Every Heart a Doorway by Seanan McGuire

Reviewed by: Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist

Genre: Fantasy, Mystery

Suggested Age: Teens, Adults

What is the book about?: The children in Mrs. West’s care have disappeared….and reappeared.  They have traveled to magical worlds through doors that have mysteriously open before them.  Nancy is one of these travelers.  When she reappears in the real world years later, she is not her parents’ little girl any longer. They send her to Eleanor West’s Home for Wayward Children to hopefully learn to readjust to reality.  At the home, Nancy meets an interesting mix of characters, all of whom have survived journeys to magical realms.  Nancy soon discovers that they all desperately seek to return to their portal worlds, though their doors may never open again.  In the midst of adjusting to her peers as well as new surroundings, something horrifying starts to unfold that has everyone at the home on their toes.

My Review: At under 200 pages, Every Heart a Doorway is a fantasy and a murder mystery that will keep your attention until the end. It’s a great read for people who feel like they don’t fit in this world and accidentally find a place created just for them.  I loved the characters and applaud McGuire for including elements of fantasy as well as horror, but also tackling issues of orientation and gender. One of the characters is trans, while another is asexual.  I was a bit disappointed that the various worlds or characters were not explored in depth, but I believe this is saved for the next two novellas in the trilogy. I listened to the audiobook version of this novel and found it easy to follow.  The narrator really captures Nancy’s voice and mood of McGuire’s writing.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Creepy, magical, and atmospheric

Give This a Try if You Like… Murder mysteries, genre blenders, Girl, Interrupted

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.  Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available.  If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently.  We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!

The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven by Sherman Alexie

Reviewed by: Sarah Baker, Circulation Assistant

Genre: YA Fiction, Contemporary

Suggested Age: Teens, Adults

What is the book about?: ?: A collection of short stories  that was the basis for the film Smoke Signals. These are Alexie’s fictionalized memories – things are exaggerated, embellished and filtered through a literary lens. If you’ve read The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-time Indian, you’ll be familiar with a lot of the characters. If not, you’ll be able to jump right in anyway. Some of these stories are funny, some are sad, and a great many of them revolve around basketball. Life on the rez isn’t pretty, and Alexie doesn’t spare his viewers. There is foul language and a lot of drinking, so be warned.

My Review: Alexie has a way with words. This book was entertaining but it still hurt like heck to read at points. The grinding poverty, alcoholism and death that seems woven into life on the reservation is there for anyone to see, and knowing that this IS everyday life for people got to me more than anything else. But life on the rez also has laughter and color and love and basketball. There’s dancing, there are powwows, there are fights, there is basketball. Did I mention basketball? Because there’s lots of it, woven into most of the stories. And the stories themselves are woven to each other. Unlike The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian, this volume is more disjointed. The stories are 2-8 pages, making it ideal to pick-up and put-down. But it’s one that I recommend you read for yourself – there’s something in it that I can’t capture in a short review.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Beautiful, Painful, Poignant

Give This a Try if You Like… Slice of life, memoirs, underdogs

Rating: 4/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.  Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available.  If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently.  We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!

World War Z by Max Brooks

Reviewed by: Jonathan Richardson, Reference Assistant

Genre: Epistolary Fiction, Horror

Suggested Age: Teens, Adults

What is the book about?: 20 years ago, a new epidemic started to make its way around the globe, turning the infected into zombie-like creatures.  The human race was on the verge of extinction, but was able to overcome the zombie hordes and reclaim some of its original, pre-war significance.  As part of a study to determine the cause and effect of numerous world-wide events leading up to and during the Zombie War, the narrator conducted a series of interviews with military and surveillance officials, world leaders, medical personnel, and refugees.  Their personal accounts helped to give insight into the world at that time, and hopefully teach lessons to avoid a similar catastrophe again in the future.  This book is the unabridged collection of those interviews.

My Review: This is truly one of my favorite books.  I love the epistolary style the book is written in, with each interviewee giving a tiny fragment of the whole picture, and the narrator piecing those fragments together.  While some will gravitate towards this book because of the zombies themselves or the survivalist themes (both of which have plenty of detail and development), I tend to applaud it as a commentary on not just American society, but humanity as a whole, subtle and complex in its ideas.  I recently listened to the audiobook version for the first time, and found it to add so much more to the story, simply from the tone of voice or the accent of the character being read, a completely immersive experience.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Thought-Provoking, Candid, Imaginative

Give This a Try if You Like… The Good War: An Oral History of World War II by Studs Terkel, Dracula by Bram Stoker, The Walking Dead (TV Series)

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.  Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available.  If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently.  We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!

