FDL Reads: Things That Matter
Things That Matter by Joshua Becker
Reviewed By: Rebecca Cox, Business Manager
Genre: Nonfiction
Suggested Age: Adults
What is This Book About? Joshua Becker, a minimalism and decluttering guru, has just released his newest book about what to do after your house is decluttered. Becker moves beyond the decluttering to help readers recognize and overcome the other distractions that exist that keep you from discovering what things truly matter in your life.
My Review: I have not historically been a fan of self-help type books but I have followed Joshua Becker’s blog for years and love his way with words. The way he breaks down the distractions that keep people from pursuing what really matters in life and make a difference is relatable and understandable. Becker helped me to change my perspective on relationships, careers and passions and figure out what types of distractions are keeping me from pursuing the things that I truly want to. A must read for anybody who is feeling a little stuck and needs a push to help them find satisfaction in the every day.
Three Words that Describe this Book: Thought-provoking, inspiring, relatable
Give This a Try if You Like… Everything That Remains by Joshua Fields Milburn & Ryan Nicodemus, The More of Less by Joshua Becker, A Million Miles in A Thousand Years by Donald Miller
Rating: 5/5
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Check out one of these books frequently recommended on TikTok.
The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller
Achilles, “the best of all the Greeks,” son of the cruel sea goddess Thetis and the legendary king Peleus, is strong, swift, and beautiful, irresistible to all who meet him. Patroclus is an awkward young prince, exiled from his homeland after an act of shocking violence. Brought together by chance, they forge an inseparable bond, despite risking the gods’ wrath. They are trained by the centaur Chiron in the arts of war and medicine, but when word comes that Helen of Sparta has been kidnapped, all the heroes of Greece are called upon to lay siege to Troy in her name. Seduced by the promise of a glorious destiny, Achilles joins their cause, and torn between love and fear for his friend, Patroclus follows. Little do they know that the cruel Fates will test them both as never before and demand a terrible sacrifice.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwab
France, 1714: in a moment of desperation, a young woman makes a Faustian bargain to live forever and is cursed to be forgotten by everyone she meets. Thus begins the extraordinary life of Addie LaRue, and a dazzling adventure that will play out across centuries and continents, across history and art, as a young woman learns how far she will go to leave her mark on the world. But everything changes when, after nearly 300 years, Addie stumbles across a young man in a hidden bookstore and he remembers her name
The Seven Husband of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Aging and reclusive Hollywood movie icon Evelyn Hugo is finally ready to tell the truth about her glamorous and scandalous life. But when she chooses unknown magazine reporter Monique Grant for the job, no one is more astounded than Monique herself. Why her? Why now?
Monique is not exactly on top of the world. Her husband has left her, and her professional life is going nowhere. Regardless of why Evelyn has selected her to write her biography, Monique is determined to use this opportunity to jumpstart her career.
Summoned to Evelyn’s luxurious apartment, Monique listens in fascination as the actress tells her story. From making her way to Los Angeles in the 1950s to her decision to leave show business in the ‘80s, and, of course, the seven husbands along the way, Evelyn unspools a tale of ruthless ambition, unexpected friendship, and a great forbidden love. Monique begins to feel a very real connection to the legendary star, but as Evelyn’s story near its conclusion, it becomes clear that her life intersects with Monique’s own in tragic and irreversible ways.
It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover
Lily hasn’t always had it easy, but that’s never stopped her from working hard for the life she wants. She’s come a long way from the small town in Maine where she grew up— she graduated from college, moved to Boston, and started her own business. So when she feels a spark with a gorgeous neurosurgeon named Ryle Kincaid, everything in Lily’s life suddenly seems almost too good to be true.
Ryle is assertive, stubborn, maybe even a little arrogant. He’s also sensitive, brilliant, and has a total soft spot for Lily. And the way he looks in scrubs certainly doesn’t hurt. Lily can’t get him out of her head. But Ryle’s complete aversion to relationships is disturbing. Even as Lily finds herself becoming the exception to his “no dating” rule, she can’t help but wonder what made him that way in the first place.
As questions about her new relationship overwhelm her, so do thoughts of Atlas Corrigan — her first love and a link to the past she left behind. He was her kindred spirit, her protector. When Atlas suddenly reappears, everything Lily has built with Ryle is threatened.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?
A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.
Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?
-Annotations from the publishers
Posted by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
Summer Reading 2022: Read Beyond the Beaten Path
Where will reading take you this summer? We encourage readers of all ages to embark on outdoor adventures, explore nature, and get creative with FDL for the library’s 2022 Summer Reading Program: Read Beyond the Beaten Path!
From June 1 through July 30, kids, teens, and adults can earn badges for reading materials from FDL and attending library events — and earn prizes! Participants earn a variety of fun incentives for their reading achievements, and everyone who finishes the challenge is entered into raffles for stellar prizes, including games, gift cards, packages from local businesses, and more! Readers can register and track their progress online at fondulaclibrary.beanstack.org or on-the-go with the Beanstack app, or pick up a reading log from the library!
