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FDL Reads: A Court of Thorns and Roses

A Court of Thorns and Roses Sarah J. Maas

Reviewed By: Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist

Genre: Fantasy

Suggested Age: Teens, Adults

What is This Book About? Feyre Archeron lives in the human realm and hunts game for her sister and disabled father. One day she kills a particular wolf which causes High Fey to interfere and take her to their realm for retribution. In the Spring Court, Feyre spends time with the high lord, Tamlin and his close friend, Lucien. After several strange encounters with monsters, Feyre learns that a terrible curse plagues the lands of Prythian.

My Review: Now on book four, A Court of Thorns and Roses series has been very popular since its debut in 2015. When A Court of Silver Flames came out last year, I decided that I needed to see what the hype was all about. I did like A Court of Thorns enough to continue on to book two. Even though there are some slower parts, the plot really picks up about three quarters of the way through. The chemistry between Feyre and Tamlin along with the greater mystery surrounding what was going on in the world around them was enough to keep me reading. It does have a very YA, yet adult feel and some aspects of the plot are a bit cliché. It definitely falls into the the realm of guilty pleasure for me and I’m going to keep reading to see what happens next.

Three Words that Describe this Book: Retelling, Fantasy romance, Fey realm

Give This A Try if You Like… From Ash and Blood by Jennifer Armentrout, Throne of Glass by Sarah J. Maas, Cruel Beauty by Rosamund Hodge

Rating: 3.5/5

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2022-06-08T13:22:52-05:00May 6th, 2022|

Books for Spring

Evvie Drake Starts Over: A Novel: Holmes, Linda: 9780525619246: Books: Amazon.com Get in the mood for spring weather with one of these books. Place one on hold today!

Absent in the Spring by Agatha Christie

Anne of Green Gables by L.M Montgomery

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh

Late Migrations by Margaret Renkl

Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman

Love & Luck by Jenna Evans Welch

Meet Me in Monaco by Hazel Gaynor and Heather Webb

Middlemarch by George Eliot

Queen Bee by Dorothea Benton Frank

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith

Posted by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist

#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.

Susie Rivera2022-05-06T17:39:55-05:00May 1st, 2022|

FDL Reads: Mickey7 by Edward Ashton

Mickey7 by Edward Ashton

Reviewed By: Jeremy Zentner, Reference Assistant

Genre: Science fiction

Suggested Age: Adults

What is This Book About? Mickey7 is in a predicament. He was supposed to die. In fact, that’s the job: to be Expendable. Born on the colony world of Midgard, Mickey volunteered to join his home world’s first colonial expedition to establish a base on Niflheim, a planet just a few light years away. In truth though, he wasn’t doing it for noble reasons. He had compromising issues back home that prompted him to leave Midgard by any means necessary. Joining the mission would not be easy, however. No one wanted an amateur historian on an extremely expensive and scientific operation. So, he took the one job that nobody wanted.

The Expendables are personnel sent on dangerous missions. Missions so horrifically perilous that they are expected to die so the rest of the colonists don’t have to risk their own necks. Whether it’s absorbing deadly doses of radiation or scouting hazardous terrain full of giant murderous aliens, Expendables are considered a necessary evil to high risk operations. Upon their death, a new clone is grown, their brains downloaded with the most recent memories the previous person uploaded, and eventually we have the seventh incarnation of our protagonist, Mickey7. However, since he was reported dead on his last mission (and he dared to survive), there’s also a Mickey8, and both clones have to hide their double existence because multiple clones are considered a capital offense. Meanwhile, the alien life found on Niflheim, Creepers, have taken an interest in killing the colonists anyway they can.

My Review: Mickey7 was an easy read that was unpretentious in its execution and hilarious in its content. This is a new book told in first person by Mickey7. The protagonist describes his journey in enlisting as an Expendable, why he was desperate to leave Midgard, and how life (or death) as an Expendable has worked out for him. Due to the subject nature of Mickey7’s job, a lot of ethical and moral dilemmas can be dissected. For instance, is it immortality to download memories into a new clone or simply creating a new iteration of someone dead? Is it a good idea to have a lover with such a hazardous occupation? Is it cheating when there’s two Mickeys fulfilling romantic encounters? All sorts of philosophical conundrums that are narrated with a dry-wit that’s hard not to laugh at.

