result is a book that sheds an extraordinary light on what it is to be human. – MacMillan Publishers

Monstrous : A Transracial Adoption Story by Sarah Myer

December 19, 2023December 18, 2023 - Stephanie Leave a comment

My latest graphic novel nonfiction read came from the young adult section! Monstrous : A Transracial Adoption Story by Sarah Myer is a new graphic memoir published in June 2023. This title dives deep into the life of the author Sarah Myer, a Korean American, from the time of her adoption to the day she moves away to college. Sarah currently uses the pronouns they/them, but during this graphic memoir they refer to themselves as she, so I will be using she/her pronouns while talking about this book.

Sarah and her sister were both adopted from Korea by a white couple. She and her sister are not biologically related, which provides more fodder for her bullies later in life. Sarah grew up in a rural community with few Asian neighbors. Looking back, Sarah was able to recognize that she was struggling with anxiety before she even started school. Once she started school, the bullying, racism, and taunts became increasingly worse. Sarah found escape from the racist bullying by throwing herself into art and fandoms. She struggled to contain her anger, sometimes letting it explode at her bullies, friends, and family. Sarah’s escapes into drawing and cosplay can only help her so far when the bullying becomes even worse once she starts high school. How she reacts will define her future.

Monstrous is a graphic memoir that I wish I would have had growing up. I am not adopted, but Sarah discusses her struggles with mental health and anxiety throughout the book to which I related.

Book-to-Screen Adaptations

December 18, 2023December 5, 2023 - Stephanie Leave a comment

2023 is the year of books being made into television and movies! It seems like everywhere I turn, a book is being adapted for the screen. When adaptations hit the screen, people run to the library to check out the books to read! To help you get a jump on your reading, check out this list of new book-to-screen adaptations. Let us know your favorite or the one you’re looking forward to the most in the comments below!

This is not all of the new book-to-screen adaptations coming out. Instead I wanted to focus on the higher profile adaptations that have hit the screen the fall and winter of 2023. All of the descriptions have been provided by the publishers.

___________________

The Other Black Girl by Zakiya Dalila Harris

Twenty-six-year-old editorial assistant Nella Rogers is tired of being the only Black employee at Wagner Books. Fed up with the isolation and microaggressions, she’s thrilled when Harlem-born and bred Hazel starts working in the cubicle beside hers. They’ve only just started comparing natural hair care regimens, though, when a string of uncomfortable events elevates Hazel to Office Darling, and Nella is left in the dust.

Then the notes begin to appear on Nella’s desk: LEAVE WAGNER. NOW.

It’s hard to believe Hazel is behind these hostile messages. But as Nella starts to spiral and obsess over the sinister forces at play, she soon realizes that there’s a lot more at stake than just her career. Having joined Wagner Books to honor the legacy of Burning Heart, a novel written and edited by two Black women, she had thought that this animosity was a relic of the past. Is Nella ready to take on the fight of a new generation? – Simon & Schuster

This book has been made into a Hulu original series developed by the author Zakiya Dalila Harris and Rashida Jones, and starring Sinclair Daniel, Bellamy Young, and Ashleigh Murray.

___________________

The Changeling by Victor LaValle

When Apollo Kagwa’s father disappeared, he left his son a box of books and strange recurring dreams. Now Apollo is a father himself—and as he and his wife, Emma, settle into their new lives as parents, exhaustion and anxiety start to take their toll. Apollo’s old dreams return and Emma begins acting odd. At first Emma seems to be exhibiting signs of postpartum depression. But before Apollo can do anything to help, Emma commits a horrific act and vanishes. Thus begins Apollo’s quest to find a wife and child who are nothing like he’d imagined. His odyssey takes him to a forgotten island, a graveyard full of secrets, a forest where immigrant legends still live, and finally back to a place he thought he had lost forever. – Penguin Random House

This title is now an Apple TV+ series starring Lakeith Stanfield.

