FDL Reads: Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches
Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches
Reviewed By: Alice Mitchell, Youth Services Manager
Genre: Realistic fiction/romance
Suggested Age: Teens (grades 7-12)
What is This Book About? Seventeen-year old Eleanor can’t help it that she’s cynical. She had to move to Salem, MA after her mom contracted Lyme disease, she lost her first love last year, and was then bullied out of her high school. Working at a witch-themed gift store in Salem doesn’t make it easier to believe that mysterious forces might be able to improve her life. All of that changes when Eleanor is sent a mysterious tarot deck, and when Pix and her cousin wander into the shop. Eleanor starts falling – hard – and begins to open up to new beginnings and the possibility of new romance. As Eleanor starts getting comfortable with a new group of friends in Pix’s coven, her past steps in to convince her that maybe she really does mess up everything.
My Review: This book will have you breaking out some tarot cards! I had a great time reading this book for Pride Month, though it would also do well as a witchy, fall read. I kept feeling more and more sorry for Eleanor as I learned about her first love and best friend, Chloe, but every refreshing moment watching her move on with her life with Pix in the current timeline made me feel so hopeful that she would be able to heal from her past. No one is perfect, and Scelsa shows how even good people can sometimes make mistakes. Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches was a great book about toxic relationships, second chances, and a little bit of magic.
Three Words that Describe this Book: witchy, anxiety, optimistic
Give This A Try if You Like… Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli, Beetle & the Hollowbones by Aliza Layne, The Witch King by H.E. Hedgmon, Cemetery Boys by Aiden Thomas
Rating: 4/5
FDL Reads: Into the Black Nowhere
Into the Black Nowhere by Meg Gardiner
Reviewed By: Rebecca Cox, Business Manager
Genre: Fiction
Suggested Age: Adults
What is This Book About? Women in Texas begin disappearing on Saturday nights from conspicuous places –a movie theater, a car idling at a stoplight and a third vanishes from her own home while checking on her baby. Caitlin Hendrix, rookie FBI agent and profiler for the Behavioral Analysis Unit, along with her team are dispatched to Austin to investigate. They find the first victim’s body in the woods laid out in a bloodstained white nightgown, surrounded by polaroid pictures. Each photo pictures a different woman laid out in the same way showing that the unknown subject (unsub) has killed far more women than the FBI realized. In order to catch him, Caitlin and her team must get inside his mind to catch him before he claims more victims.
My Review: Fans of the television series Criminal Minds (like me) and true crime buffs are going to really enjoy this fictional crime thriller, the second in the Unsub series by Gardiner. It is fast paced and detailed, easily pulling you into the story and simultaneously freaking you out! With details paralleling the famous murders of infamous serial killer Ted Bundy in a modern-day context, this book was hard for me to put down. Caitlin Hendrix is a fantastic character – unlike so many female law enforcement protagonists who tend to be unbelievably portrayed as “good at everything,” her character has a depth and flaws that make her extremely relatable. She is a rookie in the FBI and this novel shows her start to understand her new role as an agent and learn to trust her instincts when it comes to profiling a killer.
Three Words that Describe this Book: Fast-paced, Suspenseful, Compelling
Give this a try if you like… Criminal Minds, Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris, China Lake by Meg Gardiner,
Rating: 5/5
#FDL: 2023, The Year of Sanderson
What did you do during “Lockdown 2020?” Brandon Sanderson wrote 4 secret books!
Just over one year ago, Brandon Sanderson, the popular science fiction and fantasy author, started a crowdfunded project on the Kickstarter platform called “Surprise! Four Secret Novels by Brandon Sanderson.” With only vague, yet tantalizing hints, Sanderson’s fans did not disappoint. Nearly 186,000 people pledged over $41 million to see these books come to fruition. Sanderson now holds the bragging rights for the highest funded project on kickstarter.com!
If you missed out on participating, don’t worry. The books are also coming to Fondulac District Library. The first book is already on our shelves, with the second set to arrive over the summer. Find out more below.