What I also liked about this book is the narrator’s love for history. In his down time, he reads up on other colonial missions, cultivating a morbid obsession with failed missions, as Niflheim is not turning out to be the best beachhead colony itself. With this historical interest, the reader receives a great deal of future lore told with a satirical tone. The author may lean on “telling” the reader what happens as opposed to “showing,” but this is a first-person narrative that’s spoken with a fast-paced edge designed for humor and engagement. Any weaknesses in the writing are generally overcome by the author’s sheer tenacity at attention grabbing and clever wit.

Three Words that Describe this Book: funny, sci-fi, thriller

Give This A Try if You Like… Old Man’s War, The Martian, Altered Carbon, Starship Troopers, Living With Yourself (TV series)

Rating: 4/5

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2022-04-28T12:24:42-05:00April 27th, 2022|

#FDL: Newer Poetry Collections for Poetry Month

April is Poetry Month. Check out one of these newer collections of poetry at our library!

Zoom Rooms: Poems by Mary Jo Salter

In Zoom Rooms, Mary Jo Salter considers the strangeness of our recent existence, together with the enduring constants in our lives. The title poem, a series of sonnet-sized Zoom meetings–a classroom, a memorial service, an encounter with a new baby in the family–finds humor and pathos in our age of social distancing and technology-induced proximity. Salter shows too how imagination collapses time and space: in “Island Diaries,” the pragmatist Robinson Crusoe meets on the beach a shipwrecked dreamer from an earlier century, Shakespeare’s Prospero. Poems that meditate on objects–a silk blouse, a hot water bottle–address the human need to heal and console. Our paradoxically solitary but communal experiences find expression, too, in poems about art, from a Walker Evans photograph to a gilded Giotto altarpiece.

American Melancholy: Poems by Joyce Carol Oates

Covering subjects big and small, and written in an immediate and engaging style, this collection touches on both the personal and political. Loss, love, and memory are investigated, along with the upheavals of our modern age, the reality of our current predicaments, and the ravages of poverty, racism, and social unrest. Oates skillfully writes characters ranging from a former doctor at a Chinese People’s Liberation Army hospital to Little Albert, a six-month-old infant who took part in a famous study that revealed evidence of classical conditioning in human beings.

The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country by Amanda Gorman

On January 20, 2021, Amanda Gorman became the sixth and youngest poet to deliver a poetry reading at a presidential inauguration. Taking the stage after the 46th president of the United States, Joe Biden, Gorman captivated the nation and brought hope to viewers around the globe. Her poem “The Hill We Climb: An Inaugural Poem for the Country” can now be cherished in this special gift edition. Including an enduring foreword by Oprah Winfrey, this keepsake celebrates the promise of America and affirms the power of poetry.

Living Nations, Living Words: An Anthology of First Peoples Poetry by Joy Harjo

Joy Harjo, the first Native poet to serve as U.S. Poet Laureate, has championed the voices of Native peoples past and present. Her signature laureate project gathers the work of contemporary Native poets into a national, fully digital map of story, sound, and space, celebrating their vital and unequivocal contributions to American poetry.

I am The Rage: A Black Poetry Collection by Martina McGowan

I am The Rage is a poetry collection that explores racial injustice from the raw, unfiltered viewpoint of a Black woman in America. Dr. Martina McGowan is a retired MD, a mother, grandmother, and a poet. Her poetry provides insights that no think piece on racism can; putting readers in the uncomfortable position of feeling, reflecting, and facing what it means to be a Black American.

This entire collection was created during 2020, many shortly after the deaths of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd, to name but a few.

*Annotations from the publishers

Posted by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist

#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.

