Author Archives: GPL

Review: The Trials of Morrigan Crow

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Nevermoor: The Trials of Morrigan Crow
by Jessica Townsend
5 stars

Anyone who loves Harry Potter should give this new series a try!

This delightful story centers on poor Morrigan Crowe – a cursed child born on Eventide who is doomed to die midnight on her 11th birthday. In her city Morrigan is the scapegoat for any and everyone’s misfortune. Her cold indifferent family seems to even look forward to her demise. On the evening of her impending death an unlikely man shows up to save her and spirits her away to a secret and magical city where she is entered into a series of quests to join the Wundrous Society. Listen to the audio book – IT’S AMAZING!

 

Read-alikes

Miss Ellicott’s School for the Magically Minded by Sage Blackwood

Rump: The True Story of Rumpelstiltskin by Liesl Shurtliff

A Snicker of Magic by Natalie Lloyd

Most Checked Out Titles in March

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I always enjoy seeing what books other people are picking up to read.  It’s fun to see what titles and authors are getting a bunch of buzz and how what’s popular changes from month to month.  Here are the top 15 adults books that circulated the most in March of this year.  Have you read any of these?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

April is National Poetry Month

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April is National Poetry Month!

Here are some ways you can join in the celebration:

  • Write a poem! You can share it with friends and family, your favorite librarian, or even get it published by someone like Poetry Foundation!
  • Watch a movie about poetry. A few of my favorites are Dead Poet’s Society, Sylvia, and The Basketball Diaries.
  • Celebrate “Poem in Your Pocket Day” on April 27th – Select a poem you love, carry it with you, and share it with people you see.
  • Share poetry with your community by using sidewalk chalk.
  • Attend a poetry reading event. (You should totally wear a beret with a black turtleneck and snap you fingers like a beatnik.)
  • Memorize a poem.
  • Check out one of the teen novels in verse listed below!

The Poet X – Elizabeth Acevedo

Because I am Furniture – Thalia Chaltas

One – Sarah Crossan

Forget Me Not – Carolee Dean

Bull – David Elliott

The Lightning Dreamer – Margarita Engle

The Good Braider – Terry Farish

Two Girls Staring at the Ceiling – Lucy Frank

Poisoned Apples – Chrstine Heppermann

Crank – Ellen Hopkins

Ronit & Jamil – Pamela Laskin

Sold – Patricia McCormick

This Impossible Light – Lily Myers

October Mourning – Leslea Newman

Karma – Cathy Ostlere

Long Way Down – Jason Reynolds

Song of the Sparrow – Lisa Ann Sandell

Like Water on Stone – Dana Walrath

 

For Tweens:

Heartbeat – Sharon Creech

A Time to Dance – Padma Venkatraman

Review: The Great Alone

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The Great Alone
by Kristin Hannah
5 stars

“You stand by the people you love.” As crazy as it proves to be, this is the motto of Leni, a young teen trapped in a tortured family where love and pain are twisted together in a torturous knot. After her parents move to Alaska to escape the “craziness” of life in Seattle during the early 1970’s, they are met with the uncompromising realities of living off the grid in a tiny fishing community where darkness reigns 16 hours a day during the long winters.

However, Leni and her mother also find strength in true community: a fellowship of women who stand up and work together to protect each other and their way of life. Finding friendship and love in her tiny high school also brings to light possibilities of a future different than that of her parents.

This book opens a window into the lives of modern day “pioneers” living in the last true wilderness of the United States.  Kristin Hannah is a master of weaving together stories that resonate long after you put the book down.

Read-alikes

The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver

Heroes of the Frontier by Dave Eggers

Educated by Tara Westover

Review: Now That You Mention It

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Now That You Mention It
by Kristan Higgins
4 stars

This is my first read by Kristan Higgins. She’s definitely a well-known author that has been on my to-read list for awhile.  I was expecting a light romance, but this delivered much more. This book had a lot of humor, a well written a cast of characters, a great story line, and even some darker elements that I wasn’t expecting. The story centers around Nora, a gastroenterologist living in Boston with her cute dog and boyfriend, who is an ER doctor. After a freak accident and realizing what a jerk her boyfriend really is, Nora decides to go back home, which is a small island off the coast of Maine. I absolutely loved this setting. Back home isn’t easy for Nora, as her childhood was full of unpleasant memories and her family and friends don’t seem to welcome her back with open arms. However, the way Nora still loves all of these characters despite their flaws makes the reader love them as well. Nora’s voice brings a lot of humor to the book and just puts you in a good mood. I’m looking forward to reading more from Kristan Higgins!

 

Read-alikes

All Fall Down by Jennifer Weiner

Family Tree by Susan Wiggs

Bulls Island by Dorothea Benton Frank