Secret Project #1: Tress of the Emerald Sea
Publication Date: April 4, 2023
Author Brandon Sanderson expands his Cosmere universe shared by The Stormlight Archive and Mistborn with a new standalone novel for everyone who loved The Princess Bride.
The only life Tress has known on her island home in an emerald-green ocean has been a simple one, with the simple pleasures of collecting cups brought by sailors from faraway lands and listening to stories told by her friend Charlie. But when his father takes him on a voyage to find a bride and disaster strikes, Tress must stow away on a ship and seek the Sorceress of the deadly Midnight Sea. Amid the spore oceans where pirates abound, can Tress leave her simple life behind and make her own place sailing a sea where a single drop of water can mean instant death?
Secret Project #2: The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England
Expected Publication Date: June 27, 2023
Brandon Sanderson meshes Jason Bourne and epic fantasy in this captivating adventure that throws an amnesiac wizard into time travel shenanigans—where his only hope of survival lies in recovering his missing memories.
A man awakes in a clearing in what appears to be medieval England with no memory of who he is, where he came from, or why he is there. Chased by a group from his own time, his sole hope for survival lies in regaining his missing memories, making allies among the locals, and perhaps even trusting in their superstitious boasts. His only help from the “real world” should have been a guidebook entitled The Frugal Wizard’s Handbook for Surviving Medieval England, except his copy exploded during transit. The few fragments he managed to save provide clues to his situation, but can he figure them out in time to survive?
Secret Project #3: Yumi and the Nightmare Painter
Expected Publication Date: October 3, 2023
A gripping story set in the Cosmere universe told by Hoid, where two people from incredibly different worlds must compromise and work together to save their worlds from ruin.
Yumi comes from a land of gardens, meditation, and spirits, while Painter lives in a world of darkness, technology, and nightmares. When their lives suddenly become intertwined in strange ways, can they put aside their differences and work together to uncover the mysteries of their situation and save each other’s communities from certain disaster?
Secret Project #4: The Sunlit Man
Expected Publication Date: January 2, 2024
Brandon Sanderson shows us a future in the Cosmere universe where a perpetual planetary wanderer must decide whether to keep running or stay and make a difference on a struggling planet.
Years ago, he had comrades in arms and a cause to believe in, but now the man who calls himself Nomad knows only a life on the run. Forced to hop from world to world in the Cosmere whenever the relentless Night Brigade gets too close, Nomad lands on a new planet and is instantly caught up in the struggle between a tyrant and the rebels who want only to escape being turned into mindless slaves—all under the constant threat of a sunrise whose heat will melt the very stones. Unable to understand the language, can he navigate the conflict and gain enough power to leap off-world before his mind or body pay the ultimate price?
-Annotations from the publishers
–Post by Melissa Friedlund, Reference Specialist
FDL Reads: The Love Hypothesis
The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood
Reviewer: Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
Genre: Romance
Suggested Age: Adults
What is This Book About? Olive Smith is a Ph.D. candidate in Standford University’s biology department. She tries to convince her friend Anh that she is in a relationship after Anh develops a crush on Olive’s ex. She does this by impulsively kissing the first guy she sees in the hallway–Adam Carlsen, a respected professor. Adam is known to be the toughest instructor in the department–teaching wise and personality wise. But, after talking about the kiss, they agree that a fake relationship would benefit them both and begin “dating.” When the fake dates turn into real feelings, emotions run high between the professor and student. Olive is forced to overcome sexism in her chosen field while she and Adam come to terms with their true feelings about each other.
My Review: If you can get over the very beginning of this book, it really is a great read. I just wasn’t quite convinced of the premise that a Ph.D student would just randomly kiss any guy in the department without thinking of the ramifications. But, the whole book is actually a satisfying romance. I wish Adam’s personality was a little more developed because I loved Olive’s. The competitive, academic environment led to additional tension and plot twists. If you like STEM romances or fake romances that become real ones, try this book!