Susie Rivera2022-04-25T15:16:35-05:00April 21st, 2022|

FDL Reads: Before the Coffee Gets Cold

Before the Coffee Gets Cold (originally written in Japanese) by Toshikazu Kawaguchi

Reviewed by: Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant

Genre: magical realism and time travel fiction

Age: Adult

What is this book about? When the novel begins, the reader learns that there is an urban legend about a small, basement café in Tokyo called Funiculi Funicula where time travel is possible. Although the café exists in reality, its atmosphere has an ethereal feel. It’s as if passing time does not exist inside of the café. There is no natural lighting to signal daytime or nighttime, and there are three clocks on the wall all set with different times. It is always cool and comfortable inside even on miserably hot summer days. But there is no air conditioning, just a ceiling fan. The owners of the café have no explanation as to why the café is always cool. And there is a specific seat which is usually occupied by a ghostly woman in a white dress, at a specific table, where curious customers can travel in time if they follow some nonnegotiable rules, the most important one being the trip can last only as long as it takes a cup of coffee to get cold. Along with the two proprietors and one waitress, there are four main characters and three minor ones who interact with each other in present time in the café and in the past and future during time travel. The characters know that if they travel to the past, they cannot change the present. Yet they go. They go for a second chance, to rekindle passion, and to make amends. And in travelling to the past, they gain insight in how to make a better future.

My Review: I really like the title of this novel because it hints at what the storyline is about. It suggests that we tackle life’s problems and make life better for ourselves and others before our time on Earth runs out or before the coffee gets cold. Like the characters in the story, I have someone from my past who I would like to go back in time and see again. Do you? Kawaguchi poses this existential question.

Words that Describe this Novel: supernatural, thought provoking, existential, hopeful

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

FDL Reads

Susie Rivera2022-05-09T17:34:03-05:00April 18th, 2022|

FDL Reads: Star Wars: Choices of One

Star Wars: Choices of One by Timothy Zahn

Reviewed By: Jeremy Zentner, Reference Assistant

Genre: Science Fiction

Suggested Age: Teens, Adults

What is This Book About? This is a Star War book set eight months after the Battle of Yavin which was showcased in the very first Star Wars movie Star Wars: A New Hope. The rebels are searching for a new base as the Empire has discovered the whereabouts of the Rebel Alliance in the Yavin Star System. Meanwhile, an imperial governor in the Poln System is losing faith in the Empire’s ability to protect his citizenry as a rising warlord looms just beyond their sight. This is seen as an opportunity for the rebels to locate a new base in exchange for protection against the mysterious warlord, Nuso Esva. This phantom menace is attempting to sow seeds of anarchy within the known galaxy so that he may come to rule over both the Empire and rebels alike. Luke, Han, Leia, and Chewbacca will evaluate the situation in the Poln System and see if this rebel-sympathetic sector can truly be trusted. But all is not safe in the Outer Rim, as the sith-esque Emperor’s Hand, Mara Jade, is tasked to investigate corruption in the Poln System and to smoke out traitors by any means necessary.

My Review: This is a great novel that involves Star Wars characters totally original from the movies, while also involving the same cast of characters we’ve grown to know and love. We get some interesting stories in between the Battle of Yavin and the Battle of Hoth as we follow Luke, Han, Chewbacca, and Leia tactically tango with Mara Jade and her band of rogue stormtroopers known as the Hand of Judgement. Together, these rivals will inadvertently help each other take down Nuso Esva as the galaxy’s greater threat. What I liked about this book is that it provides unique detail about Mara Jade’s status as the Emperor’s Hand as she struggles with law and order in a complicated galaxy. We also get an inside look at a band of vigilante stormtroopers (The Hand of Judgement) who find themselves under Mara Jade’s leadership for the exact same reasons. And of course, everyone’s favorite red-eyed, blue-skinned officer, Admiral Thrawn makes appearances to counsel the Emperor and Darth Vader as they hunt the rebels and attempt to bring everlasting order to the galaxy. The book has a plethora of perspectives, a lot of action, and we learn just how the rebels go from a fighter squadron to a cold weather fortress. This book has everything when it comes to love for the Star Wars movies to original story-telling in a galaxy far, far, away.