___________________

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Sáenz

Aristotle is an angry teen with a brother in prison. Dante is a know-it-all who has an unusual way of looking at the world. When the two meet at the swimming pool, they seem to have nothing in common. But as the loners start spending time together, they discover that they share a special friendship—the kind that changes lives and lasts a lifetime. And it is through this friendship that Ari and Dante will learn the most important truths about themselves and the kind of people they want to be. – Simon & Schuster

This book is now a major motion picture starring Max Pelayo, Reese Gonzales, and Eva Longoria.

___________________

A Haunting in Venice by Agatha Christie

Enjoy Agatha Christie’s beloved classic, Hallowe’en Party—the inspiration for the major motion picture A Haunting in Venice, directed by and starring Kenneth Branagh—with a new introduction by Michael Green, screenwriter of the film.

When a Halloween party turns deadly, it falls to Hercule Poirot to unmask a murderer.

At a Halloween party, Joyce—a surly thirteen-year-old—boasts that she once witnessed a murder. When no one believes her, she storms off home. But within hours her body is found, still in the house, drowned in an apple-bobbing tub.

Famed detective Hercule Poirot is called in to investigate. Set against a night of trickery and the occult, it’s up to Poirot to uncover the real evil presence responsible for this ghastly deed. – HarperCollins

This title is now a major motion picture. Did you know that the movie is actually based on the book Hallowe’en Party by Agatha Christie? After the movie was released, they then published the book A Haunting in Venice, which is inspired by Hallowe’en Party.

___________________

Foe by Iain Reid

Severe climate change has ravaged the country, leaving behind a charred wasteland. Junior and Henrietta live a comfortable if solitary life on one of the last remaining farms. Their private existence is disturbed the day a stranger comes to the door with alarming news.

Junior has been randomly selected to travel far away from the farm, but the most unusual part is that arrangements have already been made so that when he leaves, Henrietta won’t have a chance to miss him. She won’t be left alone—not even for a moment. Henrietta will have company. Familiar company. – Simon & Schuster

This is a major motion picture starring Saoirse Ronan and Paul Mescal.

___________________

Romancing Mister Bridgerton by Julia Quinn (book 4 in Bridgerton series)

COLIN AND PENELOPE’S STORY

Penelope Featherington has secretly adored her best friend’s brother for . . . well, it feels like forever. After half a lifetime of watching Colin Bridgerton from afar, she thinks she knows everything about him, until she stumbles across his deepest secret . . . and fears she doesn’t know him at all.

Colin Bridgerton is tired of being thought of as nothing but an empty-headed charmer, tired of the notorious gossip columnist Lady Whistledown, who can’t seem to publish an edition without mentioning him. But when Colin returns to London from a trip abroad, he discovers nothing in his life is quite the same—especially Penelope Featherington! The girl who was always simply there is suddenly the girl haunting his dreams. When he discovers that Penelope has secrets of her own, this elusive bachelor must decide . . . is she his biggest threat— or his promise of a happy ending? – HarperCollins

This book is the inspiration for season three of Bridgerton, a series on Netflix.

___________________

You might be thinking to yourself ‘I know there are more options for this fall/winter! Where are the rest?’ Below you will find book-to-screen adaptations that we have talked about on the blog before as well as links to the blogs to read more!

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr – This book is now a series on Netflix. Check out Ann’s 2014 blog about this title.

Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson – This book is now a series on Hulu. Stephanie wrote about this title in 2022 after Jenna Bush Hager selected it for her book club.

Eileen by Ottessa Moshfegh – This book is a movie that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2023. It is supposed to hit theaters in December 2023. Check out Claire’s 2022 blog about this title.

Killers of the Flower Moon by David Grann – This book is a major motion picture starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro, and Lily Gladstone. Bianca wrote a 2023 blog about the movie and book.

Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam – This is a movie on Netflix starring Julia Roberts, Mahershala Ali, Ethan Hawke, Myha’la, and Kevin Bacon. It will be released in December 2023. Stephanie wrote about this title in 2020 when Jenna Bush Hager selected it for her book club.

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus – This title is now a series on Apple TV+ starring Brie Larson, Lewis Pullma, and Aja Naomi King. Check out Ann’s 2022 blog about this title.