Night Film by Marisha Pessl

Reviewed by: Dawn Dickey, Library Volunteer

Genre: Suspense/Thriller

Suggested Age: Adults, Teens

What is the book about?: When Night Film begins, investigative journalist Scott McGrath’s career is in shambles. In his eagerness to score an exclusive about legendary, reclusive filmmaker Stanislas Cordova, McGrath makes the mistake of quoting an ominous accusation from an unsubstantiated, untraceable source:  “There’s something [Cordova] does to the children.” McGrath’s public repeating of this accusation against Cordova proves to be his undoing, and McGrath’s career unravels. But when Cordova’s daughter is found dead, McGrath is again drawn into digging into Cordova’s mysterious past.

My Review: “Everyone has a Cordova story, whether they like it or not. Maybe your next-door neighbor found one of his movies in an old box in her attic and never entered a dark room alone again. Or your boyfriend bragged he’d discovered a contraband copy of At Night All Birds Are Black on the Internet and after watching refused to speak of it, as if it were a horrific ordeal he’d barely survived.”

These are the opening words of Night Film, and they set the scene for the creepiness that follows. Pessl excels at using words to paint spooky scenes with a paranormal flair. Pessl cleverly supplements her frightening word pictures with visual materials that add to the intrigue, such as scans of McGrath’s research notes, screen shots of members-only websites about Cordova, news articles, and more. All-in-all, this was one creepy read, I was spooked enough that I considered not finishing the book. I did finish the book, however, and I am glad I did! Highly recommended if you like a scary read!

Three Words That Describe This Book: paranormal, investigative thriller

Give This a Try if You Like…  Paranormal Witness, Sinister, or psychological thrillers

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.  Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available.  If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently.  We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

Reviewed by: Jacob Roberts, Reference Assistant

Genre: Southern Gothic, Coming-of-age

Suggested Age: Adults, Teens

What is the book about?: To Kill a Mockingbird follows the childhood of Jean Louise Finch, a young girl that goes by the name Scout, as she struggles with the conflicting morality that exists in the small southern town of Maycomb, Alabama. Scout is seen to age from six to nine throughout the novel, and is full of imaginative fervor with her brother Jim and good friend Dill. Early on they find themselves embarking on a new schoolyear, exploring the mystery of their neighbor Boo Radley, and shaking off the little authority Calpurnia and Aunt Alexandra instill upon them. However, as it is at the height of colored segregation during the 1930’s, they have a lot to learn about the world around them and just how they fit into it all. Their dad, Atticus, plays as their moral compass, but the town is shaken as an African-American man named Tom Robinson is prosecuted for assaulting a young white woman. Atticus, as the local lawyer, takes the case and sets out against the town to prove his innocence, causing not only the children to question what they know, but the town itself.

My Review: Harper Lee’s classic, To Kill a Mockingbird, has been held in high acclaim by all its readers throughout the decades. It produces insight only children can perceive, as the adults around them cave to the traditions of the past. It begs attention to dilemmas far ahead of its time, and that is why it remains relevant today. It shares a story of love, compassion, humanity, and acceptance that people in today’s society can’t help but continue to connect with. Lee is able to produce raw emotion and understanding through a childlike perspective. However, although it is through a child’s eyes that realization is achieved in To Kill a Mocking Bird, there exists a sense of authority with what is shared with the reader. It suggests that humanity grows naïve with age, and that if there is to be a change with anything in society it begins with the children that we raise.

Three Words That Describe This Book: Insightful, Moving, Reminiscent

Give This a Try if You Like…  Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor, The Heart is A Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers

Rating: 5/5

Find it at the library!

About FDL Reads

Welcome to FDL Reads, weekly book reviews from Fondulac District Library.  Librarians (and possibly some other guest reviewers) review all types of books, from children’s picture books, young adult favorites, to the latest adult thriller, and share their thoughts each week at fondulaclibrary.org. If the book is owned by Fondulac District Library (or another local library), you’ll see a direct link to the catalog entry and whether or not it is available.  If it is checked out or at another local library, you will be able to place a hold as long as you have your library card and PIN numbers. As with any book review, these are our opinions…we disagree amongst ourselves about books frequently.  We all have different likes and dislikes, which is what makes the world an interesting place. Please enjoy, and keep on reading!