Engaging programs are scheduled throughout the summer focusing on a variety of fun outdoor activities like camping, letterboxing, and family movie nights. We’ll also have family favorites like story times and crafts, as well as a lineup of exciting presenters to share rope jumping skills, stories about Bigfoot, tents full of butterflies, and more! Register for programs at fondulaclibrary.evanced.info/signup/calendar.
Start Reading!
• Borrow books, audiobooks, and magazines from Fondulac District Library or download or stream eBooks and audiobooks from fondulaclibrary.org.
• Whether it’s reading a graphic novel, listening to an audiobook, or reading an article, it counts! All reading must occur within the program dates.
Earn Badges
• Record your minutes in Beanstack.
• Earn 1 badge for every 50 minutes (PreK-2nd graders), 100 minutes (3rd-8th graders), or 150 minutes (high schoolers and adults).
• Earn one badge for attending any three Fondulac District Library programs.
• Earn 10 badges to complete the program.
Win Prizes
• Participants receive prizes for reaching the halfway point by earning 5 badges AND for completing the program by earning 10 badges.
• Participants who complete the program will also be entered into a prize drawing!
• Halfway prizes can be picked up starting June 13, and completion prizes can be picked up starting June 27. Prizes are available while supplies last.
• The last day to pick up prizes is August 13.
Summer Reading 2022 Brochure & Reading Log
Our programs are made possible thanks to our amazing community sponsors!
The Past Inside the Present
Don’t miss our latest Fine Arts at FDL exhibit, featuring the work of Noah Otten, a multidisciplinary artist from Peoria. In The Past Inside the Present, Noah uses color theory, simultaneous contrast, and material and inspiration from his late grandmother to explore the fine art of abstract quilting.
#FDL: Books for Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month
The Night Tiger by Yangsze Choo
A sweeping historical novel about a dancehall girl and an orphan boy whose fates entangle over an old Chinese superstition about men who turn into tigers. When 11-year-old Ren’s master dies, he makes one last request of his Chinese houseboy: that Ren find his severed finger, lost years ago in an accident, and reunite it with his body. Ren has 49 days, or else his master’s soul will roam the earth, unable to rest in peace.
Everything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet.
So begins this exquisite novel about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee, and her parents are determined that she will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue. But when Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos.
This is Paradise by Kristiana Kahakauwila
Kristiana Kahakauwila travels the islands of Hawai’i, making the fabled place her own. Exploring the deep tensions between local and tourist, tradition and expectation, façade and authentic self, This Is Paradise provides an unforgettable portrait of life as it’s truly being lived on Maui, Oahu, Kaua’i and the Big Island.
Arsenic and Adobo by Mia P. Manansala
When Lila Macapagal moves back home to recover from a horrible breakup, her life seems to be following all the typical rom-com tropes. She’s tasked with saving her Tita Rosie’s failing restaurant, and she has to deal with a group of matchmaking aunties who shower her with love and judgment. But when a notoriously nasty food critic (who happens to be her ex-boyfriend) drops dead moments after a confrontation with Lila, her life quickly swerves from a Nora Ephron romp to an Agatha Christie case.
The Mountains Sing by Phan Qué̂ Mai Nguyẽ̂n
The Mountains Sing tells an enveloping, multigenerational tale of the Tran family, set against the backdrop of the Viet Nam War. Tran Dieu Lan, who was born in 1920, was forced to flee her family farm with her six children during the Land Reform as the Communist government rose in the North. Years later in Hà Noi, her young granddaughter, Hương, comes of age as her parents and uncles head off down the Ho Chí Minh Trail to fight in a conflict that will tear not just her beloved country but her family apart.
The Incendiaries by R. O. Kwon
Phoebe Lin and Will Kendall meet their first month at prestigious Edwards University. Phoebe is a glamorous girl who doesn’t tell anyone she blames herself for her mother’s recent death. Will is a misfit scholarship boy who transfers to Edwards from Bible college, waiting tables to get by. What he knows for sure is that he loves Phoebe.
Grieving and guilt-ridden, Phoebe is increasingly drawn into a religious group—a secretive extremist cult—founded by a charismatic former student, John Leal. He has an enigmatic past that involves North Korea and Phoebe’s Korean American family. Meanwhile, Will struggles to confront the fundamentalism he’s tried to escape, and the obsession consuming the one he loves. When the group bombs several buildings in the name of faith, killing five people, Phoebe disappears. Will devotes himself to finding her, tilting into obsession himself, seeking answers to what happened to Phoebe and if she could have been responsible for this violent act.
A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza
A Place for Us unfolds the lives of an Indian-American Muslim family, gathered together in their Californian hometown to celebrate the eldest daughter, Hadia’s, wedding – a match of love rather than tradition. It is here, on this momentous day, that Amar, the youngest of the siblings, reunites with his family for the first time in three years. Rafiq and Layla must now contend with the choices and betrayals that lead to their son’s estrangement – the reckoning of parents who strove to pass on their cultures and traditions to their children; and of children who in turn struggle to balance authenticity in themselves with loyalty to the home they came from.
Check out more authors on hoopla!
-Annotations from the publishers
Posted by Susie Rivera, Reference Specialist
#FDL is an update on all things Fondulac District Library and books.
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