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins – This title is now a major motion picture starring Rachel Zegler, Tom Blyth, Hunter Schafer, Peter Dinklage, Jason Schwartzman, Josh Andrés Rivera, and Viola Davis. Bianca wrote a blog about the movie and book in 2023.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker – In addition to the 1985 film, a 2023 film starring Taraji P. Henson, Fantasia Barrino, Danielle Brooks, and Halle Bailey is scheduled to be released late December 2023. Check out Ann’s 2008 blog about this title and its status as a frequently banned and challenged book. You can also check out Bianca’s recent blog about the new 2023 musical.

Washington’s Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron von Steuben

December 15, 2023December 13, 2023 - Stephanie Leave a comment

Do you have a favorite vacation memory? Mine is when my parents took us to Washington DC for the very first time. We spent a week visiting the museums and monuments to learn history and peak into the past. The monument I found most interesting was the one dedicated to Baron von Steuben. I had never heard of Baron von Steuben before, so I took a picture to research later. I discovered that he was one of the most important military leaders of the American Revolution, but is often forgotten. The fact that stuck out the most? von Steuben was openly gay. Flash forward. Imagine my surprise when I found Washington’s Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron von Steuben written by Josh Trujillo and illustrated by Levi Hastings on the new graphic novel shelves at work. I immediately checked it out to learn more!

Washington’s Gay General covers von Steuben’s young life in Prussia, his military history, to his death in upstate New York in 1794. Von Steuben served in the Prussian military for years before he was dismissed from the army due to rumors of homosexuality. After he was fired, he bounced from job to job, eventually accepting an offer from Benjamin Franklin to help the Continental army. His military qualifications led George Washington to accept him and to welcome his help. von Steuben drilled soldiers with the strict techniques he developed in Prussia, while also socializing with his troops. There are written records of sexually charged parties and intense relationships with other men. Those never affected his ability to lead the army. Having been made Inspector General, von Steuben taught more effective fighting techniques and worked hard to instill discipline. He also wrote a drill manual called the Blue Book that Army still uses parts of today.

von Steuben was instrumental in helping the Americans win the Revolutionary War. He became one of Washington’s most trusted advisors, serving eventually as his chief of staff. After the war ended however, Congress was hesitant to fulfill all the promises they made to von Steuben in the first place. It took years for them to pay him for his efforts, leading him to take out ever increasing loans to fund his lifestyle and that of his entourage of young men.

My description of this book and of von Steuben’s life is incredibly short for such a multi-faceted man. I encourage you to pick up Washington’s Gay General and to look up him up in other resources to learn more.

TV6 Book Club November Read Wrap-Up

December 14, 2023December 5, 2023 - Brittany Leave a comment

Woman wearing glasses with a book on her head topped with a tiara

In October, Morgan and I read The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson. I presented this book to celebrate National Book Lovers Day on November 4^th.

Here is a little bit about the book:

Charlotte only agreed to attend her twin sister’s beauty pageant as an excuse to take a much-needed vacation in Orlando – home of Harry Potter World. The vacation is cut terribly short when her twin develops an allergic reaction. Unable to tell her sister no, Charlotte agrees to impersonate her sister and compete in the Miss American Treasure Pageant until her sister recovers.

There were times when I got annoyed with Charlotte’s self-sacrificing nature but she redeemed herself in the end! This was a fun read and I really enjoyed it!

Each month, I gather 4 options. The titles are below including the winner! Feel free to check them out from Davenport Public Library!

Fatal Fixer-Upper by Jennie Bentley (in honor of National Roof Over Your Head Day on December 3^rd)

Avery Baker was once a New York designer, but inheriting her aunt’s old Maine cottage has led her down a new career path-home renovation. Now, with help from hunky handyman Derek Ellis, Avery starts learning the ABCs of DIY. But when the designer-turned-renovator finds clues that lead to a missing professor, she wonders if she can finish the house-without getting finished off in the process.– provided by Goodreads.

The Codebreaker’s Secret by Sara Ackerman (in honor of Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day on December 7th)

As war in the Pacific rages on, Isabel Cooper and her codebreaker colleagues huddle in “the dungeon” at Station HYPO in Pearl Harbor, deciphering secrets plucked from the airwaves in a race to bring down the enemy. Isabel has only one wish: to avenge her brother’s death. But she soon finds life has other plans when she meets his best friend, a hotshot pilot with secrets of his own.