Three Words that Describe this Book: adventure, action, space opera

Give This A Try if You Like… Star Wars: Thrawn series, Star Wars: Heir to the Empire, The Expanse series

Rating: 4/5

Find it at the library!

FDL Reads

Susie Rivera2022-04-08T12:20:50-05:00April 7th, 2022|

#FDL: Star Wars Backstories and Bookmark Giveaway

Sometimes, new Star Wars characters arrive on the scene (in a movie or TV show) that we don’t get to learn much about before they are thrust into middle of the struggle between Light and Dark. Luckily, we can read more about these characters’ backstories in Star Wars novels.

If you’re a fan of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story, you might want to know more about Jyn Erso and her parents, Galen and Lyra. There are two novels that can fill in the gaps regarding the Erso family: Star Wars Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel by James Luceno and Star Wars: Rebel Rising by Beth Revis

Star Wars Catalyst: A Rogue One Novel

From the publisher: As a member of Chancellor Palpatine’s top secret Death Star project, Orson Krennic is determined to develop a superweapon before their enemies can. And an old friend of Krennic’s, the brilliant scientist Galen Erso, could be the key.
Galen’s energy-focused research has captured the attention of both Krennic and his foes, making the scientist a crucial pawn in the galactic conflict. But after Krennic rescues Galen, his wife, Lyra, and their young daughter, Jyn, from Separatist kidnappers, the Erso family is deeply in Krennic’s debt. Krennic then offers Galen an extraordinary opportunity: to continue his scientific studies with every resource put utterly at his disposal. While Galen and Lyra believe that his energy research will be used purely in altruistic ways, Krennic has other plans that will finally make the Death Star a reality. Trapped in their benefactor’s tightening grasp, the Ersos must untangle Krennic’s web of deception to save themselves and the galaxy itself.

Star Wars: Rebel Rising

From the publisher: When Jyn Erso is eight years old, her mother is murdered and her father taken from her to serve the Empire. But despite the loss of her parents, she is not completely alone. Saw Gerrera, a man willing to go to any extremes necessary to resist Imperial tyranny, takes her in as his own daughter and gives her not only a home but all the abilities and resources she needs to become a rebel.

Jyn dedicates herself to the cause—and the man. But fighting alongside Saw and his people brings with it danger and the question of just how far Jyn is willing to go as one of Saw’s soldiers. When she faces an unthinkable betrayal that shatters her world, Jyn will have to pull the pieces of herself back together and figure out what she truly believes in . . . and whom she can really trust.

If you have questions about Ahsoka and Admiral Thrawn, you can find out more about these characters, too. If you were first introduced to them by watching The Mandalorian, you might want to start all the way back at the movie Star Wars: The Clone Wars (2008), then watch Star Wars: The Clone Wars (seasons 1-5). If you are all caught up with those, the books with more backstory are Ahsoka by E. K. Johnston and Thrawn by Timothy Zahn.

Ashoka

From the publisher: Fans have long wondered what happened to Ahsoka after she left the Jedi Order near the end of the Clone Wars, and before she re-appeared as the mysterious Rebel operative Fulcrum in Rebels. Finally, her story will begin to be told. Following her experiences with the Jedi and the devastation of Order 66, Ahsoka is unsure she can be part of a larger whole ever again. But her desire to fight the evils of the Empire and protect those who need it will lead her right to Bail Organa, and the Rebel Alliance…

Thrawn

From the publisher: One of the most cunning and ruthless warriors in the history of the Galactic Empire, Grand Admiral Thrawn is also one of the most captivating characters in the Star Wars universe… But Thrawn’s origins and the story of his rise in the Imperial ranks have remained mysterious. Now, in Star Wars: Thrawn, Timothy Zahn chronicles the fateful events that launched the blue-skinned, red-eyed master of military strategy and lethal warfare into the highest realms of power—and infamy.

Then fill in the gaps before The Mandalorian with Star Wars: Rebels (seasons 1-4).

