Monthly Archives: June 2017

Review: Spelled

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Spelled
by Betsy Schow
4 stars

I’m not always one to pick up books based on fairy tales. You’ve heard it once or twice, and it starts to get old. However, anything to do with the Wizard of Oz will get my attention. When Miss Emily told me about this adorable, silly, ridiculous book she was reading, I knew I had to give it a try.

Spelled is not the same old story told over again. Instead, the old tales are flipped on their heads. When Dorthea the Emerald Princess makes a wish and messes with everyone’s happily-ever-afters, she accidentally turns the world of Story into chaos. Really she just didn’t want to marry the unfashionable prince Kato (who could easily be mistaken for a gardener) that she was (without her consent or knowledge) betrothed to, and she’s tired or being stuck in a palace (due to an unfortunate curse on her family that foretells one of the Emerald Princesses will burn the world to the ground…Yikes!). But now Beauty is a hairy beast in a yellow dress, Rapunzel has lost all her hair, where Cinderella was once standing is now a pumpkin wearing glass slippers, and Dorthea’s only hope of fixing things is finding the spring over the rainbow accompanied by her betrothed (who is now a furball) and the servant girl Rexi (a kleptomaniac), while somehow managing to keep her heels on (because they’re limited edition silver Hans Christian Louboutin slippers with crushed rubies covering the sole and two-inch heels…duh). So off to see the Wizard she is.

A super fun read that’ll keep you laughing with its twists, turns, and puns.

Read-alikes

Inkheart by Cornelia Funke

Flunked by Jen Calonita

Entwined by Heather Dixon

Review: Mr. Mercedes

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Mr. Mercedes
by Stephen King
5 stars

For someone who doesn’t like books or movies that give me nightmares, there is always a sense of danger in choosing a Stephen King book. And most of the members of the Primetime Book Club were also a little hesitant to embrace Mr. Mercedes as our next title.  And yet there’s no denying that King’s writing is brilliant, and that he pulls us into a fascinating, and sometimes horrifying battle between good and evil in each of his books. I had a hard time putting this one down.

Mr. Mercedes begins with job seekers gathering in the pre-dawn hours for a job fair. It isn’t much of a spoiler to say that you shouldn’t get too attached to any of them. After all, this is a book about a serial killer. It is in this opening scene that we meet Brady, aka The Mercedes Killer. He lives with his alcoholic mother and spends his time planning his next victim’s gruesome death. His two part time jobs as an on-call IT support person and as an ice-cream truck driver are strategic so that he will be able to invisibly surveil his victims as he plans his crimes. (I might or might not have run inside the house and drawn the blinds the next time I heard an ice-cream truck!)

Next we meet Bill Hodges, a recently retired detective. Retirement isn’t sitting well with Hodges, who finds himself watching way too much TV and drifting through his days. But when he receives a goading letter from Brady, he finds himself waking up and ready for a battle with a killer he has always wanted to catch. As Hodges begins to correspond with the Mercedes Killer, he enlists the help of a couple of unlikely partners and the pace of the book really picks up.

Brady’s final, well-thought-out plot to kill as many people as possible is unthinkable – and yet as you ride along inside the head of a serial killer, you’ve been seeing the strands of it come together all the way through the book.  It is unnerving. Mr. Mercedes might not give you nightmares, but it will get inside your head. The good news is that you are also seeing the story through the eyes of Detective Hodges, and you are rooting for him.

While this is not my favorite Stephen King book, it is in my top three. The Stand and 11/22/63 are my top two, and I’d definitely recommend any of these three to all types of readers. But before you sit down to read any of them, clear your calendar and get a nice cup of tea handy. You aren’t going anywhere for a while!

Read-alikes

Winter Prey by John Sandford

The Devil’s Teardrop by Jeffery Deaver

Every Fifteen Minutes by Lisa Scottoline

Podcast: The Comet Seekers

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Can’t make it to one of our regularly scheduled book clubs?  Then read along with our #GPLtalk podcast.   Each month, we discuss a different book, and we’d love for you to read along!

This month we discussed The Comet Seekers by Helen Sedgwick, her debut novel.

The story starts out on a research station in Antarctica.  Róisín is a scientist studying comets and François is a chef looking for adventure in his life.  Both are facing struggles with guilt and letting go of their pasts.

Each chapter gives the reader a glimpse of Róisín‘s or François‘s past only when a comet is visible in the sky.  Jumping between generations, we watch as Róisín‘s and François‘s lives cross as they both deal with issues of family, loss, love, and guilt.

Book Club Conclusion: There were mixed reviews on this one.  Some of us thought it was beautifully written, some thought it was just okay, and others really hated it.

Take a listen as Emily, Aubrey, Jessica, and Valerie discuss genres, unreliable narrators, some readalikes, and definite turnoffs in stories.

If you’ve read the book (or plan to read it!), we’d love to hear your book club conclusion. Would you recommend the book to others?

And be sure to read along with us next month as we discuss Leslie Livingston’s The Valiant.

Teen Summer Reads

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My reading tastes always seem to change in the summer. I’m not sure if it’s the sunshine, memories of lazy days on the beach, or the wanderlust that seems to come out of nowhere, but from May to July, all I ever really want to read is light, contemporary teen stories. If they take me on a road trip or European adventure, that’s even better.

Here are ten of my favorite teen reads. What is your favorite type of book to read in the summer?

1) Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour by Morgan Matson
After the death of her father, Amy, a high school student, and Roger, a college freshman, set out on a carefully planned road trip from California to Connecticut, but wind up taking many detours, forcing Amy to face her worst fears and come to terms with her grief and guilt.Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour is especially awesome for a couple of reasons – 1) it’s a road trip book and 2) Matson includes music playlists for each part of the journey.
2) 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
When seventeen-year-old Ginny receives a packet of mysterious envelopes from her favorite aunt, she leaves New Jersey to criss-cross Europe on a sort of scavenger hunt that transforms her life.Backpacking around Europe is on my bucket list. That might be why this particular story has stayed with me for so long.
3) Going Bovine by Libba Bray
Cameron Smith, a disaffected sixteen year-old who, after being diagnosed with Creutzfeld Jakob’s (aka mad cow) disease, sets off on a road trip with a death-obsessed video gaming dwarf he meets in the hospital in an attempt to find a cure.There’s a garden gnome that believes himself to be the Norse god Balder. Bray had me at garden gnome.
4) Just One Day by Gayle Forman
Sparks fly when American good girl Allyson encounters laid-back Dutch actor Willem, so she follows him on a whirlwind trip to Paris, upending her life in just one day and prompting a year of self-discovery and the search for true love.Another European adventure, but one with a little heartbreaking love.
5) And We’re Off by Dana Schwartz
Offered a summer trip to Europe to study history’s most famous artists, seventeen-year-old Nora is required to create a unique painting at each stop, but clashes with her mom who fears her daughter’s optimism may prompt an insecure future.A love of travel, a love of art, and a love of mother/daughter relationships in this one.
6) My Life Next Door by Huntley Fitzpatrick
When Samantha, the seventeen-year-old daugher of a wealthy, perfectionistic, Republican state senator, falls in love with the boy next door, whose family is large, boisterous, and just making ends meet, she discovers a different way to live, but when he rmother is involved in a hit-and-run accident Sam must make some difficult choices.This one got me in all the feels, and the boy next door is pretty swoony too.
7) Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler
While on vacation in California, sixteen-year-old best friends Anna and Frankie conspire to find a boy for Anna’s first kiss, but Anna harbors a painful secret that threatens their lighthearted plan and their friendship.A summer story with all the feels.
8) Love & Gelato by Jenna Evans Welch
After her mother dies, Lina travels to Italy where she discovers her mothers’s journal and sets off on an adventure to unearth her mother’s secrets.If you’re a fan of the movie My Girl or gelato, then this is the book for you.
9) Saint Anything by Sarah Dessen
Sydney’s charismatic older brother, Peyton, has always been the center of attention in the family but when he is sent to jail, Sydney struggles to find her place at home and the world until she meets the Chathams, including gentle, protective Mac, who makes her feel seen for the first time.One of my favorite books from my favorite author.
10) Summer Days and Summer Nights edited by Stephanie Perkins
Summer is the perfect time for love to bloom, and these short stories of teenagers facing the confusing maze of first love will have you dreaming of sunset strolls by the lake. The selections range from heartfelt to outlandish, as the characters find passion in some very unexpected places.I’m not a huge fan of short stories, but when your favorite authors are writing them…

Avoid the Summer Slide

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It is time for summer break again! Hurrah! Everyone can agree that the teachers and students in Greenwood have earned a well-deserved rest. In the age of standardized testing, studying can be stressful and grueling work. Everyone needs a chance to recharge their batteries. However, studies have shown that many kids lose the progress that they have gained over the school year during summer vacation. So how do you give kids a break while keeping them from falling behind?

These studies show that the students that fall behind typically were not engaged in any learning activities during the summer. They need to work their brains just like athletes need to work their bodies to stay in shape. Summer is a great time for kids to spend studying their personal interests and hobbies. It is important that they get a break from their routine at school, but they should still be reading and exploring.

I come from a family of six kids, and we learned to be creative about finding fun things to do in the summer. Finding enrichment activities does not have to be expensive, and you do not need to rely on workbooks or computer programs. You do need to be on the lookout for fun, low-cost, or free programs for your kids that are offered throughout the community. Here are some of my favorite ideas for Greenwood residents:

  1. Sign up for summer reading! Talk to your children about their reading goals for the summer, and help them set a goal for a realistic number of hours to reach this summer. We will reward them for their progress. I would encourage you to let your children read whatever they want for the summer, but you can help encourage them to choose books that aren’t at a reading level so low that it will bore them or so high that it with discourage them. Talk to us librarians if you need some ideas.
  2. Go to library programs. They are free, and in addition to being a great time, they will help your child develop their fine motor skills.
  3. Visit the area parks. You can borrow an Indiana State Parks pass for free for a week. Or you can explore some of the Greenwood city parks.
  4. Vacation not in the cards this year? Spend each week “exploring” a different country. Check out library books and DVDs focused around that one country for the week. Create meals and crafts together as a family to learn more about this country’s culture. You can also do this with different time periods in history.
  5. Play a board game. Even if a board game doesn’t appear to be “educational,” it can teach important social skills, such as communicating verbally, sharing, waiting, taking turns, and enjoying interaction with others. The library has some board games that can be checked out.
  6. Look for museum free and discount days. The library has an Eiteljorg Museum and an Indiana State Museum pass that can be checked out. The Children’s Museum  of Indianapolis offers $5 nights from 4-8pm the first Thursday every month. The Indianapolis Museum of Art is free the first Thursday of every month from 4-9pm. Kids Commons in Columbus offers Free Family Time on June 4, July 2, and August 6 from 1-5pm. If your family qualifies for the Access Pass, you can receive $2 admission at most area museums.
  7. Look up craft project ideas in library books or online.
  8. Visit the hardware store. Home Depot will occasionally offer free workshops for kids.
  9. Check out one of GPL’s science kits to play with at home.
  10. Visit Appleworks, the Johnson County Fair, or go to the Greenwood Farmers Market. Talk to the farmers about how they grow their food.

Have a great summer! I hope to see you at the library!