Three Words That Describe This Book: Cute, Academic, Heartwarming
Give This a Try if You Like: The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang, Love on the Brain by Ali Hazelwood, Practice Makes Perfect by Sarah Adams
Rating: 4/5
Nature Photography Contest
Fondulac District Library is hosting a Nature Photography Contest for teens and adults aligned with our Summer Reading Theme, “Find Your Voice.” Showcase your artistic voice by submitting photographs from June 2-30. Entries will be displayed in the Adult Services Department for library patrons to vote for their favorite piece throughout the month of July. Winners will be announced during the first week of August. There will be prizes for first, second, and third place winners.
- All interested photographers should read the library’s policy regarding Art in the Library
- Entries must be framed or matted, with the appropriate hardware to be hung on a Walker display system
- The final piece, including frame or matte, should be no larger than 12”x18” (landscape or portrait layout).
- Please include name, phone number, and email address attached to the back of the piece.
- Limit of one entry per person.
- Original works only.
- Only photos with a nature theme (animals, plants, landscapes, etc.) will be accepted.
- Turn in the entry to a staff person at the 2nd floor Information Desk.
Please email Julie at julien@fondulaclibrary.org with any questions.
FDL Reads: Fantastic Planet
Fantastic Planet by Stephan Wul
Reviewer: Deb Alig, Circulation Assistant
Genre: Science Fiction
Suggested Age: Teens, Adults
What is This Book About? Fantastic Planet was first published in French in 1957 under the title Oms en Serie. It wasn’t until 2010 that it was translated into English. The story takes place in the far distant future on the planet Ygam where giant blue, red eyed humanlike creatures known as Traags dominate tiny humans who they brought to their planet from Earth. The Traags consider themselves the master race and treat the Oms like animals. Some Traags place collars on their domesticated Oms and treat them as pets. Other Traags consider Oms to be filthy, wild, nefarious creatures who pose a threat to their superior way of life and desire to control their populations through extermination. The main character of the story is an Om named Terr. Terr was owned by a Traag named Tiwa. He was naturally intelligent, and like all Oms, grew quickly. He used Tiwa’s learning headsets to gain Traag knowledge, and he learned to read and talk. He eventually escaped captivity and met up with some wild Oms. These Oms lived in a park and they pillaged Traag factories and warehouses to survive. One day, Terr noticed a sign at the park entrance. It stated that the Traags were planning to conduct a mass extermination of the Oms. The wild Oms, lead by Terr, banded together to plan and execute a mass exodus to the Wild Continent where no Traags live. Terr stole Tiwa’s learning headset and shared it with the others. The Oms used their new technical knowledge and their plunder to build three sea faring ships that will take them to freedom, not without complications and tragedies, however. The Traags eventually catch up with them, but the Oms are now technologically advanced enough to defend their new home. In the end, the Traags and the Oms agree to a peace in which there is no master race.
My Review: There is an interesting reason why I chose this book to review. A few months ago, a young man drove from Grand Rapids, Michigan on a Sunday afternoon to borrow FDL’s copy of Fantastic Planet. He couldn’t check it out, so we let him read it that afternoon in the library. He was so grateful. Apparently, there are very few copies available in libraries across the country and it’s not easy to find an available copy to purchase. FDL is fortunate to own a copy. The young man’s enthusiasm peaked my interest so I decided to read it. It was a great read with a great message. When the Supreme Tragg shows concern at the end of the novel that the Traggs will now be at the mercy of the Oms, Terr says, “Not at all. If you look closely at article 10 of the treaty…you will see the significance for both our peoples. It allows for a partnership between our two civilizations. There will be no master race anymore, but two equal races working side by side and mutually benefitting from their progress.” Though the novel is fiction and takes place during the future, what an applicable and hopeful message for our time.
Three Words That Describe This Book: insightful, allegorical, thought provoking
Give This a Try if You Like: Definitely give this novel a try if you have seen the 1973 award-winning animated movie Fantastic Planet. The movie is based on the book. Also, if you like the films or the book Planet of the Apes by, Pierre Boulle, you may like Fantastic Planet.
Rating: 5/5