1965.Fledgling journalist Lu Freitas comes home to Hawai’i to cover the grand opening of the glamorous Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, Rockefeller’s newest and grandest project. When a high-profile guest goes missing, Lu forms an unlikely alliance with an intimidating veteran photographer to unravel the mystery. The two make a shocking discovery that stirs up memories and uncovers an explosive secret from the war days. A secret that only a codebreaker can crack.-provided by Goodreads.

The Devine Doughnut Shop by Carolyn Brown (In honor of National Pastry Day on December 9^th)

Three women are torn between traditions of the past and unexpected new beginnings in a warmhearted novel by Carolyn Brown about family, romance, and the best pastries in Texas. For Grace Dalton, her sister, Sarah, and her cousin Macy, the Devine Doughnut Shop is a sweet family legacy and a landmark in their Texas town. As the fourth generation to run the Double D, they keep their great-grandmother’s recipe secret and uphold the shop’s tradition as a coffee klatch for sharing local gossip, advice, and woes. But drama brews behind the counter, too. Grace is a single mother struggling with an unruly teenage daughter. Heartbroken Sarah has sworn off love. Macy’s impending wedding has an unexpected hitch. And now charming developer Travis Butler has arrived in Devine with a checkbook and a handsome smile. He wants to buy the shop, expand it nationally, and boost the economy of a town divided by the prospect. With the family’s relationships in flux, their beloved heritage up for grabs, and their future in the air, it’s amazing what determination, sass, a promise of romance, and a warm maple doughnut can do to change hearts and minds.– provided by Goodreads

*December Read!! The Fire By Night by Teresa Messineo (in honor of Thank a Soldier Week December 24th-30th)

A powerful and evocative debut novel about two American military nurses during World War II that illuminates the unsung heroism of women who risked their lives in the fight—a riveting saga of friendship, valor, sacrifice, and survival combining the grit and selflessness of Band of Brothers with the emotional resonance of The Nightingale.

In war-torn France, Jo McMahon, an Italian-Irish girl from the tenements of Brooklyn, tends to six seriously wounded soldiers in a makeshift medical unit. Enemy bombs have destroyed her hospital convoy, and now Jo singlehandedly struggles to keep her patients and herself alive in a cramped and freezing tent close to German troops. There is a growing tenderness between her and one of her patients, a Scottish officer, but Jo’s heart is seared by the pain of all she has lost and seen. Nearing her breaking point, she fights to hold on to joyful memories of the past, to the times she shared with her best friend, Kay, whom she met in nursing school.

Half a world away in the Pacific, Kay is trapped in a squalid Japanese POW camp in Manila, one of thousands of Allied men, women, and children whose fates rest in the hands of a sadistic enemy. Far from the familiar safety of the small Pennsylvania coal town of her childhood, Kay clings to memories of her happy days posted in Hawaii, and the handsome flyer who swept her off her feet in the weeks before Pearl Harbor. Surrounded by cruelty and death, Kay battles to maintain her sanity and save lives as best she can . . . and live to see her beloved friend Jo once more.

When the conflict at last comes to an end, Jo and Kay discover that to achieve their own peace, they must find their place—and the hope of love—in a world that’s forever changed. With rich, superbly researched detail, Teresa Messineo’s thrilling novel brings to life the pain and uncertainty of war and the sustaining power of love and friendship, and illuminates the lives of the women who risked everything to save others during a horrifying time.– provided by Goodreads.

Info Cafe

Davenport Public Library's Reference Blog

GoodReads Choice Awards 2023 Winners

Top Titles of 2023

Library Closed in Observance of Christmas

Multigenerational Family Dramas

Celebrate Humbug Day with Picture Books Featuring Characters with Big Feelings

Religion: Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Topic of the Month

Monstrous : A Transracial Adoption Story by Sarah Myer

Book-to-Screen Adaptations

Washington’s Gay General: The Legends and Loves of Baron von Steuben

TV6 Book Club November Read Wrap-Up