–Post by Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist

Giveaway

Enter your name here for a chance to win a pair of laser-engraved, wooden lightsaber hilt bookmarks designed like Ahsoka’s original lightsaber hilts, complete with green tassels: example seen at right.

One entry per person. Drawing to be held approximately 7 days after this post.

#FDL is a weekly update on all things Fondulac District Library and East Peoria.

Susie Rivera2022-04-06T13:49:32-05:00April 6th, 2022|

We’re Hiring!

The library currently is seeking a part-time Reference Assistant. Please visit fondulaclibrary.org/about-us/jobs for more information, including job description and qualifications.

genna2022-04-05T12:58:38-05:00April 5th, 2022|

FDL Reads: Master and Apprentice

Master and Apprentice by Claudia Gray

Reviewed By: Rebecca Cox, Business Manager

Genre: Fiction

Suggested Age: Adults

What is This Book About? Set several years before Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace, Master and Apprentice gives a look into the early relationship between Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn and his Apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi as they help to navigate a political dispute on the planet of Pijal amidst the upcoming signing of a treaty that will open a hyperspace corridor. Qui-Gon and Obi-Wan have deep respect for each other but have consistently failed to work as a team because they do not understand each other. When Qui-Gon is given an opportunity within the Jedi Order and then is visited by a vision of things to come on Pijal, the relationship between Master and Apprentice is tested as it never had been before.

My Review: This book is a must-read for any Star Wars fan – the background that is woven in with the present-day story gives so much context for what we know from the movies will come to pass, but the present story of the political unrest on Pijal is compelling. Claudia Gray’s understanding of the Star Wars universe and ability to pull small somewhat obscure details from other canon is sure to please.

Three Words that Describe this Book: Fast-paced, Prophetic, Entertaining

Give this a try if you like… Bloodline by Claudia Gray, Star Wars: The High Republic: Light of the Jedi by Charles Soule, Ahsoka by E.K. Johnston

Rating: 5/5

FDL Reads

Find it at the library!

Susie Rivera2022-06-08T13:24:50-05:00April 5th, 2022|

FDL Reads: How the Word is Passed

How the Word Is Passed: A Reckoning with the History Slavery Across America by Clint Smith

Reviewed by: Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist

Genre: Contemporary Nonfiction

Suggested Age: Adult

What Is The Book About? Author Clint Smith details his exploration of how several monuments and landmarks connected to America’s chattel slavery past portray and communicate (or fail to communicate) an authentic depiction of what slavery was like, and how it shaped this country into what we see around us today. This is a thoroughly researched and clear-eyed examination of places such as historic plantations, a Confederate cemetery, a maximum-security prison, the Statue of Liberty, the House of Slaves on an island off the coast of Senegal, and more. Examining our existing monuments can reveal unexpected things about what they are actually saying about our country’s past.

My Review: I listened to the audiobook on CD read by the author and was thoroughly impressed with not only the in-depth research, but also the author’s keen insight into how our current society has been influenced by slavery’s deep imprint on our country. His detailed descriptions of people he talked to and the placed he visited were vivid and dramatic. Many of the places Smith visited are ones that I had not realized were in existence. That saddens me, because I know I’m not the only one who is unaware. This is a must-read for anyone who is looking to understand why slavery is still a topic of discussion more than 150 years after the Civil War. Whether you grew up with textbooks that called it the “War of Northern Aggression” or not, so much of what we know about our country’s past has been obscured by time and the by people who were allowed to tell the story. I feel that broadening the depth to which each American comes to terms with our past, can help us make informed decisions about tomorrow.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Perceptive, Astute, Thought-Provoking

Give This a Try if You Like… Four Hundred Souls: A Community History of African America, 1619-2019 edited by Ibram X. Kendi and Keisha N. Blain, Stamped from the Beginning: The Definitive History of Racist Ideas in America by Ibram X. Kendi, Her Right Foot by Dave Eggers

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

FDL Reads

Susie Rivera2022-05-13T15:20:01-05:00March 31st, 2022|